"We are here," Cyrus said.

Ari bumped into Auovin's back unaware that he had stopped. His legs throbbed and his eyes were constantly opening and closing. The smell of Auovin caused him to become alert and aware of his surroundings. He was far too slow to react when Auovin's hand came and took his hand in his bringing him close to him.

Yellow eyes peered into his causing him to be filled with the same emotions his touch always brought on. He had been ignoring him for so long and now that he was face-to-face with him, he could not help the feeling of want growing inside of him. It was close to unbearable, how tempting he was.

Auovin only smiled down at him and laced his fingers through his before he kissed it. Ari only looked wide-eyed at him as he continued on to smile at him.

"Stay close to me. Always stay close to me, Little Ari."

Ari looked back to find Freir, but Auovin turned his head back around causing him to swallow. Auovin bent his head down as if to kiss him, but he stopped just breaths away from his lips.

"Oh, what is this?" Auovin teased. "You look as though you want to eat me." He pressed his lips to his cheek and looked at him. "As much as I want to eat you."

Ari pulled away as Auovin laughed and brought him close to him again.

"I am teasing, teasing. Do not be so like that, Ari."

Again his name on his tongue. Ari had to muscle down the urge to press his lips to his once more. Instead, he squeezed his hand and lowered his eyes. He would try to meet Freir's expectations if only a little. He had to. Auovin lifted his head back up as he kissed his chin with all lips and tongue.

"I will come to know you soon. All of you. As you will know me." Auovin stared into his eyes causing Ari's lips to part. They were so pretty along with the rest of his gorgeous face. Why were such thoughts eating away at him like this now? Was it because he had taken his blood? The back of his throat itched and the pressing need to have him. Have him? Ari tugged down on his arm wanting so badly to kiss him but stopped just as he saw Freir and Rein approaching.

Ari looked up and away from Auovin seeing a decrepit looking castle in view. It was the only thing in sight besides the dense forestry and hum of a river nearby. He looked back to Auovin with furrowed brows, but he only answered his confusion with a kiss on his cheek.

"Shall we talk in there?"

"Auovin--"

"I will answer your questions then and only then."

He looked at Freir's and Rein's backs before looking back into his eyes. He felt the presence of demons inside. There was no way in telling how many but by the chills it gave him, they were not Xems or Wyhils. They were blood demons like Cyrus and Auovin.

"Promise me nothing bad will happen to them while we are here."

"Little Ari, I cannot promise you a thing like that."

"Promise me or I will not go in."

"You are quite light. I can easily pick you up," Auovin teased as he trailed a thumb across his cheek. "All right, I will keep them close. Do not ask more from me than that."

Before Ari could say anything, he swallowed down his words at the look Auovin gave him. It made his heart race because it was one he was unfamiliar with and he did not know what it meant. Auovin turned away from him and started off towards the decrepit castle. The crows cawed and took to the sky at his approach.

Ari walked to Freir and he saw Rein distancing himself from him as much as he could allow. He was still angry about what had happened between them. In time, Ari was sure they would come together as one again. It was none of his business to become anymore involved in their personal lives than what he already was.

"Freir."

"This is the lion's den of blood demons," Freir mumbled.

"It will be okay."

"Ari, do you know what you are doing right now?"

"Finding answers."

"Time is not on our side. You know this, so why?"

"We have no option but to now... He will not just let you go."

Freir spat on the ground and glared at the castle before them. "Do not trust a word that he says, Ari."

"I know."

His eyes went over to Rein watching as he turned his head away from Inge. He should help in some way, Ari thought. They were the way they were because of him, after all. Them being so apart like that worried him. They needed togetherness, not separation with him being the wedge in the middle.

"Do not worry about it. He will come back to me," Freir mumbled under his breath.

Inge grabbed his wrist in hand and shook it as he smiled. He said some words to Rein Ari could not hear and in moments Rein followed Inge and the rest inside. Ari looked back at Freir wanting to know what reason Rein would possibly have for doing that, but Freir's face was blank.

"What makes you sure of that?" Ari asked.

"Because he loves me." Though he said that, Ari did not feel any surety in his words. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than anything else and it made his stomach turn. He had to do something.

As they walked in Ari pressed close to Freir as two unfamiliar faces greeted them by the door. He had no time to look around

"Cyrus, you look gorgeous, as always!" a woman said as she came and kissed his cheek. "But you are pale. Had he taken that much from you?"

"I will be fine," Cyrus said matter-of-factly.

"Come, let me kiss your lips."

"I rather not," he said pushing her away with one hand as she tried to come closer.

"Why are you like this to me?" she whined causing Ari's eyebrows to furrow not expecting such a reaction.

The woman was small with long, black blades of hair and golden skin similar to Auovin's but darker.

"Because I do not like you," Cyrus answered. She only smiled and tried again, but he kept her at an arm's length distance. Auovin was right in his words. Cyrus truly did not like anyone, it seemed.

Ari turned his attention to Auovin as he spoke with a man he had never seen. He was tall as the sky it seemed. He had the darkest blue eyes and a build that was unmatched by anyone in this room. If he had thought Cyrus was intimidating, he had been wrong to think in such a way. Ari watched as he took a hand through his hair. He stared at Ari just as he noticed he was looking at him. The man soon turned his head away, disinterested in which he was thankful for.

"And the other two?" Ari heard the man ask Auovin.

"His... friends."

"Auovin--"

"Everything is quite new to him. I must keep some familiarity around him."

"You know the rules."

"Yes, I know the rules because I practically invented them," Auovin snapped.

"I want no quarrel with you."

"Then let him have this."

The man's blue eyes looked back into Ari's.

"You really are willing to risk your neck for him. Fine, let him have his humans." The man pushed a finger to Auovin's chest. "But you will be held accountable for them."

Cyrus turned around and pushed between them just before things could take a turn for the worst.

"Do not touch him," Cyrus warned.

"Stein will be here soon enough. His lovely flower should not be acting this way," the man said amused.

Ari was already regretting his decision to have come by just the way they interacted with one another. He pressed even closer to Freir wishing he had chose differently. He did not belong here. No, he belonged with humans.

"Ari, my arm," Freir hissed. "Squeeze it anymore and it will turn blue."

"I do not want to be here, Freir."

"You are afraid," Freir said close to his ear. "But, as I said before, I will not let a thing happen to you."

"I chose wrong."

"No, Ari, you chose right."

Freir tensed as Inge brought Rein around to him. He gave him a look over, but Rein's eyes would not meet his.

"Look, Egil, you have scared the little thing," Inge said causing Ari's grip to tighten back on to Freir's arm.

"This man likes to test my patience. Sometimes I just want to splatter him against the cold cobblestone."

"And Stein would have you follow him soon after," Cyrus growled.

"Why are humans here in the first place?" the girl asked causing Inge to put his hand up and shake it.

"The little thing of course, Koli."

"As if you never had humans here before," Auovin said.

"For food! Not as playmates or friends or whatever the young blood has in mind," she said.

"Enough, the humans are staying and neither of you will touch them. Inge show them to their rooms. Put them near mine."

"But Auovin--"

"We are only staying for the night. We are rather unwelcomed here and I wish not to overstay our welcome."

Egil sniffed and walked away. The floorboards squeaked under the pressure of many footsteps. The stairs creaked and soon doors slammed shut. Not a sound was heard, only the shaky breathes of both Freir and Rein.

"Well, shall we?" Inge said as he looked from Rein to Freir. Freir took Rein's wrist and followed Inge up the stairs leaving him behind with two very agitated blood demons.

"Auovin--" Cyrus walked closer to him but Auovin put a hand up. "Stein will be here shortly. You need rest and blood. Do not come to my rooms tonight." Cyrus' eyes went from Auovin's to Ari's in a matter of seconds. "You cannot take my blood, but you can take his. You know this, Cyrus."

"Still... I... "

"It will be for a night, pet. No more than that."

"So you will tell him then?"

"I have no choice but to... " Auovin looked away from Cyrus as he walked away and took Ari's hand in his. Ari knew something was amiss.

"Are you afraid? I did not mean to... have you introduced to the likes of them so soon."

"I do not belong here."

"There are good and bad blood demons like there are with humans, Ari."

"I want to leave."

"Because of Egil?"

He wanted to learn so much more about himself and where he had come from, but he did not think it was worth it if they were all like that. There was not a kind one among them. They were all malicious just as Freir had said. He was not like them and he never wanted to become like them. As if noticing the growing panic in his eyes, Auovin kissed his cheek.

"I will not let a thing happen to you, Ari. Never."

Ari stared into his eyes his reasoning seeming to melt away. The single truest reason why he was here was because of him and nothing else as much as he liked to say otherwise. Freir had known it as well as Rein, so had it taken him this long to notice?

"... Freir and Rein... "

"Them too."

"You said you could not promise me this."

Auovin sighed and cupped his cheek. "So I cannot, but I will try, Little Ari." He stared down at him looking as if he wanted to kiss him. Unlike other times, he stepped away from him and took a hand through his hair.

Ari had to put his personal feelings aside in this and get Freir and Rein out of the mess he put them in.

"I am tired... " Ari mumbled.

"Come with me. I will show you to your room."

Ari followed him up the winding staircase looking as if it would fall apart with another step, but it held firm and resolute. He stopped at the fourth flight of stairs and led him down a corridor that was littered with dust and paintings falling off their hinges. After passing four doors, he stopped and opened the fifth one.

Ari looked at Auovin again. The back of his throat was itching and that same feeling from before started to crawl back up to the surface. He tried his best to nestle it down, but it kept clawing its way up. His eyes went from his down to his lips and neck. Auovin only stared back. He licked his lips and started off in another direction causing Ari to take his wrist in his hand. Ari did not know what he was doing. His heart was pounding through his ears and his body would no longer listen to his mind. As soon as Auovin turned back around, Ari was pressed against the wall with hot, soft lips covering his own.