No Place Like Home

[HIDDEN EVIL]

There's No Place Like Home
Well It's Not Oz Either

It was a last minute thing. Sevanni wanted nothing to do with London for a while. He had left Annabella to remain alive. He had let Ali go not too far from the city. He was impulsively letting people go off the hook, but he had got what he went for.

The house was a decent size. He was too used to living in such a lavish over sized house full of coven members. No privacy when he wanted it. A house of lies and deception when a genuine feeling had been expressed, and he had suffered because he had opened himself up to someone. It was usually how life worked you over.

You meet someone, you get to know them and soon after you fall in love like it's an antibiotic. Your heart fluttering when you see them. Or hear them. Know that they are around and you feel crushed when they don't want anything to do with you.

Life gives you someone to love, and then without warning it's taken away. Much like falling in love only to find you have lost that love to death. Then all you want to do is just sit back and wallow in your own sorrow. Put up a wall of protection in case you get hurt again, and no matter how hard you try to get closer to them, your afraid. Afraid of getting hurt. Afraid of losing them like you lost another, and then you are torn between what feels right, and what you know to be oh so wrong.

It was like that. An immortal sensation flowing through that massive body. There is no perfection between a man and a woman, or the same sex in the same conditions. Nothing was ever perfect.

Rumors had been spread already and Sevanni knew that it would only be a matter of time before there could be any chance for him to remain cast away. It was better that way.

"We restored it to it's original state from the early thirties, and changed a few things so it could withstand your...." A clearing of the throat. "specific needs." Sevanni looked over the property as they stood out front. The man had been very kind, and understood his needs without question. There were no secret doors here. Just regular ones. A basement that was perfected with refinishings, a backyard fit for children and a dog or two. A pool and so much more.

It was a private drive which took ten minutes to get from the neighborhood square to the house. Someone could scream bloody murder and no one hear a peep. That's the way he liked it. Secluded. Quiet.

There wasn't space for pets and slaves. He figured he didn't want it because there was no need at the moment. He had to align his ducks in a row and try to work through this mess.

"It's fine. Just make sure the other thing we spoke about happens. I'll need that by New Years. Not a day later." The man nodded and gave a "Yes Sir."

Inside was lovely. Dark grains of wood that went well with the decorum. If she wanted anything changed, all she has to do is ask. Drapery. Furniture. Everything from the silverware to the drapes and she could change anything she wanted. So long as he didn't end up living in a clowns pocket.

"That will be all. Thank you." Again the man nodded and took his leave. Sevanni had entered and roamed over the areas of the domicile. His things had been brought here. Unpacked. Put away perfectly.

Still, as homely as it all seemed, there was still a piece of the puzzle missing from that box.

His arm rose as he climbed the stairs, thumb and index finger straightening one of the pictures on the wall. He should be spending some of his time downstairs. His "special" room was something he shouldn't have to be in at the moment. Find himself to snap at the next person he saw. Or destroy the very house which he just purchased. Then where would they stay?

Sevanni always had a back up. There was another place somewhere kept in the silence of his bricked up mind. He could leave at any point in time and no one would find him lest he chose to be found.

The hallways was narrow, but large enough to fit a couple side by side. A couple of tall plants hidden in various corners. Pictures. Doors. A pair of stairs that led to the back of the house. Everything was open to where she could avoid him. But that wasn't going to happen. Not this time.

Women were so difficult. They had to be. The last four women had proven to be misleading and untrustworthy, which made this situation all the more harder.

Vampires. They had all been vampires. Heartless and cold, which was why he fell for them. Stupidity overtaken by his heart. So why the change? Why did he let those two females go, and why...why oh why did he want that weremutt to stay with him?

Sevanni hated dogs just as much as anyone, but the back and forth between he and her had been going on far too long to not have some sort of heart for her.

Tarus would lay forever dormant until he was ready to become what he should have been all along. Maybe this was the trick. But then again, they all saw him as dead. Just as everyone thought Annabella was dead.

Her room was down the hall. He left her a good distance of space. Now he stood in his own room. The dark comfort of colors embracing him into a welcome. Sleep on the bed. Wallow in it's comfort. Bathe in the large tub and remember what it was like before with her in his arms. That shit had to stop. He'd done the same thing with Sindel.

It was the brunettes. Always the brunettes that caused him trouble. All he did was love them. Care for them. Protect them. Sindel had been a monster in the end, and he had no choice but to be rid of that situation.

Now it was a blond. A feisty blond that despised him as much as he despised her. Aubrey was the same way and he was a fool to ever believe that someone like her could love him truly and deeply. So a vampires heart was cold. Mortals claimed it to be. Weremutts believed it. It simply wasn't true for all.

In 310 it had all began. 52 was just another year and another date. 310 had made everything what it was today. Everything had changed. The places. The people. Now here he was doing it again to himself.

Maybe he was a masochist of the heart and needed to get pounded on. The time and effort spent on those he cherished had been diminished by so much. Why torture yourself over and over again with the same thing? Maybe it wasn't a good idea to keep her here. Maybe he was just a fool.

It would take time. It would be a long while before he did anything so drastic like he did with Aubrey. No woman. Not a single one, had caused him as much pain as she did. Not Sindel. Not Ella. Not anyone.

His tie slipped off by the pull of his fingers. He could change into something a little more comfortable. Maybe a burgundy sweater and a pair of jeans. He missed wearing jeans.

He could walk about in walking sneakers and mellow out on the back patio. Look over the sparkling water and wonder what he did to deserve such a thing. What he had done to make it all come out so bad.

There went another twitch as he looked into the mirror whilst rubbing fingers over his fight eye. Closing them tightly and being filled with nothing but darkness behind lids. Opening them to slam a fist hard into the mirror and let those pieces of glass hit the floor and give him seven more years of bad luck. Great. Just what he needed.

She would come soon. Sevanni had requested her at a specific time and to this specific location. She knew what she was getting into, but he on the other hand...without showing it, was worried as fuck.

She knew how to piss him off and rile him up. There would be no cozy situation at first, but she would learn to grow with him. Maybe instead of trying to kill each other, they could come to an understanding. A better understanding.

But it was good to be in a stable home thus far. Not giving a damn on how much something cost, or how long it would last. The tune of Polaroid flipped into his head and there went the twitch in his eye again. If he didn't stop he was going to drive himself mad.

[*Phoenix McKenzie]

Everything was ready, perfectly in place. She had left her little goodbyes to everyone who she cared about within the pack...But none had been so hard as leaving her goodbye to Damien. She had spent the last couple of days drawing pictures of all of them, at the time she had no idea why... And when she made that deal with Sevanni, she finally understood why. They had all loved her drawings, Kat still had the drawing Nix had given her the first day of their friendship. A drawing of the pack as they had originally been, standing directly behind each of their wolf forms... She kept that picture hanging in her room.

The first face on that particular picture had been Tillie, so sweet happy and bubbly. How she had changed since then... Tillie had once been the bubbly one in the pack, always lighting up the room like the sun... Now, after everything had happened, beautiful loving Tillie had changed... She was more tormented, more depressed... She could still be their sun shine.... But never hers. Ever since the day Tillie had seen her, that night in Paris, catching Aubrey's scent on her... Tillie had become cold toward Nix... Not that she could blame her.

Standing next to Tillie had been Evelyn. Evey had loved and cared for everyone in the pack.. She was the pack counselor. If someone had a problem, they could always count on Evey being there to listen, and to help where she could...Or if you simply needed a shoulder to cry on, or someone to vent out your frustrations to, she would sit there and listen. She never judged, never turned anyone away... She would drop whatever she was doing in order to help a pack mate. Everyone in the pack had thought she was dead, and it had torn everyone apart, Tills especially. When she came back to the pack house, covered in dirt and looking like she had just come from the grave--which she had--the light in her eyes had dimmed... She was still the pack councelor... But she didn't have the same attitude anymore.

Beside Evey was Caleb, the pack Tramp. She smiled slightly as she had drawn him, making sure to put the mischievous glint in his blue eyes. Caleb could make anyone smile, no matter how depressed they were. Everyone loved Caleb with everything in them... And even he had changed recently. She had gotten a message from Adam a few weeks ago, saying that he found Caleb in some run down bar, completely out of it with drugs and alcohol. The war had cost him as well... And that probably hurt the worst. Caleb had been the one watching after her after she had gotten away from Sevanni... And after having to leave Tarus there... The only reason Sevanni had gotten to her that one night to throw Tarus' finger at her was because she hadn't left her apartment in days, and he had been fixing something that had went wrong with his cab. She had left, and stumbled onto Sevanni... He was the only one who could make her smile for a long time after that. And now look at him... Wallowing in a bar, smoking pot and drinking booze to numb the pain. Just that thought alone made her want to sob.

Then came James, Caleb's 'best mate'... Before she had come along, he had been the one to fall in love with a vampire, a young vampire named Litte. James was the baby of the pack, the only one younger than her... And somehow, they seemed to be the two in the pack in the most shit. She felt a kind of kindred connection with James, and he was the only one who she had confided in within the pack of being with Tarus... It was him who talked her into leaving the pack before they found out. She hadn't even told Kat, who had always been her best friend within the pack and even out of it, as well. James has been through a lot lately, and she wondered which of them had felt the most hurt since then.

Then came Kat, the Princess of the pack. She smiled slightly as she thought about her best friend, now pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. Perhaps the children would be the ones to bring the pack out of their rut. Children should be just what the pack needs to pull themselves together again. Kat had recently found out that two of her relatives were vampires...And was not very happy about it... She had known her little sister Ali was a vampire... However, what she didn't know about was Rose. And then, having both Pat and Ella dead, she became the new pack leader. She had a lot on her plate, but Nix had faith in her best friend.

And then, of course, the pack leaders Ella and Pat. Pat, looking so stern and in control all the time, and Ella, who loved her pack with everything she was. Nix knew first hand that Pat wasn't as in control as he seemed to be, when it came to pack matters at least. She had seen his fur ruffled more times than she could count by Kat and Caleb, doing something ridiculous.

The pack had grown since then, although Ella and Pat were no more. They had gotten Kat's mate, Tristan, who had become like a annoying older brother to her... And they had also gotten Adele, only 19 and the poor girl had seen so much death, had so much anger and hatred within her that it made Nix wince... Even with everything Nix has been through, she could still find it in her to love. No, that wasn't entirely true about Addie, she did love one person, and that was her girlfriend and mate, Chase, another addition to the pack.... And then there was Damien, her fiancee.... Well, ex-fiancee now.

When she had left, she had done portraits of everyone in the pack, leaving the drawings in their rooms so they could each find it... To Kat, along with the drawing, she had left a note, begging her to stay away for the good of the pack, and to watch after Damien. She explained what was going on, and told her to tell Damien... She couldn't bare to write this a second time, it had ripped out her heart the first time, having to write it to her pack Alphess and best friend.

To Damien, along with the portrait, she had also left one of herself, and the wedding ring he had given her... The one that had been his mother's. She didn't feel right with taking it, since she was never again going to see him again. And she had walked out of the pack house, refusing to look back for fear that she would break down yet again. So, she had went to the airport and took off for New York.

And now, here she was, stepping away from the cab that had brought her here, staring at the house that Sevanni had told her to come to. She was a little late, and had done so on purpose. She wasn't sure what to expect now, once she walked into that house... He had told her to think of herself as a guest, not a prisoner... And she wasn't sure that she knew how to do that. Before, things had been very black and white, she knew what she could do and what she couldn't... And she knew how far she could bend those rules.

She placed a protective hand on her stomach, covering her unborn child. She had lost one baby to a vampire who had beat the hell out of her...She wouldn't allow that to happen again. But Sevanni had promised he wouldn't touch the child, and as much as a prick Sevanni Black was.... He kept his word.

So, she took a deep breath and walked in, putting on her usual smart ass smile, and slammed the door behind her. However, just in case he hadn't heard the slamming--which she was certain he had--she decided to make her presence known just a little better. "SEVI! Oh SEVI!" She yelled, knowing from experience that he did NOT enjoy her little nickname for him. She had called him that once and had gotten a rather rude reply. She wouldn't go against their agreement, but she was not going to make his life roses either. She was still going to be a large pain in his ass... Only a little closer than they usually were. And she didn't know whether she wanted to laugh or snarl at that thought.

[HIDDEN EVIL]

"SEVI! Oh SEVI!" He heard her voice after a slamming of the front door. He shook his head with a slight snicker. Raising his right arm for a hand to cross his face and rub his head. This was going to be a long friggin road and he wasn't so sure he wanted to go through with it. But he had to. He just had to.

Finally he turned and walked out of his room. Movements down the hall and stood at the top of the stairs to see the blond at the bottom. Smart mouth and all. Determined to make his life a living hell. But did he not have the upper hand? Did she not love her child more than anything? But why keep a child when you knew there would be no shot in seeing the father?

Sevanni always took things that didn't belong to him. He took Hyde. He took Dane. He took Ella and he took Aubrey. Now it was Nixie's time.

Cute little name. Nix. Like the shampoo one uses to get rid of head lice. He wondered what kind of stunt she would pull to break way from the house. Eventually she would forget. Get comfortable and step out of her boundaries by mocking him and giving him more shit than he needed. That was one trait he liked. She never gave up, but unlike her friend Ali, she wasn't so tight lipped, and Sevanni knew he could always get a rise out of her.

He grinned wickedly as if she just stepped into an episode of the twilight zone. "Welcome...to your new home." A smirk lifted over those lips in place of the grin. Moving down the steps without touching the banister.

It would be nice to have Rose here. Someone Hyde could play with. Like a ball of yarn. He almost chuckled at the thought.

Ali could have remained trapped in a box just as he had Annabella trapped in glass. Maybe get a shot at the one person he wanted the most. Keep them locked in a smaller box with no see through holdings. Take that face and make it un-pretty.

Sinner's always paid their dues. The Greedy bastard payed for his five folds over, and now it was Nixie's turn. But in the end, she would realize that it was inevitable. She ran. She returned and ran again, and now she was back for the long haul.

"Your late." He took note of the time. Approaching her now. His larger frame looming over her as he stood directly in front of her. A softer tone came about his throat as he continued on. His hand moving so palm could touch the side of her face. Not in a mean way, but a way that would make her feel slightly uncomfortable and or confused.

"You know how much I hate latecomers." Which was bad news bears. She was with child. Which meant she couldn't be tortured anymore for the duration of her trimesters. But there were other things she could handle.

"What do you suggest we do about that? Make sure your never late again?" He asked her, moving his hand away from her face and taking a step back while arms crossed over his chest.

Her things would be taken care of. There was no need for his pregnant house guest to carry such things. Weremutt or not, she was still a female. And with child.

[*Phoenix McKenzie]

Welcome...to your new home. At the sound of Sevanni's voice, she looked up to the top of the stairs and seen him standing there, grinning down at her. She quirked a eyebrow at him, more than ready to continue their little game of cat and mouse...And while she knew good and well that she played the mouse in this game, this mouse knew how to bite back and piss off the cat. It was one of her favorite pass times, pissing off Sevanni Black. She loved seeing his eyes flash with anger at some of the things she would say to him.

She dropped her duffel bags on the ground beside her, rolling her shoulders slightly to relieve some of the stiffness. She hated planes, but it was the fastest way to travel, especially if going between countries. With as much traveling as she usually did, you would think that she would be used to it by now.

She would never let him know how much this was costing here, standing here in this doorstep, once again putting herself near him. She didn't know what he was going to do with her, but she knew he wasn't going to hurt her, not too badly at least. Some pain she could handle, but she was pregnant, and he couldn't come even close to doing a number on her like he had last time. Her back would forever be scarred from that beating that Sevanni had given her. True, perhaps if she would have just shut her mouth and stopped taunting him, it would have been much easier on her... But she was too prideful for that. He could break a lot of things about her, but that was one thing he wouldn't be able to break, no matter how hard he tried... Though he had come damn close to it last time, she admitted silently to herself. She could admit things to herself, grudgingly, but never, EVER to the vampire striding toward her. No, never him.

Your late. He said, walking down the stairs toward her. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the door, trying to appear calm and cocky, as usual, when she felt anything but that. This whole situation confused her, and because she was confused, she was on guard. It didn't help that she was pregnant with her child, and she would go to any lengths to protect it... As she was certain Sevanni knew only too well. "Well, like I can help the fact that the cabby didn't know where the hell he was going. And if he did, he sure in the hell wasn't in any hurry to get here."

He stopped directly in front of her, forcing her to have to look up at him. She stood barely 5'5, and Sevanni was taller than she was. Her moss green eyes flashed defiance at him as he raised his hand to her cheek, expecting a slap. However, when he simply laid his palm against her cheek gently, she winced anyway, an involuntary action, and the defiance quickly changed to confusion. She shifted slightly, unsure about how to handle this particular situation, and more than a little confused as to what Sevanni was planning. He couldn't beat her, but he sure in the hell wasn't going to let her get off scott free for her last show of open defiance before he was exiled from London.

It took a large effort on her part to meet his gaze, and her hand twitched with the desire to cover her stomach protectively, but she managed to stay still until he moved away from her. She found it easier to think properly when he wasn't towering over her, and keep up her smart ass attitude. She ran her fingers through her long blond hair quickly, as she usually did when she was thinking.

"Well, there isn't really much you can do, now is there? Part of our agreement was you wouldn't hurt my baby, and while I can handle a considerable amount of pain while pregnant, and it not harm the baby, I highly doubt that it would be enough to satisfy you. So, that puts you in a bit of a bind now, doesn't it? How to punish me for running off, again, without hurting me too badly, or at all?" She said, flashing her white teeth in a smile at him. This was costing her, but she would never let him know that. She was scared shit-less right now, not for herself, but for her baby. She didn't know how far she could push him before his hold on his infamous temper was released, but she was never one to cower, not to Sevanni... Not to anyone.

[HIDDEN EVIL]

Jerry was definitely going to get on Tom's nerves while staying in his domain. The snotty brat standing there against the door as if she hadn't a care in the world, when she should have in fact been wondering when she was finally going to drop her bladder on the floor. "Well, like I can help the fact that the cabby didn't know where the hell he was going. And if he did, he sure in the hell wasn't in any hurry to get here."

Sevanni straightened himself out, moving closer just a tad to where he could whisper darkly and she would feel that chill everyone spoke about. "Ohhh.....but I think you know how to persuade people into doing exactly what you want." A grinning snicker had crossed over lips once again, eyes roaming over her facial features as a smile gave way to relaxation. He backed away. "You intentionally do things to annoy me." He began after turning around. Unafraid that she would touch him in the slightest. Her bag lifted into his hand before he turned around to finish.

"I can assure you that will not last for very long." His eyes widened slightly, sort of like the jerk in Sin City before his head got dipped in the toilet bowl by Dwight. Knife held up to his eye like he had done to Ali. Perhaps subconsciously, that's where he had gotten it from.

"Come....I have a surprise for you." Again the table turned and Sevanni had changed up with the hatred she felt for him and he the same. It would kill her to see him in a different light.

When Nix and Tarus had stayed with he and Aubrey at the coven house, there had been very little time to see how Nix acted in his presence. She could see his now, and he in the like, but what would she really think? What would she say in the end to others she had still been permitted to speak with? WWND?

Sevanni was just a very generous man who loved showering people with things they wanted or needed. Often when it wasn't. A smile went a long way, and often it had been for no reason what so ever. Just a friendly gesture. With some it had been based on different things. Like love, or bribery, or some sort of payback.

The stairs were taken, she could be shown where her room was at least. She was lucky that it had been expanded to suit her needs. All mother's liked being next to their children, or so he had learned form the spectacle of Mallie and the TV news cast. The whole thing was unnecessary. A mortal child in his house. Disgusting. Even if she did grow on him just a little.

Sevanni had given Nixie her own room. It was a good size room that suited her own style. Available to change whatever she wanted. A connecting bathroom to another room. His hand opened from it's grip and dropped the bag on the bed, turning to see what she would look like for even just one small ounce of an expression.

"Your bathroom is in here..." He began, opening the door and switching on the light. Everything had been shiny and spotless. Never been touched, and with every detail showing great expressions from angels and eloquent trim molding, a girl, any girl would feel beautiful within those walls. He would wait until she decided to look for herself. "And....there is a room just beyond those doors." He moved away from the door and to the front of her bed.

"Feel free to change anything you want. I have a decorator on call who can get you anything you'd like." A pointed hand motioned toward the free room and then rested at his side mid sentence. "Once you find out the child's sex, you can fix up the nursery."



"Part of our agreement was you wouldn't hurt my baby, and while I can handle a considerable amount of pain while pregnant, and it not harm the baby, I highly doubt that it would be enough to satisfy you. So, that puts you in a bit of a bind now, doesn't it? How to punish me for running off, again, without hurting me too badly, or at all?"

Those words had hung in his mind and only now did they really reach him how she had tried to push his buttons. He held it off for as long as he could. Not because he didn't have a response, but he didn't want to hurt her just yet.

"As per your punishment for leaving....why don't we think on that a bit?" He stalked over to her so they were side by side facing opposite directions. Lowering his voice in that dark tone. "We have plenty of time to catch up. Don't we?" A grin emerged, a giddiness rose in his stomach at the thought. "Why don't you change and come down to the drawing room. I could use some entertainment." For she wasn't off the hook yet. She may have been his guest, or would be treated as a guest, but she, like him, had her own penance to pay.

With that his eyes fell forward and he moved out of the door, she could close it herself by all means. If she had any sense, she would have thought things through further. But Sevanni would have never stopped looking. She was top priority on his list of things to have, and like before, he wanted it more than ever.

[*Phoenix McKenzie]

Nix stiffened slightly as Sevanni came even closer to her. He was right, of course. She had given the cabby a extra hundred bucks to get a little...'lost' on the way there. She had done so to try and give herself some extra time to figure things out, but she hadn't done herself any favors. She couldn't figure out what Sevanni's game was, and that just made her even more nervous. She bit on her lip slightly, a habit that she had when she was nervous about something. She had to force herself to keep from sighing in relief when he stepped away from her. She couldn't think when he was so close to her, invading her space.

She quirked an eyebrow slightly as Sevanni turned around and walked away from her, saying he had a surprise for her. That in itself had her both curious and worried. A surprise from Sevanni usually wasn't a good thing, especially if it was directed at her. However, she followed behind him, keeping out of easy reach as she walked up the stairs. Her moss green eyes scanned the house as she walked, noticing that it wasn't nearly as... dark as the mansion in London was... Then again, it didn't have evil fucking vampires crawling around like a infestation, either... And she didn't think that Sevanni had had the time lately to torture anyone, so it didn't hold the smell of pain and death either, which made all the difference.

When she walked into the room that she had assumed would be hers, she stopped just inside the room, out of the doorway, and stared at the room in open shock and surprise. Had Sevanni paid so much attention to her that he would know exactly what she liked? That thought was a little unsettling. And, why in the hell would Sevanni spend all the money that he obviously did on this room for her? What was his game? None of this made any sense to her, and she didn't like being confused.... Part of the down fall of being too damn curious for her own good. This would drive her crazy. She couldn't help a small smile as she took in everything in the room.

He opened the other set of doors and revealed a bathroom, which she would take a closer look at later. She was reeling from all of this, this was a side of Sevanni that she had never witnessed before. She had always seen the angry, brutal Sevanni Black... She knew how to deal with that Sevanni with her mouth and smart ass attitude. How was she supposed to deal with this side of Sevanni? The side that would think to put her in a room that not only had her own personal bathroom, but also a nursery for her baby?

She immediately stiffened and went on guard when Sevanni walked toward her, stopping just beside her, facing the hallway. She turned her head so that she could keep him in her sight, but kept the rest of her body perfectly still. She wasn't sure what he was up to with all this, but she had dealt with Sevanni often enough that she knew better than to let him be outside her vision, and at least if he tried to do anything, she could have room to maneuver away from him. Though she knew that would only give her another second or two. She was fast for a werewolf... But Sevanni was faster, and she damn well knew it.

We have plenty of time to catch up. Don't we? Nix caught his smile and she bit down on her lip again, this time hard enough to make it bleed. When she realized she had broke skin she immediately pulled her lip into her mouth to keep him from smelling the blood. Tarus had always told her that she was going to end up doing that around the wrong vampire. And while if he had wanted to taste her blood, he could have done so when he was beating her with that damn whip, she wasn't going to tempt him one way or the other.

She closed the door behind him, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the door for support. She sighed quietly and just stood there for a minute. Entertainment What the hell was that supposed to mean? She opened her eyes and rolled them slightly, walking over to her new bed and opening her bags, rummaging around in them for some clothes.

She pulled out a black wife beater, a pair of faded blue jeans with numerous holes in various places, a change of under things, and pulled off her old clothes, throwing them in the hamper basket that was in the bathroom. As she turned to go back into her room, her own reflection caught her eye and she turned her head to look at her back in the mirror, a snarl rising quickly as she stared at the scars covering her back from her last 'punishment' from Sevanni. Well, if he wanted to do something like that again, then the vampire would just have to wait a little under nine months.

She slammed the door behind her and stomped into her room moodily, pulling on her clothes. She could still wear all her clothes, because she wasn't even really showing yet. Her stomach was still flat as ever, since it was still very early in the pregnancy. She ran her hand over her stomach, smoothing out the wife beater before walking out of the door and walking out of her room. Though she didn't really know her way around, all she had to do was follow his scent straight to where he was in the drawing room. She had left her hair down, covering the only part of her back that was visible, where the fabric didn't cover the scars. She didn't even bother to knock, he was expecting her anyway. So, she walked into the room, walked to the nearest chair, and climbed up onto it, sitting in her usual way, right on the back of the chair. She never sat like a normal person, but rather would sit on the back of chairs and couches, so long as they were sturdy enough to not fall backwards, with her feet in the cushion part. Kat had asked her once if she ever sat normally, and Nix just looked at her, giving her the only answer her best friend and pack Alphess needed... No.

[HIDDEN EVIL]

It was always fun to witness new facial expressions on Nixie. His little Nixie who would be with him until he saw he wouldn't want her anymore, or until she paid her appropriate dues. It was a shame to have her fooling around with another male when her husband, or ex thereof, had been lying in wait in misery all the while. Moving him to this house would have been a horrible idea. He'd have to leave just to make visits every so often.

It wasn't that Sevanni truly hated Tarus. In fact, Sevanni had hoped Tarus to be something far greater than he ended up, but of course, like all vampires who fall into the traps of a weremutt, they faltered. Like Litte and James and how their love failed only to be started up again. Pity for Annabella, but honestly, Sevanni didn't give two flying figs about Annabella or her emotions. Not now anyway. Now she was a mutt who blew it all.

He was thankful enough that Nix had disappeared before his former counterpart had managed to grab her up and strip her of her own freedom and dignity.

All along it had been a desire to fix him. Make him see the light. If there was anyone worth going against it was Tarus. They both had the same ambition to destroy the other at any cost. If it were possible, Sevanni would blow them both up.


Outside before he strode off down the stairs he had held in the urge to grasp her lip with his own and taste the blood pricked by teeth. The faintest scent could be smelled by those nostrils. A blood hunger inside of him because of his lack of attention to himself. When it came from Nixie, that's all she wrote. Enemies and blood. How quaint.

In the drawing room, after rounding a few corners and making it in front of the door, Sevanni managed to rummage through a couple of boxes that had yet to be unpacked. A couple of "special" items that needed to be put away. So he slid the draw aside from behind the desk just under the painting. In the lengthy cupboard, stacking them neatly one by one, a couple of files he had needed for his time in New York. He would have to leave the country once more for something important, and the information required had ended up locked away now.

It took a good while to unload them, toss the boxes and move about to withdraw a couple of books from the lined wall. Everywhere Sevanni went, so went his books. Every last one. A collection of sorts. Much like the heads he kept in that special room of his. Patrick sitting lovely on top. Like a prized pyramid of skulls waiting to be viewed by his eyes alone. Killing Patrick had been the highlight of being a leader of a coven. Taking down one leader and having a few more to go....a low blow to be screwed over by a fink. Evelynn could have been the next little mutt to be rid of, but of course, everything had a time limit, and that time had been breached.

She made her way down. Rather quick for his taste, but he did change. The only thing wrong with that picture was that she had taken a seat not on his furniture like a normal person, but on top. Like it was a school picnic bench and she was about to hang out with her friends in the Quad. He saw her do it out of the corner of his eye. Sneaking a snarl over his lips and taking a much needed breath. Expelling it slowly. Wanting to not go over there and show her proper manners.

The book closed with a plop in a single hand. Moving it against the side of his chest, nearly tucked under his arm but not quite. "You will sit on furniture the way a person is supposed to sit on furniture." He began while he set the book down on the very edge of the desk. Everything happened for a reason.

Sevanni moved over to where she was seated, his hands, moving to grip behind her knees, slid her from the top of the chair so her ass would sit on fabric. "When your in your room you can do whatever you want, but not everywhere else." The kitchen counter would have provided a nice spot to put her ass. If she hadn't been a mutt she might have gotten a treat instead of a trick there in the kitchen.

Seriously? Sevanni was aching to beat the brakes off that bitch just simply for running away. For meddling with Tarus. For being so defiant and such a good enemy to harvest in those thoughts of his. Nixie was like the Raven in Poe's little short. Always mocking him. Trying to tear him down piece by piece, but if she hadn't learned thus far, she was about to learn that it just wouldn't work that way.

So be it.

He lifted up, hands moving by his side as his arms laid still, a few paces back and he rested against the edge of the desk. Palms took hold of the edge. Watching her. Wondering what he should do to the young blond. Then he remembered.

His head turned to view the tiny bag on his desk. It was large enough to fit a small ring box, and could have easily been a member of The Tiny Brown Bag. Fingers took it up, resting it just beside him to reach in and lift up a small dark blue band. Some mortals in parts of the U.S. called them scrunchies. Others called them hair bows. Sevanni called them bands. Something so she could.....Sevanni tossed it over to Nix so she could catch it in flight.

"Tie your hair up. I think I'd like to take some pride in my work." He said with an intrusive snicker. His tongue ran over the upper portion of his teeth, feeling the point but the entire fang, or even half had been visible.

Once she had done so he would request she come forward. Stand in front of him and turn her back toward him so he could see. He liked taking pride in his work. Like his own little baby.

[*Phoenix McKenzie]

Nix looked around her surroundings, her eyes moving over the different books within the room, placing her hands gently on the back of the chair that she currently was sitting on. She figured this would annoy the hell out of Sevanni, but quite frankly... She didn't give a flying fuck. He could go sit on a flaming stake for all she cared at this point. It was because of him that she was forever scarred and could no longer wear anything that would show off even a little bit of her back.

She looked up as he addressed her way of sitting, her gaze cool and unblinking. "This is how I always sit." The sentence was barely out of her mouth before he was coming towards her, hooking his hands behind her knees and pulling so that she slid down the back and into the seat cushion with a low 'ompf'. She glared at him, growling softly as she kicked her legs out, trying to kick him. "What in the hell makes you think you can touch me? That makes twice now." She snarled between clenched teeth, her moss green eyes flashing up at him as he moved away from her, towards his desk.

Her eyes followed his gaze to a small bag laying on his desk which he moved to be beside him and within easy reach. He pulled whatever was inside the bag at her, and she reached up and caught it on reflex, without even really thinking about it. She stared at the hair tie for a long minute, understanding too well what he wanted her to do. Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl and she closed her small hand into a tight fist, closing the hair tie in her fist as she looked up at him, glarring daggers at him... If looks could kill, Sevanni would be screaming somewhere in the deepest bowels of Hell.

Tie your hair up. I think I'd like to take some pride in my work. She could have almost sworn steam was rolling from her nose she was so pissed right now. It was taking every bit of self control she had to keep from lunging at Sevanni right now... And the only thing that kept her from attacking him was the thought of her baby. All it would take was one well aimed punch, and that would be it. Curtain closed.

She was having a war with herself, keeping her still for a long moment. On the one hand, she could tell Sevanni to fuck off and throw the hair tie back at him... But then he would probably just put her hair up anyway, and she doubted he would be gentle about it. Or, she could just pull up her hair on her own, and keep some dignity, though that wouldn't be much.

She decided to keep as much of her pride and dignity as he would allow and wrapped the band around her wrist, pulling her hair up in a near pony tail. She glared at him the whole time, and when she was done she stood up and walked over towards him, holding her hands down at her sides in tight fists. She turned around to him, leaving her hair to hang down her back rather than over her shoulder and out of the way. If he wanted it out of the way, then he could damn well move it himself.

[HIDDEN EVIL]

Quite frankly, Sevanni didn't give a damn on how she sat. She was going to learn how to act like someone who cared about them self, rather than a ragged animal who traipsed about the house and did whatever they wanted. Granted she was a guest, but even guests had respect for furniture. Be it theirs or not.

"What in the hell makes you think you can touch me? That makes twice now." He chortled, shaking his head only lightly. "Because I'm Sevanni Black." A tight lipped snicker in her direction.

Granted she had tried to kick at him, brushing across the fabric of the jeans and just wisping past. She was lucky he didn't turn around and slap her dead across her face. A nice red mark would prove why she should listen each time she crossed a mirror.

His patience was calm right now. Relaxed in place so he wouldn't take everything out on her all at once. When she stood he knew she was being obedient. Like the good pup she was.

His chin rose. Her scent heavier in the air as she drew closer to him. He stood straight up as she was a few steps away, watching her turn and face away from him. Tapping his tongue against the roof of his mouth and tisking away.

His arm rose for fingers to move over the tie. Releasing what was the mess of her ponytail. Letting her hair fall down so he could simply draw it back up and in both hands. Slipping the tie after raising her hair. Letting some fall from the loop and brush against the skin of her back.

It felt like everything could have been darkened and played out in slow motion. The brush of fingers against her shoulder and down the blade before he took hold of the scissors that lay on his desk. Clipping the straps that held the garment over her shoulders. Letting the back open up. Exposing the marks on her back that he had left embedded not only on her body, but her mind as well. What a kicker that was. Such a fun time.

He didn't speak. He didn't want to talk, but touch and let that thumb press lightly before giving slight pressure into the nape of her neck. Letting the nail press against her skin while his left arm moved so he could take a nice resting hold over the front of her neck. Keep his distance from her. Tilt her neck to the side so he could view the tenderness of the curve of her neck. The veins pulsating to mimic the beating of her heart.

"I'll always find you." He spoke soft and low. Deep undertones threatening to the surface. Letting the nail scrape lightly down her flesh. Reaching between blades before he spoke again and pressed slightly harder upon reach of the center of her back. "You can't escape me." Not that he thought she really and truly wanted to. Wasn't there enough protection from the pack? Her treasured friends that loved her so much? Anyone to give their life for hers? Maybe they didn't think she was that important.

She was.

The scraping lightened when he reached the small of her back, letting up and resting the palm of his hand on her waist before lips moved away from her tilted ear. It was sort of cliche' what was said. Like a bad vampire film he had seen before. Not those words exactly, but of course, it was something sinister with the way he said it. How he said it. Enticing and alluring. Like a siren's song.

"Why did you come here so willingly? Come to me? Surely there are those who can protect you? Give their life for you and your baby's?" Not a rhetorical question. This thing they had back and forth was growing ridiculous to no end. One way or another it had to come to an end. He only knew it wouldn't be so soon.

[*Phoenix McKenzie]

She scoffed at his answer, rolling her eyes as he walked away from her. That answer was just so... Sevanni! It infuriated her, and showed exactly how arrogant he was... Not that she wasn't already very much aware of that fact, but still... That answer just fitted him so well, she didn't know whether to be irritated or amused... Which was a first for her.

She huffed when he pulled her hair down and began redoing it. What did he care if her hair was a little messy? She was just going to take it back down anyway once he was done with his inspection. She closed her eyes as she felt his eyes boring into her back, searching. She was so tired, she just wanted to rest... It wasn't so much physical as it was mental. That last bit that she had spent with Sevanni had broken her both physically and mentally.

When she left, her back kept coming open, the scabs opening again and again, so it had taken a long time to heal... Her mind had taken longer. And she really wasn't sure that her mind had fully healed yet. Her life had been a roller coaster for nearly the two years, so much has happened since then... She was tired, and she wanted off the ride. The only thing that she wanted was for her life to level out, to stop dropping out from under her again and again, just when she thought she was getting some sort of balance.

Phoenix's eyes snapped open as she heard the sound of scissors closing. For one half second, she thought he had went and done something stupid like cut her hair... Pregnant or not, she would have turned around and broken his nose for something like that. She had once threatened to beat the shit out of Katra, who was not only her best friend but had become the pack Alphess, when Kat told her that she was going to cut her hair in retaliation to telling her she looked like a penguin. And she would have too, she would have waited for Kat to have her pups, and then Nix and Kat would have had it out. She sighed a breath of relief when she could still feel the weight of her hair. She then noticed what he had cut, and she growled slightly. He had cut the back of her wife beater so that it would fall down in the back, exposing more of her skin. She wrapped her arms over her chest, glaring at the bookshelf in front of her, since she couldn't glare at him.

Her breath caught in her throat as his left arm came to rest at her throat, forcing her to tilt her head slightly. Her pulse rate picked up as her fear spiked. She could feel his right hand moving over her back, tracing his nail against her skin, causing her to shiver. She could hear her own pulse pounding in her ears, so how could he not? She kept herself perfectly still as he applied more pressure from his nail as he reached the center of her back.

I'll always find you... You can't escape me... The words echoed in her head, and had they been said by anyone other than the vampire standing directly behind her, she would have laughed. It sounded like a line out of a bad movie... But amusement was far from the emotions she was feeling now. She knew Sevanni well enough to understand that he didn't enjoy having his plans ruined, and having something that he wanted taken away from him. She knew that if he set his mind to finding her, to bringing her back, that he would.

She was scared shit-less, and there was no way for her to get away, to put some space between them. He effectively had her trapped, one hand resting against the front of her throat, the other on her waist. She swallowed convulsively as he asked his questions.

Why? Why had she come back this time? It was obvious why she had placed herself into his clutches the previous two times... Her reasons had been very obvious to everyone, even if they didn't like her reasoning... She supposed that her reasons weren't quite so clear this time, but they were still obvious to her. And the truth is... This time had been harder to decide about than the last two had... Because before, at least, she knew where she would stand with Sevanni. Knew her role. She was caged, yes, but at least then she could visibly see the chains binding her... But she knew that, at least for now, this was a cage as well... Only this cage was gilded, and much prettier. It wasn't quite so noticeable now... And that made it even harder than it had been before.

He wanted to know why she had decided to come back after he wanted to make a deal? Fine, she would tell him... As best as she could explain, anyway. "I came because, for whatever reason, you want me here. And when you want something, you have a one track mind until you get it, no matter who you have to shove out of your way in the process. Yes, there are people who would protect me and my baby, but you would eventually figure out where I was, I don't give a damn if they hid me in Bum-Fuck Egypt. Eventually, you would find me. And until then, you would go after everyone I love and care about. Ali, Rose, the pack... I refuse to let anyone give up their lives for me. And the only thing that I cared about in this deal was that you wouldn't go after any of them, and that you would not touch my baby. Do what you like with me, I don't care, just leave everyone else out of it. They're all so willing to throw their lives away for me. Well, you may be a lot of things, but you do keep your word. You have at least that much going for you. I knew you wouldn't kill me, because you wouldn't go through this much trouble if that was the case. And you sure in the hell wouldn't be willing to bargain with me." She stopped for a minute, trying to calm her racing pulse that put her calm voice to shame... Too bad it wasn't working.

[HIDDEN EVIL]

"I came because, for whatever reason, you want me here. And when you want something, you have a one track mind until you get it, no matter who you have to shove out of your way in the process. Yes, there are people who would protect me and my baby, but you would eventually figure out where I was, I don't give a damn if they hid me in Bum-Fuck Egypt. Eventually, you would find me. And until then, you would go after everyone I love and care about. Ali, Rose, the pack... I refuse to let anyone give up their lives for me. And the only thing that I cared about in this deal was that you wouldn't go after any of them, and that you would not touch my baby. Do what you like with me, I don't care, just leave everyone else out of it. They're all so willing to throw their lives away for me. Well, you may be a lot of things, but you do keep your word. You have at least that much going for you. I knew you wouldn't kill me, because you wouldn't go through this much trouble if that was the case. And you sure in the hell wouldn't be willing to bargain with me."

The last sentence had struck a chord. For a while he had stood there and listen to her run her explanation down. There were moments when he would let the corner of his mouth rise with a smirk. Her words were true and it made the blood in his body rise higher and higher. The thrill of hunting her down. Following her trail and getting that much closer, would have been worth so much more. Like being proud of a masterpiece, and not wanting anyone else touch it.

Nixie had been touched. Not once but twice, only this time she managed to get knocked up. He didn't understand why humans wanted children so much. Sevanni hated mortal children with a passion because of his own. Damian. The blasphemous little brat who was just like his father, and so in tune with the opposition like his mother.

Sevanni could feel her heartbeat grow harder. Saw the vein pulsate more as the blue began to be more visible with each crashing thump. His ears echoed the tune of her rhythmic beating. Thump, thump, thump.

He turned her around rather rapidly by the shoulders after lifting hands from her form. Making her face him whilst letting his right hand cup just under her jaw line. His thumb left with fingers right. Lifting her gaze to his. "Wouldn't kill you?" He spoke with a bit of harsh warning. Dare she say what he believed her to say? Would Sevanni not kill Nixie? A raised brow with a lowered eyes tried aimlessly to burn through her. See what truth really lie behind those eyes.

"You think I wouldn't kill you rather than this?" He snagged his hand away and let it move to her left wrist. Locking his hand around it with slight pressure while it's counterpart moved to take the other and both had locked her arms behind her back. He moved against her so the hold could be tight, and right on time for her top to not completely fall.

"But the chase is so much fun." He crooned out breathily. Pushing her against him. "And I think you like it." His head was close to her's. The shortness of her had been more alluring than the others. The only reason why he hadn't touched Nix like this before was simply because she was a fucking mutt and that just didn't fly. But Sevanni had plans for her. If he had done it before, he could do it again, and this time he knew that what his creation would become, was far better than the other.

She was full of spunk and had a violent way about her when she get's angry. A trait she held that he liked. And no, it wasn't current. It was before Tarus. Before he found out that they were together he could have settled on the little run they did. But when Tarus popped into the picture, it was a no holds barred game. Take all, and leave nothing for the riff raff.

"Tell me no." Not so much as a command but a request. See if she would tell the truth or lie. "Tell me that you don't skip beats when you feel me coming closer for you. That you don't like the danger in this game we play." He could feel himself breathing. Unnatural in his case. A pulse almost. "That you honestly hated me for taking away your mates......." His left hand grasped both wrists, moving them around so she was back faced against the desk. Pushing her back so she could pause against it. His right hand moved over to her shoulder....slid it downward as he continued on.

"That you didn't want to hurt me because of it.......spend your time torturing me......." He had hit spots he shouldn't have hit with a single digit. Letting his hand rest on her waist as he pushed her back so her ass was pressed slightly on top of the desk. Letting her hands mesh to the desk as he held them down.

[*Phoenix McKenzie]

She gasped in surprise when he grabbed her by her shoulders and spun her around to face him. It was never more apparent in his height advantage over her until that moment, when she was eye-level with his chest. His left hand forced her to look up at him, his palm laying against her throat. Wouldn't kill you? His voice held a warning in it, daring her to repeat her words.

Her moss green eyes flashed up at him and she smiled at him, but it was more like baring her teeth than anything else. Her pulse was steadily picking up its pace, but she somehow managed to keep her voice steady. "No, you wouldn't. Not now at least. You agreed to not hurt my baby. I'm pregnant. That guarantees that I will be at least somewhat safe until after I go into labor and have it. So I call you on this one. I won't be dying anytime soon."

But the chase is so much fun. And I think you like it. He said, pulling her tighter against him, causing her pulse to completely stop for a second before jump starting again. Her moss green eyes flashed up at him, and she wanted to snarl her protest, but his words cut her off before she could say anything at all.

Tell me no. That you don't like the danger in this game we play. He spun them both around so that she was once again facing the bookshelves, with her back to the desk, though he was still in front of her. She was shaking, and a small gasp pushed past her lips as she found herself against the desk. She looked from the desk to Sevanni, her temper rising with her fear. She didn't like being afraid, and when she was... Her mouth tended to take over. His hand slid over her shoulder and down her side, resting on her waist as he continued to push her back so that she was slightly sitting on the desk.

"Yes. For whatever reason, yes, I enjoy this game of cat and mouse with you." She tried to move her arms but he had her hands pinned to the desk top, so she went still again, her green eyes flashing at him, though whether it was fear, defiance, or something else, she couldn't even tell. "I can't tell you how many nights I laid in bed and contemplated ways that I could torture you, make you scream. You've taken a lot more away from me than two lovers... Whether you realize it or not... You've always been a step ahead though, and it ends up being me the one strapped down and screaming, not you. And as far as skipping beats... You're a vampire, you tell me." She knew that she couldn't lie to him, about that especially. So why lie about any of the rest of it? In some strange way, she did enjoy their games... Enjoyed the excitement of the chase, the hiding. One step forward, one step back... The leader of the game always being shaken up and changed. Never the same, power constantly shifting... Though in the end, it always seemed to be in Sevanni's favor at the appropriate times.

[HIDDEN EVIL]

"Yes. For whatever reason, yes, I enjoy this game of cat and mouse with you." He looked on without a smile. No words to combat thus making him unable to respond. He felt the tug from under his hold but kept her steady there the way he wanted her.

Her eyes flashed and he wasn't sure what her current motivation was through those green eyes. He could usually tell with her most of the time, but he knew he wasn't making the situation much easy for her.

"I can't tell you how many nights I laid in bed and contemplated ways that I could torture you, make you scream." Pain. She wanted to cause Sevanni pain and he was rising with excitement to her words. Those damn waves coming in like crashing thunder. If she was trying to butter him up it was slightly working thus far.


"You've taken a lot more away from me than two lovers... Whether you realize it or not... You've always been a step ahead though, and it ends up being me the one strapped down and screaming, not you. And as far as skipping beats... You're a vampire, you tell me." His eyes lowered as his breathing began to return to normal. The thumping had settled to a nice calm.

Sometimes it was best to tell the truth. With Sevanni it was always wise. He had caught himself getting strung back in and that was not a good thing. He had pushed away lightly, hand leaving her wrists, his other hand leaving her waist and he slid to the side so he could round his way around his desk.

If there was ever a time to let things be, then this was it. Sevanni believed that Nixie wouldn't be able to handle what it was he wanted to do with her. And being pregnant didn't help his ideals much.

Tear into her flesh. Dig deep with nails or bite her. Give her some sort of sadistic rule. She was a big girl. She could handle it. But not that night. No. "You can go now."

For a split second he saw it flash in his head. The breaths taken by her neck to those words. The great intensity within him building and building. She was a werewolf.A fucking weremutt for christs sakes! What the hell was he to do with a dog?

Things had to change. The wait was going to be a bitch.

[*Phoenix McKenzie]

Sevanni didn't say anything for a long while, and that made her even more nervous. He didn't press any closer to her, though, and her heart slowly became more steady, slower. She knew that it wouldn't last if he were to move any closer to her. It was a show of exactly how much control she had over herself that she could force her body to respond the way that she wanted it to, so long as she could at least think.. Before she hadn't been able to think, and it had taken everything in her to keep from lashing out at him. But self preservation, or maternal instincts one, kept her from doing something so stupid.

He slid away from her, releasing his hold on her so that she could stand up, wrapping her arms around her chest again to hold her now useless shirt up. She would have to throw it away, but that didn't matter to her. It wasn't like the wife beater was expensive.

When he told her she could go, her first instinct was to take off like a bat out of hell, but pride wouldn't allow her to do that. So, instead, she casually walked over to the door, keeping her back to Sevanni and refusing to either look at him or examine what had just happened to very deeply... Not now anyway. She had time to think once she got up to her room. She forced herself to walk normally up the stairs to her room after shutting his door behind her.

As soon as she walked into her room she closed it and locked it behind her, reaching up to yank the hair tie out of her hair, letting her long blond hair fall down her shoulders, once more covering her back from view. She threw the now useless shirt into the trashcan and quickly stripped again, turning on the shower, intending to take a nice hot shower. She needed to think. Once she was satisfied, she stepped in, closing her eyes as she let the nearly scalding hot water run over her head and down her face.

What the hell was Sevanni doing? They had been playing this little game for damn near two years now... And the lines had been very clearly drawn... Or so she had thought, anyway. Sevanni had never once showed anything but disgust and contempt for her and the rest of her kind.... But especially her. Sure, he had not killed her like he had Patrick, but still... She had thought that was simply because he thought it would have been more amusing to watch her go through all this shit. Fun to play with her life like she was nothing more than a pawn in his games. And with her mouth, disrespect, defiance... He would have not hesitated to kill anyone else who had the balls to pull even half the shit that she did.

She grabbed the shampoo and began washing her hair, closing her eyes and breathing in the steamy air that fogged up the glass doors to the shower, trying to clear her mind. She was starting to get a headache, and that wasn't ever a good thing. She rinsed her hair and began lathering conditioner into her hair, letting it sit while she washed off.

She couldn't come up with an answer, and didn't really think that she wanted one right now. She didn't think that she could handle the answers to her questions, so she settled with thinking that exile just didn't suit Sevanni well as she turned off her water, wringing out her hair. She opened the door just far enough so that she could grab the towel and wrapped it around herself, padding out of the shower and back to her bags. She pulled out a hair dryer and went back into the bathroom, shivering from the temperature difference from the hot water she had just been under, to the colder air around her now.

As she blow dried her hair, her stomach grumbled, reminding her viciously that she hadn't eaten. So, she would get dressed after had her hair dry and go downstairs and see if Sevanni had remembered that mortals eat food, and had actually bought something decent... Preferably something that was microwavable or had directions... She couldn't cook for shit. Every time the pack had realized she was cooking, they would all find something that was more 'important' for her to do, and chuck her food into the garbage. When she had seen Caleb doing that, she told him he could at least take it into the woods and let the animals eat it... Caleb had looked at her and told her that would be considered animal cruelty and he didn't want to go to jail.

She snarled at that memory, running her fingers through her hair to make sure it was fully dry, brushed it quickly and left it down. She pulled out a black long sleeve shirt, the bottoms of the sleeves flaring out slightly in a lacy design and another pair of jeans. She had a bad habit with changing clothes several times a day, so this was nothing new. She also got a different pair of bra and boy-shorts and got dressed. She put on a pair of black and white stripped socks before walking downstairs toward the kitchen, her stomach rumbling quietly again, making her snarl.

[HIDDEN EVIL]

It didn't take long for her to leave his sights. He had hoped she wouldn't put up a fight. If she had then she would get the Sevanni she knew and hated. The purpose was to see where he could go and what he could do with Nixie. Apparently she had shown her own lack of thrill and heightened sense of confusion and fear. Maybe not so much fear as confusion, but at least he caught a gander.

He didn't watch her leave. He hadn't even took note of the lack of scent she left behind. Just; sat there thinking on what the hell he was going to do about this entire situation.

So here was the gist of it all. Sevanni had almost been with a mutt. The goal was to strip her bare and not just ravage her, but tear her fucking head clean off those shoulders. Eat her later and claim the head for his trophy room. No big deal. Everyone had eyes and ears. Some had been in the club that night, and he didn't give one goddamn.

That night had proven to be a wreck. She seemed like some clingy bitch that would have stalked him until he completely vanished. No big deal. He could have slit her throat and that would be all.

With Nix it was always that damn mouth. The tone she took. Thinking so forcefully that she could destroy him. For some time he had actually considered it, but giving her the pleasure to be rid of Sevanni Black, well that was a big no no.

When it came to his dwelling everything had a place. He was considerate of her needs. Stocked everything that he knew she liked. If so granted he would cook something. Poison not included. For now.

Everything was crisp and clean, untouched, and now it was filled with two different scents of each specie. All he needed now was a mortal to complete the circle.

A mortal did sound rather nice. He could go out and feed. Catch the meal of the day and return just before sunrise. Nix would have to conform to his habits so his eyes and ears could be receptive to her actions. Keep close watch.

When a woman cared for a man, as she had done her child's father, much like two teenagers forbidden to see each other, would sneak off just to see. Just to smell and feel them close by even without letting them know you were present.

In the drawing room he sat, taking eyes to his book. The one previously pulled from the shelf, picked up off the corner of the desk. He had sat back, indulging himself in the pick of the cliff notes embedded on the side. It was true that some of his little words broke off into books and passed to others that could decipher his words. Make their actions and what not. This time it had been his own note. A special note for him, with a spinning of pictures as if there were a small LCD in the pages.

There was a face with a body and another beside it. How his eyes flickered with hatred and disgust. It was apparent that mortals were not only his weakness, but anothers as well. Well kept secrets that would remain hidden. For now. Until he was ready to out the fucker. Sevanni would have his head displayed on a platter and served to himself so he and Hyde could share in a meal. Perhaps Nixie would like a bite seeing as how she cared so much for her friends.

But she would get no such thing from him whilst still in her state. A weremutt come home for her keeper. Technically Sev was not her keeper, but her host, and as long as she behaved accordingly, she had nothing to worry about.