#also also not entirely sure what counts as body horror aside from The Sacrifices' whole deal but just in case

[psychotic-nonsense]

TW FOR BODY HORROR

Stranger Things: Vecna's Generals AU - Character Sheets

Feel free to use these for reference, as these are the current designs and relevant information. This will override some old information posts, as their contents have been added to/tweaked/removed, but here they are for reference:

Original Master Post

Original Song List (Links still valid and playlists are updated)

Hawkins Civilians title expansion

[jadethest0ne]

Alive

Summary: “Donnie is in trouble. Shelldon had seen the containers begin to tip over. Donnie isn't in a position to get out of the way in time. The thought that immediately rushes through Shelldon's head? Gotta save Donnie. So he moves as quickly as he can. He is a fast drone. Nearly won at the drone races, after all. Donnie had saved him then. Donnie had given Shelldon life to begin with. And Shelldon would do anything to return the favor. “ Word Count: 3435 Rating/Warnings: General Audiences; Injury, Self-Sacrifice, Hurt/ Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending Notes: Oh look, I can write prose, too, I guess. It’s just been a while... Read on AO3. Related to this idea.

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"Is this the safe, Draxxy?" Mikey flashes an excited smile in the direction of the formerly villainous yokai as he gestures at an unassuming, yet still obviously solid looking container hidden under some sheets amongst the machinery in Draxum's old lab.

The yokai lets out a grunt of affirmation. "Yes it is. Now move aside while I input the code."

Mikey skips out of the way to stand beside his purple-adorned brother who had accompanied them.

Donatello was not particularly pleased to be asked on a mission with their now semi-reformed creator, but he was needed "in case anything science-y happens", in Michelangelo's words. Truth be told, they really only needed the help of Shelldon, who is perfectly capable of being by himself, thank you very much. The drone in question hovers by his own creator with an easy expression on his robotic features.

"So you left a whole jar of ooze in your lab where just about anyone could get their hands on it?" Shelldon remarks, sharing a sarcastic smile with the softshell.

"Not very smart for a warring warrior scientist," Donnie monotones, and both he and Shelldon share a fist bump of sorts, looking smugly at the sheepman.

Draxum lets out an irritated humph and says, "I kept it in a secured location where no one could easily find it and kept it locked up. See, it's here." He gestures at the now open safe with a container filled with glowing green liquid inside. "Have your drone pick it up for me and we can be on our way. When we get back, I can find a way to safely handle and dispose of it."

Donnie lets out a dry "uh huh" and waves to the drone. "Shelldon, if you would be so kind."

"No problemo broseph," Shelldon says, floating over to the container and securing it with a clamp on his back.

"I just need to finish shutting things down and wiping the information from my systems. Then we can be out of here before the police resumes their rounds of investigation,” says Draxum.

He walks over to some computers and begins typing away.

Donnie's eyes remain narrow and unhappy as he pulls aside Mikey and mutters to his youngest brother, "Remind me again why we're helping him wipe his records of this place? It's like we're helping him get rid of evidence."

"It's not that," Mikey's voice changes to that of his Dr. Feelings cadence, "I thought it'd be a good way for Draxibald to cleanse himself of his past, by letting go and deleting all of his evil experiments." His voice shifts back to something more natural and cheery. "Besides, this way no one else can find this information and use it for bad stuff ever again!"

"Fine," Donnie huffs out.

Mikey looks at his older brother with some concern. "What's wrong?"

Donnie looks away. "It's nothing."

"Donnie."

Something seems to catch Donnie's attention then. "Hey, look at that."

"Donnie, what did we say about avoiding your feelings?"

"Scoff! I'm not avoiding anything," he says, crossing his arms defensively, obviously avoiding something.

Mikey raises his brow, unimpressed.

Donnie ignores this and points to a corner of the lab. "Really though, look at that."

Mikey's narrowed gaze shifts to one of awe as he follows Donnie's pointed finger to a couple of large containers filled with aged looking yellow liquid with some solid forms floating inside. Though shriveled and pale, the forms were unmistakably that of large sea turtles.

Shelldon lets out a long "Wooaaaaah" at the sight and quickly hovers himself over in that direction. “Neato!” he exclaims.

Mikey and Donnie follow, also looking on in amazement at the sheer size of the turtles. They are much larger than the two youngsters. Even larger than Raph. And the size of the containers holding them must require gallons upon gallons of liquid to accommodate their giant bodies.

Upon closer inspection, however, the site is a little less wondrous as the large turtles are obviously dead and preserved in the large vats. Mikey's face scrunches up in discomfort and quickly clings to his brother, whose snout wrinkles in disgust.

"Planning on mutating more than just us, huh, Draxum?" Donnie calls over to the scientist.

Draxum looks on, expressionless. "I had at one point considered making a more solely aquatic group of warriors, but I was worried that the size of the leatherback turtle would be too difficult to deal with. Now please step away from there. I'm going to cut power to the specimen preservation units and they may become unstable."

Not eager to stay near the somewhat morbid sight, Mikey scampers over to where Draxum is. Donnie lingers, however, giving the specimens another once over before slowly turning away.

That's when the shift happens.

It is all too quick. A hiss of escaping steam. A light clinking of glass as the containers tip over.

Donnie isn't nearly out of their range and he looks on in horror as the large containers loom over him.

He barely registers his brother screaming his name before he feels a sudden thud against his side, and he is pushed out of range by the small purple figure that is his drone.

"Shelld--" Donnie isn't able to finish his cry before many tons of glass and preservative chemicals come crashing down on his beloved drone.

--------

There is a stillness in the air as the tinkling of glass and the trickling of liquid comes to a halt.  The leatherback sea turtles are all but disintegrated after having been kept for who knows how long in the vats, and their pieces are scattered about in the mess of the oozing yellow liquid. Donnie stares wide-eyed into the middle of the wreckage where Shelldon lays. A large shard of glass has pierced straight through his robotic body. Sparks of electricity buzz out of the small drone, but other than that, he does not move.

The purple clad turtle lets out a strangled yelp as he calls his drone’s name. “Shelldon!” Donnie rushes over to the drone, not caring about the glass or debris scattered about. He reaches out for the small bot, but something catches him around the middle and holds him back, right before he can get to him.

Donnie yells angrily, “no, NO! Let go of me!” He turns around to see Draxum holding him in place with one of his vines.

“I told you the containers were unstable,” Draxum chides, expression flat.

Donnie tries again, “Let me go! I need to check on him!” Donnie squirms in the grasp of the vines trying to reach out for the drone.

Draxum continues, “I wouldn’t touch it if I were you.”

Donnie spits fire back at Draxum, “How dare you tell me what I do with my drone! This is your fault!” His voice cracks as he turns back worriedly to Shelldon. “I need to see if he’s--!”, but Donnie is cut off by a gentle touch on his shoulder.

“He’s right, Dee,” Mikey says sadly. “Look.”

Donnie’s watery eyes focus on Shelldon. The ooze container that was clamped onto his back earlier had shattered and the mutagen now covered the drone’s entire body, seeping into his cracks, causing his normally pink glow to be tinged with a sickly green.

Donnie stops struggling, but his hands still linger in the air over Shelldon’s body. Hovering and unable to touch him. To either help or provide comfort.

Draxum slowly releases Donnie from the vines. Mikey goes to stand next to him, holding onto his brother’s arms lightly - half in a hug and half to prevent him from getting any closer to the dangerous ooze-covered drone. Donnie’s hands lower in shock and defeat and he leans a little into Mikey’s touch.

A robotic whine then comes from the scene in front of them. Shelldon’s head twitches and his eyes open, but the light that illuminates them flicker unsteadily.

“Shelldon?” Donnie says hopefully.

Shelldon’s gaze focuses on his creator, but his eyelids droop a little and he stutters out a weak laugh. Did he always sound so robotic? Donnie wonders vaguely. “I, uh.. really beefed it this time… didn’t I, Dee?” Shelldon says in an attempted lighthearted tone.

Donnie shushes him and leans down towards him. He wants to hold onto his drone so badly; to pat his head, to give him a scritch behind the ears and tell him he’s okay. But he forces himself to keep hold onto Mikey’s grip instead. He plasters a smile on his face and uses the uncharacteristic soft tone that he only seems to use when he is sorry about something. Or when he’s scared. “No, no buddy, you did- You did great!” His lower lip trembles. “You saved me!” He holds a hand to his chest for emphasis. The hand forms into a fist as if to put a clamp on his breaking heart. “And- and I’ll make sure to- to bring you home, and fix you up, and I’ll even let you charge until noon!” It’s getting harder to smile.

Shelldon blinks, or perhaps it's the lights in his eyes flickering on and off. “My core is damaged, Dee…. Contaminated liquid… leaking into my memory systems… Probability of recovery is minimal...” Shelldon’s normally laid back tone being replaced by more purely technobabble sounds unnatural and unnerving to Donnie. But he doesn’t remark on it. Instead he shushes the drone again. “Shh, don’t, talk more, you’ll drain your power.” His smile stretches into something almost hysterical and his voice pitches higher. “I can fix this! I can fix anything!”

“Yeah…” Shelldon’s eyes droop tiredly, and he says, as if from rote, “You are the greatest turtle, Donatello…” The flickering of the lights behind Shelldon’s eyes stutter once more before fully going out.

Donnie sinks down to his knees. Mikey follows him to the floor, supporting his weight. Tears start streaming from Donnie’s eyes and he buries his face into his younger brother’s shoulder. Mikey clutches Donnie’s shaking form tightly as his body is wracked with quiet sobs. Small tears form on the box turtle’s own features, but he holds onto his older brother and tries to whisper words of comfort as best he can.

The quiet sadness is broken by Draxum’s voice. “Why are you crying over a piece of technology? You can always make a new one.” It is all too cold and uncaring.

Donnie stiffens in Mikey’s grip, and Mikey stares wide eyed at the sheepman. Donnie lifts himself out of Mikey’s hug. “‘Make a new one?’” He straightens himself up. “‘Make a new one,’ he says!” He turns to look at Draxum, hot and angry tears pouring from his eyes. “Make a new Shelldon? His memory chips will be flooded! Corrupted by YOUR ooze! I can’t get that back! How DARE you suggest that I REPLACE Shelldon?!”

Draxum’s expression falters slightly, suddenly aware that a nerve had been touched. But unsure of exactly what he had done wrong, he remains stoic. “It’s just a drone. Don’t you have more?”

Donnie’s eyes widen and his face contorts in rage. “He is not just a drone! He is Shelldon! He is our family! He’s my---” He shuts his eyes and grinds his teeth, throat constricted with emotion. “But of course,” he continues, in a low and dangerous rumble, “someone who only sees his creations as weapons to use for his own gain wouldn’t understand.”

He glares at Draxum challengingly. Draxum’s eyes widen a hair and he stares back, not saying a word.

Mikey is left watching them, eyes shifting nervously between the two, unsure of what to do or say, with no small amount of grief tinging his own heart. But then a glowing something catches his eye.

"Omigosh, guys, look!" he whispers with astonishment.

The two scientists pull their gaze away from each other and look over to what Mikey is staring at.

The ooze that had covered Shelldon's body is now giving off an otherworldly glow, and is seemingly pulsing with energy.

Draxum leans closer with his own look of astonishment. "Fascinating," he exclaims. "The ooze seems to be trying to initiate a mutation..."

Mikey looks at the sheepman curiously. "You mean he could be mutated?"

Draxum lets out a thoughtful hum. "The ooze shouldn't be able to mutate inorganic material... Yet nothing's ever been exposed to this large of a dose before... And perhaps it is also reacting due to the leatherback samples that the drone has been exposed to..."

Mikey perks up. "Could this help save him, then?"

Draxum closes his eyes and shakes his head, "No. Even if it is able to mutate the drone, there is no way it would be a stable mutation. The only organic DNA available is from these leatherback specimens which have been long dead and are now largely destroyed."

"What if we combined it with DNA from a stable mutation?"

Draxum and Mikey turn to Donnie who had remained quiet during the whole exchange. Donnie's expression and voice are strained, as if not wanting to indicate hope, but his jaw is set in quiet determination. "What if we used my DNA to help stabilize the mutation?"

Draxum put a hand to his chin, scientific intrigue getting the better of him, "Hmm... that could potentially work..." But he quickly waves his hand as if waving away the thought. "No, starting up my machines again could alert the police and I'm not risking getting arrested again for some drone."

Donnie is about to retort, but Mikey beats him to it. "Please, Draxum!" He places a hand on Draxum's own. "Shelldon's not just a drone. He's family!"

Draxum looks at Mikey, expression faltering under the young turtle's imploring gaze. His eyes move over to Donnie whose determined look is more firmly set on his face.

The yokai lets out a defeated sigh and says, "If we're going to do this we must be quick about it. And then leave as soon as it is over and I've shut everything down."

The two turtles share a triumphant smile. "Well, we are ninjas after all," Mikey says smoothly. "Speed and stealth are our middle names."

Draxum rolls his eyes before turning to the purple brother. "To make this work you will have to go through the same procedure as your father did when I transferred his DNA to you." He locks eyes with him and gives him a serious look. "It will be painful. And I cannot guarantee that it will work, or that it will be the same Shelldon that you know."

Donnie stiffens, but clenches his fists at his sides and does not falter. "I don't care. I have to try."

Draxum's eyebrows arch and a small hint of a smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. He looks almost impressed? Proud, even? But the moment is over and he turns to his machines saying, "Let's get started."

--------

The machines are turned on, and using his vines, Draxum maneuvers Shelldon's broken body into a liquid container. Donnie is strapped below it, and he vaguely wonders if this is what it was like for Splinter. Because if he's honest with himself, he's terrified. But looking up at the drone that had saved him, he swallows his fear and nods to Draxum. Draxum nods back and starts the machine.

Shelldon is not just a drone. Shelldon is family. Shelldon had saved him. And Donnie would do just about anything to return the favor.

Draxum was right about one thing though - the procedure was very painful.

-------- --------

Donnie is in trouble. Shelldon had seen the containers begin to tip over. Donnie isn't in a position to get out of the way in time. The thought that immediately rushes through Shelldon's head? Gotta save Donnie. So he moves as quickly as he can. He is a fast drone. Nearly won at the drone races, after all. Donnie had saved him then. Donnie had given Shelldon life to begin with. And Shelldon would do anything to return the favor.

--------

Everything is dark. Like a blank screen with nothing on it.

His memory is fuzzy. It's not usually like that. His memory systems are normally flawless. But right now he's struggling to remember just what happened and why he currently feels like his battery is drained almost all the way. Like he can't get out of sleep mode. Not cool. Flashes of a lab, some large containers, and a humanoid turtle in purple cross his mind. That turtle is important, he's pretty sure. Something twinges at his core at the thought of him. Who was he again..?

He hears a voice.

"Shel...n… cn… y... he.r.. me?

The voice is familiar. It's nagging and he's pretty sure that it's ruined his fun on more than one occasion. Yelling at him to stop charging so late or to stop drone racing around the lair. But it's... comforting. Safe.

He tries to concentrate on it.

"Shelldon!"

Shelldon? Was that the purple turtle's name? No, he's pretty sure that's his own name. Man, his memory is really jacked today.

The nagging, fun-ruining, safe voice is still there, calling him. It sounds desperate, and a part of Shelldon is desperate to answer it. It is important, like that turtle. Is this that turtle? The turtle... The greatest turtle. Something in his thoughts click into place.

Shelldon opens his eyes. He looks up at the purple-adorned softshell holding onto him. There's a lot of pain and worry in the turtle’s eyes, and Shelldon is reminded of why he went through the trouble of saving his beloved creator.

When he speaks his voice is quiet and weak, and without any hint of mechanical reverb, but the name is now clear in his mind. "...Donnie?"

Donnie's expression turns into one of pure relief and joy. Tears form in his eyes, but he smiles widely and lets out a hiccupy laugh. "Shelldon! It worked! I can't believe it worked! You're okay! You're alive!"

Shelldon is enveloped in a tight hug. It is impossibly warm; one hand cupped lovingly behind his head. Shelldon still feels weak, so he can't do much to hug back. But he sinks into the touch. Donnie always did give great hugs, even if they were rare, but this one feels different. It is warm and soft, but not in a way that Shelldon could calculate by numbers. No temperature reading comes to mind. No pressure sensitivity indication. Just. Warm. And soft. And somehow that means more. It feels like more.

Suddenly Shelldon becomes aware of a word that Donnie had used. Alive.

Shelldon looks around. He sees Draxum and Mikey off to the side. Mikey has a bright smile on his face, his hands clasped in front of him. Draxum looks almost downright flabbergasted, as if he doesn't believe what he's seeing.

Shelldon blinks for a second and tries to move. To take stock of the rest of his body. He had been sure he was damaged in that accident. And everything feels off. But for some reason his systems aren't sending him any indications of the damage.

Donnie, perhaps sensing the movement, releases Shelldon from the hug, but still holds onto him for support. From this angle, Shelldon is able to actually take a look at himself.

He looks down, but what he sees confuses him. There are no rotors, no purple metal. What? There's a yellow plastron. Dark green arms with three fingered hands. Legs. These aren't Donnie's. The color is wrong. And besides, Donnie is holding him and he is in Donnie's lap. The arms move and Shelldon realizes that the one moving them is himself. He can feel them. He wiggles the fingers then brings them to his face. It is fleshy. Scaly. Turtle-like.

That word that Donnie used comes to mind again.

He looks to Donnie again, eyes wide with wonder. "I'm... alive..?"

Donnie cracks a half smile and huffs out a tired laugh. "You're a real boy now, Shelldon."

Shelldon's mind has trouble wrapping around the concept. It's a lot to take in. He quickly becomes aware of various new sensations. Breathing. Touch. The absence of ones and zeros. The presence of intangible emotions. It is very overwhelming, and along with the tiredness - that's what it was, not low battery - that he felt earlier, it is almost too much. His body starts to shut down - no, fall unconscious - again.

But he likes this word.

Alive.

And all he can say before he passes out again in Donnie's arms, with a wobbly smile on his face, is "Radical!"

[corpse--diem]

Once More, With Feeling | Morgan, Rebecca, Nell & Erin

Takes place around mid-March. 

@mor-beck-more-problems / @exorciseyourspirit / @nelllraiser

Morgan couldn’t remember what she had imagined when she and Nell agreed to gather up a sacrifice for Erin’s ritual. The moose had been decided in advance after a brief consultation with the mortician (So what would you say your dad’s favorite animal was? If he was an animal, would he be the same one?) and Nell had known where all the choice moose grounds were. Maybe she had thought they’d hold out some berries and make some nice transcendent connection like in some new agey painting. Maybe she imagined some kind of magic lasso situation before popping the elixer in. Whatever ideas she’d had, it hadn’t involved getting swatted in the face by its tail or falling into the mud. Still, moss-covered and muddy, they managed to make it from the woods to the mortuary. Morgan waved to Erin from the driveway, smiling as best she could. “Okay!” She said to Nell, still a little out of breath. “We made it! This is good! And thanks again, making sure I didn’t get a black eye. I really don’t wanna bug your mom for another healing so soon.”

It’d been a moment since Nell had caught anything so large as a moose, but she was certainly up for the challenge the creatures posed. Though the creatures weren’t normally aggressive, that generally only stood true for when they were unprovoked. And Nell was fairly certain capturing one counted as...provoking it. She was something of a mirror image to Morgan with mud and grass, but a bright grin was one her lips, some of her adrenaline keeping her on that high as she helped the other witch lead the moose in. “We made it!” she exclaimed, all too thrilled with how things had turned out thus far. “Yeah, and she would have asked too many questions if she’d had to heal you this quickly. But thanks for making sure I didn’t get literally kicked in the butt.” Her smile dropped in the slightest, remembering the danger Morgan had been put in. Nevertheless, she followed Morgan’s lead in waving towards Erin eagerly, a hand pointing towards the moose in question as if she were presenting a prize. “We got the moose! Isn’t he pretty?” He was, indeed, the finest moose specimen they could find. Generally the stronger and more handsome a beast— the better when it came to sacrifices. “So uh- do we have...a way to get this guy where we need him once he’s inside?”

Erin didn’t know where the question about her dad’s favorite animal was going to go. Maybe she naively assumed they were going to channel a moose god or whatever it was these people got up to, but when they hauled a whole damn moose up her driveway? Erin was speechless. Who was she to question them, though? They were here to help her, right? She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from yelling, but threw on a pained, welcoming face. “Beautiful,” she tried to reply with equal gusto, faltering halfway through. Okay, she couldn’t do this anymore. “Before I let you bring this large, live animal into my home,” she gestured towards the elevator door usually meant for caskets and bodies. “Why are we bringing a fucking moose in here?” Rebecca hadn’t prepared her for this. And even if she had tried to, this was all starting to seem like a horrible idea.

Rebecca had arrived early, just as she’d told Erin she would. Morgan and Nell were fetching the sacrifice-- a word that still made her shudder, blood magic was not something she often liked-- as Rebecca set to work getting the basement ready. She could hear the poor severed body scratching away at the door, begging to be let out. All it wanted was to do whatever the wish that brought it to life told it to. But it wasn’t that simple. Even after that, he would still be around. A true curse. Morgan and Rebecca knew about that, didn’t they? Rebecca’s vision blurred a moment and she blinked it away before she continued to etch little canels into the floor. Pathways for the blood to run through and connect, making the circle. Symbols on the inside would need to be redrawn in blood, but she’d chalked them out so that all three of them could work on that part once the ritual began. Sitting back, she examined her work. Nearly done. Just on time it seemed, as she heard voices from upstairs. She went back over to her bag and dug out her notes, getting to work setting out the incense in the places she’d noted on her sheet.

Morgan looked at Erin incredulously. “You want to do this right, yeah?” She said, still bright, patting the moose gently on the back. “Equivalent exchange! We get out what we get in. And we need to get out a lot, so--” She waved her hand, ta-da style. She lead the way towards the garage. It seemed roomy enough, and there was some promising looking machinery that might be moose friendly. Moosey wasn’t going to be around much longer, the less distressed he was the better, she felt, but they also needed to make this happen. They’d take care of Moosey’s remains after, and the sacrifice would be quick. Morgan had looked at diagrams of Moose anatomy so she’d know where to cut and how deep. “Hey, Rebecca--?” She called. Exchanging a look with Nell. Keeping Erin on board hadn’t been part of the plan, but maybe they could keep her reassured together.

Nell nodded along with Morgan’s words, as if this was the obvious answer. “Exactly! And if we don’t have enough to exchange well...it’s never good. And plus— you said your dad reminded you of a moose, right?” Nell finished, as if that was the clearest explanation she’d ever given in her entire life. Nell didn’t mind having Erin present, though. In truth, it might help things along if she wanted to donate a bit of her own blood, and she’d said as much to Rebecca online. With consent, of course. And no more than just a bit. She followed along the moose, bringing up the rear as they toddled along. Meanwhile, bringing up the caboose of the parade behind Nell was what appeared to be an enormous black cat brought up the rear in the form of Taki, tail proudly waving through the air as if he’d been the one to catch the moose. “Is Rebecca...here?”

Erin didn’t have the energy to fight this. She’d proclaimed numerous times she’d do what she needed to in order to get rid of her undead father and if bringing in a fucking moose was what it was going to take? “At this point, we might as well,” she ran two worried hands down the sides of her cheeks, holding back the horror in her chest. Her eyes were on the moose the whole time as she led them to the elevator. Thankfully, they’d managed to capture a smaller one, but big enough that his antlers barely fit through the frame of the door. She stood outside, shutting the door. Glass shattered as the elevator descended. Probably a light fixture. Or five. This was all for a reason. This was fine, she kept telling herself. “She’s downstairs. And probably not at all ready to greet a moose while she sets up.” Erin took to the stairs that led to where the elevator opened up in the basement, motioning for Nell to follow. “You know, you never did tell me how you managed to break in here,” she said offhand, trying to distract herself from the moose that was stepping into her basement. This was fine. This was totally fine. “What, uh--what do you need me to do?” She asked when they finally were all in the basement, moose party-of-one included.

The elevator dinged and Rebecca looked up from her work, going over to the door, but standing aside. She knew what was expected behind the door, as it slid open and a nervous looking Erin came into view. “Oh, good! You were able to find one. Is it calmed, like we discussed?” she asked Morgan, looking over to Nell. She was younger than her online presence made her seem, but Rebecca could already sense the amount of power the girl held. As she ushered them in, she finished setting up the last candle and went to stand on the other side of the circle. “We’ll get this all set up before we grab your--” she stopped herself. Was it insensitive to say father? Probably, “--the corpse--” Oh, that wasn’t much better, “--Do we have anything to restrain him with?”

Morgan held up the empty elixir bottle triumphantly for Rebecca to see. “Moosey is in a great place right now, and I’ve done the research legwork to make this a quick one.” Suffering wasn’t an ingredient in the ritual, so she wasn’t keen on creating any. She pet the creature’s fur, scratching behind its rather impressive neck. The set up was exactly according to what Rebecca had told them to expect, candles and sigils and arrays in a dazzlingly complex riff on the dimensional theory circles she’d come across in her studies. It was beautiful. More importantly: it was powerful. Morgan scanned the rest of the room and settled on a shadowy shape slumped in a chair. “Is that, uh….is that him?” She asked, pointing.

Nell took a closer look at Erin, letting everything slow down for a moment to realize that...this probably wasn’t easy for the woman, especially after who knows how many of her light fixtures had just been shattered. “It’s gonna be good. We know what we’re doing,” she offered as a feeble attempt at assurance. “And um- I can...pay for the light fixtures.” That was technically their fault, wasn’t it? “But a good witch never tells her secrets about breaking in.” Nell bounced back with a tease. “Don’t worry about it, though- it’s nothing anyone without magic wouldn’t be able to do.” Then she was joining Morgan near the moose, reaching into her pocket and procuring a strawberry to offer up to the big guy with a fond smile. “Morgan’s a smartie pants, and I’ve used a moose or two before so it’ll be great.” Then she was taking in the set-up Rebecca had made with a practiced eye, not surprised to find that everything looked as beautiful and in order as it could be. “Truly a work of art, Rebecca. What’s he restrained with, now? If we have to, we could just use a bit of magic for that as well.”

Erin truly thought she was past the whole ‘this is fucking bizarre’ phase of this whole endeavor, but seeing the moose and the elaborate set up with the circle with the markings, surrounded in candles made her realize how entirely untrue that was. Noticed Rebecca’s hiccup in word choice but at this point?  “Don’t worry about the lights,” she mumbled towards Nell, before a long, steadying sigh slipped through her lips. This was fine. Everything was fine. They were talking about the moose but it wasn’t clicking until a few seconds after that--”Wait, you’re going to… you know.” She gestured to her neck, dragging her index finger across it. “To the moose?” Jesus this was derailing further and further every second this dragged on. She ran her hands over her face again, her anxiety levels spiking. Just do what the kind witches say and this’ll be over soon. “I got him,” she nodded. Moved across the room to the chair her father was tied up in dragging him out into the light and to the circle. Wasn’t sure if that was right, but she’d seen enough horror movies to have an idea of how she assumed occult-y stuff worked. Doubled back for the kitchen pot, opting to hold that one in her arms for now. “What next?” She asked with more gusto. “I’d really just--love to get this over with, if that’s alright.”

“No need to hush the words,” Rebecca said to Erin, “he can’t understand English.” She turned to look at Nell, giving a nod. “Thank you, Nell.” She watched Erin drag her father out, from wherever she’d had him stashed. His head was missing, and he was tied to a chair. When Erin dragged him to the circle, Rebecca came up beside her and corrected his positioning, putting him at the top of the circle. “Center of the circle is for sacrifices. Top of the circle is the energy point,” was all she said before heading back to the other two. “Morgan, are you doing the sacrifice or is Nell? I have the dagger prepped already, so whoever is doing it, use that,” she instructed, pointing them to where to stand as well. Turned back to Erin. “I’ll need you to stand opposite your father, here,” she said, ushering Erin to her. “You’ll need to hold something of his as well. Something that has value to you.”

“We’re doing it together,” Morgan said readily. She had never killed anything as large as a moose before, and somehow that made it all the more important. She took the dagger from Rebecca and held herself in position, waiting for Nell to do the same. They had gone over this together, where to strike without wasting the blood they needed, and how quickly to slit the throat. Morgan had even practiced her techniques on the fresh produce she brought home. It wasn’t perfect or even close to the feel of the hairy, breathing creature beneath her, but as Morgan drove the knife into Moosey’s heart, she was glad she had something outside of herself to focus on.

Moosey’s legs buckled under him.

Morgan draped an arm around his wide neck and dug her weight into the floor to slow his fall. “Sshh, it’s okay. You’re doing so good, “she whispered. Stroking his pelt, she angled his head just so and peered down at Nell through his antlers one more time for the okay before speaking the blessing of sacrifice Rebecca had given her to memorize and making the second cut.

Dark blood sprayed up Morgan’s hands and rivered down, snaking past Moosey’s matted fur and trailing down, thicker and heavier, into the circle.

Nell waited for Morgan to get into position, stepping into her own with a matching knife in hand as she locked eyes with the other witch, a steady hand still petting the moose. She was only ever briefly sad about her sacrifices, knowing that they were serving a greater purpose. And did their life truly end if it was living on in something else? It was simply the ebb and flow of the universe, an exchange of energies that some might even say was beautiful. The manipulation of blood, and the life held within it should be revered in her mind, not met with disgust. In tandem, she sunk her own knife into the big moose, whispering her own words of comfort and encouragement to him as she did her best to help lower him. “Good boy, that’s it. Just a little sleep. Thank you, Moosey. I’ll remember you.” The blood was flowing quickly now as she felt her magic beginning to spring to life. She took a bit of it for herself, spreading just enough up her arms to leave long, red streaks there. Nell couldn’t really explain it, but she generally chalked the rush of power she got from this act to her affinity for blood magic. Finally, she rose from her place on the floor beginning the next part of the ritual as she spoke the words aloud, confidence in her movements as she reached out to link hands with Morgan and Rebecca.

Erin set the potted head in place beside where Rebecca had nudged the rest of her father’s remains in the circle. She’d thrown a joke in there--or maybe a genuine, playful jab--but it hardly sunk in. This felt like an out of body experience and she could only nod and move at the other women’s directions. Something of his. Right. She had prepared for that much. They weren’t an overly sentimental family, making finding something appropriate harder than she thought it would be. She procured an old, well-worn mug--one that had seen years of use from the stains lining the inside with ‘Embalming Fluid’ written on outside. It was dumb, she knew that. But she’d given it to him the day she told him she wanted to be a mortician. That day he’d laughed harder and smiled brighter, prouder, than any other she could truly remember. For almost a decade, this was the only mug he would drink out of too. “Got it,” Erin held it up shyly as she moved to where Rebecca wanted her, just in time for the knives to sink into the heart of the moose. With amazing care and grace, she noted, but the sight of a wild animal bleeding out onto her floor, with Nell rubbing the blood into her skin, stunned her into pure silence again. Oh god, what was she doing? What had she invited into her home? Maybe she should’ve just Nic blow the goddamn corpse up. “Jesus,” she mumbled. Wild, panicked eyes followed the trail of blood that moved into the circle before jumping between the three women as if waiting for an explanation or further direction.

An old mug was a good choice. Rebecca looked between the three of them as Morgan and Nell prepared the sacrifice, turning her eyes away as they slit its throat and let it bleed. She wasn’t much for all this magic ritual and sacrificing, but she knew this was a part of it. A part of life. And this animal’s soul would be returned to the ether while its blood and body would be used to help, here on Earth. She gave it a silent prayer, waiting for its labored breathing to stop before opening her eyes. Nell had already prepared the blood on her arms and Rebecca watched the liquid pool around the circle she’d made, filling in every crevasse. When it was full, she grasped their hands. “We’re going to channel our power through you, Erin, and your mug. I want you to think about your father-- think everything. Think about the good moments and the bad. The joy, the pain, the sorrow he brought you. I want you to think about what closure you need from him. And when you’re ready, speak it aloud.” She nodded to where Erin needed to stand, in the middle of the circle, facing her father. “Don’t be afraid, you can’t be hurt inside of there, I made sure.” She glanced at Nell and Morgan, then, before nodding, signaling them to begin chanting with her. She hoped the Hebrew wasn’t too difficult to memorize, but considering she was the link of the circle, she needed it to be in her power language.

Morgan marked the back of her hands with Moosey’s blood as it poured from his neck. She held onto him with all her might to control his collapse to the floor. She bent over his lifeless body and scooped the dark, stringy flesh from his neck and marked herself with two sigils, one connecting her with the others, and one protecting her from the pull of what they were about to do. She opened herself up and filled herself with the words Rebecca had given them to memorize. Her voice was strong and her mind was clear. There was no curse, no worry, only the balance and the bargain, power flowing in and out of her. And suddenly, in the space they had made together, a bright hole cut its way into the world.

A small, peaceful smile began to form on Nell’s lips as she felt their power mount, the three woman’s magic weaving together as if it had been yearning all this time to be joined as one. She had never minded working alone, but spellcasting with two others like this- it almost had a sense of nostalgia for her, having grown up with two sisters who’s magic she shared as they’d practiced all together in their younger years. The words fell from her mouth in tandem with Morgan and Rebecca, and she didn’t pause as the hole opened from one world into the next, though curiosity made her stare. It wasn’t like the glimpses of the demon realm she’d had before, though it certainly wasn’t anything similar to their world either. As she looked into it- she could feel the pull of the new world working against their magic, trying to lure her into its depths with something of a siren call, as if all their wishes would come true if she only stepped forward. But the temptation wasn’t a match for their joined power, and instead she simply gazed onwards into the world, trying to glean whatever she could from the swirling images she saw within. Nothing stayed concrete for more than the blink of an eye, shifting at a moment’s notice as wishes so often did, taking forms you wouldn’t expect, it being impossible to predict what might come next. But there were more important things to do here. “Bring it home, Erin. Let yourself have it.”

Speak it outloud? Fuckity-fuck-fuck. Erin faltered at that more than she had when Morgan stabbed a goddamn moose in her basement. Shaky hands struggled to keep the mug in her grip while the women circled her and chanted, the bright light that suddenly ripped into the dark room. So close she could swear she felt some sort of electrical pull, like a crackle, that followed the gusts of wind blowing her hair back. What sort of magic fuckery had she gotten herself into? For a long moment she only stared into the hole, lost in the slideshow of colors and images that were gone as quick as they came. Nell’s voice brought her back with a jarring halt. Right. Her father. Feelings. She’d done her homework, had a lengthy talk with herself about it, but she was having trouble remembering anything at the moment.

Squeezing the mug, she closed her eyes and focused. Flashes of memories jumping around in her own mind. The bad--the day she left over a year ago after she’d realized he’d had something to do with his mother’s death. The day she got the call about his death. The lackluster note that explained what she now had inherited. Her jaw clenched tightly. There was good there too, she had to remember that. Like the memory that came with this stupid mug. All of the warm comforts of home and family meals. Crying in his arms when the kids at school would tease her for being weird. He had been who had taught her the best way to handle it was to embrace it, after all. But for every good memory, the bad trickled in over top of it, reminding her how they got here in the first place. Fuck, she should say something.

She opened her eyes to the stark contrast of decaying flesh against the brightness behind him. Fear crawled along her nerve endings like a thousand little spiders and her heart pounded loud in her ears above their voices. “I don’t hate you,” she started, her voice already wavering as she tried to find the words. “I should, and I have every reason to, but I don’t. But I have what you’ve done and--I hate how you left things. But I’m going to fix it. And I’m going to be just fine without you,” she nodded, straightening herself.

There. She’d done it. But why wasn’t anything happening?

The looks the witches gave her didn’t seem all too impressed or convinced. She held her hands up. “Okay, okay!” She got the hint. Took another deep breath, running a hand over her eyes in frustration. Dig deeper? Is that what they wanted? “Alright--fine!” She rolled her shoulders, shaking her head, giving in completely now. “I do fucking hate you sometimes. I hate that you destroyed our family. That you bowed out without saying goodbye. That you left me this--fucking shit show to deal with and that because of you, I have no chance of having a normal goddamn life. And you can be damn sure I won’t forgive you for getting her killed.” Her eyes burned and her cheeks felt wet, suddenly aware that was the first time she’d said that thought out loud. “But I’ll fix this because you couldn’t. And if I can’t fix it, you can be damn sure I’ll be better at it than you. I don’t need you and I need to move on if I ever have a chance at that.” Erin paused, clearing her throat, nodding at the headless corpse wriggling in the chair before her. She wasn’t afraid of it anymore. “So you need to go,” she said with certainty, wiping at the tears under her eyes. “Now.”

That electricity from the hole heightened suddenly with a blazing swirl, suddenly tangible and powerful. Enveloping her father, chair, pot and all with a force that sent him flying backwards. And in a flash, he was gone. Finally, forever, gone.

Magic wasn’t Rebecca’s forte by any means, but there was a certain je ne sais quoi to it that always pulled her back. It was a higher connection to the world and the universe at large. It was a feeling she always got during exorcisms, and it was a feeling she’d been chasing her entire life. A sort of calm always washed over her when it happened, and she had to fight to keep her eyes from closing, watching Erin, watching the others, watching the portal, opening and closing, visions of another world, a hole in the universe, peering back at them. Erin’s words held power, Rebecca could feel them. Her emotions writhed around through the magic, absorbing the blood they had spilled, and centering on the undead body tied to the chair. It was almost a tragedy.

It all happened so quickly. In a flash, the body was gone. The portal sucked into itself, and closed. The effects were immediately, and Rebecca felt the weariness creeping in, faltering only slightly in her step as she let go of the other two’s hands. “It’s done,” she said quietly, rubbing her head, “you’re free.”

Free. Erin heard the word, saw the empty space where her father had just sat. Felt the exhaustion set in, felt bare and ripped wide open, but free hadn’t washed over her just yet. Her eyes remained on the space where the light had been for more than a few moments, her fingers anxiously digging into her palms. As if at any moment it’d reappear and shoot him right back out. That’d be her luck, wouldn’t it? But that moment never came and she was eager to get away from the three sets of eyes around her. “Thank you,” she finally mustered, clearing her throat and wiping her eyes before she turned to face them again. She owed them more than she could properly communicate right now, hoping the sincerity in her voice would speak for her. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. It’s a start, anyway,” she mustered a half smile. Let a long breath go as her mind only just began to wrap around what had just happened. Then she stopped, her entire body sagging as her eyes fell to the blood streaming along the floor, leading to the small deceased moose still very much dead in the middle of the room. “...You guys are gonna take him with you, right?”

[julia-highstorms]

Satisfied (Jax x Lily) - NSFW

Summary: This fanfic takes place in an AU during Chapters 10 - The Massacre and 11 - The Den, when Jax rescues Amy (MC) and Lily and takes them do the Shadow Den as his guests and he shows them how a good host he is. *wiggle eyebrows*

Author’s note: my submission for Choices Creates #65 - Non-canon couples by @clonedhayden! I loved how Lily fangirled so hard over Jax (me too, sis, me too!) and they shared so many things in common (starting by their love for trashy movies lol and especially after Lily chose to go with the Clanless in today's chapter and now I won't see my two favorite characters sigh), and I lived for that threesome scene, so… All characters belong to Pixelberry and some of the dialogues here are from the game. If you don’t want to see this kind of content in your dash, please, filter the tag “#Jax x Lily”. And no hate will be allowed towards my favorite bi mess nerdy best friend cinnamon roll girl!!!! And I'm laughing with this summary because it is so cheesy lol I can't even stand myself sometimes

Pairing: Jax x Lily

Rating: 18+/NSFW (I'm pretty sure it's almost impossible to write a vampire fanfic without smutt so…)

Word count: 4034

Tagging @clonedhayden @priyasayeed @itsalliepg @boneandfur @ladynonsense @walkerismychoice @darley1101 I'm sorry if you didn't want to be tagged on this!!

If someone had told Lily Spencer a week ago that she would have been almost killed by a vampire, then Turned into one by her best friend and roommate's boss, and then be in a (vampire) themed masquerade ball, she would have definitely laughed on their face and asked "dude, what are you smoking? Because I need some of it".

But that was exactly what happened. And now, she and Amy were just back to New York. One second they were dancing and having fun in that ridiculously fancy masquerade ball and the next… a bunch of vampire zombies came in attacking everyone. Adrian told them to flee and stay safe. Since their apartment wasn't safe - she almost died there a couple of nights before - and with both Adrian and Kamilah out - they stayed with the other Clan leaders having an emergency reunion after the attack -, Amy called this “Clanless rebel leader guy” she knew whose name sounded like as if he was a videogame character, Jax with a ‘x’.

“This is the ‘safehouse’?” - Lily asked as both girls followed Jax’s directions to a run-down warehouse in Hoboken. - “Cuz, uh, it feels like sketch city.”

“This is the address he gave me. If he doesn’t show up in five minutes, we’re going back to the—“

Suddenly a shadow appeared next to Lily and Amy, startling them both. Lily hid behind her friend by instinct.

“Amy.” - the dark haired man said with a low, husky voice. He wore a leather jacket that fitted perfectly into his body.

Damn, he was hot!

“Jax!” - her friend shouted in response, a hand on her chest.

Lily felt Jax’s eyes looking curiously at her ripped gown.

“You’ve got a Clan it seems. So what do you need me for?” - he calmly said as he waved his hand towards the Brand Adrian gave her.

“Uh… it’s kind of a long story…”

“I’m immortal. I’ve got time.” - Jax crossed his arms above his chest, his muscles visibly flexing under his jacket. Hmm.

“We were at the Awakening Ball…”

“Pffft. Elitist wankery.”

“Ha!” - Lily couldn’t contain herself.

“Really, Lily?” - Amy glared at her.

“Sorry. I mean, it was fun, but at the same time I agree. Is that wrong?”

“Please, go on.” - Jax said to her best friend, after nodding at Lily in agreement.

“Well, a bunch of Ferals got in and started attacking everyone. The Council members fought back and killed them, but now tensions are running high while they try to figure out who let them in…”

“And unrest in the Council means unrest for the Clanless.” - Jax scowled. - “Come with me.”

He led them down a side alley where the walls were covered in old posters and ads. He stopped in front of an ancient poster for a movie titled ‘Blood Sacrifice: Dracula’s Revenge’.

“Oh man, this movie’s so good. The part where Dracula rips that dude’s throat out and uses it as a straw…”

“That’s my favorite part too. Always nice to meet a vampire with taste.” - Jax grinned at her and Lily felt her cheeks flushing. He was insanely hot and liked cheesy-looking horror movies full of unnecessary violence and bloodshed like her! Maybe that night wouldn’t end so bad after all. He hooked his hand behind the poster and slid it aside, revealing a ladder descending into darkness. - “After you.”

They took the ladder down into an abandoned subway tunnel. Famous last words. Now they were going to be killed there. To where was this dude taking them again?

“This is it?” - it was eerie and dimly lit, and their words echoed off the walls when they talked.

“Um… how well do you know this guy again, Amy?” - Lily nervously whispered to her friend. Jax gave them both an appraising look before continuing down the tunnel wordlessly. She and Amy shared a look, before following.

“How long ago were you Turned, Lily?” - he asked as they walked further and further.

“Not that long. A couple of days.”

“You seem like you’re adjusting well.”

“I’ve had a lot of help and support.” - she smiled, remembering Adrian’s warm welcome to his Clan and Kamilah helping her adjust with her new super sensitive senses and strength. With her new life, basically.

“Must be nice.”

“She was lucky to get a special approval after her Turning, because Adrian saved her life after she was attacked and left for dead…”

“I’m so grateful to him.”

“Screw the Council.” - Jax scowled.

“What?” - why he was so suddenly mad?

“Why should it be up to six vampires of a secret council to decide which of us lives or dies? Shouldn’t we all have that right?”

“Well…” - Lily didn’t think much about what it meant being a Clan vampire. She was just so excited and overwhelmed by her new life that she never thought about the other side. About what that meant to those who were Clanless. She didn’t even know about them, to be honest. But when Jax said it… - “Actually… yeah. It’s a bunch of bull, isn’t it?” - he took a deep breath.

“I’m glad for you. None of us deserves to die. I just hope you see the injustice of it.” - he said, much calmer.

She did.

Amy and Jax got into a discussion about the Clans and the Clanless, his people… Lily felt her head spinning with all the new information.

“So wait, let me get this straight. You’re like the hot, badass leader of the rebel vampires? That’s an actual thing that you are?” - she asked him.

“Clearly, I need to update my business cards.”

“Amy, why didn’t you tell me you had such interesting friends?” - Lily asked her friend, her eyes longing on that man walking in front of her, looking at him under a new light. Oh, he was so her type.

“Wild times, Lil. In our old lives, I would have just introduced you over drinks, not wandering through some deserted, old…” - Amy stopped short as Jax led them around a corner…

...To a vast, abandoned, Art-Deco style train station that’d been turned into a vibrant underground village.

“This is the Shadow Den.” - he gestured around them with a proud grin on his face.

“This place just went from creepy to amazing in two seconds flat.” - Lily said with her jaw dropped open. - “It’s like a Mediterranean village constructed by Imperator Furiosa!” - the 1920s Deco mosaic ceilings arched over shops, food stands, and elaborately decorated private quarters constructed from found objects... - “But what… what is it?”

“It’s our home.”

“I thought you said that you have to move constantly? This looks pretty darn settled.”

Jax started explaining to them about how the Clanless worked. It was far from ideal and Amy said that Adrian would want to help them if he knew how things were, but Jax didn’t want to risk the Council learning about the Shadow Den and he wouldn’t bet his people’s lives on ‘some CEO’s compassion’.

“So… is it cool if we hang out here? Just until it’s safe for us to go back up.” - Lily thought it was better ask him, since he felt all this hatred towards the whole Clan and Council thing.

“Yes. You’re under my protection and welcome to stay here as my guests. Let me show you around…”

He strided deeper into the Shadow Den and she and Amy walked down the main thoroughfare behind him. The residents came running up to him, hugging and greeting him like as if he was some kind of a rockstar. As if he was their God.

“Wow, he’s like the Clanless Beyoncé…And also, like, alarmingly hot.” - Lily murmured with dreamy eyes. Oh boy, she was crushing so hard on him. Amy shushed her. - “What?” - realisation hit her hard. - “Oh my God, did you…?”

“No!” - and then Jax suddenly turned back to them, interrupting their conversation.

“Lily. Have you fed recently?”

“Yeah, but I could eat…”

“We have plenty of blood in our feeding lounge.”

Those were the magic words. Lily suddenly felt her throat dry. She was so thirsty. She was so lost in her mind thinking about the sweet taste of blood, that she didn’t catch up Amy's and Jax's entire chat, just that he could cook something for her best friend.

“You’re good with a sword and you cook?” - what the hell? Where this man had been in her entire life?

“It’s not often I get to cook for guests, but I dabble. I’d like to think I’m pretty good.” - he grinned confidently before turning back to Amy.

“Bad. Ass.” - Lily mouthed to Amy over his shoulder. Her friend rolled her eyes, but she had a smile on her lips. Yep, she was totally fangirling and crushing on that hot cook rebel leader vampire. They both were.

“Or if you prefer, you can find some things to eat in the central square.”

“I’d love to.” - Lily saw a coyly smile on Amy’s face that she knew  very well what it meant. Oh, her girl was getting laid. Hell yeah!

“Excellent! I hope my knife skills aren’t too rusty. That was a joke. I keep my knives sharpened and polished at all times.” - he said as if it wasn’t clear enough.

“I’m sure you do.” - Amy kept smiling at him.

“Lily, I’ll have someone show you to the feeding den.” - Jax said, gesturing to someone to approach them.

“Thanks! You two have fun.” - Lily winked at her best friend, who rolled her eyes again, before wrapping her in a hug.

“You’ll be okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. I’m getting the vibe these are my kind of people.”

And then, a vampire led her towards the center of the Den, into an elegantly canopied tent. But there was this ridiculously long line. The vampire told her to wait, although she didn’t want to. She was hungry to the point to starving, and that would be a problem. Kamilah told her about bloodlust and to be careful about it. She thought about asking as gently as possible to trade places with someone, but everyone glared uneasily and suspiciously at her. Lily didn’t blame them - she was an unknown vampire in their house - and didn’t have the guts to talk to anyone either, so she walked back to the central square.

Moments later, a dark haired figure in a leather jacket that she knew met up with her.

“Oh good, you’re here!” - she didn’t try to sound so excited to see Jax. He was alone. - “Where’s Amy?”

“Sleeping. It’s the dead of the night and she’s a human after all. Did you get to feed?”

“Not yet. I tried, but there was a long line, and I didn’t want to butt in… Plus, everyone was like glaring at me.”

“The residents here can be a bit hostile towards outsiders. I can go with you and make sure that they won’t attack you.”

“Oh, I don’t want to cause any problem—“

“It’s not problem at all. You’re hungry and deserves to feed too. And you’re a guest. Guests should always be a priority.” - and then he led her inside to the feeding lounge.

While Jax talked to someone, Lily took a good look around. The place was a room full of humans sitting quietly on couches and floor pillows, allowing themselves to be fed upon vampires. Her eyes instantly light up at all those exposed necks, at all that dripping blood. She licked her lips hungrily, feeling her tongue slightly touching her now extended fangs.

“Done. They’ll find you a donor soon. We just need to wait for a couple of minutes.” - Jax said, bringing her back to her senses.

“Thanks, I mean it. I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me and for Amy.”

“Please. As I told you before, you are my guests and I’ll personally make sure that you find your staying here as pleasurable as possible.”

Hmm, 'pleasurable'. She knew damn well how he could please her...

“...I imagined the feeding lounge so different from this.” - she shook her head, dismissing those thoughts. That was not the time to be all horny too, she already was feeling hungry! - “I imagined it more like a dungeon where you kept people in cages or whatever.” - Jax laughed beside her.

“You watch too many movies.”

“I guess it is because of the videogames, actually.”

“Oh, I liked playing videogames too. I had a Nintendo Color TV-Game myself.” - her jaw dropped.

“Shut up! It was released in Japan only!” - he grinned at her.

“Another perk of being Japanese, I guess. Part of my family still lives there.”

“This is so cool!” - but before she could ask him which were his favorite animes and mangas, someone approached them saying that they found her a volunteer.

Jax guided her towards a couch, his large and rough hand on the small of her back.

“Uh, hey.” - Lily awkwardly waved to the young woman in front of her.

“Hello.” - she simply said, looking used to it. In fact, she was scrolling through her phone.

Her neck was totally exposed to Lily, but she couldn’t move a single muscle.

“Is there a problem?” - Jax asked beside her.

“Uh… actually, this is the first time that I feed on someone with so many people around… In Kamilah’s place the volunteers were each in one room… you know?”

“This is no problem. We have individual rooms for the shyer ones.” - he grinned at her, teasingly. - “I just never thought that you were one of them.”

“Shut up.” - she rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushing. - “Can we go there?”

“Of course. If it’s no problem for you too.” - he asked the girl in front of them, who simply shrugged and followed them towards an adjoining tent.

The rooms were separated by curtains, but Lily noticed that they probably were the only ones there, since the rest was in the main lounge.

The donor plopped down onto the couch comfortably. Lily sat by her side, her finger tracing her jugular.

“Do you know how to do this?” - Jax asked, watching her tensely. He decided to stay close, ready to stop her if necessary. He knew that recently Turned vampires didn’t know when to stop.

“I guess so…” - Lily murmured, her eyes already shining red and her fangs extended.

“Just go slow, Lily.” - he said, standing behind her.

And then, with a swift move, she sank her fangs into the girl’s neck, who gasped in shock, before moaning with delight.

Her blood was so sweet and delicious. Lily groaned against the woman’s neck, her eyes closed, taking in the sensation of the blood running down her throat. She held the donor closer, tightening the grip on her waist, and the girl moaned again, waves of pleasure hitting them both. It was so intoxicating, so delirious. She felt a shiver running throughout the girl's body as her own body started feeling hotter and hotter.

“...Okay, that is enough.” - she felt Jax’s hand on her shoulder. Lily didn’t want to let her go, it felt so damn good… - “Lily.” - she heard his firm voice again.

Reluctantly, she pulled away from the girl and sealed the punctures in her neck. Lily’s tongue ran over her lips, caressing her own fangs, trying to taste any last drop of blood.

“Wow, that was… that was something else.” - Lily grinned at the girl.

"Yeah… It was." - the volunteer had this look of total bliss on her face.

“Thanks for your donor.” - Jax told the stranger as a vampire came into the tent and walked the still looking blissed girl out of there, leaving Lily and Jax alone.

“Damn, that was so good!” - Lily squealed, slumping back down, her hands running over her thighs. She looked up to Jax, still standing up beside the couch. - “Thanks, Ja—“ - her voice died when her eyes locked with his, that were shining bright red.

Lily felt goosebumps all over her body by the way he hungrily glared to her. She could feel the electrified air between them.

“I’m impressed. You’re very good at feeding on people.” - he said, his voice low and husky. She giggled, but he kept saying: - “...I won’t say ‘no’ if you want to do it.”

Her heart leapt inside her chest, and her eyes faded to red again, her fangs back, arousal running throughout her body.

“Is Amy going to be okay with this?” - she asked as Jax sat beside her.

“Why shouldn’t she? I care about her, but it’s not like we’re exclusive or something. This is just the second time we met each other.”

“Yeah, but you already fucked.” - Jax chuckled.

“The flesh is weak, the tensions are high and we should relax, don’t you think? Plus, she never mentioned it, but I know she has feelings towards Adrian Raines. The way she talks about him is much more than just a ‘professional admiration’.” - it was Lily’s turn to laugh. Jax was right, Amy was so into her boss.

She couldn’t blame her best friend, thought. Adrian was a super kind and nice dude and he was her Maker, so she would always have a special connection with him, but… Lily never had the hots for the crazy rich CEOs… and she was as horny as scared of Kamilah. That woman was something out of this world and so out of her league.

But Jax… Jax was totally her type. She would never be able to deny him.

Without saying anything else, Jax leaned in and kissed her lips. Lily felt his fangs brushing on her mouth as they kissed each other urgently and passionately, none of them thinking anymore, just being led by their own lust.

She slid his jacket off his shoulders and Jax tugged of his shirt too. Her hands immediately started caressing his strong chest and powerful arms. With her ultra sensitive senses, she could feel every scar on his smooth skin, his smell enveloping her, his heart beating fast and heavy on his chest.

“Wow, you’re just… wow.” - Jax chuckled with her remark.

“You’re too. But I guess I feel a little undressed now.” - he pointed to the fancy gown she still was wearing.

“Oh, I might need some help getting off of it… will you help me?”

“It’d be my pleasure.” - Jax grinned, his fangs exposed. Lily turned her back to him.

He slowly undid the fastenings of her dress, his hands caressing the soft skin of her back and his fangs gently scraping her neck, clearly teasing her.

God, she wanted him so bad. She was so hungry for him.

As soon as Lily was free from her dress, she impatiently discarded the rest of her clothes, under Jax’s gaze.

“Now, you’re overdressed.” - she said, before leaning in and meeting his lips in a lustful kiss. He kissed her back with the same intensity while he tugged off his pants and boxer briefs in one swift move.

She suddenly shoved him and Jax chuckled softly when he felt his back hitting the couch beneath him. Lily climbed on top of him, her hands clinging onto his broad shoulders, her tongue trancing from his collarbone to his jugular.

“I want you. Now.” - she purred, practically ordering him.

She saw the glance of Jax’s smile before he slid inside her. Lily groaned with the sensation of him filling her, her nails digging into the flesh of his chest.

“So good…” - he murmured, his rough hands around her waist, holding her tight as he thrusted in her. Lily moaned as she rode him.

The sensation of him all around her was so overwhelming. She wanted more. So much more.

She sank her fangs into his neck, sucking his blood. He gasped under her, but melt into it, the sharp pain quickly turning into something much more pleasurable. Lily moaned again. Somehow, it felt even better than that girl’s blood. It felt as dense as a full bodied red wine. So, so good.

“I’m not food, Lily.” - Jax said, although he didn’t sound angry at her.

“Oh shut up. I know you’re enjoying it as much as I am.” - she whispered when she finally pulled out of his neck, licking the blood dripping from her lips.

He grinned at her and pulled her face against his, his fangs deliciously biting her lower lip and he tasted his own blood. She moaned when his hips started pushing assertively forward at her, faster and deeper, bringing her close to the edge. Lily moaned louder and louder until those hallucinating waves of pleasure hit both of them as they came almost at the same time.

Lily laid on top of him, both of them panting, their skins hot and sweaty against each other. She could feel his heart pounding under her fingers, her head resting on his shoulders. His neck was already completely healed.

“Wow.” - she murmured and he chuckled underneath her.

“I’m pretty sure everyone heard your moans from the feeding lounge. And they know that it wasn’t just because of the feeding.” - he said, twirling her purple hair around his fingers.

“Let them hear. This was just…”

“‘Wow’?” - Jax finished her phrase, chuckling again. She felt his other hand running up and down her back.

“This too. But mostly, hot and incredible. Like you.”

“You flatter me.” - he pulled her chin towards his and kissed her tenderly, but passionately. - “But as I said, the satisfaction of my guests is my priority.” - he smirked at her, and Lily giggled.

“You’re a very damn good host, Jax.” - they stayed like that in each other’s arms for a few more minutes, until he finally sighed.

“As much as I wished I could stay here the whole day, I need to take care of some things and do my errands.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to take more of your time, hot-badass-rebel-leader.” - she said as they sat on the couch. He grinned at her before starting dressing himself up. She did as well.

“Ugh, is there any place where I can find new clothes? Corsets are awesome, but also, I like breathing.” - she asked as he helped her with the fastenings of her gown.

“Oh, I know the right place.” - he found a pen and draw a map on the palm of her hand. It tickled. - “Look for ‘Elena’. You should take Amy there too.”

“Alright, thanks!”

“I wish I could go with you.” - his dark eyes searched hers. - “Please, be careful. If my people find out that you’re a Clan vampire…” - she nodded at him, brushing her thumb on his worried face.

“I will. Thank you for your help, Jax. And for everything. And for this warm welcome.” - she mischievously smiled at him.

He grinned back at her and they walked out of the tent. Lily felt the vampires and humans eyes all over them as they walked back to the central square of the Shadow Den. Oh, they had definitely heard them.

And she didn’t give a fuck.

Jax gave her the directions to his private quarters and winked at her before going to do whatever he needed to do. As she walked there, she looked around the Den, the vampires laughing and talking to each other and the kids were playing. She got this feeling of a real community, where everyone got each other’s backs, where everyone was as important as the other. They were her kind of people and although she’s been there less than a day, she felt like the Clanless was where she belonged.

But she would think more about it later.

Lily found a peacefully asleep and naked Amy on Jax’s mattress.

“Amy, wake up!” - she plopped down next to her, startling her best friend.

“Lily!” - Amy squealed wide awake as Lily tossed her clothes at her.

“Let’s get us free from these clothes! I’m starting to feel my lungs aching inside this corset!” - her friend rolled her eyes.

“You’re so dramatic, Lil.” - Amy started to dress herself. - “Did you get to feed?”

“Oh yeah, I’m satisfied. There was this long line, but Jax helped me as a guest.”

“Jax is a great host, isn’t he?” - Amy said, with a dreamy smile on her face.

“Oh, the best.” - Lily agreed, grinning mischievously.