Alastor's POV

My shoes clicked softly on the concrete as I walked.

A soft tune fell past my lips in a quiet hum. Taking in a deep breath, I looked around at the blood soaked streets.

The scent of iron was thick in the air. There was not a soul left on the streets, most of them having ran.

The rest were currently painting the asphalt.

My fun is over, it seems...I'm much calmer now.

A deep sigh left my lungs.

Another failed lead...the imbecile who told me he could help me was trying to sell me a child.

Just a little teenage girl.

Adamantly insisting that she was the woman I was looking for. The poor thing was terrified, obviously there against her will. I watched her nod and shake her head, agreeing with his every word.

It absolutely made my blood boil.

After disposing of him and his gross friends, I gathered the shaking little girl into my arms and took her away from that place.

While no, she was not the one I am currently searching for, I felt pity for her. She was utterly terrified of me, however.

After taking her back to her family, who she had disclosed to me she was kidnapped from, I took my remaining anger out on the denizens of my territory.

I need to calm down on the amount of times I've been doing these rampages, because soon I'll have no one left to kill.

And what fun would that be?

It's just so...frustrating.

I have torn this place apart, I've been to the furthest corners of the pentagram. I've talked to every demon I could think of and then some.

A full 12 months have passed. An entire year.

In fact, the extermination was only last week. That in itself gave me anxiety.

I hope wherever she is...she's strong enough to endure that on her own. She's stubborn, hard headed and everything in between...

My Aria...

My little love...my peu d'amour...

I miss her...

I barely even noticed my brows furrow, mindlessly stepping over the organs scattering the ground.

That is, until an absolutely delectable smell entered my nose. My steps came to a slow, and I stopped completely in front of an alleyway. The smell seemed to lead down into it.

My smile quirked up amusedly.

Someone is hiding? Oh how delicious...they smell fantastic, unfortunately for them, so I think I'll be having them as my dinner.

My entire body shifted as I turned to walk into the alley, still humming softly. Deep into the alleyway, I could faintly hear the soft pitter patter of a little heartbeat.

Taking in another deep breath, a soft purr exited my chest. My, this person has such a wonderful scent. Very familiar, as well...the aroma was distinct, and I'm sure I'd smelled it before.

My eyes fell on the dumpster near the dead end of the alley way, and I watched as a little foot pulled back, quickly disappearing from my sight.

Slowly making my way over to the dumpster, I chuckled darkly.

"Oh, dear, it seems you're not quite the best at-"

As soon as the demon was within full view to me, I felt as if the air was knocked from my lungs. I stood there, stunned.

My brows furrowed, staring down at the small, shivering demon woman. Her hair was a frosty white, her eyes a bright orange. Her expression was one of pure terror, but what I was focused on was her face.

The face so familiar to me.

The face I've been looking for.

The face that belongs to the woman I love.

I shook my head, blinking. I was convinced I must be hallucinating, imagining that this demon resembled her so.

But even after blinking she stayed the same...huddled into the corner, trembling. I stared down at her before slowly lowering to my knees in front of her.

My expression had completely fallen, shock replacing my signature smile. She kept her eyes on me, a deep scowl on her pretty face.

As I came closer to her, lowering to her level, I noticed her pale face was dusted in freckles. Excitement began to swell in my chest, but I quickly muted it.

I've been disappointed too many times at this point...

She could simply just be a lookalike...nothing more. I went to reach out to her, and her ears that sat on top of her head pinned back.

Her body threw itself back against the wall at my advance, and she actually swiped at me with her claws.

I was a bit surprised, my ears perking up slightly at her attempt to scratch me. Not a word has been spoke between us yet.

I could still hear her terrified heartbeat, pounding in her chest so hard I was afraid she may have a heart attack.

I refused to let my hopes get up...however, I can no longer eat this girl.

She resembles her too much...

She looks very weak. Her skin has many scrapes and bruises...maybe she'll let me help her. She seems to be completely horrified by my presence...

"Hello..." I started, quickly restoring my smile. The woman growled at me, her ears remaining pinned back.

She shifted slightly and something caught my eye. My gaze fell to her hands, one of them clutching her shirt.

The world shattered around me.

My blood froze in my veins.

Every ounce of my prior reasoning flew out the window as my excitement returned full force.

Sitting on her finger...was a golden ring.

That's no coincidence.

My smile widened and my heart started to beat faster. I couldn't stop myself from snatching her hand up and looking at the ring. I chuckled and shook my head.

Immediately she yanked her hand from my grasp, and this time when she swiped her claws at me she landed her blow. This caught me completely off guard, and I stumbled away slightly.

Blood began to trickle down my face, and I placed my hand over my cheek. I looked back to her, and her scared eyes were fixed into an angry expression.

In my brief euphoric realization that I finally found her...I completely forgot about the curse.

So...she really did lose her memory of me...

"Aria," I said softly, the cuts on my cheek already having healed. I placed my hands to my chest, trying to make myself seem less threatening to her.

"Come here, let me help you..." I reached out to her and she bared her teeth at me as she let out a visceral hiss.

"L-leave me alone!" She said, trying to make her voice sound big. It came out sounding weak and shaky.

"O-or I'll-I'll cut you again!" She threatened me, and I would have laughed given any other circumstance.

I slowly inched towards her, holding my hand out.

"Dear, don't be like that...come here, I can help," I offered, making sure to keep my tone even and friendly. She hissed again, her hands gathering at her chest.

She clutched her ratty oversized shirt, the sleeve falling to reveal her skin. Her shoulder was dusted with freckles, and I felt my heart flutter.

It's really her...it's actually her!

Her breaths came quickly the closer I came to her, and her eyes were wide. She stared up at me, her lips trembling slightly. It pains me that she is so terrified.

She growled suddenly and kicked her feet towards me. Narrowly avoiding that outburst, I retreated back to where I had been.

I don't...I don't want to be forceful...but how can I make her trust me enough to come with me?

As I pondered this, movement caught my eye, and then my eyes widened as I realized Aria had begun to scurry away from me towards the opening of the alley way.

"Wait!" I called out, stumbling to get up and run after her. Without even thinking I teleported and cut her off.

I held my hands out and she skidded to a stop. Her lips parted and she took a couple of steps back.

"Just...come with me, I can help you, Aria," I said again, my voice sounding slightly more desperate. She growled lowly, and I noticed her claws extend slightly.

"Get out of my way! Leave me alone!" She yelled, and I shook my head.

"I can't do that, honey," I said softly, "I'm not leaving this alley way unless you're coming with me."

She bent at the knees, her orange eyes bled into a deep red and she bared her teeth at me in a snarl.

I've been challenged many times in my death...many times I've won each fight. Many have been with weak demons...easily defeated.

But now I'm face to face with the woman I fell in love with.

And to my complete dismay...she is challenging me to a fight.

"Aria, don't do this, I won't fight you," I said, keeping my hands up and my claws retracted to their shortest length. I even lowered my ears as a surrender.

But hell seems to have been too rough on her...she's terrified, alone, and cornered by a man she doesn't remember.

I also happen to be a powerful overlord...which doesn't help my case at all.

"Stop saying my name!" She screamed, and then launched herself at me. Her body collided with mine, and I fell back. She was on top of me, swinging her hands blindly.

I caught her wrists easily and held them.

"Stop this! I'm not here to hurt you!"

"Liar!" She shot back, and squirmed a wrist free from my hold. She successfully landed a punch to my face.

It didn't hurt, not even a little bit.

In fact, she whimpered and cradled her hand before shaking it off and growling at me again. I used her moment of distraction to completely flip our positions.

I pinned her down, my hair hanging into my face as I stared down at her. She struggled, kicking her feet.

I used my body to hold her legs down, and she writhed beneath me.

"Aria, stop this! Stop it! Look up here, you know me," I pleaded with her, my heart breaking more and more with each passing moment she fought against me.

"I don't know you! Get off of me!" She shouted, her eyes meeting mine for a second. Hers were glossy, but determined.

Then she managed to wiggle a leg free, and before I could restrain her again pain exploded between my legs as she brought her knee up to my crotch roughly.

I let out a short squeak, my eyes widening. Every nerve in my body was lit on fire, and I actually felt a little sick.

"That wasn't very nice..." I squeaked out, my voice sounding higher. She seemed satisfied with herself, and I could've rolled my eyes.

Glad to see she hasn't changed a bit.

I managed to keep my grip on her, and slowly the ache dissipated thanks to my advanced healing abilities.

I went over my options, watching her struggle beneath me. Quickly, I let her go, sitting back on my knees.

She scrambled up and sprinted off, and my shadow came up next to me, staring at me expectantly.

"Get her." I ordered simply, and he cut her off. She hissed at him, trying to fight him. Each swing went through his body until he grabbed her hands and held them behind her back.

He started bringing her back to me.

Slowly I stood back up, and she struggled the entire way over.

Such a fiery woman...god, I love her.

When she made it to me, she stared up at me, seething.

"I'm sorry I had to do it this way," I said genuinely, and then she spit at my feet.

"Fuck you." She growled out, and I blinked.

Then I sighed, putting my hand over her eyes. She flinched and pulled against my shadow.

"Get your hands off-!"

"Sleep."

Instantly she fell limp, my shadow quickly catching and cradling her. He looked down at her sadly, and then handed her to me before returning to his place, hidden in my actual shadow.

I stared down at her now relaxed features, brushing some of her hair from her eyes.

"I'll get you fixed up..." I mumbled, and started to walk, "we can get you some food...everything will be alright," I murmured.

Even if it means I need to start all over again...

Now that she's here, everything is just fine.