*The Next Morning*
Thanatos tossed and turned in his sheets, the memory of last night still fresh in his head.
*“No Evie…I don’t” *
The words, but four letters seemed to take the life right from her green emeralds. Her lip quivered, then parted but nothing came out. Just as quickly she closed it again, “Oh...okay, I understand.”
“Poppet I…”
She raised her hand and turned away. “It’s okay really…I’m just going to head to bed.”
Walking away from him, she didn’t turn around. Thanatos felt his heart retch. He wanted nothing more than to pull her close, tell her he was confused but that he did feel something. A deep longing for her that rippled through his core, whenever she wasn’t near. He laid on the couch, and closed his eyes, deciding that being next to her was better.
Waking, he reached out realizing she wasn’t there. He lurched forward, looking around the room wildly until his eyes reached the bathroom. Evie stood dressed fixing her hair in the mirror. When he approached she saw him and froze.
“Sorry, I- I thought you were still sleeping.” Her green eyes were dull, red, and puffy. “I need to go to train with Romulus.”
“Can we talk?”
She smiled a weak smile that missed her eyes. “Look it’s okay really. I promise I understand.” She walked over and sat on the bed and ran her fingers through his hair, “We can talk later okay.”
Pressing her lips against his, they quivered, and he pulled her away and looked at her, “Poppet, please let’s talk.”
“Later, I have to go.”
The way the words hit his ears just felt wrong and made his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong and he knew it. Still, Thanatos also knew not to push. He needed time to think as well. Fluffing his hair, she quickly kissed him before darting out of the room. He laid back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
“I-I don’t know what to do.”
He heard a soft rap on his bedroom door. Sitting up he beckoned them in.
“Sir, your father’s here.”
“The fuck does he want?” He asked out loud. “Tell him I’ll be there in a moment.”
Nodding, the guard closed the door. Thanatos stirred from the bed and headed to the bathroom, preparing himself for the conversation he didn’t want to have.
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“Father,” Thanatos said, entering his den, unable to hide his annoyance.
Cybrus stood with his back to him, and he looked at one of the many paintings on the wall. “Interesting taste,” he said in a small voice.
“Did you want something?”
“I want you to tell your mother to come home.”
Thanatos twisted his face up and looked at him, “She’s not here. Why don’t you go to Romulus’s house to talk to her?”
“She won’t listen to me-” He held his breath, “Correction, she said, ‘Apologize to my damn son before you come here again.’”
For the first time ever, Thanatos’ father looked almost broken, his words sounding foreign to him.
“I came here to apologize.”
Thanatos looked at him in pure disgust, “Don’t apologize on mom’s behalf father, I’m not interested in going back to pretending you don’t hate me.”
“I-I don’t hate you…I just- I don’t understand you!”
“You’ve never tried.”
There was a silence between the two of them that was almost palpable. After a moment he said, “You’re right.” Walking over to Thanatos, he leaned against the recliner, “I guess, I’m still stuck on the little boy I once knew. You were such a bright and happy child, and then you just changed…became cold, distant, and angry.”
There was an earnest look in his eyes, one that told Thanatos he wanted him to respond.
“I am what I am father, it may not be who you want…but tearing at me wasn’t the answer either.”
Cybrus looked at him as if he wanted to say something, but instead he turned away, “I’ve made many, many mistakes as your father…but I never hated you Thanatos. You’re strong, resilient, never needed me-”
“Add thinking I didn't need you to that list of mistakes.”
Cybrus faced him and reached forward as if he wanted to hug but upon seeing his son pull back, he dropped his arms.
“I’ll talk to mom for you.”
He continued to look at Thanatos, his eyes urging him to know what he could not say, before making his way to the door. “Thank you…and please tell Evie I would like to apologize to her as well for my behavior.” He left, the sound of her name burning a hole in Thanatos chest.
A few hours, and much paperwork later, Thanatos heard a hard knock on his door.
“Come in.”
A guard entered, a man on his arm and shoved him to the floor. The pungent smell of blood hit Thanatos nose like an aphrodisiac, and he looked up from his glasses.
“Why is there a bloody vampire on my floor?”
“Your brother sent him. He said, give him a call, it's an emergency.”
Thanatos picked up the phone to call Romulus and immediately heard his screams on the other end. “HE ATE A BABY THANATOS! A FUCKING BABY! MY GUARD ATE A FUCKING BABY!”
Pulling the phone from his ear, he stood in front of the vampire, noting that his face looked oddly familiar. He motioned for him to stand up, when he did, Thanatos placed his hand over the phone and whispered, “You were at the coronation right? The one Nicholas signaled to?” Confused he nods yes. “Give me a second, okay?”
Thanatos put the phone back to his ear. “Ate a baby…yeah…REALLY?... One of the souls up for reincarnation?... The entire thing? Romulus you’ve got to admit that’s a little impressive… NO I’M NOT SAYING EATING A BABY IS IMPRESSIVE, I’M SAYING HE ATE… oh okay yeah, no I hear it now…. no, no… I got it. Call you back.”
Hanging up the phone, Thanatos looked at him. “Did you eat a reincarnated baby?”
“I didn-”
His claws connected with the vampire’s face sending searing marks up the side of it. Black mist seeped inside burning through his flesh. He dropped to the ground and screamed in agony making Thanatos laugh.
“Why must sinners come knocking and disrespect my house by lying to my face? Let’s try again. Did you eat a baby at my brothers'?”
Tears began to fall from his eyes, “Yes…but she said-”
Thanatos shot him a look, “Who?”
“M-Minthe. That bitch said it would give me more powers.”
“Why the hell would you believe something so stup-’” Thanatos twisted up his face, “You're fucking her, aren’t you?”
The vampire looked down at the ground. Thanatos found himself chucking as he walked over to his desk drawer. “Listen kid, I get it broads can make you do stupid things.” He pulled out one of his favorite kits. “The problem with that is you’re still responsible for the stupid things you do.”
Facing the vampire, he watched his eyes widen as he saw the pair of rusty pliers in his hand. “So, let's see if we can get those parts out of you. First, I think we need to remove your teeth for better access.”
Thanatos got to him in seconds, and pulled him off his feet, his scream of terror giving him the perfect entry into his mouth. Yanking hard, Thanatos snapped his two fangs from his mouth and dropped him enjoying the way he continued to cry.
“You know, I could just as easily wave my hand and remove them, but then that would be nice, and lately that rap has been sticking. I mean, who wants a nice Grim Reaper?”
The horror on his face made Thanatos feel alive, an acceptance of how dark he truly was.
*Nobody could love this*
His thoughts traveled to Evie, knowing for certain, he’d made the right choice.
“Thirty more to go! Then I want to see if I reach down far enough into your stomach, will I win a prize.” The wails of torture flowed through the mansion, the sound like music to his ears. With eyes black as night, hands covered in blood, “Thank Minthe for this.” Thanatos grinned making sure that was the last thing his victim would ever hear.
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The time rolled on much later and before he knew it, it was 9 pm. Calling Romulus again, he answered much cheerier this time. “Big brother! To what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night call?”
“Don’t get cheeky, tell mom to answer her cell I called like three times,” he huffed.
“I swear, I don’t know why I even bought her that thing, she never keeps it charged.”
Thanatos didn’t want to say it, but the thought was nagging him. “Is Evie staying the night there? It’s just I figured she would have called to tell me, and it’s getting a little late.”
There was a silence on the other end, “Thanatos, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Evie left here hours ago. She gave a long hug and said she loved me, and then left.”
His blood ran cold.
“Thanatos whats-”
Thanatos hung up the phone. His brain felt like it was on overdrive. The room spinning around him, her last words playing over and over.
*“...I have to go.” *
It didn’t take much for his brain to know what his heart did this morning. His Poppet was gone.