He had returned early the next morning after leaving her overnight, and he was delighted to see her fully recovered, though pale, under the coat of blood.
She looked down at a bucket in his hand and she frowned, turning her head away as he threw it on her to wash away at least some of the blood.
Motioning to the door, she watched as two young men brought in a small table and then retreated without looking up, the door closing as she looked down at the tools.
"Do you know Epharis?" she asked, as she noticed some very close resemblances between the two men and their choices of trade.
"Who?" he asked.
She shook her head, looking at a large pair of sheers that he picked up.
"One day left before the little boy gets to try, so let's get to work, shall we?"
The shears were for her ear. She shrieked as he removed the upper two fifths of the tip of her left ear. He smiled at the noise, watching in fascination as it began to regrow almost immediately, her body consuming up the shred of flesh she had taken from him in exchange.
"That's different," he said, touching the sensitive part, and she flinched away. "It didn't fully regrow."
She didn't bother trying to explain it to him, simply trying to breathe through the pain and his tugging on it wasn't helping.
"What else can you heal from?" he asked.
She shook her head as the shears traced along her throat, but then she whimpered as it trailed down between her breasts, the tips pressed firmly against her right breast.
"No, they're too nice to cut off…" Alez sighed, his eyes lingering on her chest. Then he slid the shears down and jerked up, stabbing up under her ribs.
She cried out in pain, her body shuddering in agony as she bent forward over the shears and she strangled off her scream as he jerked the shears free of her. Looking down at his bloody hand, he sighed as he realised, he hadn't rolled up his sleeves. Pulling the shirt off, he threw it in the corner with her dress and moved around her, smiling as he placed a hand on her lower back. The shears were cold as he trailed them up the back of her thighs.
"What about if we use these to fix the problem of your virginity?" he asked.
She jerked away from him, making him laugh aloud. "Bit defensive, are we?"
She shook her head. But he only laughed again as he moved away and found a long, slender blade. "What about this one? You don't seem keen on having a man inside you, so what about something else?"
Looking up at him, she growled softly, and his grin grew wider. "Maybe you just haven't had the right man trying? You should give me a go," he said. "I'm sure I can handle the situation."
"I'd prefer Vincent," she said, knowing it would anger him.
His smile faded to a steady anger. "Too bad you don't have much of a choice in the matter," he said as he moved away.
***
After a time, he took to simply touching her, and the heat of his touch was a little pleasant at first, until he started heating himself up, and she was soon screaming as his hand scolded and then torched her skin, leaving a large handprint on her side that was repeated again and again as he tried to wear her down, but she refused to give into him.
Finally frustrated, several hours later, he moved behind her and his hands came down on her hips. "Enough games, little Queen, it's time to deal with a man," he growled.
She smiled faintly, her eyes hooded with exhaustion. "Oh, has Vincent arrived?" she asked.
He snarled behind her. Reaching down, she felt the brushing of fabric against her and she frowned, trying to figure out what he was doing.
A loop of cord went down over her face and he pulled it tight against her mouth as a gag, gripping the other end hard to force her head back as he pulled her back into his groin, still clothed, but she thought the cord had been part of the elaborate belt he wore.
"Say it again, girl," he snarled, the gag making it impossible for her to talk. She didn't have the chance to reply anyway. As he looked up as the door opened and Vincent was smiling at them, leaning in the doorway.
"You're out of time, old man," the Hunter said gently and Alez looked down at her, growling softly.
"No matter. Megara will let me have you once she has what she wants. Then I'll have what I want." He bit hard on the delicate tip of her ear and she whimpered, feeling blood trickle down her ear from his teeth.
Alez let go of her and moved away, pulling the gag free of her mouth, and looked down at Vincent as Vincent stood in the doorway.
"If you wanted to fuck her, you should have done it right away. That's what I'm planning to do," Vincent said snidely.
Alez growled, shoving him out of the way and stalking from the room.
Vincent stepped in and approached her, taking the shears and cutting the rope just above her arms. She dropped to her knees on the ground and moaned as her arms were finally able to be lowered fully, her shoulders stiff and burning.
He moved with quick efficiency, stepping behind her and forcing her head forward onto stone with a loud thump. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't brutalise you here and now," he growled, his hand going under her and pulling her hips up against him.
"Because you're secretly a nice guy?" she asked, relieved to have her arms down.
He snorted, and she shivered as he dragged his nails down the length of her back to leave four angry marks. "Perhaps so, but I'm also a man faced with a very naked, very helpless Goddess; one I have desired for some time now."
"Rape seems a little beneath you. More in the realm of Alez," she countered.
He paused, looking up towards the door as he considered that. "Yes, it does seem to be more his level," he said, and he looked down at her once more, amused. "Did that work on him?"
"Like a charm," she sighed.
The Hunter laughed as he let go of her and moved back, allowing her to roll onto her side and then her back, looking up at the ceiling as tears of relief slid down her face at her ability to move her shoulders.
"Don't suppose you'll play nice, will you?" he asked, his eyes raking down her, and she crossed her legs at the knee to stop him from being able to perve on her.
"Not a chance, blood-boy," she retorted.
He sighed, looking from her face to her chest. "You can't just be nice to me can you…?" he said as he reached up and undid the mask that covered his odd face.
She looked up at him. His crimson eyes were both fascinating and creeping her out. "How about we don't and say we did? I'll tell him you were super violent and all the good stuff."
He crouched down beside her and shook his head, his wrist turning slightly, and blood trickled down his previously clean hand.
"What's up that sleeve of yours?" she asked, genuinely curious.
He frowned, realising he was talking about his actual sleeve. Pulling it back, she looked curiously at the metal contraption that wrapped around his arm and was covered in around thirty thin blades. Depending on how far he twisted his arm, the more blood would come.
"You could just leave a needle in your arm with a tube that could be pinched shut," she said. He smiled, his too-large mouth eerie. "Where's the fun in that?"
"You enjoy having that done to your arm?"
"We all have our quirks. Makes for great sex, for me at least."
"I'll have to try it sometime," she said.
His brows lifting in response. "You like it too, huh?" he asked.
She shrugged, deciding not to give him any more hints on what she found arousing.
"That stunt your dragon pulled was clever," he said as he held his bleeding hand out over her chest, smirking as his blood dripped onto her bare breasts and down into the hollow of her stomach.
"He's a sneaky one," she agreed, frowning up at him as he seemed to be rather intent on the sight of crimson on her pale skin.
"I am glad you aren't the type of woman to be afraid of the potential for rape. It makes you a lot more interesting."
"After you've heard it enough times, it makes the threat boring," she quipped.
He only grunted his agreement, focusing on what he was doing.
"Alez already gave me a bath today," she said, but he was ignoring her as he reached down, and with one finger, smeared the blood over her stomach.
"You have such beautiful skin. Don't suppose you'd mind if I could have some?"
"I like my skin where it is, if it's all the same to you," she said.
He sighed, looking up at her face with his hand still on her stomach. "I've heard a lot about you, Etani. Goddess, Queen of Winter, Creator… How is it they are still letting you run around free?"
"The Gods bound my creator magic, my death magic was locked away in a gem that someone else has, being a Goddess isn't overly interesting, and being Queen of Winter is only fun when one is in Winter."
"Death magic?" he asked curiously.
She frowned as his hand began to creep higher. "You hadn't heard that part yet? That's interesting. I'm death; literally, I'm death. It's really fun, but they don't let me do it very often."
His hand had stopped on her, his fingers a mere inch from the underside of her breasts.
"Are you turning me into a finger painting?" She lifted her head and looked down at the smeared blood, irritated that it did look quite pretty, with the crimson contrasting sharply with her grey-blue tinted white skin.
"Just making sure you can't get it all off this time," he said.
She jerked back from him as his hand curled around the curve of her breast, cupping it, and he laughed in response.
"You're such a prude," he said as he stood and moved away from her. "Let's get to work, shall we?"
"I would prefer we didn't," she said.
He picked up something, coming back to her with a long knife in his hand.
"He already tried that…"
"Not my way," he said as he knelt beside her.