Once the collection was done, the three Reapers returned to HQ with only less than an hour left in their shift. Katia agreed to do the paperwork regarding the two lost souls since it was her choice to not to pursue them, which neither Ronald nor William argued. However, she and William didn't talk once since he caught her, but he was concerned what she saw. He planned to convince his way out of any possible scandal, but also hoped she wouldn't say anything if he couldn't. He would never threaten her to keep her silence, but hoped that she was good-natured enough to realize that his reputation and even job would be at stake if she ever told anyone. He feared two possible rumors: either he was colluding with a demon or he lusted for Lilliana. Either one would ruin him, but one would also ruin Lilliana. He could imagine the dip in her already tarnished reputation and it could all be his fault. He had to do whatever it took to protect the both of them, meaning he had to talk to Katia to solve this dilemma.
When they arrived to their offices, they were the only ones there, mainly because there weren't as many Reapers during the night shift compared to the day shift and the ones that are assigned were already out collecting souls. Katia immediately walked to her desk to fill out her paperwork, still not saying a word. William was about to walk to his office, but stopped when he saw Ronald trying to clock out. "And what exactly are you doing, Mr. Knox?"
"Oh, well, as you know, my shift is about to end and I promised a couple of ladies that I would meet them after work for—," he tried to explain, not expecting to get caught.
"You really thought you could escape the mandatory paperwork needed for this collection so easily? Quite disappointing. Just for that, you have to do all the remaining paperwork," William said as he pushed his glasses back.
"You can't be serious, Mr. Spears! Do you realize how long that will take?" Ronald whined.
"Then I guess you should get to it." Ronald pouted, but didn't argue further. There was no way he could change his superior's mind, especially when Ronald was in the wrong. William let out a sigh before trying yet again to walk to his office, but was interrupted when he heard the front door slam open. All three Reapers looked and saw Grell rushing in, covered in cuts and blood. He carried his precious coat in his arms and for the most part, besides some blood, the coat seemed to be unharmed. However, Katia was very concerned; she viewed Grell as her best friend since he let her move with him while she stayed here. According to him, it would be indecent for a woman to room with men. Luckily for Grell, she viewed him as a woman, making him very happy, and now they're genuine friends.
"Grell! What happened?" Katia said as she got up from her desk and ran to Grell, but he quickly ran behind William.
"She's crazy, I tell you! She seriously tried to kill me for no reason! Please protect me, William darling," Grell said with genuine fear in his voice. Usually William would ignore his pleas, especially when he used pet names, but the battle wounds were something he couldn't ignore.
"Who are you talking about?" Ronald asked as he walked to them. However, their question was quickly answered as they heard the sound of heels clicking reaching the room. They turned to the door, which was still open, and saw Lilliana walk in with a huge smile on her face and seemed to be free of any battle wounds, but there was blood on her clothes, presumably from Grell. Most notably was a large line of blood on her white shirt while she held onto her vest in her arms. She giggled like a little girl as she saw the group staring back at her with confused looks on her face.
"Oh hello dearies! I thought you all had the day shift. What are you doing here so late?" she asked in a jovial tone and her voice was a higher pitch than usual.
"Don't trust that happy demeanor! It's more terrifying than her anger," Grell warned the rest.
"Aw, why do you have to say such things, my dear friend? I just wanted to tell you that I am truly appreciative of your help in releasing my anger. I really needed it."
"She just addressed Grell as her friend. This can't be the real Lilliana," Ronald commented.
She turned to him and said, "Oh, I'm the real Lilliana. Trust me. If you don't believe me, I can do whatever paperwork you might be working on. I'm sure you'll have a lot if you're assigned to the night shift."
"All right, who are you and what have you done with the real Lilliana? . . . But I'll take that offer," he said as he quickly left their side to clock out. "See you all tomorrow," he said as he left, making William angry, but he'll lecture him another time.
"And Grell, I'm so sorry for leaving marks on you. I should have held back more, but I couldn't control my anger. I'll even escort you to the hospital to treat your wounds."
"She's actually apologizing to Grell? What has happened to her?" Katia said with concern in her voice.
"Oh, my dear Katia. I didn't mean to worry you. How about the two of us spend more time together the next time I have time off. How does that sound?" Katia blushed at the thought; did she just suggest that they should go on a date or something of the sort? She couldn't even form a syllable and her tongue tied when she did try to say something. Lilliana smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Ms. Kiliamo, please report to my office. Mr. Sutcliff, please stay out here. I need to evaluate her behavior and I'll need your input once I'm done. In the meantime, you could work on the paperwork regarding your mission," William said.
"Oh, I couldn't possibly do something as strenuous as paperwork. I'm far too injured," Grell said dramatically as he placed the back of his hand on his forehead. "Perhaps if I was nursed by a handsome gentleman, I might feel better sooner."
"Sutcliff, we don't have time for this."
"I can get a first aid kit and clean up your wounds best I can," Katia said as she left their side to find a kit.
Grell sighed. "I suppose that is the next best thing."
William let out a sigh of relief, but looked back at Lilliana, who still kept that happy smile plastered on her face, as if she couldn't express any other emotion. Grell was right; this was more disturbing than when she was angry, especially since this was the first time they saw each other since the Eris incident. He finally opened the door to his office and invited her in. She walked in and sat on his desk rather than the chair provided, which made him have flashbacks of Grell doing the same. She threw her vest onto the chair, so her arms would be free. He sat in his chair behind the desk and asked, "I shouldn't have to ask, but after everything we've been through, I have to: you are the real Lilliana Kiliamo, correct?"
"Of course, Will. How could a demon enter the Shinigami Realm, especially a bitch like her?" she asked, never dropping that jovial tone. "I told you, the next time I see her, I'm going to rip her to pieces."
"Right. I just had to make sure. You can never be too careful. Now, since that is out of the way, explain your behavior."
"Well, Eris slipped a certain spice in her chocolate that made me so angry so easily. Anytime I felt a twinge of wrath, it would blow it out of proportions and I would lash out."
"A spice? That shouldn't affect Reapers—,"
"They can if they are demonic spices," she explained. However, he could see that her happy demeanor was slowly fading and he could see pain in her eyes. It was as if a drug was losing its effect on her and she was slowly regaining herself. She even got off his desk and just stood as she continued, "There are these things called Sinful Spices that forces the consumer to act on whatever sin the spice controls. I had the Wrathful Spice, so my anger took over more than I could control."
"Well, that clears the air about your emotions. Does it still have power over you?"
"No. It turns out that in order to release its power, you have to exhaust it out of your system. For me, that was fighting Grell nearly to the death. Once the spice was gone, I felt euphoric and nothing could bring me down other than time," she said as her smile finally formed a frown and lost all signs of cheeriness in her demeanor. In fact, she looked down and didn't look him in the eye. She even placed her arms on her torso where a majority of the blood was. "And now, I just feel numb."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm glad that it's all over. Would you mind sending Grell in so I can—,"
"That's just like you. Never caring about how other people feel," she said as she clenched her fists tightly. Her voice was shaky and it concerned William, fearing that she would go another round of fighting. "No, what's more important is making sure that your reputation doesn't get tarnished in any way, right? It doesn't matter who gets hurt in the process."
"I don't understand what you mean—," he tried to say, but noticed tears falling down her cheeks. "Lilliana?"
"You know, as much as I hate her, I wish that you had her power so you know how people feel since apparently, not all Reapers are as emotionless as you," she said as she finally looked him in the eye. It was truly a sorrowful sight. It had been a century since he last saw her cry and she was not the type to cry so easily. She was truly hurting. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take the rest of the night off. If Grell decides to not do the paperwork, I'll have it done tomorrow, but don't tell him that. The last thing I want is for you to look bad to the Head Reapers," she said bitterly. She put her arms to the side and he saw that they were covered in blood, as if she was bleeding herself.
"And what about Knox's work you had promised to do?"
"Same as the rest, but I believe that you or Katia could take care of that," she said as she grabbed her vest from the chair, opened the door to his office, and headed out without saying a word to anyone else.
Grell and Katia, who had been curious what she had to say, were listening fairly close to the door. However, when Lilliana opened the door, they made sure to keep enough distance to not get caught for eavesdropping. Katia wanted to talk to her, noticing her shift in behavior, but was too late. Grell, on the other hand, was happy that he could possibly get out of doing the tedious paperwork. "Ms. Vendoa, Mr. Sutcliff, report to my office," William ordered.
"Happily~," Grell replied as they entered. She closed the door behind him and he took his usual seat on William's desk while she sat in the chair. "Now, could you tell us why she was acting so crazy?"
"It was not in her control. I failed to mention this to either one of you before today, but she and I happened to be investigating the same circus for different missions," he said as he pushed his glasses back.
"I figured that one out when I saw those Cinematic Records. She even said there was a succubus who paraded as her and tried to mess with you," Grell said with a jealous tone.
"Wait what? Is it true?" Katia asked in genuine surprise.
William sighed. "Unfortunately. Ms. Kiliamo and I were constantly at each other's throats due to her trickery."
"If she ever dares cross my path, I'll make sure to kill her for touching you, my dear William," Grell said as he tried to lean in for a kiss, but William got up from his chair before he could.
"I believe Ms. Kiliamo feels the same way," he said absentmindedly.
"Wait, Lily wants to kill her for getting close to you?" Katia asked.
His eyes open widely at the implication of his words. "No, no, no. I meant she wants to kill her because she made a fool out of her, especially since she pretended to be her," William explained. The explanation seemed to be enough for Grell, but not so much for Katia. "Now, let's get back to the original issue here. She told me that she was poisoned by the succubus—,"
"Poppycock! Nothing should poison beings of Death or even have an effect on us," Grell said as he crossed his arms.
"That's true for human-made drugs, but demonic elixirs and ingredients can. Being in my line of work, I've learned what some of those things can do," Katia explained.
"Have you heard of Sinful Spices?" William asked.
"Yeah, they're spices that make the consumer act on a certain sin . . . you're not saying that Lilliana accidentally ate something with that spice in it, are you?"
"That is what she told me. Apparently if she is even slightly annoyed, the spice will amplify her anger to the point of wanting to hurt a fellow colleague. Sutcliff, tell me what happened before you two fought each other."
"Well, like I said earlier: we were looking through Cinematic Records and in one of them, apparently my dear Bassy was . . . close with one of the performers," Grell said with a bit of bitterness in the end. "I guess she was jealous that she didn't have as tight of a grip on him as she thought and not long after that, she wanted to kill me." William couldn't help, but feel a twinge of jealousy himself. He knew of their relationship and how shallow it looked with Sebastian using her. However, he didn't expect her to get angry at him for sleeping around with other girls. He didn't need Grell to be explicit to know what he meant, unfortunately. So why was he getting jealous? "Are you all right, darling?"
William shook his head subtly to return to reality. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just lost in thought for a second. There's nothing else I would like to ask, so you're excused Sutcliff. I expect you to do the paperwork on your mission before you leave tonight."
"What? But Lilliana said—," Grell said, forgetting that he was supposed to not let him know they were eavesdropping.
"I don't care what you heard. Since you were recently released from probation, it would make sense for you to do majority of the paperwork. Besides, five souls are nothing compared to the nearly a hundred souls that the three of us collected."
"Aw, such a meanie, as always. Making me work despite my injuries."
"But your injuries don't appear to be as deep as we initially thought. You suffered from just a few deep cuts. Where did the majority of the blood come from?" Katia asked.
"Well, I may have sliced her with my Death Scythe in self-defense," Grell explained, making the two other Reapers worried. "What? She looked fine. In fact, I only escaped because she needed to change her shirt and put bandages over her wound."
"It's scary how much she didn't show any sign she was injured," Katia said. "And she's just going to head back to the manor and act like nothing happened."
"I'm sure she'll be fine. If she didn't, she would have shown it to us," Will said.
"I guess so."
"Now, Sutcliff, get to the paperwork."
"Oh, and what are you going to do if I don't~?" Grell teased.
"You'll be further demoted and may lose that Death Scythe you've grown fond of."
"No, not my baby! Fine, I'll do it," he said as he rushed out of the office to get started. The last thing he wanted was to lose his chainsaw especially when he just got it back.
She got up from the chair and was about to return to her desk, but William stopped her. "I believe that you and I need to have a discussion before you return."
She sighed. "I figured we would eventually." She sat back down on the chair, not wanting to look him in the eyes.
"I wanted to apologize for scaring you earlier during our collection. I didn't mean to," he said. He didn't want to admit to talking with Eris, especially if she saw everything. If there was a chance that she only saw the end of their conversation, it was possible he could get away with not confessing.
"I know."
"But I must ask what you saw before I opened the door. I'm sure you have some questions."
"Um, well . . . I just never thought I would see you interacting with a demon, especially one that interfered with our mission."
"It wasn't like I had a choice. She planned on seducing you, but when I confronted her, she recognized me from the circus and shifted her focus."
"She was going to seduce me? How?"
"By taking the form of the person you desire, obviously," he said, not wanting to explicitly say that he knew about her crush on Lilliana. Hell, everyone knows, if not wondered about it. She wasn't good about hiding her feelings.
"Oh," Katia said, blushing a bit. "But if that's the case, why didn't you fight her?"
"Well, a confrontation with a demon is a tricky ordeal. As skilled as I am in combat, I don't believe I would be able to fight her as easily as you can. Besides, I did not want to jeopardize the mission and your and Knox's safety. We were lucky that she didn't intend to fight."
"Yeah, we were lucky," she repeated, still not looking him in the eye.
"But that succubus is no longer our concern anymore. We shall hopefully never see her again."
"Right," she said as she got up from the chair. "Well, I'm glad you explained this to me. I'll get back to the paperwork. If you like, I can write up as much as I can so you don't have to do the bulk of it."
"I would much appreciate it." Katia put on a smile before leaving his office and closing the door. However, she instantly lost the smile when she headed to her desk. She didn't think William could lie, but there he was: pretending like what he and Eris shared didn't happen. She saw them talk almost from the very beginning. She knew that it wasn't the real Lilliana he was talking to, but the emotions he felt were. She took the form of the one he desired, which was bad news for Katia. Yet another person she had to worry about regarding Lilliana's love life. If only she could see Katia the same way as she did. Maybe it's time that she told her the truth and let her know before things get more complicated.
Bastille watched from afar as the manor burned to the ground, not catching fire to the surrounding forest. He had been waiting for Eris, but she was taking a long time. The Reapers even finished their collection and were heading back to the Shinigami Realm. Whatever her unfinished business was, it was taking her longer than expected. Though, it gave him some time to figure out what their next move was. Now that they were free from their contracts, they were free to do whatever they wanted, but he always had one thing to consider: he wanted to stay in England so he could be close to his sister. However, knowing Eris, she might want to return to her homeland in France and would want him to join her. It's been a while since he went back to his native country as well, but the thought of being separated from Lily further was something he dreaded. She's the only family he has, not including being adopted by Lucifer. He had a strong need to protect his little sister who had gone through so much, but can't remember the trauma, thankfully.
Suddenly, Bastille heard a carriage pull up behind him and he quickly hid in the surrounding forest, hoping whoever it was didn't see him. With a careful eye, he saw a black carriage pulled by two black horses and the driver was fitting for the dark image: a man with long black robes, unusual black hat, and long grey hair that covered his eyes. He noticed that the man stopped the carriage when he got a good view of the burning manor and he started to giggle at nothing. "My lord, what did I tell you? You should take care of your soul. You only get the one," he said to himself as he bit into a bone-shaped biscuit and held onto his mourning jewelry tied around his waist.
Bastille hoped the man would quickly leave, but was shocked to see who appeared to be Lilliana wearing a purple dress approaching the man casually. Even with grey hair covering his eyes, Bastille could tell something was off when the man grinned at the sight of her. His protective instincts took over and he rushed out of his hiding spot, revealing himself, to get close to her, but when she turned around, he noticed the purple eyes and immediately stopped in his tracks. "There you are, my love. I was wondering where you were," Eris said.
"I . . . should have expected it was you. Lily doesn't wear dresses willingly," Bastille said as he smacked his face with his hand, feeling like an idiot.
"Well she has come out of her shell recently regarding fashion," she said as she changed into her usual form. "You should have seen her costume for the circus."
"I'd rather not," he said. "Also, what were you doing in her form anyway?"
"A lady doesn't reveal all her secrets," she said with a smirk, knowing that the curiosity would upset him. He finally got a closer look at the man, who didn't lose his grin despite his sudden appearance. In fact, it seemed to get bigger, like he was happy to reunite with an old friend.
"You're quite the bold woman changing your appearance in front of a human," Bastille said.
"He-he, far from that, Bastille Kilia," the man said in a tone that was somehow both friendly and threatening.
"Wait, how do you know my—?"
"I have yet to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. Humans and Lilliana call him 'the Undertaker', but to deities like us, he is known as the legendary Reaper, Adrian Crevan," she said. Undertaker tipped his hat before climbing down from the driver's seat of the carriage, making sure to leave his hat on the seat.
"T-T-The legendary Grim Reaper?! What business do you have being friends with a Reaper?!" Bastille practically yelled out of shock and a bit of jealousy. How dear of a friend was he to her?
"Funny, coming from the brother of one," she commented.
"Now, now, you two. There's no need to be arguing at a time like this," Undertaker said as he approached them. "We don't want to dissuade him from our plan just because of bickering partners."
"Plan? Eris, what is he talking about?"
"Well, it was hard to track you down, but when I learned that the Baron needed prosthetics for his children, I had to introduce that foolish Doc to that disturbed man so that we would have the opportunity to be together and we could possibly recruit you," she said, not really answering his question.
"Recruiting me? For what?"
"A plan to end the feud between demons and Grim Reapers once and for all," Undertaker said, losing his jovial tone. Bastille looked at him, speechless by what he had to say. Adrian pushed his bangs away so Bastille could clearly see his eyes that showed no sign of lies. "There are very few deities that believe that demons and Reapers could ever get along. The majority of them are right here before you and probably your sister, if she wasn't trapped by the infernal Reaper Association."
"Infernal? But you're a Reaper: you're supposed to have high respect for your Association."
"I used to, dear boy, but that all changed when I met Lilliana Kiliamo. You have no idea the tortures they put her through so she could be like us. Half a century of torture! They broke her mind in ways she could probably never fully recover from."
"It seems that tragedy always follows her," Eris said as her right eye turned green.
"Wh-What kind of torture?" Bastille asked, afraid of the answer.
"I'd rather not say. Let's just say that they nearly succeeded in brainwashing her, but they failed and nearly gave up on her. There was even talk of her termination before I came along," Undertaker said, observing Bastille's face and noticing how the word 'termination' seemed to crush him emotionally. "But I asked to be part of her rehabilitation and I only gained approval because of my status. When I first met her, she was no different than a feral demon: wanting to destroy the Association and kill everyone in it."
"If she was tortured like you said, then I can understand why."
"Though, I must admit, I was already having my doubts about the 'good nature' of the Reaper Association decades before. Living in this world for as long as I have, I have grown quite bored of the mundane collection cycle. Plus, I have developed different types of relationships with all creatures, both human and inhuman. Most notably, I have become good friends with Lucifer. He makes a perfect sparring partner."
"Wait what?! You and Lucifer?!"
"Sure, 'good friend'," Eris commented with her fingers making air quotes as her right eye changing red and her left turning green. "You two have an interesting relationship, that's for sure."
He giggled. "Nothing gets past you, Eris."
"Moving on!" Bastille said, not wanting to hear any further regarding this topic.
"Right. Where was I? Ah, yes. As you know, there are laws, or I should say, guidelines, that prohibit demon and Reaper interactions and it was becoming quite bothersome. Just simply speaking with one casually was enough to get you in trouble with the Head Reapers. I considered retiring for so long to avoid the scrutiny, but your sister was the final straw I needed to go through with it. I have always resented how Reapers treated demons, but it was the most evident when they handled Lilliana. They'd rather wipe her entire demon existence and have her be a slave than keep her demon instincts and have her free will intact. With my help, she was able to become the woman she is now, but despite doing everything they wanted, they still label her as a Rogue Reaper and will never give her the same respect as any other Reaper."
"And to think, they thought demons were corrupting her by trying to make her one of us," Bastille said with a clenched fist. "All I want is to be together with my sister again. Is that too much to ask? It's just unfair. As far as I know, we are the only siblings in existence to be different deities, but we died with different circumstance: she killed herself and I gained Lucifer's favor. Imagine if we both killed ourselves. Would they erase our family ties?"
"Sadly, they do," Adrian said as he lowered his eyes. "I have observed many human families turning to the tragic end out of depravity, but once they become Reapers, they are separated and even assigned to different countries."
"That's terrible!"
"But you have to understand that nothing can get in the way of objectivity when collecting souls," Eris said. "They'll denounce all emotions, even lust, if they fear it getting in the way of their work."
"Precisely why I had to leave," Adrian said. "I had grown too curious for my own good. It was either that or possible termination."
"Still, I must say thank you for saving Lily. You're her savior," Bastille said with a bow.
"He-he, I wouldn't say 'savior'. I'm more like a mentor to her. Even a close friend."
"Her only friend, arguably," Eris said. "Well, minus the American recruit, but their friendship is complicated."
"You mean Katia Vendoa? The demon huntress?" Bastille asked.
"Oui! You've met her?"
"Not formally, but every high-ranking demon knows of her and her incredible skill. Even sons of Lucifer have been killed by her. Besides, if I ever got close to Lilliana, she sometimes surprised her to just chat."
"Did you know our little American girl is in love with your sister?"
"What?!"
"But that's not important. What is important is that we want you to join our effort into stopping the feud once and for all. I'm sure you would sympathize with our mission," she said.
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that? You can't just go to Lucifer or the Head Reapers and tell them to stop the bloodshed. The prejudices are too ingrained."
"Actually, Lucifer is one of the few who agreed with us far longer than we initiated this plan," Adrian said with a grin on his face. Even after knowing he could trust him, Bastille found his grin unsettling.
"It's just the other demons who only know of the Reaper's cruelty that hold the prejudice. I'd argue you are one of those demons," Eris said as she looked at him and her eye turned back purple.
"Regardless, it's not going to be simple," Bastille said.
"You have to understand that the only reason why there is bloodshed between us is because of human souls," Undertaker said. "Demons must feed off the souls that Reapers collect, which causes conflict. Even angels, who Reapers don't have favorable attitudes toward either, only take the purest of souls by their standards, but demons devour any type of soul. It seems the only way for the two to get along is to create a new food source for demons."
"Well not all demons can feed off sins like Eris can. We rely on human souls. Even Lucifer."
"True, but what if there was a way to create artificial souls that would satisfy the hunger of demons while keeping human souls safe for collection?"
"That's impossible. Many humans and demons have tried to create artificial humans and failed or created incomplete copies. What makes you think you'll be one to actually succeed?"
"Well, those previous attempts were creating artificial humans from either raw materials or long dead corpses. What they were missing is the importance of the soul: the true life force of a human. As a Grim Reaper, I have always been curious about a soul if it was ever given a second chance at life. Would they continue living their lives or be something completely new? While my tinkering has not been perfected, it has produced some results."
"Wait, tinkering? With souls?"
"We wouldn't try to recruit you if we didn't have any progress in our plan," Eris said. "Besides, he's careful. His method makes it so that the souls can be collected while also making his creation come back to life."
"He's . . . You're both mad! You created a second life?!"
"Yes and if our plan is successful, it'll be just enough to stop the feud once and for all. So, I ask you: will you join us?"
Bastille looked at the duo for a while, contemplating his answer. These two must be insane; there's no way they could recreate life! But if they did, this could be the thing to release Lilliana from her tight bonds and they could be the close siblings they once were centuries ago. "I need to see it for myself before I make a decision."
"Fair enough. I'll take you there right now, if you'd like," Undertaker said as he left their side and climbed back to the driver's seat. He put on his hat and his hair once again covered his eyes.
Eris looked at Bastille and said, "You were wondering what our next move should be. I hope this is it."
Lilliana arrived to the townhouse not too long after she left Headquarters. She figured that Ciel wouldn't want to return to the manor immediately after finishing a mission. Besides, it gave the servants enough time to clean the manor before they arrived. She climbed up to a second-story window, but had some difficulty now that she felt the full pain of her injury. It took a good amount of her strength to not make any noises, especially grunts of pain as she pulled herself up. As she reached the window, she dreaded pushing up the glass, but to her surprise, it seemed to lift on its own. Next thing she knew, a gloved hand reached out towards her. "It was about time you showed up," Sebastian said, but his usual grin whenever she came home wasn't on his face, which surprised her. She took his hand, but as he pulled her in, she let out a grunt, which alarmed him. "Is something wrong?"
"N-No. It's just stiff muscles from work," she tried to lie, but even she could smell the blood from her wound and her eyes turned red.
"You've been quite secretive lately. First, you won't tell me about your mission and now you're keeping injuries from me. I'm hurt," he said as he quickly left the room to get some bandages and items needed to clean her wound. She sighed as she removed her vest, not wanting to admit the full truth just yet, but her wound was too distinct to say it was nothing. It was clearly a chainsaw's doing and only one person they knew wielded one. She looked in the mirror and noticed that blood was slowly leaking onto her top and quickly checked to see if any got on her vest. Luckily, there wasn't much, but her white top would need a serious cleaning if she wanted it to look as it was before.
"Why couldn't I just control it a little longer?" she mumbled to herself, slowly unbuttoning her shirt to reveal the bloodstained bandages underneath.
Shortly, Sebastian came back with the materials he needed and she sat on the bed with her open shirt. "Now, are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to force it out of you?" His serious tone was intimidating to her since he never used it unless he was fed up with someone and wanted to possibly kill them.
She looked down as she said, "It was an injury at work. There's no lie there."
"Then tell me exactly how you got injured," he said as he put a rag in a small bowl of water. He then helped her take off her bandages, finally revealing the nasty wound that would have left any human dead. "And to think, you were playing this off as something trivial."
"I didn't want to worry you. Besides, that would mean I would have to tell you who I worked with."
"It was Grell Sutcliff, wasn't it?" She looked at him with shock, confirming it. He then continued, "Lie on your back."
"H-How do you know?" she asked as she complied.
"I had an encounter with Eris when we disposed of the Baron Kelvin. She was contracted to Doc, but he didn't take good care of her and she was starved," he said as he wiped the blood off of her stomach. He was reminded of when they first met Grell and when he sliced Sebastian's torso with his chainsaw. She cleaned his wounds as well, but her bloodlust couldn't be controlled and, with permission, she licked his wound clean. Though, he had self-control and didn't plan on doing the same thing.
"I'm glad I wasn't there. Knowing her, she would try to infuriate me some more until I couldn't control my anger."
"Clearly you couldn't without her help," he commented as he kept wiping the blood away.
She scowled at him, but sighed. "Yeah, I got furious after looking through Beast's Cinematic Record and he was the only victim around to fight. Though, he didn't hold back at all and landed a blow on me. I didn't feel the pain until now since I was under a lot of adrenaline and a euphoric high soon after."
"What could you have possibly seen to make you feel so angry?" he asked as he finished cleaning and put the blood-soaked rag in the bowl of water.
She looked sternly at him and said, "You, actually." He was confused, but soon realized what she saw. "I didn't realize that was how you got your information." They were both relieved that she exhausted the spice from her body so she could remain calm.
"Our young master wanted the information by morning, but your superior wouldn't let me leave the premises. I wanted to ask you to retrieve the information, but you were already busy with work."
"And that somehow gives you an excuse to sleep around for information?" she said with bitterness in her voice. He sighed and quickly reached for the clean bandages.
"I wouldn't have if I wasn't limited in choices. Besides, that's not the only information I learned the past couple of days," he said as he started wrapping the bandages around her. "First of all, I think it's important that I told you that your brother was contracted to the Baron."
"Bastille? I wouldn't think he would be in the type to make contracts with random contract seekers."
"I have a theory why he did this time," he said before finishing the wrapping and taping the end. "The Baron had a disturbed obsession with the young lord and vowed to do anything to have him. Knowing that this was his goal, he figured that there would be a fated meeting between the two nobles and he was right, but sadly, you weren't there."
"I'm sad I didn't get to see him, but that would mean that I would have to deal with Eris again and I never want to see her again."
"About that: she gave a clear hint to who she was after."
"And that would be?" she asked, dreading the answer, but not showing it.
"She said it was someone that Bastille never met, but the young lord and I have. Now, I'm sure he's met the first-tier performers at least once since he started working with them. Besides them, we didn't know any of the other performers that well except . . . ,"
"Are you trying to say that she was after William?" Lilliana asked, feigning surprise, though not well.
"It seems like it by that description. It's hard to believe, but who else could it be?" Sebastian asked, clenching his fist.
"That's impossible. Grim Reapers suppress all emotion for the job and he especially has mastered that skill."
"You and I both know very well that a succubus can and will find hidden desires that her victim might not be aware of. No matter how well-hidden his emotions may be, there is no denying there is some desire for you if she used your form to feed off of him."
She was silent. Of course she knew this and found out in the worst way, but she didn't think Sebastian would put the pieces together. Even when she wasn't there, Eris still found a way to mess with her and the people around her. She was clearly upset, but her eyes remained green, indicating she wasn't angry. "I don't know what to think about that. Is it possible that he only lusted for me while wearing that provocative outfit?" she asked, trying to find an excuse.
"I highly doubt that. She took your form before you arrived and I doubt she wore the outfit before we arrived." There was no getting around it. "Now it worries me how often you two were alone with each other, even if it was arguing."
"Are you . . . jealous of William?" Lilliana said, almost teasingly. "I never thought I would see the day."
"I could say the same for you," he said before pinning her to the bed, making her shriek. Her open shirt widened and her breasts were slightly exposed as he got on top of her. "And to be clear, I'm not jealous; I'm protective of what's mine. I'm not going to let anyone take you away from me."
"Still sounds like you're jealous," she said, now fully teasing.
"Oh really? I might have to punish you for talking back," he said as he bit her neck, drawing blood. She let out a yelp, but as he licked the blood off her neck, she started to moan. "I need to assert my dominance and prove who owns you."
"Isn't the mark enough?" she asked before she felt his hands cup her breasts and soon, his fingers pinching her nipples.
"Is it enough?" he asked, knowing what her answer will be. He then slid his hand down her pants and teased her through her panties.
In between moans, she said, "N-No."
"No . . . ?"
"N-No, Sir," she corrected herself.
"Good girl," he growled in her ear. He then started removing his tailcoat and unbuttoning his vest. "We never got the chance to finish what we started at the circus."
"I know, but are you seriously going to finish now when I'm injured?" Lilliana said, but her words didn't match her actions as she got up to unzip his pants.
"I'll make sure to be gentle," he said as he removed her shirt, fully exposing her chest. "Besides, I have read that the female orgasm makes a great muscle relaxer." He glanced at her bandages, relieved there isn't any fresh blood on it yet. He then helped her out of her slacks and she soon did the same for him. Once his cock was exposed, she wasted no time in sucking him off, making him moan. She was not holding back as she was bobbled her head back and forth rather quickly and sucking as much as she could comfortably. He gripped her hair tightly as he let her take control and felt no need to take it back. Once in a while, she would pull back and swirl her tongue around the tip while looking him in the eye, watching him lose his composure, even for just a moment. That was the part she absolutely loved: when he made it clear that what she was doing was pleasurable for him. Demons are rather hard to please, especially in the bedroom, but she must be his exception if he is willing to come back to her for more and even mark her. She was his to play with and she was fine with that relationship. That was all she needed.
However, as he moaned more and more, she had a flashback to William and how Eris did this to him. This was not the time to think about it, but she couldn't help it. What did he think as Eris, or Lilliana in his mind, was sucking him off and telling him to do all these naughty things to her? How obliging was he to her desires? Would he be able to do it willingly if she ever asked to do the same thing in the future? Wait, why would she ask? They want to move passed this awkward moment, but she can't. Why?
Though, her questions had to be answered at another time since he pulled back from her mouth and gently pushed her back and positioned himself on top of her. "You're mine and mine alone, understand?" he asked as he inserted himself inside her pussy. She bit his shoulder so her moans wouldn't be too loud. They may have their own room, but the walls were thin enough to be heard. He made sure to keep a slow pace as he fucked her, but he fully pulled out and back in so she would be able to feel all of him, which was just as effective as fucking her roughly. He made sure to keep a close eye on her bandages and if there was any sign of blood, he would stop. Though, the urge to fuck her roughly was strong. However, she didn't hold back in marking him as she dug her nails in his back and scratched him. As much of a sadist as he was, he liked the feeling of her nails, not because he was a masochist, but because it was a sign that he was pleasuring her enough for her to disregard being gentle with him. She was lost in her lust to think clearly.
"F-Fuck," she moaned out as he bit her again, not drawing blood, but leaving teeth marks over and over again on her neck and shoulders. She now didn't care about keeping quiet, which was his cue to fuck her harder so he could hear her more and more, but he had to make sure to keep the slow pace. However, she moved her hips to feel the full impact of his thrusts, moaning louder and louder with each thrust, which made him lose his gentle nature and give her what she wanted.
He rolled her over on the bed so he would be lying on his back and she was on top of him. After a quick check for blood, he thrusted his hips into her repeatedly in a fast pace. She bit her lip tightly, almost enough to draw blood, and dug her nails in his shoulders as he thrusted deeper and deeper in her. He made sure to keep his hands on her hips and spanking her once in a while, making her let out a high-pitched shriek. Despite leaving many marks on Sebastian, she was a masochist and loved to feel pain given by her dominant. "I don't need to use your mark to make you lust for me. You do it naturally and beg so well," he said as he played with on one of her nipples and pinching hard. He could feel her walls tightening around his cock, which was the clear sign she was about to cum, but he always liked to torture her just a little bit at her most desperate. He rubbed her clit with one hand and watched as her face distorted as she held back the urge to cum. "Would you like to cum?"
"Yes sir! Please let me cum," she begged, but he never ceased in his hard thrusts and she was fighting so hard to not release.
"I distinctly remember you disobeying me last time and cumming without permission. Perhaps I should make you suffer just a little longer," he said with the devilish smirk as he spanked her, making her shriek with desperation in her voice.
"D-Don't be cruel," she begged, trying to distract herself from the undeniable pleasure, but nothing could.
"Then are you going to be a good girl and cum only when I allow you?"
"Yes sir! I'll do whatever you wish. Just please let me cum," she said with a voice giving way.
He chuckled as he said, "Fine. You may cum."
"Thank you, sir," she said as she came hard on his cock, coating it with her juices, and she moaned loudly as she did. When she finished, she collapsed on him, breathing hard. "Apparently, my body can handle more than a gentle fuck," she said in a breath voice.
"Indeed you can," he said as he positioned her next to him. "But until you are fully healed, I don't want you doing anything strenuous, whether here or at your other employment."
"That's probably for the best," she said as she caught her breath.
"Also, now that you know how he feels for you, try to avoid being alone with your superior. I don't want him getting any ideas thanks to his aware desire."
She laughed. "I don't like being alone with a Reaper anyway, so nothing will change."
"I mean it," he said sternly.
She looked him in the eyes and said, "If you fear losing me, you're not going to. You marked me, remember? It's not going away until the contract is completed."
"And don't you forget it," Sebastian said as he gave her a quick kiss. "Because if he tries to get near you, I might not hold in my anger and might want to kill him."
"Easy there. No need to get yourself in trouble for my sake. Besides, I'll get in more trouble just by association."
"I'll make sure to dispose of him to send a message not to take what's mine."
"How about we don't do that and just live our lives like the whole Eris thing never happened. I think all of us will be a lot happier for it."
"Agreed. It never happened."
"Those are the happiest words I'll hear in a long time," she said as she closed her eyes and fell asleep, lost in her conflicting thoughts.
Will Katia keep quiet about what she knows? What is the plan to end the feud between demons and Reapers? How will this complicated love triangle/square goimg to play out? Reviews are appreciated!