The Beguiling

"Oh, I see," Arisha whispered, her voice growing sultry and her eyes narrowing. "You seem to be a very fitting man for my affections as well, Wind Mage. Is that a bit of an accent I hear? Are you foreign?"

Matthew chuckled, stepping towards Arisha. He slowly started to pull off his jacket, seductively unbuttoning the two sets of buttons that ran the length of his peacoat.

"What are you doing?!" Esper hissed from his position on the floor, trying to grab Matthew's pant's leg as strolled past.

Matthew curtly shushed him, all while running a hand through his soft brown hair.

"Born in Germany, and the accent stuck with me over the years, even after I moved here. What about you? You sound Russian." Matthew responded, avoiding eye contact with Victor.

Arisha licked her lips, barely hearing Matthew's words. "I am," she answered, "I lived nearly half my life in Vladivostok before I came to America." She threw Victor down, transforming the blood that dribbled from her wounds into a pair of handcuffs and a gag that wrapped themself around the boy.

Gritting his teeth as he heard Victor's muffled sobs, Matthew held down every fatherly instinct he had.

Don't worry, my baby, He thought, you'll be back in my arms soon.

Arisha held out her arms, snorting. "This isn't the best room for making love, you do know that, right?"

Matthew smirked, tossing his coat over Esper. He wore a sleeveless shirt that bared the rippling muscles on his arms, and Arisha let out a low moan.

"There's a desk," he murmured, "I can work with that. Can't you?"

Swallowing down his natural revulsion, Matthew wrapped his arms around Arisha. He slid his embrace down her back, caressing her back and tugging on the zipper of her dress.

Her breath was heavy and hot against him as Arisha started to kiss his neck. Matthew roughly pushed her onto the wooden desk, propping himself over her.

"This is a massive change of heart compared to earlier," she said, her voice a subtle gasp for air. "You were trying to kill me."

Matthew smiled, moving in closer. He nibbled the bottom of her ear, whispering softly.

"What, you don't like a little foreplay?"

Arisha started to laugh, her tone rising in pitch as Matthew ran his hands down the curves of her body.

"I guess...," she rasped, "I guess I can forgive you. But only because you're hot."

Matthew leaned in to kiss her, halting his lips mere millimeters away from her's. He pressed his torso against Arisha's, feeling her rapid breath and fluttering heartbeat. He gently laid his hands on her back.

"Oh, Arisha," he moaned, touching their foreheads together.

Arisha started to pull her dress down, eyes closed in sheer ecstasy. "Yes, Wind Mage?"

"This is what you get for hurting my son."

In a swift and devastating move, Matthew grabbed Arisha by her luscious locks of black hair, slamming her head onto the corner of the desk. With a loud crack, Arisha fell limp, and Matthew threw her to the floor.

Feeling an involuntary shudder pass through him, Matthew allowed himself to catch his breath.

"That was rather rude of you," snarled Arisha, struggling to pull herself off the floor. Blood streamed from her forehead, leaking down the bridge of her sharp nose.

Matthew saw Arisha move to use her magic, and he went into action. With a merciless thrust of his fist, he slugged Arisha across the face, exerting all of his rage and frustration towards her.

Her nose cracked, emitting a sick pop. The blood mage screeched in agony, coming at Matthew with her sharp fingernails. Arisha scratched him along his face, leaving ragged gashes on his cheeks and knocking his glasses off his face.

Biting down a tirade of curses in courtesy of Victor's innocent ears, Matthew simply tensed his body, making his scowl more intense.

He slung another wicked blow, slamming the side of the blood mage's and sending her flying. She struggled to her feet, attempting to limp towards where Esper had secured Victor.

"Get away from my family, Blood Mage. Your fight is with me!" Matthew growled, sending his foot crashing into her abdomen. She crumpled to the floor once more, Matthew hovering over her with deadly calm expression.

"Esper!" Matthew barked, snapping his fingers in the direction of the nature spirit. "Bind her!"

Esper nodded, hitting his palms against the basement floor. Vines burst from the ground around Arisha, wrapping around her mouth, wrists, ankles, and thighs.

Passion shined in Matthew's eyes as he knelt down to collect his glasses. He touched two of his fingers to Arisha's collarbone, soaking them in the blood that he had shed from her.

He drew runes across her exposed arms, the magical symbols glowing with a fierce gray light. The magic-sealing spell activated, and her squirming ceased, her bright eyes growing duller.

Matthew allowed his serious composure to slip away, putting on a gentle smile as he sat down next to his son.

Just as Arisha's magic had been sealed, the restraints she had placed on Victor melted away, splattering the boy in the blood they had been made of.

"D-Dad...!" Victor squeaked, throwing himself into Matthew's lap. Matthew wrapped his arms around his child, letting his lips linger on the top of his head.

"It's okay," he whispered, slowly rocking Victor back and forth. "You're safe now."

"Esper, can you give me some medical dress you stowed in your bag? I need to patch up Victor." Matthew said quietly, still consoling his child.

"I can heal him, Mr. Matthew. It's of no trouble to me." Esper said, frowning. He tried to push Victor's black locks away from his face to address his wound, but the boy immediately flinched and started to breath faster.

"Not right now, Esper. Victor's too panicky to be touched right now." Offering Esper a caring smile, Matthew held out his hand. Esper dropped a roll of gauze and tape, bowing his head in respect.

"I figured this would work better than bandaids." he explained, "Just put a strip of the gauze on the wound and tape it to his skin."

"Thank you, dear," Matthew replied, sitting the supplies by his side and cupping Victor's face in his hands.

The boy was a wreck, fearful tears slipping down his cheeks, aggregating the cut he had obtained. With his dark under-eyes and trembling bottom lip, he looked pale, tired, and frantic.

"You're going to be just fine, okay?" Matthew said, applying a piece of gauze to his face. "It's not that bad. She only nicked, you know?" Victor nodded hesitantly, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. "Sorry I can't put one of those dinosaur bandaids you like on the cut. It's a wee bit too big for it." Matthew ended his statement with a jovial giggle, trying to encourage Victor to join him.

Esper touched the back of Matthew's shirt, pushing his coat towards him. Grinning, he pulled it back on, savoring the plush inside lining.

"I insist that I heal you, Mr. Matthew." Esper said, the nature spirit putting his hands in his lap. "It's the least I could do in payment for you protecting me."

Matthew placed a hand on Esper's shoulder, shaking his head. "Please don't feel like you have to pay me back for anything. I meant what I said back there: you're my family, and family fights for one another." Matthew brushed his fingers across the jagged marks in his flesh. "But if you really want to, just clot the blood and keep me from bleeding. I don't want you exhausting yourself before this mission is over. We need your powers in case someone is seriously injured."

Within a minute or two, Esper completed his spell, and three fresh scabs stretched across Matthew's face.

Matthew took Victor and Esper by the hand, watching the creature in the back of the room struggle.

Clockwork.

"Stand back, you two," Matthew murmured, weariness creeping into his voice. "This could be dangerous."

Approaching the being alone, Matthew knelt down beside the dragon, feeling the sheer power he radiated.

You found me, a voice echoed in Matthew's mind. Two swirling, intelligent eyes stared back at him, and he knew that the voice was Clockwork speaking to him. His voice was nothing like Time's heavily accented, causal tone, Clockwork's voice sounded like a melody of whirling instruments, as if every time he spoke wind whistled through his metal-crafted body.

Breathlessly, Matthew nodded, taken aback from the majesty of the creature before him.

Clockwork appeared as an automaton, but the gleam of his shiny eyes and fluid motion of his sides as he inhaled air made that possibility nearly impossible to Matthew. Despite being bound heavily, he retained a regal look, fitting for a creature of his power level.

Please release me from my fetters. Clockwork spoke relaxed but with confidence, like a king commanding a subject.

Matthew nodded, grasping the cold iron in his hands and tugging, but to no avail. Deciding on a different solution, he struck at it with magic, his enchanted wind slicing through the chains with a deafening bang.

Clockwork's eyes ripped open fully, the colors mixing and swirling through each other with a fantastic sense of power. He stood tall, nearly reaching over Matthew's torso while standing on four feet.

He spread out his wings, the metal feather clinging together and making a chorus of tingling chimes.

Clockwork ripped his claws through the air, instantly opening a portal.

Come with me, mortals. We must find my patron. I sense he is in danger.

Author's Note- as a distraction from the plot at hand, lemme ask this: who's yah favorite chatacter, and why? Also: remember to vote and comment! ♡♡