Chapter Sixteen

"This is boring."

"Just sit still."

"Why did we come all this way to just sit?"

"Because that's what normal people do, and because I suggested other things, and you refused them." I took a drink from the coffee I had ordered. I made sure Inanis had decaf, the last thing I wanted was an already hyper active man get fueled with caffeine.

The world would quake.

He took several deep breaths, and leaned back in his seat, "I hate this."

"Then leave, dumbass."

He stared at me for a moment, and then sat up, and leaned towards me over the table, "Or we can play a game."

"Absolutely not."

He sighed a loud, overdramatic sigh, which made me clench the cup of coffee in my hands a bit too hard. It was as if the more time I spent with him, the less I cared about who he was, and the more I hated him for his childish ways. I never expected him to act like a husband, but I never imagined my marriage to Inanis to resemble that of a mother and her manchild. "Sigh like that one more time and I will scald you with my drink."

"That sounds like fun."

"Trust me, it won't be."

His eyes traveled to a young couple who sat at the table beside ours. They kept glancing over at Inanis and pretended as if they had no idea who he was.

They knew exactly who he was. In fact, I noticed everyone in the room steal glances at Inanis and I. They all knew.

I wondered if they were excited to be in the same building as him or petrified.

"You know." Inanis finally said, as he laid even further back in his seat, "I haven't been out in public like this since I was a child." His voice lowered, "I can't help but wonder how many of these people would be one of my toys if they ever got into politics." He pointed to a very attractive waitress who was serving an elderly man across the room, "She looks like fun, I bet she bleeds beautifully. I wonder if her organs are just as pretty as her face is. Do you suppose I should go over and find out?"

"I know what you're doing." I tell him, taking another drink, "You're trying to make me uncomfortable, so I'll leave."

"Is it working?"

"Not at all."

He frowned, and shifted uncomfortably, "I'm beginning to question if this was a mistake."

"Why did you even suggest to go somewhere with me in the first place? I thought you made it clear we could be separate when the cameras weren't watching."

Inanis refused to look at me, as he waved his hand, "Your words are boring me, let's go for a walk."

"That didn't sound like an answer."

"That's because I didn't give you one." He stood, "Let's go, I'm getting terribly uninterested with these insipid walls."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me up despite my protests. We left the Café, I noticed Inanis's guards stationed all around the Café, up and down the street disguised as citizens. Inanis will always have a target on his back, I have no doubt someone out there is stupid enough to try and hurt him. Seeing how I'm now his wife, that target extended to me as well.

I tried not to think about it.

"It's a gorgeous day for mischief." He said, taking a deep breath, "What do you suppose we should do as newlyweds? Steal a child? Burn a business? Kill a man?"

"I like the idea of taking a walk and admiring the Washington architecture."

He stared at me incredulously, "That has got to be the dreariest thing we could do."

"Alright, then you can go steal a child, but I think I'm going to walk and enjoy myself." I began to walk away, and bit back a scowl when he followed me. I don't know why I came with him today, I don't know why I ever left the house. Maybe it was because I was hoping he'd get bored enough of me to leave me alone.

Or maybe it was because I wanted to see what it was like to do something relatively normal with my new husband. I realize now it was a mistake, and all I wanted to do was crawl away from him, "You truly have no sense of fun inside you."

"And you have no sense of shame."

"Shame, my dear wife, is a barrier used by those who don't know how to live."

"I'd like to think I'm living. Your arrogance is just insufferable."

"And your boredom brings me to tears."

"And yet you won't go away."

I continued walking, feeling eyes of the street on me. Every person walking, or driving, were staring at us. I couldn't blame them, if I didn't know Inanis personally, and saw him just waltzing down the street I'd stare too.

Still, I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

"Hey!" A voice brought me to a stop, though Inanis kept walking, determined to ignore it.

A woman, not much older than myself came running up to the both of us. "You're the Bone Cutter, and his wife-" She turned to me, "The Bone Harvester, oh my god!" She pulled out her cellphone and began taking pictures of the both of us.

I heard Inanis sigh from behind me as he walked up to the woman, swiped her phone from her hands, and dropped it to the ground. "Oops." He said, while stomping on it, multiple times.

She looked at him in horror, as one of Inanis's guards grabbed her arm and pulled her away from him.

"She dropped it." Inanis claimed, "Right? Everyone here saw her drop it."

"She dropped it, sir." Mumbled the guard, who I didn't realize was allowed to speak.

Inanis nodded once, and stared back at the girl, "Take better care of your things, love. Cellphones don't grow on trees you know." He patted her cheek like a child, and began to walk away. As he passed me, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and forced me to walk alongside him.

"What the hell was that?" I asked him, once we were far enough away from the woman.

"What was what?"

"You know what."

"I should be asking you the same thing. Never let them push you around."

I stared at him, "She wasn't pushing me around, she was just excited."

"And would it be so innocent if it were twenty of them, instead of one, all acting like a bunch of heathens, surrounding you with their phones, begging you to humor them as if you were a show animal and not a human being? I say you should stab them in the gut with their own devices and go on with your day."

I frowned, "Your obsessive need to control people is-"

"I do not have a need to control people," He corrected, "I have a need to hurt them if they get in my way."

I had enough. I noticed a pet store located across the street. My heart flooded with fuzzy warmth as my eyes landed on the puppies in the display window. They were everyone innocent and pure, everything that I needed to be greeted with right now.

Because I happened to marry everything that was wicked and tainted with this world. Inanis was a plague of wretchedness, and I needed a break.

I walked across the street, Inanis staring at me in question, but I ignored him and entered the pet store. I was greeted by an older Asian woman. She sat at the front desk and told me I was allowed to hold the puppies if I pleased, even though the sign in the window clearly stated puppies were not to be held.

She must have recognized Inanis and wanted to appeal to him.

I tried not to let that bother me. I didn't like the luxury treatment, it made me feel rotten inside.

And still, I walked over to the puppies in the window, and held one in my arms. I couldn't bite down the smile that appeared on my face, my heart was leaping for joy. All my worries disintegrated for the time being. I had nearly forgotten Inanis was beside me until he spoke up. "I don't see the appeal of such little creatures." He picked one up with his left hand, and held it in the air, studying it. "I could crush it right now in my hand with just a bit of pressure."

"No no no-" I put the puppy I was holding down, and quickly reached for the one Inanis was holding. "There's not point in ending an innocent's life."

"There's no point in pretending it wouldn't eat you if it was raised in the wild."

"Yes, well, normal people don't like thinking about that type of stuff."

"Normal people are rather boring, aren't they?" He picked up another puppy, and held it close against his chest, I didn't miss how gentle he was with it. I've never seen him so still in my life. "Do you think if I raise this animal, I could teach it to eat people? I always wondered what it'd be like to watch a dog eat the fingers of a child. Would they snap off like twigs, or is it more of a solid branch situation? Where can I find a child? You should have my child so I can find out."

I tried to ignore his comment about me having his child, and instead attempted to take the puppy from his arms, but he turned away, dodging me. "You know, normally I encourage people to get a dog, but I think you're the only person in the world who wouldn't benefit from one."

He looked the puppy in the eyes, "All the more reason to get one then."

"Please don't."

Inanis glanced at the many puppies in the showcase, as I finally managed to grab the one he was holding, and gently place it back down, safely away from his grasp.

There were quite a few larger puppies, all energetic, playing with one another.

In the corner of the case was a smaller white one, huddled against the wall. "This one is a monster." Inanis claimed, as he grabbed the small white one, and pulled it close, "It just doesn't know it yet."

I was speechless, as he walked over to the older lady at the counter, and stuck a gloved hand into his pocket, taking out a fistful of hundred dollar bills, and dropping them on the counter.

And then he walked out of the store, the puppy still in his arms, and for a split second I thought I saw Inanis smile at it as it looked up at him.

I stood alone in the pet store, stunned at what just happened.

I wasn't used to the fact that someone was rich enough to make the impulsive decision to walk into a pet store and throw twelve-hundred dollars away for a last minute (and thoughtless) decision to adopt a new family member.

Normally I'd drive by a pet store, and daydream about owning a pet of my own, but never sure if it'd be a wise decision.

I don't think Inanis even thought about it, he's just so used of doing things, he never really considers if he should.

In this case, he really shouldn't have. As much as I wanted a dog, I knew Inanis, a man who had no problem ending an innocent life, was too dangerous to be a father, pet owner, or husband.

He was the living embodiment of chaos, and having a family, or people to care for was not something he can do.

I glanced at the older lady who was counting the money with glee in her dark eyes. Clearly, she was excited to have someone as important as Inanis come in and buy one of her puppies.

She had no regard for the life of the puppy she just sold.

I ran out of the shop, and down the street where Inanis was heading. I grabbed his arm to stop him, "Take it back." I begged, my tone nothing but desperation.

His eyes narrowed, "Why would I do that? I bought him, he's mine. I'm going to raise him as a flesh-eating parasite."

"Inanis this isn't a joke, please take it back."

He held it against his chest, nearly hiding it away from me, "No."

I could feel my anger bubbling up, "And what's going to happen if you get angry? Huh? Are you just going to use it as your punching bag? You're outlet? He's going to die if you keep him."

Inanis and I stared at each other for a long moment, before realization dawned on him, "You don't think I'm mature enough to take care of it."

"Obviously!" I knew calling him childish was the one thing that really bothered him. I was hoping to use it against him.

His jaw clenched, "I'm not a child."

"Then give me the dog."

He glanced down at the puppy in his arms, and then to me, "No." He repeated, "I'm keeping it."

"You're going to hurt it!""

"Would you rather I twist it's neck now?" He held out the poor thing with one hand, "I could kill it in an instant, is that what you'd prefer, to put it out of its misery?" The puppy wriggled in his hand, its head lifted up as it sniffed the air.

It was such an adorable little thing.

"I-"

"Of course you wouldn't." He answered for me, as he held it back against his chest, allowing it to snuggle up into his black coat. "So enough of this nonsense, I'm keeping it."

I huffed, as he began to walk back the way we came. I had no clue what to say to convince him to take the puppy back. I knew once he got it in his head that he wanted to do something, nothing was going to stop him from doing it.

I may have made the mistake of putting more determination into his head now that I insulted him because of it.

I am an idiot.

Eventually we both got back into the car, and headed home. Inanis was toying with the puppy, allowing it to bite the finger of his glove, and yank it off his hand.

I watched him allow it to yank the threads of the glove apart, ruining the accessory for good.

"You're just going to get bored of it." I tell him, as I reached out and petted the creature.

"I absolutely will not."

"We'll see."

He feigned hurt, "You have no faith in me, wife."

"You're right about that."

"Hurtful."

The car filled with silence once more. The puppy ended up falling asleep on Inanis's lap and couldn't help but notice every time Inanis would gently run his gloveless hand through its soft, white fur.

I bit back my pride and distaste of the idea of Inanis with a pet, "What are you going to name it?" I finally asked, though I kept my gaze out the window.

Inanis shrugged, "I don't care much for names."

"Well you have to call it something."

Inanis huffed, "I really don't care."

"Just name the damn thing."

"Fine, I'll name it 'burden' or better yet, I'll name it 'annoyance', or leech."

I shook my head, fighting the urge to roll my eyes, "You can't name it something like that just because you're annoyed with me."

He held his finger up, "You know what? Just because you said I couldn't, I will." He held the dog up, waking it from its slumber, "Leech it is."

I didn't have the energy to argue with him. "Fine, whatever I give up."

I could still see the triumphant smirk of his from the corner of my eye. He gently placed the dog back on his lap, and rested his hand on it's back, holding it close against him.

I would never admit it, but maybe, just maybe, Inanis has a bit of heart inside him to care for the animal after all. I'll never really know until I see it for myself, but so far, I was choosing not to doubt him.

If Inanis can find it within himself to care for a dog, then surely, he can find it within himself to care for people too.

Though, I refused to think too much about it. The last thing I wanted was to get my hopes up for nothing.