but muscled build was now doubled and reminded me of Onyx, but he was taller and held even more muscle.
I didn't wish to see his true face - his real form he was hiding from us until he could surely share without the need to kill us.
"Fae. I forgot how scary they are." My wolf's voice actually trembled as he moved a bit back into the shadows of his corner as if frightened that we'd get pulled into this unfolding disaster.
You're right. I forgot and I'm glad for the reminder.
"Are you going to talk to Dimitris?"
Ya. We can't fucking lose out on this.
The punishment began, and what unfolded before my eyes would surely haunt me for the rest of my life. I was sure if the others were here, Neo would be starry-eyed, Saint would be vomiting in the corner, Dimitris would observe every single execution of pain, and I felt like Onyx would clap his hands and request an encore.
And if Willow saw...I'm not even fucking sure how she'd react. There's a limit to insanity and power...but why do I feel she'd sit right in between satisfied and damn right mesmerized?
I wasn't sure what we'd have to do, but there was no way this man could be a mere "ally."
He could be a part of our bowl of Forbidden Fruit, and it was only a matter of time before he was ripe and ready for the world to view him as a dangerous predator in this world of power.
23
Blank Canvas Of Seduction And Milk For Two
~WILLOW~
"You've never painted before?" Neo questioned as he actually took the time to admire what I'd attempted to paint.
"Nope," I admitted. "I didn't really have hobbies until Aurelia came into my life. She went through a phase of 'I wanna try everything' as an act of rebellion against her strict upbringing so I drew with her a few times to create magic incantations and stuff, but never did an actual paint session."
"Hmm." His eyes were assessing my work, those red magic circles of his following the various colored strokes of his drawn hair. I'd done a close-up portrait of him with his blindfold on because I wanted to test my abilities.
I really wanted to draw him with his eyes open and capture the unique beauty in his hollow orbs with their enchanting red circles, but that required time and concentration, and I personally wanted more practice because that hand-painted image would be even more important to me.
To have a canvas painting of how I began versus my growth thanks to Neo's guidance and generosity.
I was sure many took advantage of activities like these. Being able to sit comfortably and get lost in sketching the stillness of someone in front of you was an opportunity to see the beauty of an object or person in the heat of the moment and allow yourself to get lost in the tranquil melody such activities invited you to experience.
I wasn't expecting to get to paint after getting our mini-revenge, and though it was past midnight, Neo insisted I give it a shot. I knew from the intense glow of his magical orbs that he could see every fine detail of my mini-masterpiece and I was a little nervous about what he had to say.
Criticism was inevitable, but it would encourage me to get better.
He pulled back to rest his chin on my shoulder, his intense gaze still admiring my piece.
"This is good, Willow," he finally announced after another minute of staring. "Your stroke technique is fine in execution, which is good. Allows more details and heightens the layer of color. Your sketching time was just as swift and the overall image is really well done."
"What are the negatives?" I asked.
"Don't slouch," he concluded as he lightly ran his hand down my spine, the touch forcing me to arch back, which clearly corrected my posture. "Bad for you long term."
"You have to have more criticism than that," I whined and moved my face slightly to my right side as he purposely leaned back just to meet my questioning gaze.
"Like?"
"Saying it's ugly?"
"It's not though."
"You can't tell me this isn't ugly!"
"It's not ugly," he repeated. "Unless you're trying to imply I'm ugly."
'You're not ugly," I groaned.
"I know," he replied and kissed me before I could argue. "Neither is this painting, Willow."
I knew from his calm demeanor that he was actually being serious with me, but I couldn't accept that my art was up to his standards.
"Want to see my first drawing?"
"Okay,"