Jerking awake, we were still underneath the gazebo. Putting on my corset top, I tied the string around my waist. Opening up the door, Dean sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he shot me a crooked grin. Closing the door, a scream echoed in my ear. Dean was getting dressed, his nimble fingers buttoning up the last button. Black vines curled around my arm, a random black portal opening up.  My new vampire friends were fighting a bunch of hunters, my heart shattering.  Turning back towards Dean, I offered him my hand. Taking it, we walked through the portal. The Raven territory faded to an abandoned warehouse, our eyes scanning the darkness. A confused look twisted my face, the scene was quiet.  A black bag was thrown over my head, black zip ties being tied around my wrists. A growl rumbled in my throat, our bodies were being dragged to god knows where. Dean struggled next to me, bits of light flickered through the tiny holes of the fabric. Jolts of pain shot through my body as I crashed into a concrete cell. Ripping off the bag, a bunch of vampires sat on the gray concrete walls. 

“Hey guys.” I said numbly, smoothing out my skirt. “Where are Bubbles and Babble? Come to think of it, where is Thomas?” Three people waved from the shadows, guilt eating at me. Dirt covered their blonde pigtails, white and black French maid outfits  covering their petite bodies. A neat and simple butler’s uniform covered Thomas’s slender body. A rip caught my eyes, the confusion growing more.  Dean rested his arms on his knees, Thomas pulling his hair into a ponytail. 

“Why are you all dressed up like you are working for a manor in an anime?” Dean queried lightly, observing the other vampires who were in worse condition. “Was it them you were trying to rescue?”  Black vines curled down my arms, snaking around the zip ties. A sharp crack echoed in the air, the plastic snapping in half.  Moving my wrist around, Dean snapped his restraints  with his brute strength. Thomas cleared his throat, dirt soiling the once clean gloves. 

“We were undercover when they discovered us.” He admitted sheepishly, looking at the ground. “So can you help us?” Ary’s face lit up with a kind smile, her hand taking his. Examining the glove, I looked at the grain of dirt.  All of us watched with childlike wonder, my wheels turning in my head. 

“I can work with this. This is a dirt full of sin, so I can use a bit of magic.” I chirped cheerfully, drawing a large circle on the ground. “Get in the circle, or this is going to hurt.” We all stood in the circle, waiting patiently inside as she watched for a guard. Turning back towards us, a wicked grin darkened her face. Her fang stuck out over her lip, her taking Thomas’ claw. Slicing my palm, my eyes glowed red. Cold sweat dripped off of my brow, wondering what she was thinking. 

“Don’t even try.” I threatened coolly, draining my blood into a puddle at my feet. “I will kill you in just a second. Now I remember this spell from the library in Hell, so bear with me.” Smiling warmly, she drew a bunch of strange symbols. The vampires shrank back, frightened of her threat. They were aware that she had defeated Thomas by herself, forever knowing how dangerous she could be.  

:”What are you doing?” I stammered nervously, my hands shaking. “I don’t want you to die or anything.” Her black eyes frightened me, an evil grin scaring the daylights out of me. Slamming her palms into the blood, a strange light glowed around us. Black vines curled around us, forming a cage. 

“Hold on tight, this is going to be fun.” I  hinted oddly, worrying me. “Lord of Darkness, I summon the flames of the Raven Lord to burn our way out. Burn! Burn! Burn!” The blood flooded to the symbols, black flames shot from the circle. Flames devoured the iron door, burning the other doors. The ground shook violently, a giant raven exploding from the circle. Kissing the bird’s beak, the cage crumbled as shrieks broke the still air.  My eyes returned to normal, turning towards the vampires.

“Hop on the Raven, and get them out of here.” I  ordered sharply, watching them climb on the raven’s back. “Be a good girl and take them down to Hell to recover.” Stomping her foot, a portal to Hell opened up. The bird flew through the hole, Babbles and her sister remaining behind. Thomas tapped her shoulder, his scythe in his palms. More explosions shook the ground, the black flames traveling up another floor. 

“I said I would serve you, so here I stand.” He promised earnestly, Babble popping up behind him. “So what next?” Glancing around, I wondered what to do next. Closing the portal, my footfalls echoed down an empty hallway. Black flames devoured the hunter’s bodies, the smell of dead flesh nauseating me.  We were dealing with a necromancer, the darkest magic of its kind. These were loved ones who people had thought that they buried, my heart shattering. Pushing forward, we ignored the bodies. This was the only way to get through this current situation with all of my sanity. Sprinting up the stairs, a white door read laboratory.  A thumbprint lock taunted me, a pair of black shiny shoes flashed a couple of flights up. Pressing against the wall, a scientist jumped at the sight of us. Dean’s foot slammed into his face, knocking him out.  Thomas dragged the body to the door, pressing his thumb on the pad. The door clicked open, Thomas tossing the scientist over his shoulders. Horror widened my eyes, clay sat in large containers on one side while corpses laid in body coolers. Swallowing the lump in my throat, we had to tie up the scientist. 

“Tie him up.” I barked tiredly, rubbing my eyes. “We need to look around, and destroy any machine. They are creating more golems, and this person is a necromancer.  They have the darkest magic in the world, so I wish we had a white magic user.  We can't kill the necromancer, but we need to contain his magic until I can bring it to a friend. It would be no different than collecting a soul.  We just need one of these.”  Confusion contorted their faces as I held up a black salt jar, holding it in the light. The scientist jerked awake, a scream waiting on his lips. Pinning the chair against the wall, my foot pressed into his chest. His lips pressed into a thin line, tears flooding from his eyes. He was innocent, just working there under the false hopes of saving the world.  Terror widened his eyes, boots gathering outside the door. 

“I promise to help you.” He pleaded desperately, his eyes darting between us and the door. “Untie me and I will hide you. Just make sure I live if I help you.” Ignoring everyone’s protest, I cut the ropes around his chest. Shoving us into empty body coolers, he opened the door.  Voices echoed in the room, the cold temperature causing my body to shiver.  The voices got louder, heavy footfalls stopping at the wall of body coolers. My breath hitched, cold sweat dripping off of my brow. One by one they opened the doors, their black aura in front of my door. A shrill beep of a walkie talkie rescued us, the boots pounding out of the room. The door shut, the scientist letting us out.  Dean and I shivered, the cold harming us more than Babble and her family. Tossing us janitor uniforms, relief washed over me as the corset released its grip on me. A flurry of feathers drifted aimlessly as my skirt thudded to the ground, the rough cotton making my skin itch. Buttoning up the buttons, Bubbles braided my hair.  The twins looked adorable in their uniforms, Thomas looking like every horror movie serial killer. Dean winked at me, his lips kissing the top of my head. Opening the door, the moonlight bathed the halls. A dirty laundry bin sat in the hall, Dean helping me inside. The wet smell of the clothes sickened me, a shower was definitely going to be necessary after this. The cart pushed down the hall, Thomas pushing a cleaning cart that hid the twins.  A chill ran up my spine, the wheels squealing to a stop. Dean helped me out, the wet clothing smell making him wrinkle his nose.  The scientist trembled next to me, something was off. Shit! The scientists tipped us off. Brain splattered all over my face, a bullet exiting the scientist’s head. His body collapsed into a heap, a man with inky black eyes glaring at me. Green clay covered his hand like a glove, the realization slapping me in the face. Someone made a golem with the soul of a necromancer, flies buzzing behind the office door.  The smell of rotting flesh poisoned my nose, last night’s dinner threatening to visit again.  This golem’s father was behind that door, currently becoming maggot food.  My scythe slid into my eager palm, the green clay man mouthing words.  Recognizing his spell, my hands pushed everyone else to the ground. Spinning my scythe around, black vines shot from my palm as black flames singed my skin. Fighting the pain, a wall of black vines protected us from the attack. Growls echoed down the hall behind us, Bubbles and Babble launching to their feet. Bubbles charged down the hall, her sharp claws out. Babble chased after her, her blade spinning above her head.  

“I will go assist them.” Thomas announced proudly, bowing at Dean and me. “After we fix the problem, then we will come help you.” The sound of Dean taking on the golem echoing behind me, waving him goodbye. Turning to help, black vines curled up my leg. Horror widened my eyes, this necromancer knew my magic. Freezing with fear, the corner of my lips quivered. How the hell was I going to get out of this? Thinking to myself, cold sweat drenched my skin. No, wait! He was mimicking every move I made, so if we confused him. Pulling Dean behind a wall, he was out of breath. 

“We need to remove the first letter in the word truth in Hebrew.  Our magic is useless against him.” I blurted out weakly, the golem nearing us. “I believe all we have to say is met or something like that.” Shaking his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. Sighing to myself, he was right.  There was something more to it, red flames devouring his blade.  My black wings unfolded, the battle couldn’t be won. A white glow blinded us, a blonde hair girl with wild green eyes stood in front of us. Winking at us, a ball of blue energy spun in her palm. Speaking spells in a different language, childlike wonder brightened our eyes as she killed him with one touch. Spinning around, she sang to herself before noticing us. A fake smile flashed on her face, her fist aiming for my face. Red flames burned her skin as his blade blocked her.  

“How about you back off?” Dean warned icily, whistling. “See you later, Celina Goods.” Surprise widened her face, the raven flying down the hall. Pulling me on, she stared at us oddly as we flew away. Babble and Bubbles shook my shoulders, calling my name. Something threw me off, a dark grin darkening her face.  Panic gripped my mind, my fingers trembling. My scythe shook violently, the big spell brewing inside of her head.  

“We need to move fast.” I shouted urgently, blue energy swelling in her palms. “That spell will kill us if she unloads it. How the fuck do you know her?” A lump formed in Dean’s throat, a secret hiding behind his eyes.  

“Come back here, my ex-boyfriend.” She called out in a sickly sweet tone, a sneer darkening my lips. “I still love you.” Rage boiled in my eyes, my fingers drumming against the back of the Raven. If she wants to play with magic, then I will play too. The blood still dripped from my palm, vines curling around my wrists.  My lips opened, Dean grabbing a hold of my hand. What the hell was he doing? I was just trying to save everyone else, whatever his motive was.

“I dumped you because you were insane!” He insulted indignantly, waving his hands around. “You were either trying to kill me, or fuck me. There was no value in our relationship. Besides, Ary is my wife and mother of my future child.” His pride got us in trouble, a snarl curling on her lips. Smacking Dean on the back of his head, he shot me a death glare. 

“Maybe we keep the insults until after her spell.” I chastised sarcastically, spinning my scythe in my palms. A blustery wind gust lashed my face, this was my attempt to disperse her energy. Black vines shot from my palms, the vines weaving together to form a wall between her and us. Bracing for impact, blue energy shooting through the holes in the wall. Laying flat on our stomach, the energy flew above us. A black portal swirled in front of me, Lucifer’s red eyes glaring at us. The raven sped up, beating the blue magic. Bursting through the portal, it closed up just in time. Hopping off of the back, Lucifer began yelling at us. Crossing my arms across my chest, Dean shot me an apologetic look. This really sucked, my teeth biting my tongue. The copper taste of blood poisoned my taste buds, the chaos around me driving me nuts. This was becoming too much, the urge to run burning inside of me. Cupping my hands on the side of my head, I leapt over everybody. Tears welled up in my eyes, his past coming back to burn me.