This is where it starts.
This is where it will end.
Here comes the moon again.

Marilyn Manson - If I Was Your Vampire

We got back to the manor around midnight. I washed the blood off, and wrung the gore out of my hair probably half a dozen times, but I was still waiting for it to hit me. Now that I was alone, I almost expected some kind of emotion to sink in. I had killed people, real people, people I could have passed on the sidewalk without a second glance. I was waiting for the guilt, the nausea, the gravity of what I had done to hit me, but I felt nothing.

Half of me was expecting it to come on at any moment, delayed because of trauma, or some other stress-induced medical term, but the rest of me knew it wouldn't. I had enjoyed myself, to the point of ecstasy. I had fought, I had killed, and I had liked it. I felt a sense of loss as the last of the hunter's blood ran down the drain of my shower. I was almost sad to see it go. It had been beautiful in a way and I already missed how it felt fresh on my skin, warm and slick.

I couldn't wait for the next fight, and the next. I didn't care if they were Humans, or Demons, or Darklings, or anything in between. If I had the opportunity, I would take it. If I had a reason, one good enough to justify my actions, I knew I wouldn't hesitate. I wanted to kill even without reason, but I knew the Clan wouldn't allow that, I knew I shouldn't allow it either.

One thing I was sure of, one thing I had concrete proof of, was that I was a monster, I was a killer...and I was finally happy.

A muffled sound pulled me from my thoughts, a rumbling from my drawer, my phone. I checked the screen and saw the familiar number. I wasn't sure if I should answer, but a call from Ajax at one in the morning seemed too suspicious to ignore. Plus, I hadn't heard from Jevin since our first meeting, and I'd been expecting some kind of contact sooner. I hit the receive button and made a comment about him missing me. He laughed but it didn't sound believable.

"Jev wants to meet with you, tonight. Can I pick you up?"

His voice sounded strained, like he wasn't pleased with his errand but I didn't mention it.

"Of course, I'm ready now, when should I meet you?"

"I'm already here, at the edge of the woods by Hawthorne Drive. I'll wait for you. Bye, Jordan."

And then the phone clicked off. I found it a little strange that Jevin knew I would say yes, or maybe he was always so confident. Regardless, I grabbed a heavy sweatshirt on the way out of my room and jogged lightly down the stairs. I opened the front door quietly, though I doubted anyone in the house was asleep yet. I knew Kael would be mad at me for not telling him where I was going, but it couldn't be dangerous to go to an old friend of James', even if their friendship seemed mildly like a rivalry. I would be safe there. I'd send a text on the way.

Even though I opened the door silently, I still glanced behind me and up at the stairs as I swung it open. Because of this I jumped when I turned back to the open doorway to see James standing directly in front of me, like he had been about to come in just as I was about to leave. He stood in all black, returning from one of his mysterious night errands I guessed, except he couldn't have, we had just arrived home an hour earlier.

"Good morning," I said as evenly as I could, though my heart was pounding beneath my chest. I hated to think that it was still so easy for him to sneak up on me.

He stood in the creepy, perfectly still way of his, the way that made him look dead, or otherworldly, or unreal. He didn't move out of my way or answer for a moment, just stared at me, searching for something in my eyes. Then a tight smile came onto his face.

"Morning? You must not be sleeping very well. Is that why you're up? Going...out?" He raised an eyebrow in question, suspicion undercutting his tone.

"Yes, to see Jevin. He called, well Ajax did. He's picking me up now."

James' jaw tensed at this, though his stance stayed just the same, blocking my way. He closed his eyes for two or three beats and I almost wondered if he was praying, maybe for the patience to deal with his pair's plan to sneak out in the middle of the night to meet a Fallen-Angel-turned-Vampyre ex-Clan member, which was seeming more and more foolish with each passing second.

When he opened his eyes, instead of scolding me, he simply tilted his head in a slight sign of agreement.

"So he is. Hawthorne Drive, take the South trail."

"You can...you can see him, from here?"

He nodded again, looking even less thrilled than he had at first mention of my bartending friend. I offered a small smile as I squeezed past, between his shoulder and the side of the door. A wave of fire hit me as I reached the edge of the porch and two quietly thought words slipped into my mind. I heard the door close behind me as he entered the house.

His words seemed strange though. Why did I need to be careful? This was his old friend, his brother. Surely there wasn't anything to be concerned about. At least that's what I told myself.

"I will be, I promise," I whispered to no one as I headed across the lawn and into the woods.

Twenty-five minutes later I was sitting in a car with Ajax in front of an old beautiful house that looked the perfect picture of a Vampyre's lair, a Vampyre with good taste and deep pockets. The drive had been fairly quiet, but Ajax's mind said enough. This was his last errand, if he delivered me, then he would be rewarded by becoming one of them instead of just a pet.

He was worried that Jevin had something unpleasant planned for me, but Ajax's views of his master were very different from mine. He viewed him as a near god, an awe-inspiring entity, whereas I viewed him as a friend of James, another Darkling, and not a Half or Fourth or even Eighth, nothing to be afraid of. He didn't scare me, or even make me nervous, at least the thought of him didn't. Maybe once I was alone with him in the giant house, maybe then I'd feel more anxious.

I didn't tell Ajax I had been poking around his thoughts during the drive, I thought it best to leave some things up my sleeves still, but I couldn't help myself from trying to ease his mind at least a little. As I reached for the handle to leave I turned back to him.

"You know I'll be fine, you don't have to worry. I'm not an enemy to Jevin. I'd say he quite likes me actually, so you can relax."

He gave me a small smile that didn't seem convinced. I was halfway out of the car before he spoke and his words weren't what I had expected.

"You know I loved you, right? And once I Change, I'll still love you. I think I always will, I know you don't want my love, you've always made that abundantly clear, but I can't help it. I tried, but I can't help it."

His eyes looked honest but sad as he spoke and I found that I didn't know what to say. All I could think was that I was sorry, but I didn't even know what for. I turned back to the house, wanting nothing more than to retreat into its cover.

» ✦ «

I saw her walk up to the house, I saw Jev open the door, a smile on his face and I saw her enter. She went up the stairs, he next to her. She followed him into a chamber like a study and I cursed him for choosing a room like that. He was doing what I had done when she was first brought to the manor, trying to make her feel at ease by bringing her somewhere he thought would soothe her. When I had done it, it seemed like the kind thing to do, but now that he did, it just seemed manipulative.

She gave him a little smile and I felt my jealousy swell but I kept it down. I should be glad if she was with someone, if she was happy with someone. I should have known he would like her, he and I were so similar in ways like that. But I still felt heat move up my neck at the thought of her with him, alone in that house, with the intentions I'm sure he had lurking in that dark mind of his.

I couldn't hear what they said, but I somehow knew the course it was taking. She was trying to get information, smiling and batting her eyes, working every angle to try to get what she wanted. I hoped this was purely professional for her, but if it was she certainly was a good actress. The only dead give-away I saw was when she played shy. Jordan wasn't shy. Regardless, my teeth were clenched and my jaw began to ache from the pressure. I hated what I was watching. I tried to relax and move closer, tried to hear.

Jev was standing behind her now as she sat in a large chair in front of a fireplace. The fire called out to me but I ignored it. It seemed odd to me that Jev would be behind her, it seemed even stranger that Jordan didn't seem to mind, she was always very attentive in training to keep her back covered. I remembered I had taken note of the fact, it showed good instincts and I was glad she had that. But now she was leaving herself open, staring into the fire like she had forgotten Jev was even there.

He walked around to face her, bent down and kissed her. The shock hit me like a wall of ice, and then fire filled me. I hated him for doing what I couldn't, what I wouldn't let myself. Jordan looked shocked for a moment, but not upset. I wished she looked more upset. Jev circled behind her once more.

Suddenly everything was in slow-motion, unfurling before me, terrible but inescapable. Jev opened his mouth and I saw his teeth, gleaming and dripping with his venom, the blood that rimmed his eyes, the thin black lines that ran from his jaw under his skin, running down his neck to where his unbeating heart rested, the thin black lines that used to be his veins, but now were nothing but a sign of his hunger.

I had seen Vampyres during a feed before, but this looked different, this looked even more wrong and unnatural to me. And it was because of Jordan. She seemed to sense something and turned to him, seeing what he was about to do, but she didn't have time, I knew it and she knew it. He was going to Change her and then she would be forever different, forever dead but still alive.

I realized I had no idea if she would want that or not, maybe the power of true immortality would draw her, but the look on her face as she saw Jev plunging toward her, it didn't look like what she wanted. She looked angry, not just angry, she looked furious. There was shock on her face at first, but then I saw her defiance and then her anger take hold and I knew that he was doing this without her permission. I knew enough about my Pair to know that forcing her to do anything, taking the choice away from her, making her a victim...that was how to truly anger her. I didn't know how I knew, but I knew he was doing that right then, taking away her choice.

I saw him rip into her neck, just above her scar. She tried to push him off but even with her fury she couldn't. He already had a hold, and with the strength of both our breeds, with his speed and the added advantage of surprise she didn't have a real chance. I saw her blood pour down her sweatshirt, dark red pooling in her lap and seeping into the white chair. I saw her eyes fill with it and turn an ugly red, like all new Vampyres, like a Shift, but disgusting, wrong, an abomination. I saw the pain on her face as his venom took hold. I saw her hand shake and then still as the paralysis sunk in. And then she was still. Cold, flat, blood-red eyes staring at the ceiling unseeing.

Jev got off her, rust staining his chin and dripping down onto his pristine shirt. He smiled, showing ruby teeth and I felt my stomach roll. Jordan would wake up in the night a new creature. She would hate him for taking the choice away from her. I did, too.

» ✦ «

I walked up to the front door slowly, looking around the dark yard. There was a fog covering everything that gave the house a sinister look but almost every night in the city brought fog this time of year. I reached the door just as it opened. Jevin stood before me with a sincere smile on his face. He looked welcoming and it almost made me laugh; a damned Angel turned Vampyre welcoming me into his home and I was actually going to do it.

Just a couple of months ago, this would have seemed ludicrous, it still did sometimes. But then I thought of Nevaeh mocking me if I came back without any information, her sneer if she knew I had left because I was afraid. I had nothing to fear. I was the most dangerous thing in the city, at least that's what I told myself as I walked in.

The house was beautiful, but not in the way I had expected, not like the Clan's house. Nevaeh's parent's home looked like old money, with plush cushions and rugs in deep colors and rich hues. Besides the few high-tech luxuries in the kitchen and media room, the décor almost seemed like it had been left unchanged for a hundred years. Jevin's home was quite the opposite, everything was modern, even the minimalistic style of James' bedroom looked excessive in comparison. Everything was white too, the few pieces of furniture and the carpet, the few rugs, the walls, the artwork...it was all a gleaming, perfect white. I wondered how he kept it clean as he led me up a wide staircase.

He brought me into a beautiful library which looked slightly less modern, a little more traditional, but not by much. He motioned me into a seat by a roaring fireplace. I absently wondered if he could feel the heat, or if his cold swallowed it. I sat and instantly felt calmer, the fire reminded me of James' room, and though the white, sleek chair I was sitting in would look comical in his dark room, the fire was still enough to lessen my nerves a bit. I shook my mind from James and instead focused on my host. I was only here to get information from him and if this was going to work, he would have to feel like he had my full attention.

I reached my Gift out, just a tendril, to see if I could hear him like I had at our first meeting, but he immediately clucked and turned his raptor eyes on me.

"Now, now, that is rude. No tricks tonight, young one."

I tried to look bashful as I replied.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so curious. There's so much I want to know about you."

He smiled widely at this, buying my coy act completely. I rolled my eyes internally.

"You'll just have to be patient, it's so much more satisfying when you have to wait for your answers. Endurance, little one, will take you far, as will manners." He winked before turning to face the fire and I felt myself relax as soon as his eyes were off me. I locked my Gift away.

It seemed strange now, being with him and trying to talk with him, to flirt with him. It had seemed so natural when I first met him, when the Clan had been backing me, when James had been watching. But now that I was on my own I felt completely lost. I tried to agree with whatever he said, giving small smiles at the right times and keep my eyes on his, this was usually all it took for the average man. Maybe he wouldn't be so different.

After a few minutes of polite chat, it seemed that he really was the same as other males and I relaxed a measure more. I saw several smirks cross his face as I'm sure he was mentally patting himself on the back and thinking of how taken by him I must be. It was almost funny how easily some men assumed women wanted them. A smile, a little run of the tongue over the lips, a look or two of admiration. It was too easy sometimes. Though I figured with his looks, most women probably actually did want him.

I played the shy card and let him catch me staring before looking away with feigned embarrassment. If he had any real sense he would know it was an act, I had been anything but shy upon our first meeting, but clearly he wasn't thinking with his upstairs brain and my behavior discrepancies were lost on him. He was seeing what he wanted to see.

Finally, it seemed like he was ready to talk about something more than the drive or my training or how I had been adjusting. He was standing behind my chair and I hated it. I hated having someone behind me and out of my view, but I remembered Kael speaking of how important manners and honor were to Vanpyres and I didn't want to risk offending Jevin by showing my tension at him being at my back. Instead, I stared into the fire, letting it ease my paranoia. Jevin was silent for a moment and I had to force myself to not look back at him, to keep my shoulders from tensing. When he spoke, it was on a subject I hadn't been expecting.

"What if I told you the Clan was lying about everything? That you aren't some monster that has to be controlled. What if I told you that your nature isn't something to guard against? That there are no moral battles, no absolutes, no lines you need to contain yourself within, no true light or dark." He spoke in a smooth tone that reminded me of a hypnotist. "Or what if you woke up tomorrow and this was all a dream?"

"I wouldn't accept that, I couldn't. I've always known what I was, in some way I guess, I just didn't believe it. I didn't let myself because I thought it was crazy. And I know I'm not good, but I also know I want to be. I know that there are two sides, I can feel them. I don't need the Clan to tell me that. I couldn't explain it until them, but I always knew I was something else, something different," I answered honestly. I'd always known I wasn't just a person. I knew I was more, or less.

"And what are you?" His voice sounded strange now and it made me wonder if he regretted his decision to become a Red.

A flash of the fight that evening came to my mind, of blood and power and death. A smile lifted my lips as I replied.

"A monster."

I knew I was deep down, even if I fought it, and saying it out loud somehow felt right. I heard a noise come from him behind me, like a small scoff.

"But I have a choice," I continued.

"And what is that?" He sounded bitter now, almost angry and it made the hairs on my neck stand.

"I can choose to act like the monster I am, or I can fight my nature, rise above it. I choose to fight it, just like you do, every day, just like my Clan does. Just like you taught James to do."

I could feel his eyes on me now, but I still didn't turn. He walked around to face me and his eyes held something I hadn't seen there before. He leaned forward and kissed me. It was so quick and light I might have not even felt it if it wasn't for the cold. His lips were like ice on mine, stealing the heat out of me, just like they had the first night we met when he had kissed my hand.

I inhaled sharply at the kiss, between the shock of the cold and the quickness with which he had moved. He was like a ghost. He didn't smell of anything either, completely scentless, which only added to the feeling of him not being real, of him being a phantom.

He straightened, his eyes on my face gauging my reaction, looking for something, then he gave me a courteous smile and stepped back. His movements were so swift and graceful they left me stunned. He turned, pacing the room, but not out of nerves. Each step seemed to take him farther than was natural, each movement connected to the next in an impossible way. It was pretty and I found myself watching him with a small smile on my own face, the shock of his kiss quickly fading.

"Would you ever want to be like me? Two monsters in one body? You can do so much more in the world and in some ways it's easier to control your nature too, my kind is very skilled at turning our desires, our emotions, off. Everything except hunger, that stays with us."

He spoke in as graceful a voice as his body moved. He was captivating. I realized the question hung unanswered as I watched him. I almost forgot that it had been directed at me. I was so enthralled with him it seemed like a movie, something to silently watch and admire. I tried to clear my head before I answered, but a fog like outside had settled on my mind as I watched him, ensnared by him.

"I only just discovered what I am recently. I think I want to understand this part of myself more before I consider taking on another monster."

I tried to pull a flirtatious tone again, to get the conversation less heavy. I suddenly wanted to get information about the city murders and be on my way. I no longer wanted to be sitting in his library, I wanted to be back in the Clan's house, or in the woods, or the stone garden which I had accepted as my own personal sanctuary. I wanted to be anywhere but where I was. The fog in my mind seemed sinister now and I wanted to be away from it and away from Jevin's hypnotizing company.

He paced a trail or two more in his gliding way before circling behind my chair once more, his hands on its high back.

"I understand."

He was silent for a moment and I felt my chest tighten. I didn't know why, but something felt wrong. My skin prickled, it made me think of James but I forced his name from my mind.

"But what you must understand is that what you said earlier isn't completely true. I am a monster like you, yes quite, but sometimes battling your nature doesn't work. Sometimes exorcising your demons doesn't work, it just makes them stronger, hungrier. And the longer you fight them, the more powerful your will gets - so does theirs."

As he said his last word my Shift jumped inside of me, clawing to be let out. I had never felt it like that before, but I knew it was a warning. I stuffed it down as I turned to look at Jevin, but what I saw wasn't Jevin, or it was, but not like he had been moments earlier. What I saw was no longer a man, no longer Human at all.

He had a muddy red liquid brimming his eyes, like tears a second before they fall, but the color was wrong. It looked like blood, old blood. His face had changed too, dark lines writhed under his skin from his jaw down his neck, disappearing past the collar of his crisp, white shirt. They looked like veins, but they were alive, moving and rippling under the pale skin of his throat, as if they were in pain. The only thing that looked as I had always expected were his teeth, sharp and shining in the firelight. I realized what was about to happen a moment too late. He was already lunging toward me and he was so fast. I was just sitting there, unable to move in time, unable to do anything.

And then he was across the room, pushed against the wall by a man dressed in black. My mind immediately flew to the Fallen from my dreams, the one who seemed to be central to all the city's and Clan's troubles lately. He had said he was always there, watching me, protecting me, maybe he finally had to step in. My heart leapt to an unnaturally high resting place at the thought of seeing him or speaking with him again, a damned wish, a guilty hope.

I opened my Gift on reflex, and immediately felt it, the fire running over my skin like molten lava, the electricity that galvanized my insides, the vibrations of power that meant it was James in his Shifted form. It felt as heavenly as it always did and I was frozen in place for a moment from the pure ecstasy of it, and then I did something I didn't really want, something I had never wanted. I shut away my Gift, cut off my connection to James, cut myself off from him. Just as quickly as I had opened it, I closed it. I didn't even know why I did it, I just did. Maybe because I was embarrassed he had to save me, embarrassed I had been so spellbound by Jevin, so distracted.

Or maybe, it was because I was ashamed that I had wished he was the Fallen with the beautiful voice, that my first thought hadn't been of James, my Pair, but of the Collector. Maybe I was afraid James would see my mind and know how often I thought of the Fallen, that I wanted to see him again, longed for it.

Regardless of my reasons, I turned off the electricity and I saw one shoulder under the black sweatshirt twitch up as his back stiffened, almost like it hurt him, like I had hurt him by shutting it off.

Jevin looked stunned at James for a moment, his friend's hands grabbing him by the collar, pushing him against the wall, but then he was back in the moment and shoved James across the room with inhuman strength, as if he wasn't just as strong. James staggered back but kept his position between Jevin and myself.

"Don't do this, Jev, you know you can't take us both," James said in a warning voice, one arm out slightly, like signing 'stop' would have some effect on the monster before us. I saw the point of James' weapon sticking out from his sleeve, barely visible, just enough to let Jevin know it was there.

Then Jevin did something that surprised me completely. He stopped. He ran his tongue over his fangs and stretched his neck. The small black snakes on his face sunk into his skin, faded, and disappeared, his eyes returned to Human, even his fangs became less noticeable, as if shrinking back. He flexed his jaw a few times before letting out a deep breath and walking forward slowly, calmly, clearly no longer a threat.

"You're wrong James, I could beat two Darklings, two normal Darklings with weak bloodlines. What I can't do it beat Blood Twins, that's just silly. Oh, you look shocked, Jordan. Yes, I know what you two are and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit envious. I had to give up so much for the power I now have. I had to go through so much," he ground the words out between his teeth, as if the mere memory pained him.

"And you two simply get it from luck, from finding each other, from somehow being one of the few in history with a True Pair out there just waiting for their other half. Lovely. Not to mention your lineages. You two have practically been handed all the power anyone could wish for, any more and you'd be gods, or true monsters, not enough humanity to hold yourselves back. Wouldn't you agree, James?"

Though Jevin looked less threatening, his tone was dangerous and even without my Gift I knew he was telling James something deeper with his words. He was daring James to attack him, trying to goad him. My eyes flicked to James and I saw his fists tighten at his sides but he didn't make any move. I stood from the chair I had been frozen in and took the few steps needed to stand next to my Pair.

"If its power you're looking for by taking Jordan from m-us, you've miscalculated."

I noticed the stutter, it made his words sound unlike him, even though his voice was still cool and composed. He almost seemed anxious under his calm exterior. I scolded myself for the jumping feeling I felt in my gut as James continued.

"She's not the type to become loyal to her captor, if you had taken away her choice and forced her to be what you are, you'd be creating an enemy, not an ally. And from what I know of my Pair, being her foe is no small worry. Look at this as me saving your life, yet again, friend, not me foiling your plans."

James' voice sounded warning now as well, but there was something underneath his tone I still couldn't place, almost a respect, like he didn't want to fight his old leader.

"You had a vision then, didn't you? You saw me turn her? Haven't you learned anything, you fool? Didn't you learn your lesson of trying to stop the future? The things you see happen for a reason, a reason bigger than you and your petty honor or your narrow view of what's 'right'." Jevin was spitting his words now, his face pale and twisted with anger.

"Don't you remember the mess you made before, trying to stop fate? She should have been mine tonight, I know it, I tasted it on her lips when I kissed her, I tasted my own. Did you see that in your vision too? Did you see us kiss, my little batnae? Or am I not supposed to talk about your pathetic draw to her? Is it supposed to be a secret how foolishly you each reach for the other? I can smell it on you like a disease. Aren't you the one who taught me to have no feelings? That they're only thinly veiled weaknesses?"

At this James' jaw clenched and his eyes flicked to me, checking to see if I was watching him. I looked ahead quickly, swallowing back the feeling in my throat as Jevin addressed me.

"Did you know that, Jordan? That the heartless Ash seems to have a heart after all, but the woman he'll offer it to has other plans, no? Oh yes, I know all about you, all about who else wants you. I'm not the only one trying to get your new member's allegiance. Remember that Ash, remember I tried to warn you when you find the knife is in your back this time. Funny how that works, the man with no heart will have it ripped from his chest by the very one he gives it to. It seems fitting since you love pain so much. Seems the perfect match for you both. It will be your downfall, just like your last pair will be your brother's downfall. The trash of Heaven wasn't meant to love, we were made to kill, to burn...isn't that right?"

Jevin had a crazed look in his eyes now as he spoke. It brought to mind all the times Kael or Nevaeh had mentioned the likelihood of Darklings losing their minds. It was sad, an animal that needed to be put down. I felt my Shift jump in me once more, tearing at its flesh cage. It flexed again and I winced at the effort of keeping it subdued. Jevin caught the expression and swiveled his head toward me, though he still faced James.

"You want to kill me. I can smell your blood trying to draw power. I can feel your Shift fighting you. Being the hybrid I am has a few benefits at least."

He smiled at me and took a step forward, James mirrored the move, keeping his angle between Jevin and myself.

"That isn't needed, brother. You know I can't hurt her, not now that she's aware of my intentions, but you always were a paranoid little Angel, weren't you? It'll drive you mad, you know."

James narrowed his eyes slightly at Jevin's taunt, but stayed still as the Vampyre walked to me, only his dark eyes following his former friend's movements.

"You want to kill me," Jevin said again, now only two feet before me. "Do it then, I would so enjoy seeing your Shift. I bet it's magnificent."

He reached forward and gently stroked my cheek, his eyes looked almost eager. I wondered if this was what losing your mind looked like, if this was madness. I glanced to James. I did it without thinking, out of reflex, but Jevin tracked my reaction and pounced at the opportunity.

"Oh, so she does take orders. Looking to her master to see what she should do like a good little pet. You disappoint me, kitten, I thought you made your own decisions." He turned back to James, turning his back on me as if I didn't exist.

"I suppose you're still King then, aren't you. Still giving orders, albeit more discreetly. Trying to change your image, are you? Do you still make your enemies get on their knees before you take their lives? Break their legs out from under them if they refuse to kneel? Does your Clan bow to you? I must say, I liked Ash quite a lot, but King had such...style."

He turned to me slightly again, looking me up and down in a grotesque way before glancing to James with a smirk.

"Your pets are certainly better looking now. Well, when you tire of her, remember me, for old time's sake...friend."

Hearing Jevin's words made my blood boil, but I wasn't stupid enough to not see that's what he was trying to do. He wanted me to attack him, just like he had tried to get James to earlier. I didn't know how that would possibly benefit him, but the last thing I wanted was to play into his hand. I bit my tongue and tried to look calm instead of acting out the violence my mind was begging for.

James looked me in my eyes now, he had his mischievous mask on, but I saw a deep sadness beneath. I wondered again how many times that look had been there and I had missed it. His smile grew into an arrogant front before he spoke.

"She can do what she wants, I don't own her. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm just James now. No more Ash, no King...nothing."

James spoke calmly, which seemed to upset Jevin even further. He turned to me in a last-ditch attempt to see that he had gotten under someone's skin, but I met his eyes with an even look of my own. He scowled before stalking over to the hearth.

"Leave then, if you won't play and if you aren't willing to share, I'd rather we end our rendezvous early. I'm starving." Jevin's tone was that of a petulant child.

I saw James smirk from the corner of my vision before I turned for the door, leaving Jevin to stare into the fire alone.

Want more Jevin? Of course, you do. Be careful what you wish for...

"This is where is starts. This is where it will end."

Sometimes I'm literal. Remember that.

T