TITLE    : Demonic Submission Ch. 36
STORYID  : demonic-submission-ch-36
SUMMARY  : She tries to find her moral compass, only to find him.
AUTHOR   : TheLastChaosLord@lit
DATE     : 2013-12-23
CATEGORY : non-human-stories
FLAGS    : h
TAGS     : |redhead|incubus|demon|gangbang|monsters|


<em>Hello again all,</em>



<em>Here's the next chapter, where we see Celestine almost forcing herself to try and feel something in response to the actions she's taken against Ella and others over her stay with Tristan.</em>



<em>I'd like to thank everyone who posted on last chapter. Obviously it'll be hard to top it, and I hope folks don't get upset when Celestine at least attempts to reflect in this one.</em>



<em>I hope you all enjoy and thank you for reading.</em>



~~~~~



Celestine awoke slowly, greeted by a pleasant ache that filled her senses. And as her awareness returned, she began to recall the events that transpired prior to her passing out, and let out a pleased sigh, and didn't resist the urge to snuggle into her covers a little further. As her faculties came back she remembered more and more, and she found herself shivering in delight at the events that unfolded. Yes, she was sore, but then she had expected that. Tristan had fucked her pretty hard, and she had fucked him right back after all, so it wasn't surprising at all that she was a bit tender, even laying in bed. Still, she found herself not regretting the discomfort, and instead accepted it as a sign that she had just experienced some of the best sex of her life. She hadn't planned on losing her game of course, and if asked, she'd say that Tristan's reasoning for her cheating was bullshit, but that didn't stop her from really enjoying it. Especially when he came inside he-



Celestine's awareness suddenly recalled a very important point, which promptly triggered more then a little panic in her. "Oh fuck." She whispered to herself, suddenly horrified at what she had done. Snapping up out of bed, Celestine hissed as the ache suddenly flared into sharp pain for a moment, before dulling to become a low throbbing sensation. "Ow..." She whispered to herself, trying to push the pain aside, while at the same time trying to comprehend what happened, and what she had done...



Tristan had cum inside her... More then that, he had cum a lot inside her. Even now, hours later, she could still feel some of his seed inside her, and could feel the tacky sensation along her inside her thighs. "Fuck..." She cursed again, fighting to push her panic down and think. Yet as soon as she set aside the panic, her mind couldn't help but recall the experience of him going off in her, and how it felt like he was pouring liquid pleasure into her... "Fuck!" she hissed a third time. "Focus!" she demanded of herself as she tried recall everything she heard learned about demonic children...



The terrifying prospect that Tristan's child was growing inside her hit her like a brick, and Celestine almost fell on her ass as her mind tried to comprehend it... What had they said? That... that demon children took three days to grow? She realized that if that were the case, she might already be able to feel something if she checked. Yet the moment she began to reach for her own abdomen, she found herself hesitating, as if terrified by what she might find.



However Celestine grit her teeth and almost snarled at herself and her hesitation. She wasn't going to let herself be weak, and while she was afraid, she wasn't going to hide from whatever the truth may be. A moment later she was pressing her hand against her stomach and lower abdomen, feeling around for what might have been a noticeable lump. Yet as she searched, Celestine found herself not feeling anything. Not that that actually meant anything... For all she knew, a demonic child's growth cycle was completely different from a humans...



However she sensed a demonic presence approaching her room from out in the hall and quickly went to snatch up her robe and wrap it around herself, trying to take special care to hide her stomach, even though she didn't notice any change. Just as the door opened though, Celestine realized whom it was, and immediately whipped around to face Tristan, just as he was opening the door and moving to knock on the doorframe, only to stop when he realized she was already looking at him.



"I suppose knocking is kind of redundant with you now isn't it? You can sense demons when they are approaching, even beyond closed doors now, can't you?" Tristan asked calmly.



"Y-...yes I can..." Celestine replied, very confused by his calm greeting. "But how can you even talk about that right now... After yesterday and what happened when you..." Celestine found herself hesitating again, unsure how he felt about all this... For all she knew, knocking her up was his intention the whole time. Then again she had kind of forced the issue so that was probably not the case.



"Came inside you?" Tristan asked curiously, apparently not really sure where she was going with her question. "Why wouldn't I be calm? It was great sex." Tristan finished, a slight smile upon his lips.



Celestine found herself frowning hard at his words, and forced herself to take a deep breath and not blow up at him. "I am not saying it wasn't, but Tristan... for god sakes you came inside me! What if I'm-"



"Pregnant?" He cut her off gently. "First off, you're not pregnant. Second, even if you were, that would be your fault. If you remember, you latched onto me, not the other way around." Tristan reminded teasingly.



"How could you know if I'm pregnant or not?" Celestine asked, trying to ignore his other comments, even as she blushed at them.



Tristan blinked and shook his head. "You're still half asleep aren't you? I know because I'm a Lust Demon. Remember how I told you how I can control how virile I am and what not? Well, I suppressed myself specifically to keep you from getting pregnant. Also, you can stop touching your stomach. Only full blooded demonic children grow fast enough to be born in three days. Half-breeds take seven to ten months..."



Celestine took a moment to process his words and when it finally sunk in for her, she found herself letting out a relieved sigh as she sat back down onto her bed, only to wince lightly at the pain in her crotch. Now that he mentioned it, she did remember him telling her something of that nature earlier. "Damn it all... I was really worried that I was... well... you know." Celestine said to him, her relief obvious, looking up to Tristan, her features thankful for the good news.



"Well worry not Celestine. Whatever you may think of me, I'm not some piece of white trash that gets a girl pregnant and then runs off. Besides, even if you don't believe me and want to be absolutely sure, there's morning after pills and the like in your medicine cabinet. Not that you really need things like that with me." Tristan assured.



Celestine looked towards her bathroom as he explained and eventually nodded. "Thanks... though it isn't like I plan on sleeping around you know."



"I know. Still, it's worth knowing. One never knows when the urge strikes them and with whom they might be sleeping." Tristan replied teasingly.



"Oh shut up you pervert." Celestine said lightly, amused by his brazen words. "Did you come here just to point out the contraceptives or is there something else?" Celestine asked curiously.



"Just checking in. I half suspected that you might freak out a little so I figured I'd come and remind you about my abilities." Tristan assured. "That, and I'd like to know exactly what I agreed to yesterday... I'm warning you now; if it's too crazy I'm just going to throw our little agreement out the window." Tristan explained.



Celestine shook her head. "It shouldn't be too bad. I'm guessing you know of Salana and Tamana? They are two succubi who are occasionally responsible for cleaning up around my room and the like."



Tristan cocked his head lightly, as if thinking. But a moment later he nodded. "Yes I know of them. They serve me quite amicably and dutifully. What about them?" Tristan asked curiously.



"Well... You recall how I was asking about the Gluttony Demons? It's come to my attention that those two are occasionally responsible for paying the gluttony demons on your behalf for any favours you've asked of them. As far as I can tell, they do this by using their bodies to satisfy any perverse desires of the Gluttony Demon in question. Correct?" Celestine inquired, forcing her voice to calm.



"That is true, yes." Tristan replied, as if there was no issue with that at all. "They do so willingly in return for the privilege to serve a powerful demon. I know you probably think I'm just using them as prostitutes to pay off my own debts, and you're not wholly wrong. But by serving me in that way, they earn my protection as well as free reign to hunt and feed as they like within my realm, which is the majority of this city. If they didn't serve me, and chose to hunt here, they'd be free game for anyone who did. In essence, by providing a service to me, they are serving their own interests. Hence why most demons chose to serve more powerful demons." Tristan explained calmly.



"Hum... I see." Celestine began. "Regardless, I'd like for their use as means of paying off debts to stop, though I'd prefer if they were still under the umbrella of your protection and what not. The reason I want this is because I want them to be my own attendants... Personal handmaidens if you will. Something they can't be if they are off fucking gluttony demons." Celestine suggested, trying to keep her voice from showing any nervousness.



Tristan blinked, as if taken aback by her request. "...I'm... surprised. I mean I suppose I could order them to serve you, but I should warn you that it might push them too far Celestine. Most demons wouldn't take kindly to being forced to serve a mortal."



"I assure you, they'd rather serve me then continue to spread their legs for your garbage disposal. We've actually talked about it some, and given that they helped me with Saul and everything, I wanted to keep them close. After all, they are some of the only demons I've met here who haven't looked at me like I'm a piece of prime rib." Celestine explained.



"And what about your unique situation? What's to say they don't get cocky and try and influence you for their own gain? They could end up going insane and ending up dead shortly after." Tristan pointed out. "Worse, they might figure it out and attack you for being Fell Born."



"I've already discussed the issue of them using their powers on me and they've assured me they won't. Besides, it isn't like being my handmaidens will overrule your order for your sworn demons not to use their abilities on me, right?" Celestine reasoned.



Tristan seemed sceptical, and it was obvious to him that Celestine was up to something. "You're still scheming something... aren't you?" Tristan asked, finding himself grinning at the notion.



"Indeed I am." Celestine didn't even hesitate to respond. "But it isn't a scheme against you, so don't worry about it. Regardless, are you going to accept my request?"



Tristan nodded lightly. "I'll see to it that they are informed. They'll report to you by this afternoon."



"Great." Celestine replied, pondering how to present her plans to Salana and Tamana. Still, with Tristan right in front of her, she refocused on him. "Thank you. Now here's hoping that I didn't go through all that trouble for something you would have just agreed to anyway." Celestine finished, her voice amused and a little playful.



"Oh, I wouldn't have. I would have forced you to tell me you're reasons for really wanting them... But hey, your plan worked, and I was more focused on something else. Not that I'm complaining." Tristan continued a slightly wicked grin upon his lips as he stood half a dozen feet away. "Though I must admit, I never figured you to be someone who would go nuts over the prospect of feeling a man pump you full of his cum." Tristan added brazenly.



Celestine blushed hard and looked away from him. "It-it was just the heat of the moment! Honestly it was really fucking stupid of me to do that... I had forgotten entirely about your ability to control yourself like that, and if you were anyone else, there would be a very real chance that I'd be pregnant right now." Celestine replied. "Actually, there wouldn't have been a chance. Most people would have accepted my victory and wouldn't have forced themselves on me like one overly horny Lust Demon that I know." Celestine accused lightly, looking back to him as she tried to steer their conversation away from him going off inside her. As much as she didn't like admitting that he was right, even the thought of him blasting his cum inside her made her pussy start to go damp again. She needed to veer the conversation away from that topic, before he started to notice.



Yet Tristan shook his head at her words and chuckled. "Believe whatever you like Celestine, I'm not going to argue with you over this. I believe you cheated, hence I was justified in the way the way I acted."



Celestine grinned lightly to herself. "Oh just admit it. No matter the outcome the game, you were still going to try and have your way with me." Celestine teased playfully, not being overly serious.



But Tristan's reply was more serious, his tone honest and firm. "Of course I would have. From the moment you stepped into that dinning room that morning, I wanted to bury my cock into you and ravish you until you could take no more... No matter how well you hid or fled Celestine, I would have found you and taken you. I would have even torn down my whole mansion if it meant I could have had you a moment sooner." Tristan assured, his words making Celestine shudder lightly at the lengths he would go to fuck her.



Still, she fought back the kindling desire his words ignited. "Well I'm honoured, but for now, could you please go? I'd really love to have a shower, and I'd honestly prefer if you weren't anywhere nearby while I take one." Celestine replied, her voice not reflecting any of the impact his words had had on her.



Tristan chuckled and nodded. "Very well, I'll take my leave." He agreed before he headed towards the door. However, he paused before disappearing into the corridor. "But before I go..." He began, looking back. "In regards to what you said last night... you passed out before I could reply... You're welcome." Tristan said with a devilish grin. Celestine couldn't help the renewed blush that crossed her face as she realized that he was referring to when she had thanked him for fucking her so completely, just like he predicted she would. But before she could reply, Tristan added one last note before taking his leave. "And a thank you Celestine..." Tristan finished, his voice conveying how much he had enjoyed their game and the superb sex that followed...



Celestine didn't say anything as he took off, closing the door behind him. But once he was gone, and she could no longer sense his presence anywhere near, Celestine let out a pleased shiver, as she recalled every facet of their encounter in blissful detail... The idea of fingering herself crossed her mind, but she shoved aside for now, aware that she was probably too sore for anything like that just yet. Instead, Celestine settled for a cold shower, aiming to get cleaned up and ready for the day ahead of her, whatever it might hold.



~~~~



As Celestine headed down to check in on Markus, she happened upon Claude in one of larger meeting halls, an assortment of boxes laid out on the large table in front of him. Pausing for a moment, Celestine began to approach, wondering what was going on, as he seemed to be looking over a tablet, scrolling through whatever was on the screen with a stylus. She was about to ask him what he was doing, when she heard a familiar voice speak up from inside the hall, just to the right of the doors somewhere out of sight.



"In my opinion sir, I'd recommend the GenALS boxes for the movement of the larger books and the CalStar tubes for the free individual pieces of paper and various scrolls." Ella's voice rang out with a professional certainty. A moment later Celestine saw her come into view from around the doors as she approached Claude, carrying what looked like a map tube and a box of some sort. "Both of them will protect their contents adequately and prevent any significant temperature fluctuation as we move them from the library to climate controlled transport trucks. I partially like the boxes, as the external handles protect the documents inside from the carrier. Plus they have several layers of insulation to protect their contents in case of something being dropped or what have you." Ella explained, clearly pleased.



"I don't suspect accidental drops will be an issue, but it is wise to take the precaution none the less." Claude responded simply. "Very well. Go place orders for the required supplies so that we can ship everything in the library in one trip."



Ella bowed lightly and began to back towards the doors. "The distributers said they can provide everything we need within a day, so we should be able to begin within forty-eight hours sir."



"Very good." Claude responded. "Some of the titles you provided from the library are intriguing. I assume you've read many of them?"



"Indeed sir. I personally find the Dar'kan Paradoxes especially interesting, though it took me over a year to translate it all. But if you will excuse me, I shall go back to work now." Ella responded calmly, apparently finding her niche in working along side Claude. Claude only nodded his agreement, and Ella quickly turned to leave. Or at least she was planning on leaving until she found Celestine standing right in front of her. The startled yelp that escaped Ella's lips made the corners of Celestine's lips curl up every so slightly, as she watched the smallish woman leap back several feet, only to see her stumble and fall onto her bottom.



Celestine only paid attention to her for a moment though, before looking up to Claude, who had turned his head at the sudden commotion. "I take it this is all for the library that Markus has mentioned?"



Claude nodded simply. "Yes. Lord Durial would like it transported as soon as possible. He has tasked Ella to assist me in transporting all the materials in question. Your Runesmith will be responsible for getting us there, and once we arrive in Europe, Ella and I will pack all the books and then simply leave by breaking a wall down or something of that nature. Once we've procured transport, we will then bring the materials back here." Claude explained.



"I'm guessing your not bringing them back through the portal because they all came from different places?" Celestine asked curiously. "It's possible they'll all show up from wherever in the world Arzal brought them to his library if you went that route, correct?"



"It is a very real possibility, so we'll be using more mundane methods of travel when we arrive at the library. Plus, with Arzal gone, the portal might begin to star losing power. It can probably only handle a few more transports before it collapses." Claude confirmed.



Celestine nodded once before glancing down to Ella, curious of something. "I'm surprised you're able to work with Claude so well..." Celestine began, wondering how Ella, who apparently cared for Arzal, could work so easily with his killer...



Yet Ella couldn't meet Celestine's gaze directly, her own eyes still timid. It was still pretty obvious that she was still afraid of Celestine. "Wh-...why wouldn't I? Mr. Claude is very well organized and dedicated to transporting these books safely... something I care about greatly." She replied sheepishly.



"Because he's the one wh-..." Celestine blinked, realizing what she was about to do. She might have not liked Ella... Hell, there were some things about her that she honestly hated, but it was pretty obvious that Ella was trying very hard not to piss her off, and that was worth something. Plus, she seemed to be forming a rapport with Claude. Telling her that Claude had in fact murdered Arzal would just be cruel... "No reason." Celestine replied. "Claude tends to have high expectations of those he works with and not everyone can measure up." Celestine tried simply. "But I'll leave you two to it." Celestine began again, looking to Claude once more. "Just let me know when you need Markus, and I'll let him know to help you out." Celestine confirmed before taking her leave.

<hr pg="2" />As she walked she began to think back on what had happened with Ella when they first met, and the faintest of traces of worry tried to come together again to weigh her down. Thankfully, Celestine was able to quickly sweep them aside, recalling Tristan's rational for why she acted the way she had. Frankly speaking, Ella had shown her supplication to Celestine already, so there was little need to badger her any further, and even less reason to make her suffer. Celestine couldn't help but smile lightly at how she resisted the urge to hurt Ella further, taking it as a good sign that her morality hadn't crumbled just yet.



But as Celestine continued to walk, she could hear a second set of footsteps following behind her a ways. Glancing back over her shoulder, Celestine found herself slightly annoyed as she spotted Ella following behind her a fair ways back. She only offered Ella a moment's glance, but she still saw the hesitation in Ella's gaze flare for a moment, as she almost tripped over herself.



Celestine, simply wanting to ignore Ella, continued on her way and turned down the hall towards Markus's chambers, hoping to catch up with him and get him to work on Tristan's sword. Hopefully he had rested enough to get back into the swing of it, and start today. But as she continued to make plans in regards to Markus, Celestine heard Ella turning down the hallway after her, and began to get the distinct impression that she was being followed. Again, she glanced back, though this time she found Ella already looking down, as if she was actively trying to avoid Celestine's gaze. Frowning, Celestine turned down the last corner towards Markus's chambers, beginning to suspect that was where Ella was going as well.



Sure enough, Ella came around the corner, only to find herself face to face with Celestine again. This time at least she managed to maintain her dignity and didn't go leaping back a half dozen feet. "y...Yes?" Ella tried quietly, trying not to upset Celestine.



"Why are you following me?" Celestine asked bluntly, trying to keep the edge out of her voice, even though she was largely failing.



"F-following you? N-No! I'm not!" Ella replied quickly, taking a further step back to get herself out of Celestine's reach. Not that it would have actually helped her. She was still easily within reach of Celestine's feet, and a swift kick to the side of her head would drop her in a singl-... Celestine took a slow breath, trying to calm down. She realized she shouldn't be jumping to conclusions, nor should she be so willing to entertain scenarios that ended with her striking Ella, no matter how much she might have wanted to.



"Then where are you going? You seem to be following the same path I am... Are you going to go see Markus?" Celestine asked, her voice harder then she intended.



"I... w-was planning on stopping by... but my room is also that way... just a few doors down from his." Ella added. "I can visit him later if you wanted to talk with him." Ella suggested lightly.



Yet Celestine felt herself tensing at the fact Ella was so close to Markus and that she had been in fact planning on going to him. "Claude gave you work to do. See to that before you think about going to Markus." Celestine ordered bluntly before turning around quickly, continuing on her way. Or at least she would have, if the sting of pain that didn't shoot through her didn't make her stumble for a moment. She had moved to quickly and her still sore body was protesting.



"Are you alright?" Ella asked quickly, still keeping her distance.



"I'm fine." Celestine replied quickly. "Just a little sore is all." She added as she stood tall again.



"Sore?" Ella asked before she paused to think. Celestine looked back to tell her to forget it, but Ella spoke up first. "Perhaps you're sore from the game you played with Durial yesterday?" Ella asked curiously, her voice going a shade lower.



"How do you know about that?" Celestine asked quickly, suddenly feeling like this conversation was going in the wrong direction. Yet she noticed her defensiveness ringing in her voice and tried to cover it up by continuing to speak. "I didn't really tell anyone about that... So how did you end up finding out about it?"



"You told Markus." Ella replied, the hesitation and fear beginning to fade from her voice. "He told me... He was worried; worried that your game would end up putting you in danger or something."



"Well, as you can see, I'm fine." Celestine replied not exactly liking how quickly Ella's meekness seemed to be evaporating. It felt a lot like she had suddenly found some sort of weapon to use against Celestine...



"Well, relatively speaking." Ella commented. "But that isn't so important. Do you mind if I ask if you won?" Ella asked, her face still diverted away from looking at Celestine directly, yet Celestine could see the faintest of smiles in the corners of Ella's lips.



"I won." Celestine replied firmly. "Though Durial would argue otherwise." Celestine added coolly. "But it isn't important. I got what I wanted and that's all there is to it."



"It's good to hear that you got what was coming to you." Ella said lightly, though Celestine couldn't help but hear some other implication in her words, though what those implications were was not completely clear. However, seeing her suspicion, Ella quickly continued. "I mean that you got whatever your request from Durial was anyway... I would not presume to guess or speculate. But given how hard you fight to resist him and all, it's obvious you are due something in return."



Celestine frowned lightly at Ella's words, fighting the urge to simply demand Ella be straight with her. She shoved it aside though and simply let it lie. "Yes. But for now all that matters is that you get back to work and finish your job. You can visit with Markus later when he isn't working himself."



Ella nodded and quickly walked past Celestine, glancing up to meet Celestine's eyes for a moment. But in that brief moment Celestine feeling that Ella had something to use against her only grew, and that the small woman wasn't quite so afraid of Celestine anymore. Celestine left it alone though, hoping nothing would come of it. Instead, she followed behind Ella slowly, heading towards Markus's chambers. That said however, Celestine did dally enough to find out exactly which room was Ella's, making sure to keep it in mind for later.



Regardless, Celestine pushed aside her encounter with Ella and knocked on Markus's door, sensing his power from inside the room somewhere. As she waited for him to open the door, Celestine realized that her powers were growing... Just days ago, her extrasensory abilities would have been blocked by the door, and she'd have no idea if he was in there or not. But now, she could sense him moving about, and was almost certain of where he was in the room. A moment later her beliefs were confirmed as Markus opened the door at exactly the moment she had expected him to.



"Good morning." Celestine greeted lightly, feeling a little better after greeting him. "I'm glad to see you're up and going already. Feel up to getting some late breakfast with me?" She asked, hoping to use breakfast as a setting to bring up the sword.



Markus smiled in relief when he recognized her. "I'd be happy to. And it's good to see you in one piece. I was a little worried about how your game went yesterday when you never came back to let me know how it went."



Celestine smiled happily; glad to hear that he was concerned about her. "It went fine. Durial would say I cheated, but coming from a demon, that means just about nothing. Ultimately I got what I wanted though, so we'll call that a victory."



Markus nodded. "Well, I'd like to hear all about it over breakfast, unfortunately I have an issue that needs to be addressed first." He explained, his voice slightly playful.



Frowning, Celestine spoke up again, worried that there was something going on. "What is it? I'll help if I can." Markus nodded before simply pointing down. Following his direction, Celestine glanced down, looking at his feet. She was about to ask what was wrong when she saw his toes wiggling through his socks. "Wha... oh shit! Your shoes!" Celestine exclaimed as she looked back up to him. "I never brought them back!" Celestine explained realizing that he couldn't really walk around in simple socks. He could probably manage in the mansion, but if he went into the underground, he needed them to protect his feet... "I'll go get them right now! I'll be back as soon as I can!" Celestine assured before she took off, pushing aside her discomfort to hurry and get the Markus's shoes. She had discarded the footwear when she was hiding from Tristan near the end of the game. He probably would have been furious if she had found her with them, given that they bore several of Markus's runes and helped her hide from him. It also dawned on her that she should pick up the shoes she left behind as well. Unlike Markus, she had extra pairs, but still... she liked those shoes.



~~~~



Markus watched Celestine run off, and couldn't help but chuckle at her as she disappeared around the corner. For all the times she was so serious, there were times when Celestine could be a little absent minded, not that he minded. It made her seem more approachable.



Yet as he waited, he heard someone coming up the hall from the opposite direction, and found Ella standing a few feet away, smiling up to him sheepishly. "Good morning Markus. Are you busy?"



Markus shook his head. "I'm not busy at this exact moment no. But Celestine will be back shortly and then we'll be getting breakfast together, so I don't have long." Markus glanced back after Celestine and then back to Ella. "Maybe I can convince her to let you have breakfast with us?"



Ella smiled a bit bigger at his words but shook her head. "No, I don't think that would be wise. But I do need to talk to you. It's about Celestine. I think... I think more happened yesterday then she's letting on..."



Markus frowned lightly, worried about Ella's words, but he didn't stop her from talking...



~~~~~



Celestine knocked on Markus's door again, only to find it still ajar. Gently pushing it open she saw him sitting at his table, apparently deep in thought before glancing up at her. "Come on in. I figured we should talk some before we go anywhere." But Celestine found herself hesitant in response to his words. He was trying to hide it, but she could tell there was something on his mind that was weighing down on him.



"Sure." Celestine eventually began, closing the door behind her and heading to the table. "Here's your shoes." She offered, holding them out to him.



"Thanks." Markus replied as he took them and began to put them on. But even as only one or two seconds past, Celestine suddenly felt a sense of heavy awkwardness filling the room, and eventually sat down opposite to Markus, as she fought the urge not to fidget. Yet when he sat upright in his chair again, Celestine found that he just looked at her for a long moment, as if trying to find the words to begin.



"Markus... what is it?" Celestine tried, putting on a light smile to try and ease the tension in the room. "Come on, you know you can talk to me about anything." Celestine assured.



"I know. But the problem is that it is about you." Markus began gently, trying not to upset her.



Celestine nodded lightly, trying to guess what the issue was before he even explained. Whatever it was, it was obviously something that mattered greatly to him. "Alright... Well, don't hold back then." Celestine began bravely, trying to get him to open up. "Whatever it is Markus, you don't need to shield me from it. Especially if I'm part of the problem." Celestine invited, hoping to get him talking.



But after a moment Markus did speak up, and Celestine immediately began to regret inviting him to open up. "I was hoping to talk to you about what happened with Ella."



Celestine kept herself from groaning, having already considered that topic concluded. That said, she knew that this was probably coming, even if she didn't like admitting it. "I figured you'd want to talk about that at some point." Celestine replied, unsure of what else to say.



"Well, I tried yesterday, but you ran off to play your game with Durial before we could get into it." Markus replied stiffly. "Look... we both know what happened was, well suffice it to say Ella was out of line. I'm not going to deny that. But your reaction wasn't just out of line Celestine, it was damn near homicidal. If I hadn't pointed out what was happening, you wouldn't have stopped." Markus tried while attempting to keep his voice calm and level.



Celestine frowned and nodded. "Look... I know I escalated things, but my response wasn't all that abnormal. I felt threatened by her, so I retaliated to such an extent as to never allow the risk of her ever doing me harm again. I'm thankful that you helped convince me to stop Markus. I really am. But I acted with the intent to prevent another conflict from ever coming up again. I have enough shit on my plate to deal with, it isn't fair to expect me to be patient with a relic who can't accept her own desires and condemns me based solely on what I wear." Celestine reasoned, hoping to convince Markus of her stance.



Yet Markus's reaction didn't seem at all convinced. Instead he seemed to look at her like she was even more suspect. "... After the incident, you were concerned by the fact that you didn't feel bad for what you did. Has that... changed?" Markus asked, surprised by the fact that he needed to ask at all.



Celestine blinked a few times and began to think on it. Eventually she shrugged lightly as if confused by the answer she found. "Sort of. I mean, I know in a standard setting what I did wouldn't be acceptable, but in a standard setting it would have never got that far because the two of us would have never met. Am I concerned by the fact that I jumped to violence as a response? Yes. But what I did wasn't totally unjustified Markus. In some ways, yea it was. I mean the part about being upset that she received a mark from Durial, that pissed me off. But that's only because I'm working so fucking hard on getting the third mark, and I saw her as a threat to that. But that doesn't make it right. That said, the fact that she refused to even talk directly to me, like I didn't even exist? That's on her, not me. I tried to be nice at first, I really did! Even though I was upset about the mark thing without even realizing it, I was still trying to be friendly. But she lashed out at me, because I didn't match up with her idealized version of what a woman should be!" Celestine finished, panting lightly as frustration and anger began to gnaw on her.



She took a deep breath to slow down before she continued. "It's not like I actually hate her Markus...I might dislike her, but I don't hate her. If I was really an evil bitch who was just out to hurt her, I wouldn't have stopped. I would have pounded her skull into a bloody smear and I would have laughed while doing it. Were my actions wrong? Yes. But I'm not a monster because I acted on natural instinctual impulses. I was angry, and retaliating at what I perceived as a threat, nothing more. I'm not going to feel guilty because I did something to protect myself from future threats." Celestine finished firmly.



Yet for all her words, Markus seemed only moved to greater concern. "How... How did you come to this rational?" Markus asked slowly. "You don't strike me as someone who would reason their actions out of instinctual responses or anything like that. It almost sounds like you're using someone else's argument."



Celestine frowned and glanced away from him, realizing that he wasn't wrong. "Well... I didn't come to this conclusion all on my own..." Celestine replied.



Markus nodded, his face turning into an annoyed frown. "Rena. Of course... you trust her after all, and it would be a wrath demon who would make such rationalizations." Markus incorrectly assumed.



"What? No! Rena wasn't the one who-..." Celestine stopped again, suddenly feeling like going any further would just land her in more hot water. Not that it wasn't already too late for that.



Markus didn't stop. Instead he only paused, surprised by her words, and took the time to make the proper connection a moment later. "Durial." Was all he said at first, like his name was a curse. "You listened to him?!" Markus asked, stunned by what he was hearing. "Celestine, you know everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie or manipulation! Why would you ever listen to him?"



"I..." Celestine tried, only to find she didn't have any words to reply with. "I... I didn't go to him hoping for advice or anything. I just went to him to demand that he not send you out without informing me first, that's all..." She replied weakly.



"Then how did he convince you of this?" Markus asked more gently now, realizing he was pushing her into a corner. "Look... Celestine I'm not upset with you... I'm mad at him because he's willing to take advantage of you even when you're down."



Celestine put her forehead in her hand as she tried to think, her face twisted in confusion. "But... everything he said made sense..."



"I know it did Celestine... and that's the danger. Even now, looking back on your reasoning, it does sound at least somewhat reasonable, and he probably portrayed it more attractively than you just did. You acted to defend yourself. It was an instinctual response. You'd never actually want to hurt anyone. You were just angry... All of these things sound well and good, and some of it is probably true, but the fact of the matter is, these are all just excuses... Excuses meant to shift the blame away from you so you don't have to feel the guilt over your own actions. Celestine... he doesn't want you to feel guilty. He wants you to feel justified and vindicated in what you've done... Because then you're more likely to do it again..." Markus explained, moving to kneel along side her and take one of her hands in his own.



"But... But Durial is a Lust demon... why would he care about me getting angry or anything else for that matter?" Celestine asked, only to be surprised by the fact that she was arguing for him...



"Because he knows he probably can't beat you with lust alone. Think about it Celestine. You didn't like seeing Ella with her own Demonic Mark because you had pride in your own marks. You retaliated with the threat of harm when she insulted you because you became angry at her. He's not just using your desires against you Celestine... he's using everything he knows..." Markus reasoned, hoping to get her to raise her guard against Tristan again. "He's more than just lust Celestine, and it's dangerous for you to ignore that."



Celestine nodded lightly before looking at Markus, eyes uncertain and clearly pained by her conflicting emotions. "It's just... Some of what he said made sense, and I didn't feel so bad afterwards and..." Celestine stopped and sighed, before sitting back in her chair and looking forwards; as she began to accept that she had been had. "It's worse because some things go further then just not feeling bad or wrong... Some things are exhilarating and make me feel good about myself..." Celestine looked to Markus. "For god sakes Markus... I almost purr like a kitten any time he praises me. I take his approval and wrap myself up in it happily, even though I know he's a monster. I've even tried to make him ache for me! Hell, I've succeeded! I used his desire for me against him to get what I wanted. Who's to say I wouldn't do the same to someone else? Who's to say I wouldn't use it against you?" Celestine asked, confused and clearly unsure of herself.



Markus shook his head. "I don't think you will Celestine. You're an inherently good person. One mistake doesn't take away from a lifetime of being a good person. I know you can overcome this Celestine. You just need to back off from Durial for a little while, and together we can get your perspective set back in place." Markus suggested.

<hr pg="3" />But Celestine shook her head. "I can't... I can't risk losing all the ground I've gained in earning the Third Mark. If I stop now I might not ever get another chance, and then it'll all be for nothing."



Markus frowned. "With all due respect, I don't know if your plan is going to work. I think it's a better bet for me to finish my research and then use what I've learned against him." Markus reasoned.



Celestine looked at him, her features twisting into a frustrated worry. "You can't kill him Markus."



"I think I can Celestine. The new runes, the ones that are hybrids of the demonic Glyphs normal my runes, they are so much more powerful than anything I've ever seen before! I know I can do it. I just need to complete the last few steps of my research and I can start crafting them. I'll be able to use them to bring him down!" Markus assured adamantly.



And his self confidence was what hurt Celestine so much. Markus didn't just believe he could win, he knew he could. There was no question left in his mind. Still, Celestine had to try and convince him. "Markus... Rena was perfectly capable of murdering you... And Durial is on an entirely different level! He's a Demonic Lord! A being so powerful that is able to sway whole swaths of humans at once, and so terrifying that other demons dare not even cross him!"



Markus let go of her hand and instead cupped her cheeks. "I know this will work." He said again, his face mere inches from hers. "I know it will. I have all the incentive I'll ever need to succeed, right here in my hands."



"My plan will work. I'm nearly there, I'm sure of it! Why won't you listen to me!?" Celestine asked, clearly pained. If Markus continued on this path, Tristan was going to end him. Than again, death was a mercy compared to some things Tristan could manage.



Markus looked to her apologetically. "I'm sorry... but a part of me is worried that you're not thinking clearly Celestine."



"W... what?" Celestine rasped out, stunned that he would suggest such a thing.



"Because... I think a part of you enjoys his attentions too much..." Markus tried to explain as gently as he could. "Now before you get upset, I don't blame you. You've been in his hands for god knows how long, and been put through terrible things... He's a monster made for this sort of thing, and while I believe you still want to destroy him, I think a part of revels in his attentions, because you kept yourself from really enjoying that sort of thing when you were on the outside, before you ever met him. Now it's like a drug, and it seems like you can't get enough."



Celestine shook her head lightly. "No... no! That... that isn't it." She tried, even as she felt like she was losing this argument.



"No?" Markus asked, before pulling back a little. "Then stand up and sit down hard again... Show me you're not sore from yesterday..."



Celestine looked at him blankly for a moment, trying to understand his words. "Wh-...why would you want me to do that? What would it pr...ove..." Celestine stopped, as the sick realization began to sink in.



"That more happened yesterday than just a game." Markus replied, trying to keep his voice from coming out harshly. "That, even though you say you won and got what you wanted, it's obvious that Durial got what he wanted to... It proves that despite knowing what sort of creature he is, that you went along with your plan anyway. Even though you know he was probably going to force himself onto you, even if you won. I don't think you were counting on it Celestine, but the notion should have struck you at some point. You're smart enough for that sort of thing not to just escape you, unless a part of you was hoping it would happen."



His tone was apologetic throughout it all, yet every word still felt like a lash from a whip, biting into her skin. "How... how did..." She began, unable to really bring herself to confirming the truth... "How did you find out?" She finally managed, fearing that Tristan had told him himself, as part of some sick game or something... But that didn't strike her as something he would do... it was too direct, and Markus would tell her if he had. Plus Markus probably wouldn't have believed a word out of Tristan's mouth in the first place.



"That isn't important Celestine." Markus replied. "What is important is that it happened. Now, again... I don't blame you. Durial is just an evil pri-"



"Ella..." Celestine said suddenly, realizing that the little bitch had put two and two together. Without even thinking about it, Celestine stretched out her senses, and felt a third presence outside in the hall, with a very familiar Demonic Mark...



"Wait, Celestine!" Markus yelled out, as she snapped upright and darted towards the door, fresh boiling rage exploding out and smothering any pain she felt as she saw the door, slightly ajar. She recalled closing it completely when she came in... Ella wasn't just listening; she was spying on them too.



Markus would have said more, but Celestine was already at the door slipping her arm though the narrow opening and reaching beyond her range of sight. Ella's cry of pain sounded as Celestine closed her fist around her hair and began to drag her back, even as the small woman tried to flee. A moment more and Ella was half inside Markus's room, being dragged inside by Celestine.



"You're trying to turn him against me aren't you?!" Celestine snapped at Ella, even as she brought a fist up to smash Ella's face in. But just like before, Celestine's hand was caught and yanked back.



"No Celestine!" Markus barked. "We're just trying to help you!" He continued as he pulled her further back, dragging her off Ella. Celestine tried to swing him off, but Markus only caught her other wrist and dragged her back further.



"Let me go Markus!" Celestine snapped, trying to force her way to freedom. But every move she made only made him hold her that much tighter, robbing her further of any hopes of escape. "Please!" She begged, as she looked up to Ella, anger and rage shining in her eyes. She was ruining everything, she was going to get Markus killed...



"Are you okay Ella?" Markus asked, pulling Celestine further back. Yet despite his question, it was obvious he was trying his hardest not to hurt Celestine, and was largely focused on her. The question was more out of curtsey then the want to do something if Ella was actually hurt. .



Ella gave a few coughs before replying. "I'm fine..." Her voice came out afraid and weak, even as she pushed herself away and back into the hall. "I'm sorry for listening in! I didn't mean to upset her, I just wanted to help!"



Markus wasn't even looking at her when he replied, even as he was trying to turn Celestine away, trying to make it so she couldn't see Ella either. Not that it helped at all, Celestine's abilities made it perfectly clear to her where Ella was. "It's fine. But I think it would be best if you go now... I'll handle her."



Ella nodded, and began to scamper off. But just before Markus turned Celestine away completely, the last sight Celestine saw was Ella looking back and meeting her eyes, giving Celestine an oh so victorious smile...



Celestine began thrashing with a new vigour as she almost lost her mind in desperate rage. Markus would have never known if not for her... He wouldn't ever felt pressed to kill Tristan. He would be safe... So Celestine fought to break free. It was all she could do, because nothing else came to mind as to how to fix this... But it didn't matter, because with his runes, Markus was simply stronger than her.



After a few moments Markus had her wrestled down onto her back, and pinned her arms at her sides. "Celestine, please stop!" He begged, even as she squirmed under him, her face beginning to go red. Yet his words seemed to have no effect, and frustration began to make Markus lose his patience. "Celestine, Stop!" He yelled, only to begin to regret yelling at her in any way that might seem threatening. But for all that, it seemed to work, as Celestine went still, and promptly looked up at him. He could see the rage beginning to fade from her eyes, replaced by something she clearly was trying to hold back.



A moment later Celestine turned her head away again and screwed her eyes shut, cursing herself silently for something Tristan would have been proud of. For all her anger at Ella, Markus pinning her down like this began to make her heart race, not in rage, but in excitement. With a quite voice, Celestine tried to speak up. "P-... please get off..." she tried, fighting hard to stay as still as possible. His demanding words made her realize what sort of position they were in after all, and despite herself, her imagination began to rev up again, spitting out unwelcome fantasies.



"Promise me you'll leave Ella alone... I don't want you going after her for any of this. Look me in the eye and say that you won't." Markus replied, not moving an inch. However, Celestine's only response was to start worrying at her lower lip, squeezing her eyes closed even tighter. "Celestine." He tried again, forcing his voice to go hard again, as it seemed to what worked. "Promise me." He demanded again.



Yet the only sound Celestine made at first was a frustrated whimper. "Please Markus... you need to get off me! I'll... I'll leave Ella alone but you have to get off!" Celestine pleaded, not wanting him to see her eyes reflecting the perverse excited desire she couldn't help but feel.



But Markus would not relent. "Look me in the eyes and say it Celestine. Show me that I can trust yo- ...Wha..." Markus stalled, as Celestine turned to look at him again, her eyes showing her confused excitement as her whole face went red and she licked her lips hungrily. "Wait... Celestine... I'm... I'm not..." Markus began, trying to make sense of what he was seeing, only stall again, before he leaned up and fell away from Celestine. He was completely stunned by the emotions he thought he saw in her. "Were... were you enjoying me... me holding you down like that?" Markus asked, clearly lost and clearly made uncomfortable by the idea.



Seeing him look at her like that, Celestine felt what she imagined a knife twisting in her back might feel like... Almost instantly Celestine pushed herself away, and scurried behind a small dresser that was nearby, letting only her feet poke out as there wasn't enough room to hide herself entirely. She tried to think of what to say to convince him she wasn't a freak or deviant, but nothing that made sense or even began to measure up to the situation came, and all Celestine could manage was a small voice, stained with shame. "I... I told you I wasn't a saint..."



Markus frowned, realizing what he had just done. "Celestine... I didn't mean it like that." He began, moving to come around and speak to Celestine directly.



But before he got too far, Celestine's voice came out again, still shaky and uncertain. "Please!... Just...stay there for now. I don't think I could stand having you look at me like that again."



"I never meant to hurt you." Markus tried again, staying where he was as to not push her further for now.



"I know." Celestine replied weakly. "I'm sure you were just shocked by what you saw... I'm sorry for that by the way. It's just that I like you and you were so assertive and... I'm just going to stop disgracing myself and stop talking..." Celestine finished, realizing she probably wasn't helping things.



"Disgracing yourself?" Markus asked, before speaking up again. "Stop it Celestine. Just because you have... unique tastes, doesn't make you a disgrace or anything else for that matter!" Markus announced firmly.



"Then why did you look at me like I was some sort of abomination?" Celestine asked, trying to keep her voice from becoming bitter.



"I was just surprised Celestine, that's all." Markus replied. And to prove it, he came around the dresser to where Celestine was hiding, and looked to her honestly. She was curled up there, her arms held up to hide her face and head. Yet despite that he could still meet her eyes, and he let her see him smiling gently to her. "I know I reacted badly Celestine, but that doesn't make you a freak or monster. You are you. And no matter what your preferences are, I still care for you." Markus explained, voice firm and honest.



Yet for all his words, Celestine still didn't know for sure. The way he looked at her for that single moment brought back all the nightmares and doubts that she had felt before she had begun to accept her sexuality and desires. She believed him when he said he never meant to hurt her, but then most people don't mean to hurt others, and yet it still happens.



Still, when Markus moved up beside her and gently wrapped his arms around her, hugging her lightly, Celestine began to soften again, her arms fell away so she could see him without impairment. "You... really do mean that right?" She asked, desperate for someone to at least try and understand her. And when Markus nodded lightly to her, Celestine couldn't help but hug him back, glad for the embrace.



Yet after a few moments she broke off and moved to get up again, trying to get a hold on all her rampant emotions. "Well, today is not going at all like I had hoped..." She said, trying to joke likely, though it was perhaps a tad more depressed then she intended.



Yet despite that Markus still chuckled, and after pulling himself up he replied. "And how exactly were you hoping this day would go Celestine?"



"Without incident." She replied, smiling back to him lightly. "Look... I'm... I'm sorry for everything okay? And before you think it, my 'quirks' are not a result of Durial. I've kinda been like this since Vic, though I was never really willing to admit it to myself, let alone anyone else. But I'm not expecting you jump on board with that sort of thing if you're not interested." Celestine explained carefully.



Markus nodded lightly. "The thing is I don't know if I could manage it on purpose. Treating you like that was not something I enjoyed. Still, I got to say it's a bump to my self confidence that even in the middle of all that I could get you going." Markus joked lightly, making Celestine blush some before she smiled at his words.



Yet after a moment or two Celestine's smile faded lightly and she spoke again, her words honest and forward. "Yesterday, Durial did force himself on me. I did something that he thought broke the rules of my game, and in his perspective, it meant that I forfeited." Celestine admitted, watching Markus's reaction as she continued. "Unfortunately, I can't even say that it was unexpected of him. You weren't wrong earlier Markus. I know what sort of person Durial is... I knew and I still drew him into that game. That said, you have to believe me when I say I did not intend to lose, and even now I think his argument is crap. But that aside, I can't deny that a very real and very powerful part of me enjoys... loves his attentions. It's... intoxicating, knowing that a man pines for me. It makes me feel sexy and powerful and <em>wanted</em>. Things that, ever since Vic died... I never allowed myself to really feel. Yes, a lot of what I do is to convince Tristan that I deserve the third mark, but I can't deny that I revel in the pleasure he makes me feel." Celestine stopped, clearly not proud of her words or the truth they held. "I hate to admit it... but I almost yearn for that pleasure now... I won't fish for sympathy and call myself an addict, but I can't deny that after a few days of not getting any from a guy, I do start to feel cravings." Celestine sighed and shook her head. "Pretty fucking sick, isn't it?"



Markus blinked once or twice before cocking his head. "Not really. No." Markus replied simply, surprising Celestine and making her look to him. Markus quickly continued. "The part about going to Durial to satisfy said urges? That was a mistake, but the part about enjoying and craving sex? That not wrong at all. I know you made love with Vic when you were back in high school. Immediately following that, did you want more?" Markus asked simply.



Celestine found herself a little embarrassed to answer, but she did eventually reply. "Well... yea. It was one of the best experiences of my life up to that point after all. Bu it's also what got him kil-"



Markus cut her off gently. "Don't worry about what happened after for now. Just think about that want for more. Did that ever feel wrong or improper?" Markus asked, not trying to be invasive, just trying to make a point.



"Well... no." Celestine admitted, and while she was about to argue the point, Markus cut her off again, not letting her beat herself up over the Vic's death.



"Then why would it be wrong now after the fact? As far as I can figure, you blamed yourself for what happened, when in fact, it wasn't your fault at all. Wanting to feel pleasure, through whatever means, isn't wrong. One just has to have a measure of responsibility thrown in as well. Meaning you shouldn't go to Durial to help you satisfy these cravings." Markus explained firmly. "He's a lust demon, and I guessing every time her forces himself upon you, he uses his abilities to help make you more susceptible to his advances down the line. I know you might not be able to stop him from simply forcing himself on you, but not feeling the need for sex in the first place will probably make it a hell of a lot harder for him." Markus proposed.



Celestine didn't correct his inaccurate speculation, as she was perfectly aware of the fact that Tristan had long since stopped using his powers on her. However, Markus's words held an implication that she didn't think Markus planned on conveying. "... Markus... are you saying you want me to sleep with you instead?" Celestine asked gently, even as she pondered the question herself.



Yet her words made Markus's eyes go wide and he took a step back before looking away and trying to speak, his voice coming out quickly and his words nearly tripping over each other. "That isn't what I was trying to say! I'm not saying I'd say no or anything but I... I mean I don't know if we know each other well enough to start doing something like that or... I..." Markus looked back to Celestine, hopping he hadn't offended her or something.



Yet Celestine only smiled back, a slight blush to her own cheeks. "Relax Markus, you haven't freaked me out or anything like that. I'm actually kind of flattered. Plus, it's kind of adorable when you get all flustered like that." Celestine teased lightly.



Markus chuckled a little at her words but looked to her seriously a moment later. "Look... I'm a guy, and I'm not going to lie and say the notion does not hold a great deal of appeal. You are, after all, beautiful and I enjoy spending time with you, even if we might be arguing. But I don't want you to feel forced into this or something like that. I was hoping to deepen our relationship, but I don't want this to be because you don't have any other choice." Markus explained.



Celestine nodded lightly before replying, a light smile upon her lips. "I know a don't have a lot of options here Markus, but even if I did have more, I'd still choose this. It's not going to be easy though. Durial is not going to stop pushing just because I've got you. If anything he might push harder and he might just..." Celestine paused, forcing herself not to shudder at the thought of Tristan simply throwing her down and fucking her again. Unfortunately, she knew the shudder wouldn't have been one of fear. "...It wouldn't be fair to you Markus... having to tolerate d... damaged goods." Celestine reasoned as she hugged herself lightly.



"You're not damaged goods Celestine." Markus returned quickly, his hands coming up to her shoulders to hold her. "Being a victim doesn't make you less of a person or any less important to me. And I'll prove it too." He declared, as one hand came up to her chin and brought it up lightly as he began to lean in.

<hr pg="4" />Celestine was stunned at first, but the moment his lips met hers, all her concerns seemed to be washed away, and she began to kiss him back. A moment more, and her hands came up and rested upon his shoulders, giving her some traction to press herself against him more firmly. She could feel his well defined body through their clothes, and she enjoyed what she felt. Yet her assertiveness spurred Markus, and soon his gentle assuring kiss became more passionate as his hands slipped down her body and pulled her tighter against him.



As the moments past, both their hands began to wander as they began to explore each other. But soon Markus's hand fell to Celestine's bottom and gave a firm squeeze, making her flinch in pain, forcing her to break off the kiss prematurely. Instantly he realized what he had done and spoke up. "Shit! I'm sorry, I got lost in the moment and I-"



Celestine's finger fell upon his lips, silencing him gently. "Hush..." She said softly. "There isn't any need for that because it isn't your fault. I'm still sore from yesterday so please don't be sorry. Your kiss was probably one of the kindest things anyone's ever done for me." Celestine admitted. "I would... well... I'd like to go a little further, but I don't think I'd be physically capable of it right now."



Markus nodded. "I understand." He replied calmly, yet Celestine could tell he had to rein himself in. It wasn't that Markus was expecting to get anything out of the kiss, but she could tell he was enjoying it.



"Instead of sex..." Celestine started, as she began to draw him towards the bed. "Could we just lie together? I'm not opposed to... well..." Celestine blushed again, realizing how what she wanted to say would probably sound. "I wouldn't mind cuddling." She eventually managed, surprised by the hopefulness that rang in her voice.



Markus simply nodded, and took Celestine's hand and led her to his small bed, where he gently laid the two of them down together. As the seconds ticked by, the initial awkwardness Celestine felt began to fade, and she snuggled up closer to him, enjoying the warmth they shared. She glanced up to his eyes and couldn't help but smile as she saw his caring gaze aimed back at her. A moment more and she felt his hand gently petting her hair, easing Celestine all the more.



In that moment Celestine knew beyond any doubt that Markus cared for her. He probably cared more than he should have, given that had only known each other for a relatively short time, but Celestine didn't care. He was kind, and gentle and most importantly, he accepted her, along with her obvious faults. She was frustrated that she had to keep secrets from him, but they were all to protect him. But to show her gratitude, Celestine moved to kiss him again, and for the next several hours, the two of them laid down together, simply being comforted and reassured by each other's presence. Occasionally the two would kiss, but largely being together was enough...



~~~~~



As noon came and went, Celestine realized she couldn't hide in Markus's arms forever. She would have to eventually go out and deal with the issues of the world she now lived in... Eventually, Celestine began to pull away, and rose off the bed. Markus stayed quite as he watched her move, clearly aware that she wanted to say something. "... About the sword..." She began, glancing back to him worriedly. "Will you keep working on it? Will you finish it?"



Markus frowned lightly, but responded. "I can... And I will. But it sounds like you're still hoping to use it as a bargaining chip for the third mark..."



"That would be because I do plan on doing exactly that." Celestine admitted simply.



"Why? I know I can beat him." Markus replied honestly.



"And I know you can't." Celestine responded gently. "My way... it's the only way Markus... Every other way ends in you dying."



"So what? You risk losing your sanity and your soul on the off chance he gives you the mark? How is that any better?" Markus asked bluntly.



"I won't lose those things... Not with you to hold onto. I may have to do horrific and... perverse things, but I'll have you to come back to. You can be my beacon. But I can only do that if you aren't dead..." Celestine reasoned. "Please... don't make me beg." Celestine tried.



Markus seemed to mull it over while keeping his gaze locked with hers. Yet over the long seconds that passed, his reluctance eventually broke down, chiselled away by the almost desperate look in Celestine's eyes. "...Fine... I need to finish the sword to complete my research anyway... but if that doesn't work out, I'm going to revisit my 'murder him in his sleep' plan... Alright?" Markus asked firmly as he got up himself.



Celestine nodded. "That's fair. Thank you Markus... I really need you on my side for this one." Celestine explained, smiling to him appreciatively.



"Oh, don't think you're off the hook just yet." Markus replied firmly. "It's more important than ever that we hold onto our morality and sense of right and wrong, and you still haven't promised me you'll leave Ella be. But more then that, I need you to think hard on why what happened between you and her was so wrong. Even today you lashed out at her, and that only proves my point."



Celestine bit her lip, holding back what she wanted to say right off the bat. As much as she hated admitting it, he was right. "I... I know okay? It's just... I think Ella told you only because she wanted to drive us apart. Not because she wants to actually help me. I know that sounds bitter and resentful and I am sorry about that, but its how I feel." Celestine explained, already disliking the guilt that continued to pile up on her. She hated this feeling of having disappointed Markus, but the notion that Ella might actually be trying to help her kept gnawing at her... What she saw earlier could have just been something else entirely, skewed by her fit of anger... Hell, she had nearly torn Ella's head off after all.



"I haven't discounted that possibility Celestine." Markus replied frankly. "But that doesn't change the fact that your response was too aggressive. Honestly, I'm not going to berate you. You know you did something wrong and I'm not going to peruse it beyond an assurance that you'll leave Ella well enough alone. If you tell me that, I'll accept your word completely and forget that it ever happened." Markus assured.



Celestine didn't mull it over long, and nodded simply. "I'll leave Ella alone. But if she comes after me I am going to defend myself. I won't kill her obviously... but I'm not going to let myself be her punching bag."



"That's fine, so long as it's a reasonable defence." Markus agreed as he moved to Celestine and took one of her hands in his, bringing it up to his lips to gently kiss. "Let's go get some food and when we're done lunch, I'll get to work on the sword, alright?"



Celestine smiled and nodded, moved some by his chivalrous gesture.



~~~~



It was an hour or so later, and Celestine watched Markus leave to head off and begin working on Tristan's blade. As much as she wanted him to simply stay with her, Celestine needed him to start working sooner rather then later. She suspected it wouldn't be long before Tristan would start asking for updates and results, and so far she had little to show for it. Still, the fact that she had convinced Markus to hold off on doing something radical was a victory in of itself. She knew he thought he could win, but she also knew he was holding himself back for her sake...



Sighing to herself quietly, Celestine found herself alone, with nothing more then her thoughts to entertain her. Unfortunately, those thoughts immediately turned to what had happened with Ella and Markus's words about how Tristan was trying to use multiple avenues in order to corrupt her. As much as she would have liked to deny it, she couldn't really find much argument against that hypothesis when there was so much evidence to the contrary.



Examples were varied, but there were a few that were more noticeable than others. During the demonic Court, she had helped a man commit suicide, rather than face the consequences of his defeat. A defeat he earned at her hands no less. Further, there was Troy and Diana, who she only knew in passing, but justified allowing herself to do nothing about their deaths because they were mere 'dolls', not really people... Or at least not equal to her.



Celestine shook her head as she continued through the halls of the mansion, realizing that thinking like that was woefully arrogant. No matter how they were raised, the two of them should still be considered people; living beings that had emotions and knew joy and pain. And she had shrugged off their deaths like they were nothing, even though the two of them tried to befriend her.



As she wandered, Celestine's mind continued to wander through her memories, going back and forth seemingly at random. Her imaginings came to when she encountered Helena back in the mall, only to lash out violently in response to her angry words. Oddly enough, it rang so very similar to the situation with Ella, though Celestine had less reason to hate Ella. Unlike the situation with Ella, Helena ended up being tortured, maimed and ultimately murdered, all because Celestine wanted her punished for what she saw as her unjust and cruel treatment at the hands of her former employer. Looking back, Celestine found it a little harder to justify her actions, even if she still felt somewhat vindicated...



But then that paled in comparison to her ultimate sin... Cameron.



Yes, Cameron had betrayed her at every opportunity, and had even tried to sell her out to Tristan. But the fact of the matter was, right now, deep underground, Celestine knew Cameron was probably being violated by Hell Spawn, or being forced to birth their abhorrent offspring. It was something that some might say she deserved... not the least of which would have been Tristan. He had said it was her punishment for her betrayals and envious ways. Celestine of course didn't think that such a punishment was just, or at least she didn't when it had happened. But now? Now she had trouble working up any anger or guilt over the incident, just like she did with how she wanted to murder Ella.



But how could she fix that? How could she fix herself? Worry over not being able to feel bad about hurting others continued to mount, and as much as she knew what she had done was wrong, she still couldn't manage to feel any real guilt. If anything, Celestine began to feel depressed and lost. This wasn't one of the positive changes she had seen in herself thanks to her captivity. Instead this was a gross and disgusting development, one that needed to be addressed.



But the question as to how continued to plague Celestine, to the point where she began to doubt her own humanity. She knew she was Fell Born of course, but that didn't make her less human by any means. Trying to pull out of a spiral of depression, Celestine began to try and reason how she was still human. One of the most telling arguments was that she still could still feel and know joy, suffering, satisfaction and regret and so much more. Things that humans felt. Never mind the fact that Tristan still saw her as hu-...



Celestine blinked as she realized what she was about to do just now... She was about to use Tristan's reasoning to make herself feel better, just like Markus had described earlier. Blinking again, Celestine began to think, only to realize that many of the times that she had done something most would consider immoral or horrible, Tristan had been there to sooth her pain and regrets. He had always played the devils advocate, and every time he had made it seem like everything was alright, that she was actually doing the right thing...



Celestine staggered at the weight of her realization, even as she chided herself for not seeing it earlier. But then that was wrong. She had seen it earlier. She had seen it every time he had done it... but she ignored it because his words and actions made her feel better. They had made her feel good about herself and her actions... She knew Tristan was evil, but she ignored that aspect of him for her own sake. Markus had been right.



Celestine couldn't help but chuckle darkly at her thoughts. She had been played over and over again, and had even begun going to Tristan, hoping for his soothing words. She had been such a fool to trust him... But then he had warned her over and over again. Why did she ever listen to him? But then the answer to that question was obvious: because for all his malevolence, Tristan still made her feel wanted... He made her feel beautiful, powerful, and most of all, desired.



Celesitne shook her head angrily and resolved herself to fix her lack of guilt. If she couldn't feel it through the actions she had taken thus far, she would force it upon herself, by subjecting herself to her greatest sin.



Celesitne began to head to the lower levels, shoving aside Tristan's warning never to go down there alone...



~~~~



She got past the stone gates without issue, and even as she walked down the semi-lit hallway, Celestine couldn't help but remember the last time she was down here, following with Tristan with Markus, right before she was sent off to go deal with Lavanna. Thankfully the two of them hadn't realized it, but the last time she was down here, all she could think about was Cameron... More specifically, she wanted to see what had happened to her. She had wanted to see the sorry state her former friend had ended up in. She had hoped to see her being ravaged by the monsters down here...



And while she wanted to see the same thing today, her reasoning was completely different. Before it had been curiosity, with a slightly perverse bent to it... Now though. Now she needed to see in hopes of shocking herself back into normalcy. But as she went deeper and deeper, worry and doubt began to claw at her. She honestly didn't know if this would work, and the fact of the matter was that Tristan had told her not to come down here on her own...



Still, she pressed on, until she reached the point where she had seen Nefas before, and began to look around for him. She could sense he was somewhere nearby and that he was watching her. But it was also clear that he was hiding as well, as if testing to see how acute her senses really were. "Nefas." She called out. "I know you're in here somewhere. Please... will you show yourself to me?" There was no reply at first, but Celestine could sense a shift in his position, and began to narrow down his location. Within moments, She found herself looking a nearby stone wall, the fleshy carpet growing up it's side. "Nefas." She tried again.



After a long moment, the ungodly creature pulled himself from one of the many large holes in the walls, and looked to her in his strange alien gaze. "What do you want mortal? You should not be down here alone." He replied in a thick voice, even as he watched her closely.



"I know I am not supposed to be here alone... hence why I called you. This is your domain, and I did not want to intrude unduly. I have come to ask something of you... Will you hear my request?" Celestine inquired, looking at the aberration straight on. Celestine wasn't really afraid of Nefas any more. He was stomach churning to look at, but beyond that, Celesitne did not suspect he would lash out unless provoked.



A wet exhaling sound came from Nefas as he seemed to ponder her words. "I will listen." He replied eventually, and Celestine could swear she saw something akin to curiosity in his many eyes.



"I wish to see Cameron... I have no plans on doing anything to help her or harm her, I only wish to see her." Celestine replied simply.



"Why?" Nefas asked bluntly. "Bringing you down to the pits will only cause disturbances amongst the population."



Celestine frowned but didn't give up. "I need to see her. I'm hoping that seeing what happened to her will shock me back to my senses."



Nefas's whole body tilted lightly, as if he found her reason lacking. Yet after several long moments of pondering, he straitened and spoke up again. "I shall escort you down."



"Thank you." Celestine responded thankfully, turning towards where Tristan had warned her never to go alone. But thankfully, she wasn't alone. Yet what she heard next was perplexing.



"No... Thank you mortal." Nefas replied idly as he began to move ahead of her. "Stay close... The Hell Spawn would normally not approach due to my presence, but with one such as you, the improbable becomes likely."



Frowning, Celestine looked up to him, even as she followed his advice and came closer to him. "What do you mean, one such as me?"



"Fell Born." Nefas Replied gravely.



"Oh... so you know about that." Celestine managed, a little surprised Tristan had been spreading it around. "Why did Trist-... Lord Durial tell you?" She asked curiously, even as the passage became less regular.



"The Young Lord trusts me, just as I trust him. I have known him for almost the entirety of his existence, so it is not that unrealistic." Nefas replied, even as they began to enter the pits proper.



Celestine saw the Hell Spawn and almost began to lag behind Nefas, their sheer inhuman nature making her hesitate for a moment. But she shoved it aside and forced herself to remain close, even as the creatures looked and sniffed at her hungrily. "Y-you've known him for that long? How? I thought that once most demons were born, they were put in the care of a sort of pseudo-parent, who was responsible for teaching them everything they needed to know as they grew up through some sort of gestation cycle." Celestine responded curiously.



"Your knowledge is impressive. Claude has been revelling in his duties as a teacher it seems." Nefas replied. "I am one of the caretakers." Nefas informed simply. "Though it would be more accurate to say that I <em>was</em> one of them once."



"Wait... you were Tristan's caretaker?" Celestine asked stunned. "That... sort of makes you his father, right?" Celestine asked surprised and confused. "Not his biological parent but you know what I mean."



"Correct." Nefas replied simply, as if it wasn't a big deal or any real secret.



Frowning, Celestine tried to comprehend what he was saying. For Nefas to have survived so long and end up serving Tristan, was suprising. Still, she was curious about something he had said. "You said that you were a caretaker. What could have happened that made you stop being one? I thought it was kind of a life gig... More then that, I thought your kind were almost venerated by almost all demons, to the point where they'd even die to protect you. How did you end up down here of all places and not in Vestiem's court or somewhere like that?" Celestine posed, fully aware she was engaging in conversation in the hopes of distracting herself from the Hell Spawn. Still, even as a distraction, she couldn't help but hope for more tidbits of Tristan's past.



"Normally I would have been, but I defied my duty, and sacrificed many of the infants in my care in order to protect one. In retaliation, my kin punished me by robbing me of the majority of my abilities that would be needed to care for demonic offspring. They then caste me out, fully expecting that I would die of starvation or something of that nature." Nefas replied simply, apparently having no great emotional attachment to being exiled and ostracised.



Frowning, Celestine couldn't help but ask. "Why would you abandon all but one of your charges? What could have possibly forced you to do that?"



"Nephilim Purge... No less then twelve Nephilim came as a single combined choir to the lands owned by the lord I was sworn to at the time. Realizing that destruction was inevitable, I took the charge I felt was the most valuable and fled, instead of standing and fighting in order to protect all my charges. The Nephilim destroyed the Lord and his whole household, but the infant and I managed to escape."

<hr pg="5" />"Durial was the one you saved, isn't he?" Celestine asked.



"Indeed." Nefas responded, though as he did he began to slow, looking around the chamber they were in, observing the various Hell Spawn that roosted here.



"Will you tell me why you saved him?" Celestine asked curiously. "There must have been a reason. Unless you just chose one at random and ran off."



Nefas let out a long breath as he looked around the chamber, glancing into what looked to be large stone cells of some sort. Celestine could see through the small windows on the cell doors that there were Hell Spawn inside each cell, each bearing the same color of hide. Strangely, each of them was perfectly still and quiet and she noticed that they all seemed to be watching her intently.



Still, she couldn't dwell on it long, as Nefas eventually replied. "I saved him because of a unique trait I noticed in him, even as he was growing in his pod. As you are likely aware, demons grow to adulthood within one year of being handed over to a caretaker. The growth is a result of a sort of pupa stage in a demon's life cycle that can be triggered by a caretaker. During that pupa stage of development, caretakers can communicate telepathically with their charges, instructing them in the basic knowledge and information they need to survive in the world. Everything from demonic lore and history, to the mannerisms and cultures they will be living in, and even normal demonic behaviour. However, of all the offspring I've tended to, Durial was the only one who ever asked 'why'. He saw the way nobles and lords treated their vassals through my eyes and asked why it was done that way. I explained to him that it was the norm because it was an effective way to ensure that one would remain the most powerful demon in one's own hold. After all, one would be overthrown if one was not obviously the strongest. He however saw that humans often won loyalty through companionship and with what humans would call 'win-win scenarios'. He proposed that if he could create enough of those scenarios, not only would he grow in power, but so would those under his command."



Nefas paused as he seemed to be observing one of the captive Hell Spawn more closely, as if some small thing beyond Celestine's perspective had caught his eye. Yet after a moment he continued. "I of course told him that while it may be possible, it had never been successfully tested by another lord after all. There were lords that spoiled their closest lieutenants for a time, but that was only because they were powerful to begin with. Further it often resulted in the lord being overthrown by those he tried to encourage. However, Lord Durial pointed out that in those cases, the lieutenants were already powerful, and didn't grow overly much because of their lord's actions, so it made sense for them to overthrow their master because it was clear he only wanted them to be more powerful for his own use, not because he cared for their well being. Instead, the young lord suggested that if the demon in question had taken the weak and raised them to be powerful, a sense of loyalty and companionship would be instilled, and that would perhaps overcome a demon's naturally treacherous nature."



"At the time though, it was apparent that Durial didn't know if the method of lordship he was considering would actually work or not. Common practice would say he was foolish for even considering it, and I even told him as much. Yet he only seemed to shrug it off and said that he would carry through with that method. I asked him why, hoping still to dissuade him, but his only response was that he felt like it. The potential rewards and obvious risks meant nothing to him. The whim simply struck him to try it, and since then he has followed that path without fail." Nefas finished, pulling away from the cell he was observing and continuing on, apparently satisfied by what he saw.



Yet as they continued to walk, Celestine felt a strange sensation wash over her as they left the presence of the containment cells. Like something back there had been expecting her to do something... only to be let down when she did nothing but walk away. It wasn't so much as disappointment; rather it was the realization that whatever it was, would have to wait a little longer...



Still, Celestine brushed it off as nothing, and followed Nefas closely as she spoke up again. "That was probably the first time you've noticed his sense of whimsy."



"Indeed." Nefas replied gruffly. "Many times since then he has done things that have defied any form of logic at all, and even his own nature as a demon! I have tried to understand him on many occasions, dedicating the full capacity of my cognitive functions to the task, only to find no valid reason for them. Not that I object to many of his choices. Several of them have spared my life on a number of occasions." Nefas finished simply.



"Oh?" Celestine inquired.



"After fleeing the purge, I managed to bring him close to a nearby settlement, and he finally shed off the protective skin of his pupa shell, and rose fully grown. However, even though we had fled, I had not escaped without injury, and was quite weak from the travel and helping him escape from his pod. Unfortunately, I had nothing to feed the young lord, who was ravenous now that he had finished his growth cycle. In an attempt to ensure his survival, I offered him my own soul to feed on, as I had nothing else to offer. Most newly grown demons would be so ravenous that they would have accepted it without hesitation, even though I am a caretaker, but the young lord did not. Instead he fled to the nearby settlement and slaked his hunger there. How I do not know exactly, but I do know that after a single day, Durial returned, wearing proper clothes, and toting along several human followers, drunk off pleasure and his powers. Using them he helped me recover, even if their souls were not exactly to my taste." Nefas explained, though after a moment he seemed to stop suddenly and his features contorted into what Celestine guessed was a frown. "Why did I tell you that?" He asked himself more then her.



Cocking her head, Celestine smiled lightly and replied. "Maybe because I'm good company?"



"Or, a far more likely, it is because of your Fell Born nature. I have never told that story to anyone other than other caretakers, and had never intended to share it with anyone else. Most... perturbing." Nefas scowled as he pondered the fact that he shared so much with this mortal.



"Is it really that big of a deal?" Celestine asked, finding Tristan's actions oddly enduring for a moment, before shoving such feelings aside, realizing that he had to sacrifice several humans for the sake of Nefas's one life... But then the question of what any child would do for the sake of their parents came to mind, and Celestine found herself unsure again...



"Yes, it is. In order to prevent further breaches of information, you will ask no more questions." Nefas stated bluntly, apparently disliking the idea of accidently letting any more info out.



Celestine sighed but nodded. "If you say so."



~~~~



Celestine heard Cameron before she saw her, and instantly her chest felt tight. The animal grunts of the Fell Spawn only barley muffled the very human groaning and wet slapping sound of flesh on flesh. Yet as they continued to approach, Celestine heard Cameron's groan become a moan of pleasure that sent shivers down Celestine's spine. Even the sounds of pleasure were cut off as Celestine guessed Cameron's mouth was suddenly occupied with something else.



When they eventually came upon her, Celestine could barely see Cameron under the four Hell Spawn who were occupied with rutting Cameron's relatively smaller body. At first they didn't seem to take notice of Nefas and Celestine's approach, but as the Hell Spawn realized they were going to be interrupted, they accelerated their fornication, and Celestine could hear Cameron gasp in surprise before moaning around the inhuman phallus that was being stuffed down her throat. Moments later Celestine could hear Cameron almost squealing in delight, as the monsters mounting her began to pump her full of their jizm. Still, they didn't seem finished when they started pulling away from her, and Celestine saw more then a little of it fly across Cameron's body before they retreated entirely, leaving her gasping and shuddering in the aftershocks of what Celestine could only guess was some sort of depraved orgasm...



Cameron was on her side, her back to Celestine and Nefas. But when she realized that the Hell Spawn were avoiding her suddenly, she looked back to Celestine and Nefas, turning over to reveal her swollen stomach. Celestine inadvertently gasped and took a step back, sick disgust beginning to fill her. The reek of relentless fucking filled the room, and Cameron was almost utterly covered in spunk. Yet Celestine didn't see recognition in Cameron's eyes at first, still too lost in her lustful daze. But as a few seconds ticked by, the cloudy euphoric look on her face began to fade, and it became apparent that she was beginning to recognize Celestine.



Yet Celestine wasn't welcomed by scathing hate filled words like she expected. Instead Cameron began to giggle... She tried to stop herself at first of course, but soon she couldn't help it, and her laughter began to take on a manic tone. Eventually, Cameron's insane laughter died off and she looked to Celestine again, grinning in a pleasure fuelled daze. "You... y-you have to try this... Celestine... it feels <em>sooo</em> good!" Cameron exclaimed before breaking into a shorter giggling fit.



"Cameron?" Celestine began, unsure how to continue. Seeing her former best friend like this was gut-wrenching to say the least. But somehow she looked like she was enjoying herself... "This.... This is a result of the modifications... right?" Celestine asked, turning to Nefas.



"I told you; no more answers." Nefas growled lowly.



But before she could reply, Celestine felt something wet and warm take her hand, and her head snapped back, eyes wide, suddenly afraid that one of the Hell Spawn had become bold. Unfortunately, what she found in her hand was somehow worse. Cameron had gotten closer, and taken Celestine's hand with both of her own. Looking down at it, Celestine could see Cameron's hand was soaked in what Celestine could only guess was Hell Spawn cum and sweat...



"Come on!" Cameron began again, pulling at Celestine and dragging her towards the Hell Spawn lingering around the edges of the room, eager to get back to rutting. "Let me introduce you to the guys." She said excitedly. "You got to let them get in your panties! I know you're usually a bit of a prude, but you'll love it I swear! You'll see that I'm not li-... just a sec..." Cameron paused as one of her hands removed itself from Celestine's and reached between her legs, where Celestine saw her scooping up the thick cum that was beginning to leak out of her pussy and down the sides of her legs, and it was all Celestine could do but watch, utterly stunned by what she was seeing.



A moment later Cameron brought the handful of still warm cum to her lips and began to slurp it up, shuddering and moaning after her first mouthful. Yet she seemed to pause midway through and hold out her hand to Celestine. "Try it! I think you'll like it!" She offered honestly. It was all Celestine could do but to wretch right there, and only managed to shake her head no, making Cameron pout lightly. "You always were so fussy. But it's okay. We'll get some fresh stuff and then you can try it!" Cameron said excitedly before bringing her hand back to her mouth and taking a single lap more, before she rubbed her palm across her face and breasts as she began to tug Celestine towards the Hell Spawn again.



Glancing to them, Celestine felt a new wave of revulsion as she saw the misshapen and hunched creatures look more and more excited. Nefas wasn't sticking close to her, and it was clear the Hell Spawn were becoming bolder. The closest of them were already bore heavy erections, and were grunting lowly while sniffing at the air, recognizing the scent of a new human female...



"Mic here is one of my favourites!" Cameron continued, even as Celestine began to resist her pull. "He's got such a nice cock. Feels like he's gonna split me in half every time he stuffs it in me!" She added, before giggling again.



But her laughter was cut off when Celestine finally had enough, and ripped her hand out of Cameron's, backing off and getting closer to Nefas again. "N-No!" Celestine replied, her voice coming in sharp gasps as Cameron looked back at her, confused and lost. "I don't... don't want to be the cum bucket of a bunch of these monsters!" Celestine continued, her voice almost panicked.



"Wha... what are you talking about Celestine?" Cameron replied weakly. "They ain't monsters... just Mic and the bo-..." Cameron paused and began to look around, as realization dawned on her again and some semblance of sanity began to return to her. "... they're monsters..." She squeaked in terror. "Oh god... I've been fucking monsters this entire time..." She continued, backing away from the walls and the Hell Spawn that were beginning to edge closer.



After a moment more Cameron whirled around and shot Celestine a look of abject hate, riddled with terror. "I'm here because of <em>you</em>!" She snapped, apparently remembering. "I've become the fucking breeding sow to these things because of <em>YOU</em>!" She howled, as she began to press towards Celestine. "I'll kill you! I'll fucking tear your throat ou-<em>UNNGG! God... No! Not again!</em>" Cameron wailed while clutching her stomach before falling to her knees.



The painful whimpering that came from Cameron a moment later chilled Celestine to the bone. Unfortunately, her whimpers were only a result of a more horrible sound that seemed to come from her writhing abdomen. Celestine watched in horror as she saw Cameron's insides shift and poke out, all the while accompanied by the sounds of tearing meat and breaking bones. "... Wh-... What is that sound?" Celestine rasped weakly, glancing to Nefas for an explanation. Yet as Nefas seemed to get ready to shoot her down again, Celestine simply snapped at him, suddenly angry at his tight lipped attitude. "I'm not asking any questions about you damn it!"



Nefas bristled lightly but eventually looked back to Cameron, as she fell on her back to buck and writhe. A moment later he was moving closer to her, a fleshy tentacle like appendage reaching out towards her crotch. "The offspring inside her are killing and eating each other... Do not concern yourself, she will survive." Nefas replied matter of factually, before stabbing the tendril into Cameron's pussy and driving it into her deeply. After a moment he withdrew it again, as if pleased to see that it was all still there. "The process is nearly complete... Odd that it would take place while they are still small and young, but this should provide useful data." Nefas added, his tone unemotional and calm.



Celestine could only shake her head at what she was seeing, as a few moments more past, and Cameron's agony seemed to fade and eventually gutter out. A moment more and Cameron flipped herself onto her stomach and pushed herself up onto all fours to look at Celestine, insane hate shining in her eyes. "It... it should have been you!" Cameron began. "It should have been you down here!" She shrilled out. "I could serve him so much better!" Cameron spat. But as she spoke, Nefas withdrew from her, and one of Hell Spawn needed no other invitation. Before she realized what was happening, Cameron felt its heavy hands fall on her shoulders. "No!" She screamed; hate suddenly turning to rampant terror as she clawed at the floor, trying to escape. "Please <em>no</em>!" She cried again, right before it rammed itself into her exposed cunt, making her begging turn into painful wailing.



Cameron began to sob pathetically as the Hell Spawn began to rape her in earnest, and her head fell so her face was out of sight. Yet as the seconds ticked past, Celestine heard her cries twist from sobbing into pleasure stained gasps... A moment more and her head came up and Cameron's face was twisted in erotic glee once again. "Fuck! <em>Munnh!</em> That's right Mic. Fuck my bitch cunt! <em>AAH</em>" Cameron began, even as her words devolved into depraved grunts and groaning...



Celestine could only watch for a few seconds more, as the sanity drained from Cameron's eyes and was replaced by stupid uncaring lust. Somehow she scrambled up to her feet, and began heading back the way she came, rushing as fast as she could to try and escape the sounds... But before she got out of the chamber, she couldn't help but hear Cameron's final words... <em>"Come back Celestine! Unnhh! You'll... you'll love Mic's fat dick! Come back!"</em>



Yet as she left, Celestine couldn't help but realize that the one ramming itself into Cameron, wasn't in fact the one she had referred to as 'Mic' earlier, which probably meant she had no idea at all how to distinguish from one another. Instead it was probably some hallucination or fantasy her mind had cooked up in some desperate attempt to hold onto some fragment of her sanity... Celestine shook her head, not even bothering to see if Nefas was following her as she tried to shake the thoughts from her head. She'd risk the Hell Spawn if it meant getting away from the disgusting thing that her former friend had become...



~~~~



Thankfully Nefas did seem to be following her, and soon after, Celestine was well out of the underground, gulping down the fresh air back in the mansion proper, trying to catch her breath after running fill tilt out of that hellish nightmare. Yet as Celestine's heart began to slow, she moved away from the entrance to the underground, and eventually found herself in one of the sun rooms that dotted the sides of Tristan's mansion. She sat down there, hoping that the warm light would help chase her nausea and disgust away.



Unfortunately, as Celestine found herself calming down, she realized something that weighed on her heavily... She felt disgusted by the sight of Cameron, and utterly revolted by what was happening to her, but despite all that, she didn't feel an iota of guilt over it. Instead, all she could feel was a sense of relief, knowing that she wasn't the one down there. The idea of being the center of a cum-soaked orgy did cross Celestine's fantasies now and again, but what she saw happening to Cameron? That had no appeal at all... Each of the Hell Spawn was abhorrent to look upon, lacking even the most basic symmetry, and just thinking of them made her sick again. However, perhaps more disgusting was the fact that their reproductive organs, as inhuman as they were, still somehow mated with Cameron's...



Unable to stay sitting, Celestine got up to her feet again and began pacing back and forth, trying to come to terms with the fact that she didn't seem to care about Cameron's fate at all, beyond the simple fact that not feeling anything, horrified Celestine. Yet as she dwelled on it, a thought crossed her mind, which made her snicker cruelly at herself. "Well... at least I didn't enjoy watching that." Celestine almost spat, glad at least that the perverse show she saw didn't rile her up.



"At least you didn't enjoy what?" Tristan's voice came in gently from the hall, making Celestine snap around and glare at him. She ground her teeth as she realized he had been hiding his power, suppressing it specifically to sneak up on her.



"Seeing Cameron be the cum bucket and baby factory for your Hell Spawn." Celestine shot back angrily.



Tristan raised his eyebrows at her aggression and after a moment, calmly walked into the sun room, sitting down in a chair that faced where Celestine stood. "You shouldn't have gone down there alone Celestine... it's dangerous. It's a small miracle you're alive at all." Tristan replied coolly.

<hr pg="6" />"Nefas played chaperone, so don't fret." Celestine replied icily. "You're sick you know... even coming up with something like that... to do to a living person!"



Tristan smiled lightly at her attempt to insult him. "Perhaps I am. But then I'm not human, so you'll forgive me if I'm not moved by such words." Tristan looked to her as she grit her teeth in frustration and turned away from him. "... Celestine..." he tried more gently.



"Shut up." Celestine almost barked. "Nothing you could possibly say will be welcome."



"You'll have to forgive me for trying." Tristan replied. "Look... I don't know why you went down there. But I'm sure you saw that Cameron wasn't just suffe-" But Tristan was cut off by the sound of shattering glass, as Celestine grabbed a nearby crystal flower pitcher and hurled it at him, only to send it soaring over head and crash against a wall in a shower of broken glass.



"STOP IT!" Celestine screamed at the top of her lungs. "Just stop it!" She begged, before she fell against the wall and slid down onto her ass. A moment later she pulled her knees up and wrapped her head up in her arms again, trying to hide from the chaos swirling around in her own head.



Tristan sat quietly for a long moment, looking to the broken glass with only a passing glance before focused his gaze on Celestine. Eventually, he got up and went to her, before sitting down along side her and simply being there. More long moments past though, and the silence began to weigh on Celestine. She knew he was going to say something to make her feel better, but knowing that only terrified her more. Eventually she spoke up, voice thick with cynicism. "You aren't going to say anything?"



Tristan seemed to shrug, but did eventually reply. "I have thought up some long elaborate speech to go through, highlighting the points about how Cameron's current predicament isn't your fault and all that and that she's actually enjoying her stay here... But, given the current state of things, I doubt very much that you'll buy any of that, so I figured I would just skip it and save us both the time."



Celestine snorted at his words and shook her head. "You'll have to forgive me if I don't believe you."



"I understand. I'm a demon after all. Why would you believe me?" He asked rhetorically. "But... I do have a question for you Celestine."



"Really?" She asked bitterly. "And what exactly is your question?"



"Will you tell me what you're so afraid of?" Tristan asked honestly. "I can see that you're angry... but unless my guess is off, you're angry at yourself more than anyone else... And I'm guessing you're angry at yourself because you're afraid of something that is happening with you. So will you tell me what that is?" Tristan finished, looking to her even as she peeked up over her arms at him.



For a long moment, Celestine thought about just ignoring his question. She knew she could just give him the cold shoulder and that would be the end of it. It was too dangerous to use his powers on her, and he wasn't going to torture her... so what incentive did she have to answer him?



The answer to that was part of her problem though... The only incentive she had to answering his question was that by telling him the truth, he might be able to make her feel better. But then he usually did so by justifying things to her, so that evil didn't seem quite as abhorrent or blasphemous as it should have. He painted all that was black, with a gray brush, making it seem less terrible then it really was... He made it seem more acceptable. Still, the urge to tell him kept trying to slam itself against her mind, pushing her to open up. Despite knowing his despicable nature, he often did make her feel better... But even if he couldn't come up with anything, the truth would probably shut him up for good. If it was obvious she knew that he was trying to manipulate her, maybe he would stop, and try something else, something she might be better equipped to handle.



"...I'm afraid of the fact that I'm losing my sense of guilt..." She replied slowly. "I nearly killed Ella, and I don't feel anything but regret over not having been able to murder her... I don't feel a scrap of guilt over what happened to Cameron either... All I felt when I saw her was disgust at what she had become. Well... that and the relief that I wasn't in her shoes." Celestine added bitterly. Tristan opened his mouth to speak, but Celestine cut him off, glaring at him the whole time. "And don't try justifying it to me Tristan. Even if it was a natural response with Ella, normal people don't wish death on others. And no matter what you say, I know morally speaking, no one in the universe deserves what happened to Cameron. I hate to tell you this, but I've realized that almost every time we talk... you're justifying something to me. You're saying that what I'm doing is okay or that it's the right decision... But really it isn't. It's all abhorrent bullshit; crap would have gotten me locked away forever if I were to do the same out in the human world. The really sad thing is, that despite knowing that, and the fact that I should feel guilty about the things I've done, I still can't muster up any real guilt over my actions. I'm upset that I've disappointed others, people who care about me, but I don't honestly give a shit about Cameron or Ella or anyone else who has gotten hurt because of me... You've successfully changed me forever. It's like a big old stain on a beautiful carpet. You can wash it a thousand times, and maybe the stain will fade, but it'll always be there..."



Tristan sat and listened to her, and once she was done, he simply watched her, instead of saying anything. Celestine felt a sense of defiant victory rush through her as she thought she had left him speechless, but it soon died away, as he spoke up in response. "I take it you've been speaking with Markus about your situation if you've come to such conclusions."



"Yea, I have... He showed me that all my arguments that I used to defend my actions were actually just your arguments. I might have adapted them and tweaked them some to make me think they were my own, but really it was just your reasoning. Your demonic logic." She added coldly.



Nodding lightly, Tristan paused before looking forwards and beginning again, but when he did speak, his voice was cool and calm, not reflecting the harsh words that came from his lips. "... Well... Fuck... I should have murdered that bastard the moment after you two weren't near each other... I should have asked Arzal to kill him and be done with it, so you'd have no one else. That way I could have you all to myself." Tristan elaborated, before looking back to her calmly again. "That is what you were expecting to hear right? You want me to admit defeat and back off... Correct?" Tristan asked curiously, his voice still calm and relaxed.



Celestine frowned and pushed herself away from him, her features twisted into a scowl. "What? Now that I've figured it out, you devolve into mocking me?" She asked venomously. "Real classy. What the hell did I ever see in you?" Celestine asked herself angrily, as she moved away from him.



Yet the moment she was done asking herself that, Tristan spoke up. "I can answer that if you want. And it won't be a lie or any bullshit. It'll be just the honest simple truth." He finished, making Celestine pause and slowly turn back to him, her eyes reflecting the distrust she felt.



"I can't trust anything you say." Celestine replied bluntly.



Tristan chuckled and shook his head. "Oh really? Then how about this? Everything I say is a lie." Tristan stated simply, referencing the age old paradox. A statement that, by its own definition, contradicted itself.



Celestine shook her head at him, disgusted at his apparently pointless argument. "You think I'm going to be thrown for a loop by some ridiculous old riddle? It isn't that easy Tristan."



"Oh I know. But you're still listening, and that's all that matters. So how about it Celestine? Do you want to know what you see in me that attracts you to me? I'll give you a hint. My physical appearance has almost nothing to do with it. If that was all it was, you would have just said 'fuck it' a long time ago and tried to escape no matter the risk to your life. I'll even give you a second hint... it isn't because of my powers or because you're a Fell Born. Also, in case you're thinking it, it isn't because you're broken or anything like that. It's something else entirely." Tristan explained, his voice going firm and serious.



"Alright then smart ass, what is it that draws me to you then? Huh? Tell me, because I sure as fuck don't understand it." Celestine spat angrily, annoyed by the fact that she really didn't know. Yes he could give her pleasure beyond reason, but that wasn't a real reason, and it certainly wasn't the reason why she felt so drawn to him.



"It's pretty simple actually. I make you feel good." Tristan said bluntly.



Yet Celestine only snorted in disgust at his words. "Bullshit. Don't get me wrong, you're a pretty great lay, fantastic in fact. But that isn't a real reason, and we both know it."



"I don't ever recall saying anything about making you feel physical pleasure." Tristan replied simply. "What I was talking about, was the fact that I make you feel good about being you on a daily basis. Think about it Celestine... After you shooed me off this morning, I'm betting you felt pretty good about yourself, despite just having a pregnancy scare. Want another example? Given that you brought it up, we'll review Ella's case. After what happened you felt terrible. You were worried and afraid of the fact that you didn't feel any remorse or regret over what you did to her. Who made you feel better? Was it me?! Because I certainly think it was." Tristan said firmly, getting up himself as he became more adamant.



"That was just you trying to corrupt me!" Celestine shot back. "How did you put it once? You want to watch me fall from on high or some bullshit like that?"



Tristan rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You don't even understand what it is I want for you!" Tristan shot back.



"The fuck I don't! It's evil and dark and horrible! It's taking what would otherwise be a perfectly decent person and corrupting them into a self absorbed bitch who doesn't give a shit about anything but themselves! Honestly Tristan, it's like you want me to be you!" Celestine hollered back at him.



"Wrong." Tristan said harshly. "I am trying to take a person, who for reasons well beyond my understanding, chose to chain herself down and who is constantly trying to drag the guilt and pain of other peoples problems onto her shoulders. I am trying to convince that same person that fighting back against people who try and hurt you or those you care about is not only normal, but the right thing to do! I am trying to make that person feel better about herself and let go of all the stupid human morality that would demand she feel like shit!" Tristan rumbled angrily, suprising Celestine some. Yet before she got a chance to reply, Tristan continued, his voice unyielding. "What I'm trying to do, is help you accept the world that you're now part of! I'm trying to make it so you don't get crushed by stupid guilt and pain and suffering! I am trying to make you enjoy your life and the experiences you have in it! Something, you didn't allow yourself to do when you were out in the human world!" Tristan almost roared at her. "So yes, if I have to corrupt you, to help make you realize that there is more to this world than suffering and self flagellation, than so fucking be it!"



Celestine staggered at his words, frowning as she tried to make sense of it all. She kept repeating to herself that everything he said couldn't be trusted. That it was just lies and deceit... But he sounded so forthright. He sounded like he cared. He sounded like he wanted her to feel good about herself, instead of feeling miserable. And whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not, even now she began to feel the subtle pull that she often felt when she was around him, trying to drag her closer... "How can making me do terrible things... How can making me be responsible for such things, be in any way, shape or form, good for me!? How is being a monster supposed to make a person feel good?"



"It doesn't fucking matter how!" Tristan shot back. "Does it?" He asked sincerely. "Honestly Celestine, does it matter?" Tristan asked again, looking to her expectantly.



Celestine felt herself backing away from him a step, involuntarily retreating from his questions. "Of... of course it does!" Celestine began, fighting to keep her voice firm. "Holding onto my morality, especially when I'm in your captivity, is one of the most important things to me!"



"I'm betting those are <em>his</em> words Celestine, not yours." Tristan replied without hesitation.



Celestine felt her lower lip shudder lightly for a moment, hating the fact that Tristan wasn't wrong about that. "His or mine, they're still right."



"Really?" Tristan asked bluntly. "How are they right? How can they be when all they do is make you suffer!?" Tristan demanded.



"They don't make me suffer Tristan. Only you do that!" Celestine shot back, frustration clawing at her and making her snappy.



"Wrong." Tristan returned. "No matter how you slice it Celestine, the events that have transpired since your arrival would have played out more or less the same way, regardless of how tightly you held onto your morality or not. I still would have made Cameron into a baby factory for how she treated you. You still would have fought with that other marked servant in Vestiem's court, and he still would have ended up dead. Navira's dolls still would have died during the Clash no matter what you had done. Human morality wouldn't have saved <em>any</em> them! All it would have done is make you suffer needlessly, just like it is right now."



"I wouldn't have ever been in any of those situations, if not for you." Celestine reminded, unwilling to simply break down and accept his reasoning.



"That's true. If not for me, you'd still be in the human world." Tristan allowed, making Celestine grin slightly in response to his concession. But her grin faded a moment later when he continued. "Instead, you'd still be in your world, playing by the rules while Cameron used and abused you. You'd still be her plaything, to mock and toy with as she saw fit, all in some vain attempt to make herself feel superior to you . You'd still be at your old job, under the thumb of a cruel and arrogant superior, who was unable to accept that you were simply better than her. Where her stupid posturing and constant pushing you down would only get worse, as it became more and more apparent that you wouldn't need to get on your knees to climb the corporate ladder! But more than any of that Celestine, if you had continued followed your morality in that human world, if you still clung to that structure of behaviour that only really works when <em>everyone</em> is playing by the rules, then you'd still be alone and chained down by the fear and the distrust you had of your own emotions... Almost completely unable to know pleasure or joy..." By the end Tristan's voice had gone quiet and remorseful, as if even thinking of her like that wounded him somehow.



"..." Celestine didn't know how to reply to that. His words and tone robbed her of much of her determination to fight against him. In that one moment Tristan seemed tired of fighting her. Tired of trying to convince her that her way wasn't the right way; tired, of trying to save her from misery she seemed so damned determined to feel. "... It... it wasn't that bad." Celestine tried, realizing only after she said it that she didn't even believe herself.



"You're right. It was worse." Tristan replied coldly, his spite aimed at a world that wasn't fair to her. "Your life would only have continued to decay. Your Fell Born nature would have kept infecting everyone around you... making them fall deeper into their own vices and turning their negative emotions towards you. You would have held on of course... you're wonderfully stubborn that way." Tristan continued, bringing a sad smile to his lips for a moment, before it faded and he continued. "But eventually you would have been weathered away, like a beautiful shoreline being slowly destroyed by an unending storm, until there would be nothing left of the strong and beautiful woman I know and long for."



Celestine backed away from him, unwilling to be near him. Despite screaming at herself not to believe him, despite knowing that he was probably just trying to manipulate her, despite all that, she felt herself beginning to fall for his words... To believe as he believed. "Stop... just stop it..." She tried, hoping that she wouldn't crack as she hugged herself and wrapped her arms tightly around her, closing her eyes hoping to cut off the world.



Yet her eyes snapped open when she felt Tristan's fingers upon her chin, turning her to look at him directly. "I said earlier that I wanted to kill Markus, and I wasn't lying Celestine. I won't of course; I promised you that I wouldn't after all, and I know he's important to you. But I wish so badly that I could, for what's he's done to you. I'm sure he was trying to save you from what he sees as my malignant demonic influence, but really? As far as I can see, the only thing that's come of his words is more suffering for you."



"Where your words are meant to make me feel good about myself? To help me enjoy my life and revel in my desires and the all the pleasure and joy the world has to offer?" Celestine asked, the uncertainty not ringing so loud in her voice anymore.



"That's right." Tristan replied firmly. "And that's why I won't ever stop trying. You might think I'm trying to corrupt you Celestine, and maybe in a way I am. But really, I'm trying to set you free of a set of rules that only you seem to be following. A set of rules that not only put you at a dangerous disadvantage in my world, but also robbed you of any chance at real happiness you had back in your world. So forgive me if I try and chip away at the illusion you call morality, but I won't tolerate it holding you down!" Tristan finished, his voice hard and full of purpose.



In spite of all that, it was all Celestine could do but smile lightly at his enthusiasm. "I still think you're just trying to twist the situation around in your favour." She said, even as she felt elated at his attentions.



"Of course I am." Tristan replied without any hesitation, a wide grin crossing his lips. "But that doesn't make it any less true that I'm trying to help you in the only way I know how. Plus, it isn't like I'm not getting anything out of it..." Tristan began as he leaned in closer to her lips. "I get to have all sorts of fun with you after all." He added as he continued to close with her.



But just as their lips were about to meet, Celestine slipped out of his gentle hold and left Tristan looking after her as she smiled lightly back to him. "I'm sure it doesn't." She said, her voice less serious than it was before. But after a moment she found herself chuckling, before continuing. "You... you just did it again didn't you? Somewhere along the line I stopped feeling like shit." Celestine pondered that for a moment but eventually she simply shrugged and pushed it aside, unsure exactly when she broke down. "You're a cunning bastard, you know that?"



"I do, but thank you for the complement. And if I might pay you one in return, you are a frustratingly and beautifully stubborn woman... One that has made me question whether or not I could make do without your company." Tristan added, in an honest if not slightly hesitant voice.



Celestine stood there for a moment, stunned that Tristan had said anything like that... Yet even as she stood there, Celestine felt her cheeks warming as she blushed. "What are you saying Tristan?" Celestine asked carefully, fighting not to get her hopes up.

<hr pg="7" />Tristan smiled, and seemed to ponder for a moment, before he eventually replied. "I'm not entirely sure... Though I think part of it is that finding you that evening back in that club, was quite possibly one of the best things that has ever happened in my life." Tristan finished with a slight shrug before turning towards the hall again. "But come along... Salana and Tamana are waiting on us in your chambers."



Celestine blinked at the sudden topic change when she realized that they had been talking for more than a little while... "Wait..." She began as she followed him. "Are you saying they've been waiting on us this whole time?!" She asked exasperated, even as she wished to hear more about how he felt.



"Longer actually. I took me a while to find you." Tristan admitted casually, all hesitation and worry gone from his voice.



"Why the hell didn't you say so sooner!?" Celestine asked as she began to hurry.



"Because I thought dealing with your concerns was more important." Tristan replied with ease. "Besides. It's not like they are going to go anywhere. If they run off I'll have their hides. They agreed to this, so they aren't getting out of it now. I don't know what you have planned, but honestly, I'm curious to see what comes of it." Tristan explained with a slight smile.



Celestine didn't reply to that, and instead simply continued on towards her chambers.



~~~~~



Celestine was a little surprised by all the formalities that took place in order to get Salana and Tamana to become her personal handmaidens. There were all manner of oaths and the like, and it sort of reminded her of when demons swore themselves to Tristan during Court, but ultimately, when it was done, Tristan took his leave and the two of them were now hers to use as she saw fit, within a few limits of course.



But almost immediately after Tristan was out of the room, Tamana looked to Celestine curiously, stepping forwards and grinning to her. "So... <em>mistress</em>... what would you have us do?"



Celestine cocked her head lightly. "You plan on calling me that a lot, don't you?" Celestine asked, in response. Somehow when Tamana said it, there was some sort of lewd undertone to it.



"Yes Mistress!" Tamana responded with her usual pluckiness.



However before she could continue, the taller Salana gave her ear a flick to keep her quite. A moment more and she looked to Celestine curiously. "As dirty as her little mind is, she asks a valid question... You said that you had some cloak and dagger stuff for us to do, and that you'd tell us after Lord Durial agreed to put us in your retainer... So I figure it's time to let us in on the secret."



Celestine nodded before going to the door to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation before she closed it. "Well... to be perfectly honest, I had originally planned on you two acting as secret curriers for me. I didn't expect that Markus, the mortal Runesmith I'm sure you've heard about, would end up living here... I had thought he would stay with Arzal, wherever that happened to be. As it turns out that isn't the case any more, so I won't need you to do that." Celestine explained frankly.



"Ooohh... heh. She wanted us to carry secret love letters!" Tamana teased playfully.



"Something of that nature, yes." Celestine replied bluntly, putting a stop to Tamana's giggling.



Instead she pouted a little. "Humf... It's no fun if you don't get even a little embarrassed."



"I know you're two's M.O. remember? I know you get off on humiliating and embarrassing your marks, so how about we skip over that sort of stuff in the future hum?" Celestine requested calmly. Salana nodded simply, and Tamana followed suit shortly after, realizing Celestine was going to keep this largely no-nonsense.



Still, Salana spoke up. "Well, if you don't need us as curriers, what do you need us for?"



"I need you as spies." Celestine replied quickly. "I need you to keep an eye on two individuals specifically, one of which is Markus. I need to know what he's up to when I'm not around." Celestine explained, pushing aside any reservations she might have still had about getting them to spy on Markus. As much as she cared for him, she knew he was stubborn and often followed through with what he thought was best. In this case, that meant preparing to take Tristan on...



"Whoa there... you want us to spy on your Runesmith boyfriend?" Salana asked grinning a little. "Kind of paranoid of you, don't you think? What, you don't trust him?" She asked, clearly amused.



"Actually, it's kind of the opposite." Celestine replied. "I trust him to do what he thinks is right, which just so happens to be something I believe is phenomenally stupid." Celestine explained. "I want one of you to observe his actions and where he goes throughout the mansion. When he's down in the dungeons working on Durial's new blade, I want you checking his room discreetly. Look for a journal or any notes... I don't want you to steal anything, but if he's keeping secrets, I'd like to know where they are. Salana... I'd like to handle that." Celestine ordered simply. "I only want you to find out where they are, don't go reading them though. I'll handle that myself."



"Sure." She replied easily. "It's going to be a challenge though, stalking a Runesmith, but what the hell, why not?"



"What about me?" Tamana asked curiously. "You said there were two people you wanted us to watch..."



"Ella." Celestine replied in short order. "Tamana, you'll keep an eye on her and follow her at every opportunity. Listen in on any conversations she has if possible."



Salana chuckled. "Ahh... so it's not the boyfriend you don't trust, it's the little librarian. You worried she's gonna swoop in and try and steal your man?"



Celestine shook her head. "No, I'm worried she's going to go insane when he eventually turns her down a second time."



Tamana giggled. "Oh come on... she's only silly mortal with a single mark! Even if she had the second mark, she isn't any real threat." Tamana said, clearly amused. "No offence of course." She added playfully.



"Really?" Celestine asked, clearly amused. "Because she hasn't just spent the last fifty years of her life in a library that belonged to a demonic scholar... Sure, most of it was probably just lore and history, but what if, in her fifty years of reading, she came across something powerful and dangerous, just waiting to be let off its leash?" Celestine asked gravely.



Salana scoffed. "A demon like Arzal probably would never let her read that sort of material."



"Why not?" Celestine asked. "Especially if he only thought of her as a 'silly mortal', like you demons tend to."



"I still don't see it." Salana replied. "She'd need a whole library worth of reference material to decipher even a single boo-... oh... I think I see the connection you just made there..." Salana seemed to think on it for a moment more. "Fuck. She might actually have some power to her..." Salana commented with a little bit of concern as she glanced to Tamana. But after a moment she looked back to Celestine. "Still, what makes you think she's crazy enough to try out untested sorcery, assuming of course she can do anything like that?"



"You mean besides the fact that her Master, and in fact the only person she had any real contact with for the better part of five decades was murdered by someone in this mansion, isn't reason enough to think she might just jump off the deep end?" Celestine asked rhetorically. "Plus, with all the lust demons in this place, someone might try and have some fun with her. I know Durial ordered that I be left alone, but that doesn't mean he did the same thing for her."



"She's right there." Tamana said to her taller companion. "I mean usually we leave mortal servants alone, but she seems so fragile and looks like easy prey. Someone might just catch a serious case of stupid and try and fuck about with her." A moment more, and she looked back to Celestine to continue. "Anything else? Do you want me to search her room too for anything that might be curious or interesting?"



Celestine nodded. "That would be fantastic. It's a long shot, but Markus might stow his secrets away with her instead of risking it in his own room."



Salana nodded. "Alright... so we got the gist of things... when do you want us to start?"



Celestine smiled to the two female demons. "Right away." Both of them couldn't help but grin back to their new mistress, as they found the wolfish smile upon her lips more than just a little impressive...



~~~~~



Celestine was heading back to her chambers after working out in the gym. She had worked herself almost ragged and was looking forward to a nice long shower to help ease the day's tensions. She hadn't been expecting her argument with Markus in the morning, or the shouting match she had with Tristan, and was almost ready to call it an evening.



The idea of visiting Markus before going to bed was just crossing her mind, when Celestine felt a familiar presence lingering in the foyer of Tristan's mansion. Stopping, Celestine began to look about, trying to find it's source, yet for whatever reason it seemed to be flickering in and out... like it was only half there. But after a moment more, the presence seemed to fade completely, and she shrugged it off as just her imagination, as she could see no one else was there.



But when she turned again, she found Navira, standing there and grinning at her in her demonic form. "There you are..." The Demonic Duchess began, her voice excited and pleased. "I've been all about looking for you."



Celestine immediately began to backpedal, only to catch her heel on a rug, sending her falling onto her back. She thought to get up, but Navira almost pounced on top of her, staying above Celestine on her hands and knees. "Oh my... is someone surprised to see me? You shouldn't be. I've waited long enough haven't I? Now its time, and that means you're all mine..." She promised with a hungry low voice.



"T-... Tristan!" Celestine whispered out, while almost screaming for him over the demonic mark. Navira's presence triggered nigh rampant panic to grip Celestine tightly as her gaze met Navira's silver eyes.



It was only made worse as Navira smiled wide at her, revealing her dazzling white teeth, complete with fangs... "Oh I could just eat you up you are so delectable looking..." Navira announced before opening her mouth and aiming to take a bite out of Celestine's throat. In a panic, Celestine threw out her arms to try and throw the female demon off her, only to have her arms pass right through her body, sending Navira out of focus as her body began to shift and billow in a cloud of multicoloured smoke...



A few seconds later and Celestine found the cloud reforming, with Navira standing over her. "Mnn... good. You still have that defiance in you that I saw during court... You shouldn't worry though; I'm not Durial's doorstep just yet. Tell him I'm coming in the morning for you... And tell him I won't be made to wait any longer..." Navira warned, even as the image of her began to come apart. "You and I... we will have such fun together!" She added, before her ghostly body finally disappeared in a puff of blue vapour.



Celestine tried to comprehend what had just happened, even as her heart continued to thunder in her ears...



"Tristan!" She called out again, as she realized she didn't know what else to do...

