Nex couldn't be in the house where everything smelled like her. Then tomorrow she'd be home and she'd smell different. She'd smell like him. He was very tempted to follow them but after much arguing with himself, he let it go and stayed away.

That fucker better take it slow with her or so help me, he thought.

He met up with Lucian in a park, drinking until he wasn't constantly thinking about it anymore, wasn't constantly picturing them together. He lost count of the number of drinks and laid back in the grass, glaring up at the sky and wishing he could just go home. Kat had too strong of an effect on him and he just wanted to go home.

"Your jealousy is out of control tonight," Lucian said, sitting on the grass next to him.

"It's not jealousy," Nex snapped. "She's just weaseled her way into me and so I'm annoyingly concerned for her."

"I believe that," Lucian nodded. "I also know you're jealous and if you don't watch it, Lilith is going to come find you and her."

"So you've said many times," Nex growled. "Just shut up and leave me alone."

"I have a mission tomorrow. You want to go? Take your mind off things?"

"Fine," Nex agreed, sitting up and taking another swig from the bottle.

"I gotta get some rest, Nex," Lucian said, standing up. "Don't get into trouble finding your way home."

"My home is unreachable," Nex growled in frustration, standing up unsteadily.

"You're starting to get annoying to be around. I suggest you work on that," Lucian chuckled before disappearing in the shadows.

Nex sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he headed back to the house. He drank the rest of the bottle and decided he didn't want to stay there tonight. He'd find somewhere else to go. The only thing was he was now out of alcohol and the stores were closed so he would at least have to stop in for that.

He stumbled down the street and tried to not think of her green eyes and wild red hair he liked so much. He tried not to think of the freckles on her face or how her skin was so pale and creamy white that her blushes showed too easily. He tried not to think how easily that pale skin would turn red if he had kissed her neck a little harder. The idea of leaving his mark on her to stake his claim excited him more than it should but it would be so easy to do with skin like that.

The amount of times he fantasized about her was disturbing to him. She was too innocent. And yet, that drew him in even more. She was so innocent and yet she reacted to him. Her responsiveness every time he touched her or got close to her just amplified the desire to be with her. He wanted nothing more than to take away that innocence, strip her bare so he could see every part of her, see her raw and real instead of so cool and collected. The times he'd been close to her gave him a brief glimpse into what that would look like that and thinking about it too hard left him in ruins.

He tried to force out the memories of her last night when she saw him, saw the real him, and didn't run away but even reached out and touched him. He hated the way that affected him, the way it touched him deeper than she could understand. He hated the way she so easily accepted Lucian and Marcus and made an effort to get to know them despite what they were. He hated how much of her was everything he never knew he wanted and somehow now everything he felt he needed.

But he couldn't have her. She was taken and even if she wasn't, she was much too pure for him. For a demon. Angels didn't sleep with demons and she was the closest thing this realm had to an angel.

Nex made it to the house and stopped, wondering if he actually needed the alcohol. He quickly decided he definitely did and walked up to the house. He walked in the door and froze. Kat was here. Not only was she here but... She was crying. Kat was crying.

He rushed to the bedroom where she was curled up, wrapped in blankets, a bottle of whiskey lying next to her on the bed. Nex walked over and crouched next to her, setting his hand on her tear-stained cheek.

"What's wrong, kitten?" He asked, his brows furrowing. "What happened?"

That only made her cry harder. She turned her face into the pillow and clutched it. Nex moved to the bed, sitting on the edge and rubbing her back.

"Katherine," he said softly. "What's wrong? Did he hurt you?"

"He," she started before crying harder again. "I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid. I should've listened to you," she sobbed, curling up tighter and clutching the blankets around her. "I hate myself so much. I'm so stupid."

Nex practically whimpered at seeing her so upset, moving closer to her and stroking her hair back while rubbing her back. "Tell me what happened, kitten," he said, trying to keep his voice even although the anger was already building for whatever Jason did to her. "Let me be here for you."

She kept trying to get it out but then would start crying again. "You're going to think I'm such an idiot," she cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "You're going to say you told me and I can't, Nex. I can't. I know you told me. I know I was stupid," she sobbed, her whole body shaking. "I don't need it hammered in any more than it has been. Trust me, no one hates me as much as I do right now."

"I won't do that to you, Katherine. I promise. You can tell me," he said, dropping his head down to hers.

She cried so hard he decided to back off and wait. She only stopped crying enough a couple times to drink the whiskey and that concerned him as well. It wasn't like her to drink like that, even at the party she didn't drink this much. His imagination was running wild with the possibilities of what could've happened but he tried to force them out and focus on her now.

Nex waited until she calmed down more and was finally able to tell him what happened. The terrible sex, the laughing, the picture, the game he and Ashley played. All a trick. All a guise to humiliate her and break her heart. While he did his best to maintain a calm exterior for her, he was raging inside.

He moved behind her and curled around her, holding her tightly until she wasn't crying so hard, until she'd had so much to drink her speech was slurring.

"I'm so stupid," Kat whispered when she was done, the tears falling down her cheeks. "I hate myself. I hate myself so much."

"No you're not," Nex said, holding her tighter. "Don't hate yourself, Katherine, you're everything good in the world. He's stupid. She's stupid."

"You were right," Kat sniffled. "I should've listened to you. I wish I would've listen to you, I just..." she inhaled shakily. "I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know. I should've listened to you."

"You couldn't have known," Nex said, running his hands through her hair. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault at all. It was a fucked up thing they did. Incredibly fucked up," he said, trying very hard to keep the growl inside.

"Do you think they'll say things about me at school?" She asked, looking back at him, the fear evident in her eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Katherine. I'll handle it," he said, wiping away the tears.

"You can't do anything," she said, her lip quivering as she faced forward again, resting her cheek against her now tear-soaked pillow.

Wanna bet? Nex thought.

"I'm never doing that again," she mumbled, her eyes sliding shut. She'd drank almost the entire bottle of whiskey by herself. "I'm never letting anyone that close to me again."

Nex felt a painful tug inside of him at her statement but he stayed silent. She was about to fall asleep but she looked back at him again and he wanted nothing more than to be something other than what he was, something that could comfort her. He didn't have abilities like that, like angels did. He never wanted them until now.

"You hate me now, don't you?" She asked, tears filling her eyes again.

"Of course I don't," Nex frowned. "Why the hell would I hate you?"

"Because I..." She turned away and said nothing.

Nex wasn't sure what she meant but he would do anything to make her feel better. "I don't hate you. I don't hate what's perfect," he said, holding her tighter.

"I'm not perfect," she whispered. "Especially now."

"Your perfection and your worth is not based in something so trivial," Nex argued, pressing a kiss against her temple. "This single incident doesn't define you. Don't for a second think that it does. You are much more than what happened tonight and anyone that thinks differently can burn in the deepest pits of hell."

She looked back at him but it didn't last. The alcohol and emotional exhaustion caught up with her and her eyes slid shut. Nex stayed with her until she was completely out, her heart rate slowed and breathing slowed. He got up and off the bed then crouched in front of her pushing her hair out of her face and wiping away the rest of the tears. Katherine being asleep made it much easier to say out loud what he truly felt.

"I would still have you," he whispered. "This means nothing. I would still have you just as eagerly as I would before," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. "To me, you're still perfect."

He stayed there, lips against her forehead, fingers in her hair. He was ready to rip apart the entire city to find Jason and yet another part of him ached at the thought of leaving her alone. He pressed his forehead against hers, eyes sliding shut.

"Forgive me, Katherine," he whispered. "Forgive me for this but it has to be done. I will never use my powers on you like this again. I promise," he said, setting his hands on either side of her face and pulling in all the negative emotions from tonight. All the horrible things she felt from what happened, he pulled it all in until he could feel how terrible she felt, until it filled every part of him to the point it was almost unbearable.

It only made his anger grow.

He placed a kiss on her forehead and stayed there a moment, running his fingers through her hair. "Don't worry, kitten," he murmured. "No one hurts you and gets away with it."

He stayed a moment longer then stood up and straightened out his jacket. It had been long enough the effects of the alcohol he had earlier mostly wore off. He made sure the blankets were snug around her before walking outside and to the dumpster where she said she put the clothes from tonight. He reached in and pulled out the dress, able to smell him still. Kat had scrubbed herself so much when she got home there was almost none of his scent left but the dress still had it. The phone, Kat discarded outside Jason's house after permanently deleting that photo.

Nex closed his eyes and inhaled the scent deeply then drew out one claw and cut his arm, allowing the blood and scent to mingle until he was able to find the link that would lead him to Jason's house. The hunter in him took over and his eyes snapped open, no longer amber but a deep, blood red. He tossed the dress back in the dumpster and headed down the street, following that link all the way to Jason's house.

It was clear he and Ashley were having sex, he could hear and smell them both. Good. In one place together. That made it easier. He cracked his knuckles and stared at Jason's door with more hatred than he ever felt before. It coursed through him in a way he'd never felt before. Even the worst kinds of people who brought harm to thousands didn't fill him with as much rage as the man and woman that hurt Katherine.

"You're going to wish I could kill you," he said, a dark smile forming on his face. "No one hurts my angel," he growled, stepping through the front door.

Jason and Ashley were in bed with her on top. She moaned as she bounced up and down on top of him while he held her hips and thrusted up into her. They both felt close to reaching climax when the bed was suddenly on fire. Nex knew the fire couldn't hurt them, but they didn't know that.

Ashley screamed and jumped off the bed. Jason clambered off the bed, nearly falling on his face as he slid off, backing away from the bed.

"What the hell happened??" Ashley squealed.

"I don't know, I don't know," Jason panicked, darting out the door for the fire extinguisher.

Ashley got up to follow after him but the door slammed shut. She gasped and backed away from it. The lights shut off and the only light now was the fire on the bed. Ashley tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. Then she heard a growl, a deep rumble that had her screaming and backing against the door.

Through the flames she saw a silhouette. A creature horns and glowing red eyes but no other visible features. She screamed and pulled at the door but it wouldn't open.

I thought you like to play games, Ashley, a deep voice sounded in her head and she whimpered, trying to back further into the door as the figured drew closer, the only thing visible his outline and red eyes.

"Don't hurt me," Ashley said, sliding to the floor, tears streaming down her face. "What are you?"

Nex bent down to eye level and used his shadows to force her to look up at him. "An avenger for the innocent, sent from the depths of hell to punish you for your sins. Hurt any innocent people recently?"

Ashley shook her head and tried to look away but the shadows wrapped around her like tendrils, holding her in place. Then suddenly, he and the force holding her down was gone. She cried and stood up, yanking the door open and running down the hall.

In the kitchen Jason was backed against a wall with knives floating in the air pressed against his throat and his dick. The lights flickered so rapidly he could barely make out what was happening until a figured appeared in front of him, towering over him, glowing red eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.

"There's a special place in hell for people like you." The figure growled and clawed hands wrapped around Jason's neck. "I only wish to return to the underworld so I could spend the rest of eternity making you regret your disgusting actions. See how funny it is now," it said.

Jason's eyes widened as a horrible, all-consuming feeling took over him. Embarrassment, shame, heartbreak, violation, it took over him until he couldn't stand it, until fear and pain took over and tears filled his eyes. He whimpered and started to sink to the floor until he felt the cool blade of the knives still pressed against his most vulnerable parts.

"Feeling helpless and scared? How fucking horrible that must feel," the figure growled before disappearing.

The figure disappeared but the knives stayed in place, keeping him from moving. Jason looked over at Ashley, whimpering. "Help me," he said, his voice shaking.

Ashley shook her head and ran to the front door, yanking on the handle. It didn't open. Things in the kitchen started flying around almost hitting Jason, breaking all the dishes. Then there was a loud screeching as words started carving into his cupboards.

Liar, the message read.

Suddenly everything dropped to the floor and Jason collapsed, looking around nervously, unable to stop shaking.

"I can't get out!" Ashley screamed, pulling on the door.

Jason unsteadily got to his feet and rushed down the hall to the door but he also couldn't get it open. The lights started flickering once more and they heard it again, what sounded like claws against his walls. Then the scratches appeared. Five deep scratches on both sides of the hallway, coming towards them slowly, tearing up the wallpaper and damaging the wood underneath but seeming to come from nowhere.

"We're going to die," Jason whimpered, cowering back against the door with Ashley.

I'm not going to kill you, the voice boomed in both their minds. I'm going to put the fear of hell in you.