do a better job of it, then I’d just have to let Sam fight for his chastity.
“It’ll work wonders.” she said dismissively. “Use it sparingly. You may need more later on.” and with that, she popped out of existence without even a farewell to warn of her departure.
I waved away the silver sparkles suddenly filling the air, to see Sam looking at me in gratitude.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” I said, and meant it. I didn’t like to see people get pushed into situations like that. It made my blood boil. If they didn’t want your attention, why force the issue?
Sam opened his mouth to say something else, but collapsed instead. I hurried across the room, grabbing the jar as I went, and knelt by his side. His eyes were unfocused, but as soon as he caught sight of that jar, he jerked away from me with enough force to send his head slamming into the bathroom door.
“Sam? What’s wrong? Sam?” I sat the jar, down, afraid he’d break it as he began to convulse there on the ground. His arms and legs scrabbling against the floor in a mad attempt to get as far away from the bottle as possible. He began to choke, and at first I thought he was having a seizure until I realized that he was…shifting right before my eyes. Growing even larger than he already was so that the seams of his shirt and along his jeans began to stretch and tear.
His eyes bled black, and I fell back on my butt with a gasp as the space where his cornea used to be split apart like a ripe piece of fruit. Something else happened but he wouldn’t let me see. Instead he closed his eyes and began banging his head against the bathroom door. Over and over again. The room filled with the scent of sulfur, and I had a chance to realize that that his hands were morphing into claws, before Sam crossed the intervening space between us with the speed of a natural born predator, and grabbed me.
He still wouldn’t look at me, so I had no idea what was going on with his eyes, but his skin was rippling. Cracking like glass around the edges, and I couldn’t stop the helpless sound of fear I made.
But he didn’t hurt me. I’m not even sure I ever believed he would have. Instead, his control balanced on a knife’s edge, he got to his feet, dragging me with him. His eyes were still closed, and his expression, behind the patchwork of cracks that were traveling across his body, was serene.
He led me to the door with all the grace and gentleness of a ballroom dancer, his earlier wildness gone. He knocked twice on the wood, and it opened from the other side as if Conric had been waiting patiently just outside the door this entire time. I was still staring at him when Conric reached across the threshold, and pulled me away. Once out of the bathroom, Sam closed the door with that same careful control, and I heard the lock engage.
Then the screaming started.
* * * *
I beat on the door for what felt like an hour, but no matter the threats I made or the names I called him, he wouldn’t let me back in. Based on the sounds coming from the other side of that door I was surprised I even wanted to go back in. I heard my mirror break and at one point there was a terrible sound of bending metal, before water gushed from beneath the door in a small tidal wave. I strongly suspected that he’d broken my sink, and had to send Conric downstairs to ask the super to turn the water to my apartment off.
This was all obviously coming out of my security deposit, but that was a concern for later. Right now I was more worried about why the bathroom door felt like the entrance to hell. It was even beginning to warp around the edges from the heat.
The deep rumbling, like the sound of some great beast breathing, was also cause for a good bit of concern.
I was tempted to call Maleficent, but I the last time she’d shown up things hadn’t exactly ended well. What had been in that jar anyway? Maybe it had been another curse or something? Something aimed at Sam rather than me this time.
“It’ll work wonders.” she said dismissively. “Use it sparingly. You may need more later on.” and with that, she popped out of existence without even a farewell to warn of her departure.
I waved away the silver sparkles suddenly filling the air, to see Sam looking at me in gratitude.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” I said, and meant it. I didn’t like to see people get pushed into situations like that. It made my blood boil. If they didn’t want your attention, why force the issue?
Sam opened his mouth to say something else, but collapsed instead. I hurried across the room, grabbing the jar as I went, and knelt by his side. His eyes were unfocused, but as soon as he caught sight of that jar, he jerked away from me with enough force to send his head slamming into the bathroom door.
“Sam? What’s wrong? Sam?” I sat the jar, down, afraid he’d break it as he began to convulse there on the ground. His arms and legs scrabbling against the floor in a mad attempt to get as far away from the bottle as possible. He began to choke, and at first I thought he was having a seizure until I realized that he was…shifting right before my eyes. Growing even larger than he already was so that the seams of his shirt and along his jeans began to stretch and tear.
His eyes bled black, and I fell back on my butt with a gasp as the space where his cornea used to be split apart like a ripe piece of fruit. Something else happened but he wouldn’t let me see. Instead he closed his eyes and began banging his head against the bathroom door. Over and over again. The room filled with the scent of sulfur, and I had a chance to realize that that his hands were morphing into claws, before Sam crossed the intervening space between us with the speed of a natural born predator, and grabbed me.
He still wouldn’t look at me, so I had no idea what was going on with his eyes, but his skin was rippling. Cracking like glass around the edges, and I couldn’t stop the helpless sound of fear I made.
But he didn’t hurt me. I’m not even sure I ever believed he would have. Instead, his control balanced on a knife’s edge, he got to his feet, dragging me with him. His eyes were still closed, and his expression, behind the patchwork of cracks that were traveling across his body, was serene.
He led me to the door with all the grace and gentleness of a ballroom dancer, his earlier wildness gone. He knocked twice on the wood, and it opened from the other side as if Conric had been waiting patiently just outside the door this entire time. I was still staring at him when Conric reached across the threshold, and pulled me away. Once out of the bathroom, Sam closed the door with that same careful control, and I heard the lock engage.
Then the screaming started.
* * * *
I beat on the door for what felt like an hour, but no matter the threats I made or the names I called him, he wouldn’t let me back in. Based on the sounds coming from the other side of that door I was surprised I even wanted to go back in. I heard my mirror break and at one point there was a terrible sound of bending metal, before water gushed from beneath the door in a small tidal wave. I strongly suspected that he’d broken my sink, and had to send Conric downstairs to ask the super to turn the water to my apartment off.
This was all obviously coming out of my security deposit, but that was a concern for later. Right now I was more worried about why the bathroom door felt like the entrance to hell. It was even beginning to warp around the edges from the heat.
The deep rumbling, like the sound of some great beast breathing, was also cause for a good bit of concern.
I was tempted to call Maleficent, but I the last time she’d shown up things hadn’t exactly ended well. What had been in that jar anyway? Maybe it had been another curse or something? Something aimed at Sam rather than me this time.
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