Instead, quietly she pulled up the covers, sliding into place besides the boy she had become all too familiar with, hoping his even breaths would distract her until dawn.

She had been too late.

Sure, the huntress was quick, managing to take down three demons in a span of minutes, but she hadn’t been fast enough. 

By the time the last one fell to the floor in a pile of ash, and her head had turned to look over at him, she saw the steady growing amount of blood seeping into his shirt. They had shot him. She hadn’t killed them fast enough, she didn’t protect him, she didn’t--

It was almost inhuman the way she sprinted from her side of the room to be there to catch him as he began to slump to the ground. There were two distinguishable spots of where red was staining his shirt. Once in the stomach, and once just below his heart. Sure, Griffon had seen many bullet wounds, and many of her hunters had been shot before, but this, there was no making it out of this. He was going to die. And there wasn’t much she could do.

“--Woa, woa,” She started, gently easing him onto the floor, a deathly pallor already creeping into his rosy cheeks. She made sure to have his back against the wall, giving her a chance to have a look at the injuries. Carefully, her fingers lifted up his shirt, only being greeted with the grim reality she feared.

He was going to die. And it was her fault.

Almost instantly did tears begin to well up in her eyes, causing the huntress to bite down on her lip hard. He couldn’t see her cry, it would only make this worse for him. If she was visibly upset, then he would know that the outlook was bad. She couldn’t do that to him. She couldn’t hurt him anymore. Not after this.

Gently, she pressed her hand over one of the spots, hoping to slow the rate at which his vital supply of that crimson liquid was pouring out of him. With every beat of his heart, more slipped past her fingers, causing Griff to forcibly swallow her emotions, and put on a brave face for his sake.

He promised her he would never leave. He had promised her she would never be the cause of his death, or an injury. He promised he wouldn’t leave. Deep down she knew they were empty words, but she was so desperate for someone to be there for her, she believed them anyways. Now, she had to pay the price for her ignorance. Just another reminder of why she should never get involved with other people, because it always lead to heart break.

“You’re gonna be okay, alright? I’m right here.” She reassured him, her bloodied hand coming up to caress his cheek, hoping to provide him with some sort of comfort during his final moments. Despite her guard around her feelings, even when watching a lover of hers dying in front of her, her walls fell for him. 

He was the first boy to make her feel normal, to make her feel happy. He had been there when everyone else had left-- And now he was leaving too.

She didn’t realize hot tears were streaming down her cheeks till she felt his cold hand come up and wipe them away. It was that small motion, the small show of the fact that he still loved her, and that he still cared was enough to really shatter her defenses.

Somehow she ended up with her arms around him, being cautious as to the noises of discomfort he made. Her face was buried in the crook of his shoulder, his hand already laced with hers. Between the heaving breaths falling from her lips, a repetitive amounts of ‘I’m sorry’ could be heard coming from the dark haired girl.

Even then, a feeble ‘It’s not your fault’ could be heard too.

That only caused her to cry more, to hold onto his tighter.

“I need you to stay, Carson. We still have so much to do.” She told him, pulling away to look at him, truly look at him. She wanted to take every bit of him in before she never got to see him again. “Remember you said you wanted to take me Disneyland?” Cue a small, and pain filled smile. “Or the seven kids you wanted?     You promised me you wouldn’t leave, you said you wouldn’t do this to me, not like everyone else, I promised to protect you, to not let you die on my watch, and I’ve failed. I’ve failed, and now you’re going to--”

Somehow he had managed to pull her close, to plant a kiss on her lips, possibly to shut her up, possibly to stop her from starting her downward spiral into loneliness, possibly because they both needed this one last kiss.

Griffon didn’t hold back this time, not like before. This was no competition to see who could give in first, this was the type of kiss that had to convey everything she had never said to him. Everything she would never get the chance to say, the kind of kiss that would make him think he was already in heaven.

Her hands held his face so delicately, thumbs brushing against his cheeks, lips locked with his, breaking only for a breath. She could feel his heart fading away, his breath was becoming quick and shallow, it was only a matter of minutes before it would cease to fall from his lips. Just as she was about to say something again, there was another kiss, followed by an even weaker ‘it’s not your fault’.

“I love you.” She finally said, three words she had been holding off from saying for as long as she could. She had been so afraid of him getting bored, of him leaving, of him changing his mind that they had been withheld despite the fact that her Schatz had said them so long ago. 

He was getting too weak to say much back, she could already see the cloudy haze of death settling it’s way into his eyes. Slowly, the huntress leaned her head on his shoulder, making sure his hand was still intertwined with hers, despite the fact that his grip had begun to loosen with every breath.

There was still so much for him, still such a bright future, and happiness he had to share with the world, it would be unfair for her to have him end like this. End like a bloody, and broken body she would have to bury and tell him parents, the girl they approved of, that she had been the reason their son was dead. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t do it again, not like with Amelia. This time, she had a chance. She had a way she could keep him here, do what he needed to do, and she would trade places. It was the Griffon Singer way to give up her life to ensure someone else’s and that’s what she was going to do.

She pulled herself from his lifeless body, pressing a small peck to his cheek. She gathered her stuff, a determined, yet hollow look in her eyes. Bobby nearly beat her brother for what he did, but he wasn’t around to do the same for her. Besides, no one needed her anymore, and there were plenty of girls she could be replaced with. She didn’t matter, but he did.

---

“I’m here to make a deal.”

Her breath is heavy, her hands are clawed up, trying her hardest not to completely lose it on him. How could he have been so stupid? Chasing after her when she told him how dangerous it would be, and now here he was, almost having gotten killed, and more than anything did she want to slap him as hard as she could.

"When I say not to follow me, I mean it!" The huntress yelled again, pressing her jaw together so tightly she thought she was going to break her teeth. She's so livid, unable to dispose of the anger rising up more and more in her throat until she shoves her hands against his chest.

The last motel they had seen in fifty miles, and it just happened to be one that had just one room left, which happened to have just one bed. There was no way in hell she was sleeping that night. If he saw her scream her head off... No. It wasn't going to happen.

She walked back to the truck, pulling her bag out from bed, spinning the keys to the motel room around her finger. "103 is ours, there's just a slight issue." Griff hinted at, slinging her duffel over her shoulder, making her way to their room. 

Her fingers fumbled with the keys and the door, trying her best not to seem embarrassed or nervous about the little conflict they would have to deal with for the night. When she finally did get the lock to turn, she held her breath.

harlxts

Ryan shook his head as he stopped outside Yasmin's front door. He couldn't believe that out of all the requests that his blonde friend could have asked for, she wanted him to do a strip tease for her. After a moment he knocked quickly and slid his hands into the pockets of his jacket, waiting patiently for her to answer.