by Shen Hart
I moved quickly as I pulled the shadows around me, wrapping them tight like a cloak. They felt like a beautiful oil slick, smooth and cool, familiar and comforting. I knew this would hide me visually. Not completely, but enough to give me some help. It was a big risk. If he figured out my control over the shadows, then I’d be in far more trouble than I was. Shadow dancers were a rare thing, and they weren’t liked, but I didn’t see another option. His eyes lowered as he began scouring the area by the tree, looking for me. I paused a moment.
If I moved straight away, he'd catch sight of me again and I'd lose some of my new advantage. I felt him gather his energies tighter into his hands before he swung at the tree behind me. I darted to the side, feeling the rush of air as his fist went by my cheek. His fist hit the tree with a sickening thud and crunch, causing the huge ash tree to shake and wobble. He paused, waiting for my reaction as he looked slightly away from me I shot forwards, kicking his hip with the heel of my foot before hitting his lower jaw with my fist. I stepped back, staying slightly behind him, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when he wasn't particularly fazed. Shrugging it off I continued my assault. He was twice my size. I had to depend on speed and agility rather than brute strength.
It didn't take him long to turn on his heel and land a heavy punch to my ribs, and once he'd found me he didn't let go. I danced and spun, ducking and diving trying to avoid his hard blows while landing my own. Something in the back of my mind was thinking this image was wrong, but I ignored it, dancing to my left before kicking his ribs and risking my balance to stretch and kick his throat. A guttural groan told me I'd hit my mark and finally had half a chance. I was growing sore and tired. It felt as though he'd caused a good bit of damage to my own poor body. I needed to finish this. My kicks had been enough to throw his balance. He stretched forwards trying to grab my throat. Hitting his arm aside I used my other fist to hit his lower jaw, then something changed. He went flying sideways and landed with a sickening crunch. Confusion flooded my mind. There was no-one else there, what the…!?
Blinking, I lowered my body, preparing to attack this other person, then I realised it was that scrawny blond. He stood looking at me, with his arms crossed and a rather sickening smile on his face. His voice was smooth as silk and arrogant as they come.
"Thought you could do with a hand."
I dove forwards aiming to pin him by his throat to the closest hard object. He stepped back and accepted it, not even a glimmer of fight from him. Instead, a very soft purr edged out past his lips as he looked down into my eyes, an odd spark held within them.
Shaking my head, I freed him and stepped back, saying to him, "What the fuck were you playing at!?"
He grinned before moving to stand only inches from me. "Just a game... like the old days."
I raised an eyebrow. The hackles were standing up on the back of my neck, but the flood of emotions was overwhelming me. I turned away from him to look at the groaning males sprawled out on the grass. We had to go. Wait, did I think “we”? This was just… wrong.
The male didn't give me a chance to go through my thoughts. "I'll drive, sweet thing.”
I growled as I tried to understand what was happening. This... male had screwed me over, but I couldn't help feeling safe with him. There was something pushing, squirming in the back of my mind. Flashes of images were trying to cut through the confusion and pain. I knew him, I trusted him. We kept each other safe. But, it was him who had gotten me into all of this. I turned away from him, trying to understand. After a few moments, I snarled and spun around to face him. I had to trust my feelings.
He shrugged and reached forwards with an open hand before gesturing for me to hand over my keys. "You're in no state to drive.”
I pursed my lips looking deep into his eyes, trying to feel his energies and make some sense of this. Instead, it felt like my head was going to split in two, and the rest of my body was rebelling against me. I glanced over to the draconic’s 4x4. I couldn’t risk leaving it mobile. When they came to, if they came to, they would be pissed. I took a deep breath and walked back to my car where I pulled out a small blade. It had seemed foolish to try and use against the draconic, given the blade would likely snap rather than pierce their absurdly tough skin. I kept a close eye on the blond, who was standing with his arms crossed watching me, that smile firmly resting on his lips. With practiced ease, I slashed all four of the tyres on the 4x4 before nodding with satisfaction. My body was screaming at me, and my vision started to swim. I growled to myself, handed him my keys, and skulked over to the passenger seat of my own damn car.
Slumping down in the leather seat, I cradled my head in my hands and tried not to actually think. Breathing slowly, I focused and returned my energies to their normal state, releasing the shadow and grounding the excess energy that hadn’t been used. As the car rumbled to a start, the shadows slid off me and slinked along the floor back into the woodland while my natural energies flexed and extended, dancing and bowing around me for a moment before settling. It felt good to stretch my energies again. I didn’t appreciate the constricting feeling of them being pinned down around me. It was almost a physical sensation of restraint. The longer I kept it up, the more agitated I felt them becoming. Unfortunately, releasing them also meant I didn't have my cloak to hide the pain. Ugh. I needed to get back into training. I'd focused so much on money and moving I'd let my fighting slip.
I half opened my eyes and peered warily through the window. I wasn't sure who the hell this guy was or what he was up to, but I was tired, hurt, and my stomach was starting to growl, too. I muttered to myself and thumped him in the leg before turning my back to him and looking out the window, watching the trees fly by as I ignored the protests of my body.
It took him a second to respond and say, "What was that for, Suriel?"
Hearing him wrap his tongue around that world 'Suriel' sent a shiver down my spine and made my toes curl just a little. There was something to it, the slight lilt in his tone and voice. I could feel him waiting for my reply. I refused to look at him.
Instead, I growled, "You got me into this."
A soft sigh escaped his lips, but he gave me no other reply. I could feel the fluctuating tension. It felt as though the emotions were rolling through my mind and body. I didn't know what to do or think. Everything was a ridiculous mess. I have no idea how much time passed or where exactly we were, but he pulled up into the small car park of a standard chain hotel place. I groaned to myself, hauling my bag of essentials off the back seat before slowly getting out of the car. I felt like I'd been hit by a freight train, and it'd only be worse the following morning. The guy fidgeted and played with my keys a little as he watched me walk around my car. His eyes glinted before he lifted his chin, smirked and handed them back.
He said softly, "You can keep them, Suriel."
That shiver shot up my spine again. I scowled at him and tried to push the flood of images out of my mind. Sleep. That was what I needed. I had to assume that he was someone I knew in the past, perhaps even a previous life. He was clearly someone of value and importance to me, but I was exhausted and the memories refused to come forward.
I eyed him carefully as we walked across the car park. I knew he was someone that I had known in my past. The shivers down my spine suggested that we’d been intimate. That didn’t mean that I could trust him. I’d been intimate with a great many people whom I wouldn’t trust as far as I could throw them. The concern and suspicion didn’t remain in the fore of my mind for long. My body was desperately screaming and complaining at every movement. I wanted a comfortable bed and plenty of sleep for the night. He dealt with the room while I looked around at my surroundings. There was no doubt that I’d been in better places, but nothing suspicious or noteworthy caught my eye. My focus was quite firmly on the concept of that comfortable bed.
I knew I should have paid more attention when he was dealing with the rooms. He opened the door to the simple room, one double bed in the middle. I ra
ised an eyebrow and brushed past him to inspect the accommodation. There wasn’t a second bed hidden around the corner. Did he really think he’d be sharing my bed with me that night? I turned to look at him. He didn’t have a chance of me giving in. Pain be damned, that bed was mine and mine alone.
I did my best to stand tall with my arms crossed and my shoulders back. I failed. My ribs were screaming at me as each breath was laboured, and my shoulders refused to go back fully. I raised an eyebrow and lifted my chin, glaring at him, daring him. He smiled. It almost appeared to be genuine, if you ignored the fact it didn't reach his eyes. There was a clear shimmer of sadness there, in those pretty green eyes. A tension sat through his shoulders and held his torso up just a little too straight. His hand were slightly curled, but he kept himself still, in control, and silent. The internal conflict raged through every muscle, yet his face remained soft, painfully neutral. He held my gaze for a minute before offering a small nod and spinning on his heel and leaving the room. My room.
I sighed and collapsed on the bed, trying not to groan and curse. I'd been through worse. If anything, I was more pissed off that I'd allowed my condition and training to lapse to that point. I took as deep a breath as my ribs would allow and stripped down. I hated the feeling of dirty bedding and sleeping in my clothes. I eyed the bathroom door, considering a nice hot shower. My body laughed harshly at me. So I crawled under the covers and allowed sleep to take me.
4
I scrunched my eyes closed as I tried to breathe a little deeper when I woke. I cursed every god I could think of under my breath as I slowly tried to sit up. Shifters heal quicker than most creatures, but I was still looking at a long week of pain before I'd be anything like back to normal. I cursed the draconic asshole in every language I could muster as I swung my legs over the side of the bed and eyed the bathroom. I couldn't stand feeling dirty; I blamed it on my jaguar aspect, but maybe I was just that much of a princess. I didn't care either way. I wanted to wash the blood, sweat, and filth off me. I wrinkled my nose when I thought I caught the faint whiff of draconic on me. I definitely needed that shower, pain be damned.
I muttered every curse known to man and beast on that short shuffling trip to the shower, but I made it and it was worth it. The hot water streamed down my bare skin, agony wrapped me up in her embrace as I felt every cut, bruise, and muscle tear scream in a twisted symphony. I closed my eyes and focused on the sensation of the filth being washed from my body leaving me cleansed, fresh, and smooth. Breathing became easier with each passing moment and my muscles finally began to relax a little. That was the nice thing about being in hotels and similar establishments. I wasn't paying the water bill.
I didn't know or really care how long I'd been in there when I finally emerged to towel myself down. The cheap, slightly rough towel did not feel good against my injuries, but I curled my lip and got on with it. The shower was over. The peace was lifting. I had shit I had to get done. I tried to pull up a mental inventory of the items and clothing I'd managed to bring with me. There wasn't much in the way of essentials, so I'd need to steal some more. I smiled to myself as I pulled on my cut-off shorts and blue strap top. I could easily afford to buy what I wanted, but I loved the thrill of thieving a bit too much. I had plenty of tricks and enough money to cover me for a little while, but that feeling when I slipped the items into my bag and walked out of the shop no one any the wiser. That was why I did it.
My reverie and focus were broken by a quiet knock at the door. I eyed it suspiciously trying to think who would be knocking. The most logical thought would be the maid, but I didn't want to get caught off guard by some draconic thug. I bent down to rummage through my bag for one of my multiple blades, but the door opened before I could lay my hands on one. His silky smooth energies wrapped around me as I stood up to try and see who dared intrude. A grin erupted on my face as I tried to hobble as quickly as I could over to him. I threw my arms around his neck and gently bit his throat.
"My dear Lee, it's been far too long, my beautiful.”
He pulled back a little to look at me. He pursed his lips as he surveyed my injuries before he sighed. "Suriel, I am sorry for the damage you sustained. It was meant to be a little game."
I dropped down onto the bed in disbelief. I should have known. "That was you!"
I couldn't help but run the word Suriel back through my head, the way his tongue wrapped about the syllables and added the smooth finish always made me smile and formed little butterflies in my stomach. That didn’t stop me from glaring at him for a second, though. I loved our games, but it had gone a bit far.
He smiled sheepishly at me before sitting next to me. “I thought you'd appreciate a bit of fun. You always were a thrill-seeker."
I raised an eyebrow and looked into those familiar moss green eyes. "There's thrill-seeking and then there's being beaten by a huge draconic..."
I couldn't stay mad at him, though. That was part of us, part of our dance. He looked down and away; his hands settled in his lap. I glared at him. He should have been quietly affectionate, playful, something other than the reserved thing he was. Something was wrong, and I had a sinking feeling that I knew what it was.
"This isn't a social call, is it?"
He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Sorry, Suriel."
I shook my head. "They're calling me in?"
His eyes looked into mine once more, holding my gaze with a familiar fire behind them. I rolled my eyes and looked away with a wry smile. He knew me better than almost anyone else.
"Fine, I won't run away this time.”
He offered a quiet laugh and rested his hand on my knee. The sadness in his eyes betrayed his intent. This was his apology. Not just for the previous night, but for his message, his purpose in seeing me again. I hated it, but I couldn’t change it, so I focused on the process. The cool silk of his energies wrapped their tendrils around me, slowly searching out my injuries before slipping into them, pulling bone back into place and muscle tissue together once more. It was an odd sensation that I had grown to love over the decades. His warm energies mingled with my own and wove their way through my body in an intimacy unlike any other. The pain was dull and almost itched when the muscles knitted together. There was something bizarrely pleasant about the entire experience. A feeling of being refreshed and almost new again. I breathed as deeply as I could while he completed the process. I needed to remain calm and keep my mind out of it so that I didn’t distract him or interfere.
He nipped the tip of my ear before standing and giving me a small nod. I couldn't help but feel the weight press down on my shoulders as I watched him walk to the door. I wanted things to be as they were before. The freedom we had enjoyed together, rather than small nods and a clear distance. It had been many years since he and I had danced, and our reunion had had to be for this. It was agonisingly brief. There were so many things I wanted to say and to share with him.
Instead I simply said, "thank you," when he walked away, again.
I was left with the warm, dull ache and the weight of waiting. My injuries were still present, but he had helped me to the point that I could walk almost comfortably and breathe properly again. I put my face in my hands and tried to find that inner calm I'd achieved in the shower. Everything had gone to hell in the space of 24 hours. I gritted my teeth and dragged the shred of acceptance and calm to the surface as best as I could. I was created for this purpose. There were many times when I hated it, but that was tough shit, wasn't it? I swallowed down my pride and escape plans and prepared myself for them.
I didn't have to wait long. A tall willowy woman with long golden-blonde hair down to her waist appeared a couple of feet in front of me. She was wearing a simple white shift. I fought very hard not to roll my eyes. Why couldn't they dress like normal people? She smiled warmly at me. I tried to be thankful it was only one of the Sisters, and not all three this time. Her voice was warm and almost soothing. I curled my lip, refusing to accept the comfort it offered.
&
nbsp; "Thalia, I'm sure you know why I'm here".
I tried to keep my voice level. "To put me back where I belong, in the role I was created for."
She laughed softly, "There's no need for quite so much contempt."
I bared my teeth at her. I couldn't really hurt her, but there were times when I was very tempted to try. She openly took my freedom and clipped my wings, yet I was supposed to be calm and accepting of it all? I covered my teeth again and reminded myself that this was my purpose, like it or not.
She simply nodded. "Contempt aside, you're right. You'll return to Arkarith and Alexei and step back into your role."
I sighed and mentally pulled up my list of possible contacts. If I could get together a couple of old souls and maybe some fae, then I'd be able to hide for a few more years...
She laughed full heartedly this time. My face must have betrayed me. She could just have read my mind; I never did quite grasp the full extent of her skills and place in things.
She said, in the manner of a mother, "Thalia, just go and do this. Stop wasting your energy."
I pouted and muttered under my breath before saying, "Fine. Where am I heading to?"
"Arkarith's cottage. You'll meet them there."
My mind skipped over the word them, although it didn’t go entirely unnoticed.
I tucked my knees up to my chest and wrapped my jaguar tail around me, not that I'd realised I'd even shifted it. "Has he moved in the last decade?"
