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Ruskin, the secretary of Charles Augustus Milverton, could still feel the taste of the apple that his beloved master made him swallow. He bit into it and kept it on his tongue while he felt that the knowledge of evil filled his soul. He was sure that it was not just due because Mr. Milverton said that. The suggestive voice of the other man and the striking golden eyes which pierced into his gaze truly transformed the simple apple he bought on the market into the forbidden fruit that the first humans tasted back then in the Garden of Eden.
"You fell for the temptation - my temptation." Mr. Milverton murmured with satisfaction after he saw that Ruskin's Adam's apple bobbed and the bite slid down on his throat. Ruskin started trembling when the cold, white fingers he desperately wanted to cover with his kisses pampered his neck. Mr. Milverton was still looking at him while he held Ruskin's chin, not letting him look away. His golden eyes were the golden eyes of the serpent which made Adam and Eve fall for the temptation. These eyes were beautiful and Ruskin was ready to give his life for its owner anytime, even if Mr. Milverton radiated an evil power, even if he was evil itself. Ruskin didn't care. He wanted to belong to him in body and soul - and in the next moment, Mr. Milverton reassured him that he indeed did.
"You committed the Original Sin, so you belong to me." The soft, yet hissing voice stated. "You are mine and I want to mark what is mine. Will you let me do it, Ruskin?" Mr. Milverton asked and leaned closer to Ruskin's face. Ruskin could feel the hot breath on his lips and it made his heart beat faster. "Would you suffer the bite of the serpent?"
Ruskin closed his eyes. He suddenly felt so weak, like he truly got hypnotized by the serpent gaze. Only one thing was clear for him - that he wanted to get what Mr. Milverton offered to him. Only this could make him content.
"Yes, Mr. Milverton - but it is not suffering for me." He replied quietly. "It will show that I became yours by my sins. I never want to forget this. Mark me, so it will always be in front of me."
He didn't need to beg. He felt as the other man's mouth covered his lips. His worshiped master's lips were sweet - it was like the sweetest poison. After their mouths separated, Ruskin felt like he was unable to move. Like the evil power which radiated from Mr. Milverton, truly made his body fell into some kind of trance. Then he heard the voice whispering in his ear.
"Your wish is granted."
Ruskin felt that Mr. Milverton made him gently lie down on the sofa. The cold fingers loosened Ruskin's tie, then they undid a few buttons at the collar of his shirt. Mr. Milverton uncovered his neck and drew the shirt down to Ruskin's shoulders. Ruskin could hear the blood in his ears, the rapid pounding of his heart while his master finished the preparations. Then he felt a sudden weight on his body. It was like a snake which was crawling up on him towards his neck, ready to bite him.
Ruskin sensed the hot air again, it was at his throat. He heard Mr. Milverton's hissing-like breath like he truly transformed into a snake. Ruskin trembled when the lips pressed to the side of his neck. He tried to silence his whirling emotions so he can focus only on the bite and the beautiful pain which will strike him. The bite which will mark him once and for all. The bite which will always make him remember that he casted his soul away to the darkness, that he made the promise that he will always follow the evil path of his beloved.
He didn't need to wait for long. A second later, he felt that Mr. Milverton's teeth sank into his flesh, making an unerasable scar on his neck. The sign. Mr. Milverton's teeth were unusually sharp, it was like they were fangs. Like his master was truly not a human, but a demon, a monster… the ancient serpent from the Garden of Eden. Ruskin felt the striking pain as the teeth dived deeper and deeper, making sure that the mark would stay there. Tears started to run down on Ruskin's face, but they were not the tears of suffering. They showed that he was finally content. That he fulfilled the purpose why he existed.
The scene didn't last longer than half a minute, but it was enough for Ruskin's transformation. He held back his breath until he felt that Mr. Milverton withdrew his teeth, then his lungs reached for air like he was a drowning man in the water who could finally hold his head above the surface. The place of the new mark hurt, but only until Mr. Milverton licked down the blood with his own tongue. Ruskin heard that he gulped as he swallowed the blood just like Ruskin did with the apple bite. Then the worshipped lips kissed him again, making Ruskin come back from the trance. Ruskin opened his eyes and stared into the golden gaze.
"You are complete now, Ruskin." Mr. Milverton smiled at him. "Live according to it."
Ruskin smiled back at the beloved man. His mouth only formed the words, but he was sure that Mr. Milverton would hear them. He didn't even need to say them, it was already written on him. His fate.
"I will, Mr. Milverton."