"Demons?" he quipped perplexed. Jack knew of evil spirits that lurked in the shadows; Pitches minions normally. Anything dark and menacing tended to trail back to the now defeated midnight entity.

Running at full speed, Ray was in her huntress mode. Like a wolf getting ready to strike it's kill, she was forgoing and not as tactful as she could be. But with brute strength she had full confidence in her abilities to destroy the enemy. Though in the back her mind the blistering pain of the deep gash kept a constant reminder of her near death experience. Her frown deepened at the though, deep lines marring her normally perfectly smooth pale skin.

Jack kept a cautious eye on her, observing her every reaction. This thing they were after was quick, movements jerky and abrupt. It surprised him how quick Ray could react to a sharp turn. Even without the power to fly, her senses were high and well developed. No whimsical ability like flying would add an edge to her natural instincts; whatever the Man on the Moon bestowed upon the young woman, was certainly enough to prove she worthy of being a guardian, that was certain enough.

Getting a read on this demons aura, it was after something much more sinister than just a soul; it wanted a tortured sullied individual. Someone who could not be brought down easily unless a multitude of the masses were to turn against that person. What it craved was an immortal.

She sensed this through her own holy abilities, measuring it's hunger through the seven deadly sins that was contained within it; within each beast she had fought for the past four years. It's greed and lust for the taste of life, for something it could never truly possessed was measured by this and it's determination.

The entity was much stronger than the average demon. It could almost pass for a full

This demon in particular, however, was setting Ray up for a ruse. Another sharp turn and it double backed in the direction that it came. It caught her off guard for a moment, wondering why it would do such a thing. But the reason why immediately punched her hard in the face; the closest immortal was…

"Jack!"

Ray screamed desperately, blindingly running through the trees. Forgetting about hunting down the demon but now finding her savior. Call it her duty to protect those from harm, but the demon particularly targeting him had her heart beat faster than hummingbird wings. Her eyes frantically darted through the density of the trees, searching for that white mop of hair; the snow on the ground not helping her in the slightest.

He heard her scream his name, and this caused him to silently fret: was she hurt? Did the wound reopen? Was the demon stealing her soul? What if Pitch was involved? Where was Ray? These and more had him swiftly maneuver high through the branches, peering over them like a hawk to find what he sought.

Luckily, her chestnut brown hair had caught onto the sun, golden rays bouncing of the top her head; a sign sent from the heavens, Jack thought.

To his relief, she was fine. But then what could she possibly be screaming about?

It wasn't a moment after he had found out why. A strong black force knocking the wind beneath his feet, bringing him hard to the ground. Long clawed fingers wrapped around his throat, bringing the color of his blood to his cheeks. His face quickly grew puffy, the lack of oxygen beginning to take its toll on him. It was hot, and it only grew hotter for him. Almost like he was melting away.

"Jack?!"

Tracking back the shadow, her eyes had seemed to fall out of their sockets as it lifted to the skies and dragged down a silver sliver of a person to the ground. From a short distance away she could hear his muffled agonized groans. Running into the clearing, a menacing purple light emanated around the two, Jacks face slowly turning into a blank slate and the shadow becoming a form of it's own.

Frozen in place, Ray could barely call out for him again. The whole scene seemed so familiar to her. Like she was looking in a mirror, but-.

The three were consumed by the purple aura, Jack losing the fight, but his hand was still firmly grasped on his staff. With the remainder of the strength he could muster, a strong blast of ice tore the almost completed entity away. The over bearing heat slowly drew away and the refreshing cold returned to is nose and finger tips.

Mist had fogged Rays vision, her savior seemed to be replaced by a young girl, no older than she. The aura was just the same as before, an over bearing heat that tore her apart. But instead of escaping, the demon had devoured her limb for limb; desperately gnawing at her flesh to obtain its true desire, her soul.

The bloodied sight had her woozy. Normally blood, a corpse, anything involving death, Ray could brush off. Death never scared her. But seeing that mirror image get devoured whole, it made her sick.

Mirror image?

A bright light had then shined down on the bloodied scene, an outline of a faceless man coming forth and grabbing-

"Ray!" Jack gasped, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her abruptly in the air. They took a straggled weak take off, flying as fast as he could away from the being that wanted to consume him.

"WIND! TAKE ME HOME!" he screamed, pulling up Ray close to his chest as the strong winds ripped them through a harsh current further away from the forest, the small town, and large suburban neighborhood. It would have been a a much longer flight, if he hadn't called out in desperation. Jack knew the petrified girl was still recovering from her encounter with death, but he also knew if he couldn't get them out fast enough they would surely meet their maker. That was something he did not want; not at all.

Waking up from her trance, she saw that she was atlas two hundred feet off the ground, being flown away from the very thing she existed to destroy.

"No! No! Take me back!"

Ray wriggled in his old, but his grip was like iron and it refused to waver.

"Please!"

But even with her plees, she couldn't deny that she was lying to him, and herself. The cobalt blue eyed girl was never more afraid, she didn't want to go back. Yet she couldn't let Jack know that. She couldn't let herself know that. Her body moved on it's own accord. Even with his iron grip and the strength of the wind pushing them faster and further away, she still desperately tried to go back.

With Jacks wavering strength he couldn't hold on much longer. He felt himself slowly lose himself to darkness. Hopelessly losing the fight. There was only one thing that kept him hanging on, it was who he was hanging onto. But that grip had fallen, why was she fighting him on this?!

She could feel herself free falling to the ground plunging to the unknown. Ray braced herself, but the ground never hit her. Instead it was a blast of soft snow that caught her.

"Are you insane?!" he slammed down into the snow after her, his face only millimeters away from hers.

Her lips trembled, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. Her mind raced with thoughts of who that girl was in the forest. And why that vision had replaced Jack. Why…Why?!

It was overwhelming. She had never experienced such depths of sadness. Sure, her existence was numb and cold, every now and then a smile would find its way on her, but most of the time it was just moving from one place to the next. It was all about the hunt.

But that image…that image haunted her; as if she personally could feel that girls pain. And what scared her more was that could have happened to Jack. He could have been torn apart and-and-.

Inaudible sounds left her quivering lips as she began to choke on her sobs. Cheeks beginning to heat up as she held her breath, hoping this wave of uncontrollable depression would pass. Jack noticed this wrapped his arms cautiously around her, drawing her closer to him in the cold snow. Her face buried in his hoodie as she sniffled and shook.

"I know. I'm not exactly the greatest to keep you warm, but"

She shook her head, still crying. Tears stained her flushed cheeks as her fingers dug into the ice blue fabric.

"I'm so sorry" her voice croaked. The immortal young man seemed confused. What could she be sorry about? Sure he was hurt, a few gashes here and there, energy low..But it wasn't her fault.

"I didn't" sniff "I didn't protect y-you." This statement sent her into another whirl wind of hysterics, her sobs muffled into his chest. Jack never had to deal with such a overwrought woman.

"Were you scared?" he sighed, stroking her hair with his finger tips, attempting to soothe her distraught state. "It's alright. I'm alright. Why are you so upset, huh?" He held her tighter, forgetting the pain it brought upon his injured self. She needed more comforting now than he did. By tomorrow morning he should be back to normal anyway.

Ray nodded, composing her self slightly by wiping away her tears. Though Jacks grip was even tighter than when they were in mid flight. This time she embraced his rough hold of her. He was visibly annoyed, and her lack of self control over her emotions was not helping him.

"Cold?" he breathed.

She decided to remain mute, and shook her head once more. She found him comfortable, despite his cold exterior he was quite warm. A normal mortal would say other wise, but then again, Ray was not any mortal.

He gave a heavy sigh. Jack liked the crying better than silence. At least he knew how she was feeling. Readjusting himself so he could let her rest easier onto of him, he lounged out his body in the now crystalizing snow, the cold wind shaping it like a cocoon around them. It was rather cozy for him, and Ray as his warm snug blanket to cover his chest. Yet even if he was realized, he wondered if she felt just as ease as he did; even with just what happened.

"Can I ask…What happened?"

"It was…Like it was human."

FINALLY! She speaks! he relieved. But her words left him unsettled.

"What?"

"He was taking your body for his own…"

My body?

She studied his horribly masked worried face.

"Normally, demons crave souls to satiate their hunger. But this demons hunger seemed to escalate at a much higher rate. He didn't just want your soul, he wanted you."

"Has this happened before?"

"Once…" Her eyes trailed away, recalling the horrid vision from before.

"And what happened?"

Blue eyes stayed downcast from his own panic-stricken eyes. He rose from his restful position, picking her up by the shoulders. Firmly shaking her to gain her attention, "Well?"

"I don't know…" she frowned, those pink lips of hers beginning to tremble. Damn it Ray, stop crying. She cursed herself internally, Jack looked on guiltily, he didn't mean to upset her, but..

His brow corrugated in intensive thought. If she didn't know he couldn't make her say anything else…But then again.. how would she know if..?

He decided it best to leave it alone; for now anyway.

"Do you sense it near by?"

Chestnut brown locks shook violently. Arms now wrapped around her ribs, Jack watched her every move with a possessive instinct. Her wound? "Let me see" he pushed her long fingers away, pulling up her shirt. The wound was much longer than before, trailing all the way up her bra. It split like tree branches, traveling between her breasts in one direction, the other spilling onto her back; the color of the gash beginning to turn black.

"Eh?" his hand unconsciously followed the lines, and her jaw only dropped at his forwardness.

"Excuse me!" she chimed, abruptly snapping him from his thoughts and actions. He only then realized how close he was getting to the inviting body of a woman he just met.

"I-uhm"

"I'll be fine" she wrestled her shirt down, smoothing it out. Pulling herself together, she fell back into the now hardened snow, it crunching beneath her weight. Her endless pool of eyes stared up through espresso brown tree tops, each of the branches intertwining; like lacing fingers together, but never quite meeting all the way.

The sky was already in its off colored stage, evening beginning to settle in the heavens.

"You shouldn't be toying with something so dark" her words seemed to offend him. "What I mean is..You're too pure to deal with such darkness"

This instantly seemed to amuse him. "And you mean?" "I…never mi-" "No really! Tell me.."

She bit her lip in frustration. Was he teasing her?! "You're..I can't exactly explain"

"In what way do you think I'm pure?" he purred, her cheeks beginning to flush. Perhaps she judged his aura wrong…This guy definitely had a devilish side to him.

"Because you're" The wildest grin grew on his face, this beat the serious atmosphere from before. He couldn't have Ray cry again, it sent him in a spiral of guilt; and he yet could figure out as to why. Regardless, it was something he did not want, and so Jack would not have it.

He wouldn't let her finish her thought, instead, his arms wrapping around her waist having her mind wander else where. He was certainly comfortable touching her.

"Don't worry" he whispered into her neck, his eyes looking up at the growing sliver of moon nested in the stars. Nightfall had snuck on them rather quickly. But that was alright, they would be able to travel easier in the dark. "I'll take care of you"

His hands wandered back up her shirt, and she stood stark still. He REALLY was comfortable. "Get your mind out of the gutter" he growled, chin hooked onto her shoulder as his smooth cool palms slid up her silky flat skin, the crevices of the wounds ruining her once perfect skin. Jack frowned, letting ice escape from his finger tips and back into the wounds.

"You dont-"

"Shh…"

"But I'll be-"

Annoyed Jack nipped at the exposed skin of her neck, a startled whimper hissed from her throat as he continued his 'healing' of her deep wounds.