Page 61 of Iblis' Affliction
“Tonight, Master can’t escape.”
PRESENT
THE METAL DOOR SCREECHED OPEN,and Talha faced the noise. Shoulders hunching forward, Slater stumbled through the threshold. Slapping the wall with his palm, he made a few uncertain steps toward his prisoner before dropping to his knees by Talha’s side. The stench of blood and death preceding the airwave, making Talha hold his breath. In the dark, he couldn’t make out Slater’s face but the frequent flashes, breaking in from the outside, outlined his silhouette.
“Is Master cold?” Talha’s heart sank from the sounds of the low, barely above a whisper voice. “Slater is cold. Chest hurts… Why does it hurt so bad, Master? Slater killed, but there was no pleasure. Is Slater broken? Is this why Master threw Slater away? Because Master knew it?”
Fuck…Every word, aggravating by the dull, listless intonation, pierced Talha’s chest with a needle of frost. The air whizzed leaving his lungs as he smacked his head against the ground and squeezed his eyes. He’d never seen Slater this broken. He’d never heard such despair in his voice, and now, lying on the floor, he was powerless to fix it.
Slater didn’t wait for his reply. Dropping down, he nested his head at the crook of Talha’s shoulder, his sweaty forehead brushed against his skin scalding it with incandescent heat and freezing ice. Snuggling up to Talha’s side, the ripper wrapped his arm around his torso, and Slater’s stomach pressed against his side. Talha’s breath hitched, as Slater’s wet shirt clung to his skin.
Mind paralyzed with fear, he concentrated on the sensation. A part of Slater’s shirt stuck to his body above his hip. It was hotter than the rest. His pulse spiked as he felt a hot trickle snake down his hip.
“Ught-ugh!” Pushing the order into the name, Talha called, demanding attention.
“It’s okay, Master.” A sultry whisper washed over Talha’s neck. “Master won. Master can have everyone. Slater will go nowhere. Slater belongs to Master, so does Hanim. Slater will forever guard you and your Mistress. Even in Hell.”
Slater’s fingers sank into small grooves between Talha’s ribs, slid up his chest, trailed up to his face. Sticky and wet, they outlined his jaw, brushed over the stripe of the tape.
“Slater was weak. Slater was scared to hear Master’s voice, but it doesn’t matter anymore.” He picked up a corner of the duct tape and tore it off.
Talha hissed. His mouth and the skin around it burned. He moved his lips to one side, then to another, before he croaked, “Slater, untie me now!”
“Don’t, Master.” Slater’s low, liquid voice dripped with a hidden warning. “It’s no use. It’s too late.”
“Slater!” Talha growled, but the blood smelling fingers pressed to his mouth, hushing him.
“Master, stop, or I’ll gag you again.” His cold nose brushed against Talha’s neck. “Talk to me… Slater is cold.”
“You are bleeding. You need a doctor.”
The ripper jerked his head. “Slater has always wondered; why did Master kiss Slater when Master thought Slater was asleep? Tell me, Master.”
“Release me, and I’ll tell you.”
Slater’s body shook with the silent laughter. “Master is funny. Slater isn’t stupid. Master will leave Slater as soon as Master is free. Then Slater will be alone in Hell. Only Slater and Hanim. How fair would it be, Master? You can’t send Iblis to the Hell of your broken toys, Master, if you aren't ready to follow.”
“I won’t leave you.”
“Master liesssss.” The snake-like hissing escaped Slater’s mouth. His fingers sank into Talha’s ribs. “Don’t insult Slater with liesssss.”
Taken aback, Talha swallowed the filthy taste in his mouth, considering what to say next. “Indulge me first, Slater. Tell me, why Behçet never used you against me.”
“Simple, Master. Slater didn’t want to kill for Behçet anymore.”
Talha frowned. “Why?”
“Behçet was relying on Iblis too much. Behçet forgot how to be strong. Slater tried to remind him. But once weak is forever weak, Master. Weak should die. Slater is weak. Slater should die. Slater thought Master is weak, that Master loves Slater. Slater was wrong. Slater thought Master loves Hanim. Slater was wrong again. Slater isn’t very smart, after all. Master is strong. Master loves no one.”
Talha’s heart shrunk as he listened to Slater’s listless voice. He raised his head to have a better look at the face, drowning in the darkness, but the decreasing flashes weren’t enough to illuminate anything, but the contour of his head. “Slater...”
“Shut up, Master. Enough. Slater doesn’t want to hear a lie. Slater doesn’t want to be insulted. Master will say anything to live. Don’t… It doesn’t matter anymore. Slater will kill Master when Slater can’t go on.”
“Slater, I…”
“Silence, Master. Slater is tired. Slater wants to sleep. Say another word and I will gag you again.”
Talha’s heart drummed in his chest as the hot liquid dripped a small pool beneath his back. He waited a few minutes before nudging Slater with his hip. Slater didn’t move.
