Author's Note: I feel something evil about to happen...I don't know where, I don't know when, but I feel it coming.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters. I only claim Serena, as well as the demons and descendants that I introduce.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Thirty Seven
Serena woke with a gentle nudge from Lucien. Her door was already open and he had removed her seat belt before waking her. The demon held out a hand gloved in soft, skin-colored leather.
"I didn't even notice that you were wearing gloves."
Lucien wiggled his fingers with a smile. "That's the idea. It's only when you look closely or touch them that you realize it."
"We're here, my lady." Edwin interrupted their conversation as he got out of the driver's seat.
"Why do you call me that?"
He blinked, confused by the question. "You are our Elder's mate."
Letting it go, Serena stepped from the car and recognized the alley that Undertaker's car had been sitting in. Edwin was scanning the area, constantly looking as they walked around the corner to the front of the small shop. The demons kept Serena between them, Edwin standing behind her as Lucien opened the door and waved her inside.
Undertaker sat on one of his coffins with a beaker of tea, waiting for them. The rest of the shop was empty. As soon as he saw the look on her face, the reaper set his 'cup' down and opened his arms. She gave him a watery smile as she slid into the welcoming embrace.
"Why did you push me to go? You knew what I would find."
His long-nailed fingers brushed through her hair. "It's like a band-aid, better to rip it off quickly. It's a lot less painful than gentle persuasion that way."
"You smell like roses and fresh cut wood. It's a little weird," Serena mumbled against his chest.
Undertaker laughed softly and she pulled away with a sigh.
"I expected you to stay longer with the new Phantoms."
"There is nothing there."
"The family is there, and they waited for you for a long time. Just like all of us did. Perhaps, leaving after only a night was a little selfish?"
She watched him for a minute. "So, now he's making me wait?"
"He is a demon that focuses on revenge."
"I am certain that that is not the Elder's intention." Lucien came forward for the absent demon's defense.
"No, it is. He told you both not to tell me who you were or where he is unless I asked, didn't he?" She waited a beat and when neither of them denied it, Serena felt her anger rise. "It's a game. Just like he played with Ciel. He knew everything and always waited for Ciel to figure it out. Waited to see how long it would take him."
"I must say, it didn't take you that long," Undertaker giggled into his sleeve.
She pointed a finger at him. "Were you in on this too?"
"You caused me a great deal of trouble, you know? I had to fight your Sebastian after you died and was forced to reveal a little something of myself in the process. I think that it is only fair that you encounter a little bit of trouble. It's not even a percentage of what we all had to deal with after you up and left us."
"It's not like I had a choice." She refused to look at any of them as she walked to the wall displaying urns for ashes. Undertaker followed, not letting her walk away from the conversation.
"You could have chosen to accept your demon fully."
Serena swung back around. "That wouldn't have made a difference. Then he would've...had to take me to his home. Therefore, breaking his contract and the whole thing would have been over."
Undertaker ran his finger down her nose quickly. "You got it. Only took a hundred years."
"Wait a minute." Serena turned back to the demons that were standing by the door. "If you're getting orders, how are you talking to him? Is this some demon family/house mental highway thing?"
Lucien raised an eyebrow at her. "Or it could be called a phone."
"Reapers and demons with technology? Don't you all already have enough advantages over us poor humans?" She looked between them and noticed Edwin doing something with his phone. It hit her like a bolt of lightning. "Wait a minute, he has a phone? I'm buying international plane tickets and he has a phone?"
Edwin held his phone out. "It's ringing."
The red head swiped the phone from his hand and held it to her ear. Every ring made her breath catch while she waited for a smooth, accented voice over the line. The ringing stopped after only two and she stopped breathing completely. She gasped and spun around to glare at the two demons.
"He sent me to voice mail!"
Edwin reached out to take the phone back and she smacked his hand. "Either he gets it or you do. At this point, I don't care."
The demon held up his hands and stepped back. As soon as the mechanical voice told her to leave a message and beeped, Serena let the last few days of frustration, anger, and depression come out in a scream.
"You son of a bitch! I've been thinking that you changed your mind about this whole mate thing and you're just finishing up a contract? I've been following your little breadcrumbs across the world because you think that a nice, little game of cat and mouse is in order after I got shot? You may think that the last hundred years means that you're owed something, but I died, you bastard. Do you think that's easy? And now I find out that you have a phone that I could have called and you have the balls send me to voice mail?" She didn't see Undertaker with both hands over his mouth trying to contain his laughter as she reamed the demon out over the phone. Behind her, Lucien and Edwin were staring wide-eyed at her tirade. "You know what? You should be happy that you're an ocean away. You should thank whoever is watching over you, because there is someone, that I'm not friends with your new master. Because if I was, I'd tell them to order you to take your foot and shove it up your own ass!"
Serena hit the button to end the call with more force than necessary and stood still, the only movement from the shaking that still wracked her body. She held the hand holding the phone out and Lucien jumped back behind his partner. Edwin waited for a minute before taking the device carefully and slipping it back into his pocket. Her mouth opened to scream but was drown out by the reaper's laughter at her display.
Turning sharply, she headed for the door.
"My lady!" Both demons hurried to follow. "Where are you going?"
"Back to the hotel. I'm done with his little game and I want some sleep."
Edwin came up to her side and directed her to the main road where they could catch a cab. She stayed silent, stewing in her anger as they rode back to the hotel. Neither of the demons tried to say anything, knowing better. They followed like silent shadows as she crossed the lobby and got into an elevator that was letting people off on the first floor. Edwin and Lucien directed her to the back of the car and stood in front of her, in full bodyguard mode now that she knew what they were there for.
When the elevator opened again, both stood back and let her go first. Lucien put his hands up and backed away when they got to her room and she opened the door. Edwin was the one to follow her in and took the glare when she realized that door hadn't shut behind her.
"I'd really like some quiet right now."
"I am capable of being quiet." He answered simply.
"Edwin! I want to be alone."
"Very well. I would request the second key to your room then."
Serena stared at him in disbelief for a moment before rifling through her purse and pulling out the second key card. She held it out but when he tried to take it, she held on. "I still expect that you knock instead of just barging in. It is also not acceptable for either of you to use this key to go through my things."
"Of course not, my lady."
The red head let go of the card and stood in place as he walked out. In a fit, she threw the purse she was still holding at the door. It made a satisfying crash but didn't relieve any of the tension still tight in her body.
******************A Demon's Mate*****************
Night had fallen, the moon well on the rise before they turned into the drive of the Phantomhive Estate. When the carriage drew up in front of the mansion, Finny and Bard stared in shock at the black-clad former butler sitting on the box with Tanaka. As soon as he hit the ground, the two men threw themselves at him. Tanaka stood to the side with a smile on his face.
Not much could be deciphered from all the blubbering, but it was clear that the butler had been missed. The demon let out a sigh. He had never gotten close to anyone but his contracts before and it was a new thing to have people so happy to see him.
"Honestly, all this fuss."
"Oh, shut up!" Bard wiped his face as he turned away. He found the reigns for the horses thrown into his hands as Sebastian went to the door of the carriage.
He found his former Master fast asleep, leaning against the side of the interior.
"He has not slept much since you left." Tanaka spoke over Sebastian's shoulder as he looked into the vehicle.
'You're the only thing that he has left that no one can take from him.'
'What rubbish.' He picked up the sleeping body and realized just how much time had passed since the beginning of his contract. Seven years may not seem like that long, a blink of an eye to a demon, but in those seven years he'd watched this child grow. He was still obstinate, difficult to handle at times and prone to be selfish but he was a noble, that was to be expected. Not much longer and he could tell that the small boy, with huge eyes that were once filled with despair and pain, that had all but forced him into their contract, would be close to the same height as the demon that served had him. His childhood would be completely gone, some would say that it had already been ripped from him years ago, but Ciel Phantomhive had carried a small spark of that child to this day. He had been a personal witness to that now and then over the years.
'I see that look you give him sometimes. Like a proud father who's son just did something great, or in your case devious.'
Sebastian still rejected that idea that he looked at Ciel Phantomhive like his own child. He had never had children when human, hadn't really wanted them, and demons didn't have children. It was a closed door that he hadn't really noticed when it was open. But still, he wondered how much he had contributed to the growth of the human known to the world as Ciel Phantomhive? How much of his own philosophies had he ingrained in this human? Was Ciel's way of thinking so demonic when he had been younger, when they first began? Or was it learned behavior from watching his faithful butler? Certainly, he had been the boy's main tutor, for all his studies. The demon was more than qualified. But his personal beliefs, his very sense of self seemed to have come from the demon, as well as the past experience with his human family. A strange combination to be sure. Was he more Sebastian's than the humans that birthed him? Or was he seeing this only because of Serena's words. She certainly hadn't known the boy before his contract, her only experience with the Earl was recent. However, even Lady Frances had commented on it. That Sebastian encouraged Ciel's views on certain subjects. Had Ciel's work ethic been his own, or learned from him? Had his way of planning for every instance, his way of handling problems when barred from the easy solution always been there?
As they walked into the manor, Mei-Rin dropped the bucket that she was holding and Snake merely blinked from his place behind the door. He ignored them all as he climbed the stairs, still deep within his own thoughts. Tanaka caught up to them outside the Earl's rooms, opening the doors for the other butler. Sebastian realized that he needed to pay attention or he would have opened the doors himself. Showing his powers was not something that he needed to do, with or without a contract in place.
Between the two of them, they made quick work of undressing the sleeping boy and putting him into his nightshirt. Making sure to bring the covers to his chin, Sebastian took one last look at the child that had caused him so much trouble.
He had never had a contract go so wrong before. He had never had a contract be as interesting either. The demon had purposely drawn out their time together not just because he was waiting for Ciel to grow up, but because he was enjoying life in the Phantomhive manor, enjoyed watching this interesting human grow and interact with the society that only saw him as a child, even if he was far more intelligent than the majority of the adults and worked twice as hard as any of them had ever thought of doing. He took pride in the complements that his Master had received but brushed off as normal.
Following Tanaka into the hall, the rest of the staff waited in a semi-circle. Their eyes were glued to the man in black and he could easily read the hope in them. Hope that he would stay, that things would go back to normal despite recent events. It was an answer that he couldn't give them.
Sebastian sighed, "Don't you all have work that you should be doing?"
"Yes!" They all answered together and took off, brilliant smiles on all their faces. Sebastian made his way to the kitchen, for once not sure of what he should be doing. Bardroy somehow knew and disappeared to do something else. It was obvious the entire house had fallen below the standards that he would have kept it, however, only a demon would notice. It seemed that they could survive without him there. True, he had only been gone two days, but that was more than enough time for this lot to destroy the house.
His conversation with his fellow demon still filtered through his mind, as well as Ciel's statement that he had a better plan than disposing of them both right then.
'Nothing to do now, but wait.'
*******************A Demon's Mate****************
Serena rolled over to look at the sunset she could see through the drapes that had been left open before sliding into the bed the last time. It wasn't really a surprise that sleep was proving to be an elusive luxury. With how mad she had been and still was, adrenalin was going to keep her awake for a while yet. Several times she had given up and started pacing before going back to the bed. Her mind still settled on that damn electronic voice telling her to leave a message and a new wave of irritation rose.
A knock on the door made her turn to glare at the door. Another had her huffing and pushing the blankets away. Another came before she could get to the door and Serena knew it couldn't be Edwin or Lucien, they would have come in by now. Yanking the door open, she was surprised to see Ronald leaning against the door jamb. Behind him, Lucien stood with his arms crossed as though he would love nothing more than to show the reaper the elevator door, face first, over and over.
"It's alright, Lucien. He's fine." She waved the demon off but Lucien made sure that Ronald knew he was suspicious as the demon went back to the room next door.
"You look like hell."
"Well, thanks." Serena glared before going inside the room and leaving the door open.
"I came to check on you. Undertaker said that you were a little upset when you left his shop."
"Yeah, well, you know."
Ronald came up behind her and tapped her shoulder. "You want to talk about it?"
He held up a piece of paper. 'Pub crawl!'
"No."
He made a cutting motion across his throat and nodded to the wall that connected her room with the two demons'. Ronald pulled a pen from his pocket and leaned over the desk.
"Have you heard back from your demon?" He turned the paper back to her. 'Come on. Put on something nice and get out of this hotel for a while.'
She shook her head. "He's not mine. If you haven't noticed I'm here by myself, playing his little hide and seek game, while he's off finishing his contract that is obviously more important."
"Well, he is a demon." 'All the more reason to go. I know you can get past the demon goons.' He could see her resolve shaking, crumbling. Smiling, he shook the paper at her again. Finally, Serena nodded and he punched the air.
"You are obviously in a funk that requires more help than I can offer. I'll see if I can get Grell to come by." 'I'll meet you in the lobby.'
"Yeah, yeah. Run along like a good little reaper."
As soon as the door shut behind him, Serena heard the door next to hers open again. She could only imagine that conversation that was going on in the hallway. A feeling of dread rose from her stomach, but she squashed it back down.
'Why should I be here just waiting? Am I going to be waiting all the time for him to decide that I'm important enough to come see? Screw it, I'm going and I'm going to have fun. He can leave a message this time.'
Less than a half hour later, she was using the same technique as before to slip out of her room and down the stairwell. She did think that it was weird that they weren't watching her closer as she had given them the slip once before, but blew it off as the front lobby came into view. Ronald could be seen, talking on his phone, through the windows and she gave him a large smile as she came out the doors. The reaper took one look at her and his mouth dropped.
Although she hadn't had the time to go through the normal ritual that she would have done, she didn't think that she had done bad. The standard little black dress was always the way to go for a night on the town, and the one she had found right before leaving for Tokyo fit like it had been made for her. Paired with some high heels, darker makeup and wild curls, she didn't feel self-conscious at all.
Ronald coughed into his hand. "Wow. Are you sure that you're stuck on that demon?"
Serena laughed and took the arm that he offered. As they walked away from the hotel, she put that feeling in the pit of her stomach out of her mind.
**************A Demon's Mate**********
Ciel opened his eyes to see the canopy of his bed above him. Sitting up quickly, he tried to remember how he had come to be here. The confrontation and Sebastian's return filled his thoughts. He remembered how the demon had stated that Serena told Sebastian to watch him and felt a tightness in his chest. He had tried to push the red head out of his thoughts for the last couple of days and pain returned with her.
"I assume that you are rested now?"
The Earl looked over to see Sebastian sitting in the chair beside his bed. It was strange to see the demon sitting. Servants didn't sit in their master's presence as they were expected to be ready to carry out orders. It was another reminder of how things had changed. There was no reason to keep up the pretense anymore. Sebastian wasn't his demon or his butler anymore.
"I passed on a perfect opportunity to dispose of both of our enemies. Now, I want to know whether that choice was worth it." He leaned forward, red eyes glowing in the darkness of the room. "You said that you had another idea."
"I do. Death is too easy, for both of them."
Sebastian leaned back in his seat for a moment, studying the child in front of him.
'He's more your son than Vincent's anymore.'
"Perhaps you are correct. However, death would have made me feel better."
"It's too quick." Ciel pushed the covers back and slid out of the bed. He moved to the door without taking another look at the demon.
"Where are you going?"
"Well, this is business now. I'm going to my office." He felt the demon's presence at his back walking down the halls. Instead of being a comfort, it was now menacing, almost as though feeling hunted. Ciel wondered if this was what others had felt when Sebastian was around. Was this what always set his aunt on edge around the demon?
The Earl moved quicker than he normally would have to sit behind his desk. Watching Sebastian take the same chair that Serena had often sat in, he was struck by how much it looked like the office he had walked into yesterday. Was their relationship of Sebastian being his butler so unusual? Did others who made the same deal with a demon have a different relationship with them?
Shaking his head, Ciel pulled himself back to the matter at hand. "Something occurred to me at the house."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"Undertaker said that you were a demon of wrath."
"That is correct."
"But the demon we met yesterday wasn't."
"That is also correct." He sighed and decided there was no reason not to elaborate a little, especially if it would free him to rip someone to pieces sooner. "Demons feed on souls that are tainted by different sins. What appeals to them, specifically."
Ciel nodded, as he had already guessed that much. "Those two are definitely envy and greed."
"They often go hand in hand."
"I want to destroy them." He answered simply.
"I was going to do that before you stopped me."
"No, you were going to kill them. But that's not enough. I want to utterly destroy every trace of them, everything that they are and the hope that they could ever have what they want. To start with everything that have first, in the end, no one will know who they are and no one ever will."
Sebastian remembered what he had told Serena. The wrath that always burned in him since finding every trace of his beloved Armana destroyed, her existence wiped from every memory but his. The face that it still bothered him millenia, and countless souls later. Yes, it was truly a demonic act. Not just mindless slaughter, but a well thought out descimation of their very being.
"I assume that you already have a plan and I am willing to listen."
******************A Demon's Mate***************
Things had been quiet in the other room since the reaper left. Both demons listened occasionally for any sign that Serena was moving again, but contented themselves to wait. Edwin looked over to his phone on the desk when it started to alert him of an incoming call.
"Elder."
"Edwin. I received quite an interesting message from my mate."
He picked up on the amusement in his Elder's voice and felt relieved. "Yes, she was much quicker than anticipated to figure it out."
"Not all, I assume."
"You're correct, but the majority of it."
A sigh came over the line. "Still so difficult. I suppose that I should speak with her then."
"Yes, Elder." The demon grabbed the key card off the desk before heading for the door. "My lady has an attachment to the reapers. One of them was here earlier."
"Which one?" The suspicion was clear in his voice.
"Ronald Knox."
"He does not worry me." Edwin could see the Elder brushing the news aside as if he were in the same room. "It is Spears that will cause a problem if possible."
"I see. Please hold on a moment, she was trying to sleep." Edwin knocked on the door but received no answer. He knocked again. "My lady?"
When there was still no answer, he used the card to open the door. It was obvious that the room was empty.
"Damn it!"
"So much trouble. I see that I underestimated my mate."
Edwin closed his eyes and accepted his fate. "Elder, I will take responsibility, not only for tonight, but yesterday as well."
"No, it is my fault. I knew that she was capable of this, but did not expect her to actually do it."
"What?"
"Don't worry about that for now. I will have to arrange someone else to watch her. You said that Knox had been there earlier?"
"Yes, Elder."
"Then she will be with the reapers. They should be able to keep her out of trouble for the time being. The two of you will wait there."
******************A Demon's Mate***************
Serena smiled as Ronald led her to a table in the back of a small pub that she didn't catch the name of. Grell waited as well as Undertaker. As they got closer, another man came to the table with a couple glasses filled with amber liquid and she recognized William.
"I sprang a jailbreak." Ronald laughed as they got to the table. Everyone waved and Grell rushed from his seat to hug her.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself." Grell tugged on the other red head's hair. "I was worried that you were going to disappear again. I waited all night at Undertaker's and you never came back."
"The Carthrages wanted me to stay." Her voice got quiet again and Ronald looked at the others.
"So, what have you got planned for tonight, Knox?" Will pulled Grell off and held out a chair for Serena. She smiled back at him in thanks.
"Well, Serena should see some of London's night life." He held his hands up. "Picture it. All the favorite pubs, and you have to finish at least one drink at each pub."
"I'm all for it." Serena raised her hand. "Let's get started."
"Serena?"
The red head turned to see who had called her. She was surprised by the man coming through the small crowd. "Henry? What are you doing here?"
"I was meeting a business partner of mine." He looked strangely over the table that was trying to make themselves look inconspicuous.
"We're having a meeting too?" The red head shrugged her shoulders, not sure of what to say.
Henry shook his head. "Uh-huh, you're getting drunk."
Serena fidgeted in her seat for a moment. "Well, yeah."
"Trying to drown your problems?"
"No, I'm going to embrace my problems. In an alcoholic fashion." She tugged on the arm closest to her. "Have a drink with us."
"No, I couldn't." He started to back away a little but the red head wouldn't let go.
"Yes, you could."
"I really have to get home."
Undertaker giggled into his sleeve. "A real man would stay and have a drink."
"Oooohhhh." The table gasped and looked back to the human.
"Let me call Malory." He said with a sigh.
Ronald made a little whip cracking noise and Serena laughed.
"Fine." Henry waved a passing waitress over, sliding his phone back into his pocket.
************************A Demon's Mate*******************
Edwin hurried to answer the knock that came on the door. The power level that was permeating the entire floor was staggering and could only belong to another Elder. It really shouldn't have surprised him when he saw the demon at the door.
"Elder Haagenti. Please, come in."
"I hear that you lost the little red head." The Elder swept into the room and turned back to the other demons.
"Yes, Elder. This is the second time that we have lost her." Lucien saw no reason to lie as he bowed to the other demon.
"Not surprising really."
"I do not understand."
Haagenti remembered his last encounter with the little human. "She has power, that can be used on demons. She used it on you, probably not even realizing what she was doing."
"How?"
"She makes you feel at peace. Makes you feel that there is nothing wrong. And then slips out the door. Once you identify the feeling, you can recognize it and prevent such a thing happening again." He moved back to the door. "First however, I believe that we should find your Elder's mate."
"Elder Haagenti, how do we track one human in an entire city?" Lucien asked as they got into the elevator.
"I have felt her power before and can isolate it's call."
*********************A Demon's Mate***************
Three pubs in, the group had hunkered down and threw the plan to the wind. Henry was still with them as well. He had recognized the group but the feeling of unease had dissapaded in the face of alcohol as the night wore on. Most of their small party was feeling the effects. Grell was already passed out on the table and Ronald was swaying with the music from an ancient radio behind the bar, not far behind his colleague. Undertaker and William seemed content to watch the others make fools of themselves as they continued to drink, not showing the bit of drunkeness.
"Look at those couple of lightweights there." Serena slurred and waved a hand that almost threw her off balance at the two younger reapers.
"I don't think that you can say much. You're not far behind." Henry leaned over and ended up leaning on her to talk.
"Neither are you." They both laughed and their attention shifted to William as he took another drink from his glass. "But look at them. Nothing, they look like their waiting on a bus."
Something caught Serena's attention and drew it away from the reapers that looked perfect as always. She turned to the door and recognized the trio coming in.
"I think I'm in trouble."
Henry leaned on her again to see what she was looking at. "Why's that?"
"The wardens are here."
"Booooo."
Undertaker giggled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation as the demons made their way to the table.
"My lady." Lucien frowned. "You're drunk."
"Well," Serena shifted in her seat. "It's a party."
"Celebrate." Ronald threw his hands up and Undertaker had to stop him from falling off his seat. The red head giggled and Edwin put out a hand to stop her from falling forward.
Another demon came up behind the two and Serena stopped to stare. Dressed in modern clothing, he wore a long, black duster that reminded her of the same outfit that he had worn in the past. His hair was the same, a mass of chestnut that looked good around his handsome face. She watched as he looked past her to nod at Undertaker but ignored the rest of them.
"I know you." She waved her glass at him that was, thankfully, empty. A frown came over her face. "How do I know you?"
Undertaker giggled from his place at the back of the table. "You met him in the past. It was a rather traumatic evening."
Serena swayed on her stool again. "When is it not traumatic around you guys? I mean, really? It's no wonder that there was a manga and anime made about you guys. You have far too much drama going on."
"Serena." Haagenti stared down at the girl as she leaned on the human sitting next to her.
"Is that my name?" She whispered.
Henry thought about it for a moment. "I think so."
"It sounds good, we'll go with it." She nodded and turned back to the Elder.
"Serena."
The red head raised her hand. "Yes, I think that's me."
"I think it is time to go." Haagenti held out a hand to her. The red head looked at the hand for a moment, noting that he wasn't wearing the decieving gloves, before looking back to Henry.
"Do I know him well enough to leave with him?"
"I don't know."
Serena swung around the other direction, Henry putting a hand out to stop her from falling over, and pointed at the white-haired reaper. "You know. You know everything. It's a little creepy."
"I believe that you'll be alright."
"I'll be alright, doing what?"
Lucien threw up his hands behind her, but Edwin and Haagenti just waited.
"You are going to leave with them." Undertaker pointed to the demons behind her.
Serena gasped as she turned around again. "Riiiight." She reached to take the hand still held out but stopped. "Not right."
"What?" Henry leaned over.
"That's not the right demon."
Haagenti had reached the end of his patience. He leaned down and slid one hand under her knees while the other went behind her back. "Enough. We're going back to the hotel."
The crowd parted easily before the demon and his burden. As soon as the cooler air from outside hit her, Serena's head cleared a little and she started to squirm.
"Stop that or I'll drop you."
"I'll aim for you when I puke." Serena squirmed again.
"What is your problem?"
"I don't like how it feels when you touch me."
Haagenti let her legs down and started to remove his support. The red head immediately headed for the concrete. He caught her arm right before her knees hit the ground.
"You shouldn't like the touch of another demon or any being other than your mate. However, I would like to know how you plan to get back to the hotel on your own."
Hanging over the sidewalk, Serena sighed. "Fine."
Edwin came behind the two and slid his suit coat over the girl. When Haagenti picked her up again, it minimized the amount of her skin that he touched. Lucien waved them over to the cab he had gotten and held the door for the Elder and Serena. As the doors shut behind them, the alcohol kicked in and she felt the darkness of sleep that had proven elusive before.
****************A Demon's Mate***************
Serena woke next with a pounding in her head and a Sahara desert in her mouth.
"I assume that you are quite ill."
She looked over and saw the Elder from her trip to the past. The one who said that he had been Sebastian's mentor. He sat in a chair facing the bed, watching her with his fingers steepled. While she was looking at him, her stomach lurched and she ran for the bathroom.
A pitiful moaning came out of the bathroom but the demon wasn't moved. After a few minutes, he heard a thin voice come through the doorway.
"I will never try to keep up with Undertaker, ever again."
"Yes, that was rather foolish on your part. He has untold years of alcohol tolerance that you could never hope to match." The demon answered easily. "You have been unconscious for over a day."
He was still in the same position when she finally came back out after brushing her teeth and wiping some of her running make up off her face. She tried to adjust the dress to look a little better than something that she had slept in for hours.
"Do you feel better now?" When she nodded, he continued. "So, should he expect this behavior every time he has to take a contract?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Slipping past those he has chosen to guard you, spending time with the reapers, excessive drinking."
"He knew I was coming back and he's not here," she mumbled while picking up the robe laying across the bottom of the bed.
"Yes. There will always be times when he isn't there. Of course, you will have more to occupy your time then. Though I am unsure of your ability to run a demon house at this point in time."
She glared at him as she belted the robe but he didn't even flinch. "He sent me to voice mail."
"And called you back. Under normal circumstances, he would not be able to talk to you at all."
Serena pushed her hair back and straightened her spine. "So, this is all my fault?"
"No. I admit that he ran his contract too tight to the time frame that you would come back and remember him. It is perfectly reasonable for you to have expected him to be waiting when you returned to this time. In his defense, he is trying to store as much as possible so that you two will have more time when he takes you to his home, but he's still wrong. However, your reaction to his not being here is wrong as well. You are both at fault."
Serena sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her toes. She admitted that it was uncomfortable to listen to him. It was like being scolded by a parent.
"He is also wrong for not informing you correctly that there would be times that you will be alone. Even when the mating is completed, you will not be able to speak to him when he is under contract. On another note, you are not showing a good lead for the rest of your house. This could be laid at his feet as well since he never informed you of your place. In fact, you have put some of your house in danger."
"How?"
"By slipping past those that had direct orders to guard you, you put them under the Elder's scrutiny for failure. When it comes to something important, that failure is normally accompanied by a final death." He held up a hand when she would have tried to defend herself. "The first time can be excused and was, because you had not been informed of who they were or their purpose in being here. The night before was your fault and the reason that I was called."
"Why are you here?"
The demon gave her a dark look and leaned forward. "I have much invested in your mate and I will not watch you screw it up. He already broke one contract over you and, last night, he was prepared to break another. Demons do not break contracts. We do not lie. We are perfectionists because we are better. We provide exactly the services that we were contracted for and go back to the shadows when it is finished. That boy's house is one of the most respected for ethic and he himself is looked upon for completing any contract that he takes, no matter how difficult."
"So basically, you're upset because I'm making him look bad."
"Among other things. Your mate is training a demon who will be an Elder one day, himself. What he teaches him, he will possibly teach another and so on. We all have a purpose, humans, angels, demons, and reapers. What we are taught, effects how we carry out that purpose. When we carry it out wrong, chaos happens. That is what I taught him, and it is what he will teach the Elder that he is training." Haagenti stopped for a moment to let the knowledge sink in. "The demon behind the Phantomhive murders, as well as your own in the past, did so because he was not trained correctly and what came out of it? A pure soul was tainted by wrath and then sold his still pure soul to a demon and that demon was punished for accepting the contract by the death, thankfully not a permenant death, of his mate."
"Ripple effect."
The Elder smiled and spread his hands. "Exactly. I taught him to look at each possibility as well as each possible outcome and choose accordingly. You are making choices based on selfishness and anger, thereby forcing him to make decisions in desperation. No one makes a good choice when desperate."
Serena looked out the window. "What am supposed to do?"
"A demon's mate, especially an Elder's, is expected to have their own interests. As regrettable as they are, you have your own friends while you are waiting. In his home, you will have other responsibilities, as well as other demons to occupy your time. You liked Edwin and Lucien perfectly well when you first met them. Then there are other mates in your house that you will be able to spend time with. You will also be expected to lead when he is not there."
"I'm just supposed to wait?"
"What did you expect that you would do when he was under contract?"
She crossed her arms and looked away again. "I hadn't really thought about it."
"I see." Haagenti moved back to a relaxed position and waited.
"So, what do I do now, ObiWan?"
"What would you have been doing if you hadn't gone to the past and met your mate?"
"I would probably still be in Tokyo right now. My last semester doesn't start for another couple weeks."
"I would suggest that you go back to the life you thought was so important before."
Serena caught the dig and glared again at the demon. She still admitted that he was right. What else had she and Sebastian fought about the night that she had taken off into the woods. On the bedside table, her newly returned phone lit up with an incoming call. Looking at the number, she recognized it from home.
"I'll leave you to think over what we have discussed." Haagenti stood, quickly moving out of the room but heard her answer the call as the door shut behind him. There was nothing that he could do now but wait for her to decide if she would take his advice or not.