Author note - Welcome back, readers. Not too much to say this time, I decided to split this chapter into two parts. Thank you to the 77/83 favorites/followers, your continued support is awesome! I am super appreciative for the comments from thejkshadow1, GeekyGirl183, Kronos117, apex10, ammar-alqadah, and EpsilonW, I really do enjoy rereading them when I get into a slump. And finally, welcome to new face sebastianbergstresser74, glad to have your interest! On with the story!
Chapter 70: Fallout
As time passed and Taylor didn't return, the simmering feelings of anxiety, worry, and anger increased for the hotel residents. Especially as whenever the subject was brought up to Angel Dust, the spider demon would beat a hasty retreat to his room or give an exasperated they'll be back, I ain't their keeper! But he couldn't just go to Taylor's turf even if he wanted to; the surrounding area had become a literal war zone, with ongoing skirmishes plaguing the region with dealmakers wanting to be known for doing what the Vees couldn't and actually kill the Dealbreaker Demon while recouping their lost souls.
At his wit's end with the scathing looks, Angel Dust headed for the front doors, muttering to himself that he was going to call up Cherri and the two would force their way through the mayhem, just like old times. Unfortunately for him, Charlie overheard his grumblings, and a series of events led to the entirety of the hotel, sans Alastor, riding in the limo to Taylor's turf.
"That sounds like a splendid idea! I'd be delighted to accompany you for a stroll!" The deer demon had proclaimed, twirling his microphone merrily as he approached the vehicle.
"Not you." Vaggie bristled.
"Al, what she means is we need someone to stay here and watch the hotel while we're gone." Charlie added diplomatically. "It's not that we don't enjoy your company, it's just that sometimes you can be a bit..."
"—of an asshole?" Vaggie offered.
"Incendiary." Charlie finished. "I'm just saying it might upset folks if another Overlord showed up on Taylor's territory while tensions are still running high."
He narrowed his eyes for a moment, a hiss of disapproving static emanating from him before his jovial demeanor returned. "But of course! I'll leave the matter in your most capable hands! After all, there's much that still needs doing to be ready for the deluge of guests beating down our doors, seeking salvation and refuge from Hell's duplicitous hoi polloi!"
Alastor ignored the withering glare from Vaggie, smugly turning on his heel before making his way back inside, the sound of static adding percussion to his steps. "Best of luck, chums!"
After a restless ride that had them navigate around piles of rubble and construction sites, Razzle and Dazzle stopped in a quiet area outside the border of Taylor's turf, seemingly reluctant to proceed. Stepping out, the group stared up at a shimmering wall of heat, the wavy haze giving a distorted view of the territory within.
"Huh, that's new. Fuoco's sure been busy." Angel Dust mused aloud, observing it idly before shrugging. "Eh, whatever. Now let's get—" he started, taking a stride toward the invisible partition.
"Don't!" Cried Husk.
He immediately obeyed, freezing in place.
"Are you fucking clueless?!" Husk fumed, throwing his hands at the border. "That's a ward! Ya know, a precautionary safeguard? You can't just walk willy-nilly into it, who knows what'll happen!"
"I'm sure it's fine." Charlie said, coming up from behind, together with a wary Vaggie. "People have to get in and out somehow, and Taylor wouldn't knowingly hurt us."
"Get the fuck off me, you cretins!" An angry snarl cut through the calm on the street, and the hotel residents looked toward the disturbance.
Pulled from a car trunk, an irate lion demon was dragged in their direction, held firmly by the arms by a tall ox demon and burly fish demoness. Unceremoniously throwing him, yellow symbols shone briefly along the wall before fading as the lion demon landed roughly outside the barrier.
"If you know what's good for ya, you'll stay out!" The ox demon spat; tone laced with derision. "We don't want your type here! Just be thankful the boss told us to only drop you off on your head!"
"Fuck you!" The lion demon roared, picking himself up. "I know you're hiding that coward Vinny! Ever since that ingrate pulled a hit-and-run on me, everything's gone to shit! I'm getting him back, one way or another!" He stomped toward the barrier.
"Wouldn't do that, bub." The ox demon warned, a devious smirk forming on his face as he elbowed his buddy in anticipation.
"Shut it!" More steps forward. "After I'm done wiping that stupid smile of your fugly face, I'm gonna—"
There was a hiss like a thousand snakes chorusing together as more yellow symbols shone when the lion passed through the barrier. With a whoosh of flames, he was turned to ash in an instant, his eyes wide and mouth frozen in a silent scream before the gray form disintegrated and formed a neat pile on the floor.
"No. Stop. Don't." The fish demoness called out weakly, outstretching a hand in false concern before waving it off. "Ah, forget him! Let's jet."
There was a beat of silence, the hotel residents standing rigidly with faces frozen in shock and horror at the ash pile as the enforcers drove off. Husk quickly snagged an obliviously eager Niffty, the demoness's feet still running in mid-air with a dustpan and hand broom at the ready. Angel Dust swallowed dryly, cautiously moving away until he was beside Charlie. He pushed her ahead.
"Well, ladies first!" He scoffed at the look Vaggie gave him. "What? I'm being chivalrous!"
"No. No, no, no, I am not okay with this!" Vaggie cried, pulling her girlfriend back towards the car. "This is too dangerous. We're going back right now."
"It's alright, Vaggie." Charlie said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder before walking up to the barrier. "I trust them."
She took a deep breath before raising her gaze, a determined look in her eyes. "Taylor, we're coming in to see you!" She called out to the wall before adding meekly. "So please don't burn us."
Closing her eyes, she jumped into the haze and her companions held their breaths. To her relief, all she felt was a brief blast of heat like opening a car door on a summer's day before landing on the other side unharmed. She turned to the others with a triumphant grin. "See? Nothing to it! Come on, everyone!"
Making their way through Taylor's turf, Angel Dust leading the way to the main base, the others observed that in contrast to the crumbling streets outside, the area within was relatively intact. The spider demon couldn't help but notice the installation of a myriad of lampposts along the sidewalk, the small blue flames casting soft diffuse light despite it being daytime. The residents in the streets and storefronts eyed the newcomers cautiously, their expressions cool, but postures hinting they were ready to strike if necessary. Could he blame them though?
Their objective came into view and Charlie subconsciously quickened her pace. Stepping into the front courtyard, she sensed a shift in the air and halted her advance, the small flames in the lampposts suddenly flaring angrily. Blue blazes leapt from their containments and spread out in front of the doors, blocking her path. Vaggie sprang into action, moving between her girlfriend and the fire, spear drawn protectively as the flames grew until it split into seven entities, all taking on the forms of a familiar fire demon, the only difference being the lack of features on the faces and an aura that promised trouble.
"I knew it! I told you this was a bad idea!" Vaggie exclaimed, her grip tightening on her spear as the flame figures zeroed in on her weapon, prompting the seven to summon their own armaments.
"Vaggie, calm yer non-existent tits!" Angel Dust exclaimed, pushing his way forward as he fought the urge to draw his own guns. "Put that away, yer scaring 'em!"
"I'm scaring them?!"
"Yer 'stab first, ask questions later' approach ain't helping things, so listen for once and—"
"Fucking Christ. Do I really need to kill that nimrod again?" Another voice interrupted, the front doors closing behind an exasperated German Shepard demon. "For the last time, there's no one named Vinny here— Oh! Princess, Angel Dust, what a surprise. Thought you were someone else."
Angel's stance relaxed slightly, recognizing the name from earlier. "Iff'n yer talking 'bout tall, dark, and angry, don't worry." Angel Dust gave him a devilish grin. "Tony the Tiger got turned into fucking Frosted Flakes trying to get back in here."
"That so? Good to hear the barrier works even when…" His gaze stopped on a scowling Vaggie, and his expression hardened. "If you're here to kick Taylor out, we'll send someone over to get their stuff in a day or so."
"Please!" Charlie interjected, raising her hands to try and deescalate. "No one said anything about kicking anyone out. We're not here to cause problems, only to talk."
The dog demon regarded them for a moment, mulling his decision before ultimately nodding. With his assent, six of the blue flame sentinels silently moved aside, the final one gliding over to Husk.
"Can I help you?" He asked gruffly, his back arching slightly as he emitted a low growl like an agitated feline. The guard wordlessly moved around, inspected him, setting the barkeeper on edge.
"Sorry 'bout that, their default setting is overly cautious." Antonio explained, shaking his head. "Yo, that's enough—"
Without warning, the sentinel impaled Husk's shadow, the winged cat demon jumping slightly as the flaming spear pierced the ground. When nothing happened, Antonio sighed.
"Happy now? Enough already, let them through."
Satisfied, the guards leapt away and shrank into the lampposts, returning to their quiet survey of the area. The German Shepard demon waved the group inside, an apologetic look on his face.
Antonio led the group to Taylor's office, feeling it best to head downstairs to discuss matters. While everyone's attention was on the secret panel leading to the lower recesses, Charlie looked around Taylor's office, a frown forming at the sight of the cordoned off hole in the wall and the mismatched furniture, like it was recently brought in. Her eyes roamed over to a shelf full of picture frames all set face-down. Out of curiosity, she lifted each in turn and felt a pang of sadness. Snapshot after snapshot of Taylor with her, of Angel and the other hotel residents, Antonio and Melanie, Cherri Bomb, and who she guessed were the Carmines gazed back at her, some of the glass covers cracked like they'd fallen off the shelf at some point. It was as if each image whispered now painful memories of happier times, times where Taylor's laughter would echo through the walls and their bright energy would warm the space.
Antonio noticed her setting the frames upright, a mixture of understanding and resignation in his eyes as she finished up and followed everyone down. Melanie was already waiting for them, and once everyone was settled around the spacious reception area, the two dog demons leaned back in their seats, as if abruptly overcome with exhaustion.
"Where's Taylor?" Vaggie demanded, getting right to business as she chose to remain standing next to her girlfriend. "We came all this way looking for answers, and we're not leaving until we get them! Why keep quiet about all this? It looks like things have calmed down some here, so why haven't they been back?"
"You'll have to settle for us for now. Taylor is asleep." Antonio explained in hushed tones, as if the information was of a sensitive nature.
"I don't care! Get them out here, now!"
"No. They've been running at full steam to keep things going non-stop since the gala night and they need to catch some Zs."
"Since the gala night?!" Vaggie said, anger leaving her for a moment as her eye widened in shock. "But that was days ago!"
Melanie nodded. "They've been putting literal blood, sweat, and tears into keeping the barrier up and manning the flame sentinels to root out roving dealmakers so everyone inside is safe, negotiating peace deals with practically every kingpin and gang in the circle, and getting those out that want to jump ship. At first, we believed them when they said they'd amassed enough energy from that night that they didn't need to sleep, but they've become increasingly sullen and a bit short with people, so it's clear they're forgoing rest and overextending themselves. A little while ago, I pulled them by the ear off the roof and to a bed—" she gave Angel Dust an admonishing glare when the spider demon waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Telling them if they were going to act like a cranky kid refusing to go down for a nap, they'd might as well go back to looking like one." She smiled a bit at the memory. "So, you see why we have to fill in. The alternative is you come back another time and they might talk to you then."
"We'll wait." Charlie said firmly, forestalling whatever her girlfriend was going to say. "Taylor's a guest, so they're our responsibility. In the meantime, please, help us to understand."
The two nodded, unsure where to begin but figured to best start from how they met, the German Shepard demon recounting how Taylor stumbled upon him on their first day in Hell, broke his contract, and changed his appearance to give him a clean start. Laying a Manila envelope on the table, Charlie, Vaggie, and Sir Pentious looked through the documents.
"Believe it or not, Taylor was going to tell you soon, but seeing as they still have their restrictions, we put this together to explain it all for them. You already know the part about their dealmaker, though." The white dog demoness spelled out.
With that, the two narrated Taylor's tale as the Dealbreaker Demon, taking nearly an hour to convey everything. From the two-demon enterprise that grew steadily as they helped more people, Melanie being Taylor's first official client, to progressively selecting bigger targets that were overly abusive to their contracted souls. At some point, Antonio released Angel Dust from his non-disclosure deal and the spider demon chimed in about when he was brought into the fold without Taylor's permission beforehand. Finally, the white dog demoness described what occurred on the gala night, with Taylor being ambushed, drugged, kidnapped, tortured, and succumbing to rage-filled despair when they were falsely told they had gotten their friends perma-killed for not taking Vox's deal.
"Shit, that's really messed up…" Vaggie admitted, feeling remorse for being so hard on Taylor and her own behavior when they came to help Angel Dust in disguise. "They really did all that, kept a part of them hidden… to keep us safe?"
She angled her head to look away, but her good eye was trained on Charlie, her stare intense as she gauged her reaction. Seeing her girlfriend's perturbed look, Charlie smiled, and she laced their fingers together, leaning into the smaller demoness comfortingly.
"Yeah." Antonio confirmed. "From the start, Taylor was adamant about ensuring the hotel wouldn't come under fire from our activities. You all were always on their mind, even before their own well-being."
"But…" Sir Pentious piped up hesitantly. "Why hasssn't Taylor returned? Or sssent us a message?"
Melanie sighed. "It's not for lack of us trying. We kept insisting they go see you, but Taylor just brushed us off or promised they'd go tomorrow." She shifted, her face falling slightly. "But tomorrow never came."
"We know why," Antonio said, leaning forward in his chair and clasping his hands together solemnly. "See, they went to go see the Carmines…"
- x -
"Ugh, what a day!" Groaned Clara as the Carmines crossed the threshold into their kitchen-living room space. "What are we doing for dinner? I feel like ordering in tonight." On her way to the fridge, she shrugged off her coat and tossed it on the floor next to the hangers, much to Odette's annoyance. The blonde promptly picked up the discarded article and hung it next to hers with an eye roll.
"Whatever you want, mija." Carmilla replied wearily as Zestial followed at her side. "Really, there was no need for you to escort us home."
"Nonsense. I merely wished to personally see to thine safe passage. Tis no guarantee that one might be brazen enough to strike at thee and thine daughters in these trying times." He gave a small shrug. His green eyes widened as he realized how dismissive his words had been. "I implore thee, take no offense. I doth not wish to underestimate thine capabilities—"
"It's fine, my friend." Carmilla chuckled. "I know it came from the right place."
A squeal of excitement came from the kitchen.
"Sustenance!" Clara cried as the youngest Carmine giddily rustled through the large plastic bags set on the island. She snuck a bite of a French Fry hungrily.
A soft smack was heard as Odette raised a hand to slap the back of her sister's head. "Don't be rude. Wash up and we'll eat at the table with mom and Zestial."
"Cut that out! One of these days you're gonna give me brain damage!"
"I can't give you what you already have."
"I'll give you something—"
"Mijas." Carmilla warned as the Overlords joined the bickering duo at the island.
"Fiiine." Clara huffed, moving to another bag and pulling out a box with her name on it and handing a second one to Odette. "Here, this one's yours."
"Zestial, you spoil them." Carmilla said gratefully, a small smile tugging on her lips toward the spider Overlord. "Dinner and gifts? One might think you have ulterior motives."
"Yeah Zestial, thanks! You're the best!" Clara beamed.
Green upper eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. "Twas not I that—"
Clara popped the lid off, and the room stilled when the unmistakable gleam of angelic steel shone from the box. Inside sat a pair of en pointé shoes, similar to Carmilla's but bearing an engraving of the puce demoness's name on the insoles. Odette quickly opened the other box and another pair greeted her, her own moniker etched on each shoe to differentiate from her sister's.
Five sets of eyes turned in unison, falling on a figure on the couch that had sat so still, masked their presence so well, that no one had noticed they were present the entire time.
Taylor straightened a bit, a tight smile on their face as their gaze traveled between the demons before them.
"Finally finished them." The fire demon said, fidgeting their hands a bit. "Let me know if they still need adjustments, I'd hate for you to get blisters from ill-fitted shoes…"
"What are you doing here?" Carmilla said sharply, and Taylor grimaced slightly from the hostile tone. "Is breaking and entering now part of your repertoire?"
"You gave me a code for the security system." They replied awkwardly, fidgeting some more. "I've never had a need to use it, and you were running late…"
Carmilla made a mental note to rectify that oversight. "What are you doing here?" She pressed.
The venom in Carmilla's voice cut them.
"You've been avoiding me. Makes sense, considering how I hurt you all." They ran an anxious hand through their hair. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth. I-I've wanted to for some time now. But I…" they paused. "I couldn't find the right time."
"Thou art a very convincing actor." Zestial hissed, stalking closer with the three demonesses weaving around the furniture. "That which we scoured so ardently, and it was right there all along. Using the Carmines for thine benefit, smiling at us with those knowing eyes, making all believe in thine purported efforts at redemption." He scoffed at the audacity. "I hath witnessed the many falsehoods Sinners speak to garner strength, the lies and deceit employed to grasp the power they sought, but admittedly, this was a long road thou took, to torture us like this…"
"It wasn't like that!" Taylor objected, hurt flashing on their face. "You absolutely deserved to know. But you must know I didn't want any of you to get hurt!"
Carmilla's glare deepened, ruby red eyes boring into them with barely concealed anger. "But I don't know that! I—We clearly… don't know anything about you!"
"Mom's right, Taylor." Odette cut in, disgust shining in her eyes behind the red-tinted glasses. "All we know is you've been going behind our backs this whole time. In retrospect, it seemed awfully convenient that you were around when those shark gangsters got the jump on us. Did you set that up— get Clara nearly killed— just to place yourself in our lives and spy on us?! You fucking asshole, we trusted you and you betrayed us!"
Taylor recoiled, the pure animus radiating off her cutting them deeply. A second cut. She couldn't honestly think that?
"No! I would never do that!" They denied vehemently, a flash of anger filling their heart as they jumped to their feet. "I swear I had no part in what happened that day! I care for all of you deeply!"
Seeing that things were going downhill fast; Taylor pulled an envelope out of their jacket pocket and held it out. "If you would just—OW!" they started and yelped, the envelope swatted out of their hand. It slid across the floor and underneath the loveseat, a corner barely peeking through the other side. "My supple wrist!"
"No te atreves!" Carmilla snarled, eyes nearly glowing in hate. "Your arrogance in bringing that maldito adoption form is enough to see what this is. Well, go ahead and burn it, I'm done with you."
"That's not what that was—" they looked up from their hand in surprise. "What…?"
"I let you get too close, let this go too far, but now I know exactly what you are. So I'm done. I am done with you. Vete and do what you want, it's no concern of mine anymore."
She said it all with unwavering conviction, expression stony as her fists were clenched at her sides. But Taylor refused to believe it. They stared back into her eyes, looking for deceit, regret, something other than utter contempt. They didn't want to believe it, couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe it to be over.
"N-No, wait! Not yet! Please, give me a chance to explain!" They winced as they forced the words out, using all their focus to not dwell on the agonizing pain shooting through them like lightning, "I-I'm u-un… und—un… der…" they stammered, nearly getting the last word out as they began to wheeze, their voice getting hoarse from their throat seizing closed coupled with the urge to throw up. "C-con, co—"
They blinked and Zestial and the Carmines were gone, Taylor now standing in a stately drawing room that, if not for the extensive amount of ice all around, reminded them of pictures they'd seen of the palace of Versailles: ornate, opulent, and luxurious. They stood stock still, seeing three figures sitting around a table, papers and teacups strewn about the surface. The two demons facing them were peacock-like, one white and gray with red eyes in a white dress with puffy sleeves and feathered trimming, the other a lanky white and cyan with icy blue eyes wearing an extravagant coat with a fur collar. Both wore crowns on their heads. The third had their back to Taylor, sending chills down their spine as the orange plumage and luminous hues of their long tail left no doubt who it was.
The fuck is going on? Where were they? The trio didn't acknowledge Taylor at all, could they not see them? The room didn't feel cold, either.
The peahen demoness looked bored out of her mind, leg crossed over the other as she sipped her tea daintily, attention not on the proceedings happening before her. The cyan peacock demon on the other hand, seemed to be quite immersed, looking smug as hell and in high spirits.
Suddenly the peahen demoness pulled a cellphone out of her dress pocket, grinning madly at whatever was on the screen. She shoved the phone toward her neighbor, tittering boisterously.
"Andrealphus!" She crowed triumphantly. "Look who's trying to call! Again! It's hilarious!"
Cyan eyes look up through reading glasses and mirrored her grin. "Oooh, Stella, this is just sad at this point. I love it! That's hilarious!"
"Hilarious!" Stella laughed, and Taylor already didn't like whoever this was.
As the two continued to laugh between themselves, a teacup hit a saucer with a clink before a quiet but annoyed groan came from the last member of the table.
"Must we do this every single time he rings? It got old after the twentieth time." Phenex groused, a hand coming to rest on their face. Their forehead pinching in exasperation came to an abrupt halt when they seemed to sense something, and Taylor's heart jumped into their throat when the phoenix demon turned to look over their shoulder and directly at them. Crimson eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Little one, what ever are you doing here?" Phenex inquired, their tone a blend of mock innocence and subtle threat. They tapped their fingers on the table, the room darkening as the shadows in the room accentuated the malicious glint in their eyes. "Are you attempting to blatantly defy my orders? Do I need to step away for a moment and pay you an early visit?"
Taylor staggered back, shaking their head vigorously as their stomach churned and their pulse spiked. Hell, no! Not now! Their patron would have no qualms about harming Carmilla, Clara, Odette, or Zestial if they showed up now! They would be quiet, work within their confines, just anything but that!
"Very good. Tell the Princess I send my regards." Phenex commented, their voice a sinister echo as the nightmarish vision flickered away and they were suddenly thrust back to reality, five sets of eyes still waiting for their answer.
Taylor took deep breaths, their voice trembling slightly as their eyes darted about, hoping that the bane of their existence hadn't changed their mind and decided to make an appearance.
"Please understand: There are certain things I can't tell you, but I can tell you that all you need to know is in that envelope. Please!"
Carmilla regarded them, a frown full of disdain pulling at her lips. "You'll have to do better than that. Maybe at one point your display might have swayed me, but I've wasted enough time indulging you. The Princess might still want you, but I won't invite any more chaos into my home or my people."
Taylor's legs shook as they stepped forward. No. She can't be serious. She cares for them. They'd seen her frightened, frantic even, when they were hurt. Offered fond smiles, given warm embraces when they'd kept their distance, not wanting to intrude on her family unit. "Carmilla, I am your people…"
"… You're not one of us." She stated, her eyes burning red.
It was like a knife had wedged itself in Taylor's heart, and they screamed in silence as they clutched their chest in stunned disbelief. How had this gone so wrong so quickly? They thought back to Carmilla's comforting words when they were stuck in their child from, similarly terrified of losing everything. Words they'd held onto when things were at their bleakest.
There isn't anything that would make your family hate you. They all truly love and cherish you. Trust me.
Was that all a lie? Had they been wrong to think that they'd found a good thing in this otherwise miserable afterlife, a place where they didn't feel like an obligation?
"Dammit, Taylor, are you that much of a fucking moron?" Odette cried, pulling them from their spiraling as she took a menacing step forward. "What did you expect? You lied, Taylor. You lied to mom and Clara, you lied to Zestial, you lied to me!" Her eyes glowed for a moment before she reined in her emotions, standing up straight. "… and like idiots we believed you."
"But I…" Taylor swallowed as they tried to appeal to the enraged demons. "I was just afraid that if you knew, things would change between us. I really do love you all. So, so much."
"I want you to leave, Taylor." Carmilla growled lowly, a look of inner grief momentarily crossing her features before disappearing so quickly, Taylor thought they'd imagined it. "And this time, don't come back."
Before they could muster a response, shadows pooled around their feet, and their eyes widened in shock.
"NO, PLEASE! I'M S—" Their scream tore from their throat, hand outstretched and reaching out to stop this before it was too late. Their hand clutched air and everything went dark as they tumbled head over heels before landing roughly on their ass. The shadows receded and they were outside the Carmine mansion, staring up at Zestial in a daze.
"Count thine blessings." The spider Overlord said. "If naught by Carmilla's leave, thine soul wouldst be shredded by mine own hands. Farewell."
Then the door slammed shut, the locks clicking into place. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights from the fixtures above the only sound as they began to hyperventilate, wrapping their arms around them as they suddenly felt like something had been ripped from their chest and they instinctually needed to contain the life-giving liquid within them.
No. This wasn't what they had planned. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. They hunched forward, a numb feeling beginning to set in as weak words left them. "What just happened?"
They shouldn't have come. They'd been so concerned with fulfilling their selfish desire to see Clara, Odette, Carmilla, and Zestial, that'd they hadn't even wanted to think of the possibility that their presence wouldn't be welcome in the Carmine home anymore.
Footsteps sounded behind Taylor, but they didn't react. Hell, if some random demon wanted to beat them within an inch of their life, they wouldn't resist. But instead, gentle hands began to pull them to their feet.
"Come on, up you get." Antonio urged, pulling their arm over his shoulder when the numbness left them wobbly on their feet. "Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine." They murmured out, though they still felt like they were bleeding out emotionally. "What're you doing here?"
"You think we didn't notice you slinking off? Dolly let us know you were headed this way, so Mels and I hung back, just in case." He tutted, guiding them into his waiting car. After getting settled, Melanie sat next to Taylor to keep them from falling over. They sat in silence, the fire demon's mind a jumble of scattered thoughts. They barely heard Melanie speak beside them when something small was pressed into their palm. "Do you need one your vials?"
Taylor stared at the glass with dull eyes, and they saw Melanie move over to make eye contact with them. Presumably to check if they were conscious or in a catatonic state. Their golden eyes wavered as they spoke.
"They hate me…" Taylor murmured, utterly heartbroken. The white dog demoness frowned, unsure what to say, so she leaned into them, wrapping an arm around them to offer some comfort.
They didn't really register the drive back to their turf. All they saw were the Carmines and Zestial. The glares, the hatred encompassing their faces, bodies shaking from thinly veiled ire, the hurt that overpowered theirs by tenfold. Their words, on repeat in their mind. Over and over and over again. They'd been a fool; they'd never should've asked for forgiveness. They had no right. Frankly, they didn't deserve it either. They had been a real motherfucker.
Taylor didn't even look at the guest room as the two led them in. Had they really been out of it for that long? They walked over to the couch in the corner, kicking off their shoes before laying down and sighing despondently. They felt a blanket cover them. "Thanks."
There were mumbled assurances, but they paid them little mind. The room darkened as they heard the sound of shuffling, the door clicking closed, and then silence. Still wound up from the ordeal, they curled up on the couch, trying to stifle the dull, longing ache in their chest.
Taylor shouldn't have let the Carmines in. It would've been better if they had stayed as Carmilla and Zestial, the Weapons and Spider Overlords and not the adoptive parental figures they'd come to care for. Clara and Odette Carmine, additional people to watch out for instead of the closest things they'd ever gotten to siblings. If they hadn't, they wouldn't be like this now. This could've been prevented. They wanted to bury these feelings, ball them up and shove them down deep into the pit of their stomach where they wouldn't have to feel them. Just so they wouldn't have to deal with the upsetting, raging emotions and move forward. But…
It all flashed in front of their eyes. Their smiles, their enjoyment and laughter. The way they sparred, instructive at first but eventually becoming a bonding exercise. How Carmilla's face lit up when they enjoyed her cooking. Zestial trying and failing to teach them conjuration, his amused chuckles as Taylor time and again only managed to summon a drink into their lap, the liquid never once appearing inside the cups. Odette watching in awe as they melted down angelic steel and Taylor following her blueprints to repurpose the material for new usage. How Clara roped them into her hair-brained schemes to prank Odette, but the blonde demoness was always ready for them, with some instances where the two ended up being the victims of their ploys instead. The way it felt when the four of them embraced. How they'd unofficially and then officially been invited to be a part of their family. How they'd meant it. How they—
How Taylor had absolutely fucked it all up.
Tears. They flowed silently as they shoved their face into a pillow.
It felt like they had died again.