AN:// Hi lovelies! Another mid week upload for you, there will still be one tomorrow! I'm just trying to get the chapters out within the next 10 days so there's a chance you could be getting double uploads woops! Safe to say time flew away with me. 

I hope you're enjoying! As always I love to see your comments/hear what you think so please let me know! 

Her heart lurched at the question, the undeniable urge to ask for its desires almost making them tumble from her mouth. She was sinking, her lungs covered in the oozing oil that threatened to suffocate her the more she struggled. Everything told her to give in, to let herself get washed out to sea and pray she could float.

"Tell me, Bonnie."

She blinked, and her mouth fell open on its own accord.

"I've only ever wanted—"

She didn't finish. There was no longer a dream in front of her, instead a nightmare. Poyel looked as though he was screaming, but no sound came out. His face stretched into a mask of pain, his jaw almost unhinging as his neck crumpled, like someone had pressed a button to retract it. As he jolted back, the haze lifted from Bonnie and her lungs drew in the best breath she'd ever experienced. Oxygen felt new. Her eyes were burning and Gremory grabbed her arm, asking if she was alright.

She stared at the figure whose body was now convulsing, his arrogant aura disappearing as Kimaris pulled an arm around him, bringing him into his chest and turning so they were invisible to the crowds. She didn't know what he was doing to him, but she knew it hurt.

"Now, now. I thought you only did that to people who wanted your help," Kimaris sung, and it was now that she noticed the way he was pressing his hand into the side of the incapacitated mans neck. As the veins bulged, the neon blue colour of them reflected through his dark skin. "I need your help though, so why don't we have a chat."

Poyel juddered his head up, foam now dripping out the corner of his mouth, along with the second most disturbing noise Bonnie had heard in the last forty-eight-hours. It was a close call though; the gurgling echo of the demon who tried to eat her would be hard to beat.

"Kiss my—"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Kimaris pressed harder, dipping his head down to whisper right at his ear. "That's not very angelic of you, is it?"

She saw the glint in Kimaris' eyes and the sharp edge of his tooth as his mouth opened in a grin. The way his whole figure seemed to come alive as his muscles strained. It was as if he was in his prime. He did not thrive in the stinging jabs unlike the man he was hurting, no. He glowed in the deep burning pain that immobilised and scarred the soul for eternity. She did not know such a thing existed, or that anything could grow in that environment, but he was living proof.

She'd wondered if there would be a moment where she truly saw the darkness inside the demons that had befriended her.

She wanted to look away, but she feared that even then it wouldn't be enough. There was smoke rising from the place that his hand was gripping and she felt the bile bubble in her stomach as a burning smell surrounded them.

Gremory moved from beside her, almost leaping across the table. At first she didn't know why, but then she saw the shaking figure of Malcolm, with his eyes had rolled into the back of his head. He pulled him down into the darkest corner available, holding him carefully.

"Kimaris, stop!"

But he didn't listen, instead he gritted his teeth and smirked wider, pushing harder.

"He can kill him if he wants, that will not stop me from breaking every hold he has over the people in this room. I'm not sure how well your antics would go if you lost that, huh Poyel?"

Her heart was pounding in her ears. Where could she look? At Kimaris whose face was a mask of stone? At the angel with skin like a subway map? At Gremory who was desperately trying to help but couldn't? Or at the man who was flopping around like a fish out of water?

Behind them the music continued to thrum, and screams of enjoyment filled the air.

"Kimaris!"

A flicker of something shot over Kimaris' expression as Bonnie called on him, looking between her and Gremory as if weighing up a decision. His brows pulled together and for the first time she saw the dark cloud in him lift slightly, but then it was as if a heavier storm rolled in, fuelled by new determination.

Poyel must have felt it too, because no sooner did the pressure rise that he caved, hands clawing at his neck.

"F-fine, o-okay! I-I'm s-sorry, j-just stop."

"Gladly." Kimaris stated, and joined in with the audible sigh given by everyone else as he threw the body forward, unwrapping his arms. Malcolm stilled and Gremory leaned back on his arms, head tilting as he whispered a thanks at the glittering disco ball design etched in the roof.

Poyel spluttered, hunched over his knees his body arched and Bonnie quickly moved her feet as he spat something onto the floor. It looked like ink. "You piece of shit."

She thought he would direct his anger at Kimaris, but it surprised her to see his eyes trained on Gremory and his shame filled expression. A part of her wanted to help, but the dark-haired boy to her right stopped her with a soft shake of his head.

"I'm sorry, but it's important," he tried to explain, but Poyel only responded by spitting again. "Look you don't understand—"

"I understand perfectly. I just never thought you'd trick me like that, not after all these years. From him I'd expect it, but you?" He turned to glare at Bonnie, his disgust growing. "And not only that but you used a human to do it too, that's even more pathetic."

Ignoring the way the jibe stung, Bonnie held her hands up, looking to the two boys for support. "I had nothing to do with this, I don't even know what you're talking ab—"

Kimaris' hand unfurled, and she saw what was sitting inside of it. Nestled in his skin, surrounded by a band of gold and shimmering with a sweet cotton candy colour, it made everything fall into place. Shakily, she brought her fingers to her ears. One touched cold metal, but the other felt only skin.

"That's my earring."

Her cheek tingled with the memory of Kimaris' smooth nail gliding across it, and the brush of her hair as it fell back into place. The moment where she had felt her lungs constrict had been nothing more than a way for him to take it from her. Gremory had given them to her without reason, and she had thought they were fancy compared to her outfit, but now she knew it did not matter. She'd been used.

"Oh, you really had no idea you were a mule," Poyel mumbled, the smug smile she had seen all night returning in the smallest way possible through winces. "That's actually pretty rough."

"Don't make me use it again," growled Kimaris.

"I'm only telling the truth, which is clearly more than you've told her."

Bonnie shook her head, looking at Gremory who was getting on his knees after checking on an unmoving Malcolm for the third time. He turned his gaze downwards as she stared. She turned back to Poyel expectantly, watching how he flicked the lid off of his bottle of vodka before pouring it between his neck and his mouth.

"The jewel in the earrings is pink sapphire. It's pretty rare in its pure form, but clearly someone has been keeping some stashed for a rainy day," he told her between grimaces. He gave an impressed nod in Gremory's direction. "Incredibly smart of you to use a different coloured piece, I clearly let my guard down too much around you."

"It was just a back-up plan. I never thought it we'd use it."

Poyel scoffed at the blondes sigh, revealing the wound on his neck which now looked appeared to be festering, "Yeah—clearly."

The luminous blue veins had left his face and were slowly seeping back down through his irritated skin, which she swore was bubbling. Shaking her head at the sight of it, she quickly grabbed the champagne from the table, slugging a few mouthfuls in the hope of subduing her urge to vomit. When Poyel opened his mouth to say something, Kimaris jingled the earring, stopping him.

Gremory muttered something under his breath before standing. Bonnie saw the grey face of Malcolm behind him, and she drank a few more times.

"He's going to be fine," he quickly assured her, but she shrugged off his comforting hand and turned her back to him. He didn't look fine. "Look Poyel, we didn't come here to fight, we just—"

"I know exactly why you're here."

They all blinked.

"You do?"

"Yeah, Grem. You're not as sly as you seem to think you are," Poyel snorted, drinking more of the vodka before slamming it onto the table with a roll of his eyes. "Unfortunately, I can't help you."

"Can't, or won't?" Kimaris growled, flashing the jewellery between his fingers, a dark threat lining his lips. Poyel glanced down at the item before tilting his head slightly.

"Well—now? There's no difference. You can hurt me as much as you desire but it's not changing. Maybe if you'd thought earlier before burning that into my flesh, the answer might have been different."

There was a shout as Kimaris lunged for him, his hand outstretched and clawing, but Gremory's got in between. Poyel fell onto his side, laughing as he scooted up the booth and away from the raging man. His laughter only seemed to make the anger grow.

"Why not?" Bonnie asked, the warmth of alcohol settling her enough to allow words to form, "Surely you can do whatever you want?"

She wanted to get what they came for and leave, but if they couldn't then she at least wanted to know why they had wasted all this time. Whatever it was had to be important if Gremory would betray him in order to get it.

For a moment he paused, and then Poyel smiled, almost mocking her.

"You're correct. However, your flattery won't work when I can still hear my flesh sizzling," he stated, and the feeling in her stomach sank. But then it was as if someone had flicked a switch, and a glint in his eye returned. "But here's the thing, Bonnie. It's clear that you're not under any influence of Gremory's, and can do whatever you like too. So, why exactly are you here?"

Dumbfounded, she looked to the boys who were subtly shaking their heads at her, begging her not to say. His eyes were like a feline, waiting for the moment of vulnerability that would allow him to pounce.

"We told you before," Kimaris cut in, the warning his tone palpable. "She's just—"

"I know what was said—something to amuse you—but I'm asking her." He raised a brow, crossing his legs as he bent forward, studying her. "Why are you here, Bonnie?"

She stared at him blankly. "Well, they asked me to—"

"That's not what I'm asking." His expression tightened. "Tell me, and I'll tell them what they want to know."

Everyone stilled. For a moment, she was confused, trying to figure out what exactly he meant for her to say. But then she understood. He dealt in pain and people's weaknesses, in their true fears and sore spots that he could extort. She'd figured it out so quickly before, of course he needed to feel that advantage. He needed to feel in control, like he had the power to deliver the killing blow at any moment. He needed to see that he was better than her. He needed a reason why she had followed them here, blindly.

Bonnie swallowed her pride, refusing to even glance at the other people with them and instead she kept her eyes glued to Poyel, allowing herself to spill into his wants.

"I came here because I had no reason not to," she whispered. His grin widened.

"And why's that?"

Her hands shook. "Because I have nothing in my life worth staying for."

"And?" he urged, the oil spills in his eyes lighting up.

She felt the shiver go up her spine, the feeling of fingers wrapping themselves around her lungs as her lip quivered and all the noises stopped. She'd refused to think about it, but this is what he wanted.

"I'm just desperate to stop feeling so alone."

Satisfied didn't seem like a strong enough word for the emotion on Poyel's face—he savoured her confession as though it was nectar. Her admission fuelling him while yanking out any strength she still had. She didn't dare look at the boys; she had already seen enough pity to last a lifetime. She could not be pathetic enough to have demons pitying her.

Poyel picked up a bottle, toasting her before taking a swig, his head bopping to the music. A dim shimmer around him lit up again, like the pain had vanished.

"I don't where it is, the thing you're looking for," he announced, pulling them all out of the frozen silence they had fallen into as his tongue ran along the front of his teeth. Bonnie could have screamed at the quick change in conversation. "But you're not alone in searching for it."

Gremory and Kimaris looked at each other, a mixture of alarm and confusion painted on to every edge of their face.

"What? Who?"

Poyel drank again, watching the dancing crowds, and for the first time since meeting him, he looked scared. Even when he was being tortured and writhing in pain, he hadn't—not really. But now? It was as if his confidence had ebbed, trying to hide him.

"I can't say for sure, they haven't found me yet; very few trusted people know how to." She didn't miss the slight flinch from Gremory or the edge to his words. "But the whispers are that some lower demons have been asking about it. They're from a legion, obviously working for someone, but they've been quite persistent."

Bonnie mentally marked the word 'legion' down as something to ask about later. Right now didn't seem like the time, the group was only getting more agitated the more they spoke. Whatever animosity had been brewing, it clearly didn't matter anymore, they all had the same strained expression on their faces.

"Why were they looking for it?"

Poyel stilled, and then swallowed. "Because they know what it can do."

Kimaris stood up, almost shaking as he turned to grip onto the metal bars behind the chairs they sat on.

"That's not possible," Gremory mumbled, looking between the two of them, panic clear. "The only people who know about that are—"

"I'm aware."

Kimaris let out a sound of frustration, one hand hitting the side of the booth as he pointed a finger, his lips curling into a snarl. "I swear Poyel, if you're lying—"

"I wouldn't lie about this," he interjected abruptly, a finality to his words that was new. "It's why I can't help you."

She thought maybe Kimaris would insist, that the earring would make another appearance or a threat might be thrown, but there was none of that. He discarded the earring onto the table, and Poyel's words made the fight disappear from his figure, his shoulders dropping. Gremory stood repeating the words in his head, his gaze ricocheting from one side to the other.

Poyel finished the last sips of burning alcohol that sat in the bottle's bottom before standing up, running his hands over his hair and then down his shirt in a smoothing motion. The skin on his neck was now just an ugly, slightly charred scab, but he looked as though it had taken its toll.

"Well, not that this hasn't been an absolute pleasure," he said loudly with a scoff, "But the last song is about to play and I don't want to be here when the lights come up, so if you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave and say goodnight."

He stretched his neck from left to right and then lifted his hand with a weak twirl. Behind her, Bonnie felt Malcolm rising and couldn't help but be relieved that he was at least alive.

As he moved to leave, Gremory stopped him gently, regret painted in the way he touched him.

"Poyel, I'm sorry, it's—"

"I know," Poyel said back, mirroring the same emotion. "But I still can't help."

Gremory nodded once and let him go, the line between his brows deepening as he moved to let him past.

As he went, Bonnie noticed the pink hue from the table and felt the metal tap against her ear. Quickly, she grabbed them and called on Poyel, stepping up to him as he turned in response. For a second he looked alarmed, flinching back from the outstretched jewellery, but she gave a small smile.

"I think you should have these."

His eyes widened, and she felt Kimaris' objection but she ignored it, holding them out further. She didn't care that he was an angel, or that the earrings were possibly closer in age to them than her. They'd been used against him in such a horrific way that she only felt it was right for him to keep them, even if that put her at risk.

Poyel's fingers almost grazed them, and she saw the starved need in his stare. She wouldn't have found it surprising if drool seeped from the corners of his mouth, but he remained stoic, as though forcing himself to have control. A sad smile stretched his lips as flexed his fingers, shaking his head lightly. For a second, Bonnie saw him as human.

"As much as I would like that, I think it's best that they stay far away from me. I'd feel safer that way with... current situations," he said quietly, taking her hand and curling it back around the items. "Why don't you hang onto them, and keep them somewhere safe and out the wrong hands. I'm sure Gremory knows a few places."

Was she crazy to think that he looked like he wanted to thank her?

He bit his lip, mulling over a thought, and then squeezed ever so slightly, tilting them into each other.

"Can I tell you a secret though, bonny Bonnie?" She nodded, enthralled by the sparkle in his eye. "Every single person in this room is lonely, they wouldn't be here if they weren't—present company included." His smile twitched as he glanced behind her, dropping his voice lower. "You should learn to find comfort in your own solitude, because nothing gets rid of the feeling completely, we just learn how to keep it at bay."

When he pulled back from her the vulnerable expression was gone, and his former arrogant smile had returned. He squeezed her hand once before dropping it, leaving her stunned.

"I can't say it was fun but I've enjoyed meeting you, Bonnie." He waved to the men standing watching. "Safe journey, thanks for stopping by. Oh, and Kimaris—let's just stick to you never visiting me again, okay? Why don't you spend your time actually informing the girl instead, yeah?"

With a wave of his hand, the unaware figure of Malcolm appeared beside him and opened the rope that blocked the entry, waiting for him to go. Something pulled at her to stay—but she could only watch as they both disappeared into the crowd almost too perfectly.

The three of them stood in silence, all consumed by their own thoughts. It appeared that Poyel had dropped a bit of a bombshell. When the music stopped and the lights came up, it didn't change.

Well, we can't stay here, she thought, watching the stumbling drunk students filing out of the venue, all shouting orders and requests at each other. One of them caught her attention.

"Okay then," she announced with a clap of her hands, shoving the earrings into her pocket and throwing a fake smile onto her face, startling the boys. "Whose up for a kebab?"