8

Theme Song: In Flames - LeechesIt burnsIt ripsIt hurtsThey made you believeYour turnThe chance of a lifetimeHow does it feel to be alive

8

Time had seemed to blur by. One day bled into the next. She did not know up from down, nor day from night. She had clawed at her skin, raking her sharp nails down her arms and legs in an attempt to ease the boiling burn that threatened to drive her mad. She had watched in awe as her own blood; now darker in hue, had started trickling down her skin, then had begun to float in the air as if gravity was no longer an issue. She had poked at a drop in amusement, watching as it's form shifted like a lava lamp. Her hair hung in a dirty mat of tangled curls. Leaves, dust and blood clung to her in patches. The burning in her veins had finally subsided. Her limbs still felt weak, shaky, but she carefully stood using a stack of old wooden crates for support. Pennywise's gift to her now floated towards the large grate above the macabre tower of collected items, moving gracefully as if he was underwater. As strange as it was to receive a person as a gift, it had touched her deeply. He had been one of the Cultists that had broken into her home and had threatened her way of life. It seemed only fitting that he now decorated this place.

Pennywise, in his human guise she had taken to calling "Bill" - mostly due to the fact he was a mirror image of Bill Skarsgard - returned from his above ground venture. He moved swiftly towards her when he noticed that she was attempting to stand. Before he could reach her, however, she waved him off with a faintly gesture of her hand. Her determination and strength still amazed him. There was no doubt now about her survive the final Binding. Tonight was the night and he wanted to to be perfect, or at least as perfect as he could manage. Unsure of what to do now that she did not need his help, he ran a black leather gloved hand nervously through short, slicked back brown hair. He tugged at it lightly before dropping his hand back down to his side with a grunt.

"I am not fragile, Pennywise. I am going to be fine." She told him for the hundredth time that day. Her tone remained amused despite the several attempts at him hovering around her like a mother hen.

"I know but I am unsure of what to do." He sounded so lost.

Amanda smiled and chuckled softly. "I know." It was sort of humbling to see the frightful Pennywise seem so compassionate.

He growled lowly in warning, obviously catching her train of thought rather easily. He had been touching her mind non-stop these past few days and would often catch when her thoughts shifted.

"I am not compassionate."

"You are only when it comes to me, perhaps."

"Hmm." His lips pulled back from his teeth with another growl, but they both knew she was right. He was an entity know for great unspeakable horrors and yet, with her, he had been reduced to a giant squishy teddy bear. With fangs.

"I am in desperate need of a shower, or bath. Anything at this point."

He moved towards her and took her dirty, blood caked hand in his. "Then come. There is a fresh water drain nearby. It will be cold, but it is clean."

"I'll take it. And clothes would be welcome."

He frowned faintly. "You won't need them."

"I am not going around naked all the time, Pennywise."

He sighed softly. "A shame. I would rather enjoy it if you did."

"I am sure you would." She replied with a chuckle.

He led her down a small series of interconnecting tunnels. Taking a left, it opened up into a sizable chamber. Smaller than the main one they inhabited, but still large enough to make one wonder just exactly how large this system was. Lined up along the circular room were fresh water spouts, pouring down into small pools. They reminded her of water fountains in a garden. With a cry of joy, she all but ran to one and immediately clambered beneath the clean water. The temperature of it didn't faze her, not with her desire to scrub herself clean. He watched, entertained as she blissfully used her nails to scrub dirt and other grime from her skin. Unable to help himself, Pennywise willed his clothes away with a simple thought and joined her. He had not been able to touch her for two days and it had begun to grate on his nerves. Reaching out, he gripped her hips and turned her to face him.

"Lean back, Preciousss." He purred softly. When she tilted her head back directly beneath the spout, he ran his hands through the cool, damp curls, combing out the dirt and leaves that had settled there. It was her turn to purr delightfully as his claws massaged her scalp. Leaning forward, he let his lips trail up along the front of her throat. He was instantly rewarded when the scent of her spiked. Desire snaked it's way along his spine just as he knew it did hers. The call of their connection was growing. He could feel her energy almost fully fused with his.

When he was satisfied that everything had been removed from her hair, he moved to the rest of her. He inspected every inch to ensure all her wounds were healed and every bit of evidence of her change was gone. Once she was clean, he grabbed a hold of her hips once more and lifted her with ease.

"Wrap your legs around me." He whispered softly against her lips, his words coming out like a growl. When she locked them around his waist, he sheathed himself deep inside of her in a single, powerful stroke that left them breathless.

"You weren't kidding about a heightened sense of touch." She commented as she slid her arms around his neck. His lips continued to burn a path of fire along her throat, drifting down to the mark that had begun to scar near her shoulder. Her nails dug into the flesh of his shoulders when his teeth scraped teasingly over her skin. Her last word turned into a gasp when he bit down, teeth piercing the healing wounds and drawing her blood to the surface. He felt her clench tightly around him, amused that she gained pleasure from such a thing.

He felt her lips move along the side of his neck, his own breath coming out in a long sigh. With one of his sharp claws, he drew his symbol directly onto the curve of her shoulder in the center of the wounds he had created during the Tasting. There was a nearly audible click as the last piece of the puzzle snapped into place. She would be safe now. With a snarl, Pennywise pinned her to the cold stone wall beside the spout. His hands took a hold of her wrists and pinned her arms on either side of her, preventing her from moving them.

"I will not hold back, Amanda." He growled out through clenched teeth, waiting. He was drawing out the moment as much as he could, simply enjoying the feel of being buried deep inside of the warmth of her.

"Don't." She whispered harshly, her gaze searching his. "I will not break."

He stared into her shifting gaze one last time before his mouth claimed hers, devouring her. He took her at her word and slid the length of himself out of her only to snap his hips forward and slam himself hilt deep. She cried out and it certainly wasn't from pain. Her fingers twitched, flexing tightly to form fists. Her own nails bit into her palms, creating bloody lines that immediately began to float in the air. The pace continued, each stroke powerful, deep and rough. Amanda felt her back scrape against the stone, but she didn't care. The pleasure that consumed her was far too powerful to even be concerned about any kind of pain. She felt every hot inch of him slip into her with ease, fitting her so perfectly that in that moment she was nearly a hundred percent certain she had been made to fit him.

"Look at me." Pennywise growled when he notice her eyes unfocused and beginning to close. When they locked back onto his, he hissed inhumanly in rapture. Her dark gaze had changed, bleeding to the same demonic yellow as his. His hands released her wrist. His fingers moved, sliding between the spaces of hers and interlacing them together. He kept her arms pinned up beside her, but the intimacy of holding her hands was not lost on either of them. Not even as his thrusts increased in frequency. Their breathing became harsher, mingling between them. The sound of flesh hitting flesh seemed to echo off the walls and it only added fuel to the already consuming fire.

"Harder." She managed to push out between one breath and the next. She watched as his gaze refocused on hers as what she had requested of him finally sank in. A grin of pure sinister malice flashed across his face and it only caused her to tighten around him further. He took her at her word, sliding into her faster, harder and move powerful than he had before. The sound of their breathing quickened, synchronizing perfectly so that when one of them breathed out, the other breathed in. When her vision began to rolls, she felt him release one of her hands and reach up to tangle his fingers at the back of her neck. Claws dug into flesh but not enough to break it, only enough to cause her to refocus on his eyes.

Words of some guttural language passed his lips. She did not understand them, but she knew that they were some kind of binding chat, some form of ritual that would seal that final step into place. It was as if those words were the key to the lock on her pleasure for once the last word was uttered, she came apart at the seams. Her body clenched tightly around him, her back arching off of the wall but despite the intensity of it, her gaze remained on his. One deep thrust into her, followed by a second, a third, and finally on the forth, he followed her over the edge. He nearly dropped to his knees when he felt her shatter around him in a second, more powerful release that followed directly behind her first.

"The Binding is complete." He whispered softly, tasting her lips in a surprisingly tender kiss. "It is more binding than any human ceremony or terms can comprehend."

"So that means we are what, married?"

Pennywise snorted faintly. "That is what humans referr to it as. But it is infinitely more lasting than that. Humans can dissolve the marriage. The Binding can not be so easily eradicated. So yes, in essence, I suppose we are."