A void formed in Red's stomach. Like a disease it spread until he was consumed by an emptiness like a solar eclipse. While his blood boiled at thoughts of evil, the evil inside him began to stir. Something roused beneath his flesh; something sharp and ultra-fine, like rows of needles prickling through his back. Pain struck and, beneath his shoulders, his feathers started to churn, writhing and feasting like a colony of ants.

A god's wings needed human sacrifices to flourish. With nothing to feed on, his god side began to cannibalise him from the inside out, both his flesh and soul on the menu.

Once the wings started breaking free, it did not take long for his mind to start to scramble. He broke into a run, not sure where he was going, just that he had to eat right now. If he allowed himself to go on like this then...

He stumbled and grabbed onto a tree. A static sound slithered into his ears. His nails dug into the bark like it a lifeline; the wood shattered between fingertips as the animal inside began to burrowing it's way out his flesh. The image of her smiling face faded in his mind. Frustrated tears burned in his eyes as he repeated her name over and over, trying to remember something other than her... than her...

...Sensational taste.

His mouth watered. Fangs burst through his gums. He began to swagger like a zombie. The hot, sticky liquid blossoming on his back was distracting. Painfully sweet-smelling. He couldn't control himself; the fact that it was his own blood was lost to him. It felt as though if he didn't taste blood right this minute, he'd explode. Chest heaving, he raised his arm to his lips.

The sound of a scream stopped him just before he sank his fangs into his flesh.

He channeled the sound with a tilt of his head. The haze in his mind began to clear. Food. His heart hummed with such excitement it felt as though it might pulverise his ribcage.

Forest turned into gravel as he walked. He felt clumsy due to his body shaking, but it appeared to not alert the human's ears. He darkened his aura so he could peep past the grimy wall, and his pulse quickened at the sight of prey.

"You dumb bitch, you're going to get us both arrested!" a gruff sounding man growled.

"Then money first," the woman hissed. Her voice wasn't as fearful sounding as one might expect from her previous scream, perhaps just an alarm to frighten him? She was against the wall but she didn't seem particularly scared; her glare just scalded him like boiling water.

The man's yellowing teeth bared. "I told you, I'll pay you after!"

"I'm warning you, pay up or fuck off!" she spat.

Red scowled. The finer details of his vision blurred, but the sight of their aura's - the light of their souls - flared. He used this detail to pick his target. The darkness of his aura said the man was a bad person. But the woman's aura was even darker, a murky haze like swamp water. His eyes darted between them, trying to figure out what was the correct one to kill. A dark soul like these two... they tasted so good. Like eating junk food.

There was the sound of steel being desheathed. A flash of silver in the night. It glistened against a golden hue -- the woman's hair was a really familiar shade of gold.

Red froze as a familiar face flashed in his mind.

The man hovered the blade to her throat. Glowing yellow light collected in Red's eyes as his teeth bared.

"You're just a shitty fucking whore," growled the man. The silver blade edged in closer; Red felt a great amount of pain sear in his back. "Who would pay for you?"

The act before him spurred him into action. Red growled. The man turned, rearing his knife, but froze instantly, the sound of his breath stolen from his lips.

Two gigantic tumours began to mutate from Red's back. The man was paralyzed at the sight of his reckoning -- Red often had that effect on his prey.

Blood rained on the pavement as Red's flesh ripped open. He was so tantalised by hunger he couldn't even feel it; pulsating, bloody feathers like fleshy limbs began to unfurl. Red grinned. The stench of burning flesh clogged the air as rows of flame ignited from the feathers; in the shadow of the hellish light, Red's wings lurched towards his prey, stabbing him through the chest.

He drained the soul straight from the man's lips and shovelled it into his mouth.

The woman's scream echoed into the night.

****

Lorelei awoke with a manic batter on the door. Quickly rushing to it, fearing the worst for Tamer or something, he pulled it open and saw the last person he'd ever expected: Mariah.

Lorelei's eyes narrowed. She was a fellow child forced into the wolf hunting church, but unlike him, she hadn't had a lucky escape. He'd tried to enlist her help for fighting off Xavier, but due to it being aiding a Lupine, she'd furiously declined. Her mind had truly been poisoned by the Helioist church to the point even he was wondering if she could be saved.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

Lorelei made to shut the door, but she jammed herself between it.

"I need your help. It's Red," she whispered, uncharacteristic fear in her voice.

****

There before him was a beast with blood dripping like tar down his gnarly, misshapen wings. A beast that shoveled flesh in its mouth with grotesque squelching and splattering, it's pulsating wings stuck in the dismembered corpse as they drained the blood out of it.

Two months without a kill, Lorelei thought. How has he been getting by? Have people been letting him drink from them? His eyes flickered down Red. He looks really skinny though.

Flames crackled and strings of flesh severed as he shook his head, spraying blood everywhere like a dog with a bone. Lorelei knew that he sensed them, but Red didn't pay it any mind -- it appeared as though all his body did was tell him to eat and eat.

Lorelei balled his fist. "What makes you think I have anything to do with this?"

"Are you kidding me?" Mariah snapped. "You've always been obsessed with these freakish monsters. And this is the most monstrous there is. Of course you've been keeping an eye on the most notorious man-eater." She paused. "Do you have anything to do with this?"

Lorelei gnashed his teeth, thinking of the experimental treatment that had been carried out on him. The only good thing he could say about this literal Frankenstein of stolen souls was that he'd been invaluable in learning on how not to heal severed Lupine.

Lorelei could not help but flashback to the horrific sight he'd seen that day.

The king did not bother to light the torches as they treadded down the spiral staircases into the dungeon. Normally, gods had a glowing aura about them, but Lorelei could not see anything but pitch black darkness. He kept his eyes off the king out of respect - it was both intimidating and disrespectful to look a god in the eye in the best of times, nevermind when their voice sounded this strained and hoarse.

"Your majesty," Lorelei muttered, footsteps echoing against the stone flooring. "It is true that humans are the natural prey of Lupine, and it is true that most severed Lupine start turning to eat humans. But I've never heard of a Lupine that had to eat humans. Is there something about his god lineage that would cause him to do that?"

The king sighed. "Red is what's known an Infernic god," he murmured. "They're god's that live in the underworld and feast on the souls of the dammed as prey. They don't feel empathy because they have no purpose but to torment and cause pain. Or at least, I think he's Infernic. He's not actually...been feeding on souls as I was killing for him. Admittedly, it's not just empathy they don't have, they shouldn't be able to feel things like love in general. While it is very rare, it seems like Red can..." He paused." Anyway. I suspect his half-mortal status is interfering with his Infernic self as he's entirely defective as a god of punishment. His access to excessive emotions can only cause him confusion and pain."

They came to the dungeon. The door was ajar, but just barely, Lorelei could make out a dark lump as Red hid in the shadows, curled up into a ball. Two growths like bare tree branches were twitching from his back.

"Red," his Father whispered. "Are you ready to come out of the dungeon and into the hospital yet?"

There was no answer. All that could be heard was the dripping of blood and faintly rasped breathing.

When there was no answer, his Father spoke again.

"This is Lorelei, Red. He's a social worker for man-eating Lupine. He wants to help you get better."

Lorelei's eyes flickered towards the king. The grimace on his face was so painful he did not feel comfortable looking anymore, like he might be scorned for witnessing a being this powerful in such a vulnerable state.

When there was no answer once again, the King's hands curled shakily around the bars of the dungeon.

"Did you make him come here?" Lorelei asked.

"No. He just came here as if to punish himself."

"May I come in, Red?" Lorelei asked.

He didn't bother waiting for an answer, knowing one wasn't coming. He stepped into the dungeon carefully, as if weary of making any sudden movements that would startle a cornered beast. He placed his briefcase on the floor.

"Red, I am going to touch you," Lorelei said slowly. "Please let me know if that is going to be a problem."

He took out a needle-like contraption with five large beads around the point. He touched it to Red's forehead and it lit up faintly. Only one of the orbs flashed with light before weakly dying out again.

"Your majesty," Lorelei said grimly, not sure how to break the news. "Red is only giving the soul-level reading of a newborn baby. It appears as though his body detected itself as evil and has been cannibalising itself as a result."

The father froze. Lorelei winced, not really sure what he was expecting when he broke this news. Perhaps the gates of the underworld burst open and all the souls contained within would break free.

He didn't know what was more painful. The outlandish outburst that he'd been expecting, or the still silence that followed, signaling the severity of the situation hadn't kicked in for the father yet. After killing his mate, Red had decided that he was evil and his body was now eating itself.

Just then, Red collapsed into the pool of his own blood. Lorelei would never forget the sight of him then, as thin as a skeleton and as pale as a ghost - nothing but a literal bag of bones. His bloodshot eyes were rolling into the back of his head and drool was dribbling down his chin. His body twitched and a pained rasp like a zombie's moan slipped from his lips.

Lorelei's heart plummeted. He's still conscious....

"Your majesty," Lorelei whispered.

He had no idea what to say. The fact that Red needed to be killed itched on the tip of his tongue. Constantly killing just to stave off being slowly eaten alive.... That was no way to live for anyone, nevermind a severed Lupine.

"Red?" his father whispered, rushing into the cell. He bent to his knees, cradling the boy in his arms. Folding his sleeve over his hand, he wiped his chin, softly trailing the fabric under his eyes. It was then that Lorelei realized that Red had been crying. He was definitely in pain.

"Red. That's enough," the father said firmly." His eyes ignited, voice becoming layered as he issued the King's Command that all Lupine must obey. "Wake up. Red. That's an order!"

The silence that followed was agonising.

"Red," the king whispered, voice cracking. He bore his gums and bowed his head, tears dribbling on his son's cheek. "Please..."

Lorlelei could watch no more. Like a doctor about to break some bad news, he shook his head.

"Your majesty," Lorelei said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You have to..."

The king stiffened. Almost robotically, he twisted his neck and Lorelei's stomach lurched at the look he gave him. Mania swirled in his eyes, his bared teeth clamped together like a rabid animal's. Quickly, Lorelei snatched his hand away as if bitten by an animal he'd been trying to pet.

The ground shuddered beneath them. As the king got to his feet and buried his face in his hands, it mounted into a thunderous roar.

"Your majesty," Lorelei said urgently. A crack began to spread through the stone flooring; dust began to rain from the ceiling as the rumble grew more calamitous. "Calm down! Let me think!" he snapped.

The king started, jumping as if suddenly snapped out of a rage-induced trance. The storm brewing in Lorelei's chest momentarily seized. This was bad. Really bad. The results of Red dying could result in a real world catastrophe if he wasn't careful.

"What exactly is going to happen to him if he continues down this path?" Lorelei asked.

"He'll likely become completely infernic," the king murmured with a guilty expression. "He'll lose all unnecessary emotions but the urge to kill and maim. He'll kill endlessly in hunger for the soul he lacks."

Lorelei grimaced. He couldn't help but wonder if that was a kinder fate than being committed to a life of pain and conflicting emotions.

No, that's not good enough. Red's basically a vegetable then.

Lorelei paced about the place, thinking. "And there's no sort of miracle you can conjure to save him?"

"Miracles can't come from a selfish place, Lorelei. We can't use our magic for ourselves. Red's quality of life would be poor enough that it would be for me, not him."

Lorelei touched his chin, thinking.

"This is my fault, Lorelei," the king said quietly. "I gave him an extra feather that Tamer and Xavier didn't have when I made him. I did it to keep him safe, thinking it would save him from this kind of fate, but in the end it just was too much for the mortal body... All it did was ensure there was no end to his suffering. It would not surprise me if he was immortal."

Lorelei's spine straightened."What do you mean you gave him your feathers?"

"Well, my soul. God can't create life without our feathers."

"You're saying that your soul is the basis for his?"

"Yes, I mean..." Suddenly, the king's jaw dropped. A beam of light collected around his skin.

"Your Majesty," Lorelei interjected quickly. "If you'd be willing to part with one of your wings, we might be able to replace the lost fragment of his soul with your own."

Lorelei didn't bother voicing the question that hung in the air between them: with an almost entirely new soul, would this even be the same person as before?

Lorelei removed a feather from his briefcase and cut it into a point for surgery, knowing the king would eat-up the opportunity even at the cost of amputating something as precious as his own soul.

"We'll take Red's memories and implant them into a new soul. But I want to try removing Red's memories of his mate," Lorelei mumbled. "It's worth a shot trying to see if that will help him heal. Of course, we should consider that therapy might be necessary. I'd like to volunteer myself for that job."

Lorelei's stomach bubbled with excitement. If Red could be healed from his pain, then it would be possible to heal any severed Lupine. He nearly vibrated, thinking of the good that could come of this situation.

"Lorelei," the king said quietly. "I know that you probably want to try to help Red. But I'll deal with him. I fear he might not understand why a stranger would help him and lash out at you as a result. There's another job that's far more important to me for you." The King paused before his voice softened. "I want you to try to help my son Tamer instead. Give him a Lupine sex-ed book or something. Please." His voice lowered. "Let's make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

*****

Lorelei stared at Red who continued to manically feast without paying him any mind. Good that could come from this monster -- that was certainly a funny one in hindsight. When Red got weak enough to slip into Infernic mode, he seemed to have a bit of a taste for killing both Lupine and humans who engaged romantically with the other species. He had a few theories why this was, but he guessed it mainly boiled down to the fact that he had removed Red's memories of his love life, but the hurt had remained too deeply engraved into the remnants of his original soul to be forgotten. Of course you'd start defining human/Lupine soul bonding as evil if you couldn't remember any of the positives of it. Lupine who dated humans were catergorised as predatory because that's all he knew. The humans who dated them were also categorised as "evil" since it was the Lupine that had to live on with the pain after they killed them.

In retrospect, it really did feel like he'd created a monster. It was no wonder Red begged endlessly for death. He was essentially a dead person brought back to fulfill a miserable purpose in life.

The only brightside he could think of was that Red had already eaten, meaning he hoped, no prayed, that Tamer and Winter would be safe. He was too guilty to mention the scenario, knowing more stress was the last thing Tamer needed. If Red became hostile, there was no hope of any of them making it out of that night alive.

"That's enough, Red," Lorelei growled.

He whipped a sharpened feather out of his pocket. He'd been keeping track of Red's feeding habits, who got defined as evil and his theories why, for a while now. It had been a few times he'd had to surgically sew up Red's back to shove his feathers back in now. He'd started always carrying around a feather as a result.

"Can you help me hold him down while I sew up his back?" Lorelei asked.

"What?" Mariah's expression grew venomous. "You're not going to kill him?"

"I think you forget that I've been killed by the father before," Lorelei snapped. "I don't plan on having to go through that again."

"You're going to just let this...thing run rampant? Indiscriminate of the lives it takes?"

"I don't have a choice. Letting Red die creates an even more powerful and dangerous enemy."

Lorelei called upon the silver in his bloodstream and ignored the pain seizing his immortal body as blades birthed from the liquid metal burst from his flesh. Red yelped as he was eviscerated by knives. Lorelei quickly grabbed the corpse and shoved his face in it to distract him. Nothing but a beast of hunger and desire, Red continued to feed frenziedly with his tongue rolling out on the bloodied earth even as he clambered on top of him.

Grabbing his thread woven of feathers, Lorelei slipped the thread through the eye of the needle and began ramming the bloodied feathers back inside. He winced in pain as they began to prickle like a porcupine's spines through his flesh.

"Don't look at me like that!" Lorelei hissed as he felt Mariah's glare as equally cutting through his skin. "It isn't just 'evil' that he feeds off of, it's what he defines as evil. His logic is completely fucked as murder, so long as it's for nourishment, is completely fine, but he'll kill anyone who sexually assaults another. Not to mention anyone that soul b--"

Lorelei trailed off, realising who he was talking to. She may have been excommunicated, but this girl was part of a religion that defined Lupine as devilish soul stealers.

He should not have said that.

"What was that about soul bonding?"

"Nothing."

"You were going to say he kills anyone who soul bonds."

Lorelei was a terrible liar. "No I was not!"

Mariah smirked, folding her arms. "I'll be seeing you then."

"Mariah!" Lorelei bellowed. "He'll kill you! You will not survive getting entangled with him!"

"That's why I'll be putting him in a position where he thinks he has all the power."

Lorelei rammed Red's feathers in frustration, knowing she was an adult and he had no power over what she did.

"Please, I am begging you, you're the closest thing to family I have!"

"I'm not your fucking family," Mariah hissed, walking away.

****

When Red had came to, he found his wings were gone and there a decimated corpse below him. While he really needed to find out who was tailing him, he was relieved; under no circumstances could Tamer and Winter be killed tonight - feeding made things more secure and meant he could also fit in a little playtime with Will.

Red softly purred as Will sat on his lap, gently rubbing his cheek against the boy to claim him with his scent.

"I'm sorry I was gone so long, Will," Red mumbled, eyes glowing gold with affection. He caressed his cheek before leaving a few kisses on it and Will fidgeted with excitement. "I hadn't eaten in a while. I wanted you to feel safe around me."

Will sighed; clearly, he was irritated, but Red's kisses on his face weakened his willpower as he gently began nuzzling him. "I appreciate the thought, Red, but you don't need to starve yourself for me. I'm not with you in spite of you killing people, I'm here cause you killed the guy who killed my sister. I'd do anything for you."

Red's eyes flickered away. "You know, since I've fed, it'll be safe enough for us to finally..."

"Not right now," Will mumbled. "I want to get more time together so I know it'll be safe. You understand, right?"

Red hung his head in disappointment at the lack of sex. "Yeah," he grumbled.

"So who did you kill?"

Red couldn't remember, but he could taste he'd eaten a dark soul. "Some shitty bastard."

"Awww." Will began fondling his cheeks. "Did you kill a bad man?"

Red started tapping his finger rapidly against the bench as Will's voice heightened. "I mean, yeah."

"Awwww. Who's a good boy?"

Red sucked in a breath. "You serious?"

Will beamed and nodded. "Who is it?"

Red's finger started racing at breakneck speeds. A crooked grin spread over his face and his cheeks grew pink with delight. "Me..."

Will laughed. "Why do you keep tapping your finger like that?"

Red froze. "Well, I didn't have a tail to wag so I just..."

"Excuse me." A voice came from behind him and the two nearly jumped out their skin. "Are you Red?"

Red turned. There was a woman with beautiful golden ringlets of hair. She was like an angel, but he wasn't interested in her right now.

"Why?" he demanded.

"Um..." She paused.

"Miss," Will said with a glare. "If you're looking to fuck him, you'll have to get in line."

"Why is there a que?!" she exclaimed.

"He's very good at soul bonding so he's very popular at the Interspecies Black Market. It gives him emotions he does not usually have."

"Basically, if you fuck me hard enough, I'll become a real boy," Red said.

"Aren't you worried he's going to eat you?"

Red glared at her, offended. "I'd never eat Will. It's true I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with interspecies relationships, it makes sense he'd want to be with Lupine - he doesn't have many options among humans. He's gay."

Will smiled and drifted his hand down his shirt.

"Go away," Red whispered, groaning as Will slid his hand down his stomach. "I'm with Will right now."

"You're Will?" the woman said. "You know, I heard a man calling your name. He sounded pretty pissed."

Will froze. "Shit, could that be my dad?!" Will got up, panicking. "Red, I have to scram."

"Wait!" Red cried.

"Sorry!" Will said, bowing his head in apology before bolting. "Let's meet up soon!"

Red folded his arms and huffed, sinking into the bench.

The woman sat down next to him. "Do you want to have sex?"

Red heaved a great sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes," he grumbled.

****

Red sat her down on the bed but hesitated before touching her. There were an unusual amount of anxious waves emitting from her aura.

"You seem nervous," he said. "Why?"

She hesitated. "I uh... I'm a virgin."

"...Seriously?" he mumbled.

She nodded.

He scratched his head. "Uhh. You know what you're doing here... This is pretty hardcore stuff for a virgin. The people who usually do this are usually, well...addicted to sleeping with, Lupine. Do you know what to expect here?"

She narrowed her eyes."You'll bite me, right?"

"Uh. Again, that's pretty hardcore stuff. The people I have sex with frequently - it takes a lot of time and trust before they'll consent to that. All though, that wasn't what I was actually talking ab -- "

"I don't mind." She slid her hand up his thigh. "Here." She opened her neck and her tone picked up all of a sudden as she gave a strange smile he couldn't read. "You can do it now if you want."

Red flinched, suddenly growing dizzy from her touch. He shook his head to clear the hot mist clouding within. He wondered why a woman would tempt him in such a dangerous manner - he was starting to realise she was a bit insane.

"I-it's safer to do it after sexual contact due to a connected state of emotion."

"Wait. I thought that only happened in mate bonds?"

He shook his head. "Not if it's good sex. Will it be okay with you if I imprint you? It's a temporary mate bond that can trigger between strangers. It wears off naturally."

"Would I be fucking a Lupine if I didn't want that?"

He rested his back against the bed, thinking. He began carefully breaking off his claws for safety's sake.

"You know I killed my mate, right?"

"Everyone knows that."

What else was there to say? The simple truth of the matter was that he was growing curious about this woman. Something felt off about this whole situation, but she was an adult. She could make her own choices, despite how terrible they may be.

"You don't seem to care about your wellbeing very much, do you," he said.

Mariah said nothing.

He stared at the small amount of space between their hands in the silence that followed. Strangely, his heart was beating fast all of a sudden. Swallowing, he drummed his fingers into the mattress before building up the courage to walk them towards her. Tentatively, he stroked her with just his fingertips, noting how silky her skin was. A strange feeling of content flowed through him. He intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed -- he wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Mariah's bottom lip quivered as he stroked her with his thumb. She looked away, but her fingers gripped much tighter than his own.

Red came closer, drifting his fingers up her arm. He touched her chin and tilted her face towards his. Her eyes were a deep shade of cerulean, easy enough to drown away in. Beautiful.

Red gazed at her. He could sense that the correct thing to do would be to comfort her, but he could only guess at what would be the right words. If he spoke, he'd likely fail at it anyway. So he shut his mouth and, instead, pulled her into his arms. Mariah froze, but did not resist; as his free hand slipped around her lower back, he pulled her into his chest and brushed his fingers through her hair. Suddenly, the usual haze of others' emotions grew a lot sharper. He could clearly distinguish the cold shear of sadness in her aura. Normally, he'd cower away from any negative emotions leaking inside him; human emotions were incredibly intense - the last thing he needed was any more negativity, but these feelings of hers weren't anything new to him. If anything, they made him feel more alive knowing that he was not alone.

He kissed her forehead."I'll show you what I do when I want to feel alive," he whispered.

He kissed her. He brushed his lip side to side in a sort of half nuzzle; the kiss was so faint that the sweet, tangy bliss of her lips was but a tickle. A warmth began to glow in the bottom of his stomach. As their lips gilded back and forth, her breath quivered in his mouth. She seemed to be enjoying it. He withdrew with a peck, sliding one hand up through her cheek and winding it through her hair. Her aura was starting to grow pink with the tendrils of pleasure.

Their lips melted together and a glowing sensation formed in his stomach. He couldn't help but smile as a familiar sense of content flowed through him. That gaping void in his heart -- it gradually grew full with pleasure. A literal sparkle of light formed in his aura. With each tug and caress of her lips on his own, it kindled, expanding to wash away the usual murkiness of his soul.

Electrified, a quiet sigh escaped him. He traced the tip of her tongue with his own. As he circled it, the blue and pink in her aura swirled together into a purple as if his tongue was a paintbrush. He could feel her pleasure prickle across his skin.

He was nothing less than hypnotised by her lips. It could have been twenty seconds or twenty minutes for all he knew. Her soul bleeding into his own was like a spiritual cleansing -- he started feeling so alive that even his vision itself seemed to saturate; the whole world was so much brighter and beautiful all of a sudden.

Growling with desire, Red pushed her so the two came tumbling down together, clamborouing on all fours on top of her like a ravenous beast.

*****

Her thighs were like pillows around his face. The taste of her desire exploding against his tongue unbearably sweet. The sheath of the leather knife that she insisted on wearing pressed against his cheek; he didn't mention anything about the weapon, deciding it was probably for the best it was there if it helped her relax.

Her clit was so swollen with pleasure that it rolled easily against his tongue. With an illicit sigh, Red swirled his tongue faster and faster around it. As he vibrated his fingertips into her slit, he could feel her convulse and quiver, thighs twitching against his cheeks -- her teeth were buried in her lip, but still those little yelps slipped out. She gasped as he buried his fingers inside her. He devoured her and nearly violently fucked her with his fingers until she was straight up thrashing. As her back suddenly arched, the electric pheromone of her pleasure blazed like wildfire into Red's own. Inflamed by the woman's need, he moaned loudly, chasing her moans until neither could contain themselves anymore.

A stream of water splattered over his fingertips. It wasn't an exaggeration to say she screamed. Even with her hand over her mouth, she squealed, her whole body spasming as she grinded and squirted all over his face. Pleasure annihilated him; Red growled with ecstacy as a lighter yet still mind-boggling version of her bliss consumed him like a warm, melting wave. Even if he wasn't sharing partially in her pleasure, he wouldn't be able to do anything but fuck her senseless right now.

Pleasure painted her features. "Shit," she breathed.

Briefly, Red wondered if she was really a virgin; while he'd never fucked one before, that was quite a fingering she just took.

He didn't let her catch her breath. He pushed her off him and smothered her with his lips, running his fingers through her hair. Those golden locks, the sweet, magical taste of her kiss -- it was all so strangely nostalgic.

Red grabbed her hair as she went down on him. She swirled her tongue over his tip before submerging him into the warmth of her mouth. His breath trembled as he exhaled; a bead of sweat trickled down his fluctuating pectoral, making the toned muscle of his lithe torso glisten. A strand of her hair fell over her face; Red tucked the golden lock behind her ear, eyes softening as he admired how she could look so beautiful even doing something like this.

"Take it slow for a moment, angel," he panted.

He let loose a groan as her mouth drove back and forth, lips sucking and tongue swirling like a steady hurricane. He shifted. His dick stiffened and twitched in her mouth as she drooled over him. It was so hard, burning with pleasure against her soft, wet and swirling tongue, that he could barely stand it.

He had to fuck her. He decided he must have wanted her while she was glowing with pleasure.

He moved behind her while she presented like an animal, groping her ass that was stuck up in the air.

The two moaned as he rubbed himself against her soaking slit. He could not stand a single moment longer not being inside her and pushed. A silky warmth consumed him and pleasure exploded over every nerve ending of his dick as he burrowed deep within. He sighed, a smile painting his lips.

He thrust forward and pulled her hips towards him. Her excitement transferred to him as he built into a rhythm; his declawed nails dug into her hips harder than intended as his movements grew faster, but she didn't seem to mind -- the cries that left her were utterly delightful.

The creaking of the bed grew faster. The blazing sun around her neck bounced alongside her breasts. He threw back his head as his teeth gnashed into a snarl; she was squeaking and squealing like she'd never been satisfied in her life before, her fingers clawing and thumping against the mattress.

He moaned alongside her, pounding her faster and faster with his skin slapping against hers until nothing but ecstacy obliterated his mind.

Eventually, he exploded. His clenched teeth let loose a luscious growl in her ear, very nearly well coming inside her. Her stomach rippled as his body twitched. Her eyebrows scrunched as her lips fell open; she gave an awfully angelic sigh for someone just fucked like that.

"Fuck," she breathed, chest heaving.

Red sighed, finally catching his breath. His heart was still drumming. He tumbled back into the bed with her and enjoyed the sensation of their souls temporarily bonded, feeling whole once again. Red embraced her and the two lay in utter bliss.

It felt so incredible Red wondered if he might genuinely be in love. He could not tell if his heart was beating with fear or excitement, he just knew he wanted one thing:

"Can I see you again?" he whispered.

Between her and Will, he might be capable of feeling whole again.

Mariah said nothing. His heart plummeted to his stomach.

"Unhand my soul, wolf," Mariah uttered.

Red froze. "Huh?"

"You heard me."

Now his heart was beating fast in a repulsive way. "I told you we were going to be soul bonded!"

"I don't like this level of intimacy. Sever this immediately."

Unease shivered down Red's spine. Biting someone he was in a soul bond with... that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

His palms clammed. "It'll wear off eventually. Can we please just wait?" he begged.

"No."

He swallowed. "I-I don't think this is a good idea."

"Just do it."

Red shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He had people that let him bite them all the time. And nothing went wrong. Why would this be any different?

Be gentle, he reminded himself.

He didn't want to hurt her. He was going to miss being able to empathise with another's pain.

Swallowing, he released a shaky pant as he opened his mouth. He trembled.

Gently, he scraped his fangs across her neck and licked her to ensure he wouldn't go wild. Pleasure pheromones made her taste like candy.

"You like that?" Mariah whispered.

He was so intoxicated he didn't notice how she spoke through her teeth.

"Yeah," he whispered, utterly hating himself.

Mariah embraced him. "Go deeper."

Red bit her. His pupils dilated as a blood colour spilled through them; a moan slipped his lips as goosebumps traveled over his skin. He didn't have time to process how good her blood tasted and what it meant. The moment he swallowed it, something bizarre happened.

An incredibly sharp pain, along with numerous other places, ruptured his windpipe. An absolute agony -- like his insides were being ripped open -- seized him. He couldn't breathe. His eyes bulged; suddenly, a liquid was rising up from his throat instead of going down it.

Colour flashed before his vision as something plunged into his shoulder blades, cutting into his feathers -- the literal representation of his soul. Momentarily, his brain scrambled. He released her. She crawled backwards with her arms trembling as she gaped at him. The knife in her hand was sheathed in blood.

He looked down.

Knives had somehow ruptured him from the inside out, sticking out like a porcupines spines from his throat.

"W-why aren't you...?" Mariah's confusion turned into full-blown horror as he began to grotesquely heal before her. "N-no, it isn't a full moon, you can't...!"

Red's eyes scorched.

"You idiot," Red whispered. "You cut my back so my feathers are on display. I'm going to kill you."

She didn't answer.

He didn't know if that bite was enough to sever the bond. Blood roared in his ears as fear slithered through his insides.

I'm going to kill someone I'm soul bonded with. I'm going to kill someone I'm soul bonded with.

Suddenly, the dark haze of her soul made his mouth water. He snaked his tongue over a long, erect fang.

He had no control over his next movements.

Red's claws punctured the pillow as she narrowly avoided death with a roll to the side.

Terror - in the form of a cold sweat - dripped down his spine as his body moved against his will. He tried to hold himself back, but couldn't. His mind was incohesive barrage of bloodlust and fear.

Moving quicker than she, he pulled the bed sheets so that she came crashing to the floor.

The sight of venom in her features was intriguing; in this situation, he'd never been looked upon in anything but fear. The blood on her neck morphed with grotesque bubbling into a sharp point - knives. Where she was bleeding, her blood was literally turning into knives.

She threw them at him.

Red sent everything on the bedside table asunder as he used it to shield himself. The knives penetrated the wood with a wobble. He pulled them out of the wood and threw them back at her. One grazed her arm as she quickly dodged, and another batch frothed and bubbled from the wound.

An entire hoard of knives soared in his direction. Too many to dodge, his first instinct was to set them on fire so a stream of flames jetted from his palms. He soon realised the error of his ways when the now scorching batch of knives flew at him. He jumped - a few tore through and burned his ankles leaving him hissing. The fire restricted her movements though; when she made a break for the exit, he sealed her in with another wall of fire.

She threw a knife at his dick.

Red jumped just in time, nearly having a heart attack as the air grazed him.

She snarled as their gazes snagged.

"Fuck you," she spat. "Fuck you, lecherous wolf!"

The knives soared towards his eyes; Red ducked and bounded across the bed in one single leap, slamming her hands above her head. It was literally her own blood that she was throwing at him - no wonder she was getting weak. He saw her eyelids grow heavy as he pushed his body into hers.

"So you're from that church," he whispered, inhumanely cold. "Fucking bunch of evil bastards all of you." His body itched with the urge to kill such a chilling soul; gradually, animalistic hunger began to override his fear as his eyes burned red. "No, you were from that church. No member of that church would fuck a Lupine just for the opportunity to kill them."

He could tell by the utter fury lining her features that he was correct.

"Do you like other boys, wolf?" she sneered.

Red scowled - that one pissed him off. "It's not gay if you top, you bitch."

"Well, maybe your days of topping are over."

Before Red knew it, he'd been kicked in the dick. All the colour drained from his face as he fell to his knees.

The exit was blocked by flames so there was only one way out for her and that was through the window. She took her chance, smashing her way through the glass without a second thought.

Red watched her go, deciding it was not worth the risk of being kicked in the balls twice in a row. He heard a thud.

When he could stand, he was surprised to find that she was actually alive. Running with her entire ass out down the streets. He wondered if she maybe wasn't entirely human, there were long since rumours that the church was breeding with Lupine to create their wolf-slayer soldiers.

As far as he was concerned, it was over for her.