The next day the sight of Ravi reading a book by the roaring fire met Robert downstairs.

"Good book?" he asked as he poured a glass of orange juice from the decanter.

"Quite good actually, less hard work than the Jezequel book. At least this one's in English", he replied, head still firmly in its pages. Before Robert could see what he was actually reading, the doorbell rang.

"If that's that vampire again, I'm going to flip", he muttered and unlocked the front door.

"I never thought I'd be able to get into something so strange that that is a normal sentence", Ravi commented. Robert opened the door slowly, picking up a book from the table next to him to use if Keres did decide to turn up. It was Bella, and Robert was mightily relieved he didn't have to listen to the whimsical tales of Tenebrae.

"Bella, hello!" he lilted. "Come in, please".

"Won't be long darl, I just wondered if you want this ring back", she asked, flipping it between her fingers. "I absolutely love it, but, well, if it's going to cause so much trouble-"

"It's okay. My fault anyway". He gestured for her to come in, and she did. "Fancy some breakfast?"

"No, no, I'm fine", she coughed. "Got a bit of a cold". She carefully placed the ring on the coffee table, and decided to not mention it again.

"Morning Ravi", she said quietly, and he waved back from the armchair. "Finally got some peace from this whole Tenebrae thing, eh?"

"Well, hopefully. Sometimes I wonder if they're always going to hunt us, but then again, it gives them something to do". He chuckled for a moment, then heard the floorboards upstairs creak.

"I think they've decided to get up", Garson muttered, walking in with a tray of tea. He placed it on the side table next to Ravi, and then noticed Bella in his sitting room. "Bella. Nice to see you again. How's the Empire doing? I'll be back as soon as I can".

"Going fine, boring, but fine". Footsteps began to get closer, down the stairs, and they all turned to see who it was. It was Olalla, hair wild and dressed in a pair of purple pyjamas.

"Hello Belle", she murmured tiredly. Her eyes were heavy with sleep, and she had mascara smudged across her cheek.

"It's Bella", Robert answered. "And where the Hell did you go last night?"

"Just out. Needed to let Hyde out for a few hours. Since you insist I stay Jekyll in the house". Just before Robert could answer there was another noise, louder and not from upstairs.

"Ah, the second sister is up", Garson quipped. "I'll make some tea".

"No, Lottie was in the lab all night. And plus that didn't come from upstairs, that came from outside". He peeked through the lace curtains and saw whatever the noise came from. "Aw, now? It's breakfast". With a sigh he opened the front door, and only just realised how much he sounded like Max.

"Has she come back Robert?" he heard Ravi shout from indoors.

"Yes, she has come back", Keres spat, quite offended at such a general title. "The second day is upon us, and I ask again; the ring for the life. What do you say?"

"You know the answer already, no", he retorted, and she nodded without any emotion in her face.

"As you wish. I will ask again tomorrow".

"And I will say no".

"The future is uncertain, but the end is always near", she smoothly lulled, and her eyes faded to a darkened crimson.

"You don't scare me", he said, standing toe to toe with her.

"I know", she answered, and a veil of teleportation energy covered her so only her face was visible. "But I will". And with that she was gone, leaving a mark burnt into the pavement.

"Olalla!" he called inside, and she lazily slumped outside. "What does this mean?"

"Its a vampiric language. Means agony, I think".

"Well, that's a cheery goodbye message", he thought and headed back inside, followed by Olalla, who immediately decided to go back to bed.

Tenebrae HQ
Location - Classified

"Has it been done?" Keres enquired as she teleported in, surrounded by a shroud of dark purple smoke. Chained to the wall of the alter room was Dance, writhing in the grip of the metal handcuffs. The alter room was one of the grandest rooms in the entire headquarters, decorated in red and gold satin on the walls and floor. At the front of it was a mosaic of vibrant colours, and if you stood back a few feet from it, you could make out the face of Lord Trash. The alter was covered in burning wax candles and weapons of all kinds, his two symbols.

"Well, then", Keres assuaged, and picked a blade from the alter, turning it over to see the light bounce off it. "Shall we begin?"

"I am not afraid".

"Oh, darling, I know", she answered, and pondered the parallels between the two monsters, Robert and Dance. "And I'm not going to kill you, I'm just going to hurt you really, really bad".

"You will just regenerate, so we might be here a while".

"We'll see", she said, smiling slightly, and tossed the blade into her other hand. "It might be hard to when I rip out a demon that's been living inside you for the last few months".

"You want the Incubus?"

"Well, I don't want you, do I?" she asked, and chuckled to herself. He looked slightly distraught in his chains to be overlooked. "Take away your regeneration powers and what are you? The disappointment, Melanthios".

"How do you that? Who told you?"

"It's a story known to many, but I personally know it because I know every pathetic thought that goes through your head".

"You're telepathic?"

"I'm a vampire, of course I am".

"Then you know what my father put me through, and you know how far I will go to please him".

"You know, that's your biggest weakness. You have been trained to be against these children, that you have basically grown up with, and you've been told to hate them so much, that you actually feel emotion for them".

"You're wrong".

"Am I? You had all three of the Hydes in your grasp, let you let them go".

"I-. No".

"Well, it's a mystery for another day. Meanwhile..." She held the blade to his throat and he gulped. A tiny bead of blood spilt from where the blade sat on his skin. "Incubus, I command you to come to me".

"Good luck with that. I will not release it".

"Demons are like obedient dogs", she started, sending dark energy down the blade like electric shocks. "They come when they are called". A humugous cloud of dark smoke exploded from the wound the blade had left. A face could just be made out from it, terrifyingly vengeful and twisted into anger. It rose up before Keres and she spread her arms.

"Take me, great demon of the Underworld. Restore me my power, and together we will destroy the people who locked you in this pathetic waste of a demon child". It nodded, a crimson smile spreading across its face. Flying into her, Keres was knocked into the other side of the room. Dance could only watch as the stormcloud grew higher and higher, then dispersed into the air.

"Keres?" he asked into the silence. She had disappeared behind the alter, and he could hear a hissing on the atmosphere, like water touching lava. Then, she rose, just in front of the mosaic of Lord Trash, eyes scarlet red. She grinned, showing pearly white canines. "Oh my God..." he gasped, a chill heading up his spine under her shadow. "What are you going to do?"

"Well, you know what they say. Knock down one domino; they all fall".