4.

Haymitch's bike was faster than Peeta's truck and he arrived first at the school to find the doors unlocked despite the late hour. He was inspecting the broken locks when the kids finally showed up.

"There are three cars in the parking lot." Peeta informed him.

Haymitch hadn't bothered parking, he had left the bike on the curb like he often did.

"Maybe we won't need to go looking for an address after all." he muttered. "Peeta, you've got a weapon?"

He didn't bother asking Katniss because her bow was in her hand and he could see the quiver on her back. He hoped she had followed his advices and had brought knives too. He also didn't bother suggesting Peeta waited in the car because, all things considered, the boy would probably be safer with one of them than out there where vampires could grab him while they were busy hunting monsters.

Peeta wordlessly fished a stake out of his jacket pocket. That wouldn't take him far and, with a sigh, Haymitch slipped out the knife he kept in his boot and handed it over. "Just in case. But don't try to take a demon by yourself. You're attacked, you run."

He pushed the door and they all sneaked inside. It was dark and silent and there was something very eerie to that school after hours, always had been. He couldn't remember the number of times he and Mabel had been forced to break in at some point or another, to fight vampires or hunt demons or… He chased the memories away. There were no need to add ghosts to those dark corridors when they were already tracking a monster.

"We should separate." Katniss whispered.

"That's what they always say in horror movies before getting killed one after the other." Peeta countered on the same tone.

"If you're scared…" Katniss retorted, a little louder.

"I'm not scared." Peeta protested.

Haymitch, on his part, rolled his eyes.

"Quiet." he ordered in a low voice. "You kids, go right. I'll take left. We loop around and meet up near the principal office. If you find Trinket, try to force her to reveal herself. Don't take unnecessary risks. If you see the succubus in demon form, you shout for me."

"Will you shout for us?" Katniss frowned. "Cause last time…"

Last time he had stupidly tried to confront Cashmere on his own and it hadn't ended so well for him. This time he'd be prepared.

"I'll shout." he promised, taking a step toward the west wing of the school.

"Wait." Peeta said. "Do you have your phone? There's no need to shout, it's not the middle ages."

It only took a minute to call the kids and wedge the phone in the back pocket of his jeans. Now, with the call open, if one of them found anything, the others would hear. That kid really had good ideas.

"Don't let him get himself killed." Haymitch told Katniss. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"So, nothing stupid, then?" she mocked.

Sassy kid, he thought, not without fondness as he set off on his own, trying not to linger on the boy's remark about horror movies. Again, he had a point. But assuming one of the cars in the parking lot was Trinket's – and since she had already fed on the premises, it might very well be – that left maybe two civilians on school ground and that meant two potential victims. Separating would go quicker.

He adjusted his grip on the stake he had pulled out of his own jacket. Just in case it wasn't the succubus roaming around but a good old bloodsucker, and told himself everything would be fine. It would be Katniss' first demon but she could handle it. She had the training and she had the strength.

Small noises echoed down the corridor and he wondered if the kids could pick it through the phone or if it was too tenuous. He carefully followed the sound to his own classroom. The beam of a flashlight was moving around and when Haymitch's boot squeaked against the linoleum floor, it turned directly into his face. He lifted the hand that was closed around the stake to shield his eyes and felt around the wall for the light switch with the other.

"Oh!" a high-pitched female voice exclaimed when light flooded the classroom.

Two could play at blinding the other.

He would have liked to say he was surprised but he wasn't. There stood Effie Trinket, wearing tight fitting black pants and a loose powder-blue mid-sleeves shirt with three long beaded necklaces swaying gently around her neck, her blond hair in disarray and her phone clutched in her hand, the small light insignificant now that the neon tubes were flooding them in their harsh glare.

Her blue eyes stayed fixed on the stake for a second but if she was surprised or shocked at seeing him clutching a pointy piece of wood, she didn't let on.

"Looking for something?" he asked.

Her gaze darted up to his face and then back to the stake before she turned off the flashlight on her phone with studied disinterest. "Yes, actually."

"And you thought you could find it in my classroom?" he insisted, hoping the kids would hear and come barging in – well, actually, he hoped they would move his way but that Peeta would hold Katniss back long enough that Trinket lost her disguise and turned full demon.

Trinket looked a little rattled. Maybe it was the stake.

"I was hoping you had something that could help, yes." she deadpanned. "But the only thing you seem to be keeping in your desk is alcohol, which I do not find as shocking as it should be."

"Oh, I have something that can help alright…" he smirked, taking a few confident steps toward her. "I know what you want…"

"Given how diligently you have been avoiding me, I very much doubt that." she huffed.

"I've seen the way you look at me…" he continued, advancing on her slowly. He half-expected her to step back but she held her ground, lifting her chin higher in a challenging attitude that made his pants a little uncomfortable. He did like difficult women, that was his curse. "Looked almost hungry, sweetheart."

She pursed her lips in anticipation. When she spoke, her voice was shaky. "Preposterous. And do not call me pet names if you would."

He was in front of her, then, and she stopped talking. He placed his hands on her hips and she didn't even flinch when she felt the length of the stake pressed against her side. A gentle push and she let him guide her backwards until her back hit the desk.

"Mr Abernathy, this is highly unprofessional." she replied. "Not to mention… There might very well be a…"

"I've been thinking about it since we met." he confessed. "It's that posh accent of yours…"

She didn't look very impressed. "Do you hate all the people with an English accent or is it only me? I will have you know I am an American, I simply spent over half my life in England. One picks up a few things along the way."

He reached out and brushed her blond curls back behind her shoulder, forcing himself not to remember the illustrations in the book and what she must have really looked like under the human disguise.

"You know the babble'd be cute if your voice wasn't so damn annoying." he taunted.

She pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes at him and tilted her head to the side in irritation but her pupils were a little blown and he took that as a good sign. If she was getting aroused, she would stop pretending to be human soon and try to make him his meal.

"They did warn me you were infuriating." she commented. "They did not warn me you would be so forward. Truly when did I ever give you any hint that…"

"If you don't want it, tell me to stop." he challenged.

She licked her lips, her breathing that little bit faster…

She remained mute though.

"You're really hot." he hummed, leaning in to press a kiss on her neck. He was completely in her space now. One of her hands landed on his waist, the other on his shoulder and her head fell completely to the side with a soft surprised noise. "So hot…" He pressed another kiss on her neck, a little higher, and let his tongue poke at her skin. She clutched at his jacket, letting out a sound that was between a whimper and a sigh.

He kissed his way up her jaw.

"Fuck…" she hissed.

He hadn't expected her to be vulgar and his hips jerked forward of their own volition. He wasn't sure if her pressing back was deliberate but it drove him mad.

She smelt so good… Tasted so good…

He was losing grip…

If she didn't reveal herself soon, he might not be able to resist her spell any longer…

"Mr Abernathy…" she breathed out with a hint of gravity, as if she was clinging to the last of her sanity. "Are you quite certain…"

"Haymitch." he corrected.

She was about to kill him, she might as well call him by his given name.

And then he kissed her.

There was only a second of hesitation on her part. Then, she kissed back and it was glorious. Her hands were in his hair, tilting his head the way she wanted it and he only vaguely heard the clicking sound of his stake hitting the floor because he was too busy grabbing her ass to lift her up onto the desk. He kept his eyes closed, a little too scared she would look demon-y when he would open them and it was so good he wanted to keep the lie alive a little longer.

For the first time in his life, he understood why so many humans were so eager to give in to the darkness.

He wasn't sure the sex would be worth losing one's life or soul over but right then it certainly seemed like it.

He felt himself completely losing grip. She was too warm, too perfect, too inviting…

He didn't even have it in him to call his Slayer for help.

°O°O°O°O°

Peeta was doing his best to follow Katniss silently but her irritated looks told him he wasn't being stealthy enough.

The school had never been his favorite place but, at night, it was even worse.

"Why didn't you tell me Miss Trinket might be a demon?" he whispered after a couple of minutes because he needed a distraction. He had been watching Katniss' six rather than their surroundings and he wasn't sure if he could entirely blame the succubus effects on his metabolism for it or not. To be entirely honest, it wasn't the first time he had checked her out and that didn't date back from a week ago.

She shot him another chiding look because his voice carried in the empty corridors even worse than his footsteps did. She didn't make a sound. She was in full hunter mode. She hadn't notched any arrows yet but she was focused and he knew it would only take a second to grab one from the quiver at her back.

His palm was sweaty around the handle of Haymitch's knife.

"I didn't know." she answered eventually. "He just told me to avoid her."

"And you didn't ask why?" he whispered back.

She rolled her eyes. "Last week he had me standing on my hands without moving for a whole hour. I didn't ask why either. Slayer training stuff is ridiculous."

"Fair enough." he sighed. "But I wish you wouldn't keep that sort of things from me. I'm part of the team, right?"

It came out more insecure than he wanted it to but she barely even blinked.

"You're here, aren't you?" she retorted. "Why haven't you told me you were feeling weird?"

Because I didn't think you would like to hear I was thinking about you naked, he absolutely didn't say.

Just then, Haymitch's voice came out of his phone. He had set the volume as low as possible for maximum discretion but it was enough for them to hear the Watcher still.

"Looking for something ?" A pause. "And you think you could find it in my classroom?"

They exchanged a look and took off down an adjacent corridor without a word. They were at the other end of the school from Haymitch's classroom and it would take them a good ten minutes even at a run. Time enough for Haymitch to get himself killed while playing bait.

He was running so hard his blood was pumping in his ears and it was probably lucky because he really didn't want to hear what was coming out of his phone. His History teacher and his Art teacher's weird brand of flirting was disturbing and it was nothing to when Haymitch actually got it going on.

There were kissing noises before long.

Katniss shot him a disgusting look. "How long before she turns demon?"

He shrugged helplessly. The book hadn't said and the only one of their trio with actual demon knowledge was currently making out with one.

And then Haymitch let out a scream of agony.

Oh oh... Is Effie going to eat Haymitch? (in a non enjoyable way?) Let me know your thoughts!