A/N: Well, readers, I've returned. I know the absence has been horribly long, but I've got a worthy excuse! My old laptop died (you went strong for 4 years with no anti-virus!), and it went out in a blaze of glory. Meaning it took all my documents, photos and files with it. And THEN I got busy with working nights and managing school, so that ate away most of my writing time. But since the authoress in me absolutely forbade not writing, here I am! And here is another chapter, just waiting for your eyeballs to read away and your fingers to type out a lovely review, if you are so inclined to do so! =)

Warning: Violence, and a tad bit of smut.

"I should have anticipated this," a hard voice calls, surprising both Sebastian and I. We had been in the process of abandoning Minerva's home once daylight arrived, and I know neither of us had been paying too much attention to our surroundings. The male voice is mocking and familiar, but there is also an edge to it. I lift my head and meet a pair of roiling lavender eyes across the distance – Ash.

"I smelled something different about you, Valentina," he continues, crossing his arms where he stands at the edge of the trees. "I should have known Sebastian was selfish enough to recreate you. Was your last consort not enough?" He directs the last part of his taunt directly to Sebastian, and I feel my demon companion stiffen.

I turn my head to send Sebastian a curious look, but the dark-haired demon has eyes only for Ash. Anger seethes from him, so distinct that I can feel it and it makes me wonder where it's come from so suddenly. His reaction instantly has me in a peculiar sort of defense mode that I don't recognize, especially because it usually takes more than one goading comment from the blonde demon to get Sebastian to react with such hostility.

"What do you want?" Sebastian calls back, taking a step closer to my side. I abruptly remember Sebastian's telling me of other demons in the area arriving to inspect the new creation, but I never expected that demon to be Ash! I think Sebastian has it in mind to protect me if Ash makes a threatening move, and that makes my palms itch with anticipation. It's almost as if I want Ash to do or say something to provoke Sebastian into assuming a defensive mode of attack. I know that I would join the fight in a second.

"I merely came to see if my inkling was correct," Ash says, taking a few easy steps closer to us. I don't sense any immediate danger from him, but it doesn't stop Sebastian from stepping forward once in a silent warning. It seems the darker-haired demon is more intent on keeping me safe than I had predicted. "And it seems it is."

Behind him, I see the petite figure of his mortal accomplice standing in the trees. She watches with wide, nervous eyes, and I'm astounded he's brought her with him. Is Ash insane? Even if the mood between the three of us is mildly virulent, this is no place for a human. I should know. The handful of meetings I've had with Ash while I was still mortal frightened me enough. The girl meets my eyes and I can read her terror; I know she knows the truth. She knows what all three of us are, and she is scared for her soul. I can sense that part of her, too, but it is just a prickling annoyance in the back of my mind. It doesn't hold the same draw like Minerva's had. Her soul is a darker color than Minerva's was. I realize I feel bad for the girl; sorry that Ash has pulled her along on his investigation.

"What does it matter to you?" Sebastian asks in a hard voice, narrowing his sienna-red eyes.

Ash merely smiles, shaking his head. "It doesn't, really. I had a hunch you wouldn't go through with taking her soul. The last contract you had became void, just like this one. I'm beginning to see a pattern!"

Sebastian snarls and his eyes flash dangerously, warning the other demon. "Do not meddle in my affairs, incarnate. Do you recall what happened the last time you attempted to do exactly this? I ripped your sinful wings clean off your back and sent you to Hell. Shall I do it again?"

Ash laughs, his eyes roiling electric lavender. "You didn't escape completely unharmed, don't forget. How did you manage to get another arm? Did you steal it from another demon, perhaps?"

I can tell Ash's taunting is beginning to eat away at Sebastian, but the demon suddenly regains his composure with a single look to my curious face. Sebastian straightens up and folds his arms behind his back, falling back to stand at my side. This is the first I've heard of Sebastian's arm, and I automatically glance to his arms. They seem to work naturally enough, but I have seen enough of Sebastian in action to know that a demon can accomplish anything.

"No matter," he says evenly, surprising Ash with his sudden level-headedness. "That is the past. Your curiosity has been sated, so please, allow us to continue on our way." With the politeness back in his voice, Sebastian takes my hand and crunches through the snow away from the blonde-demon. I chance another puzzled look back at Ash, seeing the fury written cleanly on his face.

"Don't think this is the last time you'll see me! I can tell you still have a lot to explain to your new consort, and I won't let you rest until she knows the whole truth!" The conviction in Ash's voice is startlingly strong, and it has me glancing back to where the blonde demon stands, furious with being abandoned. His lavender eyes meet mine and Ash smiles, the same predatory smile I recognize from the masquerade ball so long ago.

His voice fades as we enter the trees, replaced with the sounds of nature. A hundred different thoughts are spinning through my head and I have a hard time deciding where to begin. I stay quiet, though, wanting to get home before I voice any of them for the sake of privacy. But when we do get home, I kick my shoes off and start a fire, settling in on one of the couches. I find grace comes easily to me now; Sebastian had been unable to take his eyes off me while I moved around the parlor.

"Sebastian," I begin, glancing up at him. The dark-haired demon knows exactly where my conversation intends to go, so he settles across the room from me in the armchair.

"Yes, my Lady."

"What was Ash talking about? What truth?" I get the distinct feeling Sebastian doesn't want to tell me anything, and I don't think I can order him to now that our contract is void. But he sighs, sitting as straight as ever even though I slouch, and sends his gaze into the fire. I do deserve to know the truth, after all.

"There are things you do not know, my Lady," he tells me. "I had hoped it would never come up in conversation, yet here it is. I do not want to waste my breath with an edited version of the truth, so I shall tell you it all. Before you, I had a young master by the name of Ciel Phantomhive. He was just a young boy of thirteen when he entered into contract with me, and his tasks were similar to yours in nature. However, complications arose involving a pair of demons named Hannah and Claude, and just when I was to take Ciel's soul from his body, I was betrayed.

"A demon never intervenes on the harvesting of another's soul. This is a crucial rule of our kind. But somehow, Claude managed to intervene on my harvesting in such a way that Ciel's soul was 'misplaced', his memories lost, and my success stolen from me. I was left with a shell of a boy who could not even remember his own name. This infuriated me so greatly that I destroyed most of the island you and I visited and swore to exact revenge on Claude for his betrayal."

I listen patiently, so entirely absorbed in Sebastian's story that I hardly blink. In my mind I paint a mental picture of his story, imagining Ciel to be a brave and reckless young boy. He had to have been, in order to attract Sebastian's attention.

"What did you do?" I ask, leaning forward with interest. Sebastian's eyes flick to mine for the briefest of moments, and I can read the pent-up anger from the past leaking through. He's still bothered by Claude's betrayal, even though I'm sure he's already gotten rid of that particular demon.

"I had to baby Ciel. It was difficult to restore his memories, but in the end, I was able to. Of course, Claude could not leave well-enough alone. He desired Ciel's soul for himself, and was not happy that I had come into contract with it. I suppose you could say Claude had always been my rival, mistress, as our naïve young masters liked to think we were. During the entire process of restoring Ciel's memories, Claude was an irritating presence that would not leave me alone. Even his young master became obsessed with mine, although in the end Claude killed his own master to eliminate the annoyance he was.

"When I had finally pieced together as much of Ciel's memories as I possibly could, the second demon, Hannah, came into play. She worked for Claude, assuming the role of a beaten maid as not to arouse suspicions to herself. She was pulling half the strings the entire time, as it turned out, and through a series of irritating events she was able to secure a sub-contract with my master stating that if I were to kill Claude, Ciel would become a demon himself."

"And that was never what you wanted?"

"It was something I had not anticipated. It seemed my young master had become more conniving than he had been before his memories were taken." Sebastian steeps his fingers together, growing more and more irritated as the story continues. It's interesting to see his reaction; hell, it's interesting to learn something about Sebastian's past at all. I'm trying to paint a mental picture of Ciel as the story goes along, and I'm seeing a small boy in clothes more dated than my own, with something covering one eye, perhaps? It's not my own imagination creating this image – it's almost like some of Sebastian's memories have transferred to me. The picture is foggy at best, but it helps me glean who we're talking about.

"Ciel was demanding, as both a mortal boy and a young demon. He insisted on my keeping the role of butler after his re-creation, and kept the act of superiority going strong. Before he was reborn, I would often tell myself that if I could make it through Ciel's lifetime and get his soul, I would prosper. Remember how strong the pull to Minerva's soul was for you, my lady? Imagine something ten times as strong and so potent that it makes your head spin. That is how Ciel's soul attracted me, and how your soul had been before the change."

Sebastian gets up and crosses the room, settling in next to me on the loveseat, pulling me close. "Even now, your very presence is intoxicating." He takes my face in his hands and tilts it up, drawing his nose along my jawline as if to smell me. It makes me shiver, but I have no time for romance when Sebastian's story has just gotten to the good part.

"Keep going," I tell him, rather breathlessly. "What happens next in the story?"

Sebastian makes an amused sound in his throat and frees me, keeping one hand on my leg. "Ciel's subcontract with Hannah outlined that if she or Claude were killed, my former young master would become a demon. I knew such contracts like this existed, but I had not heard of something like that happening in some time. And after eliminating those two meddling demons, the contract Ciel formed with Hannah came to life and he was reborn. I had no choice but to care for my young master, as he was still under contract with me. It was not easy going – Ciel did not take to demon life as quickly as you have, my Lady. It mattered not that he was a demon; a child is a child, all the same."

I'm watching Sebastian's lips as he speaks. I know I shouldn't let myself get so easily distracted, but the way they form words is sensuous, to say the least. I nod my head absently, encouraging him to continue, and Sebastian chuckles.

"My Lady, I do not think you are listening to me."

"I'm listening!" I protest, but a smile forms on my mouth. Sebastian leans in to kiss me and the very taste of his lips has my head spinning. I can thank my heightened senses for that.

"What did you do with Ciel? Obviously something, or else Ciel would still be around."

Sebastian pulls back and looks away, fighting a mixture of expressions on his face. "This is where the story gets a little unfavorable, mistress," he tells me.

"Unfavorable? How do you mean?"

"I fear that it will make you think differently of me."

I can't help but smile. "Sebastian, if one little story is going to make me change my opinion of you, based on all the things we've done and been through together, then I'm the worst person in the world."

Sebastian laughs and meets my eyes, presenting me with their sienna-red depths. "All right, my Lady. Several months passed and I found that I was more a caregiver than a butler. Ciel was like a newborn baby; he needed instruction with the most basic of tasks. The change triggered something in his brain and he got easily confused, distracted and discouraged with himself. There was only so much I could take, my Lady. I am sure that by now you have come to understand that I am a very independent creature. All demons are – it is their nature. Rare is it for two to pair up, like we have, and even rarer is it for those two to stay together. Claude's partnership with Hannah was the first I had come across in several decades. It was clear to me immediately that something was off about the two of them, but I could not determine their ulterior motives until it was too late.

"Claude's young master, Alois Trancy, took an unhealthy liking to my young master. Ciel was always receiving invitations to the Trancy manor, and I could pick up that something was amiss at the time of each visit. Our young masters seemed to take great interest in pitting Claude and I against each other, and I understood at the time that they were tests of strength. Alois seemed determined to figure out who was the better demon butler. But I am getting off topic, my Lady."

Sebastian pauses for a few seconds to stoke the fire, sending a fresh wave of warmth throughout the room. He turns to me and puts his arms behind his back, bowing his head and closing his eyes as to not meet my gaze.

"The truth you are waiting for, the one you must try to understand, is that I killed my young master."

The silence that reigns between us is heavy. Sebastian waits for my reply, and I'm waiting for a suitable one to come to me. Astoundingly, though, this doesn't surprise me. It's caught me off-guard, yes, but I'm not shocked. However, new thoughts come to mind. If I don't show enough progress quickly, will Sebastian kill me, too?

"You killed him?" I finally say. My voice sounds more like a squeak than I like, and it has Sebastian moving closer. I find my eyes train themselves on his movements and Sebastian pauses instantly, picking up on the suspicion I'm subconsciously sending out.

"My Lady, you have nothing to fear," he says gently, drifting cautiously to my side and resting on his knees. "It was something that had to be done."

"I understand," I say, even though in reality I don't. Could Sebastian not have had a little patience? Of course, I know literally nothing about Ciel's personality and therefore can't honestly judge Sebastian for doing what he did, but it still bothers me. Sebastian's hands reach out and touch me, trying to gauge how on edge I am, and his touch only disturbs me. I pull away and get up, presenting him with my back and try to ignore the feeling of his eyes burning into my skin. I'm probably acting a little too strange for Sebastian to believe I understand his motives. I'd be fooling myself if I said I couldn't imagine him doing something like that – I know who Sebastian is, and I know he's a killer. We both are. There is no logical reason for my trepidation.

But I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Sebastian killed his master.

"My Lady?" I hear Sebastian's voice draw closer, filled with curiosity, and I make myself turn around. I don't want to hurt Sebastian by ignoring him or moving away again, especially not after I'd told him I would not think any differently if he told me the truth. I'm acting different, I know that.

"Does what I told you change your mind about me, mistress?" Sebastian's eyes bore into my skull and I get the feeling that he's reading them to find the truth. I shake my head and move close to him, into his arms, hiding my face in his chest.

"No," I mumble quietly, knowing he can hear me. I wonder how much of that is a lie. "It's not something outrageously unbelievable." Sebastian's hands press into my back and hold me close to him, and I feel his head bend and touch against mine.

"Then why the reaction? You have never been a good liar, my Lady."

I grin abruptly, snorting with amusement. "I know," I say, lifting my head to look in his eyes. "But how could you kill your master? Doesn't that go against some moral code?"

Sebastian smiles patiently. "Claude could easily kill his master, could he not? After Ciel's demonic transformation, I found it was easier and easier to ignore his commands and do what I wanted. A piece of Hannah had been transplanted into Ciel's soul, and despite the contract, Ciel and I were not connected in the way we once were. It was all too easy to take his life." Sebastian's voice is gentle as he explains this to me, but it doesn't exactly quell my growing doubt. Could Sebastian kill me, if he got annoyed enough? I tap my fingers on his lapel, drawing them down to fiddle with the chain of his silver pocket watch. Sebastian can tell something is still bothering me, but I haven't the desire to speak on it.

"After you killed him, what happened?" I'm interested in turning the subject back to his story to hide my true feelings.

I feel Sebastian's eyes studying me, but I keep mine on his jacket. "After I killed him," he says, deliberately slow, "I was freed. The contract was void, as Ash pointed out. I was a demon free to roam once more."

Mentioning Ash reminds me of the things he'd said to Sebastian outside of Minerva's house, and how bothered Sebastian had been from them.

"What did Ash mean, about your arm?" I grip his biceps with both of my hands; they both feel like real arms to me. Nothing feels false.

"It was a little over fifty years ago, before Claude and Hannah ever came into the picture. Ash was the Queen's bodyguard, her personal butler and a creature masquerading as both an angel and a demon. Before I took Ciel to the island to devour his soul, I had discovered that it was Ash behind the killings that drove Ciel into asking for a demon's help. Do you recall learning of the Great Fire of London in school?"

I nod my head. It was something scholars commonly included in school lessons. "The fire started in a bakery and burned a lot of central London," I say, recalling an old lesson from my schoolteacher.

Sebastian shakes his head to disprove my words. "That is commonly believed. What mortals do not know is that the fire was actually started by Ash himself, and cleverly disguised as a bakery fire. He intended to burn down the city and cleanse it of all impure souls, hoping to burn my young master in the process. The fire spread, consuming hundreds of lives and pushing most of the people out of the city. Ash retreated to the London Bridge, where he was hoping to construct it as a sort of gateway to Heaven, and that is where he and I made our final stand. My young master was already gravely injured at that point and could do little but try to stay alive. I challenged Ash in battle, and lost my arm in the process. Though it was not enough to keep me from ripping his wings from his back and ending his life."

I lean back, astounded with this new knowledge. Ash started the Great Fire?

"He should be dead," I muse, and Sebastian nods and makes a sound of agreement.

"He should, mistress. But it seems our friend Ash was too wicked for Heaven and too cunning for Hell." I like the way Sebastian has phrased this. It describes Ash perfectly – wicked and cunning. Sebastian's arms are still around my body and even though I don't feel much temperature any more, his body seems warm. I feel mildly safe in his embrace, but my mind can't forget that Sebastian killed his former young master. I can't help but pull away.

Sebastian knows something is wrong; his eyebrow rises questioningly and he turns to watch as I walk from him, keeping quiet. I wrap my arms around my torso and stare into the flames of the fire, refusing to give to light any of the thoughts that thunder through my head like hoof beats.

"Valentina," Sebastian says my name, and it reminds me that I've only heard him call me that a handful of times. I can't help but turn. The sound of his voice alerts me to something strange about him, and when I look at his face I can see the apology written clearly across it.

"So if I don't learn quickly enough, are you going to kill me, too? If I get discourage or confused, will you kill me like you did Ciel?"

Sebastian flinches, and I can tell I've hit a nerve. I feel faintly guilty for insulting him like that, but I couldn't keep it from slipping out. I need to know.

"My Lady," he murmurs, strangely keeping his distance from me. I'm almost alarmed as to the fact that he isn't coming any closer. "You have nothing to fear from me. I would never presume to hurt you in any way. You must believe that my attachment to you is as strong as any demon is capable of."

I listen to what he says, slowly beginning to understand what he's saying. "You love me?" My voice wavers, ever so slightly, and I meet his eyes. They're burning, smoldering, devouring my gaze as hungrily as his mouth and hands always have.

"You know as well as I do that a demon cannot love another, mistress. And yet, even if that truth is absolute, I do feel that love is the only emotion to accurately describe how I feel for you. I cannot love… but I remember how to. And I know that were I still mortal, I would be in love with you."

I immediately cross the distance between us and throw my arms around his neck, kissing his mouth fervently. Sebastian welcomes my eager embrace, taking my face in his hands and pushing me backwards, pinning my body to the wall.

"I could never harm you," he murmurs into my skin, ghosting his lips over my jaw. "You are too utterly perfect." I adjust my body, angling it so that my hips are pressed to his. I lift my leg and rub it to his side, inspiring him to grasp my thigh and lift me up, situating himself between my legs. I gasp wildly, feeling how rough he's being with me and loving every second of it. I run my fingers through his hair and feel the burning urge to admit something to him, too, and so I turn my head to the side to speak. Sebastian's lips probe the skin of my throat, so I know he can hear me.

"Sebastian, I have something to say to you," I breathe, managing to whisper out the words when desire is so completely threading through me. "I am a demon now, yes… but I haven't forgotten human emotions. And I love you, Sebastian, so thoroughly that you are all I can see no matter your past."

The dark-haired demon's kisses pause, and he lifts his head to look into my eyes. I feel a bit shy, suddenly, even though I know Sebastian feels the same way about me. His eyes dance violet, roiling back to sienna-red every several seconds, devouring the smallest amount of hesitation in my glace. I'm not so sure I should have told him what I did, but it's too late to take it back. Sebastian knows that I love him, and he'll take that confession any way he likes.

"My Lady," he begins, in a low voice meant only for my ears. Strangely, though, he doesn't continue speaking. Instead he searches my eyes, seeming to say everything necessary with his gaze.

I drop my eyes though, suddenly unwilling to be scorched by his. "I know demons can't love," I backpedal quickly, intent on making myself seem like less of a fool than I already have. "But humanity is still fresh in my mind. I loved you before you recreated me and I love you now. That's just the way I feel."

Sebastian sets me down, gently, and strokes my cheek with the back of his knuckles. "My Lady, please do not think that I am turning you away. I can remember love, but I cannot feel it any longer. What I would like is for you to hold on to that love, and then perhaps I could feel it, too."

He kisses my lips, then, slow and soft and sweet. It's all I can do to keep from melting into the floor, especially when his nimble fingers trail over my face and down both sides of my neck. I grab fistfuls of his jacket and pull him close, but this time it isn't in ferocious lust. I want him as close to me as he can possibly get. If I could, I would melt into Sebastian's bones and become a part of him, even though my demon soul was granted through his power and therefore makes me a part of him. It isn't enough to have him kiss me. I need more.

I push Sebastian back and free myself from the wall, grabbing his hand and leading him to the loveseat. Sebastian needs no further instruction; he pulls me into his lap so that I'm straddling him and kisses me fervently. His hands trail up and down my sides, gripping the fabric of my torn dress and my skin underneath, and the feeling makes me moan. I press myself tightly to him, cupping his neck with both of my hands and refusing to let something as trivial as breathing stop our kisses. They are fueled by something different than desire this time, and I can identify the feeling so easily that it's like second nature.

Love.

A/N: Once again, sorry for the delay. If you liked the chapter, you know what to do!