Pain and Possession

When he arrived back at the house much later that night, he was expecting Caron to be fast asleep. He was mildly surprised to find her still up. She was wrapped in a blanket on the couch staring into the fireplace at the flames that flickered in the dim room.

“Is he dead?” was the first question she asked him when he came in and dropped in the arm chair adjacent to her.

Riddick gave a small smile, “A little bloodthirsty aren’t we?”

Her lips thinned but she said nothing, choosing instead to wait on his answer.

“No he’s not dead” he said finally, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

“You promised!” she exclaimed, “You said you would make him suffer!”

Riddick said nothing but a small smile tugged at his lips at her ferocity. The beast loved to see her like that; she made him think she was worthy to be his mate.

“God damn you Riddick you said you kill him for what he did! You promised me he would suffer…” she said bitterly.

Finally opening his eyes, Riddick glance over at her and told her, “Believe me he’s suffering” it was said with an enigmatic smile.

“He can’t be suffering all that much if he’s alive. Why didn’t you kill him?” she told him scornfully, unable to comprehend how Riddick could let Master’s live.

“You told me you wanted him to suffer…that’s what I did. He’s suffering” Riddick explained patiently. “You didn’t say you wanted him dead”

“What did you do?” she whispered after she absorbed his quiet reply.

“Are you sure you want to know?” he closed his eyes again, smiling as he remembered.

“No” she didn’t want to know. The look on Riddick’s face was enough to tell her it was better if she didn’t.

“I cut off his fingers, all of them…sliced his tongue in half” he rumbled deeply

“Stop it” she whispered not wanting to hear the actual details. She felt sick listening to what he was saying.

“Took an eye from him…he had two so I thought he could spare it. I cut the tendons in his Achilles heel, won’t be doing much walking either.”

“Please stop” she felt her stomach heave at the image she was getting from his words.

“I left his ears somewhere on his back porch…what’s the matter Caron? You don’t look to good” he grinned at her.

“You’re sick….you’re a monster.” She swallowed with no little degree of difficulty. Riddick didn’t seem bothered by her words; he inclined his head slightly as if accepting the finest compliment from her. Richard wanted her to understand though.

“You the one who wanted him to suffer…I it did for you. I was content just to kill him”

“Oh God…” she moaned as she realized the truth to his words. She knew what kind of person Riddick was, yet she had sicced him on Masters without any reservations. She was as just as much a murder as he was.

“He said the same thing too after I killed his kid” Riddick commented musingly.

Caron closed her eyes tightly as the mother in her cried out. All she saw behind her closed lids was Masters' son Daniel’s youthful face. He was no innocent in the abduction that had taken place she reminded herself, but still his death made her feel sick on the inside.

“Did you make him suffer too…” she had to know.

“No.” he admitted “The kid felt no pain” physical pain that was, his mental anguish was something else entirely. It was Richard who provided the answer though. It was Richard who sensed the turmoil inside her as she struggle to assimilate his recount of what happened and he wanted to ease her inner struggle. He was the one who partially caused it.

The beast was simply confused. He did as she asked and now all he sensed was that she wasn’t happy.

“Where is Masters now?” she asked softly after a long while of silence.

“I dropped him outside a hospital’s entrance” Richard continued to lie smoothly. He had dumped Masters outside a bar, knowing that one of the patrons would stumble out sooner or later to find his mutilated body. He was hoping for later.

Riddick had been careful to stop any profuse bleeding from Masters, he didn’t want the man dead, for him to suffer he had to live. He would be destined to live the rest of is life as a lonely cripple; he would have many days to think about the biggest mistake he’d ever made. He had ample time to curse the name of Riddick, as a cripple he wouldn’t have much to do but think about it.

There would be no loving son to cater to him to help him make it through tough times; he would have to depend on the kindness of strangers. Riddick smiled as he thought about it. He would make sure to pay Masters a visit later on to remind him of what his folly had cost him. He should have not have fucked with his possessions. Rick and Caron were his.

He took a long lingering look at Caron and then announced suddenly, “I have to go. I can’t be here when--”

“The shit hits the fan” she continued softly for him and he nodded. “I understand” She was partially relived and partially disappointed at his departure. She was glad he was going because she still had a few things to work out in her heart and her mind about him. She wanted Richard back but she wasn’t sure if she was willing to accept the beast with him. The beast made him too unpredictable.

“I want to see him…”

Caron nodded and stood where she was as he disappeared down the hall into her room where Rick now slept. He wasn’t in there long and when he came back out she was sure she saw a trace of Richard. His mouth wasn’t the derisive curl of the beast always wore; it was a softened into a half smile that touched her.

“I’ll be back” he promised softly, looking at her with unreadable silver eyes.

Caron nodded, and as she did she realized she was both looking forward to and dreading his return. Her breath caught in her throat as he walked over to her and stood mere inches away from her. The heat from his body made her skin tingled and she waited for him to do or say something with a heavily pounding heart.

His hand came up slowly, almost as if asking her permission, giving her time to dodge it if she wanted. When she made no evasive moves he brushed the back of it alongside her soft cheek and her eyes closed of their own free will.

The breast growled deeply but this was a different growl from the one that usually came from his throat. This one was more of a purring rumble.

Take her! The beast urged, possess her, she’s mine!

“Caron…” Richard said suddenly, struggling with the beast to stay in control, he couldn’t let the beast dictate to him now; he would scare her away if he did, worse, he might hurt her again. “Caron…” he sounded out her name, enjoying the sound of it in her mouth. The beast put up a hell of a fight as it tried to overpower Richard so that he could have her.

Her breathing was shallow and the frantic beat of her heart was loud in his ear. He smelled fear emanating of her and for a minute it disconcerted him but then underneath the fear he smelled the heavy musk of arousal. It was a familiar smell to him; it was a scent that was her and hers alone. A scent he had reveled in a long time ago. It was a heady scent ans nos nostrils flared as he breathed it in deeply.

“Richard” she whispered his name, her eyes were still closed and her head leaned into him. They were still closed when she felt the brush of his lips against her full ones. Just as quickly as the kiss came it was gone and he was gone too.

For along while she stood there with her eyes closed, not wanting to lose the sensation of having the man she’d loved so much for a brief second. When she finally opened her eyes they were wet with tears and she felt the loss she thought she had gotten over years ago just as acutely as she would have had it happened five minutes ago.