When Ever Lord turned eighteen she was awoken in her family's fortress by a loud commotion. Great, she thought, who's pissed Dad of this time. When she turned to her brother Urban, for they both shared the same room and were inseparable, she saw him stretch and yawn, his horns climbing out the back of his neck to stretch round to his head where a crop of honey golden hair sat. When he saw her watching him, he smiled lazily and nodded his head at her in acknowledgement.

'Violence is up again I see,' Urban voiced in a deadened tone and Ever nodded. They were the twin son and daughter of a demon possessed lord. Maddox Lord was the keeper of Violence for he had killed the owner of the box, Pandora, by stabbing her six times in the stomach. In turn he'd had to suffer the same punishment for many years, dealt out by their uncle Reyes keeper of Pain and then his soul had been taken to hell courtesy of Uncle Death, or as they knew him, Lucien.

Their mother was Ashlyn Darrow, an ex-mortal woman who had charmed both the keeper of Violence and the demon itself. She had been a gifted female, capable of hearing any conversation that had gone on just from standing in a place. And unknown to their overprotective father, Ever had inherited the same gift. Yes her mother had spent many years trying to get rid of the "curse" as she saw it, but Ever was blessed in a way her mother had not been. Yes she could hear the voices, but only if she chose to. And even having so many Lords around, being half Lord didn't mean that the voices would stop.

'It's our birthday; couldn't they at least be a little quieter?' Ever asked as she climbed out of bed and made her way to the wardrobe her father had lovingly made for her, a wardrobe he surprisingly hadn't broken in a fit of temper the moment he'd built it.

'Where are my beautiful children?' A shrill male voice called out and with a deep sigh that echoed her minutes older brother Ever turned to see William enter the room just as she was about to pick out some clothes. Alas she was only wearing her nighty, and so it made his intrusion even the more appropriate.

'We're not your children,' the twins denied him at once and the immortal male only shrugged and shook his head. The male deemed them his children because he had sliced their mother open and carried them out. Hell; Ever could have done that herself. Looking down she flexed her demonic claws and wondered how she would cut him up this day.

'You may as well be, please just humour uncle Willy would you?' The randy immortal asked and Ever shook her head as she picked out a pair of tight blue jeans and a black top. On many women tight jeans could look ridiculous, but she did have the very long legs to pull the item off, after all she did stand at 6ft 5, tall for any woman, mortal or immortal, the latter of which she was.

'I will humour you as soon as you leave our room, I am improperly dressed,' Ever snapped and Willy gave her a look that said: and?

'And your brother is here.'

'My brother is not a randy old man who would screw anything in a skirt or a pair of tight jeans,' Ever railed back, feeling her violet eyes grow hot with rage, and felt fire build up beneath her skin, her claws straightening as if to attack.

'Point taken, but you may as well be my children,' William said as he made his way out of the door, Ever glad to see his golden head leave the room.

'God what a nuisance,' Urban voiced and as Ever shut the wardrobe door after collecting all of the clothing she would wear this day she spotted her reflection in the mirror and stared longingly at herself. After all she was quite a beauty. With long black hair, that shone like midnight as it flowed down her back, and eyes of violets, skin of honey Ever Lord was a very beautiful woman. And if that wasn't enough her large breasts and curvaceous waist was enough to make any man fall for her. Alas with a fortress full of married or mated men who were ones Uncles there was nothing really she could do, nothing she could expect from these men.

One of Ever's favourite Aunts was Viola, keeper of Narcissism, and a constant babysitter of the pair of them when they had been growing up. Ever couldn't be sure but she felt as though some of the demon's influence had rubbed off on her, for she was still staring at her reflection in the mirror.

'Hey sis, please I'm still in the room,' Urban groaned in disgust when she reached up to palm one of her breasts. She dropped her hand instantly at his word and stroked hair, careful not to brush the horns that curved around the back of her neck. That would have just made things even worse. She just hated how sensitive they were.

Ever had barely dressed and brushed out her hair smooth again when Viola herself, Tasmanian devil thing in tow, entered the room looking gorgeous as usual.

'C'mon you two, Maddox is waiting for you downstairs in the lounge and Violence is getting a little worked up that his daughter and son aren't there to open the presents he killed for you this time,' Viola said in a musing tone and Ever and Urban exchanged glances as they rolled their eyes. Again, when would Violence realise that they weren't at all fond of the "gifts" he gave them each year?

'Okay I'm coming,' they said as one, but not before they reached for the bejewelled daggers lying on their bedside tables. The daggers were identical and had been gifts from their Uncle Kane, or Candy Kane as William liked to call him, when they were mere months old. They may have been inappropriate gifts, but as half demon infants they had both been able to remember the time they were gifted with their first weapons and as their first memory they both adored their daggers. Uncle Kane was in fact their favourite Uncle even if he used to cause disaster after disaster, but that's what his demon was after all.

'Oh and a warning,' Viola said as she peeked her beautiful head round the door once more. 'William's kids turned up, they think it's a party or something,' she said and Urban sighed at that. Not the four horsemen, he hated the fact that even the woman, White was stronger than he was. On the other hand Ever grinned wider, even if they hadn't bought them a gift she would still be glad they were there. White was her favourite and only female cousin and Ever loved sparring with her, or just generally chatting to her about her battles. Ever was yet to have any of her own, but that was what happened when you had an overprotective demon possessed Lord for a father.

'Cool,' Ever said as she finished brushing her hair and made her way down to the lounge to see the rest of her family, wondering what each of them had bought her this year.