Awake in Terror;Blackbirds Screaming-Kay/Ash

[Adonis Maddock]

“Take Care of Her”

Darren's instructions echoed through his mind the entire way to the condo complex in Ilfacrombe. The man hadn't been very specific about the tast that he was to preform and he certainly hadn't given Adonis any boundaries witch was more than acceptable. He finally felt like Adonis was ready to fly on his own. It had only been a short time but it felt like years. Aligning himself with Darren had been one of his better decisions. Ever since that fateful day in Alzubra his life had been a whirlwind of amazing things. Sure, at the start he had been send on medial tasks, no doubt to affirm his loyalty and to establish who was the boss in his own household. It hadn't ever even been an issue, but he understood the reasons that Darren had for doing it. Darren had pressed a photograph of the girl into Adonis' palm this morning as he was getting out of the shower, sending him out on his way. Apart from those four words, the Dark Lord had retreated into the study once more and not invited Adonis to ask anything else. Meaning that he was going to be allowed to play, it was like his birthday and every holiday all rolled into one. He had hastily dried off and pulled on a plain attire of black t shirt and tight black jeans. He had slipped his feet into a more than broken in pair of black canvas shoes, knotted the laces and apparated straight to Ilfacrombe all the while pulling a pair of black driving gloves over his hands. He had been meeting with the damned writer for weeks and weeks now, always in a guise one way or another. Of course, he was fairly certain that the oaf thought that people were just coming out of the woodwork’s to give him tip after tip. Sadly for the egotistical man, that just simply wasn't the case. Whether he knew it or not, he was working for Darren now and there was nothing he could do about it. He had been exploiting the man, waiting until he was hot on Kaydence's trail and finally it had paid off. He had informed Adonis that she was going to be returning home one last time. He had his window. He had apparated to the deserted waterfront. It was forty below outside, who would have been at the beach in this kind of weather? Nobody but him. He hadn't worn a coat because he didn't want to chance leaving it behind or getting the extra fibers onto it. He didn't much mind if the Ministry knew exactly who it was that was carving up Darren's sister, in fact it might just clear her name because obviously her family wanted nothing to do with the whore but Darren would want discretion.

His dark mark stood out against his skin, and all he held was a wand in his left hand. He made his way quickly up the cobbled stairway and up to the entrance of her building. On a day like this, most people would be at home and asleep. At the very least cuddled up in front of a fire with their loved ones. Singing about chestnuts or some other silliness like pumpkin juice and gorging themselves obese. He had wasted no time, it wasn't like he was on a time line, but he knew where she was going to be, and didn't see the point in taking the time to evolve a formal plan of attack. She wasn't worth it, and he was always a curse first, ask questions later kind of man. “Avada Kedavra” He whispered softly upon entering the building, the fast get of green light his the door man before he ever had a chance to react. Adonis grabbed home of the man's arm on the way into the building. For a small man, he was deceptively strong. He could hear the shoulder of the man that he was pulling pop out of place with a sickening crunch, if he hadn't already been dead that would have hurt him quiet a lot. Adonis didn't even blink. His gloved hand pulled the body through the revolving doors and into the foyer, and he muttered the same killing curse once more the the man standing behind the desk in the lobby. He crumpled where he fell. Personally, Adonis wasn't much of a fan of using magic to murder, he preferred doing so with his bare hands but since his hands were neither bare at this instance, nor did he have the time to waste on doing them him way, he dumped the bodies behind the desk and left them there, kicking them into the spot where feet would go under the desk. It would be a while before anybody noticed them missing, since they seemed to be the only staff on hand, there also wouldn't be anybody to answer distress calls within the building, or come to the aid or activate the charms to keep the residents safe. Glancing at the register on the counter of the desk he scanned the papers for her apartment, he should have double checked the number before he left, but he had been too excited about getting out and taking care of business. Running his index finger along the page until he found 'Morgan' he smiled to himself, and started to hum as he made his way to the lifts.

It took all of three seconds for the doors to open, and a lady with a tiny dog under her arm to get off. She was a portly woman, looking just like she had stepped out of a cartoon somewhere. The kind of woman that looked far too much like her own dog in everything but size. He nodded at her, tipping an invisible hat and bowing deeply as she exited, looking flustered. His show distracted her enough that she didn't even think twice to look at the desk or notice that there wasn't anybody to open the door for her and her dog. No doubt she was turned around looking at his backside as he entered the elevator. Whenever he turned around to press the button to take him to the right floor, he saluted her with one finger, she would remember him, that was for sure whenever the Ministry would come about to question the building later on. But she would have nothing but positive things to say about him, she would just assume he was seeing somebody in the building. She had been so distracted by his show that she also didn't notice the highly prominent, and vibrant black mark on his forearm. No, she wouldn't be the one to condemn him. The lift opened again on Kaydence's floor and he strolled out. The hallway was quiet for the most part, but as he passed the doors on either side he could hear things. One had a dog crying, no doubt for more food and another was singing loudly, and poorly to muggle Christmas tunes, another was shouting at his television set about Quidditch scores and other various little sounds. He stopped for a good long while in front of her door. He listened, but there was nothing coming from inside. Judging by how thin the doors appeared to be, he might as well take precautions but it was obvious she wasn't home. “Muffliato” the charm hit the door and spread out along the walls of her condo before he allowed himself entry, taking care to close the door behind him. It was obvious that nobody had been here in awhile, it just smelled wrong. No lingering odors from foods that had been cooked, no smell of water or steam from showering and the dust was starting to settle on the surfaces around the place.

He pulled his black leather gloves from his hands and placed them on the table next to his wand. He didn't know how long he was going to have until she got home, and he needed to gather his tools. He could always use his wand but that lacked the personal touch. This was his chance to really make his mark in Darren's mind, this was his chance to preform, to make art. That was exactly how he saw it, art. Only instead of coals and paints, he used blood. It was quiet here, she obviously lived alone. Walking over to the glass panel doors that lead to her balcony, he extracted his cigarette papers from his pocket, and tucked a pinch of his french tobacco into the paper to go about lighting himself a cigarette. He placed his wand on the table next to the perfectly clean couch. His imagination started to spark. He needed to pace himself. Bringing the almost completed cigarette to his lips he licked the edge lengthwise and finished rolling it into a tube, igniting the tip with a silent word. Inhaling deeply he relished in the flavor of the tobacco, the hard part was over. He had gotten into the building, that was all that he needed. Now, he just had to wait for her to come back home. He wandered out onto her balcony, she did have a wonderful view. But then again, knowing what family she came from he should have known that she wasn't going to settle for anything less than the very best. He should be able to see her arriving home from here, provided she did walk home. He didn't know what she was out doing, and was very lucky indeed that she wasn't home whenever he had gotten here. Then he would have had to improvise, and while fun, it wasn't exactly his first choice of action. He preferred to be prepared, have the element of surprise and then he would be in control from the very first moment she laid eyes on him. A smile came across his features just thinking about it. He could feel the goosebumps come across his skin. The anticipation was starting to get to him, he hoped that she was going to come home soon. Deciding to keep himself busy he moved to her kitchen to start gathering his materials, then he would move to her bathroom and closets. People always tended to keep their most dangerous things in such easy to reach places. Cleaning agents like bleach were kept under the sink or where ever laundry was done, given that she most likely didn't have a washer here then it was under the sink. All the chemicals would be there.

Entering the kitchen was like going on a field day. Beaming he moved to the counter. How considerate of her, having a knife block right here on the counter for his use. His fingers twirled over handles of all of the various knives. They were polished, no doubt that they were going to be impeccably sharpened. Pulling the cleaver out of the block he flicked his thumb along the edge, glad whenever a layer of skin was shaved from his thumb, he was almost saddened that it didn't draw blood with the first swipe. Then again, it shouldn't have mattered because he would just have to use pressure, which was fine by him. The more she screamed, the better today was going to be. It was like being given a billion galleons and a free trip to Disney world for a normal person. He placed the cleaver against his body, picked out the carving knife, the sharpening rod as well as a couple of other things. He looked around the kitchen for a little while longer until he had all of the things that he wanted and brought them into the living room. He hadn't quiet made up his mind yet as to whether he wanted to do this in the living room, bedroom or on the balcony so that people would watch. Then again, not many people had the same interests as he did.

It took a little while, but after some careful preparation he was ready. He decided on the bedroom, there was more space there. He would have used the living room, but then he would have been forced to rearrange the furniture, in her room he could just stick the bed up against the wall, and have all of that floorspace to ruin. Plus it was a place more personal to her, and intimate room where she was likely to be more upset. He had moved everything to her bedroom, on her small nightstand was an assortment of knives, and a couple of belts from her closet. He had concocted a modest potion from the spices that he had found in her kitchen, the kind that was designed to keep her awake and keep her from healing. Something to do with white blood cells. He really didn’t understand it all that much he had learned it a few years back on the black market. It was a wonderful little potion, and so easy to make. He had brought one of her dining room chairs into her room, and had it waiting for her. He figured, once she entered the house, he would attack and fasten her to the chair so that she couldn't move. He didn't want to use magic to do the real damage to her flesh, but he would use it to help aid him In the little things like binding her, and keeping her awake, uncomfortable. His options were so vast with magic, he liked to get back to basics. He had moved his wand into the bedroom and put his black gloves back onto his hands. She was taller than him but he felt confidant that he was broader and stronger, plus he would have the element of surprise. He moved to the main living room, making sure that apart from the things that he had taken, everything else was in place just as It had been before he had gotten here. Moving to the entryway he hid between the entryway and the hallway that lead to her bedroom, hidden from main view. He would just have to wait now. Once she walked inside, she would get into the living room, no doubt put down her purse or stop to kick her shoes off...and then he would move.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Today was the last day of this life. Today was the last day Kaydence Morgan would ever be in Austria, the place she was born. In all honesty, it was bittersweet. Sweet in the sense that she would never again bump into people from her past or worry about her brother tracking her every move. Sweet in the sense that she would be free to live with Luka in a new country with no worries of being discovered or having their lives in danger. With the sweet though, came the bitter parts. She would be leaving everyone and everything she knew behind. Her rekindled friendships would once again have their flames put out. Her beautiful condo would be abandoned, left for some unworthy occupant who didn’t give a shit about their processor. Starting over again in all would be bittersweet. Kaydence would have to adapt to a new identity, realize her restrictions and learn to deal with them. She knew it would be hard in the beginning, but it would have to be done. She needed out. Before coming back to Austria, things had been crazy, but nowhere near the level they had been since she returned. Everything she did turned out differently then she hoped. Every person she met entwined themselves in such a way that their feelings were starting to become regarded to, which she absolutely could not let happen. She didn’t need anyone in her life since they would all be targets to Darren once he found out about them. Kaydence’s head was a mess and she needed the time and space to get it back to the stability that had left long ago.

Kaydence had jeopardized things from the beginning. She waited too long to get a hold of the man who was able to give her a new alias with papers to confirm it. Then, while she waited, she stayed at her condominium. Her departures from her home were few and quick, but they were still risky. Then came the day when Ashton had come for her. After a struggle, she had allowed him to take her to the Ministry for questioning about her brother. Once that was over, she had been handcuffed and whisked away to Azkaban for the weekend. After that whole thing, she had no choice but to contact Cammie, her only real girl friend in the country and the only friend she had gotten hurt at Gringotts. Fortunately, Cammie’s heart was bigger than her hatred and graciously allowed her to stay at her home under the pretenses of keeping quiet about the location. Kaydence had no problem with the request since she really didn’t want anyone keeping tabs on her anyway. She wanted seclusion and her friend’s quaint little apartment provided just that. Her time with Cammie had been some of the happiest since coming back to Austria earlier this past Summer. She felt at ease with her friend and often felt like they were teenagers again, giggling at stupid stories and cooing over their dogs. It was the most relaxed she had been in a long time, but even she knew it wouldn’t last. She couldn’t expect to lodge with Cammie forever, nor continue to put her friend in jeopardy on a daily basis. She had done that once. She couldn’t bear to think of something happening to the quiet blonde because of her friendship with Kaydence again.

Things weren’t always peaceful at her temporary abode. Weekly, Kaydence would receive posts from Ashton. Their relationship had been patched up to an extent after Spookfest but she couldn’t see him. He was more at risk than anyone else. Not just because of his attachment to her, but because he was a Ministry official that she knew Darren was keeping track of. Although he had been the one to get her and bring her to the Ministry, as well as invade every aspect of her privacy, he didn’t deserve that burden. No one did. Her brother was ruthless. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, no matter how many people got in his way. He was crazy. Ashton already got enough craziness dealing with her, but having two Morgan’s on his back? She didn’t think he was stupid enough for that. With the new information he had on her though, it didn’t stop him from writing to her. And it didn’t stop Kaydence from replying. She didn’t know what she was doing, but it was hard for her to completely remove Ashton from her life especially since he had been the one to free her from Azkaban. Perhaps it had been the revelation at Spookfest. When Warren had called him out and announced that she was the girl he spoke often about, she had been shocked. He seemed incapable of doing such a thing. But he was. His body language confirmed it without him having to say anything. It was then that she saw him a new light. The old feelings she had for him had been resurrected but to an extent. She could not, and would not, allow herself to get close to him as she once had before. It was for his safety. He needed to understand that.

There wasn’t any better way to instill such messages other than leaving. Kaydence had been contacted by the man again just the other day. He was willing to give her one more chance. Everything had been set up and only required her appearance to take the papers and apparate to her new home with Luka. She would have one opportunity to return back to her condo, grab the things she felt she needed to keep and meet with him once everything was in order. They weren’t hard instructions to follow. However, she told him time was necessary for her to think about things. It had been a moment of weakness and false optimism. Her mind played awful tricks on her, telling her that things would be fine if she stayed. No one knew where she was, Ashton would still be in the picture and she could live in secrecy. Kaydence was tired of living in secrecy though. It was unfair to her and unfair to Luka. She wanted the freedom to step out and do what she pleased without worrying if someone was watching her. She wanted her own job and make her own money. She especially wanted a little place to permanently call her own. She didn’t think it was much to ask for. She wouldn’t be interfering in anyone’s life ever again. The final thought was what pushed her to respond to the man with a simple yes. He allowed her a day to get her affairs in place before going back to the condo to grab her things. Kaydence could not fail this time. If she did, the man would have no choice but to burn the papers and find another client more apt to starting over then she was. She couldn’t let that happen.

It had turned out to be easier than she thought. The only person she really said goodbye to was Cammie. Her friend understood her need to start over. There was nothing left for her here anymore. Tears had been shed, hugs had been given, but in the end, both girls knew it was the right step. For fear of her owl being tracked, Kaydence said nothing to Ashton or Maverick. Ashton was used to her silence just as much as Maverick was used to her running away without a word. She hoped she would become a distant memory to them as time went on. They deserved better things and women in their life. They deserved to be loved and adored without any sort of baggage. She had been tempted late last night to write them, even going as far as to sit at Cammie’s desk in the one-lamp lit living room with a quill in her hand, but she just couldn’t do it. Old habits died hard. Instead, she dropped the quill, pushed herself from the desk and made her way to her bedroom for one final sleep in Cammie’s apartment. The only things Kaydence had at her friend’s apartment were a few clothes and things for Luka. She left the clothes for Cammie as a gift. Fortunately, they were the same size and would fit without any problem. The stuff for Luka was placed in her magically-induced endless purse that would also shelter the items from home she would be bringing along with her. As soon as things were finished, she gave Cammie one last hug and left the apartment for the last time ever. There was only one more stop before meeting the man in some pub in a muggle neighborhood of nearby Klosterneuberg. With her eyes closed and hand firmly around Luka’s collar, Kaydence pictured the boardwalk at the Waterfront and felt her body being lifted into nothingness.

A cold salty breeze forced her eyes open. The sky had been grey at Cammie’s but here there no signs of sky due to the thick grey clouds that covered it. The temperature was horribly cold here, forcing Kaydence to pull her peacoat closer to her body. She would need to get inside as soon as possible, not only for her own warmth but for Luka’s who only had fur protecting his skin. Letting go of his collar, she rubbed affectionately at the top of his head. “Just in an out,” she told him. Luka whined in response. She wasn’t sure if it was the weather or the emptiness of the boardwalk, but there was a looming feeling of doom surrounding the isle. She wanted to get finished as soon as possible. Anytime she felt this way usually had a reason behind it. She was sure it just had to be the uncertainty of the day, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Whistling down to her dog, the two began walking towards the towering condominiums. It was strange that not a single person passed by them as they walked but not too surprising. Given the temperature, one would be a fool to willingly be out and about without a second thought. If Kaydence had the chance, she’d be snuggled up by a fireplace with a blanket and Luka for extra warmth. Soon. Soon she would be. The thought drove her to quicken her steps and close the distance between herself and Luka. The stairs leading up to the building were quickly in front of her and the pair took them two at a time. They advanced towards the path leading to the front doors. Normally, the cheery doorman would be waiting to open the doors for her. Today, there was no door man. For as long as she had lived at the condo, there had always been a man or two down here. She wasn’t sure if the weather changed their schedules but it was only mid afternoon. There should have been someone.

Kaydence didn’t think anything of it. It wouldn’t kill her to open the door for herself. Placing her hand on the handle, she pulled it open and allowed Luka to enter before doing the same herself. Like the outside, it was eerily quiet in the lobby. She stopped once noticing that there also wasn’t a desk attendant as there usually was. Like a hotel, the attendant was there twenty four seven except on holidays. They dispatched maintenance and cleaning services when necessary as well as provided information on island attractions to those looking for something to do. The feeling of uneasiness got worse at the sight of the empty desk. Luka whined again, uncommon behavior for the normally quiet dog. She frowned at him, rubbing his head as she had done earlier. “What’s wrong boy?” He knew something was up. Kaydence wished she could read into his mind. She didn’t like being down here. Whistling to Luka once more, she hastily made her way to the elevators and pushed the up button. It took a few seconds for the dog to abide, but he slowly made his way over to her before the doors open. When the elevator reached the floor and sounded its arrival with a ding, she was greeted with another sight of emptiness. Not uncommon, but it was rare she was able to get an elevator all to herself. Stepping in, she smacked her thigh to motion for Luka to come in. He whined yet again in response before joining her. What was wrong with him? He had never acted like this before. Kaydence wasted no more time in pressing the seventh floor button and then the button to close the doors. As the elevator began to lift, her hands went to the sides of her arms, hugging at them. There was no explanation for the action but it was like she needed a sense of security.

The elevator dinged as the doors began to open to her floor. Stepping out, Kaydence peered to both side of the hallway. Like the outside and downstairs of the building, nobody. However, this time she could hear signs of life behind the closed doors of the residence. A sense of relief washed over her as she sighed. If she hadn’t heard anything, she probably would have turned her ass around and left the building as soon as she had arrived. She wouldn’t need any more signs telling her she had to be there. Turning to the right, she began to descent towards her door. Luka continued whining. “What is wrong with you?” she asked, knowing that no response would come. Something was still worrying him. Dogs didn’t act this way unless there was danger, but there was no foreseeable danger. The Ministry had given back her key but had warned her impromptu visits may take place. If anyone was here, it would be one of them. A scowl formed on her face as she neared her door. Merlin forbid if one of them was in there now waiting for her. She could imagine them asking questions as to her whereabouts. Kaydence had remained in Austria, as they had asked, just not at the condo. Knowing her luck, they’d want to bring her in for not following guidelines they hadn’t even really established. Clicking her tongue in disgust, she stopped when she was in front of her door. Placing her ear on the door she listened for any movement in her home. Nothing but silence. She searched around for her key and pulled it out once she had found it. A bark came from Luka as she moved it towards the lock. Looking to him, she shook her head. “Stop that.” The dog began to growl as the key went into the compartment. Twisting it to the side, the sound of lock clicking open came to her ears and she twisted it towards the right to release the key.

Placing the key in the pocket of her coat Kaydence grabbed the handle and moved it towards the right. The door opened slowly. Luka barked again. His behavior was making her more than a little nervous now. Furrowing her brow, she bit down on her lip and looked inside. The hallway looked the same. There were no dark and menacing shadows in the middle of it. It looked like it had been left, including the pieces of the broken vase Ashton’s body had shattered when she had hit him at one point. Still, her hand rested on the knob, unsure of what to do. Maybe she should come back with someone else. Maybe she could send a post to Maverick asking him to help her move some things. Then, when they were outside, she could apparate her things and Luka when his back was turned. But she couldn’t. Not only was Kaydence already here but Maverick would be the last face she ever saw. She couldn’t look him in the face after knowing what she was about to do. It wouldn’t be fair. Taking another deep breath, she pushed the door completely open. As she did so, Luka bounded out in front of her barking. Rolling her eyes, she called out to him. “Luka!”

[Adonis Maddock]

Adonis was a very patient man, it was one of his very best qualities. He could stand perfectly still, and luckily for him, with the central air in her apartment it was a good temperature to keep him comfortable. His chest rose and fell at a steady pace, and the only movement that he needed was to readjust his grip on his wand every now and then. He could hear the outside world, and got a small thrill over the fact that they couldn't hear him on the inside. He would imagine it was the same sort of thrill that peeping toms got, if he was the kind of man to stoop down that low. They were just shuffling around their lives, a man in his walker going back to his apartment with his walker, but not before using that walker to bang on the wall of the younger couple next door and shouting a few obscenities at them. There were banging pots coming from the next condo over, it was easy to hear into other people's lives if one just sat and listened. That, and with the fact that Kaydence's apartment was silenced, it was like everything else was intensified. After what must have been at least an hour, a woman got off of the lift with her dog, he wouldn't have thought anything of it if it weren't for the fact that she stopped at the door he was also standing so close to. Nobody had said anything about a dog. This changed things, he didn't like having to improvise but he was willing to do it if forced. He couldn't exactly turn around and leave. This was his once chance, and he wasn't about to miss it by getting spooked by something so pathetic as a dog. His grip tightened on his wand, the little rat was barking. If she was smart, he would know that something was up. With every bark, his grin grew wider and wider. He could feel it growing in the pit of his stomach, his excitement. He felt like a child in a gift shop with no budget. He had been given abundant amounts of gifts in his youth but not a single memory of any one of them could compare to the joy he derived from this moment of anticipation before he pounced on his victim.

The key was turning, he could hear the subtle clicks that were almost masked by the wind whipping in from all of the still open windows and bay doors. He lifted his body up onto his toes and back down to his feet. He wiggled his arms and make sure that his neck was limber by rolling it back and forth. Showtime. The door was opening slowly, he could almost see the look on her face, the apprehension that she would have on her face as she slowly inched the door open. Her hesitance as she took her first step into the floor. If only he had creaky floorboards, then this would be something straight out of his dreams. “Luka!” The dog took off, his momentum making indents into the carpet as they moved. He came around the corner, teeth bared and a low rumble coming from the pits of the beast's belly. He felt himself smile, glad that she dog didn't instantly attack. He would have been able to handle it just fine, but it would be an inconvenience and she might get a single shot in. A single shot was all that she would be able to get. Adonis didn't say a single word, just the one resounding in his head, Crucio and the jet shot out of his wand and hit the small dog directly in the chest. His cries were horrible, if that didn't instill fear into her heart he wasn't sure what would. Sure, the dog out be fine for now, but if she got lippy later or just generally annoying then he would be able to use the beast as a bargaining chip. He didn't give a damn about the thing, it was trivial to him after all. She rounded the corner, of course her eyes would go straight to the dog, still yelping and writhing on the floor. He had never heard of anybody implementing a curse like this on an animal, but it was proving to be fairly effective. Her voice seemed frantic, but not nearly frantic enough, he didn't move. She would turn around to look at him in time, and his wand was already at the ready. ,

Whenever he did, all he did was smile, they seemed to be about the same size. She had a few inches on him in height but he felt that he had more muscle on his bones, just packed on in a smaller space. He allowed his knees to bend, lowering him into a stance that he had seen Rugby players take numerous times, he found it was most effective for charging. With the same smile plastered on his face he bowed his shoulders and knelt forward slightly, before launching toward her. His body impacted with her torso, and she might have had a better shot at countering if it wasn't for her concern for that stupid dog. The two of them went barreling into the ground, the impact really would have hurt his knees if they hadn't of landed on various parts of her. Pointing his wand at the spot between her clavicles he grinned deviously. His heart wouldn't stop pounding, he had adrenaline coursing through every square inch of his body with a devilish delight. “ 'ello Birdie” was the last words that he had spoken, before allowing the golden, enchanted binds flow out from his wand and course all over her limbs. He crawled off of her slowly, whenever he was sure that she was confined. Breaking the curse on the mutt, he allowed the thing to slip off into blackness. Standing over Kaydence's body he inhaled the wonderful salty sea air and allowed his hands to rest on his hips. “ 'tis goin' to be a wonderful day, idn't it?” Adonis turned back just in time to see her eyes flutter shut. It must have been the lack of air, and hoped very much that her almost flawless skin would now be marred with delectable purple and blue lines.

He had plans, he had so many ideas the problem that he was having was where to start. Leaving the dog where he lay Adonis brushed off his hands and then slowly slid his gloves off one finger at a time. Bending over, his hands rested on his knees while he looked at her. She certainly was a pretty thing. Her skin was perfect, her figure was exquisite. Had this been another circumstance, he might have taken the time to have himself a little fun before moving on. Had this been anybody other than the sister of his Lord of course. He was a man of standards, however warped they might be. He allowed the back of his hand to run down her cheek, her head rocking from the motion. “Right shame you've got to go” he didn't make the call on who stays or who goes, but he did know that a body such as that shouldn't be wasted. Shrugging once he grasped her firmly by the mass of hair on her head and started to pull. Her body followed after and soon with a bit of effort, she was now residing in the chamber he set up for them. The dog was going to be trapped outside, as the door was now shut. He had filled the bathtub in her restroom with cold water just in case she try to cut the party short on him. He had changed her (with magic for a touch of modesty) into one of the little tops in her closet that had no sleeves and was easily rolled up to expose her stomach and the first pair of shorts that he could find. He needed more skin exposed, it just gave him more options. He had taken one of her dining chairs from the other room, and she was now fastened to it in the middle of her room. Just the right position to get the maximum amount of blood on the carpet. Now, he really just needed to wait. He could sharpen the knives...or he could wake her up early but didn't really see the point.

“Mornin” he stated boldly whenever she began to stir. He was crouched a few feet ahead of her, knowing full well that there really wasn't much that she was going to be able to do except for let her head roll around. However, he was going to find it very amusing that she was bound to struggle, that she was going to test her bonds to see if there was any give, and the enchanted ropes would only tighten as a result. He twirled the cleaver around in his hands by the handle, the blade pressing up against the index finger of his opposite hand, leaving pressure marks. Upon meeting her eyes with a smile he snapped his fingers and hopped to his feet. “Right then” Moving toward her, his dark mark standing out against his skin, driving him, motivating him. He placed either hand on the sides of the chair next to her narrow shoulders. The knife was pressed between his palm and the bare skin of her shoulders. Moving to look down at her, feeling his own breath hitting her skin and radiating back to his own he could hardly contain himself any longer. “Anythin' te say befor' we get started love?”

[Kaydence Morgan]

Contrary to the events that had happened in Kaydence’s life, she was not a stupid person. She had the tendency to make stupid decisions, sure, but she was actually very smart. She had always had high marks through her years at Galaxia and had managed to be in the top five of her graduating class. She had a natural ability to retain information well which helped her greatly with her education and her DeathEater training. Her mind was very sharp. It was a little known fact, but when presented with a puzzle, whether of the word or visual kind, she could solve it very quickly. The ones that took time were eventually figured out to the best of her ability and often resulted from her constant, and sometimes excessive, scrutinizing. She was the type of person who wasn’t happy with something until it was fully analyzed and some sense could be made out of whatever it was that was troubling her. Kaydence’s big problem was that she was stubborn and easily distracted. Like now. Her mind was completely elsewhere. Not any of the four signs that had forced themselves right in front of her could make her stop for just a minute or two to think about why things weren’t they way they normally were at the condominium and why her dog was acting so peculiar. She was too blinded by leaving Austria that her mind was incapable of forcing her body to stop. Though it was safe to say that if she came out of this ordeal, whatever it was that was about to happen, it would be something that would make Kaydence change the way she allowed herself to be so damn oblivious.

“Luka!”

Kaydence made no movement after she had yelled at the dog. It would be best to just let him get whatever was going on with him out of his system so she could pack her things quickly and without interruption. Sighing, she brought her hand to her head and closed her eyes. This wasn’t supposed to be a difficult trip. Luka was usually so calm and patient that he would have just lain in the middle of her room while she wandered around grabbing what she knew she would need. Was this his way of telling her that he didn’t want to leave behind the home she had made for him? Or perhaps an animal or something of the sort had gotten in to her home. She hadn’t been there since Ashton had come to pick her up so there was no telling what the Ministry had done in its presumable raid. Kaydence wouldn’t have been surprised at all if her patio door had been left open as a lasting ‘screw you’ from Ashton. She groaned at the thought. Things had moreorless stabilized to an extent in the world of her and Ashton but she knew all too well how his attitude could change with as little as a look he took the wrong way. She needed to prepare herself for the worst. Little did she know, the worst was something she couldn’t even begin to dream of.

When Luka had pranced off into the condo, Kaydence could still hear the strange growling coming from him. Even with her eyes closed, she knew that he was close by. However, the sudden terrifying howls coming from her beloved pet fully made her aware of his close proximity. Her eyes opened instantly, a look of pure horror on her face. She had never heard Luka make those noises before. Hell, she had never heard any creature make those noises before. Not even the stupid house-elves they had practiced on in training had sounded like they were in unbearable pain. There wasn’t even a word that could describe the excruciating sound of her dog’s cries. What had happened to him? The terror that filled Kaydence was overwhelming. Something was in her condominium and had attacked Luka. She had led him straight into its trap. The constant cries were beginning to make her eyes water up. This was no time for wondering what was torturing her dog. No time for cursing herself for getting the poor thing killed. Her maternal instincts were quickly pushing their way to the surface and demanding her to go in after him and save him from whatever it was hurting him. Her hand was shaking so bad that it took a few extra seconds to get to her wand but at last she did. Without wasting another second, she pushed open the rest of her front door and stormed into the darkness after Luka. It didn’t take more than her rounding the corner of her dimly lit hallway to find him withering on the ground with the howls still coming from his mouth, forever etching themselves into her brain.

“Luka!”

Her voice was full of anxiety, confusion and fright. Nothing about her sudden presence had changed what was happening to her poor dog. Being unable to identify what was wrong with him caused Kaydence’s panic to heighten. “Luka!” She continued to quickly walk to him. The closer she got, the more she felt like the two of them weren’t alone. It was obvious given the way her pet was acting, but even more as the distance was closed between them. They were being watched. And whatever it was that was watching them was surely the one causing damage to Luka. Tightening her grip on her wand as best as she could, she began looking around the room which was made difficult by the darkness. She could make out the various edges of the items that she had arranged around the living room. Her couch, the one stand with the expensive lamp that rested atop of it next to the furniture piece and the decorative table underneath the mirror she had hung up just before being whisked away to Azkaban. Kaydence knew exactly where she was, but couldn’t identify the intruders location. It was when she turned her head for the final time towards the right that she saw them. The whites of the pairs of eyes that had been staring at her since she had entered her condominium. Her own eyes widened after realizing she had been hit full-force by what was going on. Someone had entered her home. They were waiting for her. They attacked Luka to draw her in and she had taken the bait. There was nothing she could do besides take the hit the intruder had just given her.

Kaydence’s back fell to the floor with a sickening thud. A moan of pain left her mouth as her body made impact with the floor. The stranger had thrown himself on top of her and although he wasn’t heavy, she was unable to push him off of her. She could see him now. Even in the dark she could tell that his skin was pale. His eyes were dark enough to reflect his surroundings, making him look undeniably creepy, like some sort of monster that dwelled in a cave waiting for oblivious explorers. A frightening smile was plastered on his face. He had plans for her. “'ello Birdie.” His voice was accented though she couldn’t tell where he was from. Her brain was having problems taking in the swarm of events that had comprised the past several minutes. Without warning, she suddenly felt binds appear from nowhere and begin to wrap themselves around her body. Panicking even more, Kaydence began to struggle, the sounds from her mouth growing more and more scared with each passing second. The ropes kept squeezing tighter and tighter she moved. She wanted to stop. She knew to stop, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins wouldn’t allow it. One section of the ropes began to push enough into her side that she could feel the patch of fabric it was connecting with rub into her skin. She could feel the skin burning as it grinded against her shirt. She gasped. The pain was becoming too much to take and her eyes began to flutter. Consciousness was being taken from her. It was impossible to tell whether it was due to the pain or the lack of oxygen the tightening ropes were draining from her. Either way, Kaydence was hastily becoming more vulnerable then she already was. “ 'tis goin' to be a wonderful day, idn't it?” Before she knew it, the white ceiling of her condo began to fade into darkness.

---

She was engulfed in silence as she slowly began to come around. Groaning, Kaydence’s body was still constrained except this time she was sitting. The back of her head was pounding, targeting around the base where strands of hair felt disturbed. The room felt much cooler than before. Every hair on her body felt as if it were standing. Goosebumps ran the entire lengths of her arms and legs. As her eyes gently began to open, she could see why. Her clothing was not what she had arrived in. She was now wearing a green top she had purchased from the Boardwalk during the summer and it had been rolled up right underneath her bottom of her bra. Her pants had been replaced with shorts that left little to the imagination. She was confused. Raising her head up more, she saw that she was in her bedroom although it didn’t feel like her bedroom anymore. Her bed was untouched, left made exactly as it had been before she had jumped in the shower a few months ago. Nothing had been disturbed but Kaydence knew that it didn’t matter. Her room had been violated. Violated. The word sent a wave of emotions rushing through her body and without realizing it, she began to once again struggle against her binds. The change of clothes, the binding, her room. It wasn’t at all how it had happened last time but she had seen enough movies and read enough stories in the paper to realize that it may very well be happening to her again. The one thing she had vowed to never let happen for the rest of her life. Tears filled her eyes as she pushed more, only to have the ropes pull themselves around her like they had before. It had been a long time since she had been this scared. She was petrified. She couldn’t bear to think of being plagued with yet another horrifying memory of being taken advantage of.

“Mornin.” Kaydence ignored him, instead choosing to continue trying to break free of the ropes that had now bruised various parts of her skin. The struggling was only making the pain and bruises worse but she couldn’t stop. She could hear his footsteps approaching and she did her best to turn her attention back to the floor. As he got closer, something dark that stood out along his white skin forced her to look at it. When she did, her mouth dropped open and her body stopped moving. A dark mark. The exact same tattoo that was concealed on her own right forearm. Darren’s mark. The warning that her brother had last given her, and that often replayed itself over and over in her head, came to the forefront of her mind. She hadn’t listened and he had known. This was what he had meant. Though she shouldn’t have been surprised, the reality of the situation hit Kaydence hard. She never thought Darren would lower himself to killing her. But he had. He had sent a hit man, one of his very own followers, to come and take care of her. So much was going through her head that catching sight of the cleaver in his hand caused a gasp to leave her mouth. What was he going to do to her? What had Darren instructed him to do? She took a sharp intake of breath as the cold metal of the cleaver touched her skin. He didn’t cut her but merely placed it on her shoulder as a method of intimidation. And it was working.

“Anythin' te say befor' we get started love?” There was so much. Kaydence’s chest moved up and down at an abnormal pace as she stared at the sharp metal resting on her shoulder. This was where she needed to beg and plead. Apologize for anything and everything she had ever done to make Darren hate her so much. But she couldn’t. She knew there was no point. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen. In the world of the Dark Lord, pleading was worthless. If Darren Morgan wanted you dead, you were dead. It was as simple as that. The message had been engraved into the brains of all of his followers. Her breathing was still heavy as she looked into the sadistic eyes of the lanky man before her, saying nothing. She should just stay quiet. Accept her death and hope that it would end soon. Kaydence Morgan didn’t accept death though and if she was about to go, she’d go out the way she was brought in. “I’m not surprised,” she started, her voice strained from the breathing, “my brother never had the balls to do something himself. Always had to go and get people to do his dirty work for him. I’ve always known he would be too much of a coward to kill me himself.”

[Adonis Maddock]

Perhaps it was wrong of him, certainly any sane person would come to that conclusion. He couldn't help that he loved what he did. He felt that this here, with her was more intimate than any sexual act he had been a part of. All of his murders were. He had lost count how many, he kept a running tally in a book hidden deep within his library at home. Only, he didn't list names, only dates and a number of hours. The date it happened, and the time that it took for them to die. It was all that he needed to be able to fully reenact the entire night in all of it's splendor within his memory. Adonis was gifted that way, he had a near photographic memory. She was only starting to come around, and he could feel himself taking mental snapshots of the entire thing. He wasn't going to want to forget any of this. He was already fueled by nothing more than the look of pure terror that had been in her eyes whenever she had first seen him. Their first fateful meeting. There was something about women, perhaps it was because they seemed to just feel more than men did. In his experience, whenever faced with death, men would either face and accept it, or beg. Personally, Adonis preferred the beggars for nothing other than the fact that he liked to be in control. If they accepted their death, it just wasn't as much in the way of entertainment. Women however, had just an array of different reactions. Their looks of horror, the way they writhed in pain, was palpable. The way Kaydence had rushed in for her dog without thinking once for the cause of it, clued Adonis in on the fact that she was intuitive, and impulsive. That would work in his favor. No reason that she shouldn't be able to get something out of this as well.

In the time that she had been asleep, he had been able to push past the excitement, if only a little. Too much and he was going to make a mistake, he knew he could have his fun but mistakes were unacceptable. Even more so considering that this was his first real chance to prove his real skills to Darren. The same skills that had helped him build the foundation of his reputation within the underground world. The ones that had made him his own vast, and personal fortune. Yet this one job that he was going to do for free, was worth more to him than all of the many coins in his bank vault. As she started to come round, he wanted to slip into her mind. If he didn't have every confidence that all the Morgan family members were skilled in the art of Occlumency, he might have done just that. His eyes strained in attempt to get to know her, and her facial clues in a very short time. He shouldn't be rushing. He knew that very soon, he was going to know her better than any other person in her entire family. In her entire life. His anticipation had paid off the moment that she started crying. She was going to be a screamer, she might not beg for her life with her words, but her eyes would do enough. She was going to look like she hated him, she was going to reminisce and think about her life, and wish that she was anywhere other than where she was. He just hoped that she didn't attempt to escape by hiding within the darker parts of her mind. He couldn't have that, she was going to be a tough one to break. But with Merlin as his witness, he was going to do it.

She started to struggle, and her otherwise purple splotched skin turned white under the pressure. She was stronger than she looked. The fact that she was staring at his arm didn't surprise him. He didn't need to explain why he was here, he knew that even if he had hidden it, or put on a coat she would have figured it out on her own eventually. He wouldn't have told her if she hadn't, the guessing was interesting to watch. Leaning over her now, he could feel her hot breath on his skin. Her face read calm but her heaving, irregular breaths said otherwise. “I’m not surprised,” Not a bad start. His face clearly said, 'not bad' most people in her situation wouldn't have been able to get a word out at all, much less something defiant. “my brother never had the balls to do something himself. Always had to go and get people to do his dirty work for him. I’ve always known he would be too much of a coward to kill me himself.” He brought his hand back out of impulse, rearing up to slap her across the face with the back of his hand. Yet, all that would end up doing is sending her sliding across the room or falling to the floor. He couldn't believe that she was willing to speak ill of her own family that way. Catching himself he lowered his hand back down, waving his gloved index finger at her. “Very nice” He calmed himself, attempting to keep his English accent from kicking up too bad. “I would refrain from speaking of him in that way If I were you, think is going to be painful enough” He smiled, and grabbed her chin firmly in his hand. “For you anyway” Kissing her forehead once he moved backward away from her. To the rest of the knives and items from her kitchen on the nightstand.

“Since you knew this was going to happen, we can skip past all of the pleasantries then.” Placing the cleaver down he picked up one of the carving knives Running his gloved thumb over the edge, he was pleased when a small shaving of the leather came off of the tip. “I don't need to go over the whole, 'nobody's going to come and save you, scream all you want' bits do I? You seem smarter than that” he stated simply as he turned to face her again. Moving closer, he crouched down In front of her, and placed his gloved hand on her knee. A simple gesture, but she was going to hate it. Sure enough, whenever her face screwed up, he moved his knife to her side, holding it there for only a moment before allowing it to puncture her skin. Leaving behind a thin line of red from the middle of her side to her stomach. It was very difficult for him to tear his eyes from the red as it moved down her skin. He couldn't stop himself from staring. Might as well start off slow, he was being kind as far as he was concerned. The next one he did from her collarbone to her sternum, that was just to be spiteful. They were shallow enough, just enough to hurt bad enough and bleed for him. The look on his face said clearly that he was only just getting started. “Those were for me” He beamed, the same sadistic gleam in his eye. “This is for what you said about your brother” He sent a cruciatus curse at her without words. He was filled with enough spite for his crucio to be particularly painful.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence’s eyes widened as the stranger’s hand reared backwards but she kept her lips firmly closed. She refused to show any more weakness then she already had. If she and Darren had remained on civil terms, he would have been ashamed at her behavior. Not only for being a prisoner, but also for getting herself caught in the first place. Attentiveness was a skill thoroughly instilled upon followers from the very beginning of their training. Being aware of one’s surroundings was vital for survival. Being impulsive simply wasn’t an option. Unfortunately for her, impulsiveness had taken a hold of her life in the years she had been away from Austria. Things hadn’t matter anymore. Kaydence realized that she only had one life to live and didn’t need to spend it solely on thinking of what could happen in the long run. As time went on and her life remained uninterrupted, she became overconfident. The threat of her brother always weighed on her mind but because he hadn’t made any effort to harm her, she supposed she was doing something right. Her moves became somewhat more calculated upon her return to her home country for awhile. Then the whole mess with Ashton started and old friendships blossomed once more and her brain yet again went off track. When Gringotts happened, everything Kaydence had come back for was thrown for a loop. The bad luck that had forced her to flee the country had returned. Even worse, her life slowly slid back into shambles. It truly sickened her to realize how much of a pathetic cycle the years were for her. Good, then back, then good again before going right back to being bad.

There were only so many times that Kaydence could regret her actions. So many times she could wonder ‘what if?’ All that would result in was a pity party. She had gone through enough of those in the past few weeks to last her a lifetime. Though as much as she didn’t want for one to happen again, the sudden chain of events she found herself in wouldn’t guarantee anything but. If only she had listened to her gut and just left everything in the apartment. She still had enough money to buy everything for a new life. Items that held sentimental value weren’t worth her life or Luka’s. New ones could replace the old. If only she hadn’t been so damn stubborn. Kaydence’s thought process had led her to the conclusion that she was still allowed to keep things from the past without having to worry about a story behind them. Most everything in her condominium had been purchased before Gringotts or came from her travels across Europe. She deserved to keep them, to remind herself of the good times before everything went to shit. But even that had been taken from her. Why wouldn’t Darren send one of his minions to do his dirty work right as she was coming to retrieve the things she wanted most? She hated how her older brother continued to have an influence in her life. It wasn’t fair. After Gringotts, she had left him alone. She had made no efforts to continue her goal in removing his title from him. He had wanted her gone, but she had stayed. In those days all Kaydence had done was go out to various parts of the island and only for short periods of time. She had never bothered anyone. Especially him.

Yet that wasn’t good enough for Darren. Nothing was ever good enough for Darren. Unless things went exactly how he wanted them, then they were a failure. Kaydence’s continued stay in Austria was defiance that probably had steam coming from his ears. He wasn’t a man who accepted being ignored and brushed off. Disobedience always had consequences to her brother. Hers had dug her own grave. Now all it was waiting for was the push of a limp body into the dark hole so it could be filled back in with thick dirt. Once the job was finished, it would be unmarked, only further spitting on her memory. The thought alone was enough to make her burst into tears. Dying alone and unloved was her worst fear. As much as she had played the independent role for as long as she had, Kaydence had always figured she would be married and have a family when her time came, surrounded by all of them as she took her last breaths. Today had erased those visions in only an hour’s time. Today she would be dying in a way that was dishonorable. Her brother hated her with such a passion that she wasn’t worth offing himself. Nor had he even sent someone she was familiar with. It would have been awful dying at the hands of someone she knew, but it would have left her with the understanding that she still had a place in one of their hearts. It was a demented way of looking at it for sure. However, things ran differently in the family of a Dark Lord. Emotion was expressed differently as members aged and times changed. No one could truly understand unless they came from a similar background.

Kaydence was surprised when the intruder had a sudden change of heart. Instead, the man waved his finger at her as if scolding her like a parent to their child. “I would refrain from speaking of him in that way If I were you, think is going to be painful enough.” She hated being told what to do, especially when it came from a stranger who held her life in his hands. Her mouth moved to respond, but it was closed shut as the man grabbed her chin and held it firmly in his grasp. “For you anyway.” He raised his mouth to her forehead and she yelled in protest as his rough lips kissed just underneath her hairline. It was amazing to see how such a simple act could make a woman feel so violated. Then again, it didn’t help matters that she had been in a similar scenario before. Held against her will, useless against a man’s strength. Kaydence could feel the unwelcome memories slowly coming back to light. Her heavy breathing began to intensify again, making it apparent more than ever how helpless she was. “Since you knew this was going to happen, we can skip past all of the pleasantries then.” She forced a chuckle. “Not necessarily. Seemed to me that Darren had bigger things on his plate then worrying about me. Let me guess. You were one of those types itching for your chance to prove yourself. Annoyed my brother enough to give you the first task he could think of to get you out of his face for awhile. I should be insulted that I’m a meaningless duty, but shouldn’t have expected any differently. Though I would have at least liked to have gotten someone a little more attractive and not so rat-like.”

The man ignored her words. His task at hand more important than listening to the petty comments coming from her mouth. Kaydence watched as he lifted the carving knife from her kitchen. Upon quick inspection, she noticed that all of his tools of torture were from the knife block on her counter. He wanted to add as many personal touches to this as possible. This was one sick individual. She couldn’t see his eyes, but the way he held the knife in his hand made it seem like he was imagining what could result from it. He got off on this sort of stuff. Honestly, she didn’t know what was worse. Being taken advantage of by someone who wanted to fulfill a fantasy or by a madman who saw this as a craft. “I don't need to go over the whole, 'nobody's going to come and save you, scream all you want' bits do I? You seem smarter than that.” He didn’t because it was pointless. Kaydence had burnt enough bridges in her return to the country or said the goodbyes that had made her a distant memory in someone’s life. The man turned to face her, excitement radiating from every inch of his face. “Why would I want to waste your time?” she asked. “And only suffer more from keeping you from what you were sent here for?” He responded by placing his hand lightly on her knee. From the moment his skin touched hers, she could feel the goosebumps protruding from her flesh. They were not just from his cold skin, but because he was once again violating her. The image of those black woods came to mind and Kaydence’s expression wavered slightly. Her resolve was still there but it was shaking now. If he continued with this intimacy, then she couldn’t be sure how much longer it would last.

Kaydence nearly breathed a sigh of relief as he released. The internal happiness was short-lived though, for only a second later the sharp blade he had been admiring earlier had been moved to her side. He made no sound as he forced the knife to penetrate her skin. The tip only went in about a millimeter, but it was enough to cause a small groan to come from her throat as the nerves shot the signal of pain to her brain. The intruder carefully and agonizingly sliced a line towards her stomach. She had been cut before, the normal injuries a small child would receive from falling down or touching a sharp object, but it was nothing compared to this. She could feel as the air hit her open wound, stinging. Gasping once the knife came out, Kaydence’s eyes never left the blade as it moved towards her collarbone. It instantly punctured the skin. This time, her groan was louder due to the area being more sensitive. She bit down hard on her tongue to prevent any other sounds of pain from escaping. The taste of iron filled her mouth. The pain from her chest was agonizing but deep down she knew that this was nothing compared to what else was awaiting her. Her breathing grew even heavier once the man pulled the knife out again. This time, she could the trickle of blood move slowly down her chest. She should have been thankful that he hadn’t pierced her lungs or moved to saw at a rib. She knew better. That wasn’t his thing. He wanted to be slow. He wanted to make this tormenting for her. He wanted her to suffer for as long as possible.

“Those were for me.” Kaydence’s eyes narrowed. Without notice, her body began to violently struggle underneath her binds. She was livid. It had been one thing to touch her, but now to make her bleed was infuriating. “You son of a bitch!” All she wanted to do was hex him into oblivion. “This is for what you said about your brother.” It stopped moving almost instantly. The pain from her torso was replaced by an internal burning that she was all too familiar with. As part of training, all followers were forced to endure several minutes of the Cruciatus curse to prepare themselves if the curse was ever used against them during interrogation from enemies. She had screamed from the moment the curse hit her the first time it had been cast. The other times Kaydence had been able to prolong the screaming, almost getting to the point where she was only able to show her pain with facial expressions. That had been a long time ago though. Years. Being unprepared for such a power silent incantation of the curse hit her immediately. She closed her eyes shut and lowered her head, trying to remember her training. Focus on something else. Keep up the strength. Her muscles began to shake as she forced her eyes to remain squeezed shut. The fire kept burning, intensifying with each passing second. Her body was shaking more powerfully now. She had endured over a full minute of the agony now but to Kaydence, it felt like hours. As the fire began to rage upwards, her jaw began to drop. It was being made even worse by the open wounds. She couldn’t hold it back anymore. With her head still down, she began to scream.

[Adonis Maddock]

“Why would I want to waste your time?” He felt his face turn into a smirk, how very kind of her. He almost laughed at the thought. He could consider this whole thing a waste of time if it weren't for the fact that he was doing this for Darren. After he left her cold body to rot in some random hole in the ground , he wasn't ever going to think of her again. He doubted that there was going to be a single person in her entire miserable life that was ever going to miss her, or think of her again. She wasn't important, and she wasn't kind. She hadn't made a difference in anybody's life. Yet, he knew that if he hadn't been ordered to kill her, she would have thought about him, his face, every single day for the rest of her pathetic life. “And only suffer more from keeping you from what you were sent here for?” He lifted a hand and shook it sideways, signaling 'eh' to her. She was going to suffer either way. There wasn't really an option that made her death a painless one. His eyes never left hers, not even for a second. He wanted to know what she was thinking as the blade violated her skin, penetrating her. He wanted to drink it in, absorb her shock. She seemed surprised at first, like she hadn't actually been expecting him to do it, but then he could see it. Just a glimmer at first, but then it set in, the subtle sting of pain. The anger in her eyes for allowing herself to be put into this position, to let somebody to take advantage of her, again. His heart skipped a beat whenever the groan of pain left her lips. He was making his point, perhaps she would be a little less arrogant in her words whenever she spoke to him in the future. Whenever her jaw clenched, he wanted to clasp her face in his hand and order her not to refrain herself again in the future. He didn't want her to think that she was controlling anything about this situation.

It was frustrating, she wasn't going to be an easy victim, too much pride for that. Part of him had hoped that she just might beg, even a little bit, even if logic told him that she wouldn't dare do anything of the sort. Whenever she started to move, he watched her writhe against the bonds, taking a step back and pulling the black leather gloves off of his hands as she did. He wasn't worried about her getting loose, she was stuck here until she died. No getting out of it. “You son of a bitch!” He used her insults just to fuel his fire as he cast his curse on her, and at first she didn't move. He had done this curse hundreds of times over the years, always as a finishing touch, or to get warmed up. It wasn't his method of choice, but it was wonderful in getting people to loosen their tongues. The worst kind of torture was whenever you don't know what question it is that you are supposed to answer. At least, that was what he had been told. This time, he didn't want to know anything from her other than whatever she would offer up. A determined look crossed his face and he focused all of his bitterness at her, waiting for her to break. The fact that she had been able to resist screaming at all, infuriated him. Making him literally shake with anger, how dare she fight back. He had earned those screams, and she had damn well better give them to him. She began to seize, and he knew that she could feel it, the burning that started in her organs and worked its way outward. Her thrashing was going to cause her open cuts to tear open even further. Not that he would complain about her doing his job for him of course. Whenever the screaming did start, it was like a woman possessed. It was all that he had been hoping for and more.

Another five minutes he allowed it to go on, waiting until he could hear her voice starting to get hoarse, and her body was covered in a soft sheen of sweat. He didn't bother with tapering it off, he just shut the curse down as quickly as it had come. He didn't say a word to her, there would be time for that later, instead he picked up the carving knife once again, she needed to learn that not screaming, was only going to make him angry. She didn't need to hold back, nobody else in the building was going to hear her. He was willing to use her dog as leverage if he needed to in order to get her to do what he wanted. He didn't give a damn about the thing, that should be very evident to her. He waited for her to open her eyes again, they had seemed to of rolled into the back of her skull awhile ago. Whenever she came around, he gave her a smile. “Wonderful, ready to get started?”

X

He was covered up to his elbows in crimson stains. Not a solid mass of dried blood, but there had certainly been runoff from her body. He couldn't even see her torso any longer, Dozens of shallow wounds were open to the crisp air, littering her body with crisscrossing marks from the blade he had liberated from her kitchen. He was squatting down in front of her, watching as her breath was catching in her chest. It was time for a different technique, she would black out soon, and that would just waste far too much time. He had no idea as to her mental state, but at the very least she had seemed to get the point after the first dozen cuts what he wanted from her. Sick or not, she had given it to him after time. Over half of the knives that he had taken from the block in her kitchen were covered in red, some resting on the table, some resting on the once white comforter on her bed. One, the carving knife that he had gotten to be so fond of during this process, was resting next to her feet. He was looking up into her eyes, his elbows resting on her knees, his hands placed on her hips. He hadn't done anything profane to her in a way that was specific to her gender, he hadn't needed to. This, the seemingly innocent placement of his hands was doing enough to get the message across to her. He had been forced to cut her shirt from her body during the process, it had just been getting in his way. He pulled his hands from her body slowly, the blood between her skin and his hands was getting sticky as it was attempting to coagulate and failing. He wiped the excess blood on the flesh of her thigh, it didn't get much off of his hands, but he wasn't really worried about it, more about humiliating her. He was growing bored of the silence.

He allowed his hands to grip at her thighs, something that he was certain countless men had done to her before, his thumb pressing against her inner thigh, using it as leverage for him to push himself up to his feet again. He pushed her hair behind her ear once he was standing again, leaving a red streak to keep her hair in place. Some of the things that she had shouted at him, while profane, were also so telling. “I can say, that now I'm fairly certain I'm one of two men who have ever really known you” He commented, his eyes hinting that he wasn't talking about any of her willing lovers. “Just Doyle and I, idn't it?” He leaned in closer to her, a wicked gleam in his eyes “And to think, I didn't even have to touch you do get the same effect” The turned to walk away, wanting to clean off his blades. He figured it was time for a different tactic, really know the woman he was about to slaughter. “Just think what would happen if I were to touch you” He wouldn't, he had no desire to be with a broken woman, and felt that she was too far below him to do any such thing, but he had planted the idea in her mind. Her own fear would cause it to grow and take root. Turning around once again, relishing the look on her face he closed the distance, holding her grapefruit spoon in his stained hand. The jagged edges were going to do just the trick, magically enhanced to optimum sharpness “Don't worry love, I'll take that chip right off your shoulder” Then, holding her left shoulder steady despite her shaking, he used the spoon to do exactly that.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence’s throat felt like it was on fire. The constant screaming from the pain inflicted from the Cruciatus had made it burn. Even though her voice was giving out and the screaming was becoming more of a sickening moan, it was nothing compared to the way her entire body felt. Her insides felt as if they had melted, forming a pool of bubbling liquid. She was weak, barely able to move her body to struggle against the ropes that had left black imprints on her skin. Her skin was white, enough that one could clearly make out certain veins that ran the length of her exposed arms and legs. She was on the verge of blacking out. She knew that curse could do damage, but this…this was irreparable damage. Kaydence didn’t know what, if any, lasting effects would result but she was convinced that there would be something. A twitch, difficulty breathing or loss of movement in a limb. They all seemed probable at this point. Yet it was laborious to continue thinking. Images were slowly fading away, leaving nothing but a blackness that was slowly closing in on her vision. Was she about to die? There was no white light off into the distance. No memories passing by in a flash or people waiting to take her away. Just complete and utter darkness. All of a sudden, the pain stopped but left a tingling sensation that made it feel as if it was still there. Somehow, Kaydence managed to take a deep breath, allowing a small circle of her vision to find the man. Her mouth moved to speak, but all that came was silence. Then, without any warning, her head fell back and the darkness completely engulfed her.

She didn’t know how long she was out. When the black began to dissolve into invisible pieces, it was a bit darker in the room than she had remembered but didn’t give Kaydence any sort of indication as to the time. As more and more of the pieces began disappearing, more of the room came into sight. As well as more pieces of the deranged stranger. Almost like he had left her, the same malicious smile was on his face. He was clearly pleased with the damage that had been done. Though if she knew anything about her brother, he had not sent someone who would be satisfied with all that had happened thus far. No, she could tell the man was a sick-minded individual from the moment he had attacked her. This wouldn’t be over until she was left gasping for air, covered in her own blood. Kaydence was still too weak to even linger on the thought. Everything was in a haze. Things had begun to spin just enough to make her nauseous. The smell of her own blood wasn’t helping either. “Wonderful, ready to get started?” If she had the ability to moan, she would have. Instead, she watched helplessly as he closed in on her again.

-----

Her skin was warm and sticky. Every now and then, Kaydence could feel the blood running off of her chest and onto her once pristine carpet. The carpet was the furthest thing from her mind. Every ounce of blood she had in her body was rising to the surface of the open wounds the man had created. She was so fatigued. So weak. She was breathing, but how she didn’t know. She supposed it was her body going into panic mode, forcing itself to breathe for her since she had forgotten how to do it on her own. She could feel every slice he was carving into it. The tip of blade had yet to numb itself. It was pointless to scream though, mostly because vocal chords were worn down. Kaydence would be unable to speak at anything more than a whisper if she wanted. He had moved to the crevasse underneath her bra. Her head screamed to push at him, cry, anything. A small groan came to the surface. He would get satisfaction from that. The blade kept slicing, making planned marks or random lines, she couldn’t tell. Not that she should be worried. She wouldn’t have a funeral. Nobody to clean up her skin to at least have an open-casket viewing. Being burned alive to really nail it to her wouldn’t be unexpected. Or even tossed from her window like a ragdoll. This man had no sympathy. No soul. They were the requirements of being one of Darren’s DeathEaters. This one must have been an idol among the others. Not everyone could tune out the world around them. That took months upon months of practice. The man had been born with the ability. Kaydence was sure of it.

The blade had been removed from her skin. Using every ounce of strength that she could muster, Kaydence turned her head slowly to look at her attacker. As she did, his hands suddenly went to her thighs. For the first time in what had to have been a hour, he managed to elicit a real response. Her body began to shake, this time out of fear. The last time unfamiliar and unwanted hands had been where they were had been years ago. One of the situations that had set of the chain of events that had led to her departure from Austria. Her eyes closed, praying they wouldn’t open and see Cillian’s face on the man’s body. The memory of night was one that would forever haunt her. Plague her mind, body and soul. The night she was violated both physically and emotionally. The last time, and had hoped for, the only time a stranger would be allowed to put his hands on her in a sensitive place. His hands left her momentarily, but went to the same area again to wipe off her blood. Noises began coming from the back of Kaydence’s throat, blocked sobs. She could not let herself give any more of an indication to what had happened to her to this man. But it was so damn difficult. He kept maneuvering his fingers around her thighs, pressing his thumb deeply into her flesh as if to grip onto her. Her eyes opened on their own, though at least giving her enough decency to focus on the ceiling. His face came into partial focus but she fixated her gaze upwards. His index finger pushed back some of her hair. She grit her teeth.

“I can say, that now I'm fairly certain I'm one of two men who have ever really known you.” Her brow furrowed. What did he mean by that? “Just Doyle and I, idn't it?” Doyle. His face instantly became clear. He knew. But how? “And to think, I didn't even have to touch you do get the same effect.” He didn’t. There hadn’t been any physical scars left by Doyle, but the emotional…they were deep. Darren was the one who had told the man about Cillian. There couldn’t have been another way. Kaydence’s chest began to feel heavy, the inability to breathe coming back. “Just think what would happen if I were to touch you.” That was all it took. As his face disappeared, everything blurred. She couldn’t take anymore of this. She had finally been pushed to the edge. Any amount of stability she had left in her body had crumbled. Hot tears began to fall from the corners of her eyes. He wouldn’t need her to yell or scream. Her tears spoke all the words he needed. He moved around her, preparing for whatever was to come next. She would have preferred to be dead. After Ashton, she didn’t need another man to expose her vulnerability. Ashton. An image of his face instantly came to forefront of her mind. Of all the times he had shown up at random in her life, why not now? This wasn’t his business. Kaydence couldn’t have asked him to handle it even if she wanted to. Still, she would have given anything at this point for him to come and save her. All the times he had protected her, tried to help and she wouldn’t let him. It all came flooding back. Maybe if she had, she would have never found herself in this position. She would have been with him, now, maybe. They could have been together, doing anything, absolutely anything, and she would have been happy. She wished she could have blamed it on the fear but she knew it was pointless. The only person she wanted to see, the last person she’d ever want to see, was him.

“Don't worry love, I'll take that chip right off your shoulder.”

Before her brain had the chance to catch up, Kaydence felt another blade pierce her skin, followed by several more points. The blades dug straight into her muscle and keeping sinking lower, causing a pain that she had never before felt….all of her earlier cuts combined couldn’t compare. Her mouth opened and unable to stop herself, screamed out, “ASHTON!”

[Adonis Maddock]

The fact that she kept passing out was really starting to get annoying. He was just over it, and had given her a potion to keep her awake so that was something. Since then, it was like all of the holidays and his birthday rolled into one. She was just such a perfect patient. He had tortured a lot of people over the course of his life time but she was certainly going to make the top five of his best times ever. It was just so intimate, and he was very much enjoying getting to know the real Kaydence Morgan. He loved eliciting each and every single sound from her, ripping all of her protest away. Darren was going to be so proud of him whenever he heard the news, that Adonis had been made her suffer, punished her for her blasphemous tongue. He was proud of himself. Whenever she started crying however, it took him to a whole other level of bliss. He couldn't have asked for anything better. There was this tingle under his lungs that was spreading a heat through his body. There was no denying that this kind of thing gave him pleasure, that watching her writhe in pain by his hand made him overjoyed. She had fought him for awhile, and he punished her for it. Now that she had realized that it was just easier for her to not fight. Besides, she seemed to have caught on that he liked it whenever she fought and was still trying to keep her dignity, whatever was left of it anyway. The way that she gasped in anticipation just before each stroke of the blade was breathtaking. Every sound made him feel just that much more alive. His breathing was becoming more labored and her screams were starting to grow more and more raspy.

“ASHTON!”

He stopped at her word, intrigued. The chunk of flesh that he had managed to dig the spoon into sat on top of the silver surface like a bit of peach ice cream. Crimson blood started to gush out of her shoulder and run down her arm and torso. He had established previously that she was a bleeder, but not quiet to this extent before. He needed to know why she called out that name, Adonis knew him to be her lover from the way that Darren had spat out his name if it was brought up in conversation. He didn't know much about the man as a person but he was willing to find out. He could afford to give her a dying wish after all. With the amount of blood that she had lost she wasn't going to be lasting very much longer. Stealing a glance at her eyes he grinned, waiting to see if she was going to plead for him, call out to him or make some grand profession of love in her final moments. Whenever she didn't say anything else he finished his work and the chunk that was on her shoulder moments ago...fell to the floor with an oddly satisfying splat on the blood soaked carpet. He leaned closer, grasping her chin with his free hand, smearing more blood onto her face. “Tell me what you are thinking” the way he said it made it not so much a question, more just the longing to be able to see into her head. This could go so many different ways depending on his next move. Letting go of her chin in a forceful way he stood up in front of her, casting the grapefruit spoon aside carelessly. “I thought that we covered this? Nobody is coming to save you” he said turning around to go for another utensil to harm her with, and stopped. Holding up one blood covered finger he smiled to himself “Unless...” he turned on his heel as fast as he could. “Two birds...one stone” he picked up his wand from where it had been sitting on the floor not caring in the slightest that he was getting blood on the polished wood.

“Expecto Patronum” he muttered, and the wispy, silver bat flew from the tip of his want and began fluttering around his head, waiting for instruction. “Go get Mr. Wentworth. Tell him it's time to say his farewells” He kept eye contact with Kaydence the entire time, waiting anxiously to see what her response was going to be. “Any last words?” He would give her that. Grasping the carving knife from the table once more he advanced toward Kaydence, pressing the metal up against her jugular. Magic was such a wonderful thing, Ashton should be getting here any moment now. If Adonis was really, very lucky then he would arrive just in time to see the life drain from her eyes and her skin awash in her own blood. ”Don't...don't let him see me like this” the words were so soft, had he not been leaning in so close to her face he wouldn't have heard it at all. He pressed the tip of the blade into the flesh behind her ear until it popped through the layers of her skin, ignoring her request. He wanted her lover to come here and see this just as he finished dragging the knife around her neck. He was even going to do it nice and slow to give him the extra time just in case he needed to pull shoes on before he got here. “Please” he could hear her plead, and it was the only thing that stopped him, leaving just the neat inch long incision below her ear with the train of blood running from it and down to her neck. “Fine” he nodded once. This was her one wish, he could grant that he wouldn't slit her throat. He would make it more brutal than that. His lips curled into a sneer “You're right, I can do better” and moved the carving knife down to her arm, making a long slice across the top of her Dark Mark, it would be easiest to remove the skin that way. Now, Ashton was really going to get a show. She really should treasure these last few moments.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Before this day, the worse pain Kaydence had ever felt had been when she was in the stomach by the spell that killed her baby. That very moment she knew what had happened. It was almost like she had been able to feel the very life draining out of her unborn child. The pain had been intense then. It felt as if a thousand knifes kept stabbing at her over and over again. Underneath the surface, an invisible fire roared and burned with such intensity that she was waiting for her flesh to start melting off of her body. Since then, she had made it a point to stay away from such activities that could render her anymore harm. For the most part, Kaydence had done a decent job of it. There had been a few instances over the years in which she had been bruised or scraped an extremity. That Saturday this past summer with Ashton had been the first time a serious injury had happened since the Masquerade. Then at Gringotts when her leg had almost been broken, that had been bad. Still, none of those instances could hold a flame to that awful day four years ago. The day when her whole life was changed forever. It still hurt her to this day. The mere memory. Added with the extra remorse of what she had done to Evan, Kaydence Morgan had become a broken woman. There were no words to describe the hurt that dominated her life for a solid year after the event. If she had ever been asked to give a detailed description of how it felt to be paralyzed mind, body and soul, that was the best she was able to do.

The situation Kaydence currently found herself in was far different than the Masquerade. If she could say one thing about it though, it was very nearly neck and neck. Out of all the pain and suffering she had endured so far, never could she have imagined being pierced with a grapefruit spoon. She could feel every tendon and nerve tearing as the uneven blades were pushed further into her shoulder blade. The pain was maddening, as displayed by her scream for Ashton. If her mind had been more stable, she would have said nothing and opted to yell, shout or cry. Anything to prevent him from getting involved in this. From seeing the consequences that had been brought upon by her stubbornness. It was humiliating. Darren warned her that her pride would only hurt her. Never did she think that it actually would. Kaydence hadn’t even noticed that the man had stopped until a rush of air hit her open wound. She could feel the blood pouring from the chunk waiting to be removed from her shoulder. The tears were impossible to stop now, even if they were more of a priority to her. She didn’t know how it was possible, perhaps her brain playing cruel tricks on her, but a strange throbbing had started underneath her stomach. Right where the baby had been. Another scream left her lips as the stranger finished his work. The spot where the chunk of skin had once been left her shoulder feeling remarkably lighter than it had started. His hands went to her chin, splattering more blood on her face then she assumed there already was. “Tell me what you are thinking.” Kaydence could only respond by sobbing more. She hated that he spoke to her as if this were a casual conversation. He released her chin and her head fell back onto her carpet with a thud. She figured that his goal must have to been to make every single part of her body ache and throb with sharp pains. It was working.

“I thought that we covered this? Nobody is coming to save you.” Kaydence knew that. She wasn’t expecting anyone to. “Unless…” Breathing was becoming a struggle again. This time, attempting to inhale oxygen was using more energy. She could feel her body going into shock. Her mind was filled with questions as to where he was going to take this next but she had to prioritize. She had to keep breathing. “Two birds…one stone.” She rolled her eyes to the left. He had taken out his wand. “Expecto Patronum.” He was sending a message. But to whom? Suddenly it hit her. She knew the answer before he had to say anything. “Go get Mr. Wentworth. Tell him it's time to say his farewells.” The eye contact he kept as every word left his mouth was sickening. He just had to keep going a step further each and every time. “Any last words?” Kaydence didn’t think it was possible her to formulate a sentence. Not even a single word at this point. She watched helplessly as he advanced on her again, the large carving knife back in his hands. The metal of the blade was forced against her jugular. One cough, one awkward attempt at breathing and she was done for. Still, she somehow found it within herself to use whatever remained of her vocal chords. “Don’t…” she struggled, “don’t let him see me like this.” It should have been the last thing on her mind, but the image of Ashton’s face burned in her mind. Kaydence would sacrifice her life to be disposed of like garbage to spare him this last memory of her. She had come to the conclusion several days ago that the pleasurable ones had been what kept him going all along. Let him remember her from those.

The blade suddenly moved to the skin behind her ear. A pitiful moan left her lips as it penetrated deep, no doubt leaving a scar if she lived after this. “Please,” she whispered. She felt light-headed once the knife had been pulled back out. The sides of her visions had begun to darken. Kaydence could only see straight ahead. Her chest moved upwards only every couple of seconds now. The life slowly being drained out of her. “Fine.” Her blood turned cold. “You’re right, I can do better.” She hadn’t been able to watch him move the knife to her right forearm, directly on her dark mark. For what she guessed would be the final time, the metal was pushed into her flesh and blood bubbled to the surface. Slowly, he moved it down the length of the tattoo. Kaydence was now fully unable to speak. The only sound coming from her mouth was the pathetic gasps of breath leaving her body. The darkness was closing in more and her eyelashes began to flutter in one final attempt to push it away.

[Adonis Maddock]

They were getting close now, the game was almost over. He always hated this part, sure he loved the end result. But, he would always hate the moment preceding it because it was almost over, her pain was starting to make her delirious. Could she even see him anymore? Could she even tell who was doing this to her, remember the look of satisfaction on the face like it had been burned into her eyelids for her last moments? He wanted to ask her, for her to share the sensation of dying with him through a verbal rendition but he doubted she could even form the words. Her pleas had stopped a long time ago, no more questions on her part, just screams. Whenever the single word had left her lips, he was fascinated, why had she asked for him? He had to know. As, unprofessional as it was for him to bring in a third party...somebody was going to find her sooner or later, why not let him see her just as it was impossible for him to do anything to save her life. Never before had he had a victim call out another person's name like this. There had been cries of family, or loved ones that could pay him to go away, that they would never tell anybody what happened or barter in exchange for their pathetic lives. Everybody had been so self involved, he couldn't pass up this opportunity. Perhaps that was why he summoned the man, to end two lives for the price of one. Everybody knew the true effects of such heartache. For her to be thinking of him in her last moments must have meant that she loved him a great deal. He stood over her, watching for a reaction to his patronus bat fluttering out of the room on it's mission. Blood was marring every inch of her skin, he couldn't even see the good flesh from the sliced any longer. Growing bored, he sent another Crucio curse her way, watching as her energy was renewed enough to struggle against her ever tightening bonds, forcing raspy scream from her cracked and chapped lips. Reaching forward, he grasped a hold of the flap of skin from her shoulder and pulled, ripping it from her body in one swift movement,tossing it aside in no particular direction, not even caring to follow its trajectory with his eyes to see where it had landed or not.

Whenever he had finally caved and asked the question that he was dying to have answered was given an answer. Her sobs were revealing, but it wasn't enough. She should be trying harder to appease him. Letting the curse off he watched her, his eyes darting between her eyes, wanting to know mow. He spun the chair that she was strapped to in the direction of the door, he wanted this Ashton to get the full experience whenever he finally made his appearance. If it wasn't soon she was going to be dead before he ever got a chance to see anything at all. Smirking, that actually might work even better. For him to arrive and feel her warm, but lifeless body in front of him. Living with the 'what if' that if only he had answered the call sooner that he might have been able to save her life. “Don’t…” He stopped, removing the knife from it's place on her jugular. “Don't what poppet?” He watched her cough up bits of blood seep out of the corners of her lips. Bringing his hand with the knife up to his forehead he moved his hair back into place, not caring in the slightest that it got more of her blood on his face. “don’t let him see me like this.” His smirk turned into a full out smile and he waved the knife in her face “that's not up to you” he shrugged, he could have her naked, that was sure to drive Ashton's imagination straight through a wall. If it weren't for the fact that Adonis had no desire to see Kaydence any more naked than she already was, he might have done it. “Please,” Relenting, he had studied her, wishing that he could probe her mind, but too heated to do so. The rush that he got from acts like these was better than any high that money could ever buy. He lived for it, no extreme sport would ever come close. Her breathing was slowing, her screams turning only into soft protests. The words that she was uttering were nothing more than exhales. If he weren't so close to her face, he wasn't likely to have heard it at all.

She was taking all of the fun out of this, and he hated her for that. She wasn't even being a good victim any longer. She should be at least struggling, but it was almost like she had already resigned herself to die. He could attempt to figure out a way to prolong their time together for another couple hours. Certainly she had to have vinegar in her kitchen, pouring that on her shoulder was no doubt going to serve to awaken her more, but they were expecting company. He had just started to carve the bottom part of her dark mark out of her arm, he needed the outline done before he could slide the blade underneath the top layer of her skin and remove the tattoo from her body forever. The door burst open, and a bright orange light shot past his ear and hardly missed Kaydence's face. It hit the far wall, leaving scorch marks in it's wake. Smiling he waited, watching, for the scene in front of the taller man to really sink in. Taking a step backward, he lifted the knife in his hands up and over his shoulder, hurling it with an impressive strength in the direction of Ashton's chest. If it hit, wonderful, if not, that was a shame. Stepping away from Kaydence and toward the doors to her personal balcony he smirked, humming a soft jazz tune as he went. Lifting his wand for the final time, this was the time to deliver the final blow. Aiming it at Kaydence's fading life force he grinned, waving a goodbye to Ashton as he did so. “Sectumsempra” the green hex bolted from the tip of his wand with an agenda, hitting the brunette square in the sternum. He heard the muted whines of her, she was certain to die now. Turning at the last possible second he walked off of her balcony to an audience of Ashton's outraged cries. Apparating half way before he hit the ground back to the lush confines of his home. While the blood staining his body might be a good trophy and proof of job well done to Darren, it wasn't something the man needed to see. He had earned his shower. The feeling of accomplishment wasn't likely to end any time soon. Adonis, he alone had murdered the Dark Lord's sister.

[Ashton Wentworth]

Never in his life had he had a feeling like this before. Sure, his life had taken a toll for the worst as of lately, but this was something wholly different. He had been swamped with work and with his lack of personal life. Things had been crazy since both his brother and his sister had walked back into his life and Kaydence had once again walked out of it. Which, would have been fine if she had given him even a hint as to the reason why or any indication of where she was planning to go. He could have somebody tail her, but there was something about actually doing that which made him feel pathetic. It just seemed like everything today had been going wrong. This morning the coffee machine had broken, there hadn't been any food stocked in the mini fridge and all of his ink bottles had gone missing. The paperwork that the he had needed to be doing today was coming up on the deadline. Between all of the new assignments and the field work that he had been doing as of late he just hadn't had the time to do it. The lack of sleep was running him ragged and he wasn't willing to let that effect his work, thus resulting in a level of stress that he hadn't yet experiences before this. To operate that that level would have been taxing enough, but to have to do it in front of the man that was his self proclaimed mortal enemy in such close quarters had him about ready to snap. Something that of course the arrogant prat seated in the smaller desk next to him was taking advantage of over and over again. After two hours of fighting he had overturned the man's desk in anger and stormed out of their office and into the tiny cafeteria one the first floor. It wasn't his lunch hour, but he had needed a release. He was out of cigarettes and wasn't able to leave the building to go and get some more because he needed the money that he was making while in the building. Rutherford never should have put them in the same office, that was his mistake and he would just have to understand that sometimes Ashton was going to need a break from time to time.

Pushing through the double doors in a huff they fell closed behind him, clanging loudly. It shouldn't have been a surprise that he was the only one in the whole room, but he would have liked having somebody to yell at right about now that wasn't Greek. The food on the bar was no doubt very stale by now, and didn't look the least bit appetizing but he went over to it anyway, grabbing one of the orange plastic trays from the end and a set of plastic utensils. Moving down the line, it seemed like each thing that he came across was even more disgusting and gelatinous than the last thing. Finally at the end were the frozen and thawed deserts, all coming from a box and somehow managed to all taste the exact same to him so he selected a vanilla frozen yogurt with some sort of berry in it. Given his general dislike of all things healthy he wasn't going to like it very much, but it was the only thing that didn't look like it was going to cause his stomach to rot out of his body. Ditching the tray and clutching the utensils to the small plastic cup he swiped his ministry badge as a form of payment on the sensor and sulked over to a chair next to the window. He was on the opposite side of the serving staff, which was fine by him he didn't really need to be reacting to any more people right about now. He was tense enough as it was. With his thumb he popped the plastic top off of the container and it flew off toward the other end of the table, skittered over the tabletop and fell to the ground. Of course it would, that was just his luck today. Rolling his eyes he separated the spoon from the rest of the plastic ware and sunk it into the soft serve in the cup. The first bite wasn't wholly repulsive, but it wasn't something that he would indulge in on a regular basis. Yet, the cold temperature of the snack was serving both to distract and to calm him in a strange way. He was able to zone out, only the sound of the stale air in the large room being filtered out through the vents in the ceiling could be heard. Else, it was silent. Something that didn't happen anywhere now a days it seemed. He would have been zoning out, but it looked like something was about to collide with the building, right into the window that he was leaning against. He really didn't want to have to do the paperwork on that.

Something was hovering around the window, silver, like a wisp of a cloud but shimmer. Confused he turned his head in the direction to get a better look, only to have it come straight through the double paned glass and land right in front of his face. It obviously wasn't corporeal. Otherwise it would have been stuck outside, it took him a full minute to realize just what it was, it was a patronus. He should have gotten that sooner but it wasn't one that he recognized. Nobody that he knew of had anything but a large mammal for their patronus and this was a very small, vicious looking bat. Confused his eyes followed the small thing as it circled his head a few times, as if it was confirming exactly who he was. Then, it fluttered obnoxiously close to his face and Ashton felt himself swatting at it, but of course his hand just passed right through it. He was just about to consider chucking the yogurt at it to see if cold made a difference whenever it finally spoke. “time to say your farewells” The voice was strange, unlike anything else he had ever heard so he had no idea as to where he would have even come across a person with a bat patronus. Yet, he knew that there was no way that a patronus was going to contact the wrong person, and in his gut he knew that the words were meant for him and him alone. He could feel it, this was going to be the culmination of his already rotten day. He didn't know how he knew, but there was really only one person In his life that he would have needed to say his goodbyes to, and she had been absent from his world for a good while now. He felt something churning in his stomach, and just knew, he knew where he had to go. He left his mess behind on the table that he had been sitting at, not bothering to tell a soul where he was going he just left, going out into the lobby and then out into Alzubra alley, apparating as soon as he was out of the range of protective spells of the Ministry building.

Whenever his eyes opened again, he was on the same ledge that he had clung to so many times before now. This time he couldn't linger on the ledge and being careful about getting into her apartment. He lunged for the railing, knowing full well that he was going to fall to the ground stories below if he missed his grip. Thankfully, he didn't and was able to fling himself over the railing gracelessly. The sound of his heavy boots hitting the balcony would have alerted anybody in the living room to his presence, just like the sight of his bulky frame suddenly intruding on the otherwise private spot would have done. He didn't bother picking the lock he was too worried that his gut feeling was going to be right. “Alohamora” he stated boldly and the lock sprung open, she obviously hadn't been keeping up with her spells while she had been gone. He couldn't hear anything from her balcony which had been no surprise, but the fact that it was the same inside sent a chill up his spine. The whole room was silent, the lights were off and there wasn't anybody around. He knew where the patronus had come from, it had brought him here...where was she? His heart rate was starting to elevate, never had he seen her apartment so silent, where was her annoying mutt? Where was the sounds of water running, something. Yet, even though he knew it hadn't been her patronus that had summoned him. Pulling his wand from his pocket slowly, he moved forward past the sitting area in her living room. He wanted to move quietly, but the panic inside of his chest was preventing him from moving slowly. The toe of his boot hit something soft, glancing down he could just make out the shape in the setting sunlight. Frowning, he was relieved to see that it was only the dog and not a female form. If the dog was dead, he didn't care, the only thing about it that bothered him was the fact that he knew that nothing was going to happen to her dog with Kaydence just standing by. She would have tried to stop it, she would have done SOMETHING to protect the stupid animal. His step quickened as he moved to the bedroom, he could hear somebody talking, and it sounded just like the voice that had summoned him from the bat patronus. He checked the bathroom first, his training told him that he had to. He knew where a threat was so he needed to clear the rest of her condo. He let his Auror training overcome his mind, it was better that way, it was possible that it was going to keep him sane and possibly keep him from getting himself killed. He pushed open the bathroom door with his foot, he knew the layout of her apartment with his eyes closed. Nothing. It was empty. Checking over his shoulder one last time to make sure that he wasn't being followed. Should he have brought backup? Anything could be behind this door, anything at all. Stavros might not like him, but if Ashton said it was work related he knew that the man would back him. He had just left so suddenly, dropped his coffee cup to the floor and apparated away. Nobody even knew that he was here. Frowning, he he rounded the corner and kicked open the door just as a blood curdling scream hit his ears. He had heard Kaydence upset before, he had heard her yell and scream in both pain and pleasure but nothing, nothing he had ever heard come from her mouth sounded ANYTHING like what left her lips now.

The sight that greeted him as soon as he turned the corner was worse than anything he could have ever imagined. He had been through his share of pain in his life, watched as cancer ravaged his wife's body and sucked the very life out of her. That, had been hard to watch but this, he was forced to instantly turn away. He caught himself only seconds later, it was Kaydence strapped to the chair, covered in red. Head to toe red. She didn't even like red. He was frozen for a second, unable to move his now lead like body, the shock was almost too much for him to handle. He didn't even realize that his arm had flown up and that he had sent a forbidden curse in the direction of the intruder but he saw the light, he didn't even recognize the voice that was coming out of his mouth. Was this what a heart attack felt like? Was this shock? His eyes moved first, to the intruder standing so close to her, or he had been, his brain was so unwilling to put the pieces together. He had done this to her, he had to of, he was covered in the same red. He couldn't imagine anybody getting the drop on Kaydence before, he knew that he had tried to do that very thing before and had resulted in a fractured eye socket. His emotions threatened to overwhelm him, which was something he couldn't handle. He could feel the ghosts locked away in the recesses of his mind coming forward, their claws scratching at him. His mind clamped shut, the training consuming him and forming a haze over his eyes. He heard his mouth form words, but to him they were unintelligible, he couldn't understand himself but the figure turned to him, and the knife that had been in his hands was now flying in his direction instantly. His reflexes took over, throwing his body to the side and falling to the ground just next to him. His hands and knees landed in something sticky. Staining his hands, he could see it, but his brain was unwilling to accept that the fluids masking his skin had come from her body. Her very life force was now on him. He righted himself only moment later, the blood compromising his grip on his wand but not enough to drop it. ”Sectumsempra” the urgency that he had felt increased drastically and he darted forward to catch the spell before Kaydence did...only failing. He had been moments too late and the lacerations formed on her abdomen and across her shoulders.

He was too late...was he too late? His training told him to check for vitals, to make sure that her heart was still beating, even if it was faint it could be saved. He crossed to her, knowing full well that he should stop the bleeding, cast the counter curse, do something, help her. Yet, his fingers pressed to her carotid artery in her neck to check for a pulse...there was something, his palm pressed gingerly, but quickly to her check. There was a very slow rise and fall. She was fading fast but she was still here. His mind was racing, he didn't know what to do but the rage was starting. Breathing. That was a breath, her chest moved. His fingers brushed away the blood that seemed to be still seeping out of her chest, his finger brushed through a part of open skin that normally would have repulsed him. He could feel the slight movement, and his vision started to blur with an anger that he had never felt before in his life. Now, Ashton had always had a temper, one that was way worse than anybody else that he had encountered before aside from his 'partner' but usually that was only directed at him. He turned his head to the side, the man was retreating like a coward. “HEY” he shouted at him, he couldn't just do something like this, summon him here and then have nothing to say. He didn't get to just walk away like this. “STOP!” his feet carried his body away from the fading woman, unable to attend to her at this moment anyway. He reached the edge of the balcony just as the man stepped off, Ashton's fingers reaching for the falling figure but he was just out of reach. He saw his face clearly, this horrible stranger. It was the first time he had really gotten a good look, but the smirking, repugnant face of the man was going to forever be imprinted into his mind.

From somewhere behind him he heard a groan, she was still there, she still needed help, but his anger wouldn't turn off. He crossed back over to her, tucking his wand into his back pocket as he went. His fingers clumsily moved to her binds, wanting to loose them but was having difficulty due to the shaking. The fact that she was dressed in next to nothing wasn't going to register in his mind until much later. He didn't want to touch her for fear of making this worse and his hands moved awkwardly around her body as he got the ties loose but her bleeding wasn't stopping. His own breath was getting caught in his chest and he could feel himself starting to get light headed. Once her torso was free he moved to his wand, pressing it into the wounds that were still spreading across her body from his last spell, wincing every time that she made any sound of pain. Never in his life had he been this terrified before. Once the wounds had at least stopped spreading, and just seemed to be seeping a minor level of blood he moved his right hand to unfasten the ropes that bound her legs, his left hand holding up her face, wanting her to see him, to look into his eyes and know that he was there, that she was safe now and he wasn't ever going to let anything hurt her again. He was going to save her, he just had to. Once her body was free he pulled her torso to his body. Where could he take her? He couldn't take her to the hospital, not looking like this, they would be too interested in interrogating her and not about treating her. He only had a minor amount of healing knowledge from the required training that he had taken over the years and what he had learned about patching himself up from all of the bar fights that he had been in during his younger and more current years. He could at least help...he could save her. He had to. He couldn't lose her, not like this. At least he had known that even if she wasn't really talking to him that she was okay...he had to know that she was okay. “Shh, I'm going to take care of you” He pushed the blood matted hair from her forehead. Closing his eyes, he apparated them to the first place that he could think of to clean her up, the shower in his house.