Ayla's Supernatural Love Dungeon

*Part 1 of a 2-part Christmas Chapter. The Christmas chapters are part of the ‘Unknown Days of Smutmas’. With that said enjoy my darlings!*

Chapter 12

Nekros and Althea sat at the table eating the Chinese food that Nekros had ordered. A ping noise came from Althea’s phone. She checked her phone to see why it went off. Althea grimaced as she stared at the screen.

            “What’s up?” Nekros asked.

Althea paused for a moment before she responded to the question. “My mom texted me. Inviting me home for Christmas Eve and Christmas.”

            “Is that a bad thing?”

“I don’t want to go alone…”

Nekros grabbed Althea’s hand which was closer to him and held it. “I can go with you if you like.”

Althea looked up at Nekros. She gave him her best impression of puppy dog eyes pleading that he go with her. Her impression must have been spot on because Nekros chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

            Althea, Raven, and Nekros stood outside of a modest home. The falling snow landed the tops of their heads and lodged themselves in bits of hair. Althea brushed her gloved hands together, from nervousness and the cold. Nekros rubbed Althea’s back to comfort her.

            “It’s going to be okay,” he soothed.

Raven snorted. “We’ll see about that.”

The front door opened and revealed an older replica of Althea. She ushered the trio inside.

The trio wiped and stomped the snow off their shoes onto the welcome mat.

            “Hi, Mom,” Althea greeted and opened her arms for a hug. Her mother half-heartedly embraced her daughter.

            “Hi, Raven,” the woman greeted and replicated the same half embrace for Raven that she did for her daughter.

            “Merry Christmas, Tia,” Raven greeted back.

            “Who is this?” Tia questioned as she stared at Nekros.

            “Mom, this is my…” Althea stumbled over the words to describe her relationship with Nekros.

            “Her boyfriend,” Raven injected.

At the word boyfriend, Althea and Nekros blushed. Nekros held his hand out.

            “I’m Nekros. Nice to meet Althea’s mother,” Nekros politely addressed.

Tia eyed Nekros’s offered hand but did not shake it. “Nice to meet you too.”

Nekros lowered his hand in the awkward situation. Althea struggled to distract from the terrible welcome. Raven grabbed Nekros by the hand and dragged him to the living room.

            “Make yourselves at home!” Tia shouted after Raven.

Tia’s attention zeroed in on Althea. The look of disappointment on her face had Althea’s insides twisting into knots. Althea shrunk under her mother’s scrutiny. No words were shared, but Althea felt every ounce of her mother’s emotions. A small tsk was the only sound to leave Tia’s lips before she headed to the kitchen. Althea’s heart sank. She tiptoed to the living room and sat on the couch where Nekros and Raven were conversing.

The living room was sparsely decorated. In the corner was a Christmas tree with presents underneath. The presents were empty and were only set out as decoration. Two stockings were hung on the wall next to the tree. The TV played rerun Christmas specials.

“Is it just you and your mom?” Nekros asked as he stared at the stockings.

“Yeah. My dad left when I was little.”

A sad expression washed over Raven’s face and she tangled her fingers together. Raven’s reaction to Althea’s statement caused Nekros to furrow his brow.

            “Althea!”

Althea got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. Her mother held a glass of scotch in one hand. Her left hip was popped out and her right foot tapped on the hardwood floor. A scowl plastered on her face.

            “Yeah, Mom?”

            “Why did you bring him here?”

Althea folded in on herself and stared at the ground. She bit her lip not answering her mother’s question. It was rhetorical. Tia slammed the rest of the scotch down before she went to the cabinet to pour more. “Honestly. Someone like you shouldn’t have friends,” Tia grumbled. Althea stood still, held her breath, and waited for her mother’s rant to be over. “Having the power to undo death is unnatural. You draw death to you like a magnet and then with a flick of your wrist, you can change the flow of life.”

Althea did her best to hold back the tears and tune out the negative words her mother spewed at her.

“Did you kill him too?”

Althea nodded not able to trust her voice and the moment.

            “Whatever he is to you, despite bringing him back to life, get rid of him.”

Althea’s head snapped up to stare at her mother. “What?”

Tia narrowed her eyes. “You heard me. Get rid of him. Someone like you, who has the power to bring the dead back to life, has no business mingling with normal people.”

            Althea walked out of the kitchen, a meek child who had angered her parent. As she turned the corner and headed to the living room, she saw Nekros standing there.

            “How long…how much of that did you hear?” Nekros didn’t answer. He just grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. The embrace ended when Raven tapped on Nekros’s shoulder. She pointed to the front door. Nekros nodded and the trio left without saying goodbye.