Tiffany Howler hadn't considered what her life would be like without her mother. She'd been born into an affluent family, never questioning how they came to pass. All she ever knew was that her mother spoke and things happened. Whether it was opening up opportunities for her, or the silencing of a particularly clingy boy. She was 12 when she truly understood what the price was for her lifestyle.

Uncle Jack had come calling that evening and attended her festivities, the real one began once everyone that had come had gone to bed except for herself, mother, and Uncle Jack.

He had shown her a gorgeous brooch that had the bluest sapphire set in the middle of a flowery design. He had asked her if she would like it, Tiffany hadn't even hesitated and reached out to grab it.

Uncle had smacked her hands and told her she would have to earn it before he gave it to her.

The trio walked out to the shed and Uncle had two of his associates bring out a girl from her Spanish class. Tiffany had honestly forgotten the girl's name, but knew her as a overachiever that came from a poorer, immigrant family. Her continued successes were irritating to Tiffany and insulting to her ego.

Uncle had simply held out a gun, it was a little heavy, but Tiffany raised it steady and pulled the trigger even as the girl gave teary, muffled pleads to go home.

Uncle and mother were over the moon pleased by her performance. Uncle even complimented on her marksmanship, as he handed her the new brooch.

After that night Tiffany knew the world for what it was: A cold, and cruel place. The only way to survive was to take all the territory, pretend to show them her mercy and cultivate a herd of loyal prey that would willingly throw themselves in front of a fire for her.

Her mother was so very proud of her angel, and Uncle had taken to calling her his 'Piccolo Guerriero.' When she was old enough, Uncle had taken her around the world several times and she found herself speaking to so many people of power: Princes, former Presidents, prestigious actors and artisans. Of course there were others she met, more...reserved associates that were either competitors or employees of her Uncle's business empire.

When she turned 19, her Uncle had offered her a job, to help groom her skills before she ascended to her mother's seat at his table. Tiffany had accepted without hesitation. In six months she became known as 'La princesa blanca' and was such a good actress that her mother began showing her several theater schools as preparation for her 'Day Job.'

Tiffany had everything. Wealth, power, and the love and pride of her two parental figures, mother and Uncle Jack.

Something cold splashed on her face, and she shook awake while she spat out some water.

"Up."

Tiffany looked up and saw a physically intimidating woman with black iris' glowering at her, as she chucked a red dinted bucket to the side.

"I think you've slept long enough La princesa blanca."

Tiffany did a quick check of her surroundings, she was in some old warehouse, maybe one of Uncle Jack's properties for business. She then checked her bindings, duct tape around her wrists but nothing actually pinning her to the chair. Perfect, as soon as this bitch turned around, she could stab her in the upper spine with a knife in the back of her blouse. All she had to do was the one thing she was good at; act.

"Por favor, no sé lo que estás diciendo."

The woman crouched in front of her, and Tiffany had to admit she flinched herself at the sight of those black eyes. There wasn't any white in them at all, probably just contacts to spook her, same with those fangs she saw earlier. Working with a dash of her fear, she continued to play the 'wrongly caught victim.' The punch to her gut came without warning, and was enough to tip the chair back a bit. As she gagged and tried to pump air into her body, the woman continued.

"I think you do. But if you insist on playing dumb, then I'll start. Lately Mexican authorities have reported a series of missing persons cases all centered here for some unfathomable reason."

The woman got up and paced one or two steps to either side, Tiffany avoided her gaze as she pretended to squirm under her scrutiny.

"Now, I recently went down to an airport in Albuquerque and found a little place that existed, except when I looked it up, nothing's registered there."

Tiffany felt the handle of the knife settle into her palm, now it was a waiting game.

'C'mon bitch, turn already!'

Her mental aggravation stopped as that sharp black-eyed glare fixed on her and seemed to delve into her soul.

"After a nice talk with some of the boys there, I simply had to find you. They all talk about you so much and so highly too. So let me ask you just one simple question."

Tiffany eased the knife through the tape silently and waited for her opportunity, as the woman got up and turned around.

"The name Jack mean anything to you?"

Tiffany leapt at her, and screamed as an oblong head suddenly appeared from the woman's shoulder, snagging the knife in its teeth and breaking it as though it was glass and not steel.

She fell back in the chair as her panic began to consume her. Tiffany's mind could reach her legs to move, to run, but she was too struck by the sight of this tar-like substance that was now glaring at her.

"Answer the question bitch!"

She pissed her pants at the violent bark from the black head as it snapped its teeth in front of her face. Tiffany broke down into a crying mess as her panic ran rampant through her mind.

"Havoc enough, please."

The tar hissed at the woman it had sprouted from, before bending closer to the shell of her ear.

"Mi cuerpo, she tried to kill you."

Tiffany felt bile rise in her mouth as a long tongue flicked out and licked at a bit of the woman's cheek.

"I know, I wanted certainty. If she was another girl, she'd run once she knew the tape wasn't attached to anything."

The woman crouched in front of her again, the head turned and seemed to glare at her, while the woman's expression was perfectly stoic. Then her face broke into a rather predatory grin.

"But not you, you've killed a bit and for a long time too. That's the deal breaker for me. That and you reek of Jack. So you're either someone he does business with regularly, or someone he trusts."

She got up and roughly patted her shoulder, then turned to where she had tossed the bucket.

"S-S-...So you're not going to kill me?"

The woman turned around with a raised eyebrow as she picked up the bucket, her stoic façade back in place though there was a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"I won't, no."

The tar hissed and seemed to coil itself on the woman's shoulder.

"I would."

Tiffany couldn't even blink as the face lunged forward and snapped its teeth just in front of her face. She felt more urine soil her new Chantal Thomass underwear as the face began to chuckle deep in the back of its throat.

"But you're lucky I don't eat tainted meat."

Tiffany fell out of the chair on her ass, while the woman merely chuckled at her reactions.

"Yeah, we won't kill you. The fire is."

Tiffany's mind screeched to a halt.

"What fire?"

The woman turned at the door with the bucket in her hand as she casually held up a match between her index and middle finger. She regarded Tiffany with a confused look as she casually rested her thumb on the head of the match.

"What, you thought I dumped water on you?"

Tiffany's eyes widened, but stopped when she didn't smell or taste anything strange. She cautiously got to her feet, was the woman just bluffing? Oh, Uncle Jack was so going to hear this. This bitch-

The woman pulled her thumb back and lit the match, before dropping it on the 'water.' It sparked on contact and raced toward her. Tiffany could barely scream as the fire engulfed her. The woman began walking out the door before calling back over shoulder.

"A little message for Jack."

"You know our deal; men get eaten, women get burned. I don't care if she tried to kill me with that pathetic excuse of a knife. I knew she had it when we dragged her here, did you think so little of my skill in a fight?"

Miranda casually set the red bucket aside at the construction site nearby. It was fortunate that part of Jack's enterprise involved legitimate business, such as providing rocket fuel. Just one more stray thread for her to pull. Soon all of Jack's world would come unraveled and fall apart spectacularly at her feet, with her holding the last thread in her hands. Miranda just hoped it was soon, she was getting tired of this one person war against him.

Havoc only growled as he reappeared beside her, before his growl softened to a purr. Well, not entirely a one person war. Miranda choked a little and faltered in her step as he fed his wish for her through their bond.

"That's true, but after watching you interrogating your prey, I can think of one woman I want to 'eat' now if she'll let me."

Miranda focused on her breathing as Havoc's tongue left a blazing trail up her neck from her clavicle. His tongue was a little more adventurous the second time as it disappeared under her shirt and worked under her bra. She promptly patted the right side of his face as he withdrew, giving her nipple a firm little flick while doing so.

"I hope you know what you're asking for tonight mi alma."

Havoc only chuckled as he disappeared inside her again.

'Of course mi cuerpo, after all, I'm in your brain.'

Miranda chuckled hungrily, while she bit her lip.

She walked off into the night, leaving the burning warehouse and the screaming woman behind her.