Chapter 14: His Daughter, Transformed.

January didn't sleep that night, even after Sebastian had brought her some warm tea and ran her a long, what was supposed to be soothing bath. Her mind seemed to be full yet empty, cloudy yet clear; as if she didn't have a grip on her own reality and she was slipping away from it all. Her eyes refused to shut even though she felt the exhaustion making her eyelids heavy and her sight hazy, and the tension in her sore muscles refused to let her relax into any form of sleep. Her face still stung from the champagne glass that had shattered into her skin and she was sure this scar would taint her appearance forever. She lifted her hand to her face, allowing her fingers to graze the wound softly. Tears formed in her eyes at the very touch of the deep gash, and her heart sank into her chest as she replayed the night's events in her mind. Cassius's face flashed in her mind, the crazed look in his eyes was burned into January's memory forever, and she was sure that the very sight of him would make her chest tighten with fear should she ever see him again.

I hope to never see that man, ever. January thought, sitting up from her bed and heading towards the window, where the pale moonlight was creeping into her room through the cracks in the curtains. In one swift movement, she pulled the curtains apart and grimaced at how blinding the moonlight was. January sat on the windowsill for a short while, observing the stillness of the gardens that stretched out for miles. Everything seemed so calm, so peaceful at this time of night. She leaned into the window frame, her eyelids suddenly feeling impossible to keep open, and soon enough her chest settled into a rhythmic breathing pattern as January fell into a light sleep.

However, there were no dreams tonight.

January slept for what seemed like 30 minutes or so, before being abruptly woken by her window being smashed open and a strong body tackling her to the ground. Her heart pounding in her chest, she hit the floor with such a force that it winded her and she felt the panic begin to pump through her veins as she struggled to breathe. She caught a glimpse of the intruder as his large body kept her pinned to the floor, his hands wrapped tightly around her throat, squeezing with all his might. January's vision quickly became filled with flashes of white, the pain in her neck becoming more unbearable by the second.

Oh god, this is it, I'm going to die

Her assailant pressed into her even harder, his body weight crushing her small frame and applying even more force to his hold on January's neck. Then, just as the world started spinning around her and her vision began to rapidly fade into a deep, terrifying and suffocating mass of nothing, her bedroom door swung open and off its hinges, bursting into hundreds of splinters as it went.

Outside, an unexpected visitor is on their way…

Grell Sutcliff made their way across the Phantomhive rooftop, heels clicking against the cold slate tiles. Chainsaw over one shoulder, and record book open in the other, Grell let out an exasperated sigh as they read the information regarding tonight's soul collection.

"What a plain jane! I can't believe my dearest Bassy would let such an eyesore near him!" Grell's dramatic tone echoed out into the night, and they began to make their way down to the scene of the crime.

"Hold tight, January, I'm coming for you!"

Within seconds of the window being smashed, Sebastian is rushing to protect his dearest...

There, in all his hellish glory, stood Sebastian Michaelis; pure rage radiating from his body in a masquerade of black shadows swirling around his ominous form. Bright crimson eyes were now glowing a vibrant magenta, and once perfect teeth were pointed into a fiercely formidable grin. Sebastian stepped forward, a clawed hand reaching out to grab the intruder by the throat, lifting him in the air.

"I thought I told you to stay away from this place, Cassius." Sebastian's voice was low and threatening, but still he somehow managed to maintain a touch of playfulness when he spoke.

The blonde boy only responded with a choked cough, tears forming in his own eyes as Sebastian tightened his grip on him. A snarl formed on Sebastian's face when he felt January's heartbeat finally come to a stop, and he threw Cassius aside as he knelt down next to her still body. Gently taking her hand in his own, he felt the soft warmth of her delicate skin, knowing that if he didn't do it soon, she would begin to grow cold and stiff.

"There you are, my darling Bassy!" A shrill voice filled the room, and Sebastian grimaced in annoyance as he caught a glimpse of the flamboyant redhead who was stood at the window.

"What do you want, ginger riffraff?" Sebastian spat at the annoying reaper, who was already wielding their chainsaw with both hands.

"I'm here to collect your pathetic little girlfriend, my love!" Grell grinned maniacally, a gloved finger pointing down at January's body. Sebastian allowed himself to smirk for a second, before scooping January into his arms and pushing past the reaper and leaping from the window and down into the garden that she had been gazing at just a short while ago.

"I'm sorry, Grell, but we are mated. I have marked January. She is mine for the keeping." Sebastian said plainly, another smirk tugging at his lips. Turning away from the window and setting January down on the grass, he leant over her limp body.

"Oh, you think I'm going to give up that easily, my darling? Ha! I thought you knew me better than that!" Grell announced, leaping from the window and racing to the spot in the grass where Sebastian was hovering over the dead girl. Before Grell could swipe their death scythe and rip January's cinematic record from her chest, a blinding purple light illuminated the two on the grass.

"Nothing comes between a demon and their mate, Grell… Especially when their mate is bearing a child." Sebastian lowered his mouth down to January's, and began to take the soul from her body.

If I can't have you in your mortal life, I will give you an immortal life that you can share with me for all eternity.

From upstairs, Cassius managed to drag himself to the window to observe the creatures outside. His eyes widened at what he saw, a symbol that had been carved into his sister's chest was glowing brightly, the butler bent over her as if he were about to devour her... Or her soul.

Cassius staggered backwards into the darkness of the bedroom, fear overcoming him.

"M-monsters! The lot of you! I should have known there was something wrong with this place!" His voice grew quieter the more he spoke, and as he stepped further into the room, he was met with something cold in the small of his back that pierced through his skin and into his organs, bringing him to his knees.

"I told you to stay away from my manor." A low voice spoke out behind him, and as he felt the life slip away from him, the knife was pulled out from him and he howled in pain as the blood gushed from his body. Cassius finally hit the floor, his limbs feeling like they were being held down with lead weights and his mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions.

Then, a tall man in an impeccable suit stood before him, rectangular glasses perched on his nose. His face was pulled into a scowl, and he brandished a long hedge clipping tool in one of his hands.

"That blasted redhead, why do I even bother sending them out to reap?" The man said gruffly, before opening a file and reading over it's contents quickly. Then, he swung his scythe into Cassius' chest and his cinematic record flew out like an eager snake that was striking its prey, and William swiftly started cutting it.

"That's one done." He said flatly as he stamped over Cassius' picture in his file, "Now, to collect the nuisance." William spoke before heading out of the broken window and down to the garden.

Purple, blinding light. That's all I remember when I woke up…

Sebastian grinned as the eyes of the girl laid in front of him fluttered open, that deep malachite colour now replaced with a gentle magenta. The symbol etched into her chest was burning and glowing, and January felt like her body was on fire. Then, she felt like her body was empty, like something was missing, and then she felt it…

An insatiable hunger.

A hunger she had never felt before, it was consuming her whole body and she felt like she was being tortured the longer she did not feed on something. January shot up from her place on the grass, and Sebastian met her speed and took her in his arms, holding her close to him as she writhed and panted in his grip.
"My love, please calm down, I need to explain our situation." Sebastian whispered into her ear, taking in her new appearance. Brown hair that was once like chocolate was now as dark as the very shadows that swirled around him; her once green eyes were now a soft and glowing pink colour that were framed by dark lashes. Her ivory complexion had paled into a delicate porcelain, bringing out her rosy lips.

"You are no longer living...your brother ended your life." Sebastian spoke lowly, assessing her reactions, "I cannot live without my mate. I have taken your soul, and in exchange you are now a demon, like myself." A smirk played on Sebastian's lips as he spoke, still waiting for January to react.

"You see, my dear...you are experiencing your first hunger. You desire to feed on a soul. This is a feeling you will get used to." January shook free of his grip, and stood up, making her way to the small water fountain closer to the manor. There, she saw her reflection and gasped.

I'm a demon.

"Where is he?" She asked lowly, he voice flat and somewhat unreadable. Sebastian stood up, and walked over to be at her side.

"He is dead, January. My master took it upon himself to finish the job." Sebastian said wickedly, pulling January into him. "You look utterly divine, my dear." He muttered, his voice low and sultry.

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you would hurry up and see to it that his body is taken away from my property immediately." Both demons turned to see Ciel stood at January's broken window, irritation clearly written on his face.

"Yes, my lord. I will see to it right away." Sebastian offered him a bow before hurrying away to move Cassius' body. January held Ciel's stare, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she took the opportunity to find out what was going on.

"You knew?" She asked, noticing the tiny smirk that formed on his lips.

"Of course. Sebastian is my butler. I noticed as soon as he took one look at you that he was going to pursue you." Ciel let out a small huff, "You two are noisy enough anyway."

January didn't respond, she simply stared at the blue haired man that stood above her.

"And Lizzie?"

"Knows everything. Why do you think she kept teasing you?" January smiled, realising she had been blind to this the whole time. "Since you are now a demon, and essentially my butler's mate, as he put it, I will be obligated to offer you the position as a housekeeper here at the manor." January's eyes widened in shock, Ciel was still going to keep her? Even after all the trouble her presence had caused for the Earl?

"We will send a letter to your family, stating that you have fallen ill and passed away. I will even arrange a funeral for them to attend. As for Cassius, he will be disposed of in a much less dignified manner." Ciel said darkly, before turning away from the window and making his way inside. Then, just before he disappeared from sight, he turned back once more.

"Oh, and I offer my congratulations. A baby truly is a wonderful gift."

January stood as still as a statue, her eyes wide and her mind racing.

A baby...what in Lucifer's name is he talking about?

AN: And that's chapter 14! We're getting so close to the end, but fear not! For there will be a sequel and other small works that I've been thinking about for a while. Sorry I was gone for so long, it turns out that weddings that happen abroad are extremely tiring! Please let me know what you think!