[Rated M because Lucifer is seriously mad and wants to maul, curse, and bite. Also set after the thread where Vianni gives away Corvus only hours later.]

Oh Lucifer was beyond outraged. Vianni had up and pulled a disappearing act and the demon king had counted the minutes since he awoke and found his prize gone. Oh he had searched for her, all over the frozen vessel until he found exactly what he was looking for. Her most recent scent trail exited one of the entrances and he followed it out. He had given a howl to call her back to the ship figuring at first she and the bird went hunting. But then she hadn't answered or even sent the bird with a peep of her location. He usually didn't care if she did her own thing so long as he knew what it was she was doing or had an eye on her from the ship's deck. He didn't like her being away without word of where she was going. Perhaps it was a fear that she wouldn't come back but he wouldn't admit it, plus he still had the idea that she would be made submissive and subservient to him.   He had sent Noctus off with instructions to return after noon when he figured his planned punishment would be taken care of. Though Noctus held the second part of her punishment. He wanted to hold her down and force her to watch as Noctus devoured the bird, to teach her that he was not to be disobeyed. Of course her true punishment would come in the form of him forcing himself upon her. He wanted to rip her apart.to force her to remember what being weak felt like. He sat in the darkness out of sight of the entrance. He had left his handiwork in plain sight though. He had ripped a fox to shreds, ripping it's head off and leaving it in the entrance. It's shredded body lay just inside the boat just beyond the light of the entrance. It's blood slayed over the ground and over his chest and face. His ears pressed forward as he sat silently, awaiting her return. He was silently seething. The fox blood he counted on muting his own scent, hoping it would mean he would take her off guard. """" Lucifer LeviathanI'm meaner than my demons You should be scared of me Asmodeus

She felt as though she had dipped her paws into the river of molten rock as she moved away from the monolithic woman and her baby boy. A rage burned in her heart, flowing out like Hell's River to slowly turn her veins and self control to ash. Once she was out of sight of the woman, Vianni turned to watch her and the bird walk away. They seemed to get along, and Corvus had obeyed her to the letter. He sat perched on the woman's shoulder, looking back in the direction Vi had walked as he moved away from her. Sorrow churned inside her breast and blended with her rage, though instead of cooling the fires burning in her hellish soul, it further spurred an anger that had her quaking with pent up energy. An outlet, she had to find something to kill or she would find a way to best and kill the demon king and his miserable whelp, Noctus.

Tearing herself away from watching the bird go, Vianni felt the sting of tears against her eyes. Snarling quietly to herself, she swiped her paws against her burning eyes and set her eyes in the direction of the ship. After her conversation with the larger woman, Vi was more than ready for confrontation. Naamah had primed her, Corvus had taken her heart with him, and Lucifer owed her a soul. Flicking her tail irritably, Vianni starts a predatory trot. With her head parallel to the ground, she was forced to track the hard way. The reminder that she had sent her eye in the sky away sent a shocking, white-hot flash of pain coursing through her body. She had depended on Corvus as much as he had depended on her, and she had let him down by allowing that stupid, beady eyed filth into their house. A never ending growl began deep in the woman's chest the closer she got to home, the blended scents of Lucifer and Noctus combined with blood on the air. Her flag raised to position itself hopefully in the air, perhaps Lucifer had been so enraged by her ghosting on him that he killed his alarm system, maybe it was Noctus' blood she scented on the air. A woman could hope, right?

Her father taught her better than to show up at the war-front empty handed, but the constant reminder that she didn't have her Corvus with her only fed her rage and she wanted the taste of male in her mouth so badly she almost charged her way home. Spitting out her anger, she gnashes her fangs and gives an aggressive  jump at the ship in the distance before she takes off to hunt something down. At this point she didn't care what it was. It took her longer than she thought it would, thanks to not having a fast track to the prey item. Finding a wolf in this land was no issue, finding a wolf who would be a good substitute for Lucifer's hide on the other hand, well...there was no substitute and Vianni was again elevated to a new level of irritation. She tracked a male through the frozen forest, not bothering to hide her intentions as she charged him. He fought back, giving her a small cut just beneath her left eye as she came in for his throat. It had been quick, she had come on him like a wave against the beach in a hurricane, and she snuffed out his light with a skill that rivaled a trained assassin's.

Dragging the male from the frozen forest to the ship was no issue, he was her size, but the wolf's weight had nothing on the magnitude of her anger. She made it back to her home with the warmth of a good work out stimulating her muscles to make them loose and responsive. She didn't go as close to the ship as her mate may have hoped, instead Vianni decided to use the tactician in her blood to draw Lucifer out to her. With her cheek bleeding, Vianni tilted her crown and howled out an angry, vengeful howl to summon the devil out of hiding. This was not the submissive female he enjoyed and purred over. Vianni was another world of angry, and she would carve the memory of Corvus in his mind forever, no matter the cost to herself.  Noctus would be smart to steer clear of her in this moment, for making her send Corvus away she was ready to kill the thing. Neither of them had seen her in such a mood, she was usually reserved and even sweet toward the giant male she called mate. Not today, she was Pain today, and they would be the ones weakened in her wrath. Even the scorned woman had nothing on Vianni, and Lucifer would definitely know why he chose her over any other.

My whole existence is flawed

you get me closer to god

Her howl brought him to his paws, his eyes narrowing and pupils disappearing in the demon's gaze. His rage burned in the pits of his gut, churning like the hell fire they were. His lips peeled back and he revealed his bloodstained daggers to the darkness. A snarl echoed close behind. It's sound tore through the ship seemingly as loud as that of a demons. The worry he had felt for her only churning his anger.

His form danced along in the dark, perhaps giving her glimpses as he paced back and forth. His muscles were ready as the demonic man watched out on the tundra. His own scent had by now likely been spiked with testosterone and his burning rage. The bird wasn't with her he could tell as much so something must have happened. Perhaps Noctus finally caught the thing he had wanted to play with for so long. Such a thought that it wasn't by his order the bird was dead fed the rage inside him. The scent of Vianni's blood and that of another male fed it even more. She had allowed another to touch her was the only thought that fed his mind.

His voice rang out with a tone she would likely have never heard from the demon. One that spoke volumes of his anger and the reasoning behind it. Red met dusted rose for every ounce of second that he paced. His own hunt had swathed him but not to terribly. Hears pressed back and the gash above his eye that had started to calm rang anew causing him to snarl more. "You left Vi! You said you wouldn't! I fucking trusted you, and now you come back with a males corpse expecting me to come begging to you for the shit!" didn't he have to remind her who she belonged to? There was however if one plucked apart his tones enough a hint of the fact that he had worried about her. He wouldn't admit so though, it was weakness and he didn't admit to ever having any. Though he was certain she might eventually guess that he had started to feel something for her, though he wouldn't admit feelings over anything.

He stopped pacing after several moments and stood there ready and waiting in the darkness beside the door. The relief he felt to see her only slightly scathed was hidden for now. His anger was the first thing he wanted to feel. Though somewhere inside he knew he needed to calm down or she would never step foot inside the ship again. There was enough said by him to let her know every conflicting emotion inside him, though he knew only how to react to the anger as the others truly confused him. He had never worried over a woman, never wanted on to be solely his, nor to stay as close as he wanted Vianni to stay. He loosed a roaring sort of sound at these emotions. His paws set to pacing again. His eyes he knew did not hide well these thoughts nor the inner turmoil.

This was the true reason he wanted Noctus gone. He needed Vianni like no other, but as a man who only knew love to mean pain it made him unsure of how to process everything. Another angry roar of words was thrown at her, this the same as the last. His emotions laced his tone in ways he couldn't control. "The fuck were you Vi! You know I looked for your ass everywhere I could think of! You fucking vanished with no word to me! And what's worse you come back bleeding with some males scent all over you! And no fucking corvus! The fuck you let the bastard eat him?!" his anger drew him forward enough to appear and place a paw upon the severed head of the fox. Though his tail lashed angrily, his heart wasn't completely in it. She needed to see though just how much he needed her. He might be able to continue life without her, but already he knew it wouldn't be the same. He watched her, needing something but he didn't even know what. He didn't know how to obtain. The thoughts in his mind and feelings made his fur stand and hackles bristle.

The hellish snarl that echoed out of the ship did nothing to curb her anger at him for bringing Noctus to them, for allowing the little beast to repeatedly be far too rough with her bird-son. Now, she was without him. Looking down at the male between her paws, she sinks her fangs into the bridge of his muzzle as she waits for the king to come to her. It showed the potential for dominance that ran through Vianni's veins, the first prickling indication in the madness that lurked just below her usually reserved nature around Lucifer. She had managed to curb her want for dominance with him, but as his anger met her ears she wanted nothing more than to have him beneath her with fangs over his muzzle. Instead she settled for treating the corpse to such fantasy, her hardened quartz gaze lifting up the moment she caught motion on deck. Releasing the wolf, Vianni eyes her mate and listens to another angry string of words from him.

"I came back. I told you I wouldn't leave permanently and I have kept my word. It is you who have broken trust with me." Her words are uttered on a deep, dark whisper. An eerie calm settles over her, she watches him, waiting for him to strike, but he refrains. Instead he sets his paws to pacing as he gives her his outrage, she heard it though. Beneath the angry tones of his voice were notes of worry for her avian companion, for her. Despite his wrathful exterior was a worry that she didn't quite comprehend. Stopping he stared at her, then started again after roaring his conflict at her. She wanted to be angry with him, but his next words betrayed him, showing the worry he had. Had he truly looked for her? He...her Lucifer actually cared about her company enough to look for her. There was a mild jealousy when he spoke of the male at her paws, and while the inquiry about Corvus pricked her hackles to lifting, she found the majority of her anger with him washing away. With a sigh and a flag of her tail, Vianni rolls her eyes and growls.

Sitting in the snow, she watches her raging mate. With a huff, she looked up at him. A gust blew snow into her cut and she hissed softly at the sting of flakes hitting raw flesh. "Corvus is fine. I had to rehouse him because of Noctus. Come down...please...I am sorry. That's why I brought you this...I was angry and sloppy so his fang caught my eye, I figured you would like to see what usually happens to the males who dare touch me. So you could understand just how lucky you are." She wanted to be angry with him for what happened, but her anger was more for Noctus and the rough way he played. Learning how to disarm her husband was a decidedly more fun venture than clashing with him in battle, both left her weak and wanting more. Meeting his gaze even through this distance, there was a hint of the previous anger, but there was more loss and pain to be found now. She wanted comfort, not blood. Corvus would be fine, she knew, but how would she cope without him? Would Lucifer even know what to do with a mourning mate? Vianni doubted it, from the way he treated her, she could infer that hers was the only kind touch he may have known.

Perhaps she could use this to her advantage and soothe the beast, maybe then he would hold her instead of pinning her. To know she was the only wolf who could rile and calm him made her feel powerful, but it was like holding a grenade in your hand after tossing the pin. If she didn't do away with his anger fast enough, she would be in a world of hurt.

My whole existence is flawed

you get me closer to god

Her words of him breaking trust with her brought a new snarl to him. His anger prickling. He had done no such thing and she knew it. He had been asleep when she left so the fuck he had. His hackles danced as his emotions toyed with him. This game of hers was going no where and he wanted nothing more than to rip into her hide, yet at the same time he didn't. The confusion of such things he knew likely danced on his face and in his eyes. He was a beast of violence not of gentle love or touch. She knew as much already.

His pacing in the darkness never once stopped or faltered. He was trying to decide what to do with such emotions. His form slid forward for a moment only to pace more. He for once was having trouble deciding where to throw his anger, and why he for some reason didn't want to throw it at her for wronging him. His own confusion only served to rile him more. He was angry with her, angry with his own emotions, and with his own indeciveness. His tail rose above his hips, bristling with anger. Her blaming him for whatever the fuck she thought he had done wasn't helping shit either. Then more words which caused him to stop and look directly at her. His lips peeling back as he listened and she finished. Him lucky to have touched her? No it was the other way around, she was lucky to be alive, lucky he hadn't done away with her as soon as he had finished last time.

Did she truly not understand the severity of her situation? Did he have to force her to want to never leave his side again? His temper only served to rise even after her apology. He moved then, forwards and towards her. Head low and ears back. His eyes though still fighting his emotions over such a want to break her, we're hardening and blazed like hell fire. His muscles rippled with every movement, each step screamed of the danger she was placing herself in. If she was smart she would of shut up before now, let him either calm down or rile himself up. As soon as he reached her his first move wasn't exactly tender, that cut bothered him most. His body aimed a powerful slam of hers against his as his mouth sought purchase on her nape. Should she have fallen like he wanted he would then aim to plant a paw and press weight down on her side, only to release her nape and give a rather rough and hard press of his tongue to the inside of her cut. He gave her no words for when he was done with her today she would likely not want any anyway. Besides he didn't know she mourned nor what to do with a mourning woman.

Watching intently as he emerged, so full of rage, so angry, with such a conflicted expression on his face that Vianni could only wonder what thoughts rattled around in his mind. He moved in true predatory fashion toward her, his massive frame and rippling muscles making her stomach quiver excitedly as she watched his approach. The wrath of hell was in his eyes, and he charged her. At the last moment before impact, Vianni pivots to her right and ducks her head down, using her speed to avoid his jaws and the intended body slam. It wasn't hard to understand that he wanted her down, and she hesitated before laying herself  on the ground, keeping her left side up.

It wouldn't do to get more snow in the cut, the salt content of the crystals stung and she was in no mood to get angry at snow. She wanted peace with her mate, despite her enjoyment of whipping him into a frenzy. It was unlike her to be so soft with anyone, to be something other than a pretty monster. Inside, Vianni was still female. She wanted the beast to gentle himself for her and no one else, to feel elevated. She was a queen after all, but she also knew she would have to kiss the king's ass to be treated like one.  When his tongue came into contact roughly against her wound, she made a sound that told him just how raw her own emotions were. It seemed unlikely that he would care, or soften for her.

She let the pain wash over her like a cleansing flame, letting the ache of her grief burn away anything else until she could feel only the loss of her companion and the sting of her cut. Closing her eyelids, Vianni releases a broken sigh and a small whimper, where she had been tense and angry now she was only sad and broken hearted. What could her mate do now that hurt more than parting with Corvus? How could she get him to stop being angry for just long enough to give her some kind of comfort? She showed him submission for the most part, brought him food, got rid of the pet he disliked, and had even come back after rehousing said pet. It was in that moment that she decided what to do about his rough handling of her.

She opens her eyes to meet the burning garnet of his gaze, lifting herself to her paws, she ducked her head beneath his chin, aiming to press her chest against his shoulder. "Sit, please." If he couldn't understand her needs, she would show him what to do. He couldn't be rough with her forever, and surely there was enough sorrow in her voice to curb the need for violence and punishment. Maybe then she wouldn't snap at him the next time he completely dominated her.

His movements missed and he gave a snarl until she laid herself down. His eyes were watching every movement she made. His tongue touching her cut brought a sound from her that he wasn't sure what to do with. His tongue ramped at her cheek then and his nose caught wind of the other male on her. Such a thing brought his hackles up, the fur along his spine standing straight up. His own cut stung with the wind but could be ignored. The blood that welled from it seeped into his white mask and stained it red above his right eye, the liquid even dribbling down to touch the corner of his eye. At least now she was completely alone with him, so now without a doubt he could make her never want to leave his side. Though the only question was how did he do such a thing, he was like his father in every way, females would not flock to him without him forcing them to. Should he tell her to leave? See how long she could last before she came back and was ready to do anything to please him? No, he wouldn't be able to keep himself from hunting her down and forcing her beneath him once more. The feelings he had though made him want nothing more than to make her see that she needed him. Patience was the thing he lacked, and she would likely need to have it while he sorted out these thoughts. His voice rose and a possessive tone was held within. "You wear his scent Vianni. Like it's your trophy perfume."  Was he jealous? He didn't know. Emotions were not his strong suit. As she sat up he gave her her only warning in the form of a low vibrating growl. He wouldn't have her trying to be anything more than subservient today. She had fucked up and he wanted her to know just how bad she did fuck up. To make her see that she was going back a step here was his goal. Where he had been starting to trust her, now she had proved he couldn't just yet. His body tensed as she touched him with a gentle way and he sat as she asked. Confusion was written on his face and his body held a very tense form. He had never truly felt tender touches, only his father's harsh form of love through bruises and bite marks. Even as she touched him he knew she would feel his rough skin, know the stories it most likely told. She might even guess at why he rejected the notion of love. Love meant pain and he never wanted to feel that pain again. He didn't speak only gave a low rumbling sound somewhat akin to a growl, yet it wasn't exactly one. Even after just a moment of this touch he was rigid and uncomfortable with allowing her so close and such a touch. His eyes had hardened immediately though he expected to have to fight at any moment. He had had no mother to gently caress him, to love him in the way only a female could. He was a monster and he knew it. He had killed countless women and even children. He had abused just as many women as he had killed, though something about Vianni had kept him from killing her just as he had any woman whom he touched. After only minutes of sitting there he gave a sharp growl of his anger with himself and was quick to rise again only to turn to the other male that lay dead and snap his skull up between his jaws. His eyes he kept from Vianni, somehow fearing she might find a weakness in his eyes. In the moment he was no more than the child, afraid of his father's next touch. She had reduced him to such and now silence would be her only answer. His paws pulled him to the ship, needing the cover of darkness and the security he felt on the vessel. If she followed was her own decision, he wasn't forcing her in the moment. Lucifer LeviathanI'm meaner than my demons You should be scared of me Asmodeus

She didn't react to his words, only moved to relax her aching frame against his, to absorb his strength and push on the way she had been doing. Despite the rigid way he sat, his obedience in this situation surprised her. She had planted herself between his paws, burying her muzzle into his pelt and tracing along one of many scars he held. His skin was littered with these small lines from the story of his life. She wanted to know them, and while he refused to speak on the subject, Vianni was able to deduce that the majority of them had come from parental abuse. The very idea had Vianni's blood boiling with rage, that some wolf could go so far against their own offspring...even to her it was unspeakable. She supposed she had been lucky then, that both of her parents had loved her and cherished her as an heir to their shared throne. They had doted on her and gave her anything she could have asked for. If not for the deep root of cannibalistic madness that coursed through the long line of queens, Vianni would be a well balanced, even sweet individual.

Perhaps, it was his undoing, to hold her this way. While she tried her best, Vianni found no comfort in his frozen embrace. Actually, he rather openly defied the would be tenderness of the moment with a snarl and rose to snap the skull of the male she had murdered. Watching him for a moment, Vi pushed up on her paws and went to touch him again, only to have him move away from her and go back into the ship. The lump that formed in her throat made her want to cry, but she was stronger than that. She was raised to be a queen, and queens didn't cry. Stomping her hind paw in the ice, she throws a silent tantrum at the sting of rejection, nearly letting the chains loose on the control of her madness. Something always held her back, even from their claiming fight, Vianni always pulled her punches. It could have been the same thing that held him back from killing her. They were strong, healthy individuals who happened to fit each other perfectly.

Maybe she romanticized Lucifer, but any stray could be taught to love properly. Taking a steadying breath, Vianni tags along in his wake, trotting dutifully behind him as he retreated from her. Yes, run devil, I've got you now. She had seen it, the conflict in his gaze. That was coupled with the scars on his hide, he had never had a wolf touch him the way she did, or so she guessed. It was a heady, powerful sensation that was almost enough to mask the pain she felt about Corvus, to know that she might be the only soft touch he had ever known. A strange sort of possessiveness took her over then, a need to protect her right to touch him like that, to ensure that no other female gave him what she gave him. He was hers, and hers alone. From this moment onward she would have an equal claim, one that came with branding a man's soul. She would burn her way into his heart the way good whiskey did on the way down.

While he moved to his place in their dark home, Vianni smiled and made her way to the kitchens, hunting down the brown bottles that held fermented liquid in them that smelled faintly of corn. Finding one, she moved back to Lucifer, waving her tail and placing the bottle between her paws before biting down on the cork and pulling it from the mouth of the liquor. "I found these a long time ago, it burns going down, but it's good. Makes you numb.." Moving away again, Vianni finds a strange metal turtle shell and turns it over so that the hollow dome was waiting to be filled. Twisting her head to pick the bottle up sideways, Vi pours a little into the turtle-bowl and smirks as it fills with the brown fire-water. Once there was a fair amount, Vi dips her head to release the bottle and ducked her head to lap delicately at the metallic scented liquid. It was nothing like water, and the burn of it on her tongue made her screw up her face and cough a bit. She wanted the feeling that came with the liquid, to have the numbness that she had before Lucifer came to make her feel again.

She was a monster, not some mewling kitten waiting to be petted. His avoidance was worse than his fangs, and she didn't know how to make it right. Maybe he would drink with her and they could find out, moving away from the bowl, Vianni sat in the darkness, the warmth spreading over her as the drink hit her gut. "Forgive me..." She said the words on a broken whisper, one that echoed through the room and was not echoed with the cawing of a magpie. Up to this point she had been so strong, so resistant, but now she was tired, hurting from the loss of an adopted child, and angry with the one who made it so he had to go away.  She wanted to hurt something, but was too hurt to actually commit to such things. Instead she decided to keep to her corner for now, wanting to reach out and soothe, to hurt, something to make the pain in her chest stop. Laying on the steel floor of her home, Vianni sighed and finally let the tears that had been stinging her eyes fall. She was silent in her crying, only the feathering of her barely choked out breaths could be heard.

She followed his movement only to break away after they enter the ship. He found relief in being left alone again. Something he had been trying to avoid his entire life since the death of Rykeros Asmodeus. The touch of another was to him a hurtful thing. He had always known to lash out and use his anger to hurt others but he didn't know how to be gentle. It had never been shown to him. Her gentleness with him confused and shocked him. He knew how to bite and force a woman into submission or even to force one into his bed, but now Vianni had shaken his world with something he didn't know. The way she had caressed his scar and seemed to mourn over the fact he had them it left him numb, and confused about what he was supposed to do. This was new territory to him.

His paws moved him to the captains quarters, his sanctuary inside the ship. His bed had been obtaining many furs by now and he dropped the male before he set about skinning him. His actions were like a machine's, automatic and done without thinking. He felt hollowed and empty inside. Even Vianni's return to him wasn't noticed. Her words he heard but had no response for. His eyes watered and in the darkness he allowed for them to run down his cheeks. After the male was skinned he dragged it's sorry hide to the bed where he laid it flat with the the others. His emotions he was still fighting with but now every ounce of anger had vanished and it left him feeling exposed to the world. Anger had been the only thing he had known in a long time and now he didn't have it to hide behind.

His eyes moved to her now crying form, a dullness inside them. The anger that made the gaze burn normally was all but vanished leaving his eyes to reveal everything. Without anger he knew exactly what he was, a broken she'll of a man that had known too much hurt in his life to trust another. She was lucky to even know a faint glimmer of that trust. His form moved like a robot then, needing something he could not describe. He moved closer wordlessly only to use the only knowledge he had in his life to aim a more tender bite at the crying woman's scruff. And wordlessly he aimed to pull her to the bed, though halfway across the room would she find his fangs retreating, and him walking with his shoulder against her hip.

As he reached the bed once more he gently climbed on. His form then aiming to gently wrap around hers if she had continued to follow, if not then he would lay there with his head turned away from her, until she got the silent message. If she did keep coming with him and laid with him his head would drop over her nape. If this was how someone was gentle then he was passing this class with flying colors. His ears pinned back in the silence and even her apology had seemingly gone unheard.

She lay wrapped in sorrow, bundled with pain, but now there was a warmth in her gut and a numbness to her mind that allowed her to relax enough to let the tears roll down her cheeks. It wasn't until the unfamiliar touch accosted her scruff that she even moved. Her body tensed and she moved to look at whoever dared touch her the way she had wanted Lucifer to do. The bite did not tighten, but tugged her to follow, and her dusty pink eyes found the bleeding red of Lucifer's gaze, recognizing pain and confusion, but unsure about his sudden display. As he pulled her to her paws, Vianni found a strange comfort in his gentleness, though she knew something was breaking inside her mate, why else would he suddenly change his way with her? Shock flowed through her veins, enough so that she didn't even fight him playfully, seeming to understand the difference in his behavior even though she really didn't.

When he released her, she nearly stopped, but his shoulder against her hip meant he wanted her to continue moving, made clear by the soft pressure he applied to her. Looking back at him, she could only see the white mask of his face in the darkness, and the expression born from internal conflict. Guilt speared her through the chest, and for a moment she forgot about her own sadness. Pinning her ears against her skull, Vianni tucked her tail between her legs and gathered her haunches to leap up on the bed. Laying down, she found another surprise waiting for her, the tender actions of Lucifer making her heart beat silvery wings against the cage of her chest until she was forced to make a small whimper as he wrapped himself around her. The warmth of his massive frame was decadent against her body, sinking deep into the ice of her soul and melted away some of her ire. His head lay over her neck, but she found the need to touch him was unbearable. Squirming for a better position, Vianni pushed herself up on the bed until she could reach his face.

The smell of salt was on his cheeks, and she was all too familiar with the scent of tears. For a moment, she could only blink in the darkness and wonder at this new male who claimed to be her mate. His actions had created something she wasn't sure would ever be hers, and she could feel the blossoming of something bright and warm within her chest. It was better than the whiskey she had consumed, and far more potent. The words of their original deal played through, and a slow smile stretched over her face, followed closely by a short chuckle. "We did a good job of not complicating things, Lucifer." It was said with a good-natured sarcasm, though her voice was dulled by sorrow. Still, today was a day of taking liberties with Lucifer it seemed, and she brought the reminder up because she had to warn him somehow. Without another word, Vianni turned her head and looked her mate over before trying to catch his gaze. Rolling to her side so that his head would rest on her ribcage, she leaned up and lightly nipped the tip of his tawny ear. "We have been together for a full season, it may be too soon for such foolishness, but you have my love. I may not be good at showing such things, but never doubt my affection or loyalty to you. You're like the one wolf in this world I would not betray, and it isn't only because you're fearsome." She had seen his heart the moment he found Noctus stealing from Corvus, had noted the exposed soft spot. It would seem the monochrome monster had managed to finally reach that tender area herself, and now she intended to see that space grow so that she may fit more comfortably inside.

If he allowed it, she would wash the salt from his face, as he had once offered to clean hers. Her motions were fluid, and soft, when she got to the thicker portions under his ear, she buried her nose into his fur until she felt his skin. Tracing his scars, Vianni learns of the hard life he had been forced to lead without having to understand the details. Her king had been molded by war and cruelty, though one glance at the scar on his chest would tell anyone about that, with skin this marked up it had gone further than that. No wonder he acted as though she had just snatched the foundation out from under him, basically that was exactly what she had done. But, she liked it! With his soap box ripped away from him, he had no choice but to step up and fit the pedestal Vianni had built for him. She wanted his fire, the ice in his soul, but she wanted to be the only wolf who could douse the flames and melt those glaciers. It seemed as though she found her key, now she had only to go unlock the doors and spruce him up a bit. It seemed submission and sweetness were the way to go, and as they lay wrapped together in the dark, Vianni found herself humming in a pleasant alto.

The song was one meant to comfort, and old song that was passed through her family for generations. As she cleaned him, she found that her own pain was diminishing. Corvus would be fine with Naamah, right now she wanted to focus on putting her mate back together.

She joined him easily and he felt her squirm beneath him but he only slightly lifted his chin to allow her to position herself how she wanted. He himself moved as well, hooking his rear leg nearest her around her rump and laying with his backside more on its side. His tail wrapped around to be over his leg. He truly was a giant when compared to her size. She was of course over his front legs and he allowed it to be that way. Her tongue rasping over his cheek brought no movement only a slight tensing. His eyes were dulled to the point one might believe him a dying man.

A large breath is released at her words. It was the only answer he would give to her try at sarcasm and making their deal into a joke. She was the one to complicate things beyond what they were when she first attacked him. Her next words had his ears pinning back. Love was not something he necessarily wanted. His father had implanted the thought that love meant pain to him and love just wasn't his favorite of emotions. His eyes went to hers from the side of their sockets. Only a moment did he watch, his eyes then moved to the male that Vianni had ended. He couldn't feel even a pang of hunger now, his gut numb with his depression. His chin tucks her closer as his ears pick up the light clicking of claws. It signified Noctus had returned. The scent of blood was accompanied by his return.

When the child entered Lucifer was quick with freeing a foreleg only to place it over Vianni with enough pressure to keep her where she was. Noctus was a little weighed down with a fully grown raven, Lucifer moved his eyes to Vianni  and signaled her to see with a motion of his head. Noctus was growling as he drug the feathered annoyance with him. His motions were noticed completely by Lucifer and as the child reached the bed Lucifer was quick with grabbing the boys scruff and lifting both boy and his bird to the bed. Corvus would have been harder for him to catch as the magpie was both smaller and more alert to his presence. He watched as Noctus dropped the bird happily and nudged it towards Vianni.

Their interactions might need to be monitored now. Noctus was who she blamed having to remove corvus on, so naturally he suspected her having no respect for the fact that the wolverine was his. He understood what the child had been doing with corvus, trying to not only play, but to try to catch him and return him to Vianni anytime he had left her side. She would eventually understand he was sure. The cub bore no ill intentions for the bird but because she saw the bird as her own she had in his opinion misinterpreted his actions. He stayed silent as Noctus gave a word to his action and likely made her understand. "Catch baby."

Lucifer watched then, ready to defend Noctus if he needed. He knew the child stood no chance against Vianni but the question was, was Vianni willing to turn against him to kill a child?

For a moment, things were calm. While Lucifer had not truly given a response to her words other than a short huff at her sarcasm.  She cleaned him up, basking in the warmth of his embrace for a while they stayed like that, Vianni giving silent comfort to her mate. The clicking of blunt nails against metal signified that Lucifer's beast had returned, bringing with it all sorts of smells, including the scent of avian blood. With a growl, Vianni was attempting to move, but Lucifer was faster in pinning her with a tuck of his chin and his foreleg laying across her body. Looking to the entrance even before Lucifer motioned her, Vianni watches for the sight of Noctus, fully expecting to see Corvus between his teeth and ready to kill the whelp for his crime against her baby. When the creature enters with the black form of a raven within his jaws, she relaxes considerably, all concern and anger washed away as fast as they had risen. It wasn't her baby that the wolverine had caught, but a stray bird.

As Lucifer reaches down to scoop Noctus and his catch onto the bed, Vianni sits up to give more space for the bird and Lucifer's pet demon. Her ears laced back when he scooted the half-dead bird toward her, and gave a sharp, disdainful laugh. "This is not catch." With a black paw, Vianni turns the limp bird onto its back so that Noctus can see the frail, labored breathing of the black bird. "You were too hasty, too rough. The bird will die, Noctus." She saw the action for what it was, he hadn't meant to hurt the raven - at least, she didn't think he had. It wouldn't have been on purpose that he hurt Corvus either, but her baby had been even smaller than this bird. If Noctus had caught him even once, her bird would have died at his paws. Looking the cub over with a hard dusty gaze, Vianni wants to make sure he understood her.

Shaking her head, Vianni reached down to give an end to the fatally wounded bird and scooted it back to Noctus. "Plaything now." If he grabbed it, she would reach out and take him by the scruff, dragging him to lay at her belly as she turned to put her back against Lucifer's own gut. It was an odd feeling to be so calm, but without Corvus there to be threatened, she could at least dote on Noctus for a while. Wrapping her tail around her hind legs, she rested her head on her mate's hip and tried not to think about Corvus. She wanted the day over with, and the only way she knew to make that happen was to sleep. Maybe then they would feel more like themselves.