Chapter Four

Living with someone again was odd.

I wasn't used to another presence in the house. Whenever I got up from my desk and went into the kitchen, I would find Alexion there, making food or brewing tea, sometimes feeding scraps to the rat that had found its way back into the kitchen. I couldn't tell if I was uncomfortable or curious or maybe an odd mixture of both.

I stood at the corner that went into the kitchen, peeking out to watch Alexion as he sifted cubes of sugar around in his cranberry tea. He picked up a sugar cube from the bag and pushed it across the counter to the rat that had crawled onto the counter. It scurried across, snatched it up, and ran away with it. Alexion watched it go and I tried to determine his emotions from his expression, but it was difficult. His facial features seemed to remain calm, almost bored, but his eyes were spoke of the opposite, of an inner turmoil I wanted to find and understand, but it would take time. Just as it would take time for me to cope with the fact that, despite Alexion being here, I was still alone.

Alexion moved to turn around and I ducked back, pressing my back against the wall and holding my breath, eyes squeezed shut. There was a short pause.

"Charon, if you're gonna spy on me, at least take something to eat." Alexion said. Heat crept up to my cheeks and stung them as I swallowed hard, trying to will it away. Once it was safe to come out, I inched around the corner, looking past him at the kettle and the place where the rat had run off to before meeting Alexion's intense stare. One that gave me chills.

"I'm not hungry." I told him quietly, stopping a few feet from him. Alexion cocked his head.

"Thirsty?"

"No."

"Then what is it? You've been watching me for ten minutes." He added, arching a brow. He was teasing me, I realized after a moment. There was a hint of a playful tone in his voice. I shifted awkwardly, not quite used to being teased in a manner that wasn't meant to be obscene and harmful. Even Kyros had avoided being playful like that, probably afraid that he would unintentionally hurt my feelings.

"I... Uhm," I hesitated, trying to find the appropriate words, "I guess... I was just wondering... If you were going to be staying for a while." Alexion's lips worked into a frown and instantly I felt stupid for asking that. He probably thought I was trying to kick him out... was I? I had never really had someone visit me just so they could cook and clean my house. Visitors never stayed for more than a few minutes, even Cerberus. It was like they couldn't stand the aura of awkward I seemed to bleed off.

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked at last.

"No," I blurted instantly, then stopped, unable to stop the blush from painting my cheeks and now I could definitely see the amusement dancing in Alexion's sapphire blue eyes as I stumbled to correct myself, "I-I mean. Like, I don't know. You did try to kill my brothers and destroy the world and I don't know if I want to live with someone who could kill me-- not that I don't trust you, I mean, I don't-- Wait, no. I meant... I didn't mean for any of that to come out like that." Embarrassment made my entire body hot as I stood there, feeling completely stupid. This was why I tried to think before I spoke. I couldn't speak off the top of my head like my brothers or Hades, or anyone else I've met for that matter. I had to take time to think about what I'm going to say before I say it; otherwise, everything comes out sounding horrid. I wouldn't be surprised if Alexion decided to leave because he was disgusted by me.

But much to my surprise, Alexion shrugged, leaning back on the counter and picking up a sugar cube to place on his tongue. The way he did it was almost... erotic. The saliva on his tongue melted the sugar away as he pulled it into his mouth and sucked on it, shifting it into his cheek as he spoke.

"I actually don't have anywhere to go. Or any money. And I'm kind of tired of selling myself. I get you don't trust me, that's fine. I don't trust you either. But we have a common enemy now. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So for now, we're friends." He responded. I looked at him, confused.

Friends?

I had never had a friend before, so I wasn't sure what friends did. Did they do things like lovers did, or was it a more watered down version? PG-13? Heat rose into my cheeks. There was no way I was letting anyone touch me, or kiss me. While occasionally my body would ache and burn for it, I wasn't exactly the type of person that could just go into something like that so suddenly.

"Uhm... Friends? What do friends do?" I asked, just to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting his meaning. And apparently Alexion read it on my face because his cheeks colored too, but his brows knit together in a frown.

"We're not having sex. I don't want anyone touching me." His voice was sharp and I felt a sting from it.

Gods, I'm stupid. Of course he wasn't suggesting a sexual relationship. Nobody had ever done such a thing for me, or to me. Even the prostitutes that slunk about in Styx would avoid me. They didn't want a lanky inexperienced ancient god of death in their beds. No amount of money would suffice for such a thing.

But it still hurt.

"Same here." I said at last. Alexion frowned further.

"Don't look so hurt," He said, making me wince in embarrassment as he turned back around to take the steeper from his tea, "It's not you. It's me. Literally. I just hate people touching me. It's personal. I don't mean to hurt you or anything." I still wasn't feeling all that great about what I said. I had just created an awkward situation and now really wished Alexion would leave, just so I could crawl into bed and hide. I felt so uncomfortable now as Alexion sipped his tea in silence and I tried to find something to do. I had tons of work piled up and had to do it, but it was so hard to concentrate with Alexion in the house, moving about as if he had lived here for years.

I finally opened my mouth to speak when I heard someone knocking on the door quite obnoxiously. Alexion's expression twisted in confusion, mirroring my own until I looked up at the clock on the wall and my eyes widened in sudden horrified remembrance.

"Oh," I managed, looking at Alexion, who pinned me with a glare, "I... Accidentally made plans." Alexion cursed under his breath and set the tea cup down, heading past me to my room as the knocking came again, this time accompanied by Cerberus's voice calling out to me.

"I'll hide in your room," Alexion told me firmly, "I should have some power left to conceal myself. Just keep 'em busy and don't let them all the way into the house." I nodded at that, wondering why I was taking his orders in the first place as I made my way to the front door, pulling it open just as Cerberus was about to walk in. Thank goodness Blaine had taught him the proper way to greet me by knocking on my door instead of just barging in like he used to.

Cerberus greeted me with a big grin that changed his normally rakish and sexy demeanor to something far more playful and childish. It was borderline adorable-- if he didn't annoy me. Leon stood behind him, arms folded over his chest. His dreadlocks were pulled back from his face with a black scarf printed with skulls all over it, making his green eyes all the more greener. His dark skin was stretched tight over bulging rock hard muscles that spoke of hours of training and working out. He wore a black leather jacket just past his waist and a black wife-beater beneath it, matching his black leather pants that hugged fine long legs that disappeared into buckled ankle boots.

Cerberus, too, wore his cropped leather jacket and leather pants. He didn't look overly Gothic tonight or sexual, but it came as no surprise since he worshipped the ground Blaine walked on. I had a feeling Blaine wasn't pleased that Cerberus was going to be out tonight.

"We came to pick you up!" He exclaimed, peeking into the house curiously. I frowned at that and stepped out, slamming the door shut behind me. I glared up at him as an indication that I didn't want him being nosy. He didn't take the hint.

"Is your stove on? You finally figured out how to work it?" He asked eagerly. I gave him a droll stare.

"Yes, and yes. Look, I don't think I can go out tonight--"

"Of course not," Cerberus agreed, making me frown, "You're not even dressed right. We're going out to a bar, brother, not a funeral." Before I could protest, Cerberus snapped his fingers and my attire changed. I instantly felt uncomfortable. The shirt crawled too close to my collarbone, the sleeves long and the torso hanging just past my waist. It was entire black and there were slashes of mesh across it so you could see my bare skin. Tight leather pants also crossed with mesh, thankfully not in the areas near my groin, and tall black boots with a bit of a heel so that I was an inch or so taller. I shivered at that, glaring up at him past my hair.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." I muttered. Cerberus didn't sense my discomfort in the attire obviously as he beamed, then let it melt into a pout as he cocked his head from side to side before he snapped his fingers again, adding on a black military style coat with a stand up collar and silver chains and ring detailing along the shoulders. I grimaced at that, then tried not to hiss past clenched teeth as Cerberus reached out and ruffled my hair with both his hands, but allowed my bangs to stay near my face. He stepped back, beaming in satisfaction.

"Great! You look hot. I should dress you up like this more often." He added. Leon looked at me apologetically.

"He's in a really good mood. Might as well play along." He said. I wanted to tell him there was no way I was going out into public like this and I would much rather stay home and figure out the ex-god hiding in my bedroom, but I couldn't risk them getting suspicious or trying to come in. The longer we stood out here, the more dangerous it got.

I had no choice.

And my stomach was already clenching. My chest drew tight and my throat hurt.

It got even worse when we teleported to the "bar" Cerberus was talking about. It wasn't a bar; it was a club. A two-story Gothic club that pulsed with an alternative song that sounded like a cross between techno, screamo, and rock. The words sounded German. The windows were all painted over in black, but I could still see the flashing lights inside. The entrance was designed to look like the gates of a cemetery with large black wooden doors behind it with bats designed on it. There was a line of people outside, all decked out in head to toe with enough Gothic attire to terrorize an entire Christian community. A few were waving around glow sticks or other oddly glowing items. Most of them were younger people, in their twenties, a few in their thirties. Or they were probably older than that, knowing the folk who found their way to the underworld.

I stayed close behind Cerberus beside Leon as we made our way the entrance. The whole way, my throat felt like it was slowly closing up. This was certainly not my thing. I was an introvert. Loud noises made my head hurt and the flashing lights burned my eyes. I could already feel the rejection that would happen when we came inside.

Cerberus approached the large muscular beast at the door. A man with skin so dark it was nearly ebony, with a shaved head tattooed with the picture of a white glowing bat baring its fangs. He wore more of a plain black attire, t-shirt with the club's name on it and leather pants that strained to contain his weight and muscle. He had a very unfriendly looking look on his dark face until he saw Cerberus and he brightened, ignoring the line of people who were whining to get in.

"Yo, Scooby!" He greeted, holding his hand out. Cerberus took it and they did this odd sort of handshake that involved pulling each other close, clapping each other on the back, then bouncing their fists off each other. Upon closer inspection, this bouncer had a few more tattoos that also glowed in neon colors. A bird flying across the back of his neck and two crosses on the lobes of his ears.

"Benny," Cerberus greeted in return, "I was hoping you'd be working tonight. How goes it? Any break ins yet?" Benny chuckled, giving his head a shake and gesturing to the line of attendees, who were whining for a while before they realized it was Cerberus holding up the line and they all went silent, a few shouting out to Cerberus and waving. It was almost like Cerberus was a celebrity in the underworld's Goth community.

There was a twinge of jealousy for Cerberus's popularity, but it didn't surprise me. Cerberus, though crude and vulgur at times, was incredibly friendly and likeable. He was very open-minded and playful with everyone.

"No break-ins," Benny assured, stepping aside to open the chained gates, "And just so you know, Derrek's at the bar and waiting to buy you a drink, so get ready." Cerberus flashed him a charming grin.

"Well, this time I have a legit excuse. This pup is taken." As if to emphasize his point, Cerberus wiggled his fingers around, causing a ring to materialize onto his finger. A black ring with a skull and ruby red eyes. Benny whistled.

"Lucky gal."

"Lucky guy."

"No judgement," Benny replied with a smirk, "I figured you were more of a cock chaser anyhow."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're so gay it hurts." Benny responded, grasping at his chest in a motion of pain. Cerberus wrinkled his nose and elbowed Benny, who returned the gesture before they did their weird handshake before Benny allowed us into the club.

Inside was even worse than outside.

It was a gigantic room filled with people. It was like a giant warehouse inside and a second floor was opened above us to see hundreds more people dancing along the railings. Bodies squirmed together like worms in a can, grinding and jumping, some just swaying as if they were in a trance. There was a corner of the room reserved for people who were seated in long sofas shaped like coffins, a few arm chairs shaped like a vampire's open mouth occupied by several couples. The bar was a long obsidian sheet and the seats were designed to look like spider webs with dangling spiders.

Yeah, this was most certainly not in my comfort zone. I could feel the pressure of anxiety and discomfort pressing in around me even worse as people moved past me. Most of them were hot and sticky from dancing so much. And while some of them looked unfriendly due to their severely Gothic attire, a few apologized for bumping into me and a couple of girls giggled when they bumped into me. It was still unnerving.

"Let's head to the bar," Cerberus called over the music, "I know just the drink for you!" Without waiting for a response, he started to make his way through the crowd. At first, it was difficult pushing through all the people, until they realized it was Cerberus and everyone began to part, making way for him to reach his destination.

"Don't worry," Leon said over the music, making me glance at him as he leaned close to me, "It's only bad now because it's a full moon tonight and things get crazy, but it starts to spill out between midnight and three in the morning!" I wasn't sure how that was supposed to comfort me. I had only promised to stay for an hour. Any longer and I'd probably suffer a heart attack.

We managed to make it to the bar where we sat down and Cerberus waved to the bartender, ordering a couple of very obscenely named drinks. It made me grimace. Cerberus glanced at me, then smirked and leaned in.

"Don't sit all scrunched up like that! Sit up and project." He pushed my shoulders back and put his finger under my chin to lift my face. I swallowed hard, very uncomfortable and hoping Cerberus would get the vibes, but he turned to say something to Leon. I said Cerberus's name, but it was drowned out by the music and chatter going on around us.

The bartender returned with our drinks.

They were tall glasses filled with a liquid that looked suspiciously like blood because of the pomegranate juice, and I could smell the thick alcohol inside, probably bourbon from the odor. A black straw with a bat clasped to the middle finished it off. I glanced at Cerberus, who downed half the glass right there, licking his lips in satisfaction. Leon just took a few sips of his, glancing around for an obvious potential mate. I picked up the drink, sniffing at it. I didn't particularly like the smell of the alcohol mingled with the fruit, but I did tell Cerberus I would try things for an hour. I took a deep breath and took a sip.

Instantly, I loathed the burn of it in my throat. It was only mildly soothed by the pomegranate juice. I cringed inwardly, then glanced at Cerberus, who had already finished his and was getting up to greet someone he saw just a few seats down. Leon had also vanished and I was now alone.

Again.

How odd, that even in a place so crammed with other people, I still felt alone. It was as if I was trapped in a bubble and no one came near it. Without really thinking about it, I guzzled down the rest of the drink, savoring the way it burned my throat and stomach. The bartender, without even being told to, refilled my glass. I cocked my head at that curiously, looking up as the bartender left. I took a few sips of this one before I looked around and realized I was still alone.

I wished an hour would pass by already.

I chugged down the rest of the glass. Again, the bartender refilled it. By now, I felt odd.

I felt sluggish. The world felt like I was looking through a blurry window. I bit at my bottom lip and tried to find Cerberus by looking into the crowd, I couldn't spot him at all. It was odd considering he was so gigantic. You'd think he'd tower over all these people... Then again, half the people were were wearing huge platforms. I turned back to see that the bartender had given me more alcohol after a third glass. I had a bad feeling about it.

I decided to look for Cerberus, because I was losing track of time and the clock shaped like a screaming cat on the wall was melting. Or, rather, it looked like it was melting. I couldn't be sure. I just wanted to leave.

I slid off the bar stool and wandered into the crowd, assuming Cerberus had already paid for the drinks, which explained why the bartender kept giving me more and more alcohol. Had Cerberus paid him to get me drunk? It didn't seem like his style.

I felt wobbly and off balance as I tried to make my way through the crowd, trying to find the door, but I couldn't tell which way was which. I paused in the crowd, confused as I searched for Cerberus, or at least Leon, but it was so hard. There were too many people and many of them seemed taller than me. I had never felt so small before.

And awkward. Everyone was dancing and singing and laughing and talking. I just stood there uncomfortably. My anxiety wasn't mixing well with the alcohol buzzing through my system. I felt numb as I tried to push my way through the crowd again when I tripped and fell over someone's boot, almost faceplanting into feet when I instead found myself smacking into Cerberus, who was talking and laughing with a group of girls and a couple of guys.

"Whoa," Cerberus exclaimed, steadying me on my feet, "Are you all right?" I didn't know how to answer that. I just looked up at him, a little confused as to why things looked distorted. He looked taller than usual and his red eyes glowed in the dark like a dog's, sort of like mine, except mine were a shade of purple, not red.

Red reminded me of blood.

A little sliver of fear shot through me and I wasn't sure why. Cerberus couldn't hurt me. And yet, my mind refused to see reason as I swallowed hard, trying to find words to tell Cerberus to take me home when one of the guys Cerberus had been talking to came forward to run his hand down the sleeve of my jacket, making me look at him in confusion. He was incredibly tall and lithe with long white-blonde hair, a few black raven feathers tied into his hair. His eyes were almond shaped and piercing blue, almost like Hades's eyes. He wore a long red and black jacket with cargo rings running down the sleeves and sides, over a mesh t-shirt with hundreds of glow sticks pinned to the little holes, and black and red Tripp pants to red Doc Martens.

"Aw," He said, sounding as if he'd seen a puppy, "He's so cute!" The other guy laughed, elbowing the blondie. This guy was far more muscular with a tight black, sleeveless turtleneck and matching pants. His hair was icy blue and cut short, gelled back from his face and turqoise eyes with an elliptical pupil.

"Quit flirting, Akin. Otherwise, I'm telling Paulina on you." He added. Akin pouted and gave my arm a little tug that should've bothered me, but for some reason, I found myself unable to care. I was too entranced by the glow sticks moving around, clinging to the mesh of his shirt. I reached out to touch one and Akin grinned. He plucked the purple stick off and reached out, clipping one to one of the rings on my jacket.

"It totally matches your eyes," He told me when I looked at him curiously and he made a girly squeal, "God, he's so fucking adorable, Ceb! Where'd you get him?" Cerberus made a face, waving Akin to get back from me.

"He's my brother, you slut. Quit touching all over him. Hades'll get pissed if he finds out Charon's gay." He added. Akin shrugged.

"I wasn't gonna date him... Just play with him." He added. I had no idea what he was referring to. I was a little unnerved by the way Cerberus pinned him with a very serious glare.

"I know how you play with things, A. You're not touching him. Paws off." He ordered. Akin pouted anyway and his blue-haired friend patted him on the shoulder and assured him there would be another chance. I wanted to tell him there wouldn't be another chance, because I was going home, but my mouth didn't want to work. I touched Cerberus's arm, for a half-second expecting my hand to pass through him like in my nightmares, but I managed to solidly grab Cerberus's arm, pausing to give it a shake to make sure I was actually holding onto it. Akin made another excited squealing sound and his friend laughed. The girls were giggling and sharing secret smiles. They all wore very short pleated skirts decorated in either red plaid or skulls and bats with tall spiked heels. Basically, they were very skantily clad with glow sticks decorating their attire.

"Cerberus." I said, but my voice sounded far away. Cerberus leaned down, lending me his ear. I looked at it, confused for a second, then realizing he was telling me to talk to him. I cleared my throat.

"Home," I said and he shook his head, indicating he couldn't hear me and I stomped a foot impatiently, "Home!" Cerberus still didn't hear me.

"Do you want something to drink," Akin called over the music, leaning toward me and making Cerberus flash him a dangerous glare, "I'm just offering him a drink, Ceb, don't give me the evil eye! You're so mean!"

"You're the one with the nasty kinks, A. Just take him back to the bar. I have to find Leon." Cerberus ordered. Akin beamed from ear-to-ear, reaching out to take me by the elbow in a grip that was quite strong and pinched me. Cerberus wandered off to find Leon while Akin led me toward the bars, or at least, I thought he was, until I saw us approaching the bathrooms. Male and female indicated by fanged smilies, the female's having a pink bow on its head.

Akin led me into the men's room. It smelled heavily of booze and some expensive candle.

"It smells nice in here." I murmured. Akin gave me an amused grin.

"It's a public bathroom." He pointed out. I shrugged and almost tripped in the process, but Akin caught me and steadied me as we passed a couple of guys who were making out in a stall.

"Public bathrooms. They usually smell really bad," I told Akin matter-of-factly, "They're very gross. This one smells nice. They should... They should tell other public bathrooms how to smell." I paused, wrinkling my nose. Did I really just say that? I sounded horribly stupid, and it wasn't just the way my words seemed to slur together. Akin just smiled down at me and reached up to brush the bangs from my face, which bothered me, but I felt too tired to tell him.

"You're totally adorable. I can't believe Cerberus didn't tell me about you before. You're so my type." He added, giving his head a girly little tilt. I looked at him in confusion.

"Type of what?" I asked. Akin snickered and brushed the hair out of my face again, but instead of dropping his hand away from my face like last time, he cupped my cheek and his other hand dipped down, finger looping in one of the belt loops of my pants, pulling me closer.

"Type of pet." He murmured, brushing his nose by mine. I could smell the alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. A stark contrast to the scent of the bathroom. Not that he smelled like a public bathroom. Ugh, I was comparing him to a public bathroom... Wait, what were we doing in the bathroom? I opened my mouth to ask Akin to take me to the bar, but his mouth fell over mine and my eyes widened.

He was kissing me!

That's not normal!

No, it was normal, but not normal for me!

His mouth was warm and soft and tasted supiciously like strawberries. But he was incredibly rough about it. At first, it was just a gentle wet kiss where his tongue dove into my mouth, but then he started biting at my lower lip and it stung, bringing tears to my eyes. I stepped back to get away, but he just followed me and ensured that our mouths didn't break apart as he pushed me against the wall between two sinks. I squirmed, wedging my arms between us to push on his chest and he instantly broke away from my mouth to look at me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sounding honestly confused. I was at a loss for words for a moment and when he started to go in to kiss me again, I gave him another push to stop him.

"You can't kiss me." I told him, making my voice stern so he got the point. Akin raised an eyebrow as he reached up to run his hand along my arm, giving me goosebumps as he laced his fingers with mine, his hand a top the one I had pushed against his chest. He pulled my hand away from his chest and brought it up so he could kiss the palm. Chills crept through me, but they were chills of discomfort and anxiety. I didn't know what he was doing, or why he was doing it. Hadn't he heard Cerberus's warnings, or was the music too loud? Probably the music.

"Why not," He purred against my skin, "You're super cute. I like cute guys. I like to make them squeal." I felt my brows furrow in a frown of displeasure and confusion.

"I do not squeal." I informed him, trying to take my hand away from him, but his grip held fast and a little gasp of surprise escaped my lips at how strong he was. He was crushing my hand in his, but he was still smiling at me sweetly, friendly like.

A thought occured to me. Was he being friendly and I was just being rude? Was I embarrassing Cerberus by being rude? Was that why he left and Akin took me away? I don't know how that made sense to me in that moment, but it did.

"Sorry," I said suddenly, making Akin arch a brow, "I don't... Uhm, I don't get out much. Like, out of the house. Er, well, I mean, I do. My job, but like... Out out, as in out with people." Akin smiled slowly at that and gave my palm another kiss, his grip loosening.

"That's okay, cutie. Speaking of which, which brother are you? I think I've met most of them, but you don't look very familiar." He said. I started to say my name until I hesitated. Was that a good idea? What if he didn't want me anymore when he found out who I was? I didn't want to be alone anymore and Akin was the only person who was willing to talk to me.

"Ah... He lied," I said, making Akin tilt his head, "I'm... not his brother. Uh, he just... I kinda work for his dad." Akin's eyes lit up at that.

"Oh yeah? That's cool. I figured Cerberus would pull that card on me. He hates it when I steal his dates. What's your name?" He asked. I stared at him for a second and his smile just widened as he brushed the hair back from my face and kissed me on the nose, making me cross my eyes for a moment to look at him before uncrossing them to meet his gaze as he gave another girly squeal.

"Never mind. I'll just call you pet. Pets don't need real names." He added, winking at me. I had no idea what he meant. I most certainly was not a pet. I was a person. A god-- Akin interrupted my thought process as he kissed me hungrily again, pushing me back against the wall. I pushed at him again, but this time, he didn't back off. I squirmed as he nipped at my lips that felt swollen now. I was a little panicky, as I had no idea what was happening and the more I tried to focus, the more tired I became.

I eventually gave up, his mouth taking complete control of me. He ran his hands down my arms and pushed my jacket off my shoulders, letting it fall on the floor. I almost bent over to pick it up, but he pushed me back against the wall a bit roughly and captured my lips again. My mouth was starting to hurt, lips and tongue too.

Everything was completely distorted and it didn't help that shameless tears were blurring my vision from the amount of pain he was causing just by kissing me.

"God, you're so fucking adorable," Akin moaned against my mouth, trailing his hands down the front of my shirt before sneaking them up and placing them against my bare skin, "So you're so tiny and cute. I just want to fuck you until you beg for more. I wonder how tight you are." I shivered, his cold hands wandering up my shirt, further and further until his fingertips brushed my nipples and I sucked in a sharp breath, staring at his hands as his fingers pinched and pulled at my nipples. I couldn't quite feel anything because I was numb now. I couldn't even feel my lips throbbing anymore. He pulled on my nipples a little before shifting it so the mesh was pushed against it and he licked through it. I held my breath, staring at him in disbelief, feeling heat creep into my face.

Just what did he think he was doing?

Did he have no idea who I was? Oh, right... I kept that from him. To him, I was pet. I didn't have a name, and for some reason, that felt oddly nice. I liked not having a name. That way people didn't grimace. To Akin, I was cute and, granted, I would've rather heard something a little more meaningful, but cute was the best I was going to get, so I was okay with that.

I just wished it didn't feel so uncomfortable. I was starting to feel pain again when he bit on my nipple and pulled on it, making me wince. I pressed myself hard against the black tiles of the bathroom, breathing hard.

I was starting to wish he'd stop.

I wanted to go to sleep.

Dizziness was making me sink down to the floor and Akin smirked down at me breathlessly, licking his lips hungrily.

"Open up, pet. Let me feel that soft mouth of yours somewhere else." He teased, brushing his thumb down over my lips. I looked at him, confused as he sat on his knees in front of me, fumbling to unbuckle his pants. I watched him, until the door to the bathroom flew open and Cerberus filled the doorway like a foreboding shadow with Leon right behind him.

Without a word, Cerberus appeared by Akin, grabbed him by the back of his jacket and threw him off me so he skidded across the floor and slammed into a stall. Akin cursed foully, glaring at Cerberus, who gave him a menacing glare.

"Touch my brother again and I'll rip your cock off." He threatened darkly. Akin hesitated. I stared at Cerberus in disbelief. Cerberus turned to me, storming over and grabbing me up by the arm quite roughly.

"W-Wait, Cerberus," I started in confusion as he dragged me out of the bathroom, "Cerberus, I don't understand!" He ignored me and my heart sank. He was mad at me... But why? He and Leon had abandoned me at the bar. I had no one to talk to and Akin was beng so nice. Well, weird, but nice.

People made way for Cerberus as he moved across the dance floor to the exit, taking long, angry strides so it was difficult to keep up with him. We left the bar and appeared outside the house by the river Acheron.

"Are you stupid," Cerberus demanded, making me look at him in confusion, "Akin isn't your type! First of all, he's a dude. Second of all, Akin's into really hardcore shit. Stuff that'll scare you shitless. I figured he was making it kind of obvious. He'd rip you apart and leave you a sobbing mess. Didn't Kyros ever teach you not to go near those kinds of people?" I was hurt.

I couldn't quite figure out why either. I had tried to socialize, but apparently I was doing something wrong. Even worse, I felt sick and dizzy and I wanted to sleep. Everything felt so heavy.

I jerked my arm out of Cerberus's grip, taking a few stumbling steps back. Leon went to help me, but I swung my hand out and sent a blast of power that stopped him dead in his tracks, eyes going wide in surprise at my sudden attack.

"Don't touch me," I ordered him and he just gave me a short nod, still looking perplexed, then I turned to glare at Cerberus in frustration, trying to fight the tears that were stinging my eyes, "A-And don't say Kyros's name! I was just trying! He was being nice to me!" Cerberus rolled his eyes.

"That's how he reels you in, stupid! He... Wait, are you drunk?" He demanded after a second of staring at me suspiciously. I frowned, confused.

"What?"

"Are. You. Drunk." It was more of a very rudely emphasized statement than a question. I wasn't sure how to answer that. Was I drunk? I'd never felt it before. I should have known, I realized sickeningly. I probably didn't even really have a chance with Akin.

"Oh." I said instead. Cerberus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Never mind. Just go inside and get to bed. It's already past midnight." He muttered. I looked at him in bewilderment.

"It is?"

"Yes. It was midnight half an hour ago. Come on," Cerberus said, coming forward to take my arm, "Let me help you inside." I flinched away from him and he frowned as I backed up toward the steps on wobbly legs.

"Don't touch me. And next time you ask me out... Well, don't bother. You should've known that I can't do things like this." I snapped in irritation, turning to go up the steps. I barely caught myself before I hit the top step, but I managed to recover, thankful my back was to Cerberus and Leon to hide the humiliation burning in my face and stinging my eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I walked inside, slamming the door shut. I stumbled across the living room, then paused when I saw the giant blood stain. Tears swam in my vision as I walked over to it. I tripped and fell forward on the spot, then curled up, hugging myself as I pressed my cheek to the stain on the cold floor, feeling hot tears slid across my skin.

"I can't do anything." I murmured, sniffing. I let myself slip into the thick envelope of unconsciousness.

And was relieved to find that I didn't dream.

Thank the gods.