Thread: Chained Souls: Night Three {Book Two of the Chianed Duet}

Night Three
If I never went to back to school again, it’d be way too soon. And that was an understatement.
The day had started off horribly and just gone farther downhill. Pain and Death were hit on constantly so I had to be wary of the females in the school while I looked out for evils but kept tabs on Selene.
And, to make matters worse, my Pandora’s Box project from the first semester was still due and my ‘partner’ was nowhere to be found.
I could’ve said, ‘Could it get any worse?’ but when I would say that, something worse would happen. Very, very quickly I was beginning to hate the line.
“Are you feeling well?”
I turned and smiled at Death. There was a familiar hint of worry in his eyes but I knew how to handle it.
“Perfectly,” I said with the same fake smile as we walked into my house. It seemed like an eternity since I’d been inside. “Why?”
Death touched my shoulder and I shivered. He was cold—like death cold. His lips brushed my ear and I stiffened as he whispered.
“If you’re going to lie, lie better,” he whispered.
He stood upright and walked off in the direction of the kitchen. It didn’t take me long to realize that Pain was glaring at me…again.
I turned and faced him, blowing out a sigh.
“What is it?” I asked tiredly. “You keep staring at me like I killed your family.”
Pain tensed before easing back and leaning on the door frame. It was a familiar position that had butterflies twisting in my stomach.
“No reason,” he said dismissively.
“Then stop staring.”
The reply was immediate and it set something off in Pain’s blood eyes.
“I can stare if I want,” he growled. “You’re not Talisen’s, you’re—”
He cut off and shut his mouth. I knew the silent word that he hadn’t spoken.
Mine.
I closed the space between us in three, short strides and glared at him.
“No, you can’t,” I said coldly. “It’s rude and inappropriate. And who’s am I, if I’m not Talisen’s?! Who’s to say I’m anyone’s?!”
“You’re—”
“Who’s?!” I growled. “Who’s the Hell am I?!”
He replied very…unexpectedly.
Pain grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, pulling me into a kiss. It was harsher than before but it was familiar nonetheless.
I caved—there was no stopping it.
I kissed him back, putting everything I had into the kiss. I couldn’t think, could barely breathe. All I knew was that I wanted him—wanted this. More than anything else.
He was the first to pull away. The look in his eyes nearly sent me to his knees. It was a look of familiarity.
“Pandora,” he breathed. “You…You’re…”
He winced and leaned back against the door, holding his head in one hand while he held onto me with his free one.
“Pain?”
He looked up and fire flashed through his eyes. It was a look I’d seen before—once before. A long, long time ago.
Pain released his hold on me and staggered slightly to stay standing before he spoke.
“I…I remember…”
And then he hit the floor.
I don’t know what I did after that. I remembered screaming for Death—screaming for help. Then I remembered seeing Death…after that, it was just a blur.
Now, however, I was sitting in my room as Pain slept on my bed. I re-ran his words over and over in my head like they were a broken record.
I remember, I remember, I remember, I remember…
Did he…did he remember me? Remember the E-Project? Tartarus?
Exactly how much did he remember?
“Pandora,” Death said softly from the doorway of my room. He looked…hurt. The look made me feel guilty. Had he seen us? Had he watched us? “You need to sleep.”
“I won’t leave until he wakes up,” I said defiantly. “I won’t leave.”
Death crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me. It was gentle but not to the point that I felt like glass that would shatter if held even the slightest bit harshly.
Now…three weeks ago would’ve been a different story.
“Stop this,” he whispered. “Please…I don’t like to see you hurting. It pains me to see you hurting.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into him slightly as one thought managed to slip into my mind.
Could I ever love Death?
“I can’t leave,” I repeated. “I left once and he nearly died. I can’t leave again.”
“Pan…dora?”
I looked down and stared into familiar blood eyes—they were more familiar now than they’d been since I’d found him. The familiarity was there—the knowingness was there.
“Pain?”
He managed to sit up and wrap his hand around my wrist, pulling me down to him.
“Thank God you’re alive,” he breathed. “I thought…I didn’t know if you’d gotten out.”
That was right. Pain had given me to Death and then turned around. He’d never known if I’d made it out alive.
And then he’d had his memories erased…
I laid practically splayed across his chest but was still hyperaware of Death less than ten feet from us.
“You’d better sleep,” I said, pulling away gently. He let me go with obvious reluctance. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
Death had disappeared and I walked out, shutting the door behind me.
“Pandora…”
I glanced up to see Death. His emerald eyes were practically glowing in the dimness of the hallway. The only light was emitted from the rooms by the stairs.
“Yes?” I whispered back. I couldn’t help feeling guilty. “Death…I…”
“I understand,” he said quietly. “I won’t ask you to give him up—all I ask is that you remain happy.”
I felt tears well up in my eyes as he turned and walked down the hall.
“Goodnight,” he whispered.
I lengthened my stride to get to him before I wrapped my arms around him from behind.
“Death,” I breathed. “I’m so sorry…I wish I could fix everything.”
He didn’t move, didn’t try to pull away. But the comment he made sent chills of both fear and anticipation down my spine.
“Pandora, you need to let me go or I’ll end up making you hate me.”
“I don’t care,” I whispered back. “I won’t ever be able to hate you.”
And that was the truth. I couldn’t imagine ever hating Death—even if he was Death, if that made sense.
He turned in my arms and cupped my neck in one hand and my jaw in the other, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“I don’t want you to hate me,” he said gently. “I wouldn’t ever wish that.”
“I won’t,” I promised. “I won’t ever hate you…I don’t think I could even if I wanted to.”
He closed his eyes and smiled, dropping his arms and pulling out of my hold.
“It’s late,” he said softly. “You need to go to bed. Goodnight, Pandora.”
“Goodnight Death,” I said tentatively. “Sweet dreams.”
He made a sound that almost resembled chuckling and I smiled, heading to the bedroom downstairs.
Maybe things would turn out better than I thought.