"What about the Greek?" Audrey questioned with interest in her eyes. "Their myths always had ways of diminishing evil-"

"Those revolved mainly around the Gods," Julian interrupted. "The power of the Gods is nothing like ours. But the tricks in those powers are very similar. Punish the man for selfish beauty by turning him into a flower by his own reflection. "

"Then the Latin," Dee butted in. "Or the Arabic. There are plenty of charms down there like that."

"True," Julian countered again. "But most of those require human sacrificial ceremonies, and I'm sure most of you would desire to keep your limbs as well as your lives."

Michael sat up, jumping in. "What about the charms, then? The ones in the basement. They're like, um…"

"Egyptian," Jenny finished for him. "My grandfather had plenty of those on that bookcase. A lot of them resembled the runes." She met Julian's gaze a little uneasily. "Will those be strong enough?"

Julian didn't answer her right away like he did to the others. From across the room he merely smiled at her for a moment, as if taking her presence all in at once was pleasantly overwhelming for him. He was leaned against the arch to the hallway, arms and ankles crossed, frost-white bangs hanging in his eyes. "Possibly," he said very smoothly after a pause. "The Egyptian culture did meddle in the Underworld. Natural they would pick up on the powers as any human would."

They were all gathered in the living room. After Jenny had woken them all up, somehow this conversation had started. Although, it was a very odd conversation. It wasn't normal. It wasn't like a debate. It was like an argument of some kind. A willing argument, that was going to benefit everyone in the end. As queer and tense as it was, because it was with Julian, they all were sitting through it.

Michael, Zach and Dee were on the couch. Summer was on the floor under Dee getting her long blonde curls put into two perfect braids. Audrey was in the farthest corner, taking heatedly on the phone. Tom was standing on the other side of the couch, and Jenny was parallel to him across the room. She sat on the end table, away from all the others, but away from Julian as well. The Prince of Shadows stood parallel to her from the other corner of the room, much closer than Tom.

The coffee table was cluttered with papers, books, and empty snack wrappers. Seeing them made Jenny's stomach turn with emptiness, but she ignored it. They had already run out of time and options. If they didn't send a phone call home soon, they would be scheduled as runaways and have their faces on billboards. Besides that, they were completely out of food and money. Audrey was currently calling daddy, asking him nicely to raise her credit card so they could buy some food. But judging by the sour tone she had, the conversation wasn't going well.

Jenny didn't blame them. Actually, she blamed herself. As much as her friends were keeping themselves together. Summer with her hair and Zach playing with a small traveling camera, it wasn't enough. She knew they were as wore down as she was.

Because of her.

She was tired. With the lack of food, information, and sleep, and not to mention the fact that she almost died a few hours ago. She hadn't slept since she woke up in the car. But she was too afraid to go to sleep now. She was too afraid of the Shadow Men getting in her head again. She didn't want to wake up in some dark place-

Her head bobbed and she jolted back awake, realizing she had been dozing off. Embarrassed, she wiped her face and rubbed her eyes. She couldn't sleep. Not when they were close to some sort of break through.

"So…what?" She asked tiredly. "We take a hammer and carve some Egyptian hieroglyphics on it?"

"We won't even know if it'll work," Dee said.

Michael shrugged. "We could test it."

There was an awkward tension in the air as the attention turned on Julian. However, his smirk never failed.

"I'll test it," Tom said a little heatedly. "Someone give me something, and I'll hit him with it-"

"Physically tactics are useless," Julian said tightly, his eyes shining bright with amusement. "If you haven't learned that by now. I wouldn't bother trying."

When Tom moved closer, Jenny jumped up, moving between them before the two could collide. "Julian's right," She said, and the words tasted weird on her tongue. "We can't hope for some type of fight. We have to trap them. Quickly."

The tension didn't ease up. If anything, it only increased. Seeing Jenny stand in front Julian must've hurt Tom because something recoiled in his eyes. That's when Jenny quickly hid her hand. If he saw the ring-

"Like a bear trap?"

It was Summer who spoke up, but the voice was fragile it made everything in Jenny shatter. God, she couldn't even focus she was so tired.

Yet, something clicked in her head, picturing some kind of enlarged bear trap with protection charms written on it-

Maybe not made of metal but runes-and blood, and the centerpiece was Jenny-

She spun on her heels, facing Julian instantly. "Could that work?" She asked and watched his eyelids droop. "If we set up something…like a bear trap out of runes. Like, something that will trap them the second they try to grab me?"

Julian studied her very carefully. "If you are stuck in the middle, the runes-"

"Then pull me out," Jenny said quickly. She wasn't sure if it made sense, but to her tired mind it did. "If we set it up right, and time it just right, could you be able to pull me out as we trap them?"

Something crossed Julian's mind. A suspicion, a thought, a risk, maybe, but Jenny couldn't figure it out. Her eyes were dry and she was afraid of falling asleep before he could answer.

"No."

Jenny was so tired she thought Julian was the one to answer her. Yet, Tom came up and spun her around, finishing, "There's no way we're using you as bait."

"I already am," Jenny argued.

"That doesn't mean we're going to risk it! We're trying to keep you away from them remember?"

Jenny sighed and rubbed her eyes. "We have to trap them somehow, and I'm the one they want-"

"I don't care." Tom cut her off. "Even if it could work, if he slips up then you're history and I'm not trusting your life in his hands. That's the end of it."

He walked away then, and something in Jenny just burned. To order her around like that, even if it was out of consideration for her life, after how rude he had been acting lately-

"I think I'll decide who to trust my life with," Jenny snapped. "And if we are messing with the runes I'd rather have someone who invented them helping us then working blind."

Tom turned on her but Jenny didn't look at him. "And that's the end of it."

In the silence, Jenny hated herself. She hated fighting with him. But she hated this dispute repeating itself over and over. She was tired of it. She was stuck in the middle, and she didn't know which way to turn when her only options were Julian or Tom.

"I'm hungry…"

Jenny desperately found Summer, with her braided pigtails making her look even more like a child. Right, back to reality. No food. No money.

Jenny's stomach made an odd noise.

Great. Now she was tired and hungry.

Audrey came back to the circle, hanging up her phone with a frustrated huff. "He's not giving me anything. He's pissed at me. He was about to track my cell to find out where I was." She gave everyone a disappointed glance. "Sorry, guys."

Jenny tried to breathe easier. "It's not your fault. We'll…have to figure something out."

As they began to discuss what to do next, there was a sudden ring at the door. Immediate fear filled Jenny. No one was supposed to live here. No one knew they were here. Tom was going first, but Jenny beat him to it. There was no peep hole. No windows to peek out. Whatever was behind the door…

Dee was right beside her. "Monster positions," she said with a smirk.

Jenny braced herself as Dee did. They counted together, and ripped open the door. To their surprise, it was just a boy.

A young teenager with a delivery hat on and a very confused face. Embarrassed even further, Jenny apologized. The boy just shrugged. "It's whatever. Here."

He practically shoved the pizza into Jenny's hands. "What-Oh, no, there must be some kind of a mistake."

"No, someone ordered the daily special. A huge one, in fact. Pizza, wings, side snacks, and dessert. But since I'm a half hour late, it's all on the house. That's our guarantee."

Too tired to understand, Jenny tried to argue. "I think you're at the wrong house."

The boy shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm already in enough trouble." Even though Jenny tried to pursued him, he tipped his hat, giving a very odd but familiar smirk, and left.

Shocked, Jenny shut the door, balancing all the food in her hands before Michael came and grabbed it. "That was weird."

"Who cares? Free food!" He dispersed the sections of food across the coffee table, ignoring the papers and everything else.

Although Jenny couldn't shake the weirdest feeling, she couldn't help but love the smell of the food. She took a slice of the pizza which had enough toppings to look like one of Zach's crazy art pieces. Someone said something similar and they all had a good laugh.

But it was very odd, Jenny realized even after she finished eating. The feeling she had, very familiar and so nice, like one of their old parties, but so odd…. Maybe it was because Julian was still in the room, but whatever she was feeling….

She was probably just really tired.

Yet, as she watched her friends relax for once and smile like they weren't fighting for their lives, she felt.. Normal.

"Jenny."

He called her so casually that she thought nothing of it at first. But as she looked to Julian standing in the archway of the hall, holding his hand out to her, waiting for her like a King would to his Queen-

The cold ring burned on her finger and she suddenly remembered her promise. That's right. They weren't working anymore. They were relaxing. And for the moment, they were safe. And she did say that when they were free and safe….

Heat flushed to her face, but she blamed it on the lack of sleep and silently approached him. She prayed no one would question it. Then again, if she just suddenly disappeared, who knows what they would assume.

But out of all of them, it had to be to Tom that noticed.

"Where are you going?"

Jenny stopped before Julian. She didn't take his hand. At least not yet.

She faced them again. Most of her friends were still indulging in the food, like Michael, Dee, and Summer. But Tom and Zach were completely looking at her, while Audrey was stuck somewhere in the middle.

God, what do I say?

"I need to talk to him," she said a little tensely. "He won't tell me everything in front of you guys."

"But-"

"Tom, just-Trust me."

She didn't wait for an argument or any type of refusal. She grabbed Julian's hand and allowed him to pull her away. If only he had done it quicker. She knew he was savoring the look on Tom's face as he whisked Jenny away for himself.

Jenny didn't really know what to expect, being pulled away by a very old, very wise, very beautiful demon. Whatever she would guess he would do-throw her into the Shadow World, a World of his own, back into the paper house-the last thing she saw coming was Julian bringing her to one of the spare bedrooms down the hall.

Something jumped inside Jenny, but she refused to show it. Especially when Julian's gaze was darted to the side, watching her every move as he led her to the door. Jenny was going to walk inside first, to keep her end of the bargain even if it was just for the time being, but Julian's hand beat her to it. He opened the door for her like some kind of gentleman would, revealing Jenny to a bedroom-

-just not the bedroom she was expecting.

The walls were beige. The carpet was a soft blue. The dresser in the corner was a mess, covered in clothes that no one knew if they were clean or dirty and springtime decorative baskets. The bed in the center was as Jenny had last seen it, the covers fluffy and exotic with the blue, gold, and pink Ralph Lauren design, with the lamp shining far more brightly than Jenny was used to.

Her old bedroom. Jesus, the last time she had slept safely in that…. That was back before Julian's second game, and it wasn't even a good night's sleep. Seeing such a familiar, comfortable scene reminded Jenny of how heavy her eyelids were. She felt like she had just finished running a marathon after a long, hard day at school and was trudging into her room to pass out. But the clicking of the door shutting behind her, reminding her exactly where she was, who she was with, what position she was in, made her keep her eyes open.

She had a light smile on her lips as she walked by her bed, tracing her hand over the frame piece at the end. The wood was cold, as if it were real. She knew it was just an illusion, though. Or well, she had to guess, since he had recreated Dee's bedroom to the last detail back in the first game. But he had even gotten the flowers on the windowsill right, even though nothing was visible through the glass. Jenny would've said something about it, but Julian wasn't saying anything. He probably already knew what she was thinking anyway. Wasn't he in her head?

She really needed to stop thinking.

Jenny's gaze got caught on something familiar, so she moved over to the pictures hanging on the wall. One was of her and Zach when they were younger. Another was her swimming with Summer while Audrey tanned behind them. They were comforting, knowing they were safe for the mean time. It made her feel a little less anxious, until she saw one more picture. One of her and Tom at their first dance together.

Jenny quickly turned away.

As she approached the bed, feeling the weight getting painful in her feet, she finally noticed that Julian was merely standing at the door, arms crossed, leaned back against the wood. She was too afraid to look at him. She didn't want anything….odd to happen, as they always did when she was alone with Julian. Yet, he wasn't even trying to move toward her. He was just watching her, judging her reactions.

Finally, he spoke. It was so sudden and so foreign that Jenny wouldn't have been surprised to learn that she hallucinated for a moment. "The food wasn't for your friends, by the way."

It took Jenny a second to comprehend, and when she did, she looked at him. His eyes, however, were turned away. And the look he had on his face, like a child being stubborn…. She had seen it somewhere before. With…Summer. That's right. After he returned Summer and refused to admit it. To refuse he had did something kind.

He didn't say anything more, probably because it was obvious. The fact that he was suddenly bashful, the fact that he was so stubborn when he was usually so playful, like the delivery boy's smile-

"You sent it…." she said, a little quietly. Julian didn't respond. Instead his gaze flickered back over to her with tight, obstinate blue eyes. Jenny was flustered by it at first, but then she was choking down a small giggle. She couldn't thank him. He wouldn't be able to accept such a thing. Last time when she had, when she had forced him to admit that he had done something kind, that he was different, he had completely pulled away from her. She couldn't have that this time.

Somewhere along the road Jenny had learned how to deal with Julian a little better. Maybe it was during the third game when they had…connected, in a way. That dealing with him would never be easy or normal or even boring. It was always a game, sometimes complicated and sometimes easy. She couldn't treat him like a normal person because he wasn't normal. She was going to have to treat him like he was.

Instead of thanking him, she was going to find an equilibrium.

"Sorry," she said slowly. "I guess I… was forced into sharing."

She turned her back to him then and sat down on her bed. She didn't know if she was just really tired or not, but the cushion of the covers was exactly like her real bed. Same softness, same texture. It was enough to make her close her eyes and relax for a second, then opening them in fear of falling asleep.

Then again, was that such a bad thing? A part of her questioned it thoroughly. She shouldn't be vulnerable in front of him. He wanted to steal her. He was evil.

But he just proved otherwise, if but a little. He was just…selfish in a way. Stealing her for his own for the meanwhile, keeping her and her friends safe. Just…in his own way. In his own grasp.

Jenny felt her head drop again and she quickly tried to hide it again. Especially when she felt the bed sink in behind her under Julian's weight. She tucked up her legs onto the bed to relieve some of the throbbing in her feet, and began an attempt at fixing her mess of a hair.

She was thinking too much. It was only adding to the exhaustion. She shouldn't be over thinking things. She should just try and figure out how to bypass this situation.

What was she supposed to do? Sitting in a probably locked room with the Prince of Shadows, with the permission to touch most of her, with her willingly as his.

Last time they were alone like this, with her promised to him in a room of his making, they had made out, embraced, then she locked him up.

Jenny couldn't turn around. With the room, the delivery boy, with Julian so stubborn but so close to her-

God, what was she doing?

Before she could over think anymore, the cold touch on her cheek surprised her. She couldn't even gather what was happening until it was too late.

The touch came from an awkward angle, on her left cheek even though Julian was to her right. The hand completely caressed her face and tugged her back. With the way she was sitting, leaning on the bed with her legs up, her weight completely dropped her onto the bed. The next thing she knew, she was laying against Julian. Her face was in the crook of his neck, her hands upon his chest, her body curled up against his side, her legs tucked against his own. It was utterly surprising, but surprisingly comfortable. His warmth, even after he draped his arm-the one he had used to drag her down-across her shoulders, was like the perfect drug. It dragged her into sleep faster than she could comprehend.

Oh, God. Wait, no…. I can't. He'll…Wake up. I can't….

There was one more frantic thought, one that was full of doubt, regret, and guilt, before her body went limp and she surrendered to the darkness as sleep took her over.

Julian allowed her to sleep, too. It was the main reason he brought her here anyway after seeing how exhausted she was. It was obvious, at least to him. To see her skin so pale, her forest green eyes so irritated and distant; she didn't give off her usual shine.

He allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder as he sat against the headboard. She was leaning completely against him, her body limp with fatigue, her face soft with sleep, and he used the chance to run his fingers gently through her honey hair.

Absolutely stunning….

She was so special like this; so fragile under his very touch, like a precious gem that he wanted to preserve-

No, he needed to preserve her.

No one could see the shine she gave off like he did. No one saw her strength, her courage. God, just thinking about it made Julian want to whisk her away this instant since she was here in his arms entirely at his mercy. Yet, he knew he couldn't. This gem was far too fragile for that. She would break too easily under the force. No, he needed to coax her little by little. He learned during the third game. She was too strong-too fierce to be taken by force.

But, he had exposed the wild side of her and now she was conscious of it. It would have to happen eventually. He could feel the desire building inside her. She was just refusing to let it surface completely. So he was going to take his time. Besides, getting the small chances like this, seeing Jenny's gentle sleeping face, able to keep her safe and satisfied even in her dreams, was more than he was expecting.

Plus, stealing her away from Tommy was just too delicious.

So he sat there, combing her hair and stroking her cheek for the few hours that she rested, allowing her to shift closer when she moved in her sleep.

Oh, yes. This is what he always wanted to taste.

And how bitter-sweet it was.

Yet, as long as the moment had lasted, it faded far too quickly. The atmosphere changed, the air growing colder, denser. The lights flickered and Julian immediately scowled. He could feel the others fear growing from next door. Even though a threshold of magic stood between them, preventing the most worried Tommy from getting through, Julian could hear them scurrying about like a pack of rats, starting to panic and run about.

Although their fear was amusing, Julian wasn't pleased by his Ancestors' presence, especially when their laughter drifted toward him.

Foolish boy.

Acting like a human.

We'll treat you like one-

Torture you-

Torture her.

Julian gazed down at Jenny, hardly phased. He could feel their energy, their power, trying to get to her, to invade her dreams and stoke her with fear, and he quickly stopped it with a gentle hand on her head. He didn't bother to respond to them. They couldn't hurt her here. Not fully anyway. Not when he was there.

Do you think she loves you?

A monster.

It'll never be.

Foolish boy.

Just hand her over.

We have the right-

Julian tried to force them away, but he wasn't that strong. He could only delay them, and drag their prey away when they tried to snatch them. But their laughter was like striking the wrong chord inside him; hitting the one and only small spot he had; the tiny spot very, very deep inside him that held a little weakness, a little emotion, and even a little fear.

She took our prey.

You know the laws.

And you still interfered.

You toyed with me, Julian snapped back without ever really speaking.

We should have killed you for betraying us.

We'd rather kill her.

She seems very enjoyable.

Very delicious.

The Prince of Shadows did his best to ignore their taunts. He was used to them; he knew how to be that cruel-

But not when it came to Jenny.

You could just give us the boy.

We'll take him.

A life for a life.

Julian actually had to control himself. If he gave them Tom, then all of this would be settled. They would stop chasing Jenny, and his love would permanently forever be his. Finally his.

Yet, he could see through his Ancestors taunting. They were against him as much as humans in general. They wanted a soul to play with and injure him in the process without killing him, because that was no fun. They wanted Jenny against him. They wanted to win.

Looking down at Jenny, the thought made him furious. God, he wanted to be cruel. He wanted her.

But he just….just couldn't.

You should've killed me when you had the chance. To that, his Ancestors only laughed. The lights flickered again.

Give her to us.

No.

Our right-

You didn't even say please.

We can unmake you, the words came in a very cruel hiss, one that rocked something inside Julian. It brought the threats very fresh to his mind, the risks, the consequences. Yet, the slender fingers on his chest tightened, curling into a distressed fist. Jenny was shifting again, her perfect eyebrows slightly pinched together as she mumbled non-sense from her subconscious.

"Tom…"

Something inside Julian-that tiny spot of feeling-pinched.

His entire being-his cruelty-his actions-everything he did, everything he was-

For her….

"You can carve my name out," Julian said aloud, very slow, very softly. He pushed the golden bangs out of Jenny's face, watching her face slowly relax back into the depths of sleep. "Or rather, throw me back into limbo. Have your fun with me, but understand this." He looked up to the shadows, easily seeing into the sets of eyes of his Ancestors as if they were right before him. "She was my prey first. Always was. I will be the only one to toy with her. You will never have her."

Surprisingly, they laughed at him. It was a very cold, very long, mocking laugh.

You plan to win her over?

How mortal you have become.

She'll never surrender to a monster.

She won't play your games.

She fall into ours.

Always ours.

We're hungry, boy.

We will have her.

And you will hand her over to us.

Soon.

Or we'll kill them all.

Their threats continued, but Julian easily choked down that small exposure of feeling back into the deepest part of him, never to be re-surfaced. Slowly, he sat up and gazed over Jenny one more time until the laughter completely faded away. He could still feel the rats scampering about in fret of the trembling ground and upcoming darkness. But Julian knew there was no real threat. At least, not to them.

With a deep breath, he cupped Jenny's face until her head was tilted toward him and he leaned down.

"You're going to have to let me in soon, Jenny. Let me be your power. Your safety… Please, just…."

He ended whatever he was about to say-about to expose-with a gentle kiss on her forehead, then shook her shoulder.

"Jenny. Come on, Jenny. Wake up. Ahh, yes. There you go. Shh, shh, you're all right…."

She came through completely dazed, barely registering who exactly it was that was calling her. The shock and fear on her face in that split second that she lifted her head from his shoulder was more pleasing than Tommy's earlier expression.

Jenny sat up fast and rubbed her face to wake up. "Oh, God… What? What is it?"

She was in mid-yawn when Julian got lost. It was just for a second, just like the very first time he saw her. Her beauty, her presence, her innocence had him star struck. With her hair tangled and covering her face, like loose strands of freshly woven gold, with her gentle features slowly being reopened, even just the way she stretched while barely moving, flexing such flawless skin.

There it was again. That shine…

And it was currently being threatened away from him.

She was looking at him now, the anxiety in her eyes, but the boldness clearly on her half-asleep face. He reached for her and she didn't move. He pushed the loose strands from her face, the electricity from his fingertip barely brushing her skin bringing her to full consciousness. As she judged the look in his eyes, as she judged his actions, Julian blankly sat back against the headboard, arms stretched over it like a bachelor at his pad. He motioned his head for the door.

"Your friends are calling."

His tone was a little cold. Jenny didn't know how to judge it.

She took the words in, then glanced at the door. She stood, fixed her clothes, but didn't completely approach the door.

Was this their deal? He didn't even do anything. What that all?

Jenny clearly fought the feeling of disappointment as she hesitated, but solidly charged through the door without looking back.

Julian could read her so easily. Her hesitation, her uncertainty, her fear. How she battled it so easily, how she had yet to defeat it completely. It was what made her so strong.

And so distant.

Even in his arms, she was still so far away. Even if she was drifting closer, it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

The lights flickered and rage boiled up inside Julian. Yet, a twinge of feeling struck him silent as the laughter echoed around him.

Foolish boy….

This one isn't as long as the others but I needed to settle the balance from Julian's side. I hope I didn't mess anything up or disappoint you guys. I like the struggle of action and passion within every chapter. I hope next chapter knocks your socks off, and as payment I'll make the next chapter VERY long ;) any suggestions or advice is gladly accepted and please review x) till my next update.