beautiful shade of green

There was always someone to scrape up at the Ruby Slipper. Some were still too out of it in those first few minutes after death – whatever they’d knocked back no longer technically in their system, but their brain was taking time to catch up – to do anything more than give him a ’whatever man’ and go along with him. Some were freaking, hopped up on their substance of choice or the adrenalin that had kicked in just after someone had taken a little too much of them. The owner probably could’ve just made an arrangement with the big man himself to have someone permanently on staff here -without the payroll bit, because that wasn’t part of the natural order – although was he gonna want Leah or Elias or even Cory lurking around here even more than they already were. ‘Cause it wasn’t gonna be him, tonight was bad enough.

Damien sighed as he worked his way through the crowd, tugging at the collar of his ‘costume’. Sonny would’ve loved it – the thing in him would’ve done at least. It had spent decades creating scenes like the one that was going to happen in the club, using them to lure in his host’s brother for an extra twist of the blade to the gut. He hated it. Dressing up to blend in instead of flipping the job the bird for the night. How long until they it was just one monster left and he could head out to catch up with Aurora?

Last Halloween had been a kick start to a heart that hadn’t beat the same since the security guard’s bullet had punched through him. A taste of the past, that old thrill coming back, swerving in a new direction as he’d seen Aurora’s face light up.

Cold eyes, unframed by the thick black plastic of his glasses for once, swept the club, as though she’d suddenly appear out of the crowd. Aurora could handle herself in here, in fact, she’d been downstairs when he’d literally run into her that first time, but what had happened with the hunter had rattled her. And him. Damien stalked through the crowd, looking for the hunter too now. This would be like a wolf getting into a sheep’s pen for someone like that, although the overwhelming numbers in Purge masks alone probably would’ve made it a suicide mission for a guy who had absolutely no clue what he was trying to go up against. If he had any brain, he’d scoop up the pieces of his broken heart and find a new line of work. Hunters weren’t always known for their smarts though.

Neither were reapers.

There wasn’t much disguising Leah. That fall of blonde hair would’ve stood out just about anywhere, but it was that seething wave of emotion he could practically see working its way up through her that really drew the eye. Without Cory Leah never would’ve become a reaper in the first place, but she’d hauled her way back from the other side using that naivety and had been half-assing the job ever since – not that he was judging, the only one of them who really had a stick up their ass about it was Elias and one day someone would yank it free and beat him with it. That asshole would likely be strutting through here later like a drill sergeant, ordering them to scoop up the souls and play naughty or nice with them like reaper’s had a Santa style list to decide where they were heading off to.

At that point Leah wouldn’t have time to glare at people in the crowd, but until then? Damien threaded his way through the crowd towards her, cursing under his breath as she started towards a brunette and a tall, slab of walking muscle with hair just as long as his girlfriend’s. The way Leah was stalking towards them stunk of jealousy, the brunette was gonna be lucky to keep her eyes – or maybe it was the bruiser who was gonna get it, this was Leah after all. She tossed aside her glass, liquor and broken glass splashing across the floor as she tossed it aside. Damien hurried up, making a grab for her arm. He didn’t holler, although maybe that would’ve given the walking supermodel time to get out of there. ”Exactly,” he said as she turned back towards him.

Tugging at her arm, ignoring that smile that was a veneer of bullshit he could see right through, Damien tried to lead her away from the poor bastards who weren’t aware of the hit and run that had been coming for them. ”That what you were after? I guess, since you lost your last drink and all …” He tipped his head back towards the glitter of glass under the table behind them. ”Why don’t you come up to the bar with me huh? Wrap your hands around a glass instead of her neck … or his … you know I’m not the kind to judge.” He had been the kind to put his hands on a woman who’d probably happily chew his off at the wrist if he actually tried to restrain her.

Tagged: LEAH SIVAN * Word Count: 866

Sonny had always been the wild one. In the natural order of things it was supposed to be the other way around, the middle child the trouble maker, the older one quiet and steady (all that one on one parenting had to make some difference after all), but that had been him. The thinker, the decision maker, the one who told his brother to sssh as they’d scurry out of bank after bank. If you opened your mouth and let the wrong thing out then it was one more hook the cops had in you and they’d started to have plenty as the years had gone on. They’d gone to the house, had spoken to their parents multiple times, as though they’d call home from crappy motel in the middle of Podunk, Arkansas and tell them exactly what they were planning next. Maybe that been why he hadn’t seen what that think had done to his brother sooner. He’d thought he had a clue of what was going on and how to keep himself out of their hands and instead the demon had played him right into them.

It hadn’t shaken that straight man personality out of him though, had it? Elias might’ve said that fraternising with a demon and doing worse with a vampire wiped out that impression, but Mother Theresa wouldn’t be saintly enough for him. He wasn’t just straight laced, he was trussed up like one of those Victorian women who could barely breathe from the stuff they strapped themselves into. Working with Death’s motley crew in town had to be a constant fish bone in his throat, impossible to just yank out and free himself of the problem. Instead Elias had to rise above them and damn, Damien thought, clucking his tongue as he waded towards Leah to try and do just that, that man might’ve been able to walk on that filthy water … if it wasn’t for Leah.

If Cory had been the one to spot her he’d have been flapping his hands, pleading for Leah not to take a swing at … whoever had gotten under her skin. Pleading did nothing for her though and by now they all should’ve known it. You either had to let her go with it – and be prepared to clean up the mess afterwards – or nip it in the bud. Given that the claxon hadn’t gone off yet, this was gonna have to be a bud situation. Or at least a take a look at what was going on and then decide whether or not to do the nipping – cause after all, he wasn’t either of the choir boys. His laces were loose enough that all he was doing was dragging Leah back.

The snort rolled out of Damien, some straight white teeth (not exactly a miracle in the 50s, but still pretty good going for the time) flashing as he grinned at her. Just slipped, right, like she was doing out of his hand. ”Guess even you get clumsy sometimes. I’m sure Hector’s got people who’ll clear it up.” Or people in the masks who’d happily shove a face down on those shards, if Leah didn’t do it herself. She was already huffing, looking back over her shoulder at the pair she’d been stalking towards. They probably had no clue they’d had a lucky escape as they wedged themselves on the dancefloor. ”I guess that means he’s in the equation somewhere, or someone else is. She do a little stealing?” Probably. Although he’d never known Leah to latch onto anybody long enough to develop that level of interest and yeah, it took some to get you that pissed off. Guys who just flitted in and out of your bed, changing so rapidly you didn’t even catch their names didn’t earn that level of jealousy.

Damien didn’t take her arm this time, didn’t want to feel those nails rake down it or his face, even though it’d heal with nothing more than a thought. He shifted through the crowd behind her, his hand hovering an inch behind the small of her back, ready to give a nudge if it was actually needed. Hanging his head enough to give a wry edge to that smile, Damien gestured to the bartender and held up two fingers. There had to be some sort of employee perk after all, considering they were the ones on the real clean up job to do here. ”I guess not. Although this might just be her idea of a good time.” There was just as much a chance that Aurora’s brother had come home and detained her, in which case tonight was the night for a jailbreak instead. ”I guess your buddy back there wasn’t that smart. To be honest, going with a meat head like that … she can’t exactly be the sharpest tool. What’s the story with them?” He still getting get the feeling it was just about her, although maybe tonight was the night the green eyed monster came to visit.

Tagged: LEAH SIVAN * Word Count: 839

In this place Leah probably would’ve gotten away with bottling the woman, especially tonight. Bouncers would’ve slowly waded towards them in the end, tossing both of them out, probably with the brunette and her muscle bound pal needing to be peeled up off the sidewalk afterwards. All Hector ever seemed to care about was that attention wasn’t drawn to the place and with carte blanche for violence once the sirens went tonight, they might not even get that sort of break. Elias would’ve frowned on reapers being on the blood letting side, but the walking rule book seemed to be a little late to the party if he was gonna come and help them out. Keeping up the reapers’ reputation for being cold, uptight, incorruptible assholes all on his own.

Leah had been the opposite of that from the minute Cory had convinced the boss to bring her onboard. If he had been the considered the guy who always had one toe hanging over the line – with family for a reason at least, weak as it was – then Leah was the one who charged right over it. One of these days maybe she’d cause enough trouble that the big guy himself would turn up to try and get them all in line, but for the minute they were on their own and he wasn’t trusting any of the other reapers to settle this in a way that wouldn’t screw up everything the rest of them were doing here in Mystic Falls that wasn’t strictly within the lines – like Aurora.

The threat of her brother was already hanging over their heads, like some storm waiting on the horizon to tear them apart. He had a history of not trusting his sister’s own mind, taking control of her care instead, leaving her locked away. The vampire had no idea what he could do that. If he knew where Aurora was being taken he could be there in a blink of an eye to get her out. If he had had any choice though, he wasn’t going to let Tristan lay a hand on her.

Some part of him got the urge to attack what had taken what you wanted and it seemed as though that was exactly why Leah was throwing her toy from her stroller, so to speak, letting it go in a shower of shards and a sugary comment. Damien returned her smirk, eyes narrowing faintly behind the frames of his glasses. The brunette had done a little stealing then, only it hadn’t been out of a bank vault. Leah could say it was just her toes smarting, but even she wasn’t that touchy, was she? ”Doesn’t sound like she’s too smart,” Damien drawled, his pale eyes ticking back to Leah. ”I’d say he isn’t either, but a guy with two women fighting over him? He doesn’t sound that dumb.” Being able to pick women up wasn’t a guarantee of brains though. Before that thing had ended up in Sonny he'd have shot that comment right at his brother, who’d always seemed to rely on a pretty face and his little brother’s smarts.

It was better he got Leah out of there before her control snapped, that hadn’t been the only bottle in the place after all. At the bar Damien half turned, keeping an eye on the crowd. He couldn’t stop Leah from reaper hopping right back in there if she wanted, he could play distraction though. The snort rolled out of him at her question, his brows hitching. Elias hadn’t snitched then. ”A little dangerous,” he echoed. ”You haven’t heard the gossip about her then? Dropping bodies in here, dropping bodies out in the street. I’m meant to be surrounded by the enemy.” Elias would probably have far more choice words about both Sonny and Aurora, but he really had no fucking idea about any of it. He saw only what he wanted to see and that was people beneath him, filthy little things he would’ve slammed behind bars in his day job, or dropped downstairs if they were his other business.

Ah. So he had twisted it around. As the bartender returned, Damien let out a low noise. The meat head wasn’t the toy the brunette and Leah were fighting over. He was just the bystander getting caught up in the whole thing. ”A mail order bride? I thought that shit went out with leg warmers and disco. The mom doesn’t know her little boy’s shacking up outside of wedlock.” Given where the bitch had been ordered up from she was probably religious enough to have herself a little heart attack if the truth came out. Leah was probably every mother’s worst nightmare – mouthy, blonde, almost entirely devoid of self-control and a mental filter. The meathead’s brother, now that was a guy lacking in balls if he hadn’t spoken up.

Snorting, Damien lifted the glass, using it to salute the bartender as they headed off for a paying customer, then sipped from it. ”You didn’t look it … if a guy like that got tossed Aurora’s way by her brother, I’d wanna take the guy on a one trip, if you get what I mean. You confront Remzi about it?” Knowing Leah she’d have already started to try and mark out her territory. It didn’t matter that Remzi hadn’t decided to pick up some other chick himself, Leah still would’ve been there, ready to claw her circle around the guy, maybe claw him if he looked a little too long at his bride-to-be.

Tagged: LEAH SIVAN * Word Count: 926