Hold your breath and count to three

[Emily Rochette]

(ooc) For anyone bothering to read this...Sort of a "version 2.0" of One Step Forward; Without extra people.

The Jysbena never had been good with commitment. She always let herself disappear from the lover's life. First Salem, now Jeseth. But it hurt worse, leaving Jeseth. She carried a part of her inside of him. A part that would grow and become a living reminder of the man.

What's the matter, Emily?

"Gone.." The girl huddled slightly, her arms loosely crossed over her stomach. Her dress, dark, tattered, red, had been stitched back together. Her pale skin was soaked and shimmering with rain as the cold water beat down from the sky. Her oversized boots were partially filled with water, each step making a heavy, sloshing thump.

Ah, so the slut misses her "lover"

"...I don't even know what that means," Emily responded with a dull tone. She could feel that the words were meant to be cruel, and it had not been the first time she'd heard them, but she'd never been told of their meanings.

So..What shall you do about it?

A hand fell upon her stomach as she froze, midstep. It had barely began to rise with the sign that anything was inside it. She let her gaze fall on the dark pavement, drops of rain creating brief spikes across it. She'd honestly never been given any choice in the matter of whether or not she wanted a child. She didn't even know what she and Jeseth had been doing.

"...I want it out..."

http://future.boomspeed.com/gitane/lookdown1.jpghttp://future.boomspeed.com/gitane/main.jpg

[Salem Ave]

There was something different, something that he did not like.

The vampyre clung to the wall with bare hands, the talons he bore working as holds to keep him ‘stuck’ into the brickwork. His boots were pressed up hard against the surface to stabilize him, whilst he looked back over his shoulder down into the street at Emily.

“What hasss he done to herrrr?”

Though it was only a habitual gesture to the undead, Salem’s chest rose and fell as if he were breathing. His teeth locked together for a moment as he watched the face he had not seen for so long. It had been a mystery to him where she had gone, and he had been so swept up in the creation of the Krath that he had not thought to look for her. Only now, in his ennui, had his thoughts come back to her.

“He hasss corrupted herrr…”

The something different was inside of Emily. It was like she now had two beings living in her – and not in the sense of the force acting as a parasitic symbiotic entity, but offspring developing in her. Salem heard Emily speak and felt a sickening shudder work up his spine.

“Sss-he was mine!”

One hand tore out from the wall then pounded instantly in back against it, scattering rubble down into the street below.

[Emily Rochette]

The crash made Emily jump, breaking her from her conversation. She spun around, her eyes darting through the shadows of the street. Her mind stretched out slightly, until her skin tingled with a sense of the familiar presence.

You loved him, too, remember? Quite the busy little girl..

The girl shuddered, her fingers disappearing into soaked tendrils of hair. She stared at the ground in silence. Her mind had almost forgotten the memories of the man.. Her eyelids twiched lightly as cold tears stung at the back of her eyes. Shakily, her feet picked up from the ground. Her boots slopped through deep puddles, sending murky water into the air, staining her chalky legs. She ran towards the the direction of the crash, unsure as to why it was so important that she would run, or whether it would be wiser to run the other way.

"Salem.." She whispered the name as she ran. Her feet stopped abruptly when she saw him, her body toppling forward and tumbling against the grimey pavement.

[Salem Ave]

By pushing his boots hard against the stones beneath them, Salem propelled himself backwards into open air. The Knight spread his arms and let gravity and drag-force do its job, the former pulling him downwards whilst the latter slowed his descent partially (with the aid of his stretched cloak). Still, it was mere seconds before he touched down beside the fallen Jysbena. Having landed in a crouched position, he was able to reach Emily with ease and pulled her up into a kneeling position from the damp concrete. Both two talons on the hand that held her pinched the cloth covering her body powerfully to hold her firmly in place.

“Ssssssth… Emily…”

[Emily Rochette]

Her eyes widened as the girl stared up at Salem, squirming a bit, the material of her dress ripping just slightly at a messy seam. Emily bit her lip, glancing at the ground silently.

"..Hi.." Was all she could think of to say. Her voice was timid, mixed with nervousness and even a bit of fear. Her claws scratched at the concrete she was sitting on as she stared at the vampyre through the drenching rain.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Hello.”

The boy began to stand up slowly, keeping his grip on Emily as tight as ever – resulting in his lifting the girl clean into the air. Once risen he set her down, though his eyes never left hers. As ever, he looked fairly impassive to what was going on, though there was that barely visible dark heat in his eyes that betrayed some inner, suppressed sensations. After a very long silence on Salem’s part, he hissed a whisper.

“… Wherrre has Emily been?”

[Emily Rochette]

Her brows scrunched together slightly as Emily lowered her head, her fingers toying with ragged edges of her nails. She'd wandered a lot.. She remembered that. She couldn't recall where she'd gone, but she'd wandered.

When Jeseth's name struck her mind, a shudder ran down her spine and tears welled up in her eyes. Her body seemed to deflate until she was kneeling, her body doubled over and her head inches from the ground, arms clasped across her stomach. She could feel Salem's eyes on her, causing the salty drops to burn at her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as she mumbled a slow response.

"..Salem already knows..doesn't he?"

[Salem Ave]

Though Emily would not see it in her current position, Salem was giving a deliberately slow nod.

“Yesss… Away with Masterrr, playing.”

The Sith folded his arms behind his back and almost frowned, “Why arrre you crying, Emily?”

[OOC: Just ignore the fact that the last post was on the wrong account. I have a 26k and no patience |I]

[Emily Rochette]

"Because Emily's a stupid girl.. a bad girl.."

A monster. A whore. A killer. A waste of life and space. Shall we continue?

Her shoulders cringed a bit as she sat up until her spine was perfectly straight, keeping her head bowed. Shame was spreading through every fiber of her being. Something about the thing inside of her seemed wrong.. It felt almost as if something had been stolen away for its creation.

[Salem Ave]

“Sss-alem doesn’t think that.”

As he spoke, there was an almost patronizing tone to his voice. It was the voice that mothers reassured their children in, a voice that assured a person not to worry, even if they had been a fool. It was hard not to talk to Emily in such a voice, when she acted so juvenile.

[Emily Rochette]

Her gaze lifted slightly to look up at the man, an ackward smile briefly lighting her face. She sighed quietly and wiped the back of her hand against her cheeks, though this did little help, considering her skin was soaked with rain.

"What...happened to me?" She spoke each word carefully. Though the meaning might not have been clear, it was the only question she could piece together for the answer she was looking for. She wanted to know what she and Jeseth had done. Or rather, what Jeseth had done to her.

[Salem Ave]

“It sss-eems…” Salem began, “That Masterrr has given Emily a burden ssshe did not ask for.”

A few steps forward brought Salem close to Emily, close enough to give him stomach a gentle tap.

“How rrrude of Massster.”

It was far too complicated to explain to Emily, right here and now, exactly how she had gained the extra baggage. He doubted in the end that she could comprehend it even if he explained a thousand times.

[Emily Rochette]

Chewing on her lip for a moment, Emily sighed. She hated not knowing what was going on, although it was a rare moment that she understood her surroundings. Her palm touched lightly against her flat stomach, before a few fingertips traced against her temple. Slowly, she let her gaze lock with Salem's, her arms wrapping tightly over his shoulders. Her body shaking faintly, she whispered with a broken voice.

"..I don't want to be broken anymore."

[Salem Ave]

With Emily embracing him he had the clearest shot thus far on the vein in her neck, and for a split second contemplated draining it right then and there. But what would be the use in that? Jeseth would be let off easily from his crime. No, it would be far much more pleasing to keep her, and keep what Jeseth had wanted from her.

“You arrren’t broken. It’ll be gone, sss-oon…”

… Or maybe he would keep it for himself. Perhaps if he became attached in some fashion to Emily it would serve as a child.

[Emily Rochette]

"Don't mean that..." She lifted her head, pulling back to look at him again. Her finger tapped lightly against her left temple as a sad sort of smirk crossed her lips. "Head's broken.."

[Salem Ave]

A long hiss rumbled out of the vampyres throat as he looked down at Emily. It was a sound of affection, however unnerving it might have seemed.

“It doesssn’t look broken,” Salem replied, giving a faintly consoling smile.

[Emily Rochette]

"It is, inside.." Her forehead leaned lightly against his as she searched through the deep pools of his eyes, wet strands of hair dropping down and obscruring her vision.

[Salem Ave]

For a moment he wondered if that was Jeseth’s doing too, and felt another urge to lash out, but rationalized by her statement Emily meant this … state of naivety she was always in. There was a possibility it was due to some form of brain damage. He was a little hesitant to request medical help outside of the Krath, as the Jedi had spies everyone (or so Jeseth told him), but at this time it seemed to be fair.

“Sssalem can’t fix it. Maybe a doctorrr can.”

[Emily Rochette]

"..Where is one?" She frowned briefly in confusion, her head nestling against the vampyre's cold shoulder. Her eyes slid half shut as she stared at the rain splashing against the road, her concentration wavering.

[Salem Ave]

“I don’t know.”

Salem shrugged his shoulders, half to remind Emily that he was in front of her, and in the puddles at her feet… Yes, this would be a way of prolonging his control!

“It would take a long time to find one forrr Emily…”

[Emily Rochette]

A faint, tired groan left her throat as she was forced to again pay attention. For now, her maturity was increased at least partially. A soft smile twisted her lips as her head tilt to the side. She ran cold fingers against his cheek, an eyebrow arching with curiousity.

"..Why help me?"

[Salem Ave]

Salem shrugged. Evidently, both he and Emily had a fairly clear idea of why he would want to help the girl.

“It’s cold outside. We should go inside.”

[Emily Rochette]

"But I like the cold.." This was something she didn't, or couldn't understand. And with reason. She was cold-blooded, her skin, as well as Salem's, always felt cold. What difference would it make if it were colder?

[Salem Ave]

“… It’s wet. Vampyres are … allergic to water.”

Salem narrowed his eyes slightly and feigned a wince at the water falling on his skin.

[Emily Rochette]

She pouted lightly, her arms folding across her chest.

"But you've been out here all this time."

Emily leaned forward, her teeth biting against the vampyre's bottom lip before she turned away.

"I may be broken, Salem.. But I'm not stupid.."

[Salem Ave]

“Ssssh-…”

Salem cut himself off and half frowned.

“… What’s the point of ssstanding outssside? Wouldn’t you rrrather be inside with Salem?”

… Doing all manner of ungodly things to satisfy him…

“… Aren’t you tirrrrred?”

[Emily Rochette]

Emily took a few steps forward, as if walking away, before she paused. Her arms stayed crossed just beneath her chest as she stretched and bent her spin back enough that she could look at him fully. A light grin crept across her face.

"..Alright."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“… I don’t know my way arrround herrre. Emily will have to show Sssalem where to go.”

As a little reward for agreeing with him, he flashed a fanged smile.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily stood and turned around, holding her hand out to Salem. She reached and grabbed his hand, tugging him lightly toward the mouth of the alley.

"Where does Salem want to go..?" She replied, her tone almost obedient.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Doesss Emily have a home here?”

That’s right. A bed. Salem was glad, at this time, that his mind was a locked box to Emily, for if she could see inside, she would not be so eager to lead him away into the night.

[OOC: FOR FRELLS SAKE! **Waves hand in front of your eyes** ... Yes, all the posts by Vega, where my cookies screwed it up, are indeed Salem. Not Vega.]

[Emily Rochette]

"Somewhere.." She paused, studying where they were. Within moments, she took off, climbing quickly up a wall and racing across the rooftop. She suddenly discovered the troubles of moving across the sleek, sloped top, stumbling a bit, her arms stretching out to balance her body.

[Salem Ave]

The vampyre used a Force jump to get up on level with Emily, the Darkside keeping his balance steady as he followed behind her. The two walked the tightrope of drainpipes and skidded across slate tiles to Krath knows where… the Sith knew that eventually, though, the girl would bring them to some little hideaway, and then the fun could begin.

[Emily Rochette]

The two hadn't gone far before Emily let herself drop into the narrow space between two buildings. Her hand hooked onto a window ledge, the glass broken from more than half of the panes, and she pulled herself up, scrambling into the little appartment.

[Salem Ave]

Tumbling in after Emily with a tinkle of the shattered glass around him, Salem rolled across a dank carpeted floor to halt with a squelch. A look up revealed a leak in the ceiling, leaving a large portion of the floor soaked. Salem brushed himself off, then stretched out his arms in a mock yawn.

“Emily ssshould go to sssleep now.”

[Emily Rochette]

"But I slept last night," She replied bluntly, turning around to face her guest. She walked over past him, perching on the window sill as she pulled each boot off, dumping the collected water out the window and tossing them into a corner to dry.

".Salem could sleep, though."

[Emily Rochette]

"But I slept last night," She replied bluntly, turning around to face her guest. She walked over past him, perching on the window sill as she pulled each boot off, dumping the collected water out the window and tossing them into a corner to dry.

"Salem could sleep, though."

[Salem Ave]

It was a supposedly well known fact that vampyres didn’t sleep, and in fact even before he’d been sired Salem had tended to rarely sleep, but instead close his eyes and think all night long. There was no harm in doing that now; after all he hadn’t sat still in so long. The Sith gave a nod to the suggestion and looked about the room for a suitable place – the couch would suffice.

If Emily wouldn’t sleep, it would be interesting to watch from his mind’s eye exactly what would keep her occupied throughout the night. Sitting down and pulling his knees partially up towards his chest, Salem closed his eyes and let his mind slow down.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily stayed on the window sill, her claws picking at bits of paint that were already falling off. Every so often, she would glance towards Salem, studying him for a moment or so.

Kill him.. See what he's like on the inside..

Emily shuddered at the voice. She refused to listen to it. Closing her eyes tightly, she spun around and slipped out the window, climbing down the wall. She did need to hunt..

[Salem Ave]

The sound of Emily leaving caused Salem to open one eye. He watched as she slipped away into the night, and frowned to himself. Deciding against lying on the couch bored all night, he got up and walked to the window, perching himself on the ledge as he looked around for Emily. Had he been younger, he would have been able to soar straight after her with the aid of his wings … that was something he had to fix. No doubt technology could replace them some how.

No use in mourning them now though. After all, if Emily was hunting there would be free food on the go, so he took to the rooftops after her.

Wait.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily lowered herself to the street level, her eyes skimming the streets. The rain would have driven all but the insane and drunk into shelter. She let her hand run absently along the bricks of a building as she strolled down the sidewalk, her mind expanding in search of anything living.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are.." She hummed quietly, gazing down an empty alley. Her dark tongue ran across the tips of her teeth as she growled in frustration. A footstep caught her attention down a small space between two buildings. The Jysbena leapt up and clung to the side of a wall, her fingers and toes digging between each brick to keep her up as she moved slowly down the lane.

[Salem Ave]

A boy, probably in his early adolescence, was kicking a can into the alley. The rancid smell of some form of meat wafted up from him as he shoved a burger down his throat, taking an occasion drag from a cigarette balanced between his fingertips. Approaching from the opposite direction to Emily, Salem had put himself down wind and thus caught the full extent of all of the smells.

The boy, not realising he was being watched or listened to, began to sing – or wail – a tune in an intoxicated slur.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily slinked down the to the street, just a few steps in front of the boy. Her eyes seemed to glitter with hunger as she stood, a sultry grin across her face.

"Such a pretty boy," She mumbled, her breath creating clouds with each word that floated through the humid, cold air. Strands of hair hung in front of her vision as she seemed to admire him, or at least that's what the child may have thought. In reality, she was eyeing what places he would be most vulnerable.

"Cat got your tongue..?" Emily questioned after the boy remained silent. The alcohol in his blood seemed to make him braver than he normally would have been. He neared her, which surprised Emily quite a bit. She tensed up, trying not to shudder as the stench of the burger filled the air. Her eyes flared up and she growled lowly when his hand courageously felt her body.

"Naughty little boy..." The girl muttered, her knee striking against his stomach before she knocked him back against a wall, bits of hair, skin, and blood staying upon the rough surface when he slumpd onto the ground.

[Salem Ave]

Slowly, he began to crawl down the wall towards the boy. From above he could see the body was trembling as death spasms took it. The crash against the wall had been so hard that it had shattered the back of his skull and caused a convulsion of crimson, running thickly down his back … what a waste. This was Emily’s kill, and he felt compelled to allow her to take first servings from it before he cleaned up the left overs.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily knelt down, studying the fallen body for a moment. She lifted the had he'd reached out with and snapped it off, tossing the boney limb over her shoulder. There wasn't much on the boy, though it would be more than enough to hold her over for at least a day. She bowed her head, biting into the bleeding wrist and pulling away a strip of skin and muscle. She paused as she chewed at it, her eyes remaining on the body, though her mind's voice carried upwards.

Won't you join me, Salem?

[Salem Ave]

“I thought you’d neverrr asssk.”

Silent as ever, Salem landed beside the body and with a greedy hunger seized it up by the shoulder. A sickening squelch resounded as he drove his head down against the boys neck, plummeting thin fangs right into the withering artery.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily didn't seem at all phased by the sounds, nor anything Salem was doing. She simply broke off the entire arm she'd taking a bite from and wandered absently within five feet of the alley, picking at the skin of the limb, biting off bits of muscle, seemingly off in her own little world.

[Salem Ave]

Gulp after gulp could be heard as Salem virtually ingested the blood. He didn’t need any of what he was taking, but then there was no point in letting the free source of good food go to waste. Once done, he pulled his head back and wiped away a few spilled drops from his lips with the back of his sleeve … and hiccupped.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily giggled lightly as she licked her lips, letting the bones and bits of remains drop to the ground, looking at Salem. Her head tilt to the side, rain washing away the drops of blood that had blended in with the red markings on her face. She sat down beside the vampyre, on her knees, her lips forming a pout.

"Salem is supposed to be sleeping."

[Salem Ave]

In the period after having drunken from a victim, Salem looked a deal pinker in the skin, and – more unusual – seemed to have more pronounced fangs. At the moment, they rested up over his lower lip.

“I had a nightmarrre.”

[Emily Rochette]

Another, childish giggle left her throat as Emily leand over, licking Salem's cheek. She hugged his arm, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"You are a nightmare."

[Salem Ave]

Salem smiled insipidly, the expression growing somewhat as the corpse beside them slipped down the wall and clattered against the floor with another chorus of cracks and gurgles.

“Doesss Emily think Sssalem is that bad?”

[Emily Rochette]

Her head tilt slightly as she looked up to the sky, in thought. After a minute or two, her forehead nuzzled and nudged against his neck before she flopped over, laying back on the ground.

"Nope."

[Salem Ave]

For a moment he frowned, then stood up from where he had been crouched. There was no use in sitting about in the scruffy street, so he jumped back against the wall causing an ear-splitting screech as his talons wrapped into the masonry. This done, he began to climb upwards, glancing down for a moment at Emily.

“… Emily has been grossly misssinforrrmed.”

[Emily Rochette]

Emily rolled back, somersaulting to her feet as she looked up at Salem. She reached up, grabbing a hold of his left foot and pulling him back down. Her head tilt to the side as she studied him for a moment.

"Not true.. Never seen you do a bad thing."

[Salem Ave]

“You have a perrrverted sssense of good and bad,” Salem replied as he was pulled down back onto level with Emily once more.

“Everrrything I do isss bad.”

[Emily Rochette]

Her eyes stared into his, almost challenging him silently. After a string of silence, she giggled quietly and shook her head.

"Nothing you do is bad. You eat, you play.. You live."

She shifted forward, cupping his chin in her hands long enough to press a light kiss to his lips and whisper, "Salem's not bad," before scrambling up the wall.

[Salem Ave]

The vampyre pressed his fangs down against his lower lip so much so that had blood not drain from his complexion long ago it would have been drawn. His eyes travelled upwards, and in that moment he decided it was time to have a little fun.

Throwing his hands in against the wall he heaved himself upwards and began feverishly chasing after Emily; snarling through hissed breaths as he lashed out to try and catch his advancing ‘prey’.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily glanced over her shoulder at the man, her eyes widening a bit as she noticed he was hurriedly drawing close to her. She couldn't figure out whether he was playing with her or something else, but she did know that falling off a wall was no fun. Her hands reached up and grabbed hold of the gutter, before she flipped up onto rooftop, her bare feet balancing on the acute peak of the roof. She turned around, waiting for him to join her.

"Salem, what are you doing?"

[Vega Van-Derveld]

There was, of course, no reply – at least not verbally. If Salem vaulting over the roofs edge and ploughing straight into Emily could be constituted as a reply, then yes… he replied. Once on top of the girl, he pressed both hands firmly down against her waste, baring his fangs down at her as he attempted to squeeze the breath straight out of her frail body.

OOC: This post was by Salem. [/mind trick]

[Emily Rochette]

Her left hand shot up, grasping at his shoulder as her nails tore into his skin, while sputtering squeaks left her throat. Emily stared up at the vampyre, a look of pure terror flashing through her eyes as her mouth gaped slightly open, struggling for a gasp of air.

[Salem Ave]

A wince passed over him at the feeling of the cuts into his skin. The hot tingle of pain served as a reminder that he wasn’t doing the task fast enough, so instead of clamping down on her stomach the Sith Knight caught her neck in a vice grip and leant down towards Emily, the muscle beneath his right eye twitching.

“Yessss?”

[Emily Rochette]

Cold tears stung at her eyes as she kept her gaze locked with his. She couldn't see many options in ending the struggle; There was either moving enough to cause them both ro tumble down the roof, beg for him to stop, or give up. She didn't like the idea of either the first or last options, and she couldn't find her voice to pull off the second.

Her mind stretched out just enough, even the mental voice weakened, as she managed to push a single word into his mind. "Stop.."

[Salem Ave]

For a second it looked as if he was going to relent and drew his hands away, though within the blink of an eye he had swiped one hand across Emily’s face with a wet thunk. Without a word he stood up and looked down at her, before turning and beginning to walk away, a little self-content smile on his lips.

[Emily Rochette]

Taking in rough gasps, Emily let her body coil into a loose fetal position, her hand gripping the roof to keep her from falling off. After she'd regained enough of her breath, she lifted her head to watch Salem for a moment, shouting after him with a taunting voice.

" 'Not bad.. Only angry."

[Salem Ave]

“Tsth..”

One arm lifted and rose out to the side, a wave of Darkside energy pulsing out from it and knocking Emily off at a dangerously quick speed towards the edge of the roof.

[Emily Rochette]

Emily skid a bit as she reached the edge, her toes and fingers digging between the shingles. She pulled herself up, her wrist occasionally rubbing a tear from her eye. Sitting on her knees when she reached the top, her head bowed, eyes glancing up every so often at the vampyre. Her bottom lip seemed to quiver as she muttered an apology.

"..What does Salem want of me?"

[Salem Ave]

What did he want of her … Salem didn’t even know. It just seemed amusing to toy with her. His want to possess her was spawned from his loss of Takai, originally, though he was beginning to realise more and more how little it really mattered who the person he controlled was. So long as he felt superiority around them and held sway over their decisions, he was satisfied.

“You have to love me, orrr I’ll kill you,” he stated simply.

[Emily Rochette]

"..The this is what love is..?"

Love was another word she'd never understood. She'd seen people destroyed, mentally and physically, because of it. Yet no one had ever told her what it was. Now, with Salem's mention of the word, she slowly seemed to piece together a deranged meaning.

She lifted her head slightly, staring up at Salem.

"...Fear?"

[Salem Ave]

“… Yesss. Love is being ssso afrrraid of something that you will do anything for it,” the vampyre said, summing up the twisted version of compassion Emily was no doubt forming in her mind.

[Emily Rochette]

Her body slumped back as she sat, perching on the narrow edge of the roof, her arms draping across her knees. She stared silently at the weathered shingles, seemingly lost in thought.

Slowly, she responded, "Emily doesn't want to fear Salem.." There was a soft tremor in her voice as she spoke each word carefully, never daring to make eye contact with him.

[Salem Ave]

“Find a doctorrr by yourssself then,” he snorted, arms folding over his chest.

[Emily Rochette]

"...What does Emily have to do if she..loves Salem?" She lifted her head slightly, stumbling a bit as she pushed herself to her feet.

"..And what would Salem to do Emily?"

[Salem Ave]

Falling back into old habits, Salem’s body became slightly hunched as his head lowered. His dark eyes stared forward into nothing, hands flexing in their positions with a potential for sudden movement in them.

“Nothing. Jussst… ssstay with Salem and help him.”

He replied, then added as a bitter afterthought, “and not help anyone elssse.”

[Emily Rochette]

"Don't have anyone else to help.." Shrugging a bit, she took the steps between them, her fingers touching lightly against his cheek. She looked up at his eyes, her voice hushed.

"..Emily will love Salem."