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Fate
Modega shifted around nervously in his chair, his dark, hooded eyes darting here and there, seemingly trying to keep an eye on every she-devil and werewolf in the place, twirling his mustache nervously as his eyes darted to and fro. Darious glared at him. "Will you knock it off! Get yourself under some kind of control and act like a professional. We don't need to give them any more of an advantage than they already have!"
Truth be told Darious was nervous too, just maybe not for the same reasons as Modega. Yes, some of the she-devils made his skin crawl. In this room was more true power than had ever been in his office. Add to that as powerfully religious as some of those in the room were, especially Lady Raven, every hair on his body was standing on end and his skin felt like it was going to crawl off his bones. Due to practice and experience he was just better at hiding it than Modega.
Sitting in the middle of the Pussycat, the she-devil run chain of clubs, famous "back room" where all the dark creatures congregated and no humans had ever allowed, he felt like he was on display or something. Every she-devil and werewolf in the place seemed to be staring at him and Modega. Normally he wouldn't have dreamed of holding any kind of meeting here, it would have been in his office on HIS turf to HIS advantage. But he wanted to do business with the she-devils and they had certain rules you had to play by, one being you dealt with them on their turf by their terms, so here he and Modega were, uncomfortable or not.
He knew dealing with the she-devils was the most potentially dangerous thing he had ever done. Dealing with humans had become boring; they were no longer a challenge of any kind to him. So he decided that he wanted to get his foot in the door and start dealing with the dark creatures; the she-devils were the way to do that. They had the reputation of being tough, smart, savvy business women and he quickly found out it was a well earned reputation. They were among the toughest negotiators he had ever encountered. After many years of the same old same old he found it to be fun navigating the landmines and pitfalls with them.
But there was a major downfall or a potential one anyway, to it all. One wrong step with these women, one false move that would make them angry and they would "out" him and Modega for what they were, demons. Even he, Lord Darious Mooksoon, the Lord of Lust, Sex and Decadence, just under Azmodeus in the chain of command in Hell, couldn't withstand the exposure and continue on as he had. Modega, one of his underlings, certainly wouldn't be able to go on within the business community. Plus it would open both of them to attack from the Society of the Templars, those fiends that cloaked themselves in religion and used that as an excuse to hunt down and destroy dark creatures, especially loving to send demons back to Hell.
So, all his dealings with these women have been straight forward and above board, nothing underhanded, and no loopholes, he had not even tried to use his considerable charm on them to sway them one way or another.
Modega shifted in his chair, his eyes scanning the room one more time before looking at Darious. "I'm sorry but this place is making me twitchy. It's given me heartburn so bad that it feels as though someone has lit the fires of hell in my gut."
Giving him the barest of nods, Darious muttered softly, "I know, it's affecting as well but we have to buck up and show nothing. They have enough of an advantage as it is, we don't need to bolster it."
Glancing around quickly, Modega then shuddered slightly. "I'm trying to, believe me. I wish they would hurry the hell up so we can get the out of here!"
Nodding, Darious sipped the fine brandy they had served him suppressing a shudder as Lady Raven passed close by their table on her way to the bar.
After her passing, Modega moaned softly and turned slightly white. Picking up his brandy snifter, he downed half of the amber liquid in one swallow. "That broad is the worst of all! She actually causes pain when she's near!" He muttered softly to Darious, hands picking up a small tremor.
Nodding, Darious said quietly, "I know, I feel it too. She's an American Indian and still very strong in her faith, that's what's doing it."
Suppressing another shudder, Modega shook his head then swallowed the last of his brandy.
Soon after that the she-devils started to seat themselves at the table with Darious and Modega. Sensing how uncomfortable she was making them, Raven seated herself as far away from them as she could. There was an ulterior motive for this besides their comfort. Firstly, she was at a better vantage point to observe all that went on. That was her main reason in attending. Upper echelon council members didn't usually take part in contract negotiations but because of the type of beings that were being negotiated with the head of the North American She -Devil Council, Zsuzanna, had asked her to attend to try get a feel for them and what was going on then she was to report back with her impressions. Secondly, Darious and Modega were making her as uncomfortable as she was making them. It seemed as if there was an invisible cloak of pure evil that was surrounding them. Her first instinct was to chant and try to expel the evil but that couldn't be done so she had to sit and suffer with it like they did. Gesturing to one of the serving girls that was passing close by she had some appetizers placed in front of Darious and Modega and their glasses refilled. Smiling down at them she said, "If you want anything just speak up. We're waiting for one more person then we can begin. She had to pick up the contracts and the list of changes from the legal department at D2K; I imagine she got caught in traffic on her way here."
Nodding, Darious replied, trying to be gracious, "Traffic over the lunch hour can be quite difficult to navigate." Leaning back in his chair he forced himself to relax a bit, then tried to make small talk with the women assembled around the table. Mainly it was general questions about she-devil society and the way it was run, nothing in depth or prying. The questions were answered by the various women politely but not with a great deal of detail.
Zarah pulled into the back lot behind the Pussycat and came to a screeching halt. Quickly she piled out of the car and bustled towards the back door talking to herself, lugging an armload of paperwork. As usual, she was running late. Somehow, despite her best efforts, she had gotten caught in cross town traffic then had been further delayed by a wreck that had slowed traffic to a crawl. Hurrying into the Pussycat she was talking to herself so fast the words ran together so that anyone who had been listening to her couldn't have made heads or tails of anything she was saying.
Halfway to the table she stopped cold, her mouth hanging open. Shutting her eyes she inhaled deeply. The smell that filled the air was one she remembered from long ago, when she was still human, but for as long as she lived she would never forget it. At the time she thought it was the smell of fire and smoke now with her keener cat senses she was able to identify it correctly, sulfur and brimstone, the smell of a demon.
Opening her eyes she looked the direction of the odor and grinned broadly. Even from behind she could identify him. The combination of the distinctive smell and the tall, erect posture added with his immense size made him unmistakable to her. Stuffing the papers under one arm she hurried to the table, staying downwind so she knew he wouldn't be alerted to her presence. Creeping up silently behind him she covered his eyes with her hands from behind and whispered in his ear, "Guess who?"
Darious visibly flinched and stiffened up, as high strung as he already was he had to fight the urge to incinerate whoever it was. After taking several deep breaths he replied stiffly, "I am afraid you have me at a distinct disadvantage Miss, I wouldn't hazard to guess who you are."
Giggling madly, she whispered in his ear, "Ya' know what? You aren't nearly as intimidating without your SS uniform."
He ground his teeth slightly at the mention of his past, hoping not many
heard the reference to Nazi Germany but replied in a cool, calm manor. "I
knew one she-devil in
Giggling more she then removed her hands from his eyes and swatted him in the back of the head like she had done many times in the past, not hard but enough to get his attention. "That's because I wasn't a she-devil back then, silly."
Once the hands were removed from his eyes he immediately stood up and
wheeled around to face her. He stood there, dumbfounded, for a minute, mouth
agape when he saw her then grinned from ear to ear. Indeed he did know her and
quite well. When he was in
"Zarah! Kitten!" Hugging her tightly for a minute he then broke it off, smiling down at her. Seeing her brought back a plethora of intensely happy memories about the Countess and the time they spent together.
Raven watched the exchange intently one eyebrow arched. She was one of the
few people who knew who Zarah worked for in
Giggling madly she then swatted him on the arm, "Guess who! Who else do you know would dare do that to you?" Grinning broadly, she winked at him, "And, in case you couldn't guess, I'm a real kitten now."
Chuckling, Darious grinned back at her, "I gathered this. It's wonderful to see a familiar, friendly face, especially one I haven't seen in so many years."
Standing on her tip toes she kissed him on the cheek, "It's wonderful to see you too." Then she took out a Kleenex and cleaned the lipstick mark she had left, grinning. "We are holding up everything. We had better get back to it before they have me drawn and quartered. After the meeting is over we'll have some time to talk." Then she bustled over and sat down next to Raven, arranging the paperwork she had brought.
Settling back in his chair Darious was still smiling and in a much better humor.
Leaning over, Modega hissed in his ear, "Would you care to enlighten me about that?"
Grinning, Darious murmured back, "Later."
It was a long meeting with the negotiations being tough and hard fought on
both ends. Basically what Darious wanted for his company, the large
conglomerate Triple D Industries, was to become the chief distributor for D2K,
the parent company of all 2000 plus Pussycat clubs in the
What he ended up getting out of this meeting was the flagship Pussycat,
their very first club in
It was a relief to him that he only had to deal with the CEO of D2k, their lawyers and some of the board members, not the owner herself, the legendary Lady Danyealla. What he had heard of her made his blood run cold. She was the oldest she-devil "above ground" as they called it, meaning not in a permanent sleep, very close to the 1000 year old mark. It was said that she was a fierce warrior, a she-devil assassin and psychotic to boot. Every dark creature had a deep respect for her and a healthy dose of fear, yet most didn't even know what she looked like. A recluse, she was one of the few of their kind that still chose to blend in among humans rather than live openly as what she was. He had heard many, many legends about her over the last few hundred years and if just 1/8th of them were true she was one of the deadliest dark creatures to have ever walked the face of the earth, bar none, deadlier even than most demons he knew.
After finishing the delicious lunch that was served he leaned back in his chair and looked at Zarah, smiling. "You have done very well for yourself, haven't you Kitten? Come a long way from being a maid."
Grinning at him, she winked, "Sure have, a business degree from Harvard opens a lot of doors for a person."
Chuckling, he grinned, "That it does." While he was looking at her
his mind was flashing back to the large apartment in the expensive hotel in the
heart of
Most of the she-devils looked at him quizzically whereas Zarah burst into a gale of giggles. "Didn't she ever tell you her real name?"
He shook his head. "Before she left she told me to call her Dani. That's all I know."
Raven had been talking to Jolene, the she-devil that was in charge of this particular Pussycat club, quietly. When she heard the name Dani mentioned she sat bolt upright and looked at Darious, eyebrows arched into her hairline and her onyx eyes fixed on him. Now, he had her total and completely undivided attention, along with most of the other she-devils sitting at the table.
Modega slouched down in his chair muttering darkly to himself, uncomfortable with all the attention now directed towards them.
Zarah opened her mouth to answer him but Ravens' hand on her shoulder shushed her. Cocking her head to the side, she fixed him with her dark eyes, "Dani was her name, you say?"
Turning his attention to her, he nodded, "Yes, Lady Raven that's what she told me to call her." Looking around the table at all the faces now turned towards him his brow furrowed, not understanding why that simple name seemed to have suddenly drawn everyone's attention towards him.
"You mean her?" Raven said, pointing to a large painting on the far wall in the center of a large cluster of other paintings and pictures of women.
Darious looked at it, mouth slightly agape. It was partially hidden in the shadows, not lit up with a light like some of the others, and a bit hard to see but the large brown, doe eyes were very visible and that is what locked his attention. They were just how he remembered them, the very same ones that he still dreamed about at night. "Yes, that's Kat." He said softly, his eyes locked with the ones in the painting as if they could see him.
Grins and titters of laughter broke out from every she-devil at the table as a torrent of whispers erupted. Totally confused at the laughter, Darious looked at him, brow slightly furrowed. "If there was a joke told apparently I've missed the punch line."
The only one at the table not laughing was Raven; she continued to look at him intently. "You're sure that is her? There is no doubt in your mind what so ever?"
Nodding, he replied softly, "Positive. Her eyes are something I will never forget." Looking around the table at all the grinning faces he frowned, he hated being the butt of any joke, let alone one he didn't understand.
Raven thought for a minute, a frown creasing her forehead. When she spoke again her voice was quiet and her tone soft. "You were Col. Darian Swatsenbarg, were you not? An SS officer in the Gestapo. After meeting up with her in a bar you first dated then cohabitated with the Countess Katrina Wagner, also an SS officer.
"But the Countess wasn't what she seemed. In fact, she wasn't the true
Countess at all; she was a look-alike placed there to pass along information so
as to aid in getting all the dark creatures out of the Nazis' way so they
couldn't get their hands on one. Darian and Kat were "killed" in an
explosion in
Darious felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He looked at her, astounded but muttered a very soft, "Yes, that's the way it was for the most part."
Leaning forward, Raven looking at him intently, "The woman you knew as Kat or Countess Katrina Wagner then later on as Dani is in reality Lady Danyealla."
Darious stared at her, an incredulous look on his face and muttered a soft "No!" shaking his head. He then looked at Zarah to see if she was going to confirm this revelation.
Zarah had quit giggling and was just looking at Darious, her amber eyes
wide. Raven may have known the basic facts of what happened but Zarah was
THERE, she saw them together, seeing the way they were with each other and the
way they looked at each other. There had been something between them, a fire
and a passion that everyone could see. Even looking back from this vantage
point of more than a hundred years later and having some knowledge of the lady
from a different angle she knew it had been more than what Raven had described.
Kat and Darious had a passion for each other that no one could have missed.
Raven didn't know about that part but Zarah had seen it, felt it. They had
meant something more to each other than being good cover for their ultimate
purpose. When Dani had finally come back to the states and Zarah had next seen
her she had changed, like she had left a vital part of her back in
Darious just stared at her in shock and disbelief, not believing it. In his
mind he was trying to meld the two images as he knew them, Kat and Lady
Danyealla. The person he had known in
Zarah stroked his hand softly, "She is, believe me."
Modega looked back and forth between Zarah and Darious, a look of abject horror on his face. He was clueless about whatever it was they were talking about but from what was being inferred he knew it could be nothing but trouble and he wanted no part of it!
Leaning back in her chair Raven studied Darious' face carefully. There was something in it she didn't quite understand. When he asked about Kat his eyes and face lit up the way a humans does when they talk about the person they love, you could see it clearly because she was sure he didn't know it was showing. But that wasn't possible, demons COULDN'T love anyone, they weren't capable of it, the being they were prevented them from even knowing the meaning of the word let alone being able to feel it. As a matter of fact, from everything she had ever read on the subject of demons, speaking the word and truly meaning it actually caused physical pain for them. Yet the sense she was getting was that he did indeed feel that for Danyealla, whether or not he knew it. Most of his thoughts were blocked off to her telepathically, like most beings that had been on this planet for more than 100 years he had learned to cut them off from those with the ability to read them, but his emotions weren't and she could feel the power of them. The sheer power of them was almost overwhelming, like those of a young child that was just learning to control them. To everyone around the table, her poker face was perfect but her mind was in turmoil, racing over all the possibilities, no matter how far fetched they might be.
By this point Modega was wishing he was anywhere but where he was. The looks of all the she-devils was making his skin crawl and his stomach knot into a tight ball that was making him nauseous. When he glanced at his watch he almost sighed in out loud relief. They had to get going; they had another meeting to attend that was very important. He nudged Darious, "We have to go. That meeting is in an hour and we have to get back."
Darious managed to tear his eyes away from Zarah and looked down at his own watch then sighed. "Yes we do." Standing up, he straightened his closed and pasted a smile on his face then around the table and nodded to the women assembled. "Ladies, it's been a pleasure and very enlightening but I'm afraid I have to cut it short and get back to get back to the office. My presence is required at another meeting quite soon."
Quickly, the she-devils rose and shook his hand then disbursed, talking excitedly amongst themselves. Zarah waited until last then linked her arm through his, smiling up at him, her eyes dancing like they always did, "I have to scram too. Would you walk me to my car?"
Grinning, he winked, "It would be my most sincere pleasure." Turning to Modega, he said, "Meet me in the limo."
Nodding, Modega then walked out, suppressing a sigh of relief. All he could think about was getting to his office and have a LARGE drink to calm his nerves.
Arm in arm Darious and Zarah walked to her car. Both of them were quiet and subdued. After unlocking her new BMW she chucked the stacks of paperwork into the passenger side seat then turned to him and smiled, that warm, friendly smile he would always remember, "Darious, I can't begin to tell you how WONDERFUL it was to see you again."
Smiling back, he took her small hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze, "It's the same on this end Kitten." Then he cocked his head to one side and looked intently at her. "May I ask you something?"
"Sure, ask away." She replied, shrugging.
Stepping closer he lowered his voice and looked at her, eyes almost pleading, "Where is she Zarah?"
Quickly her eyes darted around to see if anyone was listening or in earshot then she then turned back to him and put a finger on his lips before whispering, "Not here Darious, you never know who is around and listening. Meet me for dinner and we'll talk about it." She gave him a time and place to meet then kissed him on the cheek, hopped in her car and drove off.
Standing there, Darious watched her car until it turned the corner and disappeared. Staring after it his thoughts were racing to all the possibilities. Then he turned away and strode off to his limo.
The whole way back to the office Modega peppered him with questions about Lady Danyealla and Lady Zarah, but the only answer he got in return was a curt "later." Even during the meeting, it was apparent his mind was elsewhere. To Darious business was a game that he always paid the strictest attention to but today his mind was elsewhere. While the people he was negotiating with didn't notice his staff sure did, never before had they seen him off his game
After the meeting he knew it was useless to try and do any kind of work, his mind was elsewhere and there was no way for him to make it wrap around the files that were stacked on his desk so for the first time in as long as he could remember he left early. When he got home he changed for dinner then shut himself up in his study until it was time to leave, just setting there, thinking. Marcus his slave/manservant, a big, hulking werewolf, saw the look on his face when he came in the door and promptly made himself scarce until he left again, not knowing what had brought it on and whether or not is was good or bad nor was he eager to find out one way or another.
While Darious sat in his study his mind played over their times together, first meeting in Paris a year or so before the French Revolution started at one of the Marquis DeSades parties then meeting again in Berlin just as the Nazis' were rising to the height of their power. When he closed his eyes the memories were so vivid and alive he could still almost smell and feel her touch. The incessant beeping of the alarm on his watch brought him back to earth and signaled that it was time to leave. An excitement fluttered in his stomach. Sure, seeing Zarah again was great but for the first time since she left him there was a hope that he might once again see her. That hope is what hurried him along.
Arriving at the restaurant before her, he was able to get a secluded table in the back where they could talk freely without having to worry about being overheard. The place was pure Zarah as he remembered her, small and homey with a warm atmosphere and great service. He would bet every thing he owned that the food was magnificent, as was her taste.
She came in right on time and hurried over to where he was sitting. Standing up, he smiled at her. Really, she was just how he remembered her, still quite plump, her dark brown hair was still long and a riot of curls that always seemed on the verge of being out of control and her amber eyes still danced and laughed, radiating a warmth that seemed to go down to the very marrow of your bones and made you feel good. The only thing different was her manor of dress. Tonight she was in jeans, an oversized men's dress shirt and athletic shoes but as he looked at them he could tell that while they were worn for pure comfort they also marked her rise in the world. The shirt, while not anything special, was designer made, the brand of which was expensive, the jeans while appearing to be your every day run of the mill jeans were in fact a brand he knew cost you a minimum of $200.00 a pair. Her athletic shoes were name brand and expensive as well. While she was still very much the same person he once knew those clothes told him that she had indeed risen in the world and was probably quite successful at what she did
She kissed him on the cheek then slid into the booth opposite him.
He sat back down and smiled at her. The waitress came by and took their order, brought them a drink then hurried off leaving them alone and free to talk. "Today was the most pleasant surprise I've had in years. It is so wonderful to see you again, Zarah." He said, smiling at her.
She giggled that giggle he remembered so well, and then smiled at him. "It's great to see you again too."
They made small talk until their meals were served. Then reminisced about old times a bit while they ate. As he had predicted the food was magnificent, having a flavor that spoke of home cooked while still being of the highest quality.
When they finished eating and were just sitting back relaxing he brought up
the subject of Kat. "So, you've seen Kat since
Looking at him, serious, she then said softly, "Yes. Many times as a
matter of fact. Lady D. is the one who created me when she finally arrived back
in the states from
Giving her an anguished look, he whispered, "Here? She lived in
Nodding seriously Zarah said, "Yes, for a long time. After
Sighing, Darious looked down and shook his head. "Damn it! I kept trying to find her and she was right under my nose the whole time! Damn it!" He rubbed his face and sighed deeply at the irony of it.
Zarah watched him quietly for a couple minutes before starting to speak
softly. "Darious, she always knew where you were. From the time you left
Looking up at her his eyes were filled with anguish. It felt like a mule had
just kicked him dead square in the nuts. She KNEW! She knew how to get hold of
him yet never bothered to try! How could she not have? Looking at Zarah, he
whispered, "If she knew where I was, why didn't she try to get hold of me?
Why? I thought we parted in
Shaking her head, Zarah looked down, "I don't know why. I do know she kept track of where you were and what you were doing."
"Did you ever ask why she didn't?"He asked, eyes glued to her.
Zarah nodded, looking away from his piercing stare, unable to stand the anguish on his face. "I asked her many, many times why she didn't try. All she would say was she couldn't handle it. Same answer every time. She wouldn't even explain it beyond that. She would just change the subject or walk away."
Bewildered, he asked, "Couldn't handle it? What did she mean by that?"
Shrugging her shoulders, she shook her head, "Your guess is as good as mine."
Reaching across the table he took her dainty hands in his, this was the best indication of how much she had gone up in the world. Instead of being red and chapped like the hands of a woman used to being in water a lot they were now smooth and soft. But he couldn't dwell on that now instead looked her directly in the eyes. "You know where she is, don't you? Please tell me. I don't want to hurt her or anything like that, trust me. I just want to see and talk to her if I can. That's all. Nothing stupid. You know me Zarah; you know what I was like around her. I would never do anything to harm her or pull a rash, stupid stunt."
Sighing, she looked down, trying to think. She knew beyond a shadow of a
doubt Dani still had a great deal of feelings for him, all she had to do was
look at her to see that, and that was probably a big part of the reason she
left. But, if she couldn't bring herself to see him while still here then how
would she react to him just showing up out of the blue? Then there was him.
Yes, she knew him but that was from over a century ago. To an extent she did
trust him but how much had HE changed since she saw him last? Would he have
decided that she was worth more to him as something to posses rather than have
what he did with her in
"Zarah, look at me." He said to her softly.
She looked up into the piercing blue eyes that chilled so many beings to the core and made them tremble with fright. But she saw none of that, what she saw reflected in those eyes was that he was being totally honest with her and that there was nothing to be afraid of.
"Zarah, you saw what I was like with her in
She shook her head, "No. But
He shook his head but his eyes never left her. "Not when it comes to
her, I haven't. I couldn't hurt her then and I can't now. As for me having the
ulterior motive of wanting her soul or other such bunk, I don't. All I want is
to see her and talk to her. Anything beyond that is entirely her choice. If she
tells me to leave her alone and that she doesn't want to ever see me again I
will. It will hurt but I will do it. Zarah, I would never try to trick you into
something. Never! Seeing you today was the first time I've felt good in the
longest time. And I want to see you again. I won't mess that up with some
stupid stunt. But you saw us together Zarah and know what we were like. Others
may know the story or the basic facts but you where THERE. If I had wanted
anything from her like people think demons do I would have had plenty of
opportunity for that in
Sighing, she looked at him. If she was reading what was in his eyes right he was telling the truth. At least she hoped for her and Danis sake she was. "Alright, I'll help you. I shouldn't but I will."
Gripping her hands tighter he smiled and said a soft. "Thank you." In his chest his heart was hammering so hard it felt like it would explode from the sheer joy he was feeling.
She shook her finger at him. "If I get my ass in a sling over this, yours is going to be in it right beside mine. Got me?"
He nodded again. "You can blame it all on me. I'll take all the heat for it."
Sighing again, she rubbed her face then looked at him, "Alright then.
When she decided to move she wanted to go somewhere where it's warm all year round
and where she could easily blend in. She's in
He nodded vigorously. Now his heart was hammering at such a fast rate that he was sure Zarah could hear it from where she sat. After all these long years he was going to be able to find her and see her once again. "Is she using her real name?" His voice sounded hoarse and strangled because his mouth and throat had dried up from the excitement he felt.
Zarah arched one of her delicate eyebrows, but didn't comment. "No. She never uses her real name. She is using the name Fyre Wulf." She quickly spelled it for him.
He burned the name into his memory immediately, thinking that name quite suited her. "Is she living in a dorm?"
Zarah shook her brown curls. "She would risk being exposed if she did that. She has her own house." She quickly gave him the address which he also committed to memory.
He squeezed her hands and smiled, "I don't know how to thank you Zarah."
She giggled, "Not getting us both in trouble is thanks enough."
Stopping, she looked at him, for once there was no laughter in her face or
eyes, "Darious, don't hurt her, despite what people think she can be hurt
and she has feelings like everyone else. When she came back from
Shaking his head, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "Never Zarah that is an iron clad promise!" Then he leaned back in his seat and smiled at her. He could feel an elation the likes of which he had never felt before.
For the next couple hours he talked with her about what she had been doing
since she had left
When they were done he paid for the dinner then walked her out to her car. He was so elated that it felt like he wasn't walking at all, rather that he was gliding a few inches above the ground.
After she opened her car door she turned and looked at him. "You're going out there, aren't you?"
He nodded, "I'm going tomorrow morning. I have to go anyway because of the contract negotiations; I'm just going to move the trip up by a few days."
She nodded then grinned from ear to ear, "Do me a favor. When you see Dani tell Mayhem I said to tell him 'hi' and that I miss him."
He looked at her quizzically, "I will, but who is Mayhem?"
She giggled madly, "You'll understand when you see her." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek then got in her car and drove off.
He walked over to his immaculately maintained Bentley and got in. Before he had even pulled out of the parking lot, he dialed his executive secretary's home number.
When she picked up the phone after looking at the caller ID she growled, "What do YOU want?"
He chuckled deeply, "Well, hello to you too, Nyssa."
She sighed deeply, "OK yadda, yadda, yadda. Now, I repeat, what do you want?"
"Get on the phone and have them to get my jet ready. I want to leave
for LA at
"WHAT?!?!?!?" she screamed into the phone. "We weren't supposed to leave until Monday!"
"Change of plans. Something else has come up so I bumped it forward a few days."
She huffed into the phone, "Fine! I'll get it all arranged. Do I still have to go with?"
"Yes Nyssa. I can't function without you, you know that."
"Damn it Darious! I had plans for the weekend." She ground her teeth and was breathing like an angry bull glaring at the matador waving the red cloak.
He grinned; if there was once constant in his life it was that he could always count on Nyssa to give him her unvarnished opinion on things. As a matter of fact, she was the only being allowed to speak to him in that manner, no one else would DARE. Such was her value to him that she could get away with almost anything. She had been with him since he started Triple D and was irreplaceable. As a matter of fact she earned as much a year as some of his executives did. "I'll make it up to you. You know how you're always saying that you want to do a house cleaning at the LA office and get rid of the worthless trash?"
"Yes." She answered suspiciously.
"I'll go ahead and let you clean house."
"Anyone I say goes, goes?"
He chuckled deeply, "Yes, Nyssa. From the top to the bottom."
Chuckling evilly, she asked, voice smooth and flawless like the finest spun silk, "Does that include Cassandra?"
Darious groaned and rolled his eyes as he navigated the narrow streets towards his home. Cassandra was his executive assistant and every woman in the office loathed her, especially Nyssa. She was a gold digger and had tried sleeping her way to the top but had only made it as far as his assistant at this point. Now she had her sights set on him. She was trying all her considerable charms but to no avail. He saw her for what she was; an amateur at what he was a master of, manipulation. "No, Cassandra has her uses."
Huffing, she said, "What THOSE are I can only imagine. I'll have
everything ready at
"I'll handle it. It'll be just you, me, Modega, and Marcus. I'll call Modega when I get home."
"Alright. You better appreciate this, Darious!" then she hung up.
He chuckled deeply and shook his head. When he got home he found Marcus in the living room watching TV. Marcus, at one point in his life, was a werewolf clan leader. His whole clan had been slaughtered by a demon. That demon had then given him a choice, die with his clan or become a slave. He had chosen the latter in hopes of one day being able to exact revenge for what was done. That choice however had earned him a death sentence from the Werewolf Governing Council. Because, no matter how noble the reason, no werewolf shall EVER serve a demon. You should die before that. Serving a demon earns you an immediate and irrevocable death sentence. Even if he was to be freed he would still be sentenced to death.
He had come into Darious' possession when he had a run in with his demon
master shortly after Dani had left him in
"Marcus."
He looked up at him from the couch without moving. "Hey Boss. What's up?"
"Are the imps and djinns gone for the day?
Marcus sat up and stretched. "They finished hours ago so I sent them on their way."
Darious nodded, "Good. Now, I have a job for you. Get our stuff packed. We are leaving in the morning instead of Monday."
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing about the change of plans. "For a week still?"
After thinking for a minute, Darious shook his head. "No, better make it two. Did you call today and make sure the apartment was ready?"
Marcus nodded, "Right after you called me about it. They said it would be ready by tonight."
Darious nodded, "Good job. OK, get to it."
Marcus started to walk off. Before he got to the door he stopped and looked at Darious. "Oh, Modega called about a thousand times. He said you weren't answering your cell. He wants to talk to you, said it was important."
Darious nodded again, "Thanks." Marcus headed upstairs and Darious went to his study. He had just poured himself a drink and was about to sit down to call Modega when the doorbell rang. Knowing Marcus was busy he got up to answer it. Before he made it to the door however, Modegas large body was filling the space. Darious looked at him, eyebrow arched.
Modega glowered at him, "If you would answer your cell once in a while I wouldn't have to show up here unannounced. We need to talk."
Darious lowered his massive frame back into his chair and picked up his drink then gestured for Modega to take a seat.
Modega flopped in the chair closest to Darious and glowered at him again. "Would you like to tell me what in the blue hell that was all about today?"
Darious looked at him, "What was what?"
Rolling his eyes, Modega shook his head, "The bit with the one named Zarah and you knowing Lady Danyealla." He shuddered after saying her name.
Sighing, Darious looked down at his drink. "Zarah was still human when I knew her. She was the woman I knew as Kats' maid. I didn't know until today that she was now a she-devil."
Modega nodded, "OK that I get. Now, this Kat you knew is really Lady Danyealla?" He shuddered again.
Sighing, Darious nodded, "That is what I am gathering, yes. But I didn't know it at the time."
Groaning, Modega buried his face in his hands then looked back at Darious through his splayed fingers. "How could you NOT have known it was her?"
Taking a drink, Darious shook his head. "I knew she was a she-devil, she told me that much. But the whole time we were together she never told me her real name." Shrugging, he said. "How was I to know who she really was?"
"You know that isn't going to matter to our boss in the least. When he finds out that you her, and he will we both know that, he's going to take a keen interest in the whole matter."
Darious' face hardened at the mention of his boss, Azmodeus. "He doesn't care WHAT I do just so I get my job done and keep a steady stream of souls on the road to hell."
Modega shook his head, "Who do you think you're talking to, Darious? I'm not one of the minor chaotic demons that you can run a line of bullshit on. You and I both know Big A. takes a very special interest in EVERYTHING you do."
Darious got a weary look on his face, he was right of course, for some odd
reason Azmodeus always took a keen interest in all his dealings, no matter what
it was. He never did figure out why. Sighing deeply, he said, "You're
right of course, he does. It's moot, though, since I haven't seen her since we
parted ways in
Modega nodded, "That's a plus on your end then."
Darious took another sip of his drink. "I was about to call you when
you showed up. There has been a slight shift in plans. We are leaving for
Modega looked at him sharply, "Why the sudden change of plans?"
Darious gave a nonchalant shrug. "There is something out there I want to do that is going to take a few extra days, so I figured we may all as well go out there and get a head start on everything."
Modega looked at him intently but quietly for several minutes. When he spoke next it was quietly and soft, voice not much more than a whisper. "You know where she is, don't you? And you're going to try and get in touch with her."
Glaring, Darious' eyes bore into him but said nothing.
Modega shook his head. "You're acting like some damn human when it comes to this... this ANIMAL! Getting obsessed, just like they do. What in the hell did she do to you to get you in this state?"
Darious glared harder at him and ground his teeth then hissed. "Watch what you say and your tone with me Modega!"
Modega glared back at him. "Like hell I will. I've known you far too
long to pull any punches with you when we talk. What did she do to you in
Darious shook his head. "I'm in no state over her. I just want to talk to her again. We had a good time together."
Modega was no fool; he had known Darious for eons and knew one of his understatements when he heard one. He also considered himself a fair judge of his moods. There seemed to be a light in his eyes that hadn't been there before today. When it came to other beings he wanted Darious acted like it was a game. Hunt and conquer, then take what he wanted and drop them. This wasn't like that, it felt different to him. Something had changed in Darious since the morning and it made Modega highly uneasy and uncomfortable.
Ever since they came back from the Pussycat if he got close enough to him
his skin started to prickle, as if electricity was dancing back and forth
across it. He sighed deeply, "What went on between you two in
Darious sighed deeply, staring out the window into the night darkened yard.
"I've known her longer than the bit in World War 2. I met her the first
time in
"It was just what they refer to as a one night stand now. That was it.
Then when I was working for Mueller in the SS, right after I was promoted and
transferred from
Arching an eyebrow Modega said, "Uh Huh." in a sarcastic manner.
Darious stared at him, "And what do you mean by THAT tone?"
Modega snorted, "None of what you just told me explains why you would go to such lengths to see her again. Especially now, knowing exactly who she is. One would THINK that would be the one thing alone that would get her out of your head."
Darious looked out the window again, a far away expression on his face. How could he explain it to Modega when he didn't even wholly understand it himself? It was more like how she made him FEEL and what he felt like around her. How he could be totally himself with her because she wasn't the least bit frightened of whom and what he was, even though she knew he was a demon. Or how she held and touched him when everyone else was frightened to or just plain didn't want to because he made their skin crawl. How, for the first time in his existence, he had met a being he COULDN'T intimidate even if he wanted to. How when he was with her he was happy. Something he hadn't truly felt since she had passed out of his life. When he was with her he had something he could look foreword to when he went home. That he felt complete. Darious just shook his head, "I can't explain it to you, or myself, for that matter. It's just something about her that draws me. I don't understand it."
Modega shook his head again. "Again, that is just what humans say about those women." He looked at Darious again but he wasn't paying attention, just sitting there and staring out the window, a far away look on his face. Modega cleared his throat and Darious jerked then looked at him. Modega shook his head, "You are woefully short of any kind of reasonable answer tonight aren't you?"
Darious just leaned back in his chair and glared at Modega but said nothing. He could sense the demon's frustration and fright at what he perceived to be a weakness in Darious. Sighing deeply he then rubbed his face. "Modega, how can I give you answers when I don't have them myself?"
Modega rubbed his face wearily then sighed, "OK, tell me this then, what do you want with her? Don't give me some bullshit about just wanting to see her. I mean what do you REALLY want from her?"
Darious looked at him quietly for a minute or so, trying to formulate the
answer the best way he could, "What do I want with her? I want what we had
when we were together in
Modega looked at him utterly and completely horror struck. "Have you completely lost your fucking mind? These women don't have companions; they have pets. That's it!"
Darious leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers, then looked at Modega blandly, "She is a reasonable being from my experience, I am quite sure that her and I can negotiate a mutually agreeable situation that suits the both of us."
Modega looked at him incredulously, his jaw hanging open. "Negotiate? Mutually agreeable? You have lost it Darious, completely. These WOMEN don't negotiate they posses and take, then discard when they are done. That's IT! They are completely ruthless. You should know that by now!"
Darious looked at him, smiling, "We shall see, won't we? Are you forgetting who I am? And that I have a way of getting what I want?" His facade of confidence was flawless but it was just that, a façade. He wasn't about to reveal to Modega the turmoil he was feeling, that was akin to showing weakness to an underling, something he never did, even with Modega.
Modega shook his head sadly, "Demon senility is a sad thing."
Darious chuckled deeply, "Just wait, you'll see."
"Oh, I'll see alright. I'll end up seeing you sent back home or being on a leash after she's laid claim to everything you own. You've made up your mind to go through with this foolishness so there will be no stopping you." Modega shook his head sadly. He then stood up and stretched his bulky frame. "This conversation is going nowhere. You are going to go ahead with this foolishness, no matter what I say. I've had my say on the matter, so my ass is covered if it hits the fan. I'm going to go home and get packed. I'll see you at the airport in the morning. Don't get up, I'll show myself out." He then strode out of the study, and within a minute the front door was shutting behind him.
Darious sat alone in his study for a long time, thinking. The realistic side of him knew Modega had a valid point. Several of them actually. But that was overridden every time he thought of just how she had made him feel when she had been around. And by how it had felt to have her hold him.
He sat alone with his thoughts until Marcus came in to tell him everything was packed and ready to go. Then he went up to bed to get some rest but all he ended up doing was staring at the ceiling until the alarm clock went off.
The long flight to LA wasn't the most pleasant he had ever experienced. Modega was quiet and withdrawn, obviously still upset about the conversation the night before. Nyssa, on the other hand, was very vocal about her displeasure at having to re-arrange her plans to make this trip. Marcus did his usual thing, found a seat in the back and was sound asleep shortly after take off. Darious listened to the grievances for a bit then got them settled down and got to work.
It was shortly after
Finally at about
Instead of going back to the apartment he drove around trying to find her house. It took him a while but he found it in one of the upscale neighborhoods near the UCLA campus. He parked a little way down the block and just watched her house for a while. It was a nicely maintained, older two story home with a large yard, immaculately landscaped and maintained. From his vantage point he could see a large in-ground pool in the back yard.
For at least an hour he did nothing but sit and watch the house, not
believing that behind those walls was the person that he had been searching for
well over a hundred years. Finally, around
First, she drove onto the UCLA campus and presumably went to class. He waited for her in the parking lot. Almost every other college campus in the country the Hummer and her car would have stuck out like a sore thumb but here they blended in well with a variety of other expensive vehicles. About an hour and a half later, she came back to her car, got in then once again roared off with her speakers blaring. This time she drove to a nearby McDonalds where she met up with a group of girls and they sat down together to eat and gossip. He followed her inside, ordered a cup of coffee and sat across the restaurant, watching her.
When she finished he followed her home. He watched her house until it was dark. He then drove back to his apartment.
Marcus could see a strange look on his face when he walked through the door. It was not one he had ever seen before. He looked at him quizzically, but said nothing.
Darious didn't even acknowledge him and walked straight into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. He sat down at his desk, steepled his fingers and just stared out the balcony door across the LA skyline. His heart was still hammering in his chest from the excitement of seeing her again. Now he just had to figure out how he was going to approach her. That wasn't something he normally had a problem with, but this time he had to be extra cautious. He had just found her again and didn't want to frighten her off.
He sat and thought, both about the current problem and reminiscing about
their times together until it was fully dark outside. He was finally jolted out
of his revelry when he heard Marcus' bedroom door shut, signaling he was going
to bed. Darious looked at the clock and was astonished to find that it was well
after
He got up, stretched, and then started getting ready for bed. But again he didn't sleep. Unlike every other being on the planet, he didn't really NEED to sleep, but it did recharge his batteries and was a luxury.
The next two days pretty much followed the same pattern as the first one. He worked for a while then spent the remaining time following and watching her. He was trying to find a way to build up his courage and approach her, something he normally didn't have a problem with but she was different. Because of who and what she was he had to proceed with extreme caution.
Finally, Wednesday afternoon when she met her friends for lunch at McDonalds he felt the time had come. He was sitting across the dining room, sipping coffee, watching her when he felt he wouldn't have a better time to approach her. At least, he knew, she wouldn't make a huge scene. He swallowed the last of his coffee through the lump in his throat then walked over to where she was sitting with her friends. He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "Fyre, it's great to see you again."
She turned and looked at him when she felt the hand on her shoulder and about choked on her mouthful of Coke when she saw who was standing there. She stared at him, wide-eyed, for a minute before she could answer. "Darious. What are you doing here?"
All conversation at the table stopped when he started to talk. Her three friends stared open mouthed at the tall, handsome, older man that obviously was very familiar with their friend. They sat quietly, their eyes darting back and forth between the two.
Darious crouched down so he would be at eye level with her. He stared into those brown doe eyes that had haunted his dreams for so long and almost lost all power of speech. Moving his hand down, he placed it over hers and gave it, what he hoped, was a reassuring squeeze. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
She nodded, looking deep into his piercing blue eyes. She was resisting the urge to wrap herself around him and hold him once again. Truth be told, she DID miss him and was very glad to see him. She had thought a lot about him since their parting but she was realistic, she could not be with him because of what he was. It almost broke her heart all over again to see him right beside her and know she would have to tell him to leave.
When the time had come for her to leave him when they were in
Her friends sat there, watching the exchanging intently, twittering back and forth amongst themselves.
Darious ignored them completely, but their inane chatter was seriously getting on his already jangled nerves. He kept his eyes locked with hers. "I've missed you a great deal, Fyre. Is there somewhere we can talk more privately?"
A surge of relief coursed over her. She didn't want to tell him to get lost in the middle of a public place but she would if he pushed it that far. Grabbing her drink, she then stood up, "Follow me." Then she walked briskly out of the restaurant with him hot on her heels.
She led him across the parking lot into a park that was a part of the campus. After a bit of walking, she found a secluded area where they could talk privately.
He stopped. Her back was to him, but he smiled. It was so wonderful to be
this near to her again. They had parted well in
Being alone with him made her heart soar and sink at the same time. She desperately wanted to be with him again but knew she couldn't set herself up for that kind of hurt, she just couldn't take that again. Taking a few deep breaths, she shut her eyes, feeling her heart ache at what she knew she had to do. It was time for her to be the cold-hearted bitch everyone said she was. She could feel a rage and anger build up inside her against the hurt that she knew she was about to inflict upon herself. In it was also frustration and anger at not being able to have the one thing in the world that she wanted most, to be with him and to have him be able to return what she felt for him. When she turned around to face him her eyes were filled with all the pain and anger she was feeling. "What in the hell are you doing here, Darious?" She hissed at him.
Blinking rapidly, he took a step back. He had anticipated several different reactions but not anger and was taken aback and confused by it. "I... I was out here on some business and after I found out where you lived I wanted to see you again."
She glanced at him, "Fine. You've seen me. Now leave." She felt when those words came out of her mouth it felt like someone had just ripped her heart out and stepped on it. She wanted to scream, yell, and throw things, something, anything, to ease the pain.
He looked at her, bewildered, the hurt those words caused evident was
evident in his eyes. "What's wrong? I thought we had an amicable parting
in
"We did. But that was then, this is now. That is long over Darious. We have both moved on." Every word she said bit deeper into her soul causing the anger to intensify within her.
He looked at her even more bewildered. "I'm confused. Why are you reacting this way if we parted on good terms? I don't understand."
She gazed off over the park, unable to look in his eyes. "What we once had was good and yes we parted on good terms. But that was a long time ago, Darious. Things have changed, times have changed. I don't want to see you anymore."
He just stared at her, mouth open. "I at least deserve an explanation for all of this, Danyealla. With everything we went through together I deserve THAT much." He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He spent all this time longing and looking for her now she was rejecting him!
She looked back at him, eyes cold and hard. "I don't owe you anything,
Darious but I'll explain it this way... This is not
"I can't forget you!" He hissed through clenched teeth. He could feel his anger rising as the hurt he was feeling grew. "I've tried to forget you and can't. You need to give me a better explanation than you just did, because what you just fed me was a load of bunk and we both know it!"
She glared back at him. "I don't owe you shit, Darious!"
"Yes, you do! I've never done anything to you to earn being treated in this manner." He shouted at her. "I though we meant something to each other after all the time we were together."
She just looked at him. "Forget me, Darious. Forget me and move on. We can't ever be together again. Accept that and find someone else. Act like I never existed."
"I can't forget you, can't you understand that? I've tried. I dream about you still, about the way we were together. About how you held me. How you were the only being that WOULD do it willingly and because you wanted to, not because I asked you or forced you to. How you are the only being ever that isn't the least bit frightened of me. I can't forget any of that."
Softening his tone and lowering his voice, he stepped closer to her, gazing longingly into her eyes, "Your eyes still haunt my dreams. I close my eyes at night and still see them. I have tried to forget you but I can't, I just can't! I've tried to find someone else but there just isn't anyone that can measure up to you. Please Danyealla, tell me the real reason I can't be back in your life."
"Because you're a mother fucking demon, that's why!" She shouted, her hurt and rage starting to boil over.
He looked around, alarmed, to see if anyone had heard what she had said but there wasn't anyone close by. He then looked back at her and hissed, "Please keep your voice down. You may be able to withstand being outted and go on with your life much as you have before but I can't. It would ruin me."
"What I am never bothered you before, why now is it the reason I have to stay out of your life?"
She just stood there and stared at him for a minute before she answered.
"In
"How did I hurt you? I never did anything to hurt you, ever! I wouldn't." He said, totally befuddled and bewildered.
She looked back at him, eyes full of hurt and anger. "Yes Darious, you hurt me. What you are hurts me. I am not going to subject myself to that again. I just can't tolerate that anymore."
"If I did hurt you, tell what I did. I know I can't fix it, but I won't ever do it again." He was searching his memory for something, ANYTHING he may have done to hurt her, but couldn't think of a thing. As a matter of fact, he had gone out of his way not to hurt her from his recollection.
She sighed and looked away. She wasn't about to tell him the real reason behind the hurt so he could use it as an advantage against her. "Just go, Darious. Just leave and forget you ever found me. Forget me and move on. That's the best thing for both of us."
"I can't forget and move on, I keep telling you that!" He hissed at her. "Are you afraid of me? Is that the problem?"
She looked at him blandly. "I'm not afraid of anything anymore, including your ultimate boss. Just walk away Darious, just walk away and forget it all."
"I can't! Don't you get it? Tell me what is going on and perhaps we can come to some understanding about it." The hurt he was feeling was starting to make his temper boil. He wanted to lash out but in doing so he knew that would just make the situation all the worse, so he was trying to keep a tight hold on it, but it wasn't easy.
She glared at him. "There can't be any 'understanding' Darious. It's over, done, kaput, finished. Accept that. Go away and leave me alone!" She was fighting the urge to throw herself into his arms and never again let go but she knew that wouldn't solve anything. She could see the hurt in his eyes, the same hurt she was feeling. She was trying to do this without getting either of them hurt anymore than they already were but he wasn't letting that happen. It was killing her to see the pain in his eyes and knowing she was the cause of it but he wasn't leaving her any other choice.
"I cannot accept that there is no mutual solution to this. I can't! You need to tell me just what the exact problem is then I'm sure, between the both of us, we can work out a solution. There's always a way. Just tell me, please!" He could feel her slipping away from him and he refused to let her go without a fight.
She shook her head vigorously, "There is no solution, Darious. You cannot change what you are, and what you are is what the problem is! There is no fixing that."
Gazing down at her, a confused look on his face, he said, softly, "My nature is lust, sex and decadence, I don't see where that is a problem. You seemed to like it before, as a matter of fact. But I can suppress that around you, if need be."
She shook her head, "Your nature isn't the problem. Your physiology is the problem. You are a demon and there isn't a damn thing you can do to change or suppress that. Because of that you are incapable of giving me what I need and long for from you. There isn't any way around that, Darious." When those words came out of her mouth she could feel her heart breaking all over again. Tears stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall, not wanting to show him just how hurt she was.
He looked at her in stunned silence for a moment then opened his mouth to say something but shut it again. She had given him something that was very hard to argue with. After pondering for a minute he replied softly, "I can try. Just tell me what it is you need and want and I will do my best to give it to you. Just give me a chance. That's all I'm asking from you, a chance."
She shook her head sadly, "There is no way around what you are, Darious."
He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, trying desperately to think of something, anything to get beyond what she said. His mind raced over every possible scenario but none were viable.
She stood there with her head lowered, fighting back the tears that were threatening. Over the years she had played over every solution she could think of to the problem but could come up with nothing. It was going to break her heart all over again to see him walk back out of her life, and she didn't think she could stand it, but it was the only way. The alternative would hurt even worse. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes to keep the tears from spilling over.
He walked around in circles, muttering to himself, eyes on the ground trying to come up with something, anything, to be in her life once again. After several minutes of deep thought, an idea hit him. Walking back over, he knelt down in front of her. "Danyealla, Dani, Kat, I will give you everything I have, my company, everything I own and will be your pet, your toy, your slave, anything you want, just to be able to be in your life. That should give us all the time we need to work out any issues we have."
She looked down at him and shook her head sadly. "No Darious. I have never had a pet as long as I have been alive and am not going to start with you. Besides, what I want from you I can't get by possessing you."
He sighed deeply and looked up into her eyes. He could see unshed tears in them, sparkling. He reached up to touch her face but she caught his hand and gently stopped it. "Please Darious, don't. You are making this harder on both of us than it has to be. Let's just both walk away now and not make it any worse than it already is."
He stood up and rose to his full 7 foot height, towering over her diminutive, slight 5'3" frame and looked down at her, quiet. He felt like there was a war going on inside him, pulling him in two different directions. His natural instinct was telling him to say 'fuck it' and either posses her or walk away. But there was something else there, something he had never heard or felt before, telling him to tough it out and stay, that they would find a way to work it out. The more he listened to that new instinct, the stranger he felt. He was used to the hot lava feeling that always coursed through his veins and maintained his constant inferno-like body heat. But as he looked down into her eyes, delicious and comforting warmth started to surge through his veins and envelope him. He looked down at her, his eyes softening, "Can we go somewhere else and talk? Somewhere a bit more private maybe? Please? You can choose the place."
She looked up into his eyes, trying to detect any kind of trickery, but saw nothing. She knew she shouldn't, that she should put an end to it right now and just walk away but she couldn't. She wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before the inevitable came and she would never see him again. She gave him the barest of nods, "I know somewhere we can go. I'll drive up. She then started out for the McDonalds parking lot with him close on her heels.
Somehow he managed to squeeze his large frame into the little sports car and
got the door shut as the powerful engine roared to life and she made a
squealing exit out of the parking lot. Once she was on the freeway she picked
up her cell phone and started speaking rapidly into it in a language he didn't
know or understand. He divided his time between glancing at her, trying to
understand the conversation and hanging onto the dashboard for dear life, his
whole life flashing before his eyes. She was doing at least 30 mph above the
speed limit and was weaving in and out of the heavy traffic, paying no
attention to the other cars. She turned off the freeway and navigated the
narrow streets with ease until she pulled behind a biker bar in a shabby run
down area close to
He pried himself out of the small car and looked around warily. "Are you sure about leaving your car unattended? This isn't the best of neighborhoods."
Chuckling, she grinned, "Ain't nobody gonna' bother my car. They know better." She then opened the back door to the bar and walked in.
When he walked in and caught the smell he understood her statement perfectly. This was a werewolf bar, a rogue and outcast one, no less. They weren't going to mess with ANYTHING of hers. Werewolves were known to be highly cautious of she-devils since even the youngest could kill a full grown male werewolf with relative ease. He chuckled deeply and shook his head, "No wonder you aren't worried."
She grinned, "Not a bit. The owner owes me a favor so we can have the back room for a bit. They won't bother us, no matter what they hear." She walked over to one of the booths along the wall that had two bottles and glasses on it. She sat down on the edge of the table and picked up the bottle of werewolf moonshine, called Werewolf Piss, and filled the empty beer mug with it, then took a long swallow.
Darious walked over and picked up the bottle of brandy sitting there and examined it. It wasn't the highest quality in the world but it was passable. Certainly it was a far sight better than what she was drinking. He poured some in the snifter and swallowed about half of it. He then leaned against the booth and looked at her. "Are you now ready to tell me what is going on?"
She sighed and looked down. "Darious, I know I am hurting you by telling you to leave. It's hurting me too, a lot more than you know. But it's going to hurt a lot more if we are together. So leaving it just like it is for the best."
He shook his head, "I cannot accept that. How would it hurt more if we are together? I don't understand that."
She looked down at the floor and shook her head. "Darious..." she sighed again then was silent. She was trying to formulate a way to best phrase this to best minimize his hurt and to not leave herself open for any manipulation, "being what you are you cannot give me what I want from you and to be with you without being able to have that part of it would be a worse pain than being apart from you."
It seemed to him that she was glossing over something, either being unwilling or unable to tell him. "OK, that explains at least part of it. Now if you would, will you please explain to me what it is I can't give you that you are wanting from me? Maybe I can and you just don't know it. Or maybe it's just something I have to work on to be able to do it is all."
She shook her head sadly, "It isn't, Darious. It is something that what you are prevents you from being able to do."
He sighed deeply, "Just tell me please. You say I can't but maybe you're wrong. Maybe with some work I can give it to you. Neither of us will know for sure until you tell me."
Shaking her head sadly she said, "Darious just accept my word for it
that you can't and let's both move on. Over the years I have thought about the
problem from every possible angle but there is no solution. Please, just accept
that. I am not some cold-hearted bitch that is trying to drive you away just
for the sake of seeing how much pain I can inflict on you. I have a reason for
this. Over the years I have desperately wanted to see you again, yes I knew
where you were, I have always known where you were since you left
"How could you have known where I was for all these years and NOT come to see me? How? I cannot believe this situation is insurmountable. Nothing ever is. Just tell me what it is and together we will be able to find a solution, of that I am positive, Danyealla." He stepped closer to her and tried to take her hands, but she pulled them away before he could.
"Please don't do this, Darious." She whispered. "You are just hurting me more than I already am. Just walk away now, for both our sakes, please."
He could feel his anger starting to boil again. "Don't you get it? I can't walk away from you!" he shouted. "Something about you, I don't know what, keeps drawing me, it's something irresistible. I cannot stop thinking of you. I need to be with you and will stop at nothing until I am. There is no problem, no matter how large, that can stop me from attaining that goal. Whatever the problem may be, I will find a solution to it. All you need do is tell me what it is. It may take time but I will find a viable solution. Just give me that chance. That is all I ask of you."
"Darious please don't do this." She stood up and looked up into his eyes; hers filled with all the pain and anguish she was feeling. "There is no solution for this. And I can't stand to be hurt again. I enjoyed being with you as much as you enjoyed being with me. And it hurt me worse than you know when I had to leave you. Do you know why I never looked back when I left?"
He looked down into her eyes and was silent. In his mind he could see her get out of the crudely fashioned bed they shared in the Alaskan cave, put on the knapsack and shift into her animal form, the beautiful clouded leopard, and take off out of the cave and across the snow covered Alaskan tundra without so much as a glance back over her shoulder or a goodbye. "No, why?"
Her large, deep, doe eyes were starting to shimmer with tears again, "Because, if I had I couldn't have left. I didn't have a choice then, I had to go. Like now, I don't have a choice, we can't be together."
"But this isn't the same situation! We have a choice now all you have to do is make it."
She reached up and softly stroked the side of his face with her fingers, feeling a jolt of excitement from once again touching him. "No, it's not the same now. It's actually far less complex but the outcome is the same, I still can't be with you."
He reached up and put his and over hers, feeling a surge of excitement. He gazed down into her eyes, seeing all the pain and suffering contained in them. His gut started to twist into a knot at the sight. "Explain it to me then. Tell me the reason why and how I am causing you all this pain that even I can see in your eyes. I don't want to hurt you, but if I don't know what I am doing, I can't stop it."
She smiled at him sadly, "Haven't you figured it out yet, Darious? It hurts so badly because I have a great deal for feelings for you and being what you are, you will never be able to return them. I can't be with someone that first of all doesn't even know what they are, let alone how they feel, then will never be able to return them. To live like that would be a form of torture of the worst kind. Then there is the extra added bonus that it is in your nature to manipulate and use someone's feelings to get what you want from them. I am old Darious and have been hurt enough in my long life. Despite what people say I am not hard, cold, and impervious to pain, and to have what I feel for you used against me would almost surely destroy me. That is something I can't risk anymore."
In shock he looked down at her, wide-eyed. "I would NEVER do that to you! EVER!" The tears that had been sparkling in her eyes were now starting to roll down her cheeks. He gently wiped them away and looked back into her eyes. "I could never do that to you, Danyealla. There are exceptions to everything in this universe, and for me, you are that exception. I would never... no COULD never do that to you. In hurting or using you I would be hurting myself. I feel something for you, too. I don't know exactly what it is, but it is so powerful that it entirely overrides my nature and what I am when I am around you."
She just looked at him and said, "Darious..."
He cupped her face in his hands and looked at her earnestly. "I'll prove it to you! I'll do what no demon should be able to do." He got down on his knees and looked up into her eyes, taking her hands into his. "Marry me, Danyealla. Be my wife."
She reached out and stroked his hair softly, shaking her head sadly. "Darious, marriage is for humans, not for the likes of us. It's no real commitment to anything. Your lawyer could untangle you from it in 10 minutes flat."
He sighed deeply and lowered his eyes. She was right, of course. He thought hard for several minutes, trying to come up with something else when a peace such as he had never known seemed to envelope him and before he knew what happened, he looked back up at her and said softly, "Be my mate then."
She looked down at him in stunned silence, her mouth hanging open. Mating was very different from marriage, it was far more binding. It meant forever and there was no way out of it. There was no formal ceremony needed, no piece of paper that needed to be signed, but was more binding than any human contract. To put it simply is was the mating of souls rather than bodies, a joining that no being could undo once it was done "Do you even have any idea what that means and the ramifications of it, Darious?" She whispered.
He looked up at her dumbfounded, not knowing where it even came from or how he was able to say it, demons weren't supposed to be able to. But it had come from somewhere and he went with it. "It means forever. Neither of us can get out of it. No loopholes. We are together, no matter what happens. Only death can end it."
She nodded slowly. "For immortal beings like us it means eternity together. Are you SURE, Darious?"
He squeezed her hand tighter and nodded. "I am sure. I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't. Danyealla, be my mate, please. I'll beg you, if that's what it takes. Please." His eyes, soft, implored her, trying to get across that he was sincere with the request and would do anything to make the situation right.
She looked down at him, tears starting to roll down her cheeks again, nodded then whispered a soft, "Yes."
At that moment both of them felt a jolt as powerful as a lightning strike, though it wasn't painful, warming them as if they had been submerged in a warm bath, hit them, sealing the mating.
But they weren't the only ones that felt it. All over the world, beings tied to them felt it. Marcus, alone in the apartment, was jolted so hard while he was relaxing in a chair channel surfing that every hair on his body stood on end. Immediately following, the phone started ringing off the hook for Darious with calls from other demons, wanting to know what that was and what had caused it.
Mayhem was catnapping on Dani's bed with dreams of being brushed playing a continuous cycle in the theater of his mind when he was jolted awake by it. At first he thought he had accidentally put his claw in a wall socket again. Once he stood up and felt the mattress under his paws he was assured that that wasn't the case. With the sound of her phone starting to ring non-stop in his ears, he started to tear through the house looking for the source of it, yowling loudly, calling out for Dani.
Modega was in his office at Triple D carefully going over a stack of paperwork sent over by the LA Pussycat when it washed over him. He squeezed the fountain pen he was holding so hard it shattered, sending sprays of ink everywhere, covering his desk and suit. Immediately he grabbed the phone and dialed the number for Darious' cell, muttering angrily, "What the fuck did that asshole just do?"
In
In the Pussycat in South Carolina Raven was sipping a beer, talking quietly with Travis, Jolene's werewolf mate, when she was hit with something so powerful it felt like someone had touched the base of her spine with a cattle prod. Because of her power of telepathy she was hit with it harder than the rest. The thick glass beer mug she was holding exploded in her hand, sending beer and glass in every direction, embedding large chunks of it in her hand. Travis hopped over the bar and grabbed a clean towel then hurried over to her. He was about to wrap it around her hand when she shook her head vehemently and waved him back, "Don't touch me! The jolt of electricity you would get would singe your hair and shoot you across the room." She was pulling glass out of her hand when Jolene walked shakily out of the kitchen, covered in gravy. She looked at Raven, bug-eyed. "What happened to Dani?"
Raven shook her head, "All I know for sure is it's a good thing. I have a strong inkling as to what caused it, but I am not going to say anything until I can confirm it." She then answered her ringing phone.
Deep in the Siberian forest in a castle-like fortress, Arkady was trying to mediate a screaming match between the heads of two werewolf clans. One minute he was in between two massive warriors with weapons drawn, the next he was laying on the floor, stunned. The werewolves stopped arguing and helped him to his feet, asking him what had happened. All he could get out was, "Lady Danyealla." At the mention of that name the room grew quiet.
In a floating casino/whorehouse off the coast of
Even in the deepest, darkest depths of hell it was felt. Lucifer himself, sitting on his throne, felt a twinge, just a small one. His curiosity aroused, he sent one of his generals to discover the source.
The whole world over the children of Dani and associates of Darious felt it and started to wonder. Immediately following, phone lines the world over started humming with people clamoring for information.
After saying yes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face in his hair then burst into tears. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back softly before standing up, holding her tightly to him, "Don't cry, Kat. I didn't mean to upset you and make you cry." Unbeknownst to him, tears were also running down his face as well, but because of his furnace-like body heat they were evaporating as quickly as they left his eyes.
She clung tightly to his neck and said, her voice muffled by his hair. "I'm not crying because I'm upset, I'm crying because I'm happy."
He nodded slightly but was bewildered. That wasn't something he had encountered before; he had always associated tears with being sad or upset. He just held her close to him and stroked her back softly until her muffled sobs diminished.
When her tears dried up, she pulled her face out of his hair and looked at him.
Smiling at her, he reached up and stroked her hair softly, smiling even bigger if that was possible. His cell phone was ringing non-stop in his suit pocket and he could feel his beeper vibrating like mad on his belt. From the bench by the table he could hear the muffled sound of her beeper and cell going off as well. He just stared deep into those eyes he had dreamed of so often, unable to say anything. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he thought it would burst. A warm, tingly feeling that he had never felt before seemed to completely envelope him. It was odd, but not entirely unpleasant and he was shaking slightly. Finally, he just whispered, "My Kat, my Dani, my Danyealla."
She smiled up at him and wiped her face, then whispered, "My Darious." She then leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the lips.
He kissed her back equally as tenderly, holding her tightly to him.
Gradually that soft kiss deepened and became something more passionate and fervent. He turned them around and sat her on the table, his mouth devouring hers. Soon, she was flat on her back on the table, with him on top of her, her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him to her. Her shirt and bra were off and had been flung somewhere across the room. His suit coat had been flung onto the bench by her purse, his dress shirt was unbuttoned and her hands were busy exploring his vast muscular chest. He was pressed tightly to her, his hand tangled in her thick mane of golden blonde hair. His crotch was pressing tightly to her and he was unconsciously grinding his rock hard, throbbing cock against her jean-encased pussy.
His nostrils were flared open, taking in the heady muskiness of her excitement. The more turned on he got the more of a red tinge his skin got. Soon, as his excitement grew, horn nubs erupted above his temples and his eye color became a deep glowing red, the color of freshly spilled blood. His natural smell of sulfur and brimstone seemed to thicken and permeate the whole room like a heavy cloud cover. His cock was becoming painful in the tight prison of his pants. He lifted off of her slightly and reached down and started to fumble with the button on the waistband.
It was there that seemed to bring her back down to reality. She pushed up on him slightly, "We need to stop, Darious. We can't be doing this here."
He gave her a seemingly uncomprehending look. "Why?" his voice was considerably deeper and huskier, like a long, low rumble of thunder.
She pushed him up further then sat up, looking around for her shirt. "What is out front Darious? Soon they would smell you if we kept up like we were. They may be rogues and outcasts but even they would take umbrage at having a demon in their midst."
He took several deep breaths to get himself under control then nodded. "You're right, of course. This is neither the time, nor the place to continue." He looked around for her shirt. When he couldn't readily spot it he took off his dress shirt, leaving on his undershirt, and gave it to her, staring almost completely entranced into her eyes. They had narrowed and changed into the greenish-golden eyes of a cat.
She put the shirt on, and then buttoned it. Looking up at him, she grinned. "'Sides, if they came in you wouldn't want them to see you as you are now." She looked down at his bare arms and chuckled, "You're skin has such a healthy, rosy-red glow to it." She reached up and rubbed his horn nubs. "And those are so cute! But the bright red, glowy Christmas tree light eyes are the cutest of all!"
He reached up and felt the horn nubs then looked down at his red tinged skin with utter amazement. "Well, I'll be. That has never happened to me before." He looked at her and grinned, his elongated canines flashing slightly in the dim light. "Only you could bring out that kind of reaction in me. I have to admit it's quite a novelty to come close to losing self control."
She giggled and grinned at him then handed him his bottle of brandy and took a long pull off the bottle of moonshine. When she was done, she reached down and snagged her purse off the bench and pulled out the beeper and cell, then proceeded to turn both of them off without even looking at the numbers of the people calling. She then looked at him, grinning. "There, that's better. The noise was hurting my ears."
He grinned from ear to ear, "To someone like me that has to keep in contact with people that is akin to sacrilege."
She laughed, her eyes twinkling. "There isn't anyone I need to keep in contact with. And I have a very good idea what the phone calls are about, so at this point I do not want to deal with it."
He nodded, understanding perfectly. He grabbed his suit jacket and pulled his own cell out. It was ringing madly. He glanced at the caller and nodded, "Marcus. If you'll excuse me, this is one I had better take." He then flipped open the phone and said, "Yes Marcus?"
"What the fuck happened?" Marcus yelled. "I got a jolt like I had stuck my dick in a light socket then every hair on my body stood up and did the hula. I don't think I will ever get over it! What did you do Darious?"
Darious grinned broadly at Marcus' analogy. "I'll explain everything when I get home Marcus. Just calm down and get your fur out of a knot."
Marcus sighed dramatically. "Easy for you to say, Godzilla. But I'm not the only one tied up in knots. I've taken I don't know how many calls from your colleagues from 'the land down under'. Whatever happened, everyone below got a jolt from it as well. Modega's calling every two minutes demanding to know why you aren't answering your cell phone. He sounds like a man that is having a heart attack and a nervous breakdown at the same time."
Darious chuckled at the "land down under" comment, Marcus' euphemism for hell and his no doubt apt description of Modega. "Tell Modega I'll explain everything when I see him next. As for the others, tell them Modega will get with them for an explanation after I'm done talking to him. That should satisfy everyone for now."
"Not quite everyone. The A-man himself called."
Darious sobered up immediately knowing Marcus was talking about Azmodeus but was too leery to say his name. "What did he want?"
"The same as everyone else, to know what you did. He's going to be calling back, what do you want me to tell him?"
"Tell him I will get with him about it when I get back to South Carolina. That should keep him at bay for now."
"We hope so anyway. Can I just turn the ringer off and leave a message on the voice mail referring everyone to Modega if they have questions?"
Darious nodded, "Very good idea. Call Modega from your cell and let him know what I said, then to relay the message to my boss. After that just keep your cell on you in case I need you."
"Roger boss, will do. Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of."
While he was otherwise pre-occupied she grabbed her cell and turned it on. After checking to make sure the line was clear she dialed her home phone number.
Mayhem answered on the second ring, engaging the line by slapping his large paw on the speaker phone button. Dani had bought a phone with oversized buttons just so he could answer it. "Herrow?"
"Mayhem, it's me."
"Lady Bosh!" He started to dance around excitedly, his little stump of a tail wiggling back and forth 100mph. "Where's you at? Mayhem gots woked up by sumfing that felts like da' time my claws gots stucked in da' socket. It made muh hairs all stand up den da' phone started goin' 'naners. Want I should shred it, Lady Bosh?"
She chuckled a bit but she could hear the undercurrent of stress and anxiety in his voice, "No Mayhem, don't shed the phone. But I do want you to turn it off for me."
Mayhem puffed up a bit at the responsibility she was giving him, "OTay Lady Bosh! How do I's do dat?"
In very simple terms and slowly she walked him through how to turn the ringer off.
"I doos it Lady Bosh!" He crowed happily, very proud of himself.
"You sure did, I'm proud of you."
"Da Mayhem ish a good kitty!"
"He sure is, the best kitty in the world."
"Lady Bosh?" His tone took on an anxious note.
"Yes Mayhem?"
"Why for did da Mayhems' furs shtand up earliers?"
She kept her voice calm and even, "Mayhem, I know it was uncomfortable and scared you a little bit, but everything is OK. I will explain everything to you when I get home."
He sounded a bit more relaxed when he answered, "OTay, Lady Bosh. Yous be home soon? Da Mayhem be missin' yous."
She smiled, "I'll be home pretty soon. I'll talk to you then."
"OTay Lady Bosh! Byesies!"
"Bye Mayhem." Then she hung up.
Darious was still engaged in conversation with Marcus so she checked the phone to make sure the line was free then dialed Raven's number.
Raven answered, sounding very harried and distracted, "Hello?"
"It's me, Raven."
Raven sat bolt upright in her chair and her eyes widened, "Dani!" All activity and noise in the immediate vicinity stopped and everyone stared at Raven, waiting with bated breath to hear what was going on. "What happened earlier? Everyone got a helluva jolt. Since then my phone has been ringing non-stop."
"As has mine." Dani said with a deep sigh. "I had to have Mayhem shut the phone off at the house. When I talked to him he was stressing about it."
Raven nodded, "Understandable. Poor guy. Now, would you care to tell me what caused that jolt?"
Dani was quiet for a minute or so, trying to figure out what to say. "Let me just put it this way, it wasn't a bad thing and it made me happier than I have ever been in my existence."
"I gathered that from what I felt when it happened."
Dani rubbed her temple a bit, thinking. This wasn't something she wanted to go over on the phone; it was going to be best handled in person. "Just let everyone know that I am fine and that it was a good thing. Beyond that I will get with you over the next couple days to set up a time where we can go over it. Even though I imagine, knowing you the way I do, you probably have a pretty good idea as to what it is. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, it's good with me. I just wanted something, ANYTHING, to tell everyone that has been calling me. And, as always, you are right, I do have a VERY good idea as to what happened but I will keep my suspicions to myself as to what it is until we talk next."
"Thanks Raven, I appreciate it. But I do have another favor to ask you. May I put a message on my voice mail referring everyone to you? I do not want to deal with them right now."
"That's fine. I think 3⁄4 of them are calling me when they can't get hold of you anyway."
"Thanks again Raven. I'll get hold of you in a couple of days." She then hung up the phone.
Everyone was staring at Raven when she hung up, waiting for the news. She quickly reiterated what Dani told her then said when she had more information she would pass it along. Everyone nodded, looking much relieved.
Dani settled back on the table and took another drink, waiting for Darious to finish.
When he was done he looked at her and smiled, "I think I am done for now."
She nodded, "Good, I am too." She then took another long pull of the bottle and looked at him. "We need to talk. There are a lot of things to work out."
He sat down beside her, the table creaking under his weight, and nodded. "Yes, we do. I usually plan things in advance, have all the kinks and pitfalls worked out ahead of time, but not this time. I'm not usually that spontaneous."
Nodding, she said, "Lets start with the obvious one first; living arrangements. I take it you being out here is not a permanent thing?"
Shaking his head, he replied, "No, I'm just out here for the contract negotiations with the Pussycat. While I do maintain a branch office out here my main base of operations is still in South Carolina."
"And I take it moving it out here is out of the question?"
"Logistically and theoretically it COULD be done, but it would take a minimum of a year to do it and in the process I would lose several key people that I really can't replace or function well without. Plus, most of my business contacts are in South Carolina."
She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "That's not viable then. Can you divide your time between the coasts?"
He shook his head, "I really can't. My presence is required in South Carolina too much for me to be bi-coastal."
Again, she sighed, "Is spending weekends out here at all feasible?"
He shook his head slowly, "I do a great deal of work at the office on weekends."
"Well, I guess it falls to me then, doesn't it?"
He nodded a bit, "Yes. Despite you being in school your schedule and lifestyle is far more flexible than mine."
She nodded, "Yes it is. Would you be able to handle me coming back east a couple times a month?"
Reaching out, he took her hand, smiling softly at her. "The decision is up to you entirely, of course, and whatever you decide I will have to live with, but I would like you back in my life on a full time basis. That was my ultimate goal in all of this."
"I don't want to leave LA. I like it here. I like the sunshine, warmth and the beach. I also like the hustle and bustle of it. And the nightlife suits my lifestyle." She sighed heavily. "I also don't want to move everything again now that I have it to where I am comfortable and it's just the way I like it."
He smiled at her. "If you come back with me I'll do everything within my power to make you as comfortable as I can and make the transition as easy as possible. You won't have to move anything at all; I will hire someone to do it. I have an anti-bellum mansion and it will be yours to do with what you want. I will make your life as easy as I can if you are with me."
"There is another consideration, Mayhem. He doesn't deal well with change and won't take the news of moving well."
Darious' brow furrowed, he was now a bit concerned, this was the second time he had heard this Mayhem mentioned in conjunction with her and he was unsure just who he was and what role he played in her life. "If I may, just who is Mayhem?"
She made a dismissive gesture, "Oh Mayhem is my pet, nothing to worry about."
He knew enough about she-devil society and their laws to know they kept men of all different races and breeds as "pets" - basically an object to amuse themselves with then to dismiss from their lives when they were bored with them. Now he was a bit apprehensive. "A pet? You told me you don't keep pets."
She looked at him quizzically for a minute before realizing he misinterpreted the meaning of the word and started to giggle. "Not THAT kind of pet. He is a REAL pet. Mayhem is my pet cat."
Relief washed over him, "Oh, OK. I was getting worried there for a minute. So he's a housecat then?"
"Something like that, yeah." She gave him a quirky grin.
He nodded, "OK, again, I will do everything in my power to make the transition for the BOTH of you as easy as possible." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Please Dani, come home with me. I don't want to be back out of your life again now that I just got back into it. Whatever obstacles that may arise between the two of us; we can work them out together. But if we are apart it will make it infinitely harder."
She looked up into his piercing blue eyes for a moment, quiet, and then said, "Alright. But YOU are going to help me break it to Mayhem that we are moving away from the big sand box."
"I'll help in any way I can. Besides, I have to explain all of this to Marcus. He's stressing out and shedding all over my apartment at the moment." He said with a wry grin.
"Would you mind explaining to me just who Marcus is?"
"First, Marcus is a werewolf, hence the shedding comment. He is my slave but in name only. In all actuality he's my manservant/assistant."
She cocked an eyebrow at him, "And lover? You forget, I know you're bisexual Darious."
He chuckled deeply, "No, he isn't. If I ever suggested such a thing he would get a horrified look on his face, cross his legs and tell me to keep my donkey dick to myself."
She giggled, "OK." She then got a serious again. "Tell me, how are we going to do this? Stop at my place and tell Mayhem then go talk to Marcus? Or the other way around?"
He sat quietly for a moment. "Why don't we kill two birds with one stone? I'll have Marcus meet us at your place and we can explain it to both of them at the same time. That way he can stop and pick up my car as well so we don't have to go back for it."
She nodded, "Good idea."
"Thank you. So, tell me, is there something I could do to help get into Mayhem's good graces?"
She giggled a bit, "Mayhem is highly susceptible to bribery."
"I am not above bribing someone silly if that's what it takes. In Mayhem's case, what would I bribe him with? Somehow I don't think the usual large envelope of cash slipped discreetly to him would get me very far with a cat."
She giggled more, "No, it wouldn't. He adores McDonalds' cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, fish fillets, French fries and vanilla shakes. Show up with any or all of those and you will start out very much in Mayhem's good graces."
"Say no more, it's a done deal!" He grabbed his phone and dialed Marcus' cell. When he picked up, Darious launched in. "Marcus, I have a couple jobs for you to do. First, I need you to go pick up my car for me." He quickly read him off the address where it was parked. "While you are there, pick up three each of their fish, chicken and cheeseburgers then an extra large fry and vanilla shake. Then get something for the rest of us, say the menu times three. With me so far?"
Marcus chuckled as he was writing things down. He had never heard Darious sound so exhilarated. "Oh, I'm keeping up. Go on."
"Good! Then I want you to meet me here." He then rattled off her address from memory. "If I'm not there when you arrive just wait and I'll be there shortly. Got all of that?"
"Got it. I will get right on it."
"Good man!" He then hung up and grinned at her. "I've got him on the job. He should be at your place before we get there. So, shall we get going?" He smiled at her and held out his hand for her to take.
Smiling, she grabbed her purse then took his hand and hopped off the table.
He pulled her close to him and kissed her softly before starting towards the door with his suit jacket slung over his shoulder but was stopped when she tugged on his hand. He looked at her quizzically.
"Would you please leave some money on the table for the drinks?"
He nodded and grabbed his money clip out of his front pocket and tossed $2000 on the table, then grinned at her. "I had to leave them a good tip." Then they walked out to her car hand in hand.
Hand in hand they walked out to her car. After opening her door and making sure she got in alright he then folded himself into the passenger side. She tore out of the bar's parking lot and quickly navigated the narrow streets then managed to get on to the freeway and headed towards her house. By this time it was heading towards late afternoon and the traffic was getting heavy with lots of stopping.
Reclining in the bucket seats he stretched out his long legs the best he could. There was a silly grin on his face that nothing could wipe off. He was with her! Forever! Finally, he had gotten what he had wanted and dreamed of for so long, she was back with him and this time there wouldn't be any more separations. Everything else would fall into place with a little work on both their ends, of that he was confident. Again, he was sure what ever problems may arise between the two of them would be able to be worked out between them
Traffic was starting to slow to a crawl, with rush hour starting, and it was quickly moving towards gridlock. Normally, this would have driven him nuts and he would have had to find something to do while he waited, but not this time, he was nice and relaxed that silly smile on his face. On the other hand, Dani was used to the traffic snarl in L.A., so she just relaxed in her seat and let her mind play over and over the events of the day.
Glancing over at her, his smile got bigger. She was his! Still, he almost couldn't believe that. Reaching out, he put his hand over the one she had resting on the gearshift and gave it a soft squeeze. Looking over at him, she smiled softly. Leaning towards her, he kissed her softly, his hand squeezing hers lightly again.
Leaning into the kiss, she let her other hand snake behind his neck and pulled him closer until their chests were touching and the kiss had become much more fervent and passionate. So involved were they that they didn't see the traffic start to move. It took an angry honk from the car behind them to jolt them both back to reality.
Immediately, she broke off the kiss and put the car in gear. But he, on the other hand, didn't stop. Putting one long arm across the back of her seat he kissed and nibbled her neck, growling softly. His other hand slid under the tail of her shirt and caressed her slightly concave stomach. The blood was pounding in his ears and his cock had risen to full mast, making an impressive tent in his pants. The head of it was once again getting wet as the desire, want and longing for her returned full force.
She tried concentrating on navigating through the heavy traffic but it was becoming increasingly difficult, since he was really turning her on, being familiar with her body he knew just what buttons to hit to get her there. The crotch of her thong had become a sodden mess from the juices leaking out of her. With her keen sense of smell she could smell her own excitement filling the small car, mingling with the ever-increasing odor of sulfur and brimstone, signaling Darious' state of arousal as well.
As the sleek sports car slid through the heavy traffic his advances became more and more persistent and increasingly animalistic. His nibbling on her neck became more of a rougher biting; his hand had wandered further up and was cupping her right breast and squeezing the nipple. He was also growling louder, a low rumble that seemed to shiver her entire body and raised goose-pimples of excitement everywhere.
The next time traffic stalled out and she had to stop, she turned her head and drew him back into a deep, passionate kiss, her tongue parting his lips and thrusting into his mouth. Taking her hand off the gearshift she slid it into his lap and gripped his erection through his pants, feeling the deep persistent throb beneath her palm. God, she wanted him! More than that, she needed him, badly! Her body was screaming for him to take her, even if it was here, in the middle of rush hour. It wasn't as if she hadn't done that one before. She could feel the juices dripping steadily out of her, the crotch of her jeans becoming dampened with them.
It was him that finally broke things off, leaning back in his seat, panting heavily, a deep, persistent throb in his balls screaming at him for release. As he panted, smoke blew out of his mouth, a sign of just how over heated he truly was. He shut his eyes and used his incredible self-control to will himself back from the brink. Only she could get him this excited and turned on! She was the only one ever to be able to make him at least start to lose his legendary self-control.
Looking over at her, he grinned, then leaned close to her ear, and said, "I doubt we are going to make it to your place without having something happen. As much as I don't mind public displays of lust, I would prefer our first time back together be somewhere besides the middle of L.A. rush hour. Do you know of somewhere a bit more private we can go to at least take the edge off things before we get to your place?"
Looking at him, she grinned and winked, "I think I know somewhere we can go. It's not exactly totally private, but I doubt we will be bothered by anyone."
Getting off at the next exit, she navigated through the quiet, suburban streets until they came to a small park, thick with trees and bushes. She found a secluded place to park where they were least likely to be seen, shut the car off, and engaged the parking break. After wiggling out of her seatbelt, she straddled Darious' lap, facing him, her arms around his neck. He moved the seat back as far is would go, leaned it back, put his arms around her thin waist, and held her closely before putting a hand on the back of her head and drawing her into a deep, passionate kiss.
She pressed tightly to him and moaned into his mouth. Letting one of his hands wander up, he slid it under her shirt up to her breasts, cupping them and running his long, agile fingers over the nipples, feeling them stiffen under his touch. Involuntarily he started to grind his crotch onto her, his erection evident and pushing against the fabric of her jeans. There was a deep, persistent throb that started in his lower belly and extended down to his balls then out to the head of his cock, making it twitch slightly with every beat of his hammering heart.
A shiver ran through her entire body as she felt that familiar throb against her crotch and the stiffness that was akin to sitting on a railroad spike. Her whole body seemed to remember the delicious pleasure it had given her in the past and was screaming for it once again. Her fingers found his longish, dark hair and entwined in it, pulling him tighter to her, her mouth becoming more and more insistent with the kisses. Her knees tightened around his thighs and she started to rub her crotch onto his unconsciously, moaning into his mouth.
The more turned on she got the more of her powerful, musky scent she involuntarily emitted until the car, even with the windows rolled down, smelled like a mixture of natural musk and a smoky sulfur. After so many years of wanting and dreaming of this it was once again happening. Once again she was in his arms and going to get what he was a master at giving, pure, unadulterated pleasure that no one before or since him had even come close to matching.
The more passionate their kissing became the more turned on he was getting. He wanted her as much, if not more, than she wanted him. It wasn't long before his legendary self-control was once again starting to slip. His skin once again took on a deep red color, horn nubs erupted above his temples and his eyes glowed blood red. He pulled her as close to his body as he could get her, her chest crushed tightly against his. The kisses gradually became much more passionate and animalistic. He was growling into her mouth and thrusting his hips upwards, his massive erection leaking greenish tinged pre-cum like a faucet dripping water, wetting the front of his suit trousers, making the smell of sulfur in the car more intense.
Like earlier in the bar, his legendary self-control was slipping further away from him as his desire and want for her increased. His incisors elongated into fangs that nipped her bottom lip slightly as their kissing became more and more passionate. Unbeknownst to him, his claws had sprouted and were digging into her flesh, leaving long gouges in her back. He tore his mouth off of hers and kissed down her neck, growling, nipping her flesh slightly.
Far from it bringing her back to reality, it turned her on all the more. Whimpering and moaning into his mouth, she clutched him tighter, her ears elongating into cat-like ears and her eyes changing to greenish-gold. A deep-throated purr stared to emit from her as his kisses grew consistently more and more animalistic.
Panting heavily, he dug his claws into her back, shredding her shirt. All he could think of was having her again, once again to be thrusting deep inside her tight pussy, feeling its velvety softness around his throbbing cock. Deep, rumbling growls started to emit from his throat and his bites became steadily more and more animalistic until he sunk his razor-sharp fangs deep into her shoulder.
A violent shiver ran through her body as she felt the sharp pain from his bite, her loins quivering, her juices soaking not only the crotch of her jean but starting to wet down her thighs as well. As she ground down on his cock she started to moan his name over and over, voice husky and full of passion.
Letting his fangs slide out of her shoulder he looked at her, eyes narrow, licking her blood off his lips. He stared, entranced, into those cat-like eyes, feeling the throbbing in his loins become more like a deep drum beat, getting faster and faster. Every bit of control he had seemed to have evaporated. Slamming up into her crotch, he ground himself against her, letting out a deep, animalistic growl.
Panting heavily, she looked into his blood-red eyes and whimpered. The only coherent words she could get out were a softly spoken "Please, Darious!" as she moved her crotch up and down against the steel bar that was his throbbing erection. Her long nails dug into his scalp and she clung tightly to him.
Feeling her move against his cock and knowing what it was that she was rubbing against him was all he could take. The want he had felt for her since she had left him in Alaska over a century before over-rode any last remnant of his self-control and with a loud roar that shook the car he exploded, his claws digging deeply into her back, soaking not only his pants but hers as well with the foul smelling, greenish-tinged cum.
Feeling the hard throbbing of his cock through her pants right against her clit triggered her own orgasm, not nearly as powerful as his but more satisfying than anything she felt since they went their separate ways. When it was done washing over her and setting her nerves alight she laid against his chest, panting heavily, clinging to him.
He was seeing stars after it was over, seemingly unable to catch his breath, eyes shut. The blood was still roaring in his ears and his loins still throbbed madly but he felt her lay on him and pulled her tightly into a hug, resting his cheek on top of her head. After a couple minutes the euphoria gave way to reality and he grinned, sheepishly. Sitting up straight he looked down at her, "My, my, my, Kat, you have an effect on me no one ever has. I do believe that is the first time in my long existence that I have had an incomplete thought!"
She pulled away from him slightly and looked up into his eyes, giggling a bit. "A little turned on were we Darious?"
Leaning down, he kissed her softly, stroking her hair, "More than a little. Only you could make me lose my self-control like that. No one else before or since you has even come close." He looked down into her eyes and smiled then noticed the state her clothes were in. They were, in all reality, ripped and shredded to pieces. Not only that, but he could smell his spend in the car, that foul smell that always lingered after he was done. Frowning, he shook his head, "I am sorry, I didn't mean to fumigate your car."
Giggling at bit more, she looked at him, "I'm not worried about it, Darious. The seat covers can be thrown out without a problem. The rest of the smell can be dealt with by a good detailing."
Frowning, he looked down at himself and the state of his clothes then at hers. Not only were his pants saturated down past the knees but hers were covered as well, with some of it splattered up her shirt. "I fear I have not only marked your car, but our clothes as well. Not even a dozen washings are going to remove it. Your clothes are a bit worse for wear from my claws as well."
Grinning at him, she winked, "I always keep a spare set of clothes in the trunk for just such an emergency, don't worry. I can change in the restroom and no one will be the wiser."
"Too bad I can't say the same." He said, sighing, looking down at his ruined Armani suit. "I can't be seen anywhere like this without raising questions."
Leaning back against the dash, she looked at him, thinking for a minute then said, "How about this, near here is a store for big and tall men. Why don't I get changed here in the park then we'll go there and get you a fresh change of clothes. I'll toss the seat covers and we will ride to my place with the windows down, that should eliminate the evidence."
He looked at her, grinning, "My smart kitty. That sounds like as good of a plan as any."
Quickly, she popped into the restroom in the park and changed, dumping her shredded clothes into the trash. Then she pulled the seat covers off and discarded them as well. A quick drive away she was able to get him a change of clothes then she popped into a service station to fill the car and let him go to the restroom to get changed. She bought some air freshener and zapped the car with it, eliminating the strongest of the telltale smell.
He changed as quickly as he could, burying the befouled clothes in the trash in the men's room before coming back out. Sliding into the seat he looked at her, "Ready when you are, Kat."
Nodding, she tore out of the service station and navigated her way back onto the freeway.
Leaning against the side of the Hummer, Marcus nervously smoked a cigarette watching up and down the street for Darious and keeping a close eye on the house. He had triple checked the address to make sure he was in the right place but he still had his doubts. A strong smell of cats was coming from it, both the regular kind and the shape shifter variety. He couldn't quite place the shape shifter smell but he knew it was a cat of some kind, the most common ones like werecat he had already ruled out. All he knew was it was making his hackles raise and made him nervous, however, it also brought up the question of what in the blue hell was Darious doing associating with some kind of shape shifter? They all avoided him like the plague. More to the point, from putting two and two together, he assumed, that this had something to do with whatever it was he had done to cause the jolt earlier, but what it could be was beyond him. As soon as one cigarette went out he lit another, nervously chain smoking. From the house he could hear a bunch of loud yowling from a cat. It sounded a lot bigger than a house cat that is for sure, telling him to keep his distance and if he didn't he would get 'shredded'. The day hadn't been the greatest in the whole world so he wasn't going to approach and see, firstly, how big a cat it was and secondly, if it was a bluff. He decided to keep his ass planted right where he was until Darious got there. Glancing at his watch for the umpteenth time in the last few minutes he wondered just where in the fuck Darious was, it wasn't like him to give an order then not be there to see if it was carried out.
As if on cue a black Lamborghini Diablo roared up the street, did a 180 in front of the driveway and backed in to it, tires squealing. Watching it with mild interest, Marcus tossed his cigarette butt away and leaned back against the door of the SUV. First person out of the car was a short, slight woman with long blonde hair half way down her back. Giving her an appraising look, like he did all women, Marcus thought she was a good looking babe with a nice body, he would fuck her given half the chance. Until she turned around and looked at him that is. Instantly, his mouth went dry and he started to shakehat, that is when he about swallowed his teeth and felt his balls tighten up and tryballs tightening up and trying to crawl back up inside his body. He wasn't 100% positive who that was but if it was her he was sure he was one dead werewolf. After she dashed into the house Darious unfolded his long body from the tiny car meant to hold someone much smaller than he was. Stretching out, he tried to get the kinks out of his back and legs, muttering to himself, "Note to self, NEVER let her drive me anywhere again!" Spying the slightly shaking Marcus he walked over and took the pack of cigarettes he was holding and shook one out. Still staring at the shut door to the house, Marcus didn't even seem to notice that Darious was there. Giving him a nudge with his shoulder as he lit the cigarette Darious asked, "Did you get the stuff?"
Jolted back to reality Marcus nodded, tapping another butt out of the pack and lighting it with a shaking hand, "I got it, no problem." After inhaling deeply he looked at Darious, one eyebrow arched slightly, "Care to tell me now what the fuck is going on?"
Shaking his head as he exhaled a perfect smoke ring, Darious said, "Not yet. Don't worry I will explain it all soon enough. It's just there is someone else that needs the same explanation so we are going to kill two birds with one stone."
"Gee, you are so full of answers today Godzilla, you know that?" Marcus said, sarcasm dripping.
Grinning, Darious chuckled, "Never fear, all will become known soon enough pooch."
Suddenly the front door banged open loudly and she came out being half dragged forward by a huge cat at the end of a leash. Sniffing the air, the cat made a beeline straight for them, tugging her along behind. She held tightly to the leash but the cat, looking to Marcus about as long as she was tall and probably weighing more than her, was doing a pretty good job of dragging her wherever he wanted to go. Once he reached where they were standing he sniffed them all around before turning back to her and saying, "It ish a beashtie and a poochie dat smellz like a beashtie. Want I should shred em Lady Bosh?"
Picking the cat up and holding him to her chest, she kissed him on top of the head. "No Mayhem, no shredding. Darious is a very good friend of mine and I have known him longer than I've had you. So he's safe to be here." Stepping in front of Darious she looked up at him and winked then said to the cat, "Mayhem, this is Darious."
Swiveling his big head around and cocking it to the side Mayhem looked up at him, ""Llo dere beashtie."
Reaching out, Darious rubbed between the cats ears, "Well, hello there Mayhem."
Purring softly, Mayhem leaned into his hand and then said, "No, it's MayHEM, I ish da MayHEM."
Chuckling a bit, Darious said, "Sorry, MayHEM." Looking over at Dani while he continued to rub between the big cats ears, he asked, "Why can I understand him? I've been around cats before and never been able to understand."
Stroking Mayhems back, she grinned at him, "That is because Mayhem is a bobcat, a wild animal. Housecats have had some of their instincts bred out of them that's why you haven't been able to understand what they say."
Stepping over to Marcus she said, "Mayhem, this is Marcus." Giving the big werewolf a look to confirm it was him, she winked and grinned.
Nodding, he absently reached out and stroked the cats head, saying, "Hello Mayhem." But he continued to stare at her, confirming his worst suspicions. Indeed it was who he had thought it was and now he was convinced that he was dead.
Stepping back over to Darious, she looked down at Mayhem, "Know what? I think Darious brought you a surprise."
The cats ears shot up straight and his tail started twitching at supersonic speed, "Weally? Woot kindas 'prise did da beashtie get for da Mayhem?"
Reaching out, Darious started to scratch between the cats' ears, but instead of looking down at the animal he was gazing into her eyes, a wistful look on his face, "I heard you liked McDonalds so I had Marcus stop there and get us all lunch."
Immediately, Mayhem started wiggling all over in her arm, tail almost a blur. Gazing at Darious, he licked his fangs, "McyD's! You brought da Mayhem McyD's!"
Smiling, she looked back at Darious and absently petted the cat. "He sure did. Why don't you and I go in the house and get everything ready while Darious and Marcus bring it in."
"'Kay Lady Bosh!" He shouted excitedly, wiggling around in her arms.
Stepping closer to Darious, she got up on her tip toes and kissed him softly. Putting an arm around her back he leaned into the kiss. When it broke off they smiled at each other then she winked and turned towards the house, Mayhem jabbering happily and looking back over her shoulder at Marcus and Darious.
Marcus had watched the whole scene intently, eyes bright. Things had gotten very strange indeed! Not only did he now know for sure exactly who she was the look on Darious' face and they way he was acting were most strange indeed! Leaning back against the SUV he watched her progress into the house and continued to stare at the open door even after her and the cat had gone inside. It took a nudge from Darious on his shoulder to bring him back. Stuffing a few bags into his arm Darious said, "Get the lead out pooch. Let's get these inside."
Shifting the bags around, Marcus grabbed a few more than looked at Darious, "Do you know who she is?" He said voice just above a whisper.
Arching an eyebrow, Darious looked at him, "Of course I do, and I've known her for a long time. What is wrong with you anyway?"
Shuddering, Marcus shook his head and loaded more bags into his arms. Trudging to the door he was now convinced that he was walking to his own execution.
Waiting in the doorway for them, bouncing around excitedly, was Mayhem. "Will yous hurrah up! Da Mayhem is hung'y!"
Chuckling, Darious said, "We got it Mayhem, lead the way."
"Follow mees!" The cat shouted over his shoulder as he bound off towards the living room, going up and over things rather than around them.
Shaking his head, grinning, Darious followed with Marcus trailing behind him. Actually, Marcus was trying to stay hidden behind Darious' bulk. He knew it made no sense to do this, she had seen him, but somehow he felt that if he stayed out of her line of site she might forget he was around.
After leaping over the sofa Mayhem hopped onto the coffee table where she was seated cross-legged then started to hop up and down excitedly, the table groaning under his weight. Darious and Marcus put the bags down on the table and immediately Mayhem stuck his head in the nearest one calling, "Here fishy, fishy, fishy. Come to da Mayhem, he wants to have your for lunch!"
Grabbing the bag and pulling the cat out Marcus said, "Hey! Don't do that, you're getting hair all over everything. I like fur burgers but not that kind!"
Looking up at him calmly, Mayhem said, "Da fishies want to be da Mayhems lunch I was just tryin' to finds dem!"
Grabbing a handful of fries out of the bag, Marcus tossed them on the table, "There, those should hold you until I can find your sandwiches."
Pouncing on them excitedly, Mayhem slapped his big paw on them and shouted, "Yous dead!" then started munching away on them until Marcus was able to find him his sandwiches.
The cat grabbed them immediately and devoured them, mumbling happily to himself between mouthfuls. While they ate Dani and Darious made small talk and the still nervous and twitching Marcus sat in the furthest corner of the couch, trying to make himself as small and unobtrusive as he could.
When everyone was sufficiently full and Mayhem had lain on Danis' lap to give himself his after lunch bath Dani looked at Darious, "How do you want to do this? Tell Marcus first then let me to explain it to Mayhem or the other way around?"
Scratching his chin thoughtfully Darious pondered it before saying, "Why don't you just explain it to Mayhem then we will answer any questions either of them have. That should work." Looking over at Marcus he said, "Pay attention pooch."
Shifting around Marcus looked, first at Darious then to Dani, waiting, curiosity piqued.
Stroking softly down Mayhems back Dani said, softly, "Mayhem, I want to talk to you about when you felt that jolt today."
Sitting up, ears on full alert, he looked up at her, "OTay Lady Bosh!"
Holding him close to her chest, she kissed him on top of the head then nuzzled it with her cheek, "First of all, you aren't going anywhere no matter what! You are my Mayhem and I love you very much. We will be together forever just like I promised."
Snuggling up closer to her, Mayhem purred happily, that stub of a tail swishing to and fro briskly.
Straightening back up, she looked down at him. "Do you remember Jolene and Travis?"
Nodding, Mayhem replied, "Da Mayhem 'members Leene and Ravish, yesh."
"Good. Do you remember when they got together and we explained to you about mating and what it was?"
At the word mating Marcus shot Darious a wide-eyed, disbelieving look but said nothing, sure that she couldnt be headed where it seemed she was.
Nodding confidently Mayhem said, "I sure doos! Dat means togethers forevers for dem. I remember caweying da flowers for da fingy too!"
Stroking his back softly, she smiled. With him remembering it was going to make this a lot easier on her to explain. "Very good! You are surely the smartest kitty in the world.
"Mayhem, Darious and I have known each other for a very long time."
The smart kitty comment made him puff up with pride and sit a bit straighter in her lap, looking up into her eyes he asked, "Longer den you has knowned da Mayhem?"
Continuing to look back and forth between her and Darious, Marcus sat there, bewildered and somewhat worried.
"A lot longer. We knew each other long before you came to live with me. But we lost touch a long time ago and haven't seen each other until today." Stopping, she thought for a minute, trying to decide how to proceed and best explain things. "Do you remember the day I made it so you couldn't die and would be with me forever?"
Nodding a bit, he said, "I 'members dat day. It wuzn't one of da Mayhems good days."
"I know, but it means you will never leave me. Do you remember how we explained to you that sometimes if something happens to me you will feel it because of that?"
Nodding again, he said, "Yuppers Lady Bosh! I doos 'member dat!"
"Good. What happened today when you felt that jolt was that you were feeling something very good that happened to me and made me very happy. A lot of the other she-devils felt it too, that is why there were so many phone calls."
Cocking his head to the side, he gazed up at her, "What good fing happened to da Lady Bosh dat da Mayhem feeled?"
Sighing deeply, she decided to say it straight out then deal with the consequences afterwards. "What you felt was when Darious became my mate."
It wasn't Mayhem that threw the biggest fit, it was Marcus. Standing up, he stared slack jawed at Darious, "No fucking way! You can't do that! It's impossible! Demons CAN NOT mate!"
Looking up at the agitated werewolf, Darious said calmly, "Apparently I can, I know that because I did it."
Running his fingers through his thick mane of long black hair then clutched it tightly in both fists, Marcus moaned, "Do you know what you have done? You've sentenced me to death!"
Cocking an eyebrow Darious looked up at him, "What are you talking about pooch? You aren't making any sense what so ever."
Pointing to Dani, Marcus snarled, "What I mean is that psycho bitch is an assassin for the werewolf council and kills rogue werewolves for them! That is what I mean! And in case you forgot Godzilla I'm a rogue werewolf with a death sentence hanging over my head!"
Eyes hardening, Darious snarled a bit, "Watch what you call her mutt! You WILL talk to and treat her with the respect she deserves or else!" He had expected a reaction but not one this violent. It was totally out of character for Marcus, who most days was so calm and unrufflable that it was hard to tell he wasn't in a coma.
Standing up on Danis' lap, Mayhem puffed up and hissed a warning. Petting down his bristled back Dani leaned over and kissed him on the head then whispered, "It's OK Mayhem, he is very upset by this. Don't worry about it." The cat sat back down but continued staring over at Marcus, tail swishing purposefully back and forth.
Dejected, Marcus flopped down on the sofa, hands covering his face, breathing heavily.
Looking over at Darious, who shrugged, Dani then looked back at Marcus. "Marcus?"
Splitting his fingers he peered through them at her, "Are you going to kill me outright or take me to the werewolf council so they can torture out of me what I've told Darious and my master before him about the werewolves?"
Shaking her head, she smiled a bit, "Neither. Darious didn't sentence you to death; instead he got your death sentence lifted."
Lowering his hands, Marcus gazed at her, not understanding. "What do you mean by that?"
Grinning a bit, still stroking down Mayhems back softly, "First, the werewolf council WISHES I was an assassin for them but I'm not, despite what they threaten werewolves with. The only time I kill a werewolf is if the council goes through the she-devil council. Usually it isn't a single werewolf but one of the rogue clans. The only werewolves I've killed were either in self defense or lycanthropes who have gone insane. That is all. And I've always done the killing quickly, they have already suffered enough.
"You were the Shadowchaser clan leader, you know she-devil law very well, am I right?"
Nodding, he looked at her quizzically, "As well as any werewolf I guess. What does that have to do with anything?"
Smiling a bit she said, softly, "Think about it... In she-devil society when I take a mate everything he has automatically reverts to me. When Darious and I became mates everything he owned automatically became mine, including you. What werewolf out there is going to go after you now that I now own you?"
Staring, dumbfounded, at her for a minute he turned over in his mind what she said, then a big grin crossed his face and lit up his eyes. "The death sentence is gone!"
Winking at him, she nodded, "That's right, it's gone. Just give it about six months for the word to get around."
Stretching out, he cupped his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, a silly grin splitting his face, "I am free from it at last!"
Rolling his eyes, Darious shook his head and then looked back at Dani, grinning a bit, "Is what you said true? That everything of mine is yours now?"
Shrugging she said, "Is that any different than your society? Men can't have any power in ours so it's said to be that way even though most know that really, mates share everything."
Nodding, he said, "OK I got it, matriarchal society."
Mayhem had sat patiently through Marcus' outburst waiting. When Dani was done talking he put a paw on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, "Lady Bosh?"
With those two words she could hear an undercurrent of stress and see in his eyes how upset he was. Holding him close and kissing him on the head again, she stroked his back softly, "What's wrong Mayhem?"
Settling back down, he allowed himself to be stroked, purring a bit. "When Leene and Ravish got mateded dey had lotsa peoples dere. Why couldn't da Mayhem come to yous and da beashties?"
Stroking down his back she kissed him between the ears, "Remember when we explained the ceremony with all the people wasn't the real mating?"
Nodding, he nuzzled her softly and purred a bit louder, "Yesh, I wemembers dat."
"There was no one there when Darious and I mated Mayhem, no one but me and him. If there was going to be a big thing for SURE my Mayhem would be there with me."
Giving her a quizzical look he asked, "No ones but yous an' da beashtie wuz dere?"
Smiling, she shook her head. "No one but me and Darious. Honest." Looking over, she smiled out Darious then reached out and took his hand. She continued on but this time looking into Darious' eyes instead of down at Mayhem. "Sometimes it just happens like that Mayhem. You just know it's right and it happens. I love Darious, it feels like I've always loved him, and when he asked me I accepted. Nothing more than that." Her voice had trailed off until it was quite soft and hard to hear until at the end it was almost a whisper.
Gently, Darious squeezed her hand and stroked the back it with his thumb, smiling. He had expected pain when he heard the word love like always before, but now there was no pain. As a matter of fact that odd warm and peaceful feeling once again enveloped him like a gentle, soft glow. Very softly he asked, "Is that what you danced around earlier? Is that what you didn't want to say to me?"
Smiling a bit, she nodded, "Do you blame me? Saying something like that could have easily been twisted and used against me."
Leaning forward, absently stroking Mayhems head, he kissed her softly then leaned back and smiled at her again, "Never my Kat, I could never do that to you."
Smiling back, she nodded, "I know that now Darious
Head swiveling back and forth, Mayhem watched the two, avid interest on his face. Then he looked over at Darious, "Why for hows comes you call da Lady Bosh Kat? Dat's not hers name!"
Smiling at her still, Darious petted the cat then said, "Because, that is the name I knew her under, Katrina, Kat. I guess to me she will always be Kat. My Kat." He finished, softly, still looking into her eyes.
"Aww, ain't that sweet?" Marcus said, and then made loud retching noises.
Grinning, Darious swatted him playfully in the back of the head. "Behave pooch."
Looking up at her, ears twitching and whiskers poofed out, Mayhem asked, "Lady Bosh? Ish da beashtie and da poochie gonna come an' live wiff ush den?"
Sighing a bit, she looked down then said, "No, they aren't. You and I are going to move to South Carolina and live with them Mayhem."
This is where Mayhem went off, stomping his feet up and down on her legs, and ears laid back he howled loudly, "No Lady Bosh! Da Mayhem dun wanna leave hish houshe or da beeg shandbox! No! No! No! No! I dun wanna!"
Holding him close, she stroked up and down his back then kissed the top of his head. Putting a finger under his chin she tilted his head back so that he was looking up at her. "Do you know where South Carolina is?"
Quietly, he sat there and thought for a minute before shaking his head, "Nope, da Mayhem dun knowsh wheres dat ish."
"Do you remember where we lived before we came out here?"
That stump of a tail of his started to once again go at super sonic speed and his ears twitched back and forth. "I doosh 'member! Ish we goin' backsh to oursh ol' houshe?"
"No, but we are going back to the same town. Instead of going to our old house we are going to move in with Darious and Marcus. They have a MUCH bigger house with a lot more room."
Ears still twitching back and forth, he looked at her intently. "Da Mayhem can take hish shtuff wiff, right Lady Bosh?"
Grinning, she nodded, "Most of it. Some has to stay here but we will get you all new stuff when we get there, alright?"
Bouncing excitedly up and down on her lap he crowed, "Da Mayhem gitsh to goesh back an' see all hish fwiends!"
Darious was leaned back, observing the whole conversation with a grin on his face. At the mention of seeing friends he leaned forward and looked at the cat, eyes twinkling, "That reminds me, Zarah told me to tell you that she misses you Mayhem."
Immediately the cat's ears perked up and his stump started going at hyper speed again. "Zarry! Of 'courshe she mishes da Mayhem, all da ladiesh mish da Mayhem!"
Eyes sparkling, Dani grinned at Darious, "THAT explains it! I knew there had to be she-devil involvement somewhere along the line for you to have been able to find me."
He grinned sheepishly and shrugged, "You can't blame me can you? I got re-acquainted with Zarah after one of the meetings and couldn't resist asking where you were."
Grinning bigger, she chuckled, "And I don't suppose you used any of that considerable charm of yours to get it out of her did you?"
Spreading his hands out, palms up, he shrugged, a big grin on his face, "Maybe a little, but it didn't take much actually."
Laughing, she shook her head, "Knowing Zarah, I'm sure it didn't take much. She probably caved like a paper airplane in a rain storm."
"Don't get too mad at her, you know, she had your happiness in mind."
Winking at him, a twinkle in her eyes, she said, "I know. I'm not mad at her; this just means that I'm going to have to get her something nice when we get back."
Leaning his head against her chest, Mayhem purred softly, "Lady Bosh?"
Smiling down at him, she rubbed between his ears just the way she knew he liked it best, "Yes Mayhem?"
Purring loud enough to vibrate her and the table, he nuzzled onto her hand, "Are we'sh gonna be shtayin' wiff da Beashtie an' da poochie untilsh we go?"
"I don't know Mayhem, we didn't talk about it." Looking over at Darious, she shrugged, "What do you think would be best?"
Scratching his chin thoughtfully, he looked around the living room and all the things she had, thinking. "Why don't Marcus and I stay here if you have the room? We don't have much, just a couple of suitcases. It will save the time and effort of packing all your things up and moving them twice."
Winking at him, she grinned. "Oh, I think we can find room for you." Looking down at Mayhem she asked, "Can Marcus use your room and bed until we leave? You always sleep with me anyway, so can he use it until we all leave?"
Looking over at the big, hulking werewolf, who was still lost in thought, Mayhem then looked up at her, "OTay Lady Bosh, da poochie can ushesh muh room. Da beashtie ishn't gonna min' da Mayhem shlepin wiff yoush ish he?"
Shaking his head, Darious looked at the cat, "I don't mind Mayhem. You were with 'Lady Boss' before all this so I don't have a problem with it." Giving the still daydreaming Marcus a nudge, to get his attention, Darious cleared his throat.
Blinking a couple times, Marcus looked over at him. Nodding, Darious said, "Go to the apartment and get our stuff packed and bring it back here."
Standing up and stretching his large frame, Marcus yawned a bit, "Sure thing boss. Be back soon." Digging in his front pocket for the keys he walked out of the room.
After Marcus had left Darious leaned forward and once again took her hand, holding it and staring into her eyes. Smiling, she gave his had a squeeze and just gazed back into the eyes she had longed for time and again in her dreams.
Mayhem looked back and forth between them, a bit bewildered. He sat and waited for a few minutes for the conversation to once again start or something to happen. When it didn't he quickly got bored and started to fidget around, muttering. His twitching got her attention so, glancing down; she petted him a bit, smiling. "Mayhem?"
Purring loudly, he looked up at her, "Yesh Lady Bosh?"
Why don't you and I show Darious around so he knows where everything is while we wait for Marcus to come back?"
"KK!" he crowed happily, bounding off her lap and taking off for the staircase. "Followsh da Mayhem!" He exclaimed as he dashed up the stairs.
Standing up, she grinned at Darious and held her hand out to him.
Taking her hand, he stood up, grinning, and let her lead the way, never letting the hand go.
After the enthusiastic Mayhem led them on a whirlwind tour of all the rooms, both upstairs and down, they ended up in the basement rec-room. Bounding over to the jukebox, he slapped the button he knew turned it on filling the room with music. Hopping onto the pool table, he danced wildly while singing loudly and off key, to the fast paced tune.
Grinning at the cats' antics, Darious slipped an arm around her shoulder and held her close, gazing down into her eyes. When the next song, a slow one, kicked up, he slid the arm down to her waist, took her hand in his, and began swaying to the music, smiling into her hair. Pressing herself tightly to his chest, she leaned her head against the front of his shoulder and shut her eyes, a small, content smile on her face and let him lead her in the dance. Holding her tightly, he rested his head on the top of hers and shut his eyes, reveling in the feel of her body against his. Just having her in his arms and being able to hold her after all the years of thinking about her and wondering if she was lost forever made him happier than he could ever remember being. That tingling, warm sensation he'd noticed earlier seemed now to have permeated throughout his whole body, giving him an almost giddy feeling, something he was sure he had never felt before. It was if there had been an explosion of pure happiness inside him and it was now coursing throughout his whole body. While it was odd, it wasn't uncomfortable or unpleasant so he didn't question it and just surrendered to the feeling.
Focusing on just themselves, and their feelings, they both tuned out everything but each other, holding on to each other as if they would vanish again if they ever let go. Song after song played without them realizing the music had changed. They just continued swaying slightly and each holding tightly to the other.
Mayhem sat on the pool table, cleaning his paw, and watching them intently, head cocked to one side, eyes bright. Although as a cat he didn't think the way they did, even he could see what they felt for each other. Although it was a bit strange and all very new, it didn't bother or frighten him. Being as in tune with Dani as he was, he could feel just how happy she'd become. Finally, lying down, he watched them with his chin resting on his paws, tail swishing lazily to and fro.
It wasn't until he heard the front door open that he moved. Stretching, he glanced at Dani and Darious, who were oblivious to everything but each other and had heard nothing; he then took off up the stairs. He met Marcus as he was bringing in the last of the suitcases.
Looking down at the cat, he smiled, "Where is Darious?"
Sitting down and looking up at the big werewolf Mayhem replied, "Himsh and da Lady Bosh are down in da bashement dancin'."
Quirking an eyebrow at the statement, thinking how odd it sounded, he asked, "OK, do you know where I need to put these or do we have to ask Lady Danyealla?"
Bouncing up onto his feet, tail swishing purposefully, chest puffed out, Mayhem said, "I'sh do know where deysh go! Follow da Mayhem!" Then took off on a run for the stairs.
Grinning and shaking his head, Marcus grabbed the suitcases and trailed after the cat.
After hanging everything up he also got the grand tour from Mayhem before being led down to the basement. Standing at the foot of the stairs, he just stared bewildered at the two of them dancing. Since his clan had been annihilated he had been under the control of two demons, Darious and Lasher, his initial owner. He'd been around many other demons and never had he seen or even heard of anything like what Darious was displaying!
It was very obvious to him that Darious was in love, something he knew a true demon wasn't capable of. It was common knowledge that, demons couldn't say or think the 'L' word without causing themselves a great deal of pain. Yet, somehow or other, Darious had fallen deeply in love and it was obvious to everyone. How he was capable of doing so was beyond Marcus. Sure, Darious had been different from his last master but there was nothing to indicate, in the whole time he had been with him that he was, that much, different from any other demon. It wasn't just that either, some how or other his 'presence' was different. He couldn't place how it was different but or what the change was but it was there.
There was also another curious thing; Darious was 'stronger' than before. Not stronger as in a physical sense, no, but stronger as in his 'power', for lack of a better word, that had strengthened. While he had always radiated power, all demons do to a certain extent; the presence of it had never been nearly as powerful as it was now.
He had been in the company of Azmodeus many times in the past, because of Darious' dealings with him. When you were in his presence you could feel the sense of power the demon commanded. Darious was like that now. As a matter of fact, from the best of his recollection, it now felt like Darious was at least on the same level with it as the 'A' man himself.
Walking over, he sat on the edge of the pool table, one leg dangling and swinging back and forth, watching them dance, a look of confusion on his face. He wasn't sure what all of this meant, or the purpose of it. Directly on its' heels was the thought of just how much this was going to change things beyond the obvious changes that were coming because of Dani and Mayhem.
Hopping onto the pool table, Mayhem rested on his haunches and looked up at Marcus, "Dey ish bein' all mushy."
Grinning, he reached down and scratched between the cats' ears, "Sure are, aren't they?"
Hearing Marcus' deep voice brought Darious out of his daze. Glancing over at the two observers he just grinned.
Dani slipped out of the tight embrace but left her arm wrapped around Darious' waist. His arm slipped around her waist and held her close to him, seemingly unable to do without her touch on him again, almost like if he couldn't touch her there might be a danger that she would once again vanish from his life.
Bouncing up onto his feet, Mayhem looked at her, "Lady Bosh, it'sh time to eats!" He crowed, "Ish we goin' out for dindin or ish we shtayin' home?"
Dani and Darious turned and gazed into each other's eyes again and said simultaneously, "Staying home." Grinning, both of them winked at each other before she turned back to Mayhem. "How about we order pizza?"
Bouncing up and down on the pool table, Mayhem started chanting "Pizza!" in a sing-songy voice. Then he hopped off the table and tore up the stairs at break-neck speeds, still singing at the top of his lungs, sounding like a heard of elephants were running through the house.
Darious clapped Marcus on the shoulder then took Danis' hand and walked up the stairs with her.
After a supper of pizza, where Mayhem got his usual-a quadruple anchovy and cheese, they were sitting on the sofa, her on Darious' lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her, cheek resting on top of her head. Mayhem was curled up on her lap for his usual after dinner pets and scratches. After a bit she picked Mayhem up and sat him on the sofa. Smiling, she scratched between his ears, "Darious and I want some alone time now, OK? Why don't you and Marcus watch some movies for a while? I bet he hasn't seen some of what we have. No cartoons though, OK? I don't think he will like those." She said, giving Marcus a quick wink.
Bouncing up and down on the sofa, the springs in it creaking under the impact, Mayhem shouted, OTay Lady Bosh! Mooviesh time, mooviesh time, mooviesh time wiff the poochie!"
Leaning over the sofa, she whispered in Marcus ear, "We'll probably be busy for a while so could you help me out a little tonight? He knows when it is snack time and will tell you what tonight's snack is, get it for him please. There are plenty of munchies in the kitchen for you as well, help yourself. Also, he will tell you when it is time for him to put on his pajamas, would you do it for me? He'll hold still for it."
Grinning at her, he winked and chuckled, "No problem Lady Bosh!".
Swatting him playful in the back of the head, she said, "Smartass!" with a giggle. "Do me a favor and see if you can't get him to call Darious something besides Beastie please." She whispered again.
"Will do, I was going to work on the poochie thing anyway."
Ruffling his hair, she said, "Thanks." Then stood up. Leaning over the back of the couch, she kissed Mayhem on top of the head, "You and Marcus have fun, OK?"
Nuzzling his cheek against hers, he gave her nose a lick, "Will do Lady Bosh!" He said happily.
Darious had stood when she did, so without looking, she reached back and took his had before gazing up into his eyes with a somewhat predatory smile. Then without another word she led him up the stairs.
As soon as they'd shut the bedroom door behind them, Darious stepped in front of her, leaned down and kissed her, gently pushing her against the closed door. Wrapping her arms around his thick neck, she held him as close as she could, her mouth devouring his, almost animalistically.
That kiss quickly because rougher and more passionate, almost so intense that is was if they were tasting each others souls. Sliding his hands down, he cupped each of her asscheeks in one hand and lifted her up so that she was closer to his height. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his muscular waist, holding herself to him as if her very life depended on it. Supporting her ass with one hand, he slid the other up to the middle of her back and clutched her close, mouth still locked tightly to hers. Still kissing her, he turned and walked to the bed, tossing her onto it almost roughly then nearly ripped his clothes in his haste to get them off.
Looking up at him, she languidly licked her lips, then, sitting up, she quickly wriggled out of her clothes quickly and lay back on the bed, legs spread slightly, panting, watching him. Staring down at her, he licked his dry lips and grinned before kneeling down on the edge of the bed and gripping her thighs to pull her across to where her crotch was up against his. Grabbing his already stiff cock he slid it up and down through her soaking slit, wetting the head of it, then slowly, with firm pressure, he eased himself into her wet tunnel, hearing her hiss as her tight walls stretched to make room for his cock to slide in,. Over the years he had forgotten just how tight and hot she was, but now it all came back to him, making his need soar higher. Leaning over her body, he kissed her deeply and passionately, growling softly into her mouth. Slowly his hips started to drive his cock in and out of her tight sheath like the piston on a steam engine. With her legs locked around his waist tightly, she ground her crotch onto his; matching his movements, mouth devouring his with passionate abandon.
Grunting and growling, he pounded into her faster and faster, his legendary control starting to slip, the horn nubs once again erupted at his temples only, this time, they kept growing into curled horns, like those on a mountain goat. His skin seemed to flush a dull red then ripple a bit, red scales, like those on a lizard erupted and covered his whole body. Long, curved claws extended from the tip of each finger and dug into the mattress. His normal shaped canines grew into sharp fangs and nipped her lips and tongue lightly. Finally, his reddish dragon wings unfurled themselves from his shoulder blades and his long, forked tail stretched out behind him. Snarling and snorting, he thrust himself into her frantically, his claw trailing a red line across her belly as his thumb moved in to rub her clit.
Arching her hips up to take him deeper, she whimpered and shook all over. Her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, nails digging into the tough scales there. Holding tightly to him, she too started to growl slightly as her hips thrust up hard to meet his.
Pulling his mouth off hers, he looked down into her eyes, his own glowing deep, blood red. A forked tongue slipped out of his mouth and licked his lips then hers, a deep, rumbling growl emitting from his throat. Leaning down over her he started to kiss and nibble on her neck roughly, slowly working his way downward. His thrusts became harder and rougher, almost like an animalistic rut. His long, red tail waving slightly up and down with the motion.
Slowly, under him, she started to shift, first her eyes changed and her fangs expanded, as the change slowly progressed down her body. Though she tried to maintain control, he was masterful at what he did, knowing just where to touch and rub to make her whole body tingle as if building up an electrostatic charge. Desperately, she tried in vain to hold back the completion of the change.
Darious wasn't fairing much better, it was taking every ounce of will power he had not to climax. He was with the one he had longed for, she was his mate, yes his mate, his forever. Her touch, the intoxicating scent she was releasing, the sounds of their coupling combined to push him closer and closer to the edge. When he felt her walls begin to contract tightly around his swollen and throbbing member all thought of control was banished and he bellowed loudly as he started to shoot, sinking his razor-sharp fangs deep into her shoulder.
Finally filling the deep void that had haunted her since Germany, she surrendered to the ecstasy. Arching up and slamming onto him, holding him as if she was trying to merge and become one body, she shifted fully as her orgasm overwhelmed her, howling like a cat in heat, clinging tightly to his shoulders, digging her claws deep into his thick scales, her golden-green cat eyes glowing with lust and violence.
In the afterglow they were propped up against the headboard of the bed, sharing a drink, with the blankets tucked around them. About midway through she made to crawl out of bed but his arm around her waist stopped her. Nuzzling his face into her damp hair, he mumbled, "Where do you think you are going Kat?" a chuckle in his voice.
Nuzzling him softly she said, "To crack the door so Mayhem can get it."
"Ah! Something easily taken care of, without you having to move a muscle to do so." Waving his had, the doorknob turned and the door opened a crack.
Giggling a bit, she settled back next to him. "You are handy to have around for that stuff."
Leaning down and kissing the side of her face, rubbing a hand up and down her stomach. "For many things as you well know."
Taking his hand, she looked at it and grinned. "I see you once again became the great, red lizard. Fully this time though. No more of that half-assed shit like earlier today.
Chuckling deeply, "You, my delectable kitty cat, seem to have that effect on me. And I prefer to be referred to as a dragon, not a lizard, as you well know from times past." He said, tickling her sides a little bit.
Giggling a bit, she looked up at him, eyes twinkling mischievously, "Darious? Do you know what a dragon is?"
Rolling his eyes and groaning softly, but his grin widening a bit, he said, "Oh hell, here we go!"
Poking him softly in the sides, she winked, "A dragon is just a lizard with a better tailor and a great PR man."
Grinning bigger, he looked down at her, eyes glowing with mirth, "You wound my ego!"
Rolling her eyes, she stuck out her tongue at him, "Oh puh-lease Darious! There isn't any force in this world or any other that can dent that giant ego of yours!"
Grinning bigger, he was about to reply when Mayhem poked his head in the door, "Yoush dun playin' Lady Bosh?"
Patting the bed beside her, she said, "Yes Mayhem, you can come in."
Bounding into the bedroom he hopped up onto the bed and curled up next to her, purring loudly, dressed in footed pajamas with blue dragons on them with blue dragon slippers on his feet that roared with every step he took. "Da Mayhem and da Marky wuz watchin' mooviesh!"
Reaching out, Darious petted him, expecting the cat to flinch away from his demonic from. But, surprisingly, he didn't, leaning into his had, purring louder. "Did you have fun Mayhem?"
Turning his greening-golden eyes onto Darious, stump of a tail swishing a bit, the cat purred and said, "I shure did dere Mookie! Marky ish fun ta watch mooviesh wiff!"
"Mookie?" Darious said, eyebrows arching into his hair.
Giggling madly, Dani looked up at him, "Mookie! I love it! That is your new nickname!" She then collapsed against him, heaving with laughter.
Grinning, Darious shook his head and petted the cat more. "And I can take a VERY good guess as to where he got the idea for that particular name!" He said, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Oh Marcus!" He called out in a sing-song voice.
A couple minutes later, Marcus poked his head in the door, a big grin on his face, "Yeah boss?"
Eyes twinkling, Darious asked, "Mayhem has a rather unique new nickname for me, you wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"
Stepping into the room, a sheepish grin on his face, Marcus chuckled, "Well, yeah, I would. I was working with him to get rid of the poochie and beastie bit. He just couldn't pronounce your name. Mookie was as close as he could get."
She had Mayhem on his back, on her lap, scratching his tummy; listening to the cat moan and whimper about how good it felt. Looking up at Marcus then Darious, she then glanced down at Mayhem. "Mayhem?"
He looked up at her, all four legs up in the air, tail swishing rapidly, "Yesh Lady Bosh?"
"How about calling Darious Boss like Marcus does? Would that be easier for you to say?"
Righting himself and leaning against her chest, still purring, he looked up at Darious, "Yeah Bosh ish muchly eashier to shay for da Mayhem."
Looking up at Darious, she winked and smiled, "Is that OK with you Mookie?"
Grinning, he kissed her on the temple and gave Mayhem a good scratch between the ears. "That works for me."
Leaning down and kissing the cat on the head, she asked him, "Would you mind sleeping with Marcus tonight so me and Mookie can have some more playtime?" Looking up at the big werewolf lounging in the doorway, "That is if it is OK with you Marcus."
Startled, he looked at her. He wasn't used to being asked if something was OK, just being told. "Sure, that's fine with me if Mayhem wants to. Especially since I have a whole, king-sized feather bed to myself. Here I thought it was going to be a cat bed or something!"
Grinning, she said, "It was my old bed. I gave it to Mayhem when I got this one. Works great when we have company." Looking down at Mayhem, she asked, "That OK with you Mayhem? Want to have a slumber party with Marcus?"
Bouncing around excitedly, Mayhem shouted, "Yesh! Shlumber partay wiff da Marky!" Giving Dani his normal nose nuzzle and lick on the cheek for a kiss goodnight, then nuzzling Darious' cheek, he hopped excitedly off the bed and called over his shoulder, "NiNi Lady Bosh and Bosh!" Then dashing out of the room, he called out, "C'mon Marky! Letsh get weady for bed!"
Grinning, Marcus tipped an invisible hat at them and grinned, winking, "Night all, have fun!" Then he disappeared out of the doorway saying, "Coming Mayhem!"
Darious wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly, nuzzling his face in her hair. "Alone again..."
"Sure are Mookie." She said, giggling a bit, reaching over her shoulder to run her fingers through his hair.
Chuckling deeply, he said, tickling her ear with his tongue, "Well, that nickname stuck, even if I didn't want it to."
Giggling harder, she pulled her head away, "Only for me."
" YOU I can handle."
Turning sideways, she wrapped her arms around his thick neck and leaned close to his ear and whispered softly, "I love you Darious."
Immediately, his skin prickled and that warm sensation washed over him once again, making him tingle. Looking at her, he smiled. "I believe I know you do my Kat. And..."
Putting one finger to his lips to shush him, she smiled, "I know you can't but I know you feel for me, which is all that matters."
He stared into her eyes, lost and confused. That "L" word should have caused him serious, physical pain, but it didn't. He should be in agony, but he wasn't. Add to that, somehow, some way, he KNEW she did and could feel it! How and why was this happening? All that confusion filled him as he looked down at her but, with a supreme effort; he put it aside and smiled. "My Kat." He whispered softly, "My beautiful, wonderful Kat, back where she belongs, with me, forever."
Eyes twinkling, her smile grew a bit, "My Darious." She whispered, softly caressing the side of his face.
Pulling her closer, if that was possible, and holding her a bit more tightly, he whispered in her ear," From you, I don't mind Mookie. I rather like it as a matter of fact."
Giggling softly, she ran her fingers through his hair and smiled softly, "My Mookie." Leaning forward, she kissed him tenderly, holding him tightly to her.
Breaking off the kiss, he rested his cheek on top of her head and held her close, running his claws through her hair softly, eyes shut. An unfamiliar stinging and burning started in his eyes, making him blink rapidly to get it to go away. Only one other time in his existence had he felt that: the day he watched her leave him and run across the Alaskan tundra, leaving him behind. Then he felt heaviness in his chest that almost hurt now he felt as though his chest would burst because it felt so good, so right.
Pulling her onto his lap, her back resting against his massive chest, he wrapped one arm around her waist. Putting a finger under her chin, he gently turned it to the side and began to kiss her softly. Slowly, he started to caress up and down her stomach. Gradually his hand roamed upwards until he was touching her breasts. Moving his other hand downwards he cupped them in his palms, massaging them a bit and occasionally caressing her nipples with one finger. Their kissing gradually became more passionate and lustful their tongues entwining Letting go of her mounds his hands wandered downward until they reached the soft tuffs of hair above her pussy.
Pulling away slightly, she quickly turned around to face him, straddling his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him passionately. Starting once again to devour her mouth, he then shifted her around so that he could slide a hand down to their crotch. Wrapping one arm around her back, he pulled her closer; bending his knees a bit to raise her up slightly. Adjusting the position of both his cocks, he lined them up with both her holes. Slowly, he eased all ten inches of them inside her until they hit bottom. Holding her close with the one arm around her back, he slowly started to slide his cocks in and out. With his other hand he started rubbing her clit.
Moaning into his mouth, she shivered. She had long forgotten just how good if felt to be D.P.ed with both his cocks. The masterful way he used them to give the ultimate pleasure was astounding. Being the Lord of Lust, Sex and Decadence had given him and expertise that no one else in the world could come close to now matter how hard they tried.
Growling softly as he kissed her, he slowly continued to trust into her. Making love to someone wasn't something he did very often. While it was something he did do quite well it wasn't truly his forte as the more bestial fucking was. The short session earlier had taken the edge off his hunger so he was better able to concentrate on what he was doing rather than what he craved. Although it was a bit of a struggle to keep himself from getting more animalistic he was able to keep a grip on it.
As minutes clicked past his pace gradually speed up as their kissing became more fervent and insistent. Sweat beads glistened on their skin, shining slightly in the low light of the room. Moans mingled with the distinctive sounds of the slap of flesh on flesh filled the room. Putting a hand on the back of her head, he pulled her into a rougher and more animalistic kiss, his eight inch prehensile tongue wrapping around hers. Her whole body was quivering, a sure fire sign to him that her orgasm was close at hand. Thrusting a bit faster, working his finger faster on her clit, feeling it throb madly.
Pulling away and breaking the kiss, she threw her head back and howled as wave after wave of pure pleasure burst throughout her body. Quaking all over, she clutched onto him tightly, grinding on his cocks. In a matter of just a few seconds she had shifted fully, roaring like a lion.
Grunting, teeth gritted, he thrust into her as her tight sleeves spasmed around his flesh, gripping and releasing as if they were trying to draw him in deeper. When she started to grind onto his cock he allowed himself to finally release, filling both her holes, groaning.
Lying in each others arms afterwards, once again in human form, they didn't say much, content to just feel each other close. The power of both sessions had taken its toll on them, and even Darious whose stamina was legendary, was feeling sleepy and pleasantly worn out. Before turning out the bedside lamp, she reached up on the shelves that were attached to the wall about the headboard and grabbed a ratty looking stuffed cat. Putting it on the pillow above her head, she shut the light off and curled back up to Darious, one arm draped over his chest, head resting on his shoulder.
Seeing the stuffed cat, he grinned from ear to ear, holding her tightly then
kissed her on top of the head. "I see you still have your old buddy
Claude." She had the thing when they were in
Looking up at him, she grinned, "Of course! We've been inseparable for hundreds of years."
Kissing her on the head again, her musky, sensual smell filling his nostrils and sending jolts of wanton lust to his brain, he held her tight and shut his eyes. A grin of contentment turned up the corners of his mouth he drifted off to sleep, her soft purrs of contentment in his ears.
The next morning, Marcus was awaked by Mayhem walking around on the bed, talking to himself. Turning onto his side, he propped himself up on one elbow and scratched the cat between the ears. "What's up, Mayhem?"
Purring happily, Mayhem nuzzled his hand, tail swishing, "Yoush awake! Da Mayhem ish gettin' hun'ry and wantsh hish brefasht."
Sitting up, Marcus stretched and leaned back against the headboard. "Oh I think I can do something about that. What do you usually have to eat for breakfast?"
Resting back on his haunches, the cat looked up at him, licking his chops, "Me an' da Lady Bosh ushuallies go down to da resheraunt an' get shumfin fromsh dere."
Standing up, he stretched a bit then gave the cat another scratch, "I think I can handle that. Let me get dressed and we will go, OK?"
Not long after that they were in the Hummer, sitting in line at the drive-thru. Mayhem was on his lap, jabbering happily as they waited. When they were in front of the speaker, the cat poked his head out the window and meowed loudly. A female giggle was heard through the loudspeaker then she asked, "Is that Mayhem?"
Grinning, Marcus petted the cat and said, "Yup, it's Mayhem."
The voice giggled again and asked, "Do you want his usual?"
"Yes please, plus a few other things." He rattled off an order of what he thought everyone would like. When he pulled up to the window and paid the girl, a cute little brunette with big brown eyes, reached in and petted Mayhem before she handed over the food.
When they got home, he sat out Mayhem's food and let him eat. Setting out everyone else's, he went up to see if Darious was awake. It was late anyway, well after 9:00 A.M., far past the time he usually woke up. After a quick listen to make sure he wasn't interrupting anything, he gave a quick rap on the door then poked his head inside.
Lifting his head a bit, Darious opened one eye and looked at him, "What?" he growled, then yawned.
"Breakfast is ready."
Groaning a bit, Darious laid his head back down. "Alright, we'll be down in a bit."
After he heard the door shut, he curled up closer to the still softly purring Dani and put his arm around her then dozed back off.
A half an hour later he was awakened again by the annoying ring of his cell phone. Opening it and hitting the talk button automatically, he held it to his ear and growled, "What?"
"Well, it is SO nice of you to answer, your majesty. Would you care to tell me when you will be gracing the office with your presence? We have been patiently waiting to see your smiling and cheerful face because there's a load of contracts here for you to look at." Nyssa's voice echoed through the speaker, the sarcasm very evident in the tone.
Chuckling a bit, he rubbed his eyes and sat up slightly, leaning against the headboard, being careful not to disturb the sleeping Dani. "Good morning to you too, Nyssa."
"Good morning, Sunshine." she growled into the phone. "Now, again, I ask: when will you be gracing our presence today? We took delivery of the contracts from the Pussycat a bit ago and you need to go over them. Not only that, Modega is DEMANDING that I tell him why you aren't here yet. He is stomping around here like a bear with a sore head."
Rubbing his eyes, he groaned softly at the thought of the coming conversation with Modega because he was sure that her description of him was very apt, possibly even a bit understated. "I have a few things to take care of before I come in so I should be there about noon. Tell Modega to calm down, I will talk to him when I get there."
Giving a deep, resigned sigh she said, "Alright, I'll pass it on." After a couple seconds pause she said, tone suspicious, "Just what are you up to Darious? This is not like you."
Grinning from ear to ear he said, "I'll fill you in when I get there. Let's just say I have one helluva surprise for you and leave it at that."
"Oh really now?" There was a tone of curiosity in her voice, something she very rarely, if ever, showed.
Grinning bigger, he chuckled, "Oh yes! I'll explain it all when I get there."
"Alright, just make it quick or I might have to kill Modega." she said, and then hung up.
Pushing the off button then shutting the phone, tossed it onto the nightstand then stretched, groaning a bit. Reaching over, he ran his fingers through Dani's sleep-tousled hair, "Kat?"
Groaning loudly, she grabbed a pillow and covered her head with it before muttering a muffled, "What?"
Grinning, he stroked her side a bit, "Marcus has breakfast downstairs."
"I don't eat, you know that." came her muffled reply.
"That's right, I had forgotten. I have to go to the office today as well."
"I'll be here when you come home; I ain't going anywhere, too tired."
Grinning, he reached down and rubbed her ass through the blanket. "I would like for you to come with me. Please, Kat."
Lifting the corner of the pillow, she peered at him with one still sleep-bleary eye, "Why? You know quite well I am not a day being."
Sliding down on his side next to her he pulled the pillow away and tossed it aside then held her close, smiling, "Because I have something I would like to do with you. Also, though it might sound weird, now that we are together I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I guess a making up for lost time thing."
Flopping onto her back, she groaned loudly then looked at him, eyes squinted. "I don't do mornings well, you know that. It isn't like you are gonna be gone that long anyway, Darious."
Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close then kissed her softly. "I'll probably have to be there most of the day. They got the contracts from the Pussycat this morning so I will have to go over them, make changes and all that before we can send them back. That alone will probably take most of the day." He said, sighing deeply.
Giving him a squinty-eyed look, she said, "You won't leave me alone until I agree, will you?"
Grinning big he said, "You know me SO well!" Running his fingers through her tousled hair he winked at her, grinning bigger.
Groaning loudly, she shut her eyes and rubbed them, "You can be SUCH a pain in the ass, Darious!"
Chuckling, he rubbed her stomach softly, "Damn right I can be. One of those things you always liked about me."
Opening one eye, she blew him a very moist raspberry, causing him to chuckle more, and then sat up. Stretching, she yawned then rubbed her eyes. "If I am going out of this house, I need a shower. I smell like sulfur and brimstone." she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Grinning more, he sat up and kissed her again. "Yum, early AM Kat!" he said, winking. "I will let you shower alone, because if I get in there with you it is going to be a sure-fire guarantee that something will happen and we might not be going anywhere. So I will wait until you are done. I'll go down and see what Marcus has found for breakfast while you hop in the shower."
Standing up and stretching, she groaned. "Alright, tell Mayhem I will be down when I get done."
Standing, he shrugged a robe on and belted it tightly then hugged her close and gave her a soft kiss. "Will do."
Waiting until he closed the door and she heard his footsteps on the stairs, she grabbed the cordless phone off its charger and took it into the bathroom. Starting the water in the shower she dialed the executive office suite of the LA D2K building. Connection to the secretary she growled her name and told the flustered woman she wanted to be connected to Amelia, the president of the LA branch. After a couple clicks, and no hold music, the phone rang once before it was picked up. Before the woman on the other end could say anything Dani growled, "This is Danyealla."
Swallowing hard, an audible click emitting from her throat, the young looking woman stood up from her chair as if Dani could see her. "Lady Danyealla! How can I help you?"
Sticking her hand in the shower to test it, she adjusted the water then sat on the edge of the tub, "The contract with Triple D..."
Nodding a bit, starting to perspire, Amelia said, "I sent over a revised copy this morning. They should be looking it over today and will send back any changes they want. They should be back in our hands tomorrow I would think. It is all going smoothly and there shouldn't be problems at all with it, Lady D."
Leaning back against the cool tiles, she put one foot in the tub and twirled it in the water collecting on the bottom, "Sign it as is."
"Excuse me?" The baffled woman stammered.
"Sign it as is!" She growled, grinning, easily imaging the expression on the poor woman's face.
"But Lady D, this is a company you have to be careful of. Because of the nature of..."
Snarling a bit, Dani barked, grinning, "I said sign it AS IS! Do I have to come down there and do it myself?"
Amelia, as well as most of the younger she-devils, had never met the infamous Lady D. But plenty of rumors had abounded about her and what she did with people that didn't listen or went against her wishes. Nodding her head vigorously and swallowing around the lump in her throat she stammered out, mouth dry as an arid desert "Yes Lady D, I'll sign them ASAP and messenger them back over. They should get them in an hour or so."
Grinning and suppressing a chuckle, Dani said, "Good!" After hanging up she burst into a gale of giggles. Stepping under the warm water she grinned a bit, shaking her head, "The young ones are SO easy!" she said out loud, rolling her eyes.
It didn't take long for everyone to get ready, so they were on their way in less than an hour. After being on the road for about 15 minutes or so, Dani looked at the passing scenery then over to Darious, a quizzical look on her face, "Hang on, this isn't they way to get to your office. As a matter of fact we are going in the opposite direction. Just where ARE we going, Darious?"
Grinning a bit, he winked, "It's a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see." Arching an eyebrow, he asked, "You know where my office is?"
Giggling a bit, she wiggled her eyebrows, "Of course."
"Wench!" he said, chuckling deeply. She just stuck her tongue out at him and giggled.
It was a bit of a drive until Darious parked the SUV in front of one of the up-scale jewelry stores in Beverly Hill. Dani gave him a weird look but said nothing about it. Poking his head in between the seats, Mayhem looked at the display window and saw the jewelry then exclaimed, "Oooooh! We ish goin' ta a shparkliesh shtore!"
Once out of the car Darious took her hand while Marcus carried the cat. Opening the door for her, she walked in. One of the sales people came up and asked what they were looking for. Immediately Darious said, "Wedding bands and an engagement ring."
Dani just looked at him, floored, unable to say anything. He grinned and winked at her again then led her over to the display case that contained them. Marcus and Mayhem walked around, looking at all the other things, talking quietly to each other.
Per usual, as a sign of status and wealth, he picked out the biggest diamond he saw and had Dani try it on. Looking at it then her, he asked, "What do you think?"
Shaking her head, "It's not for me. Something that big and fancy just doesn't look when I wear, it's much too ostentatious."
Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close and smiled, "You can get anything you want, so go ahead and pick one out."
She finally settled on a beautiful two-carat one set into a platinum band and they both decided on platinum wedding bands. After a bit of a wait and Darious paying for them, they walked out to the car again.
Instead of putting on his seatbelt and starting it, he pulled both boxes out of his pocket and sat them on his leg. Opening the one that containing the bands, he slipped hers out then took her left hand and slid it on her finger, smiling. After repeating the process with the diamond she did the same thing with his wedding band. Leaning over, he kissed her softly, "While mating isn't the same as marriage I still want everyone to see that you and I are together and that I am proud of the fact that you have allowed me to be in your life as your partner."
Smiling, she reached out and ran her fingers through his dark hair and kissed him softly, "Thank you, Darious."
"Anything for you, my Kat."
Poking his head between the seats again, Mayhem looked at the rock on her finger and exclaimed, "Dat ish purdy Lady Bosh!"
Leaning down, she kissed the cat on top of the head then scratched under his chin, "Thanks Mayhem."
After a bit of time they finally arrived at the building that housed his office. After walking past Nyssa's desk, holding Dani's hand, Marcus and the excited and curious Mayhem bringing up the rear, he opened the door to his office and led everyone in after telling Nyssa to bring in what he had to take care of.
Normally, Nyssa was about as unflappable as they came, being around Darious tended to make you a bit shock-proof, but she stared at what she was seeing, mouth hanging open. Not only was Darious in jeans and boots, she had never seen him come to the office in anything but a suit and tie, but there was a female with him. Not only that, he was holding hands with her. In the whole time she had worked with him he had NEVER brought one of his many lady friends to the office, let alone have a public display of affection with one.
Once inside Mayhem was allowed off his leash so he dashed around checking everything out. Finally, he climbed up into Darious office chair and sat down, front paws on the desktop. "I ish bosh kiddy now!" he crowed happily.
"You sure are." Darious said, winking at Dani. Sitting down in one of the chairs around the conference table, he pulled Dani into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist before propping his feet on the table. Marcus flopped on the couch, stretching out, his head resting on the arm of it.
Without knocking Nyssa let herself in, carrying the paperwork and messages that needed attended to. Stopping in her tracks, she looked first at the cat sitting behind the desk then to Darious, a look of bewilderment on her face. It had always been an unwritten rule that NO ONE was allowed in that chair but him. If that wasn't enough, Darious' relaxed posture and attitude were even more bewildering. She had never seen him like this before. Usually, from the time he arrived until he left for the day, he was all business. Beyond that, Darious had never been known to have much of a light-hearted or playful side.
Grinning, Darious winked at her, amused by the startled look on her face. "Put them on the desk, I'll get to them in a bit. Besides, Mayhem is the boss today so you need to give it to him to take care of."
After laying everything out on his desk just the way she knew he liked, she stood up and gave him a sharp look, "Before you get down to business, why don't you fill me in on just what in the blue blazes is going on. Because, from what I'm seeing, none of this is making any form of sense and is totally out of character for you. "
Motioning to one of the chairs, he winked at her, "You might want to sit down for this one, Nyssa."
Sitting herself, she looked at him warily, one eyebrow arched. He could be a bit unpredictable at times, so he didn't want to hazard a guess as to what bombshell he was about to drop.
Grinning, he said, "Nyssa, meet Danyealla, my new wife. We tied the knot last night." Picking up Dani's left hand, he held it out so Nyssa could see the rings.
Shocked, her jaw dropped. Darious was a notorious womanizer that had never kept a girlfriend more than a month, so even the mere thought of him getting married was laughable. Reaching out, he took Dani's hand and looked at the diamond. "Girl, you should have made that tightwad buy you the biggest diamond you could find."
Chuckling, Darious' eyes twinkled. Dani just grinned, "He tried to buy me one like that and I didn't want it. This one is fine."
Leaning back, Nyssa took a closer look at the small blonde. Softly, she said, "You're one of those she-devils, aren't you?" Not knowing whether to answer that or not, Dani glanced at Darious.
"Look, I know Darious isn't human, but I don't know what he is. Even a blind man could tell Marcus over there is a werewolf."
Chuckling, Marcus let out a soft wolf-like howl. Glancing back at Nyssa, Dani nodded, "Yes, I'm one of them."
Nodding, Nyssa replied, "Good, you'll be able to keep him in check." Glancing back at Darious, a sadistic glee dancing in her eyes and the corners of her mouth turned up in a bit of a grin, she winked, "I can't WAIT for your wife to meet Cassandra! That should prove to be an interesting introduction. Not only that, it might make things around the office a bit more exciting."
That statement wiped the grin off Darious' face and sobered him up instantly. Until it was mentioned he hadn't even thought about Cassandra and what Dani's reaction to the conniving woman might be. That could be a situation that, very quickly, could turn into something quite ugly.
Grinning bigger, Nyssa chuckled, "Didn't think about that, did you Lothario? Might make for a very interesting scenario."
Looking at Nyssa then up at Darious, Dani asked, "Who's Cassandra?"
"She's my personal assistant back at the home office. I guess you could say she's a bit of a schemer."
"Met plenty of them over my lifetime, so there shouldn't be a problem." Dani said, shrugging.
"Cassandra is in a league all her own, take my word for it!" Nyssa said, eyes sparkling. Groaning, Darious rubbed his eyes.
Standing up, Nyssa said, "I'll go get Modega. He's been chomping at the bit waiting for you." Darious nodded as she swept out of the room.
"This oughtta be real amusing!" Marcus said, chuckling deeply.
Hopping on top of Darious' desk, Mayhem then hopped over to the conference table then crawled into Dani's lat and curled up.
Within a couple of minutes, Modega barged in, snarling, "It's about fucking ti..." He stopped up short when he saw who was in Darious' lap. Even from across the room he could feel the mating bond between them. Moaning loudly, he flopped into the nearest chair at the conference table and slouched down, glaring daggers at Darious. "Fuck, we are in a world of shit now. What in the hell did you do, Darious? I thought you said you were going to work out some kind of arrangement with her?"
Grinning from ear to ear, he chuckled, "I DID come to an arrangement with her. I caved in, totally and completely. Offered her everything from my company to being her slave and she still turned me down. Was even willing to beg her, but this worked out MUCH better."
Mayhem cocked his head to one side, eyeing Modega, and then looked up at Dani, "It'sh annoder beashtie Lady Bosh. Want I should shred him?"
Letting his head drop back, Modega closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, feeling the start of a very bad headache coming on. "This is just fucking great. Not only am I in the worlds worst nightmare, I have a cat that wants to attack me. This is turning out to be one shitty ass day and it isn't even noon yet."
Rolling her eyes, Dani grinned and shook her head. "No Mayhem, no shredding. He works for Darious, so he is cool."
Nodding, Mayhem replied, "Kk Lady Bosh." Lying back down on her lap, he found a comfortable position but kept an eye on Modega.
"Is he always like this?" Dani asked, looking up at Darious.
"Oh yes, this is a normal state for him. He is the resident doomsayer around here, envisioning catastrophe at every turn. You'll get used to it after a while. But, I'll admit, this a bit more extreme than usual."
Getting up, Modega grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the drinks cart Darious always kept in the corner and poured a couple fingers of it in a glass. Downing it in one gulp, he poured himself another and sat back down, sipping it.
Glaring at Darious, he snarled, "Do you realize what the consequences of this could be? Or what kind of uproar it could bring down on you and me? Every demon out there is going to be gunning for you now to see if they can get her away from you. From the other end, all the higher ones are going to be trying the same damn thing. You know as well as I do that no demon out there has been able to lay claim to a she-devil. If that wasn't bad enough or enough of an enticement the fact that she is the oldest and most powerful of her kind ever is just going to stoke the fires."
Both Darious' face and eyes hardened, a small blood vessel on his forehead pulsed and he gritted his teeth. "They can TRY all they want; they will NOT succeed in doing so! She has my mark on her and, try as they might, they will not be able to remove it. This mark is not the mark of possession we give to our slaves, this mark burns much deeper. If, by some stroke of luck, one of them got the upper hand and did send me home that would not remove my mark from her, because I cannot die. Wherever either of us may be, we will still bound together for all eternity and even Lucifer himself cannot undo that."
"You and I both know there are plenty of denizens that will try anyway, even if they know they cannot do it. Even if they know they cannot win the lure of getting their hands on someone like her is going to prove to be too much of a temptation. Not only will they go after you they are going to use every scheme they can think of to trick her into becoming theirs." Modega snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"And risk breaking the High Laws? I think not! All denizens know the laws governing things like this. We are not to interfere with the Great Lady's' children. To break those laws would incur her wrath and result in a swift and harsh punishment. None of our kind would be willing to risk such a think for one being. Even Lord Lucifer himself would be unwilling to do such a thing. "
"Everyone knows the High Laws about the Great Ladies Children but they also know about the loophole that says we can try to trick or scheme one of her Children into becoming ours as long as we do not interfere with them or their doings."
"That isn't true for all Gaia's children." Dani said softly.
"What do you mean?" Modega queried a puzzled look on his face.
"While that loophole applies to most of Gaia's children it doesn't for those who carry her mark. Those of us who are chosen and have followed that path are off-limits to the dwellers of heaven and hell, as are the humans who have chosen Gaia's path. We are under her purview and are to be left alone."
Turning a bit greenish-white, Modega shuddered then asked his voice low and soft, "You are hers, you carry her mark."
Nodding, Dani looked at him. "I am Gaia's child and carry her mark. While, by today's standards, I would be referred to as Wiccan or Pagan, what I am is the last of the witches of old, the last of those who know the old ways and practice the arts of the Ancients. It's I that am the last to carry the knowledge of the Ancients, whose lineage stretches back to the time the humans and the dark creatures were one being. I carry the last secrets of those who were the first of Gaia's children after the Celestials split the first beings into those who are the ancestors of man and those who are Gaia's children."
Grinning a bit, she looked up at Darious and winked, "Not only am I off-limits, my mate is as well, but only when it comes to involvement with me. Darious cannot be attacked if the reason for the attack is to try to take me from him."
Modega shuddered a bit, pale as a ghost. Darious looked down at her, nodding, "She's right. That is the Great Law."
Taking a drink, Modega looked at both of them. "That is only one of the problems. If the humans find out what she is they are going to catch on that you aren't human, Darious. If that gets out how long do you think it will be before they figure out exactly what you are? Even with your status and power, there is no way you could continue on dealing with humans."
Taking Dani's hand in his, he nodded and sighed, "Yes, that's true, I couldn't. But that time is coming anyway, you know that. You and I both know that the Final Battle isn't far off. It was obvious to all of us when the dark creatures finally revealed themselves to the humans that was the Great Lady's' warning to all. If they don't change their ways and do something to correct or reverse the damage done to earth and help her to heal their reign as the dominant species will end when the Final Battle is fought. We know she will set the events in motion to elevate her Children into the dominant species and finally take over the leadership from the humans; it's only a matter of time now. This is the reason I started to deal with the dark creatures, to set in place the safeguards so that I could continue on after the Time of the Correction.
"There is also the thought that, in my opinion, the Denizens won't be secret much longer. With humanity knowing those things that had been thought of as myths for eons are real don't you think many are coming to the realization that if all those myths are real that we must be as well? That, indeed, we probably are already walking the earth as so many have already said? Our time is coming as well, like it or not."
Nodding, Modega put his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his hands. "You're right of course, but until that time we need to be cautious and careful."
"I know, and I plan to be. I will put as many safeguards in place as I can to maintain the image and proceed with caution, rest assured."
Sitting quietly, staring at the floor for a few minutes. Looking up at Darious, "How were you able to mate? We aren't able to do that. How did you manage to do what all the rest of us are unable to do?" He asked, his voice soft, almost a whisper.
Looking over at Modega, she said, "Good question." She then looked up at Darious, "How were you able to when it's almost carved in stone that demons can't mate."
Shaking his head, Darious sighed, "Truthfully? I don't know either, I really don't. It's odd and I have no explanation for it. The only thing I can come up with that makes any form of sense is that because my nature is lust and that lust and that other 'L' word are very closely related. That may be the explanation but it doesn't wholly make sense either.
Before yesterday any time someone mentioned the 'L' word around me I had the normal reaction to it, it caused a great deal of physical pain. But, last night when it was used I didn't feel that pain. In its place I felt what I can only explain as a warm, tingling sensation. I don't know if that is because of the mating or not. But that wouldn't account for the ability to do what our kind is incapable of. Sorry, that's the best explanation I have for it and it isn't a very good one either."
Shrugging, Modega swallowed the last of the whiskey then looked at Darious, "That makes a bit of sense but my gut tells me that it's wrong."
Because the topic was bit unsettling, Darious shifted away from it. "You have the contracts for the Pussycat?"
Also grateful to end the awkward conversation Modega nodded, "Yes, they were delivered this morning."
Shifting into business mode Darious nodded, "Very good. What are the changes they want?"
A puzzled look on his face, Modega shook his head, "None, they are signed. All they need is your John Hancock and it is a done deal."
"What? I thought we had a ways to go yet with the negotiations?"
"We did, nothing was final."
"Why did they sign them then? This makes no sense." As soon as those words left his mouth, it hit him. Looking down at Dani, he grinned, "I was you wasn't it? You told them to."
"Well DUH, Darious." she said, a grin turning up the corners of her mouth. "You're my mate so it's a bit doubtful that you are going to screw me over in a business deal."
Eyes twinkling, he grinned bigger, "No, that would not make for a very happy home life now, would it?" Leaning down a bit, he whispered in her ear, "But if we didn't have company, I'd screw you in another way right here." He then tickled her ear with his tongue.
Winking, she purred like a cat.
Even with the contracts signed, its still took most of the day to take care of important business. Since Darious wasn't a big fan of eating out for every meal they made a side trip to the store to pick up enough supplies to feed them for the few more days they would be in LA. At home, they made dinner and once everyone had finished they adjourned to the living room where they just sat and talked, playing catch-up.
After a short catnap Mayhem's internal clock buzzed and he dashed over to a box in the corner where he grabbed a small football helmet then hurried over to the chair where Dani and Darious were quietly cuddling. Hopping onto her lap he looked up at here, dropping the helmet, "Lady Bosh? It'sh time for dat wreshering to's come on. Da Mayhem needsh hish wreshering hat so I can watches it!" he said excitedly.
Smiling at him, she gave him a scratch between the ears, "Thanks for reminding me, I'd forgotten all about it." Carefully, she put the on his head. It was modified so there were holes for his ears and the face protector had been removed.
"Fanks Lady Bosh!" He shouted. Giving her a lick on the nose and rubbing his cheek against hers, he hopped off her lap. Scurrying under the coffee table, he pushed a small box towards the chair. "Dun forgets da bricks." Sitting down, he looked up at her, tail twitching side to side. "No kickin' dat TV wite Lady Bosh?"
Grinning, she shook her head, "That's right, no kicking the TV."
Pondering the 'kicking' comment, Darious glanced down into the box. It contained a bunch of bricks made of what appeared to be the same kind of foam that was used for Nerf balls. Puzzled as to what their purpose could be, he was about to ask her when she turned the TV on and she and Mayhem both shouted, "WooHoo! Wrestling!" Mayhem then squeezed under the sofa and poked his head out a bit. Chuckling, Darious smiled and shook his head.
From the get-go it was obvious that both of them were enthusiastic fans of the Shakespearian drama unfolding on the screen. Mid-way through the first match the ref missed a blatant foul on one of the participants. "How in the hell could you miss that! I didn't know they hired blind people to referee! You KNOW he cheats all the time so you should be paying closer attention!" She screamed, her fingers digging into her hair. Grabbing one of the bricks, she chucked it at the TV, "Pull your fucking head out of your ass and do your job!"
"Dat's wite!" Mayhem shouted.
Darious arched an eyebrow and grinned, curious now to know if this went on throughout the whole show.
It wasn't long before Dani was out of Darious lap, pacing, hopping up and down and cussing at the TV and the participants. During a commercial break, she dashed into the kitchen to find a drink. Poking his head out, Mayhem looked up at Darius, ears twitching, "Da me an' da Lady Bosh likes wreshering!"
Chuckling, he grinned at the cat, "I see that! But I think the word like is a bit of an understatement."
Nodding, Mayhem said, "It'sh fun!"
Suppressing a laugh, eyes twinkling, Darious said, "I'm guessing that someone has kicked the TV before while you were watching." After seeing the reaction of the both of them he was pretty sure who that someone had been.
"Yesh, Da Lady Bosh kicked da ol' TV and it 'shploded sho wesh had ta get annoder one."
Before Darious could say anything else the show was back on. Wiggling around excitedly Mayhem shouted, "It'sh back on, Lady Bosh!"
Dashing in from the kitchen, Dani took a long swallow of soda, then handed Darious and Marcus each a can. Setting hers on the end table she resumed her enthusiastic responses to the drama unfolding on the screen. Every so often he and Marcus would glance at each other, grinning and shaking their heads. While they'd seen rabid sports fans before, it struck them both that somehow this kind of behavior wasn't what one would expect from someone of Dani's age and status.
When the final match started she hopped onto the sofa and started bouncing up and down, screaming. During a move that startled her she tumbled over the back of the sofa to the floor but instead of slowing her down, her head instantly popped up and she continued berating the officials.
Once it was over she took off Mayhems helmet and he put the bricks back. Flopping on Darious' lap, she wiggled a little then snuggled up to him and kissed his cheek. Looking up into his face, she winked, "Yes, I enjoy watching wrestling."
Grinning, he winked back at her, "I am gathering this. But I admit I couldn't tell which was more entertaining, the TV or you."
Sticking her tongue out at him, she said, "Hey, two good looking, semi-naked guys rolling around together, how could I NOT like something like that?"
Laughing, he kissed her and tickled her enjoying the giggling, squirming woman on his lap.
Since the purpose for him being in LA was taken care of and there wasn't any point to going in to the office, they all started going through the house deciding what was staying and what wasn't. There was quite a bit that needed done if they wanted to depart, as planned, on Sunday. Snagging one of Triple D's bigger delivery trucks and a few of the warehouse workers they loaded those things that were going but wouldn't be needed for the remainder of their stay to be stored on the plane.
By late afternoon all the big stuff was out of the house with the exception of the TV. Initially they weren't going to take it but Darious decided it might be needed if for no other reason than Dani's wrestling obsession. While sitting in the living room, sorting through several boxes of papers, the doorbell rang. Frowning, since all her visitors knew to call first, she got up to see who it was.
Within a couple seconds of the door cracking open Mayhem shot through the living room so fast that he resembled a brindle colored comet, screaming "Llllllaaaaaaadddddddddddddddyyyyyy Bbbbbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrriiiiiiiddddddyyyyyyyyy!" at the top of his lungs.
Sure enough, soon Dani came back in with Raven, who was holding Mayhem and had a couple of manila envelopes with her. She didn't shake hands with Darious, that would make both of them uncomfortable because of what they are, but she greeted both him and Marcus with a pleasant hello before sitting down.
Even sitting in across the room, as far as he could from her, Darious' skin still crawled. Dani slid into his lap and leaned back against his chest pulling his hands across her belly. "OK Raven, what's up? "
Tossing the envelopes onto the table she replied, "Those are the contracts for the Pussycat in Charlotte. All they need is your signature Darious. If you want to sign them I'll take them back with me so that it is all settled and in place as quickly as possible."
Nodding, Darious looked at her, "Good. That way both clubs can start ordering by Monday." Dani grabbed them and handed them over her shoulder to him. Kissing her and mumbling a "thanks," he thumbed through them quickly to see if everything was correct then he quickly signed them.
Smiling, Raven nodded, "They will be in the club manager's hands tonight."
Squinting at Raven, Dani asked, "Why did you really come? I very much doubt that D2K is using senior she-devil council members as delivery people."
Grinning, Raven nodded, "True, they aren't. I told them that since I was coming out here anyway I would deliver the contracts."
"I can take a pretty good guess as to why you were coming out." Dani said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.
Shrugging, she looked at Dani then over her shoulder at Darious. "I figured it might be easier, and a wiser move, to talk to you alone about what happened so you won't get bugged so much by others trying to figure it out."
"I'm suspect that you already know what happened." Dani replied, smile getting a bit bigger.
"You've always known me so well mom." Raven said, breaking into a wide grin.
Darious looked over at Raven, brow furrowed a bit. "Mom? Kat is your mother?"
"Metaphorically speaking, yes. She's the one that changed me so as a token of respect I call her Mom."
Nodding, Darious replied, "That I can understand."
Looking back at Dani, serious again, Raven asked, voice soft and quiet, "You're mates now, aren't you? The sealing is what caused the jolt?"
Rolling her eyes, Dani chortled, "Why do you ask questions when you already know the answer to them?"
Raven answered, "You know me, working with Zsuzanna teaches you not to voice things you have no proof of. So I am just covering my bases with an actually confirmation rather than going on my intuition.
"I can understand that, and yes, the jolt was caused by our mating."
Smiling warmly, she nodded, "I figured that from what I felt." Looking at Darious then back at Dani, she said, "I'm glad you found what you had lost so long ago and that you are once again happy."
Grasping Darious' hand, she squeezed lightly and looked up at him, "I am deliriously happy." Gently he gave her a bit of a squeeze back, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Petting the softly purring Mayhem, she looked back and forth between the two of them, slightly puzzled. There was no doubt whatsoever that they had mated; she could feel the bond between them. The curiosity about just how a demon was able to do such a thing was pushed aside by her sense that Darious loved Dani, so very much. That emotion was so all-consuming and intense that it surrounded the couple in great, rippling waves.
But that wasn't the only thing there; she also sensed some kind of turmoil in him. It was as if there was a struggle between two parts of him, almost like some kind civil of war. Her intuition also told her that there was more to him than what showed on the surface, much more. While she was psychic and empathic, with a touch of ESP tossed in, she really didn't have to use any of those gifts to find this information; it was just there and powerful enough for almost everyone to easily see.
It came to her suddenly that what she was seeing, from both of them, is that they weren't just 'mates', they were soul mates, connected together for all eternity even without the mating bond. Most beings who mated did so because of love or other reasons, but there were some for whom fate and destiny left no choice. Those were quite rare, but sitting here she knew she was seeing one such instance. The fiery passion and intertwined spirits gripping tightly to one another made the connection clear.
The memory of how much Dani had changed when she'd come back from Germany during World War II still troubled Raven. The great sobriety and gloom that surrounded her for the longest time had been chalked up to the horrific nature of things she had seen, but even then Raven, and many others, had sensed that there was much more to it. It seemed as though she had left some essential part of her behind. At the time many she-devils had been alarmed by her personality change, afraid that it signaled the possibility that she was going to finally 'go to ground, ' never again to return, like all the other older she-devils had done when they came close to Dani's age, Raven felt something different, to her it seemed as though Dani was heartbroken and hurt by something that had happened. When she'd been given Mayhem, as a reward for all she had done, she recovered a bit. But even that recovery had been very slow, taking years before even a little of the pre-war Dani re-emerged.
During the war, Dani had made sure she had a method in place to get the woman who had been a good friend and housekeeper out of Germany. Most dismissed Zarah's claims that Dani had fallen deeply in love with the Nazi officer whom she had lived with there. It wasn't until years later, after Zarah had been made into a she-devil that Raven had sat down with her to discuss the situation. From the vantage point of hindsight, Zarah had been able to figure out that Darien Swatzenburg had been a demon but she was still adamant that he had loved Dani and she him as well.
While most had not believed Zarah, Raven had. The lost and far-away looks that frequently showed on Dani's face spoke very much of heartbreak and longing. Coupled with the fact that Dani had kept constant track Darious whereabouts solidified in her mind the fact that Dani probably had fallen in love with him although she doubted that Darious was even capable of returning the feeling.
It wasn't until just prior to the move out to California that she had sat down and discussed what had gone on with Dani. That was a conversation which Raven had never spoke of or revealed to anyone else at Dani's request. Dani admitted having fallen for him, hard, but knowing what he was, and the realism of what could happen if she strayed with him, she had keep her distance even though it broke her heart all over again and again to know where he was and not be able to contact him.
While there were many legends and myths floating around about her and the things she'd done, labeling her as cold hearted and emotionless, those close to her and her 'children' knew better. It wasn't that she was uncaring or unfeeling but that she had learned many lessons over her long existence, one of them being not to become too attached to anyone.
Many, many times in the past she had lost people whom she had cared deeply for so rather than go through the pain again, she had build up a shield around her emotions. But Raven had felt great sadness for the woman who was her mentor, teacher and so much more, knowing that it had to hurt like hell to be in love yet not being able to be with that person.
Time and again Raven had despaired at how unfair the fates had been to send love to someone but make it toward a being you can't have or be with and who can't return that love. Over the years Dani had given so much for others, doing jobs or taking on assignments that weren't pleasant or easy because it was the right thing to do or that it needed to be done. Surely a being like her deserved a share of happiness. But, year by year, Dani had gone on, carrying a pain inside her, pushing aside the longing and heartbreak, alone.
Sitting there, watching the two of them, Raven finally understood that the things Zarah had told her were true. Breaking out of her woolgathering, Raven cleared her throat and looked at Dani, "You do realize that the council is going to probably issue a statement to the rest of the dark creatures announcing your mating? This event is far too important to the she-devil community to not do so; after all you are almost royalty to most of our kind."
Sighing, Dani nodded, "I assumed they would once it came out. There is no keeping something like this a secret. Is there any way to keep Darious' name out of it?"
Nodding, Raven said, "That shouldn't be a problem. I doubt the council will want to publicize the fact that your mate is a demon. My guess is there is going to be quite a bit of controversy and problems over this from the word go, especially among the werewolves, you know how they react to demons. The hush-hush approach might be the wisest approach, letting word of mouth do it for us would be the better move. But, being who you are and the reputation you have, there probably won't be too much of it. If it was anyone else we would probably have a nightmare on our hands."
Shaking her head, a wry smile on her face, Dani replied, an ironic undertone in her voice, "Well, all those stupid stories and legends about me have finally done something positive. That's a first."
Chuckling softly, Raven nodded, "Finally, we can put them to good use rather than spending time and effort trying to debunk them." Looking to Darious, she asked, "Because you are passing as human, and with your visibility in the community, will you need a marriage license?"
That had been something he hadn't pondered. Nodding, he looked at her, "That would probably be a wise thing to have. Saying I'm married but having nothing to prove it might raise a few eyebrows and get people to digging around into things I don't want them too. 'Better safe than sorry' is the mantra in cases like this."
"That is something we can take care of without a problem. Do you want me to FedEx it out, or do you have something else in mind?"
Before Darious could reply, Dani giggled evilly, "How about we just pick it up? I'm moving back to Charlotte, we'll be leaving sometime Sunday."
Beaming, Raven grinned from ear to ear, "That is great! Having you back will be wonderful; we've all missed you so much! Why don't you just drop by the Pussycat and pick it up then? Do you know when you'll be getting in?"
Shrugging, Darious said, "That's going to depend on when we take off. I'm guessing we won't be done loading and ready to go until late afternoon sometime. Taking an educated guess I'd say it probably won't be until late, probably close to midnight, when we touch down."
Nodding, Raven wrote it down on a small notebook she had in her pocket. "That shouldn't be a problem. The backroom is open 24/7, only the main area closes. So just give me a holler on my cell when you get in and I will meet you there." Glancing at her watch, she frowned slightly. "I have to be leaving; I have to get back tonight."
Mayhem gave her some last minute loving, licking her nose and nuzzling her cheek softly before hopping down. As she stood Dani asked, "Are you flying commercial or using one of the council planes?"
"One of the council's, why?" she asked, puzzled.
Standing up, Dani nodded, "Good. Can you take something with you? It wouldn't be a wise idea to fly it back with us."
Shrugging, Raven said, "Sure. Not a problem."
Looking at Darious, she said, "You might want to get to the far side of the room. You'll understand in a couple minutes."
Nodding, Darious stood, "Will do." He wasn't sure what the problem was but if she said something like that there was probably a pretty good reason for it.
When they came up from the basement Raven was carrying a medium-sized trunk, he instantly understood why she had said what she did. He backed up until he was pressed against the wall furthest away from them, shaking as sharp needles of pain pierced his body. The blood drained from his face and he turned several shades of green, trembling as jolt after jolt lanced through him.
Whatever was in that trunk was something very powerful and very holy. Religious items, especially those attached to very devout believers, were the only things, other than mentioning Lord Lucifer's rival's name that could cause this kind of reaction in him or any other demon. Although his reaction wasn't as serious as Darious', Marcus was affected as well, growing pale and shaking. Normally a werewolf wouldn't be bothered by such things but because of his attachment to demons Marcus was affected by the same things as Darious.
After saying her goodbyes to Dani and Mayhem, telling the cat she would make sure that everyone knew he was coming back, she left. Deliberately, Dani had made sure she hadn't touched the trunk, knowing if she had it would cause Darious more pain until the aura dissipated. Walking back into the living room she found both of the men sipping drinks to calm their nerves. Sliding back into his lap, she grinned sheepishly at Darious, "Sorry about that. I knew they couldn't go on the plane with us because of your reaction and I didn't want to ship them separately since I can't risk that trunk being lost."
Kissing her softly, he held her close, nuzzling her cheek with his. "No problem. I'm glad you were thinking of me." Pulling away a bit, he looked down at her, "What the hell was in there?"
"Things I use for my 'craft. The usual ritual items mostly but it's probably the books that were the problem. Most of them are the books of the Ancients, like spell and ritual books plus a few that hold the history and prophecies. A large portion of them are the only ones of their kind left in existence. "
Shuddering violently, Darious swallowed the last of the brandy in the snifter then let out a ragged breath, "That's what did it, no doubt what so ever. All of us 'basement dwellers' thought those tomes were lost to the ages and would never trouble us again."
Sighing sadly, she shook her head, "No, not all of them but most are gone forever. As I said, I'm the last of those who follow the path of the Ancients and they way they set things down so I've protected them the best I can over time. Raven is going to take care of them and put them in storage for me so you don't have to have them around. Many of us have stuff from our past lives that we don't want to lose so the council has come up with ways to insure safe, secure storage."
Nodding, feeling relived that she was not going to keep them around where he might be close to them, he rested his head on hers, "I understand. My first, and natural instinct, is to order you not to do have them around or to get rid of them but because of our relationship I would never even ask you to give them up but I'm glad they won't be close by."
Later that night, after a long bout of sex, she and Darious were just curled up together, talking quietly. Plans were made and discussed about what was coming up and all that needed to be done before leaving on Sunday. About midway through the conversation Mayhem came in and curled up on Darious' chest, purring softly.
Snuggling up to him, Dani rested her head next to Mayhem's, arm draped over Darious' chest. The cat was laying on him as a baby would, head dead center on his chest, front paws resting under his chin, head turned sideways and back legs bent. Darious' arm was under the cats' furry rump, cradling him. Lying there contentedly, he softly stroked her hair softly, trying not to wake her. Slowly, that warm, tingly feeling washed over him again. While it was a new and decidedly weird he was starting to get used to it but was still puzzled as to what was causing it. As a matter of fact, much of what went on over the past week was puzzling and didn't make sense.
Pushing those thoughts aside, figuring what ever it was would eventually become known, his minded wandered to Dani. Instantly, at the mere though of her, a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. While he knew a great many things had changed, including the both of them, since World War II he didn't think there was going to be too many problems while they once again adjusted to it. While the transition in both their lives would make things a little bit difficult at first, time and once again getting to know each other would smoothing it out a bit.
Glancing down at his sleeping mate, his smile grew bigger. Somehow or other, his brain still couldn't comprehend the fact that they were together. As strange as it sounds he couldn't help but think that this past week and all the upheaval was little more than a dream that he would wake up from eventually. Looking down at her his memories carried him down the long road back to the time he had first met her at one of the Marquis de Sade's legendary parties. From the first glimpse of her across a crowded room, he had been entranced.
As usual he had provided women for the nights 'entertainment' from one of his brothels. Once the party was in full swing he started asking around about her, curious about the being that had sparked his attention. Surprisingly no one seemed to know much other than she was one of the Marquis' 'playthings'. The lack of information had made him all the more curious.
Conniving and bartering with the notorious Marquis had secured him a night with her. It was then that he realized she wasn't human. While she never told him exactly what kind of dark creature she was he assumed it was werecat, since she had several similar traits. That one time had actually made him want more of her rather than sate the desire like it usually did when it came to someone who had peaked his attention. But one time was all it was going to be at that time. Soon after their meeting she had left the Marquis and vanished.
Years later, as
Gazing at her his heart was threatening to burst from happiness that wrapped itself around him. That odd feeling seemed to get stronger and more intense, throbbing within him. Sliding down a bit, being careful not to wake either of them, he snuggled up to Dani as close as he could get. Soon he was asleep as well, that odd feeling leaving a small smile on his face.
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