Salted Wounds

FEW HOURS BEFORE THE BANQUET.

VIOLET

My date looks nervous and can barely make eye contact with me. He keeps fidgeting on his seat and the constant act of him clearing his throat is already starting to annoy me. My sister had set me up on a blind date. Apparently, he is a friend of hers. It is the only reason why I'm not walking out of the diner right now.

"Do you like your food?" Malcolm asks after what feels like decades.

"It's nice. I like it" I respond and he licks his lower lips.

"I don't know much about you. Can you enlighten me?" he says, bringing a glass of red wine to his lips. For a moment, I'm distracted by the vibrant color of the liquid as he gulps it down. I realize that I'm actually starving. The last time I drank blood is five days ago. I've been quite busy with work.

"... listening?"

I blink, refocusing my attention on Malcolm who looks puzzled.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" I ask, giving him an apologetic smile.

He parts his lips to say something but is interrupted by the ringing of my phone which is lying on the table.

"Sorry, I have to take this" I tell him, picking the call and bringing my phone to my ear.

"Where are you now?" Zack, my colleague asks through the phone, a tone of urgency in his voice.

"I'm on a date. Is something wrong?"

"It's about the seal" he rasps and my eyes widen.

"Have they been located?"

"How close are you to Crescendo Hotel?" He asks. Clueless, a frown creases my brows.

"An hour drive"

"Find your way there, right now. There's a banquet going on at the hotel. One of the guests has the first seal with him. You need to be quick"

The line goes dead and I rise to my feet. Malcolm appears disheartened, but I don't feel bad for him. Even if the call had never come, I would've walked away sooner or later.

"You're leaving already?" He asks as I grab my purse from the table.

"Duty calls. I'm sorry" I tell him. Without waiting for a response, I walk away from him and head out of the diner.

I hurry toward my car and get in, slamming the door shut. Turning on the ignition, I hit the gas. My heart races in excitement at the thought of finding the seal. Hoping that I won't be late for the banquet, I increase my speed. I have spent decades searching for the seal and I'm not about to let it slip out of my hands.

...

At exactly fifty-five minutes later, I arrive at my destination. I narrow my eyes when I notice the chaos already breaking out at the scene. Determined to find the seal, I hurry into the building, in time to see a familiar figure walking towards the exit. I take out my elemental dagger when I realize that he's with the seal. Judging from the severed head on the floor, it's safe to say that the escaping figure is the sneaky bastard who had just committed murder. And, there's no way I'm letting him leave with the seal.

"Not so fast" I deadpan, pressing the tip of the blade to the small of his back. He freezes and I tighten my grip on the handle.

"Don't turn around" I hiss and he chuckles.

"Oh, darling. But, you know I am never obedient" he says, turning around to face me.

"Wow. You look even more stunning than I remember" he tells me and I swallow hard, my hands already trembling at the sound of his husky voice.

He takes off his hat, revealing his long black hair that I had braided in the past. He is wearing dark sunglasses, it's the only thing keeping my knees from buckling. I'm afraid that I will lose my composure at the sight of his eyes.

"Violet" he rasps, his smile widening. My heart is starting to ache and the feeling of nostalgia washes over me, threatening to bring tears to my eyes.

"Give me the seal" I say, keeping my voice firm.

"Oh, this?" He says, tapping the dark object with his long, scarred fingers.

"Yes, that" I tell him, with a straight face.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I can give you anything but this"

I clench my fist, tensed.

"You're forgetting the fact that my knife is still pressed to your back. You can heal from the wound, but it's going to be painful"

He cackles.

"Come on, you don't expect me to calmly hand this over to you, do you? It's mine in the first place"

"I'm giving you one last chance to hand it over, right now"

"Tell me something, sweetheart. Do you want to play catch?" He drawls, a smirk curving his lips.

As soon as the words escape his lips, I take out my gun and pull the trigger. He dodges the bullet and throws the seal towards me. I run towards it, but he's faster. Again, he throws it at me and before I can catch it, he beats me to it. His mischievous laughter rings in the air as he continues to infuriate me.

Memories of us playing catch as children fills my mind. It only sets gasoline to the fire of rage that has been lit within me.

"What's wrong? Tired already?" He drawls and I start to shoot at him without restraint. Frustrated, I let out an angry yell and glare daggers at him.

"Give me the seal, you bastard!" I rage, running after him in desperation. He continues to play his stupid 'catch' game and the more I lose, the louder his laughter becomes. I am convinced that I will go insane at this rate.

"You are fast, Vi. But, I will always be faster" he tells me, the seal sitting in his grip. He vanishes out of sight, leaving me to stare at the floor in annoyance.

'Yeah, right. Fast enough to break my heart' I thought.

I shake my head to ward off such silly thoughts, but they continue to linger. To think that despite the fact I've convinced myself to move on from the one person who shattered my heart, it has all been in vain. Seeing him today has ruined everything I've worked so hard for. So many decades has passed, but I'm still foolishly caught up in my own little world of heartbreak. Letting out a cry of rage, I shoot at the wall, wishing it was that bastard himself.

'I hope you suffer endlessly' I growl, angry tears filling my eyes.

"Miss Bane, are you there?" Louis's voice booms from my earpiece.

"I'm here" I respond, slipping my gun into my holster which is secured around my right thigh.

"Was the mission successful?"

"Someone else beat me to it" I reply as I start to head towards the exit.

"Who did?" Louis sounds worried. I feel disappointed in myself.

"That bastard" I say through gritted teeth.

"What bastard?"

"Dashiell Gryphon"

"This is bad. He's not supposed to have the seal! Things just got a lot worse. Get back to the main office. Our boss wants to speak with you" his statement ends with a beep. I know I'm in trouble. I can already hear the scolding my boss will give me by the time I get back to the main office. Cursing under my breath, I run my fingers through my hair and enter my car. The drive to the main office is a long one.

....

"Louis told me that you lost the seal" Mistress Noir says, her gaze unwavering. I lower my gaze as I await her bombshell scolding. Mistress Noir as she is popularly called, is my boss of three centuries. She is a loud red head with claw-like nails that are always painted red. Her lips are colored with black lipstick and have always been that way. Her temper is outrageous.

"I apologise. It was not my intention to lose the seal" I say and she slams a palm on the desk. I don't flinch because I've gotten used to this act of hers.

"What in the world were you thinking?! It was our first chance to get our hands on the seal! I sent you because you are one of the best hunters in this organization!"

"I'll fix it. I'll get the seal, no matter what it costs" I tell her and she sighs.

"How? I hear that the demon has the seal. You of all people should know what he's like"

"I'm sorry. I'll be careful, next time"

"Next time?!" She roars, rising to her feet.

"There is no next time! Once the demon has something in his clutches, he never lets go! He must be searching for the rest of the seal. Do you know how dangerous he can become when he gets his hands on the rest of them?! You have failed, why should I trust you again?!"

Taking a deep breath, I look up to meet her piercing gaze.

"No one knows him better than I do. I will bring back the seal, I promise"

Mistress Noir sinks into her seat and rubs her temples. The knock on the door attracts her attention and she leans back on her seat.

"Come in"

Louis walks in, his eyes glowing with excitement.

"Mistress Noir, I have great news" he announces and she scoffs.

"What is it?"

"The location of the second seal has been confirmed"