Ren was quick to reach out for Rey's hand. It seemed as if he was intent on standing his ground, even if she wasn't. He prevented her from getting up and running towards the door. Maybe Amalia was like a tiger, and if Rey tried to run she would only chase after her. He held tightly to her, and it made her feel somewhat reassured that he hadn't quickly moved away from her like shrapnel. It seemed as if he wasn't trying to hide anything.

Amalia scoffed.

"You know you're not the first human girl he's been infatuated with," She looked at her nails, as if she was already bored by the confrontation. "You won't be the last,"

"Amalia," Ren said, his voice calm and chilly. "I believe I told you you weren't welcome unless you requested to be here first," His hand grasped Rey's tightly before he released it, and he stood up carefully.

(Stay there.)

She heard him in her head, which gave her a shock.

He seemed surprised by it too, though she wondered if it had always been a skill of his or if he suddenly was able to speak to her without actually speaking to her at all. Rey stood up with him (she never listened), finding that she wasn't as afraid of the woman as she had been. She didn't know how vampires got drunk, but she realized that the woman seemed as if she'd been imbibing in something. She slurred a bit, and stumbled, and was generally acting out of impulse. What Ren had said was right, that she didn't exactly seem interested in Ren himself.

Maybe it was Ren who was clearly not afraid of Amalia that gave her her sudden strength, but she didn't feel as if she was a real, true threat. Not after what she'd dealt with and survived. She was talking some sort of baby talk at Ren, who was trying to keep her from acting like she had no bones at all. He kept her upright and steadily pushed her towards the door, though she purred, whined and complained each time he rebuffed her.

"They don't survive," Amalia finally murmured, looking back to Rey as Ren got her closer to the door. "Human girls can't survive him," She said, giving out a disgruntled moan as he hauled her off and through the door. She didn't fall, she was too graceful for that, catching herself before it came to connecting with the floor.

Ren shut the door behind her, and looked at Rey with what could be considered concern and apology.

"She doesn't mean half of what she says," He said. "And she's really not so bad once you get to know her,"

"It's true though, isn't it?"

"What?"

"That a human girl couldn't survive you,"

Ren's eyes dropped to the ground. It was true.

"Rey," He said simply. "I'm not in the habit of chasing human women," He admitted. "I'm often very aware of my life span versus...theirs. But I would ask you to give me a chance, anyway,"

"A chance?"

"What's the word," He said, smirking. "Courting?"

"Ack," Rey said in response, pulling a 'grossed out' face. Ren laughed, and she found herself laughing with him. "Why?"

"I don't have any one reason, only that it feels as if I've come across you before, and let you slip, and here you are again," He admitted.

"But you don't remember me as a girl?"

"It isn't like that," He replied. "But I do want to see what I can find out about that house,"

"Yeah, I want to see what I can find out about all of it," She admitted. "But I should probably get home,"

"I'll take you," He said. "Will you at least reconsider the job?"

"I'll think about it," She took a moment to look outside. "The sun is coming up," She said. "I'll get a cab,"

Ren looked uncomfortable.

"Do you drive?"

"Ren, I'm not taking your car," She said, a smirk gracing her features. "I'll be alright. I'll let you know when I get home,"

He leveled his gaze at her, and she realized, not for the first time, just how oddly lovely he was. She looked back at him, her face a mixture of bemusement and mystification. She took a few steps forward, intending to get her shoes. He stopped her, his fingertips sliding underneath her jawline, causing her to lift her eyes to him. He kissed her again, this time with a maddening softness that reminded her of that night that she'd tried to kiss him. She found it was a sensation she could get used to, but something at the back of her mind told her that it wasn't really her, but some aspect of his blood calling back out to him.

She pulled back, finding he leaned into her and made it that much more difficult to get away from him. He was overwhelming, and she felt as if it was time for her to get some much needed air. He planted a few parting kisses to her lips and released her (and she released a small 'hum'), allowing her to retrieve her belongings and head towards the exit. She checked to make sure Amalia wasn't standing there in the hallway, waiting for her.

"Good morning, Rey," He murmured, and she left him at the door, making her way to the elevator.

Rey noticed he was trying to back off, as usually he would've insisted that she take his car, or that he take her. She knew he was worried about what lurked where he couldn't see, but she couldn't spend the rest of her life glued to his side. Besides, it might not have solved any problems in any case. Ren could not always be with her, and she would have to find a way to solve the problem so that it didn't require his constant presence.

She still wasn't even sure that she could trust what she was feeling, especially after what he'd told her.

She made her way down through the lobby, and the new man at the desk nodded to her before letting her out of the building. The sun had tossed pastel colors across the sky as it rose, and she wondered what it must be like not to be able to watch a sunset ever again.

Rey was careful when she hailed a cab. She wanted to make sure she didn't end up kidnapped again. It would've been completely ridiculous if she did get kidnapped again. When she got home, she punched in the code to her door and quickly shut it behind herself, leaning up against it. She touched her fingers to her lips, her mind rolling back to the kisses that he'd shared with her. She couldn't help it; she smiled. She pulled her phone out and sent him a text message like she'd promised, and he responded quickly with a short message. She was wishing she hadn't left, but she was afraid of what might have happened if she'd stayed.

She decided not to think about it, even though images from the evening drifted back to her every so often. His mouth, his eyes, his hair. They were all in her head as if he was still standing there in front of her. She found herself overcome with it, and realized that the breath of fresh air hadn't helped. She ached again. Her phone dinged, and she thought perhaps that he might have been feeling the same way, but her heart sank with panic when she realized that it had come from 'Missing'.

Comfortable yet?

Rey wanted to reply. She knew it would be a bad idea to, but she was angry and tired of being afraid.

What do you want?

There was no reply, leaving her trembling with anger that was yet to be released. Finally, it beeped.

;)

Rey normally would've been amused by the use of a smiley face, but in this instance, it felt that whoever had put it there was mocking her. She didn't respond this time, throwing her phone down in frustration. After a few minutes, she took a screen shot of the text messages and sent them to Ren, who responded with a simple: I'm looking into it.

School came on more quickly than she was ready for. She hadn't given Ren an answer on whether or not she'd come back to work, but she saw on the news that he had re-opened the building and allowed people to come back to work. Rey was scared of what this might mean, but she thought that maybe if she wasn't there, there would be no problems. Ren sent her pictures, every so often. They made her smile, and occasionally she would send a photo back to him. He never pestered her about work, but she knew he wanted her to come back. Rose sent her messages every so often, keeping her updated about the situation she was experiencing at home, and she heard from Finn and Poe occasionally.

She was glad to find that Poe was in one of her classes when she went back to school. She took a seat next to him, glad to have something other to focus on than her worries and concerns about what had happened in the last few weeks.

"Hey Rey," She said, cheerfully.

"Hey Poe," She said in reply. "No Finn?"

"Nah, he's already taken this class. He had a math class he needed to finish,"

"Oooh, fun,"

"Haven't really heard from you lately,"

"Yeah...uh, it was a busy winter break,"

"Oh really?" Poe asked. "Was it that guy who came and dragged you out of the bar that one night?"

"Kind of," She said, flushing a bit.

"He seems like an asshole," Poe said earnestly, and Rey laughed.

"Yeah, he kind of is," She admitted.

They sat in silence for the rest of the class, taking notes before it was time to go into individual study. A lot of art classes were that way, after ART 101, there was only so much lecturing that could be done. They sat in comfortable silence before Poe looked at her, his eyes looking somewhat strange.

"You should be careful, Rey," He said simply. "He's a dangerous man,"

Rey was shocked, it seemed as if someone else was speaking through him. It was further confirmed with Poe shook it off, and went back to drawing as if he'd never said anything at all. She asked him what he meant, but he looked at her in confusion and she realized it might not have been him speaking at all. When the class was over, she quietly gathered her things and said goodnight. She didn't want to risk having to experience the oddity again, and she thought it might be a good idea to get home.

The letter showed up that evening.

She just happened to be checking the mail, and she pulled out an envelope that had no to or from address. She thought maybe it was a mistake, how had it gotten here with no address on it? She looked at the back, and saw it was marked with crimson red wax and pressed with a seal of some sort. She didn't recognize it, but it looked so old fashioned she was immediately sure that it had something to do with Ren. She brought it into the apartment, carefully breaking the wax seal so that it was still in tact. With shaking hands, she opened the letter, which had elegant cursive scrawled out over it. It was so old fashioned, she had a hard time making out the words at first.

Such immense power I sense in one so young.

Have you asked him how his last assistant died?

You shall be mine before you are his.

I will twist you up until you are a beautiful mockery of what you once were.

Do not believe for one moment that you are safe anywhere, my darling girl.

I will find you no matter where you go.

-S

Rey dropped the letter on her desk as if it was a bomb, feeling utterly terrorized. She had allowed herself to believe that she was safe, but it was fairly clear that whoever this was, they were not about to allow her to get comfortable for too long. She began looking around the apartment, realizing that things were out of place or turned over - things that she had been ignoring, maybe.

Her first instinct was to call Ren. It was, however, the second time that she'd heard someone mention his previous assistant. She wasn't sure, now, that he wasn't involved in all of this. Maybe he had written this letter. Maybe he was the one who was stalking her. She remembered how he kissed her, and touched her, and thought that it might have been impossible. How could such a man want to terrorize her?

Finally, after struggling with her better impulses, she called him.

He didn't answer his phone, and it went to voice mail. It was surprising, considering each time she called him he always answered his phone. She waited, expecting that he would call back, but after an hour or so passed, she tried again. This time, his phone went straight to voice mail, and she became concerned. Was he ignoring her? She had to assume that's what it was, or at least, she wanted to assume that's what it was. Maybe he had changed his mind. Maybe he had realized the utter insanity of all of this, and maybe, like her, he was hoping that if he ignored it...it would go away.

She tried to call him one more time, and that went straight to his voicemail as well. She listened to his deep tones purring out a charming message, but she hung up before she got a chance to leave one. She thought maybe she should go to the building. Maybe he was busy, and he hadn't been looking at his phone. From what she remembered, however, Ren had always been looking at his phone. She realized it would be an utterly stupid idea to go out at night, but she wasn't sure how safe she was inside of her own apartment. She began shuffling around in her desk, remembering the necklace he gave her. She was so scared that anything was worth a try. She strung it over her neck, clasping it and pulling it forward. It was cold, and it gave her the immediate sensation of fog.

She honestly wasn't sure if she would make it through the night. She had the vague sensation of shadowy shapes shifting around outside her windows, and she kept a close eye on the door to make sure that no one had gotten in. She couldn't calm herself down long enough to turn on the TV, or music, or something that might distract her from her apparent terror. They were watching her. They were always watching her. She had no doubt that someone was looking at her right now, through whatever supernatural lens they no doubt possessed.

Her phone began to beep. It was the same reiteration of the rhyme she'd heard before. Sleep tight, blood rite. Over and over and over again. It kept beeping, until the texts became so prevalent that she had to turn her phone on silent, though she knew they kept coming. She saw the light blinking, and when she swiped to see the screen again, she realized that they had sent so many that it was likely her phone service prevented them from sending anymore. She looked at them, though the very last one differed from what the others said.

Look outside.

Rey gave a short sob, the tears flowing freely and quietly down her face now. She would not be looking outside, she was paralyzed in fear. She looked at her phone, and the message kept repeating itself. Look outside. Suddenly, she heard the familiar whispers in her head. Look outside, look outside, look outside. Miss Beckett, Miss Beckett, Miss Beckett. Rey, Rey, Rey. She heard his voice plainly in her head, much like she had when he'd told her to stay put. She realized that it was him, reaching out and strumming the thread between them in an attempt to get her to respond.

She found herself drawn up and out of her cowering position on her futon, grasping the necklace tightly and carefully opening the door. She peered out into the night, which was cold and drizzling. She was sure it would snow, considering how the air seemed to freeze the water midway. She looked each way, her vision blurry with her tears which she was sure might freeze once they had escaped from her tear duct. She saw nothing, until she heard a vague groan, and she spied a slumped shadow half slung from her stoop.

She had the vague sense that she was looking at a wounded animal, but she couldn't have known it until she was up close. She turned the porch light on, and was surprised to find Ren slumped there, his dark black blood staining the half of his face and a good chunk of his expensive dress shirt. His suit was a deep, navy blue, but it looked as though it had seen better days.

"Ren?" She asked, unable to believe that he was injured. If he was injured, what chance did she have?

He was not conscious, and wasn't able to give a groan in reply. She knew, though, that he was obviously injured. She leaned down, wondering just how in the hell she was going to get him inside. She used her shoulders, slinging his arm over them and doing her best to try and coax him upwards. He must have been conscious enough to at least do that, considering he was upright. She was sure that she wouldn't have been able to do it on her own. She helped him inside, glad to hear the lock click behind them. She gracelessly flopped him onto her futon, wincing a bit as she heard him grunt out in pain.

"Sorry," She murmured, quietly. She leaned down, pushing his hair from the wound. It was tacky with blood. "I should call an ambulance," She murmured, trying to get a better look at the wound that now slashed his face.

"No," He groaned, catching her hand. "No ambulance,"

"Ren, you're injured," She said, stammering a bit.

"No ambulance," He repeated, firmly.

Rey was concerned. She didn't know what to expect when it came to a vampire, but from what she recalled in fiction, they usually healed up fairly quickly. That meant that this was a concern. When she looked at his features, it looked as if someone had attacked him with sunlight itself. It left black edging where his skin had been, and it seemed to glow as if someone was taking a lighter to a paper towel. She tilted his features back gently, and she noticed that his eye that was afflicted glowed that strange, molten gold. He was an utterly 'disparate' creature, and it always shocked her to be reminded of it.

His eyes held those strange red pricks. He looked hungry.

"Ren," She said, though she wasn't sure what she was trying to convey. She pulled back, and with speed, he caught her wrist firmly. His fingertips slid over the place where her pulse would be, and he seemed to get a deviant glee, listening to her blood pulse through her veins.

"Please," He muttered, a mixture of monstrous and pitiful.

She might have said no. She thought of all the warnings she'd gotten, about him, about the previous assistant. He was a wolf that she'd taken into her home, and unfortunately, he'd begun to creep his way into her heart. He looked pitiful, and beautiful, and she could feel his pain as surely as he could. Finally, she gave into him. She felt as if she was always giving into him.

It happened quickly. He pulled her slender wrist against his mouth, seeming to enjoy the softness of her skin before his fangs made themselves terrifyingly apparent. They were white, and sharp, and they stood out from his mouth in an uncanny way. Rey gave a cry when he sunk them into her flesh. She expected to feel pain, but there was nothing, only the vague sense of someone taking her blood. In fact, there was something vaguely pleasurable about it. She saw him brighten, she saw his life force come back, the wound on his face seeming less dire, though it never quite healed.

She might have grown afraid at how much of her blood he was taking. She began to feel woozy, and she was fairly sure he might drain her dry, but it was past the point that she could do anything about it. Finally, with what seemed to be a great force of will, he drew his fangs from the white flesh of her arm and sucked in a deep breath of air, his mouth glimmering red with her blood.

It was as if he was a drug addict, and he had finally gotten a fix.

She stumbled as she pulled her wrist back, watching with horror as the puncture wounds healed, leaving behind small, pink, and waxy scars. She wondered if she would be marked for life. She stepped back from him, her other hand wrapping around her wrist as she watched him come back to life. She could see, though, that whatever had injured him would not be such an easy fix.

"Get something to drink," He said, his voice ragged with something she couldn't quite describe. "Not for me, for you,"

She could see the concern there, once the hunger had passed. He remembered what she was. She too was remembering what he was. It would be hard to avoid, now.

She stumbled to the fridge, pulling out some juice that she'd bought a few days earlier. She poured it into a clean glass, sipping at it slowly before she took a careful seat beside him. He was breathing heavily, as if the blood was burning a path through his body. His skin looked more human, and was flushed with a vague, pinkish hue. He had taken from her, and now he mimicked her.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He was more handsome than he'd ever been this way, even with the wound that marred his face. She couldn't think that it would disrupt his face forever, but she honestly didn't know. She saw that it dipped down below his chin, having caught his breast plate. Once she finished her juice, she felt a bit more like herself, and she realized she was sitting beside a man who was more predator than human. Still, she reached out carefully and began undoing the top buttons on his bloody shirt. It was like oil, and it stained her fingertips.

"What happened?" She asked curiously.

He didn't seem in any state to reply to her. Carefully, she slid his jacket over his shoulders and put it aside, trying to get a better look at the entire wound. She couldn't fathom it. It looked unlike anything she'd seen before in her life. This was no scraped knee or even a bullet wound, but something else.

She cleared his clothing away from the wound before she stood up, wetting a rag with warm water and returning with it. She wiped away the blood that stained him, though she'd honestly never had a need to provide a vampire with first aid before. Once the blood was cleaned away, she looked at his face. He was looking at her, his one eye still that strange melting gold color.

She wished he would stop looking at her that way.

But then again, she didn't.

He wanted something from her, something more than what he'd already taken from her. She thought that she might have been completely stupid, carrying him into her apartment like this. What if he was the one responsible for all of this? Even then she was questioning how safe she really was with him.

He reached out, his hand sliding idly down the column of her throat. His fingertips brushed her thrumming pulse, which felt like a bird rattling around erratically in a cage. He couldn't take more blood from her, it would likely kill her. His hand dipped lower, reaching for the necklace she wore and grasping it in his hand. He yanked it off of her, and when he tossed it away she realized it had left behind a blackened mark on his palm.

He'd given it to her to protect her from other vampires.

"Take your clothes off," He muttered, a lazy, befanged smirk making itself obvious on his features.

do you think she'll take her clothes off and there will be smut or do you think she'll be like no bitch get out

who knows, guess you'll have to read the next chapter fam

(it's way more likely i'll do something annoying to thwart them again, so you know, lay the hate on me)