Into the Void || Private

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Paxton watched his vampire friend before him in all his affliction as he listened to him explain the state of affairs that he had gotten into in the time they'd been apart. The demon wasn't sure what had shocked him more as Jesse spoke. The similarities that the two of them shared with their recent missions or the fact that they correlated with each other. It was all an elaborate plan set up by Vera and Esma alike. He wasn't an imbecile, he knew full well that those women had a plan for everything - always seeming two steps ahead of everyone. They were snakes in the sewers and had eyes and ears everywhere, he should have known.

A coffee table kicked past where Paxton stood caused the demon to purse his lips as he pondered what he could possibly say to make Jesse come back to his sanity, but after hearing how he felt for the girl, Aurora, he knew that it would be a failed task. Jesse hadn't cared for a woman the way he was talking about the halfling in the time that Paxton had known him.

"Humanity doesn't thrive in the Void. . ." Paxton's words disappeared into the silence and he released a long sigh. "I knew that Vera was up to something, but I had no idea that it would be the awakening ceremony."

The ceremony was not one that had occured in multiple years, it was almost thought to be a myth, due the fact that humans were frowned upon in the Void. Esma betrayed it and caused this halfling to be formed, the only way to fix her mistake was to create a monster of her daughter and continue her reign.

When a cry erupted in the room. Paxton didn't have to look to know who it was coming from and his eyes remained on Jesse who was now staring directly at Allison. The demon watched as his friends eyes darkened with a twisted fury and before Paxton could move, Jesse was across the room, shoving Auden out of his way to get to her.

"Jesse, no!" Paxton roared, his eyebrows furrowing with both concern and anger. Auden had grunted when his back slammed into one of the cabinets and he slid to the floor. The shapes of Allison and Jesse's bodies had collided and thrashed against the floor which was now splattered with eachother's blood. Paxton had shadowed himself between the two of them and shoved Jesse backwards hard, his eyes now black orbs. "She had no part of the ceremony. Vera told me to fetch her a hunter and I did." Paxton turned towards Allison and assessed her wounds momentarily before turning back to Jesse. "I wanted Vera off my back and so I forced Allison into giving me two other hunters to bring to her in exchange for her freedom and in order to eliminate all hunters." It wasn't all a lie, but Paxton wasn't about to admit that he had real, true feelings for Allison. He wasn't sure if he did. If he could. Did he?

Forcing those thoughts away, Paxton turned back towards Ally and examined her neck. "Are you okay?" his voice was low and he reached out and ripped the collar off of her neck before placing his hand over her shoulder, Paxton closed his eyes and absorbed the pain of her wound, making it feel like he was the one who was stabbed instead and slowly but surely, her wound ceased bleeding, closing up as though nothing happened. Rolling his no sore shoulder, he looked towards Jesse who he knew could self heal and sighed.

"Look, now we can either sit here blaming eachother and riping limbs apart or we can work together. Aurora isn't going to know how to control herself and as a vampire you know how it is to have a good heart with no self-control. The guilt. The heightened senses. She won't be able to forgive herself." Paxton glanced over everyone and rose his eyebrows.

"We need a plan."

Once when Allison fell out of a tree the nuns who took care of her hand given her powerful painkillers. The kind that left your brain pulsating with dopamine and your fleshy limbs kissed with the feeling of clouds. She had always thought it was the best feeling she'd ever experienced, floating there in oblivion. She thought nothing could ever match that. God had she been wrong.

"Paxton." She had whispered and moaned and finally when she had felt electricity run through her muscles and her body clenched she had screamed. Her eyes rolled in her head, her back arched, and her nails clawed their way into his skin. Even after he was finished her legs still trembled and she still felt the pounding pleasure in her waist. It wasn't until he had spoke that Allison became very self aware. She flushed at his words and sat up abruptly. "Completely distracted. A plus, exactly what I needed. Where are my clothes?" She asked, taking the dress quickly from his hands as well as a towel. "What am I supposed to do with th..." trailing to a stop Allison stared in mortification, the sudden realization smacking her in her face. She cleaned herself quickly and yanked the ripped dress on swearing at the fact it did nothing to hide any of her hickeys. 

She was embarrassed. By the now sting that she felt between her wet thighs, by the way Paxton was looking at her. She felt so self conscious she nearly tripped over the broken lamp as she followed him out the door. Her discarded clothes still laid in the hall and Allison decided she didn't want them. The last thing she wanted to do was carry around urine soaked underware. 

Allison was eerily quiet as they walked the halls. She kept her head down and avoided looking at anyone they passed and she was grateful when Auden appeared in front of them. Even if the other male raised his eyebrows at her with a smirk. "Say one word Auden and I'll rip your throat out." She growled in a whisper before Paxton grabbed them both and reappeared them inside his home.

Auden was still talking, joking towards Allison's bitter statement when they arrived but his voice quickly carried to a stop. Allison glanced over her shoulder and stilled, her eyes growing wide. There was a man on Paxton's couch, or at least Allison thought it was a man. He was so translucent and covered in black webs that she felt like she was looking at a corpse. Allison twisted around to face him and stepped backwards, her body pressed against Paxton's. There was a bloody dager stabbed into the table and blood covered the man, as if it was pouring from his eyes. 

"Paxton?" The corpse spoke, opening his eyes so Allison was forced to look into the hollow spaces. "Paxton you have to help me. Or kill me," moving in a flash the man was now standing directly in front of them and Allison realized she was looking at a vampire. Now that he was so close she noted he didn't look nearly as terrifying as she had first thought and his features were rather angelic. "Where the fuck have you been anyways?" He asked raw and throaty, glancing from Paxton's face to Allison's and to Audens. "And what is that fucking stench? You smell like a pole cat." Laughing in that strange insane kind of way he took a step back and Allison watched with wide eyes as blood began to pool from his eyes and trip down his face. "You were out fucking while everything went to shit? Typically fucking you." He snarled, turning abruptly to yank the dagger out the table. Allison was first afraid he was going to start swinging it around but she quickly realized he had the blade pointed towards himself. "I've fucked up Paxton. You know the rules. You know I can't do it myself. Just kill me. Please."

It all happened so fast that Jesse wasn't even aware of it. One moment he'd been standing next to Vera, the ancient demon watching him curiously, and the next he was shadowing. Aurora's limp body clouded his vision and rage yanked at his mind. He had failed her. He had failed himself. The blade shadowed with him and Jesse desperately tried to loosen hjs grip on it only to find he couldn't. The warm wetness coated his hand and Jesse still felt the human man's chest bone cracking although it had already happened. For the first time in decades he truly felt out of control.

The first room he shadowed in was that of a human family. A child no older than five shifted in his bed and blinked his eyes at Jesse before screaming. Jesse jerked backwards from the sound and shadowed again with a racing heart only to find himself engulfed in freezing water with a largely lit red bridge hovering above him. Waves crashed against his face and he thrashed, his fangs extending long and sharp against his lips. His body curled in smoke and he felt like he was being pulled in a thousand different directions. The next time he shadowed he fell hard against the floor of Esma's estate. He didn't recognize the room and a servant whom was freely allowing a vampire to feed from her wrist jerked her head towards him. "Sir, are you okay?" She asked politely. Jesse stood and the servants eyes widen at the dagger in his hands. Jesse disintegrated again until he was in a wooden area, one he recongized to be a part of his families lands. 

"I can't do this." Jesse choked into the soil, his hands digging deeply into the rotting leaves and pine needles. The shadows that had become him calmed a bit as Jesse began to breathe. Tears burned at his eyes and he blinked, watching the bloody liquid drip from his face. The pain of his whole life seemed to crash down on him. His mother, his fathers betrayal, Aurora's transformation, the murder of the human. He thought of every time Esma had humiliated him in front of The Courts. How his father had abused him and ignored his existence. He had felt so alone in The Void that he had lived in humanity. But now? Even that had been stolen from him. 

Sniffling Jesse finally dropped the knife and brought his hands to his face, smearing the blood tears down his cheeks. He didn't have to see himself to imagine how he looked. His skin was paper white and black veins twirled down his neck and arms. His eyes were hallow and his face and neck was stained with blood from crying. His fangs had sliced his lips and the pain was just a numb ache.

Pushing himself up from the ground Jesse tried to think. He needed help. He needed someone to listen to him. He needed someone he could trust. Reaching down for the knife once again Jesse shadowed, this time to a familiar house; one he had spent many nights partying at. The moment his feet hit the wooden floor Jesse crunched his nose. Something seemed off but Jesse wasn't surprised. Paxton had always been unpredictable. The scent that filled his nose was that of a humans. A females. Jesse glanced quickly around for a servant but saw nothing.

"Hello? Anyone home?" He called out into the emptiness. Nothing. Jesse growled in frustration and sat down on his couch, stabbing the coffee table with the blade so it stuck straight up. He would wait, he decided, because what other choice did he have. Jesse closed his eyes and began to rub his temples.

Why hadn't he thought of the half blood ritual? It was such a rare occasion and Jesse hadn't ever witnessed it himself- well, until tonight. But he felt stupid for not realizing. It all made sense now and he wanted to scream or cry. He had ruined an innocent girls life and now he had an eternity to live with it. 

The tightness of Paxton's dress-pants against his growth was both painful and sexually frustrating, but he was far too busy taking care of the parts of Allison's body that seemed to be the most reactant so when he felt her hands fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, a slow smirk formed across his lips. When her teeth grazed his bottom lip, he hummed against her touch and at her begging words.

His skilled fingers had slid down, threatening to penetrate her entrance when he felt her pushing at his pants and boxers. Obliging, he kicked them aside and a low grumble rippled out of him when she bit down on his neck. His lips parted and he could feel her skin brushing against him, teasing him further. It seemed that he wasn't the only one growing impatient though as he was now back beneath Allison's body and it was more than rewarding to see her in all her naked glory sitting on top of him.

His hands had slid from the tops of her thighs where they squeezed and up her torso, shaping every curve she owned. His eyes had fell closed for a moment when he felt her hand against his shaft and he opened his mouth, licking his top lip with a smile. A naughty little thing.

"You don't have to tell me twice," he murmured against her skin once he was back on top of her. His teeth grazed the skin of her neck in a short nip before he grabbed her legs and pulled them apart, exposing herself to him and positioning himself between them once more. As his length brushed against her opening, he could feel the wetness coating him and he slid his tongue against her earlobe before speaking. "If you want me to stop, just tell me," he spoke in a way that showed he knew full well that she was a virgin. He could feel how tight she was and he could sense her virginity through her scent. A perk of the Void.

That being said, he was tactful and slow with her, regardless of how badly he wanted to take her and show her what he could truly do. When he had finally entered her, he was careful about how fast he went and made sure to follow her body language, sounds and expressions. His chest rose and fell heavily when he felt her around him and his hand had found its way to her throat, not squeezing, but holding her while he lifted her chin to get a better look at her.

His skin rippled and the muscles in his back and abs rolled against his movements, he could feel the heat rising between their bodies combined and he wasn't worried about the noises being made in the least or the creaking of the bed beneath them. All he cared about at this moment was how good she felt and how badly he had wanted this without even being conscious of it.

With nimble fingers, Paxton balled a fist of her hair and leaned down to capture one of her hardened nipples in his lips, his eyes peering up at her with a seductive glint in his eyes. After a moment, he couldn't help himself and knew there were no denials thus far and he thrust his hips forward harder this time, his mouth closing in a deep moan while his lips grazed her sternum. "Fuck." his voice was out of breath and full of arousal.

Minutes had passed and the blankets were practically torn off of the bed, pillows scattering the ground with their clothing. Paxton held off for her to be the first to reach a climax and when he felt her tighten around him, his head tilted back and he pursed his lips to keep in a moan, his biceps tightening as he reached his own a few paces after.

Once he had pulled himself out of her, he dropped down onto his back beside her and panted, staring up at the ceiling with parted lips. His eyes closed for a moment and his skin slowly stopped rippling between demon and human the more he relaxed. Turning towards Allison, he couldn't help but admire her body once more and he made it blatantly obvious as he did.

"Did I satisfy your needs, Ally?" it was the first time he had called her that, and his voice was full of remaining seduction. He shifted to lean on his side, facing her and he slid his fingertips up the center of her navel for a moment before he reached down and grabbed her dress for her, and pulled a small cloth off of the bedside table that was supposed to be used for decoration. Not anymore it wasn't.

Handing the towel to her, he offered her a half-smile before reaching for his boxers and shirt, he didn't bother with the tie.

"I know Auden is looking for us and by the sound of things, the celebration is coming to an end. I think it's almost time for us to get out of here," he explained to her and glanced out the window at the moon which was swelling. He furrowed his brows and glanced at Allison for a moment. Something powerful had happened and the Void was reacting.

Jesse laughed, the throaty raw kind that left his chest feeling uneasy when she turned his head to look into her own face. He felt uneasy. He hadn't noticed it when he had first met the girl, but she radiated with leadership and power. Traits that were Esma's and yet her own. "Don't go meddling in things like that, Aurora." He smiled as he spoke and reached up to brush a strand of hair from her face. "My mother disappeared a long time ago. When you start bringing up stuff that happened a century ago you'll stir up a lot of old feelings, views, and thoughts. Let sleeping dogs sleep, let's focus instead on how to help you." Standing, Jesse reached and ran his hand down a branch of the Willow, the rough bark scratching at his pale skin. "I know I was rather harsh towards you yesterday. I apologize." 

Sighing Jesse let go of the tree and turned towards Aurora, burrowing his eyebrows in thought. "I know that this must be the worst sort of nightmare. Finding out you're related to blood suckers, being kidnapped, arranged marriage, bitch for a mom. I know my company certainly isn't good enough to make up for it but please know that I will protect you." Reaching gently for her hand, Jesse lifted it and rested the palm on his chest above his heart. "I'll protect you every single day you're here in The Void. And as for your marriage? I'll figure that out too." Glancing up at the moon Jesse cocked his brow up, watching it. It had changed, swelling so large Jesse imagined it popping like a balloon. It was picking up serious energy and Jesse wondered how the auction had went. Or rather if they'd cleaned up yet. He suddenly felt exposed in the Fairy Garden. Exposed beneath the sky; slightly exposed in front of Aurora whose honey eyes studied his own. "Let's go back." He offered her, once against holding her hand as he walked along the hedge wall and then through it.

The hall was quiet and Jesse could hear Esma and Vera speaking to the crowd. There was a lot of hush whispering but the silence was unquestionably. Something important was happening. Jesse hesitated at the bottom of the stairs that led to the hall doors, his fingers letting go of Auroras. His sharp hearing could pick up many words, hunters and slayers, and barely audible the voices of humans. Scared ones. Jesse's stomach twisted in a knot and he took a step and then another until he stood in the archway and peered into the huge room. 

The stage had been cleared but of two men. Jesse didn't recognize their muscular builds but he knew right away they were not slaves. The tallest one seemed to be bleeding from his nose and the sharp scent made Jesse's stomach roll. Not with hunger but with nausea. His blood was tainted with The Void as if he'd poisoned his body with it so much it had become a part of the place. It smelled like rot and decay. As Aurora stepped up beside him he shot a warning glance at her. Turn away, he silently begged, you do not need to see this. On stage Vera's sharp musical laugh echoed and along with it the demons below. Esma's voice carried strong and loud and Jesse nearly flinched. "After several hours of discussion with the hunters we have gotten answers we wanted. They call themselves The Protectors. Ironic, isn't it?" She called to the crowd, smiling as she eyed the human men. "We know of their headquarters and of some of their locations. Vera and I have assigned a team to dispatch. Our children will once again be free to roam the earth and take as they please." Cheering echoed around and Jesse took a step into the crowd and then another. He hoped silently Aurora wasn't following but he didn't look to her in fear he'd cause a scene. She probably was curious too. "They have accused us of murdering their own. They have carried on and cried over their female companion. We have heard their voices through the walls and unfortunately for them and for us, we have heard of no one by which they grieve. We aren't the killers here, they are. They kill for the pleasure of wiping the earth clean. They have done it since before the war and they have continued without hesitation since." Clapping her hands together Esma gave a thin lipped snarl and searched the crowd. Her eyes locked onto Jesse's and she motioned him to the stage. 

As much as he hated Esma, she was his leader. If he blatantly denied her in front of everyone they'd surely beat him to death. The energy and tension was too high in the room to be rebellious tonight. So, without hesitation, Jesse found his way to her, stopping several feet away. Esma merely looked him over and Jesse cursed himself at the sudden realization he had forgotten his clothing back in the maze. "Mr. Wakefield has apparently lost his shirt somewhere during the night but nonetheless, no matter how silly and unprofessional he looks, he too has done The Void a great duty. My daughter, the true heir to The Courts, has been found and safely retrieved. Aurora?" Calling out into the crowd Esma pointed to her daughter and waved her also to the stage. The hunters beside Jesse seemed to be relieved the attention was off of them for the moment but Jesse could barely breathe. He didn't like where this was going. 

As Aurora stumbled her way onto the stage the vampires and fae below cheered and called to her. Jesse stiffened as she came to stand next him and he focused extra hard on not staring at her. Esma on the other hand seemed to have no problem with ignoring them both as she watched a lesser demon bring a velvet pillow her way, the glint of two daggers shining against the fabric. "Jesse Daniel Wakefield the 3rd, tonight The Courts have came together and have offered you a great honor. You shall take the life of one of the men who have so willingly taken the lives of your own. You are free to choose which one." A evil flash curled the features of Esma's face and Jesse nearly flinched. Punishment. She was punishing him for disappearing with Aurora. It was a silent secret and Jesse found his fingers numb as they curled around the handle of one of the blades. As he picked up the heavy metal Esma leaned in and whispered against his cheek before lightly kissing it. "Good choice. That one was your mothers." 

If Jesse wasn't already cold blooded he was certain his blood would have frozen inside of his body. His heart raced at abnormal speeds as Esma pulled back and motioned to the two men. Jesse glanced quickly behind the elder vampire to Vera whom seemed relaxed and genuinely happy. Did she know that this was a play at him? Probably not, Jesse decided, forcing his feet to move and stand in front of the man who was bleeding. He had never been a murderer of humans. He loved their company, their lives, he wished sometimes he was like them. The hair stood up on the back of his neck and he could feel all eyes on his back. The man in front of him stared into his face and Jesse stared back, a mixture of pride and fear smacking him. The man tilted his chin higher and Jesse breathed out a shaky breath. "Sleep. You will not feel a thing." He whispered watching as the hunters eyes began to get lazy. Jesse reached out to steady him, his fingers pressing into his flesh. "Sleep." He whispered again bring the blade up and plunging it through the man's chest bone and into his heart with a movement so quick that the man's companion couldn't follow it. As the crowd around them went wild Jesse struggled with what he'd just done, the dagger slipper and wet with warm blood. Jesse gave a yank and felt with a sickening crunch as it came loose from the bone and pulled free. The body slouched and tumbled with a loud thudding bang as it hit the floor, a gush of blood exited through the wound. The sudden hand on his back made him jump and he turned to see Vera. With shell shocked legs he followed her away from the body and watched as Esma now turned her attention to Aurora.

"Now my daughter. The second honor is yours. A welcome home party if there has ever been one. These men were hunting you too, my dear, and it is because of them you are now safe with me. With your real people. Kill the last one and you will be welcomed by all. Kill him so you can be who you're meant to be."

His mouth was unlike anything she'd ever felt; it was starving. As they kissed her thoughts echoed everywhere all at once and then back to the demon in front of her. To his hands as they touched her, flipped her, his waist as it slid between her legs. His tongue as it traced her own. He felt so good against her and her body reacted to his touch in ways she didn't know were possible. It was like being in that dressing room again only this time there was no knives or distractions. Allison wanted more, wanted Paxton to touch every piece of her body, she wanted to feel him skin to skin. Every time he groaned from her touch and body she wanted him even more.

A moan escaped against his mouth as he pulled at her dress and she shivered as the air hit her bare torso. For a moment Allison had forgotten she could speak and her voice came out as a croak. "Please." She half whimpered half begged as his mouth took her breast in. It was painful and pleasurable all at once and she tilted her head back, her hands cupping the back of his neck. It was his hands that caused her to make the most noise and Allison reached up to cover her own mouth at the sounds that found their way out.

She had never been touched between her legs. The feeling was so alien and amazing that she could swear she was seeing stars and a dark blush swam across her body in waves of crimson. If it had been another time she'd been embarrassed. She'd closed her thighs and shooed Paxton's hand away with girly laughs. But that part of her had been lost. Instead she parted her legs further apart and leaned up slightly at his words, biting onto his bottom lip. "Touch me more. Please Paxton. Please don't stop." She whispered again, her hands clumsily fumbling with the button of his pants. Her heart was throbbing, only it wasn't throbbing in her chest. Every pulse was felt between her legs and she moaned against his face as she finally worked the buttons of his shirt and then down, to his pants. Once the zipper free she yanked the fabric from his body, his boxers going with it.

Paxton was flickering. His skin cracking in places with the light Allison had seen earlier at the auction. Instead of cringing away like before she found herself tracing the lines with her tongue. Tracing his veins and his skin and biting at his neck. She had once told him she liked to fuck guys who punched her but it had all been a lie. She had never been with anyone. She wanted that to change and she was growing impatient. With a huff she rolled them again so she was on top, her knees pressing into Paxton's sides and the mattress below. 

From above Allison was aware of every inch of her skin. Her breast that sat heavily on her chest, dark bruises forming already from Paxton's roughness. Her stomach and how she seemed to be breathing from it. Even the wetness that rubbed against Paxton's waistline from her own body. She leaned down and kissed his neck and his chest. Her hands brushed behind her and lightly traced the hardness that pressed against her lower back. For a fleeting moment she wondered if that thing was going to even fit and she dismissed the thoughts as quickly as they came. She wanted the pain and the euphoria. She wanted anything he had to offer her. Moving her hand away and back to Paxton's, she brought his palm to her mouth and licked it before biting the tip of his finger. She looked down at the shadows of his face with pleading eyes. Although she could barely see him in the darkness she knew he could see her. "Touch me." She whispered again, rolling them so he was back on top.

One thought constantly found itself crossing Aurora's mind as the two of them danced. If all that Jesse had told her - all that he had shown her - was true. Well, not if. It obviously was. She knew this by her surroundings and the darkness that constantly surrounded her. If her mother was a vampire, what did that mean for her? Did that make. . .

Her expression fell and she found her eyes slowly traveling along her own skin. She didn't want to think like that. She didn't want to know. She wasn't sure how she would react and if she did find out the answer, what would it mean for her? Would she belong to this world even more then?

Jesse's soft voice had interrupted her inner-panic momentarily, only to fill her with a new one. Her gaze shifted and she looked at everyone around her, wondering if they were all secretly listening in on the two of them like flies on a wall. Biting down on her bottom lip, she frowned slightly when he let go of her, moving away from her as if her touch hurt him. He always did that. He would bring her in only to push her away again. Maybe she really was going to be on her own. . .

Looking up at him, she watched as his attention was grabbed by something else up on a high balcony within the room. She took the time to really look at all that was around her for once. She had been avoiding it, but there was no going around it now. All the faces, all the different creatures. They were surrounding them. She watched as smiling faces held fangs that looked straight out of a movie. Others had extra limbs and unique skin textures that caused Aurora to bring her arms up to hug herself as if it would help hide her from the monsters. Was she one of them? A monster?

A small yelp escaped Aurora's lips when Jesse grabbed her hand and began leading them eslewhere. She felt like she was constantly moving in directions and never got to stop to actually have a conversation about what was to happen to her now that she was in the Void. A soft sigh left her lips as they weaved through bodies and she offered some fake smiles to those who glanced their way as they reached two large doors that seemed to leave the room. She was grateful to be away from all those twisted laughs and glasses full of dark sloshing liquids. It was overwhelming and she could have sworn she smelled. . . death.

The doors opened and the two were greeted by something that caught Aurora off guard. It was so much different than the rest of the Void was. It didn't look so eerie and lonely. Turning towards Jesse, she offered him a weak smile, shaking her head at his silliness. Even when she was uneasy and wasn't sure about him, he still managed to make her smile. She wasn't sure how she felt about it.

"It would be my absolute pleasure," Aurora returned in the same accent, giving him a curtsie back, laughing softly as her eyes looked out into the maze before them. The hedges were so taken care of and well trimmed. It reminded her of the corn mazes her and her friends would take part in for Halloween back on Earth. How she wished she could do it just one more time.

"Where are we going?" she called after the vampire ahead of her as they began traveling through the garden. Her eyes could barely believe all that she was seeing under the light of the moon hanging high. It was when she was being pulled through a hedge that her eyes widened and the next thing she knew they were on the other side and it was just as beautiful if not more. She was surpirsed to find that there was anything beautiful in this place besides Jesse of course.

The fair garden. It was stunning. Plants and flowers all around her were dancing on the still night and some of them even were illuminating with a glowing substance. It reminded her of fireflies and she wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch them. She had never seen foliage like these before in her life. It was something out of a storybook.

Taking it all in, the brunnette listened to Jesse's words and her hand reached out to touch one of the large headed flowers that sprouted from the ground near the fountain. It reminded her of a sunflower, but it was more than that. Its petals glowed a light blue and the petals and leaves curled around her touch like a soft kiss. The closer she got, the more she believed she could hear them all singing softly. She smiled widely and the flower slowly let go and continued its swaying idly.

Looking towards Jesse, Aurora couldn't contain the happiness that this place had suddenly brought to her. Not only that, but it brought privacy. When he sat down on the bench made up of roots, she was dazzled by the sound of whispers filling the air around them. They were talking! Aurora put her hand up to her rosy lips and shook her head.

"This is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on." her voice held so much contentment. Her smile remained tight on her face until she was taken aback by Jesse's sudden actions. She watched as he undressed the top half of his body and her smile faded, but not because she was upset, it was simply the shock that his actions brought. It wasn't like she had never seen a shirtless man before, but moreso the fact that it was Jesse.

Following his figure as he reached the fountain, Aurora furrowed her eyebrows at his next set of words and sighed softly as she was pulled back to reality. She was quite literally trapped here and she was beginning to wonder how many others were too. It was unfair and cruel.

"What if I wanted a normal life? What if I don't want to stay young forever? I wouldn't be living, Jesse, I would be surviving and I deserve more than that." she looked down at the water. It was crystal clear and her reflection greeted her as she took a seat beside him. "I know it's not your fault, but this isn't the life for me. . ."

Turning to look at him, she watched as he averted his own gaze like he always did. Frustrated, she finally just reached out and grabbed his face in her hands. She realized how selfish she must have sounded to him. Of course. He didn't want to be here anymore than she did, but here he was and who knew for how long. She sighed and looked at him carefully, taking in his features.

"Okay." she spoke softly despite their privacy. "I'll do this. I'll accept my unreasonable fate and I'll do this. Whatever this is. If Esma wants an heir, she'll have one, but I am not going to make it easy on her." Aurora's tone was stern this time. She wasn't going to be taken down anymore, she needed to face the facts and the facts were that she was daughter of a royal vampiress and she was going to act like one. "And as for your mother. I will see that the truth comes to the surface. We both deserve a little closure, don't you think?" she let his face go and pursed her lips, turning towards the water, she dipped a fingertip in and nodded to herself.

Allison watched silently as Paxton kicked and broke the only light in the room and she folded her arms in the new found darkness as he sat down on the bed. A permanent shiver had swallowed her whole at his words and she felt uncomfortable. The word God made her uncomfortable. 

Allison shifted her weight from her toes to her heels and she forced herself to move and sit next to him. She blinked and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before reaching out and placing her fingers delicately against his cheek. His crystal eyes seemed luminescent against the shadows. Animal like in every way, and beautiful too. He was beautiful. Allison sighed and dropped her hand, her eyes studying the material of the rough blanket  beneath them. She cursed herself as she began to talk; her mouth moving without her control.

"My parents were killed by a halfling when I was a baby. The man was arrested and so deranged that when he was sentenced for the crime he was put into a mental  institution. I do not remember them, my parents."

 Laying back against the bed Allison looked at the ceiling and silently wondered why there wasn't a light fixture before continuing to spill her life out to the demon.

"I was raised in a nunnery deep in the country. There wasn't any relatives alive for me to go to, and I am the last of my bloodline. I spent my whole life there. Some kids came and went, adopted. Some kids were never allowed through the doors. When people would show up for adoption purposes I was never allowed to be seen. And I was okay with that. The nuns were like my family. Maybe that's what he tasted." Shaking her head, Allison bit her lip, aware of the air against her bare legs. She felt self conscious and was grateful for the fact her dress was at least long enough to keep her whole ass from hanging out. "I searched out The Protectors when I was eighteen because I felt a strong need for revenge. I felt cheated out of a mom and dad. Cheated out a real childhood and someone to tuck me in and read something other than the bible to me. I wanted others to never feel the pain I felt. That I still feel." With a choked laugh Allison leaned herself up a bit on her elbows. "A couple months ago I realized my father's parents had died when he was a teenager. In a fire. And then I realized their parents, my great grandparents, had been shot while walking home from the theater. Turns out, I come from nothing but curses and brutality. Why didn't he taste that? Kissed by an angel? Please," Wiping her face a bit she laughed again and reached for Paxton, pulling him down next to her. Her fingers slid their way into his thick hair and played in its softness. 

"If I was blessed, I'm sure my life wouldn't have been like this. I have stabbed, strangled, and shot people. Your people mixed with mine. I have watched the lights go out in their eyes and I have felt nothing. I drown a woman once in her bathtub and although that woman was a murderer, she was still someone's something. It took several minutes before she died, and I waited until she was too weak to thrash around to let go and when she stopped moving and her hands thudded against the plastic tub I didn't even cry." Coughing back a sob Allison rolled so she was straddling Paxton's wasit. The bare skin between her thighs pressed against his dress pants and she fumbled for his hands in the dark.

"I have spent so long killing monsters that I haven't taken the time to realize that maybe I too, am a monster. One created from loss and pain." Moving his hands against her waist Allison released a low sigh, before taking his palms up towards her breast. "I feel nothing but anger. Every emotion I have always twists itself back to anger. I am nothing but rage wrapped into a meat suit with a pretty face. Kill kill kill. I was on my way to kill when we collided on the streets. Those knives that I stabbed you with have have pierced the flesh of many. If karma is real, maybe I deserve to die here. Dignity? Isn't that the word. I know they are killing my friends right now while I am here with you. Make me forget about it." Pressing down against Paxton's waist and his hands, Allison parted her lips, her voice nothing more than a plead. "Make me forget about all of this." 

One thing about The Void was the fact that a lot of musicians ended up there. On earth they'd sell their souls for fame and fortune and then they'd willing come here. As vampires or demons, but regardless, they'd spend their lives singing and playing instruments. Jesse had never once complained about the sweet melodies or sometimes dark ballads that haunted the hall. 

At a very small age he learned how to dance; his mother's long hair tickling his nose as he stepped clumsily on her feet. As a teenager+ery ball, mostly because his father forced him. But regardless, he was always first pick for amongst the other vampire boys. He had danced with everyone, even Vera, the high demon. But this was different.

Aurora felt warm and soft and everytime she moved Jesse was engulfed in waves of scents. She smelled so lovely it was hard for him to imagine she was anything other than a human. Maybe it was just his own wishful thinking. When Aurora spoke Jesse casted his dark eyes down towards hers and gave a slight shake of his head. "There are ears everywhere Aurora. Watch what you say." He whispered, letting go of her waist and stepping away. His eyes traveled the crowd for on lookers and felt relieved when he saw none. High up in one of the balcony sittings Jesse glanced at the demons of far too much status to make an appearance yet. The dark hair of a familiar face made Jesse frown a bit. He was surprised Paxton would come to an event like this. In all the years he'd known him he never attended too many parties at the hall, although Jesse had certainly went to plenty of Paxton's get togethers. It had been over a year though, since he'd seen him. Jesse spent almost all of his time with the humans now. 

With a sigh Jesse grabbed Aurora's hand and led them swiftly through the crowd. Not fast enough to catch attention but definitely not slow enough for anyone to start conversation. As they reached the wide doors out into the center garden Jesse ran his thumb gently across Aurora's wrist before letting go of her hand. "Would you like to take a stroll, my lady?" He joked in a Victorian accent, bowing down. He tried not to laugh but did anyways, his voice carrying across the mostly empty maze of plants. 

The moon was heavy and full in the sky and Jesse watched it uneasily. Everything in The Void had meaning and held such uncertainty. Such power. As they twisted themselves deeper into the garden Jesse stopped and shoved  through a hedge bush pulling Aurora with them. As they fell out on the other side Jesse straightened and brushed the leaves out of the others long hair. A fountain of silver sat behind him and mushrooms grew to Jesse's knees. The flowers that bloomed seemed to breathe and dance although there was no breeze. It looked nothing of the Vampire world because it wasn't. It had been a gift from the Queen of the Fae. A truce for protection from the demons who drank their blood. 

"This is the fairy garden." Jesse told her, waving his hand around them. "Not many people know about it and even fewer are allowed in. And it keeps all of your secrets. So you can talk freely here." Finding a wooden bench curved from the roots of a Willow that grew in the center of the garden, Jesse sat down and ran his hands through his hair. The Willow seemed to groan and whisper and Jesse grinned over at it. "Well besides her," he muttered, "but no worries. No one would ever believe her."

Stretching like a dog Jesse yanked his dress coat off and then his button up shirt before strolling over to the fountain and splashing his face with the cool water. He had heard stories that if you drank the liquid it would suck you into Fae land. Jesse had never tried. "I know you want to go home Aurora. But you can't. She'll always come for you. And if you stay here, not here in the garden, but here in this world. You'll stay young forever." Sighing he patted the edge of the fountain for her to come sit with him. Somewhere from the hall cheering echoed in muffled sounds and Jesse grimaced at the noise. He was glad he had gotten them from the auction.

As she sat Jesse turned his head from her, his voice almost distant. "I hate it here too." He told her. It was the truth, a truth his father knew. "My mother was due to be murdered by the courts. The details are all very blurry, Aurora, and I wasn't very old at the time. There was a war here and she was found guilty of treason in the end. She escaped. She fled and she didn't return and we have all believed her to be dead. I believe her to be dead." 

Flashes of memories filled Paxton's mind, practically blinding him while they dragged him into a silent reverie that was hard to pull himself out of.

He used to work for an underground corporation after the fatal murder of his mother. Assigned week after week with seemingly impossible tasks. He was required to cargo drugs, to find people, kill them, torture them and he was paid handsomely for it all. All the while he tried so desperately to find the man who killed his mother that night at the carnival, leaving Paxton to find himself in and out of orphanages until he was finally offered his job. He could still see the man's face in his mind. The dark wisps of his hair and beard and those piercing blue eyes. He could remember the way his mothers blonde waves of hair stained red through his tears. He was eight.

He never did find the man before his death in the car crash where he took the life of a boy just eight years old and his own. The same day that he made a deal to give away his soul for another chance to walk to earth and have another chance of finding the man, but at that point, he grew careless. He didn't see a point anymore and so he gave up and gave himself to the darkness.

Snapping out of it, Paxton's black gaze faded back to the present and he was now being begged to speak by the smaller human before him. Allison. He blinked once, the anger in his veins still radiating painfully hot. She began pulling the two of them into a nearby unoccupied room and Paxton shifted behind her figure. Releasing a slow breath, he waited for the voices to pass by the door before speaking.

"You're sorry?" he furrowed his brows and laughed emptily. "I did this. I'm the one that brought all that has happened upon myself. I am a demon, Allison, and you're the one apologizing?" he couldn't believe what he had heard and he wasn't sure if it was the demon trying to scratch its way out of him vigorously or if it was just him being fed up with the memories constantly trying to drown him. He felt like a rubber band being stretched past its breaking point, hanging on by an invisible thread.

Turning her around, he pressed her back to the door behind her, glaring down at her. "Look at me!" he paused a moment and backed up for a moment before kicking over a nightstand and lamp with a loud crack before he reached out and tangled his fingers into his dark hair. "I chose this because the alternative was just too damn depressing." His voice was low now as he turned towards her and his eyes slowly faded back to a dark stormy blue, his skin reducing the glow of fire beneath his skin, slowly returning to normal again.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Paxton rubbed his face and shrugged before gesturing towards her. "The announcer," he changed the subject quickly. "He is a special demon who can read the lives of others through their bodily fluids. He is never wrong." Paxton stopped and watched her. She couldn't possibly be a child of God. He had never seen an angel. There was surely nothing up there.

"What are you not telling me, Allison?" He pressed her. Did she even know herself? After all the shit that had just gone down between them in the auction, he knew that Vera was going to have some questions if Auden didn't take care of them already. He doubted it. He had a feeling that now that everyone knew that she was a child of God - maybe - then he would have to keep her close just in case, even though most were scared of Paxton, he couldn't risk letting on to Vera any sort of safety is given to Allison. If she thought that he had any sort of feelings for this girl, he would be in for a world of issues.

There was so much noise Allison couldn't even think. All around people screamed up to her on stage and hands reached for her feet like hungry animals. Although she didn't want anything to do with the announcer next to her Allison found herself clinging on to him to prevent herself from being yanked down into the floor below. Her eyes scanned for Paxton and when they finally locked onto his, Ally found the demon to be lost in thought. His face was scrunched and he seemed to have forgotten about her. By the time he seemed to remember that he was going to save her, the crowd seemed to have barricaded him out. Panic flared through her and her knees felt weak. A demon with layers of teeth grinned up at her and Allison's eyes wided at the sight of the dead human body trashed at his feet. "I would break pieces off of you bit by bit and make you watch me devour your flesh while I allow the scum, the lowest standards of this world, to fuck you. I'll eat your whole face and leave your eyes so you will be forced to see." He hissed up her at her, throwing a bid to the announcer. Allison groaned in fear and was mortified at the warmth that ran down her legs. She had pissed herself and the humiliation flooded her face. Allison squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus on breathing.  Somewhere a hush had started to spread over the crowd and Allison forced her breath to come in and out. When Paxton's voice echoed up to her, her eyes instantly snapped open and her face twisted in horror, both because of his looks and because he had probably seen her wet herself in front of everyone. He looked nothing like the man she'd gotten used to seeing. His skin was dark and ashed and veins of fire wrapped themselves across his face and neck. "Please." She found herself beg to the announcer, part act and part true fear. The humanity that had once spun around Paxton had vanished and Allison was shocked at what she was seeing. It wasn't until his hand reached for her that she seemed to wake up from it. She allowed her fingers to fold around his, allowing his weight to pull her through the crowd. As her ears over heard the word Hunters, Allison stumbled, her face brushing into Paxton's back. She wanted to turn around and watch. They deserved that, didn't they? Deserve to know she had betrayed them. She was a coward and she didn't looked back.  The hallway was dingy and dim lit. Allison kept her grip onto Paxton as they passed mingling forms, some of which seemed drunk. She didn't want to look at anyone else and wanted to go home more than anything. After what seemed to be forever the pair had walked until they were completely alone; the sound of the cheering crowd long lost in the maze of a hallway.  Allison's eyes glanced down the way they had come before looking back to Paxton who was now pressed against the wall and taking in haggard breathes. It was hard for Ally to imagine the demon didn't truly need oxygen. "I thought you were going to leave me up there." Allison whispered, her voice cracking at the reality of what had just happened. Her vision clouded with the demons who had threatened her. The vampire who had stole her tears. The way the crowd had screamd for her death and had laughed when she had pissed down her legs. And now, Paxton. Whom seemed distant and silent and looked like the devil himself. "What's wrong." She pleaded, uneasy and restless in the fact he hadn't said a word since they'd left the auction. Making sure they were alone she reached out and brushed her hand against his cheek, turning his face to look at hers. His eyes were black and Allison stiffened. He looked so unnatural, the absence of sound and humanity.  "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't handle myself. I'm sorry I turned my friends in to save myself only to look weak. I'm sorry I stabbed you. That I've put you into this position. But please." Laughing in a hushed tone full of sobs Allison leaned into his stare, her eyes wide. "Please say something to me. I've spent the last couple hours chained to a fence only to be thrown onto a stage where demons talked to me about how good I'd taste or how good I'd feel. I just need someone to say something to me other than how much they want to rip my throat out."  Sniffling, Allison let go of his face and instead focused down at herself. She had ripped her dress badly on the fence and some of her clothes were soaked. She worked quickly on pulling her under garments and fish nets off, balling them up into her hands before dropping them against the wall. The collar clamped around her throat refused to unclasp for her and she found herself glad they had at least removed the leash. She was already embarrassed enough. The air was chilly against her flesh and she focused now on her shoes or more the taking off of her shoes. She could feel Paxton's eyes on hers and as voices echoed towards them she fumbled with the nearest door handle, pulling them both inside the room, her shoes and clothes abandoned in the hall.  The room was so dark Allison couldn't see her own hand. Paxton's glow illuminated a desk and a wardrobe and what Allison guessed was a bed, but most of the decorations were lost in the shadows. It was much cooler in the confined space than it had been out in the walkway and Allison wrapped her arms around her frame. She didn't notice that Paxton had shifted to stand behind her or that his eyes were still ink black. Her focus was only on the shrill voices that now echoed outside their door echoing loudly as they passed. Allison sighed with relief.

Paxton was quickly beginning to realize that Allison and himself were no longer on the same page. If anything, he knew that he was flipping the pages much quicker and he could see by the expression on her face that she wasn't taking his lack of emotion towards her friends being taken in very kindly. He couldn't really blame her, but in all honesty, did she expect anything less?

Regardless of the battle she must have been having within herself, Paxton didn't waste any time when it came to getting her where she, unfortunately, needed to be for - weirdly - her own safety.

Allison's snarky comment about haunting him for eternity had caused a smile to tug at the corner of his mouth as he looked forward and the two of them disappeared into the air around them.

* * *

The mansion quickly revealed itself and Paxton could feel Allison beside him and he could hear the sound of her heart racing against her chest and her pulse fluttered under her fingertips. Glancing towards the girl, he offered her no form of comfort, she needed to look scared, if she looked comfortable, they would grow more than suspicious of their relationship and as to why she was content with being brought to her death.

As they entered the main hall, vast chandeliers hung from the ceilings and shimmered in the light that cast down on them. They definitely went above and beyond for this one, he wasn't all that surprised. With Vera's stubbornness and the fact that they hadn't had an event this grand in ages, he was almost surprised it wasn't more.

Many demons, fae, and vampires scattered the marble floors, walking around with drinks in their hands. Many of them were high-class and the butlers were either hired lower-class or servant humans that looked like the life was sucked out of them completely, their eyes sunken and dark.

Once Paxton had handed off Allison to a vampire with animalistic features he listened as the vampire's chuckles of adoration slowly faded away the further Paxton got from them. He couldn't get himself to look back and watch as she was quite literally dragged away to join the many other humans that would litter the floors in the auctioning dungeon where the other soon-to-be slaves awaited their unfortunate destinies.

Once he got far enough away, the demon felt a large wave of a feeling he wasn't at all familiar with. He pushed it away and into the air, his body disappeared as he got ready and dressed in a dark black suit which was not normal for Paxton to be seen in at all.

* * *

Auden's suit was messily put on and his tie was practically hanging off his neck in a poor excuse of a knot. Paxton glanced at the snake-man as he chugged a glass of volunteered fae-blood in an attempt to get drunk for the celebration. Arching an eyebrow in disgust, his blue gaze watched the corner of Auden's mouth leak droplets of blood. He wasn't so far from being as disappointing as a frat-boy at a keg.

Averting his gaze from the mess that was Auden, Paxton watched over a wave of bodies that were scattered below. It was a bunch of cheering and laughing monsters waiting for the curtains on the stage to be pulled back, introducing the auction. Paxton stood up on top of a balcony where Vera laid back in her plush chair, silver platters full of blood and fruits surrounded her and a butler stood at her side, emotionless. Vera's red-lipped smile was wide as she brought a small pair of binoculars on a stick to her eyes to get a better view of the show.

Paxton released a small sigh as he was growing impatient. He knew that the longer this took to get on with, the more stress that was piling onto Allison. He could only imagine the gruesome sight that was sitting behind those red-velvet curtains. It was at that thought that the curtains began moving and voices began to hush slightly as they were all held captive by the secrets beyond the walls.

There were many bodies that were brought out to the stage and Paxton's dark gaze watched closely, making sure not to miss Allison's introduction. A butler swung by and gave the demon a drink and Paxton slowly brought the liquid to his lips, letting the tingle roll throughout his body. Definitely fae-blood.

A lot of people went fast - especially the younger girls. Most of the humans that were bought didn't make it so much as a few feet off the stage before their masters tore them to shreds where they stood. Not every demon needed a slave, and sometimes that was the worst part.

After all, hope seemed lost that Allison was ever going to show up on stage, the announcer explained that they had saved the best for last. Leaning against the railing, Paxton looked out, and there she was. Allison's dark hair clung to her neck and face, she looked petrified. He could hear her heartbeat from where he stood and the pace was unnerving, like a small mouse standing in front of a starving lion.

"Stay here and make sure Vera doesn't ask any questions," Paxton spoke lowly to Auden who nodded and flicked out his snake tongue in response. Walking down the spiraled stair-case, Paxton didn't show any sort of hurry as he made his way towards the crowd of horny, hungry, and angry creatures with hands raised in the air already.

It wasn't until the announcer spoke again that Paxton stopped in his tracks. Blessed by angels? His nose scrunched up in distaste. What exactly was this guy trying to say? There was no way she had any correlation to God. At that moment all hands were shooting up and everyone began reacting like angry caged animals that hadn't seen fresh meat in months.

Still frozen, Paxton wasn't sure what this meant for him if the announcer was right. She would be the talk of the Void - at least for demons. God wasn't exactly someone that any of them looked up to by any means. Anyone who tried to get their hands on her would surely tear her apart without any hesitation.

Realizing that it was taking a while and bids were being taken, Paxton glared and pushed through the crowd, but it was no use. He had no choice but to make his presence known.

His eyes slowly flooded and pooled with ink-black substance and his skin rippled angrily, turning dark and shadowy. Beneath his now dark gray skin, cracks began splitting open and a fire could be seen beneath it, making his body resemble rivers of lava beneath obsidian.

"She's mine." Paxton's voice was dark and anger clung to each word causing many to stop what they were doing completely and look at him. The demon began walking through the pathway that was being made by creatures who stepped out of his way whether it was out of fear or shock. Once Paxton made it towards the end of the stage, his hand reached out for her to take. "Come, or die," he muttered and he knew Vera's eyes were on him at this moment. He never showed his demonic appearance, not like this.

The announcer audibly swallowed in response and shook his head. "You haven't bid anything, sir."

"I saved you all from being slaughtered by petty humans, consider this a thank you gift." Paxton's word held sarcasm and complete irritation. When in this form, it as hard for Paxton to find any sort of humane part of himself, he was angry and cold and distant and it was hard to find his way out of the darkness again.

The announcer looked up towards Vera who simply nodded and flicked her hand to let him go. "Alright. . . Uhm. That- That concludes our auction ladies and gentlemen! Stick around to enjoy our public obliteration for our captured hunters." With that, the crowd roared aggressively and chanted with gratitude as Paxton walked with Allison back through the sea of monsters and towards a dark hall where fewer people were. Once he was far enough down the hall, he closed his eyes and pressed his back against the wall hard. He had a hard time controlling this side of himself and he had since he had gotten to the Void. It was more frustrating because he seemed to be the only demon in the Void to experience such hassle with his form and the darkness that constantly tried to consume him.

The fact that he still remembered parts of his humanity was the only thing that separated Paxton from the other monsters out in the crowd. Breathing heavily he didn't look at Allison. He was worried that if he did, his anger would be channeled towards her.

Jesse shot up so quickly at the sound of the loud knocking that he almost fell over Aurora, who to his suprise, was asleep against his legs. Or had been before the banging. "Sorry," he mumbled sleepily to her, his eyebrows raised in question at her sleeping arrangement. Before he could ask how long she'd been there the knocking sounded again and Jesse scrambled to get to the door. "Give me a second." He called, motioning for Aurora to get into her own bed. Anyone could be behind that door even if Jesse had already assumed it to be nothing but servants. As soon as he saw her brown hair bounce under the feathered quilts Jesse opened the door a crack, his eyes falling across two human women dressed in gray tunics.  "Mistress has sent us here to deliver clothes for the Miss Aurora. And to also bring you both breakfast." Silver platers were held by one woman and the other held all the lush fabrics. They tried to push past him but Jesse stepped out and closed the door behind him. "Thank you, you're both dismissed." He nodded, one hand taking the dress, hanging it across the doorknob while the other grabbed the food. It wasn't that Jesse didn't mind their help, but he figured it would really weird Aurora out seeing them. Especially with the hints of bruises beneath their eyes as if they'd been bleeding themselves to the edges of death. He figured they probably had. With a sigh he waited several minutes until the hall was empty before going back inside.  Aurora was sitting up as he brought the food and her dress inside and Jesse couldn't help but linger on her. The strap to the gown laid lazily off of one shoulder and the sight of her skin so bare made him clear his throat a bit. "Food. Clothes." He mumbled, absently sitting everything down on a nearby table. His eyes scanned the dress with a frown on his face. It was full of lace and ruffles and a corset hung around it's middle. It looked like something a Victorian doll would wear. If she was wearing that he already knew he'd no doubt be forced into some expensive suit tailored made for his frame. Lovely.  Clearing his throat Jesse lifted up the lid of the silver platter and eyed the fruit and waffles no doubt for Aurora. The smell of sugary syrups drifted around his face and he closed the lid before looking under the next one. A glass covered with a lid sat perfectly alone and Jesse already knew what was inside. His throat ached and he forced himself to cover it back up and turn towards Aurora, the dark look fading away from his eyes.  "It's fresh fruit and waffles. And that's your dress for today. It's usually an all day event." Mumbling, Jesse walked to the wardrobe in the room and opened it, glancing inside. Indeed there was in fact a new suit, one his father had probably ordered for him. Although Jesse didn't live inside the estate, he had grown up within its walls. This room, with all it's softness, had always been his go to. Of course his father would have known that. Esma would have known it too. As he pulled the outfit out and headed towards the bathroom Jesse was eerily quiet, there was too much on his mind. +×+×+× "We both look ridiculous." Jesse stated to Aurora, hours later, while they sat uncomfortably in the parlor. Esma had forced them into greeting guest as they entered and Jesse found himself lazily leaning his face into his hands. Demons, Vampires, even Fae passed them by and if it wasn't for Aurora's occasional 'welcome' to the ones who looked approachable, no one would be getting greetings. Jesse sure wasn't doing it. The vampire instead pulled at a string on his sleeve and watched with bored satisfaction as a small pinhole appeared. "Let's go do something fun." He finally mumbled,  sitting up and grabbing the girls hand. Glancing around quickly before they'd been seen or she could object, Jesse shadowed them through the nearest door, reappearing in a darken hallway. Back when slaves were a huge thing, they had used halls and rooms separated within the walls of the estate so they were out of sight. Now it was mostly abandoned space and Jesse was glad for that. A sigh of relief and frustration escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He didn't want to even be here and a huge piece of him longed for the human realm where he could spend his day watching a movie. It was Aurora who kept him there. Speaking of Aurora, Jesse smiled at her and shook his head in apology. "Sorry for that. I just couldn't sit there anymore talking to people who could careless. Anyways, there's a party already happening and your mother thinks she can keep us as doormen? Please." Rolling his eyes with a playful smile Jesse nodded down the hallway for Aurora to follow him.  As the pair walked they passed several other rooms, most of which were stuffed with vintage furniture. Some held nothing more than the walls and the floor and Jesse tried not to let his eyes take too much of it in. When he was little, the place scared him. The walls were painted with deep rose reds and the floors shined up at them with shades of wood so dark they appeared blackened. It was a depressing alternative to the brightly lit house. It didn't suprise him that no one wanted to use the old passageways anymore.  As they neared the hall Jesse began to pick up on laughter and the booming voices of hundreds. He could also smell humans, hear racing hearts, taste fear. Pausing for a moment Jesse turned towards Aurora and put his finger to his lips. "Shhh." He whispered, intertwining their fingers so he could pull her slightly closer. As they walked closer and closer he could now see an archway appearing to their right. He didn't have to look to know that humans littered the confined space. He only hoped Aurora didn't notice as they passed.  Thoughts pounded his head and he swallowed each one, forcing himself not to ponder on things that weren't his business. The hunter problem had really put The Void into the dark ages and it didn't suprise him that the Vampires and Demons would retaliate by kidnapping and auctioning again. It used to be a very popular thing. With a relieved sigh Jesse pressed his hand against the wall infront of them and pushed, music and light blinding them as they stepped into the huge party from the hidden door. "Want to dance?" He called over the sound to Aurora, sliding them out into the mass. 

Allison was grateful not to have to see The Protectors brutalized in front of her, turning her head away as Auden disappeared with the men. She was a coward. Her ears rang with disloyalty and she wanted to punish herself. She knew with every last fiber of her soul she deserved nothing more than to be going with them to Vera. She was no better.  Allowing her body to follow Pax to the couch, she sat in her numbingly rage, a stone cold expression on her face. "That's not the point." She hissed towards him, dismissing anything he had to say about the whole ordeal. Her actions, her word, that was all she was worth, it was starting to seem like it wasn't very much.  As Auden popped back into the room Allison's eyes traveled to his, noting all the happiness and joy he seemed to have. She wished she could feed from it, suck the glee right from his splotchy face. As the two demons began to conversate Allison toned out, picking dirt from beneath her nails. It wasn't until Paxton was rambling straight to her face that her head snapped into attention.  "You mean to tell me," Allison began as she stood. "That you want me to attend an auction in which I am for sale?" Heat grazed her cheeks and she found herself folding her arms. Trust him? She almost laughed. She didn't trust him anymore than she trusted herself. How did she know he wasn't just like her, a trickster and a liar. Her eyes darted animal like towards his hand and she hesitated before reaching back. Allison had to get honest with herself. With her situation, with everything. Paxton, The Protectors, The Void. Although the demon in front of her had offered her choices, Allison knew that they had never been real. Everything he had said to her since the beginning had only been comands, sugar coated to seem like she wasn't here against her will. That she had freewill against him. He knew as well as she did that  she wasn't in a place where she could go against his ideas. He had her under his thumb and Allison had allowed it. Some protection, she thought, stepping closer to grasp his hand. "If you get me killed, I swear on everything that I'll find a way to come back and haunt you for the rest of your miserable existence."  She grunted, closing her eyes as she felt the matter around them shift. ×*×*×*× Allison had never seen anything so grand in her life. Not even on TV. Crystal light fixtures hung against every wall and the ceiling seemed to dance with sparkles, blinding her everywhere she looked. Beautiful voices fluttered all around her and she found her eyes moving too quick to absorb anything she was seeing. As a woman with sharp teeth and pointed ears passed by her, Ally pressed closer to Paxton. "I'm scared." She whispered against his neck, her fingers clinging to his arm.  The room was well lit and vast and yet she felt claustrophobic. She felt the darkness and evil that seemed to ooze from the pores of those around her. It didn't hold a flame to a sharks pit or a lions den and Allison couldn't control the rapid beat of her heart. She was positive she was going to faint. A younger male child with red hair and hollowed black holes for eyes grinned at her as she walked past, his bony fingers grabbing for the edges of her dress. She swallowed the scream that wanted desperately to escape her lips and jerked herself away from the little demons touch, her shoulder knocking into Auden. "Take me back," she begged them both, her voice a mix of hushed whisper and shrills. Neither of them seemed to acknowledge her plead for freedom and with a bit of horror Ally realized Paxton was smiling. She felt his hand grip tighter onto hers and there was harshness in his eyes as he cast her a look that silently shouted, shut the fuck up. With a whole lot of humiliation and self-consciousness Allison did the only thing she had left to do, she began to cry. It had only been a single night since everything had changed for her. Two days that felt like years. Allison wasn't sure if it was The Void messing up her inner clock or Paxton. But it didn't matter now, did it? She was probably doomed to live the rest of her short life as a blood bag or sex doll to some crazed lunatic. At this point Allison was having a hard time believing Paxton would buy her back from these people. Especially as he practically shoved her to her knees as they entered a smaller room near the back of the hall. His touch had become nothing but cruel. From where Allison was kneeling on the abnormally white floor she could see the long lanky legs of a man. Paxton spoke words above her that she could barely hear due to the rushing of her own blood and she grimaced as she felt the hands of the man clamp something cold and metal around her throat, tugging her across the floor like she was nothing more than a dog. "Mr. Navarro, Mr. Navarro." The stranger spoke, his hands stroking and tugging their way into Allison's braid, undoing it so it fell around her wet face. "You have out done yourself with this one. Best so far, best so far. Go enjoy the party while I take your wonderful gift to tje cage with the others." Allison didn't even have time to look behind her before she heard Paxton's foot steps falter away.  Allison let the man drag her where it was they were going. Her defiance only made the man, whom Allison had figured to be a vampire, chuckle. His garrulous words pierced her skin like shards of broken glass, compliments about her smell, attitude, and good looks going in one of Ally's ears and out the other. She was sure she was going to die and she curled into a ball as he rolled her into a chain linked cell, locking it behind her. The collar she still wore hung heavily against her chest and she followed its metal lesh to a padlock on the fence. "Shit shit shit." Allison whispered, her hand reaching to tug on the lock. Behind her someone coughed and Allison dared to turn and find she was far from being alone. Dozens of bodies laid and leaned on one another and the floor, every single one of them human. Her eyes took in their mostly nude bodies and the blood that clung to some, as if they had already been used and beaten before they ever arrived. Allison couldn't contain herself as she leaned over and vomited into the floor. ×*×*×*×* Hours had seemed to pass before Allison saw anyone. Outside of the room she could hear music and cheering and she longed to be out there instead of being trapped where she was. A girl passed through a different doorway at one point and Allison swore she recognized those golden eyes, but the woman was gone before she could honestly tell if she was just hallucinating or not. Allison didn't allow herself to think about Paxton but she prayed he held some kind of honesty in himself, demon or not.  When the door finally opened again and Allison's eyes fell onto the lanky man she found herself moving as far away from where she was standing in the cage. Allison watched as he unlocked the door and yanked a male out who didn't look a day over twenty. She grimaced as he went. Over and over again she watched him come and go, could hear the crowd laughing or booing and sometimes she heard utter silence from the walls. Ally didn't know which reaction was worse. Once she was the last one standing panic and adrenalin flooded her veins but she found her feet betrayed her as she walked with the vampire. Why he saved her for last, she had no idea.  The stage was wide and wooden. It looked out of place with the room of white and Allison silently guessed it had been temporarily built. Her eyes scanned the mass below her and she shivered at the sight of some of them. Their hungry eyes seemed to pull on her insides and she flushed when she heard a few whistles. The lanky man was gone before she could even blink and instead she found herself standing beside an unnatural strikingly handsom man. His suit was deep shades of crimson and it made his dark eyes shine as he smiled at her and the crowd. When he spoke, it was like listening to a well played violin. "Ladies and gentlemen." He called, stretching his hands out wide. "We have saved the best for last. Let me introduce you to," pausing the man waited for Allison to introduce herself. "Sarah." She whispered, giving him her middle name. "Sarah, she says." The crowd laughed and it only made her blush darker, the man beginning to circle her on stage. With cat like reflexes he leaned into her and licked up her check, sucking away several tears. Allison shoved,  her hands instantly flying to her cheek to scrub away any traces of his slobber. Oddly, she found her face to be completely dry as if he had never put his mouth on her at all. The crowd was silent.  "Well well well," the demon teased, raising his eyebrows in amusement. He was standing several feet away from her now and a wicked smile clawed itself across his gorgeous face. Giving her a once over he turned away. "It looks like we have a liar. And is that God I tasted? How extrodary," he praised, the crowd howling and shoving eagerly for the auction to begin. "Blessed by angels and a serial killer. I bet she bleeds golden. Let's find out. First bids, anyone?"

Jesse's hand reached out to meet Aurora's, his fingers intertwining with hers. "I will not abandoned you." He promised, his voice growing soft at the words. The hard shell that had swallowed him whole earlier had began to crack and splinter, revealing more of who he really was. Jesse spent so much time working and playing pretend he had pretty much forgotten what it was like to be himself. How ironic, really, that the forbidden girl in front of him had managed to bring the smallest hints of light back.

Pulling Aurora closer, Jesse wrapped one arm around her waist. "It doesn't hurt, the shadowing. But it does make it a hell of a lot easier if you close your eyes." Waiting for her to follow his suggestion, Jesse's gaze traveled quickly over her face. She looked nothing like Esma, thank god, but her personality was one of pure hidden fire. Focusing on where they needed to go, Jesse vanished them.

Esma's estate was huge. Although the skies above it held nothing but deep darkness, the mansion itself was well lit. Lights dazzled the main portion of the house and the huge hall where The Court held session and it's ravishing parties. Jesse figured servants were probably still inside, decorating for the banquet. It was a big day tomorrow and Jesse had heard through his father an auction would be held; for the first time in fifty or so years. The Void was angry with the humans and talks of war had been drifting freely between the different districts and lands. Turning towards Aurora Jesse released her hand and motioned for her to follow him through the iron gates that protected the land. One of Esma's guards stood nearby and Jesse merely nodded at him as they passed. 

"There's a lot of people here, tonight" Jesse explained quietly. "And there will be a lot more tomorrow. Demons and maybe even a few Fae will be roaming the halls." As they reached the heavy doors Jesse was surprised to find them already open. Slipping his arm through Aurora's he escorted her into what, by birth right, was her real home.  

A crisp wariness struck Jesse as he walked through the massive mansion. He had spent a majority of his life here and yet he found no comfort. Voices and sharp laughter echoed off the walls and Jesse moved towards the sound coming from the dining room. Beside him he could hear Aurora's racing heart and he forced himself not to look at her. Esma had eyes everywhere. "Be brave." He whispered to her as they closed the space and entered the large room and it's crowd.

The table in which everyone was sitting at was as long as a soccer field and held far too many chairs to count. At the head of the table Esma sat with a straight back and a wine glass of blood in her pale hand. Her long blonde hair had been curled and braided to give the illusion of a crown and her piercing green eyes seemed to glitter beneath the large chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. She didn't look a day over thirty and a wide malicious grin spread across her face as her stare fell over Jesse and Aurora. Jesse wanted nothing more than to shudder away and hide but he forced himself to hold his head high, smiling back. 

"Ah Mr. Wakefield," Esma spoke, standing from her chair to stroll over to the younger vampire, her eyebrows held high in amusement. "I was starting to question your abilities to bring my daughter back from the human realm. Your father," she motioned over to the dark haired vampire that sat near the head of the table, hints of a sneer on his face, "was just telling me about your infatuation with the humans. I was beginning to worry you were too busy bedding Aurora than bringing her here. I can see I was wrong. I do apologize." Clicking her tongue against her teeth in distaste  she glanced him over once before moving to stand in front Aurora. Jesse stiffened slightly but didn't turn to watch. Her voice echoed off the walls as she spoke and Jesse swallowed as he listened. "I can not express how joyful it is to have you hear with us my daughter. I can see I did a good job choosing your host family, you look quiet splendid. Mr. Casanova will be pleased." With a nod of dismissal Esma stepped back around to lay her hand on Jesse's shoulder, her long red finger nails digging into his skin through his shirt. "Since you've done such a good job so far Mr. Wakefield, I'd be just honored if you could watch over dear Aurora for the next few days. Until the banque is over and her wedding can be planned, of course." The words were drizzled with laughter and as they settled of Jesse he wanted to scream. Panick flashed across his face before he could stop it and Esma grinned at the mere sight of his emotions. She removed her hand from his shoulder with another click of her tongue, already walking back to take her seat, the conversation around the table beginning to rise again. The moment the pair was forgotten Jesse bolted from the room with Aurora, the doors banging shut behind him. Wedding? What fucking wedding.

Putting a finger to Aurora's lips Jesse led them down several halls and up a marble staircase, finally stopped in front of a room that he shoved them both into. The moment the door clicked shut he let out a breath and began to pace, lighting candles on his way through the large room. The color scheme was of soft pinks and creams, a canopy bed occupying one wall. His brain was trying to process what he'd heard. He had almost forgot Aurora was even there. Mr. Casanova was one of the elders. He ruled on the court and held a lot of land, money, power, and servants. He was ancient, at least two millennials old. Turning sharply to look at Aurora, Jesse shook his head in disbelief. 

"I am sorry Aurora. I didn't know." He whispered, his throat raw. Sitting down on the edge of the bed Jesse wadded his hands up in the blankets, his fingers ripping some of the fabric. Feathers puffed up around his face and he shook them lose from his hair. "There's nothing we can do about it right now. Come, lay down. Get some sleep. There's gowns in the dresser. I'll sleep on the day bed by the window. The bathrooms through those doors." 

Defeat and surprise still clung to him as he talked to Aurora and he half listened to anything she said. It wasn't until she was redressed and laying in bed that he moved to stretch across the bay window. He wasn't sure how long he laid like that, his brain plotting and replotting, but at some point he had closed his eyes only to find nightmares for dreams. Nightmares in which Jesse watched Aurora be torn apart by starving vampires, each one with the face of either Esma's or Casanova's.

Vampires. She had to be dreaming. Aurora huffed slightly as she continued to take in his words. They got worse? She didn't want to believe anything that he said. She didn't want to be in this predicament at all, this wasn't how she was raised, how could anyone possibly expect her to accumulate to something so bizarre?

Wait. She thought to herself and for a moment she felt her heart stop. If her mother was a vampire, that meant that Aurora was. . . she forced the thought out of her mind. Maybe it didn't work that way. Maybe she was just going completely psycho and this was all some fucked up dream. If she was a vampire she would absolutely know about it, right?

"The Void," she whispered after him. The word didn't feel fluent in her mouth. She'd never once heard of a place known as the Void in her life and she wasn't sure that anything she once knew was even relevant anymore.

As Jesse hopped off the counter and began making long strides towards her, Aurora felt her body go still. She wasn't sure how to categorize him anymore. Once he was sweet and a complete gentlemen and the next she wasn't sure if he'd kill her if her guard wasn't up. To the girl's surprise, his next words to leave his mouth were an apology, the last thing that she had expected from him at this point.

"So you were hired." She nodded her head. This was his job, he had to be like this, he wasn't here to be her friend. Of course. It was all starting to actually make sense. She wasn't so sure that she wanted to meet her real mother. She just knew that if she wanted to go back home, there was no one to go back home to, and that crushed her harder than any pain she'd ever felt. Not only that but from what Jesse described, this woman that was supposedly her mother didn't sound like the comforting type. "If she cared so much about protecting me, she would have left me alone." Aurora could feel the tears burning the backs of her eyes and she wasn't sure how much longer she could pretend that she was strong.

She fought back any tears like she always did and looked down towards Jesse's hand in front of her. Did he want to take her to that woman? The one who abandoned her at birth and now that it was convenient for her wanted her daughter back? She wasn't a toy. Aurora didn't want to meet her, but after all the shit she had been through, maybe it was the only way. Maybe she needed to show this woman a piece of her mind.

Growing angry once more, Aurora parted her lips. "Alright." She forced the word from her throat and slowly lifted her hand towards him before stopping halfway and staring into his eyes which once brought her comfort.

"I don't want you to leave my side when I meet her. I won't do this alone." she almost commanded and part of her felt like her real mother had given her part of her sudden strength. She was no follower, that was something she'd always known, and she wouldn't be dragged into the flames without having a way back out.

Aurora's demeanor towards Jesse remained hostile as she lowered herself into the seat he gestured for her to sit in. Folding her hands in her lap, the brunette let her eyes remain only on his face as he sat lazily on the couch in front of her. It made her heart hurt how different he had become towards her. How easy it was for him to flip the switch. It made her feel almost lonely.

The words coming out of his mouth were not easy for her to follow. She felt like she was being punked somehow. A bastard baby of a wealthy politician and a mother that she had never met? Her eyes narrowed as she tried to understand what he was throwing at her, but it wasn't a simple task. Her mind was racing and debating whether or not she could possibly believe the man in front of her anymore. Not after what he pulled.

"Breed?" Aurora's own voice felt unfamiliar to her as she spoke into the silence he left her in. "What are you even talking about? How do I know you're even telling me the truth?" she tested and then that devilish smile crossed his face and she regretted even asking. Show her what? Did she want him to show her? It didn't seem to matter whether or not she wanted to know, because he was hellbent on showing her by the evil glint in his eyes.

The next thing she knew, a yelp had slipped from her lips forcefully as she was being tugged by her wrist towards Jesse. She tried to resist, but it was no use, he was too strong and then his grip was only strengthened when it slid around her waist, holding her body against his. Her heart fluttered quickly as she didn't know what was coming next. She was completely held hostage against him and his mouth was now inches from her neck. "Jesse," she breathed out quietly, confusion and fear swelling inside of her. She could feel sharp teeth beginning to graze her skin and it left a trail of goosebumps across her shoulder and neck and her breath hitched in her throat. What the hell was he? A vampire? Those were only in movies. He couldn't be.

The thought was left hanging in the air when he suddenly loosened his grip and she was dropped on the floor with a grunt. Aurora slid back once she was free and she brought a hand up to her neck to check that he didn't do anything. Once he was walking towards the kitchen, she pulled herself to her feet and stood near the couch watching him and she couldn't believe how quickly he was to dismiss their interaction and change the subject.

"I'm fine," she responded quickly and looked around. She couldn't do this anymore, the constant back and forth, and the way he was beating around the bush so much. It was like he was stalling for something.

"What are you, Jesse?" she pressed. She wanted to hear him say it. She needed to hear him say it. "And if what you're saying is true, then why didn't you bring me to her? Why am I with you and where are we in the first place?" she wanted answers and she wanted them now. Aurora had never done well with the unknown. She felt defeated at this moment and her shoulders slumped. Maybe she did need a drink.

It seemed that Paxton had made a breakthrough with Allison. She explained all that she could to him - as far as he knew - and she didn't seem very pleased with herself. He couldn't blame her. He was a demon, but he knew that betrayal was a big no-no in the human realm. He gave her props.

Moving to stand near the fireplace, Paxton leaned against the stones that built it up and gazed across the room at Ally while she spoke. Her not knowing who she worked for was going to be a bit of a problem, but it was a start nonetheless.

Paxton could sense the emotions rolling off of Allison and she was visibly uncomfortable with all that she was sharing with the demon. He pressed off the cool stones behind him and moved towards her. Paxton stopped in front of her and kneeled down to get a better look at her face before he smiled impishly.

"I didn't use any tricks on you." his voice was calm and his eyes searched her face. She thought that he had seduced her with his abilities? Please. "And trust me, you would care if Vera got her hands on you," he muttered and stood up, ignoring the tears that were building in her eyes. He didn't know what to do about crying. It was out of his comfort zone. Turning away from her, Paxton headed for the kitchen and pulled open the fridge where he kept food for whatever humans he had come through now and then.

Sifting through some things, Paxton pulled out some eggs and bacon before he grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards, filling it with water. Paxton's face held little to no emotion as he completed these tasks and he stopped in front of Allison, handing her the glass.

"How do you like your eggs?" he called as he went back to the kitchen and made her some food. While the bacon bubbled, he made his way towards the freezer and grabbed out a glass bottle that was unlabeled. Inside a dark content sloshed and Paxton popped off the cap before taking a long swig. The liquid slid down his throat and coated his tongue with a taste that made his body feel warm. Fae blood was known to hold magical attributes that could heal or even strengthen a being, but when it came to demons, it was nearly the only thing that could get them the type of drunk that mattered. Hence why demons and fae didn't have the best relationship.

Once the food was complete, Paxton brought the plate to Allison and let her chow down. Demons could eat humans food, but they really didn't need to. In fact, Demon's never needed to eat at all. They were just sort of there. What they enjoyed to feed off of was bad energy. Sins. Everyone sinned, even if it was just a little bit. Demons could feed off the demons of humans and it was seen more of as a drug than a food.

Demons were the result of human souls going to Hell and being tortured until no humanity is left in them, thus turning them into demons - dark, malicious spirits that revel in pain, chaos, and death. Most demons forget what it means to be human. Some have even forgotten that they were once human. In general, demons engage in torture and destruction because it is fun or to avoid being tortured themselves. Then there were the original demons. The ones that roamed the Void far before humans roamed the Earth. Lucifer, Lilith, Vera, and many more. They were powerful and dangerous and many didn't even know what some of them looked like in the flesh. They were almost like a scary bedtime story for demons and humans alike.

Paxton was a bit different though. He felt as though he was different than most of the other demons. He often found that some demons would shy away from him and his anger could cause others to back off without any question. He wondered often if he was worse tempered than he thought he was. He did have a hard time keeping himself together in times of anger and often destroyed whatever was in his path.

Sitting on the couch across from Allison, Paxton peered out the window into the darkness. "I wouldn't worry about the Protectors," he began. "Vera wants a hunter, we will give her a hunter. If they try to come after you, it only makes things easier for us. Unfortunately, I may have to include Auden, but it will make things move quicker." Paxton was lost in thought as he tried to come up with a plan. He wanted to take down the Protectors obviously, but a deep part of him wanted to keep her from going down with them. It made his headache. He hated the creepy possession that he wanted over her. It felt like an invisible tether than he wanted to cut, but couldn't.

After a moment of silence and his final decision being made, Paxton held Allison's eyes with his own before speaking. "Come with me." he didn't give her any time to reply before he was tugging her by her hand towards his bedroom. He grabbed her a pair of sweatpants and tossed them to her and once she was dressed, he placed his hand around her waist and they disappeared into the air around them, reappearing in a different home, one that belonged to Auden.

Looking around the empty room, Paxton released Allison. "If you're doing something disgusting, I suggest you put an end to it," Paxton called out and waited for a response. He could hear some faint clinking from another room and finally, a door opened and revealed Auden on the other side.

"Missed me already?" Auden arched an eyebrow and glanced towards Allison. Paxton stepped in front of her and Auden returned his gaze to him. "I'm sort of in the middle of something."

Paxton glanced behind Auden's body and saw a human girl who was dazed by what he could only assume was Auden's succubus abilities. He was feeding. Paxton released a heavy sigh and walked towards the two of them, shoving Auden out of the way. Auden grunted and practically pouted when Paxton placed his hands on each side of the woman's head and snapped her neck swiftly, letting her body drop limply to the ground. She was too far gone and a dead girl anyways.

Turning back towards the other two, Paxton shrugged. "Now you're not." the demon glared down Auden who was now listening fully.

"Well someone is suddenly snappy." Jesse smirked, glancing at Aurora. What was once fear had settled into anger and curiosity, and Jesse leaned back, drapping his legs carelessly off the edge of the couch. He whistled for a bit as he thought of an easy way to explain it all to her. After what seemed to be several minutes he sighed. "Okay, okay." He muttered not even bothering to sit up. "I'll tell you. But you might want to sit down for it all." Waving his hand to the chair across from him he waited for her to sit before continuing.  "When you were born Aurora, your mother swapped you for another baby. You were a bastard baby, one born from a wealthy politician your mother had been working with. I don't know all those dirty details other than she wanted you safe and sound and all of that stuff. But she couldn't bring you home." Turning his head so he could see Aurora better, Jesse's eyes scanned her face. "Your mother is like me. Well, she has a better reputation and holds much more wealth and control obviously, but we are both of the same breed." Flashing Aurora a devlish smile Jesse rose up off the couch, running his hand through his now messy hair before letting his chin rest against his palm, staring into the others face. He thought about how the knife had looked beneath her chin and he imagined running the silver tip across her bottom lip. "I could show you." He breathed reaching out quickly to grab her wrist and yank her to him.  It took him only seconds to have one hand fastened around her waist and the other in her hair. Jesse wasn't very gentle as he yanked her head down to expose the side of her neck, his teeth were pressed against her skin before she could so much as wiggle away. He wasn't going to actually bite her of course or at least he didn't think he was. Waves of flowers and shampoo filled his nose and dulled his senses as he dragged his sharp teeth down to her exposed shoulder. The heat radiating from her small body made him groan and before he could stop himself Jesse had shoved her in the floor, walking quickly away to stand in what was supposed to be a kitchen. His heart felt weird- as if he had done drugs himself earlier and he found himself digging through cabinets and draws for something to drink. Not blood, but maybe some very aged whiskey. Anything to get his mind off of the other. He was going to have to take her back soon, he realized, because he was having an embarrassingly hard time controlling himself. It had been easy in the human realm to behave and a complete different story here. There was no one around. He could rip her throat out or fuck her and no one would notice. Truthfully no one in a one hundred mile radius would even hear them or give a shit "Do you want a drink?" He called, his eyes finally landing on a very old bottle of liquor tucked behind a box above the gas stove. "Because I need a drink." 

Jesse merely grunted, ignoring the rambling begging. "They aren't even your real parents. And they don't even know who you are anymore." He snapped, his eyes scanning over the small house he had brought her to. Although it hadn't been cleaned in decades no dust or dirt clung to its walls or counters. It still had furniture- a cloth covered couch, a table, some chairs. Jesse strolled away from Aurora and the door, peering into the two rooms that had been built into the small square. One was a rusty bathroom, the other was simply a tomb. People went there to die. 

Turning back to face the halfling, Jesse looked over her with darkness in his eyes. "I'm going to untie you Aurora. But I forbid you from entering anywhere besides the bathroom. If you go outside I won't chase you. But believe me, you'll die out there." With calculated swift steps Jesse removed the knife from his back pocket and slit the rope along her back, the blade running gently up her spine in the process. 

"You were so clueless. It's a pity really, because you were doing so well in your life. Loving family. It wasn't easy to brainwash them into thinking you were dead. Your mother screamed until her voice gave out." He purred the bitter words into her ear, the tip of the knife curving up around her neck till it rested beneath her chin. 

"You had a job, a car. I know about your friends, although I left them to hear about your death from your dear mother. And you know the best part, Aurora? I highly doubt anyone would have come looking for you. No," clicking his tongue Jesse stepped away and tucked the knife back into his pocket. "I'm sure you would have married and spit out a couple little devils and lived in a two store house with a fenced in yard and had a long, uneventful life." 

With a bored sigh Jesse sat down on the couch. He studied Aurora for a long time before patting his lap with an animalistic grin. "Come sit. I'll tell you all about your real mother. I'll even tell you what I am. You wanted to earlier. You wanted to this morning. God," Jesse laughed, the sound echoing around the emptiness. "I could smell you. Hear your heart racing. I could sense how attractive you thought I was. And I didn't even have to charm you. You willingly went with a monster Aurora." 

Leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling Jesse's thoughts flowed freely in his mind. The truth was, he didn't exactly want to treat her like this, but she needed to know. She had to understand what it was going to be like for her once she was returned. Vampires were cunning. If she couldn't deal with him, she'd die in less than ten minutes with the others. Some of his kind had lived for thousands of years. Half bloods weren't exactly the top of the social chain, even looked down upon. Especially one like her whose humanity was much more dominant. "Like attracts like." He finally mumbled, more to himself than to her.

"What, now you're stalking me?" Paxton's voice was low and full of rage. He knew Auden from when Paxton had first arrived in the Void. He was one of the demons that showed Paxton the ropes of his new life, but he was never a friend, more of just a guide. It wasn't that Auden didn't try to be his friend either, it was just that after the things that Paxton needed to agree to in order for his 'extra-life' were something that he felt that he needed to be punished for in some way like he deserved to be alone if he was going to be able to live again, even if it meant being alone forever. It was some dreadful past human life side-effect.

"I told you. Vera wanted me to help you with the assignment and I can't necessarily tell her no." Auden hissed out and took a look around the house which made Paxton side-step into his view.

"I don't need your help." he insisted and then he heard the bathroom door open causing his head to snap in the direction of Allison who was coming out with no shame in her step. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was nuts. "What did I tell you!" Paxton snapped and he suddenly felt like the only adult taking care of children that were completely incapable of listening.

The only thing that stopped Paxton in his tracks was the words that came out of Allison. Did she just say. . . His eyes blinked once in response and he could feel Auden beside him with a large grin on his face. He was enjoying this. Paxton was going to kill someone today. He just wasn't sure who it would be. Allison, on the other hand, had done a complete 360 on him and he wasn't sure if she should have been taking some sort of meds that he was unaware of or if this was part of her shock, but regardless, he didn't expect any of what she was doing as she came up to the two demons like it was a casual experience.

"The name's Auden," the snake-demon introduced himself with a smirk. The thing about Auden was that he was a special sort of demon. A succubus type. He often lured women into his bed in order to suck their souls dry as he seduced them, therefore being a flirt was nothing new for the demon and it showed. "It's an absolute pleasure." he continued and glanced at Paxton. "You must be the pretty little huntress?"

Paxton bit down on the inside of his lip to keep himself from snapping. This was a disaster.

"It's a long story. Look, you need to leave." Paxton began pushing Auden out of the door and Auden glowered back at him. "I will explain later, just don't say anything to Vera or I will come for your throat." Paxton's eyes were dark with anger. He wanted to strangle everyone in the room. Once Auden was shoved out the door, Paxton turned on his heel and his glare was fixed onto Allison who had broken a vase. She had some nerve.

"You." was all he said as he crossed the room and his hand found her throat quickly. He held it tightly but not enough to block her airway. His eyes searched her face for some sort of explanation for the way she was acting. Was she insane?

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Because you're on the right track." his voice was no longer playful and it held a sternness. She would get them both killed if Vera found out he had brought the hunter back without telling her.

"Now Auden knows who you are, this isn't looking good for you at all." he let her neck go and growled lowly as he paced slowly trying to think of how he would go about this. He should have just given her to Vera and saved himself the trouble, but his damned old human emotions were still embedded into him and even though he had a hard time reaching them, they were prevalent in times like these.

In all honesty, he wasn't sure who it was looking worse for. He just knew that he needed a plan. At least now with Auden knowing about the situation they were in, there was a chance for Paxton to use him as an advantage as stupid as it sounded.

Turning back to Allison, Paxton closed his eyes momentarily before releasing a sigh. "You can hate me all you want, but I am telling you now that if you work with me on this, you can go back home and I can go back to being me." he hoped she'd understand. "Or I can just force you." he dropped his hands to his sides. "Your choice."

She wanted to open her eyes, but the need to just lay out and star-fish was more alluring at this moment. The drugs had definitely kicked in stronger as the minutes passed, but time was not something that Aurora could keep track of if she tried.

Jesse's voice had filled her ears but she couldn't find the energy to reply as her body erupted with waves of something that made her feel so very good and almost turned on. She never wanted the feeling to go away, she had never done any drugs besides smoking some weed one time with her friends. The only thing that was horrible about this moment was the fact that she was just letting herself be kidnapped because she quite literally couldn't move.

The next thing Aurora knew, her back was greeted by the feeling of cool leather against her back where her cardigan had slid down lazily over her shoulder. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to get comfortable, but decided she was good enough where she was until she felt Jesse's hands beginning to basically hog-tie her. Her heartbeat was fast and she couldn't tell if it was the stimulation from the drugs or the subconscious fear of what was going to happen to her. She was probably going to be murdered and she was somehow chill as hell. Fantastic.

Before the girl knew it, she was letting go and faded out in the backseat of his car as it began moving. She wasn't sure how long she must have been out, but when she felt herself coming to, she just knew that she wasn't anywhere that she was familiar with anymore. The place even smelled unfamiliar.

"Where--Where are we. . ?" Aurora's voice held a sort of grogginess that she had never felt before. Her eyesight was still a bit blurry, but she could tell that she was finally coming down from whatever he had drugged her with. Jesse had pulled her up to her feet and she had little room to move with the ropes that held her together.

She slowly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and the fear began settling into her with a sense of realization of reality. Everything was so dark and she thought it was just because of how late it was in the day, but something was off. The sky looked different. Everything looked different. Where was she?

Being brought through a door, Aurora looked around and then shot her gaze to Jesse. She felt betrayed by him and she felt so stupid. She tried to tug on the ropes but it was no use. Every time she tried to pull on one side, it tugged some other part of her body and the rope burned her skin.

"Let me go." she blurted with a shaking voice that she tried to keep strong. "You have to let me go. I didn't do anything, please. My parents are going to be worried sick." her thoughts had started racing and she couldn't get a hold of them anymore. She knew the odds of convincing a kidnapper to let her go were slim to none, but she tried regardless. She never thought something this fucked up could happen to her. How arrogant of her.

The handsome man in front of her was now just a stranger again and he didn't give her swooning vibes anymore, he gave her fear and anger and concern. Aurora pressed her back against the closed door to make space between them.

"Just let me go. Please." she tried again and turned her eyes away from him. She couldn't even look at him right now. None of this felt real anymore. Like she was trapped in a nightmare.

Allison watched the bathroom door shut in front of her with shocked eyes, her hands in tight fist against the fresh fabric of her new shirt. The truth of her situation had refused to quite set in yet and she couldn't stop staring at the painted wood of the door. Why was she frozen with fear. All of her training- out the window. She felt helpless. Who do you work for? Paxton's voice rang inside of her head and shook her insides like small earthquakes. She needed to vomit. Hurling around she gripped the sink and took deep breaths. Think. She needed to think. She found herself turning back to lock the door, like it would keep Paxton out. He had manifested himself throughout her home. He had manifested them to The Void. He wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before and she cursed herself for not pressing to be trained for some shit like this. 

Allison wanted to live. She knew that more than she'd ever known anything. She heard muffled voices through the door but Ally wasn't listening. Her eyes scanned the small bathroom, her eyes lingering on the shower. Why she had been at home crying in hers, Paxton had been working. Vera? The name made her shiver and she knew without question she didn't want to meet the woman. She also knew she been hunted- like she'd hunted so many before. How could she have missed the signs. They way he'd taunted her, followed her, played her. The feelings didn't sit well and Allison felt nothing but rage. She wasn't some mindless little girl who would be told what to do. She wasn't just going to cave in and spill everything. He'd kill her either way, she had already decided, truth or not. Blinded with hatred and the need to ome up the other, Allison unlocked the door and slung it opened. 

The sight of Paxton's visitor made Ally swallow, her knees growing weak. He looked like a reptile and she tried hard to keep her eyes away from his as she stepped out the bathroom, forcing herself to smile broadly at the pair. 

"Paxton, sweetheart, there are no towels in here." She exclaimed, her voice smooth and sweet. She gestured behind her into the bathroom before placing her hands on her hips. She felt like a mad woman. This is what she had come up with? She wanted to slapped herself until some common since returned to her brain. Still, she couldn't stop herself from talking. "I can't take a shower without one. Unless you just want to lick me clean instead.."

Raising her eyebrows in a teasing way Ally made causal steps to where Paxton stood, her shoulder brushing against his. "You didn't tell me we had a guest." She mumbled, running her fingers against Paxton's pale skin beforecglancing over the snake like demon. "I bet that tongue would be fun." She purred playfully, her eyes landing back on Paxton's. "Are you going to introduce us or were you planning on keeping me all to yourself." She asked, her voice turning flirtatious. 

She had no plan. This, this was no plan. Her adrenaline was pumping so fast she was sure both demons probably smelled it. The only thing Allison could hope for was that the other took it for desperation. She thought about the lady who had swooned over Paxton at the store and she silently prayed she looked the same. This was a dangerous game. 

Giving a sigh, Allison smelled the shirt she was wearing, before carelessly walking away to what she hoped was his bedroom. The house wasn't spectacular by any means but it was well maintained and decently decorated. As she walked through the livingroom with a pretend daze smeared across her face she purposely bumped into a table watching as a white vase shattering against the hard floor. "Oppsie." She giggled, a small smirk hidden on her face. "I think I broke something."

Of course, she would run. Paxton released a low groan of annoyance from the back of his throat as he watched her head for the hall that he had first come through.

"Watch your step." Paxton's voice dripped with sarcasm when he noticed her foot catching on the mess that scattered her floors. Standing beside the couch still, the demon gave her a little fun headstart much like a cat and mouse game. Once she made it to the hallway, he disappeared from his place in her living room and reappeared directly behind her. Her smaller figure just in perfect reach of him.

With a swift movement of his arms, he reached out and coiled them around her waist, tugging her backward until her bare back hit his chest. Slowly his grip tightened against her body which was much warmer than his own. As he expected, she began thrashing against his hold which resulted in Paxton rolling his eyes. Her voice came out heavy and desperate, it was unexpected to hear the words come from her.

"Sweetheart, if I was going to kill you, you would be dead." his voice was low and matter-of-fact as he brought his lips near her ear, brushing them against her lobe. Just like that, the two of them were engulfed in a cloud of dark smoke.

In a flash, they no longer stood in the mess that was Allison's home. Instead, they were surrounded by the darkness of Paxton's. The house was similar to most demons of his class. They weren't big and fancy like the mansion by any means, but they were better than the run-down homes of the lower class. The two of them stood before a large window which showed the darkness outside that created the Void. Dead trees scattered the plains and heavy dark clouds hung high in the sky. Paxton's gaze was focused on the reflection which revealed the fear clung to Allison's face.

A smirk formed against the demon's lips at her shock. He could only imagine what was going through her head at that moment. The realization that this was all very real. He felt her body shove itself closer against his chest and his arms released her waist. She wouldn't be able to leave without him so it was safe to say she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. The black in his eyes slowly faded back to blue and he stepped back from her figure.

"Don't look so surprised," Paxton spoke, his voice unamused. He walked over to a dresser and pulled open a drawer full of t-shirts. Pulling two of them out, he tossed her one while he shrugged off his leather jacket which had a hole in it thanks to Allison. "As much as I like the view, you're going to need that." he insisted and looked down at the hole that went through his shirt as well. His blood still stained the grey darkly but the wound itself was gone.

Tugging off his shirt, he tossed it in the fireplace and crossed the room to retrieve a rag from the bathroom to clean up the remaining blood before tugging the new black t-shirt over his head. As he returned to her side, the old floorboards creaked eerily beneath his weight.

"You should really be thanking me, I could have brought you to Vera and she isn't much of a patient woman," he explained as he stopped in front of Allison. He took in her features that were only lit up by the flames that danced in the fireplace. "Who do you work for?" he pressed. If he could get rid of the source, maybe he could get rid of the problem easier. He could even let her go.

Wait, what? He pushed that thought away. It wasn't about keeping her safe. He wanted to prove he could take care of this issue himself and then Vera could stay off his ass for good. The girl didn't matter, she was just leverage.

"If you don't tell me now, it's only going to come out later and the longer you make me wait, the worse it's going to be for you. So, let's just make this easier for both of us." he insisted darkly. Things were different in the Void. There wasn't any need to hide his true intentions or his true self anymore. The cat was out of the bag and he wasn't playing games anymore. The last time he tried that, he ended up steaming up a changing room, he couldn't make that a trend.

A knocking on the door caused Paxton to tear his gaze away from Allison and he could feel anger and confusion radiate from inside himself. He never had any visitors. He made it pretty clear that he wasn't interested.

"Don't say a word," he warned Allison and moved her behind the bathroom door before heading to open up the door. The demon standing outside was exactly who he should have guessed. In all his annoying glory, Auden offered a sheepish grin as he stepped into the house.

"I saw you poof in," the snake-like demon exclaimed and Paxton had to use all the will-power he owned to not beat the living daylights out of Auden.

Jesse instantly shadowed them back to his SUV, a growl erupting from somewhere deep inside of himself. He hadn’t meant to lose control but the feeling of the girl's teeth was overwhelming, he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt something like that. Maybe in his youth, when he was growing up with the other higher courted vampire families. Even then he was the one who did the biting- not the other way around. It had been a very strange sensation that left goose bumps raised across his arms and shoulders. The moment he felt them crash against his vehicle he found himself cursing himself. So much for a plan. “Aurora, Honey?” Jesse called, his attention snapping from his dented car door to the girls half coherent face as she slumped against them. He wasn’t sure if she had passed out or was just that gone- lost in waves of euphoria. “You look about dead. Are you dead?” He asked, giving her shoulders a sharp shake that made her head roll and a groan escape her parted lips. Jesse huffed at the sound, opened his back door, and laid her down in the seat, his eyes traveling across the waves of her dark hair spread out against the tanned leather. He knew he should take her straight to her mother but the monster inside of him wasn’t quite ready to do that yet. She would be highly guarded, he reminded himself, he wouldn’t get this chance again.

His hands worked quickly as he dug through his backpack. The sun was lazy in the sky and he was grateful for the shade that hung across the parking lot of The Hideout. The streets were deserted anyways, it seemed the whole town was enjoying their little holiday. There were no witnesses. Jesse made quick work. He tied her legs and then her hands, wrapping the rope loosely around her neck before knotting it her elbows behind her back. He decided he didn’t want to secure her mouth. Where they were going no one would hear the girl scream anyways. Jesse’s eyes scanned her frame once over before slamming the door shut and getting up front.

He drove for a long time. From the backseat he could sense Aurora breathing, hear her faint heartbeat, smell the drugs and blood in her skin. He could have shadowed them straight to The Void from the parking lot but his magic left traces. Dark spots only his kind or another monster far worse could pick up. Jesse didn’t want to be followed. Through the town limits, through the city, all the way to the wooded forest that had once owned the whole county. Jesse parked in front of an abandoned farm house, concealing his car behind dense trees. He reached back, his hand grabbing hold of Aurora’s thigh, and plunged them deeply into shadows.

It was night in The Void. Jesse’s eyes seemed to glow as he glanced around the small clearing. It hadn’t changed much in the centuries his family had owned the land. It still smelled crisply of fear, rot, and dying roses. On the ground Aurora seemed to be stirring and Jesse glanced down at her, nudging her softly with the toe of his shoe. “Time to wake up sleeping beauty.” He murmured, his voice hollow and his face dark. Ahead of the pair sat a cabin that his family had pretended to disown. The little shack of horrors his father often called it; a place used once long ago for nothing other than human storage and occasional slaughter. With an impatient huff he picked the girl up by her elbows and climbed the stairs, unlocked the door, and slid them booth soundlessly inside.

As the tall demon exited through the entrance doors of the much higher demons mansion he raised a hand to rake his fingers through his tousled black hair in a failed attempt to relieve some of the stress that Vera placed upon him once again. He found that Vera had a bad habit of making any mess she could find somehow be Paxton's responsibility and for what? Sure he was an ass, sure he liked to cause trouble every now and then. . . Okay, maybe he could see the point, but he was a demon, wasn't that what they were supposed to do?

Wandering through limbo wasn't all that it was cracked up to be for Paxton now that he was placed in charge of bringing a killer back into the Void. It wasn't just because of what had happened between himself and the huntress, it was also because of the fact that he had no clue about where he stood in any of what Vera wanted from him and he wasn't sure where he stood with his own emotions. Did he really want to murder her? He wasn't used to having any sense of remorse or was that guilt that he felt? No. Nope.

He was being stupid.

Instead of letting himself ponder on all the excuses that were trying to come into his mind, he raised his gaze towards the darkness ahead of him. Unlike the higher-ranked demons, the rest of them weren't allowed any sort of living quarters within the kingdom, much like the humans, they had a monarchy that they went by strictly. There were the rich and the middle class and of course the poor. Under that? The people. It wasn't likely that there would be any humans seen in the Void other than those who were being prepped to become a full course meal.

If there were humans, there usually wasn't much light at the end of the tunnel and on special occasions, they were actually made servants for the demons who needed them the most or those that could afford the responsibility.

Paxton had a few of his own servant mundanes in his time, but they never lasted. His hunger was far more important than the need for someone to do his chores. He hated the company anyways, he felt like it was more of a hassle than any sort of good to him.

Down the pathway, Paxton could see a figure in the distance approaching him. The figure walked with a slight limp and it became a dead give away to the demon who it was. Unfortunately, it wasn't anyone that he wanted to be around at this moment specifically.

"Well, well, well. I hear you're the lucky guy who gets to put up with the all mighty bitch this week?" the fellow demon's voice held a slight lisp that was courtesy of his snake tongue. Paxton could already feel the annoyance bubbling beneath his skin. The demon's name was Auden. He, like many others, was a middle-class demon such as Paxton. The only difference was that Auden didn't look all that human, his skin exploded in patches of black scales here and there and if that wasn't a dead give away, then the slit pupils would do.

"Don't you have rats to hunt?" Paxton muttered as he brushed past him. He just wanted to clear his mind before he figured out where Allison lived and had to take matters into his hands.

"Ouch," Auden scoffed and followed next to him. "Vera wanted me to come along with you just in case, she said that you had a lead on the fuckers that are trying to kill us?"

"Something like that," Paxton glanced towards him. "I'll be fine on my own." he finished and with that, he vanished into a black cloud of smoke as he entered the human realm once more. He put on his glamour and reached into his pocket for a smoke as he followed her scent. After being so close in proximity with Allison, he had no trouble with finding her. Demons were basically blood-hounds, just like the vampires.

As Paxton had suspected, her house wasn't far from where they had their last meeting. Her scent trail was still fresh. The home wasn't anything crazy and it seemed easy enough to break into if he had to, but a smirk came across his face. Break into? He was a demon.

Paxton noted that he couldn't hear anything coming from inside the house. The only thing that confirmed she was in there was her scent which was strongest near the center which he assumed was the living room or kitchen area.

Moving towards a window where the scent was the least fragrant, Paxton began cupping his hands around the glass to peer inside and see if she was around. When he saw the mess, he could only assume that it had to do with their recent encounter. Releasing a sigh, Paxton closed his eyes, and the next thing he knew he was standing inside of her disastrous bedroom.

Taking in what looked like a tornado's destruction, Paxton tip-toed around things and made his way towards the doorway. Peering out, he could see the mess didn't stop at her bedroom. With a low huff, he continued forward, kicking some clothes on the floor out of his path.

It seemed that Paxton had made it towards the living rooms edge. Going still, the demon scanned the room and it didn't take him long to spot Allison who was sleeping soundly beneath what looked to be a window curtain? Paxton's raised an eyebrow at her strange choice of comfort but proceeded forward nevertheless. Once he was standing beside her, his blue gaze pierced her skin like a sharp blade in the light of the moon. She was lacking in clothes and his eyes couldn't help but linger more than he wanted them to.

Snapping himself out of it, he found her face once more. She looked stupidly peaceful. Like it was supposed to make anything easier? Reaching down, Paxton's hand slid over her mouth to keep her from screaming as she woke and his other arm pinned itself over her torso, he used the weight of his body to keep her legs still in case she tried anything. When her eyes flew open, he didn't know what he was going to do next.

"Long time no see." he murmured darkly. "I think we have some unfinished business don't you?"

But you are rich and wealthy, Jesse longed to blurt out, holding his tongue sharply against his teeth. Instead he shook his head and agreed, walking to the girls car. "I know all the founders where I'm from too. They aren't very pleasant." Thinking of his father's position and of Aurora's birth mother, Jesse's face turned dark, but only for a moment, the vampire instantly dissolving the negative feelings. As he got into the car he quickly looked around, absorbing everything he could. "I'm taking it you've grown up here your whole life?" He asked, watching as the other got in. Her voice was like honey, it matched her eyes.  The ride was short and Jesse was grateful the moment the car stopped. Being in such a closed space with her made his throat hurt and his nose itchy. He hadn't planned for her to drive, it left no room for any of his plan. He couldn't very well attack her or drug her while driving. He, of course, could step away shining from a wreck. Aurora, not so much. The human part of her made her weak, fragile, breakable.  As quickly as he could, Jesse slipped around to her door, opening it for her, and extending his hand to help her out. It was old fashioned and outdated, but Jesse didn't care. Girls liked gentlemen, even if they didn't always admit it. Around them people parked and walked, the area was crowded, the large building in front of them the same. Jesse assumed it was the town hall. It was ironic really, how a small town like this could sit right upon a city and still manage to keep ahold of it's history.  Gently Jesse grabbed Aurora's small hand in his own, walking them through the masses. He indulged in small talk with her, feeding her half truths about his life and asking many questions he already knew about hers. He stopped momentarily to buy them both drinks, slipping the white pill from his pocket into the white cup as he pushed it into her hand. He sipped his own and laughed a bit, raising his eyebrows. "Martini's are way better than black coffee." He joked, picking the olive out his drink and popping it playfully into his mouth. His nose scrunched and he shook his head. "But olives are not." He mumbled, swallowing anyways.  Jesse had to admit it was interesting. All around him people seemed to be having a great time, eating and drinking and looking at all the town had to offer. Kids ran and played around bouncy houses and adults lounged on the porch of the city hall and in foldable chairs littered around the festival. The whole thing was incredibly human and Jesse felt exposed. He knew he wasn't though. He never was, it was part of being the blood sucker he was. Everyone always found him pleasant and charming. People stopped to stare at him and Aurora, girls managing to brush against his shoulder on purpose as they walked past. The citizens who knew Aurora were smiley and polite to him and he often held their gazes longer than he should but they never noticed.  As Aurora finished her drink he kept her closer to him, his hand intertwined with her fingers. He bought her another before leading them to a shady spot against the city hall. "This has been fun. I'm glad you invited me." His voice was humble and he leaned back against the bricks with one foot on the wall, finally letting go of her hand. His eyes ran over the girls frame before he focused in on her face. "Are you okay though?" He asked, raising his eyes at her slightly red cheeks and throat. She had to be feeling the effects of the drug he had given her. Leaning down with concern Jesse cupped her face with one hand before letting go and digging in his backpack. "I have some water in here." He mumbled, his hand curling around a needle already loaded. With a quick motion he stood, pulled Aurora into an embrace, and plunged the syringe into the vain on her neck, all the while looking as if they were kissing. He felt her squirm against his strong hold and he shoved his mouth against hers to keep her from screaming. Within minutes she'd be feeling the drug. It would leave her dazed and clueless, and oh so very high. In the meantime, he had to keep her at bay. With a not so gentle grip, Jesse twisted the girl so her back was against the wall. He pushed his body hard into hers and ran his tongue over her bottom lip, anything to keep her from thrashing around. He counted in his head, he let his fingers run over her outer thigh before grabbing both hands that shoved at his stomach. "Enough." He growled against her open mouth. "Just stop fighting Aurora. Give in to it."

Allison sat naked with her back against her bathroom wall, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She didn't bother to cover herself with the wet towel that laid in a crumpled mess at her feet. No one was there to see her and now she couldn't even see herself, her bathroom mirror a shattered mess on the snow white counter. She hadn't remembered breaking it; breaking any of it. She knew without a doubt she'd find the rest of her flat in the same state as the bathroom. Flashes of rage filled her mind and she groaned into her hands. She had splintered the coffee table in her living room, she had ripped the paintings down and threw them, she'd flipped her mattress off her bed and ruined the night stand and it's lamp in the process. The only room she left untouched was her kitchen and as her stomach growled in hunger, she was grateful that she'd skipped destroying her fridge.  Forcing herself to stand Allison carefully stepped across the towel and the glass that sparkled the tiles, heading for her bedroom. She tried not to notice the state of the room, instead she focused solely on putting her lacy underwear on and grabbing her thigh knives, fastening the leather across her. She knew she looked silly but she didn't care, you could never be careful enough when you were someone like her. Not bothering with a bra or shirt, Ally kicked some blankets out from the door way, nothing on her mind besides eating. She had cried when she first got home. It was humiliating and excruciating all at once and it made her hate the weakness she'd felt earlier; with the demon man and his hard body against hers. If the cashier wouldn't have interrupted them, she wondered how far she'd let him go. How far she'd let herself go. The thoughts alone made her queasy and she found herself leaning over her kitchen sink to vomit. Maybe she wasn't as hungry as she thought. Rinsing the sink out and her mouth, Allison yanked the refrigerator open and opted for a bottle of Gatorade, drinking it quickly. Her neck felt flushed and her knees weak and she slumped against the oven for support. How could she have done such a foul thing? Even after the shower she could still feel the wetness of his blood and the lingering feeling of his lips on her skin.  She had scrubbed her skin raw under the water. She had poured soap all over herself until she was so covered in bubbles she couldn't see anything else, but it wasn't enough. There was no washing away shame or the guilt she felt. There was no washing away how Paxton had made her feel, how she had literally throbbed for him like a silly high school girl in the backseat of her first boyfriends car. "I hate him," she had hissed to herself over and over, not stopping until the water was icy against her flesh.  Now, standing mostly nude in her own kitchen, holding onto a half empty bottle of Gatorade, she knew how bad she wanted to kill him. It was a shame she didn't know how. With a sigh she sat the bottle down and forced her legs to take her to her phone, sitting safe and sound on her TV stand; the only thing still standing in her living quarters. She sent a quick text to her boss, asking him to call her, before tossing the phone back down and looking around with mild remorse at what she'd done. She knew she wasn't cleaning it up, not today anyways, and she found satisfaction in the destruction of it all. She also found her muscles ached for all she'd done. She needed to rest. Grabbing a ripped curtain from the floor Ally laid down on the couch, pulling the curtain over her bare breast. Falling to sleep was the easiest thing she'd done all day and Ally found herself welcoming the sweetness of the dark, of dreaming, of feeling nothing. She slept harder than she had in a long time

Her body felt like it was on fire and her face was flushed with embarrassment. She had been so lost in the way Paxton's hands felt against her skin that she had completely forgotten everything else. When he lifted her she instantly wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him closer. There was a first time for everything right? She sure as hell would have never thought her first kiss would happen jammed in a changing room with a demon, it was like a dark twisted fantasy she never knew she had. The moment ended way too soon. 

Allison hid her face a bit as the curtain was jerked wide open and her eyes fell upon the woman from earlier. She found her feet back on the ground as Paxton turned around to face her. What a sight it probably was to the poor woman. Her, standing around practically naked with smears of Paxton's blood on her torso and legs. The closet sized space was now littered with knives, drug paraphernalia, and blood. During their fight or seriously hot make out session the contents of her purse had spilled from the booth, leaving everything she owed scattered. Allison opened her mouth to say something only to find she didn't really have any clever excuses this time. She was grateful when Pax did whatever he did to make her leave. At this point she didn't even care if he'd used his abilities or not. She just wanted to be alone to gather herself without being screamed at.

By the time he had turned around she was on her hands and knees, scrambling to pick up all of her belongings. Her fingers reached quickly for the vial and syringe from earlier and she shoved them into their case carelessly. Everything she put into her purse was done in such a rush she was sure she was getting everything. It didn't matter to her anymore. All she wanted was to get the fuck out of there. Standing up so quickly she almost slipped in a puddle of sticky blood, Allison cursed under her breath. She didn't even have socks on. Her new shoes that she had decided she was probably not going to pay for, was going to be ruined before she even walked out the store. 

She was angry and honestly she didn't understand any of what she was feeling. She was furious that she had jeopardized everything with the Protectors. She was angry that once again, she was covered in blood. But mostly she was just upset with herself. How could she have scooped so low to kiss a monster? He had probably used her, fed off of her, kissed her only because he wanted her lust and energy. She felt disgusted with herself. What would her parents or the nuns have thought about her if they could see her now?

Ally ripped the dress down from its hanger and changed quickly. Once her shoes were tied and secured on her feet she looked at Paxton for the first time since he had first pinned her to the wall. God, he was beautiful. His eyes were blue again and Ally wanted to reach out and touch his face. It took every ounce of restraint she had not to. Instead, she did the box thing again, but it wasn't the anger she was locking away. It was everything about him. His face, his touch, all of it. Piece by piece she took all of her feelings and stuffed them in a chest she hid so deep inside of herself that she almost prayed to never find it again.

She felt numb and her face held little expression. She was tired and just wanted to go home and sleep until all of this was just a memory. "I'm leaving, please don't follow me." Was all she managed to get out before grabbing her purse and slipping out the changing room. She didn't look back.

The emergency exit in the back was the closest door to Allison so she took it, ignoring the blaring alarm the door caused as it opened. The moment she felt the cracked warm pavement beneath her new shoes and the warm sun grace her face she ran.

She had always enjoyed running. Back when she was at the orphanage it was one of her favorite past times. She could run for miles, surrounded by rocky roads and cow fields. Even as she got older she never stop and sometimes she wondered if she was just trying to run from herself.

She had to of thought that he was a complete idiot to believe anything that she said at this point. He had enough information from the Void to know better than to believe her false insistence.

His arm was held like a brace against her sternum as he pressed her against the wall with the weight of his body, his leg pressed between her legs. His eyes were no longer human. They had filled with an ink-like substance, coating even the whites of his eyes with a pure black, revealing his demonic form.

"You should really stop lying to me if you know what's good for you." his teeth were gritted in anger and lack of self-control. Paxton wasn't sure if it was the lack of a meal or just the fact that he had almost let his guard down for a moment with this girl, but he wasn't ready for the move that she pulled next. Her teeth found his neck and sunk in as a form of self-defense. A low growl vibrated against his chest as he felt them puncture and his blood slid against his neck and into his gray t-shirt beneath his jacket.

Without hesitation, his hand was gripping her hair and ripping her mouth from his neck. If she hadn't pissed him off before, she did now. The two of them were making so much of a ruckus in the changing room, he was surprised that no one had heard them, but his attention was quickly pulled elsewhere when he felt a sharp pain erupt in his side. His eyes slowly dropped to where her small hand had a dagger plunged into his ribs. His lips pressed tightly together as his eyebrows lowered in a glare at Allison. She bit him. She stabbed him. She left a hole in his jacket. What a bitch.

Grabbing her wrist with a painful grip, Paxton ripped the knife out of his side with a low groan. He would heal, but it hurt nonetheless and blood still dripped onto the floor around them. Their new position left the demon with her wrist in one hand and her other pressed above her head tightly while the rest of his body was pressed tightly to her own as he held her against the corner of the wall once more. Once he knew that he had her tied up and all that was him, he took a moment to breathe as he thought over what to do with her next.

Their chests rose and fell rhythmically as they stayed dangerously still. His black eyes scrutinized her as she directed her eyes on his lips. He knew she was avoiding his gaze purposely and it only made his anger boil. She could stab him, but she couldn't look at him. He wondered if he terrified her. Part of him hoped that he did.

Paxton's lips had nearly parted to explain that he was done with this bullshit and was going to take her back to the Void with him when she beat him to saying anything.

"You're bleeding." was all she said. Her voice was strangely calm as if her mind was somewhere far away. Paxton's brows furrowed and he scoffed.

"No shi--" he began, but he didn't finish because the next thing he knew, she was leaning forward and closing whatever gap there was left between them. Paxton was taken by surprise by a couple of her actions since he had met Allison, but this was a new record of shock that he felt rise inside of him.

Her lips had found his own, he could feel her pulse begin to race beneath his grip. The feeling that rained over his body was unfamiliar territory that he had yet to experience. The darkness that once covered his eyes had slowly started to fade and return to their human state although they still remained a dark shade. He watched her eyes flutter shut and his hand that was holding hers above her head slowly slid down her arm and found its way to her neck. He was ready to squeeze when a surge of emotions flooded into his gut.

Before he knew what was happening, he was holding her chin, only squeezing lightly this time as he tugged her face closer to his. His eyes didn't remain open any longer as he let her energy wash over him completely. He slammed her other hand just hard enough against the wall behind them to get her to drop the dagger in her grasp before his fingers locked into her own, holding it hostage against the wall.

His body vibrated with the most energy he'd felt in a long time. This wasn't like his usual plaything. There was something else. He didn't feel like he was trying to absorb her energy, but instead, he was sharing which rarely happened amongst demons and humans. Fortunately for their circumstance, he couldn't bring himself to give a shit.

His tongue skimmed across her bottom lip and he could taste her small cut. A low grumble of pleasure slid from his throat as he began slowly moving his lips down her jawline and towards her neck, sucking softly at her skin against her collarbone where he noticed her bra strap hung loose down her arm. The lust he felt was unreal. He knew this was not a good idea, but that only fueled him to want it more. His hand had already begun tracing her figure as it dropped down and gripped her thigh, his other hand followed suit as he tugged her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He could feel the heat beginning to radiate from the two of them.

And then, just like that. The moment was ruined by the curtain swinging open to show the angry cashier from before. Paxton's eyes flew open and he glared in the direction of the girl, his body still against Allison's before he slowly let her down and turned to look at the girl, his eyes returned to black and he stepped towards her, grabbing her wrist before she could run. He tugged her towards himself and held her face with the other hand.

"I told you to get lost." he practically hissed and her eyes went blank for a moment as he compelled her to leave. With a confused blink, she nodded.

"I think I'm going to go." she nodded and like a robot, she turned around and began walking out of the store.

Paxton turned and looked towards Allison in silence. What the hell had they just done.

She had nowhere to run. The moment Paxton had entered the curtain she knew how trapped she was, she knew she’d been caught red hand, and she knew her gig or whatever it had been was now completely over. There were no more girly laughs or holding hands left for them. She had foolishly exposed herself to someone far stronger than she could ever be and she had done it without care. It was probably going to cost her everything, including her life.

If Allison had any doubts earlier about Paxton and his demonology, she knew the truth now. In front of her the charming, funny, taunting man she’d spent over an hour and half with had now twisted into someone she almost didn’t recognize. Maybe it was the drugs that was intensifying the black orbs that now stood in the place of his eyes or maybe he was just that fucking angry. Either way Ally stood straight up, the back of her legs pressing painfully against the booth. Before she could even squeeze a word out, he already had her pinned. God, he moved fast. Behind her she felt the mirror give a slight crack and she sucked in as much air as she could in case his next move was to strangle her to death. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, the choice is yours."

His voice was so harsh that Ally was completely lost for words. He was like a rabid animal and she was actually scared, it was a feeling she hadn’t felt very much in her life. A feeling she usually morphed into the only real emotion she knew, anger. “I’m a heroin junkie!” She breathed in a hushed voice. What if someone heard them and walked in? What if Paxton killed them or damaged them permanently? It would be all her fault. The Protectors would never want her and Allison already had a good guess on what they did to rogue assassins.

Her thoughts were instantly scattered as Paxon slid ever closer against her; his leg now positioned between both her knees. She thought she heard him tell her to stop lying to him but her focus was somewhere else, everywhere else, other than where she knew it should be. Every last ounce of her humanity screamed for her to look into his eyes. Just for a moment, just a peak. Ally had a feeling if she did that, she would pour the truth out before she could even register what she was doing. “I’m not lying.” She choked out before doing the only real thing she could think of. She lunged forward and bit him as hard as she could on the only bear skin she could reach. His neck.

There weren’t a lot of things that still surprised Ally in life. She did have to admit when she felt his skin break beneath her teeth and a hot rush of what she assumed to be blood fill her mouth, she was indeed surprised. Not as surprised as Paxton was of course. There was a lot of jerking, wiggling, shoving, and pushing happening between the both of them. At one point his hand was pulling at her hair, ripping her teeth away from his neck. She used her now free hand wisely, yanking one of the small daggers out from its holster and stabbing as hard as she could into his side. The sick feeling of the sharp blade piercing his body was almost unbearable but Ally’s adrenaline was rushing into her too fast for her to really care.

Her breath felt hitched inside of her throat and her face felt hot where she’d no doubt been elbowed during their momentary scrimmage. Their positioned had changed and her back was now pressed into the corner of the wall, the leg she’d yanked the knife from resting tensely on the booth. One of his hands now gripped the hand with the knife, and her other arm was pinned by his above her head. Allison’s bra strap was now a torn mess, hanging lazily off her shoulder. There wasn’t an inch between them. It was the first time in her life she’d ever been this close or this exposed to another individual. Paxton’s face was only inches from hers. She could feel his heavy angered breathes blow across her face and she kept her gaze casted down at his lips. She hadn’t wanted to look into that black stare before she had stabbed him and she knew with all her heart there was no way she was looking now.

What happened next Allison couldn’t describe. Maybe it was because her blood was pumping hard from the intake of drugs only minutes before or maybe it was the fact her breast was pressed against a real body. Maybe it was because she had been check-mated in their fight and was out of any real ideals. It didn’t matter what excuse she told herself for what she was going to do, she just wanted to do it. “Your bleeding.” She whispered before closing the final gap between them, her lips finding his with an urgency she didn’t know she had.

Paxton's lower lip jutted out and formed a sarcastic pout on his face when Allison rejected his offer to wear a completely see-through lacy top that barely covered much skin to begin with. Although, his pout didn't remain very long before it was replaced by a mirrored grin when he realized that she found the humor in his words and began moving past him to continue exploring her options.

Paxton's gaze followed after her momentarily as she shopped, but his previous emotions continued to bubble up from within him once more. A low groan erupted from his lips in annoyance because he knew why he was feeling the way that he was. It was that damned cashier again. She was watching Paxton like a hawk. It was a blessing and a curse the way the Void created its monsters.

Demons and Vampires alike were made in such a way that they would undoubtedly draw attention to humans in a sort of venus fly-trap sort of way. Some humans reacted to their looks and energy more than others. Like this woman for example.

With a sideways glance towards Allison, he watched as she picked up a maroon dress and began surveying shoes next. Paxton returned his attention towards the cashier who was barely listening to a customer before she brushed them off and began making her way around the counter and towards him. Normally Paxton would just ignore her, but it had been a while since he had any sort of meal and he could feel his restraint fading. He had barely heard Allison when she announced to him that she was heading to a dressing room. When he looked back to where she was, he watched as she slipped past a curtain, and then the woman was right beside him. He nearly jerked back with surprise.

"Hey, I'm Cindy, could I help you with anything?" she smiled flirtatiously and Paxton could feel his control fading quickly. He couldn't do anything stupid with Allison nearby. He still didn't know where she stood and who she was, but he was sure that not just everyone walked around with knives on their thighs.

"Yes, actually," Paxton began and he could see the excitement shimmer in her eyes. "Go away." his tone was dark and Cindy's smile fleeted quickly. The demon didn't wait for a response before turning and walking over towards the changing room that Allison had gone behind. His skin felt like it was on fire and he could feel the darkness inside of him screaming and trying to claw its way out of him. It was painful and a struggle to tame, he just needed to get Allison and get out of the store before he completely lost it.

Once he reached the curtain, his hand took hold of the end and he took a look over his shoulder at the cashier who was storming off to the backroom, probably embarrassed, he really couldn't bring himself to care. Instead, he tugged the curtain open swiftly and just enough to get himself through before he pulled it closed behind him.

"Sorry, but--" his words were abruptly cut off by the scene laid out before him. There she was sitting down at the bench bent over herself with a needle in hand and knives still strapped to her thighs. Closer up and with far less clothing, he knew that they weren't fake either.

He couldn't believe it. Actually, he could. For a moment he had almost let himself forget about his entire mission. The only reason he was in this godforsaken realm. If he wasn't angry prior to opening the curtain, he sure as hell was now. Blood now boiling, Paxton felt the darkness starting to absorb him. His blue eyes darkened to a nearly black shade. He should have known from the start. He let her looks deceive him without even realizing it. Stupid.

Standing between Allison and the exit, Paxton glared down at her. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." his voice was dark and held a furious tone as he tried to convince himself she was just a human. Just that. He wasn't here to make friends after all. With that thought, Paxton moved towards her and pinned her body against the wall behind her. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, the choice is yours." he practically growled, already feeling her energy with their close proximity.

It was a funny thing - emotions. From Paxton's experience watching the humans, they often clouded judgment and got in the way of things. For a moment, this thought began bringing back a memory that was tucked deep within him, usually locked up tightly never to be opened.

It was a day much like this one. He remembered the way the leather of his steering wheel felt beneath his grip as he drove down the highway to his "job". Paxton had been drumming his fingers against the wheel to the beat of whatever was playing on the radio.

In a blur, his memory switched and the next thing he knew, the memory of the car collision flashed before his eyes. Darkness flooded his gaze and he could still hear the screeching of rubber against the pavement. His heart stopped the moment the car was done flipping through the street lights. His heart wasn't the only one to halt in the intersection.

Suddenly, a cloud of darkness engulfed Paxton in a way that brought chills to his spine. He had never felt that sort of cold before, it made him numb inside. All he could see was a never-ending blackness when a voice slithered towards him with an offer that would not only change who he was entirely but an offer that no sane person would ever take if they knew any better.

Just like that, he came to. Blinking away the memory as though it had never existed. It didn't matter anymore. He made his choice and he would live with it for eternity.

Paxton could feel Allison shift under the weight of his arm and he peered down at her smaller figure as she stated Cinderella's intentions. His chest rose in a huff at her words. "I'm no prince, but I can be charming when I want to be." he flashed her a devilish smile as they neared a store with large windows for walls and creepy mannequins stood awkwardly inside.

"Never apologize for how you feel." the words flew out of Paxton's lips before they really registered. It was almost programmed inside of him to deny weakness of any kind. For some reason, he felt empowered to have her do the same. Almost like he was trying to protect her from the world, but the feeling quickly vanished. He shook his head and cleared his throat softly. "I've been told I'm a great listener." he lied as a way to change the subject before his arm dropped to his side as she insisted the shop they were looking at would work for her needs.

A bit uneasy about walking into a shop with such a. . . feminine vibe, Paxton found himself with little choice when he felt Allison's hand reaching for his. He had never held someone's hand beside's his own mother's when he was very young. The feeling made him almost angry inside. Affection was hard for the demon. It almost made him sick. Like he didn't deserve it. . . like it would hurt him.

Yet somehow, he didn't reel away from her like he wanted to. It was like he was broken by the action and wasn't reacting appropriately. He pursed his lips tightly and followed behind Allison regardless of his feelings. Vera would be outraged. Or laugh in his face. Maybe both?

"What? The blood look gives you some edge. Matches the lip." Paxton insisted jokingly as he looked around the small shop. He could feel the cashier's gaze locking on him and he glared her direction. He recognized that energy. Desperation. Lust. Without realizing, he tightened his grip on Allison's hand momentarily before he snapped out of it and let go completely of her hand. He furrowed his brows and looked away. He had a bad time controlling his temper and when he sensed strong energy it triggered his fight or flight. He wanted to tear the cashier apart, or at least get a taste. It was hunger similar to a Vampire's, only it was a bit more complex. It was different for different demons. Demons could drink blood, but they also drained energy. There was something about it that was more fulfilling.

Turning towards a revealing looking top. He reached out and touched it and glanced towards Allison. "How about this?" he grinned and continued walking along, looking at other items boredly.

What the fuck am I doing? A solid mass had formed inside Allison's throat as she felt the demon, Paxton, wrap his arm around her shoulders, leading them down the concrete. His touch wasn't hideous like she had expected it to be, and he did in fact radiate warmth. As if he were truly alive and human. Was he born in The Void or was he created, turned? She wished she knew more about his kind and as soon as she did make it back home, she planned to request as much information as she could get. If she could get any that was.

He was a good bit taller than her, enough that left her head coming to beneath his chin. They fit well together and although there wasn't anyone around to see the pair walking, they would have thought the same thing. What a cute couple. The thought entered her head again. What am I doing? Had she finally lost it? Snapped under the weight that was the Protectors? Alison's training hadn't been easy. Locating the small group of assassins had led her down a lot of dark alleyways, some much kinder than others. Once she had gotten into the elite group she found it was a lot of isolation, extreme mental anguish, and a daily routine of injecting herself with a rather grimy drug that helped her see The Void; Something she still had to do. In fact she had an entire vial of it inside her purse. She had used some earlier when she thought she would be taking down the fancy artist, something she would still have to do if she wanted to pay her bills and eat for the next month. The thoughts of her ruined day flooded her and her mood darkened again.  "Cinderella was out looking for her prince charming." Ally grumbled, although her voice didn't hold the same hostility as before. Pulling herself slightly from Paxton's grasp she dared another glance at him before looking away. "I was.. am having a bad day. Sorry you standing in my way didn't help matters. I wasn't trying to yell so much at you, you were just the only person who was listening."  Allison really didn't have anybody. No friends, her parents were dead, and her bosses were far from friendly. All they did was send her from city to city with important files and emails. She doubted they even remembered what she looked like. 

After several blocks Allison came to a halt beside a clothing store. The sales windows held mannequins of all shapes and sizes, dressed in simple shirts and shorts. It was the exact type of place she liked. Stepping completely away but finding her hand reaching for Paxton's, she nodded towards the small shop. "I think I'll find shoes here. And hopefully something not drenched in blood"

As expected, Paxton's efforts of crawling beneath this girl's skin were successful. She had spun around on him with a sort of irritation burning in her blue gaze, it reminded him of a cat with its back arched and fur raised in a lame attempt of getting its predator off its back. Her words however took him a bit by surprise and caused his half-grin to grow.

"I mean if you're into that," he shrugged nonchalantly at her obvious sarcasm before relaxing into the brick building beside him. He could feel the heat building against his bottom lip as his cigarette was nearly out, he hadn't even noticed due to his attention being drawn to the fact that she had seemed to break internally before him. Her small face was closed into her hands and silence surrounded the two as passerby's slowly deteriorated from the streets one by one leaving only the sound of the occasional traffic passing by them.

Once her hands dropped from her face and she reopened her eyes, he arched an eyebrow and reached up to grab his finished cigarette. He wondered if he was right about this girl or not judging just off of her reactions to him. She seemed tense for some reason he couldn't place a finger on, he could practically feel her irritation towards him radiating off of her, the energy soaked into him and gave him a feeling of strength in a way. That was just part of being a demon. The only thing humans had right about "spirits" or whatever they called them was that the human world and its energy was something they could feed off of for power. It made them stronger, it helped their cravings and it gave them some advantages in their abilities for a while. This girl before him gave off a lot of anger, but it seemed like her little mental breakdown was enough to get it to die down. He felt it melt off her shoulders and finally she spoke, but her voice was lower and more in control this time. It was nowhere near as entertaining, but maybe he'd gotten to her and that meant he could probably get some answers.

"Oh!" he threw his cigarette into the street. "I thought you would never ask." he feigned relief and pressed off of the wall to stand up straight again.

"Paxton." he introduced and his eyes traveled from her eyes to her now bare feet and back up as a once over and he waited for her to return the favor of introducing herself as well. "Do I get a name as well? Or do you prefer your stage name? What was it again? Carly? No-- Chloe?" he clicked his tongue as he pretended to figure out what it was, his voice dripped with mischief and sarcasm.

Ally nearly knocked someone down as she hurled around to face the dark stranger who was now following her and of all things, taunting.

A bad break up? A fucking break up? You have to be kidding me.

Ally immediately guessed he was a demon. Not that she knew much about vampires but she had a feeling they didn’t follow people down sidewalks, not noticeably at least. Ally knew he wanted a reaction out of her, that he was probably feeding off of it, but it didn’t stop her from giving him one. The guy really got under her skin and she had no idea why. Maybe it was because he was attractive or maybe it was just purely because he was demonic and that is what he was made to do.

“Oh yes,” Ally responded, now standing with one hand pulling her hair out her face and the other on her hip. Her voice was heavy and thick with fake sweetness and sarcasm, “That is exactly what happened. I really know how to pick them, nothing like a man who uses his hands in all the right ways. I just loveeeee getting punched in the face right after a good fucking.”

The nuns who raised her would have dropped dead if they could hear her now, that was if they weren’t already buried and rolling in their graves. Ally had been brought up with better manners; she just didn’t use them. Next to her a middle-aged woman actually scowled at her bad language as she passed, muttering something about young ladies not having a shred of self-respect these days. Allison didn’t care. If only that woman knew all she did for their kind. Hell, she had dedicated the last six months of her life to being a protector and assassin and if she were to be deeply honest, thank you very much, she was actually a virgin. In front of her the demon was only smirking, continuing with his taunts and over the edge gestures. Ally couldn’t help but acknowledge the strong build he had and the baby face. He was by far probably the handsomest individual she’d ever seen. It only fueled her disgust because that was the point, wasn’t it? It was those attributes that led to all the half breeds who existed all over the place. It was the reason humans often died. With a sigh she put her face in her hands and yelled into them. She wasn’t going to be able to shake him like this, she realized, groaning in frustration.

Ally wasn’t sure how long she stood like that. Face in her hands, sweat beginning to form on the back of her neck. The streets were beginning to clear as people made it to their jobs and somewhere blocks down the street a man was leaving on a stretcher, alive, but in need of some serious stitches. She waited until she was fully calmed before she dared glance up. It was a habit of hers, the calming. She would pretend to take all the anger she felt and lock it away into an imaginary box one piece at a time. Then, she’d take the box and lock it inside another box, again and again, until she felt nothing. She half expected him to be gone, bored with her show of composer, but he wasn’t. He was there when she’d finished and had lifted her head to look. The only difference was instead of standing in front of her like before he was leaning against a building and watching her with a mostly smoked cigarette draped across his bottom lip.

After several seconds that felt like hours of silence, Allison finally caved. If he wasn’t going to just... Leave she at least wanted to know his name. Demon or not. When she spoke, she was surprised to hear her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Since you without a doubt aren’t going to leave me alone, can I at least know your name?”

A crinkle formed against Aurora's nose as her lips curled into a small smile that reached her eyes. Brushing her hair back out of her face, she nodded as he explained how he attempted hiding his distaste for the black liquid in his styrofoam cup.

"I made the same face my first time trying it," she assured him.

A small sigh escaped her body as she realized how relaxing the coffee shop could really be when there wasn't a creep trying to get in her pants every morning on the dot. Part of her was pretty sure that she wouldn't be seeing Eric again for a while thanks to her newfound friend whose name she learned was Jesse. It was a nice name, of course, a tall, dark, and handsome stranger would have an iconically handsome name to go with him.

As Jesse accepted her request to join her for the town's event, she found her heart flutter with a sort of excitement that he was actually interested. Maybe her game wasn't so horrible after all? She wouldn't get too ahead of herself.

"What can I say? I guess my mom has a forever thriving soft spot for the Disney classics." she laughed softly as he wondered if her name was related to that of the Disney princess, Sleeping Beauty.

It wasn't long before her conversation with Jesse had to come to closing as the ringing bell on the door alarmed her of new customers entering the shop and she noted mentally that it was about time for the first morning rush. She was about to offer him information on how to meet up with her again when he had insisted that he would return once she was finished with her shift for the day. Giving Jesse a nod in agreement, her lips parted to give him the time and he beat her to it.

For a moment she just agreed that would work, but then it dawned on her as the man slowly slipped past customers towards the door that she never told him when she was off of work. Her eyebrows furrowed softly but she brushed it off as customers began greeting her, ready to give their orders to her. It took a moment for her golden gaze to tear away from his back as he slipped past the doors but she blinked away the thoughts and on went her customer service mask once more.

Relief flooded through Jesse the moment Eric left. The thought had actually crossed his mind that he was going to have to physically remove him personally from the store. Something he would have enjoyed doing, but would have exposed him completely. Physically contact had always been hard for him. It brought out his primal instincts, teeth, black eyes, the whole shebang. Jesse could see Aurora felt the same calmness as he did. Her face had relaxed and her heart beat had slowed down to an almost normal beat. When she mentioned the coffee, he chuckled. It wasn’t forced, either. To be honest, Jesse was surprised she’d noticed him choking over the filth.

“I tried to hide it.” He told her, scrunching his nose at the remembrance. “But it really was just awful.”

Jesse glanced down at his watch. He was surprised to see that over forty-five minutes had passed since he’d entered the shop. For a moment Jesse cursed the Eric guy in his head for taking up so much of his precious time, that was until Aurora spoke. Jesse noted she sounded more genuine now than before, when he’d entered the shop. He was even more surprised when she asked him out on a date. Maybe Eric had actually done him a favor. Thank you Eric.

“That sounds great, actually. I’m Jesse. It’s nice to meet you, Aurora. That’s sleeping beauty’s name, isn’t it?” Jesse raised his eyebrows in a teasing way before offering her another smile. With a quick motion Jesse collected his coffee cup and tossed it into the nearby trash. “I can come back when you are off and we can walk there. I’m guessing you get off around three?”

Before Aurora could answer him, it seemed she was finally getting her morning rush. The door behind him dinged several times in a row and the muffled sound of people talking on their phones and to each other seemed to fill the Hideout. It was okay, Jesse already knew the answer to his question. He had her schedule tucked safely back in his car. He knew everything about her there was to know, really. With a final glance toward her direction Jesse slipped out the door.

---

His glamour was on the moment he stepped outside. With what could only be described as a ripping tearing feeling, Jesse now stood at the entrance to a rather extraordinary mansion. The sky above him was no longer a beautiful baby blue but instead now sat gray with rain clouds and the occasional bit of lightening. He was met at the iron gate that surrounded the home by a tall, slender man, whose cheeks seemed almost hallow. The Vampire merely grimaced when he saw Jesse.

“Ah, Mr. WakeField. We weren’t expecting to see you so soon. I suppose those rumors really are true. You are the best at your job. Mistress will be pleased.”

Jessie didn’t smile. The Vampire in front of him, Freddrick Sullivan, was not someone he enjoyed converting with. He found him creepy in a way. Like he was a walking corpse of dust and blood. “I just wanted to tell your Master that I have located her daughter. I am meeting up with her later and I shall bring her then. But first I must cut all the loose ends. We can’t have a missing persons case of her disappearance. It will be for her own protection and ours. I have to get rid of her replacement parents and her job.” Yes, Jesse thought with remorse, he had a long next few day ahead of him. Without waiting for a response from Freddrick Jesse removed his glamour and returned back to the parking lot of the Hideout.

“I don’t need your help.” Ally hissed, giving the stranger standing above her a cold glare. There was no way, no way in hell, no way even if it were a cold day in hell, that she’d ever take the hand or use the help of someone like him. Already she could see the colors in his eyes swimming, darker and darker they went. A ping of fear filled her for a moment before she came to her senses and pushed it all away. Demon or vampire or whatever he was, she certainly wasn’t going to sit there petrified over it. How many half breeds had she killed at this point? How hard could it really be to kill an actually monster? She had seen the way they could change, some halflings were stronger than others. She had fought each one and she was still alive. Fuck this guy and his leather jacket. She had things to do.

With a huff she scrambled up from the concrete and began hastily jerking her dress down over the sharp blades. “It’s a cosplay outfit, nitwit. I’m supposed to be Claire Fairchild. She’s a...” Demon hunter. Ally blushed. It was a hot, sticky heat, that seemed to cloak her face and neck. Out of all the people she could have chosen? She had to say Claire Fairchild? What was she thirteen? This really was becoming the worse day of her entire life. With a shake of her head she bent down and began to almost rip the heels off her feet.

“You know what, just forget it. I don’t know you and I have no reason to answer your questions. I don’t owe you shit.”

As soon as the last clasp was off, Ally straightened back up and kicked the shoes half into the gutter that lingered beside them on the paved road. “And fuck those god damn shoes.” Around her people were beginning to cast the pair odd stares. Whenever she caught their gazes, she sneered at them, watching as their footsteps seemed to quicken away. She didn’t care if she looked insane. She had reached her limit for the things that could happen to her today.

Somewhere in the distance sirens roared. The loud echoing noise seemed to bring Ally to her senses and for the first time she looked into the bar in which the man had come out of. The place was chaotic. People were screaming and although the glass had a heavy tint, Ally could make out what could only be blood. Thick, crimson blood. A boiling anger was beginning to form itself into an ugly ball inside her chest. She didn’t have to ask to know who was responsible for that.

“Let me guess,” She began, glancing from the scene back to the dark stranger. “You had something to do with that? Wait. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

The sirens were much closer now. Ally could see the flash of blue bounce from building to building somewhere in the distance. She definitely didn’t want to get caught at the scene of a crime. Not looking like she did, anyways. They’d arrest her for sure, maybe not for what was going on inside the bar, but for being insane. Absolutely insane. Tucking her hair behind her ears and giving the stranger one last glance, Ally began walking quickly away, her bare feet hot against the ground.

Paxton could still hear the commotion that he had started when he smashed the thick whiskey glass over the older man's head. The faint sound of people yelling at each other to call 911 caused a little spiral of delight to swell in his gut and a grin tugged at his lips.

Although messing around was more than amusing to Paxton, he knew that Vera wouldn't take kindly to his actions and judging by the fact that trained demons weren't surviving these hunters, he wasn't too sure what he was truly up against and drawing attention might not have been the best tactic for him right now. He liked to cause trouble, but he wasn't stupid.

Reaching into his leather jacket pocket, Paxton began digging for his pack of smokes and his lighter. It wasn't like smoking could really kill him and to be honest, it was just a habit that he liked to keep from his old human life.

In the midst of digging, Paxton didn't even realize that a smaller girl was ready to slam face-first into his chest. The impact caused Paxton to blink rapidly and then he was watching a mess of a white dress and brunette hair topple to the ground where she landed flat on her ass in front of him. Ouch.

Peering down at the girl with a deep confusion, Paxton noticed her dress had flung up higher on her legs and it didn't take long for the glint of metal to catch his attention. On each thigh was strapped tactically a blade. This immediately caught the demon's attention and just like that, his guard was up fully and darkness clouded his blue gaze as he reached his hand out towards her in order to help her up from her predicament. He had to play it cool in case this was some sort of trap.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming at all." he began. Playing nice almost made Paxton feel nauseous in a way. It was very out of character, but that was the point after all. "Is there a reason you uh. . ." he brought his voice lower and gestured to her knives nonchalantly with his glance.

Once his eyes met hers once more he had to push back the attraction that flooded in him with no consent. This girl didn't look like the hunter type, but then again, maybe that was the point. His eyes then traveled from her eyes to the rest of her delicately sharp features until they landed on her swollen lip. Either this girl was extremely clumsy or she had other explanations. It wasn't hard to notice the red stain on a completely white dress either. He had a lot of questions.

Something about this guy seemed different to Aurora and it wasn't just the fact that she had never seen him around here before, it was something about the way he was carrying himself that was strange compared to her usual customers. He seemed like he was the type to have thoughts that would be fun to eavesdrop on, like a man on a mission perhaps.

The closer he neared the counter, the more she could see. It was like a camera focusing its lense finally and it was a beautiful picture. He was busy looking over the Cafe menu and she found herself lost in all that was him which wasn't like her to drool over men she thought were attractive.

It was then that he dropped his gaze down to meet her eyes and she adjusted her gaze which was traveling along his features. She couldn't tell if she was blushing, but her cheeks felt warm and her heart dropped momentarily out of embarrassment if he caught her lingering stare.

"Uhm," she turned her head quickly towards the menu to avoid his gaze and as a lame attempt to hide her face for a moment before turning back. "Personally, I don't usually drink black coffee unless I'm being conscious that day, but when I do drink it I like the new blend we just got in. I'll make it special, don't worry." she offered a smile before grabbing the bag from beneath the counter to get them ready for grinding when she heard him speak up once more. She nearly dropped the bag clumsily at his compliment and if she wasn't blushing before, she sure as hell was now.

"Oh,"

Say something stupid!

"Wow, thank you," she finally said and tightened her grip on the bag. "Your's are very nice too." Aurora felt like she was in high school again with how horribly her game was, she wasn't usually this clumsy and awkward and she could smell him, it wasn't a cologne or anything either. It was just him. It was strange but good.

Getting her barrings, Aurora made up his drink and served it to him. "On the house," she insisted. "You look like you're new here so think of it as a welcome gift." she shrugged. She silently hoped he actually was new to town or that would have just been more awkward.

Their private conversation was quickly ruined by the sound of the bell going off once more as a customer who always comes in at this time with his computer and creepy attempts at winning Aurora over. His name was Eric and she was pretty sure that she had caught him taking photographs of her on his phone too so having another customer in here eased the tension she felt when he would come in.

"How's my pretty girl?" Eric smiled as he set up his computer like he always did since they have free wifi.

Aurora glanced at the man in front of her for a moment before looking towards Eric with obvious disgust written on her features. "Hi." she murmured in a clipped tone before getting his usual ready so she could delay any more time speaking to him than she needed to.

Eric seemed to be a bit self-conscious with the new guy in the shop and needed to assert whatever masculinity he claimed to him by clucking his tongue at Aurora's response. "Come on now, all I get is a hi?" he began standing up from his seat and crossed over to the counter where he eyed the young man with the black coffee.

Allison was bleeding. It wasn’t a serious injury and required absolutely no medical attention, but it was annoying all the same. She was ruining her favorite dress, which happened to be white of all colors, like the stains would ever come out. To make matters much worse she didn’t even have anyone to blame for her busted lip. She had actually fell. “How fucking perfect” she mumbled to her angry reflection while fumbling in her purse for a tissue. She had known better than to wear heels. She hated heels. It was a far step from her normal attire of comfortable tennis shoes. She was only dressed like this because she was on a hunt and had planned to attend an art show, one that happened to be ran by a very unpleasant young man. His strange art taste was very well known in the community, but Allison knew a little more than that, she knew he had very particular taste in women and kinks that usually left them permanently scarred.

A shiver ran down Allison’s spine and she quickly glanced over herself in the dingy bathroom mirror. Her blue eyes were bright and beautiful as ever, but she could see the beginnings of bags developing underneath them, the slightest hints of blue against her pale skin. Her lip had finally stopped bleeding although her bottom lip seemed puffy now, an obvious give away that she’d been hurt. “Well, I can’t go like this.” She sighed out loud, angrily yanking her purse off the counter and shoving herself out the bathroom. Other guest in the shop stared at her, the girl in the blood covered white dress, but Ally didn’t even notice. The door dinged slightly as she spilled out onto the crowded streets.

It was a very busy morning.

All around her people were talking, zooming past each other and her without any thoughts. Most of them were 9 to 5’ers. They lived their whole lives oblivious to the world around them, oblivious to The Void, and most depressing of all oblivious to the fact they were prey. Top of the food chain my ass. It was easy to say her hatred ran deeply and she had every right to feel that way. She knew the truth. She could see. Allison was deep in her own thoughts and she didn’t notice the bar, or the young man who had stepped out of it, or even that she happened to be walking directly at him. By the time she had looked up from the cracked sidewalk all she could see was the leather of a black jacket, the same material she was now colliding face first in, the impact throwing her once again, right off her heels.

“Shit!” Allison exclaimed, throwing her hands out to catch herself. This fall hadn’t been a very hard one but it still left Ally momentarily confused. She had fallen straight down on her ass, her dress hiked well over her knees. The stranger whom she had smacked into like a brick wall stood standing. Allison was slightly dazed by the fact he was so... Good looking. There was something else too, a smokey aura she had never seen before, that really pulled her in. It was so unusually beautiful in the most bitter of ways. It had The Void all over it. She was just about to offer another curse when a glimmer caught her eye, the sun showering them both with bright glares coming from nowhere other than the knives Allison had secured to both her thighs. Well shit, she thought, she had forgotten about those.

"Mr. Navarro, am I boring you?" a stern voice echoed into Paxton's ears causing his sharp blue gaze to snap towards an older woman who still held the grace of a woman in her early thirties. Her black hair had tints of blue in the light that cast in through stained windows. Her eyes were a mix of gold and a burning firey red.

The woman standing before him was Vera Malis, one of the higher-ranking demons which was on the demonic court. Not only had she been a demon much longer than most others, but she was merciless most times. Even other demons knew better than to test her, but it seemed that she knew there was something worth keeping around within Paxton seeing as he often found himself testing her patience and she hadn't diminished him to ashes yet.

Blinking once, Paxton squinted and shook his head slowly. "Of course not, Madam Malis." a slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, but it faded quickly as she glared daggers his way.

"We have important matter's that we need to focus on. Our species is being targetted and I am not going to stand for it. Do you understand me?" she hissed.

"Alright, alright. I'm listening, but what does this have to do with me exactly?" his eyebrow arched. He usually wasn't the one higher-demons called in to take care of matters. Paxton had a well-known reputation in the Void, often causing havoc or toying with humans when he really shouldn't have. He had a lot of pent up anger and so he took it out on others as a way for some fun and release all in one. All demons were dicks to an extent, but Paxton often crossed the line.

"A lot of our higher demons are busy with multiple matters and many of our guardians are no longer with us due to the assassin's outside of the Void." Vera began, but it wasn't long before Paxton cut her off.

"So what you're telling me is that the demons that you guys trained specifically for something like this are being destroyed and you want to send me out there? Sounds a bit demeaning does it not?" Paxton scoffed. She was becoming that desperate? She was just going to throw him to the wolves and for what?

"This is not an option. You have caused nothing but trouble in the Void and as punishment, I want you to go and figure out who is behind these assassinations and bring them to me," she ordered.

Paxton's gaze darkened but he knew better than to argue with Vera. Instead, he pursed his lips as to not let any crude remark slip from them and he turned on his heel, tugging his leather jacket tighter around his shoulders as he stormed out of the opulent mansion.

x x x

The human realm held a scent that made Paxton's nose crinkle up. He was standing in a dark alleyway as he removed his glamour in private. Rats squeaked and squirmed away as he walked out onto the sidewalk and his eyes followed humans as they paced by and talked on cell phones. It was a busy morning he assumed as he joined the crowd quietly. He could pick up the energy within each person and he could smell the blood rushing within them as well. Possession of humans was a fun pass time for Paxton, but now wasn't the best time to be playing around if Vera was even worried about the assassinations.

None of these humans really intimidated Paxton in the least and it made him momentarily wonder how one of them could possibly kill his kind so easily? He found his faith in his species quickly diminishing and soon his focus on the mission was lost. He figured if he was forced out into the human world, he might as well have some fun until something suspicious came up.

Paxton stopped near a bar, it seemed a bit early to have as many people as it did, but these were some easy targets for him to mess with. Walking in, he ordered an old-fashion and glanced towards a girl working behind the counter being hit on by one of the older men who were already tipsy. Paxton crossed over to the old man and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Come on now, why don't we leave the poor girl alone." he insisted with a fake smile and the old man shoved Paxton's arm off of him with a vulgar remark. "See, now that was a mistake." Paxton shook his head and his old-fashioned slid over to him on the rocks. He reached out and slammed the drink before slamming the drink over the man's head, shattering it into a million pieces.

Off the chair slid the man and to the floor, he tumbled. Paxton smirked before glancing at the woman and leaving a tip on the counter before exiting the bar.

You have to be kidding me, Jesse thought as he eyed the name of the Café. He had been parked out front for over an hour, glamour off, just watching the place. He had of course attracted the attention of several older women in the process, one of which whom had even stopped momentarily to stare at him. Jesse had never understood why that seemed to happen so much and he had finally decided it was because of his abnormal looks and their strong desire to look young again. The thought made him shudder.

He had spent the majority of the time flipping through some photos of the girl, Aurora. It was his first time being paid to bring a halfling into The Void and Jesse knew that it wasn’t going to be a breeze in the park. Unlike humans, he couldn’t just charm a half vampire girl into blindly following him around, although after several glances at the picture a part of him wished it was that easy. His orders were very specific. Find her and bring her back, mild violence was acceptable if necessary, just no fetal injuries and she had to be all in one piece. Jesse had nearly laughed when he’d read that part, thinking of the time he’d brought back a cursed vase in no less than a thousand pieces. He had actually dropped it trying to shove it carelessly into his back pack. It was his only mistake in the years he’d been doing things like this.

With a sigh Jesse glanced at his watch and then up at the coffee shop. It was several minutes after and Jesse cursed under his breath realizing he had missed her walking in. He didn’t waste any time slipping out his white SUV and entering the warmly lit shop. It was a nice place- the kind where people would probably read books and have trivia mornings or some shit. It was absolutely not the kind of place he’d ever have went if he didn’t have to. He was so lost in his own thoughts he had missed half of Aurora’s ever so polite greeting. Bringing his gaze back to her he smiled kindly before quickly glancing up at the menu while walking to the counter. “I’ll have the cold brew, black please. Wait, is it any good?” He asked, now looking back down to meet her eyes. Up close Jesse realized they were a very odd shade, almost golden in the light. “You have nice eyes.” He blurted out, surprising even himself for a second. Complements weren't usually a thing he did, mostly because he never found anything interesting enough. When you had been around as long as he had nothing was ever new.

A honey gaze was held wide-eyed as Aurora stared into the mirror in order to apply her last layer of mascara before she got her things gathered up for her morning shift down at the Cafe in town. The creamy skinned girl dropped her gaze momentarily as she noticed her mouth was hung open as she applied her makeup like it always did when she did her mascara. She silently wondered to herself why that was a necessary expression, but it seemed to help nonetheless.

Packing away her cosmetics, Aurora raked her delicate fingers through her bunny-soft beach-waves of auburn locks as the last touch to her routine when she heard her mother call for her from downstairs.

"Hunny, it's almost 6:30, come get breakfast!" her mother exclaimed and Aurora reached for her phone to check if she was right. Of course, she was right.

"Coming!" she replied hastily and she slipped on her sunflower yellow Vans before heading downstairs where her mother prepared a plate of toast with butter and honey and coffee freshly brewed. Aurora crinkled her nose at her mother and a smile softly tugged at the corners of her lips. "Mom, you know I work at a coffee shop right?" she teased and her mother pursed her lips trying not to smile at the habit of making coffee for everyone before she started her job a week ago.

"I'll drink it!" her mother insisted and brought the cup to her lips with a wink as she went over to her at-home office. Aurora grabbed a piece of toast and took a large bite as she walked out of her house with a farewell and 'love you' to her mom.

The drive to the Cafe wasn't more than 20 minutes and Aurora was unlocking the shop and setting up for her shift which ended around 3:00. Making her favorite iced-coffee, she relaxed into her seat behind the barista desk and began scrolling through her phone, smiling at the texts from her group chat with her friends Mariah and Kyle. She had a feeling the two of them were in love with each other, but she kept that to herself.

A loud ringing from the bell hanging on the entrance door of the shop notified Aurora that she had a customer and she quickly tucked away her phone and stood up with her classic customer service smile. The man that walked through the door was one that she wasn't familiar with which was a bit strange to her because she wasn't in the biggest of towns. Not only that, but she was more than sure that she would have remembered a man that looked that good.

Talk about tall, dark, and handsome. . .

"Hello, welcome to the Hideout, what can I get you started with today?" her customer service voice was just about as fake as her smile, but since he was this attractive, it was hard to greet him any other way regardless.

Jesse Wakefield was born a vampire. He came from a strong bloodline that still, to this day, has a high position in The Void's government. In other words, he was born noble. Not that words like that were often used anymore. Still he often found himself employed with important jobs. Although he looks not a day over 24, Jesse ages much slower, his real age probably well over 100. Chances are he will never age much more. The face he now has will most likely haunt him for the rest of his life. Jesse is known to be rather sarcastic with a temper that flares when provoked. He has a natural charm- because of genetics- and often uses it to lure humans into the void to feed. Although that is a rather taboo thing to do, it is rather harmless, the humans always wake up in their own beds with fading memories of a terrible dream. Jesse has never killed anyone and has an outstanding reputation among his kind and Demons for collecting things in the human world without causing chaos. Usually long lost family heirlooms or ancient artifacts. He has never been asked for a person, until now.

Allison, or Ally, has never fit in. With anyone. Born and dumped in a remote Catholic orphanage Ally grew up reclused and shut away from the rest of the world. The nuns who took care of her and the other children were anything but kind, often refusing children at the doorsteps. They claimed they could "smell" their bad bloodline and it took Ally a very long time to understand that they were talking about. It wasn't until she turned eighteen, released with a file typed up by the nuns themselves and thrown into the world, that she learned the truth. She had never been unwanted by her parents; her parents had been murdered by a man so deranged he was labeled possessed. It took Ally only a year to learn everything she needed to know to figure out he wasn't actually the living corpse of a monster. He was one. Or half of one anyways. She learned what the glamour was, how to see it, how to see through it, but most of all she learned to spot the other Halflings and how to kill them. It seemed the Void wasn't interested in anything that wasn't full-blooded.

" I'll be the light that you can not make "

ᴏᴘᴇɴ ѕᴇʟғ

[ ғɪʀѕᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ] Aurora

[ ᴍɪᴅᴅʟᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ] June

[ ʟᴀѕᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ] Castello

[ ɴɪᴄᴋɴᴀᴍᴇ(ѕ) ] Arie

[ ᴏᴄᴄᴜᴘᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ] Barista

[ ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ] 06/21/98

[ ѕᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴏʀɪᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ] Heterosexual

[ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴѕʜɪᴘ ѕᴛᴀᴛᴜѕ ] Single

[ ᴇᴛʜɪᴄɪᴛʏ ] Australian roots - light accent

ʀᴇғʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

[ ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ] Female

[ ѕᴘɪᴇᴄᴇѕ ] Human

[ ᴏᴄᴜʟᴀʀѕ ] Honey Golden Brown

[ нᴀɪʀ ] Auburn Brown

[ ѕᴋɪɴ ᴛᴏɴᴇ ] Yellow undertone/Tanned

[ ᴛᴀᴛᴏᴏ(ѕ) ] None

[ ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢ(ѕ) ] None

ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ѕᴇʟғ

[ ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ]

[ ғᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ] Henry Castello

[ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ] Lucile Castello

[ ѕɪʙʟɪɴɢѕ ] None

[ ᴏғғѕᴘʀɪɴɢ ] None

[ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅѕ ] Mariah Johnson and Kyle Thompson

[ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇѕ ] "Hopefully none?"

ᴀᴛᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛᴇѕ

[ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ] Soft and clear

[ ѕᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ] Fit

[ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ ] 5'5"

[ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ] 134

[ ᴘᴇʀѕᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ ] "Anyway" - Noah Kahan

Additional Appearance

x x x