Three hours later,  Cesarie had returned with the requested materials, and quickly slipped out of my room, like a mouse scuttling between the walls of the castle.  Paris had collapsed on the rug near my bed, wrapped in my spare blankets and pillows. Only after I had ensured a pillow was tucked between his arms, in my place,  did I finally open the portal to the realm of night. I had downed the entirety of Cesarie's elixir, shuddering at the way the artificial energy felt against my bones. I could feel that it was fake, unfulfilling and nothing like true, natural energy. It would not provide me the energy I would fully need, so it was crucial that acted quick and efficiently. 

A brown bag was clenched in my white fists, shaking slightly alongside my body. The odor of raw meat was wafting up my nose, and had I not been used to the regular slaughter of demons, alongside Beastly's morning breath, I would have been hurling where I stood. I attempted to breathe through my mouth, though I was repulsed by the thought of the airborne germs wafting up to my mouth and into my system. Surely I would catch some diseases through the air particles. 

My entire body was tense, my shoulders hunched up as I slowly made my way through the realm, barefoot as to not raise any noise. The Chudovische was where I had last left it, bound and pressed to floor, whining in pain. My jaw was clenched so hard that I could not breathe. The beast, having sensed my presence, perked up, but was unable to look in my direction, since its head was restrained. I knew it smelt the meat in my hand, and nearly hurled in relief when I saw telltales signs of interest in the demon. It kept trying to turn to me, its tail not necessarily wagging, but thumping on the ground.

There had been nothing on the eating habits of the Chudovische in the book I had accessed in the library, so I only hoped it was the type of demon that could eat dead meat. I was thankful it wasn't the type that fed on spiritual energy, because I hardly had any to spare for myself. It would suck me dry where I stood. 

I quickly sat down crisscrossed on the floor, breathing heavy as I stared at the Chudovische a few feet away. I made sure I was in direct eyesight of it-- right infront of it's snout, since it seemed to rely on smell rather than eyesight. It was only natural for it, seeing it thrived in dark habitats and was nocturnal. I assumed it lived in caves underground, where little light reached, and where humans could not reach it. How on earth it managed to appear at our school was a true mystery. 

"Hello" I said to it quietly. It screeched back in reply, making me cringe at the high pitched noise.

"I can't release you. I don't trust you to behave. And you have a history of eating people" I tried to reason with it. The demon screeched again, its long legs attempting to push up against the binds holding it in place. They did not nudge. With a swish of my hand, I dissipated the one against Its head.

The Chudovische lifted its massive skull, looking up at me and releasing another screech, this one rattling the room around us. I cringed, and when it opened its mouth to release another wail, I quickly snapped my hand into a fist, making my shadows do the same thing with its jaw. The beast emitted low whines from its throat when it could no longer open its mouth.

"No screaming" I said quietly. The demon attempted to scramble up from its position again, to no avail. It collapsed back down, huffing, tilting its head at me. If it had any eyes, I would assume it was blinking at me.

"Good girl. Good. That's progress" I said softly, opening the crinkled, brown bag. I would kill Cesarie if the heavy meat fell through the bottom, and onto the floor of my realm.

The demon riled up at the meat wafting out the bag. I grabbed a chunk of meat, the size of my fist, weighing the thing in my small hand. It reminded me of a slug, the way it held no form. The chunk was pure red, making me realize it was probably liver. I froze in place once the horrifying realization processed. This was not demon meat that I had provided Cesarie in the past weeks. This was fresh. Painfully fresh. And it was red-- a color that only usually naturally occurred in humans and mortal animals. The school did not deal with mortal animals.  Cesarie had snatched a human liver from somewhere in the infirmary.

I should have known. She probably assumed she was doing me a favor; finding something that the demon would be more inclined to eat. It had eaten Aline Merengue's soft internal organs when it had killed her, but ate no other meat on her body. It had simply ripped her to ribbons. I was unnerved that Cesarie somehow knew the Chudovische would prefer organs.

Sighing, I hurled the chunk of meat towards the demons head. It landed a few feet away, and the Chudovische inched near it, but could not get out of its bindings. I used my shadows to usher the chunk of liver forward, close enough to reach the demons mouth, and I watched as it gobbled it down. When it simply glanced over at me expectantly, instead of screeching for more, I was filled with pride. I taught it manners.

"If I let you up, you cannot attack me" I told it slowly, "Understand"

It simply stared at me in response. I slowly loosened its bindings. The demon, sensing this, began rising on its hackles. Slowly but surely, it rose to its full height, resembling a grey, skeletal horse looming above me from across the room. The hair rose on my arms at its daunting figure. Mother have mercy. No matter how many times I saw it, I could never get used to the absolute terror that spiked through me at the sight of it.

Slowly reaching into my bag, I reached for another chunk of meat. When I found a heart piece, I threw it near the Chudovische. Besides charging me, It sniffed the meat for a long moment, before gently scooping it up in its mouth. It jaws opened, revealing rows of white fangs. 

"Good. Good job" I said aloud breathlessly, more to reassure myself than the demon. I dug around in the bag, and found a chunk of bone, and cringed. Where on earth did Cesarie get so many body parts? I knew she stole. We all stole from the school. But her ability to steal from the infirmarys was ridiculous. It was not well guarded in any sense of the word, especially since I had managed to do several secret seances there myself, under the cover of night. I refrained from remembering the last time I was down there, in the necromancy wing when Paris got bit by a calka demon. The memory made me shudder. 

The demon began walking towards me slowly, its three clawed feet tapping on the floor of realm. Ripples spread out towards where I was sitting. My shadows riled, rising on their hackles around me. 

"Stop" I called out, my voice echoing in the room. The Chudovische did not stop, instead screeching and sprinting towards where I was sitting. I slammed my fist town, throwing pressure on the demon, slamming it down into place. It was now bound again, whining on the floor, a few feet away from me. 

"I told you to stop" I said patiently. 

I repeated this exercise many times, allowing the beast up and halting it with my shadows each time I said stop. It eventually learned after me doing this several times, associating a cease of action with the word 'stop'. When it finally stopped at my command without the help of my shadows, it lay down on the floor, whining. Satisfied at its obedience, I grabbed a piece of meat from the bag, and threw it at it. It jumped up, snapping its jaws around the meat.

"Stop" I said again, and the Chudovische insinctually lay down again, chomping down on the meat in its maw. I would have to summon it more meat very, very soon. These scraps would not be able to sustain it properly. Soon it would be ravenous, and with that hunger would come a savage aggression. 

"Good" I said aloud, slowly rising from where I was seated. My legs ached from how long I had been sitting on the cold ground, with my legs crossed. I didn't know how long I had been in here, but I needed to get out before Paris woke up. 

Feeling more bold, or maybe simply impatience tainting my judgement, I took one hesitant step forward, arms outstretched in order to slam my shadows down in case the Chudovische decided to suddenly charge.  When it did not move, I took one more step, and another, and another, approaching extremely slow. When the beast continued to remain calm and unreactive, I finally approached as close as I dared.

I was only a few feet away, and if it chose to jump and snatch me within its large jaws, it fully could. My shadows would not be able to stop it in time. The Chudovische moved, and my legs slightly buckled, my primal urge to run almost taking over. I regained control just in time, and I remained standing in front of it.

"Stop. Stop" I said slowly. The Chudovische stilled at my command. I stared up at me from the floor, awaiting my next words. His uncharacteristic obedience was encouraging. 

"I think we will call you Chuda" I said softly, tilting my head down at it, "What do you think?"

Chuda did not reply. In Russian, Chudovische name simply translated to 'monster'. Staying true to the demons roots of origin, I remained it Chuda, meaning 'wonder' in Russian. Chuda was a wonder. She was a mystery I could not figure out. She defied her very nature by refusing to attack me.

"Good girl. Good girl" I repeated zealously, digging in the bag and dropping a piece of meat towards her. She gobbled it up immediately. Gaining confidence in its compliance, I stepped closer. I dug out a piece of extra large meat, and dangled it in my hand.

"You can take it" I said slowly, praying that Chuda could understand me. Then, slowly, very slowly, she lifted its monstrous head towards the meat. One snap of its jaws and my entire arm would be gone. I held my breath as the demon moved with deliberate care, opening its maw towards the meat.

In a flash of grey, I was on my back. The scream that had ripped itself from my throat had been animalistic. My eyes were screwed shut, arms extended over my body as I lay on my back. My heart beat against my chest, demanding an out, as I breathed heavily. It had jumped. The demon had jumped at me. But I was not dead. I did not feel any pain. If I died in the shadow realm, they would never be able to recover my body. They would never know what happened to me. Even Paris would be at a loss, and even if he did know where I was, he would never be able to find me. He would never receive the closure of what happened to me in here.

The crinkling of the bag caught my attention. I opened my eyes, frantically pushing myself up on shaking arms, before crawling away from the demon. My chest was rising and falling in unstable breaths. My entire body was trembling as I failed to breathe. The Chudovische had not hurt me. It had lunged instead for the bag of met in my hand. It had not even nipped my fingers as it did it. I was petrified in place from the shock, but one truth was ringing clear in my mind, now truly undeniable; the demon did not hurt me. It was not after me. It was hungry, though, and I needed to get out before its benevolence ended. 

As the demon was still rustling in the bag, his snout covered by the brown, crinkled paper, I made my way out. My entire body was shaking, still terrified by the near-death encounter I had with it. A gaping whole ripped through the matter of my shadow realm, leaving an opening just big enough for me to crawl through. 

I shut the portal instantly, before doing a scrounging charm on myself. The smell of smoke, wintery and cold as night, flooded my senses, replacing the scent of rotting meat and demon rank. I was right about Cesarie's potion not lasting me long. Already I could feel my energy depleting by the moment. I knew she had given me the best of her stores, but It was not sufficient. I would have receive a higher, more potent elixir next time. I made note to collect some vials from her, before she left with her mother to Shanghai. 

My eyes scanned the room, cutting through the inky darkness of the dormitory. Paris was still sound asleep on the floor, his body wrapped up in the fuzzy blanket I had provided him. His arms clutched the material tightly, alongside a body pillow I had slid in my place, so he would not sense my absence so easily. He looked at ease. His eyelashes brushed against his high cheekbones. His full lips were partially ajar, as his chest fell and rose in stable breaths. Relief thrummed through me. Beastly was also sleeping on the floor next to him, undisturbed. 

I sat down on the other side of Paris, observing him silently. A peaceful expression was depicted on his face. I reached forward, slightly brushing up his curls from his forehead. He did not stir as I sat, staring at him in silence. I monitored his breathing, making sure that it was not irregular.  I didn't dare come close to him, in fears that I would startle him awake. He needed the sleep. I could see the exhaustion etched into his features, reveling itself in the form of dark bags under his eyes. 

With a stifled groan, my bones aching with each of my strained movements, I rose up from where I was sitting. Opening my chest, I dug around my healing tools. Pushing aside bottles of sleep droughts, pain relievers, energy elixirs, and mana restorative snacks, I finally found my collections of enchanted crystals. I dug around till the tangerine glint of sunstone caught my eyes, as they briskly darted from object to objcet within the chest. 

With a shaking hand, I lifted it out of my trunk before walking over to Paris, and clasping it around his neck as stealthily as I could. My shadows helped pull the leather chord under him and around his neck, before tying the knot away from him. I made sure they would not catch one of his golden locks within the knot. My hands did not stop shaking the entire time. They had not stopped shaking for a long time now. No matter what I did, I fond that I could not stop my body from trembling. From what, I did not know. 

Sitting back on my knees, I exhaled a quiet breath. I ran a hand through my white hair, closing my eyes tightly. My eyes stung, and when I opened them again, Paris had regained a significant amount of color in his face. It was not enough. He was not as tan as he used to be, and despite having washed all the ash and debris off of him, I still could not get the image of his grey skin out of my head. I shook my head, attempting to scatter image. 

As if somehow sensing my disturbance, Paris' eyelids fluttered. He blinked open his eyes, dazed and fuddled. Paris jolted upright, his hair tussled and sticking up in places. He peered into the darkness for a few seconds, attempting to orient himself in the pitch black, before finally landing  on me. I didn't understand how. The curtain of darkness was thick tonight. He should not have been able to see me, and yet, he somehow sensed my presence right away. 

I was thankful had done the scrounging charm, lest he smell out the demon on me. Paris was observant, especially if I came in reeking of blood and demon rank. He would know instantly. 

"Where were you?" Paris asked in a confused voice, as I dropped down to where he was sitting. He distinctly resembled a child, as he rubbed his eyes. He observed my outfit, and the fact that I still had my blades strapped on to me. I refrained from stiffening, utilizing every cell in my body to remaining calm. 

"I was spell weaving wards into Beastly's lair" I lied to him quickly, my chest feeling tight at my words. Paris looked at me for a moment, still fuddled by sleep,  before blinking and accepting my lie. Relief flooded through my every nerve-ending, making me feel dangerously lightheaded.  He patted the spot next to him, yawning at me. I did not know where his shirt had gone. 

"What time is it?" he asked. I shrugged at him, looking over at the clock on my desk. The numbers glared neon against the inky night. 

"Almost five a.m" I noted, settling down next to him. His warm arm instantly wrapped around me, engulfing me in his comforting scent of vanilla. My eyes fluttered shut, as I knocked my head back against him. His nose nuzzled into my clean hair, before kissing the side of my jaw. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the feeling of being swaddled in his warmth. Somehow, it always perfectly counteracted the freezing temperature my own body radiated. 

"I have to leave soon. My mom doesn't know what happened to me after the banquet. She's probably worried. I'm supposed to leave with my family for winter break" He spoke to me in a gravelly voice, still groggy from sleep. I did not open my eyes. I knew he had to leave with them. It was customary for students to leave to their respective corners of the world for winter break, after their parents collected them from Parents Day. My lips pursed at the looming prospect of spending an extended period of time without Paris. Whether I liked it or not, I had unwittingly grown accustomed to his presence. 

"I know" I said quietly. I did not open my eyes, but Paris shifted behind me, having sensed something in my voice. I did not know what he heard. Maybe regret? Dissatisfaction with the circumstance. 

"Hey. I'm only going to be gone for three days. Then we have the annual banquet that your mom hosts at your house? Remember? I'll be back for that. We'll be together again" Paris said, attempting to reassure me. I laughed bitterly. 

"Yes, I remember, Paris. But many things can happen in the span of three days, Paris" I said in a rueful tone. Paris spun me around to look at him. I tilted my head to side, cocking It in curiosity. His facial features looked harsh in the low lighting, shadows drawing against his tired face. 

"You'll be alright" He said, staring into my eyes. I felt the urge to laugh at him in disbeleif. My lips quirked up at his concern, shaking my head. I was never alright to begin with. I would hardly be it after enduring such proximity to my mother. 

 "Stop showing concern for my well being, Paris. It's making me ill at ease", I joked, attempting to change the subject. 

He wrapped his arm around me tighter, and I couldn't help but sink in to the feeling of his touch. 

"I care about you. I'll be concerned about your well being regardless" He mumbled to me. I rested my head on his arm, closing my eyes once more against his warmth.  My body was still shaking, though I doubted Paris noticed. It had reduced to slight tremors in my fingers, and I made sure to keep them balled up. 

"As will I" I sighed out quietly. Now, most days, I found my mind occupied with concern for Paris. The string of recent events did not help ease my mind either. Paris tightened his arms around me snugly, and did not say anything more. I simply enjoyed the feel of his presence, his warmth, as we sat swaddled in the darkness. 

A/N- sorry for the short chapter guys :(