Silvia holds my hand and takes me to the cleaning storage room, meanwhile the walk to the mop is quite interesting.

Every Lycan in human form with the red crimson eyes, Onyx's pack, are all looking at me, after hearing a word or two about who I was from their Lycan King. I am a target, I feel it, and instead of feeling terrified, I feel a little excited honestly. Maybe I am insane to feel that way. But I just enjoy the demon's purity of attention. So purely focused on nothing else but their desire, there was something beautiful about it. I feel shiny and special and sparkly. Mm. Lycans were really something else. It's because they felt too, loneliness like my Anubis, abandonment, heart ache, emotions they rarely expressed in full clarity, but they certainly felt it all through their entire bodies, as similar as any supernatural or mortal being. They had souls, they were just drenched in a hot, feverish darkness, bred for protection and guarding duties.

Silvia winds me around a corridor out of sight from the Lycans and she briefly walks me past the cleaning closet. However, before I can take note of what's inside, she turns to me with a finger to her lips and keeps tugging me further along.

She runs, her blonde hair billows out mischievously behind her and I run to keep up with her.

Silvia runs me down into the den, bypassing all the open guest rooms, where some naked girls are already awaiting the Lycan's return. It could almost be considered a brothel, but I know it's just that these girls are the willing sex slaves to their favoured Lycans.

Silvia takes me right to the end of the den, and we enter a much larger master bedroom with fairy lights, a black walled chamber with a bed full of red silk sheets and art of forests at night on the walls. It smells of sex, pheromones and pine.

Silvia walks to a cabinet holding special liquor behind a glass wall, but she rummages around in the bottom draws, before turning around and showing me the prize treasure.

A credit card.

"Now don't you say a word, because I have an idea," Silvia warns me not to speak so I purse my lips shut obediently and listen intently with my hands clasped behind my back, "...not literally, Cleo, I'm just saying don't tell anyone I'm doing this... by anyone... I mean Onyx, okay?"

I keep my lips pursed and shake my head, agreeing.

Silvia sits on the edge of the bed and turns on a tablet, searching for something on the internet.

I peep over her shoulder, and see her looking up hotels.

"I'm getting you a proper bed," Silvia explains, looking at me over her shoulder, "Just for a few nights until I can work out something else for you. You said you were banished, correct?"

"Correct."

"Do you want your magic back?" Silvia asks me, "You're not a very good mortal. No offense."

"What on Earth do you mean by that?"

"You're too damn cute," Silvia smiles warmly back at me, "Don't worry, heheh, I was only teasing. I decided I'm going to help you get your magic back. You need the help. I'm going to provide it. There is always a way with demons, I promise. I'm also going to help you find your mate, too."

"Oh my, thank you so much, friend!" I jump on the bed with her and lay down next to her, watching to see how she scrolls through the results, "Wow, what a large list that is there," I'm mesmerised with the internet, "Can I have a go, please?"

"Not yet, I want to book you something first," Silvia admits.

"You really don't want me to work here?" I ask, a little hurt.

"You still can, but this hotel around the corner is for all three of us, girls only, so Carmen and I can help you stay out of trouble, I just think together we can help you find your way home, as long as the other Lycans aren't in the picture. Lycans are furry and cute, but a distraction."

"How come they will be so distracting? I'm not planning on bothering them," I wonder out loud, still confused.

Silvia looks at me with furrowed brows, "Babe. Onyx isn't going to help you leave. He's going to try and enslave you into the ranks. But I'm going to help you."

"...he wants to enslave..." I gulp, suddenly frowning, "Oh I... understand you better now. I didn't believe you before. But, Silvia, I don't want to be his slave. I am taken by Anubis. I am proud to be Anubis' slave."

"I know, sweety. At least you understand me better now, we need to get you home to your love," Silvia picks out a hotel and books us a room. She does it quick, her fingers lightning fast. She'd be a great list maker. She uses the card to pay for the room. Then she quickly rolls off the bed, and returns the card to the draw, "We can go whenever you want," Silvia says, "But for me it would be better if we go tomorrow – after I've satiated his their lust for the night. You can hide in here if it gets too intense out there while you're cleaning. It's pretty safe in here, we rarely fuck in here, Onyx likes to fuck me in public, we usually just sleep in here, so keep that in mind, just walk into this room if you need a break, no one comes in here but Onyx and I," Silvia crosses her arms over her chest, waiting for my reaction.

My ears feel ticklish.

Thump. Thump. Thump. THUMP. Scraping.

"I can hear a Lycan coming here... and something else," I whisper to her, "...I think he's bringing chains –"

"Already?" Silvia flushes, "Get under the bed, Cleo, until I'm gone."

I nod and climb off the edge, to roll under the bed.

I can see Silvia's feet as she rushes to undress, grabbing different clothes from another wardrobe.

There's a knock at the door, and a shadow looming underneath.

"I'm just getting changed into something else for you, Onyx!" Silvia calls out, friendly, "I won't be long."

The door swings open and Onyx strolls in.

"I don't give a fuck about lingerie," he drawls suspiciously, knowing she's up to something.

"Well, get used to it, because I like it," Silvia snaps back, while Onyx walks over to her, and I can then see what he's left just outside the door, so can Silvia, because she asks him, quietly, "Why did you bring a cage here?"

"You bitches have been naughty all night, talking back, snapping back," Onyx snarls his displeasure, "The three of you are sharing a cage intended for one bitch. Carmen, you and the mop. But you'll all get over it when you're melting into each other."

"Onyx, I swear, you can't be s..." Silvia trails off, "Of course you're serious. Cleo said she doesn't want to be a slave. So you can't touch her. You said she could keep her rights. Keep to your word. She's only here because she is lonely, don't take advantage of that."

"Get in," Onyx ignores her plea for me.

"No way, it's tiny. You can't be fucking serious!" Silvia begs now.

"I'll be the judge of that," Onyx approaches and grabs her by the hair, dragging her to the cage.

As Silvia screams, I make a gasp of complaint and have to slap a hand over my mouth.

Onyx pauses at the sound of my gasp, but immediately starts to stride back to the cage and drops in a naked Silvia. He puts a chain around her neck that's looped onto the cage bars. He pets her hair down her spine, petting her like a dog, and his drool sweeps all over her. Silvia is trying to look angry, but as she squirms around to look back up at him, her cheeks go pink and she squeezes her legs together, trying to hide her desire.

Onyx smirks down at her... and turns around toward the bed.

Toward me.

Oh, no.

I stop breathing.

I also keep my legs pressed tightly together.

"Come out," Onyx calls for me, professionally, "And take off your clothes. I want you naked next to my Queen."

"I don't belong to you!" I scream out from under the bed, I can't help it.

Onyx immediately ducks down and looks under the bed, tilting his large curious wolf head.

His red eyes catch mine and he leaps over.

I try to crawl to the other side but his claws swipe under and grasp my ankle, dragging me out roughly.

Now it's my turn to scream as he holds me upside down by the ankle.

"I'm not yours!" I try to beat his leg with my closed fists, but my arms can't reach, so my arms swing uselessly.

"Shh, pup. You like Silvia, don't you?" Onyx twists the topic, "You can be close to her. Do you want to be close to her?"

"Y –" I close my mouth, what a trickster! "Hey! You won't trick me!" I yell, trying to punch him again, "You'll regret this, I swear!" I add and it makes him laugh, a guttural and demonic noise.

He walks and keeps holding me upside down as he explains, "I won't fuck you, mop – just her. Like I said. You can clean up the mess," Onyx realises at the last second I still have clothes on. He drops me to the floor, and I jump to my feet, sprinting down the corridor the first chance I get.

I don't run into empty shadows. The whole damn pack is waiting for me! I try to duck and roll, but Onyx's brothers block my escape, reaching for me as one. They all grab a piece of me, hauling me back up. Their claws start to tear into my white jeans and shirt as I struggle around.

I scream again, my heart leaping for Anubis! This wasn't his pack!

"HELP!" I scream for my love, now scared to death of these new Lycans. I was not theirs! I was not theirs!

As I'm being manhandled, subsequentially losing my mind to adrenaline and a rush of terror, I see another snarling female being dragged over.

Carmen!

"After all we do for you, this is how you treat us, you dog?" Carmen snarls at Onyx as she's pulled down the corridor.

"I'm done with your disrespect," Onyx snarls over everyone, so that his brothers stop tearing at my clothes and I fall to my hands and crawl backwards, avoiding them, "You forget you serve demons. Throw the brats in the cage, hang them up high – I swear, none of you are getting fucked ever again until you're fucking quiet!" Onyx snarls that last part, which shuts up Carmen.

I've crawled backwards to Silvia, who is looking at me apologetically.

I hold onto her fingers through the cage, and Onyx sets his crimson eyes on us next.

"You were right...t-they're terrifying... it's been a little bit exciting, but I'm honestly just scared right now," I whisper to her, trembling all over.

"I'm sorry, Cleo. I'm stuck in here and can't help you, but I wish I could!" Silvia whispers back, and goes quiet as Onyx comes over, drooling over the cage, quietening her with dark deep resonating growls. They're somehow reassuring and mean all at once. Onyx reaches for my leg, he doesn't care that I'm only in ripped clothes anymore, he lets me stay clothed, but drops me into the small cage anyway. I land on my back first, curled up next to Silvia, looking up at Onyx staring in, appreciating the view of us crammed inside. He likes what he sees.

Onyx grabs a chain next to me and tries to wrap it around my neck like he did to Silvia, so I struggle to move out of the way, kicking with my arms flying. I'll use my teeth if I have to!

"It's not for you, pup, calm yourself," Onyx tells me, more quietly, "It's for the dumb bitch going in on top of you."

I look to see.

Carmen is being carried over by the pack, she casually inspects her nails as she's throws over the top of them toward the cage.

She's fully naked when thrown in over Silvia, who's tried to curl into the side to make more room.

Carmen falls between us, in the middle, while I'm now firmly stuck in my section, the bars digging into my back and elbows and calves.

"It's so tight," I complain to Onyx, who simply winds the chain around Carmen's neck like a leash and makes sure she's restricted in her spot, before he slams the door shut on the top and locks us all in.

The pissed off Lycan turns and starts to drag the cage along the floor.

When I turn my head to Carmen and Silvia, they look like twins, seemingly used to this, they've got comfortable by winding their legs together, half embracing one another to help give me more room.

"You're lucky they're not gonna fuck us, only hang us up in the ceiling to swing," Carmen huffs, "Onyx is such a bastard, they'll fuck everyone else and only if we're good they'll pleasure us last. I hate waiting."

"Your impatient for them to be fucking you after this?" I whisper, my eyes bulging, "I understand the lust but I only signed up to clean, to get a bed. I didn't sign up to this."

"This is the price of that bed, you sweet thing, I tried to warn you," Silvia sighs, "At least Carmen's huge tits are comfy. You can rest on them. She won't mind."

"I really won't," Carmen agrees, smiling at me kindly, "Sorry for being mean to you before. Welcome to the club."

"At least I'm not alone anymore," I tell them, resting my cheek on Carmen's chest, above her tit. Silvia rests on her other breast and we all get quite comfortable despite the circumstances.

"You're both so soft and warm," Carmen smiles, "I should have just been a lesbian, sometimes I really do wonder why I bother with men," Carmen sighs, "Monsters are so much hard work... but they're hard, you know... that's the problem, I like hard and mean."

Onyx drags us out into the club and we go quiet, as he drops the cage onto the middle of the dance floor, and connects it to a chained system to start hauling us up in the air so we're floating between the Lycans.

The club has been emptied out, and no one remains.

Um.

What's happening now?

"...Onyx...where are all your bitches gone?" Silvia asks, looking worried, "Did you send them all home?"

"Shut up," Onyx snarls over her, "You're all bait. Now you just need to bleed. Keep still."

A Lycan each tries to grab our limbs and pull them outside the cage bars.

One Lycan grabs Carmen's ankle and makes a small incision on her leg with their fangs, letting the blood drip. She kicks it back into his snout and holds her knee to her chest, hissing between her teeth.

Silvia's hand is pulled out and cut down the middle with the edge of a claw.

Onyx looks after me, keeping his eyes on me. He grabs my hair and simultaneously morphs into his human form unexpectedly when he sees me still trembling uncontrollably, unlike his still and trained submissives next to me.

My eyes widen when I see a sacrificial blade handed to him. I recognise it from my training in the Fairy Lists. It's used for sacrificing life. I freeze as Onyx opens the cage and puts his hand around my neck, pulling me up into a sitting position so my head is now out of the cage.

"Shh," Onyx is now Oswald, Silvia's husband, as she explained to me behind the bar, "Don't be scared of this blade," he puts the blade against my throat gently, sliding the flat edge across my pulse, "...it's not for you – but for him. The bitch Anubis," he promises me I'm safe, but the mention of my lover is unbearable.

"No," I whimper immediately, "NO! You can't touch him."

Oswald pockets the knife and keeps his hand on my neck, his finger under my jaw as he tilts my head up to his as he leans down to get closer to my tears, inspecting my green frightened eyes.

"You'll learn to serve who you belong to now. Will you do anything I ask?" he drawls over me, "I wouldn't be doing this if you weren't born for it, bitch – you're wet as a fucking blood bath," Onyx's lips touch mine, and he initiates a kiss where his saliva is shared with my own, while his other fingers run down my torn top toward my jeans, where I slam my legs together, even as his fingers run over the material over my mound, just teasing me.

Fuck him!

As I pretend to kiss him back, I bite his bottom lip hard. Instead of releasing me, Oswald smiles through the blood spilt, as his brothers grab my arm as I'm distracted and they pull it through the bars, making a small incision in my arm so the blood drips out onto the floor with Silvia and Carmen's 'donation'.

"If you try and take my love from me," I whisper up at him, "No matter how wet you make me –" Onyx slips his fingers over my lips and straight into my mouth, over my tongue as I try to talk, and he watches as I accidentally suckle on them just for a second, before I bite and he only holds my jaw still.

"Don't bite, sweet soul – practice with your tongue. I can tell you're inexperienced. I'll teach you otherwise. Don't cry," Oswald notes the tears still streaming down my face, while I taste his fingers in my mouth.

"You're such an asshole," Silvia yells at him in protest, and he abruptly releases my face to grab hers instead. He leans over and licks her face as if to apologise for not giving her his full attention, from jaw to temple his tongue runs over her face, it's kind of cute, but when he sees Carmen glaring at him from below, he releases Silvia to spit on Carmen.

I try randomly punching him with my closed fist, and I make contact with his chin.

My punch might be weak, but I still make contact.

Oswald morphs into Onyx directly above me, and pushes us all back down with his claws, slamming the cage door again.

Onyx backs up, into the shadows of his club.

All the lights have been manually switched off.

Slowly, as the eyes of all the Lycans are on us in the cage, a crimson light fills the club from hell, a magical light, as if summoned to bathe us all in its cursed glow.

And below us?

Is a puddle.

Our blood combined makes an ideal reflection.

We all stare down into it.

The reflection shows three caged Lycan bitches, hovering like a delicious snack.

It's a mirror of blood straight own to Anubis.

I understand now.

When I glance around at the Lycans, they are not going to use their claws and teeth alone. Each Lycan now holds a sharp weapon and Onyx has his sacrificial blade. Onyx was tempting Anubis and his pack to come through. He was temping them toward an ambush and a slaughter. All we can hear is our laboured breathing in the tight cage.

I keep crying at the thought of Anubis being hurt, and I shuffle myself a bit to the right, to look down straight at the reflection, my tears now joining the pool of blood.

"Anubis..." I whisper, the only voice now in the room, but I'm not embarrassed, "...where are you?" I fight to hold back a whimper of want.

A reflection of red eyes finally shows.

Anubis has shaved off his fur. His black skin remains, his piercings have doubled and he is painted in gold. He looks right at me through the reflection, and behind him I see a sparkling little thing, as small as a feather... in a little bird cage. My birdcage.

Inside?...is a fairy... The Queen Fairy!

And in Anubis' hand? The King Fairy, struggling to get out, one of his wings is bent and damaged.

Anubis looks at me with a promise in his eye.

I've got you.

He opens his hand and the King Fairy is released, flying haphazardly, distressed his Queen is trapped. A deal has been brokered.

To interfere with Fate!

The King Fairy flies through the reflection like a shooting star, colliding with the cage's chain, he destroys the links.

The cage?

Falls.

Straight down into the portal.

To the restricted Under.

As the wind rushes past my face and lifts my hair in the dive down, I smile widely.

Now I'm going home.