CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

That night was eerily silent, not a cricket could be heard, and even the manor was silent not a snore could be heard from the residents who slumbered. Alice lay wide awake staring at the ceiling in her room chewing on her bottom lip, deep in thought. She shook her head when memories of that night came into her mind and grimaced, pulling a plush pillow over her head. Sighing, the pillow was tossed against the wall at the far end of her room as she growled lowly.

'I feel so abandoned and betrayed…' she mumbled under her breath as she sat staring at the box on her vanity that held all the letters he had written to her and some of the small trinkets he had given her. Her eye twitched as she stood up and flung the box into her fire place and lit it. Tears threatened to spill but Alice forced them back as she watched everything he had given her go up in flames.

Sebastian was doing his rounds when he saw a dull light from under her door. He could smell the beginnings of a fire and rushed into Alice's room only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw the small woman standing staring at the fire place in her room, hugging herself. A distant look in her eyes as she watched the flames.

They all knew it was a matter of time until she cracked after the incident. She however was just putting it off as best she could, keeping herself so busy that she would end up exhausted and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep most nights. But this very night Alice was not as lucky, the wine hadn't knocked her out, she found she just couldn't sleep as sometimes she did have a nightmare about that night.

Sebastian stood silently, gauging her before he made any decisions. Watched her body language as he listened to her breathing which seemed to be rushed as she fought back tears. He could read her emotions like a book, but seen her as she was right before him, had him on edge. Seeing her hurting still caused a dull pain with in his chest.

He approached her slowly, without a word pulling her closely against him. He watched in silence as she leant against him and sniffed. He watched as a lone tear rolled down her cheek and gently wiped it away. He could feel the tension that radiated off her and gave a small sigh as he gently rubbed her back. The demon felt something burn deep down with in him as he watched her sad face, saw the deep sadness in her eyes. He felt the urge to protect her even more. He stroked her hair as he placed a kiss on the top of her hair nuzzling her gently.

Alice sighed softly resting against the butler, allowing him to comfort her and for the first time she admitted to herself that it didn't feel so bad, yet she wouldn't admit that to Sebastian. Alice knew admitting anything to him would mean completely admitting defeat. She wished to get revenge on all those men who tried to harm her. It was when she looked up at the butler, that she found herself unable to break eye contact with him.

Sebastian stared down at her watching a light pink tint form on her cheeks and he couldn't stop himself when he gently touched her cheek. He found himself leaning down closer to her, watching as her eye lids slowly drooped shut until he finally closed the small space and kissed her. He was shocked when she did not protest or push him away; instead she gently kissed him back. He pulled her closer tangling his fingers gently in her hair until she needed air.

Alice blushed deeply turning her head to the side, fingers brushing over her lips before she looked up at Sebastian and laughed. "D-don't look so shocked demon… at this stage nothing should be able to render you in such a state of shock." She grumbled quietly.

Sebastian chuckled and gave a small shrug leading her to her bed. "I shall bring you some tea which will help you little maid, you need the rest, no matter how much you itch to get revenge." He fluffed her pillows and moved her blankets for her as she sat down allowing him to look after her.

"It bothers me that, that mans hands where all over my body." She shuddered as Sebastian tucked her in.

"Do you dislike the Viscount?" the butler asked curiously.

"Disliking him is still a mild way of saying it… I absolutely loathe the bastard with all my being, he creeps me the hell out." She mumbled. "And his pet names are absolutely ridiculous." She added shortly after. "Every time he would show up at the manor I would make an excuse to leave. It was like when he looked at me he was undressing me in his mind." She shuddered. "He always tried to ask Madam Red to persuade me to stay, but I couldn't even stand a moment alone with the lecherous asshole."

Sebastian stared at her. "There is someone she loathes more than me; I never thought it would ever be possible for her to loathe another so deeply." He thought as he walked to her door. "I will be back shortly with your tea." He bowed leaving her in silence.

Alice glanced around her room, when a shadow caught her attention. Narrowing her eyes she climbed from the safety of her bed and approached it, feeling a cold shiver run down her spine. "What do you want with me?" she whispered, watching as it wavered before vanishing. She turned and looked over the rest of her room, frowning when she walked over to her window and stared out over the darkened gardens. "Things have been far too quiet." She whispered out to herself.

Undertaker walked around his mortuary silently as he found himself lost in his thoughts. He had been watching Alice even though he had completely vanished he had made an effort to see how she was. Mainly out of curiosity and also to keep an eye on the ever annoyingly persistent demon. It irritated him to no end that the demon was getting so close with his precious little pet. It irritated him that she was back on the mansion where she could be watched. At least if she was in her own manor he'd have a chance to steal her away. But all that had fallen away due to the little earl. In order to get her back he'd have to blatantly take her.

To him love was a mere delusion. Something the mind conjured up when one was lonely.

"Yes… that's all she was to me, a mere pet who I wanted to turn into one of my kind. A beneficial decision for all reapers, though I doubt even then that, that fool would have found her repulsive, he is obsessed with her since the moment he laid eyes on her, she is rather unique after all, never ever fell for his charms." He mused to himself when the clearing of a throat caught his attention.

"So you leave her with the demon and disappear, do you not think that was a foolish decision on your behalf Undertaker?"

"He never left her alone no matter what, I know he forced himself on her, claimed her, his scent was always all over her, but in the end she will be his ultimate weakness, keep that in mind when you decide to play around with his master. He will be forced to give one of them up eventually. Alice has always had a self-sacrificing side to her she will put Ciel above her leaving her a vulnerable target." Undertaker chuckled darkly.

"Disgusting how a mere human can have such a hold on an all-powerful demon. If it is so, then what are we to do with the girl?"

"Hmmm… Take her away, the demon will go crazy without her been there. If it is after all the Young Earl you are after, take her out of the equation, when the demon leaves his master at night to search for her, it will make it so much easier to get to him." Undertaker smirked.

"And you can assure that this will happen, do pray tell what do we do with the girl when I have what I want? Do I kill her and dispose of the body or leave her for dead in the basement?"

"You bring her to me." Undertaker grinned darkly as he tapped his nails together.

"Interesting proposition, I shall take you up on the offer for the girl then as long as I get the boy for myself." the demon gave a tight smile and vanished.

Undertaker smirked at the shadows and laughed his eerie laugh before making sure not a trace of his whereabouts where left behind. Though he would never admit it, Alice was not only Sebastian's greatest weakness but his too. The only difference was the clash of interests, personal gain for different reasons.

He looked forward to the day that Alice decided to get her revenge, how exciting that would be. To face her wrath and make her beg for him when she realized how powerful he truly was.

AUTHORS NOTE: Hi my lovelies, after some serious writers block, i realized i had some stories which where long overdue for an update. Just to think it has been almost a full year (if I am not mistaken) since i have updated here. I decided I will continue writing this story but the updates will be really slow due to other commitments I have. I thank you all for your patience and continuous support and this is a shout out to all my followers and those who took the time to comment and leave reviews on this story, much love to all of you and may you all have a wonderful festive season with your loved ones. much love TBA.