Despite his earnest effort to remain quiet Subaru cursed, his left hand crushing the armrest as he leaned forward. The smell of chemicals was overwhelming, and the red, blue, and green colors that filled the tubes of the contraptions on the desk did nothing to ease his discomfort. He grit his teeth as Reiji inserted another needle, abstracting a tiny portion of the poison from his arm. 

"If you were more diligent this wouldn't have happened," Reiji said, stepping away. 

Reiji held up the needle to see the poison more clearly before he turned and emptied the contents into a small beaker. 

"There was an illusionist among them," Subaru grumbled, "He got me distracted while the kunai laced with the poison hit me. Not to mention I was dodging talisman and an annoying woman trying to hit me. That damn Ayato wasn't doing anything! He was too busy playing with that damn monster."

"Monster?" Reiji repeated. 

Reiji placed a small amount of the poison from the small beaker into a piece of glass that he slid underneath a microscope. 

"Yeah. It was weird. Some guy dripping in black stuff came out of nowhere. He was scooped up by the humans. Even Ayato couldn't kill it." 

"I see. That monster must be an experiment that the humans are conducting," Reiji said. 

He pulled away from the microscope and sighed heavily. Adjusting his glasses, Reiji began mixing a clear liquid with a pink liquid in a separate beaker, then he poured a small amount of the poison into it and stirred. 

"An experiment huh? Those damn humans never learn," Subaru grumbled.

"I have gathered all that I need from you," Reiji stated, "Go and give the Queen your report and I should have an antidote ready for you when you return. I assume Ayato is already giving his version of events." 

Subaru scowled and rose from the chair. He massaged his arm as he left Reiji's room, giving Reiji a skeptical look. It wasn't that Subaru didn't trust his brother's skills when it came to poisons, it was the fact that it was Reiji he was forced to rely on. Reiji had a habit of testing his troublesome poisons on his brothers for misbehavior, and the way his lips curled at the sight of the liquid swirling in the beaker made Subaru all the more wary. 

He left the room and shut the door behind him. His arm was numb, so much so that he couldn't feel his fingers anymore. His right arm was completely useless at his side and the urge to simply rip it from his body was strong. 

"Damn it!" He growled, punching the wall with his left hand. A small hole formed where his fist had made contact and he pulled it away and stormed down the hall. 

There were oncoming footsteps that grew louder with each passing second until a mess of purple hair came into view. It was the girl running down the hall. 

Subaru growled at the sight. The girl was disheveled and her skirt already torn. The blouse she wore practically hung off her body as the pink bra peeked out from the ripped collar. For a moment Subaru was reminded of a similar sight. A blond girl, with large sherbet colored eyes in the same position many times before. She would always look frightened and scared, yet she always smiled at him. 

He forced the memory down, swallowing the bitterness until he was firmly in the presence. It was annoying to think of her. How many times had he warned her only for her to smile and ignore him? It was a fact that any human girls who stayed in the mansion would die. 

"Oi! Watch where you're going!" Subaru snapped. 

Amber eyes glanced up at him until she forced herself to slide to a halt.

"Y-you!" She cried. Shinoa stared at him until she glanced behind herself. It wasn't surprising; she was being hunted. 

Subaru clenched his fist before grabbing her shoulder roughly. She let out a tiny yelp before focusing on him and searching his face. 

"I told you before, if you stay here you'll die," He spat. "So why doesn't anyone listen to me?"

There wasn't anything she could say, and Subaru hated himself for it. No matter how hard he tried to hold himself back for that girl's sake it didn't seem to matter in the end. He had promised her, but that meant little now. 

"Subaru?" Laito called out. 

Laito stepped forward from down the hall with his fedora in hand. His hair was messy and his stride slow and methodical; he knew exactly how to prolong a hunt to instill absolute fear into a girl. But at the sight of Subaru he dropped the act, appearing slightly puzzled. 

"Ayato has already left to report to the Queen. I'm supposed to keep bitch-chan company until he returns," Laito explained.

"Shut up!" Subaru yelled. "To hell with you and Ayato!" 

Even without his right arm Subaru pushed Shinoa against the wall and bit into her roughly. She shrieked and instantly threw her hands to his shoulders in an attempt to pry him off. After a moment of struggle she relaxed long enough for Subaru to pull away from her and glare at Laito as she collapsed to the floor. 

"Ayato's prey, your prey, it doesn't matter. I'll take her blood for myself," He declared. 

Laito threw his hands up and took a step back. "Fine. I'll back off. You're just as gluttonous as Ayato you know? Always hogging all the cute bitch-chans." He  shrugged and turned away, slipping his fedora onto his head. 

Subaru huffed and looked to Shinoa as she grabbed the mark on her neck. Looking down on her it was clear as day, she was indeed another eve. 

"Subaru was it?" She asked. When she looked to him Subaru clenched his fist and stared back at her.

"Um...thank you. For earlier. You know, when you told me to escape? I like to think that I could have gotten away if Ayato hadn't caught me." 

"Stupid," he muttered. 

When Shinoa looked at him questioningly he added, "Don't thank me, I didn't do it for you. Your friends poisoned me for my efforts anyways." 

"Oh. Sorry." 

There was a silence that fell between the two, and Subaru looked away to stare down the hall. "If you want to thank me, just give me your blood. Let my fangs be the only ones that pierce you." 

Shinoa blinked for a moment and tilted her head. To his surprise she said, "Alright, I'll give you my blood." 

Subaru could only stare at her baffled. He opened his mouth to berate her when she held up her index finger and added, "but only on the condition that I get to find the rest of my squad. I'll gladly give you my blood if they're alive and well. All I ask is that they be allowed free." 

At her words Subaru couldn't help but grin. "You're really trying to negotiate with me? I don't remember asking for your permission." 

"Maybe not, but I can tell you're the most reasonable one of your brothers. If anyone can help me its you, right? You're different from the rest of them." 

Different. Such a word made Subaru pause.

 He stepped forward without warning and towered over her as he said, "Have you forgotten I'm a vampire?" 

With ease he shoved her down and Shinoa cried out in shock as Subaru pinned her by the neck to the floor. "You're livestock, and a vampire's prey. You don't have the right to negotiate." 

Her hands wrapped around his arm and tried to pry his grip off of her to no avail. He chuckled and tightened his grip. 

"Are you afraid? heh. Close your eyes  and submit to my fangs. Hate me until you can't bear it anymore." 

He opened his mouth and sank his fangs into her flesh, sucking in the deep rich blood. It was a taste he was all too familiar with, and the urge to pull away from her grew in his chest. But he forced the feeling down and continued to drink, her sickeningly sweet aroma tickling his nose. He pulled apart only to sink his fangs into her shoulder, sucking until her grip grew weak. 

When he finally pulled away Shinoa was unconscious, her eyes fluttered shut and refusing to awaken.  In Subaru's mind it was better  for her to sleep. As he stared at her a scowl flickered across his face. It was annoying and pointless to grow attached to her. 

He stood up and turned to leave her there but found himself glancing back at her. With a grunt, he grabbed her by her waist and threw her over his shoulder. 

"This is stupid," he muttered, teleporting her to his bedroom. 

Tossing her into his coffin he clenched his fists once again and cursed. She was an eve, but she wasn't his eve. There would never be another one like her. And yet he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone, not surrounded by his brothers who would kill her without hesitation. 

Subaru pulled the cover to his coffin to encase her inside. The scent of him would mask her presence and ensure she would remain safe and sound until he returned. Once satisfied, he teleported to the outside of the mansion and headed for the Queen.