Red didn't even need to follow the scent of her blood. Dots of it were splattered all over the gravel in a direct trail. Aura extinguished, bloodlust multiplied like a virus in his mind. Sweat dripped from his brow just thinking about how he was going to kill someone he'd soul bonded with, but the more his wings burrowed out from his flesh, the more that thought vanished into the jaws of hunger. Shivers of terror consumed him. Still his legs moved beyond his control. Steely hunger drained his rationality until he was nothing but an animal stalking its prey.

He looked up at the tall, Gothic building stabbing the black sky above him. Apparently, she had come to the same conclusion as he, deciding she had a better chance of living praying for a miracle than running for her life.

The doors screeched in protest as he pushed them apart. In his god form, his blazing aura was hard to contain, and his blinding light swallowed the darkness. There was no need to hide it; to do so was purely habit.

She sat just out the reach of his aura. On her knees in the shadows, praying to a multicoloured shaft of light that rained through the stained glass. It cast a ringlet of reflection atop her golden hair like a halo. There was something strikingly beautiful about seeing a naked woman in a religious place – like witnessing the serpent in the garden of Eden. Strangely enough, he wasn't aroused by her body, her golden tumbling waves of hair, nor the way the moonlight made her skin angelically glow; no, he was enraptured by her, admiring her like one of those naked angels in a classical piece of art.

His chest was warm despite his waning mind. It was curiosity as usual that made him inch forward. How did she find herself sleeping with Lupine when they were seen as the penultimate tempters of sin? He wanted to learn more about her, but it seemed their time together would be cut short.

He towered before her, casting a tall, gnarly looking shadow over her form. Tears glittered in those warm brown eyes of hers. He didn't see the defiance that there was earlier in their fight. A strange and unpleasant feeling coiled in his stomach that made him feel psychically nauseous. If she was so afraid of dying then why did she go after him? She knew how dangerous he was. He hadn't even forced anything here; she was the one determined to bed him in an attempt to kill him to restore her status in the church. She could have lived, but there was nothing he could do to save her now.

He laid his hand on her shoulder as if attempting to consolidate her. He wasn't sure why. He'd learned enough social cues to know you were supposed to comfort like this, but he'd never actually been able to do so successfully. It was probably just a thinly veiled attempt to fit in.

It was difficult to speak. All his body did was tell him to kill and kill, and anything but that function was slowly slipping away like sand through his fingers.

"I think your prayers may have summoned the wrong god, woman," he said.

She knew her time was up. He could tell by the fear in her eyes. As their gazes snagged, she shivered, eyes as wide as you'd expect from someone about to be judged. His stance against evil was less of a moral thing and more just an animalistic instinct, but there were some things that made even his stomach churn. Wolf hunters killed so many innocent wolves and used their children as dogs for their hunting, sometimes even selling them into sex work. They were sickeningly evil, even to someone like him.

Red stepped closer and his wings ignited with all the tenacity of Hellfire. She whimpered, eyes glittering in the fiery heat.

Expression blank, Red touched his hand to her face. For a moment, he caressed her. Terrified tears splattered down her cheeks as his hand turned into a vacuum and her soul began to seep like an icy breath her lips.

She screamed. In a last ditch effort she grabbed his face and desperately pressed her lips against hers.

A multitude of emotions exploded like a nuclear bomb inside Red. The imprint returned to him and hit him like a sack of bricks. Empathy, compassion, love, mortal fear -- with a human soul connected to his so directly, suddenly feeling was brought to his machine-like form. Her lips breathed life into him. Colours flashed before his eyes like a dazzling disco ball.

It was so overwhelming he couldn't even respond. Stunned, he fell to his knees, unsure whether he was trembling out of fear or excitement. 

"Did you just... Sleeping beauty me?" he gasped.

She breathed hard, unable to believe her luck.

Red panted. Her kiss had saved him from reverting to his Infernic self. He didn't want to tell her to leave. He wanted to find out more about himself via her. The thought of her leaving him when she still had a piece of his soul terrified him. But he had to. He was unsure when this effect would wear off. He could kill her if he asked her to stay.

"You should go," he whispered, reluctance making his tongue almost ache. "Please. Be careful with my soul until the imprint wears off."

She turned to leave.

"Wait!" Red cried.

She froze. He didn't know what he wanted to say. Maybe he just wanted to look at her one last time.

His senses were so entangled with hers, his body so intoxicated with human emotions that by the time he started at the sound coming from his peripheral, it was already too late. He found himself knocked to the ground.

There was a flash of light as the attacker shifted back to his human form. He slammed Red's hands into the marble. Red froze, still processing the sudden change of events.

"Run!" Xavier shouted at the woman.

She hesitated, flustered as she crossed her hands over her chest –Xavier bore his fangs at her. "Didn't you hear me! Don't trust what he says! I said run!"

Mariah cast Xavier a scowl as he flung his cloak at her.

She bolted.

The moment she was gone, Red's body started to shift, his lifeline to empathy gone. He started to erupt with trembles, ice-cold fear slithering through his veins as he felt his god side take the reins.

His claws slowly sliced through the floor as he made a fist.

"Snap out of it, you stupid bastard!" Xavier snapped.

Xavier's arms were trembling as he saw the cold mania swirling in Red's eyes. Xavier had scared away the one thing that made him feel like a human being. All he could feel was anger.

Xavier licked his hand. "Sorry about this, Red!" he said, grabbing handfuls of his burning wings.

Smoke curled beneath Red's fingertips; Xavier sucked in a breath as the scent of burning flesh wafted through the air, howling as his own flesh smoldered.

"I'm trying to help you!" Xavier hissed as Red's feathers cut through his flesh.

Xavier howled before finally ramming the feathers back in. He quickly wiped his hand over the raw wounds to heal them.

Red pushed himself up as his brother retreated, nursing his wounds.

Xavier snarled at him, his long, black hair in disarray a single burning amber eye peering at him through the hand clawing at his face.

They locked eyes.

"What would your father say if he saw you like this?" Xavier spat.

Red's lips curled inward. His Father had specifically sent him here to prevent Xavier and Tamer from killing each other. He didn't actually want to hurt Xavier. Thinking about that, his vision sharpened and the hiss in his ear grew quiet.

Red lowered his hand slightly. "Are you fighting to kill then?"

"Idiot. I'm trying to help you."

Red raised his eyebrows. He wasn't particularly happy to see Xavier right now after his actions. "You're going to need it." Slowly, he lowered his arm, keeping his eyes locked on Xavier's. "Whatever it is you're trying to achieve here. You know you're going to need to kill Tamer to do it, right?"

Xavier's gaze monetarily flickered away from his own, licking his lips. He pulled his hand away from his face, revealing that scar slicing down the inflamed brown skin.

"That outcome is far less painful than the alternative for him," he said lowly.

Red found his stare stuck at his brother's feet. He didn't blink the moment her face flashed in his mind. An emptiness clutched at his heart. He drifted forward on autopilot.

"You're a fucking bastard for trying to tear a couple apart," he said quietly. "You're a bastard for bringing Tamer into your dumb games with Father.

Xavier scowled; his lip twitched as his fist curled by his side. "What do you mean games?" Xavier hissed.

Red dug his claws into his brother's shoulder suddenly. His smile did not warm his icy stare. "Then if this isn't for Father's attention, it won't bother you to hear that Father won't be attending tonight."

Xavier froze. "What do you mean?" he asked urgently. "You can't mean he's just going to let me...!"

"Of course not," Red whispered, leaning in. "Should it come it, I'll be your opponent instead."

He watched Xavier intently but his face wasn't giving anything away – Red could smell his nervousness though. "What? You thought he'd want to come to beat the shit out of you? You should be happy about this development. If you want to get back at him for killing your mother, then forget Winter, forget Tamer – just kill me instead."

The last thing Red was expecting Xavier's choice of attack to be was a slap across the cheek, that wasn't going to do much – it just stung as the sound echoed throughout the empty church.

"What are you saying, stupid?" Xavier grumbled. "I'm done playing your stupid fucking game."

Red was absolutely astonished when he sat down and began reading a book from his bag.

He clutched his cheek with a stunned expression – he was so shocked Xavier had slapped the gold straight out his eyes. He couldn't figure out why Xavier would strike him if not to kill.

He frowned. He didn't plan on doing anything, especially since the woman still had his soul, but this surprised him from Xavier. "You're... just going to let me go after that woman like that?"

"Of course not," Xavier said, eyes quickly darting forth over the words on the page; he looked up with a smile. "If you're not going to kill me, then I don't have to do anything but grace you with my presence to stop you from doing anything."

Red's mouth fell open. "Your plan of attack was to cockblock!"

Xavier went back to reading his book. Red paced back and forth, stunned at the cruelty of Xavier's plan. He tapped his foot, drummed his regrowing claws; it wasn't long before he was tugging at his own hair; Mariah kept dwindling on his mind, leaving him agitated and uncomfortable.

"I can't take this!" he howled, getting on his knees before his brother, "if you're going to ruin my night at least be entertaining about it!"

Xavier ignored him. This went on for a few moments before Red was already losing his mind.

"I know! Let's play Fireball – if you get hit by the fireball, you lose."

"Remember what happened the last two times we played that game?"

"Tamer would play that game with me!"

"I'm sure you two would get along very well."

Red huffed. He decided to watch something burn for his own entertainment.

Xavier grabbed his hand before a flame could ignite in it. "Do not."

"At least do something!" Red cried.

Xavier looked up slowly. "I bought you something."

Red's eyes lit up. "You got me a gift?"

Xavier chucked a book at him.

"A book? A fucking book?" Red spat with disgust, tearing the thing off his face. "You really expect me to –"

Red looked down at the cover. It was a trashy human romance novel with an unbelievably muscular man with long blond hair on the cover who looked strangely familiar. He recognised it immediately but tried not to look too excited about it.

Wait, the sequel is out already?

"At least try and satisfy your desire to be loved in healthier ways," Xavier mumbled.

"You expect me to read this girly crap?"

"I saw you reading the first book one day when you were grounded."

Red flushed. "What else was I gonna do!"

"There's a fuck scene in it."

"...with who?"

"Sir Lorence." Xavier scowled. "I thought it was rather awkward..."

"Sir Lorence? Sir Lorence?" Red said after an offended gasp. "What the hell is Minerva doing? Julius is the most compatible mate!"

He tore the book open, sitting next to his brother. They sat in silence for some time; he was so transfixed that he wasn't as agitated and uncomfortable as he normally was.

"Red," Xavier said quietly. "When you act like a child like this. Do you ever regret growing up too fast?"

Red frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Xavier said with a sigh, turning the page, "It's just sometimes you act like an ordinary younger brother and it's honestly rather sinister compared to your usual self. Like gazing into a past long gone."

Red sat in silence – he had no idea what Xavier meant.

"Hey," Red eventually mumbled, watching his brother from the corner of his eye. "What are you actually trying to do with this Winter and Tamer thing? The thing with Winter. Let's say if you really succeed, do you have any idea how to proceed after that? "

Xavier looked up, eyes looking like they were racing with thoughts. "The Maiden supposedly has the power to defeat him. I have no idea how but we don't have much time. Tamer will kill her."

Red rolled his eyes. "And you really think Winter is going to co-operate after that?"

His brother slammed the book on the ground. "They might not initially see it, but after what happened with you, I have no doubt separation is the safest outcome for everyone involved. He'll thank me later." Xavier kept peering at his book. "What about you? Why did you beg Father to let you handle this?"

Red's eyes flickered downward. "Don't laugh."

"I won't."

"I wanted to try doing something good for a change."

"What do you mean good?" Xavier asked, outraged. "Just what about letting a man kill a woman constitutes as heroic to you?"

He doesn't know, Red thought. He decided to ignore that question, deciding it wasn't his place to explain. He'd likely just make his Father look even worse to Xavier.

Red looked down at his hands. "I want to repay Father back for all he's done for me. He's the only person who's seen my monstrous side and loves me anyway; he doesn't consider me evil, but if I was, he told me he'd love me anyway. But it's not just that." Red sighed, voice dropping to a mumble. "All my life it feels like I've had my destiny decided for me. I wasn't made evil. I was born it. And that bothers me. I feel like I have no control over my body and my destiny. If I truly was born evil I will get no joy from being a hero. My body might even psychically stop me from doing something good." He paused. "Just once, I wanted to try being someone's hero to see how it makes me feel; I've never had the desire to be, so I really wanted to seize this chance. Who knows. Maybe I'll like it." Red narrowed his eyes. "I want to prove everyone wrong who called me a monster."

Maybe if he could be less evil, he'd stop feeling the need to harm this evil body of his. In any case, his father was the only person who loved him despite of his true nature. He'd do anything for him, regardless of whether it was an evil action or not.

"The problem is that your desire to be 'good' is rooted in completely selfish reasons," Xavier stated. "I doubt you'll like it, but I doubt your body will stop you either. You'll probably just feel indifferent, unless it's admiration you're after, which, knowing you, could be quite likely. But it isn't that clear-cut. You're really going to be someone else's villain just to be someone else's hero?"

"It's like you said, Xavier. It's for the greater good."

Xavier frowned. "What do you mean? Just how could there be anything good from killing all those women?" he snapped.

Red ignored that."And you really intend to fight me if it comes to it?"

His brother rose, his unruly tangles of black hair blending into the darkness while his amber eyes seered.

"Yes, Red – I'll fight you, I'll fight Father. I might not be the best for the job, but I'm not going to stand by and wait for someone else to do it anymore." Raising his head, that eye contact he made was a direct challenge – even Red felt a little unnerved by that uncharacteristic confidence and determination in his stare. "Midnight tonight, I'll end this. For all he killed. For all the Maiden." There was a pause, his voice dropping along with his head. "For Mother." He gnashed his teeth. "Who else is going to do it but me?"