Into The Devil’s Heart

The luminous light sipping into the room through the glass window made Audrey squeeze in displeasure and she turned away, not wanting to wake up.

Cannon walks out of the bath, looking all breathtaking with the towel wrapped around him.

He walks to the bedside but doesn’t bother waking her, his gaze lingers on her peaceful pretty face for a while before he turns away facing her with his back.

Audrey blinked away from her sleep and was met with his tall and perfect figure. She gulps down, feeling a sudden urge to have him.

“Stop imagining and think straight,” she said to herself in her mind silently giving herself a wake-up call.

But as if compelled, she carried herself off the bed to where he was standing, circling him in between her small arms and hugging him from behind.

“Good morning,” her voice was soft and soothing. She greedily takes in his fresh smell.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Cannon brushes his hair off his face, staring at the view of nature through the window.

“Slept well?” His question came.

Audrey nods, “yes, I didn’t have bad dreams today,” she says and snugs even closer.

He responds with a hum, looks down at her tiny hands around his torso then focuses his attention back on the view before him.

” You should freshen up, there is more to be done than just sitting ” he informs.

Audrey doesn’t want to let go, she wants them to stay like this together and not let each other go but then, the image of Boston pops up in her head which forces her to let go.

She takes three steps towards the bathroom door then stops and turns to him, ” um, can I… Nevermind ” she says after thinking through what she was about to request.

Cannon was now staring back at her, ” Tell me, don’t keep it to yourself ” he urged.

She bites her lips and lowers her gaze to the floor. “On times like this, there is always a special moment to be shared in the morning,” she said almost mumbling to herself but Cannon heard her.

” Special moments? ” He asked, tilting his head to the side. She nods, drawing lines with her toes on the smooth tiles.

“how are the special moments to be shared? ” He asked, curious to know what’s been done.

” I can’t tell you but I can show you” Audrey didn’t want him to just hear it but she wanted him to learn by action.

Cannon didn’t respond, the look on his face neither gave a positive or a negative answer.

Taking his silence as a yes, Audrey takes a few strides closer, tiptoes, folds his face in her tiny palms making him bend to her level then kisses his forehead, his nose, two cheeks, his mustache chin then his lips.

” There, that’s the special moment I’m talking about,” she said with a bright smile on her face, giggled and quickly ran into the bath leaving him still processing things.

She came back a while later with a towel wrapped around her chest, she walked and stood before the mirror admiring her tiny figure.

Just then, her eyes caught something on her neck. It was red almost like a burn but with a closer look, it was like a newly drawn tattoo.

Curious, she caresses it with her fingers, trying to understand where she got it from. It didn’t take long for her to remember as it finally dawned on her that Cannon gave her the mark from the bite.

She smiles even more knowing she is now bonded to him, for life. Her happiness at the moment could be described as complete because she had everything she could ever wish for.

Brushing aside her happiness, she quickly rushes to the closet to get something to wear.

Cannon on the other hand stood outside, hands embedded in his pants as he stared at nothing. He’s got lots of things that’s kept him busy lately.

Most especially when it’s related to Audrey. He doesn’t understand why she gets to make him do what he doesn’t want to. The last time he decided to show her his past through a dream so she could see, he never intended to show her everything.

He wanted to create a twist to make himself look like the victim but then, he didn’t know what happened cause as soon as Audrey popped up into the scene, it became impossible to manipulate and make it go as planned.

He knew she would deny him, that she would curse him for being a selfish and envious being. But she didn’t, even after seeing everything, she didn’t condemn him but rather, she understood him and still told him she loved him.

He wanted to believe she wasn’t being honest but everything in him kept on screaming against him, agreeing with her. He could feel her honesty even when she wasn’t trying to make him believe, he could understand her gaze just with a glance.

Because they are now bound together, he can feel and know absolutely everything that is going on with her.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Audrey said admiring the morning sun as it shines so brightly but never seems too hot.

“Nothing is as beautiful as you” Cannon voiced, taking her by surprise. He was being honest, though it had never been of him to compliment things not related to sex.

Her face grows crimson red from shyness, how can she not react this way? It’s not the time she gets to receive such romantic compliments from him.

“Come with me,” He said and started walking away.

Audrey silently follows him behind but then, he stops and grabs her hands, urging her to walk alongside him.

He led her into a yard with tons of flowers in their different flower jars. They look so beautiful and charming. Their soft and pleasing smell screams of nature and everything related.

The mixture of different colors in the same garden gave it a magnificent glow.

Audrey was stunned at the beauty before her, she quickly rushed to the flower pot containing roses and took in the beautiful smell.

“It’s so beautiful” Her tone was almost teary as she stared at the varieties of flowers before her.

“It’s dead” Cannon’s tone was informing.

Audrey frowned, “How can it be dead when it glooms so beautifully?” She didn’t understand why he would say such.

“Hold on to its stem” he instructs.

Audrey went ahead and grabbed the flower plant by the stem, she waited for some time and nothing happened.

She was about to ask him if it was all a prank when the plant started changing. The leaves changed from green to reddish brown, and the flower from red to dark brown. The leaves and flowers fell off the branch one by one till there was nothing left. From the root, the stem had dried up with absolutely no life left in it.

Her heart sinks into her chest as she watches the plant dry off at her touch. She blinks countless times trying to see if it’s just her imagination or not, but it proves nothing but what was already before her.

As sensitive as she was, her eyes were already welled up with tears threatening to fall with just a blink.

“You can bring it back to life” Cannon breaks through the awkward silence and mourning.

Audrey turns to him, and only then does she blink. Her tears came running down like a stream of river.

“Can I?” She asked, unsure if she had the power to do it.

Cannon stares at her for some time before saying, “You possess the power of life and death, with you lies one of the greatest and most dangerous elements in the universe, fire, and in you still lies the greatest gift which is the gift to be able to give life. ” He said but never moved from his spot.

” How can I give it life? What should I do? ” She asked with so much eagerness.

” All you need is your complete attention and meditation… Always remember, whatever you wish to manifest starts from within. You must desire it, only then, will you be able to manifest it” He had no intention of talking any further.

Audrey turns her attention to the dead plant, grabs the stem, and closes her eyes.