“He’s using her! I don’t know what the hell your children are doing to her, but I love her and I want her to be safe” Shadows said as he paced up and down. He could hear Gates’ thoughts from even here, and he hated that he’d managed to twist thing in his favour and get her into his pants. He hated that she was giving in, because he knew that if Gates could do anything, it was get a woman into his bed. Silas tapped his fingers across his chair, his jaw tightening.

He preferred Shadows over his own children, because at least he could keep a woman down. At least he could admit that he was falling for this girl Hurricane, rather than manipulating and tearing down another relationship for his own personal gain. Why he hadn’t just given up his own children and adopted Shadows was something he still questioned today.

“I see your dilemma, Shadows, and I apologise for my children’s behaviour. When they came to me, I assumed they were on Johnny’s side. I know Christ, that you are genuinely concerned about Hurricane’s safety” Silas said with a sigh, sinking into deep thought.
He clapped his hands suddenly, and a slave appeared, bowing meekly before his Master and falling to his knees.

“Go and get my children, and bring Hurricane with them. If they struggle, or refuse, I will send the two of them to Gateway Number Four. Bring them here, now” Silas ordered.
“Yes Master” the little slave said, scurrying away like a hermit crab and almost running at lightning speed out of the house. It would be a few minutes before those particular children arrived back from their…rendezvous.

“Shadows…tell me a little more about this Hurricane girl. According to what Johnny’s told me, she’s quite something. He tells me that you’re quite the opposite of how my children described you- in fact, she’s even gotten you to say the I love you” Silas said, gesturing Shadows and Johnny towards two chairs beside his throne. The two of them visibly relaxed and Matt nodded, a strange sort of blush tainting his cheeks. He’d never blushed before.
“Well, what can I say? I chose well. I don’t want to hurt her, I never did. I just want her to be happy with me”

“She is, Shads, Hurricane really is happy with you. I don’t know what Gates’ motives were for taking this further than nessacary, but we’ll find out soon enough” Johnny said, patting his friends shoulder. It was almost like a blessing from the older brother himself, yet Shadows didn’t say a word, just nodded and looked down at his feet. He could sense that they were here.

“I am not a child, father; you can’t just summon me down here whenever the fuck you feel like it!” Gates yelled as he stormed through the house, bursting into the room where the three men were sat, his face dropping when he saw Johnny and Shadows sat with his father. His eyes narrowed to thin little slits, dark and angry and he turned on his friends.
“Did…did you tell on me to my Dad?”

Before either of them could answer, Bandit walked in with a sulky expression on her face, and a timid looking Hurricane followed, the slave close beside her. As soon as he spotted her, Shadows stopped up, ready to explain himself for all the horrible things he’d done to her, all the lies he’d told her to try and keep her safe. She cowered away, almost as if she was scared of him, and he turned on Gates, who was smirking.

“What the hell have you done to her?” he growled, taking a few steps forward towards his once best friend.

“I haven’t done anything” he said childishly, and Silas sighed and rolled his eyes at his son. Even after three hundred years, his son still had yet to mature. He must have gotten it from his mother, because even he’d matured after two hundred and fifty.
“Synyster, lift the spell or I will, and you will not like the consequences” Silas thundered and looking like it was the most frustrating and boring task in the world, Gates ran his hand over Hurricane’s face, and her expression went blank for a moment.

Until she saw Shadows.

Smiling, she ran up to him and he held her close, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume, the same one that stained the sheets of the bed that the two of them shared. He’d fallen in love, and now he wasn’t so afraid to admit it.
“I missed you. And I’m so, so sorry for everything I did. I get it if you don’t want to be with me…just let me say I love you one last time” Shadows whispered to her and she stood up on her tip-toes, kissing him softly.

“I’m not going anywhere. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried Matt” she replied, stroking the side of his face with one hand and kissing him again. Sleeping with Syn had been like some sort of dream, and she now understood that he’d had her under some sort of spell that made her attracted to him. You could never trust the demons these days.

“Synyster Gates, down on your knees. You will bow before your king” Silas hissed as he stepped out of his seat, and Shadows gently handed Hurricane over to Johnny.
He and Silas had discussed how they were to punish Synyster for the meddling he had caused. For Bandit, they would separate her from Zacky, and leave her under the watchful eyes of her mother and father, where she would be the least troublesome. But for Syn? They had something a lot more painful planned.

“What the fuck, I’m not kneeling for him!” Syn cried, but Silas pushed him, pressing his fingers into his sons pressure points before he burst into a scream and fell to his knees in front of Shadows.
“Are you happy now, my king?” Gates spat bitterly “You finally got what you wanted”.

“Not quite yet. You see Synyster; I have a punishment for you. I hereby banish you from this part of hell- you will be exiled to the Fourth Wall, a place where you will learn how to act in front of those who have authority over you. You will stay there for as long as I see fit, and when you return, you will not come within twenty feet of my wife- do you understand?” Shadows ordered as two armed guards came strolling through the door, ready to take Gates to the Fourth Wall.

“What? No! You can’t do this to me- I’m the Devil’s son for Christ’s sakes! NO!” he roared, trying to fight the people who were dragging him away but it was useless. His shouts and cries of protest could be heard from miles away, and as Silas dragged Bandit out of the room, ready to have a serious talking with her, Shadows turned back to Hurricane.

“Your wife? Is there some other woman I should know about Matthew?” she asked coolly, and glancing over his shoulder at Johnny who grinned at him, Matt shook his head.

“No honey. There’s no other woman in my life- just you. Hurricane?” he asked, slowly getting down on one knee and opening up the little box in his hand, a bright shining diamond ring staring up at her.

“Will you marry me?”