Hallows: Pretty Snakes & Devils

Stop Breaking My Things

My Chemical Romance- You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison

Victor

Overwhelming fear wakes me up. I sit up looking around to find Carson asleep on the couch across from me. As the fear spikes he sits up and jumps into a crouch.

"Do you feel that?" he asks out of breath.

"B.B.," I nod and reach for my phone. His is already ringing. Her essence inside of me is trembling. I've never felt anything like this.

"Lucien, Lucien, calm down. What the f**k is going on?" he shouts. "Where? Okay, yeah. I'm here at Vic's. We're on our way,"

"What's going on?" I ask pulling my T-shirt on.

"Damian and B.B. took out your stone," he says. I pause for a moment and shake the feeling. I have my weapons on and my car keys in hand before he finishes putting on his shoes.

"Okay, why is she scared?" I ask.

"She's not scared," he shuts his eyes rubbing his chest. "She's crying. This is what it feels like when B.B. dies a little inside,"

I toss him my keys. He drives us to Mariah's parent's loft. It's a ten-minute drive from my place. There are Fringe agents with their vans and kids. Ashley and David are with them. She looks taller. Almost as tall as B.B. It's a little unsettling how much they look like one another.

"Mrs. B," Carson calls out to her. When she opens her mouth to speak thunder cracks in the thick clouds above us. The trembling of B.B.'s essence is gaining speed fast. It's almost a vibration.

"B.B. was snooping around and she found a hidden room that leads into a basement. She found over a hundred kids. Hallows. They were all in cages," she places her hand around her throat.

"Where is she?" I ask looking around.

"Dante had to take her away. She had a really bad panic attack," she looks us both over and places her hand on Carson's arm. "Are you okay, Sweetie? You look really pale,"

"I can feel B.B.," he nods. "It doesn't feel good,"

"Is Damian here?" I ask her.

"He's with Delilah," Carson shakes his head. "They don't know about the kids,"

Over a hundred kids in cages. I'm kind of glad he didn't have to see that. Ahsan's bike pulls up behind my car. He takes his helmet off and throws it as he storms past us toward one of the agents.

"What the f**k is this, Bellen?" he shoves her. She pushes him right back.

"f**k you, Ahsan. I didn't f*****g know about this," she shouts angrily.

"This is your f*****g sector you stupid b***h," he growls. His skin starts to turn blue. Carson is quick to go over to him and pull him off of her. I glance over at Ashley who is watching with disbelief. He almost hit her with the helmet.

"Calm down, Ahsan," he growls shoving back toward us.

"You're f*****g dead if I find anything that shows you were involved, Bellen. f*****g dead," he growls.

The agent is trying her best not to start crying. She knows that if she shows any kind of weakness right now, she's going to be replaced. I give her credit for standing her ground. Ahsan is an asshole. He doesn't care who it is. And he isn't going to stop just because she's a woman.

"Calm down," I wrap my arm around him and pull him to me. I close my eyes and call out to Jimenez's murder. "Relax,"

"Where is she? Where the f**k is B.B.?" he's panicking. "Where the f**k is she, Carson?"

"She's fine," he pushes against him as he tries to get out of our hold. Jimenez's crows swoop down by the cars and he materializes among them.

"San," he calls out. Ahsan's entire body tenses up as he comes over to us. "Car, let him go,"

As soon as we let him go his chest smacks against Jimenez who holds him back like it's nothing. With a single hand around his throat, he subdues him and holds him in place while whispering god knows what into his ear. Ahsan's claws rip through Jimenez's jacket and shirt angrily. Jimenez doesn't even bat an eye. His entire focus is on trying to calm the blue devil.

"Jesus," David looks them over horrified.

"Is he okay?" Ashley asks worriedly.

"Yeah," Carson pushes his hair out of his face and turns away. My phone starts to vibrate in my pocket. I look down to see it's Dec.

"You good?" I ask him as soon as the phone is to my ear.

"Where is she? She's not answering her phone," he says.

"She's with Dante. Where are you?"

"Home. I was with Stacy and Diana on Eastend. What happened?"

"Stay there in case they pop over there first. Have James make her something warm,"

"She's not hurt, is she? This doesn't feel good, Vic,"

"I know, Dec. Just try to stay calm. She had a panic attack. We'll be back as soon as we can,"

"Aight," he sighs and hangs up.

"Dante says they're headed back to the house," Ashley sighs.

"Okay," Carson picks up Ahsan's helmet. "Vic take Jimenez, Ashley, and San to the house with you. I'll take care of s**t here and head back as soon as I can,"

"One of us should stay with you, Diablo," Jimenez calls over his shoulder. "I can drive San and Ashley back,"

"I can stay," Ashley suggests.

"She's going to need you," I disagree.

"We should stay," Ahsan chokes out. We all look over at them. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to this," he rubs his chest. "B.B. feels a lot all the time. I didn't think there could be more. She's winding down. I'm fine. I know everyone here,"

"Are you sure?" Carson asks him. He goes over to him. He takes a mini flashlight from the inside of his blazer and checks his eyes. "Mouth," Ahsan opens his mouth. "You need to stay calm. I know it doesn't feel good and that you guys are going through some s**t. Just take a breather if you need it. Yeah?"

"Yeah," he nods. Carson turns his attention to Jimenez and removes his blazer to offer it to him.

"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid,"

"I got him," Jimenez takes off his jacket and hands it to Carson.

"Let's go. Dec isn't going to know how to deal with her if she's crying," he says and starts going over to the car.

"I'm going to get David," Ashley looks up at me. I join Carson in the car.

"What the f**k were they doing?" I ask him. David and Ashley get in the car with us and I start the drive back to the Haunted Mansion.

"You know exactly what they were doing. Damian wasn't going to let them replace you here and B.B. isn't one to tell him to f**k off," Carson says.

"We should have Ahsan check the other houses," I swallow the knot in my throat. "If Darnell had cages, the others might have some too,"

"Are you f*****g serious?" he asks annoyed. I glance over at him and give him a nod.

"Did you know about this?" David asks.

"No, I didn't. I wouldn't have let it happen if it killed me," I shake my head. "They've been trying to push me out for a while now. Since before Jimenez and Carson set up Mariah,"

"Do you have addresses?" Carson asks.

"Yeah, in their contacts," I hand him my phone.

"No password?" he scoffs.

"Don't need on. No one touches my phone," I shrug. "Except when B.B. plays games on it,"

The sky gives way and it starts to pour outside. His words are swimming in my head. This is what it feels like when B.B. dies a little inside. We feel a little portion of that. Her essence isn't as loud as the rest of us because she tries her best to keep it at bay but this was worse than any other time she's been upset. Carson's phone rings and he puts it on speaker.

"Tell me you found her," Lucien demands.

"She's at the house. We're headed back now," I tell him.

"What happened?" Damian asks.

"Damian," I growl at him. "Why would you take B.B. with you?"

"f**k you, Vic. We were doing fine. It wasn't until after she brought me here that she freaked out. She was fine. Laughing," he scoffs. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you or her. What happened?"

"There was a hidden door in the loft space she was in," David answers.

"Thompson's loft?"

"Yeah, we now know why they wanted us out of the picture," I tell them what she found.

"A hundred hallows?" Delilah gasps. "For what?"

"We don't know," Carson answers.

"Hey, baby," Ashley calls out.

"Mom? How did you get dragged into this?" she laughs.

"Dad and I were at David's. The boys are due any day now. Your sister was freaking out when she popped in. I'd never seen her like that,"

"Yeah, Lucien was out of his mind too," she says quietly. "Car, we gotta watch her. The last time she lost her s**t like this she killed the alpha,"

"I remember," he looks up at me. "We're home. I'll call you back,"

"Please," Lucien agrees.

The four of us rush inside. Dante is sitting in the armchair in the family room. B.B. is passed out on the couch. The concerning part is the looming shadow standing behind her. I've only seen Chance in my dreams. I've never felt his presence like this before. This thing is a lot bigger than I thought he would be in person.

"Where are the others, Pride?" he asks. I almost f*****g pass out from the sound of it. I shake my head steadying myself against the grand piano.

"Lucien is in New York. Ahsan and Rodrigo are in New City," Carson answers. He sounds out of it now.

"Sit," he orders. Neither of us can take our eyes off him as we go over to sit on the sofa. Dec is sitting with B.B. Her head on his lap while he strokes her hair gently.

"Are you supposed to be here?" I ask.

"No," his expression softens when he looks over at B.B. "Belladonna's soul begged for death tonight. I thought-" he turns his attention to Dante. "I thought one of you was in danger or worse. When neither of your souls emerged, I had to come see what was wrong for myself,"

"She's fine," Dante points out.

"B.B. is not to be stopped for what comes next,"

"What the f**k is that supposed to mean?" David demands. "What is she going to do?"

"David," Dante shakes his head.

"There will be a cleansing of the Hallow bloodlines,"

"She can't just kill a s**t ton of Hallows," Ashley growls. "These are her people. This is her house-"

"And she must get her house in order so the others fall in line," he doesn't raise his voice but the threat is there. Dante's eyes blacken with anger but he doesn't move a muscle.

"This is not how things-"

"Enough," he growls annoyed. The vase on the coffee table shatters. It wasn't even a threat. It was just to get her to shut the hell up. "You know nothing about leadership, Conquest. You've never worn the crown and Belladonna has inherited a very heavy burden,"

"B.B. isn't prepared to go up against our own," I shake my head. "Not physically or mentally,"

"You have no idea what Belladonna is capable of," he turns his bright red eyes to me.

"Chance, B.B. has been through a lot already," Carson tries to back me up. "She hasn't fully recovered-"

"I understand where the two of you are coming from. All of you. You must understand her role in this realm at this time. This is a war for dominance," he kneels down in front of her pushing her hair out of her face. "She's a lot stronger than before. She's tamed Merciful Death and she's fed the Black Mamba beyond her abilities to control it. She knows what she's preparing for,"

"What does this mean for us?" Carson asks. The demon looks him over and smiles almost with a glint of approval. I feel a ripple of pleasure flood through our connection and I almost laugh.

"Whatever you need it to mean, Pride. Whatever you need to do to get her where she needs to be. For her to accept what she is, you all must accept that she is more than just your lover," he stands up. His skin glistens silver and gold. His tail flickers as his eyes scan both B.B. and Dec who hasn't moved an inch since Chance approached him. "Wrath does not come from heartlessness," he sighs heavily. "Wake up, Little Death,"

"Chance?" we all let out a sigh of relief. B.B. jumps up looking him over nervously. She scans the room and then laughs. "Oh, I thought I died again. Holy s**t," she puts her hands on his chest. "You're f*****g real this time,"

"It's good to see again, Little Death. I see you are making good use of your new abilities," he caresses her cheek with the back of his hand. I've never seen her quiver the way she is right now. The look on her face, it hurts. The feeling of her essence is still going fast but it's shifting into something a lot more pleasant. I'm not the only that notices the change.

"Why are you here?" she asks and then looks back at Espinosa.

"Not for that," he says reassuringly. The adoring look in her eyes changes when she looks up at him again. "It's justified,"

"It's not that simple, Chance,"

"But it is,"

"But it isn't," she smirks. "You've had a lot of practice. I'm kind of new at this,"

"Show me," he demands. She shivers and glares at him. "Belladonna," he warns her. Carson and I both laugh knowingly. Bratty cutie will always get her way one way or another. "P-please,"

"Jesus," Dante shakes his head.

"Sure," she agrees immediately.

Ashley scoffs crossing her arms over her chest with disbelief. B.B. holds out her hand. The spear materializes. She holds it out in front of her and jerks it up to expand the rod. She spins it expertly before holding it up to him. His cold demeanor changes. He smiles. She lets out a little squeak when his hand wraps around the rod. The grin on her face makes me want to hit something.

"The Morning Star," he says inspecting the spear. "This was made for my father,"

"So, I've heard," she glances at me but it's clear she's more interested in him. He squeezes it and it turns into a small rod again. He hands it back to her.

"Turn around," he orders. She doesn't hesitate to do so. When he reaches for her blouse, Carson and I are on our feet. Dec has his hand wrapped around his wrist. I'd never seen Dec transform before and it's a lot more terrifying than Carson's.

"What the f**k?" Dante looks him over and then at Carson who's also given in to his devil.

Chance smiles at Dec. His hand lashes out faster than I've ever seen before. He has Dec bend over the couch as he inspects his long black tail. Dec growls trying to get out of his hold. I try to grab for Carson but it's too late. He jumps over the coffee table and wraps his arm around Chance's neck before tossing him away from Dec and B.B. He lets out blood curling screech and stands protectively in front of them.

"Master Chance," James comes out of nowhere putting up a barrier shield to keep him from attacking the two devils behind him. "Miss, get a hold of your devils,"

"Nah," she brushes him off and sits down. "He knows if he hurts them, I really won't call,"

Chance growls and picks himself up off the floor. He fixes his white suit and lets out a heavy sigh trying to compose himself again. James looks back at B.B. like she's lost her f*****g mind. None of us knows what to do. The devils are on edge and her parents are just as shocked as I feel.

"Show me the snake," he growls.

"Don't touch her," Dec's voice is deep and demonic. The kid has a temper. The only other time I'd seen him lose his s**t was when B.B. was shot. However, it was nothing like this. His skin is pitch black. He looks like a shadow. Something far more evil than Carson's red devil.

"Enough," Chance growls. Both of them groan and stumble away from him turning back into themselves. James's barrier shatters as he comes around to stand in front of B.B. once again. "Show me,"

"Apologize," she huffs. His tail twitches and his hands fist.

"No," he says.

"Then no," she shrugs.

"Belladonna," he growls. She laughs.

"Chance," she says growling playfully. He doesn't like that. The light bulbs around the room all shatter. "Oh, scary," she says sarcastically. "It's super dark now. What will I ever do?"

"B.B.," Dante growls at her. She laughs and turns her head towards the front door. There is Eve's huge head. Ashley screams when she turns around and sees it. "Holy s**t. What did you do?"

Chance ignores him and moves over to the snake. Her tongue slithers out when he approaches. Her eyes shut when he reaches for her. She even leans into him to hurry his touch. Both Dec and Carson growl.

"You magnificent creature," he coos and she bumps into him playfully. B.B. hisses out flashing her fangs. Her eyes match Eve's. Her mouth his wider. Her tongue is black. Eve shrinks down. Chance doesn't hesitate to wrap his hand around her neck. He pulls her over to B.B. "If you attempt to crush her again, I'd have to find a new familiar for B.B. and Remy to play with," he growls at the snake. The snake hisses squirming in his hold. "It would be so-"

"Stop," B.B. growls at him. She jumps on the armrest. Her hand lashes out. The tips of her sharp nails are digging into his throat piercing through deep enough to draw blood. "Let her go, Chance or I'll rip your f*****g throat out,"

"She was disobedient," he growls but doesn't move.

"That's none of your f*****g business. Eve is mine. So let her the f**k go or I'll tear your vocals right out of your throat. You feel that, don't you? The black stone in my nails will tear right through you," she steps down keeping her eyes on him. "Let. Eve. Go," he releases the snake and it instantly shrinks down and slips into her jeans and up her body. B.B. looks him over. The adoring look in her eyes is gone. She pulls her nails out of his throat and takes a step back. "Don't ever do that again,"

"You'd threaten me with death?" he asks and there's genuine hurt in his tone.

"Did you think I would let you f*****g hurt me again?" she shoves him hard enough to make him take a step back. "My neck was black for weeks. I told you this isn't your f*****g realm. It's mine," his eyes are glowing gold. "You can't just come here and act like we all belong to you. We don't," his tail waves back and forth angrily. "Apologize, Chance,"

"No," he growls. "I'm leaving,"

"Perfect," she growls at him just as angrily as him.

"Our deal is off," he says turning away.

"Oh, so you want us to fight," she scoffs. "You'd make me attack you? You know I won't let you take him from me,"

"He doesn't belong to you," the house shakes from the force of his shouting. Dante pulls me away from them. Ashley pulls David behind her and leads him over to us.

"He does right now. He's mine to reap and I'm not collecting until I damn right feel it like it," she screams the only way B.B. knows how to scream. With the full force of the bratty princess that she is. Remy materializes behind her. The spear in her hand expands again. "Until I say it's time, Espinosa belongs to me. The only way you can take him is if you send me to hell first,"

"You are prolonging the inevitable, B.B.," he growls. Glass shatters all around us.

"Stop breaking my s**t, asshole," she shouts pointing the spear at him. He laughs. The sound of it sends cold ripples down my heated body. What the f**k is she doing making that f*****g thing angry?

"The longer he remains here. The more you will be burdened with plagues of death," he steps into the spear letting it cut through his blazer. "You know why you're on the brink of war with your own kind. This is the result of your bleeding f*****g heart, Little Death. Do you not understand how fate works?"

"I'd sacrifice all of your hallows to save him," she says coldly. He tenses up. "Including my own,"

"B.B.," Dante steps forward.

"You gave me a year to decide. A mortal year. I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. I still have six months. That was the deal,"

"I don't understand you," he sighs defeatedly. "This pain you're putting yourself through. You do it for a man who wouldn't hesitate to murder you if it means saving the lives of his people. That is who you defend. He is your enemy,"

"He's my dad. I don't expect you to understand, Chance. Seeing as you want your father dead," she pulls the spear away. "If you're going to go. Leave or apologize to my devils. You're not going to come into their home with all the disrespect you show your own people," she says something in a language I've never heard before. Dante and Ashley exchange looks.

Chance sighs and reaches for her short hair. He smiles before tucking a strand behind her ear. He answers her in the same language and she pulls away rolling her eyes.

"When did you learn Hellian?" Ashley asks her.

"I apologize," Chance surprises the hell out of everyone. He looks over her shoulder at the devils. "Mortal customs aren't relevant in Hell. This is your home and I am a mere guest,"

"Thank you," she laughs and hands the spear to Remy. The spear dematerializes but Remy doesn't move an inch. Her eyes trained on the demon prince. At least, I think that's what she's looking at it's hard to tell since she doesn't have any eyes. "I think I've had enough of you for a while,"

"And I of you," he agrees. He turns his attention to Ashley and Dante. "You two aren't here on vacation,"

"Yes, sir," the two of them sneer. The entire house shakes again and the sound of more glass breaking sounds in the next room. Suddenly he's gone. His aura, his scent, any sign that he had been here is gone.

"You asshole," B.B. screams. "Stop breaking my things!"