Midnight sharp, the bell at the apartment rings in the deafening silence that settled in a few minutes ago. Rafayel, Zayne, and Xavier are gathered in the living room; the tension regarding the awaited man is palpable. Apparently, your guests are not happy that they have to rely on a fourth unknown figure in their lives.

You walk to the entrance, gladly escaping the brooding atmosphere and let Sylus in. He is dressed in an elegant black suit, the jacket with some red stripes hanging leisurely around his broad shoulders, covering the shirt in the same color to the half.

"Hey sweetie." the tall man says to you with a smug smirk before heading into the apartment with confident long steps. "Good evening, gentlemen." the white-haired addresses the others as he enters the living room.

Closely followed by you as you're ready to interrupt any dangerous situation. You're tensed to the brim now, not knowing how the meeting will go. "This is the help I talked about." hesitating, you introduce Sylus to your guests, unsure if you should reveal his true name. At least, Xavier knows what to do with it, about the others you're not sure.

But said man is already a step ahead of you "You can call me..." a short flick of his crimson gaze to you and back to the others "Skye. I will bring you into the N109 Zone. I know where our highly valued Miss Hunter is being captured. This won't be a Sunday stroll. Meet me here at dawn to discuss further details." and just like that he places a little paper piece on the coffee table. You hear some surprised gasps as Sylus turns around to you with another smirk, ready to leave the apartment again.

"Do you mind explaining who you are first?" Zayne's questions politely.

The leader of Onychinus is already at the door, coming to a halt. "I mind, dear doctor." he grins mockingly at Zayne. "Who I am is of no significance as long as I'm here to help."

That gets Xavier into action "We won't listen to instructions from a shady stranger. You don't look like someone who grants his help casually."

Sylus chuckles as he strides back to gaze down on Xavier who still sits on a big cushion on the floor. "Oh, don't worry about that, Mister Hunter." A little amusement is heard in the deep timbre. Then Sylus takes a sudden step towards you, slinging his arm around your waist in a gesture that is more possessive than anything else and pulling you carefully closer to his side. "Thanks to this lovely lady here, you don't need to pay for my kind offer." crimson red eyes lock onto you, in a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Let's go, Sweetie. Mind being mine for the rest of the evening?"

Startled, you can only look at him at a loss of words. This is what he demands as the prize? He can't be serious! This man is infuriating you. How could he claim you just like this? The light anger about his behavior brings your brain power back but as you are about to protest, Rafayel already beats you to it.

With a cold voice, he stands up from the white sofa he sat on seconds ago "You're not going anywhere with her." With the fire in his eyes almost consuming the blue, the artist looks ready to throw hands with the Crime Lord. The air around Rafayel is wavering and prickling with intensity and lethal threats. The other two also stem to their feet, the air thick with suppressed anger. Xavier looks ready to summon his sword to slay a dragon and even Zayne seems tense now, his fists balled in tight.

That gets another amused chuckle from the tall man at your side. "Oh, the innocent-acting fish is a shark. How refreshing." Rafayel's stance doesn't change, and you practically feel the murderous intention that flows around him like a hot scorching flame. "Don't worry, she's safe with me." Sylus causally adds unperturbed as you're lifted with one strong arm and out of reflex you grab his broad shoulder for support "She has my purest devotion... unlike you." as he coldly throws in the direction of the Lemurian and turns around to finally leave with you in his arms helplessly trapped to his upper body.

You catch Rafayel's bewildered gaze and how anger rises in his face before it vanishes and only leaves a cold indifferent mask. "It's no real devotion if you force her to be with you. Just saying."

The man underneath you stops again, not even turning around to face the Lemurian. "Oh, I don't force her. Right, sweetie?" Sylus looks at you instead with his unique crimson-red eyes. And for a second you see some hesitation and doubt in his ruby gaze. But you can only stare at him surprised, your mind overwhelmed with his proximity and all the danger in the air. "After all, we have a deal," he adds so quietly, that only you can hear him.

And then it dawns on you. He wants you at his side in return for his help. But, how long? And why? What the hell goes on in Sylus's mind? Looking back at the Lemurian, Zayne, and Xavier, you smile at them with what you hope is encouraging. Then you recognize the anxiety between the bluish-pink eyes of Rafayel. It stirs something inside you but now is not the time to think about it. "It's fine. Don't worry." you try to offer him some comfort through soft-spoken words.

But Rafayel doesn't take it and storms towards you around the little coffee table. "I don't know what you've done that she agreed to this, but I won't let you carry her away just like that." His voice is a determined hiss, and suddenly he wields a dark-colored dagger.

Panicking, you call out to him "No! Rafayel, stop it!" the Lemurian immediately comes to a halt, the red symbol on his chest flaring up brightly.

He grunts painfully but continues standing in the hallway without proceeding, big round eyes filled with unbelief staring at you. All you can do is give Rafayel an excusing look as realization dawns on him, the hurt of your betrayal diminishing the fire that flared up seconds ago. Now the amazing sunset eyes are looking dull and dark. Your heart aches at that, but it's better this way. There's no way you let him fight over you. Not when he has to rescue his true beloved.

Trying not to cry, you mask your emotions with a commanding tap on Sylus's shoulder. "Just go." The grip around your legs tightens briefly, escorted by a slightly satisfied look from red eyes. "Just because you said so, kitten." he walks you out of the building with long strides, satisfaction dripping from his body like rain on a window.

And with that, you were brought to Sylus's mansion in the N109 Zone with one of his expensive cars. All the latest happenings are still on your mind. Is Rafayel okay? Did it hurt him so much that you used the bond to stop him? Not that you had planned it in the first place. You only recognize what you've done as he freezes on the spot. But everything is better than to let them fight over you, right? He'll need all his strength to battle Ever for your MC-Copy. Or at least that's what you tell yourself to calm your guilty mind.

Luke and Kieran already expect the two of you as you arrive in front of a tall building, the roof vanishing in the dark clouds that hide the starry night sky. "Welcome back boss-man!" echoes the joint greeting as they open the car door for you "And hello Miss Not-Hunter!" You don't have the chance to wonder about the strange name as Sylus is already at your side again, lifting you into his unyielding body.

He doesn't stop in his tracks once as soon as he enters his intimidating home, bringing you straight to his dark living room that you're familiar with from the game. Shadowed walls are barely visible behind a black leather sofa and the shelf which is filled with all the collected vinyl that takes in a whole partition of the dimly lit room.

"You know I can walk on my own pretty well, Sylus." you scold him. The drive to his home was quite fast, and you didn't talk much throughout. You might not be the woman he adored originally, but he made clear that he won't waste another chance to win you over. The leader of Onychinus hadn't taken it well that your other self decided for Rafayel and not him, even if he didn't state it that clearly. But it was apparent in the gazes he gave you and the few things he said during the drive.

Still, the look of hurt in Rafayels eyes as you used the bond to stop him won't leave your mind. You didn't even realize up until now that you have that power over the Lemurian. It happened out of some reflex, the worry that he could hurt himself or Sylus took over your conscious thinking and made you do this. You genuinely hope that Rafayel is okay and won't hold a grudge against you, that he somehow understands why you did this. All you wanted was to de-escalate that situation, determined to not let the meeting end in blood-shedding.

"Just because you're able to, doesn't necessarily mean you need to, sweetie," Sylus interrupts your train of thoughts with a smug smile. "Let me spoil you for the time you're here." he softly adds and the little butterflies in your belly reappear.

And are immediately overshadowed by guilt for Rafayel. But do you need to be guilty? There is this bond, but he already has a bride, so why wouldn't you settle with Sylus instead? But as much as you try to convince yourself you can't really throw the guilt out of the window. You're unable to forget how it felt to be in the arms of the Painter, how he smelled, and how he cared for you the last few days. Or how he looked at you at the end. With a heavy sigh, you distract yourself from these thoughts as Sylus sits down on the sofa, not without losing his hold on you.

"What are you doing?" you ask him, startled, now suddenly sitting in his lap.

He doesn't answer immediately, burying his nose in your hair, inhaling deeply and a growl escapes his throat. "You won't stop asking me questions for the time being. Am I right, kitten?" he sighs as his arms wrap tighter around your waist. "Do you even have a clue how it felt to lose you to another man?"