Notes: Another month time lapse, around 6 months plus.

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Pulling his pillow over his head, Marcus shifted on the couch, trying to block out the blood-curdling screams emanating from his bedroom upstairs. The girl had been at it half the night, waking in hysterics and then passing out by her own asphyxiation. Just listening to it alone was exhausting.

It had been like this for the past several weeks, indolence during the day contrasted by gratuitous terror at night. This spell was worse than all of her previous ones. No doubt it was spurred on by her reclusive behavior. The thing was practically a ghost of her former self.

In the beginning, he would lie awake, a twisted smile on his face as he relished in the girl's misery. After all, he had found a loophole to the no damaging the crazed human directive.

However, after dealing with nearly 7 months of mounting psychosis, he was beginning to feel a bit mad himself. The horrid girl had ruined yet another beautiful thing for him. Taking pleasure in her misery just wasn't as enticing as it used to be.

This job was upsetting the balance of his preferred standard of living, seclusion, order, and a whole lot of calculated mayhem.

That's not to say he didn't entertain an occasional plaything, but they never lasted long. He never understood the want some creatures had for companionship. It seemed to be a deficiency instilled at birth, the need for someone else to make them feel complete.

Customarily, he was the first to know about anything and everything. These days he felt more like how he imagined a human must feel, helplessly blind and uncontrolled of their fates. River Tam was turning his world upside down with her unpredictable nature and it frustrated him that he couldn't control a single aspect of her.

His flawless record of destruction and ill will should have attested for more than this. After the Angel fiasco, he knew the partners wanted to be more cautious, but surely a lesser creature could be put in charge of the girl's undertaking?

Tossing and turning, he grew more furious with the girl's incessant noise. He wanted to feel refreshed and appear well rested for tomorrow's review. It was disreputable to be any less than at the top of your game when meeting with the partners.

Pitching the blanket from his boxer clad body, he growled low, and stomped up the stairs in fury, shaking the building with tremendous force. When he reached the bedroom, he swung the door open, the sheer force of his strength causing it to become unhinged. Tossing it aside like a piece of cardboard, he descended upon the small, shaking thing on his bed.

Grabbing her wrists, he yanked her up to his level, fire burning behind his eyes. He wanted to chuck her across the room like he had the door and be done with it, with her.

In the dark, River's tear-glistened eyes shone vulnerably. Again, she was not fearful of him, even as he gripped her wrists with bone crushing strength. Her misery was beyond him, a living torrent inside her head.

River looked at Marcus pleadingly, as if he could somehow save her from herself. "Won't stop. Won't ever stop." She chanted. "They'll just keep coming until they get back what you took." Looking pointedly at her hands between them, she examined them carefully as if the were not her own. "Two by two, hands of blue. Two by two, hands of blue."

Marcus's anger subsided some and he lessened his painful grip on her as a slight smirk crept over his face. He understood her bizarre rant and took pleasure in the knowledge that he had inadvertently aided in the girl's anguish.

"Ah, hands of blue. Horrible, horrible men. In fact, they're colleagues of mine. I can set up an introduction if you'd like?" He offered indifferently. Yes, he was feeling much better now. Retribution was sweet.

River's knees buckled and she began to shake violently at the proposal; the only thing keeping her erect was Marcus's hold on her. "No!" She cried, breaking into wretched sobs, the memory of her most recent nightmare still a fresh reality her mind.

Then, instead of pulling away, she flung herself onto him, clinging tightly as she buried her face into his chest. "Please." She whimpered into his skin. "You must stop them. Looking for me where I cannot be found. They will kill them all!"

Well, that was a first, Marcus thought as he felt the girl's hot pleas of desperation against his flesh. He supposed she was speaking of her brother and the band of thieves he was now traveling among, most likely with the ridiculous notion he could somehow find his precious sister.

It would make sense that Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Wayneright were contracted to seek River out. After all, her true whereabouts were known by only a precious few in the conglomerate. The hands of blue, while useful, weren't very high up on the corporate latter.

What was more curious was the way the girl was holding on to him now, like he was her salvation. Hadn't she already learned he was not her ally? Perhaps he hadn't been cruel enough.

"You have." River mumbled against his chest and unwrapped her arms from around his waist, sliding them up around his neck. His body was warm, comforting, and she wanted to disappear inside the shell of him, use his strength to become whole again.

He was going to pry her off just then, but her words and actions halted him. The girl was fully aware of his abhorrence for her, and yet, she pressed her little body even tighter to his. He found the physicality of her need interesting.

"Keep your enemies close." She agreed, her whisper caressing his ear, causing his body temperature to rise slightly. This was the price you pay for temporary abstinence, being easily aroused by frail, sickly things.

It didn't matter, he had already decided that tomorrow he would convince the partners to reassign him after he pointed out the benefits of his uses elsewhere. Then, that very evening he could set to ravaging the first decent creature to cross his path. The anticipation of such events helped spur his arousal; seven months was way too long to go without, even when you existed eternally.

River shivered as she felt his lust. It drifted off him thickly, rich and strangely intoxicating. His licentious thoughts were the closest thing to pleasurable emotion she'd experienced in years and it overwhelmed her. Her body, mind and soul were not her own as the effect of them took hold. She half whimpered and moaned as his fantasies filled her head, flashes of skin on skin, heaving, hurting and pounding with an unearthly need.

A slight trepidation arose in the part of her that knew better as she fought her body's natural impulse to completely submit to him. All along she had been struggling against her unhealthy draw to the creature but now she was fast slipping into the depths of temptation. She wondered if this is how his victims had felt right before they reached their end, so completely spellbound that they didn't care if they lived or died.

Forgetting her place and the little self-control she possessed, River turned her face and nuzzled skin that smelled of crisp linen, sharp cologne and potent male. The power he encompassed drove her wild in ways she barely recognized.

Cautiously testing their unspoken boundary further, she found his pulse and tentatively kissed him there, his lifeblood cold and surging beneath her lips.

A slow devious smile spread across Marcus's face at the realization of the girl's attraction to him, and he wondered how he managed to miss it up until now. After all, inspiring and feeding off of a woman's desire was his forte.

Marcus had to admit though, out of all her unexpected behaviors, this one was the most welcome. He knew that River despised him, or at least what he was underneath, and that made her actions all the more appealing.

River pulled back and ran her hand down Marcus's arm slowly, exploring his naked body in that listless way that always fascinated him. She looked up at him expectantly as she trailed her fingers, the innocence in her eyes taunting him in the worst of ways. Purity and virtue were coveted aphrodisiacs for his kind, and she was dangling them right in front of his face.

As he stared back unwaveringly into her eyes, the prospect of her silent offer grew more thrilling by the second. There were no thoughts of guilt or propriety to hamper him. He was going to utilize this new vulnerability of hers to the fullest. She really had no idea.

Impulsively, Marcus placed his large hands on River's narrow hips and pulled her flush against his pelvis, watching as her eyes widened in surprise. She was so small under his hands, so very breakable, yet at the same time resilient in a way he'd never come up against before.

Marcus brushed River's long hair over her shoulder, exposing the graceful curve of her neck and dipped his head down, kissing her right below the ear. He savored the intoxicating release of pheromones as he moved his lips lightly, knowing just how to make her weak.

River's body went slack as he found the spot that turned her into mush, tearing down her last shred of resistance. She knew this was it; there was no coming back from fire and brimstone.

Feeling her falter, Marcus slipped his arm around her to keep her steady, and scooped her up effortlessly. River clung to him loosely, watching him with eyes that knew too much and not nearly enough.

Marcus walked them around the side of his bed and laid her down upon it. Standing upright, he took a moment to consider her, sweeping his eyes across her young, supple body. Her slight curves were obscurely visible through the thin material of her nightgown, freshly tempting him.

He had tried to dominate her before, battle her into submission to no avail. A rare excitement gripped him as he realized she would finally be his. His pretty little broken doll, lying there, ready for the taking.

Desire sprang from his hate like hellfire as he thought of owning her completely, dominating every tender inch of her. He was going to corrupt her repeatedly and ferociously and enjoy every tumultuous minute of it.

Unabashedly, Marcus shed his boxers, watching as the girl dissected the sight before her, and smirking when he noticed a silent trepidation enter her features. She was smart enough to know it wasn't going to be an easy fit. The thought of causing her pain instantly thrilled him.

Crawling over her still form, Marcus pushed open River's legs and settled down in between, making sure to keep his eyes locked with hers. He could see the apprehension in them now, and relished in the virgins naiveté. He wondered if she'd dare to make the same mistake of wanting him again when he was done with her.

The intensity in Marcus's eyes caused anxiety to swell in the pit of River's stomach. As he loomed over her, his thoughts were devious, abysmal, and they frightened her with their potency.

Except, had she really expected him to go easy on her? The price to feel was high, agony, a calculated risk. She had inadvertently sold her soul to the devil for a spark of intimacy.

Shifting his weight to one hip, Marcus turned his attention to River's lower half, pushing up her nightgown over her hips and exposing her long legs, dancer's legs that contained a killer's strength.

Slowly, he ran one large hand up her calf, admiring her pale skin in this new light, his handling of her no longer dutiful but iniquitous. As he continued down the inside of her thigh, the texture reminded him Chinese silk, soft, lavish and beautifully uncontaminated.

River trembled with a mix of longing and fear under Marcus's self-assured touch. Being handled like this was a foreign thing for which she hardly had reference.

As his fingers slipped under the lace of her panties, River's lips parted slightly and she let out a small gasp they brushed over the parts of her that were already swollen. Closing her eyes, she let her body relax as he explored her, his thick fingers sliding through her wetness, both quelling and intensifying the ache.

Marcus expertly maneuvered the girls panties from her body with one hand as he continued to toy with her arousal, surprising himself with his gentle patience. He told himself he was priming her up for things to come, trying to ignore the distant part of him that enjoyed causing the broken thing pleasure.

His fingers were moving shallowly now, one finger working in and out, slowly teasing, just enough to cause her to squirm in agony before he removed completely.

River opened her eyes at the loss and peered down curiously as Marcus, who flashed her an impish grin before disappearing between her legs.

Suddenly, he was kissing the inside of her thigh, tinges of pleasure sparking from his soft lips everywhere they made contact with skin. The feeling intensified as he neared her center, his hot breath tormenting, so close to where she ached, where she craved his concentrated attention.

Marcus reached his hands underneath her thighs and gripped her waist, pulling her to him forcefully, and incased her mound with his hot mouth all at once.

River arched her body upon contact, gripping at the bed sheets on either side as Marcus used his tongue and mouth in ways no mortal could ever match. He devoured her hungrily, his carnal side emerging full force, delighting in the shrieks of pleasure that poured from the girl, filling the quiet room.

A new kind of intensity seized River entirely. Her own explorations paled to the sensations whirling about her now. Her whole body felt aflame, a raw sensitivity building as she neared the edge of implosion.

Marcus could feel her tense. She was nearing the edge of feeling things he was sure her young body had never felt before and it was his job to ensure that she never would. Waiting until the last possible second, he pulled away, cruelly leaving the girl unfulfilled, confused, and wanting him more desperately than ever.

As Marcus moved up her body, he was surprised to find that his own want was becoming virtually uncontrollable. Looking down at her now, flushed, gasping, and halfway towards utter depravity, the urge to plunge into her innocence and fuck her savagely, could barely be contained. He couldn't remember the last time his lust spiraled this out of control.

Gripping her nightgown, he tore it down the middle, revealing her small breasts and slight form. He wanted all of her exposed to him when he took her.

Looking deep into the girl's large brown eyes, Marcus reached his hand back down between them and lazily stroked her once again, watching as her face deepened with pleasure. "Do you know what I want to do to you, River?" He asked rhetorically, practically purring. He was going to have her, permission or not.

Biting her lip, River nodded in complete understanding as flashes of the proposed danced through her mind, causing her to shudder. She no longer feared him, how could she when her body was screaming to be had?

Reaching her hand up, she smoothed it along Marcus's face and lifted her head to bridge the gap between them, bringing her lips to his. She kissed his mouth softly, with a deep and tender passion and as she pulled away, she whispered her consent against his lips. "Make me feel."

In the moment her lips touched his, soft, trusting and pure, a spark of something foreign seized his body. It took control of the strength that coursed through his veins and rendered him powerless. No one had ever dared to kiss him like that before, so completely unafraid.

Marcus's brow wrinkled in confusion, a dizziness gripping him as he watched a pleased smile dance across River's lips.

This was not the standard course of things. Something was terribly wrong. He had been weakened, corrupted, and her coy smile was hiding the truth. Abruptly, he launched himself off of her, hoping to rid himself of the paralyzing sensation.

Sitting on the side of the bed, he bent over and pressed his palm to his head trying to regain his equilibrium.

River sat up, confused, and placed her small hand against his back hesitantly, afraid his skin might burn her on contact.

Marcus shook the fog from his head, turning as he felt her cool, questioning touch. Anger had once again taken over his blue eyes as he glared at her over his shoulder. "What exactly are you?" Grabbing her chin hard, he growled angrily. "Did you break into my library, memorize the spell books? Is this some sort of reprisal?"

River shook her head vehemently against his hold, a distant pain bruising her jaw. "Not a witch. Just a girl." She contested.

Marcus released her and snickered as he stood, looking her up and down with eyes that belonged to the Marcus before tonight. "Yes, thanks for reminding me of that fact." Turning from her, he made his way to the door.

River's eyes welled up with tears, not understanding what she had done wrong. She already missed his hands on her body, touching her like she was a tangible thing. She had felt so much, and it was slipping away like a dying star. She couldn't let that go. Kneeling on the bed she called after him, pleading with vanishing hope. "Please don't leave. Stay with me."

Marcus turned, his eyes cold. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that desperation is off-putting?"

His callous tone tore through her gut, making her feel naked beyond her skin. Sitting back, she watched him leave, trying to sort through the jumbled emotions inundating her, her body and mind spinning madly.

Quickly escaping the room, Marcus charged down the steps, making his way to the downstairs bathroom to douse himself in a cold shower. He couldn't go on like this, feeling as if he was in a constant state of losing control, the very essence of his existence.

Come morning, the girl would be as good as gone.

TBC