Eve had taken the night off. Well, it was more like Lilith had told her that, since half of her face was still freshly colored with the array of a dark palette and how that wouldn?t be very appealing for costumers, she should stay home for a night or two until it faded off. Eve wasn?t going to complain. Instead, she busied herself with her other profession, her other talent.

She had taken over the entirety of the small living room because it, having shoved off the few pieces of furniture that obstructed the room against one wall to leave the area barren and bare, save for the easel that she had erected near the center. She had it positioned so that she was looking to where Zane had been sitting that night when she had first seen him meditating, going through the ritual of the marks, letting the ink seep to the surface of his skin, marking him as cursed. She still didn?t completely know what she had witnessed that night as she stood by the archway separating living room from kitchen, slate eyes locked on him as she watched him force the ink back inside, bridling it once again beneath the hard sinew that made him. And she still didn?t know that, even now, it was working to kill him.

Eve was indeed talented, for if one were to see the painting that she had began to create they would think that she was seeing something completely invisible to them, for she was making the composition simply from memory. That memory was crystal clear, as if Zane still sat there before her, legs folded beneath him as he focused himself in solid meditation, working against the twisting ways of the marks to bend them to his iron will, to retreat it away from his soul before it could devour it, destroying him.

Yes, Eve was indeed working to capture that moment, and was succeeding completely.

A sharp rap at the front door tore her from the realm of concentration, shattering the purity of the moment and causing the picture of memory to disappear in the snapping of the sound. She turned her head to look at the door, dropping her hand to her lap as it now ceased to be lead by a muse, finger tips blackened by the charcoal that was still held between them like a jewel.

She hesitated a moment before shifting her legs beneath, raising herself to her feet with slowed purpose before moving over toward the door. Charcoal piece was twisted between fingers as she brought an eye to the peephole, blinking once or twice as it adjusted to the tunnel vision that was now presented.

Nothing.

A small frown creased at her lips as she stood there still as if waiting to see someone pop up with a smile, perhaps with some sort of book or bobble in hand and hoping for it to be sold. Another twisting of the charcoal, feeling the black soot rub off between tips, before she angled herself away from the door, turning and already taking a step back toward her easel and the creation that was in the midst of being born.

But the Voodoo Man that was now in front of her stopped her short, causing her to gasp and reel back as he stood there, smiling that rotten smile.

Eve?s skin crawled as the Voodoo Man?s eyes fell over her, barely fighting back the gag of revulsion. Eyes narrowed as he touched her cheek then reversed to widen as he moved to take hold of her throat. She tried to take a step back and away from him but found that his appearance belied his strength, his fingers curling to take a solid grasp.

Her mouth opened, a sharp curse ready on her tongue, but the mentioning of the gunslinger gave her pause. ?What do you mean, ?help Zane?? What?s wrong with him??

As he started to drag her off toward the door, the time span of Eve?s wary assessment was over. Without a fight? Right? because that was exactly her style. Bare heels dug into the cheap carpet underfoot as she reached up to clasp a hand around the wrist near her throat in an attempt to pull it away, tugging against him.

?The bloody hell I?m going with you. Let go of me!? But even with the strength Eve was mustering against him, the Voodoo Man was indeed pulling her to and through that door.

Eve was thrown through the door and staggered to regain her footing, but soon found herself yanked back from her forward pitch as the Voodoo Man?s fingers snaked through her hair, taking a vicious hold. She winced as the pain shot through her skull, the headache that had already been throbbing there screaming back to life full-force and sending a rolling sickness through her stomach. She stumbled along behind him, both hands coming to grab at the one he was using to yank her by, trying to pull against him even as he forced her along, seemingly without much effort.

?What the hell could Zane have that you want? The curse? Why the bloody hell would you want that?? Eve asked through gritted teeth clenching tight with the effort of trying to resist him even as he simply pulled her along. Slate eyes cut a glare up at the Voodoo Man and his smile and Eve found herself wishing that she could knock every last tooth out of that rotten mouth of his. ?And how do you plan on using me to get it??

The question was asked just before she tripped, struggling to keep her footing beneath her and, even though the Voodoo Man?s tight grasp kept her from falling, she brought out one hand in preparation to catch herself. Or so she made it seem. That hand was brought behind her just briefly before coming back up to rejoin the other in its fight against the Voodoo Man, and she almost sighed out of relief as she felt the hard bump there; the pistol that was holstered at the small of her back, hidden by the men?s white button-down shirt that she was wearing. That still smelled of Zane.

When the Voodoo Man turned back toward Eve and reached out to snag another grip in her hair, he would find a pretty little pistol aimed right for his head. Eve stood there with both hands wrapped around the grip of the gun and one long index finger cradling against the curve of the trigger.

?Now,? She said between teeth that were gritted hard to fight both against the throb of that headache and now the slow burn of an ache that radiated from her cracked ribs, ?you?re going to tell me exactly what it is you plan on doing with Zane before I blow your bloody rotten head off. Got it??