Author's Note: There is still Edwin's little chapter but, I'm going to mark this completed. Because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to do so. And, yes, I know that most of their more serious problems haven't been addressed yet. That's what the sequel is for.
You have no idea how hard it was to write this. I have found that I suck at writing a sex scene, but I did try. Also, I've already been reported for this chapter the first time around and no one in admin ever said anything, so it must fall within guidelines.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters. I only claim Serena and Asta, as well as the demons and descendants that I introduce.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Fifty
"Sebastian?" Serena dropped her graduation gown and cap as she stared at the demon in the living room.
He moved slowly, taking his time uncrossing his legs and standing from his chair. She was caught again by the predator's grace as he walked toward her. His shoes made no sound on the glossy floor before he stopped in front of her, barely a foot away, leaving the last few inches for her to bridge.
The red head didn't know what to say. Those last few inches were filled with months of waiting, dreams, rules for behavior...and the learning of their consequences if broken. It was too far for her to move.
"Your contract is finished?" She shifted in her heels and grabbed a piece of her hair for something to do, something to keep her hands busy so she didn't reach for him. She couldn't, just not yet.
"It was finished shortly after your Fall Festival."
"What?" Serena stared at him while anger built behind the shock of seeing him again. "So, what? You've just been hanging out for the last few months?"
"Serena..." he reached out a hand to placate her.
"No!" She smacked it away and moved to put the island between them for more space to think, more space to vent. "I've been waiting since last summer for you, doubting that you were going to come at all. I've been harassed by Lucien, who hates me now by the way. Mostly because I had too much time on my hands, waiting for you to acknowledge my existence again. I've had my entire wardrobe overhauled by Corrine and her curling iron of doom. Thanks, by the way, for trading Edwin for her. I hope you realize that you got the short end of that particular deal."
"I am aware of it."
"Good for you." She grabbed the bowl on the counter, that normally held fruit in it's blue glass confines, and threw it at him. Sebastian ducked the bowl easily, letting it shatter someplace in the darkness behind him. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Interesting way to phrase it. I've been in my own personal hell."
"Oh, don't give me that bullshit."
"I've been waiting for you, like I have for over a hundred years."
That made her stop for a moment, made her remember that he had been waiting far longer than she ever could.
"Why?"
Sebastian waved to her outfit. "We once argued that your graduation was important to you when I said that it didn't matter anymore."
"You've been waiting for me to graduate?"
"I thought that was what you wanted. Do you think that I have enjoyed these last months? I've waited for over a century, I've watched your family for generations, waiting for you to be born. I was one of the first people that held you after your birth. And then I waited for you to grow up, each year harder to keep my distance than the last." He came closer and Serena didn't move away. "I waited while you tried dating, I waited while you were accepted into college. I watched as a plane carried you off to Tokyo and, in time, to our first meeting and, eventually your death. I saw that you were coming back before I was ready and tried to keep you busy for those last few weeks before your next semester started and you would be busy again. I had planned to keep you busy myself, not to be there in person, of course, but to watch and direct. I couldn't be close anymore and still give you this day. Instead, I was tied here and left to hear about it after the fact. After everything was done, after my interference would change nothing." His hands found the island behind her, leaning down to make her look at him, trapping her between himself and the butcher block. "I waited after my contract was finished for you to graduate. Something that was important enough for you to scream at me in the past. I waited, out in those damn trees, for you."
Serena felt the guilt, just like he wanted, as she looked into his swirling crimson eyes, inhaling the sweet, spiced vanilla scent of his skin with every breath. Her hand shot out to hit him.
"You're still a jackass." Her voice broke as she leaned forward to put her head on his chest.
Sebastian put a hand on her head, stroking down her hair before coming back to the crown again. "I know. It was while I watched you grow up that I figured out how important it was to you to graduate. To prove you could. I didn't want to be the reason why you didn't."
He laid a kiss on the top of her head, pushing her hair back to touch his lips to her cheek. Serena kept most of her face buried in his chest as his black-tipped nails skimmed her jaw.
"A hundred years and my mate won't even look at me?" He slid a finger under her chin.
Serena finally looked up at him again and he smiled. Sliding his fingers through her hair, he cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead. He followed the line of her nose to leave a kiss on the tip, following down to her lips. He stopped just before touching again, leaving the last millimeters for her.
Sebastian smiled against her mouth when she moved to meet him, feeling her fingers curl into his shirt. He licked her bottom lip, encouraging her to let him in and felt her shiver against him. His fingers trailed down her arms, leaving little bursts of electricity in their wake as he left skin to tangle in the fabric over her hips.
Serena gasped as he pulled her tighter against him, letting him slide his tongue against hers. She moaned at the same sweet taste she remembered. Her fingers used the fabric of his shirt to try to pull herself closer.
Serena pulled away to breathe and Sebastian attacked her neck, his hands drifting down to her thighs. He lifted her to the counter top as she pulled at the collar of his shirt, trying to touch more skin.
"I thought you didn't like me to sit on the counter," she forced out between gasps.
He smirked against her skin. "It's good under the right set of circumstances."
She smoothed her palms over his shoulders, feeling the heat of his body under the soft silk. Sebastian growled before sliding the shirt off, letting it drop to the floor and giving Serena the access that she wanted. He felt her smile when she could feel his skin, when her nails could leave faint trails in his flesh.
"I dreamed about this."
"I know." He smirked as he used her hair to pull her head back. "I sent you enough of them."
"You..."
Sebastian silenced her with another kiss. Running his hand down her back, Serena felt the buttons of her dress let go and the fabric loosen around her. The red head pulled away and held the dress to her chest.
Sebastian put his hands on the counter with a sigh, leaning into her but not touching.
"Sorry." She looked at the cabinet behind him. "I just ruined it, didn't I?"
"Do you still want me?"
Serena rolled her eyes. "Even someone who was dead would still want you."
The demon smirked and leaned back into her. "Then relax. I'm all yours."
He put a hand over hers, threading his fingers through hers to pull her hand away from her chest. After a few heartbeats, Serena let go and let him slide the dress over her head. Sebastian threw the cloth away.
"Want to make sure that I can't get back into it?"
"The thought never crossed my mind," he smirked as he looked at the lace underclothes that Corrine had forced her into. "I don't know why you're so nervous. I figured that would be one thing you wouldn't be nervous about considering..."
"Don't be a jackass." She pointed a finger at him. "I'll find that dress faster than you can blink and we can spend the rest of the night talking."
Sebastian put his hands up in surrender. He looked down and stepped away from the counter.
"Do not tell me that you actually do want to talk."
"No. If you recall, I was offering this a long time ago." He took another step back. "There's something else."
Serena crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look comfortable in just her bra and panties on the kitchen island.
"What?"
He held up a hand, asking her to be quiet. The darkness closed in around them, shrouding just him as if he were a beacon for it. She saw his skin start to glow a little, catching the moonlight from the windows for himself. Serena gasped as black wings stretched up behind him before stretching out to encompass the length of the kitchen. Black linen changed to leather and dress shoes changed to heeled boots that came over his knees and ended in a wicked spike. His hair grew longer as did the fangs in his mouth. The hand he held out to her had longer nails, curved to resemble claws.
"You have to see me like this, to accept me like this. You have to accept the truth of what I am."
Serena stared at the creature in front of her and didn't even try to mask the fear she felt. She was drawn back to the swirling crimson that she recognized and let herself drop from the counter. The red head stumbled a little as she walked forward, drawn to the gaze she remembered. She stopped in front of him, waiting for him to touch her but he wouldn't. She had to make this choice on her own. He had already started the seduction but the choice was all hers in the end. She could still walk away and leave this behind.
Serena stared at the hand for a moment before lifting her own shaking fingers to lay into his. Sebastian's hand closed over hers, pulling her into his body and wrapping his wings around her. She touched the feathers closest to her and he growled in approval. They were just as soft as she remembered when they touched her cold skin that night in the past.
The red head gasped when she was lifted, the world around her nothing but the endless black of his wings and the pale wall of his flesh that held her. When the cocoon of feathers around her opened again Serena recognized her bedroom bathed in moonlight. Nothing was moved, but it wasn't how she left it.
The comforter and sheets had been rolled back, folded down to the end of the bed. The drapes had been left wide open, when she only ever left a small crack. Everything had been straightened and picked up. The floor gleamed in the moon without a trace of dust. She wondered for a brief moment, if she opened the closet, would all her clothes be hung equidistant from each other?
Her giggle was cut off by the smirk on the demon's face and feeling of falling as he let her go. Serena bounced on the mattress, her hair falling over her face. When she pushed it back so she could see, Sebastian had put a knee on the bed. A naked knee.
Serena looked away with a raging blush that had taken over her entire body.
Sebastian chuckled. "I wonder if you really tried to participate that night with Brandon. Did you just lay back and think of Queen and country and all that?"
The red head tried to glare at him but looked away. She pushed herself up against the headboard for space.
"Don't be a jackass," she reminded him.
Sebastian wrapped his fingers around her ankle. "It just makes this so much more fun."
He pulled her leg toward him and laid a kiss on the top of her foot. He pulled her shoe off, first one and then the other, and tossed them behind him with a smirk. His claws moved up her leg, tickling her skin as he went. He stopped again at her knee, letting his mouth linger there before continuing to her hip.
The backs of his fingers brushed across her panties, letting her feel the heat of his fingers through the lace. Serena swallowed when he hooked his fingers into the scraps of lace at her hips and pulled down. She watched him for a moment, him staring at her as he waited. With a sigh, she lifted her hips and let him slide the fabric down her legs to disappear with her shoes.
Serena breath caught when he laid another kiss at the juncture of her thighs.
"Later."
His mouth moved higher, pausing to dip his tongue into her navel. Serena gasped as he pulled her further down the bed with one jerk.
Sebastian smiled as he leaned over her. "There you are. I believe that I have been taking horrible advantage of you."
"I didn't mind much." She smiled but it was still unsure, her voice cracking a little.
"So, nervous. Just like a virgin." A single claw slid along the skin between her breast before jerking back down, slicing through the delicate fabric of her bra. "But, without the need to be so gentle."
Serena brought her arms up to cover herself but Sebastian grabbed her wrists and forced her arms down to her sides.
"I remember these." He laid a kiss on the top of one breast and then the other. "You teased me once with your naked body."
"I remember. Would you just stop looking at me? How would you like it if I just stared at you?" She took one look at his smiling face and knew that was the wrong argument.
"My mate, I would enjoy that immensely. My body is yours to do with as you wish. You may stare at me for hours, for days, years..."
"Enough." Serena laughed as she put a hand over his mouth to stop him. "I think your ego's big enough."
His tongue slid over her palm and the red head gasped. He watched her knowingly as her hand loosened and he slid his lips to her wrist. His lips followed the limb to her elbow as he slid down next to her on the bed. His wing stretched up and over her, cutting her vision of anything but him. She swallowed hard and laid a hand on his smooth chest.
He waited, encouraging her to explore him more and rewarded her with a purr as she followed the line of his body to his stomach.
Serena was surprised by the muscles under his skin. In his butler's uniform he had seemed so thin. He still was but without the clothes, his body was revealed as lean. He was a little more solid then she remembered and she thought back to a single passage that stated Sebastian had been starving for the end of his contract.
She stopped, her eyes darting up and back to his body. Sebastian put a hand over hers and took it from his skin to kiss her fingers.
"Don't worry, Serena. We have plenty of time."
"But, I want to..." She waved between them. "You know."
"Then touch me." Sebastian pulled her hand up to his shoulder and let it go there.
"Sorry. I guess I'm not the most exciting lover."
He stroked the soft skin of her stomach with a smile. "I've never been more excited. I've been thinking about this for over a hundred years."
Sebastian leaned down and kissed her again. Serena slid her hand into his silky hair, running her nails along his scalp and smiled at his shiver. He let go of her lips and nipped the soft skin of her throat. Serena's sighed followed her neck to her chest.
His head lifted to watch her. Feeling her body move with his rhythm, her head back and his name gasped from her mouth. He kept his fingers moving as he shifted, careful not to move the mattress beneath him as he moved her thighs further apart. Serena didn't notice as he knelt between her legs, keeping his hand on the thigh he held. He slid his fingers away. Her eyes opened to his kiss as something bigger than his fingers nudged at her.
"Shh," he smiled as his hand slid down her thigh. The demon sighed as he felt her around him. "Mine."
He waited a moment, let her grow accustomed to his place in her body. Her nails dug into his arm as he pulled his hips back.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't leave."
She heard him laugh, hearing the triumph in his voice as he moved.
"Move with me."
Serena knew she was clumsy at first, not knowing the rhythm. Her hips found it on their own, matching his movements finding the pleasure he offered again. Sebastian lifted the hip he still held, changing the angle of his strokes and watched as her head fell back again.
Her eyes opened when she heard his voice, too soft to hear what he said. She saw something around her wrist, glowing brighter with every word from his mouth and every stroke of his hips. The other wrist was the same, the same bright glow around both of they're hands. She looked up and saw his lips moving, still not understanding the strange language. Around his neck was a glowing chain and around her own she felt a weight.
Sebastian opened his eyes as he finished the binding. He felt her body tighten around him, her cries getting louder and he sped his hips, pushing her higher, harder.
Speaking the last word, he heard her scream as the chains sunk into their bodies, binding them together. He watched as her eyes closed and her body fell limp around him.
He watched the change taking place as her skin brightened, smoothing to perfection. He touched her hair and felt the softer waves. A scar from a childhood accident, just in her hairline, faded and disappeared.
"My mate."
******************A Demon's Mate*************
Serena stretched, feeling deliciously sore in certain places but physically better than she had ever felt in her life. Emotionally, not so much. The sheets slid easily against her naked skin as she reached across the bed looking for her new mate. Cool sheets were all she found and a stab of panic went through her chest. She sat up quickly, seeing a lone black feather laid next to her to prove she hadn't dreamed last night. Her panic faded as she stroked the feather's silky edge.
The red head looked around the empty room, taking in the sunlight from the windows. The bedroom door was open and through it she could hear someone moving around the kitchen. Sebastian's shirt was laying across the end of the bed and Serena slid it on before walking out of the room.
Her demon was moving easily around the kitchen and something that smelled amazing was cooking on the stove as he sliced fruit on the counter top. Sebastian looked up as she came into the room, answering her smile with one of his own.
"Good morning, my mate." He held out a hand that she took easily and used to slide against him.
"Morning." Serena laid her head on his chest and breathed in the scent of his skin as she listened to the beat of his heart. "This is better."
"Better?"
She nodded against his chest. "I panicked a little when you weren't in the bed."
"Ah, I apologize." Sebastian ran a hand down the length of her long hair. "From what I understand that will fade over time."
"So, I have to keep you in sight at all times?"
"It's an excellent incentive to stay close to me."
"Like you need that." Serena rolled her eyes.
Sebastian tugged on the bottom of the shirt. "I like this better than you're normal attire. It is more modest than most of what makes up your wardrobe."
"Your age is showing." She laughed. "So, what was so important that I had to wake up alone?"
"I was going to wake you with breakfast."
"I have a better idea."
"What's that?"
She hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants, tugging lightly. "Why don't you grab the fruit and come back to bed?"
He smirked as he shut the burner off. "I like that idea."
"It's brilliant, I know."
"And you didn't want to rush into sex."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm only saying that we could have been doing this in the past too."
Serena sighed and tugged a little harder. "Less gloating, more stripping."
A scratch on the front door interrupting their trip to the bedroom. Serena noticed his glare as Sebastian growled at the door and the scratching stopped.
"Who is it?"
He wasn't happy when he looked down at her. "I believe that your cat would like to see you."
"So, I finally get to meet the little perv?"
Sebastian waved a hand to the front door. "Come."
Serena turned, crossing her arms over her chest and waited. The man that came through the door was almost the same height as Sebastian with hair so black, it shone blue when the light hit it. His delicate aristocratic features had sharpened with a little bit of age, tilted just a bit to make them masculine. The way he moved, the way he carried himself made the jeans and shirt he wore look elegant and she recognized that most of all.
"Ciel?" Serena stepped around Sebastian in disbelief.
Ciel came forward with a smile and slid his hand along her jaw to hold her head still as he lowered his head to hers. It was nothing like last time. There was no trace of the gentle and unsure kiss now. His lips were firm and warm, the tongue invading her mouth was confident as he enticed her to play with him. She moaned as her fingers dug into his shirt.
A growl exploded through the room and Ciel ripped away from her. He laughed, a sound she had never heard from him, and danced behind her before Sebastian could tear his throat out.
"Whoa." Serena put up a hand to tell Sebastian to stop, the other went to her mouth. "Damn."
"Thank you." Ciel purred as he slid his arms around her stomach. He laid his head on her shoulder as he looked at her mate. "You said we could share."
"What?" The red head's mouth dropped at the idea that Sebastian thought he could decide who she was going to sleep with.
"You never give me the reaction I expect." Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought this was what you wanted. You said you loved both of us."
Serena put her hands up for both of them to stop. "How did this even happen?"
****************A Demon's Mate*************
The demon reached forward and closed the eyes of his once master. Standing easily, he watched flames edge closer to the corpse and felt a strange urge to save it. Why? Ciel Phantomhive may have been one of the more interesting humans he had ever met, but the Earl was still human. They died and the shell rotted. There was nothing to save. He turned his back on his attachment, letting one of his feathers swirl in the heat-produced wind to land on the body as he walked away. A final farewell.
The demon still hesitated at the front doors for a brief second before striding out the opening made by the shattered pieces of heavy wood.
He was waiting on the other side of the drive. The demon held his head up as he walked down the stairs and stopped on the last. The old gentleman leaned on his walking stick, a smile on his face as he stared at the demon.
"I didn't think you made your own pick-ups."
"If you remember, I did make one myself."
The demon growled and jerked forward. He raised a hand and the demon found himself unable to move.
"I can't believe that you're leaving so soon. Didn't you make a promise to your mate?"
"And I kept it." The Elder growled. "Ciel Phantomhive is dead."
He smiled and shifted his weight on the cane. "It seems Serena learned something while she was here. You should think about the wording of the vow she asked of you."
'Promise you'll always watch over Ciel.'
From behind him, the demon heard a heart begin to beat once more, heard the scramble as a body tried to stand on unsteady legs and the shuffle of weak footsteps.
The Elder remembered being the same way when he woke as a demon.
Turning, he watched the body of Ciel Phantomhive appear out of the flames and grab onto the door frame to try and step out into the night. Ciel took another step as his hand crushed the stone of the frame and his legs went out from under him. The Elder hurried forward and caught him. When Ciel looked up, he saw the swirling crimson eyes of a demon staring at him.
'Promise you'll always watch over Ciel.'
The Elder sighed and picked up his newest demon. When he turned back the old man was gone, the night around them still and quiet except for the raging inferno.
*****************A Demon's Mate**************
"Aren't you glad I said always and not until you died?" Serena smiled as her mate finished the story.
They had moved into the living room while the demons related the tale, Ciel still sitting beside her while Sebastian leaned against the chair Corrine normally occupied.
"Why?" Ciel looked confused.
Serena scoffed. "He would have dropped you at the first opportunity."
Ciel looked at Sebastian as the Elder smiled at him.
"Hey, I wasn't that bad. I was interesting." He smirked. "I'm even more interesting now."
Serena's jaw dropped as she looked between them. "You two... I told them that there was something going on between you."
"Not until after I became a demon." Ciel looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Just think, now it's us three."
"Great, I'm not even used to having one."
"Oh, come on. That blush is excitement."
"It is not!"
"And now you're thinking of the possibilities."
"I am not." Serena got up and went for the nearest door. She went out onto the deck, Ciel right behind her.
"Tell me what you're thinking about then."
Sebastian watched them go, shaking his head. "I should have sent him back with Corrine and Lucien."
Ciel took the couch opposite Serena. He knew his appearance was a shock to her and that she probably needed time to digest it.
'But, I really thought that I and the others had given her enough clues.'
"I can't believe that you were my cat. I also can't believe that you totally molested me."
He shrugged. "Be honored, I don't molest just anyone."
Serena rolled her eyes.
"I was trying to figure out what the big deal was."
"The big deal?"
"About you. I don't understand what makes him so obsessed with you." Ciel stared at her still not understanding and obvious about it.
"From what I understand, I'm not your mate. So, you wouldn't understand."
"I think that's a load of crap."
"You don't believe in love?"
He gave her a look and Serena took that as a no.
"So, Lizzy got you in the sack, had to marry your successor, and gave birth to your child, keeping your family line in power and you're saying that you didn't feel anything for her?"
"She's the one that kept pushing it." He leaned back into the cushion, stretching his arm across the back. "Lizzy didn't think that I was excited enough for the wedding."
Serena started to get angry, ready to rip his face off and stomp on it. But, something in his eyes made her stop. No matter how cold and hurtful the words that came out of his mouth, his eyes said something else. She caught a flash of his own pain in the stiffness of his shoulders, the loss of a smile on his face, the way his chin tilted up that reminded her of the time Earl Grey dismissed his ability as the Guard Dog and she decided to change the subject. She had her answer.
"How did this happen?" Serena waved to him.
It took a moment for Ciel to catch up with her, to pull out his own memories and his smile returned. "I told you, I died. And then I woke up again."
"No. I mean, what did you do to become a demon?"
"I'm not entirely certain." Blue eyes closed as he thought about her question. "It may have been when I said that I wanted nothing to do with God and that I hoped to spend eternity as far away from Him as possible. Hard to get farther than Hell."
"Hell." Serena sighed as she looked at the trees.
"You'll love it."
"I will?"
"The Elder and I will be there."
The red head raised an eyebrow. "You think that's enough?"
"What more could you want?" Ciel sighed at her outraged look. "It's just the fear of the unknown. Do we need to have one of our little talks again?"
Serena laughed at the reminder of old times. She smiled as she stood and opened her arms. "I missed you."
"I've been with you for months. Remember." He came to her easily, shocking the red head. "I'm a lot better at the physical now."
"I'm glad." Her eyes popped open as she felt his hand slip lower to her ass. Serena shoved away from him while he laughed. "Damn it! Are you always going to be trying to cop a feel now?"
"I haven't got my turn yet."
"Oh, hell."
Sebastian listened to the two of them from the living room. Ciel was a handful, had been since he had become comfortable with his demon status. The Elder knew that he hadn't given Ciel the time and training that he needed since he had been chasing Serena. He had given the new demon the basics and come running back to America. It didn't help that he found his former master an enjoyable companion as he was.
Once Ciel had figured out that he could compact his size into that of a feline, the young demon had used the form whenever he would have been in trouble.
With Serena in his home, he would need to address Ciel's discipline once and for all. Not something to look forward to. He was half-wild by now and would need even more work than if they had started as they should have. His overload of power would have to be addressed as well. His mate had done better than he had in that respect. Perhaps bringing her in on the Ciel problem would be beneficial to all of them.
The door opened and the two of them came back in looking happy with their situation. Sebastian stood as Serena came to him and wrapped herself around him with a smile. Ciel leaned against the door, watching them.
"I think someone needs a shower." Ciel stared at her and the red head blushed. "I could help you with that."
The Elder growled and Ciel put his hands up in surrender. The smile on his face didn't help convince them of his sincerity.
"You already had your shower time, remember?" The Elder growled at him.
Ciel smiled brighter. "Oh, right."
"How about I just take a shower alone." Serena stepped away from both of them and stopped Sebastian from following her. "Sorry, you missed your shot earlier."
Ciel tried to slide away but Sebastian caught him with a growl. The demon turned back into his little cat form and rubbed against Sebastian's leg with a purr.
The Elder sighed. "You won't always be able to get out of trouble that way.
"You two play nice." Serena's voice came out of her bedroom as the water in the shower came on.
Serena turned her face to the sun with a smile. Sebastian was deep into preparations for their departure and Ciel was keeping her company on the dock. She was trying to ignore the depression of leaving her little house, her world, her life. The small nut of panic at not having Sebastian next to her was alive and well in the pit of her stomach but was slightly lessened by the younger demon's presence.
Ciel had his eyes closed, small smile playing on his lips as the little breeze coming off the lake ruffled his hair. Serena turned back to study the demon that was holding her legs in his lap, his fingers lightly stroking her knee below the hem of the short, white sundress that she had found on her bed when she came out of the shower.
"What?" He didn't bother to open his eyes when he felt her watching him.
"Sorry," Serena blushed. "It's just, I've never seen you like this."
"Like what?"
"Peaceful."
Ciel's smile deepened. "I don't think I ever was peaceful. There was always anger in me, impatience, just beneath the surface. I don't think I was ever happy until I died. Even then it took a little while for it to kick in."
"So, you're happy with the way things ended?"
He opened his eyes again to look out over the water. "Yes."
"I was supposed to make Sebastian break your contract."
"In a way, you did."
"But, it was supposed to free you to be born again."
"Ah yes. That preceded my conversation with the most interesting priest." Ciel looked back at her, letting the demon's eyes to appear. "I lost my temper and my true feelings came out. That was the most horrifying ending I could think of for myself."
Serena looked down to her hands that were clasped tightly in her lap. "I wondered if you looked forward to your soul being eaten."
"I did. I don't know if that was my first life or my millionth, but I never wanted to do it again. There was a peace expected in the eating of my soul, in knowing that was the end." He stopped a moment to search the area around them. "And I can admit now that I was fine staying with Sebastian forever. It was a strange balance to me whenever I thought about it. Sebastian had taken care of me, protected me, fed me, granted me power for years. When he ate my soul, I would do the same for him. Our little arrangement was destroyed by your death. Exactly as expected."
"I can't say that I'm sorry."
"It's alright. If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't be this." Ciel waved his hands to encompass himself. "I think that I am more useful like this. It's more enjoyable for me as well."
"It's more than that. It's..."
Ciel smiled warmly as he finished her thought. "Freedom."
**************A Demon's Mate**************
"Alright, Alex." Serena swallowed around the lump in her throat. "I'll talk to you later."
Sebastian watched as she pressed the end button and hesitantly set the phone on the counter. Her expression was blank as she waited for the screen to go dark.
"I guess, that's it."
"Ciel is making sure that your package will be delivered after our departure." Sebastian leaned against the island, almost vibrating with impatience. "Is there anyone else that you want to call?"
The red head thought of her family first and remembered the empty seats at her graduation, the empty house at Christmas.
Serena shook her head. He held out a hand to help her from her seat and she remembered the previous night with a blush. Sebastian read her thoughts and smirked.
He took her hand and jerked her forward so she fell against him off balance. "We could take a little time."
"No." She still blushed as his naked fingers curled around hers. "But, what about my studio?"
"I've set up a space for you in our home."
Serena turned back to the bedroom. "My clothes. What about all the jewelry?"
"I have already taken inventory of your clothing and know your tastes and preferences." The Elder made her look at him. "Serena, I can recreate anything that you want from this plane. You cannot take anything with you."
"I know. You've said it enough."
Sebastian lifted her hand and laid a kiss on her knuckles. His eyes stared at her while holding her fingers against his lips. The red head sighed and nodded.
"I'm stalling."
"Yes, I am aware."
She took a last look around the little house and felt like crying. Shaking her head, Serena looked back to her demon.
"I'm ready."
Sebastian led the way out of the house. Behind her, Serena heard a loud noise and turned back.
"I've only shut down the electricity and gas. That way, nothing will happen until another uses the house."
"Right."
Ciel waited at the head of a trail leading into the woods. The demon was leaning against a tree but straightened as soon as he saw them. He tucked something into his pocket before Serena could see what it was and smiled at the two of them. He slid over to Serena's other side and brushed his hand against hers as he walked next to her. Serena threaded her fingers through his and noticed the small smirk as Sebastian sighed from her other side.
She didn't see Ciel drop whatever was in his pocket on the trail as they walked away.
******************A Demon's Mate****************
Major Walton took a good look at the house that matched the address on the invitation they had received. It was a decent looking home for his daughter and he wondered who had paid for it. Shutting off his car, he took a deep breath before opening his door.
He knew Serena was going to be upset and he didn't blame her. College graduation was normally a one-time event and she had been alone. He didn't look forward to telling her why. His mother had always had a close bond with his daughter and telling Serena of her grandmother's death was not a scene he wanted to witness, nor did he look forward to telling her that she missed the older woman's funeral. Unfortunately, her mother was in no shape to tell her and it fell to him.
Walking up the wood steps, he bounced a little on the stained and sealed boards, checking the strength of the wood. He knocked and took another look around as he waited. Climbing roses were curling around the outer pillars in shades of red and pink. The bushes in front were neatly clipped and no weeds were growing in the mulch. Everything seemed to be well kept up but no one had come to the door.
He knocked again and listened for anyone moving around. No sound came from inside the house. On a whim, Samuel tried the doorknob. The door opened without a sound.
"Serena?" He called as he stepped carefully into the small house. "Is anyone home?"
There was still no sign of a living being.
Samuel looked around the house his daughter lived in. Everything was bright and in order and he wondered who's house it was again. Serena was never this neat. Turning back to the kitchen, he saw a phone laying on the island. He touched the home button and the screen lit up, showing half battery life.
Serena couldn't have been gone very long. She never went anywhere without her phone.
He checked the other rooms, making sure no one was there and making note of the house's perfection. Walking into the little studio, he admitted that the house seemed built for an artist and his suspicion grew. How did his daughter just happen to luck into such a perfect house by the lake and how did she afford it?
Samuel saw the doors leading onto the deck and went outside. The cushions for the couch were missing but otherwise, the outside was just as kept up as the inside and front porch. He looked over the side and saw a path leading down to the lake. It was a nice day and he wondered if she was down there. Serena had always loved their summer vacations to the lake.
As he walked through the woods, Samuel remembered those vacations to this same lake. It had worked out well, his family got away from town but he was still close to the base. Serena had always run to the lake first and jumped in, clothes and everything. And his son was right behind her as soon as he learned to swim. Their mother had made a fuss each time, but he knew she found it as funny as he did. The bonfire had been another favorite. Their last night, he had always made a huge fire by the lake shore and Serena and her brother were allowed stay up as late as they wanted.
All that had changed when she told them that she wanted to go to an arts college.
When he cleared the trees, he wondered why that was such a bad thing to him. Serena had her stuff together. She always knew what she was doing, which classes she needed to take, where she was going next. Why couldn't he have been content with that?
'Because I'm her father and she should have listened to me. I need to know that she can take care of herself. Serena would never be one to depend on someone else to take care of everything. She'd never be happy as a trophy wife and I wouldn't be to see her like that. She's too smart, too driven.'
The dock was empty. The boards were steady under his feet as he walked to the end of the dock and looked out over the water. He recognized the shore across the lake and the rental cabins that were hidden in the woods. But, the water itself was still.
There was no one here.
Shaking his head, he decided to go back to the house to wait.
******************A Demon's Mate*******************
Serena opened her eyes as Sebastian set her down in a field. A rainbow of colors bloomed around them and the high grass was soft against her legs. A warm wind moved low across the ground bringing fog from beyond the cliff up over the edge.
Ciel stood next to the edge, framed by the fog. As Serena stepped forward, the perfume of the flowers she disturbed rose up to meet her.
"It's so beautiful."
"Not what you expected?" Ciel smirked at her unfinished thought.
"Well, you know on TV they were talking about all these sites that are supposed to be the gateway to Hell. I expected more..." Serena waved her hand around.
"Humans always look for something dramatic, something evil looking." Sebastian slid an arm around her waist, his thumb rubbing her hip. "I don't know if a human has ever really set foot here. There's a barrier around this cliff that warns them away."
"What, like a sign? Entrance to Hell, trespassers will be shot?"
"No, it's a feeling of foreboding, fear that makes them turn back before they reach this area. Even planes flying overhead take a longer route rather than fly over the cliffs."
"That's nice. Don't want anyone stumbling over that by accident."
Sebastian led her to the cliff's edge and she tried not to dig her heels into the ground. He stopped just before the edge and his arm fell away. The Elder joined his demon at the edge, facing her. Ciel nodded.
"See you at the bottom." The younger demon gave her a smile and a wave before jumping back and disappearing into the fog.
Serena rushed forward but couldn't see anything.
"He's fine." Sebastian drew her attention back to him. "This is the last step, Serena. After this, you cannot go back. And, that is why you must make this decision on your own. I cannot influence your choice or give you any other."
Serena felt dread start in her stomach. "What does that mean?"
Sebastian walked to her and leaned down to pull the red head into a kiss. Serena moaned as she remembered where kisses led. In her mind, she could see everything from their first meeting to now. When he pulled away, Sebastian was once more in his full demon form. His wings curled around them and blocked out the rest of the world as he looked at her. His fingers brushed her cheek, stroked through her hair and took her hand once more. He laid a kiss in her palm and held it against his face for a moment. His eyes closed as he took in the scent of her skin, letting it replace the smell of death he remembered from the past. When his eyes opened again, he let go and his wings opened around her.
Serena felt the cold breeze of the night and shivered as Sebastian walked away. At the edge of the cliff, he looked back to her.
"You must jump on your own."
The girl rushed forward but his wings moved and the wind made her close her eyes and lift her arms to cover her face. When she looked up again, Sebastian was gone.
Serena looked over the edge and the fog that concealed the end of the drop. Vertigo took over and she threw herself away from the cliff.
"Oh, God!"
"Yes?"
The red head jumped and looked behind her to see the same old man with a small smile on his ageless face.
"You called?"
"Well, I didn't think you were going to actually answer." Serena stood and brushed herself off. "And scare the crap out of me while you were at it."
"You weren't paying attention to your surroundings. How is that my fault?"
Serena glared and looked back at the cliff's edge.
"Why do I have to jump?" She looked back to the man with a whine. "Is this some kind of 'fall from grace' test?"
He shrugged. "If you choose to see it that way. It's always about choices. What do you choose, Serena? This is your last chance to turn back. You can go back to your life, the career you wanted, your human family. Or, you can follow your demon, to what humans have named Hell."
The red head rubbed a hand over her face and groaned. "Why does it have to be heights?"
"I suppose that I could help you a little."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena turned around.
He put a finger in the middle of her chest. With a smile on His face, the finger pushed until she was off balance and fell backward. The cliff edge appeared behind her and she kept falling. He was smiling as the fog swallowed her whole and her scream echoed up from the depths.
******************A Demon's Mate******************
Three days after Serena's graduation, Undertaker looked around the smoke-filled pub and located Ronald's blonde head heading for a table in the back. The reaper had finally left his little shop to meet with the others. He moved easily through the crowd, taking note of the appreciative looks sent his way from the women and the some of the men.
'One thing I miss from having the scars.'
Spears looked up from his beer and nodded to the elder reaper as he took the seat across from him. Ronald smiled as Grell came through the crowd and waved the red head over.
"So, how was Serena's graduation?" Will leaned back in his seat and took a sip from his beer.
"Perfectly normal as I understand them to be."
"I take it that demon wasn't there?"
"I wouldn't say that exactly." Undertaker looked away and noticed the story currently on the news channel over the bar.
The others noticed his attention stray and focused on the TV as well. Undertaker walked to the bartender and told the man to turn the sound up.
"American authorities have asked for assistance in the location of a missing person. Last summer, Serena Walton stayed in London for several weeks and appeared to have contacts in the area. Authorities have asked that anyone that has information on her whereabouts..."
"There's your answer." Undertaker looked at the others and shook his head. "I have to go."
Ronald reached out to stop him but Grell grabbed his arm. When the younger looked back at him, the red reaper shook his head. Will left the table and went up to the bar. When he came back, the manager had a bottle of champagne and three glasses.
When he popped the cork, Ronald caught it and looked at the small piece before putting it in his pocket. Will handed each of them a glass and raised his own.
"To destiny, finally realized."
"Only took a hundred years." Ronald scoffed and drained his glass.
They sat at the table in the back and finished the bottle, enjoying their own little mourning celebration.
Aelius walked through the door of his shop, fighting the urge to smash everything around him. Nothing had changed in the room in which he stood but the world felt tilted to him, grayed from it's normal colors. He rushed through the shop area and the work room to slam the door to the living space of his little building.
The urge hadn't ceased and he ripped the hook he normally used for his coat from the wall. Throwing it across the room, his favorite chair was next in his path and flew with a much more satisfying crash at the end of it's flight. His arm lashed out at the next object but stopped at the last moment.
His table of portraits, the only other possession left in the room that he hadn't destroyed, sat innocently in front of him. Dozens of eyes stared up at him from people he had loved, respected, sometimes confided in over his years of life. He let a finger trace where his scars used to be.
'Did I really let my father heal all of my scars?' He laughed at himself. 'Did I really think their absence would really change anything?'
His head dropped as Aelius went back to the work room and picked up the piece he had completed weeks ago before burying it beneath some scrap wood. The former reaper acknowledged that he had hoped to never use it. His fingers rubbed over the roses he had lovingly carved to match a casket he had made over a hundred years before and stained a shining ebony. Taking it back into the apartment, Aelius stopped in front of the table again. He pulled out the picture that he had printed months ago, a lifetime ago, from his pocket.
It was the only picture he had that included himself. Serena smiled at him from beneath one of his old hats and wrapped in his robes, matching his own outfit. The two laughed at each other in the picture that had been taken months ago.
He slid the photo into the frame and placed it on the table, in front of the sketch of his mother.
*****************A Demon's Mate***********
Malory followed the large crate into her husband's office, Alex trailing behind her. The return address stated that it was from Serena but the girl hadn't told them that it was coming. Jameson had already checked the wooden crate over before bringing it to her attention, so she felt it was safe to open.
She wasn't certain that she wanted Alex in the room though. Some sense of foreboding surrounded the crate as it came into the house.
Henry looked up from his computer when they entered, his gaze immediately going to the wooden crate.
"What's that?"
"It's from Serena. I had a feeling that we should open it together."
Henry stood and came around his desk. Standing with his wife, he leaned down so Alex wouldn't hear them. "I was on the phone with a banker from Japan. It seems there are some accounts there that are being transferred to us."
"Why?"
"He simply said that the original owner had indicated they were to be signed over."
Alex ignored them as he circled the box almost as tall as him. Jameson smiled down at the boy, who had become much easier to handle since Serena's visit, and finished pulling the top off the crate.
Inside, the contents were wrapped with plain brown paper. Jameson pulled out the first and handed the letter taped to the top to Malory.
"I wanted someone to have this, although it's worthless as a sale piece. Well, it's probably copyright infringement at the very least but it still seemed awful to throw it away myself. Feel free to do so if you want."
Malory frowned but waved Jameson to unwrap it.
Mayfair was revealed in all its glory. She recognized some of the shops that she frequented but saw, interspersed throughout were some that she had never seen. People walked on the street and she realized some were wearing Victorian dress as they moved among those in clothed in modern jeans and skirts. The line about copyright infringement made sense when she recognized the character of Grell on the top of one of the buildings with William T. Spears and Ronald Knox. Looking closer at the street, she saw the images of Ciel's servants from the manga in different spots. Mey-Rin stared into a shop window with Bard behind her. Snake was carrying a bag, one of his pets peeking out as he bought food from a street vendor. Finny was carrying a crate easily down the street. Ciel and his butler were seen walking between the shops, Undertaker staring at the Earl from atop one of his famous coffins.
"She's right." Henry studied the piece. "We could never sell it."
"Can I have it?" Alex touched the frame. "I want to put it in my room."
"I suppose. We should see what the other one is."
'For Malory' was written on the next note and she opened this one as well.
"I thought that you might want this. Although it can't really be displayed where others can see it as he was wiped from records."
Jameson tore the paper away to reveal a boy really. He sat in a chair, a chair they recognized as in the office by the bookcase behind him that held the vault. He wore a suit of blue, white ruffles of lace showed at his cuffs and throat. On his black gloved hands were the signet ring used by the Earl as well as the blue diamond that Malory wore.
Henry swore under his breath as he recognized the resemblance to his son.
Ciel, Earl of Phantomhive, was written on the gold name plate set into the frame.
Alex bounced around the portrait with a smile on his face. "It's him. It's the man from the garden."
*******************A Demon's Mate******************
Ciel stared up at the fog obscuring their view of the top of the cliff. He looked at his Elder and tried to gauge his mood.
"Maybe she doesn't want to jump. You know that she has a fear of heights."
He heard a growl.
"She has to jump." The Elder didn't bother to look away from the fog. "She will. Serena just needs a minute."
The younger demon shrugged. "Maybe I could go back up and give her a little shove?"
The Elder glared at him and Ciel held up his hands.
A scream came from the fog and the Elder's wings swept out, making Ciel jump back. He disappeared into the fog and the scream cut off. The Elder appeared again, Serena in his arms. When he touched the ground, Serena was smiling as he set her down.
She looked up at the fog and whispered, "thank you."
"What's that about?"
Serena shook her head with a laugh. "Nothing."
The red head looked around, taking in the rock formations that spewed steam to add to the fog and the jagged cuts of glassy boulders that took up the ground. Darkness took over early in and the red head couldn't see any farther than twenty feet in front of her. Heat enveloped them, wrapping around Serena as she stared at their surroundings.
"Well, this is nice."
"Really?" Ciel sent her a look that perhaps she had gone insane.
"No. Please tell me we're not going to be living in a cave," she whined when she looked back to the two demons. "Because, if so, I would like to vote now to go back to the lake house. Much better view and comfort."
The Elder laughed and slid an arm around her waist. He started to lead her deeper into the darkness, Ciel following behind them.
"This is the outer edge. We haven't even reached the gate yet."
Serena looked up, still cautious. "I still haven't heard a no to the whole cave thing."
"No," he smiled down at her. "I am not taking you to a cave."
"Promise?"
"I swear it." He put a hand over his heart to add to the oath.
"Alright."
Ciel laughed at the two of them and walked around them to go on ahead. Serena watched him go and took the opportunity to snuggle into her demon's side, holding on to him as they went into the darkness.
He felt her fear and wrapped one of his wings around her as well. "The gate is right ahead of us. Once we pass through, home is not far away. Perhaps we'll take the scenic route."
"Will you tell me your name now?"
The Elder laughed as he looked down at his mate.
"Malphas."
* In a copy of Soloman's Key, that I found when I started writing this fic, Malphas is described as an architect (think of all the times he rebuilt the manor), and appearing as a gentleman dressed in black with perfect manners (remember the lessons he gave Ciel). There are several other fics that use Malphas as Sebastian's demon identity and I didn't want to copy, but that description fits him better than any other from what we see in the series.
