Chapter Three

"Fuck you, I hope you rot in the darkest pits of Hell!"

I sighed, reaching up to rub at my temples where a migraine was starting to pound before peering up at the two-way mirror that looked into a cell about the size of a hotel bedroom. It used to be furnished with a good sized bed, a dresser, a vanity, clothing, make-up. Just what Mother thought were the bare necessities.

Okay, but make-up, though?

As if Nine would ever consider putting anything on her face that wasn't the blood of her enemies.

I glanced up again to see Nine pacing in her cell.

Nine, who the rest of us called Polly Pocket for shits and giggles, was incredibly tiny compared to the rest of us. A whopping five foot one with short white-blonde hair that curled around her little ears, her flashing red eyes darting around the room as she paused to bare her fangs at the two-way mirror, clearly sensing my presence behind it.

A quick peek at my phone revealed it was almost six in the morning.

Nine's fits usually lasted several hours, but I could tell she was coming down from the high now as she paced in frustration. She was running out of magic and she usually ended her fits by plopping down...

Yup, just as I thought. I watched Nine stagger to what was left of her bed and plop down with a miserable sigh. She hung her head forward, body angled between her knees like she was going to be sick, which wouldn't be unusual for her. Her magic was still unstable, and recent scans showed it was only going to deteriorate more until she was just like Seven; a dud. No magic. Immortality, which was a nice little bonus, but otherwise fucking useless.

Her fate would either be death or bait, and from the looks of it, death was at her door.

"I want to go back to my room," Nine moaned, reaching up to rake her hands through her hair, "Just let me go back to my room. I won't say anything about the Mother anymore, just let me go back to my bed. I want my bed." Obviously I didn't answer and that only made her scream, her fury renewed as she launched off the bed and picked up her already busted dresser, throwing it across the room at the two-way mirror.

It bounced off like the mirror was made of rubber and smashed to pieces on the floor. Nine released another enraged scream, her red eyes flashing and her fangs elongating threateningly. She lunged for the two-way mirror, bounced off, then screamed at it again.

"Fuck you! Fuck you, Jasper! I hope Hades kills you first! I hope he rips your heart out and feasts on it like he did Rhea and Cronus!" I cocked my head, looking down at my phone as I scrolled through the app I was using to track Beni.

He was definitely protective of Wren, and his other clients.

Just not very good at protecting himself.

According to Beni's conversations with the staff, he was worried about Wren. Apparently the incubus wasn't feeding properly and it was beginning to show. Of course, those conversations were from Beni the Sweetheart. Beni's more private conversations with friends and his current lover were worries about Hades straight up fucking murdering him for not taking better care of his grandson.

They're gonna fucking kill me, Beni's texts lamented, it's not even my fault! He won't let me do anything outside of his stupid little bubble. It's like he's doing it to himself on purpose! How am I supposed to help a kid who clearly doesn't even want my help? His recent conversation with his lover revealed some fun information about Beni's choice in partners.

Just fuck him, Beni's partner, Diva said— yup, that was the guy's real name on his birth certificate followed by the surname Dollbaby. I was all about freedom of expression, except the dude was giving Beni shit advice.

Are you kidding me, Beni texted back to his lover in a panic. First of all, I'm not a total monster, jesus christ. Second, i'm not going to traumatize him by forcing him to submit, but if he doesn't submit on his own, he's gonna die and he's gonna take me down with him. I need to call his dad.

Because that went over so well last time, Diva ranted, stop being such a new age bastard. Sometimes sex just has to happen, Beni.

And you need to stop being such a fucking geezer. That shit is gross. They hired me to help him, but i swear to god, if he keeps cockblocking me like this, i'll just have to drop him as a client.

Oh, that'll go over so well when Diego tells Hades. At this rate, you have better luck just waiting for someone to swoop in and kill him for you.

Ugh.

Interesting, I hummed as I exited the chat and bounced over to Beni's main social media page where he interacted with the rest of the staff. Of course, he was all over those chats with poor Wrenny and i just wish he'd learn to love himself and bullshit like that. He wasn't about to tell them Wren was padding his pocketbooks, considering Hades paid top dollar to have Wren served properly. It was funny considering Beni apparently wasn't serving him properly.

The door behind me chimed.

"Is she still having a fit?" Kali asked grimly. Her boots thumped as she made her way over to the seat beside me. In her hands was a warm cup of coffee and a raspberry-cream danish. I stared at it, then looked up to see Kali staring back at me.

"Fuck off," she said, making me grin, "I asked if you wanted anything. You said no."

"Just a bite?" I asked. Kali glared for a moment longer, then rolled her eyes and held it out to me. I took a bite just as Nine threw the vanity mirror at the two-way, shattering the glass in the vanity. Kali groaned loudly in annoyance and I sighed, rising to my feet and using my thumb to wipe crumbs off the corner of my mouth.

"I'll get her," I said.

"Be careful, you're not her favorite person right now."

"I'm nobody's favorite person."

You're mine. I pretended I didn't hear her thought cross my mind and just left the room behind the mirror through a door beside it. The moment it opened, Nine swung around with a furious scream and ran at me. I threw my hand out and the shadows peeled off my body, spiraling out and capturing Nine in a tangle, hoisting her off the ground.

"Noo-ooooo! Put me down! Fuck you! Go to hell! Bite your tongue and die!" Her screams became unintelligible. Her fangs elongated and her fingernails started flaking off as claws ripped through the nail beds to take their place. Except she wasn't turning into a Beast, not like mine anyway.

Something was wrong with lil' Polly Pocket, hence the need for monitored observation. She wasn't supposed to have a Beast; she was supposed to be special in a way similar to Niko and Apollyon, except those traits weren't manifesting like theirs. She was displaying Beast behavior, which made no sense given her genetics weren't coded for it.

Which meant someone must have cursed her the natural way, and of course, the suspect had escaped during Seven's rescue at one of the other compounds. Knowing full well that a female surviving the Beast curse was literally a billion to one.

Kali was that one.

Most of them died before even developing beyond a fetal state.

Nine had done just fine and well and never tested positive for the Beast trait that mother had developed. Until a few months ago when Nine had been in the same facility as Seven during the rescue. She'd heard the roaring of the other Beasts, felt their presence so intensely, it seemed to awaken one within her.

The downside was she was already an adult. She was going to die, slowly and painfully.

The curse would completely consume her and damn her to death, because a Beast without a handler was a dead Beast.

I smiled faintly at that.

A Beast without a handler is just a dead Beast.

What an accurate dating app bio.

I flicked my hand to the side and the undulating shadowy matter in the form of writhing tentacles slung Nine across the room where she slammed into the wall and fell on the bed. I watched her hit the bed, growling low.

At that same moment, my phone rang.

"Jasper, I swear to fucking gods—"

"Go for Hex," I said, holding my phone to my ear as I felt Kali gaping at me through the two-way. I watched Nine rise up from the bed, her bones cracking and bending as she moaned, throwing her hand up against the wall. Her claws dug into the concrete, dragging down and tearing bits of rock to the bed. Her back was twitching and crawling, like something was moving under her skin.

I briefly wondered if it was supposed to be her wings, but I had never seen wings do something that fucking creepy.

"Hex," came Diego's gasp of relief, "Thank you so much for that security warning, I really appreciate it."

"No problem," I said, then paused as Nine launched herself off the bed at me. I swung my foot up and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying back again, smashing in the concrete wall.

"Oh, are you busy," Diego asked after a moment, "Sounds like construction over there."

"Yeah, I conned one of my neighbors into redoing the piping in my kitchen. It's one of those old houses that used to be a shelter back in the day during the Titan thing."

"Oh! Makes total sense."

"Exactly," I said with a nod, then paused as Nine recovered from the blow to the chest. She staggered to her feet, swayed for a moment. Blood was pouring from her nose and from a gash in her forehead. She shook her head, like a dog shaking off as a stress response.

She snapped her head so abruptly to stare at me that I actually heard her neck crack, and my eyes widened for a moment, because I expected her to drop dead. Her eyes rolled back in her head, but instead of turning classic Beasty red, they just glowed white.

"So, listen," Diego continued as Nine slowly turned to face me fully, her bones creaking and cracking like she was an old marionette, "I know you said you weren't a huge fan of working on the weekends..."

"I kinda need to decompress at the end of the week," I admitted with a shrug, taking a step back and thrusting my hand out. The shadows surged forward together, forming more of a massive hand now, snatching for Nine, who leapt up and to the side, then ran along the fucking wall like a goddamn magic ninja.

"Oh, no, that makes sense, but actually," Diego paused and I raised an eyebrow, still watching Nine as she remained stuck to the wall, those glowing white orbs of nothingness somehow looking directly at me, "I was wondering if maybe you wanted to graduate to, ah, server trainee."

I blinked.

"No shit?" I asked.

Nine launched herself at me and I cursed, sending the phone flying across the floor. I leapt up to avoid her attack, then landed behind her and swung around to grab the back of her tracksuit. I swung her around and threw her into the same dented spot in the wall, further crushing in the concrete.

I walked over and picked up the phone.

"And we're gonna have to work on your language," Diego was saying as I held the phone to my ear, "I know some clients are into that, but not all of them and unfortunately you won't have first dibs, but I have some really good starting clients who'd love to help you acclimate. Only if you're comfortable with it, of course, I don't want to trigger anything."

"Oh, no, no," I said, shaking my head as if he could see me, then pausing to glance over where Nine was peeling herself off the wall again, "Ah, no, I really can't remember anything from my past, Diego. Honest. I think I'll be fine. I'm just excited to finally do something a little more up my alley." Nine stumbled forward and pinned me with another glowy eyed creepy stare, then abruptly her jaw unhinged and her fangs elongated until it looked like a goddamn black hole of sharp teeth.

"Yes," Diego said, clearing his throat, "Well, congratulations on the promotion. I'm hoping you can start tomorrow since Beni will be on shift—"

"I'm sorry, Beni?" I asked sharply. I glanced up as Nine ran at me with a screech I blocked with magic so Diego wouldn't, you know, hear me fucking dying. I spun out of the way and sent another wave of shadows, but this time she was off, sprinting for the wall again.

"Yes," Diego drawled with a warning note to his voice, "I get you're not his biggest fan, Hex, but he's a good worker and he's a model employee. He's our most popular for a good reason. You could learn a thing or two from him. Starting with your language."

"Kay, I'll get to work on that right now," I said, "Listen, I gotta go before these guys break my pipes. I just got this place, thanks to you." Nine launched off the wall for my face. I thrust the shadow magic up and it cut her off, slamming her up into the ceiling.

"Oof, yeah, no, ouch, do not envy you a renovation," Diego said with a chuckle, "And no, don't thank me. Anything to help out. I know how hard it is to start over again, believe me."

"I don't doubt that," I muttered, glancing up where Nine had hit the floor and was struggling to prop herself up. Her left leg was definitely broken, blood just pouring from her nose into a pool beneath her, her lips busted from where her fangs cut her.

"Anyway, thank you, Hex, you're a good kid. Watch those pipes like a hawk. DIY jobs can go bad very quickly. Trust me, there's a whole Witco channel dedicated to it."

"Witco?" I asked dryly, frowning as Nine slowly looked up at me. Her white soulless eyes were gone and they were back to their usual deep ruby red, but she was fucking exhausted. She was going to pass out.

"Hex, you really need to get online more often. It's an app where you can watch short, like, super short videos— hey, quit avoiding your responsibilities. Good luck on the reno, sweetie, and thanks again. See you tomorrow, bright and early!"

"Mmhm!" I hung up, looking up just as Nine face planted on the floor. I stared at her for a solid minute, because I didn't trust her not to get back up and attack, but she seemed to be out of steam for the day.

"You know, they have voicemail for a reason," Kali's voice said over the intercom and I smirked as I walked over to Nine, giving her a couple nudges with my foot before I stooped over and swung her into my arms.

"Not a fan." I waved my hand over the damage to Nine's bed, changing the sheets and blankets to fresh linen and tucking her into bed.

"Okay, but you can't avoid it forever," Kali drawled. I ignored her, sweeping my hands over Nine's injuries until not a blemish remained. She simply sighed in her sleep, suddenly so quiet and so at peace. I frowned.

"Jasper."

"Mm."

"Not every voicemail is going to be—"

"Kali, if I wanted to talk about my feelings and all the sad stuff in the world, I'd go find my fucking mother. How about we just finish this assignment and I can get the fuck home?" Kali didn't answer, but I think she was done prodding me. I came back to the observation room, grabbing my grocery bag of random shit I'd tossed in from the cafeteria.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you," Kali said quietly, making me frown as I paused to check the time on my phone.

"I know."

"You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too," I muttered. Kali cocked her head slowly, putting her face within my view of my phone. I glanced up at her through my hair. She was giving me that sad little pout. Even the mightiest of warriors wouldn't have been able to stay angry with that look.

"And, Jasper?"

"Mmhm?"

"Next time your phone rings and you're fighting an unknown psychotic entity, can you please just let it go to voicemail? I'll even listen to it for you," Kali said, making me snort, "What? I won't even giggle if it's someone calling about some dick— swear." She held her hand up, her other over her chest and I laughed at that.

"Shut up. I'll make sure to end it quicker," I said, making her roll her eyes, "Listen, I gotta get home. If you need anything else around here, don't hesitate." Kali nodded, rising to her feet with a smile as I went to the door.

"Same goes for you, ya know," she said, elbowing me and I smirked, "I may not be able to help with the sleep... or the pain." I averted my eyes because the way she said it meant she wanted to have a serious talk about my mental health.

But honestly, what was the point of doing that now? Talking changed nothing.

"But I can still be a buffer when things get hard," she continued and I wrinkled my nose in displeasure, but that seemed to make her smile, though it was tinged with sorrow.

I can tell he's not sleeping. He's got circles under his eyes. He looks paler. When was the last time he ate before today? A week? Two weeks? I bit back the urge to snap at her concern. I couldn't help hearing it and she couldn't help thinking it. I appreciated her not vocalizing it, though.

We ended our meeting with a hug and I gave her a firm kiss on the forehead, which made her smile. She kissed my chest, gave it a firm couple of pats, then cocked her chin up at me.

"Get some rest, Agent Jasper."

"Mmm, same goes for you. Goodnight, Kali."

"Goodnight, Darling."

I felt just the slightest of stirrings in my chest, in my heart, and in the soul that shared my vessel. I closed my eyes against that soft sensation and left the room. A quick ten minute stroll took me out of the compound and back up into Styx once more.

It was a completely different world in Styx at night.

A glittery utopia of multicolored lights, crystal window panes that looked into fine dining restaurants and vintage shops. Flashing lights and neon signs blinked over clubs pulsing with music, people traveling mostly in groups or couples. The air was cool, but humid, with the soft scent of rain lingering in the air. Puddles whispered under my boots as I made my way out of the shopping district and over to my apartment community.

A nothing special bunch of former homeless shelters converted into some pretty nice apartments. I'd managed to snag the last second floor room by the fire escape in the first building, so the walk was short, but pleasant. It was a nice moment of peace I savored before I walked into the apartment.

The vibe immediately changed once I entered the apartment, and for good reason.

I smiled slowly at the heavy aura of rage and sorrow. It was almost like walking into a spiderweb, only heavier, suffocatingly so.

"Wow, are you trying to drive me insane with that little bit of magic?" I asked the source of the threatening aura. I waited, feeling magic sparkle in the air. He was having difficulty trying to concentrate long enough to absorb some of my magic, so I let him take as much as he needed.

A moment later, D'Angelo materialized just at the end of the hall that opened up into the living room/kitchen combo. The angel was a handsome thing, long dark hair he wore coiled into a loose man bun of sorts, serious hazel eyes that were currently rimmed in red from one of his fits.

I mean, I suppose I would be pissed too if the guy who killed me trapped my soul.

Even worse for an angel, who needed to get to Yhwhwa in order to reincarnate.

"I hate you," D'Angelo seethed. I smiled at a common phrase directed at me. At this point, it almost tickled me pink.

"The feeling is entirely mutual, my angelic friend."

"Fuck you, we're not friends."

"I think I'm the only friend you have right now, Casper."

"If I could kill you—"

"You'd find it a lot easier than you think," I told him, making him glare at me in confusion, "Unfortunately, my death will not come today, and most certainly not by your hands." I glanced past him, then paused when I realized some fake mail had arrived to uphold appearances, probably just stupid junk mail from scam artists. I looked at D'Angelo, who gritted his teeth in frustration when I just gave him a little smile.

"Did you bring the mail in for me? What a good boy," I said. D'Angelo went to grab me, but not only did his hand pass through me, he gasped at the sizzle when he made contact with me. He stepped back, then gritted his teeth.

Why does that happen every time, D'Angelo wondered angrily.

Because even ghosts couldn't fucking touch me, dude.

"Hmm," I mused as I went to the table, dropping my grocery bag in a chair where D'Angelo lingered to watch him with a stern glare, "Looks like a bunch of junk mail, though." D'Angelo just silently fumed as he watched me, fading in and out of focus as if he were struggling to maintain his form. Of course, it was because I only provided him with just enough magic to keep him tethered to this existence. Anything else would be a bit too dangerous for me.

"So what else did you learn today, D? Maybe the walls said something interesting," I said, making the angel grit his teeth. He didn't answer me right away, but I gave him a moment to finish fuming as I burned up the mail, save for two to keep around just in case.

"You can't keep this from my mother," D'Angelo blurted, making me smirk at his insistence, "At least fucking tell her you murdered me."

"What, so she can get pissy at my mother and stir up shit," I snorted, shaking my head, "No, I need Bethany to continue following mother's lead. I don't have time to watch her pretend she gives a shit about you, and honestly, you shouldn't be wasting your time worrying about the bitch either."

The lightbulb over my head exploded, hovering the table with shards of glass.

I looked up pointedly where D'Angelo was glaring at me over the table.

"She's still my fucking mother."

"Gods, you're stupid. And here I actually went out of my way to assure Ryk that you didn't suffer. I'd say the kid got fucking lucky with me killing you," I said. D'Angelo flinched at that, shoving away from the table. He turned away, fading out of existence for a bit. I couldn't see his form anymore, but I could sense his presence floating near the window that looked out over an alley that had been converted into a community garden.

D'Angelo always got quiet when I brought up Ryk.

Made sense, because he was stupidly head over heels for him. It was that gross kind of puppy love where he'd do anything for him, including sacrificing his own life and his beliefs, for the love of his life.

Blah, blah, blah. The kinda shit unicorns shat onto a page and called a romance novel.

It was getting exasperating dealing with these people who romanticized the idea of self-sacrifice, and for the dumbest shit too. D'Angelo knew exactly what he was walking into when he told Ryk he was going to spy on mother for him. He knew he was most likely going to die in the process, but the dumbfuck did it anyway and look where it got him.

Not just dead, but trapped in limbo. Unable to pass on. Unable to reincarnate.

Hell, I was refusing him the greatest gift of all time.

Being reborn to a mother that wasn't fucking Bethany.

"Hear anything on Ryk?" I asked, eager to push his buttons. D'Angelo's form snapped back into place by the window and he cut me a glare.

"I should be asking you," he sneered. I smiled, tossing the mail aside and getting out my phone.

"Ah, well, Ryk's got a special barrier against me in his dreams now. No matter how many times I knock, he won't open. But I'm sure he's been more than happy to open his sleep to you," I mused, making D'Angelo stiffen, "Wouldn't hurt to pop in and check on him. Did he have your baby or did he actually abort it like he said he would?" D'Angelo flinched and turned away from me.

"What happened," I drawled, looking down at my phone as I opened up the chats between Beni and his boyfriend, "Did the idea of building a pretty family with Ryk suddenly seem impossible to you?"

"I'm fucking dead," D'Angelo bit off, turning to glare at me again. I just smiled without looking up, seeing Beni's complaints about just about everything from the grocery store lines to not getting his drink fast enough at a bar. And despite his claims of client privacy, he had no problem venting to Diva, who ate up the work tea like he was dying in the desert.

Of course, Diva wasn't exactly safe for The Winged Serpent either considering he was a former servant of the Windstorm clan. Servant meaning he was used for specific reasons and willingly served the clan and its desires, one of which included getting rid of Niko, but apparently that fell through somehow. I wasn't entirely sure what the situation was there, other than Diva wishing Niko would get hit by a high-speed train, and I laughed at the comment.

"Do you think this is funny?" D'Angelo snapped at me.

"Huh? Oh, no, I was reading something funny," I said, then rose to my feet as D'Angelo scowled at me, floating closer like he was going to take a peek at my phone, but I shut off the screen and tucked it into my pocket, "Listen, I killed you for a reason."

"What, because your mother told you to? Because you're a good little boy who does whatever your mother tells you?" He demanded. I raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't be launching mama's boy insults considering you're the one with mommy issues, bro. Besides, I'm not a mindless drone who does whatever mommy tells me," I said, making D'Angelo scowl as he followed me to my room where I had a computer desk set up.

"You had no problem killing me because she told you to," D'Angelo growled. I sat down, my computer chair squeaking obnoxiously as I spun to face the monitor, wiggling my mouse and awakening the device to reveal spreadsheets.

"I killed you because I wanted to," I told D'Angelo, making him stiffen, "It just happened to align with what mother wanted too."

"What did I ever do to you?" D'Angelo demanded incredulously. I smirked as I clicked around the spreadsheet, inserting numbers I'd recorded when I'd been at the compound. I scanned the names and numbers that matched up, searched for Ryk's name to try and match things up, but there was no match. Ryk wasn't where I thought he was, which meant he was still hidden somewhere with Niko.

Probably with Wren too.

I'd followed Wren more closely at first, but he was ever watchful and cautious. A dutiful grandson, Wren had taken Hades's words very seriously. He went to different stores, used different cards, blended in well with a crowd, and his presence wasn't loud and proud like a lot of the other Cousins. He was lowkey compared to the rest of them.

He was also boring as fuck.

Wren was a repossession agent, meaning he went to people who owed money, took whatever it was they owed, then left. Sometimes the people didn't have money so Wren would end up taking something with him back to his boss, which just so happened to be— drumroll— Kin, Ryk's friend, neighbor, and babysitter. Of course, Wren didn't know that. He just dropped the products off at a small office on the outskirts of Inferi.

Interesting how this family was so interconnected.

"I asked you a question," D'Angelo snapped suddenly, making me blink and glance up to see him sitting on the edge of my desk, glaring at me intently. I couldn't help smiling, because his attempts to intimidate me were almost cute. No wonder Ryk liked the guy so much. He was never one to give up.

"Mmhm, and I don't have an answer."

"Is it because Ryk is your brother," D'Angelo demanded abruptly and I paused, my hand hovering over the mouse as a frown worked onto my face, "You think I don't know who your family really is? I've been in Ryk's head. I know you're his brother. Is that why you killed me? So I wouldn't get near him?" I averted my eyes.

How funny that everyone outside felt they could just use the word family to mean anything they wanted. It was kind of amusing to think I'd killed D'Angelo to stay away from Ryk. Maybe if I saw Ryk as more than what he was, sure, I could totally see myself killing D'Angelo to protect Ryk. Natural instinct to keep my family safe from people I didn't trust, and that way they could at least see hope in converting me to their side. If I cared about Ryk, I could care about the others.

I smiled.

"I have no brothers," I said, making D'Angelo narrow his eyes, "My family consists of my mother and her people. Anyone beyond that is collateral damage, my friend. I'm here to do my job and get the fuck back home."

"You live somewhere else," D'Angelo stated, like he was proud of himself for getting some kind of answer and really, it was just impossible not to laugh at him.

"I live everywhere," I told D'Angelo, making him scowl, "I live in Styx, Inferi, Portius, Seattle, Tennessee, Dubai, Paris. I even spent two weeks in Hong Kong. Beautiful place." D'Angelo gritted his teeth for a moment, frustrated by my response. He left me to go pace around the apartment, trying to find another way to get me to admit something, anything he could use to help Ryk.

Even dead, the guy was still trying to find ways to help Ryk.

It was cute.

Stupid as fuck, but cute.

My phone suddenly chimed and I looked down to see that Wren had sent a text.

I smiled. Fucking finally. Wren didn't text often, so there wasn't much point in hacking his phone, but hacking the phones around him wasn't too hard and when he sent a text, it was usually important.

This time, he sent a text to Beni.

I need service earlier than expected. I raised an eyebrow at the text, watching Beni type out of his response before he sent it.

Of course, sweetheart, that's no problem at all. Is 11 a.m. better for you?

Yes, please.

Excellent, I'll make sure to let Hex know. I hope everything is okay?

Fine. That was the end of that conversation. Wren was always short, sweet, and to the point with his responses. He didn't use text to talk shit, not that he himself talked shit often anyway.

Interesting, though, I noted as I traced Wren's text back to his phone.

What's he doing in that part of town? He usually disappeared without a trace after he left the shop, but a perfect blue blinking light indicated Wren wasn't even that far from me. I smiled, pocketing my phone and rising to my feet.

"Where are you going?" D'Angelo demanded, following me as I made my way to the door.

"Gotta save my damsel in distress," I replied, making him scowl in confusion. I shut the door and he was unable to follow because of the barrier. All I heard was the sound of my light bulbs all shattering at once inside.

I smirked, reaching into my pocket to pull out a cigarette. I flicked my thumb out and lit the end of it before I headed down the street to find Wren.

It was bright and early, mostly just workers staggering out of their homes to get started with their day. Every coffee shop in town was flipping on their open signs, the rich scent of roasted beans wafting from the windows and baked goods coming out of the oven just in time for the morning rush.

I found Wren's location pretty quickly. I cloaked my magic, glanced up along the streets as I came to the corner of the street where he was at. I studied the roofline for a moment, then leapt up off the street, kicked off the wall, and landed on the roof a second later. Had the street been more populated, I would've just teleported, but I had used up way too much magic on Nine this morning to waste on something as stupid as teleporting.

I scanned the rooftop, spotting a couple of ventilation shafts, a rooftop access that was padlocked shut, a can of cigarettes sitting just outside of it. I walked to the edge of the rooftop and peered down.

Sure enough, Wren was in the alleyway and he wasn't alone.

For a moment, I was a little surprised because I was used to seeing Wren sheepish and shy, a little grumpy and awkward. The male in the alley down below was none of those things. He wasn't even wearing his signature leather jacket, which I spotted tossed on a pile of crates by a garbage disposal unit.

Wren stood in the alley with his fists clenched tight, wearing only a black ribbed tank and torn black jeans. His blonde hair was tousled, like he'd already been in a fight, and I spotted a couple bruises on his jawline. But those sharp dark eyes were not playing as he faced what appeared to be an energy vampire.

Not a fun opponent, especially if you had mental health disorders.

Energy vampires could suck the energy out of someone so bad, suicide was a common cause of death for their victims. In fact, it was usually the ultimate goal, because that meant all that lifeforce, that magic, needed somewhere to go, and the vampire could consume it and stay set for days on end.

"I told you," the vampire snarled, pointing a crooked finger at Wren, "I paid your guy back on Tuesday— there's a literal tech trail he can follow if he got off his lazy ass and—"

"You paid him half of what you owe him, Carl," Wren drawled, taking a step forward and the vampire flashed his fangs in warning again, "You still owe him the other half. He said your fangs would fetch a good price and cover the rest of the debt." The vampire sputtered.

"My fangs— fuck you!"

"Unless you have the money on you right now, I can accept that as well," Wren replied with a shrug as he cracked his knuckles, giving his head and shoulders a little stretch as he prepared for retaliation. I was interested to see what this skinny kid could do, because without his jacket, he looked even thinner.

Closer inspection proved Beni was right; Wren was starving. The kid was tall, but that only made his lack of meat more pronounced. He was muscular, sure, but still too thin. It wasn't just lack of actual nutrition from physical eating, but from lack of feeding for an erotia. He was starving himself two different ways, and seemed very confident he could take the larger vampire down.

"I don't have anymore money," the vampire snarled, advancing on Wren, who just stared at him flatly, "Don't fuckin' roll up here like some badass. You're a fucking infant compared to me. I could suck you dry in seconds."

"Do you mean that vampirically, or are you gonna make me listen to your bullshit?"

I smirked, watching as his little comment set the vampire off. The guy charged Wren like a bull, intending to sweep the kid off his feet and throw him against the nearest brick wall. Of course, Wren was trained to fight and spun out of the way, kicking the guy to add extra momentum so the vampire collided with a brick wall himself.

He bounced off, spun around, and sent a blast of energy at Wren, who dropped behind a garbage disposal unit to avoid the blast. It sent the cap on the disposal unit flying up and Wren caught it, swinging it around and flinging it. A direct hit to the vampire's face that sent his head snapping back and he stumbled, gasping in pain.

His hand went flying to his mouth, blood oozing between his fingers. He pulled his hands away timidly, reaching for his fangs. Or what was left of them, considering one had snapped off cleanly and was somewhere on the floor.

"Fuck," the vampire snarled, "Fuck you! Hades whoreson!"

"What does that even mean," Wren muttered as he walked over to him, "Look, you can give me what you owe my boss, and I can leave your fang to be surgically repaired, or you can keep fighting me and I'll take both your fangs and the money you owe because I need a drink after this." The vampire snarled at him and went to punch him, but Wren caught his blow.

Except I saw the struggle immediately, saw the bow in Wren's muscles, and the vampire saw it too. He switched his grip to Wren's fist and hauled him up against him. Wren cursed and stomped on his foot, making the vampire hiss and move to bite his neck. Wren thrust his knee up between the vampire's legs and the guy was down for the count.

"Oh fuck," the vampire moaned, clutching himself as he rolled onto his back in agony, "You could've hit me anywhere... but there..."

"I did and it didn't work," Wren deadpanned, then stooped down to pick up the fang he'd broken off the guy, pocketing it, "Now you don't get the second fang. You gonna pay up or do I gotta take the other one?" There was a long silence in which I anticipated the vampire to get up and go after him again, but eventually the vampire just rolled over with a whimper, reaching into his back pocket and taking out his wallet. He threw it pathetically at Wren's feet and Wren stooped over to pick it up.

"Great doing business with you, Mr. Carl von Cravis," he said, pausing to stare at the ID in the clear slot, "Did you make that shit up or is that for real?"

"Family... name from..." Couldn't make out the rest of his words since his face was pressed against the cobblestone street. Wren didn't seem to care as he took out the guy's card, swiped it on the card reader attached to his phone, then returned the guy's information and dropped the wallet on the ground in front of him.

"In the future," Wren said, walking over to pick up his jacket, shrugging it on, "Might wanna just pay your debt. Also, the coupon in your wallet for Starbucks expired." He was only met with a low groan.

I stepped back from the ledge, looking down at the tracker on my phone. Wren's blinking dot wasn't leaving the alley right away.

I frowned, lowering my phone and moving back to the ledge to peer over.

Wren had collapsed.

He was on his hands and knees, wheezing for breath, his face flushed, his head bowed. I frowned, glancing over where the vampire was recovering, slowly getting to his feet with a sneer that was directly at Wren. I waited to see if Wren was going to recover, but I could feel it from here.

He was going into heat.

The abrupt blast of erotic powerful energy spilled from the alley like a beacon, and it was only a matter of time before that scent attracted every horny individual within scent range. And given the sudden discomfort in the people on the other street, I had a feeling it wasn't going to take long for someone to jump him.

I double-checked my phone.

Wren was the only target in the area.

I looked back over the edge to see the vampire stagger over to Wren, grabbing him by a handful of hair and yanking his face back to glare down at him. Wren was breathing hard, cheeks flushed and eyes glazing over, his fangs elongating. Despite the symptoms of heat, though, he still managed to glare at the vampire above him.

"Guess I'll just get an energy boost from you," the vampire sneered down at him, then threw him at the ground. Wren landed on his back with a gasp, his hands grappling at the slippery wet stones beneath him. He swung his leg out to try and trip the vampire, but the guy stepped over him and actually put his boot on Wren's chest.

Wren gasped.

"Mmm, my favorite part about your species," the vampire purred, grinding his boot down on his chest and Wren groaned, "You can't resist, can you? Just my touching you is getting you all hot and bothered. Just look at that." He used the toe of his boot to nudge at Wren's groin. Wren went to kick him again, but the guy punched Wren so hard that his head bounced off the stones.

I frowned, glancing down at my phone again.

No other targets. He wasn't sending out a distress signal.

Nobody was coming to his rescue.

I looked over the ledge just as the vampire was climbing on top of Wren, who was caught between fighting him and fighting his own heat.

Yup, nope, this show is over.

I pocketed my phone, straightened my jacket, then did a little adjusting of my position before I leapt off the side of the roof.

Perfect aim.

My feet smashed the guy's skull right into the cobblestone. Blood splattered all over my pant legs, all over Wren, and all over the alley. I frowned, stepping off his bloodied corpse and wiping my boots on the cobblestones before I turned to check on Wren, who was gasping for breath as he lay on his back, staring up at the sky, like he couldn't process what had just happened.

I leaned over Wren, who looked startled and confused to see me.

"Well, hey there, Mr. House Favorite," I greeted, watching those dark eyes widen in surprise, "Looks like you could use a hand."