"Are you sure you wouldn't rather wait?"

Sebastian chuckled softly, offering his hand to his frowning mate.

"I understand your hesitation, but my parents are already here. They were also made aware of your current condition,"

Huffing, Taylor allowed him to help her out of bed. The Demon kept his expression neutral as she stretched, eliciting creaks and pops from her joints. He would never grow used to hearing those painful noises. Taylor, as usual, simply ignored the sounds and strode to the bathroom with her brow furrowed.

"I still don't like the idea of meeting them right now. Are you sure we can't wait a few months?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"A few months? You can't possibly be serious."

A strange look crossed over her face for just a moment before she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. Can we do tomorrow? It will give me a day to prepare."

Sebastian silenced the alarms in his head, giving his mate a small smile.

"Of course, darling."

Relief flooded over her features, though he couldn't help but wonder why it didn't reach her guarded steely eyes. As the bathroom door closed between them, he contemplated if it would be better to wait for her to tell him what was wrong, or coax it out of her. When he heard the shower running, he merely sighed and left to start to his work in the manor. It would be best to wait. Taylor was still recovering from both her wounds and her recovered memories, and he was sure that the latter sat heavily on her mind. It didn't help that the manor was crawling with all types of Supernatural leaders as a broken alliance was reformed in the dining hall. While no one would ever say the words, there was clear resentment towards the young woman for her actions.

As the day wore on, Sebastian was relieved to find that his mate's strange behavior had ended. She smiled when he brought her lunch, happily sprawled out in front of the TV with her dog laying at her feet. He took a moment to inquire about what she was watching, surprised to find that it was a show following two monster hunters. A quick search on his phone later piqued his interest, though he found the portrayal of Demons rather lacking. He was most certainly not possessing a human body, and his eyes were red, not black.

When night fell, the Supernaturals left the dining hall, grumbling with displeasure. No one was willing to compromise for this alliance, but the threat of the Council pushed them to continue their debates. Vincent especially looked weary as he passed Sebastian in the hall, his mossy eyes dull. With a small sigh, the Demon began to tidy the dining hall as his mate's group ate dinner in silence. He was grateful that none of them harbored any hatred or anger towards Taylor, but it was disheartening to see the life drained from them.

I wonder if Taylor could reignite their fire, he wondered, stacking empty plates onto the cart. Even when things looked hopeless, she managed to inspire us.

Once he had finished his cleaning, he left the manor's residence to their misery. There was nothing he could say, though he desperately wished he could find the words. Instead, he took the cart to the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher. Was there anything he could do? His mind swirled with possible ideas of how to comfort the others, but their pain was too great. Once upon a time, he would wipe up something sweet for his young master when the boy was upset. However, he doubted that any cake could soothe the loss of a daughter or sibling.

"Malphas."

Sebastian looked up to see his mother leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes?"

The Demoness uncrossed her arms and slunk over to the counter to peer at the contents of a teacup. Raising an eyebrow, she motioned to the cup.

"I must say…it is colorful."

Scoffing, the Demon pressed a button on the dishwasher.

"It's for my mate," he explained sharply, placing the cup on a cart.

Celestica poked at the cupcake on the counter, amused by its bounciness.

"I'm starting to fear you've gone soft, love," she murmured, still captivated.

Sebastian mused over this as he rescued Taylor's treat. Was it possible? It was true that he hadn't hunted for a soul recently or formed any contracts, but he simply hadn't felt the need. As unsatisfactory as Soul's Torments were, it still provided enough nourishment for him to survive. Contracts had lost their appeal with the knowledge that he would have to leave his mate for an extended period of time. He grimaced. Even spreading misery and chaos no longer interested him. Why would it when he could devote his time to coaxing a smile from his beautiful mate?

"Is that a problem?" he asked coldly, wheeling the cart from the kitchen.

"Only a little." Celestica looked thoughtful. "I suppose it is good in the sense that your mate is well loved. It is bad because you are not training your abilities. How will you protect her at half your strength?"

He hated to admit it, but she had a point. Perhaps it would be wise to find someone to spar with.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you? I know your mate wants to wait, but I simply can't help myself." The Demoness broke out into a bright smile. "I'm just so excited to see the woman you've fallen for!"

Sebastian couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm sure she would forgive me," he chuckled.

By the time the pair reached his suite, his mother was ready trembling with excitement. She was still gushing over how pretty she thought Taylor would be, dancing lightly around her son as he opened the door. While the Demoness darted into the room with a squeal, Sebastian took a moment to survey the room. Cosmo now slept on the couch where Taylor had lounged, and he couldn't help but find that odd. The dog always slept next to his master, so why was he out here? A disappointed whine from the bedroom only increased his concern. His mother sat dejectedly on a made bed, tapping her pointer fingers together. Fear started to creep in the corners of his mind as he crossed the bedroom to knock on the bathroom door.

"Darling? Are you in there?"

Silence. With a scowl, he tested the door knob and found it unlocked. His heart raced in his chest as he pushed open the door. It was empty. In flurry of black, Sebastian left his mother to scour the halls of the manor, and then the garden. Where was she!? He stopped at the bench by the fountain, his glowing eyes searching for any movement. A growl ripped from his throat as nothing stirred. The bastard who foolishly kidnapped his mate was going to die. With a snarl, he returned to his room to find that a small group had formed by his bed. The manor resident's had formed a half circle in front of his mother as she read from a folded letter. Sensing him, she looked up with a hand over her mouth. All eyes turned to him as he was handed the letter. Crimson eyes flew over the typed words, and a pit started to form in his stomach.

Sebastian,

I'm sorry. I know I should have told you I was leaving, but I was afraid you would stop me. Just to clarify, I'm not running away from anything. I know that was probably your first thought. No, I am not afraid to meet your parents or anything like that. Rather, I'm running towards something. I've caused everyone so much pain with these memory wipes, and having my memories back has shown me just how bad things have become. The alliance that Vincent is so carefully trying to rebuild will always be unstable at best if I don't act. I know the Council is holding something over everyone's heads, be it a hostage or blackmail. While I doubt I can do much about blackmail, I'm going to rescue the hostages. I've learned where some of them are, and I've left to save them. I promise I will be back as soon as I can, and you punish me however you'd like. Just…please understand why I have to do this. I know it won't be easy, but I hope you will be able to forgive. And if you do, I promise that as soon as I get back, we will get married. You can plan the biggest, most extravagant wedding you want (please don't), and I won't say a word! Anyway…I guess this is goodbye for now. I love you.

Taylor Rose Pryce

The letter crumpled in his fist as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His eyes were shut, but he was sure that his irises were glowing. There were not words to describe how he felt right now, though rage and disbelief came close. All but his mother and Derrick started to slowly back away from him when his eyes snapped open. Letting the letter fall from his hand, Sebastian tore through the closet for a hunter green dress. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it to Lacey before he stalked out of the room.

"Find her," he growled.

The scattering of Supernaturals did nothing to soothe him. He glared out the window in the hall, burning holes into the backs of Supernatural leaders strolling through the garden. Feeling his eyes, they looked up. Shock crossed their faces, as he struggled to maintain his form. He smirked, knowing how terrifying he must look. A hand on his shoulder caused him to glance back into warm brown eyes. Celestica's calm expression brought a sigh to his lips and he turned to face her.

"I apologize. I fear my emotions are out of control."

She held out a crumpled up ball of paper. Curious, Sebastian took it from her and smoothed it out. It was a list of some sort, written in Taylor's messy hand. They were names, he realized. One name in particular caught his attention, and upon reading the description next to it, his heart stopped. It fell from his hands as he ran, praying he wasn't too late. Celestica stared after him sadly before stooping to retrieve the list. Scanning over it once more, she folded the list and slid it into her bodice before following after him.

Chrissy Powers: Rubanix City

Erika Powers: The Mage Kingdom

Aya Fireborn: Hall of Realms

Wendy Ravenwing: Unknown

Zora Bluebella: Unknown

Katrina Darksoul: Abyssal Prison

Destina: Unknown

Elizabeth Midford: Void-born, Hall of Realms

Nali Fireborn: Deceased