Mark of The Demon

Home sweet home?

Hands crept across her warm skin only to cause  tiny bumps to rise with each cold  and rough stroke. Each touch was a little bit higher and higher, almost as if trying to chase the warmth from her entire being. A voice prompted her but she couldn't make out the words. The rough slimy touches slipped higher up her still seeming to go further then it ever had before. Her virtue was all she had left and she was sure it was aiming to take even that. A man's Cheshire grin appeared before her. The hands slipped pasted her virtue and slide towards her breasts. It was then she noticed her chest had a cavity in it. Exposed was her beating heart. It beat away a sad song that seemed befitting for the darkness that clung to them. He wasn't after her virtue, he was after her heart and her soul. She tried to move only to find  that her hands were held down by black slimy vines...

"No!" 

She was the one screaming, she realized, as her own voice rung in her ears waking her from her sleep. She woke on a soft, fluffy bed, a familiar bed, surrounded by all her familiar things. A ceiling she had known for years stared at her, a window showed through to a yard she played in as a child. It was her home, restored to all its former glory. Not that in her moment of shock, she was even capable of taking all this in. Sapphire squirmed and bolted from the bed. She threw her blankets away at the unseen enemy, her heart beat uncontrollably fast in her chest. In fact, the only thing out of place was the man. Or ... was it a man? He was handsome, a soft smile offset by the pure white eyes. Long, ivory hair cascaded down his shoulders, contrasting sharply with the black and red tuxedo. One arm was clasped over his chest and, as he saw her awake, a fresh pot of tea was procured, expertly balancong on a silver tray. 

She saw the man but was much too startled to think straight. She ran a hand over her chest and felt for the hole. It was not there and this man was not the one that had been over her a moment ago. 

"Ah. Madam Sinclair, you've awakened. I have a cup of tea for you, just as you like." A stool was placed and her tea poured, the deep, rich liquid perfectly brewed. As he spoke she took the time to breathe and gather herself. She took the tea in a shakey hand and sipped it trying to quill her sense of displacement. 

"Introductions are in order. I am Jacques, and for the extent of the outside world, I am your butler and manservant, here to carry out any order you may have of me."

"Jacques? ... Oh yes... I see... I think... I think I owe you some gratitude..." Her mind flashed an image of a demon wreathing from flames saving her from well herself and that horrible man. "How am I here... How is any of this here. My room was... It was torched..." She whispered her mind trying to quickly work through the complex proceedings.

She shook her head set down the cup of tea and ran her hands over her tired face. Pulling back as she noticed the odd mark on her left hand. Was this the mark of their contract? She pulled her hands away from her face and put them on her lap.

He was unfazed by her actions, a smile crept across his face though, it never quite reached his eyes, leaving him looking like a cat that caught the cream. She was quite a delectable prize, or soon would be. He could feel the flow of destiny around her, oh yes, she would feed him greatly soon, with the right guidance. A mighty queen, standing upon the broken bodies of her enemies, all the power in the world ... his lips watered at the sound of it.

"I took the liberty of rebuilding it from scratch. 'twas not too hard, the mortal world is quite mutable once you know how." He bowed, scattering his scent across her, mint leaves and summer blossoms filling the air around her head. 

"Do you like your tea?" Unwavering determination smiled at her and he offered her a cup with sugar cubes, a knowing look on his face.

Sapphire was now calm, the worry never seemed to leave her eyes. She took the cup of tea again, pulling her legs under her, and setting it down on her thighs. The thin chemise doing little to protect her from the heat but her mind was too busy whirring with thoughts.

"I think it was two sugars." She said and looked up at Jacques. It had been so long since someone had asked her what she liked. She felt a tug in her heart that maybe this demon could really help her, maybe more than just physically. 

"My name is Sapphire Sinclair... Though I suppose you must know that." She stared down at the cup of tea... Her life was so upside down. 

"I took it sweet..." She mumbled staring down at the liquid. Her mind opened to a memory of her sitting in a chair, reading a book next to the fireplace, a maid stood near her and dropped sugar into the steaming cup at her side. She never knew how much was added. She never added them. The image warped with the ugly images of her time away... She felt as if the memory was quicksand into the darker places of her mind. Her stomach twisted painfully. She was torn, how could she ever unsee what she had, how could she return to being normal? The image of her mother and father in the day room smiling reminding her, it didn't matter she had to do this for them. She had to return what had been stolen. A coldness filled her heart, her hatred of the man had blossomed into much more it was a mental sword she would use to strike down the people who disgraced her family. She wanted all those who turned against them to be hurt as she had been. 

The girl before him was a broken image. Two girls in one mind. The darkness that claimed her mind, like the broken jagged edges of a broken mirror and the exposed raw silver to make it reflect underneath. The small part of her, still owned by the remaining purity of her childhood. 

"Was there anything you couldn't save?"

"Only the lives and souls of your parents and brother."

He said this as calmly and softly as discussing the weather; his white eyes twinkled, watching her, wondering how she'd react. There was a fire in her now, a hardened steel core he could use to forge her into a ruler. A true leader, someone who would take this world by storm and lead her family to unstoppable glory. Quick fingers placed two sugar cubes into her cup, the soft crystals dissolving near instantly.

"All material goods have been returned to their rightful place, my master, unless you consider the household staff possessions."

Sapphire felt the demon's words like a knife of pure unadulterated truth to the heart. The kind that changed children into premature adults. That's what she needed to be now. She needed to grow up and grow up fast. It was how she was going to achieve her pre-death wishes. Sapphire drank the tea and was silently relieved that indeed two cubes was correct. That meant she could at least be countable to flavor her tea to her own tastes. She then set the cup down again on her thighs and looked out at the bay window to the left of her bed. She then curled her hands around the cup feeling the heat scorch her palms and sucked in a deep breath.

"Tell me… how long has it been since... Since… I last used this room?" She wasn't sure how to put those words. It was an odd thing to even think about. It seemed that the day of the fire and the day of her death had become one and the middle was an ugly alternate reality. She didn't have a clue as to how many days that reality had been. They had all blended into an evil blob. Filled with a sticky black center.

Then she stood to distract herself from the words he would say yet still be listening to the demon. She went to her dresser and with a day dreamy vibe she ran her fingers along the edges of it, sliding it open to touch each cloth inside and then ran along its wooden center. She could almost believe it never happened. All her fancy clothes were there, the frivolous items that had once been such a gift in her life. Now it was little more than a sour taste in her mouth at her old sinful, prideful, nature. At least now that she was a demon's food the prideful ways made sense. 

She would get her family back to its glory. No matter the cost.

Yes, she would want to know how long it's been. As her back was turned, his lips twisted into a macabre corruption of a smile, but she would never see it, his face returning to a polite, blank mask. Each surface would be impossibly, impeccably clean, dusted and scrubbed until it nearly shone with the beauty of it's own luster.

"... it has been exactly a year now, my lady. Nine months of which you spent in captivity. It took quite a long time for your body to heal from the trauma. I was worried you wouldn't pull through."

There was a genuine note of concern in his voice. Had she not survived, this would have all been for naught.

Sapphire felt her world wobble for a moment. She was so glad she had the dresser to support her, for she might have not stayed standing had she been anywhere else.

A year? She was practically dead for a whole year? She lifted her head as the world steadied once again the news taking root in her logical mind. She would be sixteen and a half now. 

"Is surviving nine months in captivity good? I wonder what it says about me." She mused melancholily. 

The news rocked her world, and the demon could not help but raise an eyebrow. What weakness was this? Was she wavering in her resolve? Was that time frame too daunting? Lips twisted into a sneer ... but no, the flame of vengeance was still there. It still burned in her, it only wavered at the gale force winds of time. She recovered quickly. How admirable. 

Then she slid her hand back into the wooden cavity and then pulled out a dress she had once upon a time been found too mature for her. A year older physically, at least, it might look better now. As the head of her house currently, she needed to dress as proper and efficiently as possible.

She walked behind her dressing screen and began to undress from her nightgown. Pulled on a fresh new the linen to wear under her garms. Her eyes caught sight of the girl in the mirror. She had breasts that were plump and pert, they stood out under the simple white linen and she had grown hips that spread very widely, it caused her waist to look very thin in comparison. But her face had not fully taken on womanly traits. She still had soft cheeks and large round eyes. Turning to examine this girl more closely. She had really had to admit she had grown in the past year. "I'm almost 17." She mumbled to herself. Then ran a hand through her messy unkempt hair. 

She walked back to the dresser and kneeled giving the demon an uncertain look. Did he count as being undressed near a man? He wasn't human. Plus, they owned each other. It would be more akin to dressing in front of a pet you knew would eat you one day. Was it bad? She opened the bottom drawer and hoped to find the gift her mother had left in there. As promised it was all restored to its previous shape... sliding out a package with wrapping paper on it she opened it up. The corset her mother had made for her to wear at her sixteenth birthday party. 

He had noticed that particular article of clothing as he reconjured everything; it smelled of broken dreams and heartache. A mother's gift who would never live to see her child don it. How tragic. The sarcasm was evident in his face. Though it was cleared as she moved to look back at him

He had to listen to her and with any luck he knew how these worked, which she did not. 

"Jacques, put this on me how it was intended to be worn." She said and held out the opened package. She sounded strong but, in reality her heart jumped in its pace by a thousand and her body was plagued by a sudden cold sweat. That was her first command. She was telling a DEMON what to do. It was bizzare to her that she wasn't just killed right there. Maybe she would be?

The order resounded in the air, carrying with it the soft compulsion to do as she says, though not a necessity. It was no command, no, more of a ... strong suggestion. Still, he did as she asked, the soft materials of the corset running through his fingers.

He took the offered package from her hands and she held her arms aloft so he could put it on her. She didn't really know what to expect minus a faint memory of her mother holding her beds support railing as the maid tightened it to hide a bit of pudge she gained over a fancy fattening vacation. 

With swift, confident fingers, he pinned it, hands gripping her breasts through the material to secure them. One hand held them in place, the other began tightening it, then tightened it some more till it seemed as if she could scarcely breathe.

It was beyond awkward when his hands gripped her in ways only her captor had previously. Yet he was doing it a very clinical manner that her captor had not. Plus she was feeling a bit like an orange being juiced and she needed a distraction. So… She decided to clear the air. 

"The old staff that worked here has most likely moved on and found new positions. Plus they were loyal to the Masculine Sinclairs position. I assume I can leave you to finding new staff? I don't feel I'd be a good judge of character. I would probably just hire an orphanage of needy children and nothing would ever get done." she paused as he pulled the cords restrictively tight on her waist. 

"Uh, Secondly as everything is restored I will be going to my father's study to find out where he was in his work when the attack came on. It will be necessary to restore my family's working status, as well as hopefully give possible leads on who caused the following events." She offered a bit breathlessly. It wasn't painful but it was her first experience being held taut. 

A few more tugs, pulls, and then-

"It is done, mistress."

He bowed, despite himself proud of the work. A side effect of the contract, for he certainly had never felt pride for something so plebeian before. The scent of mint and summer blossoms was strong in the room now, and it now lingered on her.

She gingerly ran her hands down the smooth front of her figure now. It really did alter your physique. 

"Staff, my lady? I know the perfect individuals." His smile grew wide, it seemed this would be, definitely interesting.

"You will find the study to be exactly as you found it. I will take some time to martial a full staff, m'lady, I do hope that is okay."

Sapphire took a few steadying breaths before she smiled at her new… Man servant. 

"Yes, you have my leave for the day. I would still like to eat dinner before I go to bed. If anything you could get me some basic bread and cheese from the town down the lane, that would be fine while we get it all working again."

"My lady! You insult me. I shall prepare you a fine dinner."

His position demanded it of him, and he took a moment to marshal his thought; scalloped potatoes, with ground beef catucherie, and leafy salad. If she were take over the world, she needed a full dinner, perfectly made, everyday. The finest in all things, to be fair. Tutors, strategists, household staff. Guards, too. Her path was a dangerous one, and it would not only be human threats that threaten her. His lips bared back, briefly exposing his teeth. No, this would attract the attention of all kinds. There needed to be protection, if not for her, then for those aggregated here.

She took a few steps, the garment made her move oddly. Her body moved in an odd swaying motion. She got behind the curtain and began to try and finish dressing. She pulled on a light pink dress with roses bespectacled all along the bodice. When she noticed there was a complication...

How was she supposed to put on socks and shoes?

"Oh damn." She mumbled. Then peeked to see if her demon was still in the room. Seeing him there she felt instant relief. 

His mind was working a mile a minute, but he did not leave, for he figured out her issues before she did. Her inquiring glance was all the introduction he needed. Stooping, he daintily rose one foot,, and as if he did it a thousand, laced shoes and socks in a perfect bow.

She watched him excuse himself then, and went to the mirror to brush out her hair before starting out on her tasks of this new life.