Bonding and Clues

      I felt the most annoying combination of itchiness and pain all over my body. But the sheets were warm and soft, and it felt so comfy. I kept a tight grip on something, which made my hands feel tense and numb at the same time. My mind was finally stepping closer to reality, and that made me realize where I was. My eyes fluttered open and in a short time, they got used with the light. I widened my eyes realizing that the thing I gripped was Sebastian's forearm. I withdrew my hands, feeling weird. He was lying next to me, with that kind smile of his.

"Good morning, my lady," He greeted me.

"Good morning... I'm sorry, Sebastian. You must have had a terrible sleep."

He chuckled lightly for a few seconds. What did I say?

"Demons don't sleep, my dear. Sleeping is a form of luxury. I would rather make myself useful at night. Speaking of which, your breakfast is ready."

Looking around, I noticed something. Were those walls purple yesterday? The carpet was different too. It was white now, and I could swear it seemed brown yesterday. Did I hit my head so hard?

"Sebastian... I know I may sound odd, but is the room different?"

"Yes. I rearranged the entire house for your comfort. None of that bastard's things remained, except for that laptop and some papers that I've studied in order to find pieces of information. I've found some relevant stuff, like locations and contacts of this sick gang. Apparently, they have a chain of brothels filled with underaged girls, very well hidden I must add. But there's more. They aren't dealing just with prostitution; they even sell the girls at auctions."

I looked at him, feeling disgusted and terrified at the same time. Sick bastards! I had to find my sisters and fast!

"Sebastian, we must hurry," I desperately said.

"No, no, no, my lady. You must think it rational. You must recover first; you can't do anything in this condition. I will continue to do research, so don't worry."

"Yes, you're right. But what if it's going to be too late?" I asked fearfully.

"Fear not, my lady. I will not let that happen. I will do everything that I can, our contract's conditions must be fulfilled."

"Thank you. I would be really lost without you now."

He looked at me with something that I considered a surprised look, but then he just smiled and got up.

In a few minutes, he came back with a full tray. He helped me sit up a bit and gave it to me. It was filled with all kind of goodies. There were eggs, sausages, bacon and cherry tomatoes sliced in half. I couldn't remember when I had the honor to eat such food last time. Those idiots fed us leaves and all sorts of gross shakes in order to keep us skinny. But unfortunately, I was in pain now so I couldn't eat as fast as I wanted. But damn, it was delicious.

"You seem to enjoy it," He noted, tilting his head to the right.

"It's the best breakfast I had these past years," I admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Well, that will change from now on. I'll bring your tea now, my lady."

I looked at him as he left, wondering how in the world could a demon be like that. He acted like that as a part of our contract, I understood that much, but... he was so kind, delicate, caring, mannered. He wasn't an evil, cruel and disgusting monster as everybody describes the demons in stories. Despite the fact that I was still a bit scared of the entire situation, I felt safe with him. I somehow trusted him. Not fully yet, but enough to feel comfortable about it.

He came back with another tray, which contained a white teapot with floral pattern, and a matching cup. He put the tray on the nightstand and took my empty plate. And then it hit me.

"Did you eat something, Sebastian?"

"If you are referring to human food, no. Human food can't fill my appetite, I don't even find it tasty. But thank you for your care, my lady," He said with an intrigued gaze.

"So... you only feed on souls?"

"Yes, indeed."

"And this means... you will stay hungry until you can eat mine?"

"I haven't said that my dear," He replied with a mischievous smile, putting some tea in the cup.

"Then... I'm sorry, I know I have a lot of questions, but I really want to understand. Why don't you just take my soul whenever you want? Why making a contract which makes you a human's servant for who knows how much time?"

"I don't mind if you ask me questions. I don't have anything to hide, and if I have, I will not answer that specific question. As for your curiosity, I can consume souls without making a contract, but if someone summons me, I am obliged by our rules to form a contract if the human wants it," He explained, handing me the cup of tea.

"I understand... and there are more demons like you?"

"Yes, and there are many types of demons. The Demon Realm is a vast territory."

I looked at him, taking a sip of tea. Processing all that was pretty hard for someone who thought all those were only legends and stories.

"Now, if you have more questions, we have to do this later. Please finish your tea, I have to take care of your wounds properly."

Well, the tea was amazing so I did as he said. It had a fruity flavor and it had the perfect amount of sweetness. It was as perfect as Sebastian. It was too bad that none of it was real. It would be amazing to have someone like him around without the supernatural part. Well, I guess everything comes with a price.

I finished a few minutes later, then he washed the dishes as fast as lightning. Or so I thought. He came back with four full bags.

"I suggest to go to the bathroom first, I guess you need to use the toilet too."

I nodded embarrassed. Will he take me to the bathroom? But he was only helping me, it wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. In the hospital, it would have been the same.

He helped me get up, but my feet felt like jelly. Being skillful, it wasn't hard for him to support me until I was able to control my balance so I could stand on my feet. Still helped by him, but I wasn't totally useless. With small steps, we reached the bathroom, but the hard part came when we were there. He positioned me next to the toilet, and he kneeled down in front of me. I had my hands on his shoulders, letting my weight on him. All the shivers in the world hit my guts when he took my panties off. I felt like throwing up. I have been touched against my will so many times that every time someone did this, it disgusted me to the core.

"Are you alright, my lady? Why are you crying?" He asked worriedly.

I didn't even notice the tears flowing down my cheeks. But why was I feeling like that with him? I knew he meant no harm.

"Do you feel uncomfortable with what I'm doing?"

I nodded slowly.

"Please rest assured, I said it before and I'll say it again. I will not take advantage of you, no matter what the circumstances are. And I won't touch you in a way that is inappropriate unless you order me to do so."

"I'm sorry, Sebastian. I came to trust you... It's just a stupid fear that won't leave me alone."

"Don't apologize. In your situation it's understandable. Now try to sit. I'll go outside, call me when you're done."

I hardly sat down, and it felt like heaven to be able to finally use a toilet. I hurried and cleaned myself the best I could, then called him back. He helped me get up and led me to the shower. After that, he took all the bandages off, giving me the sensation of freedom and coolness.

The shower cabin was pretty spacious. It consisted of a little tub with a sitting place and a lot of interesting looking tools. Helped by him, I sat down on that spot while he took his shoes off and rolled up his sleeves. With all the delicacy in the world, he cleaned my body thoroughly, avoiding the ugly and painful wounds. Poor him got his clothes and hair wet, but he didn't seem to care.

"I'll go bring some things and give you some privacy. I guess you want to clean up your intimate parts by yourself," He said with a jokingly tone.

I nodded, thankful that he took my needs into consideration. I haven't been taken care of like that since I was a child. I knew that it wasn't an act of altruism, but I really appreciated it.

I was almost done when he came back. Unfortunately, I was moving like an eighty years old lady so I have been really slow. He waited with his back facing me until I was done, then helped me get up. After he dried me with a fluffy towel, I have been carried bridal style back to the bedroom, almost fainting from the pain. Stupid ribs.

The bedroom looked like it was a hospital room. Bandages, scissors, bottles, and pills arranged by type and size on the desk. He put me down slowly, helping me to sit on the edge of the bed. And then, the nightmare began. He brought some kind of ointment and some of the bandages. It all started with the ugliest wounds, that ointment burned like hell. And the bandage over that... Ugh! I felt so much physical pain these past years, I couldn't

handle it anymore. I was sick of it! I was so going to get my revenge. I will kill every single one of those bastards. All I hoped for was that my sisters were alright. I had to endure everything that'll happen until the day I'll save them.

"Are you alright, my lady? Is my touch bothering you?"

"No, Sebastian. Everything is fine. It hurts a bit, but I'll survive."

He continued to tend my wounds and bruises, immobilizing my torso in the end. It's going to be a pain in the ass to handle it, but I had Sebastian after all.

Once everything was done, he cleaned the mess and brought me a white nightgown from the wardrobe. Then I noticed that those huge bags that he brought were nowhere to be seen.

"You bought me clothes?" I asked curiously, making the connection.

"Yes, I did. But if you want to wander around naked, I don't mind," He joked with a fake innocent face.

"Did... Did you steal them?"

"Of course not. Do you think that I would be capable of such things?" He started, with the same fake innocence. "Well... I am capable of anything, to be honest, but I really didn't steal them. I actually found a safe box in the cellar. And some other things, but that's a story for later."

"OK. Sorry. Anyway, if you kill people for me, why would stealing be a problem?" I laughed.

Well, to be honest, I didn't really care much about morality and ethics right now. Actually, if I had him it wasn't the case to have principles anymore. The moment he killed the first person for me... No, actually the second I started the contract with a demonic creature, I lost all that meant morality and the right to live like a normal person.

"Now that all is settled, I must show you what I discovered," He began, bringing the laptop and a stack of files.

He placed them next to me and handed me the first file.

"You must see this in order to elaborate on a plan. Look through this and tell me if you see your sisters."

On the file was something written with the ugliest handwriting I've ever seen. Albert 'The Bull' Byron, L.A./Las Vegas Area was it. I opened it, being welcomed by the picture of a cute looking blonde girl. She seemed at most sixteen. It was attached to a paper filled with

information about the poor soul. She was from Detroit... Disgusted, I turned the page. It was sick. All those girls were underaged. Unfortunately, no sign of info about my sisters. Crap.

I took the next one, but nothing. Just faces of innocent, unknown underage girls. Arriving at the end of the file, I recognized my face. It was just creepy to see myself in such a thing. I closed the file, looking at the name written on it. Mitchell 'The Brute' Ratchford, Sacramento Area. Maybe that was the name of the barbarian who was in charge of us? But why my little sisters were not in the same file?

I searched with the speed of lightning through the files, cursing and swearing. I almost lost hope, but at some point, I saw little Lorelai smiling from a picture. It was one of the pictures we used to have home! Shitbags! Irma was the same story, but her photo was in the last file. The last two files had the same name on them. Kendrick 'Golden Eyed' Charter, San Francisco/San Jose Area. I was filled with such a rage I could feel my blood boiling. I didn't know who that bastard was, but I had a strong feeling that he was the one who had connections with my dear stepfather. The guy that Sebastian has killed said that I have been transferred, so it all made sense, but that guy may have lied about my sisters. I bet he has known something. Bloody bastard! Well, Mr. Black Eyed, I'll make sure to take your eyes out of your damn skull. Just wait.

"My lady, please calm down. You're shaking."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I left it out slowly, then repeated the whole thing. I gave him the pictures looking at the floor. I didn't realize I was crying until the tears landed on my thighs.

I felt a soft fabric on my face, realizing that it was a handkerchief and he wiped my tears with it. I looked at him amazed by the way he acted. He looked serious, but it was a tiny bit of compassion in his expression. Or I had a really vivid imagination, trying to convince myself that someone cared for me.

"Thank you," I muttered with a low voice.

"My pleasure," He replied with a smile. "Now let's continue, shall we?"

He put the laptop on my lap. It was already turned on, and I saw some open folders. He guided me, showing me what to open. There were some virtual maps with pinpointed locations. Zooming in, I realized that those were the brothels Sebastian told me about. There were dozens of them. God, this gang spread all over the West side of the USA. Some of the locations were marked with a bigger dot, I assumed there were either the auctions or there was a more important brothel. Or they were managed by someone important.

"This is all we have, right?"

He nodded.

"What do you think we should do?" I asked cluelessly.

"First of all, we must get you back on your feet, I can't take you anywhere like this and leaving you here alone for a long period of time is out of question. Till that happens, I will gather information from around at night."

"Speaking of around... Where are we exactly?"

"Sacramento. Which means...I'll pay a little visit to Mr. Mitchell Ratchford. It may take some time to find him because they probably know that something happened where you've been held captive. But there are only three areas marked on the map, which will make it easier with my... advantages."

He had a point. At least we were capable of doing something until we can go to the next location, where hopefully I will find my sisters.

Well, our mission was on. My responsibility was to get well and his was to do research. He made sure that I had at least one meal based on iron and calcium because I lost a lot of blood and my ribs needed calcium in order to heal faster. He also made sure that I drink a lot of liquids in order to remain hydrated. When he was about to go, I always had reserves of snacks and water prepared by him nearby. His cooking was so good. I'll gain some weight in no time.

The first night he left and I was alone was horrid. I couldn't sleep all night; all I did was shaking in fear and crying. I was consumed by that loneliness and I was scared that someone may come and take me back to that hell. The image of those girls dead around me was still haunting my mind.

When he found me messy and exhausted in the morning, he lectured me for not taking care of myself and he was right. I had to overcome that fear and I had to become strong. And I told myself every lonely night that if something bad will happen, I will just have to call his name out loud. He will know that I'm in danger and he will find me no matter where I'll be. He said that this power was meant to stop the human from running away and break the contract, but it was very useful.

After three days I started to move by myself. It was hard, slow and painful, but I had to recover fast. I studied the house in detail on my daily walk, trying to keep my mind active. Sebastian helped me too with my attempts to move like a normal person, but he insisted to do it with moderation. He showered me and changed the bandages again, but I was able to use the toilet by myself. It was an improvement.

Five days later, we still had nothing useful. The area around wasn't very relevant for what we needed. Sebastian interrogated and killed some bastards, freed some girls, but nothing helpful for our investigation. I started to panic and lose hope. I pushed myself harder, I had to be able to do something. He shouldn't do all the work alone. The revenge was meant to be mine after all.

The next night he came back full of blood and with an irritated face.

"My God... Sebastian, are you alright?" I shouted, jumping out of bed in a stupid attempt to run to him.

The pain made my knees weak and I fell on the floor, right in front of him.

"My lady! Why are you so reckless?" He asked, helping me back to my feet.

"I'm sorry, you scared me. Are you hurt?"

"Your worry is flattering, but I'm perfectly fine," He chuckled, taking me back to the bed. "There isn't a weapon in the human world that can harm me, so rest assured. And the blood you see it's mostly theirs. I'm a bit mad that they destroyed my favorite suit, to be honest."

"That's the matter? You almost gave me a heart attack," I laughed.

"Thank you for your care, m..."

"Layla. Call me by my name, please," I interrupted him.

"You know, you could just command me to do so. Why asking?" He asked curiously.

"Because I don't like to demand things. I don't consider you a servant, and it would be rude to act all bossy with you."

"I'm still the demon you saw back there, young lady. There is no need to treat me with so much respect. I'll eat your soul mercilessly, so you should take full advantage of me," He advised with a pretty scary look.

For some reason, I felt a bit hurt by what he said. I knew all that he stated, but I just couldn't command this and that like I was some kind of princess. I was a nobody; how could I act otherwise? It wasn't like me at all. And these past days, I felt like he was more human than most of the people I met until now. He made me forget his true face and his true nature with the way he acted. Why was he so upset that I treated him with respect? He did a lot of things for me without any command. I guess I just got too friendly for his taste.

"What did you find out?" I asked without looking at him.

"Well, actually I may have the location of that Mitchell. The bad part is that I need at least two days to find, interrogate and end his filthy life," He concluded.

"Sounds good to me. Do whatever you think it's going to take us closer to save my sisters."

"I'll leave food for three days in the fridge, just in case. And I'll let the painkillers somewhere you can reach them. Now it's sleeping time," He said, not leaving room for objections.

"OK, good night," I replied obediently.

He covered me with the blanket and turned the light off. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore his steps through the house, but I was too restless to sleep. I heard him taking a shower, then I heard his fingers tapping on a keyboard. He was using the laptop. That happened for a pretty long time, then silence. A tormenting silence. I tossed and turned again and again.

Realizing that it was in vain, I got on my feet and drank a glass of water. I moved slowly through the room, stopping in front of the balcony. I pulled the curtains, taking in the view for the first time. The sky was clear, and the thousands of stars shone brightly. The street was empty and quiet. I opened the door and stepped out carefully. The cold air gave me shivers, but the way it filled my lungs felt amazing. I took a deep breath, enjoying every second of it. I have been held in that house of terror for so long, I almost forgot how fresh air and the outside world felt like.

"My lady, you will catch a cold. Come back inside," He said, scaring me to the core.

I turned to face him, realizing that he was right behind me. I checked him out from bottom to top, laughing inwardly. He wore plain white T-Shirt and dark grey sweatpants. Unfortunately for him, the size was wrong. Some of his abs were left out and the pants were definitely too large.

"Funny isn't it?" He asked with fake indignation. "Well, I must wear something until my suit will be dry. Or not?" He teased with a pervy look on his face.

I sighed. He was hopeless. I was expecting something like that.

"Now leaving the jokes aside, why aren't you sleeping?" He scolded me.

"I... I just can't sleep," Was all I could say.

He sighed, leaving all of a sudden. I closed the balcony's door and sat on the edge of the bed. Where did he go? I wasn't a nosy person and it would be weird just to follow him around like a lost puppy.

However, it wasn't long before he returned. And he came back with warm tea. He turned on the light making me grimace and gave me the tea.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, what's the matter?"

"I meant it, it's nothing special. I just... can you keep me company until I can sleep?"

"You don't enjoy loneliness," He concluded.

"Not really. I used to have people around me all the time. At first my sisters and my so-called family, then I made friends and... I was never lonely. Even in that house of terror... I was able to keep my mind whole because I was with them and the other girls... And now, this silence and loneliness are overwhelming..."

"You must learn to handle your feelings because the path you chose is filled with loneliness. And the most important, you must become strong-minded because if you really seek revenge, you have to be cold-blooded and act without hesitation. This is the only way to achieve your goal, my lady," He explained, waking up my reasoning.

He was damn right. It wasn't a game or something a simple person could do. I was against very powerful and wicked people and I was still a little girl.

"Sebastian... I want you to make me become strong enough to handle them along with you. I want you to teach me how to be cold-blooded. Show me everything that I can learn so I'll be able to make them suffer. And this is an order."

"As you wish, my lady," He replied with a satisfied smile.

My face felt like burning for a few seconds, but it went as fast as it came. I decided to ignore it and made myself comfortable, taking a sip of tea.

"Well, I think you need new clothes," I affirmed, looking at his outfit with amusement.

"I guess so. And I start to think that maybe I should keep up with the times. I think my Butler outfit might be a bit out of date for these days."

"Well, do whatever makes you feel good. Your outfit should be something you find comfortable. And even with other clothes, you'll still be one hell of a Butler," I joked, remembering what he said to that man the day we met.

He really laughed. A pure amused laugh. It was a beautiful sound.

"Well, it definitely is strange to hear that from someone else."

"You know, actually you don't even have to be a Butler. I told you, I don't see you as a servant anyway and I won't use you like that. This is more like a 'friends with benefits' thing, excepting the fact that we aren't friends and you don't really have a lot of benefits... Well, I suck at explaining things..."

"Well, if you say so, then I assume I'll be something like a... personal assistant it's called, I think. And you should value your soul more, it is a substantial benefit for me."

"Call it however you want. For me, you are just Sebastian and that's all. I don't see the point in being so tense and formal. Oh, and... will you call me by my name from now on?"

"If that's what you want, so be it. I will just adjust to the situation. And between you and me, it's a lot easier not having a spoiled and tyrannical aristocrat as a master," He confessed.

"Right, you had other contracts too. Am I too nosy if I ask about them?"

"It's not something that I'd like to talk about right now," He said with a little hint of annoyance in his eyes. "But if you'll order me, I'll have no choice."

"It's alright, I won't stick my nose in your personal stuff. If you want to tell me one day, I'll be listening."

"I may say that I like you a bit, you're different from humans I had to deal with. Now, enough with bedtime stories. Let's sleep, shall we?"

"You'll stay with me, right?"

He nodded, so I got under the blanket. I didn't want to test his patience. He turned off the light, and I felt him lying on the bed. He said that he liked me a bit, but I was aware that it meant he didn't find me as revolting as the rest of humankind. Did his past masters treat him badly? OK, I get it, he was an evil creature and a really scary one. But as long as he acted the way he did now, why treating him bad? Especially when he was helping me with everything I needed. Who knows what they've done to him... He said that it was a long time since he was summoned last time. I guess it was a different time and people weren't open-minded at all. Well, it was hard to be open-minded when it was about a demon, but as long as the contract was accepted, it was our fault and our job to deal with the consequences. Well, if I was to think of the aristocrats, I could only imagine how deep was that stick up their asses. However, the past should stay in the past. My eyelids became heavy and I have no idea when, but I fell asleep in no time.