The demon couple blended in well with the London crowd—the city that was once in ashes was now beginning to rebuild itself anew with the guidance and leadership of the fake, Queen Victoria. Sebastian and Amelia couldn't care less about it, since they were now, both immortal; unless of course a Death God, angel, or another demon kills them.
The brunette still hasn't asked her lover about her cousin's whereabouts, because there was one thing that dominated her senses and her mind.
Hunger.
"Sebastian, how long are we supposed to look for a meal?" she whispered harshly through gritted teeth, feeling her throat burning and she was fighting her fangs from making themselves show. Her irises were still flashing from red to forest green, and an occasional appearance of the pinkish-purple hues; but Sebastian made sure to have her in check.
Amelia smelled lots of different souls; some were interesting but most smelled bland. Her raven-haired companion places a soothing hand on her back, feeling the mark engraved on her through her new dress, having replaced the cream-colored lace gown which was fit for a corpse with a black one, fit for someone in mourning: for her own death, her cousin's, and the many other English people.
He purrs in her ear, "Patience my beloved; I know that you are aware how the humans around you do not fit to your taste buds." In response, the brunette takes a deep breath, and exhales slowly, trying to calm herself, and looked at the cat in her arms and focused on caressing its soft fur.
"Can we bring Ery into your world?" she asks to divert herself, stroking behind their pet's ears. Sebastian doesn't answer and feels a tinge of sadness, "If I could, I would have already done so. However, down there I do in fact have a pet of my own; just not as adorable as her."
"And certainly different." As she ends that thought, Amelia suddenly stops walking, and turns her head sharply to the side, eyeing a young-looking fellow, who crouched slightly and had wide eyes and twitching fingers. Obviously, he was a thief in all rags, and his soul had an appealing scent for the brunette. Sebastian nods in agreement, "However, it's a bit spicy, don't you think?"
"I like spicy," she smiles softly and separates from the ex-butler, determined to learn how to hunt on her own. She made sure to walk by her prey, and make her key-necklace fall off by his feet. The human ran away after picking it up, and he hides inside an alleyway just a few meters from there.
Amelia was about to follow him there but she hesitated, her human conscience reminding her how much of an animal she is being. 'Unbelievable… just days ago I was human; and now…'
The newly-turned demon instead, reunites with her mate and places Ery in Sebastian's arms. Sebastian noted her actions and they stalk after her first meal. They stop just outside the alleyway, leaning on the wall. "So... do I just jump in and take his soul?" She asks, looking back and forth between the thief and her demon companion. "Now that is a decision you must make. Whether you just take what is already before you, or..." he smirks for effect, "...you savor every last drop, after ripening it."
Amelia and Sebastian stared at each other for a moment, her eyes trying to read through him. "You want a show," it wasn't a question, and she discovered then that he was manipulating her into doing something. When Sebastian didn't flinch or anything, she sighs sharply. "You and your games; consider this as a stroke of luck, for I'm terribly hungry." She turns from him and stares ahead at the thief.
"And I do enjoy such games, demon."
The lady disappeared from his side soon after she murmurs that and was already halfway down the alleyway when Sebastian was about to speak. Amelia lets her presence known first. "Oh my, excuse me, sir!" The thief turns, but ends up dropping the necklace when he fumbled to hide it.
She continues her approach, "I'm so glad you found my necklace! You have such a kind heart, young man,"
Amelia's rather sadistic side was about to surface itself and Sebastian couldn't help but enjoy it. Newly-turned or young demons were always a sight to watch, frenzied with hunger, and his mate didn't disappoint. 'However, there is still more for her to learn.' He places a gloved hand to his chin and observes. He'll teach her to control since he doesn't want her to end up like him in his youth, just sampling every dish available recklessly.
The next thing Sebastian saw, Amelia was already holding the human by its neck, sucking the air out of the thief. "P-Please…! My parents are… d-dead! I mu-must… feed my sibli—!" he wasn't even able to finish his statement, continuously clawing on the demoness' lace-gloved hands in attempt to free himself as he begged for mercy.
Sebastian stood next to her in a blink of an eye and placed a hand on her shoulder, ignoring the human asking help from him. "Dear, calm down. If you do anything more, the 'taste' will change. Control yourself." Soon as he said this, he steps back and disappears and blends in with the shadows, though he made sure the brunette can feel that his presence was just nearby.
Amelia closes her eyes, feeling the pulse of the human at her mercy. The soul's smell was slowly changing; now laced with fear, it was indecipherable what exactly its taste was. She immediately thinks back to what her prey said, 'An orphan, and a breadwinner; I wonder...' Slowly, her hold on his neck loosens, but she doesn't really let go of him.
"W-What are you…?! Let me go or I'll—!" The brunette reopens her eyes, staring straight at the man, maintaining his gaze. He stops talking, bewitched by her peculiar, wine-red eyes, and Amelia uses the fact that her voice sounded "surreal" for humans to her advantage. Slowly, she moves her hand to his nape, and the other free hand to place a slender finger to his lips. "There's no use wasting your breath like this; especially if it is only what's left of you."
The thief shivered, but brows slightly furrowing at the mocking he received. "I understand your pain, I feel it. Your burning hatred: for your parents who left you to rot after their death, for your good-for-nothing siblings, and for this country where the rich become richer, and the poor like you, become poorer."
The man's jaw clenched, "How did you…?"
Amelia fights off a smirk and continues. "It's simply written all over your face," The fear soon wore out of the man, being reminded of his past and present, and the brunette smells his soul return to its previous state. 'Ah, so this is how… you cultivate a soul? Interesting, but… I can't keep this going for too long,' she thinks in her head, the burning sensation getting harsher. She inches closer to the side of his face, so that the thief wouldn't see her growing fangs.
She whispers by his ear, "Wallow in hate…"
She takes the man's hand and gets her necklace back, clenching on the key, "Make them suffer…"
She slips her hand in his pocket and pulls out the rusty knife he kept inside. The lady places it in his hands, and she makes the man tighten his grip on it, "Bathe in their blood…"
Blood drips from his wounded hands from holding the knife, and breathes. "What… do you think I should do?" Amelia smiles serenely, "You know full well what you must do, what you long to do."
The thief grits his teeth in pure anger, his vision blacks out. Amelia lets her thumbs to close his eyes, and all the human saw was his desire. The brunette demon inches her face closer and pulls his chin down to have his mouth open.
"Etch your wrath unto your soul, ripe for my taking."
Her words registered and the thief opens his eyes widely. The last thing he sees as he dies was Amelia's pinkish-purple irises and pupils that turned into slits; however, he was too late. Before he could even scream, Amelia was already sucking his soul out of his own body.
His deep blue eyes roll back into his head, his face becoming hollow, and his own body reduced to skin and bones. Soon as she finished, the brunette lets go of the body and it falls, the brittle bones making a nice cracking sound.
Sebastian reappears behind her and wraps his arms around her waist and placing his chin on her shoulder, "Still a bit messy, but we'll work on that. I'm fascinated by your quick adaptability, Mia. When you hesitated, I half-expected you to ask me of other ways to satiate your hunger."
Amelia turns around to face him, refusing to look at the dead thief, feeling her fangs disappear and the burning in her throat lessen in intensity. "I might not show it, but I am both disgusted and terrified by what I just did." Her companion looks taken aback, and she gasps, realizing what she said. "But it doesn't mean I'm disgusted by you! It's just… I don't know how I would describe it. It's new, and it's different, and it's the only way for me to survive. I must cope."
Sebastian sighs, accepting her explanation and knew she had a point that he had to understand. "You make it seem like I forced you into being my mate."
Amelia looks surprised, scoffing, "Initially; I suppose we can both agree that you placed your mark on me, without my knowledge; which you insist was for me to be your next meal. However—!" she gets cut off when Sebastian kisses her to shut her up. Stunned, Sebastian took this as a chance and he takes her necklace and puts it on her once again. "Are you still starving?" He then, bends down to pick up Ery, who was rubbing herself onto the male demon's leg.
"I'm fine, I'll tell you when I have to… eat."
They resume walking in the streets, leaving the thief to be feasted upon by flies. The two walk in silence until Sebastian asks her again, "Are you certain that you do not feel hungry anymore?"
"I can still feel my throat burning, yes; but it's something I can handle." Amelia shrugs, then looks at him. "Then your self-control is something I must praise you for." The ends of his lips tug up, and seeing the confused look she was giving him, the raven-haired man explains. "Most young ones or newly-turned are wild with uncontrollable hunger. I thought you would be the same so I brought you here where there would be lots of souls to choose from to see if you would indeed be patient in looking for a soul you wanted."
Amelia felt insulted, "So it was a test, whether I would just grab the next person and suck their life out. Maybe it's because of my human practices; that in public, keeping face is akin to breathing?" the brunette suggests, and Sebastian nods. "Perhaps, it is possible. Nonetheless, I commend you for it."
The lady smiles, "And I passed your little test." Then, she remembers what he said a while ago, "Wait... there was another way of eating?" Sebastian hesitates before he nods for an answer, "Do you believe in 'ghosts'? These 'ghosts' that humans refer to are actually, in a way, fragments of a soul."
"But... don't the Death Gods collect them?"
The male demon hums, composing his answer in the way the female one would understand. "That's the... intriguing part. You see, they do collect the dead human's soul, however if that human still seeks something from the Earth, like fancy ideas of justice or revenge, then the 'consciousness' of the soul stays and wanders until what they desire is served to them. It's as though they never 'completed' collecting it."
Amelia nods, "So it's different from the black ones during that time?" She remembers, as she walked through the streets of London with two swords pierced through her courtesy of Double Charles, that the dead seemed to have some black essence sprouting from their bodies. "I have assumed that those were just dark, corrupted souls."
"I am not entirely certain, but they call those black mists as the soul's heart. But I am assuming there is a fine line between the heart and the 'consciousness' of a soul. Perhaps it is different from my kind's and the Death Gods' perspective." He shrugs then Amelia decides to tease him, poking his shoulder lightly while managing a smirk, "And I suppose you've tasted some of those fragments," she says it as more of an assumption. Sebastian's brow twitches, "I'm afraid I have, and it was an unpleasant experience; which is why I never bothered mentioning it to you before you took the initiative to hunt on your own."
"So, how was it?"
Sebastian simply smirks, ready for his sarcasm, "Which is 'it'; the fragments' taste or the way you hunted? If it's the latter, then might I say you really did put on quite a show."
If Amelia were fully human, her blush would have reached her neck and ears. But now that she's not, only a faint shade of pink dusted her cheeks. Her mate chuckles deeply at her reaction.
"Well, what can I say? I simply learned from your elaborate techniques of luring your victims. The only difference is that it didn't end up in a bedroom."
"You are thoroughly mistaken, it was in a cottage and the other, in a tent."
The brunette scoffs, murmuring, "As if that makes it any different. Which means you can do it anywhere," Sebastian chose to ignore that and remain silent, for it was better to anger or fluster her in a place where they wouldn't attract attention.
Somewhere not of the world they currently reside in... or simply away from the public eye.
"Have you heard? A Duke is offering for the people to stay in their church as temporary shelter. I suppose we should go there," Amelia caught on in one of the commoners' conversations.
"But that church is still under construction, is it not? And Norfolk is a bit too—"
That was all it took to make Amelia pause in her steps and turn towards the couple, which happens to be parents of three children. She changes her track and walked towards them, trying her hardest to remain a composed look on her face.
"The nights are becoming colder my dear, it's a better option than having to pay for an inn."
"Pardon me," the brunette demon interrupted their small debate, and the two looked at her. The wife scanned Amelia from head to toe, scrutinizing her well-off look. Amelia can see how hard the human was trying to keep her pride and avoid looking at her with envy. "Er, yes, Miss?" The husband replied for them both.
"You seem to know of the Duke that's offering a place to stay, correct? Perhaps you can tell me more?"
The couple share a look, and the wife turns away, muttering so low, "Damfino," which Amelia heard clearly and fought against rolling her eyes at the petty woman as she tends to the children while the husband continues to converse with the brunette. "They say that the Duke arranged for a train to come from Norfolk around noon, and all those who are interested will be granted temporary shelter in the church."
"Which... Duke is it?"
"Oh, Duke of Norfolk, His Grace Edmund Howard. As you can see, my wife seems against it but it's better than having to sleep in the streets with rats and roaches!"
Amelia could crush a skull now, or tear a building down, and all she could do was nod. She tried not to gnash her teeth and spoke with what amount of patience she has left, "Then, shall we go together then?"
His wife clears her throat, "My dear, the only woman you'll be with when we go there is me and the children." With that, the husband smiles, getting what he wanted, "Then, we shall go. The young lady here is simply asking for some assistance,"
"She looks old enough to be fine on her own, my love."
Amelia's ears perked up, and lets out a smile, eager to see the woman's reaction after what she'll be doing, "Ah, you misunderstood my intentions. I will be heading to Norfolk to pay my uncle a visit. He has been looking forward to meeting my betrothed, at least before he achieves eternal rest." The brunette turns around and spots Sebastian in the crowd, then she waves at him once. The demon walks to her, with an eyebrow raised while still holding Ery.
Amelia gets the cat from him as she explains, "This lovely couple will lead us there, Sebastian. They know what time the train arrives and can accompany us to the church." Sebastian simply nods, catching on with what his mate was planning because he knew, he saw, he watched her Cinematic Records until her human life was embedded into his memory.
The man offers a hand, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am Paul Linton." The two men shake hands after that, and his wife seems surprised by Sebastian. "Ah, this is my wife, Louise and our children: Alice, Blaire, and Charles." The wife curtsies lowly, trying to show off her chest, and the children were hiding behind their parents. Amelia smiles fondly at the three kids, before letting them pet the cat, so they can feel less terrified and shy of them. She stands straight to introduce herself, clinging onto her mate's arm, "I am Mia, and here is Sebastian. I am both grateful and sorry for troubling your family. And your children are beautiful,"
Meanwhile, Louise strikes a conversation, envy radiating off her in waves, "You two do not seem to have been affected by the fire; what luck!"
Sebastian replies for them, "Nonsense, miss. Our house was burned down that is why we shall be seeking shelter at Norfolk, with her uncle." Paul glares at his wife, having enough of her ill-mannered attitude towards the demons that took kindly to them. "That sounds terrible; well now, we still have to make sure to get in line because I am certain there will be lots who would want to stay there."
Sebastian was in charge of helping the human couple with carrying their luggage, while he watches Amelia playing with the children and held their hands. Mr. Linton led them all to the train station, and true to the man's word, there were many people and the line was slowly growing. About an hour later, some officers cut and close the line, stating that they will not be accepting any more passengers.
Soon, the Linton's and the demon pair found their way inside the train. The two and their pet sat across the family, the aisle between them, and they began talking in hushed tones.
"We could have just ran there,"
"I know. We could have easily located this train and be in a more comfortable seat. But think about it, this is the last time I'll ever remain as human as I could possibly be." The brunette looks outside, her eyes shifting briefly to the pinkish-purple ones. "I highly doubt I'd be able to contain the beast in me once I see Edmund and have him cornered." Sebastian looks at her, before brushing his free hand above hers and holds it.
During the train ride, Charles becomes unruly with his parents so he wobbles his way towards the brunette lady. Amelia picks him up with ease, yet remembers to exercise some care and control because one wrong move she does can destroy that fragile human.
"Yes, Charles? Would you like to see the view from here?" she grabs his small hand to wave at the animals they saw as the train passed by. She teaches the child which animals those were, and when a sheep was seen, Charles asks her if she can sing the nursery rhyme, "Little Bo-Peep". Amelia obliged, even tickling the young boy at the end of the song.
Ah, well, a child is a child, and after playing, he naps, leaning comfortably into Amelia's embrace. She caresses his soft, blond waves and smiles, humming the familiar tune of her long-gone music box.
"Looks like a tiny human has captured my beloved's heart. Am I in for some competition?"
Amelia leans on his shoulder idly, "I really am just fond of children; not that I've ever wished to have my own, although before, it did cross my mind." she notices the sudden stiffness of Sebastian at this statement. The brunette adjusts herself and pulls away, unsure of what his reason was and explains, "I am aware that they can be quite taxing to care for, but it seems refreshing to hear their laughter, where all they feel distressed about is their hunger, or a quarrel with a play-mate,"
The brunette smirks, "Also, children's souls are too 'clean' and bland for me to eat. If that day never happened to me and my Mother, where do you think would I be?" Sebastian brushes a gloved finger on Charles' cheek, thinking of an answer.
"I would have found you. And you would still be mine."
They look at each other intently, "In the same manner that you are mine as well." she replies back, and the male demon smirks. "So, if you had children, what do you suppose they would be like?"
She shrugs, "Probably have red curls, either cascading down their back or close to their head. Have a nice shade of green eyes, and I'd make sure they're healthy like this one here." Amelia pokes the tip of Charles' nose while Sebastian grips on the seat, reminded of his mate's ex-fiancè. "You really pictured that you would be a wife to that man and be a mother to his offspring?"
Amelia chuckles, "Why are you so jealous? Am I not with you now, and always?" She holds his face with her free hand and slides her thumb over his cheek. "Besides, I already have the idea that with this body, I cannot bear children. So how would I dream of a younger you, with pitch black curls, running about a garden of roses?"
"I used to think that you had a limitless imagination,"
"I used to think that you do not like the idea of children, let alone father them."
Sebastian sighs, shaking his head and giving up, because what she said held some truth in them. He caresses Ery's fur as Amelia resumes leaning on his shoulder while murmuring, "Now, relax, I must prepare myself for what's about to come."
The passengers were led to the church, by foot, and some people decided not to go through with it, opting for local inns. After a few minutes of just walking, the holy place was indeed under construction, yet it was already big and spacious, enough that each family occupied a place of their own. The Linton's went for the pews, and began getting comfortable.
Paul chuckles and pats his son's head lightly, who, was currently petting Ery. "He's taken quite a liking to you, m'lady. That's the first time he is not shying himself away from strangers,"
Suddenly, the doors of the church opened, and people began to make way for the approaching duke. His head held high, with a fake smile on his face. Behind him, a woman and child walks, also having an air of arrogance but puts on a mask of concern to hide their true intentions.
The Howard family greeted each and every person inside the church, reassuring their safety, and the food rations that would be scheduled for at least thrice a day, so long until London is spotless once more. He reached the Linton's and said his practiced speech again.
However, Edmund felt a shiver in his spine once he sees Amelia.
The duke stutters, "W-Welcome,"
"Your Grace, you don't know how thankful we are for your kindness, such worthy of good praise. However, may I ask that you listen to one request of mine, of this lowly commoner?" The brunette knows that he knows who she is, she's a spitting image of her father. Sebastian decides to let her do what she wills this time and would only assist Amelia when needed. From beside Edmund's wife's legs, his son runs up to him and says, "Papa! Papa! The pretty lady is asking you something." he ends this with a giggle.
Edmund snaps out of his trance, "Of course, it is no big deal."
"I need to see my uncle before he moves along to the next life, and clumsy me, I lost the address while in the train. Pardon me for being such a burden,"
Edmund swallows, adjusting his tie, "I'll have someone to escort you to my office tomorrow." He glances at the raven-haired man behind Amelia, "And who might he be? Will he need to come as well?"
"My beloved. It is fine if he does not, although I do want him to meet my uncle."
The duke smirks, "Very well then, you and your lover will be accompanied by my men tomorrow, in the late afternoon. I hope you... get there on time. I don't take nicely to tardiness."
At that, the duke's visit ends, and the people chatter about, either praising him or scrutinizing his actions; the real reason why he presented himself and his church. When night came, after the duke's servants or local volunteers cleaned up after giving the people dinner, the lights were turned off and everyone seemed to enjoy the tranquility. But then, the demon lady went out after hours of just staying still, and Sebastian was quick to follow her.
They arrive in a field high on a hill, and Amelia drops to the ground, clutching on the grass. "What seems to be the matter?"
"The nerve that bastard has! Once I get hold of his neck, oh! I could kill him, and kill him again, and see him in hell to suffer for ages." She lets out a sharp breath then looks at the view from the hill, to see the church from that distance. Amelia recollects herself and calms for a bit, "You know, my Father had that church built in honor of his wife. He loved my Mother, yes, so much so indeed; that is why I exist. But I cannot deny the love he has also shown to Lady Flora."
Amelia grips on whatever she can grab, "...But then, he has a child."
Sebastian raises a brow and knows where she was going on with this. "Mia, you have started on the path towards having your uncle pay you what he owes. Any hesitation from this point on would prove this whole trip fruitless."
"I know. It's... it's just that... he doesn't have anything to do with this. It's like I'm doing the same thing, from that day!" Tears form in her eyes but they stay there, and not roll off her face. The male demon sighs, surprised that her humanity still remains despite what she has turned into, what he has made her to be.
"Amelia Antoinette Avery Hetherington," he began, as he knelt beside her with a hand tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "This child is different, for he is the child of his wife. You, on the other hand, are not. Will he suffer? Yes. But will he have anyone to help him? Perhaps, so. He was born with a silver spoon that his father stole from yours, and you are here to take it back."
The brunette stares at him, and Sebastian could see the hints of her human irises slowly fading. He leaves a peck on her forehead, and she tells him to sit beside her. "I understand now; unlike them, I would, at all costs, take responsibility for my actions." Sebastian raises a brow at that, curious to see just what she was planning. After her short release of frustration, they remain there in silence, with her eyes reflecting the stars in the sky as she watches them in wonder and awe.
When dawn breaks, Amelia stands up, looking at the sun and the pastel colored skies. "You know, I've never seen the stars twinkle so brightly, and I've never seen such a beautiful sunrise."
Sebastian simply holds her hand, looking down on her, his dark being casting a shadow on her form. For the first time in his whole life, he was able to appreciate at least one of the many mornings he's already witnessed.
"Yes, how truly beautiful indeed."
A/N: In case you guys are curious, the 15th Duke of Norfolk's first wife really is named Lady Flora, who really died of Bright's Disease, and there really is a church that still stands to this day to commemorate their marriage. You can look it up on Google, if you'd like. I just adapted some of their life story so yeah. Was Sebastian too cheesy in this chapter? Maybe.
