Mark kept his guard up but allowed Lane to follow him into his apartment. Guardian looked up lazily from his dog bed, sniffed the air, then laid his head back down unfazed. Mark rolled the coin and let it form into a chair in his kitchen. He pointed to a normal, wooden one, and Lane sat down.

“Okay, let me clear some things up first, then I’ll listen. You’ve been with Longing for how long?”

“Almost four years,” Lane whispered, “But it’s only been recently that it’s been a problem.”

Mark sighed, “Alright. That’s not great news. You’re in deep enough that severing your connection to your patron is impossible with current rituals. And based on what I know, it’ll be a long time before we find one that will work, if ever.”

“Wait, what patron?”

Mark blinked, then remembered. Very few monsters knew that a patron was who gave them their powers. Hell, some didn’t even realize that they had powers. They just thought they were special. Based on his knowledge, only the Albrights even spoke to their Patron directly. The only other exception was Mark himself.

“Right,” he continued, “Forgot some don’t realize. Longing isn’t just a cool group name. It’s the name of a patron who represents a focus. In your case, the focus is lust. You did something that caught the eye of Longing and were given powers to help grow your strength. The more you utilize those and keep your patron happy, the more powerful Longing gets.”

“Oh. Well, that explains a lot then. A friend of mine who also has powers doesn’t have the same kind I do.”

“Yeah. They tend to differ person to person. So, start from the top. How did you get wrapped up in all of this?” Mark asked, double checking his shield mentally, and listening for anything outside of his kitchen.

“Well,” Lane started, “I grew up in a very religious family. Very strict. I’d get sent to bed with no food for putting my elbows on the table or not sitting up straight kind of strict. Not mean or anything, just very important to follow rules. That being said, I also grew up under a rock. I knew nothing of the outside world. I focused on schoolwork, chores, and sleep. Maintaining perfect grades was an absolute must to get into a good college and prepare for a great future.”

She smirked, “Funnily enough, that was the downfall. The college I ended up getting into on a full ride scholarship was across the country. They were obviously worried for me to be away, but they figured they would get everything wrapped up during my first semester and move out there by winter break. Surely, that wouldn’t be enough time for the world to corrupt me. Little did they know how quickly you can spiral into freedom when you’ve never tasted it before.”

Mark could feel the waves of emotions coming off her, a roller coaster of guilt and nostalgia mixed with the soft caress that was the Longing. She continued, “I was good for a little while, but the roommate I was forced to share a dorm with was very extroverted and very enthusiastic about including me, bless her. Eventually, I relented and went to a party. I met boys and met liquor in equal measure, and the fire that lit up inside me was like nothing else. I told the first guy that night that I didn’t know what I was doing, and he was as sweet as can be. By the fourth guy, I had a pretty good idea.”

“Tired and sore,” Lane said, “I regretted it for a week. I went to the clinic and got tested. I got worried and scared. What if I was pregnant? What if my parents found out? Was I going to hell? By the next Friday, all of that was out of my head as the next set of parties started. I tried everything available to me. Drinks, drugs, guys, girls, party games. I was open to any experience. It continued that way for the whole semester. My parents were finally coming out to look at houses, but I told them I was dropping out and not to contact me. My main boyfriend and I were moving across the country. We were in love and nothing was going to stop it.”

“His idea of love was letting me run free as long as he got to watch. And as toxic as that is in its own way, I was into it. I finally left him and did the damn thing by myself. I’ve been all over America and have seen amazing sites and amazing people. I didn’t realize something was up until I hadn’t been with anyone for a while.”

“What happened there?” Mark asked, already suspecting the answer.

“I had been legitimately enjoying spending some time in New York. I had recently been through a few people who got clingy and attached, so I was enjoying time to myself. I started getting sick a few days in. It got much worse by day seven. I came across this couple on the street who were getting really excited to be next to each other…... I could taste their lust. And as I let it wash over me, I started feeling better. I went to a bar and found more people looking at others with that look you guys are terrible at hiding and even just absorbing it all but cured me.”

“I was feeding off it. But it wasn’t enough. After doing that for a few days, just doing that only refreshed me for shorter and shorter periods of time. It wasn’t enough. So eventually, I cracked. I found a girl who was absolutely stunning to me. I talked her up, took her back to my hotel, and once we were finished, I felt properly better. So, then I started testing it. I’d wait a bit to see if I got sick again, would find people being lusty, and I would feed. Sure enough, after a few days, it wouldn’t be enough. Then, I’d find someone I found attractive. It wasn’t before too long I’d realize something else changed.”

Mark arched an eyebrow, “Really? What’s that?”

She smirked, “I’m an okay looking girl. Not the sexiest, I know that. I got turned down a lot by people, but there’s always someone desperate enough. Once I was trying to feed my sickness, I suddenly realized that nobody was turning me down anymore. I could walk into a room, and necks would snap trying to grab a look at me. I would feed off this initial lust, then pick my poison for the night. No matter what, eyes were on me if I wanted them to be.”

“Finally,” Lane said after a brief hesitation, “I got tired of all the moving around. I settled down here and got a waitressing job. I figured that would at least help me feed off people when I needed to. Lots of dates at the place I work. I learned how to target people instead of making everyone be into me. So mostly, I just fed off other couples. Then, I’d find someone who liked me like that, and turn on the charm to make it stronger. And I’ve been living like that since.”

“But now you want out?” Mark said, “You seemed to be enjoying it.”

“I absolutely was,” Lane replied, “And I have nothing against those who want to continue down that path. But some part of me wants more. I want to find someone I can be with. I want a family. I always have throughout everything. But now, being with someone long term isn’t possible. Feeding off people only works for so long. Then, no matter the powers, the lust just isn’t there anymore. It only works when we’re both into it, and something about Longing makes me want something different than what I’ve just tasted. Guess that’s in the name.”

“Then something happened,” Mark prompted.

She nodded slowly. Waves of tension flowed off her, mixing with the magic. She was afraid. She looked up at Mark, and for a quick moment, he thought she was trying to charm him. But it was just something in her eyes that struck through his armor and into his chest. It was that very same feeling that made him a Traitor in the first place. She was scared and as far as she knew, he was her best shot.

“What happened the other night, Lane? When I came to your door?”

She sighed slowly. Voice cracking, she began, “It had been a while. I’ve been delaying as long as possible until my body feels like it’s going to combust, trying to feed off customers second hand. But it was finally time. I found someone who was checking me out without the charm. I didn’t use any to get him more into me. I didn’t even use my other power where I can find out what he’s into. I just took him home. I was on top of him, and suddenly the feeling of lust was gone. Just completely pulled out of the room. I looked down and he was tense and grasping at his chest.”

A tear fell down her face, “I jumped off him, trying to help, but he died quickly. I checked his pockets and found out he was taking some heart medication. And an erection pill. Those don’t like to mix well. If I had just used my powers, I could have avoided that. I would have known he was into slower paced sex, if not for anything else but his health. It was my fault he died. I got mad. Destroyed some stuff. Freaked out a lot. Then you knocked.”

“What happened to him?”

“I have a few friends in Longing. This kind of stuff happens a lot to them. They helped get rid of him. Then like always, they invited me to move into their club with them. I’ve been debating it. But then I saw you outside of Louie’s, and nothing seemed too off about you. Not Fiend or Strategy or one of the other more sinister ones. Then I remembered you coming to my door, worried. Definitely a protector. Definitely a Traitor. You’re suppose to save humans from us, right? That’s the rumor.”

“Yeah,” Mark said, “Which leads me to a couple of options here, none of which I think you’ll enjoy. I can either take you in and we put you in a cell. Ritualists will make it so that your powers are ineffective. If this hunger of yours is a power Longing cursed you with to force you to continue down their path, then it will be surprising. I could also kill you, but you’re actively trying to break away, so I won’t bother. I can also just be on call if you need help.”

“Wait, what?” she said, exasperated.

“You tried doing the right thing. Meeting with someone under typical human circumstances. It just backfired. It can and probably has happened to people before. Not a fan of the hiding a dead body part, but I’ve seen worse. So, keep trying what you’re doing. I’ll see if we’ve gotten any progress on severing ties between Patrons and members who are fully in and let you know. But, until then, if you need me I’m right down the hall.”

He jotted her number in his phone, hoping that it would be enough, and sent her a text so she would have his. She thanked him, though her mixed emotions of worry and read gave her away. It wasn’t the answer she was looking for, but it was the answer she was going to have to live with for now. He walked her back to her apartment, then came back to his, sinking into his chair and patting his leg for Guardian to come over.

Scratching behind his dog’s ears, he took a deep sigh, and realized that within a week of coming back to life, he was well in over his head with problems he just couldn’t solve. He debated who he could tell about all of this, finally settling in on Rylie only. But, as the head Ritualist, he would need to talk to Jay about the sever ritual. Hopefully, he would be able to get some good news.

He changed and laid down in his bed before flipping through channels and deciding the quiet was a better choice. He listened for anything suspect, before deciding silence was the better option on that front as well. Guardian curled up next to him as he hoped for a better next day.