Reaper's Word

Chapter 25: Living With a Choice

Clair's hands gripped the sheets in front of her. Isaiah's arm around her waist, his breath against her ear. She was shaking slightly. He took a deeper breath pulling her scent into his lungs and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt an almost purr in the back of his throat at how he was feeling and his scent mark hers. He reached up and bunched her hair slightly in his hand just gripping the thick mass for a moment.

Isaiah pulled his body from her slowly savoring the feel. Clair bit her lip slightly. She was sore and tired. She just wanted to lay down, he hadn't allowed her one second since he'd come back. However his hour was up and she was glad for it. She wasn't going to give him more, even if he asked. She just couldn't. Even if he offered her a year she didn't have another hour in her.

Though her body had enjoyed itself more than she thought. She didn't know how she felt about it to be honest. She guessed inside she just felt numb. Clair stood up, wishing to grab something to pull around her. It was just the sense of security that she wanted. She didn't want to let him look at her anymore. He got a hold of her chin and made her look up. She only met his gaze for a second before looking over his shoulder.

"Lay down Clair before you fall down." He told her letting go of her jaw, and she felt the amusement from him. A satisfied amusement. What would he do if she just smacked him? It was no harm right? No real harm, she just pursed her lips for a moment, to many loop holes. She was sure he left himself one.

"What if I don't want to here?" She said defiantly. He'd moved toward the end of the bed and looked at her. His gaze sliding down her body and then raised an eyebrow knowingly.

"The door is right there." He said pointing to it, but she saw the challenge there. He'd wait just to see what she did. Clair didn't trust her legs to allow her a quick or graceful escape so she turned around half sitting on the bed. He gave a kind of smile moving toward the bathroom.

"Didn't think so." She narrowed her eyes. Fuck him.

Clair waited till he disappeared around the corner before she reached down and grabbed the shirt there. She slipped it on and moved to grab the blanket on the floor. She managed to walk over to the sofa with steady feet. She laid down on it wrapping the blanket around her. She didn't hear him move, but she sensed him.

"You amuse and annoy me Clair." He said and she closed her eyes. She was staying right where she was. Too tired to move, too tired to care.

"I've done as you asked, now I will do as I please. That was the deal." She said. She knew that he was most likely watching her but she didn't care. She was tired, exhausted and hurt, both physically and emotionally.

Isaiah looked up. Rain was coming down rather hard now. He couldn't remember when it had started. He'd been far to focused on Clair. For now he would let her have her little retreat. He himself was tired. He thought back to when he had slept last. A few days ago if he remembered right.

He slipped on a pair of pants and moved back over to where Clair lay on the sofa, he stared at her for a moment. Then he moved over, leaned against the wall and watched her. Studying her. He saw the moment that she truly slipped unconscious. Her body going from tense to slack. She was out cold after a couple minutes of deep breathing. His head tipped to the side and his gaze was black for a second taking in Clair still form.

Isaiah moved over to stand looking down at her. He thought for a moment. He decided he wasn't done with her yet and reached down and picked her up. She was far beyond exhausted he thought. She didn't even stir when he picked her up. He laid her on the bed pulling the blanket from her. Her head fell to the side a hand moving to meet it. She frowned in her sleep, he noted the shirt that she had put on. She was determined to hide herself from the world and him, unless forced not to. He tossed the comforter up to let it come back down on her.

It landed cockeyed but he didn't really care. It was over her as she wanted and he'd told her she could have whatever she wanted. He could just manipulate it depending on the want or desire, and he could touch her still. He worded everything he said very carefully. It was all in the way you phrased it, your intention behind it. He didn't give her full immunity, just immunity from real harm. So anything life threatening really as he looked at it. Plus she hadn't verbally said she wanted anything at the moment. So he wasn't breaking any promise.

Isaiah moved onto the bed over Clair looking down at her. He made a frustrated sound and then moved to fall next to her. He looked up as a flash of lightning went through the sky. Exactly how he felt, the weather was perfect. He'd given her three weeks of technical freedom. More than any other, but it didn't matter so much to him. He could still get what he wanted from her.

He turned facing her and with one arm pulled her against him blanket and all. He liked the feel of it, she was something he'd had to work hard to get, and probably still would. He didn't see a reason to dispose of her. he just wasn't sure after her three weeks if he'd really give her anything else now knowing both sides of him could enjoy her.

___Clair____

Clair woke, the room was a dull grey color at the moment. She sat up and heard the sound of rain above her. She was alone in the room. She didn't know where Isaiah was, and thought it best to leave before he showed up. She got down off the bed and winced slightly. She was sore everywhere but her hips hurt most of all.

She moved to the mirror in the room and turned to the side looking at herself raising the shirt slightly. She had dark bruising around her sides and on her hips. She could make out the impression of his hand on her left side, but just barely. It was healing and she wondered what that looked like several hours ago. At least he wasn't here now.

"Geeze, couldn't have gone a bit easier on me?" She said feeling a bit tearful. This might have bothered her more if it had happened anywhere else. She was alive wasn't she? She had three weeks to herself. She had something that he wanted. She had to look at it that way or she would break down.

Clair moved from the room and searched the first bedroom that she came to. She found a black skirt with frayed ends. A good pick for today, she wasn't feeling jeans. She put on the first shirt she grabbed out of the drawer a rose colored t-shirt.

She searched the top drawers for at least a bra, nothing. She moved to the next room and found one that was nearly her size and she put it on along with her new rose colored shirt. Clair looked at herself, and she felt... hollow.

Clair marched from the room, she refused to let this eat at her. She was going to enjoy her time damn it. She needed to just rage at the world for a moment. To scream at the top of her lungs to smash and break something. Vent everything that was in her so she could move on and try to forget. Or at least make peace with it. This was her world, this was the reality of it and she had made her choice. He'd have just taken if she hadn't agreed so she was better for it.

Up the stairs she went that she knew would lead her to the roof. She gripped the door and shoved it open. The rain was pouring down but she stepped out into it. Clair shut the door and moved to stand in the middle of the roof looking up at the turbulent grey sky. It was a cold rain, but she didn't mind so much. She just opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs in rage. Then turned and marched over to pick up the bigger rocks on the roof. She wanted to break something, smash her anger out.

"I'm sorry, forgive me." She said and slammed down the rocks with the force of her mind into the glass above a room she had only been in once. She didn't want to suffer more, and felt like the house knew that. It didn't really give a response at what she did and the rain hid her tears.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

She did this again and again until the glass was nearly completely gone out of the windows. She was soaked now, but it didn't bother her. Held out a hand wanting to try what Isaiah had to see if that helped. She pulled the glass back up to the roof. With her mind's eye she pictured it how it was and the pieces fit together and started to mend. With that few minutes of intense concentration she didn't have to think about anything.

She moved on swinging her arms in anger and started to sing at the top of her lungs in an angry voice. She picked Amazing Grace, she liked the song and it bubbled out of her. Her voice cracked slightly as she screamed the words. It fit her current mindset.

Clair reached the end of the roof. Her clothes plastered to her body. She turned and looked down at her hips. The bruising was nearly gone. She could feel the warmth from the house touching her. The pain easing just not the emotional one yet. She turned and found Beta standing there looking at her with a quizzical expression. His presence aggravated her again.

"Did he tell you to watch me? Afraid I might throw myself from the roof? Not let him "fuck" me again?" She snapped at the hell hound.

His head tipped to the side but his gesture was a no, and she calmed slightly. She moved over the rocks digging into her bare feet but she didn't care. She found one large puddle and jumped in it slamming her feet down hard. She ignored the pain in her body. Easier to do as she'd been aided in the healing.

She ran to the next and did the same thing. This time however Beta copied her as if trying to figure out what was so fun. She darted to the next and did the same thing. He copied her but now he seemed to be looking for another puddle before she could find one.

Clair let the challenge take hold of her. She went one way and he went another. She jumped from puddle to puddle counting them off. He was moving a little faster than her jumping in them. It was kind

of odd and therapeutic at the same time for him to do this. Clair moved to go inside, she felt chilled and she was dripping wet, he just looked at her.

"I'm cold." He made a sniff and moved to jump around the roof for a bit longer. She went down the stairs and found the first bathroom she could taking a long hot shower.