Welcome back to Hello Charlotte everyone. I hope that you are enjoying the story. Please remember to VOTE and COMMENT it means a lot to me and I like talking to you guys. Also please click the video it goes with the chapter. The lovely picture of Charlotte and Ivo was done as a commission by kotyonoksnz on Tumblr. Go check her out:).
The song is Human by Rag'n'bone man.
~XOXO BUTTERBALL~

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-Ivo-

I opened my eyes and frowned I wasn't home anymore, instead I was standing in a strange yet familiar summoning circle. A young girl seemingly no older than twelve stood outside the circle panting as she looked up at me.

I looked around the room silently taking in the copious amounts of dust, the piled up furniture and finally the door that had chains looping around it.

Finally, I turned my attention to the young Chimera girl, in the dim candlelight I could make out bruises that covered her arms, face, and neck. Especially the black eye she had on her left eye.

"Will you help me?" She asked me slowly, her voice was soft yet warm in an odd way.

"Child, how did you summon me?" I asked her.

She took a deep breath then flinched her hand going to her ribs. "I'll ask you again, I summoned you to help me. Now, will you do it?" She hissed.

"How did you obtain my summoning circle, little girl?" I asked her again.

She gritted her teeth, her fur covered tail flicking out in irritation. "My name is Charlotte and I need help from a creature such as yourself desperately. If you can help me then I'll do anything. I-I just need to do this," She pleaded.

For a moment I thought about Kessel and let out a small snarl as rage whipped through my body like a white-hot flame.

This may be my only chance to hunt down and kill the bastard.

"If I agree to help you then we have to make a contract. It's the only way I'll know whether to take you seriously."

She looked at me with a slight smile on her face. Then her eyes widened, her hand went to her mouth as she began coughing blood dripped through her fingers and onto the floor. It was coming out of her mouth, her nose, and her ears. "I-I agree to the contract, to the terms set out between me and you," she let out a wheezing breath as the candles went out at her agreement.

I walked out of the circle and approached her. "Charlotte, isn't it? You need to hold still when you brought me here when you summoned me it took what little strength you had left. We're going to finalize your contract now and afterward, you'll be fixed."

She looked up at me and for a brief moment, I saw something familiar in her eyes. "I understand...j-just please do it." She whispered. Almost instantly after she finished speaking her eyes rolled back into her head and I caught her in my arms before she could fall to the floor.

I closed my eyes and released my demonic energy. The black liquid like shadows wrapped around Charlotte's entire body. And I began to speak. "By this union that exists in the world of yours and the world of mine. I offer my power to you, through the power of our contract. I, Ivo bind us together until our fates diverge."
~~~~~

My eyes snapped open and I yawned as I sat up on the floor, which is where Charlotte had continued to sleep because apparently, the firm surface felt good on her back. However, at the moment Charlotte wasn't cuddled up next to me which was what she usually did on cold nights.

She would curl up next to me and wrap her tail around me to keep me close to her. So that she could stay warm without having to light a fire. I climbed to my feet and followed her scent. Surprisingly, there were no nocturnal Chimera out at this time of night. Either that or they were all in stores and bars since the streets were completely barren.

Charlotte's scent led all the way back to the orchard. I frowned as I stood at the entrance gate.

She knows not to run off like that. It always worries me when she wanders off without at least leaving a note.

I found Charlotte sitting underneath a tree nibbling on one of those strange fruits.

"Couldn't sleep either could you?" She asked me as she held out a piece of the fruit.

I shook my head. "I wouldn't be able to taste it unless it's through you," I reminded her.

She sighed as she scowled up at me. "Doesn't it get boring only being able to taste blood and meat?" After speaking Charlotte took a big bite of the fruit and a sweet taste filled my mouth nearly overwhelming my senses.

Huh, it kinda tastes more like blueberry than a strawberry. I didn't taste that before.

"You've asked me this before but actually, a therion tends to lose their sense of taste around the same time their powers start awakening. They also can go a while without eating as a trade-off. I'm thankful for it now when I was a lot younger I used to think that going a while without food would suck balls, now I'm more used to it." I explained to her. Then I looked at her. "You've been dreaming about the past a lot lately. Are you okay?" I asked as I sat down next to her. Almost immediately I felt her tail wrap around my ankle.

She sighed and leaned up against me. "I'm fine just tired of this bullshit. All of the death glares, death threats being ostracized. But hey when your life is a mess what's a couple more bags of trash." She grumbled.

I scowled at her. "Charlotte please don't start this again. Just wanted to know how you were doing. I sighed as I let out a huff.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine of course it feels good to die when you're just trying to fix your problems that riddle your life as much as holes riddle swiss cheese," she growled as she glared at the fruit in her hand.

I ran a hand through my hair as I looked up at the moon. The cold wind gently brushed across my skin like a soft touch.

Relax she's just irritable today because it's cold.

"Okay, speaking of the past can you finally at least answer this question since you're refusing to answer my others?" I asked her gently.

She scowled at me as she stopped nibbling on the fruit. "Okay ask your question." She mumbled me.

"Why did you summon me when you already knew it would kill you? And how did you summon me when I technically had stopped accepting new contracts? My symbols that you had should've been erased from history, meaning that no one should've had them officially I was retired as a contract demon," I asked her as I stared at her.

This is one of the things I've been wondering about for years. Ever since she summoned me in fact.

Charlotte let out a small huff and her tail flicked against my leg in what appeared to be irrational. "I stole your summoning symbols from one of those Aveon cult people when they first visited my village. The person's name started with a K, I think. I summoned you because I was committed to making my life change even if just a little bit. But before I could summon you my parents found the book I'd stolen and well, you know the rest," she informed me, her eyes closed as she focused.

No...there's no fucking way it's him.

"Was this guy named Kessel? By any chance?" I asked her slowly.

She looked at me with wide eyes as the slow realization hit her. "Holy fuck, yeah... I-I remember that guy was a general and he was surprisingly committed too. He was a strange Aveon member surprisingly, now that I think about it compared to the others he was nice, to be honest, he didn't exactly seem like a crazed religious zealot." Charlotte told me as she massages her temples the fruit she'd been eating laid forgotten on the ground.

For a brief moment, a sharp pain went through my skull like lightning, I rubbed a hand over my eyes and it was a few moments before I spoke.

"Okay, that's it we're leaving tomorrow night," I said quickly.

"What? Why?" Charlotte asked standing up her tail tightening around my leg.

"We need to leave from here and go to the capital!" I snapped hoping she would understand.

Charlotte, however, began growling at me like a hungry dog getting its food taken away by hand. "There's that amazing 'winning' personality of yours," she snarled.

"Oh gods, listen I know what I'm doing you fucking stubborn animal! And we need to go to the capital as soon as possible!" I growled at her through clenched teeth.

Charlotte glared at me. "What if I don't want to leave, huh? Why can't you ever listen to what I want you damn self-centered asshole," she snapped as she stormed away.

I just stood there frowning in the direction that Charlotte left in. I ran a hand through my hair.

It's not her fault. She doesn't know too much about Kessel and I. I shouldn't have snapped at her especially when I'm the only person she technically trusts.

For a while, I sat there in the orchard before I walked back to the house. Charlotte was there, of course, curled up on the floor shivering underneath the blanket.

I laid down next to her and gently pulled her close to me. She began purring softly as she snuggled up next to me her tail wrapping around my leg.

In the morning I'll apologize.