Author's Note: Just blame ThriftThick on You tube. She's making me not finish the book because I'm listening to her and she's hilarious and she steals my focus while aiding my procrastination.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji or any of it's characters. I only claim Serena and the demons that I introduce.
A Demon's Mate
Chapter Thirty Two
'There is so much light in her,' my master had said while he looked out his office window over the family lands that he ruled. 'Could she chase the shadows from this place? Or would the shadows devour her in the end?'
Ciel closed the book and ran a hand over his face. He didn't want to admit that reading about his parents' courtship bothered him. Taking into account his own arranged marriage, it wasn't so surprising that his grandfather had made a similar arrangement with Lord Durless. However, Durless had two daughters and to make it worse, neither had been specified in the official contract.
'At least I didn't have to look Lizzy in the face and decide between her or her sister.'
However, his father's comments about his aunt had been unexpected. The Earl didn't know that his predecessor had courted Madame Red as well, and for a long time, she was in the lead. Although she had been nervous around people where Rachel was outgoing, Angelina had the brains and the determination that fit with the Phantomhive house. But, unlike Ciel, his father had craved the light that Rachel offered and the normalcy she could give the former Guard Dog of the Queen.
'Why didn't she hate them? How could Madame Red smile and spend so much time here with them, with me, knowing she had almost been Countess and then was cast aside for her sister? Was that the beginning of her madness? Having what she wanted within reach and then it was snatched away by someone just as beloved as the husband that she had wanted?' Ciel sat back in the chair near the fireplace and looked into the flames as his mind turned to the past.
Instead of snow on the ground, the scent of spring flowers filled the air. His mother was seated at the table set up in the center of the garden. He could still hear her laughter as his aunt chased him around the small hedge maze. The weak lungs he lived with had been inherited from her and Rachel was never able to run in the garden with him. At the time, it didn't matter to the little lord as his aunt finally caught him, cuddling the small body that she held.
'Madame Red always had a better mind for games anyway.'
He remembered looking up as another figure came down the stairs and his mother's brilliant smile. He could still hear Vincent greeting Rachel and say something to Angelina. Knowing what he did now, Ciel could remember how his aunt's arms had stiffened around him before she smiled and set the boy down to run to his father.
Shaking his head, the Earl picked the book back up and opened it again.
'But there was someone else that had noticed the light that Lady Rachel exuded and wanted it for himself. Watching the two of them try to top each other with gifts and exploits was quite amusing.'
A knock on the door preceded Tanaka into the room. The older man bowed.
"Forgive me for disturbing you, Lord Phantomhive. There is a guest here to see you. He said that he was sent for."
Ciel looked back to the book and saw Tanaka notice it as well. He snapped the cover shut.
"There is something that I wish to discuss later, Tanaka."
"Of course, my lord."
"Show them in. Hopefully, whoever she has decided to foist on me will leave quickly."
"I assure you that I come in good will, Earl Phantomhive." The door was pushed open the rest of the way and Ciel stood as the man entered his office. He was dressed in the black robes of a priest and the teen stifled a groan as Tanaka left them alone. Eyes of the clearest blue sparkled from a timeless face. Silver, gray hair was slicked back, not unlike Tanaka's. Peace seemed to surround the man...and an aura of power.
"There is something that I wish to discuss with you. Now, that your butler has left your employ."
********************A Demon's Mate********************
Night found Serena back in her hotel room, trying to sleep. Unfortunately, after the disaster of the evening she felt more like she was hiding in her room. After finding a regular department store, because Serena refused to pay the prices that Harrods was asking, she was finally able to get her own toiletries as well as a map and guidebook to London. Edwin had told her that she already had two guidebooks and pointed to himself and his partner. For some reason, she hadn't wanted to tell him what she was looking for. They managed to find her an ATM that would accept her card and let her take money out for a fee near the store as well.
The men had then escorted her to a little hole in the wall restaurant that was off the beaten path. The red head admitted that they had scored with that one. Filled with natives, the friendly staff and live jazz music proved why they didn't need the tourist traffic. Once their food had arrived, she found the fare was delicious and understood why the restaurant was full. Even so, she still slipped into her own thoughts. The plan she had arrived with was beginning to sound more and more stupid.
'What the hell was I thinking? This city has grown exponentially in the last hundred years. And it would be a different time frame to get from point A to point B in a car instead of a carriage.'
She didn't notice that neither man had eaten much, lost in her own thoughts, until they were ready to leave. When questioned, Lucien had smirked and said that he had been distracted by the view. The blonde had then suggested that they take a trip to the London Eye. He didn't notice the color drain from her face.
Several times in the cab, on the way over, she tried to talk him out of it. Even Edwin tried to say something when he saw how hard the red head was trying to persuade his partner to do something else.
"You have to see the view at night from the Eye. It'll take your breath away." He smiled and helped her out of the car. "It's a perfect, clear night. London's weather is unpredictable so this is definitely the time to go."
After standing in line, Serena convinced herself that there was nothing wrong with a trip in the Eye. Every person that got on in front of them, she saw them get back off again. There was nothing to be worried about. Edwin had watched her carefully, seeing that her attention had drifted from them.
Until it was their turn and somehow, they got a car to themselves.
As the car went higher and higher, Serena felt her panic do the same. Every time she felt the smallest jerk from the capsule, her heart skipped a beat and her chest tightened a little more. They were almost to the top when Lucien had pulled her to the glass.
"Look at that! There is no better view in London."
It was too much and all her calm flew out the window. She jerked away, feeling unable to take a full breath. Edwin stood from the little bench slowly, making sure to not knock the car too much.
"You're afraid of heights."
The blonde watched in horror as they both heard her heart speed up to a dangerous rate. "It's not really the heights, it's the fall. And really, it's not the fall it's the splat at the end."
Lucien looked around and jumped to stand in front of the largest opening. "Don't look. Everything is fine. There is nothing to see here."
Edwin looked at him like he was an idiot. The entire car was see through to provide views everywhere you looked. There was no way to cover them all. It jerked again and the red head let out a small scream, gripping the handrail next to her.
"Serena, there is nothing to worry about." Edwin kept his voice soft. "There has never been an accident on the Eye. It's perfectly safe."
"Knowing my luck, I'd be the first."
He put a hand on her arm and felt the tiny shivers that racked her small form, as well as the cold sweat that had covered her skin. She started wheezing, obviously not listening to a word that he was saying. 'Forgive me, Elder.'
The brunette pulled Serena gently into his arms, letting the girl hide her face in his chest. Edwin glared at Lucien who was still horrified at her reaction to what he thought had been a good idea. The red head didn't notice when the man who held her levitated a few inches off the floor to stop her from feeling the motion of the car.
"When we get back around, I'll signal the operator to let us off."
She nodded against the larger man's chest and Edwin ignored the dampness that seeped through his shirt. Lucien came over and put a hand on her back. He ignored the flashing warning from the other demon and concentrated on her. Letting a little of his power out, he hoped that it would take her mind off her fear. The red head gasped and he felt her muscles loosen a fraction.
When there was only two cars between them and the bottom, the brunette pulled away from Serena and produced a handkerchief out of his breast pocket. She seemed to have calmed little by little the closer they came to the platform.
She took it quietly, not meeting either of the men in the eye. Edwin went to the door while Lucien kept his hand on Serena's back, letting more of his power surround her. It was helping, but not much. After being in the presence of an Elder and feeling his power, his underling didn't have the strength to pull her under.
As they reached the platform, Edwin was quick to open the door and both stood back to let the red head out first. Edwin felt no small measure of pride as she stepped down slowly with her head high. She was regal as any queen, even with red, puffy eyes and a small hitch still in her breath. Lucien rushed forward to grab a cab that was dropping people off as the other man escorted Serena past the line of people waiting to get on the Eye.
She was put between the two demons on the silent ride back to the hotel. Beside the red head, Lucien kept opening his mouth to say something, but closed it just as quickly. Edwin remained a silent rock on her other side as the girl looked straight ahead. At the hotel, the brunette had gotten out first and paid the driver. Lucien helped Serena out of the back, trying to smile but she walked into the lobby without a word. The atmosphere that surrounded the three on the elevator ride to the fifth floor was stifling. The men insisted on walking the girl to her room and she had simply nodded.
"Serena," Lucien started when she opened the door to her room. "I...I'm sorry."
The red head gave him a watery smile. "Its fine, Lucien. Don't worry about it."
Closing the door, she leaned against the smooth metal and slid to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Tears of embarrassment, instead of fear, started to fall and she buried her head.
'That's why he's not here. I'm pathetic. How could I think that I could be with a demon when I can't even handle a damn oversized farris wheel?'
Even now, hours later, Serena still cringed as she tossed and turned on the soft mattress. Sleep was proving to be elusive and with every shadow that danced on the wall, she searched for a man in black to be standing in the room. The smallest sound made her sit up, straining to hear a cultured English accent on the wind. But, each time she was disappointed by an empty room. Anger began to take over and she jerked the sheet back to slide out of the bed. Her laptop, as well as the map and guidebook laid on the small desk the room offered.
'The monk said that I had to go back to the beginning to find the ending. Fine. If that damn demon doesn't want to be with me anymore, than he can say that to my face. My plan may be stupid, but it's all that I have and I'll make it work.'
She looked at the map and started to mark off areas to begin her search. One of the books had a list of noble houses of historical note that were open for tours during the tourist season and she figured their neighborhoods would be the place to start. Serena fired up the computer and decided to find any information that she could on the areas listed in the guidebook.
***********************A Demon's Mate**********************
"What do you mean, now that my butler has left?"
The silver haired man smiled. "I know very well that your butler was not human."
Ciel put a hand to the eye patch he still wore but quickly dropped it. Some instinct told him to run, but he refused. He felt the same instinct to deny leap to his throat but he ignored it. There was something in the priest's eyes that told the Earl that he knew exactly what his relationship with Sebastian had been.
"What of it?" The teen's voice was harsh when it came out and he rubbed his throat.
"This is your second chance, Lord Phantomhive. I am here to guide you through it." He smiled.
"Second chance for what?"
"To save yourself."
"To save myself." The Earl laughed. "I already saved myself. When I accepted Sebastian's offer."
"No, you damned yourself." The man said it easily, as though it was the most normal conversation. "Now, you have the chance to correct that mistake."
"Right. I damned myself to dying at the hand of some crazy occult leader? To having my childhood ripped from me and torn to shreds? To having to be the head of my non-existent family at the age of ten. To dodging multiple attempts on my life while doing the work of an adult. To remembering every day what was done to me by some disgusting man that had status high enough that everyone looked away from what he had done over and over? To watching my parents be murdered on my birthday?" Ciel stood, glaring at the man. "No, all of that came from something else. Someone else's plan for my life."
"Life is a challenge, that you have faced admirably. You have rebuilt your home and family, served your queen and kept the purity and nobility of your soul through it all. Yours is one that will be most welcome in heaven or even to be reborn and lead again."
"Oh, save it for someone else!" Ciel's hand cut through the air. "I don't want your salvation. You say that I have a chance to save my soul now? I don't want it. I don't want your heaven, priest, and I sure as hell don't want to live this over again."
"Perhaps, your next life would be kinder one."
"Look at the world around you. There is no kinder life. You said that my soul is still pure enough? Fine. I will spend the rest of my life, which I am certain will be incredibly short without Sebastian, staining my soul as much as possible. I don't want your God and I will make sure that I can pass eternity as far away from Him as possible."
The stranger's face darkened. "I had hoped that you would think about your situation more carefully, Phantomhive. Perhaps, I choose the wrong time to approach you."
"I have spent the last five years thinking about it. And all those years have only cemented my resolve in my choice. You're wasting your time here, my answer will not change, and I'll ask you to leave now."
The man watched Ciel carefully before rising from his seat and walking to the door. He didn't say another word as he opened and closed it softly behind him. No one saw him disappear from the hallway and reform on the ridge overlooking the estate, glaring at the house.
"Why do you have to be so difficult?"
*********************A Demon's Mate********************
The morning dawned bright and clear. Serena was still hunched over the desk when the brilliant pinks and yellows and oranges of a London sunrise flooded the room. She took a minute to watch the skyline through her window before going back to the computer screen in front of her. There hadn't really been much for her to find.
'Evidently, Ciel wasn't the only noble to like his secrets. It does make sense, I admit, to not put all that out there. But, I should have found something by now. Instead, it's like some kind of black hole. Even the areas of London where the mansions are located are not listed anywhere. What if I had been some kind of architecture student? Although, I guess I would go through a university then. They would have staff that have lived here forever and know where everything is.'
She growled in frustration and resisted the urge to bang her head against the desktop.
'Alright. I know that Miss Nina's shop was not far from Hyde Park, a few blocks at the most. Then, we didn't travel more than forty-five minutes to the shop from the townhouse in a carriage. Taking in the city traffic, a car may not be faster than a horse.' She pulled up the map of the park on the internet and looked at the various landmarks, settling on Hyde Park. 'I didn't go that far in. The old carriage road is marked, but I didn't see any carriages going through the park. It was mostly people on horseback. So, I would guess that the walking trails are the same and the trails that look wider were once for horses. I really want to believe that it was this Hyde Park Corner. Which is incidentally, very close to the hotel. Miss Nina was a tailor to the nobles, of course her shop would have been on a good street. It would make sense for her to have been on the Mayfair side of London, which is right next to the Corner.'
Serena pulled her map out and boxed off an area of streets.
'I have twenty-nine days left that I can be in the country without a visa. I'll start here and branch out.'
Happy to have a plan of action, the red head picked up the room service menu and looked for something that caught her attention in the breakfast options. As she was browsing, the alarm she had set went off and she hurried to silence the annoying beep. The girl finally decided on the full service since she planned on hitting the pavement all day and called it in.
Serena folded the map to show the section that she planned on searching and stuck it in the guidebook before sliding both into her cross body bag while she waited. Going to the window, she was grateful that it opened and let her feel the humidity that was already starting to make itself known. She pulled a tank top from her bag and a fresh pair of jeans out of the pile that spilled out of her suitcase before heading for the bathroom for a quick shower.
A knock on the door stopped the girl in her tracks and she threw the clothes on the bed to answer it. Figuring that it was the room service that she ordered, she didn't hesitate to open the door. Instead of a bellhop, Lucien's smiling face greeted her.
"Morning! Edwin and I were about to go down to the hotel's restaurant for breakfast. We wanted you to join us."
"Oh, I just ordered room service." She put a hand to her hair, that she was certain looked like hell. "And I need to take a shower before I go anywhere."
The blonde's smile faded a few watts but was still dazzling. "Alright. Well, why don't you figure out where you want to go today and we'll all meet up afterward?"
"Isn't your boss going to get upset? I mean, you two slacking off to show me around London."
"Who says I can't work too. We had planned to call on one of his business contacts today as well as showing you around. The area is ripe with interesting places to explore." He smiled again but there something else there. Some meaning she wasn't catching.
"Okay, okay." She shook her head and watched him wave as he took off down the hall.
'There is something not right about those two. I haven't taken a single step since I got on that plane without one or both of them with me. There are obviously easier targets if he just wanted to get laid, so why are they both glued to me?' Closing the door, Serena couldn't help but be suspicious and waited a few beats with her ear to the door. She heard the door next to her room open and close instead of the elevator. A few seconds later, she still hadn't heard the elevator.
Backing away from the door, she grabbed the clothes from the bed and decided to skip the shower. Dressing quickly, the girl had just slipped into her shoes when another knock came on the door. The bellhop wheeled in a cart with a covered tray and a rose bud in a glass vase with a smile. After signing the bill and tipping the man, Serena looked longingly at the meal but went to the TV instead. She turned a news channel up louder than was needed but not enough to really disturb anyone and went to the door.
The red head turned the knob as slowly as possible to make sure that there was no noise coming from the tumbler. Once in the hallway, she shut the door with the same care. Another door opened down the hall and she saw a couple exit with a little boy. The small family went toward the elevator but Serena noticed a stairwell in the other direction than the room she suspected Lucien had gone into. Some instinct told her to be careful with this door as well as she opened and slipped through it. After the door was closed silently behind her the red head took off down the stairs.
The stairwell ended with a door into the hallway that led to the lobby. Serena saw Edwin through the doorway into the bright room and ducked in the other direction.
'Alright, that is definitely not right. He's staking out the lobby.'
The man started to look up and she ducked into the door next to her marked for employees. The same girl that had helped her check in looked up in surprise from another cart that was ready to go out.
"Miss Walton, is there something that you needed?" The blonde smiled easily and folded her hands in front of her sharp black suit.
"I...There is someone that I know in the lobby and I don't want them to know that I'm here. There wouldn't happen to be another way out of the hotel, would there?"
The woman blinked at her and Serena threw up her hands.
"It's an ex of mine. He and his new blonde, leggy, trophy wife are checking in. If they see me she's going to go off and say that I was stalking him or something and it'll be a big ol' mess. Even though I was here first."
"But didn't you come with Mr. Michaels? I'm sure he'd be the perfect one to show off to them."
"You seem to know him."
The woman blushed and Serena figured that she had been one of those that kept Lucien's attention for a time before.
'Well, at least I know he's not a psycho killer or something. Glad I didn't tell her that he's the one that I'm trying to get away from.'
"Come this way. There is a service entrance that you can use."
"Thank you." The red head followed her through a small maze of carts and staff and laundry tubs full of lines. Finally, the concierge pushed against a door and sunlight streamed in as well as the sound of traffic. Serena smiled at the woman and thanked her again before slipping out onto the street.
*********************A Demon's Mate*******************
An hour later, Lucien still hadn't heard anything from Serena's room. After the bellhop delivered her breakfast, he didn't hear the shower start and figured she was just taking her time. He could hear the news through the wall still and told himself to wait. He had told her to figure out where she wanted to go today, perhaps she was just making up her mind.
His thoughts shifted to the phone call last night from the Elder. Of course, he and Edwin had had to explain where they had taken Serena and if she had enjoyed the night out. Everything had been fine until they had gotten to the end of the night and his partner made Lucien explain what had happened on the Eye. It was his idea after all.
The Elder had been livid and blamed them both. He had trusted them to look after his mate and instead they had pushed her into some kind of attack. Lucien had tried to defend himself, telling the Elder that Serena had made no mention of her fear of heights, but the older demon knew his underling's personality well and figured out quickly that Lucien had pushed past her protests.
A shudder went through Lucien as he remembered the other demon's threats if Serena were placed in such a situation again. He had never heard his Elder be so inventive.
"Oh, come on. I know that she is in a hurry to find the Phantomhive manor. So why is she taking so long this morning?" With a sigh, he pushed out of the chair he occupied and went back into the hallway.
Knocking on the red head's door, he ran a hand through his hair and waited with a smile for her to answer. But she didn't. He didn't hear any movement in the room and knocked again. Again, there was no answer. Concentrating on one space in a crowded hotel was difficult for a demon of his level and he had to put his hand on the door while blocking out everything else to do it.
The room was empty.
"Damn it!" Lucien tore down the hallway and to the elevator.
While he waited for the car to reach the ground floor he tried to figure out how he had missed Serena leaving. He had scanned every being that walked past his door. Edwin was still in the lobby, carefully watching his surroundings when the doors opened. The other demon quickly noticed the panic on his partner's face and stood to meet him halfway.
"She's gone."
"What?!"
Lucien looked around them and dropped his voice to a whisper. "The room is empty, and I don't feel her in the hotel."
Edwin stopped and used his own senses, not believing his partner.
"How could you let her get past you?" The brunette whispered back harshly.
"It's not like I planned it." He rocked on his feet a little. The Elder was already pissed at him, if he found out that Lucien had lost his mate, who was now wandering London alone...he didn't want to think about it.
"The Elder isn't going to be happy." Edwin looked down on the other demon.
"Shut up! She got past you too, remember."
The other demon blanched and looked around them. He stopped on the blonde that had taken over the desk a little bit earlier.
"Work on the woman. See if she saw Serena leave and which direction she went in."
"Right." Lucien took a moment to compose himself and walked to the desk with an easygoing stride.
The brunette planned while his partner worked. Finally, the other demon came back with some cockamamie story about an ex and the girl letting Serena out a side door, almost an hour ago.
"Elder did say that she was an accomplished liar. So, she's out in the city then."
"Apparently."
"We need to start looking." Edwin headed out the main door with his partner right behind him. On the street, they stopped and tried to catch a scent of the woman but there had been too many people and too much time had passed. "Did she say anything about places that she wanted to go?"
"Not really. She was supposed to decide that while she was eating." Lucien grabbed the brunette's heavy arm. "Edwin, the map she bought. She has to be trying to find the manor on her own."
The soldier's jaw worked in irritation. "That would explain why she was so insistent on buying it. We are expected today anyway. We'll start there."
"Hopefully, she has a clue of where it is. If we can't find her by tonight, we'll have to inform the Elder."
His face turned grim and several people passed them quickly. "And it will mean death for both of us."
*******************A Demon's Mate*******************
The sun shined brightly on the red head as she walked down streets filled with heavy gates and large mansions. Almost every gate had a family coat of arms worked into the rod iron and Serena started to believe that maybe her plan hadn't been all that stupid. However, not one of them had looked familiar.
Not giving up, she crossed to another street while marking through the one she had just been down on her map. A memory surfaced and she stopped to turn around.
'We turned right out of the manor the day that we went to Miss Nina's. Then we went down the street a ways and turned left. That's right where the shopping district of Mayfair is now. This is going to work!'
Turning back to the road with a smile, her steps hurried as she looked up at each house. She didn't bother looking at the ones on the other side of the street. If her memory was correct, it would definitely be on the side she was walking on. Another two roads and another two marks didn't kill her enthusiasm. Something about the area was starting to feel familiar.
'That's it.'
She looked at a large brick mansion, losing her breath in her excitement. The front lawn had different landscaping but it was without a doubt the house she had stayed in with Ciel and Sebastian. Her hand rested on the gate unconsciously as she stared.
"Can I help you, Miss?"
Serena jumped back at the sound of the guard's voice as he met her on the other side of the gate.
"I'm sorry," she took her hands off the rod iron. "It's a beautiful house."
The red head stepped back from the gate and opened her book again as she turned away. On a second thought, she wanted to make sure that she had the street right and turned back.
"Actually," the guard came back, as stern as ever when she spoke. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little lost. Could you tell me how to get back to the main road?"
She smiled sheepishly and saw the man's stern face start to crack. He held out a hand through the gate for her map.
"I've been marking off the streets that I've already been down but when I try to go back to the main district, I end up in the middle of residential houses."
The man looked at her strangely and then back to the map. He turned the paper upside down and she winced.
"Well, now I feel stupid."
"You're actually here. The streets that you have been down are on the other side." He pointed to the street they were really on. "Go up two streets and then cut to the right. Keep going until you hit the shops."
"Thank you." Serena accepted the book back through the gate and headed off. So not to seem any more suspicious than she was sure she already did, the red head kept looking between the houses and the book in her hand. She waited until she was sure that the guard had gone back to his post before turning around to look at the house again. Making a big circle over the street, she smiled at the plan that was working so well.
After following the man's directions, Serena found herself in the midst of specialty boutiques and little street cafe's. She took a seat at one of the outdoor tables and pulled her sketchbook out of her purse while she waited. The girl had managed to get a look at the crest that had been worked into the rod iron of the gate before leaving and set about copying it down. If the same family that had taken over the townhouse had been given the lands and manor as well, it might be easier to find.
'Although, with the lack of information that I found this morning it may not help at all. It doesn't look like the residential area has changed much, just expanded. It's the outskirts that will be the problem getting through.'
"Well, I'll be damned. They weren't lying."
Serena looked up at the familiar voice and gasped.
"Ronald?!"
***********************A Demon's Mate**********************
"Why do you have to be so difficult, Lord Phantomhive?"
"It is part of what makes him interesting."
The priest turned to see the Earl's former butler, still dressed in his uniform, coming out of the treeline. He turned His back, there was nothing the demon could do to Him anyway.
"I thought I had made my point."
"You did."
"Then, why are you still here? You're contract is broken, there is no reason for you to stay on the Phantomhive lands."
"You want him to die that badly? There have been more coming each night."
The being beside Sebastian said nothing and the demon laughed.
"You really don't understand, do you? The souls that I have contracted with may have been pure at their core, however, they all carried the same hatred for the divine that the Earl does. You wouldn't have gotten them anyway because they would never have accepted you or your plan. There are some that find peace in the eating of their soul because they know that it is truly the end. No heaven or hell. No reincarnation. No wandering the world as a bodiless spirit. They embrace the abyss and find comfort in the darkness."
"It seems that I have lost this one anyway." He glared down at the estate, looking at the window of the room He knew Ciel still occupied.
Sebastian nodded.
"You still haven't told me why you are still here."
"I promised my mate that I would watch over Lord Phantomhive."
"Is that the only reason?"
It was the demon's turn not to answer and the man laughed. The air filled with the musical sound from His throat as He disappeared.
"So be it."