Gift For A Demon

His Words

Cold hands hold her hot and burning body. The icy grasp of death has her or so she thinks until she starts to hear a familiar voice in the darkness.

“Eve! Can you hear me?! Come on, that’s it! Open your eyes.. Eve..” The voice is soothing and calm compared to the violent thrashing of her mind.

Evangeline’s eyes begin to open, but the brightness of the sunlight causes her to keep them squinted almost shut. The image in front of her is a blurry silhouette. Her hand raises up to touch the face of the person that is calling her name.

“Evangeline, please say something. I need to know if you’re okay.” The voice pauses. “Your emotions are.. Strange and all over the place. It’s hard for me to tell..”

She can feel her body being sat up. Her head has a slight ringing to it, but there is something else.. There is a pain on her back. The tips of her fingers slide into the top of her shirt and she can feel the tender skin. That’s when everything starts to come back to her. Her eyes begin to focus on her body below her and the body next to her, before her gaze moves upwards to look into the worried face of her friend.

“Alan..” She finally manages to say.

“Oh, Eve! I’m so glad you’re okay. You are okay, right?!” He says as he takes her face into his hands.

“I.. I don’t know.” She winces in pain. “What happened to my shoulder? I remember being harassed and scared..”

“You were attacked by your sister’s freaky friends. There should be laws against things like this! Damn it!” Alan leans closer to her and peers inside the back of her shirt. “I need to take you somewhere to look at this.”

He pulls her up to her feet and helps to stabilize her.

“One of them tried to electrocute you, but I don’t know.. The water and the metal pole at your back, it must have conducted the electricity from you.” The tone of his voice changes suddenly. “Eve, it could have killed you and for a moment I thought maybe it did.”

Alan walks her into a nearby park and takes her to sit on a bench under the shade of a tree. He moves to be behind her and looks down into the back of her shirt. The wound looks rough, but actually not too bad. The attack formed an instant scar like a burn, but didn’t break the skin. There is no open wound or blood.

Something comes over him at the sight of her bare shoulder and her hair pulled away from her neck. His lips come down tenderly, his body is excited by her softness and her feminine scent. He can feel and almost see her emotions erupting from her like a dim aura. This surprises him, but delights him as well.

The feeling of Alan’s breath on her flesh is exciting and thrilling to her. The warming of his hands as they run down her arms makes her close her eyes. His arms wrap around the front of her waist as he pulls her back into his chest. For so many years now they have each craved and desired this sort of closeness.

“Come back to my home with me. Let me take care of you.” He whispers, continuing to place delicate kisses on her neck.

She doesn’t have to be able to sense someone’s feelings like he can to know exactly how he feels and what he wants. No one has ever treated her this way and she has always imagined what it would feel like to be held so close. To give her body to someone that wanted to love it. Explore it. Keep it safe.

But right now.. She has someone else that needs her to take care of them. In the moment, she had almost forgotten. With her shoulder still in pain, she turns on the bench to face Alan and looks deep into his light blue eyes. He wastes no time in pulling her face into his. Being twenty years old and only having thoughts of one woman, he has been waiting for so long to taste her. Their lips lock together as his fingers go into her hair. His thumbs rub at her jaw as she opens herself up to him. Instinctively she knows just what to do as their tongues begin to swirl together.

He pulls Eve onto his lap, trying to get as close to her as possible. She whimpers in discomfort as his hand slides up her back.

“Oh! I’m sorry.” He manages to say, finally breaking away from her mouth.

Their foreheads rest on one another, their mouths still so close.

“Alan.. I have to go home now.” Eve’s voice is low and almost sultry, still feeling the warmth of their closeness.

“Let me walk you. I’m not letting you out of my sight from now on while you’re in this disgusting town.” Hatred is written on his face as he looks out of the park towards the town.

“Okay.” She says as she intertwines her fingers in his. “Thank you, Alan.”

He kisses her quickly on the lips before pulling her onto her feet.

A few people look at them while they’re walking down the sidewalk, but neither of them care. Hand in hand, their relationship is obvious by their body language towards each other. For the first time Eve almost feels like she belongs.. Somewhere. With someone. For Alan, this is all he has ever wanted. Well, not quite all, but just the beginning.

After they reach the end of town they come to the gravel road that leads up to Krista’s cabin. Alan must know what Eve’s home life is like, but she still doesn’t want him to come anywhere near the place or Krista.

They turn to face one another again, the nature of their relationship has obviously been changed. They have moved past being just friends, to something more.

“When can I see you again?” Alan asks eagerly while holding her at her waist.

The feeling of his hands holding her tightly in such a sensitive area sends tingles through her body and makes her heart beat fast. She can’t deny that she likes being this close to him. It feels good, but does it feel right?

“I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting things to change so quickly between us. I certainly didn’t think it would happen today.” Eve blushes and looks away.

“No, don’t fight your feelings for me. I can’t tell you how much I love them..” He kisses the corner of her mouth, sensing her hesitation he places soft kisses on her cheek and neck.

“I have some things to take care of, but maybe.. Maybe we can see each other again soon. Okay?” Eve says these words with hesitation, her mind full of confusion and then sadness at the expression on Alan’s face.

Evangeline practically runs up the long gravel road. She feels like she’s running from Alan all of the sudden. Running from making any sort of choice without being able to think it over. Things had moved so surprisingly quick today. Maybe she’ll never go to town again, if she can help it.

Once the cabin is in view, her pace finally slows down as she catches her breath. The sight of Nana on the front porch is welcoming, but not seeing Papa worries her. She leaps up the stairs to the cabin.

“Where is Papa?” Nana asks with an innocent smile.

“I don’t know, Nana. I’ll go get him for you. Okay?” It’s hard for Eve to smile back while her mind is racing and there is such a dreadful feeling in her gut.

Inside the cabin there is no sound. She was almost sure she would hear him coughing the moment she stepped foot in the place. Right away she runs to her Papa’s bedroom door and flings it open. It’s dark inside. The light of day spills in through the open door and allows her to look around. She steps in, the bed is empty. The door behind her creeks almost closed and there in his chair, sits her Papa.

“Papa! What are you doing? Do you feel okay?!” Eve asks, hoping for the best.

Instantly, she knows something is not right. There is an awful wheezing noise coming from him, instead of a cough. He’s hunched over in his chair, looking down at the floor.

“Papa!” She cries. “I brought you some medicine from the Herbalist.”

“It won’t do no good, girl.” He coughs, his voice raspy. “It isn’t working anymore.”

Anymore?..

“What do you mean?” She whispers, afraid of the answer.

“Eve, I’ve been sick for a while now. I just ain’t said anything, cause I didn’t want nobody worrying about this old man.” Papa tries to laugh, but it doesn’t come out right.

“Papa..” Tears come to her eyes.

“My time is almost up. The light in me is fading..” He says.

“Don’t say that! I can take care of you!” She responds quickly.

“No, Evangeline. I need you to take care of you and my sweet Sue Ellen.” Eve bites her bottom lip as it starts to tremble.

The fact that he referred to Nana by her given name lets her know how serious he is. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she kneels and takes his hand into her own.

“Listen to me, girl. I need you to take the money I’ve saved..” He coughs into his elbow before continuing. “Take the money and get out of this place. Take my sweet wife somewhere nice to live out the rest of her days in peace.”

“I.. I don’t know where..” She tries to explain.

“Now, now. You’ll figure it out. You are more special than you realize. One day you will know just who you are and what you need to do. Until then you need to keep yourself safe.” He squeezes her hand tightly. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes. I do. I will do as you say.” She sobs.

“You’re a good smart young woman and you’re going to be just fine. Your Nana and I raised you right with a good head on your shoulders.” Papa kisses the top of her head. “I love you, Eve. You always remember that.”

“I love you too, Papa.. I will..”

The rest of the day is gloomy, despite the sunshine and fair weather. Eve mopes around the cabin doing what she can to distract herself, being sure to not let the others know of what’s going on. In the evening she tucks her Nana and Papa into their bed and then goes to the small space that she calls her own. She cries for what seems like hours until sleep finally takes her.

First thing in the morning, before the sun comes up over the horizon, she walks slowly to the quiet bedroom. The wooden floor barely creaking beneath her feet. She hesitantly pushes the door open and walks in to check on her Papa. There he is, laying in bed where she left him. She lays her hand on the chest of his silent body and she knows.. He has passed during the night.

Papa is no longer with them.