Chapter 39 - Holding On To Dear Life... Or Dear Death

Explicit usage of words written in delicate penmanship. Just like Abel, whose beauty was out of this world with a dark soul the complete opposite of his beautiful shell. Aries felt like she could hear his voice while reading his ridiculous letter. 

"There's no doubt he's the sender of these letters," she murmured, peeling her eyes away from the letter to the poor crow. It had been flying back and forth to deliver unimportant memoranda. 

Aries raised her hand, extending it to pat its head cautiously. "I won't be replying anymore," she said, following Abel's instruction. "Thank you."

She jumped away when the crow cawed and flew away. For a second, her heart raced, watching the crow fade into the dark. 

"Even if he is crazy, I didn't think he can make a raven fly a note," came out a whisper, in awe that Abel was using a crow to deliver his correspondence. "Well, he is Abel. What else can he not do?" 

Aries shrugged and shook her head lightly, walking back inside her room to rest. She had been exchanging letters with Abel for over an hour. He didn't come to her room, but he still found a way to bother her. What a talent. 

As Aries slipped under the quilt, she fixed her eyes on the ceiling. "He will drive me crazy, truly." A deep sigh slipped past her nostrils, eyes narrowing as her mind could remember all his notes. 

Abel was the type of person who would use big words without thinking of the consequences or their effect. Not that his romantic letters reached her heart, but she perceived them as warnings. He was a person who would say anything that the other person wanted to hear; like a devil who whispers sinful ideas in a person's ear. 

"It's not like he is the only one..." she breathed out, closing her eyes to rest. "... I also speak the words he wants to hear, anyway. It's only fair if he does the same."

All interactions with him were akin to a lesson, tackling his personality deeper with every passing day. In this case, Aries could relax a bit, knowing Abel wouldn't kill her for no reason. Still, he could hurt her if she push her luck too far. 

The side of her lips curled up, rolling to her side before opening her eyes once again. 'Am I enjoying it somehow?' she wondered, realizing the smile on her face. 'I can't deny that even though I am treading on thin ice, discovering and learning a new side of him gives me a bit of confidence that I already lost. It's like learning a new language and a foreign land's interesting custom.'

"He is fascinating in a way," came out another whisper, sighing as her weak smile faded. "How could such a complicated person exist? One second, he tells me he wants to see me in pain. The next moment, he'd say take care. Appalling. Was he aware that he's crazy?"

Once again, Aries closed her eyes after shaking her thoughts away. That was enough of Abel today. She had to stop thinking about him like a project she must finish. Instead, she convinced herself that she should enjoy this time alone.

'Silence...' she whispered internally. '... so precious.'

*****

Hours had gone by and the night only fell deeper and deeper. Aries eventually fell asleep — although a bit later than usual. Well, she had been sleeping late and actually adjusted her sleeping schedule ever since Abel kept visiting her quarters every single night. 

She also stopped having nightmares recently, so she had been sleeping well. As she slept like a log, faint footsteps resounded on the terrace connected to her room. With the door left ajar, Abel carefully pushed it open with the back of his hand, producing a light creak.

As the door opened, his shadow stretched inside the room. His glowing red eyes fell on his own shadow; large black wings that were akin to a bat's wings, sharp fangs, and one horn on his right side. He gazed at his hand, staring at his bloody palm and sharp black claws.

Should he go in? He wondered, idling by the door of the terrace. He had calmed down now, so it was safe to approach her. 

Abel, unbothered by the absence of his top, raised his eyes on the figure sleeping soundlessly on the bed. She was sleeping on her side, facing his direction. The longer he stared, the calmer he got. Slowly but surely, the large, sharp wings returned inside his back. As it did, blood gushed out from where it was attached.

Just like the terrifying wings, his claws returned to human hands, and all the additional features Aries had never seen before. It took a couple of minutes before Abel went back to his normal state, but the blood that gushed out from him remained.

"Aries," he called under his breath, sauntering towards the bed and standing beside it. He tilted his head to one side, then slowly to the other. "I'm back, darling."

Abel, whose hands were sullied with his and other people's blood, carefully reached to touch her. He didn't care if it stained her cheek, because his desire to touch her was far stronger than anything. 

"Mhm..." she moaned and adjusted, but didn't wake up. 

He sat down on the edge of the mattress, eyes still on her. He came to her as soon as he quenched his hunger; something he would usually quench for at least three days straight. Not because he was already satisfied, but because his hunger was more insatiable than ever. The irony.

"Darling." Abel slipped under the quilt carefully, blood staining the sheet. He crawled his arms under her neck, adjusting her cautiously to not wake her until she was secure in his embrace. 

But no matter how careful he was, Aries grunted. She opened her eyes weakly, half-conscious and asleep.

"Mhm. You're back?" she inquired in a half-conscious state, moving closer to him with eyes closed as a habit she picked up just recently. "So soon... but let's sleep more, Abel."

For a moment, his entire body grew stiff before it relaxed. The lines on his forehead slowly disappeared as his stiff expression softened. 

"Mhm. Good night," he whispered, sniffing her hair until his lips touched her forehead. "Even in this state, your survival instinct is promising."

Instead of showing a cold expression, the side of his lips curled up. Closing his eyes, Abel embraced her as if he was holding onto dear life.... or dear death.