outfit

After Marcus left her behind, Arya had helped Gabriel pack up his things and watched as he took Antonette with him to their new location. Shortly after that, she left for Rome, where she reconnected with old friends and was reintroduced into the old society. She had made quite a name for herself in the past and it didn't take long before she was given the privileges she'd always had, but never taken advantage of, when it came to picking a fledgeling to have as her pet. So she chose a young woman, who reminded her of herself when she was still young.

It was a short-term deal though. She'd told the woman's maker that she would keep the woman for a week or two, but then she had to move on as she had important business with her own maker that needed dealing with. So the woman was forced to spend her time helping Arya search through old journals left behind in Rome when they'd last lived there. When she couldn't find what she was looking for, she returned the fledgeling to her maker and traveled to the home she shared with her husband in London.

Two weeks had passed before she'd really been able to start piece together information from her extensive journal keeping. Marcus had made her write down everything about her projects, and she'd done just that, but she'd also written down a whole lot more just as a precaution. Her maker never read her journals, and she always brought the most important ones with her when they traveled to new places. Unfortunately, she'd had to leave them behind in her home in London as she couldn't carry a chest full of old books with her. Luckily though, James had the courtesy of respecting her privacy and he never opened the books either.

A full month had passed until she found what it was she was looking. A way to make Marcus pay for everything he'd done to her since he'd met her brother and a way to either get him back or win her freedom forever. Instead of bringing all the journals this time, she quickly typed up everything she needed on a laptop she'd bought just for that purpose and hopped on the first flight home.

Once she was back in the comforts of her current home, she was met with a pleasant surprise that the place hadn't burned down in her absence and that James said he would take Juliette off her hands for a while until things calmed down. Apparently he'd found some hidden talents he could make good use of wherever it was that he was going next. So once she was sure Amelita was locked up in her room, she sat down on the living room couch and closed her eyes. She'd found a way to take advantage over the connection between her and Marcus and summon him to her side by feigning distress. She didn't move or do anything until she could hear Marcus's steps on the floor and opened her eyes to look upon her maker once more.

"Hello, Marcus, please sit down."

Marcus's anger with Arya had lasted for days after his return to Bitter Springs. He'd drowned himself in work and when he wasn't working, he'd showered Damien with love as a way to distract himself. He could honestly never remember the last time he'd been mad at Arya for that long, and it certainly didn't help when he didn't know where she was. At first, it had been liberating to not have to confront her as it would have meant to really hurt her, but when weeks passed he started to get frustrated with her and worried she'd really decided to just disappear on him.

Despite their differences, despite the fact that he had been in danger of killing her this time if she'd followed him home like a lost puppy, he didn't like the idea of her just walking away. She was his. Regardless of what anyone said or did, she was his toy and he didn't like the idea of other people playing with it. He knew it was childish and he knew he was with Damien now, but deep down he didn't want her to just walk away and leave. If it hadn't been for Damien, she probably never would have left his side by choice, it had been evident in the way he'd had to force her to leave in the first place.

It was obvious he was relieved when he knew she was heading back to town. The moment he could feel her presence again, a weight was lifted from his shoulders as he knew she was fine. He knew she hadn't run off with Gabriel just to spite him. Or found a new toy to play with for that matter. The relief was short-lived though when he thought she was in trouble.

Dropping everything he had in his hands, he abruptly left the office and went straight to try to help her. It was surprising to say the least to find her in perfectly good condition, just waiting for him to arrive. Out of curiosity, he did as he was asked and sat down. He had never been summoned by anyone before, except maybe his maker. "What's the meaning of this?" He asked her, realizing for the first time that she looked different from when he'd last seen her. He had never seen her so determined to do whatever it was she'd set her mind to, and never that confident that whatever it was would succeed.

It was amusing to say the least to watch Marcus's reaction to being summoned like that. She hadn't thought it would actually work until he'd arrived and he didn't seem to think she'd have it in her to summon him like that. No one ever summoned the great and powerful Marcus, they could invite him and he would choose whether or not to show, but she'd found a way. A way she was sure he would have to respond if her imagery reached him.

"I really do hope it was an inconvenience to be summoned like a common dog, and quite obnoxious," she said with a smirk, clearly sure her plan would work. It was time for her maker to make a choice. He could choose to be with her again, the way things had been before her brother came around, or he could choose to walk away from her town, never to return. If he didn't, she would have to reveal some of his deepest, darkest secrets to her dear younger brother. If he didn't comply with her terms, she had found someone quite willing to risk her maker's wrath to take Damien for themselves.

No one in the old circles seemed to know what had become of Damien or where Marcus had decided on finally hiding his lover, but there were those willing to go to great lengths to acquire him for themselves. It seemed just uttering the name of her younger brother in the right circles made people pay very close attention to what she was saying in case she was about to reveal his location. Which of course she had implied she might one day do, for the right price.

Getting up from her seat, she walked over to Marcus and caressed his cheek, giving him a light shock when she removed her hand and smiled at him. "You're going to do exactly as I say, or you'll lose Damien forever," she said, proud of herself for her daring to so openly defy Marcus after the anger that had been directed at her just a month ago.

The male vampire had to bite his lip not to snarl at Arya and her audacity. Not only had she summoned him like that, but she had the nerve to so openly mock him. He didn't understand what he'd done to deserve her anger like that. She had been the one making things bad for herself in Sicily. The way she had spoken to Alec and the way she had taken his power to move or even speak was quite unheard of. If he hadn't been curious as to why she'd suddenly gotten so confident he wouldn't humiliate her again, she would have been chained up somewhere the moment he arrived to find her safe and sound.

Arya's little shock left a tingling sensation on his skin, and he couldn't help himself from enjoying it. What she had to say, however, made him get up as well and grab her by her throat, using his speed to push her against the wall and trap her there. Smacking her into it pretty hard, he didn't ask what she wanted or how she thought she'd make him lose Damien. It didn't matter, he didn't care. All the anger he'd worked through since leaving her on that island had returned.

"You have some nerve, returning home just to threaten me. Pray tell, what do you think you've learned that should make me give in to your foolish notions?" Since it seemed Arya was in need of a lesson, he walked her to her playroom and tied her up against the wall and smacked her hard across the face. He'd been longing to do this ever since he'd left her behind. Longing to let his frustration out on someone and his fledgeling was the perfect fit for that.

After dragging his nails down her bare arms and actually cutting her some places, he realized that this might be what she'd wanted all along and stopped punishing her. Even though he'd missed being able to cause intense pain and equally intense pleasure, he knew he couldn't go down that road again or he'd end up hurting Damien in the long run. "You tell me what I want to know, and I'll give you what you need," he said coldly as he picking up a crop, smacking it against his own hand to prove a point and test its flexibility at the same time.

Arya reveled at the rise she got out of Marcus with her little threat. It made her feel alive again when he'd make her hurt like that. She was trying to show him exactly which side of himself he was letting go of by being with her brother, so she had to push him to extremes now. In the end, he might thank her for it, if he hadn't changed too much to accommodate her frail, younger brother.

The blonde didn't protest at all when she was being manhandled into her playroom. A soft moan escaped her when he smacked her like that, he was doing exactly like she wanted of him. She'd made him give into some of the urges he seemed so good at suppressing these days. She wasn't going to stop trying to get a rise out of him any time soon, simply because it was working. Even if she couldn't help but shiver slightly in anticipation when he brought the crop out of like that, she couldn't give in to her needs just now.

"Let me see if I got this right, for every piece of information you get, you'll provide me with the pain you so desperately need to inflict?" Smirking slightly at her maker, she slipped off her high heels and worked on getting out of the cuffs made to hold a vampire. Just because she needed this as much as Marcus, didn't mean she would give in without getting what she wanted.

"I uncovered quite a few of your secrets since you so graciously left me. Like how you so desperately need to do just this every once in a while. Or how your gifts work. Secrets that would make Damien's skin crawl if he ever learned the truth. I also found him some suitors, highly interested in where you've been hiding him all these years." A chuckle escaped her as she knew she was pushing Marcus just enough to get him to snap.

There seemed to be no way around going all out to figure out exactly what it was that Arya thought she'd learned. What secrets did she think he had that would make Damien turn his back on him? And if it was true, what did she truly want in order to keep him from losing Damien? She was right though, he did need this as much as she did, after all wasn't that why he'd shaped her into enjoying pain to begin with? He'd needed someone who wasn't afraid to stay by his side no matter what monstrosities he performed.

It was obvious that she had learned some things about his gifts though by the way she'd used them to her advantage to summon him. He'd never thought that annoying little thing he couldn't control could be used against him in such a manner as he'd never truly realized how deep rooted the connection he had with certain people truly was. He'd never realized that it worked both ways either, as Arya had never said anything about it before summoning him that day.

Dropping the crop altogether, Marcus instead went to the kitchen and grabbed a sharp knife before returning to Arya. Plunging the knife deep into her abdomen, he pulled her close and whispered in her ear as he twisted the knife: "Whatever it is you think you dug up, I seem to be the one at an advantage here. So tell me, what exactly is it that you want from me this time?" Releasing her again, he pulled the knife out and jammed it into her side this time, making sure to pierce her lung in the process. "I can go on forever, so you're not doing yourself any favors by refusing to answer me."

Marcus didn't care if he was ruining her dress, or that he now had blood all over his hands, he needed to know exactly what Arya was planning on doing with whatever information she had on him. It didn't matter that he was giving her exactly what she wanted by hurting her physically or giving in to his own needs.

Arya wondered what exactly her maker had in store for her when he disappeared for a moment, surprised when he returned with the knife. The blonde grunted in surprise and discomfort when the knife was plunged into her before it was twisted like that. She certainly had succeeded in bringing out the darker side of her maker, now she just needed to keep him that way so he'd eventually mess things up for himself.

A cry left her when jammed the knife into her side, he really was determined to learn what she'd uncovered in her old journals. "I want you, isn't that obvious? I want to feel alive again, and only you seem to be able to make me do just that." And she really had tried to find someone else to help her, even let a werewolf try, much to everyone's disgust. Marcus had traded away the only other person who'd come even close, he'd given up Antonette as if the witch meant nothing to him. If she couldn't have the witch, she would have to find a way to get Marcus back, which was what she was currently working on.

"Are you starting to realize just how much you need this as well?" She asked, silently using her gifts to heat up the metal so she could break free. "You've never been truly alone with Damien without having someone to take your frustration out on, I don't think my dear brother would survive a day with you at your darkest, he certainly wouldn't be able to look at you the same way ever again." She finally got the metal soft like it needed to be and broke free. Pulling the knife out of her side, she smiled at her maker. The next time Marcus tried anything, she would use her own gifts to keep him down so he'd listen to her. "You would give him away in a heartbeat if it served your purposes."

He knew he was slipping, just as much as Arya knew. Over the years, he'd worked so hard on suppressing his more sadistic side, mainly because of Damien. He had been softened further by the arrival of the newborns in their household and he knew they couldn't handle the dark truth that he enjoyed hurting people. So he'd buried the truth and stopped punishing Arya altogether as a result. Now that he had been provoked into doing it again, he didn't quite know how to stop as he was enjoying himself far too much.

It surprised him that Arya still had those kinds of feelings for him after everything he'd done to her. Heck, it surprised him the level of loyalty she'd shown despite it all. And here she was, bringing his demons to the surface again and letting them loose. She was right, he did need this as much as she did, and that scared him. How could he just go back to pretend that nothing had happened when he saw Damien next? Pretend like he hadn't just enjoyed making his sister hurt? She had distracted him enough that he didn't even notice her breaking free and removing the knife until it was too late.

Jerking his hand away from her, he dropped the knife and pressed her up against the wall again. "Say you're right, what do you intend to do next? If that's the dark secret that will make Damien run away, you give him too little credit. What else did you dig up in your absence?" What did she know about his gifts, or his past for that matter, that her brother didn't? Intending to find out the truth, he touched one of her bleeding wounds and licked his fingers. He couldn't just place images in her mind, he could extract information as well, through blood. He didn't get the chance though as he'd need a lot more than a few drops and Arya brought him to his knees with her own gift. "Just tell me," he said, quietly admitting that she'd bested him this time. His pride had gotten the better of him and he'd given in to something he'd promised himself he wouldn't do.

She had her maker just where she wanted him. On edge. He finally seemed to be taking her seriously when she'd freed herself. It certainly had surprised him when she brought him to his knees like that, ready to give him hell. Kneeling in front of her maker, she lifted his chin to study his face for a moment, deciding whether or not to lay all the cards on the table right away. "You could have saved her, his mother." Dropping her hand again, she slipped her shoes back on and walked out of the room, heading back to the living room. Marcus didn't need to hurt her anymore to hear her out, she'd just wanted him to do that to prove her point.

Arya knew her maker better than he gave her credit for. She knew he would follow her back to the living room, so she made them both a drink. Bringing them both to the table, she placed them down and too her seat from before, only this time she didn't look as composed as earlier. Her hair was a tangled mess, her dress completely ruined and her already red lips tinged with blood as well as she seemed to have bitten her lip earlier without realizing.

"Let's face it, Marcus. You're a sadistic bastard, always trying to find someone to keep you company. Still you trick yourself into thinking you'll be able to live with yourself if you give that up." Sipping her drink, she crossed her legs and studied her maker for a moment. "Leave Damien, or leave town. Refuse and someone will be here to claim my brother by week's end. I'm sick of being treated like I don't mean anything to you when you shaped me to fit your every need."

Marcus honestly didn't know where he'd gone wrong with Arya. She had grown so much since he'd sent her off with James, learned so much and pretty much achieved what he'd hoped she would once she was on her own. In his opinion, she had needed some time away to grow into her own person, and she certainly had. Even if she'd kept looking him up every now and then after Damien left. How she'd figured out the things she'd learned made him curious as to what more she had in store for him.

Naturally, Arya knew as well as he did that there was no point in continuing his torture to get the information he wanted and he followed her, grabbing the drink she'd set out for him and got seated. He would hear her out this time, without jumping to conclusions or anything. Marcus had never been a heavy drinker, but he still downed the scotch in one go. He didn't like the ultimatum she gave him, but he had a feeling she hadn't intended for it.

"Forget it. I'm not forcing Damien to leave his home just so you can get some sick satisfaction out of everyone's misery, and I'm not leaving him behind." Getting up from his seat, he moved over to Arya and forced her to look at him. "Things can never be like they were between us, you know that. I would just trade you away the moment it served a purpose and you would betray me first chance you got. You're too spiteful to be of any use to me now." With that, he pulled her head back by her hair and kissed her roughly, to prove his point. He almost expected her to push him away or shock him again, what he did not expect was for her to surrender.

Once Marcus pulled away, he wiped her lipstick off his lips and smirked at her. Her bleeding lip had provided him with enough blood to at least piece together a little of what she'd learned. "Sweetie, I don't think you've got what it takes."

Arya really had expected Marcus to refuse her more than gracious offer, so it came as no surprise when he did. His hand on her chin, tilting it upwards so she'd look him in the eyes was a nice touch though. What he had to say hurt, if he just stopped treating her like she meant nothing, she would stop trying to best him. It was simple, how could he not see that?

When he kissed her like that, she didn't fight him, even if she knew he was up to something. Instead, she surrendered to whatever his purpose was, ignoring the fact that he was probably getting the answers he needed as to what he thought she had on him to begin with. It took a moment for her to collect herself when he pulled away as she hadn't expected him to do that at all. Maybe she could consider sharing him with Damien if he treated her better, but that was all a little too late now.

"I can change, if you'd treat me like I meant something to you. I wouldn't betray you, if you stopped trying to trade me away. If you wanted me to do something, all you've ever had to do was ask rather than make me feel like property." Suddenly she was in charge of the situation again and she'd moved so Marcus was sitting and she was straddled over him. "Give me tonight, for old times sake," she muttered before she started to kiss up his neck, nibbling slightly as she went along. He'd given her no choice though, she would have to call in her guy to come get Damien, but if he gave in she might just let Marcus keep it all.

Biting her tongue, she kissed her maker, getting him to give in just enough so he could have more of her blood and memories.

If it was one thing that surprised him, it was how far Arya seemed to be wiling to go to get what she wanted. It had never occurred to him that she most likely would have accepted everything he'd thrown at her if he'd just asked. All he'd seen was the blonde becoming more and more resentful towards him, he'd never stopped to think that maybe he was the reason.

Marcus was a very physical creature by nature and Arya knew to play to his weaknesses. Without even realizing at first, his hands started to travel up her sides when she started to kiss up his neck like that. He yielded when she kissed him all sensually like that, surprised by the images that flooded his mind. It seemed the information she had was related to his more sadistic side, one he'd done his very best to hide from Damien over the years.

Gently pushing her back, Marcus figured he'd play along a little longer to try to change her mind about it all. "You would really tell him about the villages we destroyed? Or how we're the real reason his village was raided in the first place?" With that, he got up, holding her in place, smiling when he felt her wrap her legs around him, and carried her to her bedroom. "How about I make you forget all about that for a little while, I'm sure I could put it all out of your mind," he muttered and laid Arya down first before he laid down next to her.

He would have to worry about Damien's reaction later, right now he was trying to give Arya what she wanted so he could avoid dealing with her ultimatum all together. He had to show her she still meant something to him after all, and he didn't know how else he could do that and make her believe it. Using pure force, he ripped off her dress and whispered softly: "You're not nothing," before he undressed himself and surrendered completely to his nature for a while.

The next morning, he woke up and and found Arya wrapped around him and still fast asleep. Sneaking out was not an option it seemed and he kissed the top of her head before he went back to sleep. The next time he woke up, Arya was gone.

It was a small victory when Marcus gave in to her feeble attempts at seducing him. She hadn't wanted to really go all out and be rejected, so it was better to slowly work Marcus's weaknesses against him. After all, she knew which buttons to push how far to get him to surrender to his physical nature. "I'll tell him every little secret we've had to keep from him if I have to," she murmured in response to his questions. They both knew there was a great chance Damien wouldn't trust either of them again if he learned how much they'd actually kept from him over the years. Though she wasn't about to say no to the suggestion to try to put it all out of her mind for now.

Hearing Marcus say she still meant something to him made her almost want to call her schemes off, but his distractions made her forget all about her plans. When she woke the next morning, Arya quietly slipped out of bed and into a silk robe before she went to the living room. She really was having second thoughts now about having someone come to get Damien, but by the time she checked her phone, she realized it was too late. Amelita had been given one simple task and a deadline. If Arya didn't come up to talk to her by midnight, she was to send a message to Guy, revealing their location. Since she hadn't stopped the girl in time, the guy would already know where to find Damien so regardless of her doubts he'd probably come to town within the next few days.

Deciding to forget about the matter for right now, she crawled back in bed with Marcus, glad to find him awake so they could talk. So she made herself comfortable again, all cuddled up, enjoying the feeling of his hand running through her hair. "I could get used to this again," she murmured, not wanting to get out of bed again anytime soon.

Marcus knew their night together could never repeat itself if he wanted to keep Damien or have any way of earning back his trust. He also knew that it was exactly what Arya had needed to get second thoughts about her little vendetta. Naturally, he didn't say anything and just ran his hand through her hair like he'd done so many times before, he didn't want to give her the impression that he really was about to just take Damien on another trip and stay away for a while. If going away was the only way to keep his boyfriend, then that's what he'd do. At least for a little while.

"Don't get too comfortable, just consider it a compromise. If I can keep Damien, we can keep doing this." He knew he might just have made the wrong decision in telling her that, but he wasn't about to just give up on Damien like that. He wasn't ready to give up on everything just yet. There was no way he was returning to being miserable if he could find a way to compromise.

He didn't expect her to like his answer, but he had hoped she wouldn't turn on him again. Unfortunately, he found himself hit across the face with a pillow and more or less repeatedly hit with the pillow until he got out of bed. Once he was out, he grabbed his clothes and returned to his own room, trying to find a way to talk to Damien before he learned everything from Arya.