BOOM! I'm on a roll! Helps I'm working nights and have nothing better to do with my time. Anyhoo, here's chapter 4.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. not even Rhia is fully mine.
Christmas break flew by for Rhia. Between the daily meetings in Hell by Crowley's side, creating a dance studio out of one of the many spare rooms in the mansion, and pure anticipation for the new term to start, the days all blurred together. She and her Master got to know one another better with all the time spent together and it was comforting to Rhia to see how differently he treated her from everyone else. When anyone else was around, she was in her wolf form and he truly was the King of Hell, rather than the self-assured smartass that was around when it was just the two of them and she was allowed to be her human self. She'd never forget when she had to sit in on one of his torture sessions. Some uppity demon forgot their place and tried to start a rebellion. Needless to say, it failed miserably but Crowley felt he had to make a better example than last time and so she finally got a peek at the torture chamber down in the basement. She really didn't want to have to go back down there again. The torture didn't bother her in the slightest. The smells were just too much for her sensitive nose.
Transportation to school was a little difficult to figure out. PPAS and Ailey weren't boarding schools so she had to find a way to school in the morning and back to the mansion at the end of the day, wherever it was located. Crowley wasn't very forthcoming with the details. Something about his last house getting torched and someone eating his tailor. Once again, she didn't pry. It was better that way.
So Crowley used his rarely exercised witchcraft and made a nifty little coin that would call him to her and he'd bring her home. She'd protested at first, not wanting to interrupt him during a meeting or anything. His response? "If I'm stuck in a meeting for that long pet, I'll gladly act as your bloody chauffeur to get a break from the morons."
Once the new semester came around, Rhiannon really had no time for herself. Class, homework, dance practice, and running errands for her Master left her passing out the moment she crawled into bed. It wasn't until she fell asleep at the dinner table that Crowley put his foot down about her running herself ragged.
"I've got too much invested in you to let you kill yourself from exhaustion," he growled, forcing her to go to bed.
"But I still got a- a," a yawn kept her from finishing her sentence.
"You don't have to do it the day it's assigned. Now bed," he said, exasperated.
She gave in and struggled up the stairs, collapsing against the mattress without bothering to change out of her jeans. She was snoring as soon as her head hit the pillow. Crowley rolled his eyes from the doorway, snapping his fingers so that her day clothes became pajamas.
"Stay," he told Growley, heading down to his study. He had an angel and a traitor to hunt down as well as a Dick to deal with.
Rhia was in Economics class when she got the text from Sam.
Don't eat Turducken. Or anything from Biggerson's.
Why? Sounds delicious. She sneakily texted back when her teacher was busy looking at his lecture notes.
The picture she received completely turned her off to the idea of eating. Copying it, she sent it to Crowley.
Shouldn't you be in class instead of sending me pictures of vile gooburgers?
Sam sent it to me with a warning not to eat it. It's a Turducken from Biggerson's after about an hour.
Duly noted, pet. Now pay attention in class
She smirked. King of Hell demanding I be a good little school girl? Pretty sure you could teach me Economics better than this idiot I'm forced to call a teacher.
Very true Darling, but I'm a bit busy at the moment.
But Crowley I'm boredddddd. My morning classes are getting dull. Throw whoever's annoying you into the Pit and come spring me from this prison for lunch.
Tempting but no. Stop texting in class.
Fine just stop being the responsible one. It's weird. Seriously though, lunch? Pretty pretty please with wicked souls on top?
The teacher called on her to answer a question and she was unable to check for a reply. Time dragged slowly and once the ball rang for lunch, she hightailed it out of the classroom. Fishing for her phone in her bag, she ran into a rather solid chest. If it weren't for superior balance honed by years of dance, she would've been on her ass.
"Sorry," she mumbled, still trying to find her phone.
"That eager to see me, love?"
"Crowley!" She tossed her arms around his neck happily. "Bust me outta here," she hissed in his ear. "I'm dying."
He chuckled quietly, offering her his arm "You act like it's the Pit."
"Might as well be," she grumbled, practically dragging him in her rush to get out of the school.
They made it as far as the courtyard when a voice called out, "Delacroix! Baby, I know you wanted to get passed that nasty rep with the lesbo slut that sent you packing at the beginning of term, but you didn't have to go as far as getting a Sugar Daddy. I could give you what you need."
The demon was about to put the little bastard in his place but Rhia beat him to it. Dropping his arm and her bag, she turned smoothly and drawled in a voice that sounded eerily like the whore Meg, "Nicky, you putrid ball of slime. It's not surprising that you're still hanging high and dry with a mouth like that. If you want to get your dick wet, I suggest you look up some poetry to clean up your vocabulary. Shakespeare, maybe?" She took a few steps towards him and he quickly backed away. Despite her tiny stature, her menacing aura made her seem 8 feet tall. "Besides, there's a lot more to snagging a woman than a young face. Like, I don't know, experience? Which, in your case, circles back to knowing how to sweet talk. So, final word of advice-" She kicked out with her left leg, all her weight balanced perfectly, catching him behind the knees and yanking him down. A quick shove had him face down in the grass. Grabbing the back of his neck, she crouched down with a knee planted between his shoulder blades and rubbed his face in the dirt like an errant puppy who'd messed on the floor. "I suggest you watch your fucking mouth the next time you talk to me. Or better yet, keep it shut and walk the other way."
She stood gracefully, brushing imaginary dust off her jeans and reclaiming Crowley's arm as she slung her bag on her opposite shoulder. He looked down at her in amusement.
"We need to work on the eloquence of your insults," he told her as they walked towards a nearby alleyway to port away in.
She sighed dramatically. "I know. All the times I listen to you belittle your henchmen has helped, but I'm still learning. Remember, you got a few hundred years of practice. I've had about two months."
"Indeed. Italian?"
"Definitely," she grinned, hugging his arm tightly as they ported away.
When Crowley dropped Rhia off at Ailey for her afternoon dances classes, she found that the two of them, and the incident with Nick, were the talk of the school. Since she couldn't have her phone on her during her dance classes, she used the mental pathway that the two of them did their best to ignore. Especially her once Crowley started flirting because her discomfort amused him
Looks like I'm a Sugar Baby. Do I need to start calling you Daddy instead of Master?
Either, Or pet. As long as I'm on top. She could sense the mental equivalent of a wink.
Only in your dreams Boss. Hopefully not even then. You have little demonic slores for that.
Again, we need to work on your eloquence.
Noted. Ugh, we're doing this routine AGAIN?
Practice makes perfect pet, especially in the bedroom. Would you care for a demonstration?
Nope. Gonna pass on that. Need to focus, I'm getting more weird looks than normal.
With that, she slammed a wall down on the connection, effectively blocking him out. Glaring at a cluster of gossiping girls in the corner, she fell into position with the rest of the troupe and began her warm up. The rest of the afternoon dragged on and the rampant gossip wore her patience thin. The final straw was at the end of the day when she found her locker broken into and all her things stolen.
Temper temper, darling. What's got your knickers in a twist?
Someone stole all my shit. My clothes, my bag, and everything in it. Gone.
I'll be there in a tic
Rhia stormed out the locker room, only to find her things strewn across the courtyard. She stood there, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to reign in the fury that threatened to overwhelm her before she began to gather her thing, shivering slightly as her leotard and tights didn't provide much warmth for a New York winter.
"Oh are you gonna cry?" jeered a few of the students.
"I think she's gonna cry."
"I would too. I mean, her girlfriend's dead and her parents disowned her. She's so desperate that she went and got a Sugar Daddy to pay her way through school."
"I don't know why they let her back in anyways. It's obvious she's the reason Anya's dead."
Rhia lost it. Everything dropped and she pounced on the blonde who'd uttered such a damning statement. Physically, they were evenly matched as they rolled along the courtyard but Rhia had pure rage at her disposal. Hands knotted in the the others hair, she repeatedly slammed her head into the ground.
"Take it back," she growled, golden eyes flashing. "Now."
"God you're such a freak." The other girl shrieked.
"TAKE IT BACK!" She slammed her fist down, bloodying the girl's mouth.
"Rhiannon, enough."
But she couldn't stop, her vision tinged red. Crowley grabbed a handful of curls and yanked her off the girl. Rhia struggled to keep attacking.
"I said, enough," he growled, forcing her to go limp.
"Freak," the blonde hissed through a bloody mouth. "That's why your little girlfriend died screaming before they ripped her throat out."
Crowley let go of Rhia and crouched in front of the other girl. "A blood bag allowed to roam free. Interesting. Let me give you a little warning to pass on to your master. Leave Rhiannon Delacroix alone or Crowley will obliterate the nest." His eyes flashed a demonic red. "Do you understand?"
"You're nothing but a lowly demon," she bluffed. "You can't even scratch at my master's nest."
"Pass the message along girl or I'll snap your scrawny neck."
She nodded, pale as instinctual fear skittered down her spine. He stood and looked at Rhia. "Get your things. We're leaving."
She did as he said, head down in submission, and he grabbed her upper arm hard enough to leave bruises as he dragged her away.
Instead of landing in the foyer of the mansion like they normally did, they appeared in the antechamber off of his throne room in Hell.
"One simple rule. Don't make a scene where I would have to clean up your mess," he said coldly. "Because of your little outburst, I'll have to keep an eye on some insignificant vamp nest when I have bigger fish to fry."
She flinched, knowing it was about to get worse. "Crowley, I-"
"Shut up. Change. Now." Rhia dipped her head in submission, changing into her wolf form. "You want to fight? Fine. Let's go."
Grabbing her scruff, he dragged her to a fighting pit. Not The Pit, but near enough to it. There was a good half a dozen demons loitering around inside, the rest filling the spectator stands. He tossed her down with the other fighters, simply stating, "Don't kill her."
En masse, they attacked. It took a moment for Rhia to overcome the shock that Crowley was having her attacked. But when one demon drew a blade, the confusion was gone and she let her animalistic nature take over. The pit quickly became a bloodbath. The demons' meatsuits didn't stand a chance against her powerful jaws but she wasn't quick enough to dodge six different blades. When she felled one demon, another would take its place, slashing at her pelt, blood staining her fur crimson. She had crushed the windpipe of the final demon when she felt someone yank the blade out of her right flank. She would've taken a chunk out of Crowley's calf if he hadn't popped her on the nose like a rowdy puppy.
Well done pet.
He grabbed hold of her scruff and blinked them home. The moment they appeared in the foyer, she took off, hunkering under her bed to literally lick her wounds.
Get from under there and change back so I can heal you. You're dripping blood all over the house.
Fuck you.
NOW.
Rhia slunk out from under the bed, whining. You better be quick then. If I change back, it'll be a lot worse.
She changed back and had to catch herself against the bed, agony shooting up her thigh as her leg gave out. The blade had sliced through muscle and she was bleeding heavily. Crowley laid a hand on the wound and the pain slowly eased. After about a minute, all that was left was an angry red scar that he assured her would fade with time.
"Walk around a bit to make sure there's no further damage," he ordered.
Rhia walked to the other side of the room without the slightest hint of a limp and did a few movements to make sure she had full mobility.
"It's fine," she said shortly, glaring down at the scar.
"Good. You did well-"
"I don't care," she growled, brushing past him to go to her studio. I thought I'd never be put in that position again. I was foolish to put my trust in a demon, let alone the King of Hell.
Before he could reply, she was gone, mental wall fully enforced. He was about to follow after her and make her regret her attitude when his phone pinged, indicating he had a text. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel after reading it. Bobby Singer was dead.
And there we go. Drama drama drama teenage angst and more drama. Had to bring back the demon side of Crowley, though I feel like I still didn't do him enough justice. Now if you lovelies could hit that little button that says REVIEW and let me know what you think, I'd greatly appreciate it :) ~WK
