CHAPTER 30

PIECES OF THE PUZZLE

Seth had always thought it funny how words had such a powerful effect on people, even more so than actions. Regardless of whether or not you knew the truth by way of intuition or behavior, words had a way of making even the most obvious things real. He had been thirteen the first time he had killed a man and despite the four gunshot wounds to the man's chest, the adolescent Seth didn't process what he had done until his shocked friend had blurted out "Jesus, Seth. You killed him…" He had known the man was dead right away, the hoodlum's eyes had, in fact rolled up to the sky, staring at the twinkling stars overhead, unblinking. But it had been so surreal and up until that point and he had gazed upon the bleeding body with all the fascination of an infant watching a favorite toy disappear behind a parent's back. He half expected the guy to sit up, dust himself off, and finish his task of doing God knows what to the two friends. Once what he did sank into his gray matter, Seth was despondent for days, unable to get past the finality of those three words.

Though that had been a profoundly negative experience, he had found that even the most welcoming news had a way of sweeping the rug from underneath you. Three simple words had changed his world that first time when he was thirteen and it was three simple words that changed it even more nearly now.

"What. Did. You. Say?" he forced out through clenched teeth, trying desperately to keep the anger at bay. After he had gotten over the shock of what Jennifer had said, the rage that she had dared compare herself to his only love was almost too much and he had to resist the urge not to sink his teeth into the bitch and drain her dry. In all honesty, he really didn't know why he hadn't already.

"You already know, don't you?" she asked, mirroring his internal thoughts. "You feel it, too," she said as she ran her fingertips across his chest.

The hairs along the back of Seth's neck rippled from her touch as well as her words. The truth was that she was right; he did feel it. Fact of the matter was that, when he had first laid eyes on her at the bar, aside from the deep sense of fear that coursed through his undead bones in her presence, there had been something else; a sense of familiarity that tickled the back of his mind. And that faint tickle had grown with every minute he had been with her. She was Emerald, to that he had no doubt.

But then, why did Emerald look so much like Dawn?

Paying no mind of his nudity, Seth rolled out of bed and stood on the flawless hardwood floor. He faced Jennifer with wary eyes, his hands combing through his tousled locks. Slowly, almost painfully, he finally regained his voice.

"What? How?"

Jennifer graced her lover with a placating smile before she crawled towards him on all fours, stopping at the edge of the bed, inches from him. She kissed the flesh below his navel and was rewarded with a husky growl before her hands clasped at the sides of his waist and she pulled herself to her knees.

"Tell me," she said softly and planted a ghost of a kiss against his chest. "Tell me about Emerald. What did she look like?"

At first, Seth glared at the beautiful woman before him as if she had grown two heads but almost as quickly, his iced stare melted as images of his once love filtered through the confusion of the past two minutes.

"She was petite," he said wistfully, his hand instinctively cupping the bronze cheek of the woman before him. "Her face was so young, like she stopped aging before adulthood or something. And it was in her eyes too," he peered into the obsidian coals that stared back at him, mesmerized by the adoration he saw there. "Just like yours. Darker than night but filled with a life of its own. And her hair," he poignantly ran his free hand through Jennifer's disheveled locks. "Just like yours—same as her eyes, except hers was a mane that trailed down to her waist."

Jennifer almost smoldered at the look of love visible on the vampire's face and she wanted nothing more than to love him. It had been less than a day and the feelings he wrought from her were that of two people that had been together for years.

"But what about her?" Jennifer chided. "What was she like? Aside from the physical."

Reminiscing about Emerald had brought a calmness over him that he rarely felt. He gently maneuvered Jennifer to the middle of the bed and stretched out beside her, clutching at her possessively.

"First off, she was strong. Stronger than anyone I've ever met. She was so untouchable; nothing could get to her. Even me."

"What do you mean?" She asked, her fingertips stroking his chest.

"C'mon, honey. You've been around me long enough to know that I can be a grade-A dick. Hell, look in the dictionary under self-centered, egotistical and prick and they will have a picture of me under each entry complete with cross-references to evil, sinister and sadistic. But hey, evil here, right?" They both chuckled softly, such a natural sound to the both of them.

"Fact of the matter, love, I was evil way before I became a card carrying member of the undead. That was me and Emerald's time," he said his voice choked with distant memories, "nine months. Nine short months was all I had with her." he sighed heavily. "But anyway, like I said, even my attitudes didn't faze her. I mean, she got annoyed but never really pissed. Well…" he said, remembering the one moment when he had been afraid for his life.

"What?" Jennifer asked, craning her neck just enough to catch a touch of--shame? Regret? Fear?--flicker across his eyes.

"There had been this one time where I was being not quite the gentleman to an ex of mine I happened to run into…

"Leave me the fuck alone, bitch!" an irritated Seth yelled at the brunette who glared at him with a powerful display of fear and hurt.

"What is wrong with you, Seth?" Cynthia asked through a waterfall of tears. "I just wanted to…"

"Wanted to what? Say hi? Catch up on old times? It's been three years Cynthia. Three fuckin' years and you just wanna come sit by me and have a chat?" He was being unreasonable, he knew but he was pissed. Emerald had been gone nearly three days and it was the first time since they had met over a month ago that they had been apart more than twelve hours.

"Yeah," she spat resentfully, "three years for something I didn't even do. I took the hit for you, Seth and what do I get? Not so much as a visit or a phone call. Not even a fuckin' letter!" she stood, arms at her side, shaking with rage.

Seth smirked at her and shrugged. "Why would I waste my time? S'not like I cared about you or anything…" he threw back a shot bourbon thus missing Cynthia's expression of rage contort into one of torturous pain. .

"What?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You heard me," he said, eyeing her through the thick bottom of the shot glass. "It's not like I cared about what happened to you."

"I thought…" she stammered, "I thought you loved me." Her body trembled but not with anger. A sadness and pain that she had never experienced coursed through her as she gazed upon the man that had been her first everything. First love. First lover. He had been the one to show her the ropes when her parents kicked her out. She had been sixteen then. And now, three years later, she was still the little lost girl whose heart was more fragile than porcelain. .

Seth glared at her as if she had sprouted two heads before bursting into a derisive cackle. "Loved you? Loved you?" Seth stood and slowly, deliberately stalked over to the quivering girl. He eyed her slight form and caressed her jaw with the back of his hand. Her tears clung to his skin and he twisted his hand in admiration of the fact that he caused them and he didn't feel a damn bit guilty. This hadn't been the first time that he idly wondered if he was as soulless as the demons that walked through the night. No, he had a soul, all right. Problem was, it just didn't seem to work.

He ran his tongue across his tear-laced knuckles seductively, savoring the salty bitterness of Cynthia's pain.

"Cynthia," he said, his tone understanding, as if he were trying to explain something to a child. "I didn't love you. I mean, what was there to love? First off you were young," he thought a minute, "pretty as hell, but young. But looks don't go too far, you know. You had--have--no confidence. You're not rooted in the real world, living in that fantasy of yours about us being together. And to top it off, you aren't too bright…"

"But you said…" she forced out through trembling lips.

"I said what I had to say to get you to spread those virgin legs of yours." He laughed when he saw her convulse as if she were wracked with seizures. He could have stopped there, the damage already done but he wanted to make someone suffer. And since he had promised Emerald he would stay out of trouble, he had assumed she meant of the physical persuasion, he had to get his shits and giggles out somehow. Causing Cynthia pain would no doubt alleviate at least a portion of the anger coursing through him over Emerald disappearing.

"But…why?"

"Because I could. Because I wanted to see how long it would take before you gave in. Because I was tired of taking and wanted it to be given to me. Pick one, I don't give a fuck. The point is that I never loved you. Hell, girl, all you were was a tender piece of ass I could shove my prick into…" but Seth's humiliating diatribe was cut short as he was slammed into the wall and stars danced in front of his vision. That and one pissed off looking Emerald.

She had been there the whole time, watching him. She had just gotten back from Gabriel and had tracked Seth to this club. At first she was amused at the way the young girl gushed over Seth and Emerald had known almost instantly that he had been the girl's first. Emerald had known that Seth could be as ruthless as any demon but not even she had been prepared for the callous and malicious words that spewed from his mouth. Every shot he threw at the young girl enraged Emerald more and more, to the point that the greenish energy crackled and radiated about her. She was totally oblivious to the patrons near her that swiftly introduced themselves to the exits at her display, intent on the continual battering of this girl's obviously fragile psyche at the hands of Emerald's lover.

The last comment had been the straw that broke the camel's back and Emerald had reacted. With a swiftness she had never shown him, she flowed over to Seth and grabbed him by the arm, flinging him into the wall, temporarily forgetting that he was human. The few people that saw this display marveled at the woman and cautiously backed away as she glared down upon him.

"Emerald," he said hazily as he struggled to his feet. "What the…"

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up," she seethed and he complied. Emerald gracefully turned to the shocked and broken girl and affixed her with a radiating smile. She walked over to the girl, who shrank at Emerald's touch.

"Shhh, it's okay, Cynthia," she cooed and brought the girl into her warm embrace. Grateful to feel loved, Cynthia did not hesitate to fall into Emerald, her heaving sobs vibrating between both of the petite women. Closing her eyes, Emerald tapped into the power within her and bathed Cynthia with it, though the latter was too distraught to notice the green embers of light from Emerald's body that engulfed them both.

A part of Emerald was disgusted by this behavior, feeling that Seth should have been praised for his ruthlessness. But another part of her, the human part of her that came alive when she was with Seth, cried at the outrage, knowing that someone close to her had gone through the same thing and it had almost destroyed him. She saw him now, broken and beaten because of her, and the one person he loved more than her could do nothing but call him evil and soulless. He had never been appreciated then and it had taken years for the others to accept him. Emerald had remembered that one tragic summer well, where she and him had been there as one another's lifeline to the real world. If she could help it, she would not let this young girl go through the same thing.

Gently placing the girl's face between her hands, Emerald raised Cynthia's chin up until their eyes connected. The pain and fear was even more pronounced than before and the girl's light blue eyes only helped remind of her best friend of days past.

"It's all right, sweetie," she cooed. "don't think about what he said, it's not true."

"But…" Cynthia gasped as she felt her body shimmer as a white hot pulse surged through her. She instantly felt the pangs of hurt that only moments before, threatened to consume her disappear, leaving only a dull, but very bearable hurt in the pit of her stomach.

"Tha…thank you," she choked out. Not knowing what else to say and freaked by the whole 'radiating heat' thing, Cynthia slowly backed away before losing herself in the crowd of onlookers.

Emerald smiled as she watched the girl disappear, pleased that she could help. She stiffened as she sensed the familiar presence moving toward her and when she turned to face Seth, her visage was anything but friendly.

"God damn, Em," Seth yelled as he fingered the lump forming on the back of his head. "What the…" but he quickly shut his mouth as he witnessed her eyes darken and the light energy outlining her lithe form pulsating until it was an angry hunter green.

"What was that about?" she gritted through clinched teeth, her usual melodious voice now deep and hoarse with anger.

Seth was speechless. He had lived on the streets for more than ten years and had faced death virtually every night, whether by bullet of gangbangers or by fangs and talons of demons, he had never been afraid. Until now.

He had seen, felt, the power that coursed below Emerald's bronze skin and the pain that coursed through him when she had healed him was the most painful experience of his life. But deep down he knew what she had displayed then was only a fraction of her true power. She had asked him to curtail his street habits and Seth had been happy to comply for several reasons. Though he never feared death, he still did not want to face it anytime in the near future and being with her kept the grim reaper from knocking at his door. Of course, the fact that she screwed his brains out every night they were together, rending the urge of doing anything criminal was also a factor in that. But there was also something else, something primal, that gnawed at his insides, something he was loathe to admit.

He was afraid of her, utterly and completely.

She was generally so sweet that, even when she was agitated she offered no reason to be feared. But there was always that annoying prickle of doubt in the back of his mind that told him to 'watch out'. That same prickle had grown into a sharp stab of self-preservation that now screamed at him to get the fuck out of dodge.

"Em," he addressed her softly, palms raised in supplication. He forced himself to close the remaining distance between them despite his leaden feet that so desperately wanted him to flee.

"Did you have fun, Seth?" She spat as she now advanced on him. Her whole body shook with the rage of seeing someone hurt like that. "Did you have fun shredding that poor girl's heart? Did it give you a hard-on watching her cry like that?"

Seth had abandoned his earlier idea of approaching her and as she glided toward him, backpedaled hastily until he found himself, quite literally, with his back against the wall.

"Em, please," he said evenly though the slightest twinge of doubt crept into his voice. He could almost hear the thud of his heart in his chest as his options were pretty much used up.

"Please what, Seth? Please stop this? Isn't that what she said? Isn't that what her eyes pled when she looked at you? But you didn't stop, Seth. So why should I?"

Seth's eyes bulged as the power that coursed from her pressed against him like a bulldozer and he couldn't move. The air slowly seeped out of his mouth as his lungs were milked of the life-giving element. He painfully became aware of the slowing of his heart and had a moment of true panic that he thought he'd never experience. He was going to die and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

But just as Seth felt the final reserves of oxygen leave his being, he collapsed to the floor in a heap. Not even daring to look at Emerald just yet, the brunette concentrated on filling his depleted body with air as he inhaled it in large gasps.

He didn't know how long it took before the lightheadedness went away but when he looked up again, the face that greeted him was not what he had expected at all.

"Hey," Emerald said softly as she cupped his cheek with the palm of her tiny hand. It took all of his willpower not to shy away from her touch but he did. He noticed the unnatural warmth permeating from her palm and surmised it was some sort of after effect of her light show.

"So," he said and this time was able to keep the residual fear from floating into his voice, "mind tellin' me what the hell that was about." His tone was calm though it was touched with a hint of anger.

For a split second, Seth noticed her eyes darken and her features cloud before her face was again the picture of pristine beauty.

"Seth," she said, her obsidian eyes boring into his brown ones, "I'm sorry for what I did. But that hurt me to see you talkin' to that girl like that. Hurting her like that."

"Em--I didn't mean…" but she cut him off with a vehemence that brokered no argument.

"You did mean it, Seth. You meant every single word. I saw it--in your eyes," she finished softly and he sheepishly dropped his eyes. She was right, he had meant every single word to cut into Cynthia like a hot poker, twisting and wrenching it until there was nothing left but a muddled corpse--figuratively speaking, of course. Why did he want to hurt her so much? The answer was simple: because he could. He never would have guessed Emerald would have been here…or fly off the handle like she did.

"You know why it hurt so much, Seth?" He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak lest he give her more ammunition to flay him with. "Because someone I cared about as much as anybody went through that. He had someone whom he loved more than anything berate him over and over again about how he wasn't good enough for her and how he was evil and soulless." Her eyes studied the floor as she sighed before sitting against the wall next to him. .

"I was pretty much a kid then," or at least part of me was, she added to herself, "but he treated me like I was an adult. And you know what? I was the only one that didn't treat him like a monster. He was my best friend and I loved him so much." She wiped her eyes as tears trickled down her exotic skin. Less concerned about his own well-being, Seth wiped a single tear away with his thumb. Emerald responded by leaning into him and he coiled his arm around her shoulders.

"The things I saw him go through, Seth…nobody deserves to be hurt like that. Nobody. Promise me that while I'm with you you'll never do something like that again…"

The air was thick with tension as the petite figure waited for her lover's response. She couldn't explain it to him, but sometimes she got like this where the other part of her, the human part of was all that there was and that the dark, evil half of her was nonexistent. Usually they coexisted as one but every so often one or the other would gain dominance. There was no doubt that the evil part of her would, one day become the dominant part of her and her human self could only lament at the loss of what she was all those years ago, when she was just a kid--right before this all happened to her.

So lost in her own thoughts, Emerald barely registered the sincere promise that fell from Seth's lips…

"I promised her," he said, his hand absently stroking the raven mane of Jennifer.

"Wow," was all she said. Never would she have believed that the killer before her would have ever been placated by the simple request of a young woman, no matter the potential consequences. But her wonder was short lived as the final pieces of the puzzle aligned.

"I wasn't lying," she said after several minutes of silence, "when I said I was Emerald." Seth tensed underneath her though he bit back whatever scathing retort or violent action that passed through his mind. He wasn't sure why, but this time he was going to hear her out.

"How?" he muttered, his tone held only a slight hostility that was drowned by his wonder.

"It's called the Enjoining," she began and could almost feel his brow furrow as his stare burrowed into the top of her head. "It's a ritual older than time itself. It is where the essences of two beings are brought together to create a greater Being. The vast majority of beings, whether demon or otherwise, have not the power within them to take part in it. Only those specially gifted have even the mental comprehension to even fathom it."

"Wait a minute," Seth interrupted, a hint of incredulity lacing his words. "I have been a vampire for ten years, and in that short time, I have seen a generous amount of demons capable of what you are talking about. Myashna demons, in fact, absorb their victims to the point that they are able to take on the victims' physical and mental traits for a short time. Then there are Zhanasets, whose powers grow the more essences they absorb, whether it is demon or human. Then…"

"It's not the same," she interrupted, irritated. "Do you not think that my title as the First has no meaning?" She said, controlling the darkness within her that threatened to bubble to the surface at his condescension. "I have seen things that are so hideous that even someone as powerful and 'fearless' as you would cringe at. Things have walked the planes of existence that are beyond comprehension. Things whose powers were almost limitless. And you know what?" She asked and purposely bore her nails into his flesh. Seth hissed as her nails ripped through the first, then second layer of skin, though he did nothing to stop her. That fear that coursed through him at their first meeting was back with a vengeance and for once, the vampire kept his mouth shut.

"The only thing--besides God--that they were afraid of was me." With an inhuman quickness, Jennifer was on top of Seth, her nails still clawing at his shoulders. She felt him grow hard underneath her though the fear and uncertainty in his eyes was almost overpowering. She smiled down at him, grinding her hips into his erection.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Seth was terrified. Despite the ministrations of her sex against his member, the only thing he could see was an Evil that cascaded off her in waves. It was an almost overwhelming sensation and the vampire couldn't help but feel as if he were drowning in it. Her eyes, much like Emerald's used to do, were completely black, though there was no green effervescent glow to counter the blackness of her gaze.

"You know why they were afraid of me?" she asked and bucked her hips viciously against him, eliciting a groan from the vampire. Seth was trapped between a triumvirate of emotions--fear, anger and arousal fought for dominance within him though the first continued to remain in the lead.

Jennifer smiled sadistically at Seth, reading the bevy of emotions that were visible in his unnatural blue eyes. The scent of fear that pervaded her senses was intoxicating. She had forgotten the addictive effect fear was, especially when it came from a creature as powerful as the one underneath her.

She leaned towards him, her thick mane of rave hair trickled across his face, and whispered in his ear. "They were afraid, Seth," she kissed him lightly on the check, "because I could make them do anything I wanted." And as quickly as she had mounted him, she was now laying beside him.

It took several minutes before Seth could speak again and when he did, he couldn't quite keep the hoarse aftershock of fear from his tone.

"How?" he asked though the borrowed blood that sung through his veins already knew.

"You know, humans and demons aren't as different as you'd think," she said matter-of-factly. "I mean, yeah there's the whole penchant for destruction in demons, but there are more than a few humans who harbor that trait. Most demons feel no remorse, what with the absence of a soul, though there are those that do. Just like there are humans who feel no guilt taking the life of another. People think that demons don't have souls--they are wrong. They have them all right. The difference is that a demon's soul does not function in the same capacity as a human's. But that's not important right now. The important thing is to know that a soul just does not appear from the ether."

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, his curiosity in the matter overriding his fear. "I mean, is there a Souls-R-Us or something that gives 'em out?" There was no humor in his question, only a twinge of doubt that, if anything, was there by habit than his distrust in her words.

"Something like that," she smiled before licking her lips lasciviously. She saw his adam's apple bob and his muscles tense. He wants me, she thought as her own core began the familiar burn between her thighs. But it'll have to wait.

"To be simple, a soul is nothing more than a reservoir of energy," she saw his dubious expression and amended her statement. "Okay, so it's not nearly that simple. But for the purpose of what I'm telling you it is. A soul is very similar to energy in the fact that not only does it exist indefinitely, even before inhabiting a body, but it can never be destroyed."

"What about vampires?" he asked, his interest growing even more. "I thought that the human soul was hijacked by the demon which in turn destroyed the soul."

"Now that is something I have yet to get to. I will save that for later. Now, let's just stick to the purely human and purely demon souls.

"Like I said, souls are already created even before they are needed. For every demon or human that will inhabit this plane of existence for the next millenia, there is a soul already waiting for it's enjoining with its mortal host. Now," she gazed at him poignantly, her charcoal eyes burrowing into his, "think about it; these souls aren't just flitting around on there own, partying like it's 1999 or anything like that. Just like prisoners, a warden of sorts is needed to keep them in check. Someone or something that preceded the creation of the soul. Someone or something that is, in fact, the template from which they were created. Something ancient, something older than time…" she trailed off, letting him absorb what she was saying.

Seth frowned when Jennifer trailed off. She had told him quite a bit about things he had only idly considered, never really interested in finding out the entire truth. But now, that was exactly what she was giving him. Demons and humans both contained souls? That said souls are preconceived well before there is an actual body for it to inhabit. That a 'warden' was needed to keep…

Jennifer smiled when she saw the rationalization behind the eyes of her vampire lover. They were wide in disbelief as his mind finally made the connections with her hints as well as what he felt before her.

"You," he choked out. "It's you. You are the keeper of souls…"

"Well, in a way, yes." She replied simply.

"What do you mean 'in a way'?"

"Think about it. Just like energy requires a main source…"

And that was when he knew. "You aren't just the First Evil, are you?"

"The First demon soul. Pure in its darkness, untainted."

Seth laid his head back against the pillow and stared at the bespectacled ceiling. He ran the hand not embracing Jennifer shakily through his hair. This was getting to be too much, even for him. So the soul coiled within her mortal shell was none other than the First demon soul. If it weren't for what his own 'soul' told him, he'd probably be laughing hysterically now but as it was, he could only gape at the magnitude of it all. Still, as he regained a semblance of clear thought, he realized that she still had not answered his question.

"Okay, all that is fine and dandy, Jen, but what about the piece about you being Emerald? Where does that fit in to all of this?"

Jennifer smiled again and snuggled closer to her lover. As she did so, his body stiffened as his tension mounted. It wasn't everyday you found out that your lover was the First Evil.

"Do you know about the Creation, Seth?"

"Uh, not much of a Jesus-freak, sweetheart. Being all evil like I am."

She chuckled lightly before continuing. "Well, the Creation, as told in the Bible is accurate, more or less. Of course the whole seven-day idea kind of falls by the wayside since time was nonexistent then. Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is that, since the beginning, the most important thing in this world has been Balance. In creating day, He also created night. With man came woman. Love beget hate and yada, yada, yada. But before all that, He brought forth into being, for lack of a better term, the yin and the yang. Good and Evil. And he blessed them with the power over their kind." She sat up again and drank in his hard, ashen body. Her desirous thoughts were beginning to supercede her need to explain to him the importance of it all.

"The power," she said as she bent down and flicked her tongue against his nipple. Seth inhaled sharply, torn between listening to her revelation or plowing into her like before. From some unknown crevice in his mind, Seth was able to steady his body as her warm lips alternated between speaking and kissing his body.

"The power to control those whose soul was taken from them to start," she bit down on his nipple hard, drawing blood. "To strike fear into the hearts of all, and able to manipulate all souls though controlling only those created from our essence." Her hands danced across his taut flesh that had soon lost much of its previous tension.

"So," he said between ragged breaths, "since your essence is what demonic souls are taken from, they are yours to control?"

She smiled in a sexual taunt before answering, "more or less."

Seth ignored her cryptic reply and concentrated on what was really on his mind. "That still does not tell me what you have to do with Emerald. Or why you need the girl."

At that, Jennifer paused and studied him carefully. There was still so much he did not know and she doubted he ever would understand even if he did know. Regardless of that, he did deserve to know the truth about his future lover.

"Think about it. I am the First, the source of all demonic souls. If I am, and you know that everything has Balance, then…" she paused waiting for his reply.

This time, as Jennifer trailed off, Seth 'got it'. It wasn't just an inference or a partial truth that he understood. No, it was the truth of the matter. The truth about Dawn, Jennifer and Emerald.

"The girl, Dawn," he said with wide eyes, "she is the First Good and true spirit." He sighed heavily at the implications of it all. That small girl harbored in her the Purity of life within her. It was something that, despite what he had just said, was scarce to comprehend.

"Yes, lover," Jennifer drawled, "she is the First Light. That light which was used to spark all of Creation. It is that reason why she has access to all the dimensions and gateways throughout time and space--and even portals that mortal minds can never grasp. She and I are opposite sides of a coin. Where she is the well from which humanity's souls rest, I am the pit from whence demonic souls are created."

"So, why is it that she doesn't know?" Seth asked. If Jennifer was correct, the young girl could have incinerated him where he stood when he had kidnapped her. Instead, she had fallen prey to unconsciousness as any mortal would have.

"This mortal shell that we both inhabit limit our power. Even a demonic shell could not contain the powers that we have been gifted with. The last time I was here, I was nothing more than a wraith, taking shape when necessary but still limited. It will always be that way, even if the powers within her awaken, she will never contain the power that she is. Just like me. She can still do things that I cannot and never will be able to. Though I can traverse the dimensions, my influence is sometimes limited and I am unable to bring others forth through portals like she is."

"Why is that?" Seth asked.

"Because of what she is. Her Light is able to penetrate even the greatest shrouds of darkness."

"I thought it was all about Balance, though."

"It is. And where she can do that, my influence on humans is much more effective than her effect on demons."

"How so?"

"In her true form, demons in her presence shriek and wilt in decay, until they are nothing. That is the power of her Light. My effects on the human soul is much more subtle. There is no physical manifestation of my effects though the metaphysical effect is seen through their actions meaning that it is much easier for a human to switch to the side of evil than a demon switch to good."

"Sounds like a fair trade," the vampire mused.

"Yeah," she replied sarcastically.

"What?"

"It's not important. The important thing is that the Enjoining take place without a hitch."

"This Enjoining…why are you doing it?"

Jennifer smiled viciously. "Because, once we become as one, I will possess the ability to traverse dimensions as freely as she. We will be joined…"

"And Emerald is the union of you both," he said, expressing his earlier realizations.

"Yes." And with that, Jennifer's mouth descended upon his.

As she kissed him, Seth could not help but avoid the distractions that played in the back of his mind. Emerald--his Emerald was the perfect union between Good and Evil. It was staggering on one end but at the same time, made perfect sense. Emerald had once told him, before he was turned, that if he found out what she really was, he would have run from her. Of course, he had dismissed her claims but now…now he wasn't so sure if he wouldn't have done just that. For as evil and sadistic as he was as a human, compared to his current status, he was a choir boy. The human in him most likely would have bent under the fact that he was sleeping with the original Evil.

But as deep as his thoughts were, Seth's mind shut down as he felt Jennifer's hand guide his stiff member inside of her tender flesh and was soon lost in the blissful pleasures of the body. He had once thought that making love to Emerald was the closest he would ever get to heaven. Now, as Jennifer viciously rode him, he couldn't help but laugh internally at the fact that he was inside the fiery depths of hell itself.

He knew that, sooner or later, he would get burned. The only problem was that he didn't care.