98 A Cleansed Crystal

Continuation of Calix's POV:

"Are you going to stand around in my bedroom all night?" Lyle asked as he stepped in. "I've got a movie to watch on my phone." I glanced his way and smirked.

"Oh? Do you?" I asked him. Milo laughed a little and sat the pillow aside.

"Yes, he does," Milo told me then reached out for Lyle with a sweet look. I watched Milo and frowned slightly. He's attached to Lyle, that's for sure. I started for the door then. I don't need to see that. I have Emile to go see anyways. I opened a portal back to my bedroom and stepped through it, ending up right next to Emile's side of the bed. I sat the jar down on the nightstand and glanced towards the bed, wanting to see if he was there or if he had run off on me. Unfortunately, I was alone with a crystal in a jar. I frowned at it then sat down on the bed. He must've gone soul hunting.... I glanced at the jar before I sighed.

"Well Laurence, get better that way I don't have to sit with a holy water jar for long," I told him then laid down on the bed after taking my stilettos off. I looked up at the ceiling and frowned. Like him? That's a weird notion.... I like Emile. I love him actually.... I don't think I like Laurence. He's a soul I'm supposed to eat.... Then again, he is kind of fun... and he eats my other contracts. I purred then and glanced at the jar. I guess I kind of like him. I let him live this long... but no way in hell am I ever going to tell Laurence that. I saw a storm brewing in his jar, the water darkening like a mad ball of words. I watched the jar and lightly tapped it, looking his crystal over. I should go get Toru for him.... He'd like that when he wakes up.... He's fond of that little fox. The storm ran up against where I tapped then and grew red within the darkness. I wonder if that's supposed to be some form of anger.... I smirked a little then got to my feet, going to his room in a flash and saw Toru laying on the bed in his human form. He looked up at me in shock and sat up quickly.

"CALIX!" He growled at me then went to get to his feet, the bell on his kimono jingling. I purred and watched him coming towards me calmly. "Where is Laurence!? You took him!"

"He's fin-" He went to tackle me and growled loudly, but I managed to catch him, pulling him up into my arms. Can't he listen for five seconds-

"LET ME GO!" He told me and struggled to get out of my arms before he narrowed his eyes at me. I frowned and then quickly got us back to my room, dropping him on the bed. He yelped as he hit it and sat up, growling but stopped as soon as his eyes landed on the jar. His ears laid back and he looked the jar over with extreme worry. "Laurence," he mumbled and calmed down rather quickly. I watched him then tilted my head. The storm had darkened while I was away, engulfing the crystal. "What did you do to him?" He asked me, looking towards me then at the jar, fidgeting.

"He got a little bit of my blood. He'll be fine. I brought you here for him," I told him simply and sat down on the bed far away from him. I'll have to wash these sheets.... It's got his fox germs all over them now.... I saw a few hand shapes forming on the glass that looked like the damned in the hell's fire crawling their way to the top. I looked at it in interest, mesmerized at it then snapped out of it as I saw Toru looking worried as he reached out and gently touched the jar. The jar cracked at his touch then. He yelped and drew his hand back quickly, pulling away. I frowned. "Toru, that better not bust," I growled his way. "I didn't invite you in here so that way you could break the damn jar."

"I didn't mean to! I swear I didn't do that," he told me and whined. I frowned. Yeah... I know he didn't... but he shouldn't have touched it.

"Don't touch the jar," I told him firmly. I heard the crack spread a little then. No.... No... No... NO. I don't want holy water all over my room! I moved to the other side of the bed and grabbed a pillow, putting it in front of me and held it up just in case. NO FLIPPING WAY AM I GETTING SPLASHED IF THAT THING BUSTS! Toru widened his eyes as he watched the jar and turned into his fox form, going under a nearby pillow then poked his head out to watch it. The glass busted then, going everywhere just in time for us to take cover. I heard steam rolling up then. I frowned and looked towards where the jar had been, lowering the pillow so I could see better. Toru let out a small whine and began to come out from under the pillow, looking towards it too. The liquid leaked out and onto my floor, pouring as the screams started up. I frowned. Well.... Toru shivered at the sound and started to back up, laying his ears back. "Toru," I mumbled, looking towards him with a frown. Is he afraid of it? I picked him up then and watched as he trembled at the noise. "It's just his crystal. It's fine," I told him. I haven't really seen him look like this.... I looked him over then stood up on my bed and walked over towards the jar, being careful about where I stepped then sat down where it hadn't gotten on my bed and looked towards his crystal.

Laurence's crystal looked a little more red then black but it was still leaking out the dark liquid that ran off the table with the holy water. I could hear a sizzle amongst the screams. I frowned and looked it over before I looked at Toru. "You have cleansing powers. Do something," I told him then rubbed his head slightly to comfort him. He let out a small whine and hid against me, but I frowned and sat him down on the nightstand next to Laurence's crystal. "Look, you could make him better a lot quicker than I could. Don't you want him back in his normal form. I'm sure you don't like his crystal." He looked at the crystal with wide eyes and laid his ears back before he looked at me then at it. "So that glowing thing," I suggested and crossed my legs. He is Inari's kitsune after all. He could cleanse it. He looked at the crystal as he trembled but started to glow white like I had told him to do.

He put his paw against the crystal hesitantly then yelped loudly, yanking his paw back then let out a horrid shriek as he fell off the nightstand and fell into the floor, going to run under the bed but let out a pained yelp as his paw touched the floor and lost his balance. I widened my eyes a little then picked him up as he trembled before I inspected his paw and saw it swollen a little. He must've gotten stung by the crystal....

I held him close and rubbed his head to comfort him, frowning as I heard him whimpering and felt him hiding against my chest. Laurence must really be terrifying for him.... I glanced the crystal over before I got to my feet, opening a portal back to Lyle's room. "Lyle, I need another jar. It busted," I told him calmly as I stood by his bed, cradling the little fox in my arms. I'll have to take a very hot shower later to get his scent and germs off me....

"That was the last jar," Lyle complained. "You'll have to get a new one from the church in town." I frowned.

"I'm not going to that horrible place! Go get me another-" I paused then looked down at Toru in my arms. "Oh... you can walk into one of those places," I purred, looking him over. I'm sure we can do something about his paw. "Lyle, Toru got stung by his crystal. He'll be fine, right?"

"Yeah," Lyle hummed out. "Just take the jar and stick him in it then put him in the freezer. That will cool him down." I nodded then started for the door. So I need to go as close as I can to that place... and then somehow get Toru in there. I frowned and then used my demonic powers to take me outside a nearby church, standing at the gate. I wrinkled up my nose as I looked at the place then gently placed Toru down on the ground.

"Fetch some holy water," I told him and crossed my arms. He looked up at me then at the church before he crept towards it, trying to keep his weight off his injured paw as he let out small whines. We'll bandage that foot up after we get that jar back to Laurence.... I watched him go in as his human form when he reached the door and he was quick to return to me, looking distressed from the pain in his hand as he held the jar. I reached out to him and smirked. "Come here Toru. We'll get you home and then take care of that." He looked towards my hand before he bit his bottom lip and walked up.

"I still don't trust you," he muttered under his breath as he let me grab him off the church's land and take us back to the room. I took the jar from him, forcing myself to grab it then grabbed Laurence's stone and dropped it into the water quickly, closing it up on him. The water around his crystal began to boil in rage from the touch of the holy water. I looked it over and frowned. Yeah, if someone stuck me in a jar of it, I'd be pissed too. I shook my head then sat Toru down on the bed before I went down to the kitchen and put in in the refrigerator before I walked back to my room and into the bathroom, getting out a first aid kit. I walked out to Toru and saw he was cradling his hand as he laid curled up on my bed, his ears laid back.

"Let me see your hand," I told him firmly as I walked up then sat down on the edge of the bed. I took his hand from him and started to clean it up then bandaged it. "I'll get you when he's fine," I told him softly after I finished. "You can go lay down in your room until then...." He whined.

"I don't want to leave you with him! You'll do something to him!" I laughed then.

"I would, but not today," I purred before I pulled him up off my bed. He growled at me.

"I don't care. I'm going to watch you until he's back to normal," he told me and narrowed his eyes. He certainly got brave.... I sighed and then grabbed him, taking him down to the night room and turned the TV on for him. I sat down and crossed my legs, looking at the TV then held back a groan. I would rather be looking for Emile instead of waiting for Laurence to get better.... Great. I wonder what he's up to.... Maybe he's collecting souls or something and didn't bother to leave me a note.

~~~

I heard footsteps approaching after a few minutes and Emile walked into the night room, pulling off a brand new designers hoodie and laid it down on the coffee table as he sat down next to me. He looked me over before giving a small frown. "I'm mad at you. I woke up and you weren't there." I purred at the sight of him and leaned in, kissing his cheek.

"You're mad I was gone? Good, that meant you missed me," I purred to him then rubbed his cheek. "Where have you been?"

"I got a new hoodie and did my monthly choirs," he explained. He kissed my cheek then. "Did you go get a new soul or something?" I frowned as I thought about it. I didn't.... At all. I meant to snatch Neptune up.

"No, I didn't get a soul. I saw one I wanted, but I had more pressing matters. I got Laurence high and he bit me," I told him then sighed.

"You... did what?" He asked and glared me down. "You better not have eaten him!" He looked me over then and pulled up my shirt to look at my stomach. "Laurence!?" I laughed a little then gave a playful growl.

"Oh he was so tasty~" I teased him.

"He put him in the refrigerator," Toru mumbled sadly on the couch. Emile glanced over at Toru.

"The fridge?" He asked. "What's he doing in the fridge?"

"I took his crystal out of him to cleanse it, but he busted the first jar of holy water, so Lyle suggested sticking him in there to make him cool down," I told him calmly. "I didn't get splashed luckily."

"Ugh..." Emile shook his head and gave me a harsh look. "Don't you know better than to mess with a vampire like that? You could have gotten Laurence into some serious trouble."

"I was going to make sure he didn't get into too much trouble," I purred to him then pulled him close. "He'll be fine. I'm sure he will be back to normal in a few more hours." I rubbed his cheek and then purred before I ran my fingers to his chin and tilted it up, moving closer to him as I leaned in towards his lips. He looked me over and sighed.

"He's probably freezing!" He smacked my cheek then. "What were you thinking about leaving him in a fridge?" I widened my eyes and pulled back, rubbing my cheek then growled slightly.

"I was thinking a grown pureblood told me to put him in the refrigerator!" I hissed then got to my feet. He smacked me! I narrowed my eyes then looked towards Toru, handing him the remote finally. He looked towards the remote then curled up on the couch, watching me as he sat it down beside him.

"Oh yeah?" He scoffed. "No one deserves to sit in a fridge." I growled then and started for the door.

"Fine, I'll go get him and you can babysit him. I'm not getting splashed if he breaks this jar," I told him as I walked out. Since when did he get to act like that to me? I own his soul. I hissed lightly as I stalked towards the kitchen, my stilettos clicking against the floor as the shadows seemed to crawl up the walls, coming to life. I could hear the light from the kitchen flickering as I moved closer. I went in and glanced around before I went towards the fridge and pulled it open, grabbing the jar out. I sat it down on the counter as I shut the door then looked at the jar. "Laurence, you better not bust this jar," I hissed at him. "I'm not fetching you another." As soon as I said it the jar busted, splashing me quickly. I shrieked and quickly fell back, widening my eyes as I could hear my skin sizzling and then the pain hit me. I fell to the floor before I could grab onto something and let out a scream as I arched my back, a burning sensation quickly spreading through my body as it felt like acid was creeping up my arms. I scratched at the floor then at my clothes, trying to rip them off in a panic. NO! NOT HOLY WATER! I could hear the crystal screaming, driving my ears crazy as the pain edged up towards my heart. I shrieked and kicked at the floor, starting to scratch at my chest as I panted and ripped my shirt up. "E-E-EMILE!" I cried out, my heart beating rapidly as the burning sensation edged near it. I screamed and cried out, my eyes watering as my vision became blurry and somewhat dimmer. I heard feet rushing in before rushing away... a few seconds they were back and I was suddenly drenched in water, warm water.

"What's the matter with you?" I heard Emile ask from above me. "Don't you know how to be careful around a pissed off crystal?" He stepped off towards the counter and grabbed Laurence's crystal. "You!" He hissed. "I should crush you right now for misbehaving! I know it hurts but it's for the best. Now suck it up and take the pain. It'll be over when you do. I've got to go find you a bath full now. You're more trouble than you're worth." I groaned as the pain started to fade and I took deep breaths before I sat up slowly and looked towards Emile.

"H-he's okay.... Let's just get him some more," I whispered and rubbed my chest, glancing down at it and winced as I saw scratches all over it. I looked up towards Emile before I shakily got to my feet, stumbling slightly as I went towards him. Emile's hand tightened around the crystal out of anger as he watched me. I could hear a small crack as he gave a deadly glare.

"He hurt you," he hissed. I widened my eyes a little.

"Emile," I whispered quickly then wrapped an arm around his waist and put my other hand over his. "He didn't mean it. I should've been more careful. I knew it might bust." Toru would kill me if Laurence's crystal was crushed... and so would Silas.... Emile frowned before loosening up on his crystal.

"He didn't mean it?" He asked and looked towards his hand. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. He didn't mean it. Trust me. He busted the jar earlier on Toru, and he would never hurt that fox," I told him softly, trying to calm him down. He nodded before handing me the crystal.

"You're right.... He can't help it. We need to get him better. I hate seeing him like this." I nodded to him in relief before I kissed his cheek.

"I tried to have Toru cleanse him earlier, but he stung Toru when he touched him. They normally put them in holy water... but he keeps splashing it everywhere," I told him softly then sighed. "Think we should put him in another or try something else?"

"We could fill a bath up for him, he can't bust a tub..." Emile trailed off then. "Maybe Toru can bless the water? We could always have Toru call in for a favor from his god." I looked the crystal over and nodded.

"Yeah, we could always get him to call his god here," I hummed out. I purred and grabbed Emile's hand then kissed him before I used a portal to go to our bathroom, turning the water on as I plugged the drain up then put the crystal in the water. "I'll go get Toru to make him use his fox powers on the water or something. We'll try that before we call a god here."

"Good idea," Emile purred. "I'll watch over his crystal while you go get Toru." Emile sat down on the edge of the tub. I leaned in and gave him another kiss, purring against his lips before I headed down to the living room.

~~~

I found Toru curled up on the couch as he watched anime. "Toru, I need you to come do something for him again," I purred to him then picked him up off the couch. He yelped and looked towards me with wide eyes.

"What?"

"I need you to bless the water upstairs," I purred to him then used a portal to go back to the bathroom quickly. I sat him down by the bathtub and looked at the tub full of water. "If this doesn't work, I want you to call Inari," I told him.

"Call him?" He looked at me in shock then looked at Laurence's crystal. "Is he not getting better?"

"I don't know," I told him calmly then rubbed his shoulder. He shivered before he knelt down by the water and then looked it over.

"I think I can bless it," he whispered before he stuck his hand in it and began to glow. The water shimmered before turning pure black. Toru quickly pulled his hand back and yelped, looking at it with worry before he looked at me. "Is he okay?" I frowned and looked the water over before I looked at Emile.

"Can you fish him out for me?" I asked him softly. "Be careful." Emile frowned before shaking his head no.

"I'm not sticking my hand in that.... but I'll go get a spoon." He walked away then, using a portal to leave and come back with a spoon. I frowned then glanced at the water before I rubbed Toru behind the ears. He relaxed against my touch and leaned into my hand, a small smile forming on his face as he rubbed his head against my hand. I guess he's kind of cute. I can see why Laurence would like him. Emile walked up before poking around in the water. He scooped up Laurence's dark black crystal then. I frowned then. Did that get worse?

"That's... worse than before," I told him then shook my head. "Toru, you better go ask your god to come." He looked at the crystal with wide eyes before he shifted into his fox form and darted towards the door to go to the bedroom. I watched him then lead Emile out to the bedroom, glancing around for the little fox then found him glowing nearby, looking out at the night sky. Emile rubbed my shoulder then.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's not your fault." I looked towards him quickly in shock then looked towards Laurence's crystal with a slight frown before I nodded. I guess I should've listened to him when he told me it would be a bad idea to get him high.... I sighed then kissed his cheek.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. It's a god that's about to look at him...." Toru let out a small yip then as the room started to glow and a man was standing by Toru, looking down at him in concern.

"Ritoru... what's the matter?" He asked him softly then scooped him up, looking him over. "Are they not taking good care of you- What happened to your paw?" He looked towards his paw quickly then gently held it before he gave it a small kiss. Toru yipped happily then licked his cheek, his tail wagging slightly as his ears perked up.

"We're taking great care of him," Emile promised. "It's just Laurence. We need you to cleanse him." Inari looked towards Emile then frowned.

"A grim reaper," he murmured then walked over, holding Toru close to his chest. He glanced towards me then paused, narrowing his eyes slightly but Toru licked his hand and gave a soft whine. "Alright," he whispered to Toru then looked towards the crystal before he reached out for it. "I'll see what I can do." Emile slipped the crystal into the god's hand before tossing the spoon into the sink.

"My name is Emile and this is Calix," Emile explained before glancing at Laurence's crystal. Inari gave a slight nod before he walked up to the bed and gently placed Toru on it.

"It is nice to meet you Emile, but you aren't here to collect Laurence's soul any time soon, are you? I know why the demon is here," he told us. He didn't sound happy about the last part. Toru yipped on the bed as he wagged his tail, looking excited at Inari.

"I'm here because I was offered a room in exchange for breaking their contract," Emile told him before looking at me then back at Inari. Inari raised his eyebrow then.

"You broke their contract?" He asked him then looked towards me. "Is this true demon?" Yeah, no way in Hell is it true. Toru growled lightly and looked towards me, laying back his ears.

"I gave myself in exchange for Laurence's freedom. It's true," Emile said calmly. I should probably tell him, but not now.... I frowned a bit and looked towards Emile before I kissed his cheek and wrapped my arms around his waist. Toru let out a louder growl as he watched me, making Inari look towards me with a skeptical frown.

"Are you sure he didn't twist words with you? He might still have a hold on Laurence, and you would never know. You can't trust a demon," Inari told Emile firmly, looking towards him. "After all, why would a demon not getting a soul out of this stay near a soul he had lost?"

"I'm living here. That's why he would be here. I've been given a room here remember?" Emile frowned then before looking at me. "Besides.... if he didn't let Laurence go then our contract wouldn't be valid and I would still be free." I smiled at him. Well, you see, the thing is, I let a different Laurence go- not the Laurence he had intended. I was lucky I had another Laurence to eat.

"Of course I let Laurence go...." Toru turned back into his human form and growled.

"No he didn't," Toru growled out. "He never let Laurence go!"

"You... didn't?" Emile looked at me in disappointment then. "You lied to me." Oh Hell.

"I let a Laurence go," I admitted and looked him in the eyes. "I just didn't free that one... the one you wanted. Besides, I haven't eaten him, and I don't intend to eat him anytime soon. He's safe."

"You tricked me!" He smacked me hard across the face then. "You're sleeping alone for now on." I widened my eyes and touched my cheek before I growled at him.

"Emile," I hissed. "You can't blame me for wanting to keep that Laurence. Besides, if it wasn't for you, I might've eaten him before his time. I still own your soul. You're not allowed to let anyone touch you." There's no way in Hell that I'm going to let him kick me out of our bed! "You saved a soul, just not that soul!"

"I was supposed to save that soul! That's it. Our contract is through!" He stomped away from me then. "I don't ever want to see you in the same room as me!"

"You don't get to say when our contract is through!" I hissed and went after him, snatching his arm then yanked him to me. "Emile, I can't believe you. Was all of that just apart of our contract to you? Just your part of your promise?" I hissed at him, glaring him down.

"No it wasn't just about our contract. I did like you but you are a liar. You're like the typical demon and I thought you could be more. You disappointed me and now our contract is through." I growled then.

"You can't end the contract Emile. Only I can." I held out my hand and felt the flame of our contract appear in my hand, manifesting into the familiar scroll I had looked over a couple of times. I narrowed my eyes at Emile before I felt my eyes start to glow a light red. "If that is really how you feel about me- that you never loved me enough to consider being with me outside the contract- then I want nothing to do with you. I might've eventually have let the actual Laurence go, but no... I won't do it for you, not after this. Not now that I know how you truly feel," I hissed at him. He stomped down on my foot then and tore apart from me.

"I don't date liars!" He hissed out before giving me a glare. "I don't care about the contract anymore. It's over rather it's ripped up or not. I trusted you and you stomped right over me and danced around. You should have let him go like I wanted. He's supposed to be a free man in exchange for us. I liked you but not after this Calix. I should have killed you like I was told to with that vampire maker." I widened my eyes slightly. Kill? I paused and felt something break inside of me as I stared at him in shock, the contract slipping from my fingers and falling to the ground.

"E-Emile," I whispered, my voice breaking as I felt a new sort of pain. It was horrible... and my chest felt like it was being torn apart. My vision blurred and I felt my knees give out, making me sink to the floor. I clenched my hands and looked down at the ground, a small droplet of water hitting the floor as a chocked noise came from my throat. He hadn't wanted to kill me? He was told to kill me and he didn't? I heard Toru let out a small whine from the bed then, shifting uncomfortably. I heard him scoff then.

"That's right. I didn't kill you because I didn't want to. I did care for you, idiot. I gave up my freedom to you instead of killing you in hopes you'd be considerate enough to let this soul go. I thought you were different. You're just a soulless twit." He opened a portal. "Don't even think about showing your face around me again," he hissed and stepped through the portal, leaving. I widened my eyes and looked towards where he had been standing then felt my chest ache. Soulless twit?

"Hmm," Inari hummed out. "You've lost almost everything in only a few seconds. I wonder if you feel anything demon," he told me then turned to Toru. "Alright Ritoru, I'm going to cleanse him for you, but you take really good care of him, okay? Don't let that demon have him. Don't trust him either."

"Yes master," Toru said happily, a small tone of adoration in his voice. I glanced towards them then slowly picked up Emile's contract, looking at it before I clenched it in my hands. He left me.... This is why demons don't get involved.... I squeezed my eyes shut as they stung and then heard the rip of paper, opening my eyes quickly to see I had torn it in half. It felt good... destroying it. I looked it over before I started to rip it to pieces quickly then incinerated them before I sat there, staring at the wall blankly as the world seemed to fall away around me. It seemed colorless... bland. "Laurence~!" Toru shouted happily, the smell of blood reaching me.

"There, I've revived him. He's cleansed too. Don't let him get into that state again, okay Ritoru?"

"I won't. I promise," Toru told him happily. "Thank you so much Inari!"

"Aww, you're welcome. I need to hurry and get back to the shrine. I can't leave it for too long."

"I understand," he said sweetly. I felt Inari's presence disappear, and I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Laurence laying on the bed with Toru sitting right next to him. Laurence stretched out after a few seconds and let out a tired yawn, his fangs exposed in the process. He rubbed his eyes before opening them to look up at the light.

"Wow I feel.... so good...." He trailed off. "What happened- WHY AM I NAKED!" He sat up quickly and threw the blankets over his body. A blush overtook his face as he fell back onto the bed and hid his face on the pillow. I frowned a little then slowly got to my feet, watching him.

"Laurence!" Toru said happily then hugged him quickly, laying his ears back with a sweet smile. "Inari cleansed you!"

"Why'd he cleanse me! What happened?" Laurence asked and groaned. "My head hurts!" He sniffed Toru before leaning in for his neck.. "You smell good." Toru yelped then put a finger against Laurence's lips, distancing his neck from his mouth.

"Calix got you high, and you drank his blood," Toru explained to him, looking concerned. "He's over there.... He just got dumped."

"Dumped?" Laurence asked and looked straight at me with a face full of sadness and concern. "Are you okay Calix?" I frowned as he looked at me then looked away.

"Why would I not be okay?" I muttered. "It's fine. A demon and a reaper shouldn't be together anyways."

"What are you doing here still? Go after him!" Laurence yelled. "You like him right? Don't wait around here and act like a loser. Go after him."

"He left because of our contract," I hissed at him. "Besides, Emile and I no longer have a contract." Toru let out a soft whine and looked towards me.

"It was kind of my fault. I told Emile that he had never let you go... and Emile called him a liar and said he wanted nothing to do with him anymore," Toru whispered to Laurence.

"See what happens when you lie to Emile?" Laurence asked me. "That's all your fault. At least tell him sorry. You knew better then to try to sneak around like that. He was going to find out." I growled at him then.

"I don't need to hear it from you too," I hissed his way then crossed my arms.

"I think we need to get him back here somehow," Toru mumbled. "I feel awful. I shouldn't have said anything...." I looked away from them then.

"Where would he go? He only has here. That's why he agreed to the whole round of taking care of my contract with Calix. He wanted a place to stay." Laurence shook his head before slipping out the bed with the blanket around his body. "He won't be gone for too long. He'll be back here because this is all he has." He looked me in the eyes then. "Meanwhile, we better get you a room to stay in here separate from his." I felt my chest ache at that, and I almost flinched.

"No, I'm not staying here," I told him quickly. "I'll go to Hell- where I belong." His eyes softened on me and he broke out into tears.

"You're not going to stay here?" He asked me. I widened my eyes as I watched him. What the hell is he crying for?

"Laurence?" I walked towards him then with concern. Why would he cry? He frowned in disappointment and looked at the ground.

"Does this mean I won't be seeing you until I die?" He asked. I paused in front of him then softened my expression.

"No, you'll see me before you die," I promised him softly. "I'll come visit you if it means that much to you." Do I mean that much to him? I'm just the demon trying to eat his soul when he dies.... "I'll let you summon me if you'd like. I'll put it in the contract."

"You might be the demon trying to eat my soul..." He trailed off a little and gave a nervous look. "But you also gave me this life in a way..." He tugged the blanket firmly around his body. "You got me out of that- that room." I frowned and then reached out to him, rubbing his cheek.

"I... I guess you could look at it that way. I never thought about it that way...." I smiled at the thought then. He does have a point. I got him out of that room. "However, if it wasn't for Silas, I would've eaten you on that street. You can't give me the credit." I looked him in the eyes before I felt a pang at my chest. He really is like none of the souls I've ever had before.... He's different. He's not damned at all. No, he rose from being damned.... He looked me over before frowning.

"You really mean you would have just ate me?" He asked. "Without giving me a chance? I was in a room for so long I innocently made a contract with you." I took my hand back from him then before I frowned.

"I would've back then... but I don't want to eat you just yet anymore," I told him then smirked. "I want to see how your life plays out- what you turn into."

"If only you knew what I know," he laughed out softly. "You would love it." I laughed then.

"I bet I would love it," I purred to him then felt the smile on my face fade. "Laurence... it really wasn't fair to you, was it? To trick you out of your soul at such a young age in a padded room?" Is it possible I was wrong to do that? All demons would take an advantage of it.... Does that mean my kind is wrong? That we really are disgusting creatures?

"Fair?" He asked and thought it over. "It wasn't fair on you," he told me. "You were close to a good meal and destiny ruined it for you. Now I'm more mouth watering because I'm more out of reach for you. It's unfair for you." I frowned before I glanced towards Toru then looked at Laurence before I manifested our contract and put it in Laurence's hands.

"Do with it what you want," I told him firmly. "If you want to rip it up, you may. I'll still be here- somewhat." I can't keep his soul without his permission... not after what happened with Emile.... His eyes widened in surprise before looking down at the contract.

"Uh-" He dropped it quickly and shook his head. I frowned at him.

"What? It's your chance," I told him then crossed my arms. "I don't let my souls go normally. Take advantage of it."

"I'm not sure if I should be going and taking it." He let out a hesitant breath. "I don't want this to be it between us." I tilted my head and then slowly reached down, picking up the contract.

"Laurence, I won't offer this to you again. If you don't rip this up, I will own your soul when you die," I told him firmly then looked him in the eyes. "You'd get out scot free." He frowned before taking the contract and ripped it in half quickly.

"There. You're free." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I was always free," I told him then took the pieces from him and burned them. "You never owned me... nor did you ever enslave me." I have no reason to be here now... except for maybe to visit to see how his life plays out.... I looked him over before I stepped away from him. "Use your newfound freedom wisely." He frowned as he looked me over.

"You're doing this because of Emile," he mumbled softly. "Why don't you go to him?" I paused then looked towards him before I looked away.

"Look, he doesn't want to see me. I'm not going to stay in a place that is his only home if he hates the very idea of me and my kind," I told him then opened a portal.

"Calix," Toru said quickly, jumping off the bed and laying his ears back. I glanced towards him then frowned.

"What?"

"He still loves you," he told me. "He wouldn't have said such mean things if he didn't love you. It's because he cares that he said what he did."

"Calix," Laurence whined. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him. "You need to go to him! He still likes you. He's just upset and you need to apologize." Toru tackled the other side of me and laid his ears back.

"I'll bite you if you don't!" He growled at me, showing me his teeth. "You can't do that to him or yourself! I don't care if you are a demon!" I widened my eyes then looked from Toru to Laurence. Laurence looked me over before kissing my forehead.

"Go get your lover back!" Laurence ushered me. I frowned and rubbed at the kiss on my forehead in confusion before Toru gently pushed me from Laurence and hugged him with a sweet smile.

"You're a demon. You don't give up," he told me then kissed Laurence's cheek. I looked towards them and frowned slightly before I felt the portal exit shift destinations on me, catching my attention. I looked towards the portal then slowly walked to it before I stepped through, landing right in the study of the castle. I glanced around and frowned slightly. What am I doing here? I tensed as soon as my eyes landed on Emile then backed up slowly as my chest hurt. No... my portal brought me here? I looked away from him as that pain from earlier seemed to be consuming me, making it hard to focus on my surroundings. It was like a pang, but it lasted longer than mere seconds. He had sat down to read a book but he looked up at me and closed the book with a loud noise before throwing it at me.

"GET OUT!" He hissed in anger. I dodged it quickly then looked towards the book as it fell a few feet behind me. I frowned then looked towards him. I should tell him.... After all, that is why my portal opened up here....

"Emile, I've come to tell you that I'm going back to Hell. I've released you and Laurence both from your contracts with me," I told him softly then rubbed my chest a little before I looked him over then turned around, opening a portal to Hell. "You won't be seeing me again. I'm sorry for lying to you about his soul, but you were right." I glanced over my shoulder at him then gave a slight smile. "This is goodbye." He looked away from me with an irritated look and crossed his arms.

"Goodbye." I sighed softly then turned to face the portal. Well, this is it. Back to Hell. I took a step towards it then hesitated, glancing back at him before I stopped again.

"Emile, you do know... that I had loved you. It wasn't just lust," I whispered to him. "I don't normally let my souls go, but I did.... Even if this is the last time we'll see each other, I want to tell you to be careful. Don't leave this family. They need you here as much as you need a place to stay."

"You didn't love me enough to not keep a secret from me," I heard him hiss out.

"I loved you enough to correct it," I told him firmly. "If I hadn't loved you, I wouldn't have been driven to let Laurence tear up his own contract- the ticket to my first pureblood soul. How could I have not loved you? No demon could ever love me as much as you did, and even if you were a grim reaper, I was happy waking up beside you in bed. For once in my entire existence, it wasn't just sex to me. Demons aren't like your kind though. We don't understand love and friendship as easily. We have to learn it the hard way. We aren't raised with it. We normally never learn it besides just lust. If it makes it easier for you, you can continue to believe that I never had loved you, but you'd be believing another lie."

"You really had Laurence rip of his contract?" He asked softly.

"Yes, I'd show you the pieces, but I burned it," I told him then narrowed my eyes slightly. "Yours was burned as well."

"I'm glad you done that for him," he muttered. I watched him for a few seconds before I sighed and then turned to the portal again.

"Well, be careful," I told him then took a step towards it. "Watch him for me."

"He's a grown vampire. He can watch his own back. If you're so concerned then you should watch him yourself."

"No, I shouldn't. I'm not going to invade the space that you belong in," I told him softly then started to go through the portal.

"Typical for a demon," he hissed out. I stopped then let out a growl, coming right back.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I'm trying to be considerate for you! You idiot! You told me to stay away from you! If I watched over Laurence, I would be near you! You should be able to tell at least that Emile!"

"If you cared then you would show it more. You wouldn't just leave. If any of us were important to you then you'd want to watch over us yourself to make sure we're okay. You're going to hell though and expecting me to watch over Laurence." He shook his head. "You're a demon, what am I saying? Go ahead and walk away." I narrowed my eyes then walked straight up to him, leaning down and gripping his chin to make him look up at me.

"Emile, I care about you more. If you wish me gone, then I'll be gone. I do intend to check up on Laurence time to time, but I can't stay here 24-7 to watch over him and still do what you wanted me to do. If you'd like me to be a complete ass of a demon and stay against your wishes, then fine," I hissed lightly at him. "I wanted to be considerate to you." He leaned away from my touch and looked me over.

"Just don't get in my way," he grumbled. I clenched my jaw then straightened up.

"Fine," I told him, a slight growl coming from me. "If you see me around, don't pitch a fit." He tsked and stood up, slipping around my body and went for his book.

"I don't see why I should. You fixed your mistake."

"You still threw a book at me," I muttered then crossed my arms.

"You deserved it!" He looked straight at me. "I don't like how you hid the fact you didn't get rid of the contract you had with Laurence."

"I was learning," I told him firmly.

"LEARNING!?" He asked me. "You were learning!?" He scoffed. "That's it. Get out of my sight before I throw this book at you. You can learn something from it." He held up the book then. I frowned then looked at the book before I looked at him.

"You know what.... I don't need this. If you can't respect the fact that I loved you and that I did what I did only moments ago for you, then I don't know why I'm trying to even patch this up. Laurence was wrong," I told him and shook my head. "He encouraged me to come talk to you, but it did nothing for you. It didn't make you feel any better, and it definitely did not make me feel any better. Demons really are disgusting to your kind."

"You're not disgusting to me. The fact you lied to me is what's made me mad at you. We're supposed to be a team. If I lied to you, you'd be upset." He gave me a hurt look then. I frowned then before I slowly nodded. I would be upset if he lied to me.

"You're right," I whispered to him. "I would've been upset with you.... I'm sorry," I told him softly before I sat down on the couch, watching him. "I shouldn't have lied to you." He looked me over in small approval.

"Are you going to promise to never lie to me again?" He asked. My breath hitched slightly before I found myself nodding instinctively.

"I won't lie to you again," I promised him.

"I want it in a contract!" He hissed at me. "A full out contract than ensures you'll never lie or keep a secret from me again." A contract? I nodded slowly before I held out my hand and made a contract appear in my hand along with a feathered pen and ink.

"Okay... we can put it in a contract," I told him softly. "What all do you want in it?"

"You know I want you to never trick me like that again," he grumbled. "That was cruel." I nodded and then looked at the parchment before I started to write out our contract by hand then paused, looking towards him with a small frown.

"Is there anything that I get in return for this contract? So I can put it in here? An agreement to not kill each other perhaps?"

"Fine. You can have the pleasure of that." I hesitated before I nodded then wrote it into the contract before I held it out for him to approve. It pretty much said that I wouldn't lie to him again, hide anything from him, or trick him again in return for an agreement to not kill each other. He looked the contract over before looking at me. "You better hold up to this contract."

"I hold up to all my contracts," I told him and purred slightly. "I just bent ours originally. I won't bend the rules of this one. What will happen is exactly what it says."

"Good." He snatched the feather before using the ink and wrote his name down. "I'm glad we have an agreement." I smiled and purred at him before I took the pen from him and signed it as well.

"I won't disappoint you this time," I promised him then looked towards him with a loving look. At least he is willing to tolerate me again. I made the items disappear, sending them back to Hell before I reached out and grabbed his hand. "Emile, I want to try again. This time I don't want it to be together because it was in our contract, if we do try again that is. I know I will have to work a little harder to earn your complete trust back... but I'm willing to do what it takes. I'm not saying it has to happen right away. I know you probably don't want to try again with me like that right now, but that's fine. Just let me make this all up to you and give me another chance to attempt to earn your affection back."

He will probably say no to being together again right now, but if he at least gives me the chance to earn it in the future, that's better than nothing. After all... I did lie to him. I probably shouldn't have said anything about it yet, but I wanted to let him know I cared at least. I lightly bit my bottom lip before I went to pull my hand back, watching him closely. The worse that can happen is he says he hates me, in which case... I can't fix that, but I will know that I should attempt to move on if his anger is that bad.... No, even if he hates me, I will still try. "Emile, I really do love you," I whispered to him and tensed a little, bracing for the possible rejection. "I won't hurt you this time."

His eyes looked me over before he let out a small sigh. "You better work very hard to earn my trust. What you done was unacceptable and I want you to know that. You're lucky I'll give you another chance. Although, you hardly deserve it." I purred to him then before I nodded.

"I will work hard," I promised him then got to my feet, walking over to him then purred before I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and winked at him. "After all, you carry my mark, and you're mine. I don't want you unhappy."