It had only been a day since Katerina and Kiyomi left the house. Pacing back and forth, the vampire looked at the window towards the ocean. It had been weeks since she had ventured out. The need for blood was creeping back to her and she needed to be away from civilization. “I’m so thankful for you Katerina. No one could ask for a better cousin.” Angelique was grateful, if it wasn’t for the wolf demon, the vampire probably would of fallen off the wagon. “You need not thank me, Angelique. We’re family, and family looks out for one another. “ The thoughts of the day before entered the vampire’s mind.

It was hard to think she had family, and someone to love. Never in the last few hundred years Angelique thought she would have this. “Reaver..” She whispered to herself with a smile. She missed him, but he had his mission. With a sigh, she fell against the couch. She didn’t want to leave the girls, but she needed to go out. “You should go out to the city, child.” Amare’s voice startled the vampire, she was so deep in her thoughts she didn't notice her. “Go. See him. You will be fine.”

With a nod, the vampire stood and walked to a nearby desk. Taking a quill and parchment, she wrote to the vampire.

My Love,
The Winking Mermaid, Adeluna.Tomorrow at dusk.
Your Angel.

After she let the ink dry for a moment, she folded the letter and held out her hand. Closing her eyes, the vampire took a deep breath. She had only used this a few times, and she hoped it would work now. The letter was soon engulfed in flames and was sent off to her lover.

Standing from her seat at the desk, she looked at Amare. “Thank you.” She said with a smile before hurrying out the house. As she readied her horse, the vampire said goodbye to the rest of the girls. “We’ll miss you.” Annette said as she hugged Angelique. “Bye, Auntie Angel!” Eva said as she hugged her Aunt tight. The vampire had grown attached the the girls before her. Her hair aching a bit knowing she would never know the love of a child that was hers.

With great effort, she pushed the thoughts away and climbed on her white horse. “I’ll see you all soon.” With that she raced off into the woods, a grey jackle at her side.

The vampire didn’t realize how fast she was going till she reached the town of Adeluna by mid day. A smile appeared on her lips as she looked over the large gates. She was there and it would be only a matter of time before she saw Reaver once again.

Knowing it would be a few hours till she saw him, she decided that she would buy him a gift. While riding into the city, the town was already busy, the streets were crowded as she made her way towards the stables. “Alright Maximus. Be good.” She said with a pat on the horses neck.

The large barn only had a few horses in it, and the horse master wasn’t anywhere to be sence. If she was more on her guard, she would of saw the mask man come down from the rafters above. Her back was soon up against a wooden pillar, a knife at her throat. “Cain.” She said as her eyes narrowed. “Angelique.” The man said as he stepped back. “It has been a long time.” The man before her hadn’t aged. “It’s been too long.” His eyes looked her up and down, a smirk appearing on his lips. “You haven’t changed one bit.”

Angelique looked at the man before her, trying to repress a sigh. “Working?” She asked as she crossed her cloaked arms. “Yes. A few jobs actually. All hard core secret murders.” The man before her, also a vampire, was one of the assassins she used to work with long ago. Instead of killing anyone for money, they killed the people that needed killing. The ones who abuse their powers, or kill the wrong people; the innocents. “Want in?” He asked as he leaned back against a nearby piller.

The vampire stared at the man before her; thoughtful. “If you are. Why not take out this guy?” Pulling a small parchment from his coat, he handed it to her. It took a moment for the vampire to reach for the name that he was giving her. She was unsure she wanted to do this at all. “If you change your mind. I’ll just kill the kid murdering bastard myself.” That was all Cain needed to say to get Angelique to take the parchment from his hands.

“I’ll be seeing you, Angelique.” With a small bow, the man disappeared within the shadows of the barn.

“What am I doing..” She said with a sigh and pushed herself off the piller. She needed to get the the Inn and think about if she wanted to look at the name. “Damnit.” She cursed as she shoved the parchment into her pains pocket.

Trying to push the thought away, she headed towards the Inn.

Weeks, even months of not seeing Angelique would always feel like years, decades even when he didn’t see her. When he didn’t get to hold her in his arms. There would always be reasons for them to part for, mainly because of either business affairs or something else. But as long as she was safe with her family, Reaver kept himself focused until he would reunite with her again. It’s what kept the darkness within him from festering and consuming him over and over again.

Recently he had been called for some assignments around the Vilpamolan coastline. Apparently, some pirates had been overstepping their boundaries and would stop ships coming into the ports and make them pay unofficial tariffs. Those that didn’t comply found their vessels set a flame. Those in charge wanted them punished, the only problem at the time was that it could set a flux in power if they dealt with it themselves. That’s why Reaver had been there in the cove they hidden themselves in. There were a few casualties, but for the most part, the group quietly surrendered when they saw what he was capable of. As he was rounding them up and preparing to have them march to the doorsteps of the officials, he found something in his hand popping out of nowhere. “Angel?” It was her signature move to be able to make letters come to him, something he found pretty useful and had to ask her more about it.

“Angel? Is that your girlfriend?”, one of the dimwits spoke while a few of them laughed. “Hey now, I wouldn’t mind making a sinner out of her…” The moment he spewed his last words, Reaver gave him a rib shattering punch and looked on as he coughed up some blood. “She’d rip you apart with ease”, he spoke bluntly before ushering the now dead silent gang out of their hideout. One they were in custody, Reaver read the note and soon made the trek back to Adeluna. It would only take nearly a day before he’d reach the city at the quickest.

When he made it to the city limits, he could feel that the city was still recovering from the latest shenanigans it dealt with. Things here had a more dangerous feel to them and he was careful to not bring too much attention to himself as he wandered and glanced over the townspeople. But there was another feeling clutching at him- excitement. He couldn’t wait to see Angelique again. It was enough to push aside any worry he had right up to the door of the tavern. Reaver immediately sought her out and upon finding her, he snuck up and went to kiss the side of her neck. “Hope you haven’t been waiting long.” He breathed in her wonderful scent as he came around to her side. Gods she was as beautiful as ever too. He gave her smile before called for a barkeep and ordered a couple of bottles of bloodwine and a pair of glasses. “How you been, Angel?”

A sigh escaped Angelique once more as she stood before the inn doors. She could feel the note in her pocket and couldn’t get it off her mind. She hadn’t assassinated anyone in a very long time. She knew the assassins she used to be with had a good. “Never the innocent.” She thought to herself as her booted heels walked up the steps of the inn. The vampire remembered the time she used to take a life almost every day. They were all evil men who deserved it, but she didn’t really want to go back to that life. “Or do I?” The thought forced itself in her mind as she pushed open the doors.

“Damnit.” Her curse was in a harsh whisper; mainly to herself. Seeing the bar was empty, she sat down on one of the stools. A man half nodding out was at the end of the bar. His face lingering over his plate of food. Angelique turned her eyes from the man and looked at the barkeep who approached her. “What can I get you?” He asked her as he picked up a mug and started to clean it. “Nothing. Just waiting.” She said to him with a soft smile. The man nodded and walked to the end of the bar.

“Tom! Wake up!” The barkeep slammed his hand on the bar near the man. Tom, the man that was nodding out, awoke with a start. “I don’t want to have to clean up the mess. Now go to bed.” The barkeep started to turn around; done with his scolding. “I want….. another….. Drink,” Tom slurred out while holding out his mug. “Get to bed before I kick you out.” With that last remark, the drunk headed up the stairs, occasionally falling against one wall then the other.

Watching the scene before her, Angelique couldn’t help but crack a smile. The lips that suddenly touched her skin made her eyes close. “Reaver” She breathed out with a sigh. She had missed him dearly, and now he was here. The vampire didn’t even hear her lover enter the bar. Turning around in her stool; she looked up at him. “Better. Being around family did me good. The blood lust is gone.” She said, answering his question before he ordered the blood wine.

As she stood, her arms went around his neck. “I missed you.” She whispered against his lips. It had been so long since she felt his touch. Her eyes closed and she kissed him; deeply. The clearing of a man’s throat brought her back to reality. Pulling away, she looked over her shoulder at the barkeep. “Thank you.” She said and turned toward Reaver again. The vampire just wanted to stay in his arms, but she had news to tell him.

Stepping away, Angelique sat down back at the bar. “I’ve been hired to do a job.” She said while taking out the note. She waited for the barkeep to leave them before she sat it down on the bar before him. The top corner was the man’s crime. “Small boys.” Then his address and a small description. Her eyes were on the parchment as she spoke. “I haven’t told you. I used to do this for a time.” Her eyes looked at him at this moment. “An old collage of mine found me when I entered the city. He thought I could do this job. This man isn’t innocent… See this.” She pointed towards the corner. “Small boys.” She said softly for only him to hear. “That is his crime. He has been murdering them. We can always double check this…but in the end it will be true. Cain always double checks his sources before any job.” She trusted Cain, they did fight side by side.

“It will be a change of pace for us.” Taking the note, she shoved it into the pocket of her cloak. “Would you like to join me?” She asked, hoping he would say yes.

It was always a great deal for him whenever he got to see Angelique. When they parted, it was sweet sorrow for him, though he had learned not to completely get distracted by missing her. Though when he would return to her, like now, he would lose that restraint he summoned. She looked like she’d be faring quite well, which was pleasing. After placing the order, Reaver took his seat right beside hers. ”Glad to hear that. You had me worried back then.” When he had found her in town back then, she was like a very different woman. She was much crueler and sadistic, not that he wasn’t encouraging it himself on some level. He had let his own anger and rage take over and joined her until she eventually turned on him. But with the support of her family, she was back to normal, or at least enough in his eyes.

Reaver’s own arms wrapped around her beautiful body and embraced her. “And I, you”, he managed to breath out before accepting her kiss. He was lost in bliss, that was until their reunion was interrupted. Fortunately, it was just the barkeep and Reaver managed to lose the death stare he had momentarily while the drinks were set up for them. He went to pour his own glass when she mentioned the business she had in town right now.

“A job?”

It wasn’t anything too different from what he did, but it wasn’t until he was told of what the culprit had done that made him give her a hard look before looking at the parchment. “A child killer…I never could understand how people could sink so low to kill children.” Reaver knew that if there was one thing Angelique couldn’t stand it was someone who harmed a child. This Cain person must have known her well enough to know that it would set her off.

He killed both innocent and guilty people before in his past, but he was trying to make up for it in recent years and only go after those that deserve death. This man if one could call him that after all that he had done, was definitely deserving of it. He poured her glass and handed it to her, “There’s no question about it, I’ll come. We don’t know exactly how dangerous he is, but he can’t be left alone anymore to do as he pleases. I’m guessing he’s somewhere in Adeluna, love?”

Taking a quick sip, he savored the crimson taste as it lingered in his mouth. “Is he one to lure children away during the day or does he sneak out and spirit them away at night? We need to know so that we can establish his methods and hopefully catch him before he kills again.”