Undertaker was in his shop, making some more biscuits before he went to bed. It was already late, maybe two or so in the morning, but he had a surprisingly amount of customers today. The body of the female jeweler that the female demon possessed arrived and it seemed to be rotting pretty quickly despite being a fresh body. Also, many other corpses seemed to have something taken out of them since there were bloody holes in their chests, but what was surprising was that none of them lost any vital organs, leaving one conclusion. Knowing that a rogue demon was around, it was safe to assume that their souls were stolen. He even checked to see if their Cinematic Records were still with them, but none of them had them.
The busy day left him tired, but not quite exhausted. However, having his dear Annabeth away from him was more unbearable than ever. Yes, he dealt with her absence before, but now knowing that they both had feelings for each other made things even more unbearable. He still tried to convince himself that this is some glitch in his emotions, but his heart couldn't lie. He told many women in the past that he was in love with them, but felt nothing for them and they learned the sad truth at their deaths. With Annabeth, it was different. He would feel as if a part of him died if she were to disappear or even worse, die. She was special to him more than he would like to admit. He couldn't explain it. The young girl he gave life back to had stolen his heart.
Suddenly, the bell rang from the front of the shop and Undertaker sighed. Many times, Scotland Yard officers would dump bodies in his shop, hoping he was still open to collect the bodies. "We're closed," he yelled from the back of the shop, but he didn't hear signs that the person left. He sighed as he pulled out the tray of biscuits, put them on a table, and quickly walked to the front of the shop. However, he was surprised to see who was there.
"Oh, hello Mr. Undertaker," Katia said with a smile, but he noticed her eyes were a bit red and puffy, as if she was crying not too long ago. She was wearing a slim green dress and her hair was nicely pinned into a bun, but her eye makeup was a little messed up, probably from wiping away her tears.
"Ms. Vendoa, correct?" he asked in his usual tone and she nodded. "What a surprise! I wouldn't imagine you working this late at night."
"Well, I'm not exactly working. I was looking for . . . Lilliana," she said in a sad tone, as if she were about to cry.
"Have you checked the Phantomhive manor? If she isn't working, she'll be there."
"I did . . . and . . . ," she said as tears began pouring down her cheeks. "She . . . was with that demon."
"Yes, they work together. It's no surprise that they would be-"
"They were in the same bed," Katia interrupted. "It's funny; I know about her relationship with him and I try to move on . . . but it's so hard!"
"You're a Grim Reaper; you're not suppose to fall in love, dearie," he said in his usual tone, trying not to empathize with her. He could now understand where she's coming from, but he can't hint that.
"H-How do you know that?"
"How do you think?" After a few seconds, her eyes widened and without hesitation, she pushed up his bangs to see his eyes. Undertaker pushed her away and she blushed, but soon regained her composure.
"I had a feeling, but I had to make sure, but how can you see without spectacles?"
"If you live long enough, you find ways," he said as he combed through his bangs. "Would you like some tea to calm your nerves?"
"No thank you; I won't be staying long," she said as she sat on one of his coffins. "I just wanted to talk to you about Lily."
"What is there to talk about? How you see her at work is how she is every day. She has no secrets."
"But . . . ," she said as she looked at him, noticing him bite into a biscuit. When did he get one? "Today, I messed up and made her real mad. I don't know what exactly I did wrong, but it made her leave our meeting early and not report to work today. I thought I would try to cheer her up and surprise her at the manor. I dressed up for her since I know she won't and fixed my hair and makeup. I even got William's permission to do so, but when I looked through the window to find her . . . I never expected to see them . . . so close together . . . She wasn't even wearing a shirt or something to cover herself. . . . . It breaks my heart knowing she does . . . that kind of stuff with him and not with me."
"Well, she is, in a way, part demon. She has lust, so she uses him to release those vices rather than making love. She's told me herself," he said as he took another bite of his biscuit.
"You two must be pretty close then," she tried to say with a smile, but she couldn't hide her true emotions.
Undertaker put a finger on his chin as he said, "I guess you could say that. That girl was always . . . different. Being raised by demons had a major impact on her. "
"And you helped her out when they gave up on her, didn't you . . . Adrian Crevan?" she said with her eyes no longer showing sadness, but slight anger. He arched an eyebrow at the sound of his name and she continued, "You thought you could fool me? I figured it out very quickly, but I needed to confirm some things to make sure it was you. For starters, when we were investigating Abigail Maxwell, Lily could have gone to any funeral parlor and examined the body in secret, but she came to you, fully open about her mission. Only a Grim Reaper would understand what she was doing. Also, your image is plastered all over the Great Library. Heck, there is a giant statue of you in the lobby! You may have changed your appearance, but you can't change those eyes. That's the only reason why Grell didn't compromise your location. He thinks your eyes are exquisite and wouldn't want to see them behind bars."
Adrian's expression changed from his usual smirk to a look of concern. "Figured it out so soon, have you?"
Katia nodded. "Yes . . . but I won't report you just yet." He arched his eyebrow at the comment. "I may have a job to do, but I know how special you are to her. You were the only person who was able to show her kindness when the Task Force gave up on her rehabilitation. Without you, she wouldn't be the person she is today, or maybe even alive. I also respect your work when you were an active member of the Task Force. Even in America, we knew of your legendary works." She started to get up from the coffin and leave, but before she did, she continued, "I don't want to break her heart, but I do have a job to do and that comes first. I'll look the other way for now . . . but if we ever meet again, things will be different. I can't turn a blind eye to your misdeeds against the Reaper Association." She then left the parlor and Adrian couldn't help, but chuckle.
"I doubt that even a demon huntress like her would be able to stop me. However . . . ," he said before stopping himself. There was someone they could target if they ever decided to get serious with capturing him. He doubted they knew about Annabeth, but he had a feeling that the redhead must have mentioned that he saw them escaping together. After all, Grell had fought Adrian on the Campania, so of course he would recognize him. . . . Now he was very worried about his darling doll.
"Wake up, love. The sun is shining. It's time to wake up," a familiar voice said. Annabeth slowly opened her eyes, but her vision was a bit blurry. There was a figure above her and at first glance, she saw her dear Undertaker smiling down at her. "Morning, love," he said, but in a feminine voice.
"Adrian," she called out sleepily.
However, he gave her a confused face. "No, dearie. It's me." She rubbed her eyes and blinked; she could finally see clearly. The long gray hair she thought she saw was blonde. "Wake up, sleepyhead. You're going to miss breakfast," Lucy said.
Annabeth got up from the bed, but noticed something was off: why was Lucy here? Her eyes weren't covered, but her viewing angle was a bit off, typical of a blind person. In fact, where was she? The room was a bit more elegant than the servant's quarters, but at the same time, it was far less elegant than any other room in the manor. In fact, there was nothing similar to the rooms. She slowly got out of bed, noticing the creaky floors as her feet put pressure on it. "Wh-Where am I?"
Lucy was quiet, but reluctantly said, "You're in Alex's home."
Annabeth's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door and soon entered Alex, who had a tray of oatmeal with strawberries on top and a cup of tea in his hands. "Ah, Mary. I'm glad you're awake. I thought you might like breakfast in bed today. It's the least I can do to pamper my lovely princess," he said in a loving voice.
"Alex, what am I doing here?" Annabeth asked in an unusual angry tone. She has been kidnapped once before, so she didn't want to beat around the bush before getting her answer.
"Isn't it obvious, love? I took you away from that manor and brought you here. We can finally be together, like we always wanted; no betrothed, no fixed marriages, no inconveniences. Just you and me . . . together at last," he said as he walked closer to her, put the tray on the nightstand beside her, and kissed her, but she pushed him back hard enough to hit the wall.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I was giving you a kiss, like old times. Ow, Mary, that really hurt," he said as rubbed his aching arm.
"My name isn't Mary! It's Annabeth," she yelled.
"Is it hurt? It sounded like a hard impact. I can help heal it if it is," Lucy said, heading toward Alex.
"I'm all right, but Mary, you can stop your façade. You don't need to hide your true identity anymore. It's just the three of us."
"I told you that I'm not Mary and what are you talking about?!"
Alex frowned as he said, "That old mortician really did a number on your mind, didn't he? What did he do to you? I will make him pay for hurting you! He's really got you believing you're this new person, but I know the truth."
"Alex, I think you should be a little more . . . relaxed about this," Lucy said as she approached him. "After all, we took her from the manor-,"
"We rescued her from that manor! They must have worked her to the bone and made her do so many demeaning tasks. However, no one must have tortured her worse than that mortician! He surrounded her in death and forced her to stay with him and not interact outside that shop."
"I was never forced-," she said before coughing.
"Are you all right? Do you need some water," Lucy asked.
"No, I just need to . . . see the Undertaker. He has the medicine I need-," she tried to say, but stopped when she heard Alex's fist hit the wall.
"No, no he doesn't. He's playing with your mind! He's convinced you that you need whatever medicine you're taking just so he can have control over you. It must be some addictive drug and going through withdrawal can release you from the spell."
"You don't understand. I need it," Annabeth frantically said. He seemed like a nice man at first who just wanted to get to know her, but instead, he has turned to a psychopath who believes that she is someone she is not, or at least, not anymore.
"Alex, don't you think you're being a little-," Lucy tried to say, but he grabbed her throat and pushed her to the wall.
"And who do you think you are saying that to me? I'm your master, remember? I give you commands and you fulfill my desires. That was our contract, correct? Now, be a good girl and stay out of this," he said forcefully. She gulped and had a terrified expression on her face. He smirked as he released her throat, allowing her to breathe. "I never thought I would see a look a fear from someone like you."
"How dare you?" she threatened as she regained her breath. "After I do all of this, you dare speak to me like that! How (censored) dare you," she said, leaving the room in a huff.
Alex then turned to Annabeth, who looked absolutely terrified by what she just witnessed. "I'm sorry you had to see that, dear, but she was out of turn and I had to put her in her place. Don't worry, Mary. I wouldn't hurt you."
"What do you mean she's gone?!" Ciel, Sebastian, and Lilliana, with a hangover, arrived to Undertaker's shop after learning that Annabeth had disappeared. Naturally, the first thought that crossed their mind was that Adrian took her since he couldn't bear to be away from her any longer. However, their suspicions dropped when he asked that question in a frantic tone.
"We have searched the entire manor for Ms. Phoenix, but we were not able to find her," Sebastian said as he gave Lilliana a beaker of tea, hoping to relieve her aching head and she thanked him.
"How could she possibly have vanished?! Are you sure you checked everywhere?" he asked in a frightened voice. They were all shocked by his tone since they never heard it from him ever, not even to Lilliana.
"Yes, we checked the entire manor and even the surrounding area, but we couldn't find her anywhere," Lilliana said in an exasperated tone as she held her head.
"We wouldn't be in this mess if Lilliana was doing her job and protected her," Ciel commented as he watched his head maid finish the beaker of tea she was given.
She looked at him and gave him a glare. "I'm sorry that I've been having a really stressful time at work lately. You're not the one who was put in charge of his capture," she blurted out, but everyone stared at her, especially Undertaker. She sighed as she said, "Ever since Grell spotted him, they've been trying desperately to find him and make him pay for his crimes. They won't stop until they find him."
"Even if that's the case, it is not responsible of you to be drinking on the job."
"My young lord, you do realize that deities, such as me and the Reapers, cannot get intoxicated from alcoholic beverages," Sebastian stated.
"Then why is she suffering from a hangover if that's the case?" Ciel asked.
Undertaker interrupted, "Although we cannot get intoxicated by silly drinks, there is one thing that can give us that sensation: Reaper blood. To humans and demons, it is a cure for any ailment, but to a Reaper, it gives them a certain high. The question is: where did you get it, Lily?"
"Annabeth had it. She was drinking blood out of the bottle for a while, or so Sebastian had concluded. The bigger question is why did she have it," Lilliana asked.
Undertaker sighed, but said, "I gave the bottle of my blood to her since she would die without it."
The trio looked at him in surprise. "She isn't exactly alive, is she? Technically, she is a walking corpse and the blood is delaying her decay," Sebastian stated.
"If you want to demean this miracle, I guess you could put it that way," Undertaker said angrily. "But you are all missing the point! Where is my beautiful doll that you were all supposed to be taking extreme care of?!"
"We have no idea," Lilliana said slightly angry, seeming to finally recover from her hangover. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect her, but balancing two jobs is stressful, since now I have to add demon and Reaper hunting on top of it. Turns out, the demon we are after is no other than the daughter of Lucifer himself: Lucille Mirasuka."
Both Undertaker and Sebastian's eyes widened with surprised. "A-Are you sure?" Sebastian said rather nervously. He may be a demon, but even so, he was always a little terrified by her. If there was any demon he would try to mate with, it would be her, but not because he wanted her. Quite the opposite: he hated her, but mating with her would make him one powerful demon. She had the reputation of being a very skilled manipulator and has caused chaos amongst demons for her own entertainment. She was not a demon to mess with.
"Yes. Grell had fought her at a jewelry shop and described her to us. It's definitely her. Even worse is that he came back a bloody pulp. If it were under any other circumstances, I would have no problem with him being maimed . . . but knowing that Lucille is out there wreaking havoc has me wondering one thing: what the hell is she planning?"
"She must have taken her," Undertaker said in anger. "When we were caught, Ms. Sutcliff tried to arrest me, but she prevented him, saying 'that soul is mine'."
Sebastian and Lilliana looked at each other, trying to also ignore the fact that he called their nuisance 'Ms'. "She wants her soul, doesn't she?" she asked.
"Well, Ms. Phoenix's soul is very unique. No demon has ever tasted a soul that had been dead and brought back to life. It's safe to assume that she wants to be the first to taste it," he responded.
"Are you saying my sweet Annabeth's soul has been devoured by Lucifer's bitch of a daughter?" Undertaker said furiously, scaring all three of them, though they knew it was justified, but only Lilliana knew the full context. For him, he was scared that he would lose the person he cared for most in this world forever without even putting up a fight.
"We don't know . . . but I could ask," Sebastian said. "Demons, especially those of her standing, prefer to dwell in Hell since when the human world can be pretty dull. If I can remember where exactly she resides, I can get some answers out of her. I'll just need some time."
"How much time?" Ciel asked. "I can't have my butler gone for a long period of time."
"Well, knowing how difficult it is to even get an audience with Lucifer himself and even with my high status, it will take a few hours."
"Oh perfect. You'll be back in time for dinner-." Ciel tried to say, but was interrupted.
"It's not as quick as you think, young master. A few hours in Hell are about a couple of days on Earth. Their days are much slower than yours to increase suffering of the underlings," Lilliana explained.
Ciel looked at Sebastian and ordered, "You will locate this daughter of Lucifer and get the answers we need as soon as you can. I understand that Hell is a confusing place, but there shall be no distractions or detours. Am I clear?"
Sebastian put a gloved hand over his heart as he said, "Yes, my lord."
It had been three days since Annabeth found herself in Alex's home and she has been terrified to death ever since. He was not like anything she imagined. The sweet man who seemed to do anything for her was keeping her prisoner in his home. He wouldn't even let her outside out of fear that someone might notice her, especially the other Phantomhive servants. He has seen them around to buy some supplies for the manor. Heck, they bought some bread from his bakery some time ago. Even while he was at work, he would make sure Lucy watched her. Though she couldn't see, she could hear footsteps and doorknobs turning and if Annabeth tried to escape, she would somehow miraculously stop her. However, it was clear that she didn't like doing this. In fact, she seemed angry. Annabeth has see her looking at a mirror and talking to herself about how she didn't want to be in this "contract". Whenever he came back home, she would immediately leave to wherever she lived.
Still, the most terrifying part of her imprisonment is not the fact he kept her away and threatened to hurt Lucy if she escaped, the only reason why she hasn't, but it was the fact that he acted loving toward her the other half of the time. He bought her new clothes that were usually too small for her, made her delicious meals, and even tried to give her loving embraces once in a while. Though, he has forced her to sleep in the same bed as him and he has tried cuddling with her, but she always pulled away. He bought her many gifts, including a pair of beautiful diamond earrings, but nothing would charm her, especially since he made her put them on.
Even creepier than that: he called her Mary instead of Annabeth. She made the connection that he was her former lover in her past life, but she never imagined this was the man she seemed to swear love to. True, he was very loving when he wanted to be, but the fact he kidnapped her and never let her outside made her wish she never even met him.
Today, however, Annabeth had been coughing uncontrollably and didn't even have the energy to get out of bed. Without her bottle of blood to cure her, she had been degenerating and faster by the day. This alarmed both Lucy and Alex, so much so that they brought a doctor to the house to examine her. "What's wrong with her?" Alex asked frantically.
"I'm not so sure," the baritone-voiced doctor said. "She's ice-cold and her skin seems to be turning grey. However, what alarms me is this," he said as he opened one of her eyes to show the clouded lens. "No known disease has symptoms of this nature. It's as if she is dead already."
"No! She can't be dead! I finally found her . . . She can't die on me so soon! We were going to spend the rest of our lives together."
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Maxwell, but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. Also, there is a bill that needs to be paid," he said rather coldly.
"I'll take care of it," Lucy said as she directed him out the room.
Alex ran to Annabeth's bedside as he begged, "Please don't die, Mary! We would have had a great life together. We would have gotten married, had a few kids, and watch them grow up to be whatever they wanted to be. Please Mary! There is no life without you! I need you!"
She looked at him and said weakly, "If you . . . loved me . . . you would have . . . listened to me when I said . . . I needed . . . Adrian."
He looked at her angrily as he said, "You mean that bastard that poisoned you with some drug that is killing you when you don't take it?! I will never forgive him for this! In fact, he will pay!"
"Please don't . . . hurt him," she begged.
"Oh, I will," he said as he left the room. He slammed the door, leaving her all alone. For the man who would do anything for her, it was surprising that he would leave her when she was at her most vulnerable.
"Adrian," she said with her last breath.
Outside her room, Alex yelled, "Lucy, come here this instant!" However, she didn't appear in front of him and he yelled again, "Lucy, I order you to come here this instant!" Still nothing. "Where the hell is she? God dammit! This is when I need her the most," he said as punched the mirror. He slightly winced in pain as he examined his bloody knuckles.
"Ah, if it isn't one of my favorite demons! You go by the name Sebastian now, correct?" a man with long black hair, beard, and blood red eyes asked as he saw Sebastian enter his throne room. It had been a grueling two hours just to find Lucifer's castle, but he finally managed to find it and it took another two just to get in the throne room.
"That is correct, my lord. It's good to see you," Sebastian said as he got on one knee to bow.
"Would you like something to drink? I have a specially made wine just for guests in my castle, especially those that are close friends," Lucifer said with a wicked smile. He was sitting on his throne made of bones and gold and he wasn't properly sitting in it; rather, he had his legs over one of the arms of the chair while his head rested on the other.
"I'm fine, thank you. I'm actually here on business, not pleasure," he said as he stood up. "I'm afraid your daughter has caused some trouble with my master."
Lucifer sighed as he sat correctly in his seat. "Has my dear Lucy been acting up again? That girl has spunk, but it can be her downfall. What has she done this time?"
"She has apparently kidnapped a certain woman that is important to my young master," he said simply.
However, Lucifer arched an eyebrow. "I haven't seen her bring a human home or even heard any rumors of her kidnapping one, much less bringing her to Hell. Besides, she doesn't do that type of thing anyway."
"That may be, but I have suspicion that she might have and want to ask her a few questions."
"I see. Well, she might be in her room. With that girl, I can never tell where she is. Did you know she went to Japan recently? I didn't know that and frankly no one did."
"She is a free spirit who can't be held back by anyone, not even her own father."
Lucifer sighed. "That girl needs to know her place. . . . But enough about that. Come, I'll take you to her room and maybe she'll be there," he said as he got up from the chair and directed Sebastian to a hall only accessible through the throne room. On their way, they passed by many chambers, some that had open doors, revealing the occupant of the room. Some looked human and others showed their true demonic forms. Some, however, were empty and seemed to be abandoned, as if the previous occupant had been evicted. "Every son of mine is special in their own way. However, I'm afraid that most of them have come to resent me. I don't understand why; I've only given them their heart's desires: power, wealth, and for some, acceptance. I may have a lot of sons, but only a few know of their full potential."
"What about Lucille? She is your only daughter. Surely she must be special," Sebastian asked. Not once did he mention his daughter in his little speech.
Lucifer laughed. "I guess so. For centuries, I was only gifted with sons, but when I learned of her demonic powers, I was genuinely surprised. Her mother tried aborting her through chemicals and even religious rituals, but her soul was too strong to kill. However, something happened and she was born a female instead. When she was very young, she killed her human mother and the surrounding village around her by burning it to the ground with her demonic flames. Ever since then, I knew she was my child, but she seemed to believe that she should be something special just because she is my only daughter. Why? I treat all my sons equally, even giving them the same punishment if they are killed, but just because she is a woman, that doesn't mean I have to treat her any different."
"You make a good point, but don't you think that because of it, she'll try to overthrow you?"
"I doubt it. She can try all she likes, but I am Lucifer and I cannot be defeated, not even by my own child. Some have rebelled in the past and I put them in their place; to the deepest pits of suffering and distress," he said as they approached her door, but before he opened it, one thought emerged. "Oh, speaking of female demons, I hear you still don't have a mate."
Sebastian was surprised by the comment, but said, "Y-Yes, that's true. I just don't see any need for a mate."
"That may be, but even I have mated with many human women. It can be quite lonesome being by yourself, even for a demon as powerful as me. . . . Have you ever considered mating with my daughter?"
Sebastian's eyes widened with surprise. "I-I didn't even think she would even be . . . ready to mate."
Lucifer laughed loudly. "She is a woman; of course she has thought of mating. Though, she makes it an effort to not mate to prove herself. Maybe having a mate will finally put her in her place. I would allow it . . . or are you too involved with Lily?" Sebastian's eyes widened again. "Well, there are rumors that you and our little project are working together. Now, I doubt she will devour the soul you have cultivated, but I'm sure she will soon fight against that damn Reaper Association and act like a demon again."
"There is nothing between me and her, I assure you, but I'm not sure if I would be the type of demon that Lucille would want to mate."
"Who knows? I can never read women anyway, even when their desires are clear as day." Soon, he opened the door and they could hear the sound of splashing water from another room. They saw that the door to her bathroom was ajar, but they couldn't see much. Lucifer chuckled as he said, "I guess you two will have fun chatting." Sebastian walked into the room and Lucifer closed the door behind him, leaving him alone. Sebastian had to admit: he was nervous about talking with her. She was known to be deceptive, manipulative, ruthless, and worse of all, seductive. She baits people into her contracts and plays around with the details so she will always be on top. Messing with her was like playing with fire; no matter how much you think you can manipulate it, you'll always get burned.
He walked toward the bathroom door and knocked. "Who is it?" a feminine voice said from the other side.
"Um, hello, Ms. Mirasuka. I'm not sure if you even know me, but in the human world, I'm known as-,"
"Sebastian Michaelis," Lucille said as she opened the door, but he was surprised to see her completely naked, not even a towel covering her. However, her body and hair seemed to be completely dry.
"Y-Yes," he said in a flustered tone, trying not to stare at her.
"I finally get to meet the Sebastian Michaelis that I have heard so much about," she said as she passed him and went to a dresser close to her bed. "What do I owe the pleasure?"
"I have some questions regarding a certain human, one you might know very well," he said, trying not to observe her bending down to grab some black panties.
"A human?" she asked as she put them on, slowly.
"I'm sure you are aware of a certain human named Annabeth Phoenix," he said. At the sound of her name, she stopped what she was doing.
"I know she is far from human," she said before going through her drawers again.
"So you do know of her and her true nature."
"Yes. She's a creature born again by a Grim Reaper. I'm surprised that one would do something as risky as bringing the dead back to life, but I guess this one decided to try something new; spice things up." She finally pulled out a matching corset and wrapped it around her slim body. "Would you be a dear and tighten it for me?" she said with a wicked smirk.
"I'd rather not," he said.
"Oh, you're no fun. You won't get information out of me if you won't do a simple thing," she seductively begged. "I'm sure you do this for my dear Lily." His eyes slanted in anger and she chuckled. "I bet you make it nice and tight on her to compliment that perfect body of hers. The feeling must make her grunt in pleasure. Ooo, just thinking of her delicious sounds just makes me all hot and-," she tried to finish, but he pulled the strings on her corset very tightly to shut her up. She moaned a bit and he immediately let go of the strings. "Mm, just the way I like it; nice and tight."
"I am not here for chit-chat. I only wanted to ask you a question. Do you know of Annabeth Phoenix's whereabouts?"
"I might," she said coyly as she slowly started putting on some black stockings. "But there is a price for that kind of information."
"I don't have time for this, Lucille. I have to return to my master-," he tried to say, but she pushed him onto her bed with her on top. "Luc-," he tried to say, but she covered his mouth with her hand.
"I don't think you understand. In order to get information out of me, you need to do something for me. For an item as valuable as her, the price is pretty steep," she said as she straddled him. "It won't take too long, I assure you."
"Lucille, I do not have time for this," he said as he pushed her off of him, making her shriek a bit. "We may be demons, but I still have some self-respect for myself, unlike you."
"Oh, Bassy, you wound me," she teased. However, that nickname kindled a fire within him and he grabbed her by the throat.
"The more irritating you are, the more I just want to rip you to shreds and feed you to the dogs."
However, she laughed. "Oh, you're so forceful. How did you know choking was one of my fetishes? (Giggles) I bet Lily loves this side of you. She has always loved a forceful lover, I should know. I bet you satisfy her needs every night."
However, he slammed her to the nearest wall and angrily said, "I am getting rather annoyed with you. Now, tell me what I want to know so I can leave." Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation on his hand and arm. With further inspection, he noticed that where Lucille placed her hands was where he felt the warmth, but it soon started to burn. He let go of her quickly and he soon saw the blue flames on her hands.
She sighed. "Oh well, I tried. However, I'm not going to tell you where she is since you didn't pay the price. But I can tell you one thing: I'm assuming you accused the Reaper for her disappearance. I think you should stop blaming deities and realize there are humans who want her, or should I say, her former self."
Lilliana was looking at the paperwork that was on her desk. She was almost done for the night; just a quick report of today's investigation toward Lucille Mirasuka and Adrian Crevan. For Adrian, of course she had to lie, but with Lucille, she was more than happy to dispose of her. In her demonic past, she had a grudge toward her due to Lucille's jealousy of her and her brother. However, she was a very powerful demon, almost on par with her father. Still, even with her power, Lilliana and Katia, who was a demon huntress, could bring her down. It would be a tough match since a hungry demon was the toughest demon to fight.
Though, Undertaker was an ever tougher battle. She didn't realize how deep in the web she had gotten herself into until the Reaper Association decided to crack down on his capture. Why did it have to be Grell who had to spot him? Any other reaper would have ignored him and not really report of their presence. Ever since Annabeth disappeared, he had been staying at the manor, hoping to ease the pain by "entertaining" the young lord. However, with Sebastian gone, Lilliana had to take over his role and it was tiring. She had an all-new appreciation for Sebastian and his patience to deal with the brat. However, it was going to be fine as long as they find Annabeth before anything bad happens.
"Oh, come on, Senior Spears! I already clocked out; I can't take on another assignment," Ronald said as he and Will passed by her desk.
"You were assigned to collect this soul and simply saying that you forgot isn't good enough for Upper Management," he said, handing him the file on a certain soul.
"But-,"
"No buts. If management noticed our sect slacking, it won't just be you on the firing range."
"So you're doing this to save your own butt? If that's the case, why don't you collect the soul?"
"It is not my soul to collect; it's yours."
"What soul is it?" Lilliana asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
Both Reapers were startled by her and Ronald said, "Oh, I didn't realize you were still here. Aren't you usually at that kid's manor by now?"
"I have some time," she said as she got up. "By the way, William, I have the paperwork for today's investigation."
"Oh, thank you," he said as he took the paperwork from her hand.
"Hey, Lils, would you mind doing me a huge favor," Ronald asked. "Would you mind collecting this soul? I already clocked out and I promised a special lady that I would meet her at this cool bar."
"Why should I? It's your soul to collect," she said coldly.
"Aw come on! I promise to collect the next soul you're assigned to."
"Still not worth it."
"Two souls?"
"I think you should promise her a full day's worth of souls," William suggested.
Ronald looked at him with a shocked face, but Lilliana smiled. "All right. A full day's worth of souls for this one soul. I think that's a fair deal," she said as she took the file from his hands and started walking away. She examined it as she heard Ronald's whiny protests, but was shocked by the name on the list. "Alexander Maxwell? He will die tonight in his own home from blood loss from severe wounds by an . . . unknown creature?" She looked at the time and saw she only had ten minutes to get there. "Shit."
By the time she arrived to Alex's home, she was ten minutes late, but it would make sense since she was given this assignment last minute. She sighed as she opened the door to his house, but saw signs of struggle. Well, if an unknown creature was attacking him, surely he would have fought back. Speaking of which, what was this unknown creature? It was unusual to see something like that in the file. They are usually very detailed, even stating if the soul was bound by a contract from a demon or even an angel, but never has she ever seen 'unknown creature' on a file and probably none of the other Reapers have either.
As she kept looking around for the body, she noticed the broken mirror, but below it was a pool of blood, followed by a trail leading away from it. She pulled out her Death Scythe as she followed the trail and saw that it led to a closed room. She opened it and was utterly shocked by the sight. She saw a creature with almost gray-blonde hair, gray skin, and green-brown nails eating the body of Alexander Maxwell. However, the creature was dressed nicely in a green dress and noticeably nice diamond earnings. As the creature looked up, she saw the blood surrounding its mouth, neck, the front of its hair, and chest. Its eyes were clouded, as if life never existed in them from the start. However, the scariest realization as it looked at her was who the creature was: it was Annabeth Phoenix!