Reflections Of Angels

Cat and Mouse

On reflex, Nyx yanked the door closed, only for it to be stopped by his hand on the other side. "Perry! Perry!"

Perry raced up the stairs, alarmed, to see her struggling with the door. Rushing over, Perry applied their own weight against the door and between them they got it closed.

"This is bad." Nyx breathed, both her and Perry's backs against the door.

"Why have we locked him in the bedroom?" Perry asked.

Nyx ignored the question. "Where's Alysha?"

"Oh, Alysha's gone." A voice laughed through the door.

Nyx grit her teeth. "Shut up, stop listening, I wasn't talking to you." Then her mind caught up with her mouth. "Wait, what do you mean she's gone?"

"Don't talk to him." Perry muttered. "... Okay, confession time. I actually have some idea of who's behind that door. Luci talks a lot when drunk- and sober actually, particularly if she's angry. And quite a lot about you- which by the way, whatever strange-catfight-thing you two have going on between you, you're going to need to fill me in on that later because I keep getting dragged into the middle of it-"

"Perry, is this useful?" Nyx's sharp tone cut through the deluge of words.

"-I might be able to seal the door with magic." Perry changed tack. "But it's going to take me a moment. Just try and hold it closed whilst I-"

"Warlock, this is your one chance to walk away." Perry visibly recoiled at the voice from behind the door, hands up in the air in surrender.

"Seriously?" Nyx shot Perry a look.

"It's just-!"

"Are you going to-"

"I don't know- I'm trying to decide what the right call is!"

"Perry, are you really selling out on me right now?"

"I don't actually have any skin in this game-"

There was a bang and the door jolted and it was shoved roughly from the inside, both of them bracing themselves against it. "You do now and I'll skin you if you leave!" Nyx bit.

Perry blinked. "Oh, now I see the family resemblance."

"Nyx." The voice spoke from behind the door. Nyx shivered. He sounded... normal. Soft and measured, like her boyfriend. "Open the door."

"Don't listen to him, that's like, the oldest trick in the book." Perry whispered.

"Nyx, I know you're upset. Open the door, let's talk about this."

"I'm not opening the door, you kissed my sister!"

"Oh, maturely handled." Perry's eyes rolled.

"Shit, the baby's in there!" Nyx gasped. "He... wouldn't do anything to the baby... would he?"

A laugh from inside the door. "Would I?"

"He's absolutely toying with us."

Nyx chewed her lip. "I don't think he would. The baby's like him."

"...Are you willing to bet on that?" She could hear the smirk in his voice. "Open the door."

"Is that your baby?" Perry mouthed to Nyx.

"No."

"Then... does it matter?" If looks could kill, Perry would be eviscerated before Nyx's eyes. The door shook again and they braced against it.

"I could get in there." Nyx muttered, thinking of the windows and mirror on the dresser as ways to get Grizelda out. "I could... I am not saying this here, you are absolutely listening." A low laugh from behind the door was her reply.

"Well, whatever you decide, decide it quickly!" Perry bit. "If he gets out, I'm gone- you're on your own."

"Well, since you forfeited your chance to leave, you could always open the door." The voice purred on the other side, speaking to Perry.

Perry's eyes flicked between Nyx and the door.

"Don't you dare." Nyx snarled. She felt queasy; there was pain from the scratches in her front, she could feel her temperature rising, blood pounding in her ears. Closing her eyes, she leant back against the door.

'We could call..." Evelyn. Jocelyn. Maddie. "... someone. There are people who'll know what to do."

She swayed.

That was it- the door shook again, doorframe rattling, and both of them were flung away from it. "Shit! Run!" Adrenaline hit Nyx like a ton of bricks and snagging Perry's hand, she charged them both down the stairs.

A/N: So I wrote the second half of this watching Boba Fett, and so I'm not sure if that quite set the right tone... but surprisingly I got a lot written watching a fight with a Rancour, so if it works... XD