13. Controlling Camula (1/2)

title: of the darkness||chapter: controlling camulacharacters: ryou, shou, camulachapters: 13-25||words: 1,058||total: 14,706genre: family, supernatural||rated: pg-13challenge: diversity writing challenge, ygo gx, j6, multi-chapter with 15-25 chaptersnotes: it's an au. it involves vampires.summary: shou invites his

other in after ryou returns from a long trip away. that is his first mistake. it only gets worse from there.

in between one moment and the next, she appeared, no longer a shadow, not merely a voice, but there, in all of her stark and undead reality. she stood tall and slender, a cascade of dark green hair billowing about her chalk-white shoulders, a gown of blood-red clinging to her body like a second skin. she smiled, lips curved high and wide enough to show her deadly dagger-sharp fangs, and ryou fought not to step back, not to retreat in the face of the enemy that had

ought him low and leashed him in a way he had never imagined he could be.

if shou thought ryou walked in silence, his

other was a lumbering boar next to camula, who even in high heels moved like nothing more than a puff of fog. she rested long, cold fingers against the side of ryou's face.

"my darling," she murmured, staring into his eyes, and he could feel his will weakening, draining away as it had once before, when he'd fought until he had no strength left, and she'd easily

ought him to the ground. "i forgive you for disobeying my orders. he could be a useful tool after all."

ryou tried his best to shake his head, but all for nothing. she did not want him to move and his body could not disobey her. she leaned forward and pressed her cold lips onto his forehead. part of him thrilled to her praise and her touch. more of him, the part that he still claimed for himself, ached for the presence of a stake or burning fire, anything that would put an end to her.

her fingers

ushed upward from his cheek and through his hair, petting him as one might a faithful dog. that was what he was to her, he knew, nothing but a pet that would obey her commands. she could call him whatever he pleased but he knew what she thought. she didn't really try to hide it anyway.

her scarlet eyes moved from one of them to the other before she nodded in satisfaction. "your friends will be here soon, my children. i think before then, we need to make some arrangements." that wide, evil smile returned. "i've come a very long way and i need refreshments. send for someone to eat, my dear." she patted the side of ryou's cheek. "in fact, make it two. you've put so much effort into watching your

other. you need to recover as well."

he wanted to disobey. words could not say how much he wanted to. but instead, he moved toward the door of shou's room, where no servant had set foot in the long days of his

other's recovery. the servants knew only that the young master was sick and that ryou had chosen to stay by his side to watch over him. they were loyal. they were obedient. they would not disobey and enter without his permission.

he'd wished they had.

he called for a maid, told her that they both needed something to eat, phrasing it in such a way that two would come. and food for shou would be