Smoke encompassed her entire being, filling her lungs with aching breathlessness as she silently prayed for clean air. Ash stung her eyes, heat scorched her skin, and yet she couldn't die. There was no relief. No moment of soft white light or eternal darkness. None of what happened could be lost to the vacancy of the cosmos.
Hope would forever be haunted by the horrors she'd inflicted that day.
She startled awake, her skin aglow with sweat beside the fire's light as she heaved a deep breath of clean, untainted air. Opening her eyes, she met the fierce gaze of a face looming above her. Lae'zel used her knees to pin Hope's wrists to the ground, and while the fingers of one hand latched her hair to keep her head in place, the other held a dagger at her throat.
Parting her lips, she blinked rapidly in surprise and glanced with only her eyes where Astarion had lain what felt like moments ago. It was well into the night, and he was not by the fire. Out hunting while the others slept, she assumed.
Not all, she supposed.
"I will ask my questions, and you will answer me plainly," Lae'zel hissed, and Hope's eyes flicked back to hers. She didn't move…didn't speak. Her mind was still a million miles away, trying to pull her back to her reality while her ears rang, like she'd had too much to drink.
Lae'zel didn't wait for her to reply; she asked anyway, "Why did that devil know you so well? What dealings have you had with him in the past?"
That devil…Hope blinked, trying to form a logical answer, but could only mutter, "Raphael?"
"Do not feign ignorance, Istik," she growled, lips curling over her teeth, "Answer my question or die at my blade."
Hope smiled. It wasn't a real smile, not one with genuine intent. It was instinctual, as if she suddenly couldn't control the function of her mouth. Deranged, one might call it.
"Oh…if only it were that easy, Lae'zel," a light laugh bubbled from somewhere deep in the darker depths of her soul, "I'd probably thank you."
"Enough!" The Gith snarled through clenched teeth.
Quick as a flash, she slashed straight across Hope's throat. A three-inch-deep gash across her tender throat suddenly wept with blood. Releasing a soft gasp, she stared up at Lae'zel, murderous intent in her hardened gaze. Hope smiled again as the torn flesh mended itself in the seconds after the steel left her skin.
Watching Lae'zel's expression turn from cold calculation to confused fear, Hope sighed softly and muttered, "I really had hoped you wouldn't go to such lengths."
She sat up, and Lae'zel moved without question, still staring at the place she'd made her mark. Now completely healed.
"I like you, Lae'zel. You can be kind of a bitch sometimes, but so can I," Hope suddenly snatched Lae'zel by the throat. She dug her fingers into her windpipe in such a way that not a sound came from her. "Shh, you'll wake the others," she murmured as Lae'zel gripped her wrist with two hands, trying to pry her fingers away in vain. Panic flooded her yellow eyes, fighting for breath, as Hope casually picked up one of the still-damp cloths by the fire and rubbed the blood away, followed by the quick swipe of the blood-soaked blade, which she held between her knees.
"I ought to kill you," Hope whispered, "I'm trying to survive. To make up for the monster that I am, and you keep…making me question my humanity while testing my patience. I do still have it, mind you. But it's a fight, every day. So, because of that, I'll offer you a bit of grace due to your ignorance."
Hope watched her eyes start to roll back, and she loosened her grip, allowing her to take in a deep breath, then tightened once more. "I'll not carve you like a pig, this time, for mindlessly attacking me, however," her eyes dilated, "You won't remember any of this. To you, I'm small, weak, and defenseless. I am no threat to you or this group, and that is all you remember."
Hope released her grip now, watching her sputter for breath before slowly looking up at her, confused, "Why am I out of my bed…" She murmured, looking around.
"I watched you walk into the woods," Hope tilted her head with mock concern, "You came back holding your throat. Do you not remember?"
"No, I…" Lae'zel swallowed and looked around at the quiet night before glancing at the cloth of blood, still by Hope's hand. "Did…did I hurt you?" She asked, eyes widening.
"Of course not," she said, "Astarion is known to get carried away when he feeds on me. Nothing more."
She released a slow, shaking breath, and for the first time, Hope actually…pitied her. She seemed genuinely terrified. And she had a feeling she knew why.
"Don't worry, Lae'zel. If you start turning into a tentacle monster, I'm sure Shadowheart will gladly make it quick."
Though she didn't smile, she cleared her throat, "I'm sure she would…if you'll excuse me."
Hope watched Lae'zel walk away, pass her tent, and continue on. Likely to clear her head or retrace her steps, she wasn't quite sure, but she kept a watchful gaze on her. Drumming her fingers on the ground, she glanced around the space, ensuring she wouldn't need her compulsion tonight. Luckily, all were asleep, aside from Astarion, who hadn't returned from his hunt—she couldn't smell or sense him anywhere nearby.
Slowly, turned to address her bedroll. It was a good thing Lae'zel hadn't noticed the amount of blood that had pooled beneath her. She doubted Astarion would ever be that sloppy.
Sighing, she bundled up the bloody remains into her arms and made her way toward the lake. Hope glanced around once more, indulged her senses, and stripped down to nothing on the rocky shore. Then she waded into the area where it was deep enough and, using heavy rocks, pinned it to the lakebed. Cleaning herself off was a simple enough task, but now she was soaked and shivering. It felt wonderful to haul her ass out of the water and slip back into her dry clothes.
With her hair still wet, she made her way back to the camp and glanced around. Surely there was another bedroll lying about. Then again… Wickedly grinning, she slipped into Astarion's, shimmied out of her bottoms, and curled up. Though she didn't sleep. How could she now? What, with her nightmare turning into another nightmare, she needed a decent distraction. She couldn't imagine anything better than teasing Astarion in the middle of the night.
It wasn't quite an hour later, the fire casting the softest glow now as it slowly died away, that Astarion returned. Hope smelled him before she heard his footsteps, smiling as she rolled onto her belly and rested her chin on her folded arms. She watched him approach and smiled at his devious smirk and raised brow.
In a voice as quiet as the night air, he chuckled, "Now, what do you think you're doing, exactly?"
"Hm," Hope sighed, "Sleeping. My bed just wasn't as this one…"
"Is that so?"
"Yup," she popped the 'p'.
Slowly, he sank to his knees before her, amusement in his gaze as he eyed her. "And now that I've returned, you can come out."
"You know, I would," Hope nodded, rolling onto her back to stare up at him, "But it would be grossly inappropriate for me to waltz around camp without underwear."
A flash of something hungry flickered across his red gaze, and he glanced around, fanged smirk still in place as he replied, "You are aware you're making it increasingly difficult not to fuck you right here, aren't you?" He asked, brushing a stray piece of hair away from her exposed collarbone.
"Highly aware."
With slow, deliberate movements, Astarion crawled into the bedroll with her. It wasn't a lot of space, but it was enough that they fit together if their entire bodies were flush against one another—which they were.
Hope smirked as she felt his erection grow against her thigh, "You feel very happy to see me."
Matching her expression, his teeth nipped her bottom lip while he pushed his pants down, letting his cock spring free. "Not one sound." He murmured, a warning in his tone.
Would he really do it? Would he actually fuck her in the middle of the camp?
Her question was answered by a silent response as he gripped the back of her knees and pulled them up until her knees were aligned with her breasts. The thing was, because of the tight space, Hope, now shaped like a pretzel, physically couldn't move. Being completely exposed to him with no barrier sent a wave of arousal and the start of a low moan, which Astarion caught with a devouring kiss. As his tongue thrust into her mouth, his cock impaled her to his hilt, stretching her with a tight pinch.
Hope bit his tongue involuntarily, and Astarion pulled away with a wicked grin as his own blood dripped from his lip.
"Oh, darling," he murmured, keeping himself in his position of power as he placed a firm hand over her mouth, "You really must stay quiet."
Without warning, he pulled his length out halfway and slammed into her again, but her whine could hardly be heard past his hand. As her pussy dripped with fresh arousal, slicking his thick shaft, he thrust with a new rhythm. Hard and fast, he rolled his hips with the intensity of the waves of a raging storm crashing against a rocky shore.
Hope's eyes crossed as he beat against the deep part inside of her that made her toes curl and her senses stripped. All there was in that moment was just her, him, and combined pleasure. Drool spilled from the corners of her mouth as he fucked her into oblivion, but it was his heated gaze that never left her face that kept her from closing her eyes.
This…this was the only thing that kept the screams of her reign of terror silent.