It was a long day of recording, then working on new music. Everyone updated their social media accounts. Maxwell, Alt and Zach had nearly finished the wood work for the stage, while Remington and Vezaias wrote some ideas out for new music. Demetri and Zach took time out to start planning the country wide tour. They were going to make it as big as possible by branding and designing tour logos as well as hiring professional lighting and SFX crews to handle the stage design, as well as a small group of professionals to handle things like wardrobe, and makeup, for everyone. Most of these people were connections that Zach knew and would be rather affordable since they were all new to the industry but they all had a solid amount of training and education. They also had to pick out what cities and venues to book. Zach believed that even some of the more exclusive venues would be easy to book. There was still a lot of work to do for the band but it was getting late and Vezaias announced they would be leaving for the night. By the time they arrived back at the base they were all exhausted. Ava left to his room right away while glad to be himself again instead of anyone else. Vezaias was on edge and desperately trying to hide this from Remington. He helped Remington strip out of his clothes until he was in his boxers before undressing himself then crawling over top of Remington, kissing him urgently.

  “Mmm Rem, you had me so bothered earlier when you kissed me.” Vezaias mumbled huskily into his ear as he pressed his body into Remington while aching to put it in. Remington was breathing heavily and panting in pleasure which only made him grab for Remington's hips and ready himself.

  “Wait…” Remington puffed. Vezaias halted quickly.

  “Hmm Rem?” Vezaias asked mildly with anticipation.

  “You said you would tell me what was bothering you earlier. I know it had something to do with what Demetri said to you, but he didn't really explain it either.” Remington said meekly.

  “It's nothing Rem, don't worry about it.” Vezaias said trying to be upbeat with his reply hoping to downplay the moment before trying to continue and lean in to kiss Remington again but Remington only held him away. Vezaias sighed in defeat and shifted to sit up.

  “Dem said that it has been very obvious that you are suffering since I was recreated, and that it's my fault. It's supposed to be my job to keep you safe and happy. I haven't been doing a very good job of that, and Demetri said if you were with him you wouldn't be going through this kind of shit.” Vezaias sounded unhappy. He turned and sat with his feet off the bed. “…..and he is right.” Vezaias said solemnly. “You could be with someone else who wouldn't put you through hell just to be together and happy. I just have too many expectations and I'm so demanding. I really have turned out just like my father.” Vezaias was suddenly quiet. Remington sat up and scooted over until he was able to put his arms around Vezaias.

  “I don't care about any of that. All that matters is if I'm next to you. I never want to be anywhere else.” Remington said softly. Vezaias was quiet and Remington was quickly filled with anxiety not knowing what was going through Vezaias's mind or how he was reacting.

  “You deserve the world Rem. Everything and more. If I don't do a better job then I will have to consider that maybe there is someone out there who can do a better job….maybe someone who can love this flower properly….”

  “No! I don't want anyone else! I don't care how well they can love me! I want you Zay! I would suffocate without you!” Remington jerked him and nearly shouted at him in frustration then before Vezaias could argue back Remington leaned in and kissed him which quickly grew into urgent passion. Remington slid down his lips over every muscle of his chest and abs, then yanking Vezaias's boxers off before putting his mouth to work quickly. Vezaias was in ecstasy and panting and cupping Remington's head then thrusting vigorously on reflex.

  “Ah, Rem, ahh, I'm not going to last long…..haahh, HAAHH…” Vezaias was nearly done then Remington stopped abruptly and sat up wiping his mouth.

  “Fuck Rem please don't stop, I was so close…” Vezaias huffed. Remington only smiled as he shimmied his way into Vezaias's pelvis then gripped him firmly and slowly sank down pushing Vezaias deep inside.

  “Ahhhh! Fuck Remington haaah HAAHHH!” Vezaias was now pressing deep in and out as Remington helped by lifting and slapping down.

  “Zay I would give anything to see how sexy you look right now.” Remington puffed as he bounced harder. Vezaias was gasping and moaning roughly. Remington leaned down kissing his open mouth and licking deep inside. Vezaias gripped him tightly, pressing harder making him yelp in pleasure himself.

  “Fuck you are so tight, ahhhh I think I'm gunna….” Vezaias panted but then suddenly Remington pulled away again. “Ah Remington please don't stop, you are just teasing the shit out of me now!” Vezaias huffed trying to pull Remington back but he scooted quickly licking his hand then rubbing himself and before Vezaias could make sense of what was happening Remington shoved Vezaias's knees into his chest then pressed into himself and suddenly he was sliding deep inside.

  “HAAAAHHHHH FUCK!!! AHHHHH SHIT HAAHH HAAAA AHHHH NGGAHH!!!” Vezaias audibly made his pleasure known. Remington quickly pounded himself hard making squishy slapping sounds that quickly diminished his composure.

  “Fuck me Remington I'm gunna cum!” Only a moment later he was finished as he splattered all over his own abs. He panted and gasped loudly in satisfaction as Remington was now finishing but chose to pull out and bust all over Vezaias's abs in a pleasurable mix of both their finished products. Remington leaned down and kissed Vezaias as he breathed hard against Remington's mouth.

  “Shit Rem……where the fuck…..did that come from?” Vezaias panted heavily.

  “You said if I can dominate you I could have it.” Remington said softly against his lips. “You also said you wouldn't make it easy for me, but I gotta say you took that very obediently.” Remington cooed. Vezaias felt his cheeks heat up.

  “Well….I was not prepared for that at all……I am completely ashamed of myself…..I guess I’m a dirty slut after all.” Vezaias said, sounding amused.

  “Here I thought you were strictly a giver. Now I'm starting to think you might enjoy being a taker more than giving.” Remington teased.

  “Hey, shhh, that's our little secret. I do have a reputation to keep. So shut the fuck up about it! Besides you are the only one I've ever let do that to me.” Vezaias said amusingly.

  “Really? You never told me that before.” Remington said now a bit amazed at this admission.

  “Yes really. Nobody has ever had the guts to even try.” Vezaias said softly.

  “Heh, well I'm honored.” Remington teased. Vezaias smiled and took a deep relaxing breath. “I wish I could see you right now. All covered in our love. I bet you look sexy as hell.” Remington said with a disheartening smile. Vezaias paused then Remington felt him reach and fumble around with something on the nightstand then he pulled Remington to lay next to him.

  “Smile Rem.” Vezaias said amusingly. Remington awkwardly smiled in puzzlement until he heard a 'SNAP' of Vezaias's cell phone camera. Then Vezaias turned and kissed him just as a second 'SNAP' was heard. Vezaias put the cell phone down and sighed deeply.

  “There you will see it soon, I promise.” Vezaias said soothingly. Remington smiled, feeling the amazing ache in his chest and heat flush his face as Vezaias kissed him more.

  “Let's go take a shower.” Vezaias said softly. He helped Remington stand up and soon they were off to the shower and right back in each other's lips where Vezaias was sure to be the giver this time. Eventually they were back in bed and exhausted. Vezaias pulled Remington into his arms and tried to relax. Remington was asleep quickly and breathing deep breaths against Vezaias's bare chest. He held Remington close hoping to fall asleep but there was an ache in his stomach that had been growing all day. He had been ignoring it up until now that he was trying to rest without anything to distract him besides Remington softly breathing on his chest. He was now hyper aware of Remington's body. The way he could feel his heart pounding against his skin which to a normal person might be endearing but to Vezaias at this very moment it was only causing him to hunger more. His mouth was wet and there was a burning in the back of his throat he could no longer swallow away. He was impulsively licking his lips now feeling his teeth getting sharper. He could smell the flesh laying on him. Tender, juicy, helpless, aromatic, full of flavor. He salivated more trying to swallow away his hunger. Soon he was sliding out from under Remington and rolling to one side hoping that would control his hunger but it only made it worse. Remington, unknowing to the issue, shifted and wrapped his arm over Vezaias just across his shoulders, within biting range. It wouldn't take any effort at all to have that first mouthful of meat. Of course one bite would make the meal scream, then there would be no point in stopping. Vezaias shook his head at the thoughts. He put a pillow over his head and cringed at the urge to feed, now nearing sheer panic over it. He got up suddenly and left the bed to sit at the desk. He dropped his face into his hands in frustration. Soon he was crying and angry at himself. Remington woke to the commotion and sat up.

  “Zay?” He said meekly. “What's going on?”

  “Nothing! Go back to sleep!” Vezaias snapped in irritation. Remington slid off the bed and came towards the sound of the crying.

  “Stay back!” Vezaias snapped. Remington froze in place.

  “What is going on Zay? You are scaring me!” Remington jolted.

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  “Yeah, well you should be scared!” Vezaias cringed as the smell of fresh meat was stronger.

  “Tell me what is going on. I can help!” Remington said urgently. Vezaias stood up now knocking over his chair and approaching Remington snatching him by the back of his head and jerking his hair to expose his neck Vezaias leaned in and seemed to take a deep breath in through his nose against Remington's neck, then a cool lick of the skin. It was scary but arousing. He could feel Vezaias's breath on him and then nearly crushing him in his grip.

  “Haahh…the sun is far to bright. I am so hungry.” Remington heard, whispered into his ear. “You would taste so good. I haven't had my meal today.”

  “Sol??” Remington tried to jerk out of his grip.

  “It is painful to be so hungry all of the time. Just a taste is all I ask!”

  “Sol I cannot re-grow my body back!” Remington struggled. He felt teeth against his skin now.

  “A drink then..” Sol huffed painfully. “…anything…..I've been denied my meal, when I was promised one meal per day!”

  “A drink? I'm just not ready for…!” Suddenly the fire burning of sharp blades sank down on his neck easily cutting into flesh and gushing hot juicy liquid. Solaris was now sucking and gulping the fluid. Remington screamed and thrashed to escape but Solaris was too strong even in Vezaias's human body. Suddenly Vezaias shoved Remington away. Remington hit the ground against the bed in pain and sobbing as he cupped the bloody bite on his neck.

  “Go and find Zex, I have to find Lux!” Vezaias cringed. He sounded destroyed. There was a whooshing sound and then the room was quiet. Remington sat up and dragged himself to his feet while still sobbing he struggled to find his pants and pull them on before searching for his keycard. He was still full of adrenaline and trying to calm enough to think about which option the infirmary was on the keycard. It was number four. The card was a smooth surface touch screen and there was no way to tell if he was scrolling the correct amount.

  “One, two, three, four.” He counted out loud before tapping the screen. The whoosh of a portal opened and Remington stumbled through. He felt around in a panic hoping he was in the right place.

  “Hello!” He called out hoping Zexich would show up quickly. “Zexich!” So far he couldn't tell if he was in the infirmary or not. He cringed at his helplessness and desperation and choked out another heavy sob.

  “Remington?” Zexich's voice was such a relief. Remington froze and continued to sob.

  “Please help me Zex!” Remington said then continued to cry.

  “I am coming towards you. Almost there. Here I will help you sit down.” Zexich talked him through until he was safely sitting on the hospital bed with Zexich's guidance. “Oh my Remington, it seems like you are bleeding heavily. I will patch that up quickly.” Zexich reassured him. “It will be a moment while I gather what I need. I will still be close by. Can you tell me what happened?” Zexich was very good at making sure Remington knew where he was and keeping him focused.

  “I had just fallen asleep.” Remington's voice was shaking. “It couldn't have been long, but then I felt Vezaias leave the bed and he sounded distressed. Then I heard him crying, so I got up to try and go to him but he yelled at me to stay away, and that only made me panic. Suddenly Solaris was there telling me he was starving and he missed his meal and he was promised one meal a day and then he demanded to take it from me. I told him I cannot regenerate but he bit me anyway. Vezaias must have stopped him and then he left quickly after he told me to go and find you.” Remington talked near in a panic now as he felt his body shaking.

  “What a scary situation to wake up to Remington. I am here next to you and I am going to start mending this right away because you are bleeding a lot. It will sting, just try and relax. Remington was trying to be still and calm but he could feel the thick tension in his muscles. He felt Zexich very quickly sealing the puncture holes the teeth made very carefully.

  “Would you like some pain medication?” Zexich asked finally after he began to apply gauze to the wound. Remington didn't answer right away.

  “Do you think that I am suffering because of Vezaias?” Remington asked meekly.

  “I find that to be a very loaded question, Remington.” Zexich said mildly. “I do believe you are suffering, yes, but is that directly Vezaias's fault? I cannot say for sure. You would have to wipe away everything circumstantial. It was not Vezaias's fault that many of these things have happened. It was not his fault that he died, or that he was desperate enough to survive thus creating the need to fuse with a demon. It is not Vezaias's fault that this demon needs human flesh and blood. If you wipe all of that away, when you are with him, but it is only him, and if that were all that would happen, does he alone treat you badly? Make you suffer purposely if you delete all the other circumstances? Does he in fact know how to love his flower properly? I think you would be able to answer that question better than I.” Zexich mused. Remington was quiet for a long moment.

  “When Sol is gone in the background, Vezaias is very good at loving me. He is kind and sweet and loving, and he takes care of me. He knows how to guide me because I cannot see, he wants to do things that are difficult just to make me happy. He believes it is his job to keep me safe and happy, but he doesn't think he is doing a very good job. I think the circumstances he is in cause him to be demanding of me and he puts a lot of expectations on me, but I wanted to fulfill those demands because I know he cannot deal with Solaris alone. I am starting to be able to distinguish Solaris more and when he is closer I can see how it changes Vezaias. He gets angry easier and meaner, and he sounds more stressed out. I think Solaris is more responsible for my suffering than Vezaias is. The abuse you said you were investigating, I think that was all Solaris's influence because we are just nutrition to him.” Remington explained.

  “I think I agree with you. I am starting to distinguish them both now too. That is one reason I find it difficult to hate Vezaias over my own personal suffering in this situation.” Zexich said seriously. “I actually think it is quite impressive that he has this much control over a man eating, blood thirsty demon.” Zexich mused. Remington sighed.

  “Zex…..I know it's not enough but…..” Remington paused. “…..I really am sorry about what happened. I mean it when I say I never wanted anything bad to happen to anyone. I still cannot go against what Vezaias tells me to do.” Remington said solemnly.

  “I will not tell you that it is alright. I do understand how tightly you are bound to obey him. I know what happened was not by your choice. I do feel you have some responsibility for it. I also cannot say that I hate you for it. Nevertheless it is painful for me. I miss my friends so very much. My heart hurts so badly. Of course having Sigil return to me makes this much more bearable but there is still a massive hole in my life that I am desperate to fill.” Zexich was softly weeping.

  “I want to give you a hug.” Remington said suddenly. He was anxious for a moment wondering if that was a terrible thing to say to someone after helping to destroy all that Zexich had known and loved. Just as he worried about this he felt Zexich pull him into a hug and then began to cry. Remington held him for a long moment trying to hide the pain it caused him. He cringed as he pulled away.

  “My goodness you are in pain. Please accept some pain medication.” Zexich insisted.

  Lux clung to Ephraim as he drifted off to sleep. The medication helped relax him and it wasn't long before he was snoring against Ephraim's shoulder. Ephraim struggled a bit within the tight snuggle he was trapped in but he was also able to relax and even enjoy the comfort of someone holding him. They slept soundly for a while and it was a decent end to a very calm day. With Vezaias, Remington and Ava gone for the day Lux was able to take some much needed time to relax and not feel so on edge. Being in charge was easy because Zexich spent most of his time working on his task on the computer and there was only a spare amount of time where there was any physical labor to do, and that was rather enjoyable to do some work that should satisfy Vezaias's expectations, which was all Lux was hoping to achieve for the day. That evening Ephraim made everyone a meal and they all ate together as if they were a newly constructed family then Lux collected his medication and went to his room to chain smoke for a while before it was time for lights out. The peaceful night was soon interrupted when suddenly Lux was yanked quite forcefully out of his cozy spot up against Ephraim's warm snowy skin then wrestled to the floor. He was unprepared for this and half asleep until the searing fire of razors sliced into his arm then the flesh that was ripped from his body jolted him fully awake and in a panic to fight the monster that continued to tear flesh from bone. He screamed and began to thrash and punch with his free arm. The bashes connected to Solaris's face but it didn't seem to hinder the live meal he was having. Ephraim jolted awake to the screams and the violent attack which was like watching a lion take down its prey while beginning to feed while the zebra was still alive and struggling to escape. Ephraim covered his mouth with his hands and clamped his eyes shut not wanting to watch the horrifying sight, while his own scream was lost within Lux's screams and the unearthly sound of the attack. Soon there was a loud POP as the bone snapped and the whole limb was removed from his body. Lux dropped limp to the ground and was completely unconscious. Solaris continued to eat the meat from the arm. He turned to Ephraim who was in complete shock still on the bed.

  “Wake him or he will die. It was a rather large meal tonight.” Solaris said before ripping another mouthful of flesh from the bone. He realized Ephraim was too afraid to approach, with him looming over Lux's unconscious body and he stepped away while continuing to enjoy his meal. Ephraim snapped out of his fear and scrambled off the bed to scoop Lux up from the growing puddle of blood that gushed from his severed arm.

  “Lux! Lux wake up! Lux! LUX!!! HEY WAKE UP!!! LUX!!!!” Ephraim shook him and screamed trying to wake up but Lux was unresponsive. “LUX!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!! PLEASE DON'T DIE!!!! LUX!!!!” Ephraim screamed, then pulled Lux into his chest and began to sob.

  “What a waist. Let me have more before the meat spoils.” Solaris said as he finished plucking the last bit of flesh from the severed arm.

  “You bastard! You won't have him! You cannot just kill your only food source!” Ephraim cursed him. Solaris smirked in amusement.

  “Only? As I recall there are 8 billion people on this planet.” Solaris said, bearing his sharp bloody teeth as he smiled. “It is not fair that there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy human food and frolic about the day, while I suffer starvation and my hunger is completely disregarded and labeled as unimportant. If Vezaias ignores his end of the deal we made to allow me one meal, then I shall ignore my agreement not to feed on whatever humans are available.” He suddenly advanced on Ephraim to take Lux from him.

  “No!!! You can't have him!!!” Ephraim yelled angrily and in a futile attempt to save Lux he began to kick and smash Solaris away which wasn't working, but suddenly Lux was awake and flaring like a sparkler while clamping onto Solaris with his only hand then sucking energy like a dry sponge dropped into a bucket of water. Solaris jolted and fell backwards with a smack to the floor. Lux's arm shot out quickly and he was now fully healed, breathing heavily, and energized.

  “That's what you get you piece of fuck!” Lux panted angrily. Ephraim threw his arms around Lux and began to sob.

  “I thought he killed you!” Ephraim cried. Lux put his arms around Ephraim and held him protectively as Solaris looked as if he was recovering. He rolled to his side and groaned in pain.

  “Thanks Lux….” He panted. “I really needed that…”

  “Zay??” Ephraim pulled away from Lux to go to him.

  “Wait, don't go near him yet!” Lux held Ephraim back. Vezaias pushed himself to sit up shakily then slowly got to his feet.

  “That fucker caught me off guard. He was angry that he missed his one meal per day. He attacked Remington. Then he came here to find you. I could not stop him. My fucking bad.” Vezaias said solemnly. He looked at Lux and Ephraim who both looked on edge and afraid. “I will make sure he doesn't miss his meal anymore so he doesn't overpower me again.” Vezaias said seriously. He wiped his bloody mouth with his arm then left through a portal.