Taylor walked with his hand in Cadon's as they made their way down the dimly lit hallway. They had taken a trip to the maximum security prison in the next town over. It was the only place that was strong enough to hold someone who could use magic. 

They'd had the police chief call ahead and get them clearance to speak with the exorcist, with guards present, of course. 

The man was in a small cell within a white room. He was in a prison jumpsuit, all of his previous beads and mystical items were gone. 

He looked up as the guards opened the door, then stepped in to either side, allowing himself and Cadon to walk in after them. 

"Ah, didn't think that I'd be seeing you two again so soon. What do I owe the pleasure?" the man said, clearly not worried about his current state of affairs. 

He hadn't physically harmed them at all, though there were definitely implications to what he had done. The guy wouldn't be getting off scot-free.

"Actually, I believe I can guess what you want. You know that my testimony is only what your parents have told me, so that would be useless to you both... but my skills? You want to keep your banshee friend in this world, correct?" 

Taylor quickly nodded, not one to beat around the bush. 

"I'm afraid that the only way that he can be permanently alive is for him to drain your blood from the inside-out while you're wearing that little pink ring. It's dangerous as hell, and if you aren't already in a hospital, with doctors waiting on you arm and leg, you'll die from it." 

The man pointed at the backpack Taylor still had hanging over his shoulder. 

"You should leave that creature be just as it is, boy. Your friend is extraordinarily lucky that his fusion with the wraith went so well, but a banshee? It's not possible."

Taylor was about to speak when Cadon stepped forward, a hint of something in his eyes that had him curious. 

"What about me?" 

The man frowned, confused. 

"What about you, boy?" he asked, clearly as confused as Taylor was. 

"I have a wraith already. What about adding a banshee?" 

Wait. 

"You—" 

What the heck could he say to that?

"You wanna die early, huh?" the older man said, clearly unimpressed by his idea. 

He was about to say something else when he stopped abruptly, then looked over to Taylor. 

"Let me see that ring, boy." 

Licking his lips nervously, Taylor made his way closer and unzipped his bag. He carefully took the ring from it, then after another moment of hesitation, handed it over. 

The exorcist lifted it up to the dim light so that he could look through the center. 

"You want to try it, boy? Maybe your brother can help save you." 

The ring seemed to shiver in response, making the exorcist make a humming sound as he thought for a moment, then replied. 

"The human might not survive, but you and your brother probably would. You would have a body."

Taylor felt his blood run cold as looked over to Cadon. He seemed cool and collected, but at the same time, he could tell that he was nervous. The fingers on his left hand were fiddling with one of the beltloops on his pants and he was blinking a little more than usual. 

"You don't have to do this. This is your life, Adon. You already gave away part of yourself to allow Caleb to live. You don't need to sacrifice anymore," Taylor said. 

Cadon turned and pulled him into a hug, but Taylor didn't miss the small uneasy smile on his lips as he did so. 

"Don't worry, Tay. I don't feel like I've lost anything. If anything, I've gained another outlook on myself, and of how I see the world. Caleb is a sweetheart, and he's added nothing but good things. You and I both know that Nikolai is also a good person, but has had it much harder with him being a banshee. If I can free him from that, I'd gladly take on a second change. Besides, I'm confident that Caleb won't let me die."

The ring shook again in the man's hand, drawing their attention as a long moment of silence followed. When it was finally lowered, the exorcist sighed and reached out toward Cadon, offering the item. 

"He would like to try. He said that he will do his best not to hurt you in any way, but he wants to live."

Cadon released Taylor and took the little ring without hesitation, then turned toward him before offering it. 

"I think it would mean the most if you put it on me, hmm?" 

Taylor bit back his response as he felt his face warm. Either way, he took the ring and, when Cadon lifted his left hand, slid it onto his ring finger. 

The reaction was immediate, and Taylor barely had time to catch Cadon as his body dropped. He carefully but quickly lowered him, settling the guy in his lap so that he could wrap his arms around his shivering form. 

"He's going to get very cold. I would suggest that one of you fetch him some blankets... unless you want a dead boy on your hands," the exorcist said to the guards standing by the door. 

They both looked at each other nervously, then one swiftly ran from the room. He was probably just wanting to get away from whatever the hell was happening, but thankfully, he returned with an armful of blankets a few moments later. 

Taylor tucked them around Cadon as best he could as the exorcist reached forward and pressed two fingers to the unconscious man's forehead. 

"It's quite busy in there," he mumbled as he closed his eyes, seeing things that Taylor would hopefully never dream of. "Their three souls aren't quite happy with each other being stuck so close together. Thankfully, Caleb and Adon's have already fused, but with Nikolai's suddenly being added... it's a bit hectic and it caused him to pass out." 

Taylor wanted to ask the obvious question as the main leaned away, about whether or not Cadon would be okay, but he knew not to bother with it. He just had to wait and hope for the best. 

"Rest up. I'll be here for you when you awaken," Taylor said as he got comfortable against the wall, then leaned his head back and closed his own eyes. 

He wasn't sure if the guards left or not, but when he awoke, the room was relatively darker and the door was shut. One guard was still present, standing in the opposite corner with his arms crossed over his chest. 

"You know..." came a gruff, whispered voice from below him, drawing Taylor's widening eyes downward. 

Cadon smiled up at him sleepily, his left eye shining with the color of Nikolai's. 

"You're supposed to kiss your prince to wake him up." 

"But the exorcist would prefer no PDA, thanks. Let's talk a bit more before I send you strange ones off, shall we?" 

Taylor helped Cadon sit up straighter, but the guy was stubborn and didn't want to get out of his lap. 

Fine. Just stay. 

Cadon gave him a sideways smile before they both turned their attention to the man on the cot in front of them. 

"Alright boys, so, good news. It worked... kind of." 

Kind of?

"Kind of?" Cadon asked, mirroring Taylor's thoughts. 

The exorcist nodded, then leaned forward with his lower arms on his knees. 

"Your fusion worked... but I'm afraid that his soul is still attached to that ring."

They both looked down at the little plastic ring on Cadon's finger, then back up in confusion. 

"So the only thing is that I can't take it off?" he asked, confused why it was such a problem. 

The man nodded, but then added, "you can't take it off, but you know that thing is made as cheap as they come. You need something way stronger, or that banshee's soul will eventually make it crumble. Destroying himself in the process." 

"So... we need a stronger ring? One that can handle the wear and tear his soul will inflict on it?" Cadon asked. 

The exorcist nodded again. 

"Much stronger."

Taylor tilted his head, glancing slightly down at Cadon as the guy looked up at him with a knowing smirk.

"I guess we're getting married a little early?" Cadon said with a wink that made Taylor's face burn.

The exorcist clapped his hands twice. "That is actually a great idea. A wedding ring will definitely hold up for many, many years. It's also something that won't have to be removed."

Cadon slowly got himself to his feet with Taylor's help, then took in a few deep breaths and stretched before turning to him. 

Confused, Taylor stared slightly up at him, then watched in horror as he knelt down in front of him on one knee, but never lost eye contact. 

Wait. Is he going...

"You look like you're about to have a  meltdown there, Tay. Let's go find a ring that can keep this crazy guy with us for a while, hmm?" he asked with a chuckle as he stood back up and took his hand. 

Taylor couldn't find any words to say, so he just nodded and let himself be lead out of the jail. Thankfully, there were plenty of jewelers in the town so they didn't have to drive all the way back. 

It took them a bit to find something that Cadon wanted, because he refused to get something unless Taylor got the matching piece. Eventually, they settled on a topaz set with an entwined ring for Taylor and a solid, stronger deep blue one for Cadon. 

They returned as soon as Cadon put the cost on his credit card. It was already past dark, but thankfully the guards allowed them back inside. 

"Welcome back, welcome back. Let's see the ring, boys," the exorcist said as Cadon fished them from his pocket. 

When the guy saw that there were two, he clearly held back an expression and swallowed some words, but after a moment he shrugged it off and grabbed the more solid one. 

"Sit here, boy," he said, gesturing for Cadon to sit in front of where he sat on his uncomfortable-looking bed. 

Cadon did as told, then held out his hand with the little plastic ring on it as the exorcist gestured for it. 

"I don't have any of my spiritual devices, so this might take a bit. Just relax and if you feel a pull in your chest, just let it happen." 

Taylor stepped forward and sat beside Cadon, but was sure not to touch him. He didn't want to risk messing up something as important as a soul transfer. The exorcist hadn't been lying when he'd said that it would take a while, either. Nearly three hours after he began, he leaned back and nodded, drawing both his and Cadon's eyes back up to him. 

"You're all set, boys. You need to be very careful that you don't take that off, ever, and if it starts to fade even after polishing the outer portion, you find yourself another exorcist and get a new ring. They should be able to do a safe transfer, since I've already done the binding and his soul has already been accepted into your body," the man said. 

Taylor carefully helped Cadon up, but when he looked into his eyes, he was surprised to see that Nikolai's eye color was still prominent on the side it had appeared earlier. 

"That's a bit of a side effect, but I doubt that you two will mind?" the exorcist said, earning a shrug from Cadon. 

"It's fine. It makes me look cool, right Tay?" Cadon said with a wink that had Taylor finally relieved enough to laugh a little. 

"I don't know if you know how to be cool, but I guess looking like you might be isn't too bad," he said as he turned and headed for the door. 

He could hear the exorcist chuckling behind him and the sound of Cadon fumbling after him. They were escorted back outside, but before he could head for Cadon's car, the guy grabbed his hand and spun him around into a super tight hug. Another moment later and he had leaned down to steal a kiss that Taylor could tell had a bit more Caleb in it than Adon. It honestly didn't bother him, though. 

He waited until Cadon decided to end the kiss, then leaned back just enough to raise an eyebrow at him. It had been quite a long one, especially for their new relationship.

"I would blame that on Caleb... and he was definitely pushing it, but that was totally all three of us," Cadon said, catching Taylor a little off guard. 

Three? 

"Turns out that Nikolai honestly just wanted someone to love, but he could never express it since banshees were rarely able to show any kind of emotion besides rage. I think, in time, he's actually going to be the most affectionate when it comes to doting on you." 

Taylor felt his jaw go slack, stunned by that information. Evidently, Cadon thought that it was funny and reached up to muss up Taylor's hair. 

"I was also considering changing my name again, to reflect that he's here now, too, but there was a strong negative feeling when I thought about it, so I'm guessing he's happy just the way it is," Cadon said as he took Taylor's hand and began leading him across the parking lot toward his car. 

"So then, now that that's settled, and we have our court dates set and all is good for tonight... how about Chinese food, a movie, and maybe one or five more kisses before bed?" 

This guy.

Taylor shook his head, but he couldn't hide his smile. He had a lot to get used to now. Both of them did, but as he looked at his friend... well, his boyfriend, he knew that they would be able to manage everything together. They would bury Caleb and Nikolai's skeletons in a proper cemetery, then help put their parents away for good. After that, the sky was the limit... and with such a quirky, crazy, loving guy by his side, Taylor figured that he just might be able to even reach that, someday.