Christian sat with his feet up on the table, their little corner of the hideout left undisturbed, just like he wanted. He was expecting Sarconi at any moment, the mobster coming fresh from a session with Andrew, possibly working out frustration over what his daughter had supposedly done to him, though it was probably just to satisfy his own cravings.

Though he could hardly judge, considering the things he had done to the monsters that it was his mission to kill. Sure, other hunters had a body count in the dozens, some even in the hundreds, but none had the... Panache that he did about the act. Other hunters would make it quick and clean, not wanting to linger on the fact that they had taken a life, the life of an abomination, but a life nonetheless.

Christian didn’t have that problem, and even he could see that wasn’t normal. Each kill was another notch on his belt, another work of art that he could hang in the gallery of his mind. Because that’s what they became, art. Each time he took a life they transformed from some misshapen beast that shouldn’t be to something beautiful, something to be admired. Perhaps one day the others might see his genius, the beauty in the horror of their existence, but for now he would have to contend with the thinly disguised looks of revulsion that he received from everyone except his followers. They were the ones who understood him, who understood just what it was he sought to do. He had their undying loyalty, and they had his.

Of course, it didn’t mean that he enjoyed working with little toads like Sarconi, they were merely the gateway to opportunity. “Sometimes though,” He thought, seeing Sarconi walking through the door with a smirk on his face and his shirt covered in blood. “Sometimes the price isn’t exactly a peach to pay.”

“Was it everything you ever wanted?” Christian didn’t stand as Sarconi approached, the feeling of dealing with him by no wearing on him. “Don’t forget your part of the deal.”

“I know, I know.” Sarconi waved him off, sitting down next to him. “When we get to Boulder Junction, I let you know where to find your little pet projects. I want a shot at the husband though, me and him have business to settle.”

“If I think it won’t interfere with my vision, if I think you deserve it, I’ll let you have a few strokes with the brush.” Christian shrugged. “Other’n that, I can’t help you.”

“And what’s stopping me from walking out that door right now?” Sarconi threw his thumb over his shoulder, indignant at being denied his revenge. “What’s stopping me from ending this whole thing?”

“Leonard...”

“Leonardo.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Christian leaned forward, making sure that Sarconi couldn’t look anywhere but his eyes. “I need you to remember what you have outside this room, outside of your work with me. What you have, what your legacy amounts to is a bunch of dismembered corpses in some garage in a backwoods town, and a useless son who squandered your influence before he got himself killed. That is all you are to people outside this room, so if you would prefer that, please tell me.” He smirked, his teeth gleaming in a way that could only be described as predatory. “Of course, that assumes that I won’t just kill you for wasting my time, then go to the town anyway and find your little wolf problem and exterminate it. Either way, they are dying, it all depends on whether or not you want to be alive to see it.”

“You...” Sarconi’s face was red with anger, his anger for the first time completely unchecked as he attempted to stare Christian down. “Do you know just who the fuck I am?”

“You think you can intimidate me Leonard? You can’t even intimidate a broken down old drunk, what makes you think I’m less than him?” He grabbed Sarconi by the throat, pulling him to his feet and snarling in his face, “I have killed things far scarier than your worse nightmares, I have taken the object of your greatest fears and skinned it alive for my amusement, do not think for a second that I would even blink in your direction. From now on when I ask you a question, you will fucking answer me, understand?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before he tossed him back, the mobster falling onto his back and looking up at him. Christian sneered down at him. “Get the fuck out of here, go back to your feeble old man so he can make you feel big.”

Christian stepped over the fallen man, the feeling of having broken down such a normally intimidating man getting his blood pumping. He walked through the hallways, seeking out his own quarters to satisfy an entirely different appetite.

He pushed open the door, the smiling faces of his wife and her sister greeting him. He did feel some guilt at the irritation he felt at the sister being there, though he could hardly stop the overwhelming feeling of desire that he felt when he laid eyes upon his wife. Judging by the shifting of her legs, she felt much the same.

“Claire,” He said, nodding towards her sister. “How are you?”

She beamed up at him, getting off the bed and drawing him into her embrace. “I’m good Christian, I’m so good! Me and Laura were just having a talk about you actually!”

“Oh really?” He looked over at Laura. “What about?”

“We were talking about what you’re planning to do, with those people in Boulder Junction. Those creatures having that amount of power is unacceptable, it’s a good thing you’ve done, accepting this job.” She smiled. “It’s a beautiful thing we’re doing, it almost... It almost feels like Anthony is back with us.”

He sat down next to her, taking her into his arms. “I know you miss him. I do too, every single day. But just remember what we do, and why we do it. Think about how proud he would be if he had grown to see us.”

“Of course.” Laura spoke through unshed tears, pressing her lips lightly against his. “I’m sorry it’s just... Sometimes I can’t help but remember.”

“There’s no sin in that, none at all. I’m just glad that I still have you.”

Claire started walking away to the door, smiling over her shoulder. “I’ll leave you two alone, I have some things of my own to take care of.”

Christian watched her leave, at twenty years old she had become a very desirable young woman, though he was more than happy with his Laura. He was more than willing to show how happy he was as well, nipping and biting at her neck as she squirmed underneath him.

“Ch-Christian...” She gasped, running her hands along his sides. “God, I’ve wanted it so bad all day.”

“I know.” He growled, “I had to deal with that loathsome little shit all day instead of spending it in this room, giving you what you deserve.” He bit down on her shoulder, drawing a sharp gasp.

“Oh god, and what do I deserve?”

He sat back, pulling her over his knee and running his hand along her back. “You deserve to be punished.” He brought his hand down on her behind, a shout made up of pain and delight. “That was one, I’m going to count to five. And I want you to count along with me, understood?”

Laura nodded eagerly, her legs already shaking in her eagerness to get started. Time after time, his hand struck down, a delighted moan accompanying each blow and a number being stated, until they finally reached ten. She was gasping, the skin on her behind pink and tender, her legs pressed together to try and hide her arousal, though it was plain for him to see. He ran his hand over her behind, massaging and soothing the abused skin, a light kiss being pressed against it.

He stood, depositing her back on the bed as he untucked his own shirt, discarding the garment and showing off his heavily scarred torso, each mark a testament to his experience in his career. “Strip. Now.”

Laura obeyed without thinking, the rest of her clothes on the floor by the time he had turned around again, already on her hands and knees in the middle of the bed. He chuckled at the display, “You really are terribly eager, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “I am. I want you. Only you Christian, come and show me that I’m yours.”

“How can I deny that?” He slipped behind her, easily entering her with the confidence of a man that had done this countless times before. She gasped at his sudden entrance, his pace already relentless as he slammed himself in to the hilt, every one of his inches digging mercilessly into her as she threw her own hips back against him. He brought his hand down again, her surprised yelp as rewarding as the feeling of her tightening around him. He leaned down into her ear, whispering harshly, “Work your hips, show me just how desperate you are for this.”

She slammed herself back against him, his hard length digging into depths that after all these years she was still surprised he hit, able to unravel her with one simple thrust of his hips. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, pushing her down into the sheets as she moaned and gasped at the rough treatment, her heart racing and her body starting to shudder. His other hand palmed viciously at her chest, two fingers pinching and pulling at one of her nipples, a white-hot pain driving her even more insane.

He pulled her back roughly onto his lap, bouncing her up and down upon his shaft as she toyed with herself, fingers rubbing at her clit or pinching her nipples. Laura threw her head back, her neck exposed to his hungry mouth, skin being marked with lips and teeth.

“Come on, tell me you want this. Tell me you deserve this.”

She gasped, his rough tone making another wave of heat shoot through her body. “I... I want this. I want you... Please... Give me what I deserve, I deserve all of this.”

Christian began thrusting even harder, seemingly dedicated to making sure that she felt the results of their coupling for weeks afterwards, though she would not have it any other way. One didn’t stay married to a man like Christian without at least understanding the way he thought, and the things that he enjoyed. It helped Laura out a lot that she was very much the same kind of person that he was, she just happened to like being the punished in this case.

He pulled out, tossing her to the bed and inserting three of his fingers into her, roughly pumping in and out while she stared up at him with mute pleasure. “I’m going to break you first, and then I’m going to mark you, do you understand?”

She nodded, the thought of being marked as his property, the property of such an incredible man as he, pushing her to the brink of orgasm all by itself.

He crooked his fingers, his thumb rubbing roughly against her clit, and that was all she needed to tumble over. Her body seized up, his fingers pumping into her the entire way through and prolonging her climax until it almost felt like torture. He pulled out roughly, pumping his hand back and forth on his length as she lay underneath him breathing heavily. He looked down at her prone body, the lines of sweat running down her chest, the wet mess that was her lower body, and finally he reached his end.

He came with a grunt, his release marking along her chest and neck, some even reaching to her chin. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead that was so tender it was at odds with their previous display. “You’re mine, and nothing’s ever going to change that. They’re not going to take you away too.”

---

To say that Liam was having a hard time dealing with everything was... An understatement to say the least. He had barely stopped pacing ever since Skylar had left the room, his hands tangled up in his hair as he tried and failed to think of anything he could possibly do.

Michael wasn’t exactly enjoying the situation either. “Liam, I’m sorry, we both are. But... This has to be done, for everyone.” He walked to his brother, squeezing his shoulder in support. “I don’t like it either, I really wish there was another way.”

Liam threw his hand off. “Oh, fuck you Michael! You don’t like it? How the fuck do you think we feel? I can’t even see my own wife? In my own goddamn house?”

“It’s not safe to see her, you know that...”

“You think I care about my safety? I just want to be there to comfort my wife!” He made to push past Michael, shoving his shoulder roughly. “Now get out of my way, I’m going in there!”

Michael grabbed Liam by his shoulders, lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the wall, picture frames rattling and falling to the floor. The Farah and Cayden looked on silently, knowing this was something the two of them had to work out.

Michael leaned in, growling, “I know you don’t give a shit about your safety, but we do. How do you think Skylar would feel if she lost control and you were hurt, hell, if you were killed? Do you want to put that on her, do you want her to feel that? You selfish asshole.”

Liam batted at Michael’s hands, but his heart wasn’t in it, his brother’s words cutting him deep to his core. He shook his head, trying to deny the knowledge that there was nothing that he could do apart from wait. And he absolutely despised the feeling of it.

“What am I supposed to do Michael? Just sit on my ass and hope for the best? Hope that everything works out, that our child is born fit and healthy without me being there?” He hung his head, his body going weak. “Do you have any idea what that feels like?”

“No, I don’t.” Michael shook his head, lowering him to the ground. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t help you two. You’re my brother Liam, and Skylar is the sister I’ve always wanted. You think I don’t hate seeing the two of you like this? You think I don’t wish there was something that could be done? I know you’re hurting, but please, you’re not the only one who cares about Skylar.” He swept an arm around the house. “Everyone who is here cares about her, we just want her to be safe, that’s all we want.”

Cayden and Farah walked over, the two of them putting their hands on Liam’s shoulders. Cayden chuckled to himself, “Look Liam, I know that we don’t exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things. Honestly I don’t blame you, it wasn’t that long ago that I was in love with Skylar and... We both acted like total jackasses about it.” He pulled his hand back, putting it in his pocket. “I want you to know that I still care about Skylar, but as a friend. No, as family, and I’m not going to let anything happen to her if I can help it.”

“Neither am I.” Farah squeezed his arm in support. “I’ve worked for you for years, and Skylar is my best friend, as long as I’m breathing nothing is going to happen to you two.”

“You see Liam? You two aren’t alone, even if Sky can’t see us, she’ll know that we’re here for her.” He drew his brother in for a hug, squeezing his arms tightly around him. “It’ll make all the difference in the world. She’s not alone, and neither are you.”

Liam walked past them, over towards where he had a bottle of whiskey seemingly waiting. He poured out a glass, the others declining his offer, before swallowing the drink in one gulp. “Can you at least tell me anything about what’s happening to her? Can you do me that much?”

“Honestly Liam? I don’t know what’s going on, Hayley would be the one to explain all that. All I know is that apparently, she’s powerful. Really powerful, and it was enough to scare the shit out of Hayley, so you know it must be a big deal.” He looked over at the bottle, shrugging to himself. “Fuck it, I will have that drink.” He poured himself a drink, before turning to Cayden. “She did say that it has something to do with smoke, and darkness. She called it a... What was it called? An Enenra, do you know anything about those?”

Cayden shook his head. “I’ve never even heard of those before, are you sure they’re real?”

Michael nodded. “Hayley is convinced, she said that Skylar showed her some things that couldn’t be explained otherwise.”

“What?” Liam raised his head in confusion. “When was this? She never told me about this.”

“It was just before the house was attacked, when they were alone together. Maybe in all that craziness she forgot to tell you.” He shrugged. “Maybe she just didn’t want to worry you.”

“That sounds like her alright... Not wanting to worry any of us when she might be in danger. That’s just like her.” Liam ran a hand down his face, sighing deeply. “Michael, I need to get some air, maybe go tear up some trees to work some of this out. Will you come with me?”

“Sure thing brother, you don’t even have to ask.” He gulped down his drink, the glass clicking against the counter. He turned to the other two in the room. “Will you two be alright here?” He was satisfied when they both nodded. “Good, you’ve got our numbers in case anything happens anyway.”

“Have fun.” Cayden said, “Be careful.”

“We will. Oh, and by the way...” Michael smirked at the two of them. “You might want to have a shower, just FYI.”

Liam snorted as he walked past. “I thought something smelt like sex.”

The two of them were deaf to the protests of their two friends, the door clicking closed behind them as they stepped off into the forest, their worries and frustrations being worked out on the grass and on the trees.

Inside, Cayden leaned over to Farah, not so subtly sniffing at the air. “Huh.” He said, “Maybe we should hop in the shower.”

---

Hayley closed the door behind them, directing Skylar to sit down on the bed. Skylar was taking the whole situation very well, though worry was still quite obvious on her face. Hayley couldn’t blame her, she doubted she’d be any different if she was in her shoes. Once more, she was struck by how undeserving Skylar was of all of this, the last year of her life had been a string of tragedy and trauma, and this wonderful, caring woman deserved so much more than this. Even her pregnancy, the source of her greatest joy, was tainted by danger and worry, it just wasn’t fair.

Skylar shifted on the sheets, the sight of Hayley still standing deep in thought unnerving her. “Hayley? Are you going to come sit down?” She chuckled, if not a little bitterly, “I’m not that dangerous, am I?”

“Hey, no!” Hayley closed the distance, wrapping her arms around Skylar, squeezing tightly to show how she wasn’t afraid. “I’m sorry I... This must be horrible for you, you just want to be happy and celebrate your child and I... I come in and fuck everything up for the two of you.” She blinked away tears as she pressed a kiss against Skylar’s temple. “I’m so, so sorry for all of this.”

“What were you supposed to do Hayley? Leave me to be in danger, let things just... run their course? You’ve done nothing wrong here, you done nothing except care about me, enough to apparently risk me hating you, which was a stupid thought to have.” Skylar squeezed herself deeper into the embrace. “I could never hate you Hayley, you’re one of my closest friends, it’s going to take more than calling me a dangerous creature and locking me away from my friends and family to change that.”

Despite her still conflicted feelings, Hayley laughed, “Ok, when you put it that way it makes me sound even more horrible. All of our friends are going to be waiting nearby though, they’ll at most be a phone call away. You’re not alone here, and you never will be. Besides,” She said, “I’m going to be staying with you more or less the entire time.”

Skylar raised her eyebrow at this news. “You’re staying with me? Since when?”

“Well someone has to be here to monitor your progress, make sure that you’re ok. Since I’m the one who’s done the most research and, to be honest, since I’m pretty powerful it makes sense for it to be me.” She shifted closer to her on the bed, bumping Skylar’s hip with her own. “And honestly? I don’t want to leave you completely alone, that just isn’t fair. You’re my friend, and I care about you, and if that means that I have to spend however long dealing with those weird shadow tentacles of yours then so be it.”

“Do you really think they’ll come back?” Skylar looked down at her hands. “I’m not sure I want that.”

“Ideally they will.” Hayley turned over Skylar’s hand, running a finger along the lines of her palm. “The sooner we can get them to emerge the sooner we can work on you controlling them. It’ll be scary at first, it always is, but I think... I know that you’re strong enough to control it. You just have to believe in yourself.”

“You really think I can do it? Control these... These powers or whatever they are?”

“Skylar...” Hayley turned her head so that Sky was looking directly into her eyes. “You got an alpha shifter to fall in love with you and swear to protect you till his last breath, you helped negotiate a truce between three groups that multiple times through history have wiped themselves out trying to kill the other. Hell, last week I watched you knock a man with a gun out cold with a fireplace poker for daring to step foot into your house. Compared to all of that, I think controlling these powers should be absolute child’s play for you.”

Skylar was taken aback by the compliments. “You really think I’m that amazing?”

“Goddamn right I do! You’re so quick to see the best in everyone, to let them know how incredible they are, but you always neglect to do the same to yourself. You really are an incredible, incredible woman, and you need to see that, just like everyone else does.”

Skylar was speechless, opting instead to let her actions talk, wrapping Hayley in her arms and squeezing as hard as she could, her friends head tucked into the crook of her neck, surprised squeaks tickling her skin as they were muffled. “You’re a good friend Hayley, I’m glad that you’re going to be staying with me. Do you mind if I ask you some questions about all this?”

Hayley took a deep breath as she pulled back, before nodding vigorously. “Of course, the whole point of this is for you to learn more about yourself and what you can do. Ask whatever you want to know, and I’ll try my best to answer.”

“Ok.” Sky took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I suppose the first question I should ask is... Well, what am I exactly?”

Hayley leaned down, pulling out the book that had started all of this, thumbing through the pages as she looked for the specific entry. Skylar looked over her shoulder. “Is that the book?”

“Yep, the one that Cassandra made for us.”

She hummed, “It’s pretty.”

“I know, it’s made out of marble.” Before Skylar could react to learning that little piece of trivia, Hayley found the entry, turning back to her. “You are what the book calls an Enenra, they’re creatures made of smoke and darkness. In a couple of cultures, they get mistaken for the grim reaper, but they aren’t so you know, don’t think that you’re a specter of death or anything like that.”

“Smoke and darkness?” Skylar looked down at her hand. “That would explain a lot. What else does the book say?” When Hayley’s face pinched she continued, “I want to know everything, even if I’m not going to like it. I’m a big girl, I can take it. I have to be as strong as you think I am after all.”

Hayley sighed, “The book says that it’s undecided if they are considered divine beings or if they are demons. Given their appearance and the nature of their abilities, a strong case can be made for demons.”

“And you? Do you think I’m a demon?”

“Honestly? I don’t know Skylar. But what I do know is that the last year has been a complete shake up of how I’ve viewed different species. I used to think that shifters were all mindless savages, hell bent on fighting and dying for reasons they never even thought about. Now look at me. My best friend is married to one, and I’m... I’m falling for one. So, I think that even if you were a demon, even if you were that doesn’t change the fact that you are a wonderful, caring person. So, I guess with everything else that’s been going on, a loving demon doesn’t sound that strange.”

“Well, if you’re sure about that then I guess I can believe you.” Sky clutched her stomach and gasped, the baby’s last kick driving the wind out of her. “Oh god, that was a big one.”

“Sky? Are you alright? Is it the baby?”

“Yeah, they’ve just been pretty restless lately. I don’t blame them, they must be getting sick of being in there.” She blew up her cheeks, letting out a slow breath. “So, how did I become like this? Was I born this way, is it a vampire thing? What happened?”

“Well, there are two ways that they are created. The first is that they were born, which I think is how you came to be. The second...” She paused, sucking in a breath. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I need you to be calm when I ask it, can you do that?”

Skylar wasn’t sure what she could possibly be asking that would require a warning, but she nodded regardless. “I said I wanted to know everything.”

“Alright. Sky... Have you ever died?”

That was certainly not the question she expected, her eyes going wide and her mouth dropping in horror. “I... No! Why would you think I have?”

“The other way that these creatures are created is through death, at which point the victim, who had thus far been a normal human, changes. Are you sure that you don’t remember anything like this happening?”

“No, I don’t! The closest I can think was... Was last week.” She dropped her head, looking at her stomach where there should have been a mark, and instead lay perfect skin.

“The explosion? I know it was a close call, but we were fine. More or less.” She leaned over, almost whispering to Skylar. “Did something happen to you? Something you didn’t tell us about?”

She nodded. “Some glass went flying, it should have hit me but... It didn’t. It just went right through. I checked where it should have hit and... Hayley, I should be dead.”

“That is... Concerning. But that can’t be it. We’d already seen that you had these powers before that, so it has to have been some other time.”

Skylar stood, walking around the room and willing herself to calm down. She ran her hands through her hair, leaning against the wall, the desk, touching as much as she could to convince herself that she actually was still here. She turned back to Hayley, her friend looking at her in concern before standing herself.

“Sky... You’re ok. You’re with me, and you have people out there who care about you. Whatever it is you’re thinking, it isn’t true, you have to trust me on that.”

“Am I a monster?” Hayley stopped at the question, Skylar speaking through her hands. “I have to be right? Normal things don’t just... Come back from the dead, that’s not how it works. Oh god, what about my baby! Are they the same as me?”

“Skylar, calm down!” Hayley held out her hand, willing Sky to take hold of it. “You are not a monster! You’re my friend, and you’re the wife of a man who loves you very much, neither of which would have happened if you were a monster!”

Skylar doubled over, a gasp of pain ripping out of her throat as she clutched at her stomach, the pain even worse than before. Hayley ran over, gathering her in her arms before she fell to the ground. Slowly, she walked her over to the bed, putting her down softly as she continued to groan in pain, her eyes wet with tears as she tried to figure out what was happening.

“Sky, are you ok? What’s happening?” Hayley’s hand felt like it was about to break with how hard Skylar was squeezing it, but she was determined not to let go. She wouldn’t have been able to move anyway, given the shock she felt at what Skylar said next.

“I think the baby’s coming.”