I pulled away before he did, just so I could stare at his face. His smile was the same as I remembered and he was looking at me with the same amount of love he always had. This Brendan, my Brendan, was not a monster.

"I missed you." He said, coughing to cover up the hoarseness that invaded his voice at the last second. I didn't care if he had a sore throat. I couldn't say anything more. I could only stare at him and pray that he wasn't just a hallucination. All that was happening with Dante and Lady faded away now that he was here. The only thing different was the instinctive repulsiveness my skin was getting as his hands rested on my waist. I ignored it; too happy to heed the supposed warning.

"Where have you been?" I asked in a whisper I wasn't sure he could hear. He beamed almost wider, motioning to the club.

"Here. This man helped me when he found me." I cocked my head to the side.

"He saved you from those demons?" He stiffened for a moment and nodded. I smiled and pulled on his arm as I made my way to the bouncer. "I have to thank him then." I didn't know what was coming over me really. I felt elated that Brendan was back, but a tiny part of me sounded a warning bell at the back of my head. How could he have reversed it? I shook my head at the last thought, not wanting to ignore this miracle.

The bouncer at the door looked at me coldly for a second before Brendan went up to him and placed something in his hand I couldn't see. I could only assume it was money. "She was never here." The bouncer smiled one of the creepiest smiles I'd ever seen and just closed his eyes. Brendan dragged me inside and the music I'd expected to hear sounded roughly through my ears. He led me up a staircase to his right, nodding to the person standing beside it and we walked along a thin railing hanging above the dance floor.

It was a techno place that looked like one of my nightmares, since I couldn't dance, except for all the bodies pressed so close I wondered where one body started and the other ended. The lights flashed all sorts of colors and I watched the lighting DJ from above as he jumped to the music and kept the lights going. Another man beside him worked the music, and you could tell both of them loved it. The floor beneath the dancers flashed colors as well and I couldn't help but wonder at what cost it would have come to. Brendan stopped in front of me and I stared at his back.

"Do you want to dance, Bell?" I looked at him strangely. If anyone, Brendan must've known I didn't like this close of contact with unknown people, besides the fact I could barely dance to save my life.

"No." I said slowly. As if realizing he'd said something wrong, he reached for my other hand and looked at me with wide eyes I'd never associated with Brendan.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I gulped, suddenly wishing I was outside and back at Devil May Cry. However, I let Brendan keep pulling me along until we reached a door at the end. It led into another hallway with doors on either side. I glanced down it and cocked my head to the side. Brendan chuckled, running a hand through my hair. I almost shuddered at the contact for some unsuspecting reason.

He led me down the hall as I piped up. "Where are we going?"

"My room." He said, "I want to show you something." Show me something? Weren't we going to see the man who had saved Brendan's life?

"What about..?" He cut me off sharply before I could respond.

"Be patient." I cringed away from his tone and let him pull me to a door near the end. He turned the knob and pushed it open, not walking in. I stared into the darkened room for a moment, wondering if he was inviting me in first.

"For everything we once were, I'm sorry." He said, and I turned to regard him just as he swung me into the room, my feet lifting off the ground for a moment before my shoulder collided with it. I cringed and grabbed it, staring up frighteningly at Brendan.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trembling, now certainly afraid. His eyes looked more sunken, less warm then they had been. I saw the conniving heartless man he'd now become and then another man appeared beside him. He rested a hand upon his shoulder, and just like that, steam started coming from Brendan's skin. His smile widened, and I saw that his teeth were much more pointed than they had been. I felt fear race across the skin of my arms.

"You shouldn't be so trusting." The man beside Brendan said, his voice hoarse. I twisted my gaze reluctantly to him and felt tears seep into my eyes. I could see, peeking out from the collar of his shirt, the rash that had chased Brendan away and as I glanced to Brendan, a cry escaped my lips. The rash was back in full force, almost succeeding in covering all the skin I could see.

"This will never go away." Brendan said, watching me with a calculating look that made him look all the more blood thirsty. I tried to shake the fear from my eyes, from my body, but still a shudder passed up my spine. They shut the door slowly, as if daring me to try and escape. The last thing I saw was Brendan's face, not looking sympathetic in the least.

For all my trust and love I'd given, I'd accomplished almost nothing in return. I laid my head down on the carpeted floor, letting tears leak from my eyes. It was weak to cry, and I didn't care. I still loved him and if I could do all it all over again, I don't know if I would've been able to run. I thought about how stupid I'd been to leave the safety Dante had given me, even if he didn't want to give it. I wondered if he'd come looking and I wondered why I hadn't stayed so that maybe I could love him as if I loved Brendan.

I lifted my head off the floor, ignoring my thoughts. Dante was strong and independent. He didn't need anybody, despite what I may have thought while spending time with him. He was kind in his own way, and strived to be better than what was expected of him. He was something I wish I could have.

Gently, I pried myself off the floor and passed my hands along the wall, searching for a light switch. My eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness of the room and I found myself stumbling against small things on the floor. I prayed they were nothing more than the objects in everyday homes. I searched the whole perimeter of the room, hitting a counter and what must've been a table in the process. I didn't find a switch on the wall, but I found a lamp. It was unplugged, but more searching on the wall near the floor allowed me to find an outlet. I switched it on, surprised at how much light it gave off. The room was plain and I saw why I'd tripped so many times.

It wasn't that there were things on the floor. The carpet was torn and sticking up in some places and I couldn't help but wonder what had tried to get out of here. I placed the lamp on the highest available shelf and searched for anything else that may give off light. I ended up finding candles, but no matches or a lighter.

There were two doors, one was the one that led back out into the hallway which I didn't even bother to go see if it was open. The second one led to a bathroom and I hesitantly turned the handle to the hot water. It came out clear, to my surprise. Why they gave me a clean room with running water was beyond me. I let the tub fill up with warm water and watched it hesitantly as I sat on the edge of the tub. Gently, I traced my fingers through it and felt a calmness ease me.

What if there was something in this water? I jerked my hand away and scowled, staring at the seemingly normal water.

"There's nothing wrong with it." I jumped so high I slipped off the tub and nearly fell into the water. The stranger grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I glanced at the person and then stared at them for a few horrifying seconds. It was an older woman, looking in her late twenties. Her blonde hair was free to fall around her face and her brown eyes watched me calculatingly. I was gaping so much because the scabby flesh I'd seen on the others was on her too, but she looked neither threatening nor bloodthirsty.

"I'll be fine, Melinda." A boy behind her appeared, glaring at me with dark eyes. I watched him quietly for a few moments and jumped when Melinda suddenly traced her finger along my neck. She scrunched her eyes and almost scowled.

"He's marked you a lot." I stared at her wide-eyed for a moment as she grinned. "I can still see the hickeys from months ago." I didn't say a word and she shrugged, turning to the boy behind her. "Make sure you watch her."

"It's not like I haven't done this before." He scowled deeper as the woman just laughed, her voice sounding uncharacteristically light. She left then, letting her hand trail along his neck too. He watched where she'd left for a moment before turning to me. His eyes glimmered threateningly across my form, and I understood almost immediately that if I did try and leave, he would stop me by any means necessary.

"You should take a bath." I looked at him disbelievingly.

"Not while you're here." He rolled his eyes and turned around. I gaped at him before sputtering, "No!"

"Get in the bath." He growled, the noise rumbling through his throat. I did as I was told quickly, realizing the magnitude of the situation as I closed the curtain around the tub and sank into the warm water. I was still nervous about what could be in the water, but at the moment, it felt just so right on my skin that I couldn't resist. I heard a rustle for a bit and peeked around the side of the curtain. The man was sitting on the tile staring at me. I looked away and stared at hands resting atop my knees.

"He calls you Bell." The man said, his voice still holding a sharp edge. I sucked in a breath and made a sound of approval. "Is that what you want me to call you?" Truthfully, I didn't want him to call me anything. I wanted him to go away.

"It doesn't matter." I said, loving the way the steam helped to clear anything that may have been in my nose. I felt clean, rejuvenated, as if I was watching Brendan's touch off of me. His rash flashed in my head and I involuntarily let tears slide down my cheeks. There was a bit more of a silence as I contemplated why I hadn't listened to Dante.

"The demon hunter will come for you." I snorted loudly, surprised at the noise myself.

"Think what you want." I said, feeling more of a used toy than I ever had. Deep down, I hoped Dante would come, because this had been the final straw for me. I wouldn't run away anymore. This hadn't even been planned. I'd found Brendan, wanted to see him and I'd only gone to work. This shouldn't have been happening at all.

The man laughed, something that grated on my nerves so bad I felt a shudder run up my spine. "He'll never just let you run away." I disagreed with the sentence so much I felt a laugh in my throat I fought down.

"He's fine by himself." I hated admitting it. It hurt to think that I wasn't needed anywhere. Brendan surely didn't need me in his new life and Dante had already showed he'd had enough. The boy didn't say anything, but a few minutes later told me I should get out and then left the room. I stayed in a little longer, trying to have some sort of control over the situation. When I did get out, I was surprised to find the room had filled up with steam, almost like a sauna. I wrapped myself in the only towel available and stood there for a few seconds.

It wasn't fair. I didn't deserve to be trapped here like some scared animal. The man watching me acted as if I was no match for him in strength. I wanted to prove him wrong, I desperately wanted to prove I was just as strong as anyone. I didn't want to be the damsel in distress anymore. My head hung as I stared at the floor. That man was a supernatural creature. It didn't matter if I had dreams or pride, he would kill me anyway. This situation was hopeless and I felt so caged.

Dressing quickly, I pushed open the door to the main area slowly and glanced around. He was sitting on the couch, staring at me. Unnerved, I moved to the kitchen and searched through the cupboards. There was no food, or anything that could be considered edible anyway, but there were dishes and cutlery. It was an apartment where you'd expect all these things, but my stomach was protesting at the one thing it was missing.

I spun around suddenly, remembering I should keep an eye on the man keeping one on me. He was in the same spot, a smirk placed every so lightly on his lips. I couldn't help but stare back and my stomach gave a world-turning twist. I ran to the bathroom and promptly threw up whatever was in my stomach. The acid burned up my throat and I felt my head whirl. I lost movement of my limbs and fell to the floor. I stared at the doorway, where he stood and tried to choke out a question.

"You should never trust us." He said, grinning wildly as he kneeled beside me. "Why would he keep you safe? You're more useful to us incapacitated." I stared at him, my eyes watering as I felt the need to throw up again. Of course, I should've known better. All the caution I'd ever had.. I'd thrown out the window because I thought Brendan would keep me safe. My eyes swam and I reached a shaky hand to grab the mans knee.

"Why… why am I here?"

"Truthfully?" The man scowled, his demeanour from earlier changing drastically. "We want that demon out of the way. He's a hassle that needs to be dealt with."

"Don't…" My throat was closing up and my breathing became shallow.

"Don't make threats, little one." The man flashed his teeth. "I could kill you and no one here would care. Your Brendan is gone."

I wanted to scream at him, to yell and make him be quiet. He spoke lies; I could save Brendan. I knew I could. Even as I felt my vision narrow in red, I felt resolved in the fact there was still a chance.