SEVENTEEN

The both of them rushed around grabbing at clothes trying to cover themselves up. I walked towards them grabbing Rai and yanking her towards me. I could feel her trying to pull away, but my fingers were like iron around her arm.

Pushing her to the door I didn't need to speak she just let out this angry teenager scream before walking out the room. I looked towards Emiko next. My eyes glaring at the older woman for a moment. A part of me wanted to rip her throat out. I wanted to call her every nasty name I could think of.

It was probably what Shu would have been doing if he walked in on the two of them. Those were human actions. Emiko has seen me as nothing but a demon since I met her. She didn't deserve to see the human side of me.

"Have you lost your fucking mind? She's fourteen!" I didn't care that laws that involved ages no longer implied in this day and age.

"Seem like we got daddy all mad," there was this mocking tone to her voice. Emiko was trying to provoke me. She wanted to arouse a reaction from me. She wouldn't like any that I gave her.

"What's the matter, demon? Upset that I was with your little girl." Was this just a game to her? Was Rai someone she was just using to get at me?

"If I was angry you would be dead right now." There wouldn't be anything the others could do to stop me either. "It's from my respect of Soji that you're still alive." Because he loved me. Because something about him drew me to him. I watched as her face twisted when I brought up Soji.

She had been doing a bad job keeping him away from me since we met. Before it had only been kissing. Tonight was the first time we went farther. How long had Rai and Emiko been doing this? Why didn't I notice sooner? Because I been so wrapped up in my own life. I've been wrapped up in Ban and Soji. How disgraceful. Shu would have wanted me to do better.

"For Soji," she laughed openly at me, "If any of this was for Soji you would stay away from him." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Soji is our white mage. His powers have saved many lives. He is father's most precious possession."

Now I frowned. She was talking about Soji as if he was nothing more than a tool for his group to use. I had gotten that vibe from her before. She was so possessive of him. Not because she felt protective over Soji, the person. Just because she didn't want me breaking Soji the object, Soji the tool, Soji the white mage.

"I'm here at his side to make sure that he doesn't get caught up in people, or rather things like you." My lips pulled back in a sneer. I could see her smiling. She thought that she was doing something. I suppose she was. She was pissing me off. "Did I hit a nerve, demon?"

My lips twitched slightly. Did she think calling me a demon was offensive? I knew what I was. When I accepted what I was like Ban told me the fog cleared away. For the last forty years of my life, I lived with a clear head and a clean soul. Her bantering was just amusing to me.

"Would you like to know why Soji was allowed to stay with you? Why he hasn't be taken back home and you locked inside of a cage?" My arms crossed my chest as I leaned back into the dresser. This was bound to be interesting. Why was Soji the church's doll allowed to stay at the side of a demon?

"The first night you took him he made a call," I remember that call. I didn't know who it was too. "He called his father. Told dear old daddy that he could learn all of your secrets. That he could learn what links you to Ban." She giggled as she walked closer to me. I moved my arms standing up straighter. Emiko had a nasty habit of attacking me and I was going to be ready.

"Do you really think someone like him could love someone like you?"

Love, no, I didn't actually believe in love. It was nice when Soji said it to be, but I wasn't going to get my panties in a twist over a few little words like love. If I let love trip me up, then Ban would have me right where he wanted me.

"He's very good at his job Zassago."

I rolled my eyes as she used my demon name. Emiko reached up touching the chain around my neck. She ran her fingers along the chain, but I grabbed her wrist before she could touch the ring that rested at the end of it. I didn't care what she said about me. I hardly cared what she said about Soji. No one but myself and Ban was allowed to touch this ring.

I tossed her away from me with little effort. Her body falling at the foot of the bed. She jumped back up quickly. Her gun was in her hand. I doubt that the bullets inside of it was going to kill me. Still getting shot hurt like a bitch.

Moving towards her quickly I grabbed the arm that held the gun. Twisting it behind her back I yanked it sharply. She screamed as I dislocated her shoulder. Crumbling to her knees, her hand hovered over her shoulder. Grabbing her I snapped her arm back in place and she screamed out again. I knew that getting the limb put back in place hurt more then having it taken out.

"Don't touch my ring." I hissed in her ear watching as she slumped to the side. Turning from Emiko, I walked out the room going next door. Rai and Soji were both in the room that we had gotten for Soji. They were looking at me as I came in. No doubt that they heard the screams from Emiko.

"Soji, Emiko needs your attention in the other room." He was a white mage he could heal her and make all the pain go away. He was just a tool to her. It annoyed me that she saw him that way.

Soji was a person. I'm sure he had hopes and dreams. None of those seemed to matter to the group that he was in. They should have treated him like a person because he was a white mage. Being their tool would taint him in the long run.

After Soji had left, I turned my eyes to Rai. She shrunk under my gaze; her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to speak. I waited for her, waited to see what she was going to come up with. My arms folded over my chest my finger tapping my arm as I waited for her to speak.

"I'm not a child," she spoke up at last,"I'm only a year younger then Soji." My eyes shifted to the door. "You had sex with Soji, so it's okay for me to do it with whoever I want." She sounded like a child trying to make up a reason for why their repulsive behavior was okay.

"The way Soji parents raise him has nothing to do with us," I said it calmly. Soji and I only just had sex tonight. How long had she and Emiko been doing at it? If she wanted to use age, I could as well. Technically, I was only sixteen. There was hardly any age between Soji and I. It wasn't the gap between her and Emiko.

"How can you say it has nothing to do with us? You're fucking him!" I had the feeling that Rai got in her head that Soji and I had been coming together for much longer than we were. Maybe it was because she saw me kiss him. A kiss was hardly anything. Because Soji didn't, something wasn't an excuse.

"You're not Soji!" I yelled at her.

"And you're not my father!" She yelled back and I could feel the shift inside of me. My golden eyes became red as my anger built. No, I wasn't her father. Because Shu was dead. Because if I was her father she would be home right now with Amy and not trying to play at adult games.

"No Rai, I'm not your father. Shu is dead." That was probably the worse thing that I could have said to her. I saw the tears swell and spill from her eyes. I sighed, I hadn't met to hurt her. Or maybe I was trying to hurt her. I wasn't really sure what I was doing anymore.

"I hate you," Rai whispered wiping at her eyes. "I hate you!" She ran from the room and I sighed. Watching Rai leave, I saw Soji appear in the doorway again. He watched Rai fleeing form before he turned back to me.

"Emiko said you attacked her?" Soji spoke softly.

My eyes moved towards her as I found more annoyance. I was going to take Emiko words with a grain of salt but still how much of it was true. Was Soji just trying to run game on me? Was all of this just about Ban? Why was everything always about Ban?

"You dislocated her shoulder."

"It was nothing less than she deserved. Plus, I put it back." I even sent the little healer to her. She should have been happy I didn't let her suffer in pain like I should have done. Soji was still standing there looking at me.

"Rai is-"

"A child." I cut him off. "She's fourteen; that's still a child. You brought your big tit bimbo and she touched a child. If she comes near Rai again, I will kill her."

"Why do you have to be this way?"

"Why don't you go home, Soji? Why are you here? Because daddy gave you permission." I was angry and now I was taking that anger out on Soji. That was unfair. Still, it annoyed me. Was he actually just using me for information? What did he want from me? What was I suppose to tell him about Ban that wasn't common knowledge?

"Don't speak of things you know nothing about." Soji's tone was cold. He was right though. I knew nothing about him. I didn't think I wanted to either. He was a white mage and I was a demon. Even if he tossed around words like love and linked souls it was all just pretty words. They meant nothing.

"Drop the act Soji. Your bitch sold you out." Emiko already told me about his father and why he was here. Soji shook his head.

"Emiko was wrong. I didn't call my father. I called my brother. She was wrong because I do love you. I have loved you before I met you. Yes, my people want to know about Ban but what we have is more than that." I didn't know what it was that we had.

"Ban slaughtered my family. He took me in front of them and then again in my brother's bed. He . . . he killed me. The only reason why I'm here is because I bit him. Because his tainted blood got into my mouth and three days later I woke up a demon.

Then I killed the very person that came into my home to pull my family body out. The next time I woke up I was buried alive. I dug myself from my own grave. I watched as my brother ran from me.

According to Mother Fate, Ban and Kenji are trying to bring hell to earth. The Night of Demons is what she called it. He will need someone pure to do that and he has his sights on you. I was supposed to be protecting you believe it or not.

So there, you have it. Other than the times he pops up just to have sex with me. Just to kill someone else I love or confess his empty feelings to me that's all I know about the Great Demon Ban."

"I'm sorry," Soji whispered touching my arm. I looked into his blue eyes; the anger in me fading away slowly. "I'm sorry for my actions and for Emiko's actions. I'm sorry Ban caused you so much pain. But I do love you. My soul and your soul . . ." he leaned in pressing his face into my chest, "You're important to me Zero."

I sighed wrapping my arms around him. I didn't know why but he was important to me as well. I should have been pulling from him, but I didn't. Why was that? Because he had some kind of hold over me. Because when he said he loved me I wanted his love.

"We need to pick a new demon to hunt. We need the money for a car." We had to hunt to get a car. We needed a car to get home. I would call Amy later and explain everything to her. She didn't need the stress of us not coming home in time. Soji nodded his head against my chest. This boy . . . He was going to be the death of me.