Daughter of Blood and Nightmares

12.0: She's A Monster And We Put Monsters Down

It's been three days since finding her and Zayne's been unavailable. Business to attend to. Privileged and much more important than anything Order related. But is it more important than the nightmare girl?

When he's finally ready to speak he calls for Oliver and I. My mission is his mission and I'm fine sharing the responsibility of the nightmare girl with him. He's more laid back and playful in stressful times. The opposite to my hard strung, strictness. Rules are meant to be followed. To Oliver, rules are meant to be broken.

"She didn't seem that harmful. If anything, she seemed terrified." Oliver nudges me with his elbow as we make our way to Zayne's office, "and your charm didn't work as well as we thought." His cocky smile breaks into laughter.

I roll my eyes in frustration. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe charming the monster isn't the way to go. Maybe a more aggressive approach, a way she has to be familiar with, is the way to go. All I know is that once Zayne gives the okay there will be plenty of time to figure it out.

Of course, Greggory barges in after our discussion starts. Did it take him this long to stop himself from flirting with the locals? His priorities are not where they should be and that's why the nightmare girl shouldn't be his. He's pretending to be an Order soldier. He's acting how he believes we are, but that's not always the case. She's not the typical case.

Zayne recovers quickly, diving back into his speech of how the nightmare girl, how Ashton, is to be useful to us. That if she truly can summon and banish demons that she could summon Drystan, her true father, for us, so we can ambush and kill him. How she could banish every demon we come across, sending them back to Hell. How she could use her con artist skills to get rid of those opposed to us.

I knew he would agree to collecting her, but I assumed I would be the one getting her. His words are a suckerpunch knocking the air from my lungs. "Oliver should be the one to get her. She's bound to be spiteful and I need you to get her on our side." Zayne offers.

"Gee thanks," Oliver grumbles, but I know he's excited to get some time with her.

Zayne, however, never makes things easy on either of us, "you'll bring Greggory with you."

"What." The single word is echoed by both Oliver and I.

I don't need him to answer to know his reasoning. He's proved to be very interested in capturing her. Capturing and killing, but capturing her nonetheless. If it weren't for him we may not have found her mother, even though I wasn't looking for that wretched woman, who led us straight to her daughter.

Silence fills the room. No one questions Zayne. So Oliver leaves with his usual sly smile on his face. Greggory trailing behind him. I'm left alone with Zayne to wait until they return. It can't come soon enough. I try not to pace the room, but it jitters my legs and shuffles my feet.

Zayne's side eye tells me that he's very well aware of my sudden anxiousness. "I need to ask something of you before she arrives. She is not to know what you are or the others. I have a feeling she doesn't like authority and well...we are of superior authority."

It's a reasonable request. A request, I didn't need to be given. I'll never admit that to anyone.

It doesn't take as long to retrieve her as it feels. It feels like hours upon hours when it really only takes a couple. By time Oliver's car pulls up the entire facility is ready for the show. Waiting at the door, accompanying her down the halls.

It's meant to impress her, but as I watch the whole entourage march in, I can see it from her eyes. Parading our prisoner around, which she is far from.

There's no denying the hatred on her face from the moment she enters the room. The glare on her face as she takes in every inch. Zayne quickly asks her if she knows who we are. Her reply is priceless. Killers. True.

It doesn't take a genius to know the conversation is getting away from us. She talks about being owned, calling Zayne master, and giving us the ridiculous name of Nineteen. What does that even mean? Who gave it to her and why?

When Zayne mentions Reedus something changes in her. She's no longer the timid, shy girl I ran into at the market. She becomes hateful and almost vicious as she jumps forward. Is this who she is or is this who she becomes when she's trapped in a corner?

It all happens so fast, she steps forward, eyes narrowed in disgust at Zayne, hands at the ready. Before she can take another step, Greggory comes up behind her. Once his hand wraps around the back of her neck she's overtaken, thrown to the ground, skull cracking against the floor.

Without thinking, against better judgment, my feet shuffle forward, but Zayne is amused by what's playing out. The show he requested is entertaining him. He whips his hand out to stop me from breaking them apart. At least he doesn't question why I'm drawn to break it apart. I refuse to answer that question myself.

It's only seconds before she starts to come back, eye flickering open to find Greggory still shoving her down. When she starts to squirm under his grasp, he lets up, allowing her the space she needs to swat him away.

Those bright eyes turn on him. The air in the room changes from her anger. She hisses promises of drowning him and he turns sickeningly pale. Apparently, Greggory is afraid of drowning. And I don't put it past her to use it against him. Will I stop her? We'll see.

Zayne is a giddy child as if watching an entertainer at a birthday party. Pleased with her feistiness and skill. The things he can do with her.

She even goes as far to admit that she meant Zayne harm, that she's a psychological terror even though I know she's capable of fighting. Not everyone can get into other people's heads and make them feel guilty for being human.

My thoughts break as Zayne requests I bring her to her room. Following orders, I do as I'm told while giving her the space she wants. Careful not to touch her, I stay behind her and give directions through the halls.

She doesn't make small talk until we reach her room. She's in awe, but quickly puts a label on her being here. Prisoner. Even though I tell her she's not, she just rolls her eyes at me. If I were in her position, I too probably wouldn't believe such nonsense either.

"I'll send the doctor up to tend to your wound." I'm ready to have those big wild eyes stop staring at me.

She immediately starts to pat herself down searching for the wound. Her face cringes when she finds it. "Lovely." She snaps. "Apparently, you idiots just let me fall face first to the floor or that asshole slammed my head against the ground."

That asshole slammed your head to the ground...but I don't say that. Instead as I leave, I say something about her already being damaged. As I lock the door behind me, my palms smack my forehead, "stupid," I hiss. Maybe it is better if she hates me. Maybe it'll make things easier.

I wait for the doctor. We eyeball each other and I wish him luck. Once he's inside, I'm left to wait some more. Pacing the hall, up and down, I count the minutes. I trust the doctor's capability in controlling her when I hear loud bangs come from inside as if furniture is getting thrown around. When he finally comes out, I relock the door and set out to find Greggory.

It doesn't take long to find him in the training room beating the crap out of a punching bag. His aggression is nothing compared to mine. Greggory is nothing compared to me.

He sees me coming before I have a chance to get too close to him. His snicker and lopsided grin deserved to be smacked off his face. "Ashton is mine. My mission, my responsibility. You touch her again, I'll kill you myself."

"It sounds like this is more of a personal interest in her. I don't think you can be trusted when it comes to the nightmare girl." There's an uncomfortable silence between us. He's the first to break it, "the second she steps out of line, I'll be there. You or Oliver or Zayne won't be there to stop me. She's a monster and we put monsters down."

There's no arguing with him. The words mumble from my lips as I turn my back on him, "you should be put down too. Useless human."