Serena was asleep. She knew that she was asleep, but she still felt the body that she was using as her pillow shift, felt the bed move as someone got out. Her hand shot out to grab them but connected with empty air. The girl pulled the rest of the way out of sleep when she heard the soft click of the door closing.
"Sebastian?"
She pushed the mass of her red hair behind her to look around the room, but there was no one with her. Sliding off the bed, she went to the curtains but it was still dark out. The clock on the mantle read 3:00.
"There is no way that he is waking everyone at three in the morning."
Padding down the stairs, she kept an ear out for any sign of the black-clad butler, but there was nothing. Serena shook her head as she headed for the kitchen via the dining room.
"I swear if you are back in this kitchen..." The redhead stopped just inside the door at the sight of her demon and another man standing next to the servants' door. "Oh, hello."
Sebastian moved quickly to block her view of the other man. "Serena, you should be in bed."
"Who's this?" She looked around him to see the brunette that was waiting patiently. He was pale, not very surprising in the middle of winter in England, tall and dressed well. There was no expression on his perfect face as he watched the two of them. It was his dark eyes, the colour of dark chocolate, that hinted at something wicked.
"No one." Sebastian started to push her out the door but Serena spun away.
"I'm beginning to think that it's someone."
"I will go now, if you wish, Elder."
"Elder?" She raised an eyebrow before turning back. "So, you're a demon?"
The butler moved faster than she could see, it was only when the sound of a smack filled the room that Serena realized Sebastian had hit the other man in the back of the head.
"Sebastian!" The redhead stomped over and another smack was heard.
The demon stared at her for a moment, not believing that she just hit him like he would an underling. "Woman! Go to bed!"
The other demon let out a soft laugh that turned into a cough when Sebastian growled at him.
"Forgive me, Elder."
"Why are making this so difficult?" She waved to both of them. "Just introduce us."
The Elder sighed. "Serena, this is Malikai, who is leaving."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I'm sorry that I have disturbed your night." Malikai bowed.
"Not at all." Serena shrugged it off and turned back to Sebastian. "Was that so difficult?"
"Will you go back to bed?"
"What's the magic word?"
"Now." He glared down at his smiling mate.
"No, try again." She teased.
Sebastian growled low. "Will you please go back to bed?"
"Well, since you asked nicely." Serena laughed and started for the door.
The Elder turned back to the other demon but didn't say anything when he felt his mate stop at the door.
"It was nice meeting you, Malikai."
The brunette bowed again as she breezed out of the room. "She's very interesting, Elder. I look forward to your mate's presence in our home."
"Go feed, Malikai. You are returning home directly after?"
"Yes, Elder." He went down on a knee. "I should not be very long."
*********************A Demon's Mate*********************
Serena opened the door to Ciel's sitting room slowly the next morning. The redhead had chickened out earlier and had asked Sebastian to bring breakfast to her room before he had to leave. There were still a few errands that the Earl had for his butler and that would give her time to talk to him. She didn't relish the idea of being stuck inside a carriage with Ciel glaring at her over his ever-present papers. When she looked inside, the Earl was seated on one of the couches with a cup of tea and the morning post.
"What is it?" He didn't bother to look up from the letter in his hand.
"I was hoping that you would be more willing to talk with me this morning." Serena walked in and shut the door behind her. If she was going to be treated to another blasting there was no reason to disturb the rest of the house.
Ciel set the papers down, his face carefully blank. "Have you had time to think about yesterday?"
"I have. Are you still angry at me?"
"I just don't understand why you have to be so difficult." He threw the letter onto the other side of the couch.
"Sebastian said that you were worried about me."
"Of course I was. You go running off and..." Ciel stood and went to the window, keeping his back to the redhead. "There are not many people that I care for. They keep dying off, one after the other. And you just keep getting into trouble."
"Ciel, you can't protect everyone. Do you plan to put the people you care for in a glass box and watch over them twenty-four hours a day?"
"You keep finding trouble of the deadly sort. A glass box, huh?" He snorted. "It's not a bad idea actually."
"That would never work." The redhead came to stand beside him, but Ciel wouldn't look at her.
"I'm still thinking seriously about keeping you in the country."
"You can't do that." She shook her head at him.
"Watch me."
"You still owe me a tour."
Serena laughed at the expression on his face.
"Is there any chance that you might forget about that?"
"A deal's a deal," she teased and was faced with a glare.
"Funny."
"So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Serena smiled at him.
"I wouldn't go that far."
The redhead laughed and held out her arms. The Earl glared at her, trying to intimidate the girl into backing down. When she just kept smiling, he heaved a heavy sigh.
"Fine."
Serena giggled a little and wrapped her arms gently around the Earl. She was a little surprised when the hug was returned and he didn't try to pull away. He was taller than she had realized, the strong heartbeat under her ear made her remember yesterday.
"Ciel?"
"What?"
"If you...if there was a way to break your contract, would you?"
He pulled away to see her face.
"What are you talking about?"
"If Sebastian would let you go. If you could just walk away, have the rest of your life, would you?"
"Well, after five years of him following my orders, that doesn't seem very sporting of me." He walked away from her, picking up the papers that he had thrown.
"Ciel, I'm serious."
"What do you want, Serena?"
"I don't want you to die!" The redhead walked to the couch and sat down. She couldn't look up as she heard him take the chair next to her.
"Everybody dies." Ciel forced her to look up at him.
"That's right, but they also have a chance at something else. Another life, heaven or hell, something."
"And what would I do, without the contract?"
"What you do now. But you would have time." Serena took his hand trying to get him to understand, already knowing what his answer would be.
"Time? Time to wait for the next attack, the next person who decides to try to destroy the Phantomhives or the same one to come again. Time to try and forget what happened?"
"You could hire more people around the manor with the background you need."
"Yes, because that did my predecessor so much good." He took his hand back.
"Ciel..."
"No. I didn't get out of that cage to hide in my manor and wait for the people who tried to eradicate my family before to finish the job. I didn't come back to build an empire and live like nothing happened. It's just another way to instigate them into making a move." Ciel stood to stare down at her. "I told you before, I have no regrets about my contract with Sebastian. I won't let it go and I won't die until someone pays for what happened to myself and the Phantomhives."
Serena jumped from her seat to wrap herself around him again. He heard a soft sob from the redhead and let her hold onto him, for now.
'I knew he wouldn't let it go. I knew that Ciel wouldn't break his contract even if given a hundred opportunities. So, why does it hurt so much?'
"Serena." Ciel pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Don't make it harder on yourself. I do not regret my choice and you shouldn't for me. I'm in too deep, and nothing is going to change that."
"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this? It's your soul. That's it, there's nothing after that."
"Exactly."
"What?" She stared at him, horror written in her eyes.
"Do you really think that I would want to do this again? Do you really think that I want to live another life like this? What about after? I'm not stupid, Serena. Knowing that souls are real, that demons are real, I know where I would end up."
"But what if you didn't? What if you could have another lifetime?"
"And what's to stop this from repeating? There are millions of stories that are the same as mine, the world over."
"I want to keep you," she said quietly.
He stared down at her, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. Tears for him. His thumb brushed over her skin and Serena realized that he wasn't wearing gloves. She saw his intent, read it in the slow and uncertain movements, and did nothing to stop him. As Ciel's lips touched hers, the redhead held onto his jacket tighter.
'His kiss so different than Sebastian's, so soft. Like a butterfly on my skin that will dart away at the smallest movement.'
Ciel pulled away slowly, still brushing her cheek. Serena looked down, not wanting him to see how confused she was. A knock on the door stopped what he was going to say. The two broke apart as Lizzy stuck her head in and smiled at him. The redhead kept her head down as she turned to the window and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly freezing. She didn't want to look at the younger girl she had tried to give so much advice after kissing her fiancé.
"Ciel, we need to have the costumes picked up before we go back to the manor."
"Sebastian is doing that before he returns." The Earl assured her.
'Sebastian. Can I really be with him after Ciel's death? Can I look at him and not see Ciel's murderer?'
**********************A Demon's Mate***********************
Serena spent the rest of the day lost in her own thoughts. She had been coming down the stairs when Sebastian returned from his errands. The redhead had stopped dead, expecting him to know what had happened in Ciel's room. He said nothing, only that she apparently had been spending time with his Master again. She had answered that they had been talking in his sitting room this morning. The demon seemed to take it at face value and went to answer the summons of his Master.
Now, they sat in the carriage going back to the manor. Soma and Agni had joined them, as the Prince was attending the Midfords' masquerade as well. He and Elizabeth chatted easily about the party and costumes while she and Ciel sat quietly. The Earl was looking through some of the things that had arrived just before they left. He would look up at Serena from time to time, gauging her mood. She just shook her head and stared out the window again. Sebastian's voice had appeared in her mind several times, but she just asked him to leave her be.
There was no relief at the sight of the large gates that led to the Phantomhive family home. As they descended the carriage, Soma and Elizabeth continued to talk, oblivious to the silence that engulfed their companions. Snake was there to open the doors and Ciel didn't notice the strained look on the footman's face or the fact that his hair was slicked back.
"There you are. Welcome home, Lord Phantomhive."
Everyone looked up to see Lady Francis waiting in the middle of the hall.
"Mother!" Lizzy ran to the older woman and pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"I was sure that Lord Phantomhive had not prepared for the ball tomorrow and I brought a few old costumes for him to choose from." She looked down on her nephew.
"Actually, I already have a costume. Thank you for the thought, though." Ciel smiled at his aunt. "You really didn't have to make the trip."
"I wanted to see Lizzy as well. Do I need permission to visit my own daughter?"
"Not at all. Seeing as you're the one who sent her here." He waved her on.
"Perhaps we should discuss this in private. Or do you need to stay by Miss Serena again?"
"Of course not. My office will please you, Aunt?"
"After you."
Ciel led the way up the stairs as the others looked on.
"I'm going up to my room," Serena said as she walked to the stairs. "I'll see you all at dinner."
********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Serena was staring out the window again, lost in her thoughts when her door opened. She expected Sebastian and was surprised at the blonde head that came into the room. Lizzy smiled and came to the rest of the way in, closing the door behind her.
"I thought you might have been sleeping." The younger girl whispered and came to the window. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
'Oh hell, she knows.'
"I saw you and Sebastian the other night. I have to admit, I was spying on you. I thought that you were going to meet Ciel and I followed." She shook her head. "I was certain that there was something going on between you two."
'You have no idea. I don't even know what's going on between us. There is going to be one pissed-off demon though, I do know that.'
"I really don't know who else to ask. My friends would just laugh at me and I really don't want to ask my mother." The younger girl took the chair right next to Serena.
"Whoa, where are you going with this?"
Lizzy started to fidget and left the red head's side to pace the room.
"Have you and Sebastian kissed?"
"Yes?"
"What...how..." She stopped. "What's it like? To be kissed."
Serena blinked at her. "Kissing?"
"Ciel's never kissed me and I wouldn't let anyone else get close. I just...want to know." She came back to the chair and sat down, never taking her eyes off the redhead.
"It's...great." She admitted with a smile. "But that's Sebastian. He's perfect about everything."
"Have you kissed another man?"
"Yes," Serena answered carefully.
"Were they great?"
"No." She shook her head. "They were good. Good technique, but there really wasn't anything behind it."
The blonde sighed and went back to pacing. "I don't know why Ciel won't kiss me. I've given him plenty of opportunities."
"Ciel is very reserved."
Lizzy spun back to glare at the other girl. "And Sebastian isn't?"
"Good point." Serena looked back out the window. Sebastian was walking in the garden below, carrying a bowl with something inside. She smiled, watching him turn up to smirk at her. "But, Sebastian is a man and, as much responsibility as Ciel has, he's still a teenager. Also, Ciel is a lot more shy."
"I just don't know what to do."
'Why me?'
'Is there something wrong, my mate?'
'Lizzy wants to know why Ciel has never kissed her.'
There was silence through her mind. 'I believe that I will leave that to you.'
'Coward.'
"Remember I told you that Ciel isn't like normal men. You...you..." Serena looked around the room, hoping an answer would pop out of the woodwork. "Just wait him out. Ciel will kiss you when he's ready."
"But..."
"No. That's something that you can't push."
'And please, don't let her find out that he kissed me first.'
Lizzy stared at Serena before nodding. She knew that the older girl was right. Nothing good ever happened when she tried to force Ciel to do something. A strange look crossed the blonde's face and Serena instincts screamed to run.
Lizzy's voice dropped to a whisper again. "Have you ever done more?"
She felt a twitch over her eye. "With Sebastian? No."
The younger girl gave her a shrewd look. "Have you ever done more with anyone else?"
"I was right. You're a lot smarter than Ciel gives you credit for."
"And you didn't answer."
"I really don't think this is a good topic." Serena rubbed her forehead, trying to stave off the impending headache.
"Who am I supposed to ask? My mother?"
"Alright." She sighed. "Yes, I've had sex."
"What was it like?" Lizzy leaned forward, her eyes wide.
"Do you want me to lie to you or do you want me to be honest?"
"Honest."
"It sucked."
"So it is bad?" Lizzy sighed and moved away. "What the women were saying was true."
"I think it was more who I was with. I'm pretty sure that Sebastian would make it good."
'Of course, I would.'
Serena spun around and yanked the curtains shut. 'Will you butt out!'
**********************A Demon's Mate*******************
Since it had been too late by the time that they arrived, Lady Midford announced that she would be spending the night and go back home in the morning to finish preparing for the ball. At least the talk between her and Ciel had apparently gone well. Both had been much more civil when they emerged from the Earl's office. Francis had even made the effort to draw Serena into a conversation during dinner. After the meal, she had taken Lizzy upstairs to discuss what had happened during her stay at the Phantomhive estate and Serena was once again on her own.
As she explored the library, a strange book had caught her attention.
Dictionnaire Infernal*
Serena pulled the book down and looked around the room to make sure that she was alone. She tucked it close to her side so that anyone passing would not be able to read the cover and set off for her own room. The hallway was blissfully empty. The redhead could feel her heart pounding in her chest, fearful of being discovered.
"Serena?"
She squeaked and spun around to face Sebastian, dropping the book in the process. The demon was smirking at her reaction as she tried to calm down. The girl tried to stop him when he reached to pick up the book that she had dropped. Serena watched him carefully as he read the title and laughed.
"Why can you not wait?"
"Because I need to know."
"This will do you no good." He held up her secret.
"Are you going to tell me that this is another book that's going to lie to me?"
"That too." Sebastian opened the book to a random page and showed it to her. "It's also in French."
Serena crossed her arms. "Maybe I speak French."
"Vous Faire maintenant?"*
She looked away from his smirk. "Yeah, I got nothing out of that."
"So I thought. I will return this to the library for you." He tucked the book under his arm. "Mei-Rin will be along shortly to help you prepare for bed."
Serena glared at his back as Sebastian walked down the hallway.
"Snarky butler."
"Yes, I've thought the same many times."
Serena jumped and squeaked again. She fell against the wall, holding her chest over her pounding heart. Francis watched her, obviously amused.
"For God's sake, is it National Sneak Up on the Red Head Day?"
"Not at all. It's your own fault for not paying attention." The marchioness nodded to the younger girl and walked off. "Goodnight, Miss Serena."
********************A Demon's Mate*******************
'Well, it looks like I will just have to try this again.'
Serena looked both ways down the hall before speeding off for the stairs. Leaving her door cracked open after Mei-Rin had left, she had heard Sebastian and Ciel a few minutes earlier going into the Earl's rooms. Knowing that this wasn't an operation to be undertaken in her nightshirt, the redhead had changed into one of the round gowns that didn't require extra help as soon as the maid left. She tried to keep her mind as blank as possible as she navigated the manor's halls. Ciel would keep the demon occupied for a while and that left her the only chance.
The kitchen was dark, lit by only one candle when she slipped inside. The rest of the servants had already retired to their part of the house for the night. A large box, mounted on the wall, held what she was looking for. A shaft of moonlight came through the window over the sink and illuminated the contents for her.
Keys for every room in the manor hung on hooks inside the box. It was the same box that she had found the key for the wine cellar in and there should be a key for the butler's room as well.
'But, which one is it?'
Serena stared at the keys of all different shapes and each moulded into a different symbol at the top. The wine cellar had been easy, grapes moulded into the iron, but what would you put on the key for the butler's room? There was an empty hook at the top, next to it was a key with a small crown.
'Must be the key to Ciel's room that's missing. Makes sense. You wouldn't keep a key to the Master's room in the kitchen where anyone could get to it. There are no others missing, so it has to be in here.'
She looked over the keys again.
'Wait, his doorknob had the Phantomhive coat of arms on it.'
Her hand went to a key that held the same top as the pin that the butler always wore. A shield piece of the family coat of arms that designated him the butler. With the key clutched in her hand, Serena ducked back out of the kitchen and down the hall. The door at the very end called to her. She knew that being caught was a very real possibility. The redhead didn't lie to herself, there was no way that Sebastian wouldn't know that she had been in his room.
'Even so, I have to look. There has to be something in there. You don't keep a door locked unless to keep people out. So, he must have something in there that he doesn't want the others to find. Hopefully, something that identifies him as a demon.'
She looked around the hall carefully before sliding the key into the lock. It turned without a sound and Serena took the last breath before opening the door.
There was nothing remarkable about the room at first glance. It was completely stripped down. An iron bed stood against the far wall, in the center. A desk was anchored against the right and a wardrobe stood on the left. She slipped inside and shut the door, re-locking it behind her. There was a door next to the desk that led into a small bathroom. The one concession that seemed to be made to distinguish the room from the other servants'.
Serena looked through the desk first. There were a couple of books in foreign languages she didn't understand on the top. One drawer held paper and pens. The next held what looked like a journal. She felt a small stab of guilt as she picked up the book and placed it on the desktop. Taking a deep breath, she opened the cover.
It was empty. There was nothing written on the perfectly white pages. Flipping through the book, she found more of the same. There wasn't a single line written in it. The redhead slammed the book closed and put it away.
The bathroom was just as empty as the bedroom. Towels hung on the rack next to the tub and everything was in place as though it had been staged that way.
'Okay, Sebastian has seriously moved from neat freak into a perfectionist.'
She picked up the bar of soap sitting in the dish.
'Unscented? That's weird. Then why does he always smell so good?'
Shrugging, Serena went back into the bedroom and headed for the wardrobe. The bottom drawer held, what she assumed to be, men's underwear in this time. There were black, of course. Even though the drawer was shallow, she still dug to the bottom. The next drawer was socks, all black and neatly folded. The last drawer held a collection of black ties.
'Wow, he really needs to expand his colour palette.'
The redhead remembered the manga as she put a hand on the knob of the wardrobe. In the mansion murder case, Ciel had opened Sebastian's wardrobe and been attacked by a dozen cats. She stood to the side and yanked the door open. When nothing came flying out, she peeked around the door.
Three pairs of black slacks hung neatly and perfectly folded next to three black waistcoats. The three waistcoats hung perfectly next to three starched, white shirts. Each piece of clothing was hung at precisely the same distance from each other.
'Now we have coasted past perfectionist and moved nicely into anal-retentive. He has got to be out of his mind with this whole mating thing. If he saw my room at home, Sebastian would probably twitch so much, he'd break his own neck.'
Serena moved the clothes out of the way and knocked lightly on the sides of the wardrobe, listening for any change in the sound.
"Are you looking for something in particular, my mate?"
'Busted!'