Chapter 13: Echoes of Truth

Morning light filtered through the slats of the blinds in John’s office, casting thin stripes across the cluttered desk where the letter marked “Greece” and his grandfather’s tattered notebook lay. John sat hunched over the papers, his eyes feverishly scanning the lines, searching for connections between Delphi, Apollo’s Muses, and the Order of Shadow. The scent of coffee and old paper filled the air, but the silence was heavy, like the calm before a storm. Lucy stirred on the couch in the corner, her auburn hair, disheveled and clinging to her shoulders, swaying as she slowly sat up. Her naked body, draped only in a thin blanket, still trembled from the events of the previous night. She looked at John, her dark eyes filled with a mix of desire and pain.

“John,” she said softly, her voice hoarse, as if from tears. She stood, clutching the blanket, and approached the small coffee maker in the corner. “You… didn’t sleep?” Her movements were hesitant, but she tried to act naturally, preparing coffee.

John didn’t look up, his fingers gripping the letter. “No,” he replied curtly, his voice as cold as the London fog outside.

Lucy placed a cup of coffee in front of him, her fingers trembling slightly. She stood nearby, her breath quiet but heavy. “John, talk to me,” she whispered, her voice quivering. “Why are you still so cold… Yesterday… I know I hurt you, and you have every right to hate me! But yesterday…”

He finally raised his eyes, but his gaze was icy, as if looking through her. “Lucy, I’m busy,” he said flatly, turning back to the notebook. His fingers flipped through the yellowed pages, but his thoughts buzzed: her accusations, her disappearance, her sudden return.

She sank to her knees beside him, the blanket slipping to reveal her shoulders and breasts. Her auburn hair fell over her face, but she didn’t brush it away, her fingers grazing his knee. “John,” she pleaded, her voice growing more desperate, “I want to be yours. Tell me what to do. I’ll do anything.” Her hand slowly slid up his leg, her touch hot and seductive, but John remained still, his face betraying no emotion.

“Enough,” he snapped, but his voice trembled with restrained tension. She didn’t stop, her fingers unbuckling his belt, her eyes burning with an obsession bordering on madness. John clenched his fists, his breath growing heavier, and in a moment, he gave in. His hand shot out, grabbing her auburn hair, forcing her to look at him. “Is this what you want?” he growled, his voice low and aggressive.

Lucy nodded, her eyes gleaming, and she greedily enveloped his erection with her lips, her tongue moving quickly, slickly, with fervent enthusiasm, as if pouring all her obsession into him. Her throat tightened, emitting hoarse sounds, and John gripped her hair tighter, his fingers tangling in the strands, controlling her movements.

“Why did you leave?” he snarled, his voice sharp with anger. “Mmm,” was all Lucy managed, her lips sliding over him, her sounds wet and hoarse.

“What do you know about my grandfather?” His thrusts grew harsher, his hand holding her head, not letting her stop. “Hng,” she moaned, her eyes tearing up, but she didn’t pull back, her tongue swirling, her hands gripping his thighs.

“The Order of Shadow. What did they want from you? You know something!” His voice was cold, but fury seeped through. “Mmm… hng… mgmgmm,” Lucy couldn’t respond, her sounds mingling with moans, her face a mix of submission and desire.

John yanked her up by her hair, staring into her tear-streaked face. She was entirely in his power now. His hands gripped her shoulders, and he moved her to the couch. He grabbed a scarf lying nearby and swiftly tied her wrists, pulling the knot tight but not painfully. Lucy trembled, her body arching as he leaned over her. His fingers slowly traced her thighs, teasing, tickling her stomach, then delving into her wet vagina, eliciting ragged moans. His eyes were cold, but a fury burned in them, mingling with control.

“Speak,” he ordered, his voice low and threatening, his fingers moving faster. “Why did you leave?”

“Mmm…” Lucy moaned, her body arching, her lips trembling as she bit them, trying to hold back.

“Why, Lucy?” His voice sharpened, his fingers tickling her sides, making her flinch. “You called me pathetic, weak. Then you vanished. Why?”

“Ah…” Her moan was hoarse, her eyes tearing up, but she pressed her lips together, her bound hands twitching.

“Answer!” he barked, his hand tightening on her wrists, his fingers delving into her again, moving rhythmically. “What made you leave?”

“Hng…” Lucy closed her eyes, her breath ragged, her thighs trembling under his touch.

“The Order of Shadow,” he pressed, his voice cold as steel. “They got to you, didn’t they? What did they want?”

“Mmm…” Her moan was soft but laden with desire, her body arching as if begging him not to stop.

“Speak, Lucy!” His fingers teased her clitoris, tickling her skin, making her moan louder. “Who threatened you?”

“Ah… John…” Her voice trembled, she tried to hold on, but her body betrayed her, responding to his every move.

“You came back,” he said, his fingers slowing but not stopping, teasing her with slow circles. “Why? If you were scared, why are you here?”

“Hng…” Her moan grew louder, her eyes glistening with tears and ecstasy, her bound hands straining.

“Did he talk about the Order?” His fingers plunged deeper, making her cry out. “About his research? What are you hiding?”

“Ah!” Her cry was hoarse, her body arching, her auburn hair sticking to her sweat-dampened forehead.

“Speak, Lucy!” His hand tightened on her bound wrists, his fingers speeding up, pushing her to the edge. “Why did you stay silent?”

“John…” she gasped, her voice weak, barely audible. “They… pressured my family…”

“Who?” he barked, his fingers pausing but staying inside her, keeping her on edge. “Who were they?”

“Mmm…” Her moan was pleading, her eyes tearing up, but she couldn’t stop. “Unknown people… they threatened… to harm…”

“And you left?” His voice grew quieter but colder. “Abandoned me because of their threats?”

“Ah…” Her body trembled, her moans mingling with tears. “I was scared, John… I couldn’t…”

“And my grandfather?” His fingers resumed, fast and relentless, pushing her to the brink. “What did he tell you? What did he warn you about?”

“Hng…” Her moan turned shrill, her body shuddered, and suddenly her thighs trembled harder, a gush of fluid erupting from her, soaking the couch and his hand. “Ah!” Her cry was sharp, her eyes closing as the squirt overwhelmed her, her bound hands jerking in ecstasy.

“Speak!” he snarled, not stopping, his fingers continuing to prolong her orgasm. “What did my grandfather say about me?”

“Mmm…” Her voice was faint, her body still trembling from the squirt, fluid dripping down her thighs. “He… talked about his research… about the Order of Shadow… that you’d have to… continue his path… John, I’m sorry…”

John stepped back, his fingers leaving her, and Lucy collapsed onto the couch, her body slick with sweat and her own fluids, her eyes closed from exhaustion and ecstasy.

“They… pressured my family,” she gasped, her voice trembling with ecstasy and fear. “Unknown people… they threatened. Said they’d hurt them if I didn’t leave. I was scared, John… I couldn’t stay.” Her eyes teared up, but she looked at him, her auburn hair clinging to her forehead. “I came back because I couldn’t stay away… I tried, but I couldn’t.”

John froze, his fingers still, but his gaze remained cold. “And my grandfather?” he asked, his voice quieter but tense. “What did he tell you?”

“He… he talked about his research,” she whispered, her breath ragged. “About the Order of Shadow, ancient secrets. He said one day you might have to continue it. I didn’t understand, but he asked me not to tell you. I… I was scared, John.”

Her words hit him like a cold wave. He stepped back, his hands releasing her, and Lucy remained on the couch, her body slick with sweat and fluids, her eyes closed from exhaustion and ecstasy. She looked unconscious, her breath weak, her auburn hair spilling over the cushion like fading flames.

John stood by the desk, his gaze shifting between the letter about Greece and his grandfather’s notebook. Her confession buzzed in his mind: the pressure on her family, the Order of Shadow, his grandfather’s words. Why didn’t he know this before? Why had his grandfather confided in Lucy and not him? And why, despite her confession, despite her obsession, did he feel only coldness? His heart still remembered her tender kisses, her morning stretches when she was his world.

In that moment, shame washed over him. At first, he had pushed her away, and he had every right to, given the truth. But now… now it was different. Lucy, his beloved Lucy, despite the danger and threats, had tried to mend the rift between them, and he had merely toyed with her.
This wasn’t the behavior of a gentleman, nor of the man John wanted to see in the mirror.

He looked at the letter: “Greece, sacred Delphi, the nine Muses of Apollo.” The truth was closer, but with every step, the danger grew. The Order of Shadow was watching, and John felt his journey was only beginning. He glanced at Lucy, sleeping, and his thoughts turned melancholic: could he ever reclaim what he’d lost, or was his fate to move forward into the darkness?