Night and Day

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"Funny, seems to me like games are what you excel at." Ebony replied thinly. She too was aching, but Frost's magic was already corrupting her feelings. Love had been twisted into nothing more than animal desire.

"You wouldn't be a danger if you drank a little each day." Glenda replied. "Take care of yourself, and there is no danger."

The human held out his arms and smiled. "I have no problem with that." He agreed. "By all means, leave your pet while you find the witches."

"The reason why I had to put him down." Tobias agreed. "He overstepped his duties, tried to act like he was above me. Foolish little piggy."

"Agreed." Malik snapped his fingers, Alma appearing in the center of the room. 
The little demon didn't seem too overly happy about this. Never the less she bowed, turning to her master, "How can I serve?" It was clear she struggled with the words. 
Alma wasn't sure why she still fought it. There was truly nothing left to live for. Why should it matter what order she received? There was no such thing as freedom.

"Damn. Now look what you did." Julian snorted. "We needed that damn demon." He crossed his arms over his chest, seriously considering punching Tobias in the face. "You're too weak. Even for former hunters. You know what? Red and I can handle this. You stay here and do...whatever vampires do..."

"Make her promise no more killing." The man remarked as he watched the little demon. "A fair request, considering she slaughtered most of my men."

"You and that bitch have unresolved issues of your own, mutt." Tobias growled before disappearing without a trace.
Marie sat on the steps that lead to the front door, a weary sigh escaping her. "Great... Now how do you suppose we cover every inch of this gaudy house by ourselves, genius?"

"Make her promise that yourself. She will obey you as well while she is here beneath your roof." Malik said coldly. "Watch over, Kathrine. No matter what he orders of you...if he harms her, return the favor but do not kill him." He told Alma firmly.
The demoness nodded her head. "As you wish, master." She said softly, glancing toward the leader. 

"We don't. I just got a message from Malik. He told us to go home." Julian said with a wicked smirk.

"No need to remind you to be rather hasty in your search, should something unfortunate befall me while I wait." The man warned Malik before looking Alma over disdainfully.

"What? No! I am not just leaving Katie in there with those beasts!" Marie insides, on her feet and glaring up at Julian now.

Alma sighed as Malik disappeared. This was going to be a long stay. She didn't need to have someone tell her this. "Well? Are you going to allow me to feed my master's child?" She asked softly, now refusing to look at the leader.

Malik appeared before Marie, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Your daughter is safe. I can promise you that. For now we must return to Glenda and get her advice. Things are going sour fast, my darling."

"You don't find anything strange in the fact he didn't even speak to her?" The man asked, though he waved his hand at Alma, giving her the permission she asked for.

"What? what happened in there?" Marie breathed, her green eyes filled with fear for her golden haired child. She had no idea Ebony was now abandoned alone inside a house with a man who wanted her dead.

"The girl doesn't know him. What kind of conversation do you think that they would have?" Alma asked, appearing in the chamber and opening her wrist to Katie. The young woman did her best to refuse but in the end she had little choice in the matter. 

"We will talk about it when we get back to the school." Malik said softly. "Where are you parked at?" He turned her away from the house. He knew what he was doing. The leader would believe that Ebony had been the first delivery. It was almost too perfect. A part of him felt guilty, he simply had no other choice.

"If they don't know each other, why does he care?" The man asked as he watched Alma and Katie.

Marie glanced briefly to Julian, then allowed Malik to steer her away. "Is she okay? Did you see her at all?" She pleaded.

"She is his daughter, as you well know." Alma said softly. She stared hard at the wall, truly hating this moment. It was an insult to ask a demon to feed a vampire. Almost worse than bedding the one who forced them into servitude. Blessedly she'd never had to do the latter before. "It is not something he thinks she would be too thrilled to learn." She finished, needing to her something to drown out the sounds of Katie's hungry slurps. "Shame on you for starving the child." 

"They are being kind to her, shockingly enough." Malik lied. "She will remain safe for another few days. Longer still with Alma there to protect her." He said soothingly. "Everything will be fine. You'll see." 
"Wouldn't count on it." Julian said, wondering if he needed to call Frost into the matter. A simple rumor that she wasn't the most powerful witch on the block would send her running over.

"Me?" The other man scoffed. "She's been here a day, who was starving her before that, huh?" He added, folding his arms across his chest as he watched Alma. "Seems like your precious master couldn't look after his own offspring."

"But... Why is she still there? What do they want?" Marie seemed very much less the hunter and every inch the terrified mother when it came to her sweet Katherine.

"She has other family charged with the task. Perhaps he has realized that he needs to step in." Alma said, gritting her teeth. It added insult to all of this to have this man watching. "I'm sure he will from this point forward." She added, closing her eyes. 

"They want witches. Two particular witches that I am not so sure I can give them. I was hoping your mother might have some insight into it." Malik held the car door open for her and closed it. He didn't offer Julian the same courtesy or even a ride. He simply drove off without him.

"Other family? You mean her airhead mother?" The human snorted. "I doubt that bitch could find her own face in the mirror."

Marie didn't even look back for Julian. She was in some sort of shock, or so it would seem. "And... And what if he doesn't get these witches?" She managed to breathe.

Alma's eyes snapped open and she gave the man an odd look. He spoke as if he knew Marie. Or at least bitterly hated her. She appeared before him, done with the feeding. "What makes you say something like that?" She asked, her green eyes sweeping over him. 

"He's going to try and kill her. Mind you, Marie, I said he would try." Malik said gently. He didn't speak again until they were in Glenda's office. No one mentioned the still missing Ebony and he certainly didn't bring up the fact that he'd left her in the house.

"You think I don't know the oldest family in the guild?" The man sneered. "Or the flame haired princess who had everything handed to her, just to piss it all away for the very vampire she was supposed to be hunting?!"

Marie had been in a stunned silence since Malik had told her there was a plot to kill her precious Katie. She had been silently fighting through her emotions, wanting to scream and shout for him to take her back to that house. She would give that monster anything he wanted, just for him to leave Katie alone. Even though she didn't know Ebony was still in there, it had been in the back of her midn about sacrificing her since Malik had mentioned witches.

"Oh that's right. You're pissed off because you were a hunter. Let me guess, Marie screwed you over. Is that it? Ruined your day? At least you are still living. I know of one man who cannot say the same." Alma snapped, shaking her head. "And while we're at it, at least you are not a pet demon. You still have your free will. Stupid human." 

"I obviously cannot give him Frost. I do not know where to find her." Malik said to Glenda, not even remotely aware of the dark path Marie's thoughts were taking her down. "What about offering them Jack Saunders? We've been sitting on our thumbs with him. Perhaps it is time to cage the boy and feed him to the wolves. Seems to me it would solve many problems. Including this prophecy business."

"She never had to work for anything!" The man roared! "Poor little Marie! Silly little rich girl who never had to fight for a place on the council, she got one just because of who her mother was! No, not like stupid Bartlow... I trained every damn day, I had an impeccable record... But it was never good enough!"

Marie barely seemed to be listening, she was chewing her thumb nail, thinking over everything she heard about the prophecy... about Ebony. "No... not Jack." She finally murmured. "His power is borrowed, it isn't pure enough for a trade."

"Bartlow..." Alma burst out laughing before she could help herself. The sound was odd, even to her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done it. "What kind of name is Bartlow?!" She snorted with laughter, holding onto her sides. 

Malik turned to her, nodding but frowning at the same time. "That may be so but he is an anomaly. He possess some magic abilities or he wouldn't have been able to summon a demon. Unless...he got someone to do that for him?"

"What kind of a name is Alma?" Bartlow retorted rather childishly.

"I wouldn't put it past Jack... He was always looking at people for what their value to him was." Marie whispered. "Frost gained her power by stealing the hearts of other witches, what if Jack has been doing the same?"

"Mine is a nickname because humans can't pronounce my name." Alma said, wiping at her wtist. It was still bleeding. "What is your excuse?"

"Indeed." Malik tapped his chin in thought. "Then I think that is our best bet. I will capture Jack and force him to tell us."

"Mine was stolen from the first witch I killed." Bartlow replied with a shrug.

"NO!" Marie practically spat the word and rose to her feet. "You cannot go anywhere near that man! Losing Katie was enough!"
"It would seem we are getting nowhere." Glender finally interjected calmly. "How about you take Marie back to her home and have her get some rest. I can work on finding both Frost and Jack in the meantime."

Alma stopped laughing or even smiling. It wasn't at all funny. "I remember her." She said quietly. "She was a small dark skinned woman with the power of fire. She yelled at everyone for the smallest things... She...conjured me as a gift for...my first master." 

Malik barely heard Glenda. Marie admitting that it would bother her to lose him made his stomach jerk. It was an odd feeling that he was truly not used to. "Be careful, Glenda." He said after a long moment. He picked up Marie and disappeared with her, for once feeling as if he mattered to someone.

"And it seemed like you had forgotten, too wrapped up in mourning your own precious hunter." Bartlow sneered. "Don't act like you care about anyone, you would kill them all if you weren't bound to your master."

Marie didn't even realise she had said anything strange at all. Lives meant a great deal to her, no matter who's they were. But Malik... For some reason she felt like she was somehow tied to him tighter than her memory allowed her to recall.

"I was perfectly happy to sit in the darkness alone. You humans cannot leave things be!" Alma shouted. "I kill because I am ordered to. It is not my fault your kind are weak and powerless and need more than you have!" She shoved him and instantly wished she hadn't. The moment her hands touched his chest an electricity went through her that left her reeling. 

Malik laid Marie on the bed and stepped back, smoothing down his suit jacket. "I shall return your daughter to you. I swear it." He vowed.

Bartlow caught both of Alma's small wrists warily in one hand while the other grabbed her chin roughly. "I have no master, tell me again who the weak one is?" He sneered.

"Will you please tell me what happened?" Marie pleaded, reaching a hand out for Malik. "Something happened in there, I know it did!"

Alma went wild, becoming like a cat being placed near water. "Let go of me!" She howled. "Do not touch me! Filthy human!" 

Malik did not take her hand. He knew himself. If he did he would drop to his knees and confess to everything. "If have told you everything that I can. Rest now. You must go on like they have not affected you."

Bartlow wouldn't get the chance to growl anything at Alma.
"I believe you are looking for this?" Tobias was in the room with them, a bloodied and unconscious Ebony in his arms. "That was the deal you tried to make with Malik, wasn't it?"

Marie's fingers curled in on themselves, her green eyes growing dark. "Goodnight, vampire." She told Marik icily.

Alma fell to her knees as Barlow let go of her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and yet she was not surprised. Especially from this vampire. "You'd hand over your own mother if someone were offering enough." She hissed. "But it's not enough. This is not enough for Katie. You still lose."

"As you wish." Malik said, his tone filled with sadness. He disappeared, leaving her alone.

"Why do you think my mother isn't with us any more?" Tobias asked with a cruel sneer. "I give you this witch now, and you let Katie out of that tank. You can keep her here in the house, and I know there is magic that prevents me from disappearing with her. I will bring you the other witch when I find her."
Bartlow seemed somewhat stunned as he glanced from Tobias to the dark haired witch in his arms. He hadn't expected this at all. "She's still alive?" He glanced to Alma now, gesturing that she check the girl.

Marie was off her bed the moment Malik disappeared. She wasn't just going to lie there while Katie was in danger. She would find Frost, and she would cut out her heart if she had to.

Alma fought the urge to obey. It was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted Malik to kill her. She shook her head. Glad that she at least managed that.