(Currently undergoing editing on this chapter and all following chapters, story has a possibility of changing beyond this point.)

Eden

I follow Melinoe down a long corridor, before she stops in front of two massive doors adorned in brilliant green jewels.

"Here we are." She turns to look at me with a large grin before opening the doors dramatically, revealing a path that leads to an ethereal garden surrounded by flames.

"It's beautiful." I breathe out, my eyes dart around stunned by the strange plants I've never seen before.

Strange trees with wispy deep purple leaves and aspen-like trunks line the walls. Flowers of golden-yellow, deep reds, and royal purples scatter themselves among the deep green foliage that covers most of the garden.

"Aren't they lovely? I tend to the flowers myself. They can be used to make medicine, herbs, tea, things like that. I like to grow new ones every now and then to experiment." Melinoe says to me as I admire the glittering golden flower.

"What kinds of medicinal properties do these yellow ones have?" I ask, examining the flower to find it's stem covered in prickly blue thorns that I make sure to avoid.

"Those are golden deceits, they're beautiful, but their thorns will cause immense pain if you get pricked, though they're not deadly. I use their roots for fever medicine, the rest of the flower is useless. But the root can cure any fever, no matter the cause or severity." She tells me, seeming to get lost in her enjoyment of her flowers and herbs she tends to.

"I can see why they're named that, I almost went to touch one." I admit, laughing at myself.

"Sorry! I should have said something sooner." She laughs before continuing. "Don't touch anything, at least not without checking with me. I'd hate for the snake plants to eat you."

"Snake plants don't eat people.." I say, almost questioning. The plant I have in mind is harmless.

"My snake plants are different." She says, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"I don't think I want to see those just yet." I say with a smile.

I do not like snakes, and something tells me I won't like an apparent snake plant that can possibly eat me.

"Very well, another time then. For now I'd like to show you my favorite flower, it's what I made that purple juice with that you loved." Melinoe says excitedly before walking over to one of the purple flowers and picking it off it's stem.

As I get a closer look at the flower I can see how pretty it really is, it's petals are large and soft, in the right light they seem to shimmer ever so slightly.

Melinoe comes up and places the flower in my hair above my ear, it's floral smell is absolutely delicious.

"It's beautiful, and smells amazing. What's it called?" I ask as I reach up and touch the soft petals with my hand.

She turns and goes to grab another one, bringing it to her nose and inhaling deeply. "These are called The Flower of Shadows." She says sweetly.

My eyes widen and I feel my heart drop.

No.

"Melinoe? You had me drink the nectar from the flower of shadows?" In that moment it hits me. My legs begin to feel unbearably weak and I stumble backwards in a feeble attempt to escape this woman.

"I'm sorry, Eden. I really wanted to be friends, it's so unfair I was the only one who could do this." She begins to tell me, but I don't care about what she's saying as fear takes over as I realize I'm slowly losing control of my own body.

The flower of shadows seals you away inside your own body, making way for a new host to take over. I'd only heard of them, I've never actually seen one before now.

Why? What is the meaning of this? I don't understand.

"I can see you're scared, it's okay, I promise, sshh sh, it's okay, don't cry." She says as she comes over to my body that's now slumped against the wall and crumbled to the floor.

I didn't realize I had begun crying before I lost control of my body. But it's done.

My spirit is now a prisoner within my own mind.

"Jericho was becoming too distracted, we can't have that, can we? There's too much at risk, too many lives being lost. All we're doing is keeping Jericho in line until his mission is complete, okay? Then I promise Ozul will erase your memories of all of this, it'll be like this never happened." She says, staring into my eyes, knowing I can still see and hear her, but I'm not able to respond in any way.

As if on que Ozul walks into the garden to join us. "It's done?" He asks Melinoe, not looking at me.

"Obviously. Now, remove my spirit from my body so I may enter hers." As Melinoe says this I begin panicking within myself.

Unable to cry out, not able to fight back.

Not even able to hold my hands up to shield myself from what's happening to me.

Someone is taking my body, with my spirit as their prisoner within.

"Sure you don't wanna fuck real quick first? It'll be a while till I can taste you again." Ozul says in a low voice to Melinoe.

"We just fucked this morning, Ozul. We need to hurry before Jericho returns. Release my soul from my body, now." She says in a sassy, demanding tone before grabbing Ozuls face roughly and kissing him passionately.

"As you wish." He smirks, before summoning his large scythe, it's similar to Jericho's, though not as large, and is missing the runes that cover it as well.

He delicately brings the tip of his scythe between Melinoe's breasts and taps her lightly. In an instant her body slumps and appears void of life as Ozul quickly grabs her form, laying it down gently.

His eyes are then on my body, waiting to see if Melinoe is able to possess me.

Though I have no control over my body, my soul feels it, the presence of another that shouldn't be here. It's painful in a way the physical form cannot understand, it's like my very being is being crushed into the depths of my mind.

My body begins to spazm uncontrollably, fighting off Melinoe's spirit trying to enter.

Ozul cradles my head in his lap, stroking my face the way a lover would. I wish I could reach out and choke him with my own two hands.

"Melinoe I don't know if this is going to work, don't kill her. Her soul is fighting back too hard for this." Ozul says, his voice raising with concern.

You damn right I am! I would rather die than let this bitch run around in my body!

Despite my efforts my spirit feels as if it's being jerked and yanked around, if I was able to scream I would be.

It all seems to happen in a flash, and I feel Melinoe's spirit begin taking over my body.

Slowly my body rises without my say so, I watch as Melinoe see's through my eyes. She turns and looks at Ozul. "See? I told you it would work." I hear my voice say to him.

Ozul smiles before scooping my body up into his arms, nuzzling my neck, causing Melinoe to let a small giggle loose from my body.

I have no control of my body, but I'm very much aware of Ozuls mouth on my neck. I'm aware of everything going on.

I'm living a nightmare.

"Get off of her!" My voice shouts out at Melinoe's command, just as my body shoves Ozul away forcefully.

"You will not fucking touch this body. Just because my soul inhabits it doesn't mean it's mine. How dare you, Ozul!" Because of the odd situation I'm in I can feel Melinoe's emotions within my being, I can feel her jealousy and disgust at his actions.

Good. Keep his slimy hands off of my body.

"I'm sorry, my love. You know there is no one for me but you. We just both know we equally enjoy sharing." Ozul says with a smirk.

"I do enjoy sharing, but not with unwilling participants. Never unwilling. And we both know Eden would be more than unwilling to let you near her. I have some morals, Ozul." She says angrily at him.

He holds his hands up in mock defeat. "Okay, alright, I will not be touching Eden's body, no matter how nice that ass is."

I'm gonna kill this guy myself. Or would I enjoy watching Jericho tear him apart more? Hard question, I'll know when the time comes. Cause he will pay, they both will. They will pay for this!

I can feel my spirit close in on itself. If souls could cry, this is what I imagine it would feel like.

When will they release me? How long will I be trapped this way? They should know if it takes too long my soul will begin to fade, and Melinoe will not be able to return to her own body after that happens.

She will be trapped inside of mine, while my soul will be doomed to roam, never fully passing.

These fucking bastards!

Why am I so trusting.. I shouldn't have drank the strange juice when I even made a mental note that I had no idea what it was. I felt foolishly safe here.

Theia, goddess, please help me. Please..

"Go, you have to get ready to leave, Jericho should be back soon. I need to go change into something fit for traveling." She tells Ozul sternly.

"I have to hide your body first babe." He says, shaking his head.

Ozul walks over to Melinoe's body and picks it up swiftly before walking towards the far end of the garden. He presses on the seemingly normal stone wall, before a section of the wall opens with a quiet groan.

Ozul enters with her body, disappearing from view for a moment, before reappearing empty handed, closing the hidden door securely behind him.

He walks towards the door, Melinoe taking that as her signal to follow and leave the gardens.

Once they leave through the doors Ozul nods stiffly before turning without a word and going the opposite way of Melinoe.

She begins her way down the corridor, back towards mine and Jericho's bedroom.

"Don't worry, Eden I'm not gonna touch Jericho while I'm in your body. That's the whole point of all of this. I will reject every single advance towards you he makes, in turn fueling his anger and determination to finish this quest." She says quietly as she walks. If someone were to her hear, it would appear I was talking to myself like a lunatic.

"You're a distraction, but we couldn't just get rid of you or hide you away, Jericho would care for nothing after that, except finding you. So, we figured this would be a good plan. Who of all people to keep Jericho in line than his mate? He'll obey my every word as long as it's coming from your mouth." She says in a giddy tone, an action that seems unlike me.

Jericho will notice, he has to. There's no way he won't notice my entire attitude and actions are that of another and not my own.

He's my soulmate. He'll know.

I chant these things to myself, willing myself not to go insane with the current situation I'm in.

It's a special kind of living hell being trapped inside one's own mind while you watch another parade around in your skin like it's a fucking suit.

Melinoe will pay dearly for this, I care not for her reasons. They couldn't have came to me and asked me to help Jericho focus? There must be more to this than she's telling me.

But why keep anything from me when I'm rendered completely useless for the time being.

Melinoe dresses my body, the entire thing feeling like a violation, though she doesn't touch my body in any suggestive ways, she's still undressing me before clothing my naked body once again.

It's uncomfortable.

Once dressed she brushes out my hair and braids it to the side just as I had done the first time I'd left the palace.

"Don't worry, I've been watching you, and I'm a good actress if I do say so myself. I had you fooled pretty good, let's see how well I do with Jericho." Melinoe whispers as she stares at my reflection in the mirror.

This woman is a fucking sociopath.

Melinoe fixes her expression in the mirror, then turns and leaves the bathroom.

Upon entering the room I can feel a flash of emotions run through Melinoe as Jericho's large arms wrap around my body's waist before he begins trailing his nose up and down my body's neck, sending shivers down my spine.

Can Melinoe feel the physical reaction to our soulmate bond?

"I missed you." Jericho says in a low tone as he trails his lips across my jawline.

"I missed you, too, Jericho." She says in return, melting into his touch.

Jericho, please see this isn't me.

Please save me, before it's too late.

2,212 words.
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