"Let me kill him," Laine pleads while glaring in the direction of where their unwelcome and extremely aggravating guest is being held. The Cambion must hear her muttered remark, for a bark of laughter resounds from behind the tarp, followed by a sing-song comment about how he'd like to see her try.

Jamie sighs and runs a through his hair, sending Laine an exhausted look.

"Once we figure out what he all knows, you can have the honour," he grumbles before chugging back the remainder of the beer in his hand.

A groan slips from her as she downs the rest of her water, placing the empty bottle in the box with many other brown glass ones.

All day, they have been struggling to get the Cambion to talk, but nothing has been working thus far, which led to them taking a much needed break. Maggie had left a couple hours ago to grab some things for dinner, leaving her and Jamie at the cabin to continue their interrogation. Their lack of results are what led to Jamie downing the majority of his case of beer, the frustration evident on his face.

"Can I at least carve him up into tiny bits? Might make him talk," Laine points out with a grin, hoping to finally get some payback for all the comments the damn half-demon has made to her.

Unfortunately, Jamie shuts her down with a shake of his head and stalks over to the back area of the garage. Following him, she nearly marches back out when she catches sight of the smirk on Nate's face.

"How's the little dove doing?" he greets and cocks his head to the side, dimpled smile still present on his face.

"Sod off before I cut your tongue out." At her words, Jamie sends her a look telling her to either calm down or get out. Instead of arguing, Laine does as instructed and opts to lean against the wall to glare silently from there.

Nate bites his lip, wide grin still present, and turns his head to watch Jamie for a second before he returns his gaze to her.

"You'd be an interesting thing to possess, if I could switch bodies. All that pent up anger and guilt makes for a good time, so I'm told. And you're just full of it, Red." He licks his lips and winks, causing a snarl to build up in Laine's throat as it waits to be unleashed along with her rage.

Ever since he woke up this morning, he has been rubbing Laine the wrong way at every chance he gets. That's not to say she hadn't gotten in her fair share of jabs and assaults, both verbal and physical, but his constant taunting is beginning to wear her patience thin.

Without a second though, Laine darts over to the weapons wall and snatches one of the blades off the rack. She spins it in her hand once before she vaults across the few feet separating them, grabbing the monster by the neck.

Her fingers press into his trachea, cutting of his air supply, and she sees his face begin to redden at the lack of oxygen. She contemplates squeezing for a bit longer, the temptation of ending the hell spawn's life becoming increasingly appealing, but she decides against it. She knows they need to try and get something from him, and dead men don't tell secrets.

She releases his neck, watching with satisfaction as he sputters and tries to regain his lost breath, but before he has a chance to fully recover, she plunges the blade into his right thigh.

"Payback, bitch." Giving it a shove to lodge it deeper, Laine steps back and stares down at him with heated eyes for a moment before she spins on her heel and stomps out of the garage.

Heading into the cabin, she jogs up the stairs to her room and rips the dresser drawer open, grabbing a set of workout clothes from within. Since she can't kill Nate like she so desperately wants to – or any monster for that matter – running is going to have to be her outlet right now. She strips and slips on the capris and tank top in record time, only stopping to grab her phone and earbuds before she is heading out the door.

She walks back into the garage, but stays near the door and leans against the frame. "I'm going for a run, okay?"

Seconds later, Jamie peaks out from behind the tarp. "Fine, but don't overdo it. You're still healing."

"I'm fine, Jamie," Laine says with a sigh, arms crossing over her chest. He pins her with a hard look and she sighs again, throwing her arms up in the air. "I'll take it easy, okay? Can I go now?"

"Get outta here, then." He dismisses her with a wave of his hand before disappearing back behind the tarp, low chattering filling the space of the garage.

Leaving the building, she steps into the crisp fall air and begins walking down towards the lake. She jams her headphone buds into her ears and scrolls through her music selection until she comes to an upbeat song, letting the intro drown out everything else.

Her mind and body are soon consumed by the pounding music and the serenity of the surrounding area as she darts off onto a hiking trail they carved out years ago. She only pays half a mind to where she is heading, instead following the leaf covered path wherever it may lead. It's easy to lose herself when running as she falls into a delicate rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other, breathing in and out in time with her balanced movements.

Taking a left on the trail, she dodges a tree branch and after a few more minutes, she finds herself running alongside a brook.

Laine slows her pace down to a walk, relishing in the sweet burn of oxygen entering her lungs, and removes the buds from her ears after pausing the music. While strolling towards the babbling stream, she pushes on the heels of her shoes and slips them off, leaving them discarded in the grass as she steps into the sharp coolness of the fresh water.

A hum escapes her as she wades through the water, toes curling in the dirt while avoiding the small rocks scattered through the soft ground. The water level lowers the further she heads up stream and the terrains fills with moss covered rocks of varying sizes. She takes to stepping across the stones, jumping from one to another with skill, and she only slips off a couple times.

As she gets close to the top of the slope the stream travels down, the sight of a doe grazing in the grass up ahead has her freezing.

Crouching low, Laine watches as it pads across the forest ground and lifts it's head every moment or so to sniff about the air. The doe doesn't take much notice of her presence, the wind blowing her scent in the opposite direction, and she is able to continue studying the animal with curious eyes.

Laine wishes she could be as innocent as these creatures, secluded out here and protected from the horrors of the world that wait outside the canopy of trees.

A snap of twigs to her left sets both her and the deer off, the animal darting away into the safety of the underbrush in the blink of the eye. Laine shifts into a cautious stance as her fingers reach to her knife on instinct, but she clasps around empty air, leaving her partially defenseless.

Glancing around, she scans the area with intent eyes, but see nothing other than trees.

A whistle from behind her catches her attention and she spins around as fast as she can to see what made the noise. Instead of nothing, this time, there is a man standing there.

His tall, lean body is clad in a tailored black suit and red tie, ashen hair disheveled on his head, blue yes set beneath full brows, and just a hint of stubble dusting his jaw and chin. His hands are buried deep within the pockets of his slacks, and there is the slightest touch of a devilish grin on his thin lips.

"Hello, darling," he greets, voice laced with a thick English accent.

"Who are you?" Laine questions, eyeing the man with suspicion. She never heard anyone walk up and no one followed her out here, so either he is extremely proficient at sneaking up on people or he appeared out of thin air.

"Call me Elijah," he says as he takes a single step in her direction, his posture remaining casual and composed. "And you must be Laine Fraser."

Her eyes narrow at his words, the hairs on the back of her neck raising as her senses snap from indicating a threat to ordering her to kill or run. Once again, she is posed with the question of how everyone as of late seems to know who she is.

"How do you know who I am?" she asks while resisting the urge to step back when he steps forward. If she does that, she will be giving off the impression that she is afraid or intimidated by him, neither of which are true.

"I'm surprised we haven't met before now, considering your profession and the people you associate yourself with." His words replay through her mind – he knows about her family, all of them – and she forces her body not to shudder as they chill her down to the bone.

"Still doesn't answer my question," Laine bites back, hands clenching into fists at her sides.

"I pride myself in knowing all I can about possible enemies or allies, and since I have yet to decide what you are..." He trails off with a shrug of his shoulders and flashes her a half-grin. "I must say, though, you are not the easiest person to track down."

"What are you?" she demands.

Laine has already shifting through scenarios and possible outcomes of this encounter, and she comes up with plans on how to escape each of them, hopefully unscathed. If things head downhill, she can resort to blood magic and dispose of him, regardless of what kind of demon he is, but the cost of using such a thing is a price she doesn't wish to pay unless she has no other options.

"I would classify myself as a leader and a businessman," he states, dancing to the left to avoid stepping in something dark and soft-looking sitting on the ground in a lump.

Her gaze doesn't stray from her current target for a second as her mind skirts through the countless possibilities of what kind of demon he could be. After a few seconds of contemplation, she mutters out God's name in Latin – if he is any type of demon, his eyes will change and she will be able to see his true face for a brief second.

Instead of the shifting of features that is the normal reaction, his face remains the same as it was before, yet his eyes transition into a luminous gold.

"If you're not a demon, what are you?" she asks, a frown tugging at her lips as she watches the gold in his eyes flicker for a moment before reverting to blue irises.

He chuckles at her question and steps towards her, barely four feet away from her now. "Oh, I assure you, I am a demon. I'm just a special case."

"What's that even mean?"

"That's a story for another day, love. All you need to know is that I run the show in Hell," he exclaims with a grin, and she can't help but snicker at this, which earns herself a pointed look.

"What would the King of Hell want with me?"

Elijah clicks his tongue and stops his advances towards her when her eyes dart down to his feet, a growl bubbling in her chest, before they dart back up with a warning. At least he knows how to listen.

"I'm also a business man, if it pleases you to know. You see, before I became the ruler of all things damned, I made deals and offered favours to those who appeased me." He avoids her previous question, but instead of calling him out on it, Laine catalogues the information for future reference under a file in her mind titled with his name.

"So, you took the throne when the Big Bad angel got put in time out by the man upstairs?" Laine spins around and makes her way back to where she left her shoes, making sure the demon is following her before picking up her pace. She still hasn't allowed her guard to drop for a second, despite his seemingly casual aura.

If what he said is true, he must be extremely powerful to have remained at the top for the millennia since Lucifer was banished to the deepest parts of Hell after the second Uprising. That, or he's just outrageously lucky.

"How you keep the company you do with your intelligence level, I'll never understand. You're a quick one, that's for sure," he praises, thick voice sounding to be a few feet behind her.

"I take it upon myself to learn everything I can about possible enemies or allies, and you are most definitely an enemy," she says, reciting her own take on his earlier words. Her response earns her a chuckle and a tiny nod of what appears to be approval from Elijah.

Slipping on her shoes, she turns to see Elijah leaning against an oak tree, eyes fixed on her with curious intent.

"You could be a leader, you know. There's great potential within you – it's in your blood. I could help you unlock it," he points out, staring at her with something dark hidden within his eyes that sends shivers crawling up her spine.

Laine knows he's trying to get under her skin, to unnerve her and make her anxious, and she's trying just as hard not to let him succeed.

"Well, I'm flattered, truly, but I don't deal with the Devil," she replies in a sharp tone, stance hardening and muscles tensing, as she prepares to pounce at any sudden movements from the demon in front of her.

"I'm not the Devil, love, so you'd only be making a deal with the King," Elijah states with a grin and a tilt of his head in a suggestive manner.

Shaking her head, she wraps her headphones around her phone and takes a step back.

"I would say it was nice to meet you, but I hate lying when I don't have to." Laine shrugs, curiously observing as his facial expression shifts for a split second into something unreadable before falling back into the casual suave expression it has held since he first appeared. "Later, demon."

She turns and begins walking back towards the trail, ignoring the feeling in her gut telling her to not leave her back open and end him already. Her foot crunches down on the beaten dirt path when Elijah's voice catches up with her and stops her in her tracks; like a helpless insect caught in a spider's web, she is immobilized.

"I knew your mother... and your father, too."

Unable to move forward or away from the demon, she casts a tentative glance over her shoulder, utter confusion and fear present on her colour-drained face.

"What did you say?" The words barely make it past her lips, her throat constricting on itself. The possibility of the demon knowing her mother, she understands, since she was an unofficial Guardian and all, but her father was human and not part of this hidden world, so why would this demon have any interest in him?

"I knew your mother and father." When Elijah sees the confused expression on her face, his eyes widen before a sly grin forms on his lips. "Oh, you didn't know? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your mother wasn't an innocent little Guardian. Well, not that she wanted any of it – and your father. Boy, he wasn't what he appeared to be, either. Oh, how the holy do sin."

Laine doesn't have the time nor the will to get any words of her own out before Elijah is spewing out more of what she hopes are lies.

"You should ask your aunts – they know everything. Dear old James may know a little something, as well," he says, glancing to the sky as if contemplating what to say next. When he looks back to her, his face is expressionless. "This truly has been lovely, but I must be going. Hopefully next time we meet, you'll know more. If not, well... It was nice to make your acquaintance, Ms. Fraser, and I look forward to our next encounter."

He bows his head slightly, and when he straightens, he flashes her a grin and then is gone without a trace.

If there hadn't of been a tree next to her, Laine would have tumbled to ground, for her limbs have turned to complete jelly. Confusion floods through her, overcoming her mind as she tries to understand what he was going on about in regards to her mother and father. What did he mean by 'how the holy sin'?

If the confusion muddling her mind isn't enough, the burning sensation that shoots up her spine, through her shoulders and neck, and across her upper back is more unwelcome than the intrusive thoughts.

She claws feverishly at her back, wincing in pan as the burn flows through her veins like liquid fire, heating her body from the inside out. Her breathing is rapid and coming out in sharp puffs as she places a hand against the tree to steady herself. Rubbing her fingers across her chest, she tries to soothe the fire searing beneath her flesh.

Just as the burning starts to subside, the unusual birthmark on her neck flares with heat, the pain even more intense than before.

She nearly doubles over in agony as she grips the back of her neck, knuckles white. Her bottom lip is clenched between her teeth to stop the sounds threatening to rip up the insides of her chest and throat.

Another wave of blistering pain surges through her body, settling in her head. Laine's teeth tear through her lip, digging deep and drawing hot blood to the surface, and she nearly gags on the taste. The scream that rips out of her throat slices through the silence of the forest, the birds lifting off and fleeing the area as the terrible sound echoes against the trees.

She doesn't feel herself falling until she hits the hard ground, body curling into a tight ball to try and stop the pain. Her head hurts, it hurts so much, and she can no longer open her eyes due to the onslaught of agony.

She needs to get back to the cabin, but she can barely lift herself off the ground, let alone make the trip back home. In this state, she won't make it two feet before she collapses, and she knows it, but she tries it anyway.

Collapsing is the last thing Laine remembers happening as her mind falls into a hazy state. More screams and horrible noises are unleashed, all coming from her.

She is alone, in the middle of the forest, and there is no way she is going to escape this Hell.