Page 54 of A Very Monstrous Desire

He pulled and he twisted but the rage having lost him once was not going to lose him again. With a deep, gut-wrenching howl, it flexed its wings, and it pulled Theo from the clouds and the creepers that were beginning to emerge. Theo saw just a glimpse of dark, glistening flesh before the rage swooped him back away and plummeted them to the forest floor. Theo screamed as they picked up speed, but his scream was soon cut off as the rage slammed him into the ground and he lost his breath again.

Theo gasped for air as the rage pinned him down. He was completely immobile, the creature’s wings surrounding him, beating in time with Theo’s tortured gasps. He looked up into the greenest of eyes and the most beautiful of faces before that face changed into something that made Theo finally sob a breath in.

The rage cried out.

Pure pain pierced Theo’s heart.

It cried again, its absolute sorrow surrounding them.

And then once more, and then the cries were endless, they did not stop, and Theo started to cry as well. He would have done anything for the rage then, as he looked at it, as its misery enfolded them both. How long passed? A minute, two, more even than that? Theo did not know. But it was not long before the rage changed again, the beauty returning, and the next time it cried, it did so directly into Theo’s face, and the cry was no longer sadness personified, it was filled with a pulsing rage.

The rage shrieked through Theo, and he found himself screaming back in response which the creature seemed to relish as its cries increased and its features sharpened into something beyond cruel. It cried its rage to Theo and Theo screamed back in horror. The rage opened its mouth wide, feeding upon Theo’s misery, taking it all, and Theo was at the point where he could not longer tell whose cry was whose or why it even mattered and then?—

The rage’s neck snapped.

Its cry ceased immediately.

It almost fell on top of Theo but was kicked aside, rolling onto the forest floor. Barely a moment passed before dozens of mini monsters emerged from their hiding places to seize it.

Theo was happy for them.

He was completely happy.

Blissfully so.

“Theo, look at me, are you okay?”

Baku pulled him up, dragged him into his arms. He hugged him close, whispering words of relief. His presence made Theo deeply happy. He was so happy. He hugged his monster back, thrumming with joy. “I feel…”

“You’re happy,” Baku said as he drew back to look at Theo.

Theo smiled. “Yes.”

Why wouldn’t he be?

Why wouldn’t everyone feel like this?

“It feels wonderful, perfect…”

Baku let out a shaky breath and pulled Theo back into his arms. “It will fade in a moment,” he said.

Theo started at that. How could it? It was perfect. Exactly as it should be.

“Let it fade, Theo,” the monster said. “And hold on to me as it does. It is going to…be painful.”

Theo couldn’t possibly imagine what Baku meant. How could he ever feel pain again? He was far too contented for that to happen.

“I have you now,” Baku continued. “You’re okay.”

He shifted slightly so that Theo’s head was against his chest, and he was enfolded completely in the monster’s arms. Theo realised why a moment later as a deep, shrieking pain lashed through him.

He cried out. Baku muffled the cry against him once and then again.

Theo cried and he sobbed as the happiness leeched away and all the negative emotions he had lost filled him once more. It took longer than either of them would have liked, long enough that the tiny monsters around them started to feed on the dead rage, but eventually Theo gasped and pulled back from his monster, dropping onto his knees, thudding there onto the forest floor.

“Baku…”

The monster joined him, pulling Theo to him again. He seemed desperate to reassure himself that Theo was okay, his hands running over Theo’s body. “You are fine now, Theo, fine, and I am here, I have you.”

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