"I shall serve dutifully as your butler until the time you can achieve your revenge, doing whatever is within my power to help," he said, bowing his head.

"I've never been fond of servants nor hired help," I told him quickly. "That aside, your power is far greater than mine. It would hardly be fitting for you to act as my servant." I didn't want the demon to think that I would ever think of myself as above him. I certainly was not.

"Then," he said slowly, "if you deny my servitude, what would you have me do?"

"Pose as my doctor." The demon looked at me, puzzled by my request. "You needn't actually cure me; I am not ailed by any disease. It seems a little more fitting that an inmate return home with a doctor, rather than a butler," I explained briefly.

"What do you intend to do once you've escaped the place?" he asked, a curiosity glinting in his golden eyes.

"I have no set plan," I said plainly. "I just wish to cause suffering to all those who caused me to suffer." His lips curved gently upward. He was silent for a beat, pondering over the information he'd just received. I waited with baited breath, unsure of what I would do should this plan fail.

"You're quite a curious girl, Dahlia," he said softly, his eyes still glinting curiously.

"Tempest," I said correcting him softly. "I changed it. I despise my given name."

"Shall we contract, then Tempest?" he asked, his voice incredibly soft. I hesitated. I had finally learned the price for a demon's services. It was quite a daunting promise. I was going to sign my soul away, should I agree to this. It shouldn't matter, I felt my innocence had been stripped from me on multiple occasions. Yet, I was hesitating. It was odd to say the least, but I found my tongue moving before my mind had fully thought out my answer.

"I will contract with you." My voice shook a little more than I wanted it to, but the demon took no notice. His yellow colored eyes began to glint red and he disappeared behind me. I wasn't sure what I was to expect next. I felt gentle lips at my shoulder. Their softness was contrasted by a sharp pain. It felt as though I were being stabbed. I closed my eyes and made no sound.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the woods. The sun was shining brightly and there was no sign of the ash, the spider web, or the demon. The only proof I had that the whole thing was not merely a hallucination was the faint stabbing pain in my shoulder blade. I twisted my neck to look and see what exactly had been done. Where there was once pale skin, was now a five pointed star encircled by gold. I smiled to myself, and pulled my filthy dress over my shoulder.

As I stood to walk back to Northwood, I was overcome by the sudden desire to laugh. I did so, holding nothing back. Some of the drastic changes taking place within myself were frightening; I had just sold my soul to a demon, and yet I was as carefree as a bird. I supposed it didn't really matter. If I had my revenge, who cares what happened to me? The demon could have my soul ten times over if the taste revenge was just as satisfying as I thought it would be.

I was surprised when I neared the edge of the woods; several doctors were out on the grounds, searching. They shouldn't be looking for me; I hadn't been gone nearly long enough. I was surprised when I was tackled to the ground, my arms and legs pinned by the doctor on top of me. I was irritated and wished the demon were around.

"I've found her, Doctor," the man pinning me down called out. Perhaps I had made the wish to see the demon too soon. I was pulled to my feet and face to face with the demon. Curiously, I drank in his human form. He was mysteriously handsome, with long unruly black hair tied back into a ponytail. His doctor's jacket hung on his muscular frame quite loosely. His eyes. His golden eyes met mine, and a small smile lit his lips.

"Miss Grimm," he said in a poisonously soft voice. "I've been searching all over for you. I've come to collect you from Northwood."

"Ah, sir," the doctor who had pinned me to the ground spoke up. "The punishment for running away is a day's confinement in the Cage. We can't reinforce negative behaviors, you understand." I looked into his eyes, praying that he'd find a way to keep me out of that cursed place. He merely smiled at me.

"Yes," he said softly. "I quite understand. I thank you for your assistance, but I can manage her from here," the demon said, grabbing my arm. The other doctors scattered back inside Northwood. I walked arm in arm with the demon, fuming.

"Something bothers you, my lady?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. I glowered at him, though it was hard to feel angry towards a being that was superior to you in every way. I looked away. It was easier to stay angry if I wasn't looking at him.

"You're letting me go back to that damned Cage?" I asked him. "I thought I asked you to get me out."

"You did," he said. "You also asked for me to help you extract revenge. Northwood is the obvious place to start. I've merely bought you more time." I sighed. He was right. I hadn't thought of that. Though I had expected to get revenge without being confined to the Cage.

"You won't leave me in the Cage alone, will you, Doctor Faustus?" I asked, glancing up at him. He stiffened slightly at the name I had given him. "You don't like it?" I asked.

"I'm merely puzzled at your selection, my lady," he said. I shrugged.

"We've formed a Faustian contract, have we not?" I asked. "It just seemed… fitting."

"Indeed," said the demon, nodding his head slowly. We walked in silence for a moment. I was only just becoming accustomed to the demon's presence. It would take time for me to adjust entirely. As of now, I felt aloof, yet I did not want to be alone.

"You'll not leave me to rot in the Cage," I said, my sentence formed as more of an inquiry than anything else. A smile pulled at the edges of the demon's lips.

"I'll never leave you, my lady," he assured me. "Not even when I devour your pretty little soul."

I wasn't quite sure as to whether the demon's last words were meant to be comforting. When picked apart, they were cold, cruel, and selfish. Yet, they were spoken with the utmost delicacy and tenderness, as though it was a phrase customary to utter to a lover.

I wasn't entirely sure what was to become of my situation now that a demon was my guardian, but in the pit of my stomach, I finally felt safe.


A\N: So in a word, my life has been a zoo. Sorry the updates have taken so long, and thank you for all of the positive feedback I'm getting! You guys are so wonderful! All I have to say is its about dang time Claude showed up! I'm sure he used different names in past lives, but just to keep things simple, I'm going to keep his name Claude in this story. Plus, I can't make Claude anything BUT Claude. I don't mess with sexy. :) I promise I will try to post more often (now that the people count in my house has gone down by three... we're now at 12 people! WOO! Never a dull moment.) unless Chemistry II decides to melt my brain again.

PS- On my DeviantART account (there's a link on my profile page) I have posted my picture of Tempest. Hooray! Feel free to check that out if you wanna. Thanks so much for being awesome people who review and put me on alert! :)