One x One with: Blacksoal

Shaye sighed and pulled the blankets over her absentmindedly. She looked up at Vaix sleepily, smiling.
"Sorry my surpise sucked" She mumbled, knowing that he was probably happy to have her back in the bedroom and 'safe'. Sighing she kicked off her flats, hearing them hit the carpeted floor with a subtle thud, before she once again curled into her blankets. She didn't fally asleep just yet though, waiting for his response was more important to her. She also was thinking about Michelle, and what the look in his eyes meant. She was confused about that, but didn't want to ask, lest she stress everyone out.

Keith sighed and glanced down at Iggy.
"Yea, he's always been like this, since the day we met. It's easier then fighting him" Keith said with a shrug.
"No, she has nerves there, because the injury Roxa gave her hurt her a lot. I think she might sort of still be in shock or something" Keith said, shrugging and hsaking his head.

"You're surprise did not suck," Vaix grumbled back to her with a soft sigh, scooping up her shoes and returning them to the closet as she kicked them off. "You're dress is stunning, I was very surprised to see you in it. It was delighting..." He smiled and walked back over to her, sitting calmly n her bedside as he watched her start to drift. "Please sleep if you're tired, Shaye. Your wound needs time to heal..."

Michelle continued to watch Iggy absentmindedly as he listened to Keith talk. "Roxa hurt her?" he asked curiously, wondering if the question was to personal. He gave a nod to the shock idea, looking back up at the stares longingly. "You think she'll come back down today?" He wasn't sure, Vaix seemed chokingly protective. So it was hard to tell.

Shaye nodded, smiling.
"Glad you liked it" She murmured, rubbing at her eyes before drifing off to sleep. She sighed, smiling as she turned on her side, her fingers reaching out and lacing with his, wanting to be close to him. The minute her hand found his, she relaxed immediately, her smile widening for a moment, before relaxing on her face.

Keith nodded.
"Yea, if you got a close look at her injury, you would have seen the huge brusie around it. Roxa but a bigger, but not as deep hole in her side not long ago. She flipped on Shaye, blaming her for a lot of stuff. She attacked Shaye, putting a hole in her side" Keith explained. He glanced up the stairs.
"I dunno. Vaixk will be reluctant to let her come back down. But if she wants to, she'll get her way" Keith said, smiling and shaking his head.

Vaix watched her fall asleep, taking his hand and smiling before completely relaxing. He sighed, though he was still wound up about her going downstairs, still nervous with Michelle around permanently, still nervous with Iggy's hyperness, and the odd colour around Keith's neck he'd seen. He swallowed, wanting to ask about it, but feeling leashed to Shaye. What if he left and someone went up to see her without his being there? She'd be helpless. He frowned, sitting where he was, yet staring longingly at the door Then, with a soft sigh. He stood, kissing Shaye's hand he let it go, and replaced it with his jacket, laying that half on, half off Shaye to give her an allusion while she slept that he was still there with her. Then he walked over to the window quietly, making sure it was locked, then walking over to the door and closing it behind him, locking it with a flick of his hand despite the fact it had no lock. Something he could do as a demon, jam the metal piece that let the door open. He could easily unlock it, though for someone else, the door would come down, which he would hear. He smiled softly, then walked back downstairs. Seeing Michelle and Keith talking, and Iggy sleeping in Keith's lap. Roxa was in her room, organising things by the sound of it.

Michelle gave a nod frowning at the idea of someone as small and young as Roxa, becoming so very vicious to someone even younger. It was like a toddler beating an infant, it was saddening. He gave a sigh at Keith's last response to if Shaye'd come back down. "I hope she does," he muttered softly. Even if she'd be followed around by Vaix constantly, it was better than not seeing her period.

Shaye sighed, pulling his jacket around her contently. She was so out of it, she didn't even notice Vaix's absence, though, subconciously she was aware that he was gone. She let out a small breath, shifting on the bed, she unseated herself, and slid onto the floor, still asleep. She was to tired to wake up, or drag herself back onto the bed. Instead, she lay on the floor, his jacket still covering her, and a few blankets lying on top of her, obscuring everything except her left leg.

Keith nodded to Michelle, the memory wasn't exactly pleasent.
He looked up, startled as Vaix came downstairs. "Hey" He nodded, assuming Shaye was upstairs, sleeping. He was a bit suprised to see Vaix coming downstairs, especially without Shaye. That was fairly huge, considering they were hard to seperate, and prolonged seperation would actually cause them both physical pain.

Michelle looked up, and jumped at the sight of the demon lurking in the shadow of a corner, watching them with narrowed eyes. He felt uneasy instantly, especially without Shaye there to intervene. Nothing stopped Vaix from ripping them apart...nothing but whatever conscious he had left... He didn't say anything, just watch as the looming figure wandered down the stairs, eyes fixed on Keith in an almost confusion as he approached, then glancing over at Michelle, he narrowed his eyes ans sighed. "Go to your room Michelle, take Iggy too please. I want to talk with Keith."
Michelle swallowed, still not used to that voice, the looming dangerous figure, the tail the dragged along on the ground and the unattended too wings beaten to shreds at the ends of the membrane. He shuddered, but didn't take lightly of the invitation to get away. He scooped up Iggy, awed for a second at the sleepy vampire's light weight, then wandered off into his room, setting Iggy down on the bed and closing the door.

Vaix watched the two of them go, then looked down at Keith, he leaned forward, looking closely at Keith's neck, a deep blue, with a light blue ring around it. He bit his bottom lip, then lifted a hand to touch the light blue area. "Is there something on your neck Keith?" he asked curiously, head tilted as he practically breathed down Keith's neck, waiting for an answer.

Keith's throat constricted, he could't speak, but he turned, looking at Vaix with shining, helpless eyes. He couldn't agree or disagree, but he would have to attack Vaix if he tried to remove the device. His only hope was that Vaix managed to get the collar off before either he or Keith were killed. Sighing, he pulled his head back, jerking away from Vaix anxiously. He leapt up.
"Don't" He hissed, eyes still wide. He crouched defensively, Vaix's was smart, he'd understand, he had too. He growled again, backed into the corner, hands clencing defensively, instinctively.
His mind wandered vaugely, Shaye was alone upstairs, and Michelle might be tempted to go see her, try and talk to her, and then Vaix would completely lose it.

Vaix jumped slightly as Keith didn't respond, then leapt back so suddenly growing tense and hissing at him. Vaix narrowed his eyes, then slowly walked towards Keith. "Keith," he grumbled gently, "who put the collar on you?" he knew, due to Keith's reaction, that there was still a collar on him, and that he'd been instructed to keep it on. Vaix tensed, watching Keith with almost pitying eyes. Trying to think it through, not Michelle, no way someone with the same experience as Keith would do that to someone. Sara? Had Sara or Collen managed to get the collar back on him? Maybe, if that was the case Keith's collar was just an obsolete trinket due to their immobility. He frowned, walking slowly over to Keith, due to his one track mind he'd forgotten all about Michelle and Iggy at this point. "Do you want the collar off Keith?"

Michelle did feel strongly erged to go see Shaye, but it was a question of how to get there without Vaix seeing him, the window was still locked from last time, maybe he could break in without any noise... Better than using a door... He slunk out his own window, walking over to Shaye's and climbing up the house to it, seeing her on the floor in a tumble of blankets and what appeared to be a coat. He scooped up the window lightly, pulling up until he heard a soft crack. It wasn't loud, due to the amount of force he'd used. He opened the window quietly and walked in, making his way over to Shaye and sitting down beside her, doing nothing more.

Keith growled.
"Of course I want it off. I just can't take it off" He said, finally finding a loop hole in Iggy's stupid scheme. He hadn't mentioned the collar, and he was still defending it. He growled again, hands clenched in fists as he pressed his back against the wall. "Vaix" His eyes looked desperate, asking him to help him, but at the same time, warning him against trying. Keith had to protect the collar, he didn't want to, but he had to. He pressed closer to the wall, looking desperate, which was dangerous.

Shaye mumbled and rolled over, the jacket slipping off her face, she could never lie still. She could scent someone else in the room, but she was to exahusted to wake up, which was dangerous. She rubbed at her eyes, just like she did whenever she was tired. She sighed and rolled again, facing Michelle now, her injured side pressed against the floor, tangeled in the blankets.

Vaix blinked as he finally got a response, the desperate look in Keith's eyes was slightly pathetic. Though he still wondered how Keith managed to get a collar on him again. But seeing as how he wasn't mentioning the collar, he guessed Keith had been doused with orders to keep it on. He narrowed his eyes, the demon inside him taunted and asked if he would just leave it on Keith. Even if the idea wasn't appealing now, he'd hate himself for it later when the demon was out of his mind again. He listened, with a slight irritated expression as it began to whine at his thoughts of freeing Keith from misery. "Alright shut up!" he hissed at himself practically, "it isn't about you right now!" The voice went silent. He glanced back up at Keith, then sighed. "I don't want to hurt you Keith. Please, if you can, don't fight back." With that, he crouched, then lunged forward at Keith's neck.

Iggy, at this point, had woken at the sounds of growling, and had poked his head out the door to watch nervously with a worried expression. Keith had given himself away, while still listening to Iggy's rules. The younger vampire frowned, he turned, slipping out the open window and walking down the lawn and into the small patch of forest beside it. Keith would not fight Vaix, instead, he'd come here, to Iggy. He smiled as he sent that out, then waited patiently for Keith to come. He knew, if he left Keith, he'd lose him. And Iggy, like Vaix, did not take losing well...
---
Michelle smiled as Shaye turned to face him. He lifted a cautious hand, then gingerly placed it to her cheek, then let it run down the side of her face, down her neck, to her shoulder. He lay down beside her at this point, just staring at her longingly. It hurt, to be this close and yet so far away. He just lay beside her and watched her sleeping figure, admiringly.

Keith growled, spinning and dodging away from Vaix. The collar was forcing him to turn away from Vaix, find Iggy. He walked, forcing himself to walk, not run to Iggy's side, that was just pathetic in his mind, and he would not crawl, not rush to 'his master's' side. He walked casually down the lawn, though, looking closer you could see his clamped fists shaking in aggrivation. He saw Iggy eventually, walking over to him, glowering angrily. He hissed at Iggy, not going close to him, but staying on the grass patch. He turned his back to Iggy, waiting for and watching Vaix, hoping he would come. Then he'd understand who had the control over him.

Shaye rubbed her eyes again, waking up a bit. She sighed, and shifted, suddenly very aware that she was lying on the floor.
"Mmm" She mumbled softly, feeling the hand on her face, she assumed it was Vaix's. Smiling, she rolled over, facing him. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and she let out a startled gasp.
"Michelle?" She yelped, leaping backwards and slamming into the metal side of the bed.

Iggy's eyes widened as Keith walked. He frowned, as once again Keith found a loop hole in his commands. It was irritating. He wandered over to Keith's side, glaring up at the older vampire harshly. Then his eyes grew soft, almost reaching a creepy point. "Come on Keith, let's get out of here now. I'm going to run, and I want you to match my pace." He knocked the older vampire over the back of the head lightly, to show he was not, in fact, pleased with Keith's behaviour. Then raced off back into the trees as fast as he could go, stopping briefly to make sure Keith was coming.

Vaix blinked in confusion as Keith walked away from him, he followed curiously, seeing Keith wander into the forests and trotting along after him, but staying in the doorway, it was daylight... Unlike vampires, which were unaffected, Vaix's eyes when introduced to the sun's light, would become blinded permanently. The heat of day hissed at his face. If he were to shield himself with his wings, they would burn, as would the rest of him, and he was not about to kill himself over this. He frowned, Keith's actions implied that he was still being controlled. Maybe one of the others could control him even when demobilized? If that were the case than Keith would most likely be going back to the airport, or too a police station where they would have taken the bodies.. He frowned, staring as Keith disappeared from sight in the harsh shades of yellow sunlight.
---
"Oh!" Michelle jumped back as Shaye did in surprise, sitting up sharply and wincing as she hit herself against the metal part of the bed. "Easy Shaye," he muttered softly, "you're still wounded. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that..." He swallowed somewhat nervously, watching her with concerned eyes. He sighed, glancing nervously around, then looking back at her with somewhat sad eyes. "Would you prefer I go?" he asked softly.

Keith hissed in frusturation. His body shook, but regardless of his disgust with the situation, and his unwillingness to move, he followed after Iggy, matching his pace. He wanted to turn back, to go home, to be with the others, but who knew when that was going to happen. He glanced at Iggy, growling in annoyance at the younger vampire. If he ever got this collar off, Iggy was going to severly regret it. His thoughts were racing, different emotions flashing through his mind. Anger, misery, confusion, all rolled into one.

Shaye was shaking her head, rubbing it.
"Just, what?" She said, odviously confused. Her heart would have been pounding if it could have. She took a deep breath, confused. She stared at Michelle with wide, green eyes, when something captured her attention. Looking down, she pressed her hand to her side, pulling it away to see a light, red liquid on her hand.
"Oh" She murmured, still no pain, but her head was swimming.

Iggy raced along a great distance, until they were at the edge of town. He did this because he didn't want Vaix to come and find them, it was still morning, and Vaix could follow them at sunset earliest. He stopped running in an abandoned area, then turned and glared at Keith again. "I told you not to let Vaix know you had the collar on! What's wrong with you? If Vaix knows it was me he'll kill me!" He bit his bottom lip and looked nervously up at Keith, "I thought you didn't hate me..." he said softly. His eyes looked sad, because Keith actions hinted he'd prefer to have the collar off then keep Iggy alive, which in Iggy's case, was extremely hurtful, seeing as how he'd really just given up his family for one person.

Michelle shook his head at her question, "I just wanted to see you without certian death lingering over my head for once..." He stopped as Shaye sat up, then touched her side and pulled a hand coated in blood to his attention. "Sh-Shaye?!" he choked. Vaix would kill him, he whimpered and crawled over to her, "Lay down Shaye, please let me help you..." He froze as Vaix called Michelle's name. "Oh," he squeaked, looking down at Shaye with terrified eyes begging for help. In his attempt to see Shaye he'd startled her, She'd hurt herself again thanks to him, Vaix would find him not in his room within seconds, and make him suffer when he saw what was happening. His only hope, due to not knowing about Vaix's intolerance to sunlight, was to stay with Shaye and plead her spare his life. He whimpered again and crawled under the bed, watching Shaye with bulging scared eyes as he heard vaix's cry of frustration from downstairs, and the sound of feet rushing back up the stairs. "I don't want to die..." he whimpered to Shaye softly, voice choked in fear.

"Yea well, you didn't account for his infared vision. And you know what Iggy. I might. I just bloody might" He snarled, turning and glaring at the younger vampire in frusturation.
"If you want to keep your friends, it's best not to drag them off into the woods, away from their family, their injured family. And now, now you're mad at me. You forced me to be here Iggy, against my will, and you want me to be kind, friendly?" He spun around in aggrivation. Hands clenched, lashing out, he struck a tree, smiling in grim satisfaction as it cracked and fell.

Shaye looked at Michelle, uncomprehending. She was bleeding, she could feel the blood dripping down her side, but she couldn't understand how. There was no pain, none at all. She was barely aware of Michelle at this point, confused beyond belief about what was happening to her body. She looked at him.
"Why do you think you're going to die?" She asked confused. She didn't really understad what wsa going on right now, her confusion was making her completely oblivious to Michelle's plight.

"Forgive me for stopping blood spill, and as for you're injured family. Vaix is fine. He's all demonic, trust me, Shaye won't get hurt and if she does, he'll look after her. It's no different than if you were at home, sitting in the living room hoping for her to come back downstairs... Please, just listen to me. I'm not stupid Keith, I know you want to be with you're family. He'll just wait until Vaix doesn't have infrared vision, and when he can't see the collar, you'll tell him you managed to get it off yourself. Problem solved..." He bit his bottom lip, then shook his head, laughing weakly at Keith's anger, "I'm not asking you to be kind. Just more...cooperative. I'll get us out of it, you just need to trust me..." He sat down, watching Keith with a soft sigh, "and if you really want the collar off that bad, you can just continue finding loop holes in my commands until Vaix brutally slaughters me and takes if off of you for you..." He winced at the thought, but he was haunted with the image that that might in fact, be what's going to happen. He pulled his knees up against his chest, and stared at the ground blankley.

Vaix tore up the stairs at the scent f Shaye's blood and Michelle's scent. His eyes were bulging as he unlocked the door and ripped it open, seeing Shaye on the floor, bleeding, and the window open, cracked at the base...so Michelle had broken the lock. He cursed himself for only thinking of the door, then came to Shaye's side. "Shh," he reassured gently, "I'm here... You tore your bandages open Shaye..." he explained lightly, she must have been hit with something mildly sharp, or hard. He looked around, Michelle's scent coated the room, and he figured the vampire was under the bed. He narrowed his eyes, but despite his own rage, he had to look after Shaye first... He stood again, looking at Shaye sadly, then glaring at the bed. "Michelle, if you value you're life when I come back up here I wil see you desperately trying to sto the bleeding.. alright?" With that he turned, then ran out of the room to find a firstaid kit or something to help her.

Michelle was frozen in terror, he did hear Vaix. He whimpered again as he crawled out from under the bed and pressed his hands to the wound. "I'm sorry Shaye," he chocked softly, fear coated eyes begging her to understand what was happening, what would happen. "I came up here because I missed you. I really, really like you Shaye. I can't be without you..." He trembled, trying to stop the blood from leaking past his fingers.

Keith frowned at Iggy.
"Oh?" He snapped and shook his head. He turned away from Iggy, still not looking at Iggy. He was angry beyond belief, and he couldn't even function right now. He was worried sick about Shaye, Vaix, all of them. He just wanted to go home, desperately. He paced the clearing angrily.
"Forgive me for not trusting you Iggy. But you're not in my top five favorite people right now" He hissed, shaking his head and turning his flashing eyes in Iggy's direction.

Shaye looked at Vaix.
"What?" She asked again, but he was gone, and now Michelle was pressing his fingers to her side. Her eyes grew wide at what he said, but she couldn't talk, she was beyond confused. She looked at Michelle, wondering where Vaix had gone.
"W-" She gasped suddenly, doubling, pain, now she felt it. She pressed her fingers over her side, wincing.
"Oh god" She moaned, her eyes going from green to red.

Iggy glanced up at Keith with a frown and a look similar to that of a small puppy being scolded. He bit his bottom lip as he glanced down at the ground, then gave a sigh. "Keith? Do you know what will happen if Vaix manages to kill me?" it was a bit of a destroyer card, but it was all he had right now, it would create a domino affect, and unless Keith hated Shaye, he'd listen to Iggy after he heard it. Keith was forcing him, as much as he wanted Keith to have freedom, he was beginning to see he might have to break Keith before he could keep him. Which was saddening, he didn't know if he could do such a thing in the first place. He sighed and waited for Keith to respond.
---

Michelle winced as Shaye's expression and eye colour changed. He could now tell she'd snapped out of her session of shock, and felt terrible he'd been the one to do it too her. He watched her hands join his and closed his eyes out of stress. "I'm sorry," he whimpered again, He wasn't sure what to do, she could feel the pain, if he pressed to hard he'd hurt her now... He hoped vaix would hurry up and come back upstairs for once, despite the consequence it would have on his life.

Vaix ran to the nearest cabinet, finding exactly what he was looking for and rushing back up, he froze at the sight of Shaye's tense, pained body and swallowed. "Shaye?" he breathed, he had a bad feeling. He rushed over to her and gripping Michelle, tossed him aside like a useless rag to the other side of the room. He pulled off the old bandages as quickly as he could, and began applying the new ones. He glanced around, then narrowed his eyes at Michelle. As much as he wanted to kill the older vampire, he needed him. Not for Shaye, but for Keith. Michelle would be his daytime explorer.

Keith looked up at Iggy.
"No, what?" He asked, frowning. He didn't like where this was going, Iggy was planning something, and he didn't like it. He growled and continued pacing. He waited, impatently for Iggy's response. He was stressed beyond belief, he just wanted his freedom, he had worked so hard for it the first time, and then he had been free, it had been glorious, not as good as before he had been captured, Lina had still been alive then, but good. But now, now he was trapped again. Stuck in a symbolic cage, and he hated it.

Shaye looked up at Vaix, her eyes red, pain filled.
"It hurts" She murmured, her body shaking. She couldn't believe how much pain there was. She pitched forward, darkness swimming in her vision as she rested against him, her body slumped, pain ridden. How could she not have felt this before.
"Oh god" She gasped, she could taste blood now, but didn't know how. She was sure that she had bitten herself or something. Her vision was still swimming, and she felt as if she might pass out any minute.

"Keith," Iggy muttered, his voice growling spooky dull. "If you do not cooperate with me, Vaix will catch me, you will be freed, and I will die. The sunset after I am dead, Vaix will be forcibly pulled back down to hell, and Shaye will suffer, and Roxa will suffer, and you will suffer to see them suffer. You will have your freedom Keith, but it will become all you have. Depending on how things go, Roxa will most definitely commit suicide, as will Shaye, leaving just you and Michelle, on the same page, all alone..." He narrowed his eyes, then glanced over at Keith. "You got over Lina's death, but you have no idea how very strong you were to do that. Shaye is brittle, a fragile thing. Do you really think she'll survive without Vaix around with her?" He sighed, then shook his head, "I'm sorry Keith, but it seemed unfair to let you choose my death without knowing it's future. Vaix's demonic contract, it ends when Vaix kills me. He's fused with the demon, his soul is it's soul. They'll go together, and leave Shaye all alone."
---
Vaix winced as he realized Shaye could finally feel pain. He bound her wound tightly, then glared up at Michelle as he worked. "Cover the window with something dark Michelle, it's too bright in here. After you do that bring up some food for Shaye..." He watched Michelle curl up, afraid, then hissed sharply and watched the weaker vampire leap to his feet and run downstairs for the blood, then come back up with a black shirt of Keith's, which he tacked to the window frame.
Vaix sighed as he was able to see so much better without the heat waves in his face. He finished bandaging Shaye, the stuck the blood tube in his own mouth and stuck his wrist in Shaye's. "eat," he said softly, "you'll feel better if you eat something Shaye. Promise. We'll find some pain killer for you too." He glanced hintingly at Michelle, and watched the vampire take off again.

Keith's eyes grew wide. So that was that, his life for Shaye's, essentially.
"Fine" He mumbled, unsure what else to say. "Does Vaix know this?" He asked Iggy, it seemed like something Vaix should know, particularly if Shaye's own life was involved. He sighed, sitting down in the grass and sighing.
"I'll keep my promise Iggy, the one I made in the car, without the collar. I will not let Vaix kill you" He looked straight at the other vampire , his dark eyes flashing. Keith never broke promises, and he wouldn't break this one now. He sighed, wondering how Shaye was doing. He was worried about her, and the others.
"You don't need the collar to make me keep that promise Iggy, I hope you now that" He said, looking at the other vampire again, his eyes filled with different emotions.

Shaye's sharp fangs sliced into Vaix's wrist subconciously. Her thirst was overpowering. She drank, oblivious to what she was doing. She was to out of it, nearly unconcious to be aware of her actions. She winced, her side was on fire, though the blood, Vaix's blood was helping. She heard Michelle, and then it was dark in the room, or she was going blond. something like that.

Iggy sighed at Keith's question on Vaix, he knew the answer, and he also knew Keith wouldn't like it. Regardless, he answered, "yes. But as I said, it's a contract, if Vaix no longer wishes my death, him and the demon go down regardless of whether I live or not. His attempts, haven't you noticed they're always in the presence of someone to prevent my death? He does it on purpose, to protect Shaye, and Roxa, and you. But he still hates me, if you didn't stop him, he'd kill me. That, or he just loves his demon, and it's interests more than Shaye. Which, as terrible as it sounds, is just as likely...demons are corrupting..." He shook his head, then glanced over at Keith as he encouraged that he'd protect Iggy with or without the collar. Iggy smiled sadly, then glanced at the floor, "yeah? That's nice to know. I have doubts sometimes, but this way, as long as wear that collar, I know you're always going to be at my side...I don't have to worry when you wear it. Sort of." He was beginning to understand the bitter consequence of his actions, protection and love where two different things. That collar, traded one for the other, he could force Keith to give him attention, but when you could read emotions, it meant nothing.
---
Vaix let out a soft sigh as Shaye bit his wrist, he watched her mellow slightly, then sucked on his own package of human blood. It tasted watery, yucky, but it would keep him going until Shaye was full. He lay down, watching her with sad eyes as she drank, then sitting up again as Michelle returned with three Tylenol. He took all three, and predicting shaye's swallows, popped each one in her mouth accordingly. He hoped it would help ease her a little bit. Though he wasn't sure. Calmly, he turned to Michelle as the vampire look at Shaye with sad eyes. "Michelle," Vaix muttered calmly, "I need you to go look for Keith, when you find him, call me, he handed Michelle Shaye's cell from her pocket. "Don't leave him, stay there. This is important Michelle, you understand?" He watched Michelle nod, then shooed him off again, laying back down with Shaye, kissing her forehead lightly.

Keith sighed.
"Ah. Well, I sincerly hope for his sake he does not love that demon more then my sister" He growled. He still hurt from losing Lina, if Vaix did choose that demon over Shaye there would be some dire concequences for his friend. He looked at Iggy, knowing he knew the answer.
"Does he?" He asked, his voice quiet, worried. He would allow Shaye to be hurt like he had been. She deserved someone who loved her more then anything. He knew she loved Vaix, and he her, but if he did love something more, he had no business leading her on. His blue eyes met Iggy's, staring at him with a new air of seriousness. He had never thought about this before, but what if Vaix did choose the demon over Shaye, that would destroy her, utterly and completely destroy her. He winced at the thought. Iggy was right, Shaye was so fragile.

Shaye sighed, eventually slipping away from Vaix's wrist. She looked up at him, still in demonic form. Her mind was swimming with confusion, but one thought stood out, as she looked at him.
"Do you love it?" She murmured, she knew it was an odd thing to ask. But the pain had been forcing her to contemplate life and death, and now, now she was curious.

Iggy stared at Keith for a long time without uttering a word, then sighed and shook his head. "It's...hard to tell actually. I think he may love them the same. If he were to pick one, he'd probably have to think it over for a long while... but it's pretty 50-50 odds... losing one of them would cause him terrible pain, no matter what. But, hey, these are more questions to ask him, not me...It really isn't fair for me to tell you how Vaix feels. What I pick up isn't always truth of what I think it to be..." He shrugged, then frowned and bit his bottom lip, staring off into space. "What would you pick," he said softly, "if you had to choose me or Shaye?" he already knew, pretty much, Keith would pick Shaye, but he wanted to know for sure, where he stood in Keith's heart.
---
Vaix pulled his wrist away as Shaye finished, holding it to stop the bleeding, then blinked as she asked him something he hadn't been expecting. "Love it.." he repeated with a frown, "y-yeah, I guess. I guess I do... Yes. Why?" he asked curiously, watching her with a slight tilt of his head.

Keith pursed his lips, looking at Iggy thoughtfully.
"I'd choose Shaye Ig. It wouldn't be an easy decision, but she's my sister, and well, without her, I doubt I'd still be here" His gaze grew distant, thinking back to that very night.
It had been dark, so dark. He remembered thinking that it was the perfect night for something like this. He knew the location, a big, abandoned factory, with a huge boiler. He could fit inside, then, he'd light the fire, let it end his life. He smiled, he'd see her again, Lina. The others didn't know about this, Vaix, Roxa and Iggy, they'd stop him if he tired. He had lied, told them he needed to hunt, he knew they had bought it. A sound, coming down a dark alley had caught his attention. Turning, his curiosity got the better of him and he looked, shocked at what he found. A shape shifter by her scent. She was covered in a dirty blanket, but he could scent the blood coming off of her. Bleeding, where? He pulled aside the blanket, wincing at the silver blood which ran down long strap marks on her bare back. Her shirt was torn, she had been beaten, but by who. She moaned, turning to look at him. Green eyes peered out from matted black hair and pale, dirty skin. His heart, had it been able to beat, would have stopped. Plan abandoned, he scooped the girl into his arms, taking her to his own home.

Shaye looked at Vaix, eyes turning back to their regular green.
"I guess I just wanted to know" She murmured. She sighed, wanting to ask another question, but afraid of the answer. She shook her head, pain forgotten now, her heart hurt, but that was emotional pain more then anything.
"Thanks" She nodded at her side, not really sure whatelse to say.