~Undertaker's POV~

Her wounds were deep, to the bone. If she were merely a human it would have killed her. The pain was excruciating, every slight movement, every muscle twitch sent her reeling in agony. I tried to patch her up as gently as I could, it was pure torture. Though she had no voice, it was as if I could hear her anguished cries echoing through my mind with every touch.

She was still at the moment, lying on her stomach in the parlor across the table where I'd been working on her injuries. Her fey orbs revealed something worrisome, the need to flee. Willow blamed herself for the attacks, she thought it was her fault we were all involved.

"It's alright, little bird." I cooed as I gently streamed my fingers through her silken ebony hair.

Those breathtaking fey eyes turned to me.

"Don't leave." It came out pathetic and pleading.

Her eyes widened for a brief moment and I saw her bite her lip as tears welled in her fey orbs.

"You can't leave now." The young earl appeared in the doorway wearing a simple black eye patch to cover his demon seal and sporting a small white bandage across his cheek where he'd been cut in his sleep.

Willow shook her head and winced at the strain it put on her injured spine.

"We need you." I breathed as I clasped her hand in mine.

Tears stained her pallid cheeks and she desperately shook her head.

"You can't abandon us after you've dragged us all into this mess." The demon said coolly from the doorway as he appeared behind his young master.

"Choose your next words very carefully, Master Butler." I hissed as I retrieved my death scythe.

He ignored my threat and turned those dark garnet eyes on the broken creature lying before me, "If you abandon us now, you may as well have killed us yourself." The demon continued coldly.

I was about to lunge at him when a thought crossed my mind, he was doing this intentionally. Giving her a guilty conscience to make her stay. Though I didn't like his method, if it kept Willow close and safe, I'd go along with it.

She helplessly shook her head once more and covered her face with her hands in frustration at her inability to communicate. This intervention was causing her more pain than the wounds to her back and it was tearing me up inside. Silent tears seeped down her wrists as she desperately tried to conceal them.

"Please, Willow, we need you to stay." I begged her and reached out to caress her tear stained cheek.

She pulled away from me and winced at the effort.

"Willow, lay back down, you'll only injure yourself further." I panicked as she rolled to her feet and began backing away from the three of us.

The pain in her eyes was absolutely heart wrenching.

I took a step toward her worried she'd flee, "Willow, don't do this. Everything will be fine."

She shook her head as more tears streamed down her pallid cheeks. After a moment's hesitation she darted for the door.

"Willow!" I attempted to lunge after her but froze as the Earl and his demon cut her off before she could reach the door.

The young earl stood before her his single revealed azure orb burning with determination. "If you leave now, you may as well kill me yourself." He said coolly as the demon pressed a silver knife into her hands.

I watched in awe as she gripped the blade for a moment as if seriously weighing her options. She shook her head again and tried to sidestep the young earl. The demon caught her and I cringed as his arm brushed against her wound and she gasped in pain.

"If you wanted to flee, why didn't you let those things kill me in my sleep?" The young earl asked. "Why did you bother saving me if you were just going to let me die later on?" He barked.

"Enough!" I growled, "Stop talking to her like that."

"It's the truth." Ciel glared at the crumbling girl. "If you want to leave, you have to take my life because I refuse to die in my sleep like some sick animal."

Tears rolled down her porcelain cheeks in anguished waves and her shoulders shook with silent sobs as the knife slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor. She shook her head before hanging it in shame and collapsing to her knees.

"You refuse to take my life?" The earl asked her.

She nodded simply as she crumpled into herself.

"Very well, then stay and protect me." He extended his hand to the broken girl.

Her tear filled fey orbs turned to the young boy and she blinked a few times as if unsure of what he'd just said.

"Work for me." The boy continued, "Join my staff and protect me."

He was giving her somewhere to belong giving her a reason to stay. I smiled softly to myself, it was working. Willow hesitated for another moment before slowly reaching out to accept his hand.

Video- "Night of The Hunter" By Thirty Seconds to Mars