Fate: The Preface
Gaias’ Warning:
A Prophecy Fulfilled…
The Rise of the Dark Creatures Has Begun
Danyealle
(no
sex, plot)
Long after the staff had gone
home for the night Darious and Modega were still there, sitting in his office
quietly talking, waiting for the story one of the primetime news magazines was
scheduled to run. Sure, both of them had
seen many people claiming to be vampires since the age of mass media had set
in, but all the previous times it hadn’t been the genuine article, just plain,
ordinary human beings, ones who were wanting to be different and special, craving
their 15 minutes of fame or one of the disenchanted that had told the story so
many times, to others and themselves, that they truly believed they were one of
the sanguines’, as they preferred to be called.
When he first saw the ad Darious
thought nothing of it, having seen such garbage many before, dismissing it like
all the others. It wasn’t until he saw
it again a couple days before the show was scheduled to air that he took
notice. While the sensational teaser was
much the same as the others had been in the past there was something different
this time; the brief flash of the being that was professing to ‘tell all’ and
‘give proof’ that he was indeed one of the undead jogged something in his
memory and rang a few warning bells. While
the flash of his face, mostly hidden in a shadow, wasn’t enough to confirm that
he was one of the parasitic leeches that roamed the earth unnoticed by humans
and trying to stay below the radar so as not to let on they were not just a
myth, there was something about it that told him that this time, probably by
sheer stupid, blind luck some humans in the media were gifted with, they may
actually have stumbled across the genuine article. While the teaser was neutral and didn’t
profess that they were going to prove his claims were real there was enough
innuendo in it to strike Darious that they may well know he was the genuine
article and were going to prove it. The
next day his feeling was given a bit of confirmation by Modega who expressed a
similar reaction to one of the ads. Rather
than make a big to-do about it, and notify others of their kind about their
suspicions, something both he and Modega were sure all the others of their kind
on earth were well aware of, they decided to withhold judgment and watch the
show before deciding any course of action less it be just another hoax.
Having dropped business matters
not long after all the humans went home, the two demons discussed other matters,
both small and big, that were happening among their kind. Unlike what most humans would think the
subject of the human race never came into the conversation. Both these being had been on the earth long
enough to be effective at their purpose and had honed their job skills to the
point it was something they did without thought and wasn’t talked about. Much the way humans did when they got
together with friends or co-workers, he and Modega discussed what was going on
with their kind, the scandals, who was doing what, the
politics, etc, catching each other up on the latest news and gossip.
When the music started, signaling
the start of the segment and the announcers voice gave the introduction, both
of them settled back to watch. When the
picture of the being the story was based around flashed behind the lanky female
reporter who was starting to weave her tale both Darious and Modega sobered
up. This time it was real, all it took
was that first glimpse of his face on the screen to tell them that. From this night forward the world was going
to be forever changed, more than any human could ever guess, and there would be
no going back. Unknowingly, the blonde
reporter, in a quest for a story that was juicy and different, has opened
Pandora’s’ box and there would be no shutting it.
Like Darious and Modega, Dani had
heard about the story but paid no never mind to it, that kind of thing held no
interest for her at all. She hadn’t even
been curious enough to look at the ads and see if there was a possibility it
was true. Like so many other dark
creatures, over her lifetime she had run into plenty of humans who professed to
be the undead, either because of a mental illness, wishful thinking on their
part or because they had so lost themselves in a fantasy world build around a
romantic myth that living the fantasy was better than reality, so she didn’t
take any of their claims seriously. When
she did run into one of the ‘wannabes’ she was always left with the thought
that they probably wouldn’t know a real
vampire if it came up and bit them on the ass, they were so wrapped up in the
romanticized version of the Nosferatu that had been spawned in the early part
of the 21st century that they really didn’t know what it meant to be
one or what they were like. As more of
the sensational ads ran closer to the date of the story’s’ airing, several
other she-devils and some werewolves wanted to hear her thoughts on the
matter. Per her usual style she reminded
them that stunts like this were nothing new.
While she did admit that there were a few vampire clan leaders she
thought would try to pull a stunt like this, just to stir up trouble, she
thought it was probably just another human professing to be one. Either that or it was just some eager-beaver
reporter twisting some cases of odd behavior around to make a sensational story
that would get them noticed.
As more of the ads ran several of
her kind decided to gather and watch the segment together, just on the off
chance that it was real. As was their
custom, Dani was invited to join them but she turned it down, already having
made plans for that night. She didn’t
realize until then that many of them were thinking this was the genuine article
and were already discussing what would have to be done if it was true. Rather than being roped into was could easily
turn into a drama-fest, even if the story was bogus, she promised to at least
try to watch it while she was out. Her
plans for that night were a date with the leader of the Bloodshed clan, Kyber,
and they would probably be at the bar that was owned and operated by his
clan. While it was a place that catered
to humans, that was really the only way to make it solvent enough to stay open,
the clan used it as a meeting place.
Assuring them that the werewolves probably would be there in force and
would want to watch it, she would keep an eye on it to give them her
opinion. If it was the real deal all
they had to do was give her a call on her cell, she promised to carry it with
her.
Like most Thursday nights, the bar
was busy but not like it would be over the weekend. As usual, it was noisy and no one paid
particular attention close attention to her and Kyber and didn’t seem to think
they were anything other than human.
After finding a dark corner out of the line of traffic, they talked for
a bit on what was the current issues going on in their worlds before getting
down to the more ‘serious’ business that they had intended when they set up the
‘date’. To she-devils sex wasn’t a big
deal, they didn’t see it the way humans did, and it was a casual thing. Kyber, although he was a werewolf and they
were known to have a different view of sex than the she-devils, saw it much the
same way. Knowing the reputation of
she-devils, Dani in particular, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up
when they ran into each other, so he asked her out.
Gradually, as time went on they
progressed from talking to a bit of what humans called ‘making out’, a bit of
kissing and fondling at first before progressing. When the news program came on they were well
beyond that and were into what could be considered serious foreplay. As he was kissing on her neck she glanced at
the TV and froze. Pushing him away
slightly, she stared at the man being interviewed, eyes ablaze.
A dazed look on his face, he
leaned back and looked at her, puzzled, “What happened?”
Shaking her head, she pointed
towards the TV, “That stupid fucking Vaer!”
She snarled eyes locked on the TV.
Looking at the screen, he went
pale. “That IDIOT!” He snarled, clenching his hands.
“Uh huh.” Was all she could say, her temper starting to
do a slow boil.
All around the world the network
of the non-humans began to buzz as word spread about what one of the vampires
had done, a betrayal of the most sacred held of all the dark creature secrets;
the revealing that they were no myth. While
the revealing, as it quickly began to be called, was a shock the being that had
done it wasn’t a surprise. Vaer had
always been different than most. While
he wasn’t the oldest vampire, or even close to being so at a little more than
500 years old, he had always been an outcast.
While he was young by vampiric standards, he had a power that even the
older ones did not possess. That power
is the only thing that kept him alive because he, as he grew older, made many
enemies not only among the vampires but of the other creatures as well. Time and again he and his ‘clan’, a ragtag
band of outcast vampires incited the others of their kind with his radical
ideas. It was him, at the birth of the
modern information age when the networks were set up to establish communication
among the various factions, that began insisting that they should no longer
hide, but reveal themselves to humans. It
was his argument that they were far stronger, even with their smaller numbers
they could run the world better, that they should be allowed to walk among
humans and not have to hide. Of course,
it was never considered and the mere suggestion angered all. As the years went by he became more and more
radical, threatening to tell all to anyone who would listen; that he was going
to expose them all.
Five years ago, after finally
crossing the line by setting up a meeting with a big named journalist, Vaer had
vanished, seemingly off the face of the earth, without giving the
interview. One of his clan, a newborn
vampire created by Vaer himself, had broke ranks and gone to the vampire
council before the interview took place, knowing full well that if Vaer had
followed through with his plans it could mean death to the whole clan, as well
as many other vampires if humans found out they were no myth. Unlike other dark creatures, the vampires had
always been secretive about the way they handled things so it had been assumed
that they had handled the problem by finally doing away with the rogue. There had been no word from the council
denying it and no trace of Vaer since then.
Until now…
In the past Dani had bumped into
the burly Russian vampire many times so she knew who he was when his face was
shown. The sinister blue eyes and mane
of black, wiry hair set in a face that was the color of pure ivory made him
unmistakable. Unlike the younger
vampires who could very easily, during the night, blend in with humans, Vaer
couldn’t, like many of the other older ones.
While their visage was still human even to the untrained human eye there
was no mistaking this being for a living human.
As they aged their human form remained the same but they did change,
making them resemble the walking corpse that they were. Pale and unearthly, their powerful presence
unmistakable, even to humans, when they were near one. That is the reason the elder vampires stayed
away from humans as much as they could, so not to reveal what they were. Even with the imperfect color on the television
there was little doubt he was what he professed to be. In the dimly lit bar even the patrons, most
of whom had a few drinks, could see he was telling the truth.
While giving away the vampiric
secrets was bad enough, and almost assuredly signed a death warrant that he
couldn’t hide from anymore, they would hunt him until he was found, the worst
was yet to come. Once he was done airing
the dirty laundry and exposing vampiric secrets that had been closely guarded
for eons he then did the unforgivable; he exposed the other races of dark
creatures as well. Not only telling of
their presence and what they were like as opposed to all the myths that had
been a part of folk lore for generations, he named names of all the powerful
ones, exposing werewolf clan names, who was the leaders as well as how things
were done. In a testimony reminiscent of
Joseph Vallachi, the first man to expose the mafia in congressional hearings,
he told of the councils and how they were run as well as who was on them.
If Dani was angry about his
betrayal of the dark creatures it was nothing compared to what was going to
come. Once he finished explaining how
the she-devil council worked and gave out the names of all those on it he
exposed her as a she-devil assassin before moving on to tell a few of the more
colorful legends that abounded about her.
Even in the dimly lit bar Kyber could see the anger on her face and her
eyes take on the sheen dark creatures got before they shifted. Although he had heard many tales about what she
was like when angered they didn’t come close to describing it accurately. A deep, low growl emanated from her throat,
like that of a big cat giving a warning growl,
Her hands gripped the table so hard her long nails were starting to
leave gouges in the wood. But, luckily,
before it could get any worse, her cell rang and she answered, distracting
her. Quickly on the heels of hers his
began as well, effectively ending their date.
Both of them had business to now attend to, very serious business.
Once the program ended, Darious
shut the TV off and leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled under his nose,
staring at the now darkened screen. A
small tick in his cheek started beating in time with his rapid heart and he was
pale. After a moments
contemplation he looked at Modega, a deadly serious look on his face. “I think that what we’ve just seen was the
Great Lady’s warning, don’t you?”
Swallowing around the lump in his
throat, Modega nodded, then quoted, voice soft, lacking his usual firm and resolute
tone, “The sons and daughters of Yahweh and his miscreant child, the Son of the
Morning, will have free reign and lord over what is a part of me, my earth,
until their arrogance becomes so great that they start to damage that gift
faster than it can heal. I will then
give them but one warning to mend their ways and start to undo what they have
done, to help heal the wounds they have caused.
If that warning is not heeded then the age of humans as caretakers will
come to an end. When the most powerful
of my children does what has never been done before, creating purity from that
which is impure, my children, the races that split from the common ancestor
they share with man, will take their rightful place as my caretaker and will bring,
once again, a peace among all living things.
My most powerful child, the being who I put my mark upon at the moment
of their birth, the chosen one, will lead all the races and breeds to a final
peace with the gift of knowledge passed down by generations from the time of the
Ancient Ones.” Modega turned even paler
as he recited, his hands shaking slightly as he clutched a tumbler of brandy
between them. After swallowing the last
of the aromatic liquid he looked at Darious, “There is no doubt that program
was the warning. He exposed Her children to the world in a manner that, within weeks,
there will be no doubt that he told the truth.”
His voice trailed off to a whisper, eyes locked on Darious’. For the first time in many centuries, he was
frightened.
Nodding, Darious shifted around a
bit and sighed, “That means that Her Chosen One already walks the earth and
probably has for a while now. The Great
Lady will give them time to fix things, or at least make a good start at it,
but the battle lines have now been drawn and the time of the Great War is
coming if things don’t change. We both
know the arrogance of the human race well enough to realize it is doubtful they
will heed any warning and won’t do what is needed. The times come for us to do Lord Lucifer’s
bidding and prepare for what is to come.
It’s time for the humans to take sides and Lord Lucifer is going to make
sure he gets his share of them.”
Rubbing the base of his nose the
way humans did when the felt a headache or eyestrain, Modega nodded, “It’s time
for the collection to begin in earnest.”
Looking over at Darious, he asked, “Does anyone have any guesses as to
who the Chosen One is or what race they will come from? Was there any prophecy written that gives any
clues as to who they are?”
Shaking his head, Darious
replied, tone weary, “No, beyond what you recited there is no other clues.”
“Any guesses you have or others
have made point towards who it might be?”
Sighing, Darious clasped his
hands behind his neck and gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully, “Yes, I think at
one time or another all of us have tried to figure it out. All we can come up with is a best guess about
the race from some clues here and there.
But that’s all they are; guesses, nothing more. It seems we all have a theory about it and
most make some form of sense in one way or another.”
Since he had come under Darious’
wing, Modega put a great deal of trust in his judgment and reasoning skills,
more so than in others of their kind no matter how powerful. Darious had a common sense that most didn’t
and let logic rule his steps rather than his emotions and nature like so many
of their kind do. “What’s your guess
then?”
“Well, first thing you can do is
rule the vampires out. They are already
the walking dead so that leans them more towards our side than the Great
Lady’s. If you take them out of the
equation logic would say it is probably a garou. They are far more numerous than most of the
other races and, as a rule, they are far more spiritual. Many of the clans can trace their ancestry
back to the Ancient Ones and they still follow their teachings closely. While other races do still follow the ancient
teachings many of them have changed them over the centuries and, with a few
exceptions among them, have abandoned some of them along the way. All still have a few that practice the old
ways but there aren’t many of them nor do they seem to have the kind of power,
of any kind, the garou do. I think you
can eliminate the created races from the mix, like the lycanthropes and
she-devils, because they were born human.
I don’t think any of the lycanthropes ever followed the Ancient Ones
teachings; they didn’t have the organization I don’t think. Long ago there were she-devils who did but
I’m not sure about that now. There might
be one or two of them still left who do but I’m not sure if the books they once
used are even around anymore, no one has seen a trace of them for several
centuries. Add to that the fact that
none of them has ever reached the thousand year mark so one wouldn’t think they
have anyone powerful enough. Of course
this is all just guesswork and deduction on my part.”
Before they could discuss what
Darious had said, both their cell phones went off. It came as no surprise to either of them that
a meeting had been called and they were being summoned to it.
Like the demons, all factions of
the dark creatures around the world held hastily arranged meetings to try to
come up with a plan of action to deal with what had been dropped on them. Of course the Vampiric Governing Council was
besieged with demands that something be done about Vaer but they had beaten
them to the punch.
When Vaer stated at the end of
the program that what he had done, by talking about it and giving blood and
tissue samples for medical science to examine, had probably been signing his
own death warrant he was right. Within
24 hours he and his clan and been hunted down and killed, with recordings of it
sent to all dark creature councils so there would be no doubt.
But there was no way to un-ring
the bell; too much had been reveled with hard, physical evidence for it to stay
in the realm of fiction. Like it or not,
the creatures who had spent so many centuries hiding from humans could hide no
more. While the adjustment was hard and
long what most humans never heard in their insatiable quest to learn all they
could about the creatures that used to haunt their nightmares as children was
what these creatures talked about in whispers even among themselves. The Time of the Great Correction was coming
and they had to prepare.
Human history books would label
this historic event The Great Outing.
The dark creatures called it something else, Fate…
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.
Fate 6
Danyealle
(plot, no sex)
By Sunday there was something
akin to organized havoc going on, threatening to spill over into uncontrolled
chaos as time when on. Last minute
preparations, and double checking to make sure that everything they were taking
was either already gone and on the plane or packed, assured that all were kept
busy. It wasn’t until about
As Darious had predicted, it was
close to
It took almost another full hour
to unload the plane into the moving van that had been waiting. Darious insisted on staying to supervise and
make sure the utmost care was taken with her things, just Darious being Darious
and his meticulous nature coming through.
Once it was all loaded he gave instructions to the workmen to just put
it all in the foyer at his house, they would take care of things from
there. Finally, they all piled into a
waiting limo and headed towards the Pussycat.
Dani assured a nervous Nyssa that no one would say anything to her after
she had expressed concern about going into the backroom, citing the no humans’
policy. Calmly, Dani pointed out that,
traditionally, Sunday night/Monday morning had always been a slow time for the
club, so all likelihood they would probably have it mostly to themselves other
than a few beings here and there.
When they pulled into the back
parking lot of the Pussycat there was only one other car visible, a seemingly
telling sign that signaling they, probably, would have the place pretty much to
themselves as Dani had predicted. All of
them were a bit lagged by the flight but were also hungry so the though of a
good meal then sleep pushed them onward.
Opening the door, Dani stepped in first then stopped cold, causing
Darious to bump into her. “Oh fuck me!”
she moaned, scanning the room.
The massive room was packed
tightly with bodies, decorated with banners that said ‘Congratulations Lady
Danyealla’ on them. At the sight of her
a thunderous applause erupted.
Looking around and seeing the sheer mass of
beings made Darious tense up a bit and he became quite wary. Since it was a sure bet that Nyssa was probably
the only human in the place he was certain that the minute he and Modega
stepped inside everyone here would be able tell what kind of beings they were,
putting him on his guard instantly, keeping a keen eye open for signs of
trouble.
Grabbing Mayhem, who was
bouncing at the end of his leash excitedly, babbling a mile a minute, she then
put him in the pale and shaking Marcus’ arms.
Looking at the cat seriously she said, “Mayhem, there is something very
important I need you to do. No matter
what happens or what is said to you I need you to stay in Marcus’ arms. Pretty soon you’ll be able to get down and go
see all your friends but right now I need you with Marcus so nothing happens to
him, alright?”
Nodding, his eyes grew bigger
and his ears stood straight up, whispers poofed out a bit, “Will do Lady Bosh!”
Stepping closer to the big
werewolf she said softly, so no one other than their group could hear, “Keep a
hold of Mayhem. No one in here is going
to do anything or pick a fight with you if you have a hold of him. They all know what would happen to them if they
did something and he got hurt. Stay
close to me and/or Darious and things should be alright.”
Licking his dry lips, shivering
a bit still, casting more worrying looks around the room, he nodded, “Will
do.”, he said softly, a slight quiver in his voice.
As if by magic Zarah appeared
next to them and linked her arm through Darious’, looking at Dani, “I’ll take
them over to the bar and sit with them until Zsuzanna is through with
you.” She said calmly.
“Good idea.” Dani said, seeing the black-haired gypsy
weaving her way through the bodies, heading their direction.
Darious, as well as the rest of
them, were grateful to head to the far end of the room where they would be less
noticeable. He could feel all the eyes
on him and scrutiny of that nature always made him jumpy.
Zsuzanna, the president of the
entire North American She-Devil council, smiled brightly at Dani as she stepped
up then gave her a hug. “It is wonderful
to see you again! We’ve all missed you
and were thrilled to hear the news that you were finally returning. Plus you had finally taken a mate!” Taking her elbow, Zsuzanna steered Dani
towards a small stage on the opposite wall from the bar, the crowd parting for
them. Once on the stage Zsuzanna handed
her a champagne glass and took one herself, tapping on it for quiet.
Almost instantly a hush fell
over the room and all eyes were locked on the two women. Clearing her throat, Zsuzanna looked over the
crowd, smiling, her brown eyes sparkling.
“As President of the N.A.S.D.C., as well as being one of her children,
it gives me great pleasure to announce that Lady Danyealla, after all her
centuries of existence, has finally taken a mate! Now, if you will…” she said, raising her
glass. “A toast! To Lady Danyealla, the oldest and wises of
our kind. May life with your mate bring
you the happiness you so richly deserve!”
Shouts of “To Lady Danyealla!”
filled the room and echoed off the walls followed by my more applause. After it quieted down a bit Zsuzanna once
again raised her glass. “To
Darious!” She said, looking across the
room at him, nodding. “I wish you all
the happiness. “ Again, there was a few
shouts and applause, though not nearly as much as there had been for Dani.
Looking at the woman on the
stage Darious smiled and nodded, raising his glass in recognition, surprised
that he was mentioned at all. Though he
wasn’t comfortable with all the attention that had come his way when she
mentioned his name, the stares and looks shot his direction made him ill at
ease, however he was pleased at her recognition.
Grinning broadly, Zsuzanna
shouted, “Let the party begin! Drinks
and food are on the house!” That was
greeted with a roar of approval and applause.
Quickly, the juke box was kicked on and the party began.
Quietly, Darious, Nyssa and
Modega talked among their selves as they ate.
Mayhem was eating and talking to everyone, getting kisses and attention
from everyone he knew, those that were of the female persuasion that is. Marcus, however, sat quietly, trying to
unobtrusive and keeping a close eye on all those near them, being jumpy as hell. There had been several glances his way and he
was positive that a couple of the werewolves knew who he was.
After a bit he started to relax
somewhat, sitting there picking at his food and talking to Mayhem quietly. All of a sudden he heard a low growl coming
from behind him, causing him to jump slightly, startled by the sound. Swiveling around, he found himself staring at
two rather large garou warriors. His
stomach plummeted downwards when he recognized them as members of the Werewolf
Councils’ shock troops, their elite assassin squad that hunted rogues and
eliminated them. They were the best of
the best when it came to fighting, well trained, powerful and cunning. Once they were on your trail you were done
for, eventually they would get you; even if it took them a hundred years to
track you down they wouldn’t stop until they accomplished what they set out to
do.
“So it is you! You must have a helluva lot of nerve to be
showing your face around here.” Blade
said, snarling, eyes flashing. He was
the taller of the two, about 7’2”, muscular and powerful. One of the sons of the clan leader of the
Razorclaws, he had been brought up to fight and was a master at it. Strong, quick and fierce he was one of the youngest
that worked for the council but his strengths more than made up for his age.
“Did you honestly think no one
would recognize you?” Sneered Titan, yellow
eyes locked on Marcus. Though he was as
tall as Blade, he was much willowy and not as thick. As a member of the Nightwalkers, one of the
largest of the clans in the
Hearing the growl, Zarah looked
the direction the sound emanated from.
When she spied the source of it, she made an educated guess about what
was happening then dropped everything and cut off the conversation with Darious
in mid-word then took off into the crowd, fast.
After a moment’s puzzlement at
her behavior, Darious glanced over at Marcus and came to the same conclusion
she had. While he watched the situation
intently he made to no move to get involved, not wanting to anger anyone or
overstep any kind of protocol that might be in place to handle such
things. Because he hadn’t learned
anything about the clubs beyond the business end of things he wasn’t sure how
the she-devils handled situations like this but he was sure, with his knowledge
of werewolves and how violent they were known to get from time to time when it
came to clan relations, that they probably did have something in place to deal
with these kinds of situations. He
assumed Zarah had taken off to alert the staff about the situation that was
playing out and had the potential to become violent. After a bit of mental debate he felt his best
course of action would be to just keep an eye on the situation and not let it
get out of hand, stalling things until someone came along to stop it. He very much doubted two werewolf assassins,
no matter how well trained they were, would relish getting into a fight with a
demon. But he doubted it would get that
far because Marcus, he knew, was more than capable of taking care of himself,
even against two younger werewolves no matter how well trained they were. If those two youngsters thought that he had
softened over the years that had passed since the annihilation of his clan and
today they would quickly, and painfully, learn otherwise. He also made a mental note to check with Dani
about these things in the event something of this nature my crop up in the
future.
Puffing up, his fur standing up
down his spine, Mayhem growled long and low, baring his teeth at the two
werewolves.
Looking at them Marcus’ face was
blank but his insides had tightened into knots and his hackles were
raised. Overcoming his natural instinct
to fight back and defend himself, he just looked at the two and said nothing,
knowing that would stall things and not escalate matters.
“Put the cat down Demon Toy and
come with us. Make it easy on
yourself.” Blade said, fingering the
hilt of the knife that hung from his belt.
Then, as if she had materialized
there, Dani was standing in front of Marcus, glaring at the two, eyes narrowed
and flashing dangerously. “Back off mutts!” She growled; voice cold and hard.
Blinking, Titan looked at Blade
then back at her. In a calm voice, that
was soft and projected the respect she deserved, he said, “No wish to offend
you Lady Danyealla, nor will we break the rules of the club, but he is wanted
by the council. We just want to do our
job is all.”
Growling long and low, like the
warning a big cat gives before the fight begins, she glared at them, stepping
closer.
But, before she could say
anything, a nervous Blade said, “This werewolf is a rogue and tainted, having
had a demon owner. I’m sure you
understand why he has to come with us; you know our laws as well as we do. We won’t cause trouble and nothing will
happen here, you have my word on that.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll take him and be out of your hair.” He reached out to take Mayhem but the cat
hissed and took a swipe at him, causing him to back away quickly.
Stepping closer to the two, who
backed away, glancing at each other and unsure what to do, she looked up at
Blade. “You are going to be doing
nothing of the sort pup! One move
towards him and you will have ME to deal with. You may be a clan leader’s son, something that
carries a great deal of power and influence when it comes to werewolves, but
I’m no werewolf and it means exactly jack shit in my world. Even if you’re as good a warrior as everyone
says you are you’ll have no chance of beating me in a fight. I will kill you in a matter of seconds then
add your pelt to my collection; you know quite well that I can do it! If you don’t leave him alone that is exactly
what is going to happen, you have my word on it!” She snarled, glaring.
Glancing at each other, the
werewolves were at a loss as to just what they should do. While they wanted to follow the councils
wishes neither had any desire to tangle with Lady Danyealla over it. She was right; there was no way for them to
beat her in a fight. Even in a two
against one they were no match for her skill and strength. As a rule garou didn’t tangle with she-devils
if they could at all help it. While they
didn’t have the build of a werewolf nor the strength they were fierce fighters,
lightning quick and, as a rule, ruthless.
Even a young she-devil could easily dispatch a full grown male garou;
there was something in their claws that seemed to mimic silver, the one thing
that was almost universally deadly to all garou, young and old alike. But Lady Danyealla was in a league all her
own. Fast, cunning and deadly, she had
no equal. As a tool of survival in the
rough times of centuries past she had honed her skills until she was a deadly
warrior, one that a werewolf was no realistic way of defeating. Even the mightiest garou warrior or clan
leader, those that backed away from no physical challenge or fight, would not
tangle with her because it was well known that there was no change of survival
or winning. In a society where honor and
reputation were everything, not accepting a challenge or fight was viewed with
disdain and a sign of cowardly behavior but backing away from a fight with her
was not seen in the same way. As a
matter of fact it was viewed as exactly the opposite; you were though foolish
or ignorant if you DID.
Unlike with most other species
of dark creatures’ she-devils, Lady Danyealla especially, were respected by the
garou. In many ways they were seen as
something akin to a cousin, being similar in many ways, unlike most other dark
creatures that Garou held in disdain.
Because of the respect and the forthright way she had always dealt with
them, Lady Danyealla was held in high esteem by most clans, as well as the
council. She understood their ways and
laws, not interfering in their business or stepping into their affairs,
avoiding clashes between the clans and political maneuvering by the
council. That’s why this whole episode was
so strange and out of character for her.
Giving her a puzzled look, Blade
asked, “I don’t understand this Lady Danyealla.
You know our laws as well as any werewolf so you know why we are doing
this. You’ve never stepped into werewolf
business in the past nor have you tried to put a stop to something before as
far as I know. Why are you doing it now? One would think a mangy cur such as Marcus
wouldn’t be worth your trouble or interference, especially knowing that the
reason for our action is due to the fact that he’s a known demon associate. What makes him so special?”
Stepping closer, eyes on fire, she growled, “Because I own Marcus! He’s mine!”
She snapped; voice sharp and hard, like a deadly dagger whos’ edge was
finely honed and razor sharp. “You’re
trying to harm something that belongs to me and I won’t let that happen!”
Both werewolves took a step
back, blood draining from their faces.
Behind her a refined and aristocratic voice chimed in, “I assure you
Lady Danyealla; a repeat of this will never again happen. The council will be made aware, post haste,
of the situation and the death sentence will be lifted. We’ll also make all aware that Marcus is off
limits from this point forward and is not to be harmed or bothered by anyone. That you have my word on.”
Spinning around, she glared, “You
had better make sure there isn’t Chronos!
If anything like it ever happens again I won’t be so nice to those who
cross that line. I will add their pelts to my collection. Once I’m done with them I WILL take up my displeasure with the council, you in particular;
that you can count on.” She snapped,
teeth clenched, eyes blazing.
Nodding, he looked at her, “I
assure you I will do all in my power as head of the council to ensure Marcus
will be left alone and that you are personally protecting him.”
“For your sake this had better
be an aberration!” She glowered. Jerking her head towards Blade and Titus she
snarled, “Get them out of my sight before I change my mind about taking their
pelts.”
Bowing slightly, skin pale, he
replied, “Your wish is my command.”
Signaling to the two they all walked off, Titus and Blade shaking
slightly.
When she was sure they we no
longer within earshot, she looked at Darious and grinned, winking, “Scared ‘em,
did I?”
Chuckling, a grin turning up the
corners of his mouth, Darious replied, “Scared isn’t the word for it, petrified
is more like it. Those boys were so shaken
I thought they were going to lose control of their bodily functions.”
Looking over at Zarah, who had
slid back onto the stool next to Darious, she nodded, “Thanks.”
Nodding, Zarah smiled, “No
problemo. I figured you could defuse it
better than anyone else.” Nudging
Darious with her elbow, she grinned, “I knew Darious would end up involved if
it went any further than it did. It
wouldn’t have looked good for him to drop himself in the middle of a shit-storm
his first night among all of us.”
“You know me SO well
Zarah!” Darious chuckled, winking at
her.
Dani walked over to Marcus and
put her hand on his shoulder. He was
still very tense and nervous. “You
OK?” She asked, softly.
Nodding, he let out a hitched
sigh, “Yeah, just shook up is all. I
knew it would eventually come but…” He
trailed off, shrugging.
Nodding, she rubbed his
shoulder, “I understand. I’m quite sure
by sunrise the word will have started to spread like a wildfire through the
clans. By the end of the week most of
the clans will know about it. There
might be an incident here and there but that should be it. The council doesn’t want me pissed at
them.” She said, winking at him. “You should be fine from now on.”
Mayhem looked up at Marcus, tail twitching, “Da Lady Bosh got wid of dem
poochiesh! “
Scritching the cats’ ears, Marcus chuckled, “She sure did!”
Taking the cat from him, she
snuggled him close then took off his leash and sat him on the bar. Smiling down at him, she winked, “OK Mayhem,
you did you job, very well I might add, I’m proud of you. So you can now go say hi to all your friends.”
Leaning over, he nuzzled her on
the stomach with his head and purred, “Fanksh Lady Bosh!” He crowed happily. Running down the bar at top speed, he hopped
off onto the floor, shouting happily, “Da Mayhem ish back ladiesh!” Quickly, he vanished into the sea of legs.
Grinning, Dani hopped up onto
the bar and sat by Darious, who immediately wrapped one arm around her waist, pulled
her closer. Marcus slid down next to
them and started chowing down on a fresh plate of food Jolene had put in front
of him.
Modega looked around warily but
the rumble in his stomach pulled him back to the excellent plate of food before
him. Looking up at Jolene, he nodded at
her then said, through a mouthful, “This is some of the best food I’ve ever
had! Too bad I can’t come here on a
regular basis.”
A wide grin spread across
Jolene’s plump features and she nodded, “I’m glad you enjoy it. Just let me know if you want more.” She said before bustling off to deliver
drinks to a group of werewolves down at the other end of the bar.
Glancing around for Nyssa, Dani
found her mid-way down the bar, in a conversation with two werewolves from the
Shadowstalker clan. After making sure
she wasn’t with in earshot of the conversation Dani looked at Modega, “Why do
you say you can’t come here?” She asked
quizzically, sliding off the bar and seating herself on one of Darious’ legs.
After swallowing a mouthful of
food, Modega looked at her and shrugged, “Our presence usually isn’t welcome in
dark creature enclaves.” He said with a
small shrug of his shoulders.”
Taking a long drink out of the
glass of Werewolf Piss Jolene had given her, she looked at him, a small grin
playing at her lips, “Modega, do you know why I created the Pussycat clubs?”
Shoveling more of the excellent
food into his mouth he just shook his head.
“It used to be that if different
dark creature races wanted to meet there was no real neutral ground for
it. Sure there were many clubs around
owned and run by dark creatures, but they weren’t neutral. They were run by different races for their
own kind, giving them home turf advantage.
So, after all of us ‘came out’ there was a need for a neutral place
where all races were welcome. For a time
we used human bars and clubs but that wasn’t ideal because we were always
worried about them overhearing things we didn’t want them to know. That’s why I created the Pussycats, to make a
place for all dark creatures. You and
Darious are both dark creatures and are welcome here as well. Demons are welcome as long as they follow the
ground rules of no fighting and no starting shit.” Standing up on the rung of the chair, she
leaned over the bar and grabbed a business card from a big stack of them. Sitting back down, she grabbed a pen out of
Darious’ suit pocked and scribbled something on the back of it then slid it
down to Modega. “But, if it will make
you feel better, give them that next time you show up.”
Picking it up, he read the
back. It was a statement that he was
welcome as her guest any time. Pocketing
it, he nodded at her and smiled, “Thanks!”
Wrapping an arm around her
waist, Darious nuzzled his cheek with hers.
“I had been curious about why you had started the clubs and meant to ask
you about it. It was a wise move! Very sound decision.”
“It was a mess every time we had
to deal with either werewolves or vampires.
We would end up in one of their clubs.
Plus the fighting between various clans of the werewolves made neutral
territory a must have thing. The
infighting between some clans was bad and if they met at clubs run by rivals it
usually ended up in a brawl with nothing getting accomplished. This made it much easier to do things. Since she-devils have always done a great
deal of mediation between factions of the other creatures and have no real
stake in any of their negotiation or problems they had no problem using clubs
run by us. We are mostly neutral in
their various problems and the ground rules for the Pussycats insure a neutral
atmosphere so they have no objections in using them.”
Nodding, Darious replied, “Very
good idea. I always knew you were one
smart kitty cat.” He said, winking at
her.
Grinning back, she was about to
reply when a tall, lanky werewolf with a shock of brownish hair, streaked with
grey, stepped over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations!”
Giving him a peck on the cheek,
she smiled at him, “Thanks Travis.”
Sticking out his hand to
Darious, he said, “And you as well Lord Darious. You have taken a mate that is a wonderful
woman. I hope you realize how special
she is.”
Putting down his fork and
swallowing a mouth full of food, he nodded and took the werewolf’s hand, “Thank
you. I’ve known she was special for a
very long time and intend to treat her as such.” The whole conversation was a bit shocking to
him; he didn’t assume that any of the werewolves would have much to do with
him, even with him being Danis’ mate, because of the type of being he was. But he could detect no hint of unease or
wariness in Travis, a pleasant surprise.
Before taking a seat, Dani
introduced him around, “This is Travis, he’s a Dreadmore and Jolene’s’ mate.”
After shaking both Modegas’ and
Marcus’ hand, he seated himself on the other side of the big werewolf and
grinned, “That’s me. Toss in bouncer, mediator,
dishwasher, laborer and resident peacekeeper for the club. Mix it all together and you’ll get the whole
picture.” He said with a wink and grin.
Darious was about to say
something when that creepy, skin-tingling feeling washed over him again, signaling
that Raven was nearby.
She put her hand, gently, on his
shoulder and smiled at him, “Hey Darious.”
Smiling back, Darious tried to shove that creepy feeling away, “Hello Lady Raven.” He said, smiling.
She nodded at Marcus and Modega, saying a pleasant hello to them, then leaned
over and kissed Travis on the cheek.
Looking back at Darious, she smiled again, “Would you mind terribly if I
borrowed your mate for a few? There are
some people here from the various councils around the world that wish to pay
their respects to her. Most have known
her for years and want to give her their congratulations in person.”
Giving Darious a quick kiss, Dani
hopped off his lap. Looking at Raven, he
nodded, “No problem.” Then Dani and
Raven walked off.
Finishing what was on his plate;
Darious put the silverware on it and pushed it aside, sipping at his snifter of
Brandy. Looking down at Travis, he
asked, “I assume you’ve been around here for a while so is there any kind or
rules or protocol I should know about and follow? I don’t want to offend anyone or mis-step.”
Normally, Darious was a bit
reserved around beings he didn’t know well and would never have been that
forward with them but the sense he got from Travis was that he was OK and that
he could be trusted, well, trusted as much as Darious allowed himself to trust
anyone that is. To look at Travis was
quite ordinary, a couple inches over seven feet, average height for a garou, and
had thicket of brownish hair that was streaked with grey. Unlike humans grey hair on a werewolf wasn’t
a sign of old age; it was part of their coloring, most having it since birth. When they shifted to lupine form their hair
coloring matched the color of their pelts.
In the dim light his eyes appeared very dark but Darious, from past
experience, took an educated guess and assumed they were a dark golden brown,
like most garous. He had a lean build,
tall and appearing thin, but you also couldn’t miss the underlying power to his
frame. Also, he appeared to have that
lean muscle strength so many werewolves seemed to have. Age was hard to
determine when it came to garou because of their long life span; Travis’
appearance was similar to a human male in their twenties, which probably meant
that he was around the 350-400 year mark, early adulthood for werewolves. Those that were in the line of succession for
clan leader always seemed to have a bit of arrogance about them; Travis showed
none of this, leaving Darious to guess that he was just an average garou,
trained to fight. But his mating with
Jolene had probably boosted him up the ranks within the clan structure. Dreadmore was not a clan Darious had heard of
before but that wasn’t at all unusual. While
he wasn’t familiar with all the many clans of garou he did know the biggest and
most powerful of them. With Travis’
manner and appearance he guessed that the Dreadmore was probably one of the
smaller, more rural clans. Probably one
of those clans whose enclave wasn’t close to the city, hidden in the
disappearing wooded areas. The kind of
clan that went out of their way to avoid humans as much as they could and carried
on much as they always had been before modern times, staying steeped in the old
ways of the garou. There were still
many, even all these years after the ‘coming out’, which still shunned humans
and preferred to keep to themselves.
While he would appear to be human in the way he carried himself and his
mannerisms it was obvious to other dark creatures, of all kinds, that he was
indeed a werewolf, having much of the courtly manner and respectful tone that
was a trademark of werewolf society, especially when it came to women. Hence the reason many human women were
bedazzled and enamored of the male garou, that courtly, old world manner
combined with their size and strength seemed to ooze a sexuality that wasn’t
present in humans. His smell would also
be a dead giveaway to the finely tuned senses of dark creatures whereas humans
would smell nothing but a musky scent they would associate with those that
worked outdoors for a living.
Switching places with Marcus,
Travis sipped his beer then looked at Darious, “There really isn’t too much to
know. Most of it you probably know
already. Make sure you call the
she-devils Lady then their name, something I’m sure you already know, until
they tell you not to. It’s just a title
of respect, nothing more and not meant to elevate them above the rest of
us. It’s something akin to the Mrs., Ms.
or Miss used for humans; just a polite moniker is all.”
Pushing his plate away and
sipping his drink, Modega listened keenly, hoping to pick up some
pointers. “Why or how did that title
come about, do you know?” He asked,
looking over at the werewolf.
“Best anyone can trace is to
Lady D.” Travis said, shrugging. “But no one really knows for sure. They say she was aristocracy when she was
human and that was her title, I’ve never asked about it and she’s never said
anything so I don’t know for sure.
Everyone has called her that since time immemorial and others picked it
up for the other she-devils as a sign of respect.”
“She was a titled Lady, from
Looking at him, quiet, Travis
then nodded, “That’s right; Raven said that you knew her long ago.”
Smiling a bit, Darious nodded, “Yes, I did.
Indeed, she was a titled Lady.
Things were different then and there was no way to pose as one in high
class circles, you would have been figured out.”
Nodding, Travis grinned, “With
her language now it rather boggles the mind that she was once a titled lady,
courtly, polite and demure.”
Chuckling, Darious’ eyes
sparkled, “I have noticed her language has become rather colorful since we were
last together.”
” Colorful isn’t the word! She could make a sailor blush! Too much hanging around on college campus’
with the humans.” Travis said,
laughing. “Anyway…” he continued on, “if
there are problems you let the ladies handle them. Usually they can do it easily and without any
physical violence. Most of other creatures
will back down when they are confronted, not wanting to get into any kind of
physical altercation with them. If it’s
another she-devil that’s giving you a problem, just tell her you belong to Lady
D. That should end it right there. Most of them won’t mess with her and will
knock it off. If it persists let Dani handle
it. It’s mostly young ones that do that
business as a kind of a dominance thing I guess you would call it. They have to try to knock her off the top of
the heap from time to time, even if they know they have exactly no chance of
succeeding. It’s something akin to
trying to find their place in the society.”
Bristling a bit at the ‘belong
to’ bit, Darious bit his tongue and just nodded.
A side-ways glance at him made
Travis grin, “Don’t let the ownership thing bug you, all know mating has
nothing to do with being owned and that you do it for love. It’s just the she-devil term for husband is
all, nothing more. As far as I know
there aren’t many she-devils out there that do the ‘toy’ thing anymore. That kind of fell by the wayside long ago but
it’s one of those things that still lingers on among other beings as the way
things are. Also, the reality of what it
was and the urban legend of it were usually two different things. From all I’ve heard, from both werewolves and
she-devils, it was a mutual thing, not an ownership deal. I guess it would be comparable with what they
call ‘fuck buddies’ today. From the time
I’ve spent with these ladies I can’t see most of them being cold-hearted enough
to dump someone they’ve been with for years just because they got ‘bored’ with
them. They are a passionate lot but 99%
of them are not cold-hearted or even capable of something like that. But it’s one of those things that is juicy
enough to not die like it should and is still passed around as fact by those
who have no first-hand knowledge of it.”
Hearing that did lower his
hackles and Darious nodded.
Stroking his chin, Travis went on, “Those are the only real ‘rules’ there
are. But there are a couple more things,
just advice. If Zsuzanna is in a bad
mood avoid her at all costs. She can get
real snarly from time to time and will lash out if annoyed.”
That sounded like a good piece
of advice to Darious. Although he hadn’t
met her in person yet when he saw her on TV from time to time the look in her
eyes told him that she was one person you don’t fuck with. One particular memory stood out, loud and
clear, on that topic. In the turmoil
after all the dark creatures had outted there had been Congressional hearings
about their rights as well as what should/shouldn’t be done with them. When the topic of their assassins and how
they dealt with those who crossed them had come up there was a suggestion made
that they should all be forced to register and perhaps their past ‘crimes’
should be investigated. All the
different councils of the dark creatures had been in attendance so they could
explain how things were done among them.
But when that line of discussion had been brought up there had been an immediate
outcry against it. As the hearings
progressed they gradually got more heated until it was little more than a
shouting match. When Danis’ name had
cropped up in the discussion, it had been inevitable that someone would drag
her in to it, Zsuzanna tried to keep her cool.
But as things went along you could see her temper rising. Finally, enough was too much and she let the
Congressmen have it with both barrels, tearing into them and comparing it to
what the Nazis’ had done. The whole
matter had turned into something like a verbal autopsy with the end results
being the humans backing away from the suggestion quickly. Even to those who had watched the whole thing
on TV and hadn’t been there in person were able to tell that she was someone
that it really wasn’t wise to mess with, that she was quite capable of giving
back what she got, in spades.
“Then there is Jade.” Travis said, shivering a bit then taking
another long pull off his beer. “If that
woman comes around be polite and don’t let her bait you. Don’t get into any type of confrontation with
her no matter how much she goads you or tries to pick a fight. Just ignore it and let Dani handle her. Whatever you do, DO NOT mess with that woman; she is bad news from the get go.”
The she-devils didn’t have
nearly as much of a bad rep as most of the other dark creatures did. The worst thing they had to deal with when it
came to humans was Danis’ legend and it was more colorful than bad plus humans
tended to think of it as just that, a legend, because Dani had never revealed
herself to them. But Jade was their
albatross when it came to humans. Arrogant
and spiteful, that woman had earned all the bad press attributed to her. Even humans knew that she was the she-devils
assassin and that it was a job that she not only loved but was good at. Quickly after the she-devils ‘outted’ Jade
had done a hardcore BDSM movie in which she had violently beat and tortured the
human male co-stars unmercifully. It was
very apparent to anyone that had watched it that she enjoyed what she had
inflicted upon the men. Even from
Darious’ perspective she wasn’t a being that he would relish tangling
with. “That bad eh?” He said, looking at Travis.
Shaking his head, Travis stared
at him, “Let’s just say that is one woman that could go bear hunting with a
switch and bring back a grizzly with no problem. She is mean to the core. No one messes with her, NO ONE! She likes to play king of the mountain with
the younger ones and usually wins because no one will tangle with her. She’s Zsuzannas’ child and it seems that she
has to spend an inordinate amount of time reining her in. There is one problem with her king of the
mountain shtick, she isn’t and she knows it.
She might be tough and dangerous but that particular distinction goes to
Dani as everyone is well aware and it galls Jade to no end. Many times she has deliberately picked fights
with Dani; knowing full well she can’t win and will probably end up beaten
within an inch of her life in the process.
But still she tries. Stupid women
even tried hurting Mayhem one night. She
got her head twisted around backwards and disemboweled for that stunt.” Shuddering he shook his head. “Lady D isn’t exactly known for her patience
with the young and stupid, she very quickly puts them in their place and lets
them know whose boss. None of us has
ever been able figure out why Dani hasn’t put a halt to the whole thing, even
if she did kill her no one would be inclined to do anything to her because it’s
been clear for years that Jade has gone out of her way to start shit. I guess she has her reasons. If she shows up, which isn’t too often
thankfully, Jolene usually has to call either Dani or Zsuzanna to come in while
she is here, to keep thing under control and make sure she doesn’t start shit. So, if she is here and you see me bail over
the bar and hide follow suit because a war has begun!”
Sitting there, quiet, Darious
just looked at him, his mind playing over what had been said. It didn’t make much sense to him, especially
knowing Dani the way he did from times past.
Before he could formulate a question Travis grinned at him and winked.
“There is one other thing, not a
rule but it’s followed. Lady D is NOT
allowed here while wrestling is on.”
Chuckling deeply, a wide grin crossed Darious’ face, “That one I can
understand! Hurt the TV, did she?”
Roaring with laughter, Travis
shook his head, “Seen her in action, have you?
Hurt the TV wasn’t the word for it!
She picked up a barstool and threw it through the screen when a ref made
a call she didn’t like! Since then
Jolene has forbidden her to come in when wrestling is on.”
Shaking his head, Darious
grinned bigger, “She does seem to have an affinity for it.”
“Obsession is more like
it!” Travis said, roaring with laughter. Calming down a bit, he looked over at Darious
and Modega. “Every Monday night we have
a standing poker game here, starting around
Nodding, Darious replied,
‘Sounds good to me. Thanks for the
invite.” Looking over at the gangly
werewolf, his brow furrowed a bit in confusion, “With what I know about garou,
and how they feel about demons, it strikes me as a bit odd you would even think
about including or inviting me to anything.”
Grinning bigger, Travis winked,
“I see it this way, you might be a different species but you’re just like the
rest of us that have an interspecies mating with she-devils. Besides, if you’re good enough for Dani then
you’re cool with me. I’ve know her since
I was a pup and she’s known my family for hundreds of years now so I trust her
judgment.”
It was a simple, fairly straight
forward response that Darious had no problem understanding. Before he could respond, Raven joined them,
sitting down on the other side of Marcus.
After saying a pleasant hello to
all of them she slid a document sized manila envelope down to Darious. “There’s your marriage license. If anyone asks you were married in Vegas.”
“Alright. Thank you Lady Raven.” He said, pulling the document out to look at
it. One glance at the names on it showed
something quite odd. Puzzled, he looked
over at her, “Kats’ name isn’t spelled right.
Her names spelled Danyealla DesLoup but on here it’s spelled Danielle
DeWolf.”
Winking at him, she
grinned. “Please, if you would, make it
Raven from now on. As we all know that
isn’t a real, legal document so there’s no problem with fudging the name. We thought if we modernized her name a bit it
would throw anyone who was sniffing around for something on you off and they
wouldn’t be able to connect the she-devil Lady Danyealla with you since their
names are different.”
That was something he hadn’t
thought about and was grateful someone had.
“Makes sense. Thank you Raven.”
Nodding, she smiled at him,
“Anytime.”
A couple minutes later Dani back
and slid into his lap once more.
Smiling, he put an arms around her waist and kissed her softly. Following behind her, Zsuzanna slid into the
space between Darious’ and Travis’ chairs.
Holding out her hand, she nodded to him, “I’m Zsuzanna.”
Nodding, Darious took her hand,
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She said, a small smile turning up the corers
of her mouth. Taking a drink of the wine
Jolene had placed in front of her, gauging him a bit out of the corners of her
eye. When the news of Dani taking a mate
had been announced there was a general uproar among the she-devils. Very quickly the word spread to all corners
of the world.
To most she-devils Dani was
regarded as the closest thing they had to royalty. Because of the way they did things, they were
loners with no clans or any other kind of close-knit groupings, they didn’t
have the rich legends and lore’s of the other dark creatures, Dani and the
legends about her, were the only real, verifiable history of their race. Before the dark creatures outted the
she-devils, unlike the others, had to exist with humans and blend in so nothing
was ever written for fear it may fall into the wrong hands. The chaos and violence of the past, plus the
fact that women were thought of as property, had made existence extremely
tough. There were small factions of
humans here and there that DID know they were real, for the most part though humans
thought of them a myth that had sprung from ancient times, something akin to
the stories that came from Greek/Roman mythology. While names of other she-devil had been
passed down century after century the reality of it was that nothing was known
of them or what they did. In all honesty,
no one could say for sure if the names of those women were true or if they were
just another myth.
That all changed when Dani came
along. Now, because of her age, she could remember many of those that seemed to
be mere legend and tell you about them.
She also possessed the books of the Ancients that gave some clues as to
their history. Slowly, their networks
were formed to deal with problems amongst themselves as well as opening dialogs
with the other dark creatures. However,
it wasn’t until the birth of the
All dark creatures knew that
there were those among them that professed to have been royalty or gentry when
they were human, trying to make themselves seem more important than they
were. Knowing that, for all intensive
purposes, no real records existed for some of the people they claimed to be so
no one could check out the facts. Unlike
others Dani had tangible proof as to who claimed to be, aristocracy from the
English isles and a titled Lady. Holy
books with family histories, correspondence from the time period as well as
writings of the gentry all confirmed what was known about her. But, by far, there was one thing that had
erased any doubt about who was; a painting.
It had been commissioned by her father when she came of age and it was
time for them to find a suitable man for her to wed. It had hung on the wall of her ancestral home
for generations, long after her family had passed on. Hundreds of years after she had been changed
Dani has returned to what was once her home.
To her astonishment that painting still hung on the walls with all the
rest of the family portraits. A jesting
comment from the owner of the house as to the resemblance between her and the
woman in the portrait had spurred Dani to buy it then store it away.
Her reasoning for the action had been a sound
one, while most humans would just chalk it up to a doppelganger or just a
coincidence there were others who would know better. It was about that time in
history that secret societies had begun to form to hunt dark creatures, of all kinds,
and kill them. They were sponsored by
many people, from royalty to religious, who saw them as a danger. These were men that had been schooled to know
all there was, from the human perspective, about the creatures most saw as
little more than a myth. They considered
themselves at war with creatures they regarded as demonic, something from
Lucifer who did his bidding, and would doggedly peruse any of them until they
accomplished their task. It was her
battle with those societies that had given birth to most of the legends about
her.
As attacks on them became more
frequent and a plethora of similar groups began to be spawned, alarm among the
non-humans grew. Something, they knew,
had to be done to stop the wholesale slaughter of their kith and kin. It had been that concern that started what
would be the dark creature councils.
Meetings between all the factions went on here and there as they could
meet up, with the world not being like it is now travel between places was a
bit harder and more time consuming, trying to figure out just what had to be
done to put an end to it all. Slowly a
network of dark creature correspondence was formed so that communication would
be easier. With a cool head and
diplomatic patience Dani helped draw up the guidelines of what to do, she was
chosen because she was the best known and most respected of her kind. Rather than diving into a whole sale
slaughter of all the members of such groups a small band from each faction,
clan or family group would handle their territory and deal with the problem on
a case by case basis. Then there would
be another group, all of them volunteers, which would go after those who headed
the groups. Before this time it was done
only on a fight or die basis, the groups picking off dark creatures one by
one. Implementing that plan worked,
slowly the groups started dying out or their ranks thinned down to the point
they were ineffective against the now organized enemy. With a grim determination, Dani and others
tracked down and chased their quarry around the world, eliminating them one by
one. It was her honed fighting skills,
learned for self defense over the years, and steely nerves that started earning
her that reputation and the legendary statues she now had.
To many of their kind, as well
as creatures of other races, this was the foundation that had given birth to
their views about her and how she had become a heroic figure. Tales of her hunt of those that wished to
eliminate all non-humans was what gave birth to some of the legendary tales
that were woven around her mystic. As the world grew smaller and communications
as well as travel grew easier those tales passed around easier, growing and
embellished as they were written down and retold.
While much of her historical
exploits, when it came to the physical aspects, were little more than fables with
grains of truth in them, that couldn’t be said of other things she did. Recorded history showed that it was her that
helped set up the she-devils councils around the world and organized how they
should be run, keeping in mind what was best for all of them. It was also her that had mapped out the
structure for the world she-devil council, drawing from her classical education
and what she had seen from her time on earth, taking what worked and what
didn’t then combining them to form what would become in the future one of the
powerhouse entities when it came to the dark creatures. It was also she that had sat with the most
powerful of all the other creatures, from vampires and werewolves to the fae
and goblins, to form the dark creature councils. While they were a body that mostly dealt with
squabbles and spats between the different factions of the non-humans what was
put into place was also what had given them the stability when they were
finally revealed to the humans. Because
of the organization and the rules that they had put into place to deal with
almost everything that could or would crop up their transition into all of
society when they revealed themselves was much easier. In showing they had in place a system to deal
with their own kind when laws were broken and they were very capable of keeping
things in order made an already leery human race feel much more at ease about
the creatures that were the things of horror stories in the past. It was her that had helped to make tough
decisions about how to deal with such things as the death penalty for their own
kinds when certain lines were crossed.
She’s the one that helped set up their networks for information before
modern times made such things a phone call or e-mail away. Time and again it was her that had logged
hundreds of hours in travel time to go and sit down with various factions to
work out problems that had arose during the process of pulling it all
together. She was the one that had
brought up the touchy subject of assassins and that they were needed for
various things. Almost all the networks
that were in place now for dealing with almost everything were in place because
of her proposals, from dealing with insanity among their kinds to criteria for
dealing with humans that were a risk to the dark creatures.
Before all that was in place the
darklings had stayed out of human affairs as much as they could, feeling the
problems were started by humans so they were theirs to deal with. Her insistence and historical lessons from
times past is what changed that view.
When the Second World War started her view and foresight is what had
saved many of their kind from the clutches of the Nazis’, something that could
have changed the course of the war and become humanities worst nightmare. Her memories of the past and observations
throughout the centuries had shaped those councils and made them work. But once they were set up and functional,
after the first elections, she had withdrawn from it, saying her job was done
and she wasn’t meant to be in politics, much to everyone’s surprise. Unlike so many from all races, Dani had no
desire for power, political or otherwise.
All she wanted was to be allowed to live as she always had and be left
alone. While all the councils had
respected her decision they had managed to talk her into a minor role here and
there as she was needed, such as negotiations with other races or what would be
called a ‘special consultant’ now days, someone to call in when times were
tough and an independent view was needed.
It was also her that was made the first she-devil assassin, an
appointment she did not relish in the least but understood why it needed
done. World War 2 and her role in
When the ‘great revealing’, the
outing of all the dark creatures, had come she had chosen the odd path of
staying hidden from humans, not wanting to be revealed for what she was. Even when their lore and legends had been
written about, or showed on TV, and who she was and all she had done had been
distorted or was out and out false she ignored it and chose to do nothing to
correct anything, letting the council handle that end. Before fully retiring from most things
political, she had once more proven that she had insight far beyond most humans
and dark creatures. Even after the
‘outing’ there was a need for a neutral place to meet for all dark creatures,
one where no human could overhear what was being discussed. It was because of that need that the
Pussycats had been formed. While humans
were welcome the backroom was for the darklings and only them. Quickly the neutrality of the Pussycat became
a necessity for all creatures, the place that they could go to be on an equal
level with all others. Once things were
all in place and it was being run how she wanted it done, she had withdrawn and
left it in the hands of those she felt were best equipped to do what as right
by it and slipped quietly back into retirement.
As the first she-devil Dani had
created, Zsuzanna probably knew here as well as anyone yet she would tell you
she really didn’t either. Like to most
others, Dani was still very much a mysterious being about so much. They had met
in
A couple of years after leaving
her family Dani announced they would be moving on. It was then that Zsuzanna had to make a life
changing decision. She could come along
with Dani and, once she feels she is ready, create her into a she-devil or she
could stay behind with enough money to support herself until she could find a
suitable partner. To her, it was what
was referred to today as a ‘no brainier’, she would go with Dani and become
like her. From the vantage of hindsight
she now understood what Dani had done, by giving her a choice, was odd, most
were not given that choice but changed by the woman without thought to what
they may have wanted. When Zsuzanna
agreed to be changed, Dani made it very clear about the negatives that there
was to it as well as what life was like for a she-devil. She hadn’t glossed over the bad parts nor
tried to sugar coat any of it. It was
about a year after they left
Before moving on to what is
called
When she was leaving her great
grandmother stoked her cheek and smiled, telling her that they considered her,
and what was going to happen, as a good omen for them. Then she reassured her that she would always
be welcome and that they would make sure that the future generations were aware
of who she was so that promise would be kept.
As they were traveled to their destination she was a bit sad to be
leaving those who loved her, knowing that she would probably never see some of
them again. But the elation she felt
about what was coming pushed it aside.
Rather than perceiving things as an ending she saw it as a new
beginning, a chance to make a completely new life for herself.
After she was changed Dani had
her stay with her for a couple of years to make sure she knew all she needed
to. It wasn’t until she started meeting
others of her kind and hearing them talk about what happened after they had
been changed that she realized how odd it was to do what Dani did, nor did she
realize at the time that she was Danis’ first ‘child’. Usually once they had been changed they only
stayed with the one that did it for a couple of months before going their
separate ways. Most of them had to
figure out on their own what they had to do, receiving only the briefest
explanations about what she needed to know.
As time went on the both of them
kept in touch the best they could, using the networks Dani had helped
create. It wasn’t until centuries had
passed that she began to understand what it must have taken for Dani to survive
as long as she did. To live as long as
Dani had and not to have taken a rest most did, including herself, took a great
deal of mental toughness. When the
modern age had finally been ushered in and things had changed drastically,
making everyone’s life much easier, most of the loneliness many of her kind
felt because of the nomadic lifestyle that was required to ensure they wouldn’t
be exposed , had ended. Because of that
they were now able to be around their own kind or other dark creatures. While most had formed attachments of some
kind here and there Dani never did.
Instead she still hid in the shadows of the human world, blending in
with them as she always had.
Each passing year, as Dani crept
closer to the 1000 year mark, most of them began to worry about her. From what information and lore they could
find, no one had ever attained that mark.
They all had gone ‘ground’, never again emerging from their sleep. That anxiety intensified when she had
returned from
Glancing over at Dani, she could
see that spark was back in her eyes and the blanket of sadness has
vanished. It seemed that the Dani of old
was back, finally. It seemed the part of
her she had left in
While there was a joyful uproar
when they all found out she had finally found her life partner, that happiness was
quickly replaced with alarm when what kind of creature her mate was
emerged. Almost immediately the councils
had met to discuss the possibilities that could arise from the situation and
how they would handle the shit storm that they were pretty sure was
inevitable. While they issued a
statement about her mating to the other dark creatures they left out what
Darious was, and his name, trying to bide time to figure out how to handle that
issue. While most other dark creatures
would raise an eyebrow over the situation, they wouldn’t raise much stink about
it, taking it in stride and not really caring beyond the initial gossip over it. The werewolves, on the other hand, were a
nightmare to deal with. It was well
known how they felt about demons because of things that had gone on in the past
between the two, almost a war at times. As
the council had expected, the cacophonous din that had erupted from the four
corners of the world when what kind of being Darious was emerged was almost
deafening. Immediately, the werewolf
council demanded that measures be put into place to ensure that Darious, and
others like him, couldn’t interfere with any of them nor have any chance of
gaining an upper hand.
While she was shocked, and a tad
upset, by Danis’ choice in the matter, she quickly quashed it, knowing that
there really wasn’t anything any of them could do about it or change the
situation because mating was the ultimate ‘til death do you part’ situation, one that no being could do
anything about. Looking at the two mates
she came to the conclusion that even if she did have the power to change it or
interfere she probably still wouldn’t do it.
A short glance at Danis’ face was all that was needed to see that she
was very much in love with him. Who was
she to take that away from someone that truly deserved it after such a long
life without it?
While Dani was turned away from
her, talking to a werewolf from the Night Chaos clan, she leaned over and
looked at Darious. Looking into his eyes
she could detect no deceit or a spark that would indicate he was up to
anything. “Congratulation Darious.” She said softly.
Inclining his head a bit, as a sort of bow, he replied, the smallest smiles
turning up the corners of his mouth, “Thank you Lady Zsuzanna.” He was, by nature, suspicious of everyone,
wondering what their motives could be since most people had an agenda of some kind
or other. Considering the power Zsuzanna
had and the position she held in dark creature society he thought it best to be
on his toes until she reveled what it was or that he was sure there wasn’t any
kind of agenda behind it.
Taking a swallow of her drink,
she looked at him, “May I have your assurances on a couple things?”
There it was; the motive. So she did what something. “What are those?” He asked warily, looking into her eyes.
Shaking her head a bit, she
smiled, “They aren’t anything too outrageous or cause for worry. I just want to make sure that you don’t have
designs on the Pussycat or have a takeover plan. But most of all, I would like your word that
you will do nothing to Dani or hurt her in any way. There are many of us, both those that are her
children and the ones that aren’t, that care for her a great deal and don’t
want to see her hurt. She means a lot to
our society as well as many others around the world.”
Nodding, Darious relaxed a bit, it
appeared that this was the only motive she had, nothing more. From his perspective, it was one he something
he could understand and would almost expect.
” I assure you, Lady Zsuzanna,
that I have no wish to take over the Pussycat nor any kind of plan to try and
buy it out. I have my own business to
run. Since that consumes most of my time
and energy, taking on a massive operation such as D2K wouldn’t be a wise thing
to do.” Winking at her, he grinned
roguishly, “Adding to that equation the fact that the business belongs to my
mate, so I wouldn’t think of trying such a thing. Since I’m well aware of what Kats’ temper’s like
and just what she is like when riled up.
To even make an attempt or suggestion in that direction would surly lead
to a quite unpleasant situation on the home front. Not something I would relish! Honestly, I would rather go back to hell and
deal with the head being himself than have Kat that mad at me over an extended
period of time. Lucifer can be reasoned
with, even when angry, Kat can’t.”
Grinning bigger, she chuckled,
“Very true! When her temper kicks in
forget reason and talking it out, you’re in for a battle!” Looking back at him, into his eyes, there
seemed to be nothing in them to indicate deceit or trickery. In fact, once Danis’ name was mentioned, they
took on a light that she had seen in so many other beings when they talked
about the person they loved. While she
didn’t attribute THAT particular emotion to him, after all that was impossible,
but she was seeing what Raven had talked about; something was there and,
indeed, he did feel something for her.
What that was she didn’t know, but more than anything that had happened
or what had been said since this whole thing hit the fan; she was put at ease. What she saw, felt and the message she got
from him settled any conflict she had with it.
Then Danis’ reaction, what she saw earlier, sealed it all within her. Whatever anyone might say, or any doubts they
may have, could be put aside, there was nothing more to it than her ‘mother’
had finally found her soulmate. As a
rule no one in she-devil society said anything or interfered with their private
lives or about whom they chose as a mate. Dani was going to be no exception in that, she
would send that announcement out the next day.
Once her mind was at rest, she
settled back and had quite a pleasant conversation with him, talking about
current events as well as times past with Dani.
That soon had her rolling with laughter and holding her sides. Zarah also joined in, telling about some of
the lighthearted moments in
As they were discussing the
current state of things in the world Nyssa appeared at Darious’ shoulder. Telling Darious she was headed for home
because she was exhausted, she then bid everyone else a goodnight. Leaning over, she asked Dani to walk her
outside, a look of puzzlement on her face.
Glancing down at the two
werewolves she had been talking to, Dani saw they were getting their jackets
on, preparing to leave. What was going
on clicked into place and she nodded, “Sure thing, hang on.” Telling everyone she would be right back, she
gave Darious a peck on the cheek then hopped off his lap. Walking outside with the puzzled Nyssa, she
stood there and waited for the two Shadowstalkers’ brought their vehicle to the
door.
Looking at Dani, still
bewildered, Nyssa asked, “Why did I have to ask for someone to escort me out
while I waited for them.
”Werewolf tradition.” Dani said. “That’s the way they do things. They go by an old honor code, as humans used
to. To ensure that a woman’s honor isn’t
compromised, for a certain amount of time after they meet, they need an escort
or chaperone with them, both the woman and man.
In this case, with Dawin being a clan leader’s son, those things are a
bit more strictly enforced so that his reputation and the reputation of the
clan aren’t compromised in any way.”
Nodding, Nyssa understood. “It is safe to ride home with them, isn’t
it?”
Grinning, Dani nodded, “Safer than with any human. Dawin will be the one driving you and Erlic
won’t be in the car. But Erlic will be
close by to ensure that you are safe and Dawin behaves himself.”
Alarmed, she looked at Dani again, “So alone I wouldn’t be safe?”
Shaking her head, Dani said,
“No, you will be. It’s just a measure
put in place to ensure that there can be nothing done or said that would
compromise him is all.”
As the car pulled up and Dawin
got out to open the door for her, Nyssa said a goodnight to Dani. Getting in, Dawin then pulled out of the
parking lot, followed at a bi of a distance by a large black wolf, Erlic.
When she slid back into Darious’
lap she was holding Mayhem in her arms. When
Jolene set a bottle of beer in front of her, Dani asked her for the ‘Mayhem
kiss rag’.
Arching an eyebrow, Darious
looked down at the cat and immediately understood. His whole face had lipstick marks all over it
of various colors and shades. After
Jolene handed her the rag, Dani held the protesting cat and gently wiped off
his face.
”But Lady Bosh! I dun like dat!” He protested, wiggling around a bit in her
arms.
“You’ll like it even less if we
wait until we get to Darious’ house and you have to take a whole bath.” Dani said mildly, continuing to wash his face
off.
While he didn’t stop
complaining, Mayhem did quit struggling as much and grudgingly let her wipe the
lipstick off him. Once she let him
loose, he ran down the edge of the bar and hopped off then disappeared in the
crowd again.
Leaning back against Darious’
chest, she sipped the beer. As he
wrapped his arm around her waist out of the corner of his eye he saw the
biggest woman he had ever seen passing behind him. Turning his head, he followed her progress
down until she sat down by Marcus. From
his estimation she had to be almost seven foot tall, weighing a solid 230 lbs
at least, all of muscle from the looks off it.
Taking a battleaxe out of its’ holster on her back she handed it to
Jolene then sipped on the bottle of beer Jolene put in front of her.
Within second of her sitting
down Mayhem was running down the bar at top speed, yelling at the top of his
lungs, “Shhpooooooooookkyyyyyyyyyy!”
With a massive leap he landed in her arms and licked her face happily.
Grinning, she nuzzled his face
and petted him. “I missed you too
Mayhem.” She chuckled.
Looking down at her, Darious
sized her up, as he normally did most people.
One word came to mind; Amazon. While
most swore they were little more than a legend, he knew better. They, indeed, were very real and had earned
those legends about their fighting ability.
From her accent and sheer size he made the logical guess she was one of
the South American Amazons from one of the so-called lost tribes. Dark hair, dark eyes and an olive complexion,
she had an exotic look that drew your eyes to her, entranced. But, as Darious well knew, to mess with one
of these women was courting death. While
this one might be a she-devil and bound by the laws of a civilized world he
doubted that had changed her much at all.
While humans may not have heard of her, he had and was well aware she
was the she-devil equivalent of the Lord High Executioner. Beings that had a job such as that in the
past, himself included in that number, were NOT beings you wanted to mess
around with. Somehow or other that
instinct never left them, even in every day situations.
Quickly, she introduced herself
to those she didn’t know and joined in the conversation with them. Shortly after that Raven joined them again
with a large, scruffy looking man she introduced as Mortichi. Immediately he gave Dani a long, lustful kiss
and whispered his congratulations in her ear.
That kiss raised Darious’
eyebrow but Dani grinned and winked at him, “Don’t worry, he does that to all
of us. He doesn’t mean anything by it. That old pirate in him remains is all.” She said, giggling.
“Pirate?” Darious asked, grin spreading across his
face, one eyebrow arched.
Sticking out his hand, the big
man nodded, “Mortichi at your service.
Once a member of
Shaking his had, Darious grinned
bigger, “Darious Mooksoon, pleased to meet you.
A pirate? I’m liking you
already!” He said, chuckling deeply.
Shaking Darious’ hand, Mortichi
laughed, a wide grin showing through his reddish-brown full beard, “The
tendencies do remain I will say but I keep them under control.” Taking Ravens’ hand, he walked down and
seated himself on the other side of Ghost, who Marcus was flirting outrageously
with, and pulled a grinning Raven into his lap.
Wrapping one of his beefy arms around her waist he sipped at the drink
Jolene placed in front of him and whispered hotly into Ravens’ ear, making her
blush and giggle a bit.
As Jolene was about to refill
Modegas’ and Darious’ drink Dani stopped her and winked, “Why don’t you get
them some of the brandy from my stocks.” She said, grinning from ear to ear.
Nodding, Jolene grinned then
looked at Travis, “Will do.” Travis
downed the last of his beer and hopped over the bar then headed into the back.
Looking at each other, Modega
and Darious thought the same thing; with what she was drinking they weren’t
sure they wanted some of her personal stock of anything. But they were both very pleasantly surprised
when Travis returned with a very old and aged bottle of brandy that was almost
priceless. After taking a sip of it and
looking at the bottle, Darious nodded his approval, “Very good! With your taste in booze I’m surprised you
have something like this.” He said, looking
down at her and winking, a grin turning up the corners of his mouth.
Giving him a playful swat on the bicep, she stuck her tongue out at him, “I
have a whole room full of that stuff here and more stored elsewhere. I’ve collected it over the centuries.”
Wrapping both arms around her,
he kissed her on the top of her head and chuckled, “Smart, sexy, beautiful and
has good booze: the prefect woman!” He
said, winking.
Rolling her eyes, she shook her
head, “Still full of shit aren’t your Darious?”
“As always.” He said, winking and kissing her again.
After laying out some
appetizers, Jolene leaned against the bar where Darious and Modega were
sitting, talking softly to Zsuzanna. For
the first time Darious was getting a good, close look at her. Since they had met during the negotiations he
hadn’t been closer than a big table-length away from her. But even at that distance there had been a
nagging feeling in him that he had seen her before. Sitting there he realized where it was, not
from a real meeting but a picture. All
along the turban she wore and some of the jewelry she had on told him she was a
Vondu practitioner but now he was sure of it.
Holding Dani close, he leaned back and looked at her, a smile breaking
his features. “I knew I had seen you
before! I was just now able to place
where it was. You’re Marie…”
Putting a finger to his lips to silence him, she winked, “Yes and no. I’m not her
but I’m her daughter. Or was in a
past life, so to speak. I left all that
behind years ago. I’m Jolene now and
have been since Mom created me.” She
said nodding at Dani.
Nodding, Darious understood that
she didn’t want to talk about the past now.
The reputation of her mother, the infamous Marie Laveau Voodoo queen of
“Yes, all of us sitting here
are.” Zsuzanna said with a big
grin. “Mom had an instinct about picking
those that were to become her kids. Other
than a couple who died before they were 500 and truly immortal, all of us are
still around and have our own kinds of power.”
She said, nodding to Dani and raising her glass as if to toast her.
Groaning and rolling her eyes,
Dani just shook her head, a grin on her face.
“And every last one of them is a royal pain in the ass in some
way!” She said, winking at Darious.
Before anyone could retort a
huge man, at least seven foot tall, with thick, shoulder length blonde hair,
the color of corn silk, dressed in a thick fur coat appeared in their midst and
plucked Dani off Darious’ lap and hugged her tightly. “Lady Danyealla! It has been far too long since I’ve seen you!”
He exclaimed, hugging her tightly.
Watching this intently, Darious’ hackles started to rise in a way that they
hadn’t with the others. Something wasn’t
right and he didn’t like it. But, before he jumped to any conclusion and did
something rash, he decided to wait it out and see what went on.
After giving her a kiss and a bear hug, he sat
her down and stepped up to Darious, hand outstretched, “Congratulations Lord
Darious. I’m Arkady Danelaw, She-Devil
Council Werewolf Liaison.” He said.
Over the centuries Darious has
gotten quite good at reading voice tones but he needed none of that skill to
hear the ice that dripped from this mans voice.
Shaking his hand, Darious nodded then replied with a curt and short,
“Thank you.”
After taking off his furs,
revealing a massive, toned frame, he handed them to Jolene then stepped closer
to Darious and lowered his voice so the others couldn’t hear, “If I hear, or
become aware in any way, shape or form, that you have done anything to anger or
hurt Lady Danyealla I will come after you and do all that is within my power to
avenge what was done. Even if it means
my own demise in the process. Heed this
warning, you will treat her with the
respect she has earned, and so richly deserves, or you will be taking that
slight up with me. While it may not be
within my power or capabilities to end your existence I will make sure you know
the error of your ways and will repent for them. Mark my words on that.” He growled, sky blue eyes snapping
dangerously. Before Darious could think of a comeback, Arkady glared at him one
last time then stalked off to sit by Raven and Mortichi, greeting Mayhem.
All Darious could do was sit
there, mouth agape, staring at the man as Dani slid back onto his lap. Looking down at her, astonished, he said,
softly so that the others couldn’t overhear, “Did you catch that? What in the bloody hell is going on?” While he was a bit miffed over it, he wasn’t
angry. He had expected it from someone
at some point during the night but anticipated it from one of the council
members, not a lycanthrope.
Kissing him on the cheek, she
then whispered in his ear, tone a bit sad, “Don’t worry about it. He won’t do anything.”
Nodding, that came as no real surprise nor did he expect the man to really try
anything. “What brought that on?” He asked, genuinely puzzled by it.
Shaking her head sadly, she
whispered, “It’s a long story, I’ll explain it later to you.”
“I can’t wait.” He replied sarcastically and sipped his
drink.
Most had taken a good guess,
know Arkady, as to what went on but ignored the uncomfortable situation and
pushed it aside, going back to enjoying themselves, laughing and talking.
Quickly, Darious slipped back
into the jovial mood and pushed what had happened aside, enjoying the
conversation and joking around.
Although, every so often he could feel the mans’ icy star and had to
resist the urge to glare back.
It wasn’t long until he was back
into the groove of things, enjoying himself, as he hadn’t for such a long
time. But, when his watch beeped,
signaling it was
After collecting Mayhem, not an
easy task in its’ self because he didn’t want to leave his ‘ladies’, and
assuring him they would return the next night, and Dani having a short, hushed
conversation with Jolene, they said their goodbyes and left, piling back into
the limo.
Fate 7
After the happy couple had left, Zsuzanna glanced at those around her then asked, "So, what do you think? Is he on the up and up or do you get the feeling that he's plotting something?"
Shrugging, Travis answered, "I'm not getting any bad vibes about the situation at all. Seems to me that he's legit, at least when it comes to Dani."
"Same here." Jolene said, nodding. "He's giving off the demonic vibes, but that's to be expected because of what he is. But beyond that I don't sense anything amiss. In fact I'm getting a bit of the opposite from him. He does seem to have some kind of feelings for her, just like Raven said."
Shaking her head, Zarah chimed in, "I'm telling you; he won't do anything to her nor is he up to anything dodgy. From what I saw tonight it's just as it was in Germany. You would have to be a complete idiot to not see he has feelings for her, it's that obvious."
"I'm agreein' with the rest of them." Mortichi injected. "But even if there is some kind of motive behind it I would doubt we would see it right away because he has to know we're all suspicious and keepin' an eye on him. "
Nodding, Zsuzanna sipped her drink, "You're right, if anything's going to happen it won't be now. I'm getting the same feeling as the rest of you as well; I don't think there is anything there. Hell, demons shouldn't to be able to mate, we all know that, but he did it. Whatever it is that allowed him to do that must be the same thing that seems to permit him to have feeling for her of some kind. I guess it's just going to be a waiting game to see is all."
When the limo pulled up in front of his house, Darious took Danis' hand and let her to the front door while Marcus started to unload the few things they had. Stopping at the door, Darious looked down at her and winked, grinning, "Would you like me to carry you over the threshold? It's the traditional thing to do isn't it?"
Rolling her eyes, she grinned at him, "No thanks, Darious."
Chuckling, he winked, "Just thought I'd ask is all." Unlocking the door, he let her and Mayhem enter first, and then followed. As per his instructions, the foyer and front hall were packed with her things, so much so that there wasn't much moving room. While Marcus carried their stuff in and unpacked those things that were going to be needed that night and in the morning, such as Mayhems' litter box and bowls, Darious took her and Mayhem on a short tour of the house so they knew where everything was. After that they went up to his room and readied themselves for bed.
Because of the late night, Darious wasn't going to go into the office until late so he slept until 10 am. After getting his shower then going down to get a cup of coffee, where he conferred with Marcus about getting everything put away. After heading upstairs to get dressed he woke Dani.
Burying her head under the pillow she muttered, "Why do I have to go in with you? Just let me sleep. It isn't as though we don't have a lifetime of togetherness now."
"True, but that isn't the reason I want you to go with me. The A man is showing up today so he can talk to me about what happened. He's going to want to meet you."
Groaning, she rolled her eyes. Azmodeus was not someone she cared to meet. Lifting the corner of the pillow, she glanced at him, "That isn't a real wise idea, Darious."
He nodded and shrugs, palms turned upwards, "I know this, and if I had my druthers you would never have to meet him. But if you don't show up with me chances are he's going to show up here, something I'm sure you don't want either."
Sitting up, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched, yawning. "You're right, that I do not want. Like it or not, I guess I'm just going to have to get used to the idea that I'm going to have to deal with these creatures now."
"Yes, you probably will have to from time to time but I'll try to insure that it's infrequently." Giving her a soft kiss he then started dressing while she trudged off to the shower.
It was just a few minutes after noon when the four of them arrived at the office. As usual after a business trip, Nyssa had the day off. Once settled in Nyssa's' replacement came in with a stack of things that needed his attention. After sorting through the stack, farming much of it out to people in other departments, he issued and internal, private memo about his wedding, trying to head off any speculation and rumors before they started.
While he attended to other business matters Dani curled up on his lap and dozed back off. Marcus and Mayhem were goofing around and playing a bit. At quarter 'til one, Dani tossed Marcus some money and told him to take Mayhem to McDonalds and then to the park for a bit. While it was lunchtime, and Mayhem had been asking about it, her main reason was to get him out of the office so that he wouldn't be around when Azmodeus came in.
When she curled back up on his lap and shut her eyes, Darious started softly stroking up and down her back. Like all the times in the past, an impending visit from the A man always made Darious tense. No, not because he was afraid of the powerful being, but more because of the way demons were when it came to those of their kind higher up on the food chain. Like humans, there was always a power struggle going on among them.
Whenever demons did something, it always had an ulterior motive behind it, usually to gain power of some kind and rise up in the ranks. It was a fact that the more power they had the better able they would be to do their jobs on earth. They also liked to show off their status with possessions that reflected that. Sometimes those were material things but other times it had to do with a living creature. For as long as anyone could remember demons would make slaves out of the most powerful of the dark creatures so they could boast about their skills. Azmodeus was no exception to that, having had many over the centuries. Darious was sure that the minute he saw Dani that thought would cross his mind. Though he couldn't take her he could sure make Darious' life miserable if he so chose, he was not above pulling a stunt like that. While it was a status booster to have someone like Darious under his command having the most power she-devil in the world for himself would be something that would override the other.
Precisely at 1:00pm, the woman at the desk buzzed him to let him know, with a slight quiver in her voice, that his appointment was there. After telling her to let him in, he leaned back in his chair with one hand on the sleeping Danis' back, waiting and tense. Sweeping into the room, Azmodeus' commanding presence seemed to fill the large office. As always, he was impeccably dressed in the finest clothes, an ostentatious show of his wealth and power.
After helping himself to a glass of Darious' finest brandy, he seated himself in front of the desk and crossed his legs, looking at the sleeping woman on Darious' lap, his gaze then leveled with Darious' face. "Well now, this is a most interesting quandary, isn't it Darious? You sent shockwaves both above and below. Even Lord Lucifer himself felt it and is most curious as to its cause. I won't be put off by you, or any excuses you may give, anymore. What is it you have done cause such a thing?"
While his eyes seemed to have mirth in them and his tone was casual, as if the whole ting was no big deal, Darious knew better. His eyes seemed to dance but they also contained a fire of anger in them. Azmodeus was one of those beings that had to know what was going on, no matter how mundane the matter was. By putting him off and making him wait, Darious has irritated him. Most others under the great demon jumped when he said so but Darious never had. Steepling his fingers, elbows resting on the arms of the chair, Darious calmly looked at the being that was essentially his boss. "I'm quite sure you've heard what happened by now. With the sources you have on this rock, there's no hiding something from you. Just to set the record straight, so that the truth of the matter will be out there and all can stop speculating; I took a mate."
Eyes narrowing slightly, Azmodeus glared at him, "That isn't all though is it? Not only did you do something that is impossible, the mate you took is one of a breed that most of our kind has been chasing for eternity, or so it seems. This was not one of your wisest moves Darious! With this act the potential of our exposure is there and you should know that. If your name turns up within human circles as being her mate people may start questioning as to whether or not you're human. There is also the danger that someone is going to expose you for what you are. Most of the dark creatures probably do know by now and the chance of it slipping and a human hearing is high. We have taken great pains to ensure that we aren't exposed and that humans don't know one way or another if we walk the earth. This stunt could easily undo all of that and expose us!"
Face remaining calm, Darious just looked at him then said, voice smooth as silk "I am well aware of all that and the potential damage it could do. However, that danger isn't any higher than it is for any other of our brethren who walk the earth. It's just a different situation is all. None of the darklings would think to out me, it goes against their codes and laws as we well know. They all have their own PR problems to deal with when it comes to humans and misconceptions, by outing me they would just add more fuel to the bigotry and falsehoods they already have to deal with. The assumption also seems to be that if something such as this would come to light the humans may start digging around and might find many things that the darklings don't want them to know. I'm as safe as I've always been.
"The she-devils also did what they could to insure that humans don't find out what I am. They did it because they don't want to be associated with demons in any way but their strategy aided me as well. No where in the announcement that was made was my name nor what I am is mentioned, and it's very doubtful that it will ever be publicly released. While the darklings know, no human was told. They are also the ones that provided the marriage license to me in case there were questions asked. Again, to protect them, Lady Danyeallas' name was changed to a more modern version, that way there is no connection between the two of us."
The powerful demon just looked at Darious then lit a large cigar and puffed on it thoughtfully, "Albeit things have been put into place to ensure the protection of you and the rest of our kind you still should have notified me of your intentions. After all I am, after all, your superior." His tone took a sharp edge to it as his eyes bored into Darious.
Suppressing a smile, Darious looked at him. That really was the whole problem and why he was so upset; he hadn't been told about it so he had to hear the news like everyone else. Shrugging, Darious looked at him, "Like a lot of times there was no time to consult with anyone about it, it just happened. I only had an hour or so from the time I dropped back into her life until the mating and most of that was spent talking with her. There was no chance for me to call and ask your permission." While his tone was respectful, it was obvious that the last sentence was a jab.
Ignoring the comment, Azmodeus' eyes lowered so he could look at the sleeping woman on Darious' lap. Her back was too him so he couldn't see her face but the tiny body didn't seem to match all he had heard about her. Looking back at his underling, he said, voice taking on the commanding tone he always used when he wanted something and didn't want an argument about it, "Wake her. I want to talk to the being of those legends."
It was almost second nature for Darious to give Azmodeus the information he wanted when that tone was used but this time something else took over. Remembering her quip he dug his heels in. Looking calmly at the other demon he said simply, "No, I won't. She's asleep and I'm not going to wake her just so you can talk to her. She's had a long few days and is exhausted."
As expected, Azmodeus' face filled with blood, turning it so purple it was almost black, and the fires of hell filled his eyes he was so enraged by the refusal. "You are telling me no? How dare you! If you don't wake her I will!" The apoplectic rage dripped from him and his tone as he glared at Darious.
Normally, even the powerful Darious would cringe a bit and wither somewhat under the rage of the being that was more powerful than he was and was his superior, but this time he felt nothing. A small smile turned up the corners of his mouth and his eyes danced a bit as he looked at the enraged demon, "I don't think you'll be able to wake her." He replied, an undercurrent of mirth in his voice.
"We'll see about that!" Azmodeus snapped, standing. Starting to reach across the desk he then stopped and pulled his hand back, hissing as though he had been burnt. All the color drained out of his face, leaving him pale as a hothouse lily. "The Great Lady's child." He whispered, voice trembling, then flopped back in his chair and mopped his sweating brow with his decorative hanky.
Suppressing a grin, Darious nodded. "Yes, she is."
After getting up and pouring himself another drink, he then sat back down. When he spoke next the powerful demon changed his tone slightly, adding a more respect to his voice when he spoke to his underling, "At some point I would like to speak with her, of course. But I'll leave it to you to organize it. I will also leave it to your judgment to let me know if you feel your cover is in danger of being blown." Glancing at the sleeping she-devil, with something close to fear in his eyes, he cleared his throat again, "I will also personally insure that you and her will be left alone, that none of the arrogance and power dances will be tried with you."
Nodding, forcing himself to not let the humor over the almost whiplash shift in Azmodeus' tone show, Darious replied, tone neutral. "That is appreciated. As for meeting her; that will be at her discretion, not mine. When she chooses, I will let you know."
"Good, inform me and I'll be there." Downing the last of his drink, the demon stood. Nodding at Darious then glancing at the sleeping Dani, something unreadable crossing his face, he bid a goodbye and swept out.
Staring at the door, Darious was torn between humor and bewilderment. For the first time the being that was essentially his 'boss' had treated him with a respect he wasn't known for. Where it came from he didn't know but it had been there. But that wasn't all there was to it. Somehow or other Darious seemed to sense that there was a bit of fear involved as well. Outwardly he had been the same as always, showing nothing in his facial expressions or body language, but it had been there, faint and quiet as the beating of butterfly wings. What was causing it Darious didn't know nor could he think of anything that might be the reason for it.
Before he could delve into it further Dani chuckled. Glancing down at her, he smiled. Rolling her eyes, she grinned, "He sure is a pompous ass, isn't he?"
"He most certainly is. Actually, today was one of his better ones. That's almost jovial and relaxed compared to what he's normally like."
Groaning, she shook his head, "No thanks, I don't need to see that, this was bad enough."
When Marcus and Mayhem returned Darious called it a day and headed for home. Once there Marcus and Darious went to work unpacking her things and putting them where they belonged. While they were busy she and Mayhem walked around the house, familiarizing themselves with it. The first thing that Dani noticed about the place was that it seemed to have been decorated with an eye towards looking good rather than comfort. While all the furnishings were obviously expensive and were meant to keep with the old south theme one used to see in anti-bellum mansions, they lent to the austere atmosphere of the home, as though it was a showplace not a home. The whole thing seemed to have a cold and impersonal atmosphere to it.
While she walked around, looking at this and that, Mayhem explored the rooms, sniffing around and rubbing his cheeks on things to mark territory. In the living room, he hopped up onto the sofa to explore it but almost immediately jumped off then sat down by Danis' feet, a bewildered look on his face. "Da Mayhem dun like dat dere shofas, it'sh hard."
Grinning, she scratched the top of his head, "Don't worry, we're going to get rid of it." Already she was making mental lists of things that she wanted to change. As she stepped onto the third floor she happened to notice a sliding wall/door a few feet down from the staircase on the opposite end of the hall from the bedroom. She couldn't remember Darious pointing it out to her last night and wondered what it was. Stepping closer to it she saw that it had a hasp and padlock on it, meaning she couldn't open it to find out what was in there. Curiosity aroused, she made a mental note to ask Darious what was in there, but now all she wanted to do was sleep so she headed to the bedroom. After stripping down and sliding into an old, baggy T-shirt, she and Mayhem curled up on Darious' big bed and dozed off.
Later that night she and Darious were cuddled up to each other in bed, talking. Inevitably, considering their hot-blooded nature, they ended up in a passionate embrace, mouths locked. Before long both were naked, night clothes in a pile on the floor. As the kissing and groping progressed to something more animalistic, Darious rolled onto his back, holding tightly to her, so that she was on top of him.
Sitting up straight, she eased herself down his body until her crotch was over his. Reaching down, she grasped his cock, already rock hard and throbbing, then guided it to her already dripping pussy. After rubbing the head of it against the opening, wetting it with her juices, she then slowly eased herself down onto it, moaning loudly. Shifting around a bit, she found the position that was most comfortable then leaned over his chest, placing her hands on the bed for balance. Bending down, she kissed him fervently, almost animalistically. Then, slowly, she started moving on his cock, her pussy locked tightly around his turgid member, squeezing it tightly.
Putting a hand behind her head, his mouth locked on hers. Normally, he didn't like the female-on-top prone position because it had the feel of being submissive to his partner, something that rankled because of his dominant nature. This time, however, it was the total opposite; he found it highly erotic. Wrapping his other hand around her back, he held her tightly then began thrusting upwards in sync with hers. The velvety smooth walls of her pussy surrounding his cock made it throb madly.
Pulling her mouth off his, she looked down at him, panting. Straightening up, she leaned backwards, putting the palms of her hands flat on the bed by his knees. Shifting position a bit, she spread her legs wider, revealing her now dripping wet slit impaled on his nine-inch cock.
Groaning, his eyes were riveted to the site of his member, slick with her wetness, sliding in and out of her tight pussy. This position, called "The Clip" in the Kama Sutra, allowed him to watch all the intimate details of their fucking. Sliding one of his hands down between them, his fingers zeroing in on her clit. After brushing them lightly over it a couple times, he began to gently rub it in slow, soft circles.
Grinding down, hard, on his cock, she shut her eyes and moaned loudly, shivering. Quivering from head to toe, she wiggled all over, thrusting roughly onto him.
After several minutes, when she knew his finger was getting her close to the point of no return, she quickly switched back to her original position. This way gave her the opportunity to thrust harder onto him, something she started doing almost immediately.
Putting a hand behind her head, he pulled her back into a passionate kiss. Once again, his other hand slid downwards to her crotch and his finger resumed its work on her now throbbing and pulsing nub. Using instincts honed over hundreds of years, when he was sure she was just about there he switched to gently rubbing and flicking the pad of his finger against the underside of the sensitive bud.
Her reaction to the new manipulation was almost instantaneous. Quivering all, she howled loudly. Thrusting down onto his hand, she ground her hips in a circle with her knees digging into the outside of his hips. Grabbing the sheet tightly in both hands, her body shook almost violently as her powerful orgasm jolted her, making her skin tingle and hair stand on end. Because of the stress and upheaval in her life over the last week or so her instinct told her to shift and feed. Without a second thought she surrendered herself to the change and let it happen.
As soon as her shift started her P.C. muscles clamped around Darious' cock in a death grip, he let out a strangled how and thrust up into her one more time and came. As spark after spark danced across his skin from the orgasm he moaned loudly. Even in the throws of the powerful sensation he felt her hair brush against his cheek then her sharp fangs sink into his shoulder. Wrapping his arms around her back, he held her close, knowing instinctively she was feeding.
When the first draught of his blood hit her stomach it was like being hit between the eyes with a sledgehammer. As her body began absorbing it the effect became something similar to a very powerful drug high-balling into her system. Everything began to spin, she began shaking all over, her pupils dilated, and a powerful wave of nausea seized her. But that wasn't the worst of it. Unlike vampires, it wasn't the blood itself the she-devils needed to survive; it was what is IN the blood that sustained them. The hormones, glucose, acids, etc are what they needed. While humans and other humanoid creatures were able to derive them from the many dietary sources, she-devils couldn't, it had to be male blood and nothing else could be substituted. At the time of the male orgasm, certain things were at their highest peak and they could be digested whereas if they came from a female or a male not during that passion peak their bodies couldn't absorb what was needed. While humans were the biggest feeding source most of the humanoid dark creatures, such as werewolves, fairies, werecats, etc, had what they needed as well. So, naturally, she had assumed that Darious would also have it in his blood as well. She assumed that the worst that would happen would be that it wouldn't give her what she needed and would have to get it from another source. Boy was she wrong!
Not only did what was in the blood slam her, she was on the receiving end of a "memory bomb". One of the things that separated she-devils into a separate species of dark creature was what they call the "memory bomb". When they feed on someone, or even just drink a small amount of blood from any other creature, part of what they get is that being's memory. While no one has ever been able to explain just why or how they can do this, it's a proven fact that indeed they can. Most of the time it's nothing more than a few minutes, maybe a bit longer with some of the dark creatures that can live for hundreds of years, of a montage of their lives up to that point, something like retrospectives done of events or time periods done by news channels at the end of the year to recap things.
Those "highlights" can be quite uncomfortable to watch and the flood of emotions that comes with them can be overwhelming, it's something easily handled with no lingering effects. Darious, on the other hand, was a completely different story! The "memory bomb" she was on the receiving end of was like a 50-megaton nuclear weapon. Not only had it been more powerful and vivid than any in the past, it lasted for a solid ten minutes.
The reason behind it was that Darious was ageless, having roamed the earth for eons, one of the true immortals. If that wasn't bad enough, the imagery she was on the receiving end of was some of the most horrifying things she had ever seen. Sure, from the time they had spent together in Germany, she knew he was no angel and had probably done some fairly horrific things. Hell, he had been an honored guest of the Marquis DeSades' during his parties. She had also been aware, during her stay in France, that he was one of the executioners for the government. But the knowledge she had was mild compared to other things he had done.
Once she had fed all she could, she pulled her fangs out and scrambled to the edge of the bed. On all fours, her head hung down and sticking over the edge, she was still. Never in her life had she felt like this, at least that she could remember. Sweating and shaking, wave after wave of nausea washed over her. Closing her eyes, the room started spinning, making her already protesting stomach lurch and twist more than it already was. Taking in great gulps of air and swallowing repeatedly, she tried to keep the rising gorge at bay.
Sitting up, Darious looked at her, bewildered. Not being at all familiar on the topic of what is normal and what wasn't when it comes to she-devils and feeding, he wasn't sure if there was something wrong or this is what happens when they feed. When he saw her body start to lurch and could hear the gagging noise that was universally the unmistakable sound of the dry heaves, he was off the bed and grabbed hold of her, and then dashed to the bathroom.
Curled up on the floor, her head rested on the lip of the toilet bowl, eyes shut, clutching her stomach. It was still roiling and threatening but the tsunami-sized waves of nausea seemed to be coming less frequently and didn't seem to be as intense as they were.
Sitting on the edge of the tub, Darious stroked up and down her back softly, not really sure what to do, if anything. Being supportive and comforting were most assuredly things he had little to no knowledge or experience with.
After a desperate internal battle, she finally thought everything was going to stay where it was. Shifting around a bit, she leaned back against the wall and looked at Darious. "Caligula, the coliseum, Napoleon, the Inquisition; you are one evil fucker, Darious." she said softly, looking into his eyes.
A shiver ran up his spine as he looked at her, mouth hanging open. Never had he talked about his past with her so she should have no way of knowing any of what she mentioned. Yet it appeared she did. "How do you know that?" he asked, his voice soft and quiet.
A small smile crossed her face and she said, simply, "Your blood. When I feed, I get your memories. You are one sadistic asshole, do you know that?"
"Part of my charm, you know that." He quipped back. Although he prided himself as being as well informed as was possible when it came to she-devils, this is something he had never heard of. "How much do you know now?"
This time her smile grew a bit bigger and reached her bloodshot eyes. "Everything. Let's just say this; you will never be able to lie to me if I feed off you." Shaking her head a bit, she stared into his eyes, "It doesn't matter, Darious. It's in the past. Just a bit shocking to get all of it in one swoop is all. A bit overwhelming, you might say."
His past, and what he had done, wasn't something he wanted to discuss with her right now. Rather that continue on with the uncomfortable topic he shifted the topic away. "Do you always get almost ill when you feed?"
"Actually, no, this was a first."
Brow furrowed, he looked at her, concerned, "What caused it then?"
Briefly, she gave him a rundown of what was in blood they needed then shrugged, telling him that she wasn't sure of the cause.
A sheepish grin spread across his face, "I think I know the problem then."
Arching an eyebrow, she looked at him, "Oh? And what would it be?"
"From what you described, what you need from blood is in my system all the time. By the orgasm, it basically skyrocketed the normal level and probably gave you something akin to a drug overdose."
Groaning, she shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. "Lust… I didn't even think about that! It all makes sense now."
Chuckling deeply, he winked at her, "My poor kitty."
Blowing him a moist raspberry, she winked back.
After taking a long, hot bath together they went to bed. Almost immediately, she fell into a deep, drugged sleep. So deep in fact, she didn't even stir when Mayhem came in to join them. Seeing him get upset when she wasn't responding, Darious rose to the occasion and calmed him down. After talking and petting him for a bit, the cat fell asleep on Dani's pillow, curled up around her head.
Fate - Chapter 8
The next morning Darious rose at his normal time. After getting dressed, he wandered down to the kitchen for his first cup of coffee of the day and some breakfast. As usual, Marcus was already up and had the coffee ready and he was cooking breakfast. Mayhem was sitting on the counter, watching him intently, jabbering away.
When he saw Darious sit down at the breakfast bar, he hopped off the counter and bound towards him. Jumping up on the breakfast bar, he sat down by Darious, tail swishing rapidly. "'Mornin' dere Bosh!"
Grinning, Darious reached out and scratched between his ears. "Good morning, Mayhem."
Normally he would be perusing the paper, catching up with what was going on in the world, but he felt the cat should be the priority. They were all still in a bit of a transitional period, something that's always stressful even under the best of circumstances. They were also trying to getting to know each other, so the more they interacted the smoother everything would run during this crucial period. Indeed, those were some of the real issues that were bound to crop up eventually and would have to be dealt with sometime in the future, but they weren't the sole motivation behind the reasoning. Since meeting the cat, he had taken a bit of a shine to him. It wasn't hard to like the animal. He was friendly and seemed to be easy-going. Nor had he shown any signs of a temperamental nature so many people attribute to felines.
Picking up the hefty animal, he put him in his lap and scratched him between the ears. "So, what have you been up to since you've been awake, Mayhem?"
Rather than give one of the standard answers, such as a brief mention of a few things or saying not much, the cat gave him a fairly detailed description of his adventures while exploring his new surroundings. His rapid-fire speech pattern coupled with his obvious excitement made Darious grin. He never knew investigating a house could be as exciting as Mayhem was making it out to be.
Stroking down his back Darious looked at him, eyes twinkling, "You've been busy, haven't you? Sounds like you've had a lot of fun as well."
Looking up at him, Mayhem nodded, "Oh yesh! Da Mayhem wuz havin' fun! Da bosh haash a BEEG houshe an' lotsha neat fings."
When Marcus put the food laden plates on the bar Mayhem hopped off Darious' lap then made a beeline straight for the food. Slapping one of his big front paws on the food he crowed, "Yoush dead!" then dove in. Darious and Marcus looked at each other and grinned before digging into their own.
After the meal was over, Darious began gathering things for work. In his study Darious did a quick check of his e-mail. Following him to the study, Mayhem hopped up onto the desk beside him, watching what he was doing intently.
Reaching out, Darious petted the cat. Normally one of his biggest pet peeves was people touching his desk, something that made him go nuclear. But, for whatever reason, he didn't mind the cat sitting there.
Purring loudly, Mayhem leaned into hand. "Ish me an' da Lady Bosh goin' to worksh wiff yoush today?"
"No, you'll be staying home. You'll be staying home most days while I work."
"Kk, Bosh."
Shutting down the computer, he grabbed his briefcase then exited the study. Putting the case on a table in the foyer, he headed upstairs.
Waking the still-sleeping Dani, he let her know he was leaving, then gave her a hug and kiss goodbye. While he put on his jacket Mayhem hopped up on the table by his briefcase. Grabbing it, Darious smiled at the cat. "Well, I'm off! See you when I get home tonight, Mayhem."
"OTay Bosh." Holding one of his paws up in the air, he said, "High five, Bosh."
Grinning, Darious gave him a high five, and then headed out the door.
After being gone, there was a lot of work to catch up on. Once Darious got through the standard morning things, he began to tackle everything else. Shortly after he arrived, an obviously upset and angry Cassandra walked into his office. Looking up, he tried to suppress a grin when he saw the look on her face.
"Good morning, Cassandra." he said pleasantly, leaning back in his chair.
There was no denying that his personal assistant was one very beautiful woman. Long, flowing chestnut brown hair hung to her shoulders, styled to perfection. Those big, sky-blue eyes of hers were stunning. She also had a body to die for, 5'11, weighing somewhere in the 130 lb range with long, toned legs. It was always her practice to wear dresses that were form fitting and revealing, making sure they accentuated her grapefruit-sized breasts.
Nyssa's conniving remark was dead accurate - she was very much a master manipulator. Although she was highly intelligent, well educated, and had a great deal of business savvy, she used every trick at her disposal to claw her way to the top. Long ago she had set her sights on him, in both a business sense as well as a personal one. Although she wanted to climb the corporate ladder as high as she could, the thought of being his wife and the money and power that went along with it were things that she wanted as well.
Grunting a curt, "Morning" back she glared at him.
"Is there a problem?" he asked innocently, but his eyes twinkled with mirth. There was a problem and he was well aware what it was, Dani. Someone had just dashed her plans.
Fixing him with a stare that was so full of malevolence that he should have melted or caught fire, she huffed a bit. Then, calmly, voice denude of any emotion, a dangerous sign if there ever was one, she asked, "I heard you tied the knot while out in LA."
Smiling a bit, he nodded, "For once the rumor mill is accurate. I did, indeed, take a wife."
"Congratulations!" she said with a false cheerful voice, eyes narrowing. Big, red blotches stood out on her face, marring her normal peaches and cream complexion. A blood vessel on her right temple was distended and throbbing madly.
Steepling his fingers, he nodded, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth, "Thank you." He was finding this amusing. At this point she had to be furious on many levels. Not only did he slip through her fingers, but she really outwardly expressed her anger. To do that would give away the fact that she had been chasing him. Nor could she criticize his choice of women, because she had yet to meet his wife. Rather than switch the conversation to the more neutral ground of business and move away from the awkward moment, Darious let her stew.
Trying to get herself under control, she smiled brightly, "You're most welcome. Are we going to get to meet her, or are you going to keep her hidden away?"
Grinning, he winked at her, "Oh, I'm sure you'll get to meet her at some point. As a matter of fact, she was here yesterday. Most didn't get to meet her though; I had a short day after the flight back."
Nodding, she plastered a smile on her face then handed him the files she had brought in, trying to shift the topic away.
About
With a grin in her voice she said, tone sugary sweet, "Your lunch is here."
Looking at the intercom as though it could show him what was going on, there was a puzzled look on his face. "What? I didn't order any lunch."
"Whether you did or didn't that doesn't change the fact that your lunch is here." This time she didn't even try to hide the chuckle.
Puzzled, he replied, "Well, send it in then."
A minute or so later his office door opened and in stepped a woman in a black, form-fitting cat suit. Stepping up to his desk, she sat the container that resembled a picnic basket he had been carrying on his desk and opened it. Smiling pleasantly, she nodded, "Hello Lord Darious. Lady D made arrangements with Lady Jolene to provide you, Modega, and Nyssa with lunch every day." Pulling out the food, she arranged it in front of him. "We were having roast beef with all the fixings today for a special, I hope that's alright."
Smiling, he nodded, looking at the spread on his desk. "That's fine. Pass along my thanks to Lady Jolene, if you would please." He looked her and smiled. At this close range it was obvious she was a she-devil, probably one of the younger ones.
Smiling back, she nodded, "Will do. When you're done just put everything back in the basket and set it aside. The person that delivers your lunch tomorrow will pick it up."
"Alright. Thanks!"
Nodding her head, she replied, "You're welcome. Have a nice day!" she then let herself out of the office.
Picking up the bottle of brandy that had come with it, he grinned big. One of the very old brands, he assumed it had come from Dani's stock. Picking up his fork he dug in, making a mental note to thank Dani when it got home.
As the afternoon slowly passed, Darious found his mind wandering more and more to his mate rather than on the tasks at hand. For the first time since he had created Triple D, his mind wasn't on the business. It was also the first time that he had been a 'clock watcher', counting down the time until he could leave. The longer he sat there, the more his mind wandered to Dani.
Finally, at
After letting himself in the front door and sitting his briefcase on the table, he slid out of his jacket. As he was hanging it up, he heard a noise that sounded like a heard of elephants stampeding across the floor then Mayhem yell, "Bosh! You'sh home!" Looking up, he saw the cat bounding out of the doorway to the kitchen and running down the marble-floored foyer. He hadn't gone more than two feet when he began sliding, unable to get any kind of traction on the waxed and semi-slick floor. Moving all four of his paws this way and that, he tried to put the brakes on or at least slow down and get some kind of control, but to no avail. All the mad scramble ended up doing was to cause him to go into a spin, sliding across the floor towards Darious like a hockey puck.
Jumping out of the way, so he wouldn't be knocked over, Darious tried to grab hold of the furry projectile, but missed. A split-second later the cat slid into the front door going at a pretty good clip. A loud thud was heard at the impact, causing the door to vibrate a bit. Mayhem ended up with his head and front shoulders flat on the floor with his back flat against the door, rear legs dangling downwards. Hurrying over, Darious picked him up, concerned, "Are you OK, Mayhem?"
Looking dazed and a bit wobbly, the cat shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs, "I'm find dere Bosh. Jusht put me down and point me in da right direction, den I'll be good ta go!"
Grinning and shaking his head, Darious replied, "I don't think so Mayhem. Let me check to see if you're hurt first. He began feeling the cat's bone structure to see if he could detect any broken bones.
"Hit the door, did he?" Dani said, walking towards them.
Darious looked at her and nodded, "Yes, he had a pretty good head of steam when he went into it, but I think he's OK. Nothing's broken as far as I can tell, so he should be OK."
Taking the cat out of Darious' arms, she stood on her tip-toes and gave him a kiss, then chuckled as she stroked the cat's back, "Welcome home. He's done this before, several times. Luckily he's pretty resilient and doesn't get hurt." Leaning over, she put the cat down, "Go finish your food Mayhem, but WALK this time - no running."
Shaking a bit, trying to get rid of the last remnants of the fuzziness he felt, he looked up at her and nodded, "Will do, Lady Bosh!" Then he took off towards the kitchen, walking very carefully.
After his rear end disappeared into the kitchen, she looked back at Darious and winked, a grin spreading across her face. "Don't worry; he's a bit clumsy and accident-prone. Take my word for it; he's crashed into worse things than a door before. Whoever said cats were graceful never told that to Mayhem."
Putting an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close then gave her a soft kiss. "I was worried; I thought he might have done some damage, as hard as he hit it."
Wiggling her eyebrows, she grinned bigger, "It's the door you should worry about, not him."
Later that night, after supper, the two of them settled themselves in the living room to watch a movie. Sitting in his chair, with her in his lap, they talked a bit. After discussing some things she wanted to do with the house she looked up at him, "That reminds me. What's behind that locked door on the 3rd floor? You didn't show it to me or tell me what was in there when we did a walk-through of the house."
A huge grin spread across his face then he winked at her, eyes bright and twinkling, "I forgot to show it to you is all. It's my dungeon."
Quirking an eyebrow, a small smile turned up the corners of her mouth, "A dungeon? What kind?"
Chuckling deeply, he winked at her again, "What kind do you think? A playroom of course, one dedicated to the exotic reaches of sexuality."
"With you, one never knows. It could have been a place you take kidnapped Christians and torture them until they do your bidding." she replied, sticking her tongue at him.
"Indeed there have been a great many Christians tortured there, but they were more than willing to let me. In fact, one might say they were very eager to have it done."
Patting her on the ass, he had her slide off his lap, and then stood up. Taking her hand he said, "C'mon, I'll show it to you."
After checking on Mayhem, they headed upstairs. After unlocking the door, he held it open for her, gesturing for her to enter. Indeed, it was a dungeon, one that was better equipped than most professional clubs dedicated to BDSM were. Implements of torture were hung on the walls, a huge X cross was in one corner and a horse in another. Chains hung from the ceiling with various types of cuffs attached to him.
Wandering around, she examined everything, touching some of the implements. Leaning on the doorjamb, arms folded across his chest, he watched her, smiling. When she stopped to look at a variety of bottled lotions and oils, he walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist then brushed her hair over one shoulder and kissed her neck. "So, are you still interested in the exotic arts, or is it something you aren't interested in anymore?"
Giggling, she looked back over her should at him, a mischievous look in her eyes. "But of course! It isn't something you suddenly decide you no longer like; once you go there, it's in your blood and never goes away."
Nuzzling his face into her hair, he asked, "Would my Kat like a bit of 'playtime', as Mayhem says?"
Making a noise that was the human equivalent of a purr, she leaned back against him, "But of course! When have I ever turned down an offer from you to pursue a bit of rough play?"
"Never, to my knowledge." he chuckled. Letting loose, he took her hand and led her over to a chair in the corner. Sitting down, he pulled her into his lap then wrapped his arms around her once again. Giving her a tender kiss he then said, "Let's lay down the ground rules and such so I don't or won't go somewhere you don't like, then we'll begin."
A couple of hours later, the room was filled with the smell of sex. It seemed to hang over everything like a thick cloud, mixing with the smell of sulfur and brimstone. Groaning, Darious stretched his wings straight out behind him before rolling off her, lying by her side on the thick, soft mat. Shutting his eyes, he panted heavily trying to catch his breath, body slick with sweat.
When his breathing had returned to normal and his heart rate dropped, he sat up and looked down at her, then froze. Slowly, a look of abject horror spread over his face as he looked at his handiwork. Her face was a bruised mess, both eyes blackened and a handprint on one of her cheeks. Instead of being blonde, her hair was a deep, red color from blood, and he could see a couple of bald patches that looked raw. It seemed that her whole body was either covered with blood or bruised.
The fact that she looked this way because of something he had done made his stomach clench into a cold, tight knot and a wave of self-revulsion surged through he body. Yes, she was always someone who could push him to the edge of his self-control, but he had been able to maintain it, a source of pride to him. Now, from the look of her, it was obvious that he had lost that legendary control and let his bestial instinct take over. It was the realization that he had lost it that sent a surge of an emotion he had never felt before throughout his body, making him feel like shit. On its heels, his mind began racing to figure out a way to make it up to her.
With a grunt, she rolled onto her side, facing him, and then rested her head on his huge thigh, smiling up at him. Purring, she said, "Mmm… that was fantastic, Darious! You are, indeed a master of what you do."
Those words made him feel worse than he already did. Stroking her hair, he shook his head, "I'm sorry Kat, I got carried away. I most certainly didn't intend for it to go as far as it did."
Shooting him a quizzical look, she shook her head. "Do you hear me complaining? No, I liked it. There's nothing to be sorry about."
Swallowing around the huge lump in his throat, he just shook his head but didn't say anything more on the topic. Instead he stood up and stretched. Holding out his hand to her, he forced a smile, "Let me help you up, then I'll draw you a bath so you can get cleaned up to better assess the damage."
Sitting up, she took his hand then tried to stand but couldn't, plopping back down onto the mat. Giving it another try, she still couldn't quite manage getting herself into a standing position, her legs and hips protesting loudly and painfully, refusing to co-operate with the instructions her brain was giving them. Shaking her head, she looked at him, "No go. You're going to have to give me a hand."
Feeling sick to his stomach, he knelt down so she could put her arm around his shoulder then stood up, helping her rise.
Once upright, her legs and hips were both screaming in agony, still refusing to function properly. Leaning against him, she wrapped her arms around his waist to hold on so she wouldn't fall. Shaking her head again, she looked at him, "This isn't going to work either. I think one of those last hard thrusts you did broke something in my pelvis. I'm pretty sure I felt it go. So, walking right now is out of the question, I'll just end up flat on my face if I try."
Nodding, he plastered a fake smile on his face, "No problem, I'll carry you." Picking her up, he could hear and feel some of the bones in her pelvis grind a bit, telling him that he had broken something just like she said. That knowledge sent more thick waves of self-loathing through him. Holding her close, he grabbed a towel from a nearby table and covered her with it before walking out. After shutting and locking the door to the room, he turned around and saw Mayhem sitting at the head of the stairs, watching him. Smiling at the cat, he gave him a cheery, "Hey Mayhem! What are you up to?" There was no hiding Dani's injuries, so he was convinced the cat would be upset at him for hurting his 'Lady Bosh'.
Cocking his head side to side, Mayhem looked at Darious, then Dani, and then back to Darious.
Darious waited but said nothing, wanting to see the cat's reaction before deciding on a course of action on how to handle the matter.
"Yoush an' da Lady Bosh had shome playtime!" he said, head cocked to the side.
Smiling in relief, Darious nodded, "We sure did."
"Dat'sh kul."
Looking at the cat, Dani smiled, "Hey, Mayhem."
"Hey dere, Lady Bosh!" The cat crowed happily, body shaking a bit as his tail swished rapidly. "Did ya have fun, Lady Bosh?"
"I sure did!" she said, looking up at Darious, winking.
Relieved, Darious relaxed a bit, "Can you do me a favor please, Mayhem?"
Bouncing onto his feet excitedly, his whiskers poofed out, tail going a mile a minute, Mayhem looked intently at Darious, "What do ya need for da Mayhem to do dere, Bosh?"
"Go find Marcus for me. Tell him I want him to clean the dungeon."
Puffing up, the cat nodded, intent look on his face, "Will do, Bosh!" he shouted then took off down the stairs, yelling for the big werewolf.
Carrying her to the bathroom off his room, he gently set her on the toilet and began to run the water. When it was the right temperature he picked Dani up and held her tightly then stepped into the sunken marble tub. Grabbing the hand-held sprayer, making sure it was on the fine mist setting, and then began to spray her down, trying to get most of the blood off. Once that was done he engaged the plug and switched it back to faucet, starting to fill the tub. Sitting down, he stretched out and held her close as the warm water began to rise around them.
Using a gentleness he didn't know he was capable of, he started washing her off, cleaning up any of the remaining blood on her skin. Also, he was doing an inventory of just how much damage he had caused, trying to gauge what should be done. The more damage he saw, the worse he felt about it, a sick feeling gnawing at him. While he wanted to express to her just how sorry he was and how bad he felt, he didn't seem to have the words to say it, unable to formulate it in a way to get the point across.
Shutting her eyes, she rested her head on his shoulder and shut her eyes. "Mmm… that feels good." she said, smiling.
Kissing her on the top of the head, he smiled a bit, "I'm glad you like it." he said, that rotten feeling still gnawing at him. From times past, he knew she healed fairly quickly, almost like regeneration, however all he had seen was cuts and such, nothing big like broken bones, so he wasn't sure about the healing rate for those. Glancing down, he wasn't surprised to see that the bruises already had changed colors, showing the signs of healing and that the cuts seemed to be shrinking. "Kat? How long will it take for the bones to heal? Or do you need to go see someone to get them treated?"
"Probably only three or four days until they are completely healed. They'll have knitted together enough by tomorrow that I'll be able to walk fine, but will probably be limping a bit. Within a week's time you won't be able to tell I was hurt."
Once they were done with the bath, he carefully dried her off and began dressing her wounds, even though she protested that it wasn't necessary. When that was done, he wrapped her up in his fleece robe, the one he always had hanging on the back of the bathroom door, then carried her to the bedroom, gently laying her on the bed.
Pulling on a pair of sleep pants, he was rummaging through the drawers, looking for her nightclothes when Mayhem bound in and hopped onto the bed. Snuggling up to her, he began jabbering away. A few seconds later, Marcus stepped in. Looking at Dani, noting her battered face, his eyes hardened then he nudged Darious, "I need to ask you something."
"Sure," Darious nodded, "what's up?
Tugging him out into the hall, Marcus glared at him, "What the fuck did you do to her?" he hissed, eyes blazing.
Normally, he wouldn't have allowed the big werewolf to talk to him in that manner, but he was feeling like a complete and utter jackass over what he had done so he let it slide, "Nothing she didn't want. I lost control and things got out of hand. Don't worry; it won't happen again, that you have my word on." Darious replied, shrugging.
Blinking, Marcus was taken aback. Normally, Darious would have snarled at him for the comment. This was the first time since being with him that he explained his actions. Clearing his throat, Marcus changed the topic, "I've got most of the blood up, but I'm going to have to toss a couple of the mats in the wash. Even then I'm not sure if the blood will come out."
Nodding, Darious looked at him, "Alright. Good job." Peering back into the bedroom to see if Dani was listening at all, he saw her talking to the cat. Turning back to the werewolf he lowered his voice. "Is there anything out there that will help speed up the healing process?"
Without even having to think about it, Marcus replied, "Sugar. Anything with lots of sugar will speed things up."
Nodding, Darious replied, "OK, good. I'll get a list of some of the foods and drinks she likes and have you pick some up for her."
Later that night, all three of them plus Mayhem were sprawled out on Darious' big bed, playing a board game with the cat, having a good time. While the cat might be a bit goofy, and seem to be scatterbrained, he was actually quite good at it. Much to Darious and Marcus' surprise, he could count and read the instructions; he just needed help moving things, since he couldn't grasp things.
The bed was littered with junk food wrappers and dishes. Marcus had gone out and returned with a junk food feast they all worked their way through as they played. When they all began to get sleepy, they put the game away and sprawled out on the bed to watch a movie on the TV Dani had bought for the bedroom earlier in the day. Eventually, sleep crept up and they all dozed off, Dani curled up to Darious, her arm draped over his chest, head on his shoulder. As he usually did, Mayhem fell asleep on the pillow her head was resting on, curled up, head resting against hers. Behind her, Marcus had dozed off, his chest against her back, arm draped around her waist.
Fate - Chapter 9
(plot)
For the next couple of days things were fairly uneventful, showing that they were adjusting to the new situation and getting used to each other. There was still a bit of stress over the upheaval, but its level had dropped quite a bit as they began getting used to the major life-changing upheaval.
Thursday was the first really chilly day of the season, a sign that winter
was fast approaching. Because of his physiology, the cold never bothered
Darious; if he felt chilled he would just increase his body heat. After
Stepping into the living room he stopped cold and glared, his temper flaring to dangerous levels. Indeed they were there, and so was Marcus. He was sprawled out on the couch, curled up under a blanket with Dani. Rather than wait to see if his perception of scene was right, he jumped to the conclusion that something had gone on between the two.
Just as he was about to let out a bellow of rage and start chewing some ass, Mayhem poked his head out from under the blanket in front of her. "Hey dere, Bosh! You'sh home!" Then he wiggled out from under it and bound towards Darious.
Looking over at the demon, Marcus saw the anger in his eyes and turned a bit pale, knowing full well what that look in his eyes meant.
Picking up the cat, his anger started ebbing away. It was very unlikely that the two would be doing anything with the cat being under the blankets with them. Once she tossed back the blankets and stood the last remnants of anger vanished. Both were fully dressed, her in a sweat suit and big slippers that looked like gigantic leopard feet, him in jeans and a long-sleeved flannel shirt. Quickly, he realized that he had jumped to an erroneous conclusion and felt a bit embarrassed.
Saying something about starting supper, he headed towards the kitchen, calling for Mayhem to come help him.
Putting the cat down, he looked at Dani, a sheepish grin on his face.
Walking over, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned up to give him a kiss. When she broke it up, she looked up at him, eyes dancing with mirth. "Jumped to the wrong conclusion, didn't you Darious?"
Shrugging, he chuckled, "What can I say? It's my nature."
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and grinned at him, "Oh PU-lease Darious! Give me some credit, will you? If I was going to do anything with Marcus and wanted to keep it a secret you would never find out. Nor would I be stupid enough to leave myself in a compromising situation."
Reaching out, he enfolded her in his arms and held her close then kissed her softly. "True. I should have known better, but it was a visceral reaction, not one from common sense."
Jabbing him in the ribs playfully with a finger, she winked, "Well now you do."
Grabbing her, he tossed her over his shoulder and gave her ass a playful swat, causing some giggles, and then walked over to his chair. Sliding her off his shoulder, he sat down and cuddled her in his lap. Wrapping both arms around her middle, he pulled her close and rested his cheek on her head, smelling a light vanilla scent left behind by her shampoo. "It won't happen again, I promise. Why were you under there together anyway?" He asked, curious.
Pulling her feet up into the chair, she curled up to his chest. "We were COLD. Mayhem and I aren't used to it anymore, so it hits us a bit more. Besides, we turned up the furnace, but it doesn't seem to be working right. It's kicking out heat, but not very much of it."
"I had forgotten the furnace isn't functioning as it should. Marcus and I noticed that last season and I was intending to have someone look at it or have it replaced, but it completely slipped my mind. If you want, you can give someone a call tomorrow and have them take look at it."
"If it's fairly old, it should probably be replaced."
"Very true. Do what you feel is best."
"I'll take care of it tomorrow." Then she looked up at him and grinned, "Besides, you told me I could re-decorate the place, remember? I've been working on that so I'll chuck the furnace in with those plans."
Groaning, he rolled his eyes but was still grinning, "Indeed, I did say that. The place is yours to do as you wish. Only thing I ask is to keep this chair, everything else is fair game."
Grinning bigger, she wiggled her eyebrows at him, "Cool!" Looking at the chair, she was puzzled. It was an ancient wing chair that didn't match the tone of the room. Plus it was fairly old and looking a bit ragged. Looking back at him, she asked, "Why keep it? I'm sure that I could come up with something much nicer."
Shaking his head, he replied, "No thanks, I want to keep this one. It's the only chair I've ever found that is comfortable and will accommodate my wings when I'm in demon form."
Understanding, she nodded, "Got ya. Can I at least get it recovered or fixed up?"
"That's fine, do what you need to with it."
Around
Sitting the carrier on the desk, Marcus chuckled, "You're stuck with my ugly-ass face today Godzilla, sorry to disappoint you. Dani had some business to take care of at the club. They're busy today so they asked me to bring it in to you. Sorry to get your hopes up."
Pulling the dishes out, Darious arranged them then began to dig in to the heaping mound of ribs before him. "Delicious!" he said between bites.
"Oh yeah. I had them for lunch." Grinning, Marcus then looked at Darious.
Arching a brow, Darious cocked his head, "What? I know that look; it means you're up to something besides being a delivery boy. Spill it."
Pulling a slip of paper from his shirt pocket, he then handed it to Darious. "After work you need to go to this address, not the house."
Taking it, Darious glanced at it then looked back at Marcus, "Why? What's up?"
Grinning from ear to ear he replied, "Because your mate is having the house redecorated. The things we need have already been moved to her old house where we'll be staying until they're done."
Groaning, Darious shook his head but was still grinning, "I figured she had something up her sleeve last night when she mentioned it I just didn't think it would be so soon. You sure everything we need has been moved?"
Nodding, he replied, "Positive. Supervised the whole thing myself then did a double check to be on the safe side."
"Well, I'll have to pop home anyway to pick up the computer. It won't shut down without the password."
"It's been moved already."
Shooting him a sharp look, Darious said, "How? You know not to pull the plug on it because it may lose files. The only other way to get into it is my password. You can't do anything without it. I've made sure it's almost un-hackable."
"Well, apparently it isn't. Your mate was able to crack it and shut it down, don't know how though. Apparently it wasn't hard either; she managed it in a couple of minutes."
"It appears I'm going to need her to show me just how she managed it then have a talk with my techs about a better security system." Darious said, eyebrow quirked.
It was funny, a half an hour after arriving at her place he decided he liked it much better than he did his own. It wasn't nearly the size or as opulent as his, it was basically an ordinary two-story middleclass home, but somehow or other it 'felt' better. Immediately it was apparent that she had great taste when it came to decorating because it was beautiful and all the furnishings were magnificent as well as comfortable. It seemed to him that the reason might be that while she wanted things to look nice she had an eye for comfort instead of just looking good. Most of all there was a warm feeling associated with it, almost like a welcoming presence rather that the austere feeling his had. For the first time he really understood what people meant when they say it feels like a home.
Being someone that likes to know what's going on, he quizzed her about her decorating plans but she wouldn't tell him anything beyond some basic changes like a new furnace/ central air system, weatherizing the windows and a couple other things. Mostly she just told him that he would have to wait and see. However, he did learn that she had hired werewolf contractors to do the job. Because their work ethics and rules were different it would take a week or less to finish it. Unlike humans werewolves worked three shifts, seven days a week and were masterful at sound-proofing, so no one was disturbed by the noises.
The following afternoon, while Dani was still in bed sound asleep, Darious shifted all his office material into her den so he could take care of some work that needed done. When Mayhem and Marcus went out for a walk, he settled in then went to it. While he was pouring over some progress reports her phone rang. Since he had enabled call forwarding last night he assumed it was for him. Slipping the hands-free headset on, he answered it.
"Darious, this is Jolene," the familiar Cajun-accented voice said.
Smiling, he put the paperwork down and leaned back, "Hello Jolene. How can I help you?"
"Is Dani around?"
"She's still in bed but she's here. Do you need me to wake her up?"
"If you would please, I have something I need to talk to her about."
Not pressing the issue or asking what it was, he woke up the sleeping Dani and gave her the phone. He then closeted himself up in the den again, resuming what hew as doing.
About a half an hour or so later Dani came in and wrapped her arms around his neck, "What are you up to Darious?"
Putting a hand over hers, he leaned his head back and gave her a soft kiss, "Good morning sleepyhead. I'm just catching up on some paperwork that I didn't get to yesterday, nothing of vital importance."
Letting go, she walked around and slid into his lap, "I have to go to the Pussycat for a while. There are some people there that need to talk to me. If you're not to busy I'd like it if you came with. But I'll understand if you can't."
Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her, "There isn't anything I'm doing that can't wait until later. I'll go see about rounding up Marcus and Mayhem then we can go."
Once at the club a couple of the she-devils snagged Marcus and Darious before they could go inside. They needed help moving some appliances that had just been delivered. While they went off to lend their brawn to the task, Dani and Mayhem ducked inside. Once the cat was off his leash, he made a beeline for a cluster of she-devils sitting in one of the booths. Looking around, Dani spied a group of werewolves at the far end talking with Travis. That was what she was looking for so she headed that direction.
When Travis spotted her coming, he nodded and said something to the others. All eyes turned her direction, the oldest of them stood then walked over to her, a smile etched on his face. Giving her a hug, he then stepped back, "Dani! It's great to see you!"
"Same here Wuuky. It's been a long time." she replied, giving him a peck on the cheek. She and Wuuky had known each other for several centuries, long before he ever became the clan leader of the Dreadmore. They had met for the first time before the time dark creatures had been outted. At the time he was just coming into adulthood and was full of the same piss and vinegar that most young werewolf warriors were. Arrogant and egotistical, he and his clan mates had the cocky assurance that they were tough as they came and almost invincible.
Their first encounter had come in a werewolf bar. He and his clan mates had been there celebrating a victory in a war-game between several clans when she walked in. Of course they had noticed, all non-werewolves rather stood out like a sore thumb, especially a small, good-looking one like her. She had slid up on a chair next to the werewolf she had come to meet. They had some information they needed to share with the other so they had agreed to meet at that particular bar because it was almost exactly dead center between where they resided.
The more they drank the more arrogant Wuuky and his friends became. Of course they knew she was a she-devil and that the ladies were always welcome in werewolf bars. Like most other werewolves Wuuky and his gang had been cautioned about tangling with she-devils and the consequences of what might happen but as they sat there looking at Dani their egos and badass attitudes fueled by the booze started to override their judgment. That skinny woman didn't look all that tough, certainly no match for the likes of them. Then they began to speculate about what a boost to their reputations it would be if they were able to defeat a she-devil. The thought of the glory that would bring finally overrode any nagging voices they had.
Once her contact left, Dani sat quietly and sipped her drink, talking to the bartender. This was the queue they had been waiting for. Slipping up beside her Wuuky began trying to goad her into a fight. Of course, the trash talk and attitude was nothing new to her, many times in the past the young and stupid among the werewolves had tried the exact same thing. Not wanting to be draw into a fight with the cocky werewolf she ignored him the best she could until she could finish her drink, then she would get the hell out of there.
However, Wuuky had other plans; taking being ignored as a personal insult he challenged her to a fight. As he was reaching for the knife that hung from his belt, she rounded on him so fast that she was a blur and slashed him from pubic bone to under his sternum with her razor sharp claws. She was so fast at it that no one had seen her hand shift and claws extend. The next thing he knew was he was standing there, looking at his innards hanging out the gaping wound in his stomach, not knowing what had happened.
Luckily for him, she had just wanted to send a message to him and his buddies that she didn't want messed with instead of deciding to kill them. While he had been disemboweled, she had done it in a manner that wasn't meant to kill him. The next day after he had been stitched up the best they could do and was laid up in bed recovering, she had come to visit him. From that point on they had become friends.
They had become so close that before his father had passed on and he had
taken the mantle of leadership Dani had been made an honorary member of the
Dreadmore. Unlike other clans, the Dreadmore were a small group, hidden away in
the deep woods of the
While he did look a bit older, he was still pretty much the same as she remembered him. His shoulder length hair was now iron-grey instead of the salt and pepper color it had been since he was young. The barrel chest he had always had was only a little bit bigger, but his brown eyes and youthful-looking face still had the same spark that had always been there. After he sat back down, she slid into the chair beside him and took the glass of moonshine Jolene had brought her.
Quickly, Wuuky introduced to those of his clan that were sitting there. It had been quite a long time since she had been to the clan enclave, usually the two of them communicated via phone or met somewhere else so most of his clan hadn't laid eyes on her before. Slapping the man beside him on the shoulder, he grinned at her and winked, "This is Greyson Bloodstorm, my adopted son. You do remember him, don't you?"
Roaring with laughter, she nodded, "How could I forget him? He's the
little shit that tried to take an axe to me when we met up in
Grinning, Grey said, "Yup, that'd be me."
Looking back at Wuuky, "What brings you here? I very much doubt it's just to say hi, not with how far away the clan enclave is."
"You're right, I have a motive. The werewolf council announced that you had taken a mate. There have been rumors stating that before so I decided to come check it out for myself."
"Well, for once the rumor mill is right, I took a mate." she replied, holding up her hand so he could see the ring.
Mouth dropping, Wuuky started at her, "Holy shit! Congratulations!"
Following Wuuky's lead, the rest of his clan passed along theirs as well. However there was one in the group that was less than thrilled over the announcement, Grey. Now that he was full-grown and starting to assume the duties of a clan chief's son, the inevitable talk of taking a mate was being broached. Like a good leader, Wuuky kept his eye on what was in the clan's best interests that was why he talked with Grey about taking Dani as a mate. If she became a Dreadmore not only would is be protection for them against other clans but they would gain some serious political power. Almost instantly Grey had warmed to the idea and agreed. From his side of the issue the mere thought of the prestige, like that of a trophy wife who snares a rich man, that would come excited him. As time went on and he thought about it more he wanted to. Now that chance had been taken away, leaving him a bit angry.
As a rule the sons of clan leaders were an arrogant, cocky lot, even more so if they were the ones that would take over leadership after their fathers. Grey was no exception, if anything he was even more so than most. Unlike the others in the clan he wasn't born into the Dreadmore, he came from a clan called Mountainsmoke. Born to the clan leader, Volkov Bloodstorm, Grey had spent most of his childhood at their clan enclave deep in the Ural Mountains of Russia. The fourth son, as well as the youngest, of Volkov he wasn't expected to take over leadership unless his brothers couldn't for some reason.
Instead of learning all the ins and outs of clan politics he was taught to hunt, track, fight, etc, all the things a normal child of the clan would when young, hunting, fighting, tracking, etc. While he was schooled in other things that would allow him to either join the council or become an emissary to other clans, positions that were usually reserved for people like him, family of the leader.
Like other clans that resided in
Deep in the mountains, Volkov was alarmed and concerned about the events and
helped the best he could but didn't feel that they needed to move. He, like
many other Russian clan leaders, felt they were safe, that Hitler wouldn't be
stupid enough to invade
Two days before they were to join up with the Blackclaws they ran into a clutch of demons. While they put up a hell of a fight and shed the blood of many demons, the end result was the annihilation of every member except Grey. While his father was going to fight with everything the clan had, he was realistic. He knew they had no chance of winning the battle. During the initial attack, he grabbed Grey and carried him into the woods. After telling him to stay hidden, he made the youngster promise that if no one came for him in 24 hours, then he was supposed to continue the journey alone and meet up with the Blackclaws. When he did, he was to tell Urlekstan, the clan leader, what happened, and to not come back for them. If there were any survivors, they would find them.
Taking the double-bladed battle ax from its sheath on his back, he presented it to Gray. That ax had been in their family for centuries, and was handed down from father to son as the leadership mantle was passed, a fact not missed by the young werewolf. After telling him to guard it well, he gave his son a final hug and told him he loved him then shifted into his lupine form and took off the direction of the battle. That was the last time Grey had seen his father, a gray and white wolf running through the forest like a patch of mist being blown along by a sharp breeze.
A little more than 48 hours later, he encountered Wuuky and his warriors. Once they heard what the child had to say two of their party went to bury the dead and see if there had been other survivors. Wuuky and the rest would push on towards the appointed meeting spot. It had been arranged for him and a few of his best warriors to meet up with Dani once they had finished tying up the last few loose ends they had.
Things had reached the point that she would be in danger if she stayed so
she was under orders to leave ASAP. Once they hooked up all of them were to
head to the furthermost tip of
They hadn't made much headway with him when Dani arrived with Darious. While
none of them had been thrilled about having a demon in their midst they
grudgingly let him stay once they learned he was the reason Dani had been able
to get away. It was her that had finally been able to get through to him. Wuuky
had asked her to try, hoping that because she was a woman he might respond
better to her. After plucking the ax out of his hands, much to his surprise,
she handed it to Wuuky for safe keeping. After that, he seemed to switch his
attachment to her, not letting her out of his sight. Much to Darious' disdain
he even slept with them. When it was time to push on it was decided that
Darious would fly both her and the boy to
Once they arrived and he was back among his own kind, the Blackclaws were there as well so he knew several people; he relaxed and seemed to do much better. However, even then he seemed unwilling to let go of his attachment to her. When Wuuky and his men arrived, reporting the grim news that there had been no survivors, the leaders of the various clans sat down to discuss what to do with the child.
In the end it was decided that Dani would leave, Darious would be flying her
to
Like most others of his stature he was spoiled a bit, used to getting his way or what he wanted. That very sense of entitlement and wanting things his way fueled his anger over her slipping through his fingers. He had been surprised that the Lady Danyealla everyone talked about was the woman he had known as Kat, Wuuky and the others had used the name Darious did for various reasons so he hadn't known who she really was. It was that knowledge that stoked the flames of anger even higher. Now he didn't just 'want' her, he 'would' have her no matter the cost.
As he had grown Grey had developed a mean streak, one that seemed as though it was almost sociopathic at times. If something were denied him he would stop at nothing to get it, not caring how he went about doing so. That's what he was feeling right now; the person he felt should be his mate had chosen someone else. Now he was going to have to figure out how to get rid of the rival so she could be his. Now he was going to have to wait and see who it was to formulate a plan to get him out of the way.
After giving her a pat on the shoulder, nodding his approval, Wuuky nodded, "I never thought I would see the day you took a mate in my lifetime. I've very happy for you. Is he anyone I know?"
Winking, she chuckled, "You've met him before, but don't 'know' him."
"So, is Romeo around or have you exhausted him already and left him home to sleep?"
Overhearing the remark, Jolene laughed, "Hang on, I'll fetch him. We put him to work when they pulled up." She then disappeared into the backroom.
A couple minutes later Darious appeared, clad in his sleeveless undershirt, a bit of dirt and grime smeared down the front of it, and jeans, the button-down shirt he had worn slung over his shoulder. If he was in normal clothes you could tell he was a good sized being but in the t-shirt, which clung to his upper body like a second skin, it was very obvious he wasn't just big, but huge. Heavily muscled, with the six-pack abs most strove towards when working out; his biceps were bigger than Dani's thighs and rock hard. While he wasn't as big as a bodybuilder was, he was most certainly well defined and in great shape. As he stepped around the bar and up to where she was sitting, he slid the shirt back on. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he kissed her softly, smiling, "What's up? Jolene said you needed me."
Kissing him, she smiled, "Yeah, I have someone I want to reintroduce
you to." Turning to Wuuky she grinned, "I'm sure you remember Darious
Wuuky, you just called him
Reaching out, Darious took Wuuky's outstretched hand, nodding and smiling, "Nice to meet you again, Wukrend."
Nodding, a bit shell-shocked, Wuuky nodded, "Same here, make it Wuuky, please."
"Alright Wuuky, just plain Darious will do on my end."
Picking Dani up, he slid into the chair then settled her onto his lap. Taking the glass of brandy Jolene had set on the bar, he sipped it, ignoring the murmurs he heard from the werewolves.
After taking a bracing swallow of his drink, Wuuky looked at Dani, puzzled,
"I thought you both had split up in
Shaking her head, she smiled, "We didn't. As we planned we split up in
Of all the beings she could have mated none would have shocked Wuuky more than Darious. It was a well known fact most Garou clan out there had or had thought about trying to find one of their own to offer up as a mate, all had been rejected of course or probably would be if they had tried. While he had made the proposal to Grey about giving it a go he knew that realistically there was no chance at all of her accepting. Like most others, he assumed she was one of the few in the world that would probably never take a mate, sad as that was. Yet here she was, she had a mate and it was obvious from the look in her eyes that she loved him, very much so. Strange!
Nudging Darious in the ribs with her elbow, Dani looked up at him and winked, grin spreading across her face, "Do you recognize the person sitting next to Wuuky?"
Looking at the person she was talking about, his eyes narrowed a bit and he shook his head, "I sure do. That's the little shit that wouldn't let me sleep alone with you while we were in Russia." he said dryly, causing her to giggle and Grey to grin.
"He's now Wuuky's son."
"Only child?" he asked Wuuky, who nodded. "I can understand why." Darious said, rolling his eyes, sipping on his drink.
Despite seeing Darious as an obstacle and wanting him out of the picture, even Grey laughed at that one. Eyes twinkling, he looked down the bar at the demon and winked, "I've gotten much better about not interfering with people's intimacy."
"I certainly hope so!" Darious replied dryly.
Fate 10
By Danyealle
About that time Marcus came out of the backroom with Jolene, talking. After grabbing a cold beer, he slid around the bar and walked towards Dani and Darious. As he approached those of the Dreadmore confirmed the identity and stood, reaching for their weapons. Untangling herself from Darious, she sat up on the bar, facing him, and then wrapped an arm around Marcus’ waist, pulling him close. Glaring down at the werewolves, she growled, eyes flashing, “Put them away, now!” She snarled, tone such that there was no doubt that she meant what she said.
They look at each other and lowered them if they had them out but didn’t sheath them. Nodding calmly Travis said, “She means it, put them away.”
Waiting until all the live steel was put away, she nodded, “That’s better. Marcus is mine, any move or threat towards him will be taken as a personal challenge to me and I will deal with it. Got me?” She said, looking from face to face, ensuring that they all knew what she meant.
Looking back at the big werewolf, who didn’t appear to be at all ruffled about what happened, she gave him a peck on the cheek then leaned up and whispered in his ear, “They’ll behave, don’t worry.”
Chuckling, he said, “Of that I have no doubt. But to be on the safe side, I think I’m going to go and have Mayhem introduce me to a few of his lady friends.” Giving her a peck on the cheek, he nodded towards Darious then went off in search of Mayhem.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Darious kissed her and grinned before whispering, “Domme Kat.”
Rolling her eyes, she poked him a couple times, “Only with werewolves.” She said, winking.
Kissing her again, he chucked, “Works well too!” Pulling her back into his lap, he held her close.
Looking at her, Wuuky asked, cautiously, “Since when do you have slaves or a slave as the case may be? When did Marcus come into your possession?”
“He was Darious’ when we mated.” She replied, knowing that explained it all.
Looking over his shoulder at the big werewolf who had slid into a booth with Mayhem and several women, Grey watched quietly for a minute then looked back at her, dark grayish-brown eyes blazing. “Do you know what he did?” he hissed. “He betrayed all garou and became the slave a demon. The very demon that was among those that destroyed my clan.” He hissed louder, glaring at Darious.
Looking back at the werewolf who was all but outright saying he was responsible for the destruction of his clan, Darious said nothing, even though he REALLY wanted to so he could put the little snot in his place. Nothing good would come of that and he knew it, best to let her handle things. With the attitude he was verbally and non-verbally displaying Darious was sure they would butt heads at some point in the future, no need to hurry it along and start now.
Glaring at Grey she replied, voice as smooth as silk but
with a knife-edge undertone to it, “First, I know EXACTLY what Marcus did, have
no doubt about it. You should be hearing
from Chronos soon that his death sentence was lifted. Second, Marcus has paid dearly for his choice
to become a slave. If you ever see him
without a shirt you would realize that. But
that is none of your fucking business, it’s his and mine, no one else’s. Third, Darious was not his first owner and I
DO NOT like the insinuation that he was the one that wiped out your clan
because he wasn’t. Darious was with me
in Paris at the time that happened and was far too busy with plans to get us
the hell out of there before the Nazis’ figured out who we were and that we
weren’t who they thought we were to worry about going after a werewolf
clan. We were trying to get out of there
with our skins in tact for him to jaunt off to
Lowering his eyes, Grey muttered a sorry and sipped at his drink. He wasn’t buying all of it, especially the bit about Darious having no part of it, but he would wait and see on that end as time went on.
Leaning over, his best friend Brodus Thunder, from one of the oldest families in the Dreadmore, whispered, “Don’t push it Grey, you don’t want to fuck with her or him either one.” They had grown up together, as best friends, since Grey joined the clan. They knew each other so well that some times it was almost as if they could read each other’s minds. He was well aware about the plan to offer mating to Dani and knew Grey well enough to know that he wasn’t happy to find out she was mated and was probably planning something to get Darious out of the way, something he would probably have to put a military halt to at some point lest his friend end up tangling with the demon.
Just as Grey was about to reply a smell hit him that sent the blood pounding in his ears and seemed to wrap around him and set his libido afire. Whipping around, he watched Raven walk by, a smell that reminded him of the fresh pine forest after a cool rain seeming to trail after her like a cloak. Dumbstruck, all he could do is watch the beautiful Native American walk by, mouth hanging open.
Greeting Wuuky like an old friend, she then gave Darious a peck on the cheek and Dani a hug before sliding onto a barstool by them.
Turning back around facing the bar, Grey couldn’t take his eyes off her, holding his glass up as if he was taking a drink but wasn’t. When Travis told them to pick up their drinks and lean back he was able to do so, following the instruction like a zombie, his eyes never leaving her.
With a loud cry of “Lady Birdy!” Mayhem slid down the bar, claws digging into the smoothly polished wood, trying to put the brakes on. Finally he was able to stop as he slid a bit passed Wuuky. Back up a bit, he hollered, “Wolfy Guy!” Loudly and bound towards him happily.
Grinning, the werewolf held up his hand so the cat could slap him a high five, “Mayhem! Good to see you!” Reaching out, he scratched the cats’ head.
After getting his fill of pets and scratches, Mayhem bound off towards Raven again. Picking up the cat, she gave him a kiss on the top of the head then sat him in her lap to pet him while she sipped her drink and talked with Dani and Darious.
Unable to stop himself, Grey kept glancing down at the ban, entranced. Far and away she had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life. While she was short by his standards, only about 5’7” when werewolf women usually pushed close to the seven foot mark, her ebony hair was straight and hung down her back to just beneath her shoulder blades. Like most Native Americans she had a darker skin tone and her eyes were a deep brown. Svelte yet curvy, she seemed to have a wonderfully toned body with an averaged sized bust and legs so long that they seemed to start at her chin. While her beauty was a big plus there was something else there, something that seemed to draw him in but he wasn’t sure what it was.
Once Wuuky introduced her to his men he settled into a conversation with her, Dani and Darious about some of the issues currently playing out around the world. Most the others that came with him were talking with Travis to play catch-up with what was going on. Brodus and Grey were deep in conversation, using garou language thinking the non-garou wouldn’t understand what they were saying, talking about Raven.
As they were discussing the usual angst of will I/ won’t I ask her out. Hearing bits and pieces of the conversation, Travis thought nothing of it until he glanced at Dani. Her and Raven were talking, speaking in Cherokee, the language adopted by the she-devil hierarchy because not many people knew it so it could be used as something like a code when they needed to pass along valuable information that they didn’t want anyone else to hear. As a rule most other species of dark creatures didn’t know garou language but there were exceptions. Because of her frequent dealings with the garou she learned and was fluent enough in it that it seemed as though it was her native tongue. Over the years he had spent among the she-devils he had been able to pick up a bit of it, enough that he could at least get the gist of what they were saying. From what he was able to overhear Dani was translating what Grey was saying. Grinning inwardly, he tried getting Greys’ attention but either he wasn’t hearing it or wasn’t paying attention. Finally, out of frustration he picked up one of the single-serving sized containers of coffee creamer then threw it at him, calling out, “Yo Grey!”
It hit him upside the head, startling him. Looking over at Travis, puzzled, he asked, “What?”
“Before starting a conversation that you don’t want some people to overhear you might want to make sure that there isn’t someone of another species close by who speaks garou.”
Giving him a bewildered look, he replied, “Huh?”
“Lady D can speak garou, quite fluently I might add. While you’re sitting there yammering on she’s translating everything to you say to Raven.”
“Oh shit!” Grey groaned, face taking on a reddish tint.
Both of the women sat there with big Cheshire cat grins on their faces. Most of the werewolves burst out laughing then began to give him hell about it. Even Wuuky had a good chuckle, patting his son on the back.
Standing up, Raven walked over to the embarrassed werewolf and smiled, “Come on, let’s find a table where we can sit and talk for a bit.”
Not needing to be asked twice, he slid off the stool and followed her lead.
Several hours later Wuuky glanced at his watch. He was stunned to find that it was a little bit after 6PM. For the last several hours he had been engrossed in a conversation with Darious, Raven and Dani, not noticing the passage of time. Over those hours he realized that he had taken a liking to Darious. Intelligent, he could talk to you about almost any subject as well as having the requisite knowledge to back up what he said. Like most people on the planet he had never kept company with a demon before and wasn’t really sure what to expect from him but it seemed to him that Darious wasn’t all that different from other races of beings. There was no push to wrangle him out of his soul nor was there any overt evil about him, only the creepy-crawly feelings all demons had.
At 6:30, as the dinner crowd began to fill the place, Jolene walked over and stood in front of Dani, giving her a sharp look.
“What?” Dani asked.
Arching an eyebrow at the woman she created she replied, “Don’t give me that Dani; you know EXACTLY why I’m here.”
Grinning from ear to ear, Dani chuckled but said nothing.
“You know the rules, you’re not allowed here when wrestling’s on.”
“Aww, I’ll behave.” Dani said, winking.
“I’m not buying it! The last time you said that you ended up throwing a barstool through the TV.”
“Well, yeah I did do that but I won’t do it again.” Dani said with a grin. “Besides, I own the club you can’t kick me out.”
“Oh yes I can!” Jolene said, shooting her a withering look. “My word is law around here, just like you said it was when I started.”
Rolling her eyes, Dani huffed, “Alright, I get the point.”
Sitting back, Darious, Wuuky and Raven watched the scene with amusement, chuckling. It was obvious Dani wasn’t mad at Jolene; just having a bit of fun was all.
Once they pried Mayhem and Marcus away from the women they were sitting with, they prepared to leave. She passed along Darious’ phone number to Wuuky so he could get in touch with her if he needed to. After he informed her that they were going to be in town for three or four more days they agreed to plan to meet up again before he left.
As they started towards the door Mayhem bounced around on the end of his leash excitedly, crowing, “Time for da wreshering!” at the top of his lungs.
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