IMPORTANT: Sorry for all the uploads–the format of the chapter kept getting messed up when I published it and everything became squished. D:

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*Death feverishly twerks* 

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Trixie lead us through a crowd of humans and creatures, whose illusions occasionally flickered away. My mind was still spinning from the press of Death's lips on mine. We neared a topless woman making out with a beautiful man with shoulder length black hair. As we I got closer, there was a ripple over the couple, and the beautiful man grew paler, then grey, with foul rotting skin that triggered my gag reflexes. His mouth was a bloodbath of fangs and ripped flesh at the woman's neck. He was feeding. Drinking a human's blood.

Look away.

It was too late. The vampire's black eyes flicked up to mine. Just like that, I was held motionless and he was held with interest. His eyes were cold, set in stone like the thin bridge of his nose and his cleanly shaved jaw. He released his bloody fangs from his prey and he stared at me, his illusion went in and out. Beautiful man. Monster. Beautiful man. No. NO! My vision tunneled. I was consumed with heat and a spell that lifted my hand towards the vampire. It was just me and it.

Tossing the topless woman to the side, the gorgeous vampire stood and closed the gap between us with a few fluid strides. He held my outstretched hand to kiss it. His nails were long and like glass as they brushed my fingers, and then my cheek. I leaned my head into his icy palm.

It gazed admirably at me. "So beautiful."

"So beautiful," I sighed dreamily.

I should have caught up to Death. I should have latched onto his leather jacket and never let go, but now I was stuck drooling over a walking sex bomb. Which wasn't really a new thing for me, but this sex bomb looked like a naked mole rat beneath his façade, whereas the other sex bomb in my life was a walking sculpture of deliciousness hand carved by Michelangelo...

Oh my god, this vampire was making me more sexually frustrated than I already was! Impossible!

"So...pure."

"So pure," I echoed again. The vampire's mouth parted, revealing long K9's that would be no match to my psycho punk BFF.

Speaking of mentally unstable.

The vampire began to lean into me, when a large leather gloved hand enveloped his throat and squeezed hard. The vampire's eyes bugged out like one of those eye-popping stress toys.

"So...not happening," Death hissed and threw the vampire back over the glass railing to our right, into the first story dance floor.

I leaned over the railing to my right and stared numbly at the reaction of the crowd below with a tranquil, distant smile pulling at my lips. "What a nice man..." Then I locked on the lights dancing on the ceiling of the club and zoned out.

A livid, delicious monster clad in black leather, stepped into my line of vision. He'd wedged himself between the railing, and me, leaving a portion of his sharp tattooed features exposed to light, but his eyes, as always, remained in the shadows.

"No socializing," he growled out, ticking off his gloved fingers in front of my face, "no dancing, no drinking, no eye contact, and no Faithing. I asked four things of you. You are literally the most infuriating woman to ever exist. You could have... Hello?" His next words were heavy with jealousy. "Did that pretty fuck really affect you this strongly?"

When I peered around him to stare blankly at the sparkling lights slanting at different angles on the dance floor, Death let out a monstrous, frustrated noise. But instead of blowing a fuse, he leaned down, so that his mouth was at my ear and whispered, "I'm naked and dripping with sweat."

I was torn from the spell. Confused, I blinked up at the Grim Reaper, whose furious cat eyes were now glowing and drilling into me. "What did I do...?" Then it hit me. The vampire. The spell. The swooning. I face-palmed myself and posed there for a few seconds. "Okay, in my defense, you were walking way ahead of me, and he was gobbling that that girl's neck, so of course I..."

Trixie suddenly appeared next to me, and I gasped. "I looked back and both of you were gone. You're wasting my time." She looked between Death and I.

"We need five minutes," Death replied coldly, and I had a feeling he was going to go off on a tirade as soon as she was gone.

Trixie challenged his gaze. "I won't cater to your every need. Find the shutter illusion on the east side of the club, against the wall. I'll notify Ace that you're coming." Then she vanished.

Death turned his scowl to me. "Tell me, baby. Do you stare at frozen juice cans because they say, 'concentrate'.?"

"Hell's Prince?" a voice inquired before I could reply. "In a demon club?"

Death's fangs gnashed together and he slowly turned around. His interference had sparked a reaction from of a group of beautiful pale vampires. They melted from the shadows, hunched in an attack stance, with seamless black eyes and shoulder length hair. They started forward. Death remained relaxed, but widened his stance.

"Hell's Prince indeed," the same voice declared, and the vampires pulled back slightly. The black haired vampire was back and pissed as ever, but he wasn't the one who'd spoken up. The group parted and a tall vampire with slivery hair and eyes to match stepped in the clearing. He was the only vampire that had color in his irises, and was so attractive that looking at him actually hurt a little.

"I'd know those dishonorable markings anywhere," the silver haired vampire remarked. "Enlighten me, Angel of Death. What is the penalty for attacking an affiliate of Lucifer's comity?" He looked back at the black haired vampire that Death had thrown over the railing. "This is neutral ground, mate."

"It's just Angel to you," Death said, rejecting the rest.

The vampire grimaced somewhat. "Right. Okay, then." He lifted his chin up. "I am Dunkin...Master of the Crypt clan."

Death glared at him for a painful amount of time. "I don't believe anyone asked, Dunkin Donuts."

"Cheeky," Dunkin commented. "But I wasn't talking to you. I already know you." That silver gaze hitched to me and I cleverly dropped my eyes to his nose. "Goddess, you are a sight for sore eyes."

I looked down at my baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants. "Um."

"Not the outfit. Your soul, love," the vampire explained. "It's positively radiant."

"I'm blushing," Death said sarcastically and then grabbed my arm, making a move to walk past the Master Vampire, but the vampire slid into our path, as did his minions. He flashed a leering grin that highlighted his extended K9's.

"Not so fast, Angel," Dunkin said. "Where is your pet's mark?" He held Death's simmering stare. "Or...is she something to hide?"

Wordlessly, Death slung a heavy leather cladded arm around my shoulders and pulled me. That was clearly unlike Death. He was making a declaration. If there were neon sign hovering over my head, it'd have an arrow pointed towards Death and read "HIS".

"She doesn't need one," Death said.

But as strategic as the gesture might have been, I still felt butterflies in my stomach, and my face became hot. Death was an intoxicating presence of leather, Jolly ranchers, lingering cigarettes, and cologne. The more I inhaled, the more I found myself leaning into him. Death could put me under a spell stronger than any vampire's beauty. Get it together, woman!

The Master vampire lifted his lip in a small snarl. He seemed to consider attacking Death, but then thought against it as his eyes roamed Death's massive frame. That black gaze flicked to my body, raking me up and down. "Right. Regardless of her uniqueness...I guess she's not really my type." If anything, it was clear he was more curious than ever, but he was backing off. "This one has a little more meat on her bones than my usual."

"Go to hell," I snarled, before I could stop myself.

Death's arm tightened around me ever so slightly, and when I looked up, his almond cat eyes warned me not to say a word. I felt my fingertips tingle as a surge of sudden energy built inside of me. They must have started to glow, because Death clamped down on my hands with his free leather glove.

The vampire arched a brow at me. "Well, well. He really should keep a leash on you, love. I meant no offence, you're truly are a lovely sight." He switched that black gaze to Death. "Very well, then. You can have her– "

"Let me be clear," Death snarled. His voice was few octaves deeper and resembled a hiss. His features grew stoic, sharpening like blades, as the monster beneath his façade hummed to life. "I will only respect your position on Lucifer's comity one last time. My meals usually have beating hearts and a souls." In an instant, Death's pupils consumed both of his eyes. "But for you, I'd make an exception, you menial, blockheaded parasite," the monster hissed.

The Master vampire's stoic expression slightly cracked. If pale could get paler than pale, he hit the mark. Wordlessly, the Dunkin took a step back, as did his clan of beautiful creatures. Keeping me on the opposite side of the vampires, Death confidently moved forward past the vampires.

Death stopped abruptly once we reached the back of the club. He didn't face me, but he it was clear he wanted to say something by the way his jaw was clamped shut and flexing. It was my speculation that his eyes were still black too, and oddly enough, he was hiding them from me.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"I've seen that vampire before. That parasite knows my father."

"Your real father? You have a father? Who's...alive?"

Death gave me a piercing look. "That's what I just said. How about a little less questions and a little more shut the hell up?"

I felt the sting of his words and raised my palms. "Okay, relax."

He stared at me a moment and then blinked, vulnerability flashing over his expression. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, and I honestly thought I was hallucinating for a moment. "You wouldn't...." He stopped, and his favorite stoic expression slid back into place, as if that moment had never happened. "Did you let that vampire bite you? The one I threw off the balcony."

"No," I answered. I wanted to pry more about his father and the Master vampire, but it was clear Death had already moved on.

"Did you want him to bite you?" he interrogated, a little less snappy than before, but still pissy.

I fought back the hot flush that crawled up my neck. It felt like he'd asked me if I'd had sex with the vampire. "N-no," I stuttered out and then took control of my voice and my body, which was being cornered by his massive frame. His eyes were still black. "No," I repeated and stepped away from him. Immediately, my body felt cooler and I could breathe. "I'm fine."

"Luckily."

"It was a mistake."

"You seem to make a lot of those." He blinked and his cat eyes finally returned to their normal mismatched green shades. "It's too bad stupidity isn't painful; maybe you'd learn your lesson then and listen to me for once."

I narrowed my eyes at his harshness. "A sharp tongue is no indication of a keen mind."

"That vampire could have drained you." More softly, so that I barely heard him over the club music, he added, "That's common sense, baby girl."

There it was again. Baby girl. For a moment, I thought of icebergs to relieve the heat that was crawling up my neck, but then I realized he was only condescending me, and the heat dissipated. "Obviously that's common sense, baby boy," I snapped loudly. "Maybe you should remember who froze your ass yesterday, and then get off my back. You've been giving my converse flat tires all day. I know you have a lot going on, but so do I."

Death's features remained hard and even, but those catlike eyes flickered with surprise. That was the second time I'd seen that look in the club. His eyes fell into harsh slits. Clearly, he was frustrated that I wouldn't be his doormat like everyone else. Either that, or he currently murdering me thirty different ways.

I imagined what our conversation would be like next.

'This incident only further demonstrates my intelligence over you', he would say. And then he'd read off a recipe he'd formulated for a clambake, which included diced up pieces of Faith Williams.

I'd reply, 'Because you're so superior and flawless in every way, right?"

'I wouldn't say flawless every way, he'd say flippantly. One of my fangs is slightly longer than the rest of them. Would you like to see? It's all the way in the back, so you have to lean in real close.'

'You're insufferable."

"And you only seem to annoy me when you're breathing," Death remarked out loud. "Insufferable. I think you're actually the first virgin to ever say that to me, cupcake."

The conversation in my head had been real? No...it hadn't.

Death probed my reaction and his scowl lifted ever so slightly, revealing an amused glint in his eyes.

"You just read my thoughts," I said. "You could read my freaking thoughts this whole time?"

"Unfortunately, no. I can only communicate with you in your head. And I've only been able to do that recently. A minute ago, to be precise."

Great, now I needed Ad Block to keep the Grim Reaper from my mind.

I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, feeling a headache coming on. When I returned my gaze to him, he was positively amused. Teasing me always lifted his bitter mood. Lord help me, he was maddening.

"What did you do to me?" I demanded.

"I don't know," Death replied innocently. "But something has changed. I feel...a real connection between us now, cupcake." He arched a pierced eyebrow. "Like a bond."

And that's when it clicked. I thought back to Death biting my thumb when I signed his contract, and then the black blood from his tongue mixing in a tasteless concoction in my mouth. The psycho had French kissed me to form a bond! Like Devin and Aunt Sarah's bond?

"But they...but we...." My eyebrows furrowed. "But I never..."

Death rolled his exotic eyes. "Clearly, or you'd remember. Fallen don't have to have sex to bond with someone. Classic noob assumption that all evil creatures are horny and therefore must do horny activities to get things done. " He thought about that a moment. "I totally gave us that rep..."

"You bonded with me." A dark part of me loved the thought of being bonded with him, and another part was furious that he was being so cocky about the whole ordeal. I wanted to shave his fohawk and rip every one of his piercings out. "Without my permission?"

"We bonded with we, cupcake," Death explained dryly. "It's all in the contract. And might I remind you, it takes two to tongue wrestle like we did." He poked one of his fangs with his tongue, as a wicked fire sparked in his cat eyes. He started to circle me. "You don't even know what bonding means, do you?"

I held my glare until he stopped circling. "Whatever it is, I don't like it." I crossed my arms over my chest in an attempt to intimidate him. "And you're going to tell me all about it. Right now."

"It's adorable when you try to intimidate me. I almost forgive you for almost letting a vampire bite you and not letting me." His grin was slow and vicious. "How about... I tell you all about our bond later to add suspense. I'll tell you.... right after you get your b-day present."

My eyebrows went up. Had he seriously gotten me a present? It sounded too good to be true, honestly. I narrowed my eyes, catching on. Keep your b-day present in your pants, Romeo, I thought, be he never responded. How the heck did internal communication work anyway?

Wordlessly, Death showed me his wide back and pushed aside a deep purple curtain against the wall that I hadn't seen. Maybe it hadn't been there at all. But where it lead to was a black space, which reminded me of the endless shadow that'd once lain over Death's devastatingly attractive features. 'Try to stay close this time," his voice purred through the curtain.

Bonding didn't seem too bad. If anything, it had a strange affectionate ring to it. Maybe I was reacting poorly. No, this was a reaction something else. Pain pricked my palms. When I looked down, I had bloody crescents in my skin and my fingers shook. The wounds healed over as quickly as I saw them, leaving behind a slight tremble in my arms.

For a brief moment–faster than the flutter of a single beat of a humming's bird wings–images flashed before my eyes. I captured some of them. A cloaked rider. A fair haired woman with a swelled stomach. A little boy in a field. A man hanging limp in chains. A river. A cloudy mirror mostly covered by vines...

I sucked in a sharp breath and looked up at the curtain where Death had vanished. Whatever that had been, it hadn't felt good, like the foreboding dread of a door creaking open in your bedroom in the middle of the night. The unease that pooled into my stomach remained even as I feigned stoicism, parted the curtain, and entered the darkness.

When I came through, the music in the club was muffled completely and my ears rung. At the center of the room, there was a circular wooden palm-reading table and four chairs. Resting against one of the chairs was a golden cane with intricate designs carved up the rod and an octagon crystal at the top.

A clear crystal ball sat on top of the palm-reading table, catching a sparkle from the lavish chandelier above the table. The room was filled with artifacts, jars of spices that permeated the air, and candles melting here and there. There were glass cases filled with jewelry, one of which had once been occupied by the serpent pendant around my neck. Leafy green plants were scattered here and there–which was odd because there wasn't any sunlight, and there was the faintest perfume to the air as I inhaled, which I imagined was magic.

I stepped further into the room, my sneaker sinking slightly into thick carpet. A slight movement to my left caught my eye. Death had slinked between two old bookshelves, where the light barely touched. His radiant, exotic eyes studied me, before darting straight ahead, guiding my attention to a third person in the room.

The first thing I marked was Ace's dark mauve bell top hat, which had been slightly tipped over his gaze as he leaned against a bookshelf and read an old weathered book. His skin was paler than usual but his shoulder length hair was its normal stark white with streaks of various colors. He wore a Victorian aristocrat rustic paisley vest jacket with hints of purple in the tapestry pattern. It formed tightly around his lean torso. The golden dress shirt beneath had hints of purple in it as well and was unbuttoned a few paces down, revealing a peek of pale skin and various pendants. The only plain thing about him was his black slacks and shoes.

The French warlock tilted his head up, violet eyes against my blue, and regarded me with a small smile. "Joyeux anniversaire, ma chère."

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