At an inhuman speed, Maylene dodged the tree and continued running. She let out a growl as she turned and looked back at the men chasing her. So much for losing them along the way. They really didn't know when to give up, did they? Her eyes fell on the gorgeous butler running among the shadows of the trees. Apparently, he also didn't know when to stop either. Then again, Sebastian never knew when to stop.

"It's now or never. I can't run forever." She decided before she stopped running and threw herself behind a tree. She quickly grabbed her guns and filled them with new magazines before she jumped out once again. Gun raised, she was prepared for her pursuers when they caught up with her.

"I see her!" One of them yelled, causing the others to begin firing rapidly. Without wasting any time, Maylene cocked the guns and began to shoot, not missing a single target. The man who had yelled out to the others fell as the bullet struck him, blood gushing from the wound in his chest.

"Give me all you have!" She yelled as several more ran towards her, bullets flying.

Smiling, she began to empty the bullets from her own gun and watched as the men fell. Very quickly, she greatly lessened the crowd that had been chasing her. How she had missed this, the feeling of adrenaline pumping through her veins and the excitement it brought.

However, her face changed as she saw more men emerging from the bushes. Turning, she began to shoot at them, noting how the bullets went right through them. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that her shots had no effect on them whatsoever. No, now wasn't the time for them to show up.

"No! Not now!" She yelled before she turned and began to run once again, not even bothering to shoot at them.

"Maylene!" A voice suddenly yelled from behind her. She spun around and saw Sebastian charging at her, full speed. Wide eyed, she spun around again in an attempt to escape from him.

However, she let out a gasp of surprise as he caught up with her and tackled her, effectively pinning her arms to the ground.

"Let go of me!" She yelled as she began to trash under his strong grip. Her eyes darted towards the trees, where she saw the figures looking at her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Maylene." He calmly replied, looking down into her horror struck face with a smirk on his own. She looked behind him once again and saw the figures approaching, along with some of the men who had been sent after her.

"I'm afraid that we don't have time for this! Not now!" She growled, feeling a surge of adrenaline coursing through her. With surprising speed and strength, she wrenched her hands from Sebastian's grasp before throwing him off her. Rolling onto her side, she grabbed her guns before quickly getting to her feet.

"We need to go! Now!" She yelled at Sebastian before she turned to run. However, she let out a gasp as she saw the figures were standing in front of her, blocking the way.

"And here I was thinking this would be easy. But, none of you ever make it easy, do you?" She hissed at the figures before turning back towards the other men who were still running towards her.

"The minute we get a clear path, we have to run." She looked over at Sebastian, who looked confused before he nodded in agreement.

Without warning, she spun around and began to shoot at the pursuers. Sebastian watched as the men fell and felt a chuckle escape his mouth. He really did enjoy watching her kill them, which surprised him. He watched as she tucked the guns away in her black leather shoulder holster when she was finished.

"What about the other ones?" He pointed to the other figures who were just standing and observing them.

"They won't die with bullets." Maylene replied, her red-brown eyes growing dark before she reached down and pulled out a pair of daggers from the black leather garters around her thighs. Sebastian felt his eyes grow wide, genuinely surprised. Where did she hide all of those weapons? She was wearing black leather pants and a black leather corset, which exposed some of her stomach. Around her hips was a garter belt and the garters around her thighs each had a pouch on them. He looked at her, half expecting her to pull a machete out from her mid calf high black boots.

As he looked at her, he felt a strange feeling swell inside him as he saw her skin and her body in that outfit.

"What do you me-" Sebastian began to ask what she meant but didn't get a chance to finish as she charged towards the figures.

Maylene let out a yell as she raised the daggers, charging with full speed. The figures dodged with ease before pulling out their own blades.

"I see how this is going to be." She stopped and straightened before looking down at her daggers. It would be a difficult fight but she knew that she would fight and make it out no matter what. There was no way she was going with them.

Taking a deep breath, she looked over at the figures and then back at her daggers.

Sebastian watched in astonishment as the daggers began to glow and a red aura surrounded them. Suddenly, Maylene was charging towards the figures again, daggers raised.

She let out a growl of anger as she leapt towards them and smiled as she felt one of her daggers hit home. Pleased at her victory, she pulled out the dagger and continued attacking, watching as the figures fell as her daggers plunged through them. Sebastian watched as the figure fell and turned into a puff of black smoke.

Maylene let out a yell as she dodged a katana before turning and plunging her dagger into the figure's abdomen. However, the attack had no effect and the figure continued to fight. Katana blade narrowly missing her face, Maylene dropped to the ground before sweeping the figure from its feet. Once on the ground, Maylene pounced on the figure and drove the dagger into the heart. Not pausing to breathe, she jumped to her feet and continued to work until she managed to clear a path.

"Come on! We have to go now!" Maylene yelled at Sebastian as she fought her way towards the path she had cleared. Unfortunately, more figures began to appear, springing up from the black smoky remains of the fallen and blocking the path.

"Why is nothing ever easy with you?" Maylene glared at the figures before shaking her head and raising her daggers. She turned towards Sebastian, wondering whether he could help or not. She knew he could. He was a demon after all.

"We're going to have to fight. The minute we get a clear path, we have to run." Another pair of daggers seem to have materialized out of thin air and she threw them at him.

"Aim for their hearts and make sure that you stab downwards. Upwards doesn't kill them." Maylene explained, her eyes darkening as she ran towards a group of them. Sebastian looked down at the daggers before he too turned and headed towards the creatures of darkness.

"Be sure not to let their blades touch you!" Maylene warned as she fought off another set that sprang up from the fallen ones. Sebastian nodded and expertly handled the daggers, plunging them into the figures as they came. However, he found it was hard to catch these creatures, much less kill them. He watched as more sprang up from the darkness.

What was going on? What were these things and what did they want, especially with Maylene? However, the question that nagged at him was how Maylene knew these creatures and how to kill them.

Suddenly, he felt something electric go through his right arm. He let out a yell and looked down at his right upper arm, which had a gash. Blood began to pour from it and he watched in horror as a black mist entered the wound. Sebastian let out a yell as he felt the aura begin to tunnel into his arm.

Maylene turned at the sound and saw Sebastian wincing in pain as he looked down at his arm. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the black aura burrowing its way into the demon's arm.

"No! Damn it!" She yelled before she turned and struck the creature in front of her. Not even bothering to see it fall, she turned back towards Sebastian. Her eyes grew wide as she saw one of the figures behind Sebastian, the katana raised.

"Sebastian!" Sebastian turned and raised his own blade, but found that he had no strength to lift his arm to defend himself. Maylene felt her heart fall as she saw his hand tremble before a hiss escaped his lips. Eyes wide, she realized in horror that Sebastian couldn't move to defend himself.

"No." She ran towards Sebastian, dagger in her hand.

Sebastian's eyes grew wide as the shadowy creature got ready to bring down the blade.

Just as the blade was about to slice through him, Sebastian saw a dagger lodge itself in the figure's head. Just as the dagger hit home, Maylene appeared besides him and plunged the other dagger into the creature.

"We need to go now!" She breathed as she recovered both dagger. Then, to his surprise, she grabbed him and supported his weight as he leaned on her. She turned and began to run at an inhuman speed, carrying a surprised Sebastian on her shoulder. Since when had she become so strong?

"Are they following us?" Maylene dodged a tree and jumped over a log before she landed lightly on her feet.

"Yes" was Sebastian's muffled response.

"They just don't give up, do they?" He heard her sigh before she reached into the pouch on the garter around her thigh. Sebastian watched as she pulled out a grenade. She was prepared for almost anything.

"How far back are they?" Maylene asked, knowing that it was getting more and more difficult for him to move and speak.

"Not too far back." He managed to respond as they neared a tree.

"Very well. No use running seeing as how we can't outrun them." She suddenly stopped and set him down before turning towards the quickly approaching figures, who were concealed by the shadows of the trees. Maylene raised the grenade, which begun to glow with the same red aura as the daggers, and pulled out the pin.

She threw it and, within a few seconds, the trees were wiped out along with the figures pursuing them.

"We have to go before they come back. And I need to tend to your wound before the poison spreads even more. Whatever you do, you cannot sleep. Understand?" Maylene pulled Sebastian to his feet and looked at his paling face. He nodded in response before she pulled out another grenade.

"In case more come back." She threw him on her shoulder again and, at a surprising speed, she began running again.

However, after they had traveled a few yards, she let out a yell and abruptly stopped.

"What?" Sebastian asked as she set him down and walked forward.

"There's nowhere for us to go." She groaned, motioning to the cliff in front of them and the forest below.

"We're trapped." She looked back and let out a groan as she saw that more of the shadow creatures had appeared.

"I don't think I can kill them all, but I can try." She looked down at the grenade and then back at the pursuers.

Just as the creatures got closer, she threw the grenade, watching as it annihilated some of the creatures, but not all. Pulling out her daggers, she stood ready for the others she knew would appear.

However, she let out a gasp as she felt the ground beneath them suddenly give away.

"Damn it!" She yelled as the edge of the cliff gave away and both she and Sebastian fell towards the trees below.


"Are you okay?" Maylene asked as she crawled over towards Sebastian, who was lying on the ground as stiff as a board.

"Yes." He managed to mumble, his lips barely moving. Maylene looked down at him and saw that it was getting harder and harder for him to answer. No doubt the poison was fully in his system now. She needed to get it out soon or it would be bad for both of them, especially him.

She pushed herself to her feet and was about to help him to his feet when she let out a gasp of pain. She looked down at the source of the pain and realized that her left ankle was twisted.

"How wonderful." She bit down hard on her lower lip to fight the pain as she helped Sebastian to his feet.

"Careful." She said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and supported all of his weight. Slowly, they began to walk, making little progress. Her ankle protested with each step she took but she couldn't stop, especially with the shadow creatures still after her. And then there was Sebastian, who was being consumed by more and more of the poison each second that passed.

"I see a cave." She breathed in relief as she led him towards the opening. Using all her strength, she helped him sit down before she looked around. The cave was dark and damp, and she saw no signs of any life. It would be a safe dwelling for now.

However, they needed some light and warmth as night was approaching. Her eyes grew relieved as she saw some rocks in the corner. Slowly, she made her way over and grabbed the rocks before she began to rub them together.

Ripping a piece of her clothing, she pulled out the alcohol she always carried on her and wet the cloth before throwing the fire on it. The cloth caught and soon a fire blazed, casting minimal light into the cave.

Sebastian watched as Maylene pulled out one of her daggers and put it into the fire until it began to glow. He continued to observe, trying to fight the heaviness suddenly descending on his eyelids.

Maylene turned towards him, noticing his eyelids growing heavy and pulled the dagger from the fire.

She had to remove the poison at that moment or that would be it for him. She made her way towards him, ignoring the pain now shooting through her entire left foot.

"I'm going to need you to relax." She whispered as she leaned over him. He looked at her and opened his mouth to say yes, but found he couldn't. However, she realized what he meant because she nodded and looked down at his arm where the wound was.

She could still see the black aura in his wound making its way further into his body, carrying the poison that was paralyzing him.

"This is going to hurt a bit but I need you to bear the pain. Until the poison is gone, it's going to hurt. I'll try to speed it up. Here, drink this." She offered him the alcohol before she pushed her hair from her eyes and raised the glowing dagger. Sebastian watched and saw that there was an actual red aura coming from inside the dagger.

"Here goes." Maylene took his hand and then pressed the dagger to his wound. Instantly, a pain so excruciating and enough to make him go insane shot through his entire body. However, it subsided almost immediately as the dagger began to glow and pulsate.

He looked at the dagger and his eyes grew wide in surprise as the black aura was extracted from his body. It appeared almost as though the dagger was absorbing it. He realized, after a moment, that the dagger was absorbing the aura as it began to become black.

Suddenly, he felt the tiredness and heaviness leave his body and saw Maylene draw the dagger away, her face suddenly looking strained and tired.

"You should rest." She managed to get out before she shakily turned away.

Before he could thank her and ask her why the black aura was passing from the dagger to her, he passed out from exhaustion.


Maylene let out a groan as she released the dagger, unable to absorb anymore of the aura. Groaning, she shakily got to her feet and strapped her ankle before she headed towards the entrance of the cave in search of water.

She knew Sebastian would be weak and he would definitely need water when he awoke as well as something to eat in order to gain his strength.

She realized that it was up to her to get the necessary materials.

Sucking in a breath, she left the cave and headed towards the trees, her daggers in her hands.

She needed to find some other place for them to hide.

She knew it was only a matter of time before the shadow creatures found her again and she wasn't sure if she would be able to defend them both again. She knew Sebastian needed time to heal properly and she was not in very good shape either.

She let out a yell as a branch struck her ankle before she gasped and instantly put her hand over her mouth. After a few moments of listening for any sudden sounds, she realized that no one or thing had heard her.

Maylene started walking again, her face twisting in pain at every step. However, she was careful to not make any sounds.

She pulled out her dagger and began to chip away at some bark free from the trees for the fire.


Sebastian opened his eyes and looked around, slightly puzzled.

Groaning, he pushed himself up and looked around, realizing he was still in the cave. There was a fire blazing along with a few pieces of ripped clothing. He saw several droplets of what looked like blood on the floor of the cave and assumed it was his own, considering the dark red-almost black color of it. Or it could be Maylene's.

Suddenly, his eyes grew wide as he remembered Maylene.

"Maylene?" He called, looking around the cave. Hearing no answer, he stood, which took more energy than he thought necessary, and began to head towards the cave entrance.

Just as he reached the entrance, he was thrown off his feet and felt someone land on him. Looking up, he found himself staring into the red-brown eyes of Maylene, who looked surprised as she stared down at him.

"Sebastian, you're awake." She exclaimed breathlessly. Red-brown eyes met red eyes and Maylene felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks before she realized that she was still on top of him and pushed herself off of him. Sebastian got to his feet before she did and heard her suck in a sharp breath as she got to her feet.

His eyebrows lifted at the sound of her gasp and his eyes instantly fell on her left foot, widening as he saw the cloth tied around it.

"What happened?" He asked while she straightened with some effort.

"Nothing. I'm fine." She reassured him with a smile, not meeting his eyes.

"We need to get going soon. Those creatures will find us if we don't keep moving." Maylene said as she headed towards the fire, painfully limping.

"What were those things?" He asked as he watched her grab a cloth and soak it in water before heading towards him.

"I need to see your wound." She said, motioning for him to sit. He looked at her for a moment before sitting. She examined his wound before wiping it with the cloth and then tying another piece of cloth around it.

"You didn't answer. What were they? And how did you know how to kill them?" He asked again after noticing she had avoided the question the first time.

"You should drink something to keep your strength up." Maylene purposely avoided the question as she stood and headed towards the other strips of cloth.

"Damn it, Maylene. Answer me." He suddenly hissed as he got to his feet. Sebastian rarely lost his temper and when he did, god help who caused it. She slowly turned to face him before she shrugged.

"I don't know what they were." She calmly replied before raising a container full of water and pushing it towards him.

"We need to go. Drink this. We need all the strength we can get." She said, after seeing that he wasn't going to drop the issue and drink the water/

"My strength is fine." Sebastian curtly replied, still looking at her.

"Are you sure?" She asked, lowering the water. He nodded in response.

"Very well." She turned away and grabbed a strip of cloth.

"You didn't answer my last question." He watched as she slowly untied the one around her ankle and tied it with the new strip. She took her time before she turned and faced him.

"Let's go." She said, straightening and shoving the other strips into her pouch.

"Not until you answer my question." He took a step forward, appearing almost menacing to her.

"Very well. I'm an assassin. I'm trained to kill anything. It just so happens I was also trained to know how to kill those things." He regarded her with a skeptical look but said nothing.

"Now, can we leave?" She asked, not waiting for him to question her further.

"You can't go anywhere. You're hurt." He looked down at her ankle before she scoffed and waved her hand in a careless manner.

"It's fine." She replied in hopes that she was reassuring him. She bent and tightened the cloth before she straightened.

"See?" She asked as she took a step forward. However, just as she put her weight on her left foot, a sudden pain shot through her foot, causing her to suck in a sharp breath and wince.

As the pain overtook her, she felt her feet give out and braced herself for a collision with the floor of the cave.

Seconds before she hit the floor, she felt a pair of strong arms grab her and looked up to see Sebastian looking down at her with his usual smirking eyes.

"I told you." He replied as he helped her straighten, his cocky attitude returning.

"I'm fine. Really, I am." She said, hoping to reassure him once again. She was obviously not convincing enough because he regarded her with a scoff.

"Your ankle is swollen. You have been on it all day, haven't you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he examined her ankle. She sighed before she nodded in defeat. No use lying to him.

"I had to get supplies." She replied in her defense, earning an irritated sigh from him before he did something that shocked her.

He picked her up in his arms bridal style, his eyes gleaming, and carried her towards the fire before setting her down carefully.

"With a twisted ankle? That wasn't very wise. You really do puzzle me at times." He said as he began to unwrap the cloth around her ankle.

"Why?" She asked, wondering what he was talking about.

"Because of the fact that you disregarded your own health to look after mine. Not very wise at all." He said, shaking his head in disapproval as he began to tend to her ankle.

"What do you mean it wasn't wise at all?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Surely, he realized that she had no choice.

"I mean that it wasn't wise that you were nursing my wound while failing to nurse your own wound. After all, it does us no good if I am fully capable again and you are not. We would just be right back to where we began." He looked at her as if it were common sense.

"Surely, you realize that I had no choice. I couldn't allow us to starve nor could I allow you to die. My ankle would heal in time, but you, once dead, could not return." She shot back, her voice growing a pitch higher in anger.

"Do not fret. I did not mean to anger or offend you." Sebastian placated her, his attitude returning to that of the suave butler. However, he found that he enjoyed watching her lose her temper and show him the fiery woman hidden inside.

"Of course not." She refused to look at him after having lost her temper so quickly. She let out a gasp when he applied some pressure to her ankle as he dressed the wound.

"Did I hurt you?" He looked a bit horrified and apologetic as she gasped in pain. Maylene would have laughed if she weren't in so much pain. Sebastian looking apologetic towards her? That would be the day!

"No." She lied through closed teeth. The truth was that it was hurting her but, as an assassin, she wasn't allowed to show weakness.

As it was, she was being extremely weak and stupid at the moment due to her injury. They should have been moving but, due to her ankle, he wouldn't allow them to leave at all.

"I swear, I could scold you right now for your stupidity. Your ankle is so badly hurt yet you refused to care for it. Suppose you had been attacked while in the forest? What would you have done?" He asked as he tied the knot. She shrugged as he finished dressing it and stood above her.

"I would have been fine." She replied, knowing fully well that she wouldn't have stood a chance against the shadows.

He gave her a skeptical look letting her know that he knew she was lying, which she ignored as she looked at her ankle before sighing and standing. However, the moment she put pressure on her feet, she felt her knees buckle and give out. Gasping, she reached out and grabbed Sebastian's shoulder, holding them for support.

"Sorry." She apologized as she straightened and found herself looking into his red eyes. She could see the dancing flames reflecting in his eyes, but noticed another fire there. One that seemed to come from within. She felt a blush threaten to escape. Vaguely, she became aware of his strong arms wrapped her around her waist and the heat that seemed to come from his body. She looked up and saw his eyes were on her, almost boring into her own. She felt a heat course through her body before she realized what she was about to do.

Quickly, she pushed herself away from him and headed towards the entrance of the cave.

"It's almost night. We must leave soon." She said, her back towards him.

"Not with your ankle in that condition." He replied in an obstinate tone as he moved towards her.

"Forget my ankle. Neither of us has very much strength. If those shadows find us, do you honestly believe they would care about the condition of my ankle?" She scoffed as she turned to face him and raised a questioning eyebrow. He realized she was correct and nodded.

"Very well. But, where will we go?" He asked, turning to face her.


"Just for the night?" The elderly woman asked, looking at Maylene and Sebastian. Maylene smiled at the owner of the lodge and nodded. It had been pure luck when they had stumbled upon the lodge not to far away from the cave.

"We just need somewhere to stay." She replied, looking over at Sebastian, who chose to remain as stoic and still as ever.

"Very well. We have an available room." The woman replied after looking at Sebastian.

"That is perfect, isn't it?" Maylene asked, turning towards Sebastian who finally looked animated and nodded.

"Follow me." The elderly lady replied as she led them into the lodge and towards the room.

"Here you are, dearies." She opened the door of a greatly furnished room before stepping away.

"It's beautiful. We'll be comfortable here." Maylene smiled at the lady after scanning the room.

"Very well, dear." The lady smiled before she turned to leave.

"By the way, your husband is very handsome." She smiled at Maylene, whose eyes grew wide in surprise.

"I-I, ummm, t-thank you." Maylene managed to reply before she closed the door, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"We should be fine here." She cleared her throat and headed towards the window, avoiding looking at Sebastian, who she knew was smirking at her pink face.

"So, what did the lady say?" Sebastian suddenly asked from behind her as he regarded her with an amused look.

"Nothing." Maylene lied, still not looking at him.

"Really? Then, I wonder how nothing could make you blush like that." He remarked, moving to stand besides her. Maylene closed her eye as she realized he had indeed seen her blush and most likely had also heard the woman's remark. He was just having fun with her.

"Very well. She just said that my husband is very handsome." Maylene replied, deciding to play along with his little game.

"I see. I'm assuming she was referring to me, right?" He asked innocently, but she heard the smirk hidden in his voice.

"Well obviously. After all, who else besides you is in this room with me?" Maylene snapped, raising an eyebrow as she turned around.

"Very well, dear wife." He smiled at her and took a step forward.

"After all, you do know how handsome I am, don't you?" He raised a teasing eyebrow at her, earning himself a glare.

"If you heard the entire conversation, then why did you even ask?" She snapped again, her temper getting the better of her. Whatever game he was playing, she didn't like it.

"Now that we are alone, I have a question I've been meaning to ask you all day." He said, suddenly moving towards her. Maylene unconsciously moved backwards.

"How do you know that I am a demon?" He asked, raising a curious eyebrow. Her eyes grew wide and she let out an inaudible groan.

"Curse him!" She thought as she realized that he had backed her into a corner, both literally and figuratively.


Sooooooooooo, reviews! I'll update asap because I really wanna finish this fic! I threw in some romance in this chap but not too much. Hopefully, Maylene and Sebastian are in character. Until my next chappie!
-DramaQueen95