Free Blood of the Pure (Gaea) by Sophia CarPerSanti

the small courage I’d been able to gather slipped away like water between my fingers, and I forced myself to go on. “A Contract is invalid if not accepted by both parties ... and I ...”
    The red glow that took over his eyes silenced what was left of my voice. Against everything my crazed mind thought possible, a light frown marked his forehead.
    “Won’t accept!” His voice, in that ice-cold whisper, was pure anger and I thought my heart would stop. However, in the next second, his expression went back to one of a renaissance statue and a brief smile touched his lips. “This is something you can’t refuse,” he stated as if that was the conclusion he had reached in those brief seconds. “Your Soul is rightfully mine, which goes much beyond your insignificant life. You may not understand exactly what I’m saying within your limited human understanding. But everything about you belongs to me. In fact, accepting this Contract is the only way you have to save yourself. It’s the only way to limit my actions and make them bend to your will,” he informed me and I tried as hard as I could to understand what he meant. “As you can see, I’m even being nice,” he added with a sarcasm that made me tremble. “Besides, wasn’t it to see your pathetic wish fulfilled that you went through the ritual?”
    Yes, that was something quite clear to me. The origin of that huge mess had been nothing else but my egoistical wish.
    “You mean that ... if I won’t accept ...”
    “If you refuse to accept, I’ll claim my rights over what’s mine,” he confirmed calmly as a shiver ran down my spine. “Your eternity will belong to me. And you’ll cease to exist in all times, all spaces and every dimension.”
    I felt myself falling and only woke up from my numbness when I hit the ground. Controlling my heavy breath, I clenched my hands together to make sure I remained conscious.
    “And ... if I accept?”
    “If you accept I’ll simply do my part. You’ll get the love you so much desire in exchange for one night, your first night!” he clarified, lowering his voice. My stomach cramped once again.
    “And then?”
    “Then I’ll disappear and you’ll go on with your pathetic life.”
    “You’ll disappear?” I asked, my mind half blocked by fear.
    “Yes. As if I’d never existed. You’ll even forget all about me. You’ll never see me again. The choice is yours.” I felt defeated, trying to fight a war that had already been lost. I couldn’t breathe and wanted to scream, but knew my voice would never obey me. And, even if it did, what good would it do? He’d told me the choice was mine, but in truth there wasn’t much to choose from.
    “Oh, that’s him, isn’t it? Your Human.” His voice brought me back from the desperate swirl of my thoughts and I saw him look out the window.
    It was only then that I noticed his dark wings had disappeared, but told myself this wasn’t the time or the place to worry about that. I jumped up, forgetting my aching legs or how much they trembled, and followed his gaze from a distance. From where I stood I could see Michael and his friends talking outside, like every other day. His eyes glistened slightly and the smile that tugged at his perfect lips left me with a terrifying certainty.
    “Interesting,” he hissed and, right before my disbelieving eyes, he disappeared within a small rain of black glitter, as if his presence in that room had been no more than an illusion.
    My heart raced and my sweaty hands opened the door so hard it slammed against the wall. I ran desperately through the corridor and down the stairs, the sound of my steps echoing in my ears, and pushed open the heavy glass door that lead outside. The cold wind that greeted me made me stop, and it was only then that I noticed how my chest burnt and how my breath left my lips in heavy white clouds. With urgency burning through my chest I looked for Michael, passing over all those unknown faces, until I found