It was three days after the last assignment, and still, there I stood in the bathroom, staring at the bruises coloring my face and neck. The same purple and yellow spots covered the right side of my body, mostly around my shoulder and ribcage. My wrist was bruised and hurt like a bitch, so I had it wrapped until the sprain healed.
Over the last few days, teaching had been difficult. Before each lecture, I had to apply a mixture of healing ointments, as well as masking agents in order to cover up the bruising in case one of my students mentioned it or another professor happened to see me. While I hadn't mentioned the demons getting anywhere near my neck or face, it still looked bad, especially when I was supposed to be retired.
Something even I didn't recall, however, was getting hit in the face. However, there were dark bruises covering my right cheek, right underneath my eye. Maybe I'd been hit and hadn't realized it. Either way, it was a nuisance. After each lecture, I teleported to my office, then back to the classroom or training room. Once the end of the day came, I teleported right back home, not wanting to be seen by a soul before the ointments wore off.
While we had had our debriefing for the last assignment, Louis reviewed the reports, making note of the apparition I saw. No one else noticed it during the fight, and no one else had any guesses as to what it could've been, so we sent it to the investigative team to see if they couldn't do more digging during their assignments.
Thankfully, Louis hadn't called any strategy team meetings. The ointment didn't last particularly long, especially the masking agent in it, and those meetings had the tendency to run long, especially since things were beginning to pile up. He had sent out a mass text, saying that he intended to call one within the next week, but he had yet to do so. Hopefully my face would clear up by then. If I had to, I could wear a scarf or turtleneck to cover up the worst bruising on my throat, but nothing was going to mask my face quite so easily.
Blinking tiredly, I glanced at the back wall, hearing Louis's shower turn on. Gods, it was only 21:30? It felt like midnight. Then again, I hadn't slept particularly well the last few nights either. The night of the assignment, I'd come home, wrapped my ribs, my wrist, and started mixing up what I would need for the ointment. After that, I'd showered, dressed, and gone to my first lecture that morning. That evening, I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up all night preparing lesson plans. I'd slept some last night, but I tossed and turned until a few hours before I was set to get up.
The circles under my eyes almost looked darker than my bruises. If it wasn't so frustrating and I wasn't so tired, it'd almost be funny. I was too tired to force myself into the shower, let alone chuckle. Heaving a sigh, I walked out of the bathroom and flicked off the lights. I went straight over to my bed and set my alarm for twenty minutes earlier so I would have time to shower then.
Once again, I checked the burner phone, finding another text from Louis, checking up on my healing. I still hadn't mentioned the bruising, just in case, but I kept him updated on my arm and my ribs. I sent him a quick text, reassuring him that I was fine, then grabbed my handcuffs, tightened them up, and settled into bed.
Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
Chaos had captured the floor. Demons were running around, my teammates were chasing them, hunting them. All of it went on as I sat at my perch, watching, trying to keep an eye on everyone to help them, to kill a demon before it got too close. There were too many, though. They were everywhere, left and right, front and back. It was difficult to find the Unit 01 and 02 members among all of them. Somehow, they were holding their own against them. We hadn't even managed to make a dent in their forces, though.
My heart jumped in my throat, I tapped the comm in my ear. "Love, your left!"
1274 spun, taking out the demon on his left, while I finished off 1782's, and then came back for the one he'd been pursuing.
"Thanks, Ace," he said, glancing up at me.
I gave him a thumbs up, turning back to the others. Something I noticed was that it was difficult watching everyone else when all I wanted to do was watch 1274, make sure he was okay and wasn't in danger. While I realized it wasn't fair and I needed to do better, I noticed my eyes drifting to 1274 far more frequently than any of the others on our teams.
Forcing myself to make another round, check up on everyone, I noticed something. In the distance, there was black smoke seeping through the main doors. The temperature dropped suddenly, and my breath became visible in the air. My stomach churned, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
I double tapped my comm, giving me a line to everyone. "They're bringing in reinforcements, northern entrance!"
Just what we fucking needed. We were already overwhelmed... It was going to be a bloodbath. I stepped back, took a deep breath. We didn't have reinforcements. Everyone else was in a different part of the fortress, working to clean out their assigned area. Any of them that finished or their prey vanished, they were to immediately come to the center of the fortress, right where we were. I just prayed that the demons they brought in came from other sections of the building and not from other parts of the Underworld.
Stepping back up, we resumed the fight. Bullets flying, people screaming, blood splattering everywhere. It was a goddamn mess. The entire thing raged on, comrades falling left and right—friends dying, family leaving.
I watched through numb eyes, biting anything that threatened to rise to the surface back down. There was still a job to do. Losses could be mourned later, when there was time. Right then, though, there was still a small army to finish off.
The fight raged on, and for a brief second, I thought I saw the end, the light at the end of the tunnel. The numbers of demons had dropped drastically, ashes covered the floor, along with the fallen Hunters. 1274 was still fighting, still taking down the few remnants. Maybe another twenty minutes and we—
A scream broke through the stilling air. Shrill and high-pitched, instantly recognizable.
Rose.
1274's little sister, she wasn't even supposed to be there, supposed to be Hunting, but we'd let her through. She didn't have a home, a family. She was young, but she was strong. She was one of the best and she hadn't had any formal training... There she lay, blood pooling around her and darkening her uniform. The demon responsible stood over her, a feral grin on its face as it went back in, tearing into her stomach remorselessly.
I couldn't do anything, but stand there and watch. Even if I managed to shoot him, to step up and do something, it would be too late. She was gone... She was gone...
"Rose!"
1274 abandoned everything, running straight to her, vanquishing the demon that was eating its way through his sister. He was on his knees, at her side, desperately grasping at her hands, his shoulders trembling. Wondering what the fuck had happened, why it had happened, why it hadn't been him... why it hadn't been me? She was 1274's sister, but we'd grown close in the last few months. She'd become my best friend, a sister I'd never had.
A black shadow appeared right behind 1274 suddenly. It hadn't been there. Half the demons were gone.
"Lou—"
The shadow ran right through him, ripping him apart, leaving a breathless, lifeless body atop Rose's. No, no!
"Louis! No!"
No, it couldn't be happening. Not Rose, not him, not any of the others. It should've been me! Why wasn't it me?
"Louis!"
I jumped, my breath coming rapidly, my heart pounding in my chest, everything aching, screaming in pain. Fuck, my throat hurt. I dropped my head back onto the pillow and relaxed my arms, feeling my wrists protest harshly against the metal cuffs tethering them to the bed. As I lay there, trying to sooth my breathing, get myself back under control, a loud, repetitive banging overran the sound of my pulse in my ears.
"What?"
I laid there for a moment longer... Someone was knocking? I glanced at the clock. It was half past midnight. Who the fuck would be at my apartment making all that noise that late? Groaning, I freed myself, and padded through my apartment to answer the door. I grabbed the handgun under the kitchen table, just in case it wasn't a friendly visit. It was the middle of the night, after all.
Cracking my door open, I peered outside, only to find Louis standing there, wide eyed and disheveled. I slipped the gun into the back of my board shorts. Answering the door with a gun in my hand when it was just my neighbor—albeit an annoying neighbor—probably looked suspicious.
"What the fuck is going on in there?" he asked, not even giving me a chance to speak.
"Better question, what the fuck are you doing here in the middle of the night, Blanc?"
"Making sure your not getting murdered in here. You've been screaming bloody murder for the last ten minutes."
Thank the gods for the fact that it was dimly lit outside, because I just knew my face turned bright red. "Oh..." I looked down at the floor, my stomach churning with embarrassment. As far as I knew, I was never particularly vocal during nightmares, so that was new. "I'm—gods, I'm sorry. I didn't realize—"
"Hey, are you okay?" Louis bent down, as if trying to get a better look at my face.
I stepped back a little, frowning at him. "I'm—" Oh fuck, the bruising. No, no, no... This was... Fucking hell, who came over in the middle of the night to make sure their annoying neighbor that they hated wasn't getting murdered? Before I knew Louis was 1274, I sure as hell wouldn't have gone to check on him.
"You're?"
"It's nothing. I'm fine. I fucked up the other day. There was a training accident, everything's fine. I'm fine." Yes, because standing there, babbling like an idiot and repeating the word 'fine' every other second seemed perfectly acceptable and not at all suspicious.
Louis frowned, obviously not buying it. At that point, I would've been more surprised if he had. I did not perform well when still half asleep, still a little scared, aching all over, and being glared at like I was a sad excuse of a mass murderer.
"Is anyone else in there with you?" Louis asked, his voice low, eyes flicking into the apartment and back to me again.
"What? No, it's the middle of the goddamn night." I rolled my eyes and heaved a sigh, leaning against the door. "Look, I'm sorry I woke you up. It's been a hell of a night. Let's just forget this, you go back home, go back to bed, and I'll file a complaint about the thinness of these walls tomorrow, yeah?"
The frown deepened and he pursed his lips, eyes drifting back into the apartment. "Are you sure everything's okay?"
"For fuck's sake, Blanc." I ran a hand through my hair, pushing it out of my face. "If I was being murdered in here, you'd know by now. Any smart murderer would polish me off, then answer the door."
Louis's gaze wasn't on my face or the apartment any longer, though. Instead, he was tracking the movements of my hand. I frowned, glancing down. My right sleeve had rolled up, showing a bit of bruising from the fall, as well as the angry, red cuts around my wrists from where I'd pulled so hard on the handcuffs. As long as it wasn't my other wrist, where my soulmark tapered off, I didn't give a shit.
I hadn't realized I'd knocked the wrap off my wrist, though. Later, I'd have to wrap it better, thread it through my fingers so it would fall off.
"Is there anyone you can call, then?" he asked, gaze slowly coming back up to mine. "A friend, someone?"
"I don't need to call anyone. All I need is for you to go home, so I can try to salvage whatever sleep I can get." That probably wouldn't be much. I still felt a little shaky after that nightmare, and things just weren't settling well. I'd go sit on the balcony for a couple of hours, read, try to pull myself together again.
"Look at it from my perspective, Alexei. I wake up in the middle of the night hearing you screaming your head off. I stand here and knock for almost ten minutes before it gets quiet and you answer the door. You're covered in bruises, there are cuts on your wrists, you're standing with you door so cracked, I can only see a sliver of your living room... What am I supposed to think is going on in there? Are you sure you're alone?"
The more I listened to it, it didn't sound like an accusation. He wasn't making sure there weren't any demons in my apartment, it sounded more like he was making sure I wasn't being abused or some shit. Was he worried about me? Me? As Alexei? Gods, I hoped not. I had enough to deal with.
"I'm completely, one-hundred percent alone," I said. "The bruises are from a training accident. The cuts are from an abnormal Hunting practice established by Director Rainier. It's one habit I never got out of after my time Hunting. Trust me, everything is fine."
"And the screaming?"
"I had a nightmare. I'm sorry it got out of hand."
Louis was still glaring at me, that same expression on his face.
"Your face is going to freeze if you keep looking at me like that."
He sighed, shaking his hand and running a hand through his messy hair. "I'd really feel better if I could call someone for you or something. I just—you don't look like you need to be alone right now."
It was this sickening concern of Louis's that was almost enough to break me right then. It was overbearing and annoying back in the day, but at that moment, I wanted it. If I'd been weaker, I would've folded like a fucking house of cards. Something about the thought of Louis's body wrapped around mine, his voice in my ear talking about everything and nothing, gods I wanted that more than anything else. Soothing, but enough to take me out of my head, enough to distract me so I wouldn't go outside, sit there in the dark, and hate myself for letting my family die in front of me while I did nothing.
"There's no one to call," I said, voice low, knowing any louder and that growing, tightening lump in the back of my throat would burst and I'd be a whole hell of a lot more embarrassed than I already was.
"Are you sure? No friends or family? A soulmate? Something?"
"No." I looked at the floor, sick of that pitiful gleam in his eyes, looking at me like I was a filthy, abused puppy he'd found abandoned and alone, lost on the side of the road. "No friends, my family's gone, and my soulmate and I have an estranged relationship, so no. There is no one to call." Closing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath, steadying myself to look back up and tell him to fuck off so I could go have my meltdown in peace.
Bracing myself, I looked back up at him. "Thanks for making sure I'm not dead, I'll recommend you for neighbor of the year. Now, if you don't mind, please fuck off. I've had enough torture for the evening."
Louis sighed defeatedly, finally giving up and going home, thank the gods. "Fine," he said. "I know we don't see eye to eye, but if you ever do want someone to just occupy some space, make sure you're not alone, I'm right next door."
"I won't take you up on that, but thanks for the offer. Goodnight, Louis."
"Goodnight."
Closing the door and locking it, I turned and just sank to the floor, my back pressed against the door. Everything throbbed, aching, synchronizing with my pulse and running all over my body. Building in the back of my throat was that lump, and now that I was well and truly alone, it burst. Hot tears pricked my eyes before spilling down my cheeks, being too much to keep back. I tipped my head back against the door, ignoring the twinge in my neck, and just letting it happen.
I was too tired to egg it on and hate myself more, or pull myself back together and stop being such a fucking baby. So, instead, I just sat there, pressed against my door, crying like a toddler, my entire body screaming in pain, even the parts that I was sure I hadn't injured ached. All the while, the burner phone vibrated on my dresser for almost ten minutes straight. The Glass Hunter would be asleep at this time of night, especially on a school night. But, mainly, I was too much of a fucking wreck to answer the phone and not sound completely fucked, which would be more than enough evidence for Louis to connect the two.
As much as I wanted to answer the phone, talk, just make all of it fucking stop, I knew better. I was more disciplined, and I hated it. I hated all of it. The entire mess, being there, finding out Louis was 1274, missing my old life so fucking much that it made my chest ache. I wanted out. The sooner the Aquireign was gone again, the sooner I could get out of that goddamn school, away from Louis, away from Hunting, the better off I'd be. Fuck the Covenant's codes, fuck the soulmate shit, I wanted out.
I was done.
*** *** ***
Friday, Louis called a strategy meeting after lectures ended. My bruising still hadn't healed, but the little bump in the road Wednesday night had made my life somewhat easier. I didn't have to teleport everywhere, and I didn't have to worry about putting on the ointment and the masking agents and whether they would hold out if a lecture ran over. Instead, I could parade around, bruises exposed, perfecting my lie about a training accident that never happened.
Hell, now that Louis knew about them, it would probably look worse if they mysteriously disappeared. The only reason I'd have to mask them was if something suspicious was going on, which it was, but no one needed to know that.
Before I went to the meeting, I went back to my apartment to call Louis. After my breakdown Wednesday night, I'd buried my head so deep into work Thursday that I hadn't even surfaced to text him back to give him an update on my wrist and ribs. He had sent several messages all day yesterday, all of them asking if I was alive and okay. I'd have to come up with some reason why I'd gone MIA.
"Hello?"
"Hey," I said, the synthesizer in the mask making my voice sound deeper. I walked over to the sofa, sitting down and propping my feet up on the coffee table. "I didn't mean to ignore you for a day and a half. Sorry."
"It's okay. Are you doing alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. My wrist still hurts, but I can take a deep breath without it feeling like I'm getting punched in the chest."
"Well, that's progress," Louis said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "What kept you so busy?"
That was the issue. I didn't have a really good excuse, despite the fact that I'd been thinking of one since yesterday at noon. "Things were really hectic yesterday in class, then I had plans with friends after... It was a busy day. I forgot my phone in my apartment all day today, so I just got home and I figured I'd give you a call, hear your voice before I forget it." As if I ever could. What would I do without that blend of nails on a chalkboard and angels singing constantly in my ear?
Louis chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you called. I was beginning to worry what with your injuries. I was about to go through the faculty logs to see if anyone had unexcused lecture absences to make sure you weren't dead in your apartment."
"Definitely not dead," I said. "Just busy. What did you call me for Wednesday night anyway?"
"Oh... Um, I was just up and... " He sighed. I could picture him, sitting at his desk in his office, brows drawn, chewing at his lower lip, debating whether or not he should tell me. "Okay, I had some issues with my neighbor, and I'd checked on him." He paused, like he was debating on whether he should keep going. What I wanted to know, however, was if he was debating on telling me because he was respecting Alexei's privacy, or if it was because he suspected I was Alexei and didn't want to rehash it and earn my distrust for airing out my dirty laundry to someone that could be a stranger. "I don't know. Something about him that night really bothered me, and I just needed someone to talk to and clear my head, I guess. He looked really upset and sick, and there was nothing I could do. I just hated leaving him there when he looked like he was going to burst into tears."
Gods, that was embarrassing. I was just grateful it was me he was telling it to. For fuck's sake, if that got out to the other professors, my status would be slaughtered.
"I'm sure you did everything you could... Wait, didn't you say your neighbor was Alexei Rivian?"
"Yeah. That's what made it worse."
"You know how stubborn he is. He doesn't really like you anyway. It was very big of you to actually go over and help him, though."
Louis sighed. "I just wish I could've done more. He just seems so alone, you know? I think I'm going to try to take him to dinner later with a few of my friends, get him to socialize a little."
"It's a nice thought, but what makes you think he would go? He doesn't particularly like you."
"I know, but maybe the thought of getting out and talking to someone will be enough for him. I hope it will anyway. I just wish you could've seen him last night, Ace. We've both seen a lot of shit, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone look like that."
Gods, how fucking awful did I look that night? I'd just rolled out of bed and it'd been a difficult few days, but damn. Last time I answered the door after having a bad night.
"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad."
"It was. It looked like he'd been beaten." Louis sighed again. "I hope he'll come out with us. It'd make me feel better about the whole situation."
Oh no. He was using that tone. The very one that could guilt me into just about anything. For fuck's sake...
"Anyway, I was hoping you'd be able to come over after dinner. Maybe we could finish our conversation from earlier this week when we were interrupted?"
Well, if my evening would already be spent dealing with the more irritating side of Louis, I might as well have some fun out of it. "Sure," I said. "Just text me when you guys get back and I'll be right over. Good luck with Rivian."
"Thanks. I'll need it."
We ended the call, and I trekked back across campus, back to the usual conference room. Of course, I was the last one to come crawling through the door, five minutes past five. I'd given up on punctuality while being Alexei and had instead opted to embrace my lateness, while striving to be earlier as the Glass Hunter.
As soon as I stepped through the door, Louis's eyes were on me, tracking me all the way to my seat. For a moment, he didn't say anything, just watched me before turning his attention to the entirety of the table.
"Now that we're all here, I wanted to apologize formally for having to authorize so many assignments on such short notice over the last few weeks. The investigative team hasn't given me much warning before issuing critical level assignments, so quick action has been pivotal."
Everyone dismissed it quickly, no one really minding. Half of them couldn't say anything anyway since they were on the team being dispatched and understood the situation.
"On Division 01 Unit 01's last assignment, a lead was found. Since everything started, investigative has been taking shots in the dark, as directed by the Covenant. They've been dispatching the Division 01 Units to any demonic gangs that have ties to the Aquireign, but during Unit 01's assignment, the Glass Hunter found a lead."
Yeah, a lead that threw me twenty feet off a fucking balcony.
"Or what the investigative team considers a lead at least. After reading the reports from Unit 01, they deduced that the entity spotted was a demonic astral form. They aren't sure what demon is projecting it, but whatever it is, it's powerful enough to inflict damage on Hunters and real enough to lift them. As of now, they are still investigating who or what the source of the projection is, so until then, they intend to continue sending in assignments involving the destruction of small gangs and demons tied to the Aquireign," Louis said, running a hand through his slicked back hair. "In addition to this, two more attacks have happened. Sometime next week, I would like to visit a spouse of one of the victims. They live an hour from here, so it would be a brief trip. I'll be in touch with everyone next week to look at schedules and availability. Obviously, not everyone will be able to go, but one or two of you should come to have a look around, get information. The investigative team isn't the only one that's allowed to gather information."
The meeting continued briskly and quietly, a few questions being tossed around, all of them concerning faster ways to handle authorizing critical assignments, as well as getting the ball rolling on future strategies concerning the defeat of the Aquireign. As it neared 18:00, the meeting began to wind down, and I sat there, praying Louis had dropped the whole dinner thing and I could skip out on that mess and just have a nice evening at home before going to his apartment as the Glass Hunter to delve into all the fantasies I'd been concocting for over a century.
"Well, if there aren't any more questions, the meeting is dismissed."
No one said a word and just as I was preparing to teleport and get out of there before Louis had the chance to try anything, he caught me.
"Oh, Alexei, will you stay for just a second. I needed to speak with you," he said.
I froze, raising my brows. "Sure."
Looking between the two of us, everyone slowly left the room, a little unsure of exactly what was about to happen. Little did Louis know, I already knew exactly what was about to happen. I already had a plan in place too.
Once everyone was out of the room, Louis started. "So, me and a few others from the strategy team were going to get dinner around 18:30. Would you like to join?"
"Not really, no," I said. Just because he used the guilt trip on me didn't mean I would cave. That was only as the Glass Hunter, he hadn't used it on Alexei, so I couldn't cave.
He blinked, seeming stunned by the bluntness of my answer. "It'll be on me. Besides, we're discussing work things, and your input could be valuable."
I rolled my eyes. "This is a pity invitation," I said, folding my arms. "The only reason you want me to come is so you can feel better about what you saw the other night, but I told you that I'm fine. I don't need whatever this sad invitation is supposed to be."
Louis shook his head. "I'm not going to lie to you. On some level, yes, I feel sorry for you, so I'm inviting you. On the other hand, I just really want you there, because I wasn't lying about work or your input. As much as we argue, I still respect your knowledge and opinions, especially when it comes to Hunting matters. You seem to know what you're talking about."
"Of course I do. I didn't take this position because I didn't know what I was doing."
"Seriously, Alexei, I want you to come. I feel like you'd enjoy it more than you think. You ever been to Chix?"
I shook my head. "I don't eat anywhere on campus. I don't want to run into students, or worse, faculty, after hours."
"Well, they have a little bit of everything, so if you're picky, you should still be able to find something you like. I'll be by your apartment to get you at 18:30 sharp."
"Whoa, I never fucking said—"
"Try to stick to business casual, and for gods' sake, don't run late."
Before, I could get another word out, he teleported out of the room, leaving me sitting there alone, wondering how the fuck he'd ripped the situation from me, spun it into something he wanted, and tossed it back, all with me barely being able to get in a word edgewise.
Fine, so I'd go to dinner, keep everything strictly business, but after that... Oh, Louis was fucking in for it. I'd tease that bastard until his balls turned blue.