Welcome To The Black Doves

Welcome To The Black Doves

Chapter 6

Deimeon felt the fangs and claws of the black beings score his flesh. He tried to fight them off as he fell. He roared in frustration and unleashed his true form. His wings shot out of his back. He ripped them from his body.

The shadow children fell away and caught themselves. They instantly transformed into large cat like creatures. Their yellow eyes glowed menacingly against their cold dark flesh. They hissed at him as they paced around revealing large ivory fangs.

Deimeon saw the shadows of darkness swirling off their flesh like black steam. They stalked through the night toward him. He looked over briefly and saw more black figures moving along the buses as they drove further away from him. He growled, his fangs elongating.

“I'm gonna send you back where you came from, you lesser beings.”

The shadow beings said.

As they spoke, it was more like an icy whisper echoing in his head. Shadow Children were incapable of speech. They could only use telepathy, but even that was only accessible to older, more stronger Shadow Children.

In an instant the two shadows attacked. A flurry of fangs and claws. Deimeon defended well against the attack. Two Shadow Children were close to no problem for him, but he knew their real goal was the band members in the bus. He had to finish this quickly and get back to the buses to protect his family.

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Kitty's heart stopped in her chest. No! She screamed in her head. She had watched Deimeon fall out of the bus and disappearing in the darkness. She had no clue what had exactly attacked him, but she was scared and there was nothing she could do.

Suddenly more of the weird shadow creatures appeared in the night around the bus. She fumbled with the window and slammed it closed. She moved to the window where Deimeon had been. She tried to get it up, but it was jammed.

“Shit!” She cursed as one of those creatures made a dive for the opening. “Not...” Jerk. “On...” Tug. “Your...” Jerk. “LIFE!” Kitty screamed and the window gave way, slamming into place.

The creature crashed into the glass and then gave a wail of fury. Kitty scrambled back as she took deep calming breaths. She saw more of the shadow creatures surrounding the bus. She was trembling and couldn't seem to get a hold of herself. She wished Deimeon was here.

“Keep driving!” She snapped at John, their bus driver. “Haven!” Kitty yelled out in an eerily calm voice which slightly cracked toward the end. “Will you come here please.”

“No!” Haven barked. “I ain't gonna listen to anymore of your garbage!” His words muffled from in his room.

Suddenly Wes burst from his room and fell backward. He was wrestling with a black humanoid creature. The only distinctions it had against it's black smoky flesh was two yellow glowing eyes and a full set of razor sharp teeth.

Wes grabbed it by the neck and dug his thumbs into where he guessed the windpipe would be. The creature struggled in his grasp, scratching his arms with small talons on it's fingers. It left black marks against his skin that sizzled with black steam. He bit back the pain and continued holding the creature in place.

Out of nowhere, the creature seemed to slip through his fingers and melt into the floor right out of his grasp. The creature moved along the floor as a formless shadow. It was moving quickly, eating up the distance between itself and Kitty.

Kitty watched in horror as the thing moved toward her. She looked around frantically for some form of a weapon. She grabbed the closest thing to her which happened to be a cast iron skillet out of the sink.

The creature formed out of the floor and launched toward her. With all her strength, she swung the heavy pan and nailed the creature on the side of it's black head before it landed on her.

There was a loud crack on impact then the creature slammed against the wall. While it was stunned, Kitty rushed toward Wes. She fell to her knees next to him, looking him over, worried that he was seriously hurt.

“Are you okay?” She asked, breathless.

Wes looked at his arm. The black claw marks still appeared to be seeping into black smoke from his skin. It still hurt like hell, but Wes was used to pain so he was good at blocking it out.

“I'm fine.” His voice surprisingly level for how much pain he was in. “That thing is still alive.” He looked at Kitty. “It's not gonna die easily.” He looked over at the creature recovering from the hit. “You're taking this rather well,” He stated. “Wait... you know, don't you? About Deimeon?”

“Yeah as of like maybe four fucking hours ago. So how do we kill it?” Kitty demanded, turning to face it planning of protecting Wes until he was back on his feet.

Wes rose to his feet slowly feeling stiff as a fucking board. He glared a silent challenge at the creature who hissed at them. The shadow was almost fully recovered and ready for round two.

“I don't know, but I have a feeling these are from his world. I just wrestled with that thing for ten minutes and threw everything I had at it.”

The creature disappeared into the floor moving toward them once more in the form of a black shapeless puddle. Wes watched it dart across the floor. It seemed to avoid the small lights that illuminated from the window. Getting a crazy idea, Wes stepped in front of Kitty just as the creature leaped at them. Wes flicked on the hallway light.

The creature dropped like a rock. It's inhuman screeching was just barely louder than the loud popping and sizzling from it's skin as it slithered backward away from the light and disappeared into the dark part of the bus.

“Yes! Nice Wes.” Kitty shouted, victoriously.

Without thinking, she hugged him quickly as she squealed in delight. She sobered and hoped Deimeon was okay. There was a scratching sound on the windows making her shiver. It wasn't the time to grow cocky. There was still a bunch of them waiting outside.

Wes stood there for a minute absolutely stunned that she had shown him any kind of affection. He thought maybe for a second he enjoyed it, but quickly buried that feeling away and became irritated.

“Hug me again and I'm gonna slice your pretty face.” He threatened. Though he still couldn't stop his body from reacting as he looked her over. “So these things don't like light.” He continued. He looked at the driver and cursed under his breath. That monster would no doubt go after the oblivious man in the shadows. “Get a flashlight.” He whispered to Kitty. “I'm gonna distract that thing.” He walked into the darker part of the bus and watched the darkness carefully. “We gotta watch John's back. The bus crashes and we're all fucked.”

Kitty nodded and ran to the very back of the bus. She lifted the seat up that had a stow away compartment. There were several flashlights. She grabbed as many as she could carry.

“Wes.” She hollered and tossed one his direction when he looked at her. She then proceeded to pound on Haven's door. “Get your lazy ass up! We have a crisis.” Kitty called.

“The only crisis I have is that I'm trying to whack off and I keep getting interrupted!” Haven yelled from behind his door.

“Well put it away or I'm going to open your fucking door and let one of these damn shadow creatures in there to finish you off for good.” Kitty snapped.

Haven was at the door and swung it open halfway. It was obvious his attempt to deter disturbances wasn't working. He could have sworn it would have worked with Kitty too. She was not his biggest fan next to Lyndon.

“What the fuck are you talkin' about woman?”

“Why don't you come out here and see for yourself.” Kitty told him nonchalantly, turning and walking away from him.

Haven grumbled, wearing nothing but a tank top and stripped boxer shorts, he came out of his room. He caught sight of a shadowy figure dart behind Wes. His eyes grew wide.

“What the fuck?”

He corralled Kitty behind him with his left arm while he pulled out a .9 mm with a silencer barrel with his right hand. He walked into the other room as Wes shot him with an urgent glare. Haven planted his foot against the couch and kicked it over just as the shadow moved across the floor where the couch had been.

Haven unloaded on the creature with a full clip with deadly precision. The shape warped and screeched as it took fire. Haven walked past Wes, nailing the creature with shot after shot. It squirmed across the floor, desperately trying to escape.

Wes shined the light on the blob as it returned to it's human like form and shuffled back into the corner squealing in a morbid distorted cry. Haven continued shooting the creature as Wes slowly approached from behind Haven. With one final screech, the creature flopped against the floor sizzling. It twitched once before it slowly evaporated to nothing.

Haven loaded his gun casually and put it away in it's holster. He pulled out a cigarette from his pack and lit up. His face was calm and collected like it always was, as if nothing had transpired. He turned to Kitty and Wes noticing several more black creatures crawling past the windows.

“We got a problem.” He said with cigarette in mouth.

“You think?” Kitty answered sarcastically.

“Where's D?”

Kitty raised an eyebrow then gave a heavy sigh. She glanced at Wes and then down the hall at the remaining doors that were still closed. She hoped everyone else was okay. She was glad Lily hadn't came out during all the commotion.

“He's outside fighting those things.” She answered.

Suddenly the sound of an angry phone going off in one of the rooms. Kitty turned her attention to it. The ringing sounded like it was coming from Haven's room. She glanced at him.

“I think it's yours.” She told Haven as a feeling of dread washed over her.

Haven walked quickly to his room and dug his phone from his trench coat pocket. He pressed the green button as he ashed his cigarette in the ashtray. He put the small brick like phone to his ear.

“Hello?” He said reluctantly.

“Tell me,” A soft hard voice stated on the other end. “Have you looked outside lately?”

“Uh... Why...?”

There was a long pause on the phone. Cherish took deep breaths trying to keep fear and irritation under control. A black thing scurried past her window and she gritted her teeth.

“Don't fuck with me Haven!” Cherish snapped. Her hands were trembling as she gripped her droid phone to her ear. Drake and Flare were still sleeping soundly, thank god for small miracles. “What the fuck is going on? What the fuck do I need to do to keep my kids safe?” She cringed at the shakiness of her voice.

Just nerves. I'm not scared. She told herself, trying to get a grip.

“Cherish, listen to me.” Haven said seriousness in place. “Turn on all the lights in the bus, okay? Can you do that? I mean all of them. But take a flashlight with you just in case. They don't like the light.” Haven's heart was pounding as he was suddenly very concerned for Cherish's well being. “I'm gonna stay on the phone with you okay? If anything happens, I'm going to stop this bus and get the fuck over there as fast as I fucking can. But for now, you need to turn on those lights.”

Cherish flipped the switch on in her room and the things squealed as they flew away from her window. Her eyes widened in surprise. They weren't in her imagination. They were real.

“You keep that fucking bus moving Haven. No matter what.” She ordered as she exited her room and started flipping light switches. “Lily's on that bus and I want her kept safe. I promised her parents. Got it?” That last light turned on. She glanced outside. “What the fuck is that?” She gasped, staring at the winged figure.

“I don't know.” Haven answered, following his own advice and turning on all the lights. He looked out the window at Cherish's bus and saw a whole mess of those black creatures on top of the bus. He cursed into the receiver just as a larger black figure attacked the others. The creatures scattered as Deimeon flew along the side of Cherish's bus grabbing two creatures and throwing them under the bus tires. “Yeah! You go D!” He yelled, forgetting her was on the phone.

Deimeon dodged as a creature dived at him and then ascended into the air. Haven watched as Deimeon battled a swarm of black bat winged monsters in midair. It wasn't long before Deimeon was completely over run by the shadows. Haven cursed again.

“Come on D.”

“Oh my god, that is Deimeon.” Cherish said in morbid fascination. “What the fuck is going on here?” Cherish bit out through clenched teeth.

“I'll explain later.” Haven answered walking past Wes and Kitty again to go back into his room. “Just stay calm and know that he is on our side.”

He dug through his large bag full of weapons and ammo. He finally found what he was looking for. The flare gun. He shrugged into his coat and pulled his pants on. He turned and headed back out of his room.

He moved to the utility closet and opened the door. He grabbed the stool and kicked the door shut. He set it under one of the sky lights and climbed on to it. He pushed the window open. A creature hissed at him as he climbed onto the roof of the bus. He flicked his lit cigarette butt at the shadow as it screeched and recoiled.

“Cherish, I'm gonna have to call you back.” He told the bitching woman on the other end and threw his phone back into the bus. He focused his attention on the large blob of darkness in the sky and took aim. “Hang on D.”

“That stupid mother-” Cherish froze as she watched Haven pop out through the roof of the other bus. “What are you doing, you crazy fuck.” Her hear sped at the sight of him. Please be careful. She thought to herself. “You stupid, crazy, and kind of sexy man.” She answered with a small smile.

The creatures all recoiled as the flare lit the sky. Deimeon broke free of the black prison and flew away from the swarm. Haven could tell his best friend was flying clumsily through the air like he was drunk. He had to be hurt really bad.

The creatures scattered aimlessly in the bright light, trying to escape it. When it faded they seemed to slowly collect themselves and they gathered into a group once more. They made a dive to the ground and went straight for Haven.

“Shit!” Haven cursed as he tried to scramble back into the bus.

The creatures reached him before he could retreat. Haven was struck hard by a shadowy claw and knocked toward the edge of the bus. He knew there had to be a large wound at his side, because it throbbed in pain.

Kitty appeared in the hole with a huge flashlight in her hand. She shined the beam of light on Haven as Wes kept her lit with light. She watched the swarm scattered and she had to swallow hard. There was a lot of those creatures.

“Haven! Haven are you okay?” Kitty hollered over the wind.

“Holy shit woman, you got some fucking awesome timing.” Haven called to her, holding his side as he pulled himself back onto the roof of the bus.

Haven jumped as a large figure landed with a wet thud on top of the bus. He felt splatters of blood hit his face as he looked up at Deimeon. The lead singer was torn to shreds. He had that look of pure malice in his eyes. They glowed a pale green in the night as he spread his wings and let out a fearsome roar at his adversaries.

“Oh shit! Get me in. Now!” Haven yelled frantically.

“Wes!” Kitty hollered down to her band mate. “Back window. Get Haven in. Something's wrong with Deimeon.” Wes ran to the window and opened it, reaching for Haven.

“You old geezer, you better get over here!” Snapped Wes.

Haven slid his body across the bus as fast as he could. He looked over in time to see Deimeon rip apart a creature into two pieces like it was bread. The creature faded into the darkness.

Suddenly the swarm of shadows retreated all at once in a black flurry. Deimeon was raised on his toes. His nails were extended to claws and a large claw stuck out of his heel. He roared in triumph as the sun peeked out over the horizon. He was covered in deep wounds. His skin coated in several shades of crimson.

He turned a hungry eye on Haven, growling deep in his throat. He licked his lips, the predator approached Haven with bloody footsteps. Haven's heart jumped in his throat as he realized Deimeon was starving. He was so injured so his conscious mind had been over taken by the flesh eating beast.

“D, it's me!” Haven shouted frantically. He drug himself further toward Wes. “D! Stop! D! It's me Haven! D! Stop it right now!” Haven reached for his gun as Deimeon dove toward his newest victim.

“Deimeon!” Kitty screamed at the top of her lungs. She dropped the flashlight in the bus and pulled her body up so she was sitting on the roof. “Deimeon over here.” She was almost frantic to get his attention.

Deimeon whipped his head around and focused on the her. He snarled as he turned toward her. His attention now on her and ready to take her down. She swallowed hard as his gaze pierced into her. She was starting to regret her decision to get his attention, but she had to protect Haven.

“Ah, shit woman!” Haven yelled. “Get back in the fucking bus. He's on a rampage! We all look like a four course meal to him right now!”

“Wes! Get Haven in now!” She shouted as she watched Deimeon come at her. She then lowered her voice into a soft purr. “Deimeon, it's me. Kitty.” She felt a shiver go through her body when he didn't slow. “You did a really good job in protecting us, especially me.” She prayed that he really did love her like he had said or she was going to die tonight. “Deimeon, you can relax now. They're all gone and it's just us now.” Her voice stayed soothing.

Deimeon stopped just short of Kitty and hesitated. He growled deep in his throat and took a step back. The claws in his heels receded and he fell to his knees. He was struggling with the beast for consciousness. He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not Kitty. It gave him the will power to gain control.

“K...Kitty...” His voice cracked as the beast slowly receded and Deimeon came back to reality. He gasped for breath as he suddenly became painfully aware of all his vicious wounds.

She scurried forward and latched onto him. She held him to her, fighting down her tears of relief. She glanced at the skylight. She needed to get them both in the bus and Deimeon some medical attention.

“Can you move? We need to get you inside.” Kitty explained softly.

“Y...Yeah.” He responded distantly. He followed Kitty back into the bus, collapsing on the floor as soon as his feet touched it. “Shit,” He groaned. “Fucking Nemendus.” He muttered.

He stood up fully and looked at the others. He spotted Wes standing over Haven, who had a large gaping wound in his side. He looked pale. Deimeon cringed inside, feeling guilty. He hated when his band got hurt because of him.

“Haven?” Deimeon started. “Shit, I didn't do that to you, did I?”

“No, you idiot!” Haven retorted. “I wouldn't be like this if you weren't such a stupid fucker. What the hell were you thinking going after those monsters by yourself!?!”

“I...I was... Just...”

“Yeah, you were just what, hero?” Haven groaned as he forced himself to his feet. “Don't ever do that again. Got it? Now get your girlfriend to help you to the shower. And speaking of your girlfriend, when were you planning on telling me you told her?”

“Haven relax. He told me like four hours ago. We haven't had time to tell you. It was stressful night.” Kitty defended Deimeon, trying to soothe over Haven's anger.

“Yeah, okay.” Haven waved his hand. “Forget it, now's not the time. Just get him to the shower, so he can clean up. I gotta stitch this fucking thing.”

“Can I watch?' Wes asked smiling.

“No.”

Haven's phone exploded to life on the floor. The ringing screaming through out the bus. Kitty cringed and wrapped Deimeon's arm around her shoulders to lead him to the bathroom. It was obvious that he was in no shape to get himself there.

“Come on big boy. Let's get you cleaned up.” Kitty whispered softly. “That's probably Cherish and I'm sure it's not going to be pretty.”

“Good call.” Deimeon answered. “Thanks Kitty. Although you really shouldn't have done that. I could have really got hurt and then I never would have forgiven myself.”

“You would never hurt me, human or beast form.” Kitty stated, looking directly into his endless emerald eyes.

“I don't know about that.” He laughed nervously. “So... your not... scared of me? Knowing what I am. What I eat?” The mention of food made his stomach ache.

“No... Yes... God, I don't know what I feel. All I know is you're Deimeon to me no matter what. Get in the shower. I'll thaw some steaks out for you.” She gave him a gentle push toward the bathroom. “I'll be in there to help you after I'm done.”

“I'll be fine.” He assured her. “I can take it from here. Thanks babe.”

Haven tried his best to ignore the phone, but Cherish wasn't about to give up and he knew it. Giving up wasn't in her nature. He watched Kitty leave Deimeon in the bathroom and reluctantly picked up the phone.

“Haven? Haven is that you, you S.O.B?” Cherish growled.

“Uh... no. Actually, this is your future self telling you that you get a sex change and it doesn't work out that great. Yes, it's me, what do you want?”

“Don't get that tone with me.” Cherish hissed. “I just watched you try to be a hero and then get swarmed by those monsters. I was freaking out here. I'm still fucking freaking out.” She hollered. “Pull the bus over now. I want to make sure you're okay.” She ordered. “And before you say no... I have my can license and can take care of anyone who is hurt.”

“Uh...” Haven looked at the deep wound on his side. “Everyone's fine Cherish. Besides, we can't afford to stop. Time is money.”

“God damn it Haven!” Cherish screamed. “It's only so I can get on the damn bus! You owe me an explanation anyway, you bastard!”

“Fine!” Haven hollered into the phone and hung up on the bitch. “John! Pull over so Cherish can get her happy ass on. She's being a neurotic woman and won't take no for an answer.”

As John pulled the bus to the side of the road, Haven limped to his room, leaving Wes in the lounging area by himself. Wes hissed in pain as the scratch marks from the creature burned suddenly. Pain usually felt good to him, but this burning from the black wounds made him uncomfortable.

Wes focused his attention else where, trying to ignore the sensation. He watched Kitty in the kitchen briefly. She had been really together through the whole crisis and he had to hand it to her. Most girls would freak out. Lyndon would have. Wes got up and moved to his room, disappearing.

Cherish grabbed her medical bag from the top compartment and then got off the bus. She stormed over to the other bus and got on when the doors opened for her. Kitty greeted her with a smile.

“Haven's going to need stitches and Wes just needs some minor bandaging.” Kitty stated.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.”

“Okay.” Cherish moved to Haven's door and knock lightly as the bus started moving once more.

Haven refused to respond. He didn't want Cherish to see him all beat to shit. Besides, he'd stitched up some of his own wounds before. None this big, but how hard could it be. He felt dizzy. He realized he couldn't really concentrate enough to stitch a straight line.

“Aw, hell.” He took the shirt he removed and pressed it against the wound. He's fix it when he got up. Wait... did he lock the door? He wasn't quit sure, but he wasn't going to get up and check. He was in way too much pain for that.

Cherish counted to five. He didn't answer making her patience snap. She threw the door open and glared at Haven. She slowly took in his condition. Her hard ice blue eyes softened slightly. He was really injured. She couldn't be mad at someone who was in such a condition.

“You really did get hurt.” She whispered.

Haven opened one eye, looking up at her. “Yeah, I did. So what?” His words were slurred like he was piss ass drunk. “Wasn't gonna let D get eaten by those... things.”

Cherish walked forward and set her bag on the bed. She tugged his shirt away from him. She sucked in a harsh breath as she took in the damage. She couldn't believe Haven wasn't going to do anything about this. A wound like his, he could die from massive blood loss.

“Jesus Haven. Let me help you please?”

“Don't have a choice anyway, do I?” He laughed lightly, then paused. “Are... Are all the kids on your end okay?”

“Yeah, they are all safe.” Cherish reassured him as she pulled out a clear bottle and a needle.

She stuck the needle into the top of it and tipped the bottle upside down. She carefully filled the syringe a quarter of the way. She righted the bottle and pulled the needle out. Haven watched her with wide eyes.

“Aw fuck that!” Haven said weakly. “I hate needles.”

He tried to sit up in the bed, but it proved useless. Dizziness hit him full force and he collapsed back down in the bed, moaning loudly. Fresh blood seeped from the wound and Cherish gave him a look as she threw his shirt back on the injury to apply pressure.

“Stop fucking moving!” She snapped. “You're making more more work for me. You'll like the stuff in this needle. Anyway, I have to use a needle to stitch your pansy ass. It doesn't happen magically.”

“Pansy!?! I ain't no fucking pansy! I was just about to stitch myself up before you came in.”

Cherish chuckled and slipped the needle into his vein while he was distracted yelling at her. She quickly emptied the contents into his system. She glanced up at Haven's face, watching for his reaction.

“See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?” She asked in a voice that she used for her younger sister when she was five years old.

“Ya fucking stuck me without consent!?!” Haven retorted angrily. “I outta strip you of your license and sue you... for... all...” Euphoric numbness went through his whole body as the morphine kicked in. He suddenly felt like he was on cloud nine. The floating feeling going straight to his head. “Ah... shit.” He completely relaxed, wearing a small smile on his lips.

“That's better.” Cherish answered with a soft smile of her own.

She pulled out her other tools after taking the shirt away from the wound. The bleeding had slowed under the pressure she had applied. Gently, she started to sanitize the wound and her needle. She carefully threaded it and focused on closing the nasty wound on his side.

“How you doing?” She inquired, filling the awkward silence.

She glanced up at Haven's chest and was slightly surprised at the fact that he had a nice body. He wasn't overly muscular, but he was lean and tone. Just how she liked her men. She mentally slapped herself and refocused on the task at hand. She tried not to picture what he would look like completely naked.

“Oh god. I feel awesome.” He answered, drawing her out of her unwanted thoughts. “Ya know, I don't say this to many girls, but you are really really cute, ya know that? No. Wait, you're fucking gorgeous.”

Cherish paused in her stitching and glanced up at Haven. Her heart rate faltered then sped up at the compliment. Not many guys had the balls to approach her because she was so outspoken. She shrugged it off with a snort.

“Haven, you're high.” She retorted, continuing with what she was doing.

“No, no. I mean it.” Haven defended. “I can't possibly compare to you Cherish, but god do I want too. I wanted to impress you, but I'm just an old street rat with nothin' to give but a broken heart.”

Cherish could swear that her cheeks were heating up at his words. She was starting to debate if giving him morphine was such a good idea. She considered carefully how she wanted to answer his compliment.

“Haven, I'm sure you have a lot to offer. Hell, you're attractive yourself I've even considered you in my bed.” She mumbled, going for honesty.

I hope he doesn't remember this when he sobers. Cherish thought. Almost done.

“Really? Yeah, me too. Pictured you in my bed I mean. Wow, this feels good.” He slurred dreamily. “I like you being near me.”

God, save me from doped up, idiots. Cherish comment to herself, but her body responded to the words.

She wanted to kiss him. She glanced at his face. After she cleaned off the blood. She finished and cleaned the wound once again. She then grabbed the gauze, slowly and carefully she begun to bandage his side.

“There. All better. I have some pain killers here for you. I'll leave them on the table.” She placed the small bottle on the beside table. “Would you like me to clean the blood off your face?”

“There's a bug on my face?”

“No Haven...” Cherish sighed. “Blood. Would you like me to clean it off for you?”

“Oh... uh sure... whatever. It's not mine any way. The blood belongs to D.”

Cherish reached for an alcohol pad and softly cleaned his face off. She tried not to focus on his lips. She knew that would not be a smart idea. She really didn't to want to get caught up with a man like him. Right? She didn't even know her own feelings anymore.

“I have to check on Wes when I'm done here.” She cursed at her unsteady voice, but being close to him was really doing a number on her nervous system.

“ 'Kay.” He mumbled. “I'm gonna... take a little nap if you don't mind?”

“Go for it... Haven.” She whispered before she gathered her stuff and left.

She almost ran smack into Kitty as the young girl walked down the hall. She moved back against Haven's door as she apologized to the keyboardist. Kitty just smiled good naturedly.

“How is he?”

“Fine and resting.” Cherish reassured her.

“Good.”

Kitty made her way to the bathroom and pushed the door open. She slipped inside, shutting herself in with Deimeon. The room was filled with steam and it felt like a sauna. She leaned back against the wall and tried to keep her attention on the floor.

“How you doing Deimeon? You've been in there for a while.” Kitty inquired.

“I was just about to get out.” He turned the water off. “How is Haven?”

“Cherish stitched him up and he's resting now. Your steaks are ready in the microwave.” Kitty informed him.

Deimeon reached out and grabbed his towel off the rack. He dried himself off before putting on his black silk robe. He opened the door all the way and stepped out. He went over to the mirror and then remembered it wasn't there anymore. He looked at his wounds. They were already closed up, but still very visible. By mid afternoon tomorrow they would be gone.

“Almost good as new. Thank you Kitty. It really means a lot to me. Everything you've done. You really are amazing.”

“We're family and that's what family does. Looks out for one another, right?” She replied with a slight blush.

He walked over to her and smiled. He softly cupped her face with his hands, leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. Her scent invaded his senses and he knew he would never tire of being this close to her.

“Yeah, that's true. Thanks for being there for me.”

Kitty couldn't stop the small moan from escaping, but Deimeon's kiss felt so good, so comforting. She really needed this, needed him. Especially after the night they had all just experienced.

“Go eat. I'm going to try to get a couple hours of sleep.” She opened the door and stepped out into the hall.

Deimeon followed her, but stopped when he caught sight of Cherish. She was attempting to gain access to Wes' room. Deimeon leaned back against the hall wall, nonchalantly.

“Don't be surprised if he doesn't let you in without a fight.” He told her. “Somehow I think you can handle it, but in case he lashes out, give me a call. I'll be in the kitchen.” Cherish sighed heavily.

“How hurt was he Kitty?”

“I didn't see any marks. I just thought it would be safe to look him over.” She went to her room and quietly closed the door.

Cherish followed Deimeon to the kitchen. She sat down at the table, watching him closely. He looked completely human now except for the ears. She knew she wasn't crazy. She knew what she saw. It had been branded into her mind.

He paid little attention to Cherish as he pulled the two raw steaks from the microwave. He then turned and looked at the short woman. His emerald eyes locked with her ice blue ones. He glanced awkwardly at his meal.

“Uh, I thought you were checking on Wes.” He put the steaks aside as his stomach roared in protest.

“Don't let me stop you from eating. I've already seen your true form so I'm sure you eating a few raw steaks won't freak me out anymore then I already am.” She stated firmly.

Deimeon shifted awkwardly as he looked from Cherish back to his steaks. He got a fork and knife out of the drawer. He carefully started cutting them up and eating the small bites, even though all he wanted to do was shove them in his face.

“So, I take it you have something to ask?” He said between bites.

“Yeah. I want to know what the fuck I just dragged my band into? I want to know if it's worth all this chaos?” She was so matter of fact about it. No bullshitting.

“I don't know. Look, those things... are creatures from another world. By the natural order of things, they aren't supposed to be here. But, there's been a portal or something that opened and now the darkness is running loose, here, on earth. I'll do my best to protect everyone, but the safest thing you can do is keep lights on at night and buy UV lights. They are the strongest defense you can have against them.”

“Okay. I can handle that, but what I was more referring too was you. I want reassurance on you. I saw you almost take Haven's head off.” Deimeon cringed.

“Yeah, I lose control if I get critically injured. My consciousness fades and I...” He hesitated as he looked at his steaks in sudden disgust. “I... I'm a monster.”

“I don't believe that.” Cherish answered, calmly. “But I do believe that you're different. I just want to know what I can use on you to bring you down if you do attack my group.”

“The best thing, I would say, is a Magnum model of any type. Unload a few shots from those and my body will shut down in order to heal. But when I wake, I'm gonna need food. Raw steak. It replenishes my strength and sates the beast for a time.” He smiled sadly. “Yeah, Magnum is your best bet. Don't think you'll have access to any missiles or tanks. Course those may be too slow. I wouldn't know. Never dealt with them. Thankfully. But, yeah, Magnum. Fast, powerful, bone shattering and hand held for your convenience.”

Cherish watched him carefully, just studying him. She could tell that Deimeon wasn't proud of what he was. She felt bad for him. He was suffering from something he could do nothing about. This was what he was. That wasn't going to change.

“Haven had some blood on him. Do you need me to patch you up?” She asked casually.

“No.” He put his now empty plate in the sink. “I'm alright. I heal quickly. The bus might need a bath though. Good thing it's black.”

“Okay. Well I'll take your word for it. Mind if I take the couch in the back to crash on?” She inquired.

“You can have my bed.” He offered. “I promised Kitty I'd stay with her.”

Cherish headed toward his room. She stopped just outside his door and turned to face him. He was looking down at the floor and she could just imagine all the belittling things he was probably feeding his self esteem.

“Thank you for protecting us Deimeon.” She told him with a sincere smile, then disappeared into his room.

Deimeon smiled to himself. He pushed himself off the counter and headed for Kitty's room. She was sound asleep in her bed, breathing softly. He sat on the side opposite of hers. He reached out and gently ran his fingers through her thick brown hair.

He leaned down and planted a kiss on her head. He crawled under the covers and snuggled closely against her body. He breathed deeply, inhaling her vanilla scent that he loved so much. He draped his arm across her small waist and sighed in bliss. He had wanted to do this with her since the day he met her.

“I love you.” He whispered without even thinking.