The Chains That Bind Us

[Anara Valnor]

"You are mine now."​

Nightmares of times long past tormented her sleep, causing her to toss and turn, soft whimpers escaping her lips. Eventually her mind could no longer take the attacks of her inner demons and so she woke, slowly. A groan and harsh exhalation were the first indications that she was awake. Next vibrant amber eyes fluttered open, her eyes blinking the sleep away as her eyes adjusted to the dark room. She yawned, rolling from her side and onto her back as her forearm came to rest upon her forehead.

Her body was stiff, her neck oddly sore on one side, and her limbs felt heavy. Must of had a crazy night. As another yawn passed her lips she allowed her eyes to slide closed, her waking mind piecing together everything that had transpired the night before. She remembered getting drunk and taking a good amount of pixie, but there was more. Her night hadn't been a simple night of getting lost in alcohol, music, and drugs. No, there had been a man, a demonic man, and Zaiden?

Her brow knit together as everything came rushing back, but was any of it real? It didn't feel real and seemed more something her addled mind had created. Quickly the arm atop her forehead shifted and she placed her hand against her neck, the area more than sore. There was a spot on her neck that was actually quite painful; the spot where the man possessed by the Darkness had bit her. Frak... She remembered trying to save him and herself, but then everything went oddly fuzzy. As she struggled to muddle through the fog in her mind, a scent that was familiar and yet unfamiliar all at once assaulted her nose. It smelled like a man's cologne of some kind, but she didn't recall bringing a man home. In fact she couldn't remember anything after...

She inhaled sharply, her body going painfully rigid as she realized that she was not alone nor was she in her own bed. Adrenaline flooded her system, causing her head to bound as the hangover she had thought she avoided reared its ugly head. Her head throbbed in time with her racing heart, causing her to groan softly and place her forearm across her eyes. She had gone from a bad situation the previous night to a worse one, but now that all paled in comparison to her raging headache.

@Christian Slade

 

[Christian Slade]

The movement in the bed woke him, but he did not stir in the least for a moment as he woke. Golden eyes shot open and began peering around the room as Christian too hadn't remembered much of the night before. In fact, when he'd become angry and lost himself, he'd lost what memories he might have had past that moment. His body had been no longer only his to control when he'd reached the depths of his hatred. That was when the demons came out to fight him for control, and because of it, he'd lost a lot of that night before, never to be returned to him by his own resources.

As his eyes peered outwards from where he laid, he heard the woman's gasp of breath, and felt her sudden movements as she had begun to realize a few things. For one, a man was in her bed, and another, she'd probably done a few things that night before that she might never have done on any other occasion.

Finally Christian moved, and when he did, he moved with authority, not an ounce of hesitation in him as he did. He drew the sheets across his naked body and sat up straight on the bed, his golden eyes rising to see the glass, sliding windowpane in front of him being riddled with rain that was falling from a dark morning sky as if to address the evil that had unfolded only mere hours before.

Suddenly he rose, not bothering to cover himself. He was a shameless person, and there was nothing on him that the woman who was sharing his bed hadn't seen before. That much he was certain of, but he was also certain that he needed a drink to refresh his dry throat.

Circling the bed, what light there was peering through the glass door and washing over his form as he walked, Christian reached a small cooler built into the wall of his apartment. Stopping in front of it, he looked down as he reached up with his right hand and grabbed the handle. As he did, his golden eyes peered over a few scars and bruises he'd managed to obtain. particularly the deep gashes in his hand from crushing a glass. That he remembered, though he wish he hadn't. He felt like an idiot for doing it to begin with.

Pulling open the door to the cool, Christian reached in and pulled out a bottle of water. He unscrewed the cap and downed have of it in a few short gulps. He then turned slowly, screwing the cap on as he did, and faced the woman he'd brought to his bed. As he stood there, he watched her for a few moments before raring back and tossing the bottle out across the bed, which landed and rolled up against her legs.

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Head still pounding she was dimly aware of the man stirring beside her, but he felt different. Darkness still hung about him, but it was not the same as it had been the night before. Moving her arms from her eyes she sat up a bit and watched him move around the room, his nakedness causing her cheeks to darken. She was not in the habit of going home with men she did not know, but he hadn't given her much choice in the matter. Swallowing she shifted and sat up further, the sheet sliding down her body to reveal that she was just as naked as him.

She thought to cover herself again, but decided against it as she held his gaze. She had already fallen to him, she didn't need to show further weakness. Glancing down at the bottle she picked it up without hesitation and finished the contents of the bottle. With the bottle now empty she put the lid back on, before tossing it into a nearby trash bin. With the bottle disposed of she was forced to turn her attention back to the man she'd spent the night with. Meeting his golden gaze she held it, waiting patiently for him to say something. She had every intention of leaving his apartment, but not before figuring out why he seemed so different now.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

"You seem confused.", Christian finally said after the stale silence had hung in the room for almost a minute. It was okay for her to be confused as she was, and as a matter of fact, he'd have been surprised had she not been confused by what had happened. He only regretted doing all the things he had done in the state he'd been in. That included bedding the woman, because regardless of how beautiful she was, she was just as much as stranger to him as he was to her.

Moving back across the room, Christian found a pair of jeans draped across a chair. He reached up and grabbed them, pulling them from it and opening them up so that he could step inside. As he did, he looked over his shoulder ever so slightly to see that she was still watching. Not a moment of privacy for him, no, not in that moment. He thought it funny, but he guessed he hadn't earned the respect of privacy from her, seeing as he'd taken her more than once that night before.

Turning, Christian pulled up the jeans and situated them so that they would be comfortable and zipped them up. Looking up as he buttoned them, he said, "I know it's hard to understand, but last night I was not the man that I am now."

Looking down, he examined the job he'd done fastening his jeans. He then reached over and grabbed a long sleeve black shirt, but instead of putting it on he simply threw it over his shoulder, draping it there for the time being. "I let darkness take over in a time of weakness for me, and that was the result.", he said, starting across the room in her direction. "It took hold of my heart and fought me constantly for control, even as I was... taking you over and again in the night."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what else I could say.", he said, crawling onto the bed and reaching up to examine her shoulder as he did. He saw the bite mark on her, his eyes narrowing a bit as his expression sank. He'd been hoping not to see such a thing, but there it was. A pair of holes in her fair skin, black lines stretching across her skin, webbing out as if her very skin was cracking.

The darkness had seeped beneath the skin, and it would enthrall her heart soon enough.

"I can't believe I used that spell on her...", he whispered to himself, hardly audible trying to makesure that she wouldn't hear.

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

"I know...I felt it as soon as you woke up..."

As he approached the bed, she pulled the sheet up to cover herself once more, amber eyes scanning the floor for the discarded clothes. As soon as he was close enough to her, amber orbs met his gaze once more as a frown settled upon her lips. "It was just a bite...I've suffered much worse." She laughed weakly and tried to force a smile, but his expression was troubling. "Huh?" He muttered something, but she hadn't caught what he said. She was unable to see the marks spreading out from his bite; the only indication she had that something might be wrong was how sore the area was.

Shifting some more she moved to leave the bed and get dressed, but a fair portion of her clothes were still missing and her raging headache protested against every movement she made. Her bra and pants were on her side of the bed, but where her underwear and shirt were she could only guess. Slipping her jeans on and then her bra she felt a little more comfortable in the man's presence, enough that she actually sat back down on the bed. A hand came up to cover where he had marked her, a soft frown upon her lips once more. "Had I not been...enjoying myself as I was last night I might have been able to pull you out of that darkness." She sighed and the ghost of a smile touched her lips, "sorry..."

Looking away, she spotted her underwear at the foot of the bed and laid over so she could scoop them up. Stuffing the panties into her pocket she met his golden gaze once more, "I'm...Anara..."

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian looked away from the woman to give her some privacy as she got into her clothes. Honestly, she was a beautiful woman, but she wasn't the woman that blew him away. She wasn't... her... which was almost hard to say considering he didn't even know who "her" was, but at the same time, he knew that when she presented herself, he'd know who it was had been lying in wait for the entirety of his life just waiting.

Still, she was so... beautiful, and so he couldn't help but look over his shoulder at her as she struggled to pull those jeans up her thick thighs and muscular bottom. When she'd gotten as dressed as she could for the time, he looked down towards the the bite for a moment as she mentioned not being able to pull him from the depths of his darkness in those rather tense moments the night before in the club. To that, Christian's eyes glazed a bit as his head lulled to the side. His eyes then fell to the bed, which was in tatters, sheets strewn about every which way such to the point that it seemed they would never go back to the way they were before.

He stared like that for a while before he finally responded by saying, "I'm always in darkness, so, it's nothing new."

"I'm Christian.", he said, a stern look on his face as his jaw rippled from the clenching of teeth behind his lips.

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Silence hung between them, heavy and uncomfortable. After a moment she cleared her throat and let the hand that had been upon his mark fall away. Shifting a bit she moved so that she was facing him more fully and allowed herself a moment to really study him. He was handsome and had they met under different circumstances perhaps the situation they were now in would have been much different. A sad smile touched her lips and she ran a hand through her hair, wincing due to her headache.

"That was different though...I've never felt something like that before."

Her smile slipped away and she wrapped her arms around herself, a sudden chill racing up her spine in memory. After a moment the affects of the chill passed and she relaxed, but her smile didn't return. She didn't know what else to really say or even do. She was sore in more than a few places and her headache was not improving, but as much as she simply wanted to go back to sleep she knew that she needed to leave.

"Do you remember everything from last night?"

The question was sudden and would only prolong her stay with him, but it had only just occurred to her. If he hadn't been in control, then did he even know exactly what he had done? Did her remember what all was said? Part of her hoped that he did, but another part dearly hoped he didn't. She had been so high and inebriated that she hadn't been herself either; all in all the entire thing was a disaster.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

"Every second of it.", he said, those golden eyes watching her closely to try and read her body language. She wanted him to do that talking. She wanted him to think about that night and explain to her what had happened and why. She wanted him to want her. He understood it, all of it, but he couldn't bring himself to give her everything she wanted.

An explanation? Perhaps... To talk about it? Maybe so... But he'd influenced her feelings towards him by way of sorcery that he wouldn't use on his worst of enemies, and the only reason he'd done it was because wasn't in control in that moment.

He could never love her the way that she wanted him to, or at least, the way she would soon enough when she realizes how hard it is not to be in the same room with him. When she finds out how painful it will be not to be close enough to smell him... to touch him... to taste him. It was a cruel thing, a fate to some, and only he'd been able to master such a spell, at least, to his knowledge. To slip in and seduce someone, imprint his spell on the skin, and slip away, never to see them again and hear that after only a few weeks, after not being able to find him, lesser women had withered away and died, cold and alone.

"I'm sorry, for whatever it's worth.", he said, wanting so much to leave and never see her again, knowing that she'd be just fine. That was all a lie, though, and he knew that. He'd drawn her in, trapped her in his web, and spun her so tightly that she wouldn't be able to help herself... Not for long...

The headaches... The headaches had already set in.

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

"Every second of it."​

Her stomach dropped and her complexion paled, all while a blush stained her cheeks. She held his gaze for a moment, but only just before quickly looking away. The movement made her head throb, but she ignored the pain and stood from the bed as she had decided that it was time to go. As she looked about his darkened room for her shit she felt his eyes upon her and it made her uneasy.

A bark of laughter passed her lips as she moved around to his side of the bed, her shirt still no where to be found. "Don't be, I played with fire and got burned." Frowning she sank to the floor and her head swam, giving her a moments pause. Sighing she held her head and met his gaze again, her fingers rubbing slow circles upon her temples. "I tried to play the part of heroine; I was...to drunk or high to know any better." She frowned and looked away, her attention drawn to the area under his bed as it seemed a logical place her shirt could have ended up.

There, on her side of the bed was her shirt shoved up under the bed. Relieved she got back to her feet and moved around the bed once more. She was on her knees again and reached under the bed, pulling her shirt from the dark depths before quickly sliding it over her head. It was a little dusty, but not terribly so. Absently dusting herself off she looked up at Christian who was still seated upon the bed, an odd feeling coming over her as she looked at him. Her stomach rolled and she felt suddenly nauseous and once more she winced, a hand resting upon her stomach as her breathing changed in order to lessen her discomfort.

"I...need to go," she said, but she made no move to get up, instead her head fell forward to rest upon the edge of the mattress as her hangover took her for a little spin.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian smirked as he watched the woman and her antics. It was comical, despite her barely being able to help herself not being funny at all. When paired with the spell he'd used on her, he felt worse than bad, but then again, it wasn't really he who had chosen to use that dark art on the woman. It was a forbidden thing, a mind altering thing, and if she could have loved him of her free will or not, now it didn't matter. Now she wouldn't have a choice unless she had the strength to overcome it.

"Stop.", Christian demanded, walking over and pulling a big, soft blanked from the arm rest of the sofa in the room. He unfolded it as he approached the woman, now sprawled out on his bed battling her hangover. He held out his arms wide in order to drape the covering over the woman, from her toes all the way up to her neck. He then reached up and tucked it around her shoulders and waist.

"Sleep it off. You'll be better off after a few hours.", he said as he slowly turned and stepped out of the room, pulling the door shut gently behind him and sitting down on the couch in the living room. He turned on the holoscreen and changed it to some sports station, but his mind was far from there as he thought of what he'd done. He could kill someone that might never have challenged him or caused him harm, which he wasn't alright with.

The only saving grace was that she was possibly a natural enemy. At least... he knew he could taste the swells light side force that she emitted. So, it was possible that he'd only made his life a little less... difficult.

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

She moved to protest and actually get up, but before she could he had tucked her in and fled the room. His gesture made her stomach squirm, but despite how uneasy she felt about the whole situation she didn't leave the bed. Her body sorely needed the rest he was willing to allow her before she needed to be on her way and so she was going to take care of his current generosity. He is nothing like...that demon from last night. With a yawn that brought about a pained groan she allowed herself to relax, amber eyes fluttering closed as sleep dragged her into the abyss once more.

. . .

Several hours later Anara awoke with a start and sat up, her hand immediately flying to where Christian had bit her. She was panting and sweat dotted her brow as her eyes wildly searched the dim room. As her eyes focused and it became clear that she remembered where she was she relaxed, allowing herself to fall back upon his bed. That dream...didn't feel like a dream... Shaken by her dream that Christian had stared in, she got out of bed and made her way to the refresher; it was high time she headed home. Flipping the light on she squinted against its harsh artificial glare and relieved herself, her eyes adjusting just as she finished washing her hands.

As was normal for any woman who had just woken up she checked her appearance in the mirror as she didn't want to leave his apartment looking a complete mess. As she fussed with her hair she stopped to inspect the bite mark upon her neck, only for stomach to drop. "The...frak?" Swallowing she pulled her shirt aside to reveal more black veins and finally she pulled her shirt off in a hurry. The veins traveled across her shoulder, up her neck and were heading down her back and chest already. Few things terrified Anara, but the site of those veins stemming from Christian's bite mark did just that.

Shirt in hand she exited the bathroom in a rush and burst into the living room, she stood before him in a clearly foul mood. "What did you do to me?" Her voice was low as screaming wasn't really her thing, but it was obvious from her stance that she was both scared and seething.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

As the woman burst into the room she would find Christian sitting quietly in the dark, listening to the soft ping of rain above them. From his mouth a trail of smoke spun a delicate, intricate ribbon that rolled up across his upper lip, his nose and it's bridge. When she questioned him, Christian's golden eyes finally fell on the woman, but he did not speak.

Instead, Christian's golden eyes rolled up the woman's delicate features, noticing the spreading blackened veins that sought to overtake her. To him, they were attractive and unique, but clearly she was worried about what she was becoming. This, to Christian, was fair, but he also was a tough man to understand and instead of answering the question, he took another drag of the deathstick in his hand, then lowering his hand back down to his seat.

The rain continued to pluck the roof above, and as it did, Christian's eyes slowly slid closed and his head drew backwards until it hit the head rest. There he sat, quietly letting the smoke pour from his mouth as the moonlight trickled in and washed over his bare chest.

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Hands clenched at her sides she waited in silence for what felt like ages, until she felt as though she would snap. Anger was not something she was supposed to give into, but as of late she hadn't exactly been living as any proper Jedi should. She moved closer to him, her eyes lingering on his face before they traveled lower. For a moment, she forgot why she was angry and simply wanted to touch him, to feel his hard muscles beneath her hands again.


However, as a hand stretched forward to do just that, she caught herself and her anger flared once more. Shaking her head she tore her gaze from hime and glared at the window, shocked to see that it was night again. He let me sleep all day...I've never had a hangover do that to me... Frowning she fidgeted there in the darkness, before clearing her throat in an attempt to gain his attention again. She didn't want to fight him, especially after the other night, but she wasn't just going to play his game either. He was a Sith Master, but she was just as powerful as him.

"Christian...What did you...he...do to me last night?"

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Without moving a from his place, his head still laid up against the back of the chair, Christian heaved in a deep breath and slowly, calmly let it out again. He then finally replied to the woman who seemed bent on closure, though, how could she not have been? It was a rather peculiar situation she was in, and her current condition would arouse questions in the minds of those who cared about their bodies as much as she must have.

"Last night...", he started, not wanting to continue already knowing that she was going to lose what was left of her mind when she found out she was under a dark spell. A spell that left one helplessly attached to the caster.

"Last night there was a spell performed on you by... someone who wasn't me. A spell to... bind you... to... enthrall you."

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

Confusion chased her anger away as she simply stared at him, her amber eyes losing a bit of their luster. She didn't know what to say. Once upon a time she would have laughed in his face and demanded the truth, but that girl was long dead. Swallowing she watched him closely, an arm coming up to wrap around her abdomen as she tried to wrap her brain around what he had said.

"You are mine now."​

​

Her stomach twisted and now both arms were wrapped around her, a chill racing up her spine. She hadn't understood what he had meant, but now it made sense. Groaning she reached up and rubbed her eyes as she felt a new headache settling in. "Can't you....fix it?" A part of herself told her that he would have made such a suggestion if it were possible, while the other claimed that maybe he wanted to keep her around. Whatever the case was, she didn't fancy either outcome.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian sighed as she spoke and for a moment his head swayed back and forth against the back of the head rest. He then raised the deathstick and pressed it back against his lips, taking a long drag, his chest rising slowly as he breathed in as deeply as he could. When he'd had his fill he plucked it from his lips and let his hand fall back into place on the arm rest.

For a long time he didn't say anything, or even breath. Finally he exhaled, the smoke billowing up from his mouth and nostrils as he said, "I didn't tell you because..." The last trail of smoke rushed from his mouth and slowly spun ribbons of white as it rose up into the air, slowly fading as it did.

"...there is no cure."

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

The muscles in her jaw tightened as she frowned, her teeth grinding together in clear aggravation. "Naturally..." While Christian didn't feel the same as he had the night before, he was still a part of the Darkness. His Song was dark and menacing, but some part of her found it oddly soothing the longer she listened. His spell. Frowning still she hugged herself a little more tightly, her amber gaze never leaving his face.

As of late her emotions had been chaotic and hard to pin down, but now it was worse. Her headache was returning once more, but for the moment she was able to ignore it. Forcing herself to relax a bit she began to pace before him, her mind racing as she came to terms with being bound to him. After many moments she finally stopped, but kept herself from looking at him to test her own strength.

"What will this...spell do to me...exactly?"

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

"Well...", Christian said, leaning forward and propping his elbows up on his knees as his eyes bore into the woman, reaching out through the force and gently tapping into the curse make that he'd implemented. He called her eyes to turn to his, with our without her consent, to display the power it held. It was the ultimate source of control, at least as far as he'd been concerned. Control without having to maintain it was the most powerful of all spells that he might have used to manipulate, all others only seeking control for but a moment.

It was a horrible thing to do to someone, and he wouldn't have done it had his mind been his own, but he'd lost it that night before. It was unfortunate for the woman, but it was also very much true. "It's going to be excruciating. It is going to pick at the back of your mind all of the time. I'll always be in your thoughts, and the thought of being without me will be terrifying. Being without me will be a hell all it's own, however.", he said, watching her carefully, still implementing control with the curse mark to try and gain and keep her gaze set on him.

"And it's going to take a long time to wear off."

@[member="Anara Valnor"]

 

[Anara Valnor]

For a moment every muscle in her body tensed as she felt him within her mind, bending her will to his own. The feeling of him within her in such a way was sickening, but a larger part of her longed for it. Unable to fight him she found her amber gaze locked on his own, her head turning first and then the rest of her body so she faced him once more. Without her knowledge she moved toward him, her movements slow as she focused on regain control of her eyes.

"How long?"

The distance between them shortened until she was close enough to touch him and as her hand rose up to meet his face, she became aware of what she was doing. Her heart jumped up into her throat and she stumbled backward, her feet tripping over one another so that she fell backward. However, she never dropped his gaze, even as she caught herself to soften her fall. Heart pounding, body trembling, and her mind racing she reacted on pure instinct; she was in danger. A single hand rose and she blasted him with a wave of energy to push him farther from her and break his control over her.

The instant her attack flew at him, pain shot up her arm and settled in the pit of her stomach. She managed to slam the door to her mind in his face, but the instant she did she fell back with a cry, both hands rising to her eyes. It felt as though she had been punched in the eye, the pain was unlike anything she'd felt before. Growling she rolled onto her side, a tremor shaking her lithe frame as she battled against the pain his spell was causing.

@[member="Christian Slade"]

 

[Christian Slade]

Christian's golden eyes watched the woman carefully as she gently touched his face. He even leaned into her touch a bit, knowing that despite the effects of his spell, there was a part of her that wanted him regardless. That longed for his touch. He'd felt that attraction to him the first night they'd met, and it had only grown in his dark presence, her addiction for the sweet taste of the darkness that he emitted only growing strong up until the point he'd sunk his teeth into her neck.

She grew afraid quickly, however, realizing what she was doing. She stumbled backwards from him, becoming afraid rather easily and quickly. She raised her hand in her panic, and as she did, she released a force push that rushed across the room, carrying every loose, light item and piece of furniture with it. Christian's golden eyes narrowed at this, but he didn't defend himself. Instead his hands gripped either arm of the chair he was in so tightly that his digits ripped through the cushion and split the wood in a few places.

The chair was taken by the force push, as well as him sitting in it, and thrown across the room. It slammed into the wall, shattering between the wall and his broad back, falling into pieces all around him as glasses and glass trinkets shattered all around him, candle sticks and metal lamps and a clock clinking as they struck the wall as well. When his back hit the wall, the wall cracked, but he didn't even flinch. As quickly as the force had come, it was gone just as quickly. When it left him, his body dropped from the wall and he landed on both feet, shaking his head of a few stray pieces of glass as he started back across the room to Anara.

Reaching down with his right hand, mid stride, Christian's hand snapped around the woman's neck, his hand coming to clutch her tightly as he continued to walk. He dragged her across the floor with ease, but unlike the enraged man he was last night. In this moment, his eyes did not turn red and his mind did not wander. He did not speak, not yet, and as he reached the opposite side of the room he raised his arm, picking the woman up as if a feather.

Raring back a bit, Christian threw his arm forward and slammed the woman into the wall, letting her dangle from his grip as he pressed her into the wall hard, threatening to crack it. He then leaned in close, those golden eyes now wide, and not happy as he eyes her up and down. "That wasn't nice.", he said, his thumb slowly peeling away from her neck as his palm held her pinned. He brushed the digits across her jaw, his golden eyes looking at the mark he'd created and then back into her eyes.

@[member="Anara Valnor"]