Tilting her hand to watch the dried-up stalk in her hand illuminate with orange sunlight before dipping into harsh shadow, Winter released a sigh.

That golden light reminded her of him.

"Lorelei, how was it you got to Apollo to... behave around you earlier?" she asked.

Lorelei raised his head off Tamer's shoulder suddenly. "Why are you asking me about him?" he responded quickly.

She noticed a strange amount of anxiety swirling off Lorelei but she didn't think much of it – it seemed to just be anyone's natural response around a god.

"Just a feeling," she muttered. "I figured since you're also immortal, you might know him."

Lorelei touched his chin, frowning. "All I can say is Apollo doesn't like being treated like a god, Winter," he said. "That doesn't mean you should dare to disrespect him, but if you make yourself seem to be important as he is, his curiosity will at least win him over to try to figure out why. He's human, and you'd do well to never forget that."

She closed her palm on that dried-up stem. Twice now, the white roses had brought out some sort of power within her. While she doubted it could have any use without its petals, she tucked it into the fabric over her breast just in case.

Those final hours of comfort with Tamer slipped so quickly away as she simply enjoyed his presence. This might have been the last she'd ever see him.

She watched the sun sink into darkness over the horizon as she waited for the night to fall.

******

A half-moon towered over the forest as they waited for Xavier to signal his presence. The stem scraped against her chest more frequently as her breathing grew urgent. Without the full moon, Tamer's healing wouldn't be as powerful tonight -- any wound could be fatal.

The anxious waves emitting from Tamer sucked her in like a typhoon. Face buried in his hands, his leg bounced into an almost continuous vibration. A shaky breath escaped him as he clawed at his hair; squeezing his hand, she found his bones were rigid like talons.

She looked up at the sky, heart-beating with an electrifying sense of dread.

It hadn't kicked in yet, but there was a chance she could die tonight.

There was a crunch. Tamer's fingers smashed through the bulk of the log they were sitting on as if it were a twig in his hand. Claws burst from his fingertips as he spoke through his teeth. "Not... happening!"

The rasped words rumbled into a fully-fledged growl as his upper lip twitched; fangs burst in his mouth so suddenly that he cried out in pain. She realised then that Tamer had read her mind.

Lorelei chewed on his lip. "Ah," he whispered, "he's not having a panic attack. He's fighting off a shift."

"Why does he look like he's in pain?" Winter demanded.

"Because he is, Winter," Lorelei said gently. "In a bad shift, the wolf literally starts clawing uncontrollably through the flesh. Tamer's really upset right now. That thing wants blood. At this point, we should be the human form being devoured entirely."

Winter's hair whipped over her shoulder towards the writhing Tamer. It appeared she could lose him in more ways than one.

"Tamer," Lorelei said sharply. "You've come this far without losing your humanity, haven't you? You wouldn't dare prove your father right now?"

Tamer opened one eye at him and rested back against Winter, clawing at his chest.

Before he could respond, a howl echoed in the distance.

Tamer's head snapped up, pupil thinning as the gold burned predatory in the dark. Winter's heart sank to the depths of her stomach. She felt the thing seem to writhe as if her ribcage constricted. Even Lorelei's gentle face became hardened.

Winter grabbed Tamer's hand. "You got this," she whispered, squeezing it.

Tamer's face was so still that she couldn't help but get the feeling that there was a wolf who didn't know how to properly emote with a human face lurking underneath. His eyes stared forward with the intensity of a lion stalking its prey.

"Take my bow," Lorelei said, pulling it off his back. "The arrows are silver. Try to get at least one shot in to weaken his regeneration before you shift."

Tamer took it. As she helped him to his feet, he staggered with his upper body tumbling forward like a puppet hanging limply on its strings. It was as if he had the urge to walk on all fours before he straightened his back.

Tamer walked ahead of her. The image of Tamer's back slipping away from her seemed to waver as her whole world distorted. Suddenly, she was reminded of that image of his bare back as he waded into deep, dark waters, slipping further and further away.

Her legs were like jelly as she moved. She hoped time and time again that she'd wake up still in his arms. That it was all a bad dream. She didn't feel all there. She was like some ghost drifting through the woods.

Tamer stopped in the distance, legs spread and shoulders back as he stopped with a purposeful stance.

Lorelei placed a hand in front of her. From the corner of her eyes, something glinted and she found a silver blade clutched in his hand. He touched his finger to his lips, signaling for her to take it. Her hand trembled as she took the blade, sheathing it into the leather strap her mother had given her that day. She may have to fight to defend herself. But she wasn't confident enough to believe it would make any difference.

Leaves rustled and a smooth voice oozed like melting candle wax within her ears. "Oh? You saw that didn't you, Xavier?"

Her blood boiled as the hair stood up on the back of her neck. She looked up, finding Red with his hands cupping his face as he leaned forward with interest above a tree. Even with just the half-moon, the parts of his skin exposed to moonlight glowed while the others lurked in shadow.

Red picked at his black claws. "Tamer went werewolf because of you."

Emerging from the shadows came a man with unruly black curls that spilled like ink over his face. The eyes were the same colour as they were in the wolf's --a searing kind of amber that had a similar kind of scornful burn as Apollo's. They narrowed as he turned up his nose at Tamer.

She realised Tamer had an entire mouthful of sharp teeth as he bore them at him.

"Your wolf form is running rampant," Xavier spat.

Red rolled his eyes. "This is your fault."

Venom burned in Tamer's eyes.

"Tamer," Winter shouted, grasping Tamer's hand before he could reach for his bow. "Tamer, let's talk. He wants to overthrow the king. We have the same goal! If I have some sort of power that can overthrow the king then –"

"Winter," Tamer said flatly. "He firmly believes that I want to kill you and eat you. Whatever happens, he's not going to let me come with you if you're that valuable. Besides! Even if you do have some sort of power, you don't know how to harness it and neither does he. Until you figure that out, it's me who has to do the fighting." His voice dropped, and his eyes grew pleading. "I don't know if I have it in me to kill another father figure. Can't we just rest for a bit?"

She dropped her head, curling her hands into fists. She couldn't force that on Tamer again.

"Xavier," she pleaded. "Please, Tamer isn't –"

"Don't waste your breath, snowflake," Red said gently. "He won't budge on his stance on wolf/human relationships. He's seen what can happen first hand."

"Winter," Xavier said, touching his hands to his chest. "Haven't you had enough? Aren't you sick of all you've had stolen from you because of some sick sacrifice? Come with me! I'll find a way to put your power to use so you no longer have to fight on the sidelines. I may not know how to harness it yet, but Red does!"

Red scoffed. "Don't make yourself sound like such a hero," he said coldly. "Let's not pretend this is about justice and is anything more than your daddy issues at play."

Xavier snarled at him.

"Besides." Red rested his head on his hand. "You're all interpreting this a bit too literally." Gritting her teeth, she caught his glacial gaze and shuddered. "Princess. Do you really think you have some sort of magic power powerful enough to slay a god?"

Winter grimaced and Red's eyelids dropped with a twisted smirk. "Don't be ridiculous. If you want to make yourself useful, let him eat you or something. Legend says that's a good way of gaining strength."

"Alright Red, you're just stirring shit!" Xavier snapped.

"Lorelei," Tamer said quietly.

"Yes, I've got it," Lorelei mumbled, materialising before them. He pointed at Red who froze. "Come with me."

Red leaped to the ground, stumbling to race toward Lorelei as he looked him up and down. "Whoah! Who are you?"

Lorelei beckoned him and Red jogged backward with excitement. "Where are we going? And why?"

"I'm going to kick your ass."

Red accelerated and ran a lap around Lorelei. "Really?!"

When they left, a heavy silence fell and Tamer equipped an arrow to his bow, positioning it stoically at arm's length before tensing the string.

"You've caused me enough pain and pressure in an already incredibly stressful time for me," he uttered. "This is your last chance. Back off and do away with your stupid fucking plan or I'll fight you."

****

Walking next to Red was like walking next to an electrical generator. He could feel a current of static crawling over his skin like there was some magnetic pull between them. It wasn't uncommon for man-eaters to have a devious charm to them – all this confirmed was that Red was even stronger than he'd imagined.

He cursed Mariah for recklessly going after him and injuring herself. He could have really used her in this fight.

Lorelei grimaced. The trouble with Red was that when you harmed him, you created an even bigger problem by pissing off the father. On his Fathers orders, Red would only become an issue if Tamer beat Xavier but conflict after that would be unavoidable. His best bet would be to stall as much as possible before trying to fill him with enough silver to wreck his healing for the rest of the night. As much as he wanted to keep an eye on Tamer and Winter, he knew Red would be fighting with fire. They'd be safer without the man-eater around.

"So, Red. How old were you when you had your first kill?" Lorelei asked quietly.

Red visibly flinched. "Why are you asking me about that?" he demanded.

"I specialise in rehabilitating man-eaters."

Red's lips tightened. "You can't help me," he growled. "This isn't something you can chip away at with enough therapy. I was born this way."

"Then I'll put it this way," Lorelei said lightly. "Maybe you see yourself as beyond help, but understanding you may help me help others."

Red's teeth gnashed. A troubled expression wrinkled his brow.

"You care enough to consider it?" Lorelei asked, surprised.

"It's not that," he mumbled. I'm trying to figure out how telling you that puts me at a disadvantage. If it doesn't then my Father would probably want me to..." Red huddled his arms over his stomach with a defeated sigh. "Sixteen," he whispered.

Lorelei stopped dead in his tracks. "You...you killed your mate at sixteen years old?"

From what he knew, that would make Red only nineteen years old.

"Don't look at me like that," Red hissed, snatching his gaze away. "It was a non-psychical soul bond."

"That's not...Wait, what?" Lorelei ran to catch up with him, intrigued. "You're a god. How could you...?"

"This may surprise you but I can feel the emotions of my partner in a soul bond," Red snapped. His voice grew quiet. "I didn't just lose my mate that day. I lost my ability to be human."

Lorelei dragged his hand down his face and sighed. What a mess.

"I know you don't think you can be helped, but I just want to point out one thing," Lorelei said gently. "You might cope better if you try to cut out all the pointless sleeping around. Especially if you kill them afterward. Anything that simulates soul-bonds and links them with death is going to harm you."

Red gave a small smile. "But being able to feel another's emotion, even if only temporary, is really special to me," he whispered. "It's the only thing that makes me feel like who I was before I killed her. The only thing that gives me pleasure." His head dropped. "Otherwise, I feel incomplete and empty."

Lorelei grew quiet, thinking. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Hobbies?" Red mumbled, scratching his face. "Why?"

"To distract yourself with."

Red touched his chin, frowning.

"What about going out with your friends?" Lorelei offered.

"It's difficult for me to make friends. No consideration for other's feelings," Red mumbled.

"What about your brother?"

"We're not close. We couldn't play without constant supervision in case I hurt him or whatever which made it feel really inorganic. We're also just polar opposites in every regard."

"What about reading?"

Red's head perked up very suddenly. "That's right. There is one book I like. It's called a Storm By the Sea. Have you heard of it?"

Lorelei's face paled as sweat formed on his brow.

Red was quick to grow scarlet at his reaction. "It's not just for girls! Xavier read it too!"

"Th-that's not it," Lorelei stammered. "Actually, I wrote that book."

Red gaped at him. "No way." He raced ahead of Lorelei and invaded his personal space with a suspicious narrow of his eyes. "You better not be lying!"

"It was me," Lorelei admitted, blushing.

Red bounced up and down on the spot. "Really? I love your work! Can you tell me – ah shit, wait, no, don't tell me –!"

"Do you like romance Red?" Lorelei cut in.

Red's eyes flickered about before he gave a giant nod.

Lorelei gave a sad smile. "Say, Red," he said quietly. "How about you and I write a book together?"

Red blinked. "M-me? Why?"

"I think you'd actually be really good at that."

"You think?" His eyes lit up but after touching his temples, Red began walking with a troubled expression. "Why are you being so nice to me? What do you want?"

"You're young, Red," Lorelei said quietly. "It's so hard for me to accept you being a lost cause."

Red stiffened. "I don't know what you're trying to gain by being my friend, but you can cut it out," he snapped. "I can't eat anything but humans."

He saw some potential with Red here. If he could get him to write about his feelings then that may distract him from his urges. If things went really well, he could maybe get him to write about the trauma and address it in fiction in some form instead of refusing to face it.

Lorelei's fist curled. This was the most damaged Lupine he'd ever met but he was determined he could help him.

"Red!" Lorelei exclaimed, slamming both hands to his chest."If you come work with me then you can just eat me! You can have my damn limbs every day if you want – they grow back instantly anyway!"

Red grew still, staring at him. An awkward silence fell.

Lorelei grew flustered. I forgot this wasn't Tamer. That was maybe a really weird thing to say.

Red's pupils seemed to shrink like a cat's. His expression grew so stony he didn't even blink. Lorelei could detect a change in mood in the natural electrical current around his skin. All of a sudden, that static morphed into a fully-formed lightning bolt piercing through him.

"What are you playing at?" Red demanded icily.

"I'm serious," Lorelei retorted, confused by Red's sudden change in demeanor. "I want to help you!"

"And what are you hoping to gain from that?"

"I-it's what I do. I don't understand," Lorelei stammered.

Red sucked on his cheek. "Nope," he said, popping the "p" sound. "Having been there myself, I find it really difficult to believe anyone would submit themselves to the torment she went through. No living creature would go as far as to offer to be eaten by another. Not unless they were some kind of parasite."

It was only when a crimson colour bled through his iris like a corpse staining water did Lorelei realise he was actually in danger. He'd fought so many Lupine, but Red was the first in a while to make him feel actual terror.

"You're trying to hurt me," Red whispered.

Lorelei stepped backward and raised his hands as Red descended upon him. "Red. Please. I'm not trying to hurt –"

Red's fingers struck his neck with the speed of a viper. All of a sudden, Lorelei found himself hoisted in the air. He tugged on his fingers with both his hands but Red's claws were clamped on like a vice around his neck.

Attempting to gulp away his unease, he raised his palms.

"I'm not trying to hurt you," Lorelei said calmly. "And I'm not exactly a living creature. I have a specialised body that can help you and therefore, I feel like I have a duty to do so."

Red tilted his head, puzzled. Lorelei couldn't see a flash of understanding on his features; he was met with such stoniness, it was as if the two were speaking a different language.

"I can rip my arm off to prove it right now," Lorelei offered.

Red's eyes narrowed. "Seems like it would be easier to just let me bite you. Or do you have some reason to not want to be bitten by me?"

Red's venom would knock him unconscious. That was not an option if he wanted Tamer to be safe.

Lorelei scowled as his heart began to race. I've gone too far. I fucked it all with just one sentence.

"You're hesitating," Red whispered. His hands puncturing his throat grew tighter and Lorelei choked. "You know, when I first saw you, I couldn't help but notice you look a lot like Mariah. Your smell said you were related to Mariah – it's like the scent of silver. Are you a member of that wolf hunting church too?" He bore his deadly fangs. They extended to the length of knives. "I bet with my bloodline you'd try to use me as one of your fucking breeders before trying to trade my safety for my father."

Lorelei knew he was a terrible liar. And even if he wasn't, he felt like Red would sense it anyway.

"They took us orphans off the street and forced us to work as soldiers in return for food and shelter," Lorelei admitted with a pained expression. "Your Father was the one who got me out of it last time when he slaughtered them all. And he offered me a chance at redemption for my sins. Please believe me! He was the one who entrusted me to look out for Tamer!" Lorelei was now pleading. After learning how young he was, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Red. "Do you really think he'd entrust me with something so precious if I couldn't be trusted?"

Red's lips tightened. That fury burning in his eyes was strangely nostalgic. Lorelei knew the look of wrath in a god all too well.

"My Father also told me that it's not worth the risk and to just kill any person associated with the church on sight next time," he snarled.

Lorelei sighed. So that was it – he was going to have to fight Red. Shutting his eyes, he imagined a protective light encasing all his vital organs. It was better to strike now when Red thought he was unable to attack.

"You look just like your Father," Lorelei whispered.

His skin wavered with fleshy mounds that looked as though insects were crawling under his skin. Red dropped him as they grew into spikes, but at that point, it was already too late.

A hoard of silver blades burst from Lorelei's skin.

Red's scream was blood-curdling. A sound that made Lorelei all too painfully aware that he was essentially torturing a teenager. He might have just as well poured acid into his bloodstream.

Red's eyes bulged as he stared at a knife sticking out of his hand, burning tears rolling down his cheeks. Frozen by the sight of his handiwork, Lorelei felt psychically nauseous.

"Look's like you might actually be able to kill me," Red said lowly. His ominously quiet voice didn't match his face. Mania swirled in his eyes like a whirlpool dyed by the blood of a corpse. "But first."

With a furious swipe of his hands, he summoned a tidal wave of flames racing toward Lorelei.

Lorelei felt the heat sear on his skin before he had time to confirm he was cornered. Knowing his magic reserves were limited, he had no choice but to teleport. His body disintegrated. Just as he escaped being burned alive, he caught Red smashing his hands together to form a literal cage of fire as he appeared behind him. Using the blood rolling down his palms, Lorelei formed a silver sword. Twisting his neck, Red's eyes widened as Lorelei bounded down towards him with his sword reared to swipe – he was almost relieved when Red ducked and he didn't take his head clean off his shoulders.

Seizing Lorelei's wrist, his fangs elongated. Lorelei braced himself but didn't feel anything pierce his skin but the knives that had formed defensively underneath it. He opened his eyes; he was surprised to see that Red had already thought of this and had hesitated before clamping down his jaws. Instead, he hoisted Lorelei up in the air and threw him.

The swarm of knives missed their target, but it was actually Lorelei's mind that propelled them. Hair whipping over his face as he soared, magical energy blasted through his veins to send them U-turning directly into Red's back.

Lorelei's bones crunched beneath him as he crashed. They welded back together before he got to his feet.

Blood was spewing out of Red. He hadn't heard him scream this time. It was rather chilling how quickly he appeared to get used to this level of pain.

"Just a little more," he murmured, voice raspy with agony. "I just need to bare it a little more then I can finally..."

Red's head snapped up as he felt Lorelei staring at him. Instantly, all the colour drained from his face. His teeth gnashed as his face began to boil.

Suddenly, the very earth beneath Lorelei's feet was rumbling. There was a crack; Lorelei spread his feet to maintain his stance as the ground parted.

"What the fuck are you staring at you son of a bitch!" Red bellowed.

Yet another wall of fire raced towards him. There was literally no place to go but up. Getting lower, Lorelei used his magic to propel his jump and as he did so, jets of flames rose like dragons snapping at his ankles.

"What the hell are you?" Red roared, engulfing the entire field in flames. "This is like fighting a god!"

Well, I guess you can call it something like that, Lorelei thought.

Lorlelei cursed, realising he'd have to use magic to get away once again. His body dispersed in a puff of smoke; ironically, Red would have a difficult time figuring out where he materialised because of the black clouds rising from the fire. He appeared behind him, this time keeping his distance since he was better suited to ranged attacks.

Red turned. Pain ruptured Lorelei's body as he fired more blades -- the less magic he had, the less he could quell the pain. Red stood deadly still as his entire body was drenched in crimson.

Just as Lorelei was certain Red was seriously going to allow himself to be hit yet, the earth itself parted and a jet of lava rose shot upward, disintegrating the knives before him.

Lorelei froze as Red began pulling the knives out of his body and threw them into the summit below.

"Yep," he said flatly. "You can kill me alright."

He could do that all along? Lorelei thought. Then why...!

He didn't have time to finish his thought before the two deep red chasms formed beneath his feet. There wasn't even time to teleport. All he could do was jump and even then that wasn't fast enough. His vision whitened as a deafening scream slipped from his lips. The lava had caught him. The pain was simply indescribable. Like being dipped in white hot boiling acid. Healing magic jolted to the wound to numb the cause, but already he couldn't feel his leg. Looking down, he found it was completely gone.

He wondered why Red hadn't finished him yet. Melted him into a pit of lava so there was nothing to regenerate from. He definitely had the time to do it. However, he found Red was stuck staring at the missing leg; he couldn't figure out just what would be so interesting about a missing limb to someone like Red. Then he saw it: a feather drenched in blood poking out the top half.

Red's jaw fell slack.

Shit, shit, shit! Lorelei cursed, having no choice but to throw another fleet of knives. It was intended as more of a distraction than anything – give him a few more moments and he'd figure out Lorelei could be killed if all the feathers inside him were carved out. He shuddered to think what Red would do if he found out he had the ability to raise the dead himself.

The ground wasn't safe anymore. He could fly, but only for a minute at most – his mana was running low, and there was only so much being ripped open by knives he could take.

There was no other option. He would have to go all out for a final attack and try to ensure Red couldn't move for the rest of the night.

Lorelei used the same magic that propelled his own blood to levitate. Chasing his own blades at incredible speed, only narrowly did he manage to avoid the bursts of lava that shot up like sprinklers down below. He angled his body and tucked in his limbs to turn at high speed. The droplets of blood that trailed out from his legs morphed into a shower of knives as he circled Red.

Lorelei tucked in his leg to change his trajectory. As rolled into a dive, he formed a blade in his hand, eyes set determinedly on Red's back where the vulnerable feathers lurked below.

Blood exploded over Red as he was decimated by a shower of knives. Lorelei's blood churned. He'd expected Red to melt the knives since he'd proven he could.

Clutching at his head, the youth exploded with a tormented scream. It sounded like he'd been smothering it for a while now. Lorelei was certain it would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Inside, Lorelei was pretty much screaming for the guy to move with all his heart.

"Ah." Red looked up as Lorelei shot toward him like a bullet, covered in so much blood it was like his tears had drained all the crimson from his eyes. They twinkled as he reached out a hand before him. "I'm tired." 

In the last few moments before impact, Lorelei noticed how tired beyond his years this young man actually looked.

All the pain melted away from Red's features as he spread his arms wide.  "This should be enough to make it seem like I tried, right?"

Red made to grab him. Thinking he was about to be injected with wolf venom, Lorelei's skin instinctively ruptured with knives.

There was a crunch. Something inside Lorelei had broken, but he could not tell immediately what due to the pain-numbing spell over his body. His were clenched tightly shut. He was uncertain who's blood was spreading like hot sticky roses over his chest.

A chilling sensation flipped his stomach as he processed that Red's arms were flung around him. They loosened.

He opened his eyes to find, with horror, that Red had forcibly impaled himself on the blades.

There was something troubling about those eyes as Lorelei gaped at him. Something that made his skin crawl as he noticed how vacant they were. A strange smile formed on Red's lips as drool rolled down his chin. He twitched.

A relieved sigh slipped from his lips as he collapsed onto the ground beneath him.

Lorelei's hand covered his mouth. He couldn't help but scream.

"Red?" he squeaked, blade loosening in his palm as it hovered over Red.

One strike. One strike and he could kill this monster and save so many lives. He reckoned Tamer stood a chance against Xavier. One strike and he could end it all here.

But he couldn't break his gaze from the sight of his reflection in Red's eyes. His form was dismembered beyond recognition – a literal monster built of blades. It brought up memories of his past self like vomit in his throat. He recalled vividly the wrath he'd ensued as punishment. He could still remember waking up to the sight of his throat hanging by mere strings of flesh and the sensation of pain returning as he was sewn back together with threads made of feathers.

This is bad. This is really, really bad. Out of all the people you could have accidentally killed, you've killed Red.

The sword dropped out of his palm, clattering to the ground. He began chewing on his nails like some kind of mouse. 

He guessed he'd pushed Red over his pain threshold and he simply couldn't take anymore. He couldn't help but think if things were only slightly different, Tamer and he could have easily switched places.

The Father's going to go absolutely insane. Lorelei's fingers dug into his cheeks. What should I do?

He could heal him, but all his mana was gone. He wouldn't be able to fight anymore and he didn't think Tamer could beat him on his own. But the consequences of letting him die were far more terrifying – and were likely to be an issue for more than just himself.

"Rosa...lie?" Red mumbled.

His arm moved sluggishly as if weighing a tonne. He appeared to caress something that wasn't there. Lorelei could tell from the golden colour melting through his iris that that was the name of Red's mate. They lacked the usual glow, however. The lights were fading.

A weak smile tugged Red's lips, his hand collapsing peacefully above his head.

The sound of his breath was rugged. He attempted to reach for the discarded sword. Instantly, Lorelei grasped it out of his hand – snatching candy from a child would have proven more difficult.

"Red, please," he begged.

Red stiffly turned his head like a child twisting an old doll's neck. His eyes were similar too. Glassy and soulless.

"It hurts," he whispered.

"If you eat, you'll heal."

The look he gave Lorelei sent ice-cold shudders down his spine; a haunting kind of stare where you could just tell there was some deep disturbance below.

Choking, Lorelei shook his head in disbelief.

"I- I know!" Lorelei said with his best attempt at a bright tone, grasping Red's hands to squeeze them. "I have an idea. If we go help Tamer, me, you and him – we can be friends! Doesn't that sound nice? Wouldn't you like to have some friends your own age?"

Red ignored him.

"I know!" Lorelei seized his hands, growing desperate to even begin thinking about this. "We will try to help you and if you make good progress, I'll try to arrange for you to see Mariah again! I'll have to be there of course, but – "

Red shook his head. "I just want Rosalie," he muttered.

Lorelei sobbed. "Then how did you keep going this long?!"

The pain Red was slowly being freed from returned to his features. "Didn't want to disappoint my dad," he whispered.

Lorelei's heart sank.Red had saw an opportunity to let himself be killed by Lorelei and took it. He didn't want to disappoint his father by doing it himself.

It appears that, as another god, he might feel empathy for his Father. That would explain why they are so close.

"Red," Lorelei said, shaking his head hopelessly. "I can't let you die. You understand why right?"

Red's eyes widened. They seemed rather large and puppyish all of a sudden. He gave a nervous shake of his head.

"Please," he pleaded. "This is the closest I've felt to her in a long time." His voice broke. "You wouldn't stop me from seeing my mate again, would you?"

Lorelei's chest tightened. His expression darkened as stomach acid rose into his throat.

"Sorry, Red," he whispered, but his voice wasn't as firm as he hoped.

Red's breath trembled. All the colour drained from his face as his chest began to fluctuate.

"No," he rasped. It turned into a mounting scream."Not again, not again, not again!"

Lorelei was reminded all too well that this was the second time he'd brought a Red who wanted to die back to life. Until now, Lorelei didn't think he could remember the first time but in sheer animal instinct, Red knew. If he were to eat, his body would heal.

Red turned his head in refusal but he couldn't tear his gaze away from Lorelei's hand drawing closer, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets as his pupil dilated in terror.

Lorelei had done a lot of awful things in his lifetime. But he'd never felt quite as vile as when he forced open his jaw to press his wrist between his fangs to resurrect a boy who wanted to die for a second time.

Red's scream ripped open his ears like a newborn being smothered. Tears splattered down his cheeks as he erupted into a near fit of panic. He gagged as blood rolled down his chin. There was a strange lack of cohesiveness suddenly in his eyes; as he kicked and screamed, it appeared as though he wasn't all there. His claws swiped at Lorelei in a manic whirlwind, though rarely hit their mark like he was attacking a bunch of ghosts.

In such a weakened state, he'd expected that Red's instincts would take over as soon as blood hit his tongue. But nothing good seemed to come of this. Lorelei was forced to remove his hand, fearful that he would choke him. Red's muscles twitched and spasmed. He didn't pick him up a moment too soon – Red vomited before hemorrhaging.

He's having some sort of attack. Did the involuntary consumption of blood  trigger him or was he confusing me with Rosalie earlier?

It was no good. There was no way he could force him in this state. He felt awful enough and couldn't listen to that scream again.

What should I do?

His eyes landed on the feather glowing crimson underneath all the blood. It seemed to have its own forcefield around it, deflecting all the fire. He got up. Red immediately attempted to flee but came crashing down hard due to the weakness in his body.

He crawled, backing up against a tree while sobbing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Lorelei could still hear the gut-wrenching sound of his wails as he plucked the feather from the earth. He ran back over. Red's head immediately snapped up as he drew near with it. He couldn't help but feel like a mother pacifying an infant with their favourite toy,

His tears stopped. "Father?" he whispered.

Feathers were said to be the psychical embodiment of a god's soul. Which was probably why Red seemed to calm in its presence. His father was there for him and that soothed Red to no end.

As soon as he took it, Red cradled it to his chest as if hugging someone. It glowed. The feather dispersed into speckles of light and disappeared within Red. He touched his chest, astounded.

"I doubt you'll want to, but that offer still stands," Lorelei said.

Cohesion had returned to Red's eyes. He stood, face dipped in shadow. His face was still, yet fury blazed in his eyes. Lorelei knew his punishment was to be great and partially he felt as though he deserved it.

"Sorry," Red said, embracing Lorelei and opening his jaw. "I'll be putting you out of commission for the rest of the night."

Lorelei sighed, simply accepting his fate if being eaten. He was just glad to see Red well again. If Red were to die, the consequences would be far worse than anyone could have ever imagined.

I wonder, he thought, shifting his gaze to the hellish burning sky, does this count as a betrayal?

It appeared Red was perfectly okay sinking his fangs into his neck as long as he was the one in control.

Tamer, Lorelei thought as his world sank into darkness.