xxfaithlynxx

[xxfaithlynxx]

Rendezvous and Carnality

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

ENJOY the next installment of Part 2!

I’m going absolutely feral for the new year ‘Nightly Rendezvous’ 5* cards! Much like all our LaDs girlies, I'm sure! I hope you all thoroughly enjoy this next bit, cause inspiration hit… hard. (Still don’t think I’m very good at smut bits, but I am trying.)

NOT PROOFREAD! SMUT******* On the shorter side!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 5:

XAVIER

We’d all opted to stay at Sylus’ estate that night after figuring out what had been haunting Era for much of her life. Unsurprisingly, the big white haired boss man had enough rooms to accommodate.

Though, something didn’t seem… right.

I went in search of an open window as I felt like my skin was about to melt off me. Had I caught something maybe? I rounded the corner after coming out from one the many bathrooms this place had and found the other three men standing on a balcony overlooking the eastern quadrant of the N109 Zone, or Charon as Sylus had called it, seeing the plethora of lights and vividly colored LED signs littering towering skyscrapers and menacing, partially broken buildings that may have once been beautiful if the darkness of the Zone hadn’t made everything so haunting.

“Does anyone else feel like they’re coming down with something?” I asked them, slipping in between Rafayel and Zayne as they leaned against the railing. “I feel sick… but not.” It made no sense once I’d said it out loud.

Sylus was leaning on the north side of the thick, intricately carved stone railing, his hips and back arched back in a way that allowed him to lean his elbows back against the rough surface behind him. His head was tilted up, that typical quirk tipping a corner of his mouth upward. “We all feel it, but it’s not that we’re getting sick.” Thank you… you’re a wonder of observation, damn cryptic ass. I narrowed my eyes as a wave of heat rippled up my spine, making a collective round of gasps and noises escape each one of us. What the fuck? I glanced between each man, their cheeks and ears a burning red as their eyes flickered between me and the others in embarrassment.

“Not. A. Word. Lite Bright.” Rafayel had curled in on himself over the railing, similarly Zayne seemed to be trying to keep himself together as well.

 I felt the blush sear down my neck as I swore, I felt lips press against the skin just under my jaw, another shocked gasp escaping me as I pressed a hand to the frame of the door before my legs gave out from the sensation coursing through me. “What the fuck is happening….” My voice no longer sounded like my own as another trickling sensation of lips or fingers trailed down over the left-hand side of my neck, followed by more soft airy kisses down over my chest.

In an almost drunken haze, I felt myself get shoved, not violently, by all three of the other men as they each surged by me and headed in three separate directions. Their erratic breathing and heated looking faces the only visual I got in realizing we were all feeling something.

“O – Oh… fuck.” I leaned my forehead against the glass panel of the door as what felt like hands wandered down my sides, my skin prickling wherever the feeling slithered over. An image fluttered to life in my mind, having her kneeling before me, her eyes, those pristine pools of aquamarine locked on my own as she moved the palms of her hands over my clothed thighs, gracing her touch across the painfully engorged bulge confined within my constricting jeans.

The image seemed so real… but she couldn’t be here… she couldn’t be doing this… unless….

                Meanwhile….

With sheets clinging to every available sweat covered surface of my body. I could feel the stretch and pull within my mind. Pushing past the barriers of my mind. Beyond into the cosmos of where they were. The craving my soul had for the ones at each end of the tethers locked into my soul went beyond anything my body had craved prior. My body sang for each of them in turn, calling for their touch, for their taste, for their beings.

Writhing atop the soft surface of the bed I’d pictured in my mind; I ran my hands in opposing directions over my body. My legs just barely spread but bent at each knee, thighs rubbing together to attempt an attempt at friction to appease the need that burned inside me. Left hand drifting up to push past the thin white silk robe I’d adorned myself in, curling two fingers around my nipple, while my palm cupped the swollen flesh of my right breast while my right hand sunk between my legs, feeling the wet heat sluice over my fingertips as I brushed a pad over the thrumming nub where I wanted me men the most.

“I wish you were all here with me….” I couldn’t help but picture them all, surrounding me as I proceeded to sink a single finger between the drenched folded between my legs, imagining their mouths, their teeth, their bodies moving with mine. Their combined heat and soft whispers of pleasure and carnal desires coming to light with every touch, every kiss. I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth as I imagined the enormity of having their bodies pressed flush against my own, their hard lengths pressing into my thighs, into my stomach and my mouth as the lost themselves in me. Stroking over my lust laden body with their calloused but huge hands.

Seeing Sylus through my own eyes had sent my equilibrium into a fit of rage. Had he registered that I was still in here? Had he moved on? No… he was my mate, as were Rafayel, Zayne and Xavier. Had they missed me? Been looking for me? I missed them… with every fibre of my being. Tonight, as I watched Belamy through my own eyes trace patterns across the bare knees of my legs. How I wished it was one of my men… or all four of them at once, laying siege to their desires for me and only me! I shut reality out as even my brainwashed figure wasn’t entertaining him tonight. I could feel the heat of his large hand as he gripped my throat and pushed me back, the barely there feel of the soft surface pressing into my back as he sneered at my cold eyes before disappearing, an echoing grumble of how he wasn’t interested in those kinds of corpses before I heard the telltale sound of my bedroom door close. ‘Thank God… now back to my imagination.’

~~~

                RAFAYEL

Fuck… fuck… fuck….

I had to get away from them… the fact that all four of us were experiencing whatever this aphrodisiac moment was, went beyond my comprehension. The need that had rushed through me while we’d all ventured to that balcony… and suddenly for all of us to make those noises? What the fuck….

The fact that my clothes felt too tight was enough for me to seek out the room that Sylus had shown me earlier. Something wasn’t right, and it seemed like all four of us were experiencing it. I rushed in and closed the door behind me, pressing my back against the cool wooden surface while my mind reeled from the fact that it felt like someone… she was touching me… like she was pressing her body against me, curling a leg over and around my thigh while that pretty pussy of hers scorched over my own thigh, riding me for any semblance of friction. “Shit!” I need out of these clothes, now… A clear image of her suddenly standing in front of me, barely bent at the waist, crooking a finger in a come-hither motion as I forwent the buttons and tore my shirt apart, hearing the buttons snap and fly across the floor as I shrugged it off and dropped it to the floor.

I felt my eyes hyperfocus on whatever my brain seemed to have conjured. Haven’t had sex since we’d got back from the island, maybe I’m just feeling needier than usual…. Her body was covered in what looked like a white satin gown, no… not a gown, a robe. Beyond where the image of her stood, beckoning me forward, the silhouette of her perfect curves and swells could easily be seen through the fabric as it swayed in the nonexistent breeze of the room.

“Era….” I had to voice it, no matter that I already knew she wasn’t truly here. Not inviting me in to touch her again, to let me feel her again. I took a step, and she retreated a step, Cat and Mouse? I smirked at that ghostly form as she smiled back, one of her eyes closing and then opening quickly as she back into the edge of the bed, before she climbed to kneeling on its edge, her hands dragging over her satin covered tits, nipple peaking through the thin fabric. Fuck. Me.

I made quick work of the belt around my waist before dropping my agonizingly tight pants to the floor. Still unsure whether what I was seeing was real or a fantastic dream, I decided to keep the briefs on and followed her up to the edge of the bed, when I stood before her, it took my breath away again as I swore, I could feel her hands trace around the dips and the curves of my muscles and abs. “Why aren’t you here….” I felt myself whimper as a particular toe curling brush of her mouth graced the spot beneath my left collarbone.

                SYLUS

After that vile moment on the balcony with the others, I could feel her pull, her bond tugging at my mind. Tugging at…. I gasped as I pushed into my bedroom, closing and locking the door as I leaned my back against the door, head tilted up as the clear image of her body coiling with mine, hands and mouth roaming while she took her pleasure from me, I grit my teeth as I felt the strain of need pulse between me legs.

She’s a fox… that one. Insatiable, even while imprisoned… fuck. I moved quickly so that I was sitting on the bench seat beneath the window of my bedroom, arms stretched over the surface of the backrest as I topped my head back to rest idly against the glass of the window facing the south side of the N109 Zone’s taller buildings, and their glittering lights and signs, sharing a sinister look to Charon, as the Zone usually did.

Out on that balcony, all I could think about was the feeling of her. Remembering our first time in my shower, taking her against the tiled wall while water pelted against the angry red stripes she’d scored into the skin of my back, and then while I’d taken her as she’d faced that mirror. My body sang out with pleasure as I pulled the buttons of my shirt undone leisurely. Was she manipulating us from her prison? With him? I felt a sharp tug over the now rigged peak of my left nipple, I looked down and could swear I was seeing her ghost… a knee pressed against the cushion between my spread legs, hands pressed against my chest as she hovered above me, a smirk in place as she tilted her head to the side, her now much shorter ash blonde hair curving across her forehead to fall sexily over her eyes.

“Oh, kitten… you’re punishing us, aren’t you.” It wasn’t meant to be responded to, Hell, I wasn’t sure she could in her apparition like state. I felt her hands wander though, dragging her the tips of her fingernails down the ridges of my sides, eliciting sharp breaths and strangled moans from my chest. It’s been too long… the beast needs his mate…. I sucked in another sharp inhale as I watched her ghostly form move to straddle my lap, and as she roamed her hands across the heaving muscle of my chest, I took a moment to really look at her, trying to focus on more of her details.

She wore a flimsy and cheap looking sheer robe that barely clung to her form, the belt messily tied around her middle. Her shoulders bare as the fabric drifted down over her alabaster skin, to her elbows. I could feel the warmth of her, like she was in fact there with me, and I all I could think about was having her, solid and real riding my lap like her life depended on it.

I exhaled on a moan as she drifted those salacious fingertips down over my clothed cock….

                Meanwhile….

I could picture them all clearly, Xavier with his perfect tongue between my legs, licking me slowly, his tongue pressing flat from taint to clit, before wrapping his tongue around that sensitive nub and sucking, hard. My skin felt so hot as I wandered my fingers through his imaginary blonde tresses, watching as his eyes rolled back as he encouraged me to roll my hips against his starving mouth with the hands he held around the globes of my ass. Drinking in all of what my body was willingly giving him as waves of pleasure corded through my center, coiling and tightening from the ministrations of the diligent wet muscle. My noises falling on needy ears as those fingers dug into the flesh of the ample cheeks he clung to. When he’d sucked, licked and bullied my clit into falling apart under his tongue, back arched and toes curling, I could imagine him gripping my ass hard enough to pull me down the bed’s surface, fingers digging hard enough to leave behind small circular bruises, before he slung my legs high up and over his biceps as he folded me in half. Pressing his mouth against my own, the taste of my own slick a prominent flavor surrounding his tongue as it surged between my lips and curled with my own, reminding and remembering, releasing my mouth, I imagined Xavier releasing my legs one at a time before grappling my hips only to flip me over on to my stomach, only to pull my hips up and pressing his hips firmly against the soft cushion of my bum, letting his swollen cock slip between my legs to brush over the folds of my smoldering and dripping pussy, causing soft whimpers and gasps to escape me from the friction over my already sensitive body.

A clear image of Rafayel joining as he crawled towards me from the edge of the bed, reaching out with one hand to grip my chin between thumb and four fingers as he slotted his mouth over my own, his tongue pushing past the barrier of my lips with the eagerness of a starving man. Sinking his delicious tongue into the cavern of my mouth, my own tongue meeting his halfway, letting the sweet taste of him envelope my senses as I felt Xavier’s mouth touch the center of my back, and one of his hands wrap around my middle, arching me up so my back pressed against his chest, allowing Rafayel to slink closer to me.

                ZAYNE

 The cool air had felt good when Sylus and I had gone out to that balcony, we’d thought similarly to Xavier when he’d arrived, shortly after the lemurian asking about feeling sick but not. I’d shared a look at Sylus when the waves and curls of pleasure started saturating our senses. We both knew what this was, Rafayel’s comment about not saying a word after whatever wave of bliss had surged through each of us, causing all of us to release those noises…. I’d been mortified, but now….

“Tease.” I stood bent over a desk in the bedroom I’d been provided, my legs were spread to shoulder width as I pressed my palms into the surface of the tabletop. The sensation of what could only be defined as the soft pressure of her fingers pressing into my thighs and the brush of breath across my mouth made my own mouth water, imagining dominating that naughty mouth of hers with my own unless she was a pliant mess of needy limbs and scorching heat. Those bonds….

Reaching up quickly, I tore my glasses off my face and set them none-to-gently against the top of the desk as I let my head dip forward, the feel of her mouth moving against my neck and up, tongue flicking over the shell of my ear, bringing forth yet another breathy moan from somewhere in my chest. I no longer cared how loud I was, my imagination was running rampant as the bond she and I shared electrified every sensation, every curl of euphoric indulgence in this moment. A soft caress glided across my bottom lip, and I felt myself pant with need as the apparition before me shimmered lightly, becoming almost solid but still ethereal around her edges.

“Everything… is falling apart… without you here, Era….” I whispered as I felt those ghostly hands drift down between my legs.

                Meanwhile….

Another mouth pressed to my shoulder in my mind as I opened my eyes and saw Sylus beside me, Rafayel and Xavier still in front and behind me, their own mouths pressing heated, open mouthed kisses and licks over my chest and back, soft breaths leaving me as I reached up a hand to cup Sylus beneath his chin, pulling him in to capture his curved panty dropping mouth with my own, a soft moan escaping him as my tongue ran unabashedly over his lips, waiting for him to open for me. When he did, my hand dropped to press an open palm over the center of his chest before dipping lower, searching for what I truly wanted. When my fingers brushed over the leaking tip of his fully erect member, I moaned into his mouth at the same time he whined into mine. Pulling away from Sylus’ mouth, I turned when I felt a sharp nip of teeth sink into the opposite shoulder, when I looked up from my shoulder, my eyes locked on the verdant greens of Zayne’s eyes. I smiled as I reached up to brush my thumb across his lip, watching as his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned into my touch, pressing a soft kiss to the pad of my digit.

“I need you… all of you.” I whispered as the pleasure rolling through me amped up as my mind brought them closer, Xavier prodding his cock to my entrance from the back, while Rafayel arced his hips forward and slid his thick member between the folds of my cunt to brush his rigged tip over my clit. Zayne had reached up and grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me slightly closer to him as he crashed his mouth over mine, his tongue shoving past my lips to wrap and curl around my own. His free hand slipping down to grip my free wrist, only to mimic what the opposite was down as he circled my fingers around his cock, and using his hand to begin stroking him, matching the rhythm of how I was also stroking Sylus’ shaft.

All four men seemed to moan in unison as they moved, pushing and pressing against me, my own desires were being fulfilled by all of them in that blissful moment while locked away in that decrepit cage.

“I will come home to you all.”

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

[xxfaithlynxx]

A List and an Answer

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

ENJOY the next installment of Part 2!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 4:

  ZAYNE

“What do you mean you saw her?” I knew he was about to answer it, but I felt compelled to ask anyway.

“I was in Charon, a part of the N109 Zone that I’ve been laying groundwork to take control of… not really a spot where I frequent.” We’d found our way to a secluded, more abandoned looking park and we took a seat at one of the picnic tables after brushing off the snow from the seats. “A… client had gotten into contact with Onychinus and asked for a meet up.” I nodded, not really following entirely, but enough. “I didn’t want to go at first, but my boys talked me into it. Anyway,” He leaned back and stretched his arms above his head, when he dropped them again, he tapped a finger on the tabletop, “The client… turned out to be someone even I wasn’t prepared for.”

His eyes closed, “Honestly, I have no idea what the fuck that bastards end game is… but she was there, but something was wrong with her.” Our eyes met again, “It was like the Era we know was supressed… while this other Era was present… and can I just say, if we ever make her truly mad… I don’t want to be there.” I squinted at that last statement. Wait what?

“Okay, you need to help me out here. What?” I leaned against the tabletop, the sleeves of my coat getting coated in a thin dusting of snow.

“I can’t say for sure… there was a moment where she seemed to know who I was, even called me an old nickname she had for me… but for the most part, she was… someone else. Someone stronger, willful and beyond arrogant. Like the client… he called himself Belamy.” He smirked, a chuckle bubbling up from within his chest, “Not many people I know are bigger than me… that man put me to shame.”

I felt my eyes widen; Sylus was a large man. In width and height, for him to admit that another man was bigger than him, that was something. “Do you think she’s being subconsciously subdued somehow? Like how she was being held in that cage?” Sylus smiled, showing one of his sharp canines.

“See, this is why I prefer you to the other two, you and I think alike.” I scoffed at that, although he was right, Xavier and Raf had troubles following our trains of thought. Sylus and I were more alike on that front, I supposed. Although, I’m not a full-fledged murderer! “So, what if she is in that same gilded cage? She was with us when we reached out to her through the bonds, now she’s walking, talking and sucking air with those glowing blue irises and powers I’ve never seen before.”

I blinked, “What do you mean? What powers does she have now?”

“She froze me. I went to take a strike at Belamy and froze midair, the only thing I could move were my eyes. It was agony. All she did was flick a finger and I was done.” Sylus stretched his fingers, clasping them and releasing them, like this had just happened.

“Froze you… did you feel cold, or was it just a telekinetic force holding you in place?”

“Does it matter?” Sylus seemed to take annoyance in the fact that I wasn’t focusing on the bigger problem. I’ll get there… first things first.

“Humor me.”

“Yes, I felt freezing— wait….” I nodded as he put it together.

“She can use the powers she absorbs.”

~~~

We spoke of her powers for a solid half an hour before finally moving on. We were now walking back to the corner block with the café while we talked. Thankfully the streets had massively lessened of the crowds, there were the occasional stragglers. I could feel like I could think. “So, have we devised a plan or formulated an idea who the demon might be? Xavier and Raf sent me lists earlier, around the same time you messaged.”

“They sent me the same lists, I believe. Notice anything about their lists?” Sylus asked as he tossed his long empty cup into a garbage can as we passed. Once back beside me, he shoved his hands into his coat pockets and kept pace with me.

“Yes.” I heaved a breath through my nose as I tipped my head, “One name matched both lists.”

“Did you get a chance to look up the name?” He asked me, lowering his voice barely.

“No. Did you?” As we walked, I quickly noticed the temperature was lowering, and quickly. Lifting my left arm, I checked my watch. 8:45 PM. No wonder it is getting cold.

“I skimmed. His titles fit the emotions he’s superseded into her mind through the years, otherwise known as Master of Deception, Marquis of Lies.” Sylus recited from memory, I could tell, he was waving his hand dismissively.  

“My car is back at the hospital; I could follow you to your Zone.” I jerked a thumb behind me as we approached the little café, now empty save for a single employee rushing around emptying the displays and cleaning tables. Busy, busy…

Sylus nodded, but then countered with, “Or we could just take my vehicle.” He points across the street to a large black SUV. I felt one of my brows arch in surprise.

“Didn’t take you for a SUV kind of guy.” I smirked at him as we both crossed the street and then crossed each other so he could head to the driver’s side.

“What, let me guess, you thought flashy expensive car?”

“You got me.” Lambo, Vette, Stang, one of those sure… not… this. I checked the symbol on the back and felt another wave of confusion surge through me. Nissan Armada… hm. Not new…. “I thought you were loaded, this… says differently.” I gestured to the vehicle as a whole after I’d opened the passenger door, he’d already gotten in and was adjusting dials and settings.

“What can I say? I don’t like to bring attention to myself.” I nodded and slid into the passenger seat, closing the door after me. Seems about right. The man wanted to stay under the radar, everyone would expect a crime syndicate’s boss to flaunt his superiority around, so this was apt for the man I’d come to know. Did the Association even know who he was? Era never said, and I haven’t bothered to ask.

“Should we get Xavier and Rafayel to come too?” I asked as I pulled the seatbelt across my chest and plugged it into its receptacle.

“Give them a call, we’ll pick them up along the way.” Sylus responded as he entered in the GPS the directions to Whitesand Bay, “Xavier lives in Era’s building, so we’ll grab Raf last.” With that concluded, I grabbed my phone and dialed Xavier’s number. Since we’re picking him up first.

I listened to the dialing, and then the call sound. Once… twice… three times, and then a click. “Hello?”

I sighed, “Hey, Xavier. Its Zayne. You home right now?”

“Yes, what’s up?” I heard a sound in the background, a shuffling like he’d just sat up out of bed, or off a couch.

“Sylus and I found something, we need to go out to the N109 Zone, we’ll be by the apartment building in ten. Can you be ready?” I glanced over at Sylus and saw that he was also on the phone. He must’ve called Rafayel.

“Yes, absolutely.” I heard him shuffle around for a moment before he huffed into the receiver. “Honk when you guys are outside.” Then the line cut off with a beep. Okay then. Bye to you too.

When I dropped my phone back into my pocket, I looked over at Sylus, who’d put the vehicle into gear and was now reversing out into the road. “Xavier said to honk when we get there.”

“Got it.” Sylus palm steered the vehicle into its lane and pressed the gas as we started heading north. I watched as he thumbed a button on the steering wheel and the display screen halved, separating into a music screen and a maps screen. The speakers started playing I believe what was once a popular song, the words Maps by Maroon 5 clipped by on the screen before fading out to black, allowing the map side to take over the rest of the display.

“You listen to this?” I asked, a little taken aback, again by the enigma that was Sylus.

“I listen to anything.” He said as he eased on to the main drag, turning off the exit that led to Era and Xavier’s apartment building.

~~~

Sylus laid on the horn once he’d pulled up along the curb leading to the gated area off the walk from the apartment building. I took a timid glance at the clock, it’d been about an hour since we left our little picnic table spot, plus the drive. “C’mon, Xavier….” Sylus tapped the steering wheel before he reached down and tap the door lock. I leaned forward and saw the young blonde man sprinting from the main door with a bag over his shoulder, in a heavy light-colored hoody and faded blue jeans. “Get in, kiddo.” Sylus said through his open window, I saw Xavier roll his eyes before heading to the rear driver-side door. When he was in, as soon as he shut the door, Sylus pulled out of the lane back on to main road, more music filling the silent space. I glanced at the screen again as it flashed to life in the darkness of the cab. Man on a Mission by Oh the Larceny cycled across the screen before fading out like before.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and pulled it free, holding it up. It was a message from Xavier. I quirked a brow and opened the message panel.

Xavier: I wasnt expecting a vehicle like this…

Xavier: didnt Era say he was LOADED?

Xavier: Sidenote, his taste in music isnt half bad.

Xavier: Considering….

I smirked, in the last 6 months, Xavier had been the one to hang around Sylus the least. In those six months, none of us had seen what Sylus drove, or listened to his music. All we knew was that he was supposed to be absolutely loaded to the tits, and had a vast musical collection, instruments included. I’d seen his vinyl collection, which was baffling. An entire room dedicated to storing what Sylus had called a lifetime’s worth of music. Aside from Xavier being the least privileged of us to have hung out with Sylus for any extent of time, my guess was because Sylus was the boss of the N109 Zone and a Wanted individual in the Hunter’s Association, Xavier didn’t seem to like Sylus all that much. Maybe it was the ‘kiddo’ thing.

I felt my back press into the cushion of the seat as Sylus stepped on the gas. We were now, headed south, judging by the GPS display. Lights blinked by as we sped over a couple overpasses, then suddenly it was complete darkness as we sped over a lightly lit bridge. I leaned towards the window, and saw that the clouds had cleared slightly, allowing the moonlight to fall over the solid black water below us, shining over the crests of the frozen peaks of the waves.

We arrived at Rafayel’s studio fairly quickly once we’d passed that bridge, and again Sylus laid on the horn once we stopped outside the building’s gate. We saw the brief light of a door opening, and then shutting again, a brief silence before we heard a soft ‘What the fuck’ come from the darkness.

“Other side, fishface.” Sylus said, jerking his thumb back over his shoulder. I wondered idly as we waited for Raf to get in, why between Raf and Sy, did their nicknames get weirder every time they saw each other? Might need to inquire about that later. I felt the rush of cold air over my neck as Raf’s door opened, the sound of him jumping in and then the door shutting as the vehicle wobbled slightly.

“Seriously, dude, I figured you’d just hire someone to drive you. That fucking jet you rode in on out to Maui clearly said you are beyond wealthy.” Rafayel’s voice said, amusement and a mild curious edge slid off the tone. “Hey, don’t look at me that way, you driving just doesn’t follow the rich vibe, neither does this awful music.” I checked the display in the middle of the console and saw a song title I’d never seen before, something called Gone (JSapp Remix) by a band called Red. I reached over and turned the dial to the right, watching on the screen as the volume indicator rose along the edge. I glanced at Sylus as he scoffed and pulled out of the drive and back on to the road.

“You know my music likes, fish fry, I like just about anything with a tune.” I had to admit, the Red song was catchy, and I found myself tapping my index finger along the armrest of my door to the beat. “See? Even the stoic doctor likes it.” Sylus smirked over at me before returning his red gaze to the darkened road ahead of us, the feel of the vehicle picking up speed while my back pressed into the back cushion was now the only indicator of our movement. Outside the window was a glare of light and then a dense fog. He does like to live dangerously, doesn’t he.

~~~

“Wait, so you saw her… and she’s not with you?! What the fuck, lizard tongue!”  I sat on one of the black leather couches Sylus had in one of the main living areas of his mansion. Rafayel, even being a whole 6 foot stood eyeing the taller man down.

Xavier didn’t seem much happier about this turn of events after Sylus had explained what had happened when he’d met up with the odd character who’d claimed to be a potential client in Charon. I was vastly curious as well. The blonde had leaned forward on to his knees, fingers dangling between his legs as he glowered at the silver haired mob boss. “Look, this fucker has her under some sort of… manipulation. I got through to her, at least once….” I couldn’t help but notice he didn’t mention the part where she’d subdued him with my Evol… although, I was sure that was coming. “She… used Zayne’s evol on me.” There it is.

Xavier and Rafayel’s eyes widened to saucers as they both turned to look at me. I held my hands up in surrender, “Was news to me too.”

“Wait… how did she use his Evol?” Xavier asked, clearly having forgotten when she consumed a portion of my power all those months ago.

Rafayel answered that one, “Remember? She, like, ate his power that night when she’d woke up after we’d basically resonated with the bonds, we shared with her.” He looked at Xavier, seeing the confusion clearly on his face. “Dude, remember? She’d let it slip that she’d spent time on the street, and it pissed Mr. Green eyes off enough that he nearly lost control of his evol and blew up her living room with snow and ice?”

Xavier narrowed his eyes, his jaw popping open, “Oh, shit! Right,” the blue-eyed man turned back to Sylus, “How did she use it on you though?”

“She froze me, mid stride.” Sylus stood behind the couch I sat on, a crystal looking whiskey tumbler in hand. “Also, something else was… wrong about her.” I looked up at him, he hadn’t offered much else to me about what happened, so I was immediately interested. “Her hair was long. Nearly down to her cute butt kind of long, and she was thinner, almost a sickly looking thin.” I watched as Sylus’ gaze drifted off into the distance as he recalled her image.

Again, Rafayel spoke up, “In six months her hair couldn’t be that long… unless,” He’d crossed one arm over his middle while the other bent at the elbow while he pinched his chin between thumb and forefinger. “It might not be as far fetched as we think it, remember Sy, she shares a similar Evol to you. That black smoke thing she and you have, you can manipulate your forms, yeah? While we were in Maui, she managed to change her appearance entirely.” I canted my head, really? Xavier seemed to adopt the same posture as we both leaned forward some more, engrossed in the idea of her changing her form.

“How so?” Xavier asked, voicing my own thoughts.

“She… turned herself into a mermaid, I’m totally serious.” Rafayel seemed only slightly reluctant to share this information, but I felt my skepticism arch a brow at him and I saw Xavier snicker behind his hand. “She was… copying me.”

Whoa, hold on. Copying him? “What? We are going to need a little more context, Raf.” I said, turning when I felt a hand on my shoulder, Sylus was offering me a bottle of water, I nodded at him as I took it, twisting the lid as I turned back to the artist.

Sylus spoke up after that, “Our little artist here has a big secret, don’t you fishy.”

Raf narrowed his eyes at the taunt, “Blub, blub. You two must promise you won’t tell a soul!” I felt my back straighten as Raf directed a pointed finger at both Xavier and me. I motioned with my own finger as I made an X over my heart, while Xavier mimicked locking his mouth and tossing away the key. This sounded like something no one would believe even if I did tell them….

Sylus rounded the couch and took a seat next to me, tumbler in hand as he crossed one leg over the knee of the other, running his free hand through his hair. “I… I’m a… I’m a Lemurian.” In the time spent with the generally pouty and spoiled artist, this was the first time I’d heard him sound so nervous about saying anything to us. Lemurian… that rang a bell, sort of.

“A Lemurian?” Xavier asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked over at Rafayel who’d stood up and was now pacing beside the two couches. “Like… you’re a real-life little mermaid?” Sylus snickered into his whiskey tumbler before holding up a hand when Raf shot him a glare.

“In a way, yeah.” He looked at me with his multicolored eyes and his eyebrows turned worrying as I mulled over what he was saying. I could feel the disbelief and being among present company I could also feel my expression matching my thoughts. “You seem skeptical.” His purple hair dipped over his eyes as he tilted his head. I only nodded before leaning back in my seat, my back pressing into the soft cushion while I adopted a similar pose to Sylus, one leg swung over the knee of the other.

“Lemuria was only just recently rediscovered, yes? From… hundreds of years ago, you are… what, twenty-three? Twenty-four?” I voiced my thoughts on the topic only to watch Rafayel’s cheeks darken, “Unless you are in fact immortal, I have a hard time believing your statement.”

“I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it.” Raf crossed his arms over his broad chest, fingers curled against his forearms, narrowed eyes locked on mine. They were captured for their scales, their tears and their fins… if he really is one, I can understand the intimidation act.

“It does seem like something from a fairytale.” Xavier offered, seemingly taking my side on the topic.

“Now that, that is out of the way—” Sylus started, but I cut him off.

I spoke up this time, my curiosity rivalling my desire to ask more questions regarding Era, “If he’s a… Lemurian. What does that make you? The names you give each other, obviously there’s something about you too, Sylus.” I pointedly looked over at him.

“This ought to be good.” Raf said, releasing the tension from his shoulders as he smirked across the coffee table at the bigger man, who was now glaring at me. “Do tell them.”

“Can we not and say we did?” Sylus asked, his own shade of pink flaring to life across his cheeks and into his ears. That bad?

That’s when Xavier piped up, “So… we know we all have had past lives with Era, does that have anything to do with these topics? Like Raf being… a fish and you being whatever you are?”

Sylus almost beamed, apparently being semi overjoyed for the interruption. “You could say that yes, I’ve had past lives with her, whether she remembers them will have to be up to her. Same goes for all of us, I can only surmise.” Xavier nodded, seemingly placated by this information. Past lives… it’s hard to believe, but… the dreams… those fields of jasmine flowers… it’d make logical sense, unless my mind was just projecting, then what?

“We’ll get into the past lives thing later, for now… Sylus, tell us more about what happened in Charon.” I said, canting my head to look over at the man beside me, who was mid sip of his whiskey. “We talked about the lists Xavier and Raf sent… and how one named seemed to stand out on both their lists and our own.”

“Yes.” He put down his glass, standing briefly to pull a wad of folded paper from his back pocket before sitting down again on the edge of the couch cushion, “Here. I took the liberty of printing out all of our respective lists.” He unfolded the papers and laid them out over the low surface of the table between us. Each list looked almost identical, save for a few names here and there. We all leaned forward, towering over each list as we looked between them, “See anything similar?”

“You might need to clarify, dude. I see a lot of similarities.” Raf said, tapping his chin as his brows pulled together.

I heard Sylus sigh exasperatingly beside me before he pulled a pen out of thin air and circling one name from each list. The same name I’d gotten stuck on when the two men had texted me their lists. Xavier leaned forward and tipped his chin to the side as he read the name upside down.

“Belial.” We all looked at each other before Sylus, again, pulled a laptop from wherever magic void he kept his belongings from. This man may as well be Loki using seidr….

“Who’s Belial?” Rafayel asked as he picked up one of the lists and traced the letters of the one name.

Sylus tapped away on the keyboard a few times before looking up at the screen and reading off something obviously from a wiki page. “Belial. Master of Deception. Lord of Arrogance. Lord of Pride. Described here as having a deceptively smooth and beautiful voice but emits a foul odor of death or decay. Apparently, he can make himself look like an elegant but large man or a looming creature with massive black feathered wings, void like eyes and a striking number of teeth. He is mainly associated with lies, treachery, and he is dedicated to creating immeasurable levels of guilt.” Sylus’ eyes skimmed over the screen as he listed off the littler things about this demon that clung to us all like a thin layer of sweat as the rest of our silence stretched into uncomfortable levels. Belial… a demon has been haunting her, both physically and mentally since childhood, as we thought. Why though? What was in it for the demon?

“So, it has been a demon the entire time, but why? What could Era possible be to him?” Rafayel spoke up, bouncing his eyes between each one of us. We’d all latched on to this idea after Era had pointedly called that mental presence as a stygian companion all those months ago. To finally have confirmation on it being accurate, I wasn’t sure what to think, and it seemed clear that the rest of them were in similar mind sets.

Xavier’s brows were pulled together tightly between his eyes and stared at the circled name on the lists. “What if… What if this demon was promised a child… but only when the child was ready.” I blinked, she’d mentioned how the presence had told her while on that hunt with Xavier that she wasn’t ready at the time, and how while it held her against the tree that it had gotten alarmingly touchy feely with her. Why does that make sense?

Sylus snapped his head up to look at Xavier. As did Rafayel and I.

“When she was trapped in the cage of her mind… do you remember seeing a woman speaking Latin? She promised the demon she was summoning an offering.” Sylus’ voice had taken on a low and shaken tone, his fingers curling into fists atop the keyboard of the laptop.

It all started clicking, “Era’s mother promised this demon her own child?” I felt the dry patch at the back of my throat catch my words, forcing them to break as they left my mouth.

“Era was a sacrifice.”

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

Keeping them fairly even as I go! How? I have no idea lol

[xxfaithlynxx]

Surgery and Sight

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

ENJOY the next installment of Part 2!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 3:

 ZAYNE

The weight of these magnifiers were starting to weigh on my head, thankfully I was almost done. I slid the chrome curved needle through the soft tissue of my patient’s carotid artery, sealing the blood flow back to where it was supposed to be. More and more inpatients being diagnosed with protocore syndrome…. “Suction.” I watched as the nurse to my right brought in the long tube and carted it over the areas with the most fluids and blood, visibly being sucked through the tube.

“Blood pressure stable, Doctor Zayne.” Came a soft voice from the nurse to my left, who monitored the patient’s levels. I made quick work to finish sewing up the incision.

“Good work, ladies.” I said in my usual deadpan tone, moving to snip the remaining length of dissolvable stitching with my Metz, and then removing the clamps and forceps. We worked together to get his breastbone back together and the remaining flesh over his sternum stitched and cleaned before we were completely done.

As the nurses took over from there, I walked out of the theatre, into the sanitation area and had one of the nurses there close the door behind me. With my gloved hands completely covered in the patient’s blood, I reached down and pulled the front ties loose with my pinkies, as the gowns front ties fell behind me, I turned and another nurse circled me, a tall young man I hadn’t met before, as he undid the ties at my neck and the ones inside the gown at my waist. Reaching up, I gripped the shoulders of the gown and pulled them down my arms, angling my body so that any remaining fluids stayed on the fabric before I folded the gown meticulously and dumped them into biohazard bin.

I sighed as I removed the remaining gloves and tossed them into the black disposal bin. Reaching up, I removed the matching blue cap and pulled it off my head before tossing it in the black waste bin with the gloves. Before walking over to the massive wall to wall sink and washed myself up the elbows again. Glancing up into the metallic warbled back splash, I could see a blurry version of myself looking back. Without details, I knew I’d have eye bags and red eyes from lack of sleep.

I’d only truly let myself sleep when I’d gotten to the point of nearly fainting. I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. Gripping the edge of the sink, I dipped my head forward and closed my eyes. Where is she? She’d been just gone for six months! Where could she be?

“Doctor Zayne, your 6pm appointment is here, should I send her to your office?” A nurse poked her head in from the main hall and asked, startling me internally from my negativity. I stood straight and faced the door. Great… the sooner I get this day done, the sooner I can get back to searching. I usually didn’t like rushing my day, but lately… that’s all I ever did. Maybe Sylus or the other found something….

“No, thank you Carol. I’ll do it.” She held the door open for me as I exited into one of the main hallways. Walking down the hall, I nodded to the usuals who offered their hellos, or waves. Approaching Yvonne’s desk from the opposite end of the waiting area, I picked up the next folder in the slotted shelf and flipped it open. Let’s see… 6pm… check up with… ugh… Ms. Valeford. I could see Yvonne beyond the folder as she grimaced outwardly for me.

She leaned over a smidge and gave me a worried look, “We should think about transferring her to another doctor. She only ever comes in here to… see you.” I gave her a chiding look. It wasn’t often that I had encounters with patients like Ms. Valeford, but of the few, she had to be the worst. Just get through the appointment… just get through it. Thus far, the woman hadn’t tried anything other than be incredibly nonsensical in her whims of fancy towards me. Though, during her last visit thing had almost gone too far on her count. The shock had taken some time to exit my body and mind, quickly replaced by a deep-seated disgust.

I schooled myself and composed my expression, like always before donning my white coat off the rack from the wall behind Yvonne’s desk before closing the folder and tucking it beneath my arm as I made my way over to the waiting area. “Ms. Valeford?” The woman in question, stood from her seat and faced me. She had on what looked like a red velvet suit jacket, nipped in tightly around her waist, with a pencil skirt of the same fabric with black satin hems that stopped above her knees. Her hair was pulled up into a very tight beehive bun, I’d admired it exactly once because the style was so retro, and ever since, it’d been her choice of hairstyle. Her cheeks were heavily rouged, alongside her shiny and overly plump lips. She had a narrow face and a pointed chin, thin penciled eyebrows and a beauty mark dotted above her upper lip. Her ample breasts poking through the blouse she’d clearly pulled low to show off the obvious work she’d had done. I wasn’t about to judge her for her choice in body image, but I was judging her for her demeanor towards me. The woman wouldn’t seem to take no for an answer.

“Doctor Zayne! Good to see you!” I felt my stomach roll in the way she said my title but stamped it down before gesturing for her to follow. As soon as I heard the clipping sound of her heels clicking against the floor, she fired off into a tirade about her late husband and how he was a nervous wreck and couldn’t do anything for her… I stuffed back another grimace as I nodded and responded when necessary to her rant about her being sexually deprived, as we passed Yvonne’s desk, I could see the pity she wore on her face as she sucked her lips into her mouth to keep my laughing. Thanks…

“Oh! Darling Doctor Zayne! I have to say, thank you for seeing me today. I know you are such a busy man.” I’d opened the door for her, but she’d rushed forward to grip my arm with both hands, her breasts firmly pressed against my lower bicep.

“Ms. Valeford, after you.” I nodded to my office as I fought the shudder that wanted to ripple through me.

“Oh, please, sweetie! Call me Vanessa.” She tapped my shoulder before strutting into my office. It took every ounce of my already drained levels of control to not stomp my foot, shut the door and run for my life. Just get through this… must get through this. Glancing up at a movement from the corner of my eye, I saw Yvonne, red in the face and silently laughing behind her desk. Yeah… I might have to swap this woman’s doctors. Not sure I can handle it anymore….

Walking in the office after shaking my head, I opened her file and glanced at the reason for her visit. Stomachache… of course. Only time it was for something serous was when she first came here. I sighed lightly before looking up to find her in my chair; I froze mid-step. “Ms. Valeford, if I could ask you to refrain from using my office for such casual behavior, that would be much appreciated. Could you take a seat,” I gestured to one of the armchairs in front of my desk, “in one of those, please.” I watched her eyes narrow slowly; the thick layers of mascara she wore made me curious as to how she kept the lids open.

“Fine, fine. Doctor’s Orders.” She made a pout, but not before pushing herself up on to her feet only to move into my space, pressing her chest against mine and running her hands up my arms. “I’m sure there could be other things we could find to do to waste some time, hey, sweetie.” I glanced at the clock while my mind dove into the impending pit of disgust, this woman is a whole half an hour early… no wonder. I side stepped her wandering hands, but she insisted on following me around my desk. I was entirely sure that if I even tried sitting down, she’d be on my lap before my ass hit the cushion of my chair.

“Ms. Valeford. Please. Take a seat, now.” I added a little command to my voice as I was losing the remaining fumes of my patience. This woman… “The sooner you take a seat, the sooner we can begin.” And the sooner you can leave.

Her expression contorted into something like I’d struck her, and she pouted her bottom lip heavily before making her way around the desk only to, quite literally, flop into one of the armchairs. I was a little taken aback by this behaviour, but didn’t care much beyond that. I glanced back at her folder and took in more details. She’s 42… has a history of anxiety, depression, bipolarism. Hmmm…. “Ma’am, what brings you in today. It says here that you were complaining of abdominal pain?” I looked up at her, only to find her sulking in the chair. Picking at a loose thread, that same pout fixed, her thin brows pulled together as she scrunched her face indignantly.

“Ms. Valeford—”

“Vanessa….” Her voice had adopted a sultry tone to it, but she still looked like she was sulking. Maybe I was wrong… I wanted so much to drop my forehead to the surface of my desk, the headache this woman brought on every time she was here was something else.

I sighed heavily, “Ms. Valeford… what kind of abdominal pain have you been experiencing?”

“Nothing serious, dear.” I felt a wave of anger surface within me, thankfully since Era had consumed a portion of my evol, every time I’d felt myself get mad or annoyed, the ice never surfaced. Somehow, she’d taken the overwhelming part of my evol and dulled it to be more controllable. Right now, though; that frozen control edged on breaking into miniature shards… this woman!

I closed the folder, “Then why are you here, Ms. Valeford?” I threaded my fingers together and leaned my elbows on to the surface of my desk, straining to keep my voice and my mannerisms as calm as possible.

“Oh, can’t an old woman come see her favorite doctor?” I blinked, what?

“Ms. Valeford,” I pushed myself to standing, “this is a facility focused on research, medicine and education. If by any standard you’ve purposely made an appointment just to waste my time, I will be forced to ask you to leave.” I do not have time for this shit….

Her face turned ashen as I watched the blood drain from her overly rosy cheeks. “I – I… I apologize, Doctor.” I slowly lowered myself back into my chair, Yvonne was right…

~~~

“I told you; we should’ve just transferred her files to another doctor to deal with.” Yvonne was sitting on the opposite end of the staff table from me as I leaned heavily over the tabletop, arms folded so I could push the heels of my palms against my eyes. “I was told by another nurse that she’s been doing this since her late husband passed. Always with the younger doctors.”

Dropping my hands, I grappled the fork next to my tray of food and stabbed a piece of meat from the bowl, I could still feel the simmering warmth of anger in my chest, and it took everything I had to keep it inside me instead of venting the frustration to Yvonne. Poor woman didn’t need that, mainly because I knew not just my issues with certain patients would surface. So, I forced myself to simply say two words instead, “Its absurd.”

“I’ll hand her over to Greyson. Maybe he can handle her… personality.” I couldn’t hold back my smirk on that one. Poor Greyson, I wouldn’t want anyone facing off with the woman. She was a force of nature to be sure.

“Thank you, Yvonne.” I released the sigh that had built in my chest, feeling my shoulders sag as another wave of exhaustion seemed to drag more of the remaining energy away from me. I watched her nod, take a few bites of her food before pausing again.

“Have you seen Era recently?” She looked up at me, “Wasn’t she due for another check-up recently?” I froze, fork midway to my mouth with a small head of broccoli attached. I closed my mouth, cleared my throat and then dropped the fork into the bowl on the tray.

“She’s… uh… she’s been busy lately.” Lame excuse… she’ll see right through that. I retrieved the fork again and started poking around at the remainder of my lunch. How could I tell this woman what really happened? Oh yeah, she was taken by an ‘other worldly’ force, see her other three partners and I all think it was a demon, but we can’t be sure. Yeah, that would go over well. I couldn’t help but think of a padded room if I tried explaining that to her.

Yvonne simply nodded before packing away her lunch containers and standing. “I hope she comes back soon. I’m purely speculating here, but her condition is a part of it, yeah?” She glanced over at me as she swung her white nurses coat around her shoulders, sliding an arm into one of their designated holes.

“Yes. You could say that.” I stood from my chair and gripped the edges of the lunch tray with white knuckles. I was off to the library after this to investigate more details on what Sylus had mentioned about demons and such. I’ve been making little headway, but I had a list started of names.

“I’m sure she’ll come back soon then; her condition does have its temper.” I nodded at her words, taking them in the positive sense she’d said them as. The young woman had a heart of gold, to be sure. She smiled at me before she pulled open the staff room door and exited. I placed the tray on top of the disposal bin, before going over to the sink and washing my hands, again. Sighing as I dried off each individual finger, I remembered the lotion Era had gotten me a while ago. She’d ordered It special for my birthday at the time, a jasmine scented oil free hand lotion. She’d said how it would help keep my skin moisturized after how many times a day I needed to practice safe hygiene. She had the most adorably sad expression when I’d told her that the bottle would need to stay at home due to needing a scentless lotion for the hospital.  I miss you.

With that, I exited the staff room, it had been weird to be in there after so often either just eating in my office or in my car. Yvonne had asked me to join her today since one of her nurse friends were still on her rounds. Library. I looked up and down the hallway as I slid on my jacket, although Era had affectionately called it a trench-coat. It’s January… I slung my scarf around my neck and made for the entrance.

“Hey, Doctor Zayne!”

“Doctor Zayne! How’ve you been?”

“Zayne, man! How’s it been?”

“Have a good day, Doctor Zayne!”

“Mister Zayne! Can you make me a snowman?”

I finally made it out of the hospital, relatively unscathed, but unbelievably drained. So many people had called out to talk to me, ask me questions, or just to say hey. Most were the students that had worked under me for a period. Some were patients, or children I’d treated, and others were colleagues.

I stopped on the edge of the sidewalk, tightening my jacket and my scarf around my neck. I suppose that was a bit of a downside to Era consuming some of my powers, cold had… for lack of a better term, never bothered me. Since she’d taken some of my evol… I found since this winter had come and stuck around; I got colder much faster. I donned my gloves and breathed slowly out my nose, watching the spiraling puffs of steam escape into the atmosphere of this heavily gray evening.

Looking down at my surroundings, a decent layer of white powder covered everything. It was in fact beautiful. Sticky flakes of snow stuck to the branches of each little poplar tree in the courtyard, with each snowfall adding to each tuft of snow, making the trees look less empty. I glanced over at my car. Did I want to drive a block to the library? Nope. Waste of money. So, I started my trek to the library building. Wasn’t this the same library that was close to that little coffee shop, Era had mentioned? The one right across from the Hunters Association, I think. What was the name again….

Making my way along the walk, I took in the scenery as I went. People crowded the streets, holidays over for the most part, nice for some. A cardiac surgeon’s job was never truly over, breaks were few and far between. A gust of wind slammed into me as I rounded a corner, making me reach up to brush the much longer strands of my hair out of my eyes. When I opened them again, I caught sight of someone about thirty people in front of me. Wait….

I felt my feet moving me forward before I could truly register what or who I saw. When I got to the spot, I thought I saw them, I stopped and panned my vision around. It couldn’t be her….

That’s when her perfume struck my senses, and I felt my eyes close as I inhaled. I swung around again but couldn’t see her. Was it? People were looking at me weirdly, but my mind was beyond their gawking eyes. I’d seen her. Hadn’t I?

My phone buzzed in my pocket. When I lifted it up in front of me, the screen shown as three notifications popped up.

                Xavier: Made a list of the things you asked about. Image to follow.

                Rafayel: Hey, got a list. Sending a picture.

Both the images were similar. Mostly the same names, same descriptions for the most part of their goals, their desires for humankind. I blinked as one name stood out between the two lists. I tipped my head to the side, putting that thought aside while I went to check the last message.

                Sy: We need to meet. Now.

I looked back at Xav and Raf’s lists, hyper focusing on the one name that they both had printed in thick black marker. Demons have common names, as far as I found… but would it be that big of stretch? I opened Sylus’ messages again and typed off a,

Me: ‘I’m half a block away from that café she liked, can you meet me there?’

Sy: Blooms. Got it. Five minutes. Triple shot americano, if you would.

I rolled my eyes, and once my phone was safely back in my pocket, I stretched to do one more scan of my surroundings. Lack of sleep must be making me lose my mind, IF that was her…. Library forgotten, I started making my way to the coffee shop, Blooms, cute name. No wonder she liked it.

Even as in the late hour of the evening, the sidewalks and streets were loaded with people. Blinking tree-lights from Christmas and then again for the New Year flashed and sparkled amongst the snow-covered trees, making the soft glow rise above everyone’s heads like soft halos amongst the steam and smoke. Even through the multitudes of people, I made it to the café in under five minutes. As I approached from across the street, I stopped at the opposite side of the walk, just outside the windows wall of the coffee shop and glanced back at the Hunter’s Association building, the lights were on most of the floors, some still had the Christmas décor as well. Xavier had told me that their Captain had let Era go the night she disappeared. I’d been angry for a time, but Xavier had explained the situation, and I’d let it go. There were more important things to worry and be angry about.

“Seems I beat you.” I looked over to my right, Sylus walked out of the corner café, holding the drinks above other’s heads as they squeezed by him to get into the little place. Popular… “Jesus, you’d think manners were never a thing. Here.” He stretched out his left arm to me, a large cup held between his fingers. “Caramel Macchiato.”

I took the cup and nodded my thanks, my eyes dropped to the lid of the drink, “Thanks.” Every time since she’d been taken, that Sylus and I had met up, usually just the two of us, we’d meet somewhere with slightly fancier styled drinks other than just coffee while we poured over notes, books and thoughts. Sometimes I hate this sweet tooth, but no… not really. I looked up and around quickly, stepping aside for a group of people coming up the walk. “Should we go in, find a spot? Or just go somewhere… less crowded.” I made a point to narrow my eyes at some people who seemed to be leaning into both of us. I could hear the comments of some of the girls… and after Ms. Valeford, I was in no mood for it.

I watched Sylus take a sip from his cup as his eyes dropped to a particularly persistent young women who seemed to be trying to snuggle up beside him, and he grimaced, taking a step back. What the fuck is with people… so what, we aren’t that pretty. I rolled my eyes as he jutted a thumb out in the opposite direction. “Shall we.” I nodded and we silently weaved through the approaching crowds until the amount of people began to lessen more and more.

“Jesus Christ… was there an event there tonight or something?” I asked, finally taking a sip of the macchiato. The sweetness hit my tongue, and then the warmth hit my chest. I immediately felt better.

“She sure knows how to pick’em. She’d be pissed to know her favorite café is one of the most popular in Linkon now.” Sylus said, turning to walk a few steps backwards before spinning to walk properly again. Speaking of her….

“I thought I saw her… right before you texted me.” I could feel the stare my eyes made at the ground in front of me. “I could have sworn it was her, but when I tried to follow her… she’d just disappeared.” Sylus’ silence was palpable, and when I finally broke my stare to look up at him, his eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was tense. “What?”

“I did see her. That’s why I wanted to meet.”

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

A Whorl and a Word

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

ENJOY the next installment of Part 2! Holiday plans have changed! Will to get more out before the New Year!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2:

   SYLUS  

It had been an agonizing and stressful time since I’d seen her last, six months. She’d disappeared so suddenly that night, and everything after had been a blur, mostly of anger and a deep ache within the center of my chest. I remembered chatting with the other men I had to share her with, only semi willingly. We’d met up to speak about her powers, at least… that had been the initial plan. But something about her that night seemed off. She hadn’t been her usual perky self; she hadn’t been paying attention to much when we’d all got there. In fact, she seemed to prefer to just stare out that kitchen window rather than acknowledge any of us, sure she responded to us talking to her, but it was robotic, calculated.

All four of us had noticed, but it was what she had said to me that had gotten me really wondering what was happening in her head. She’d barred me entry, the walls she’d thrown up in her head were impenetrable, yet when I’d looked into her eyes as she called that specter in her head a stygian companion… something clicked in me. She’d given me a clue, and I hadn’t realized it.

We all had panicked when we’d rushed into the kitchen after we’d all jumped from the dishes breaking. When we all got into the kitchen only to not find her, pandemonium erupted. We all separated and checked every room for her, every nook and cranny of that tiny apartment of hers was turned upside down.

When we’d convened back in the middle of her living room, it was chaos. All blaming one another for letting her out of our sight, for not staying with her. We all knew none of us were to blame, but it ate at us regardless.

It had taken some time, and a lot of arguing to set up times to meet, places to go, things to research to start looking for her. She’d never just vanished before, whenever her dark voice had spoken or took her on other occasions, it had been entirely mental, she’d go into a coma like state, only to wake up minutes, or hours later. So, what had changed? Why had it, or whatever taken her that night? I’d told the others that we should investigate the demon aspect of things. With her weird comment about the presence, it seemed to suit the situation. More than ever.

I’d thrown myself into the search, barely paying much attention to anything else. I lost sleep for the first two months, only allowing myself when I was on the precipice of passing out from exhaustion. Otherwise, I was in my office. Having replaced the items from when I’d shattered everything while I contemplated my love for the woman who’d tamed me after foolishly faking my own death, spilling over papers, scrolls and an innumerable number of books about demons, their names, and their powers. There were so many, far too many.

And yet, as I gawked at the woman on the dancefloor, I couldn’t help but think ‘How the fuck is she HERE?’ She looked the same, and yet… completely different. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest just at the sight of the woman my soul recognized as its own. Mate…. I had to mentally shake my head to keep myself together. How?

Slowly, I turned back to Belamy. His sardonic smile chewed on my remaining nerve, and I felt my powers surfacing. This was different from the many times I’d willed my evol forth, no this was unplanned and problematic. Don’t lose control… not here, not in front of her. This wasn’t my territory, and who knew what kind of fucked up shit Belamy’s men had going for them. I sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and faced the large man completely.

Should I play dumb? No. The way those spiraling eyes glinted in the provocative lighting, he wasn’t as dumb as I thought, he knew. Steady footsteps broke through my concentration as her peony, passion fruit and amber spice scent entered my senses and edged my vision with red. Recognize me…. I heard the twins open their mouths and curled a hand into a fist to shut them up. Their commentary was not needed now. I couldn’t think of anything to say as she came up around my shoulder, not even glancing my direction. Notice me… please. I had never felt so desperate to be noticed by anyone before. I thought she was ethereal before… but now, my knees shook as I took her in as she settled on the arm of Belamy’s chair.

Her skin was opalescent, save for the endearing little indents she’d had on either side of her mouth as she smiled, at Belamy. She was far thinner than I recalled six months ago, she almost looked sick… but still just on the cusp of healthy. The dress, upon closer inspection seemed to amplify her breasts, not that she needed that kind of support to begin with…. In her seated position next to Belamy, her legs were crossed, that hip high slit in the skirt showing an alarming amount of said legs as they crossed over the knee. She had always been gorgeous, but this… this was a different kind of beauty. When my gaze eased back up to her face, I had to catch myself before I reacted, her eyes… that same beautiful aquamarine… but those cerulean rings were glowing and in place, I could suddenly feel the electrical field she was giving off. Static making the hairs on my forehead to spark against my flesh, tingling in a similar fashion to when you sat in one place for too long and your limbs felt like tv static looked.

I felt my mouth move before my brain caught up, “Era?”

What? I watched as her brows pulled together between her eyes as her head tipped toward Belamy before whispering something to him. The fuck? I was no longer in my element; I was no longer in control. And I did not like it. It took me a moment to register through my simmering anger, but I suddenly noticed Belamy’s fingers skating over her thigh, dipping between her legs. “How about that partnership, hm?” That smooth, cocky voice broke something inside me as I fought my own internal battle.

Through ground teeth, I glared at Belamy, trying desperately to ignore the woman who’d now slid on to his lap. My woman…. “You dare request a partnership?” His eyes glimmered dangerously, just as my typically vast amounts of control waned to their own dangerous limits. I felt both twins’ hands on my shoulders, and I took comfort for a moment in knowing they could tell I was losing it. I dared look at her again, and she was watching me, a look of disdain and something akin to… pity flashed in those eyes. “Bel, darling, who’s the potential prospect? Doesn’t look like much to me.” I felt my anger flash, why would she say that?

I felt Luke and Keiran’s hands tighten over my shoulders as Belamy reached up to turn her head toward him, as he leaned in and kissed her. Oh, this fucker is dead…. Every ounce of my practiced control snapped. I just barely caught Luke’s voice calling for me, but I was beyond listening. This little charade was done! Imbuing strength into my legs, I leapt forward, wanting nothing else but to wrap my fingers around this fucker’s neck.

“No!” I heard it, but didn’t know what it was… until I realized, I wasn’t moving anymore. I was frozen mid stride. Arms lashing forward with clawed tipped fingers, curling maliciously. What? My eyes swung wildly before movement caught my attention at my front. This Era stood from her spot on Belamy’s lap, one hand raised with her palm facing me, her own fingers curled. How is she holding me? Why? Nothing made sense, why was she protecting this pathetic excuse of a man? But their kiss flashed in my mind again… I blinked, it hadn’t been Belamy who kissed her. She’d kissed him.

“Unwise, Snow.” Her words made me pause midbreath. Snow? She reached out and ran her fingers through my hair, Oh God… why did that feel so good! I had to shut my eyes tightly to keep them from rolling back in my head. Her touch seemed more like she was examining, much like I’d done with the protocore from earlier. She walked around me, letting her fingertips brush over me, removing the coat from over my shoulders before continuing her perusal. I recalled how it looked when purchasing my stallion, and my eyes widened. She’s examining me like I’m cattle….

“Quite the fine specimen, do you not think so, darling?” Belamy’s voice rang through my skull as he stood, reaching out with one hand, just for her to grasp his meaty hand and curl into his side.

I couldn’t turn, but I heard two heavy thuds behind me. Shit… Without needing to look, I knew Luke and Keiran were down, whether they were dead or simply knocked out, I didn’t know. My muscles strained from being in the same position for so long. “Yes, he truly does seem like he is cut from a different cloth, dear. What would you have me do with him?” Her voice, still so her made tears well in the corners of my eyes as I watched with bated breath and narrowed wet eyes as the two of them chatted like it was another Tuesday, flippantly discussing my use.

“Kill me.” My voice grated out finally after they’d prattled off a list of things like gladiator battles, torture and even something called a B-Program. I didn’t want to imagine what that was, but I had an idea.

They both froze at my words and gawked down their noses at me, “You… stole the woman I love. You… brainwashed her into some archaic aristocracy, and now you’re casually discussing my use… I would rather you killed me.” I forcefully grinned up at the two of them, hoping with all of what was left of my heart that she was still in there and could still see what she was doing, hear what she was doing.

It was a flash, but it was there, and I saw the moment she seemed to relent in her villainess demeanor. The cerulean rings faded, just barely, and her cruel smile faltered as her eyes bore into mine. She’s still in there… thank God. At least… I hoped she was, maybe with whatever Belamy had done to her, he hadn’t been able to quite rid of her of all her kindness and the virtues that made up who she was. Maybe… she’s hidden in that same gilded cage…. I opted not to sigh in relief as Belamy approached me, “Seems my lady has taken a liking to you…,” I caught the subtle undertone of anger in what had been a monotonous tone prior, “we shall discuss your use later. Kade.” The brawny man stood to his full height and backed up to sit in his seat once again, dragging Era back on to his lap just as his little peon came into view on my left.

“Yes, Sir.” Kade’s voice was also monotonous, what a joy these gentlemen were. I so wanted to roll my eyes, to make a snide remark, but I couldn’t… her eyes bore into mine, and I couldn’t look away. See me… please, Era! Recognize me! She tapped a finger on her knee and the cold I felt holding my limbs in place dissolved into nothing as I collapsed on the floor. Kade’s hands were immediately gripping my waistcoat, pulling the collar taut around my throat, the stiff lapels cutting sharply into my adams apple. I hissed through my teeth as he yanked me up on to my knees. My muscles screaming for relief now that I was free from her cerulean hold.

Through slitted eyes, I saw her lean into Belamy’s ear and ask him something, his eyes widened briefly as he looked directly at her, and I felt my unhealthy curiosity flare to life. Even in situations like this, I couldn’t help it. My mind flashed back to that coffee shop where’d I’d run into her. Her scent had flared that curiosity beyond anything I could have comprehended, and I’d felt an otherworldly desire to just see her again, it’d simply been dumb luck she’d dropped her phone into my helmet at the time that had cemented my meeting her again.

Seeing her in my minds eyes and seeing her now… there were obvious differences. For one, then… she was a timid little thing who clearly lived in her head and had this adorable air to her when she argued with herself in her thoughts. Now… she held her chin high, a corrupt and warped glimmer of defiance stared back at me while her mouth cut a nefarious sneer down at me, that softness I’d caught a glimpse of seemingly long gone. My nostrils flared as she stood, that amber spice dominating my senses as she crouched in front of me, leaning forward to press her mouth to the shell of my ear, one hand cupping the left side of my neck, her fingers hidden beneath my hair as I felt her ring finger trace a pattern over my mate mark. “A parting gift, crow.” Her voice was a whisper, as I felt my body tense from her words. She really was still in there… I ground my teeth together as she pulled back and pressed her now puckered lips to my cheek, undoubtedly leaving behind a print from her lipstick.

She stood and turned to Belamy once again, the man himself had adopted a pose of imposing dominance, his expression had shifted into something crooked and bent. Those whorled eyes seemed deeper in his head, his trilby even more on angle as he steepled his hands over his knees, both index fingers tapping against his knuckles agitatedly. His hulking figure seemingly more covered in shadow than it had been. What is he? I narrowed my eyes before giving a soft nod and following the pull of Kade as he righted me on my feet. It seemed to have been a bit of a challenge for the poor sod due to my abundant height, and I had to scoff at the little man. He had to be at least five-foot-eight, granted he was bulky and well built, but compared to me… pathetic.

Without provocation, I lashed out a hand and grasped Kade’s throat. My fingers dug into his esophagus. My fingernails could feel the swell of his carotid and the kick in his heartbeat as I squeezed. I backed away with the man in hand, using my Evol to get the twins back to safety. At a glance, they looked alive…. I waved at Belamy, and then brazenly blew a kiss to Era before tightening my fingers around Kade’s throat, feeling his windpipe collapse beneath my palm, and watching the life drain from his soft brown eyes, dropping the man to the floor, I wiped my fingertips free of his sweat of fear and the bits of blood from penetrating the first few layers of the man’s skin. Belamy didn’t seem amused, but he seemed back to his bored expression as his eyes settled on Kade’s corpse. Era seemed taken aback, and shocked. Like the real her was present as her eyes moved from Kade up to me, meeting my own. Those blue rings are gone….  I could see it… she was scared. Of me… or her situation… I don’t know.

I mouthed an ‘I love you’ to her before I wrapped myself in my Evol and warped myself back to the Onychinus base.

My legs gave out after I’d gotten Luke and Keiran to the infirmary wing and had one of my on-call nurses get them comfy and situated. I sat against the wall of my office, my knees drawn up close to my chest as I draped my arms over them. My head tilted back against the wall; all I could see were her eyes. How scared she’d looked when I’d murdered Belamy’s henchman, a part of me hadn’t wanted to do it, but my survival instincts had kicked in. I never wanted to have to do that… not in front of her…. My eyes slowly closed as I brought my hands up to cover my face.

I’d found her, but at what cost?

~~~

Chef had invited me to the kitchen some time later, I’d lost track between passing out on the floor of my office, and having at one point gotten up to get to my chair and open a few of the new demonology books that had been brought in, turning pages mindlessly, before the older man poked his head into my domain and requesting my presence in the kitchen.

“You need to eat, monsieur.” The old man’s voice was sharp as a tack, I forgot at times about him falling into his French roots when he was stressed, even at his age as I sat down on one of the stools on the stretched marble side of the island. “You won’t be able to bring her home if you don’t eat.” I’d leaned my elbows on to the counter and had been gripping my hairline with eight fingers, and the ramus of my jaw with my thumbs, trying to massage my forehead free of the ache that seemed to incessantly dwell there these days, especially today.

“I found her, René….” It wasn’t often I used the man’s true name, as I scrubbed my hands over my face before crossing my forearms over one another on the countertop, and tilting my head forward, “I’ve never felt this hopeless before… the thing that took her….”

“Sylus, mon garçon… I have complete faith you will bring our girl home,” I looked up at him, the old man had been taken by Era the moment she came through that door, the moment she struck up a conversation with the man. He cared about her like she was his own… even in the meager time she’d been here. I smirked lightly to myself as I recalled how furious he’d been at me when I’d gone through with my plan. Old buzzard still had a fantastic right uppercut. Looking at him now, the smirk died on my face as I saw how white he was, “you have to bring her home, monsieur….” For a man who preferred to hear his own voice echo through the household, I’d never heard him speak so softly.

I swallowed heavily around the knot in my throat but nodded at him, not trusting my own voice. Clearing my throat, and catching his clearly drifting attention, “What’s on the menu tonight, Sir?”

He seemed to accept the distraction, and he turned to pick up a large glass plate. An immaculate looking white China with whorls of silver and black whirling over its rim. Steaming atop sat a full-fledged pot roast dinner, and my own face drained of all semblances of blood as the dish was placed in front of me, all I could think about was the night she was taken, and how she’d been making this exact meal for all of us… only for her to be snatched up by some otherworldly force.

I felt the heat behind my eyes, but refused to let the emotion overwhelm me. Keeping the façade true, for René’s sake, I took up the knife and fork and started in on the food. Internally warring with myself to stay as calm as I could while the creature inside me battled against my ribs, needing her in his arms again. Feeling her mouth against his ear again.

I will get her back….

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

Series: Part 2 of Bonds of Eternity

Welcome back! ENJOY the first, slightly shorter installment of Part 2!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

Time and Submission

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

Welcome back! ENJOY the first, slightly shorter installment of Part 2!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1:

    SIX MONTHS LATER

                SYLUS

This club was the last place I wanted to be. There were more useful matters to attend to, dealing with this… client was not high on my priority list, but alas, the boys had clarified that the situation was necessary and I might profit from the encounter. Walking in, it was clear what kind of club it was. The kind of club where you knew every eye silently locked on the most threatening person in the room. I was that person.

It had been some time since I’d laid eyes on a trilby, and a suit that looked like it had been tailored directly off Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders. I couldn’t judge, I’d opted to have my own tailor fashion something of similar countenance. Scanning the open seating, I took in every detail, every face that dared look my direction. Inhaling, I took in the disgusting scent of the mixture of cigar smoke. All of which, obviously, some of the most expensive brands known to man.

The music, a slow jazz setting. A dance floor with sleek marbled tile stood before a rounded stage. Two full drum-sets sat on each end, raised on their own platforms. Two bassists, a single guitarist, and row of four trumpeters, three ladies in long white gowns, and a single vocalist. All the men looked like the ones seated around the room. It was like I’d walked back in time eighty or a hundred years.

Thin pinstripe navy suits, blazers and overcoats, pleated trousers and shined to perfection dress shoes. Plus, of course, the trilbies and fedoras. I had chosen the fedora, for obvious reasons. I tipped the hat in question at the men I passed, watching as the multitudes of women on each of their arms craned around, shifting to look more provocative as I passed. Their obviousness made no sense to me. In fact, their miserable acts of desperation bored me.

“Boss.” Luke had come up beside my shoulder and nodded toward a section on the upper level. As expected, my client was seated in the highest, furthest corner of the club’s VIP section. My eyes narrowed as I took the steps two at a time, it wasn’t often that I came across men bigger than me, so to see this gentleman who looked like he’d walked off the set of Legend. His broader than broad shoulders, and chest. Narrow waist and lean hips as he sat, looking as bored as I felt. Legs spread wide; one foot perched on the edge of one of the table’s rounded feet. Right arm extended to his side, resting over the armrest as his index finger tapped the fabric. His left bent on the opposite; fingers curled under the left edge of his jaw as he watched the display of dancers on the stage. Provided by the club owner no doubt. The man’s suit resembled that of the rest of the crowds, but almost seemed a size too small for the brawny man. As I looked him up and down, gauging what kind of trouble I could be in if things went south. I noticed beneath the tipped hat on his head, that he had long, almost silky black hair that fell passed his shoulder blades. Pulled back at the nape of his thick neck. His idle expression showed narrow eyes, surrounded by black lashes. The color of his eyes unnerved me, something about them seemed… inhuman. Off white iris’, mixed with whorls of gray and silver surrounded pitch pupils. The effect almost looked hypnotic when his aimless leer settled on me.

“Mister Skye, I presume.” His voice grated something within me alongside those unsettling eyes, and I felt my own narrow in response. His tone also seemed unusually adrift, soft on the ears, and almost too calm. The man lacked pitch. He leaned back into his prior pose, eyes fixed on the entertainment.

“You must be Belamy.” I had to force my own tone to remain as bored as he seemed. Although, between my already unsettled nerves and my growing annoyance after having just met this absurd man, I was no longer feeling that same boredom I had walking in here.

“Bel, please, sit. Join me.” It was like a switch as I sat down across from him, my back to the stage. Luke and Keiran moving to my seven and four. The man I’d called Bel smiled at me, a toothy grin that seemed far too white for his skin tone. He wasn’t as dark as the lighting in the venue made him out to be, no… he was a much lighter gray color. Four teeth, his canines, were sharper than the rest, giving him that same air of being inhuman, much like his eyes. He lifted one of his arms, and I saw the piece he had at his waist, beneath the edge of his blazer as he stretched to snap a finger at one of the passing waitresses.

The steady rhythm of one of the girls’ heels over the wood edged steps alerted me to her approach, but my eyes remained on my now very fascinating client. I leaned an arm against the arm of my chair and leaned against the length of my index finger, pressing the pad into my left temple while my middle, ring and pinky fingers curved over my mouth as I scanned the man. Something about him…. “French 75 for me, sweetheart, light on the syrup. And….” He gestured to me with his chin, an almost cruel smile spread his cheeks as his own eyes narrowed.

“A Ramos Gin Fizz.” I thought about how this little meeting had come about. It wasn’t often that I went to meet clients in clubs or venues that I didn’t own. So, to be contacted about high end merchandise that would topple any typical man with their price tags, I’d chosen to see what the situation was like. Only to find myself here, in a club owned by the very client I’d come to see, in Charon no less, feeling only slightly out of my element. Which was rare.

When I saw Belamy, or Bel, grope a handful of the poor girl’s thigh, I felt a growl grip my chest, but I stamped it down. These girls didn’t deserve that kind of treatment, but here… it was almost like they were paid to enjoy it. My eyes did a swift up and down of her. She was pretty, in a plain way. Her hair reminded me of Era’s for a moment, but I chose to shoo that thought away and continued drifting my eyes over her. She’s not her…. She was a thin little thing, nervous as she blushed hard from Bel’s hand on her. Her little silver sequin dress hung to the middle of her thighs, beige nylons covered her long legs, leading down to matching silver heels. Her eyes were a dull brown, barely any life left in them. I wondered idly how she faired alongside the other girls who worked here. These girls wouldn’t look this way if I owned this club… gentleman’s club or not.

“Thanks, doll.” Bel openly palmed her ass as she almost stumbled away. This fool isn’t a man… he’s a degenerate. “So, Skye. Let us get down to brass tacks, shall we?” Those narrow, swirling white eyes bore into me. I knew a ploy to make another uncomfortable when I saw it, I’d mastered the art. The N109 Zone was mine after all. Well, mostly mine… I was well on my way to changing that.

“I’m listening.” I spoke around the three fingers that hadn’t moved from the corner of my mouth, eyes locked on the obscure man’s features as I watched his own tactic get slammed back at him. He’s trying too hard. A classic rendition of I’ve Got You Under My Skin started up from the band behind me, as I watched Bel as he sat back in his chair, his chin tipping up, amusement flashing in those perplexing eyes.

“Kade, show our guest some of the merchandise.” A man from the table across the podium stood and approached us, I’d seen him from the corner of my eye and was aware he wasn’t just another patron, his demeanor was written all over him. From the off-centre trilby to the hidden pistol holster belted to his torso over the shoulders of the garish gold paisley blazer he wore. How tacky…. I just had to adjust my jaw a fraction and I knew one of the twins would come around to take the first peak at whatever this heathen was offering.

“This is but a sample of what I can offer you, please, don’t be shy.” Bel waved a hand in front of him as his man laid a large suitcase on the table, popping the locks and turning the opening towards me as the lid flipped open. “Weapons, protocores, aether cores, women, or men if you’re into that sort of thing.” I hated it when they advertised their own stock, the people bit caught me a little off guard, but this was Charon… it wasn’t uncommon. “Whatever your heart desires.” I kept myself emotionally removed from the situation as he pressed me to look.

“Boss.” Keiran’s voice cut into my ear as he repositioned himself behind me, the motion clarifying that what sat inside the case was far more valuable than I’d initially assumed. Pushing myself to the edge of my chair, I leaned forward and peered into the box. Glittering prettily in a neat row across the center of a foam base were four delicious looking protocores. Each with their own color and aura. Only one stood out from the rest in my mind, a large crystal in the color of her eyes. I tentatively reached out, expecting to be reprimanded or held at gunpoint for approaching the goods before the trade was settled. Amateur….

Without a flicker of aggression, Bel simply watched as I picked up the aquamarine protocore and held it up in front of my right eye. The weight alone made me aware that these weren’t counterfeit, or copies. I focused on the swirling interior of the palm sized crystal. Like a snow globe… particles of power and glittering specks of golden dust floated idly around. Not tampered with then.

Setting the crystal back in its place, I sat back and resumed my prior bored position. “Price.”

I watched with intrigue as Bel took a deep breath through his nose and released it with a grin, those four intimidating teeth glinting in the dim light. “No price, what I offer… is a partnership.” I quirked a brow and began tapping my index finger against my temple. I hadn’t liked the situation to begin with, and this just set my teeth on edge. No one looked for a partnership, not without a substantial threat above their heads, or a fat wad of cash involved.

“Why? What could you possibly gain from a partnership with my employer?” The moniker Skye had been my go-to for some time, hiding my identity as the leader of Onychinus. I rarely allowed anyone to know who I truly was. To any of my clients, and mostly my victims, I was simply in the employ of the man leading the empire behind the scenes in the N109 Zone. Very few were in the know, and the people in the know also knew that if anything were to get out about who I really was, things wouldn’t end very kindly for them, or their families. Except her….

“Oh, I think a partnership would be very lucrative for both parties.” The clicking of heels alerted me to the return of our silver sequined waitress. Of course, Bel took advantage of her crouching to place our drinks down, after Kade had returned, closed, locked and taken the briefcase away from prying eyes. “Much appreciated, babe.” Once she’d placed my gin fizz on its coaster, she slid it closer to me and nodded my thanks. Her eyes glittering as she seemed to see me for the first time. Always the same reactions… how pathetic. There was only one I cared about looking at me that way….

When the waitress had been dismissed by a wave of Bel’s hand, he leaned forward, pinching his tumbler between three fingers of his massive hand and tipped the entirety of its contents into his mouth. “My employer has no interest in partnerships, Belamy.” I picked up the glass of my gin and peered into the glass momentarily before moving my eye back up to his face, the foam was wrong… something wasn’t right with this drink, “Make this worth while, or I leave. Those are your options.”

“Tough crowd.” Bel sat the glass back down on the table and spun it, “Fine. I might have something else that might interest you.” He snapped his fingers, and the entire mood of the club changed. Lights shifted and the music turned sultry with heavy bass attached. What the…. Bel stood from his seat and straightened the jacket of his suit before gesturing with his palm up to something behind me. Normally I would never show my back to the enemy, but something about how the situation was turning had me curious.

Pushing myself up, I turned to face the dancefloor, and there she was.

Era? No… it couldn’t be. My eyes widened as the woman on the dancefloor began moving in a sensual dance that only a fantasy could’ve brought to life. Clothed in a white and gray floor length gown that hugged her curves in a way that had my mouth dry. The neckline dipped dangerously, stopping just beneath her naval, the skirt featured a high slit that showed off her long leg, cutting off just below the point of the neckline. The chill in the room clearly affecting her as I could see her nipples through the fabric of her dress. She wore, at least, six-inch stiletto heels. Golden bands wrapped and jingled around her wrists, and a long golden chain hung from a thin collar around her neck. A deep burgundy colored matte lipstick had been applied to her full lips. Lips that were currently parted as she breathed evenly from her mouth, so she didn’t tire while dancing too quickly. Her hair was caught my attention, like the waitress… this woman’s hair stood out like Era’s, an ashen blonde, but this woman’s hair was long, falling to her lower back, half pulled up to drape across her forehead in some weird fashion.

“I’d like you to meet my favorite toy, the treasure of Charon.” Bel’s voice cut through my shock as I, and the twins openly gaped at the beautiful woman dancing specifically for the crowd, and me.

It was when she opened her eyes that I knew. It’s her….

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

Styx and Stones

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

ENJOY the final chapter!

More to come in: Our Bonds of Eternity: Part Two!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 30:

Standing underneath the spray of my shower, letting the water wash away the layer of sweat that had clung to me after Xavier and my true first time. I smiled to myself, going over the details again. Our moment of afterglow had been filled with laughter and a serene calmness that I hadn’t felt in a while. We’d simply laid next to each other, talking and laughing together. He’d absentmindedly dragged his fingers over the skin of my hip as we talked.

I finally broached the subject of sharing me with the others and he had gotten a little territorial about it at first, but after I’d kissed a trail around his face, he said that if they could share, so could he. Even though a part of him didn’t like the idea. Him and the other three included… alas. I’d even went as far as to ask him if he’d be willing to involve himself with one of the others. He’d balked at it at first, but the idea seemed to grow on him, I giggled softly, grow as in literally. He’d gotten embarrassed and laughed about it, but admitted the idea of a threesome had crossed his mind, just not with another man. At least, not until I mentioned it.

“Enjoying yourself in here?” I turned my head, resting my chin on my shoulder as Xavier appeared behind me, stepping over the rail of the glass door and closing it behind him. Thankfully there was just enough space in here for the two of us, well… sort of. He was big. In every way. I smiled at him as I he leaned in, canting his head so he could kiss me.

“I was, yes.” Straightening, he smirked, then tipped his head back into the flow of the water, his hair darkening to a soft gray the wetter it got. I bit my lip as the sight of him, eyes closed. Arms bent to comb his hair back off his forehead, water falling over his face, down his neck, over his broad chest. I didn’t dare look lower, I was sore, and I didn’t need to be in more pain. But that didn’t mean I could use some of my body’s assets to my advantage. I was a tease, after all.

Facing the tiled wall, I reached up to the little built-in shelf and pumped some shampoo into my palm. Smearing it between my hands before lifting my fingers to scrub the suds into my hair. As I tipped my head back to keep the soap from falling into my eyes, I was perfectly innocent, I took a step back and the crease of my ass pressed against him, which immediately caused a moan to come from the man’s sinful mouth above me. “What happened to being too sore, Miss?”

I tipped my head back further, letting the suds of my hair fall over his chest. “I am sore, I’m innocent.” I batted my lashes at him playfully and he grinned at me, before coughing up a laugh from his chest.

“I’m sorry, I can’t take you seriously.” He molded my soapy hair into a mohawk atop of my head and laughed harder, using one hand to wrap around my middle and spin us around, moving me under the spray of the water. I shrieked and pushed myself back up against him, pushing him up against the tiled wall. “Ah! Cold wall! Stop it, there’s barely enough room in here for anyone let alone two of us.”

I dipped my face under the flow of water, desperate to get the suds out of my eyes. “I was in here first.” I grumbled, “thank you, very much, Sir.” I pulled back from the torrent and blinked a few times. I was facing the glass door now, and his hands were planted on my hips, thumb circling over a particularly tight muscle. “Oh, if you’re going to do that, I won’t mind if you stay.” He gestured to the little massage and heard him huff before chuckling in my ear.

“Are you sure this won’t lead to you wanting more?” He had a point, but I shook my head. There were spots that were beginning to flare up. Damn sciatic muscle spasms… I will never understand how a regenerative power can’t fix something like that… why it won’t. A pain that has plagued just as much as that damn spectre, or whatever it was… recalling that it was something…. “Era? Hey, where’d your mind go?” His hands had drifted over my sides, thumbs working any tight muscles he found, which were most.

A twinge settled in its usual spot at the base of my spine, “I was thinking about that… thing. When we were in that clearing in the forest of that NH zone… you sensed it… but you couldn’t see it.” I turned my head to glance over my shoulder at him, “Why couldn’t you see it? For me… I saw it as clear as I see you now.”

Xavier seemed to mull that over for a second, his hands still moving over my sore muscles, slowly drawing slightly bigger circles as he moved up over my back. “I… I’m not sure. I swore I did see it, for a second. It was like one of those horror movie moments where I could just see it, just out of the corner of my eye….”

“Do you think I’m crazy?” I’m not certain where that question came from, but it felt like it needed to be asked. Xavier’s arms wrapped around me, and he leaned his chin over my shoulder, kissing my cheek.

“No. I do not. When we connected with you after you’d collapsed yesterday, all of us… we did see it then. None of us think you’re crazy, love.” He hugged me to him; it didn’t matter if we were stark naked or vulnerable. He knew I needed the comfort of his arms so I could feel sane. “We can see if they’ll all come back tonight, or tomorrow so we can go over what we all know. Sylus was getting his people to gather intel. Zayne said he’d investigate things too, same as Raf.”

I nodded solemnly and pulled away from him just enough to turn and face him. “Thank you… I know this isn’t your guys’ prob—” He pressed a finger to my lips and shook his head.

“Don’t start that, babe. We love you, and we would do anything for you.” I smiled behind his finger before puckering my lips and kissing the pad. I could see a blush move into his cheeks as he smiled softly in return.

~~~

My mind had wandered to that gilded cage and what that thing had showed me throughout the rest of the day. Xavier had called Jenna, and explained some things to her with my consent, of course. One massive downside was that she’d clarified that if I’d missed too much work, and I wouldn’t have any work to come back to after they hung up. Which had brought me to my knees in a panic attack, even though now I knew I’d be fine without it. It still stung. I couldn’t help through the attack think about how I wasn’t going to be able to see any of the people I’d been even remotely close to anymore. Tara, Andrew, Hell even Jenna herself.

Xavier had pulled me into a cradle across his lap and reassured me that that was not why Jenna had let me go, nor was it true to begin with. “Visiting is a thing, plus you’ve got all of their numbers, right?” This man’s optimism was infectious, and I felt better after he’d hugged the ache from my chest.

Currently, I was standing in front of my stove. Sylus, Zayne and Raf all had called and said they’d found something, not on the specter specifically, but knowledge of my new evol… if it was an evol. This new absorption power I seemed to have. So, I decided to make them all something to eat as payment for their extraordinary kindness before they all got here. These men were far too good to me…. Sylus had always been a meat man, so I had a pot roast in the oven. There was also scalloped potatoes in the oven too as well as buttered green beans boiling away on the stove top. Classic pot roast meal. Set aside, I had preparations for a macaron dessert for Zayne. I knew he wasn’t entirely picky when it came to food, if it was good for him, he’d eat it. He’d trip over himself for a macaron though. With Rafayel, I knew he had a bit of a picky side, but other than the malasadas we had in Hawaii… I don’t really remember what foods he liked. I hoped he was okay with pot roast. Xavier had run out to grab himself a hot pot meal from one of the nearby fast-food places. So, it’d left me here alone while my mind raced as I desperately tried to keep myself occupied.

Desperation suits you, child. I froze, serving spoon frozen in my grip. A surge of panic erupted in my chest as the voice seemed to rub up against my mind like a cat. Softly humming as it circled my thoughts. Did you really think you could escape me? Me? I ground my teeth, and pushed passed the crippling sensation of boney fingers wrapping around my heart. It was hard to answer that question, when I didn’t know who me was.

Me. Master of Deception. Denizen of the place your kind refer to as Hell. The pathetic female who bore you was miiinne as well. The way that too soft voice said mine made my skin crawl. She burned for her betrayal. My mind swam as my vision blurred. She burned? Why? She’d done the summoning, didn’t she?

She did as she was told, like yoouu. I blinked, the voice purred in my ear, I like it when you think you are in control, pet. A shudder ran through me as I shook my head. I needed to focus; the presence gave an amused chuckle as it tapered away and my kitchen and the steaming pots and pans in front of me came back into focus. Sooooon, pet. Came its final whisper.

Quickly, I got back to my task on hand, stirring the pot of now soft green beans and checking the dishes in the oven, as the shrill sound of the timer going off rang through my eardrums. As much as I don’t want to… I’ll tell them when everyone is here… as much as I’d like to figure this bullshit out on my own.

I pulled the first pan from the oven, turned and set it on the cooling rack on my island. The smell of the combination of melted cheese, mushroom white sauce and the potatoes wafted up my nose and made my mouth water. One good thing came from surviving, I’d learned how to cook what I could and when I’d been able to afford the ingredients, I religiously watched those cooking shows and meticulously studied cookbooks over the years, so I knew how to cook a vast number of dishes.

Turning with the thick oven mitts covering my hands, I reached back into the oven and lifted the lid to the roast. I checked the internal temperature and then stabbed its side with a meat fork. Clear juices flowed down its simmering side. Nodding, I returned the lid and gripped the outer edges of the pan before lifting it out and placing the whole thing next to the pan of potatoes.

Pulling the mitts off, I set them on the island beside the pans and turned back to my stove. I gripped the arm of the small pot and keeping the lid angled over the top, I drained the water from the green beans before transferring them into a white serving dish. Grabbing a small bag off the side counter, I picked a pinch of almonds out of the plastic and sprinkled them over the beans. Drizzling a little garlic butter overtop directly after.

“I didn’t know you could cook, and not just any cook, like gourmet cook, cutie.” I looked up, my concentration broken as I came face to face with Rafayel. He was setting down a brown paper bag on the island across from me. I took a deep breath and pushed aside my discomfort over what that voice had said earlier and plastered a smile to my face. I was very aware how it didn’t touch my eyes.

“I learned a lot of stuff… growing up.” It was clear I wasn’t talking about my time living here. I’d only been in this apartment for a handful of years.

“Is this why you harped at my chef to help all the time?” Sylus suddenly appeared from around the living room corner. I snorted as I got to work on Zayne’s macarons. Retrieving the powdered sugar and almond flour and blue dyes from the pantry.

“It was more of a desire to learn from the man, he was a machine in that kitchen.” I recalled watching Chef fly from one station to the next when he cooked at the Onychinus mansion. I would kill for a kitchen like that one….

“You never cease to impress, kitten.” Sylus rounded the island and walked up beside me. I looked up at him and gave him another light smile. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he lifted the corner of his mouth in return. He totally just saw through you. “Need any help? I’ve been told I have some talent in the kitchen department.” I froze mid stir and cocked a brow up at the silver haired man. He smirked down at me, showing a sharp canine as amusement flooded his carmine eyes.

“No,” I said with a guarded but heavily amused tone, “I’ve got everything in here covered. Did you guys find anything out about my stygian companion?”

Sylus raised one of his perfectly shaped brows again as his eyes narrowed again, “Stygian. That’s a… fascinating choice of word, sweetie.” This man missed nothing…. “Personally, I did not. I was more curious about that little power you seemed to have developed, but I would love to come back to your stygian partner.” Without missing a beat, he leaned down, gripped my chin in hand, angled my head upward and slotted his mouth over mine. When he felt the kiss had gone on long enough, he pulled back and brushed his thumb over my bottom lip and whispered, “Don’t go too far away from any of us tonight, kitten.” My brows knit together as I watched him, his eyes glowed with that otherworldly red as he searched my own. What the fuck did that mean?

He straightened and went back to the second brown paper bag I’d missed him place on the island counter. My eyes shifted over to Raf as he pushed off the frame of the entryway and came around the island to me, similarly to Sylus, he looked me in the eye. I knew both could see or sense something, but I didn’t want to know what, not yet. Something was up though… why had my comment alerted them? “We won’t take no for an answer, cutie. Best remember that, yeah?” One of his hands came down on the back of my head as he dragged me toward him, just as he angled his head and pressed his mouth to my own, much like Sylus had. My mind swam from both of their kisses as my indigo haired man pulled away and went back to where he’d placed whatever he’d brought in that first paper bag.

After a bit, between piping the pastries into their spots on each tray, sliding the tray of macaron halves on to the top shelf of my fridge, it’d help them set faster, before I started in on the filling, setting a timer and moving back to clean the countertop quickly, I heard the front door of my apartment open and close soon again. Its either Zayne or Xavier…. When I heard voices, it gave me my answer. Xavier rounded the corner with a large white bag of containers and a pack of blue coolers. Well… what else would I truly expect from a gaggle of men once they started getting along and getting together. “Hey.” I said softly, as I squeezed a few drops of green into the icing, or filling, and started stirring.

“Hey yourself, baby.” He set everything down, came around the island and wrapped his arms around me. His scent permeated my senses and made me feel slightly better, but not entirely. He tensed a little as I got lost in thought again, “are you okay?”

“Yeah… I’m just trying to concentrate.” I gestured with my chin to the icing, and then behind me to the pans of food. “Been busy. I got this, you go settle, ‘kay?” I gave him a very weak smile and knew he saw it. Just like the others. His eyes narrowed slightly at me, before his arms tightened around me and he pressed a kiss to the side of my head.

“Okay, hon.” He pressed another kiss to my hair and unwrapped his arms.

~~~

                SYLUS

He’d shifted her second armchair, so it was closer to the door of her bedroom, angling it just so he had a visual into the kitchen. Something was up with her, and it did not sit well with him in the slightest. He’d watched from the corner of his eye as Xavier had gone in there to chat with her. When he returned to the living room with his eyebrows furrowed as he kept shoulder checking on her, Sylus knew something was up. Rafayel was sitting on her couch, and his eyes were entirely focused on the doorway into the kitchen. We all know something is wrong…. He’d been doing research back on base about her Evol, but now he was more concerned over what she’d said.

“What did you see when you looked in her eyes.” Rafayel asked, his eyes still locked in place. He’d seen Sylus use his evol after he’d kissed her. It still irked something inside when she’d used the word stygian to describe her nightmare companion. Stygian referenced the river Styx…. Could it be that the thing haunting was in fact something he’d assumed she may have been prior? Demon?

“I didn’t see anything.” And that bothered him the most, the aether core in his eye amplified the power to see other’s desires. To bring them to forefront of their minds, and she’d remained unaffected, and when he pressed into her mind, he’d found an almost leathery like wall thrown up to keep him, and anything else out. “I should have been able to see something.” Sylus then followed up with under his breath.

Rafayel grimaced before reaching up to run a hand through his hair. “Shit….”

Both men looked up just as Xavier sat down on the side of the couch closest to Sylus, a bottle of blue alcohol in hand, his eyes trained on the doorway to the kitchen, like Rafayel’s had been. “What happened? She’s not acting like herself….” He tipped the bottle to his lips and panned his gaze over to Sylus.

“As we noticed too. Did she say anything to you by chance?” Sylus growled when Xavier shook his head. “She said something before you got here, about a ‘stygian companion’… I thought that odd. What do you think?”  Sylus leaned forward in his chair and fixed his eyes on the Hunter.

Xavier’s brows furrowed as he thought about what Sylus had said, “Stygian… isn’t that a river in Hell?”

Sylus nodded, “In a way, it’s a reference relating to the River Styx. Why would she use that term if whatever is sticking around isn’t something demonic?” He knew it was a leap, but something about it seemed spot on. He remembered the research he’d done when he was trying to figure out what she may have been after seeing some of her power through Mephisto’s eye while she’d been on the island. He’d assumed she may have been a child of an angel at that time, but what about a demon?

All three men looked up as the front door swung open and the dark-haired doctor walked through. They all nodded to him silently, before returning their attention to each other. “What makes you come to that conclusion? Didn’t you jump to that on the island?” Rafayel asked, tipping a glass of champagne to his lips. “Explain, lizard.”

Zayne had removed his shoes and had walked into the kitchen, and the other three men went silent, nary a breath as they strained to listen for any conversation between her and her stoic doctor slash best friend. They heard something about macarons and some laughter before silence followed. Xavier cursed under his breath as Zayne walked back into the room, stopping at the threshold, checking over his shoulder at the girl’s silhouette leaning against the counter in front of the kitchen window, eyes intently staring off at nothing. “How long has she been like that?”

Sylus crossed his arms over his chest, so she was being this way for all of them. She wasn’t singling any of them out for attention, or really paying attention at all. Even though he’d wanted to punch the male hunter when he’d caught the boy’s scent all over her when he’d kissed her, he knew they’d needed to work out some things first before he accepted their connection, or not. Why wouldn’t sex be involved in that matter? It was how she’d communicated her acceptance of all of them thus far, Sylus’ eyes moved to Zayne, well… almost all of them. “I believe since before any of us got here.”

Zayne moved to sit in the armchair she’d occupied the night before and took a sip from one of the same blue coolers that Xavier had. The man certainly had a sweet tooth. “Do we know anything?” Zayne voice was very point of fact, his green eyes shifting between each man.

Sylus nodded slowly, and Zayne sat forward, “She called that dark presence a stygian companion.”

Zayne brows knit together immediately, “So it’s a demon.” This was why between all three of these other men, Zayne was the easiest one for Sylus to get along with. They had similar trains of thought when it came to these things. When it came to her.

“I can’t be one-hundred percent sure, but I believe it could be.” Sylus said, glancing back into the kitchen, he couldn’t see her directly, but he could hear her moving around, grabbing plates and silverware in preparation of the dinner she’d made. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her she never ceased to amaze him, she always seemed to do or find something to further impress him. Cooking being the new thing.

“What do we all know about demons then?” Zayne spoke again, turning to each man individually. Rafayel shrugged, sipping his champagne. Xavier tapped his chin, clearly deep in thought. When Zayne’s eyes met Sylus’, he shifted in his seat and opened his mouth to answer, just as the sound of shattering dishes made them all jump to their feet.

They all rushed into the kitchen, only to find it empty. She was gone.

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

A Fairymare and a First

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

TW/WARNINGS: Fluff, Smut/with Plot, SHAMELESS SMUT- it’s Xavier! Pet Names.

ENJOY the next installment!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 29:

I’d moved up on my bed, pressing my back up against the headboard as I stared off, my mind wandering to everything that’s happened to me this past year and a half. Year and a half… so much in so little time. Holy shit. Literally walking into Sylus, finding out the big brute was the leader of Onychinus, falling in love with him and not caring my place of work wanted him behind bars, falling apart because the big moron faked his death and left. Living with Zayne as a ghoul for a while, went on vacation. Figured out some brutal things about myself and my past, figured some other shit out about Sylus and Rafayel both. Mated them both, one on the island, and the other when we’d returned to Linkon, only after having a dawning epiphany that I didn’t just love two of them, but ALL four of them, and now there were the puzzles of whomever the creature from my nightmares was, as well, AND yet another evol rearing its head.

All in all, it doesn’t SOUND like much once listed, but… I swear I’ve aged at least a decade with everything that has happened.

I drummed my fingertips across the opposites knuckles while I sat cross legged against the head of my bed. I’d retrieved my earbuds from the end table earlier as well as my phone that had stayed where I’d left it on the coffee table. Now my brain was filled with the sweet violin melodies while my mind trapsed through a list of thoughts.

I could absorb other evolver’s evols. As if punctuating the thought, the swirl of cold rippled through my chest.

I could manipulate energies and heal myself, like Sylus. Picking up people and needing only to crook a finger for them to come toward me. Learned that with both Sylus and Melina. I still wish I could heal my damned back… There was always something. As Sylus had said, I wasn’t omnipotent.

I could change and manipulate my own shape. As I recalled Rafayel and my swim around his little island in Hawaii when I’d pictured myself as a mermaid, and soon after had a tail.

Somewhere inside me was the same type of resonance evol like Melina… A hard frown downturned the corners of my mouth as I thought about her. For someone as hateful as her, resonance didn’t seem to suite her personality as an evol. Oh well….

I’ve had multiple lives with all four of the men I called my own… Sylus had been a literal dragon in a past life, and he’d admitted that I’d been the one that made him feel more human. Probably why I fell for him so hard when I bumped into him, or I guess… I thought back to that moment, I’d collided with him, and he hadn’t budged. So, I guess he ‘bumped’ into me. Rafayel was a Sea God… I don’t remember his and my prior life… but I could only assume we were both sea dwellers and were also a mated pair. I recalled him showing me the glow in his chest of the mark that proved we were destined to be together in every life but had only fully felt a part of myself truly understand it when he and completed the mating rite. Same with Sylus, I suppose. Being with them all didn’t seem odd at all in my mind, it just seemed right. Sure, there were going to be some ups and downs, all relationships had them. Having them all in the same room, I think, is going to be the most difficult thing for all of us to deal with. I reached up and scrubbed a hand over my face.

Turning my head to look out the window, I could still see Xavier leaning against the railing, it didn’t look like he’d shifted at all since I’d looked last. Looking around for a moment, I picked up the closest stuffy I had strategically placed along a shelf above my head and tossed it at the window. I watched as he turned slowly, his brows pulled together in confusion, and then understanding as I waved at him.

A small smile pulled each corner of his mouth upward as he stretched his arms over his head, raising up on to the balls of his feet before coming back down flat footed, his arms swinging lightly at his sides before he turned and slid the door open. When it was closed, he picked up the plushy and approached the bed. I pulled the earbuds from my ears, the music stopping automatically once they were out of my ears. I watched as he reached up and set the chunky purple unicorn back on its shelf.

“She didn’t mean it, Fairymare.” I smirked up at him as he poked the little horn on its forehead, like he did when we’d won it.

“I’m still shocked it took us over three and a half hours to get that little munchkin.” I quipped, tipping my head back against the wall, recalling the first time I’d managed to save up enough for some extra spending only to walk into that toy shop and see Xavier there.

“You mean it took me three and a half hours. It took you thirty seconds, with one attempt.” He’d huffed as he chuckled, turning to look down at me. I shuffled to the side of the bed and moved a couple pillows before patting the spot next to me. Ducking beneath the shelf, Xavier joined me on the bed, stretching his long legs out before crossing them at the ankles, with the man’s extra height, he was a little less upright as to bypass slamming the top of his head against that same shelf, so I shimmied my way to get more level with him. I giggled as we shuffled around, trying to find comfier positions.

We ended up on our sides, one arm tucked beneath our heads, facing one another. I blushed and tucked my face into the crook of my arm. He chuckled before copying me, hiding half of his face against his elbow. A chunk of my hair fell over my eyes and made me go cross-eyed. He choked on a laugh before reaching out with the free hand he had resting on the comforter between us to push the hair I was now trying to blow out of my face behind my ear. “Thanks.” I felt the blush still in my cheeks as he let his hand linger, his fingertips brushing over the pink tint before falling to stroke lightly against my jawline.

“I missed you.” He whispered, eyes scanning over every section of my face.

“What do you mean?” It was an honest question, as I watched his eyes fall to my lips before returning to my own.

“You… left after your accident. Mentally. It was like you decided for everyone around you that they didn’t need you anymore. Like you decided that I didn’t need you anymore….” He cupped my chin between thumb and index, brushing the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip.

I felt myself grow warmer at his statement; I knew I’d grown incredibly distant after. “I didn’t think I was good enough, or was needed by even myself, Xavier. By extension, I thought the same for everyone else.” I reached up to cover his cheek with my own hand. “You know how broken I felt. I was a good Hunter and then it all just ended. It broke me, and just accumulated into something more than loathsome as time went on.”

He nodded, eyes lowering to look at something on the bedding. “I do remember… I don’t blame you for pushing me away, I’m sure if I were in your shoes, I’d probably do the same….” His eyes met mine again, “That doesn’t change the fact that I am glad to see you more like yourself again, now.”

I thought about that, was I the same as I had been before the accident? No, not even close. “I’m not the same as I was… at least I don’t think I am.” I felt my brows twitch as I thought about how much my life changed, after the accident, after meeting Sylus, after almost losing myself again entirely while staying with Zayne, how I’d come to terms with my own feelings in Hawaii. Getting Sylus back in my life, and finding my heart with Rafayel, and finding it again when I’d seen Zayne again. “So much has changed, I’ve changed.” I bit my lip, “in a way… I can understand a part of what Melina said… the night of your guys’ hunt. I heard you repeat what she’d said….” His eyed widened and I heard an audible gulp as his adams apple bobbed in his throat. “How she said that if she were Jenna, I wouldn’t have kept my job, be it field work or desk.”

He went to open his mouth to respond, but I pressed three fingers against his lips, “It wasn’t one of my shining moments, but I’d begged Jenna to let me stay… she was going to let me go, but in a way… I guess she did take pity on me, because she gave me the desk job.” I chewed on my cheek, remembering standing in Jenna’s office, crutches under my arms as my hands rung together in a clasped fist, tears streaming down my cheeks as I pleaded with her to let me stay. I had nowhere else to go, and… couldn’t afford to live without that job…. “I saw her pity every time I walked into that office, and I hated it. I hated how low I’d gone to try and stay. I think that made me push everyone away further… because after Jenna, I saw it in everyone else’s eyes, even yours.” I locked eyes with him again and saw his widen as he listened.

“I never pitied you.” He whispered from behind my fingers. “I never saw you as broken. I thought you were one of the strongest people I’d ever known, you came back from a situation any normal person wouldn’t have come back from.” His lips puckered against my digits, laying a kiss to them before reaching up and grasping my wrist in his hand and lowering it to press my hand flush with his chest.

I sucked in a breath, feeling warm from his words and his affection, but there was a flaw with what he was saying. Shaking my head, I shifted the arm beneath me, so it bent against the mattress, hoisting myself upright as I rolled onto my stomach, bringing myself closer to him, “I don’t think I did come back from that accident, Xavier… someone else did.” Slipping the hand, he held to his chest from his hold, I reached up and brushed the hair across his forehead. “I found myself much later, someone I liked, someone I trusted. Someone I… loved, even though I really had no idea what that word meant, and still don’t, to be entirely honest with you.”

My mind drifted back to the hideous grimace of the creature from my nightmares, as it had said it’d been watching me my entire life, coaxing me to resist any form of affection, acceptance, or trust from anyone offering. I’d betrayed myself the life I deserved, by letting myself drift into the pit of despair and guilt it’d so easily hung over my head, because after not only my birth parents, but my adoptive parents, and Zayne and then again with Sylus, Xavier hadn’t wanted to leave… but I pushed him away because… I’d grown so accustomed to everyone seeming to just leave me behind, that I brought it on myself repeatedly. I’d willingly fallen into the grips of that mentality and accepted it as a way of life.

“I can see you thinking.” Came a half-hearted laughing response as I suddenly felt his forehead lean against mine. “I am happy for you, it can’t have been easy… especially with that thing always seeming to be there, working against you.”

I smirked, a soft giggle bubbling up from my chest, “Oh, it’s still a work in progress.” I felt that dark tickle at the back of my mind and frowned. “I can still feel it… even now. I don’t think I’ll be able to truly get rid of it, but I can supress it, for a while at least.” I hoped.

“I suppose that’s all we can ever expect to do, right?” I looked up into his eyes again, letting myself get lost in their depths. He was right, we could do nothing more than try. If we failed, we got back up. As it was said, ups and downs propelled you further in life than a straight track. I think I’ve had a lot more downs than ups… but who’s counting.

“You think too much, any harder and smoke is going to start coming out your ears.” I guffawed, I swear someone else has said that same thing to me before…. I was about to ask him to help me stop thinking, but I didn’t have to. His lips crashed into mine and I felt myself melt into the softness and the pressure of it.

I felt him move the both of us, rolling so he was above me. One arm cradled around my shoulder while the other pressed into the bed beside my head, keeping his full weight from crushing me. His lips parted and I felt his tongue brush over the plush of my lower lip. I opened for him, inviting him in. I could taste him as our tongues collided, curling and stroking against each other. A soft moan escaped me as a mandarin orange flavor in his mouth flowed into me as our saliva mixed through the kiss. Inhaling through my nose as he canted his head, deepening the kiss, I breathed him in. All my boys had very specific scents, and Xavier was no different. He smelled of fresh cotton blossom, that citrus undertone making my head go fuzzy as it combined headily with rosemary and bergamot, and finally a soft amber punctuated the smell that was entirely him.

He pulled away from me, our mouths tinted red and swollen from the depth of our kiss, a thin strand of spit connecting us. Our small and sharp inhales merged as we tried to regain some composure. “I… don’t just… want parts of you, Era.” He brushed his nose up against mine before leaning back and looking me directly in the eye, “I want all of you.”

I smiled, feeling the shine touch my eyes fully, “You have all of me.” He pressed his forehead against mine after my words registered with him, and he groaned. I didn’t realize he remembered our past… relationship.

He wedged a thigh between my legs, spreading them so he could comfortably move over top my body. “I’ve never stopped wanting you since that night at the club.” My sharp inhale made him smile. “What, you thought I forgot? Oh, Starlight… you have no idea how often I still think about that night.” I kept the question about whether he’d thought about it while he was with Melina, but I think he could comprehend where my thoughts went by the expression on my face, “Melina and I never got that far.” I gave him an incredulous look and he laughed, “I’m serious.”

I scoffed at him, “So, what… you’re telling me it’s just been you and your right hand this entire time.” He grinned and playfully bent to lick my cheek. I whined out a laugh of mock disgust and reached up to rub his spit off with the back of my hand. “You can’t be serious, Xavier. That night was three years ago!”

He nodded at me, “Yes it was, and believe me… it was an amazing night. It’s been my number one fantasy and my go to ever since.” I covered my face with both my hands, splitting my fingers to peak up at him.

“You poor man….” A sudden recall, flashed within my mind of the pulsing lights of that club, the grind of his hips against mine as we swayed and undulated to the beats of each song that had played. How my alcohol laden self had dragged him to that hallway and then… those fingers. A shiver ran through me as I then recalled the car ride home. Fuck… I had, sort of, forgotten about that night. I watched his pupils dilate.

“You just imagined it, didn’t you.” The tone of his voice had lowered, I could hear the level of need weighing at him through that simple question. Rhetorical or not, I nodded and licked my lips. His eyes tracked the motion, and he released a soft growl from the back of his throat. “Which part?”

I smirked, feeling the tinge of heat warp through my cheeks and down into my neck, “The hallway, and the car ride.” I rasped, arching my back in a provocative stretch, my body’s automatic response to try and alleviate some of the pleasure building in my core. I felt his hips arch against my thigh, the friction of his jeans dragging perfectly over the juncture of my legs. Looking up at him, I could see how much he wanted to lose himself, but he also seemed content to just look at me, and I tipped my head a bit to suck my lip between my teeth, thinking of something. “Do you remember what you said right after you ordered that limo?”

A slow smile spread across his face, and his eyes lit up dangerously. Leaning down, he brushed his lips across mine in a featherlike touch. “Mmn, yes I do…” I felt him grind his hips a little harder against my thigh, making my breaths begin coming out in short pants, “I told you I was going to devour you.” On the final syllable, his mouth met mine. Our teeth clicked together as we moved against each other, turning and canting against one another as the kiss turned savage. Heat exploded around us, my hands delving beneath his sweater, wanting it off and gone. Without breaking apart, he released the arm he had behind my head and reached behind his head to pull the affronting garment off from the neckline, and taking a blinding second to separate our mouths and throw the clothing off to the side before his mouth descended back to mine.

When we did finally separate, I pushed at his chest lightly and he moved up on to his knees, his hands falling to undo the button and zipper of his jeans as I sat up, crossing my arms over my front to curl my fingers beneath the hem of my own shirt and pulling it up and over my head. As I tossed the soft cloth off the edge of the bed, I curled my legs underneath me and hoisted myself up to match his pose, so we were chest to chest. He still had a considerable advantage with his height, so I was still only eyelevel with his collarbone. Although, my advantage superseded his as my eyes drifted from those pleasure blown blue orbs down to his chest. My hands drifted over the swells and curves of the muscles covering his ribs and I felt him shudder under my touch.

My mouth came down over his left pec and I laid open mouth kisses until I got to his nipple. Keeping my eyes firmly on his face, I watched as his head tipped back as I sucked the hard nub into my mouth, teasing it lightly between my teeth before sucking it hard and releasing it with an audible pop, before diving back in with my lips as I moved slowly towards his diaphragm, his skin burned beneath my touch, spurring me on through each twitch his body made and moan that escaped between his lips.

“Mnh- you’re going to burn me alive, baby.” I smiled against his skin, adoring the way his voice sounded, husky and low, causing goosebumps to erupt down my neck and arms, and I nipped a line along one of his ribs, causing him to hiss through his teeth. Both arms he had hanging at his sides moved at once. One went to wrap around me from beneath my arm, holding me flush against him, while the other had snaked up to the back of my head, his long fingers spread wide as I felt them curl them through my hair and tug lightly, forcing me to arch my neck back, and look directly up at him. I purred at the tantalizing tiny pins of pain, meshing with the already high doses of arousal that flowed through me. “Tease.” He growled low and leaned his own head down, capturing my lips against his, his tongue pushed past the barrier of my own as he dominated the cavern of my mouth.

My eyes rolled behind closed lids as I felt the hand he had at my waist travel slowly around my hip, only to dip between my legging clad legs and palm my sex. Shivering with anticipation and the memory of those devious fingers, my hips rocked forward against the sweet pressure he was giving, a moan escaping my throat, only for him to swallow the sound on a soft groan.

I swept my fingertips down his sides, following the lines of muscle until I felt the distractingly sultry edge of his adonis belt, that erotic V that led down to the prize I wanted. Needed. Meeting the rough edges of the waistline of his jeans and the thick elastic band of his boxer briefs, I curved my fingernails against his skin, pressing against his other erogenous zone I remembered him having, right on either side of that same V. This time he moaned into my mouth, and I inhaled the sound eagerly before asserting some of my own dominance and sucking his tongue into my mouth, before locking my lips around his, continuing the brutal but passionate kiss.

With that little distraction, I took the cue and gripped the edges of the remainder of his clothes and shoved them down over lithe hips, only to get caught on how far apart his hips had spread over the mattress. On a drawn-out groan, he pulled away from my mouth and smiled down darkly at me. “Eager, aren’t we.” I bit my lip, only for him to reach up to grip my chin and pull said lip from between my teeth, “…the more you do that, the more I want to.”

I parted my lips and licked my tongue up the corner of my mouth, “Oh? I thought that that was exactly what you’ve been doing.” My own voice resembled that of soft-spoken sultry breaths. Again, I watched his arousal blown pupils track the movement, the hand in my hair tightening just that much harder, causing me to purr loudly from within my throat.

“Fuck….” Came the responding growl before he lowered his head and bit the left side of my neck, licking a wet path up to my jaw before planting a breathy flat tongue lick behind my ear. He shifted quickly as I arched my torso back, forcing him to slip his mouth down over my collarbone and between the valley of my breasts as my hands roamed over his arms as he began moving, reaching down to ferally shove his jeans down further, stretching awkwardly to rid himself of them. Once he’d freed himself of the obstructive clothing, he kicked them away and reached back up, circling one thick, rigidly muscled arm around my waist as he pulled me closer to him.

With the other, he dipped his fingers down my right sciatic muscle, directly beneath the elastic waistline of my leggings. His fingertips massaging into the flesh of my ass as he brought the soft pants down over its ample globes. Fuuuck… The massage of his fingers made me shiver as he moved his mouth back up to my collarbone, licking a warm wet line from the left edge all the way across to the right, amplifying the pleasure and the shivers. When I felt the cluster of clothing against the back of my knees, I straightened my back, making Xavier lean back, panting as he stared down at me. “Get them off me.” I heard the words, but I also heard the command behind them. I’m getting quite the dominant streak….

He grinned, his eyes darkening further if that were even possible as he tightened the arm, he had around my midriff and lifted me up, his back arcing back to accommodate the balance, so my knees dangled down over his torso. He grunted lightly at the new proximity, and I gasped from the feel of his muscles moving against the bare skin of my back. With me now hovering above him, I draped my arms over his trap muscles, crossing my wrists behind his neck. “Yes, Ma’am.” With his free hand, he gripped the bunched clothing behind my knees and dragged them the rest of the way down my legs, and off. I saw the shadow of them being tossed somewhere, but I was focusing on the fucked out look of his eyes. Drowning in them as he slowly began to lower me along his body, letting me feel all of him. His free hand sliding around the backside of my thigh to spread my legs in an upright straddle, my opposite matching the movement automatically. The meat of my thighs resting around the angles of his hips as he pressed himself between the apex of my legs. I gasped at the feel of his scalding, pre covered tip brushing between the folds of my pussy.

In our past, we’d only ever used our mouths or hands to get the other off, but after three years I’d forgotten just how big this man was. Glancing down, I felt my jaw audibly pop open as I saw him again, the head of his cock was broad, curving sinfully over the dome, falling into a thick veiny girth and impressive length, narrowing near the base before swelling again to accommodate the heaviness of his sac. Holy shit… did he get bigger? It’d barely fit in my mouth then… how was it going to fit… anywhere… now! “It’ll fit, baby.” I looked up at him and found him smiling at me, oops… Had he heard me? Shit. My guards must be down… I wonder why. “Mmm, you should let me read your mind more often, or… you could read my mind.” Oh, the innuendo there were plain as I smirked up at him.

I reached up and gripped his mouth on either side, making him pucker slightly at me, surprise rose around the arousal before he pulled his head away and narrowed those eyes at me slightly, a frown turning the corners of his mouth down. “Stop talking and fuck me.” Oh yeah, I was feeling the dominant side of myself today, can’t say I didn’t like it. Slipping the hand, I’d held his face with down between us, I wrapped my fingers around the shaft of his cock, fingertips nowhere near touching, and held the tip directly up against my clit as my hips started rocking against him. A spear of arousal shot up my spine before settling low in my belly at the same time he let out a drawn-out groan that started from somewhere in his chest.

“Stop thinking then.” He groused at me as he leaned in quickly to kiss me, this time it was demanding as his teeth clicked against my own again. Suddenly I felt the world tilt on its axis as my back met the comforter of my bed. Both of his hands moving down to grip the globes of my ass, pulling me hard against his pelvis. His cock sitting flush between the slick coated lips of my pussy, the tip arced upwards as it rested on my high pubic bone, a bubble of semi opaque fluid leaking from the pulsing, sensitive little dip at the very end, dripping down to pool over my already overheated skin.

I moaned into his mouth as his hips shifted, his balls pressing against my taint, the thick head of his cock smearing the gummy fluid of his precum across the skin of my fupa, his veiny shaft catching over my clit as his movements made my already sex addled mind cloud over, just as he’d planned. Oh, you lech. Keeping with the rhythm, I started rocking my hips against his. The heat in my core climbing as the friction of his cock against my clit brought me closer to the edge. Tearing my mouth away from his to take a breath, I let the back of my head hit the pillow beneath me.

“Xavier… please.” Where had my bravado and dominance gone? I begged him with my eyes, hooded and brimmed with lust as his rocking hips met mine again and again.

“Cum for me first, starlight.” Oh, my… seems I found where my domineering side had run off to. My eyes closed as the weight of his rocking hips increased. The friction brushing over my swollen clit was making me lose my mind, causing my body to begin writhing beneath him, wanting nothing but to fall over the precipice of that inviting edge. “Thaat’s it, baby. There’s my good girl.” His voice broke as he said the last word, as I felt my thighs tighten around his hips as an otherworldly climax detonated through me, stars and golden light flashing before my eyes, just from his voice. With my breath halted in my chest, a soft whimper escaping between my lips, my back arched as he drove his hips against mine, helping me ride the crests of my orgasm.

My vision clouded as I collapsed back on to the bed, his hips slowing to a halt. Our chests were heaving. Only when I felt him cup my cheek did I pry my eyes open to look up. His cheeks flushed; lips parted on ragged breaths. “There she is.” He smirked at me before tipping his head forward to brush his nose along mine, the sweat moist hair across his forehead drooping into my face, his lips hovering just above my own. “Think you can handle a little more?”

I grinned up at him, the coil in my gut tightening all over again as anticipation flared inside me. “Always.” We both looked down and I caught sight of the pools of smeared precum that covered most of my lower stomach now, just as he pulled his hips back, lowering one hand to grip the shaft, lining himself up with my entrance.

A wave of arousal burst through me, causing me to shift needily as he pressed the thick head of him between the folds of my drenched pussy. His heat becoming apart of me as I felt him begin to sink inside. My mouth fell open at the stretch, teetering on too much. Both my hands flew up to grip his biceps, fingernails digging crescents into his sweat covered skin. “Fuuuck, s’tight.” I felt his forehead collide against my shoulder, his ragged breath sending cascades of goosebumps across my skin. My thighs quivered from the feel of him as he slowly, almost too slowly, sunk all nine inches of himself inside me. We let out a unified breath when he bottomed out, and he pulled back, pressing a hand into the mattress beside me head. “Look at me, starlight.” Our eyes met, only for him to shift his knees against my ass, the movement pushing his cockhead against that perfect gummy spot inside me. I could feel every bulging vein, every obvious curve of him as he stilled.

“Move, please.” The stretch wasn’t unpleasant as I relaxed around him, even if my legs were shaking, my need for him grew to alarming levels as he somehow kept himself seated in place. I groaned and rolled my hips, trying to get him to move.

He hissed through his teeth, “Keep that up, and this won’t last, baby.” Still breathing heavily, he leaned down and planted a soft but deep kiss to my mouth. “I want this to last.” Even having said that, I felt the chill of the room wash over my sweat covered skin as he drew his hips back, the drag of his cock inside me made my brain stutter as my mouth fell open again, my eyes fluttering shut. When I felt the stretch of his swollen cockhead at my opening, I released the breath I’d been holding.

“Open your eyes, baby. I want to see you.” His voice was ragged and low, losing the battle of his control. I wanted him to lose control…. I did as I was told and opened my eyes to look up at him, as soon as our eyes locked, his lips parted, as he snapped his hips forward.

“Ah! Fuck.” I shouted, feeling the squishy walls of my canal constrict around him as he impaled himself inside me again, the tip of him kissing my cervix. His shaft pulsed inside me as he drew his hips back again only to rut forward. Beginning a slow but deep rhythm of both fucking and making love to me. It felt amazing, and I so wanted to keep this pace, but my body had other plans as I felt that coil in my core tightened to a degree that had me rolling my hips against his thrusts, my walls pulsing around him as he moved in and out of me.

“Shit… have mercy on me, babe.” I choked on a laugh at his words, even through his chuckle he kept up his pace. “Oh, fuck… me. Don’t laugh, I can’t handle that.” I felt the vibrations of his arms as he held himself above me, the languid roll of his hips stuttering as I felt my pussy suck him deeper when I’d laughed. Ooh. I tested the waters and giggled softly again, only for him to jerk his hips hard against mine, seating himself balls deep, making me moan loudly. “Damn tease.”

I grinned at him through the layers of lust and did it again, before whispering, “Lose yourself, Xav… I can’t take this torture anymore.” His eyes widened and his pupils blew up, enveloping any color that had been left as his hips picked up the pace. With the sheen of sweat covering both of out bodies, the sound of skin slapping skin grew louder between our shared moans, whimpers and soft breaths.

When that coil finally snapped, Xavier fell off that edge with me. His hips had been snapping up against mine, his mouth had covered the nipple of my left breast and had been sucking it hard, rolling it over his tongue and teasing it between his teeth. Much like I’d done to his when this started. My hands had curled under his arms to claw at his back, pulling him closer to me. My fingernails, more than likely, leaving red welted lines across his shoulder blades. My knees had moved up his sides, wrapped high around his waist, allowing him an even deeper penetration with every forward thrust of his hips. I cried out against the side of his head as my orgasm tore through me, my hips bucking against him. His mouth releasing my nipple and falling to the valley between my breasts as he roared against my skin, the vibrations of his voice rocketing me to a higher plane of existence, as I felt his hips stutter and then jerk against me, rope after thick rope of blindingly hot cum filling my channel as he worked us both through our orgasms.

Panting softly as we both came down from our respective clouds, we moved slowly, meeting each other’s heavy-lidded gazes. I could feel him softening inside me, and that warm fluid dripping from my entrance and dripping down over the crease of my ass on to the bedding. Shakily, I reached up and cupped his cheek, and smiled softly as I felt him lean into my touch. “I love you, Star.”

“I love you, Starlight.”

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

don't know if you know this but umi dollgxtz has been caught plagiarizing her entire series from another writer https://www.tumblr.com/manikas-whims/769576129145257984/more-evidence-on-the-situation-with-dollgxtz?source=share

I didn’t know this… thank you so much for letting me know.

Found the link, read the articles, and have now blocked and reported her page. If reporting was the wrong thing to do, what’s done is done.

I would appreciate if anything similar happens with my own #love and deepspace fic that someone lets me know so it doesn’t get as far as it did with dollgxtz.

Thank you!!!

[xxfaithlynxx]

Jealousy and Ice

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

ENJOY the next installment!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 28:

We’d moved from my cramped little bedroom into the spacious comfort of my living room. I had to roll my eyes as each man tried to one up each other trying to demand that he be closer to me than the others. One man was difficult enough… but four? I had to physically stand up and sit them down in the available spots, there were grumbles and grumpy comments, since I’d opted to sit on my favorite armchair instead of sharing the couch, since I’d assumed something like this would happen.

 Sylus sat in the other armchair directly across from me, he had his feet lifted and crossed at the ankle on top of my coffee table. Arms crossed tightly over his broad chest. That typical scowl in place. He’d made the biggest fuss over being close to me, damn near pulling his gun on Rafayel, who’d had the second biggest tantrum about it. Xavier and Zayne, seated on either end of the couch, seemed more content just being in the same room as me, which I was happy about, but they did seem a little perturbed as well, albeit quieter. Rafayel had adopted a similar position as Sylus as he grumped between the blonde- and black-haired men.

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling; this is what I get for falling in love with ALL of them. I had to admit, it was still incredibly strange to have them all in the same room together. All their attention directed solely on me. Which, of course, made me blush profusely. I jumped up, causing them all to shift straighter, their eyes locked on my every movement, my every breath. It was… nerve wracking, and I had to admit… stressful. Ugh… here I am, a normally very to-myself kind of person, hating any form of spotlight and attention, being watched by four gorgeous God’s gifts to women. “Snacks, or drinks anyone?” I rambled as I went to leave the room.

Just as I was about to cross the threshold into my kitchen, I saw all of them move to stand and I held up a hand, “Oh, no you don’t! All four of you can stay right where you are.” They froze, before huffing more grumbles in low tones and settling back into their prior positions. All four of their ears turning crimson as their eyes drifted to the floor.

When I was finally out of sight, I leaned my forehead against the door of my fridge. This was going to be more difficult than I thought… here I’d been wanting all four of them to meet, not quite under these circumstance… but eventually. To wake up and find them surrounding me… even having, in that moment, not knowing who they’d been… something inside me had panicked. I could still feel that bubble of stress boiling away in my stomach, surrounded by nothing but tiny butterflies. I took a deep breath in through my nose and held it as I stepped back to open my fridge. I wasn’t sure when I’d stocked up as confusion shot my brows to my hairline. My fridge was full of food and drinks.

I could hear the low notes of conversation coming from the other room and figured they’d found something to talk about, instead of acting like toddlers. Whomever it had been who went shopping for me, I needed to thank, and as I scanned the new contents of my typically very empty fridge, little things stood out. Sylus… It had to have been. There were things in here that were wholly too expensive for anyone but him to purchase. A very specific bottle of wine was one of the things that had caught my attention and brought me to that conclusion. Pursing my lips, I shook my head and reached in to grab that bottle, and a container of already washed grapes.

I sighed through my nose, I guess if Raf was correct and I’d been out for several hours, they’d needed something to keep themselves occupied. I popped the lid off the container and pinched a plump red grape between two fingers and tossed it into my mouth. Relishing the sweet flavor hitting my tongue. I’d eaten after my visit with Zayne… I glanced outside, seeing the darkness of night, that previous morning, I guessed, but I felt famished now. Which made sense, it’d been hours since I ate, so why wouldn’t I be hungry. I should probably try to make something a little more… well more, for the boys. I chewed my lip as I reached up into the cupboard to the right of the fridge and balanced five wine glass necks between my fingers. I had to rotate one to my other hand as I held the wine under my arm, and the grapes with the three remaining fingers in that hand. Somehow, I managed. I think I missed my calling as a server….

Facing the living room again, I inhaled and tried to release the growing tension in my shoulders before making my way back. “Found some wine, and these.” I said, bending over in front of my TV that had been turned on, so they hadn’t been chatting… ugh… why were they being frustrating? I set the container of grapes at the center of the glass top table and propped the wine glasses in front of each man, before taking one for myself. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by me that the wine bottle had already been opened, so I popped the cork and poured myself an ample amount, before placing the bottle back down on the glass and taking a long draw of the delicious crimson alcohol. I’m going to need this, I think….

Sylus was the first one to move, as he grabbed the bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. Then came Xavier, who grabbed a small handful of grapes and sat back, popping one into his mouth, and chewed slowly. Zayne stood and disappeared into the kitchen, before returning soon after with a tall glass of water in hand. Rafayel didn’t budge. Are they really going to do this to me? My frustration turned into something simmering at my core. Really? I couldn’t help but notice as well, now, that none of them seemed to be able to meet my eye. Sylus seemed to be staring at the tv, but I knew he wasn’t watching it. Zayne was looking at the shelf above the television. Xavier seemed to have found something only visible to himself on the arm of his sweater, while Rafayel just stared straight ahead, brows knit together in his typical grumpy expression when he didn’t get his way.

“You guys… my God….” I reached up with my free hand and pinched the bridge of my nose. Closing my eyes as I tried to abate the headache that they were all bringing on. “I was hoping this would be, a little, easier… but Jesus, you guys are making this situation difficult, and fucking stressful.” Slumping back into the chair, I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes to look back at them. They all had the decency of looking a little sheepish, but they continued to remain silent.

I tapped my index finger against the rim of the wine glass as I swapped my eyes between each of them, gauging their moods- which all seemed the same. Jealous and uncomfortable. “Look… I know this is difficult for all of you,” I narrowed my eyes at Raf and Sylus specifically, they were mated to me, so sharing wasn’t natural for them, but they’d been trying, or at least I thought they had been. Granted, going through yet another potentially life-threatening situation had left their marks on me burning with need. I knew they needed to be close to me, touching me, but I couldn’t help that right now. Xavier, I still needed to talk to about all of this, even though he seemed more than okay with the situation thus far. Zayne seemed composed, at least composed enough. I could still see a slight tremor to his knees, and the grip he had on the armrest with his right hand, knuckles white, again. Hmm… I bet there’s one thing I could I say to bring them out of these funks…. A small flare of delight spread through me as I suddenly moved myself to the edge of my chair, placing my still mostly full glass of wine on the table before I looked at all of them, “so, what can I do to get you all to start talking again? I could fuck each of you in turn, would that help?” I watched with satisfaction when all their eyes snapped up to meet mine, all their cheeks turning a bright crimson.

I grinned, a small flare of heat spreading through my own cheeks as they all shifted in their seats, but their eyes remaining glued to mine. Somehow… their attention made me feel good, not like I was some attraction at a carnival, or some strange thing to gawk at on the side of the road. “Good, now that I have your attention…” I watched as two of them visibly drooped their shoulders, making me want to giggle, “I wanted to ask you guys more about what you felt… or saw when this started.”

 At first, more silence, and just as I was about to give up, Xavier spoke up, his voice a little more gravelly than normal as he cleared his throat, “Uh…,” he blinked and cleared his throat again before continuing, “if it’s similar for all of us when your mind calls for us… then… what I thought I saw, aside from a portion of your, uh… soul shattering was, what looked like a… well.”

For some reason, my brain conjured up an image from that horror movie. The Ring? I think it was. It wasn’t a bad description, actually it was pretty accurate, when I pictured the abyss that led down to that chasm of despair and deception, it was damn close to looking more well like, I supposed. I nodded and let my eyes wander over my men again, watching their brains working. Zayne spoke next, his voice also catching slightly on a gravelly undertone, “Quicksand… with tar instead of sand, I swore it looked like it was dragging you down, climbing your legs like fingers.”

I released a small breath, also accurate imagery. “Anything else?”

Rafayel spoke next, his voice drastically more desire laden than the first two as he had to clear his throat twice before he seemed calm enough to speak, “A cloak like smoke… and too many teeth.” Was he reciting something I’d seen? Or he’d seen? Had they been able to see what was happening in my gilded cage?

Finally, I turned to Sylus whose cheeks were still pink as he stared at me, his hips shifting in his chair. I rolled my eyes, of course he’d be the one to lose himself to the fantasy I’d conjured to get them to pay attention. “Sylus… focus, please.” He shifted so one foot lay flat to the floor, while his opposite leg swung over the other, resting his ankle against his knee. When his focus cleared and settled on my face and not my tits, I shook my head and asked, “do you recall anything other than a feeling? Did you see anything?” I heard Rafayel snort, which made the large red eyed man narrow those eyes further, but instead, they remained on me and relaxed a bit.

“A golden cage.” Was all he said. I nodded as I chewed on my lip. Mulling all their little details over in my head, as well as my full experience.

“I wasn’t sure what it all meant when it started, it was very confusing… but I think I do understand now.” I remembered that oddly angelic voice as it sang to me like a lullaby from between the abundant teeth of that… creature. “Or at least, I’m starting to.” I looked up at Sylus, and then shifted over to Rafayel, “do you two remember, on the island, when you both were curious about my parentage? You, more specifically, Sylus.” The men nodded, brows drawing together.

Sylus spoke, “The other morning, that headache… I can’t say for certain what all of you saw, but… I had a very clear image of your parents…” my eyes widened at the admission, “they divorced… leaving you with a mother who no longer gave a fuck about you, who threw herself into relationship after relationship without a care of what it did to you. Your father had nothing more to do with you once he was out of the picture….” I watched as Sylus’ eyes glazed over, “you didn’t deserve that, let alone be adopted by them….”

“Wait,” Zayne suddenly spoke up, “you told me before I went to medical school, when you were twenty-five, that your parents were getting a divorce. So, they’d already been divorced by that time?”

I felt my cheeks burn, shit… well, can’t hide that anymore…. “I honestly thought it’d be easier to stay strong without you knowing that they’d gotten divorced nine years before, but… you were leaving, and I was hurting. My mother had kicked me out long before you left, but all I could do was… fake it till I made it.” Zayne’s eyes widened exponentially before he suddenly stood up and reached up to push one hand into his hair, while the other went up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“You were alone… on the fucking streets… and you didn’t want to tell me?!” I flinched slightly as his tone rose angrily. Zayne didn’t, or tried his best not to swear, so I knew he was that angry.

“Apparently that Vulcan mind-meld shit doesn’t show everything, everything….” My voice trailed off as now I was the one who couldn’t meet any of these men’s eyes. I looked up through my lashes at him as he started pacing in front of the doorway to the kitchen, behind Sylus, who also looked angry as he watched me, hands steepled in front of his face, elbows resting on each armrest, seeing the two of them, I didn’t dare glance toward the other two. “Look, you were leaving, I didn’t want to get in the way of you making something of yourself! You had enough on your plate! I would’ve been a burden and a distraction!” I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to explain myself, Zayne mad was not someone I found myself liking, at all, the Zayne I thought I knew didn’t get mad… Unless pushed too far.

“That would’ve been my own choice, Era! You should have told me, instead you, what, starved on the street?!” I felt my lip quiver slightly, but I sucked up the agony of my memories huddled in boxes, or broken pieces of furniture I’d scrounged for to feel any kind of warmth. A sixteen-year-old girl wasn’t something easily ignored by a select few… so hiding had been my only option, until I’d found that rusty pair of sheers and chopped off all my hair.

I was frozen in my seat, how had the tables turned so drastically… how had the subject gravitated to this instead of what happened earlier. “I managed….” I ended up whispering to my lap, my hands picking nervously at the skin around my fingernails. I flinched again as I heard the sharp intakes of breath from all four of them. “Zayne… calm down, before yo—”

“Calm down? Calm down!” I looked up at his outburst, and watched a sheen of frost erupt over the fingers of his left hand as he took a step towards me from around Sylus’ chair. “You were starving and alone for fucking YEARS and you let me believe you were okay!” His neck was the next thing that the frost moved to. “I can not calm down right now!” I watched as shards of blue ice formed over the fabric of his dark shirt. His breathing was growing heavier, and his eyes were blinking rapidly as he tried to gather the remaining threads of his control.

Sylus had stood up out of his chair and was now standing with the other two behind the couch, I hadn’t seen them stand up and move. All my focus was glued to Zayne as I watched that control, he religiously practice dwindle away, because of me…. Without thinking, I stood and walked up to the dark-haired Ice evolver. “Era… don’t.” I heard Xavier speak from behind me, but I ignored him as I reached up to press my palm to Zayne’s left cheek, where a new layer of frost and ice had moved up into like veins or vines.

“Zayne, look at me, please.” I whispered to him as his eyes flicked from side to side, his breathing more erratic now as he strained to remain under the last remnants of his control. My other hand came up to cup his other cheek, as I guided his face and forced him to look directly at me. “Zayne…” Our eyes met, and I gave him a small smile, “I’m here, now, aren’t I? I’m okay. You’re here, with me.” His bottom lip trembled as I felt the frigid tendrils of his power settle into my hands, but I wasn’t paying attention to that.

“I’m hurting you….” He was still focused on his lacking control. I needed him to focus on me.

“No… you’re not. Look at me, look in my eyes, sweetie.” Our eyes met again, and his breathing paused as I felt a pulling sensation in my chest. All I wanted to do was help him. An image of his evol slowly evaporating from him into me came to my mind and I focused on that, keeping his eyes locked with my own. “This shouldn’t be a burden you have to shoulder after all of these years.” I whispered as I felt a surge of arctic temperatures flood my stomach and into the area just above my diaphragm.

His eyes widened as he realized what I was doing, I’d somehow tapped into the resonance evol I had in common with Melina and was drawing the overwhelming portion of his powers into myself. “No, Era. Stop!” I was aware of the other men now, surrounding me as they didn’t know what to do. If they touched me, Zayne’s evol would spread, eventually freezing them and everything around us solid. I could hear them telling me let go, to stop and think about what I was doing. Lowering one, now turning blue, and black hand to his chest, I held my h and over the steady thrum of his heart and pushed my will past his own, pulling his power into myself.

“I love you, Zayne.” Was the last thing I said to him before I gathered my own control and focused solely on drawing from him. I willed his power to calm, to settle. A gravitational cloud of frost descended in an arc around us, settling over every surface within a set radius, as I felt him through his evol finally take a long breath before I felt his knees give out beneath him, and I slowly helped him lower to the floor, our knees brushing as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Pulling him into my embrace, as I rested my cheek to the crown of his head. I could feel the layer of frost layered through my hair, and down my neck. Even with this arctic cold settling within my veins, I felt the calm I’d conjured rectify his layers of stress and anger about my past.

I pictured a snow globe, a sphere of contained snow and frost, and took a deep inhale as I felt the cold and frost almost evaporate into my skin, submerging into my very nerves as it gathered into a rolling coil within my chest, a picture of steady calm in its spherical storm. I heard the gasps from around me and opened my eyes as I felt Zayne stir and pull away from me. His eyes were wide as he looked at me. I smiled at him as I settled this new snow globe of power into a part of myself, before feeling the natural warmth of my body spread, overlapping the chill altogether.

As Zayne and I stared at each other, I heard Xavier from behind me, “That wasn’t a resonance evol….” The awe in his voice was audible as I looked up at the other three men.

Rafayel spoke in a hushed whisper, his own eyes wide. “Did she just steal his evol?”

Then Sylus, “She absorbed it.” There was something akin to pride within the big man’s tone as he smiled down at me.

~~~

The sun was peaking over the horizon as I stood on my eastern facing balcony. I could still feel the chill of Zayne’s evol curling inside me. I had one hand pressed to my chest where I could feel it the best. I’d absorbed some of his power… to save him. Honestly, I’d just wanted to dispel it, to help him relax… I didn’t even think I was capable of something like this. There seem to be a great many things I didn’t know about myself. Which recalled what the creature in the prison within my mind had told me. ‘The better question, would be who are you?’

I half turned, lowering the hand on my chest to the metal railing, my eyes landing on the bed beyond the glass to the dark-haired figured laying quietly atop the covers. I knew of no Evolver who could absorb another’s evol… that was something unheard of. As I caught the reflection of myself in the glow of the orange sunrise, I found an emotion I’d never experienced towards myself before. It wasn’t something I’d grown up with, no… this was fear. I feared who I was. Which was now an even bigger question mark than it was before.

I blinked as the sliding glass door opened, and Xavier walked out beside me. I kept my stance as he bent to lean against the rail, his eyes fixed on the orange and pink skyline. “Did you know you could do that?” He kept his voice quiet, and didn’t look away from the horizon.

I kept my gaze fixed on Zayne, as he slept so peacefully on my bed, he’d passed out after what happened. Something none of us expected, Sylus had left to gather information about Absorbers as he so dubbed my new and strange ability.

When we’d laid Zayne out in my bed, I’d gone back into the living room to find the other three standing in a circle, still in front of my TV, which had a shattered screen now. Low chatter as they all talked about what happened. Raf had gotten a very angry phone call from Thomas, poor guy was apparently losing his shit about the painting that Raf had yet to finish. I scolded him lightly about that, I’d thought he’d gotten ahead a bit when I’d left the morning before.

Sylus had picked up his phone to call the twins to start searching for anything they could in his libraries and for anything they might find in his armories regarding Evols and their types. Both men, both of my mates had given me needy hugs, Sylus being the only one who’d also leaned down and kissed me senseless. Raf had blushed, but as he’d made a snarky comment about cooties of all things, he still had grabbed me and planted a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth, before they both left.

I answered Xavier simply, “No. I didn’t.”

Xavier straightened but kept his hands on the rail. I slowly turned my head to look up at him, while he’d turned to look down at me. I suddenly felt an overwhelming need to burst into tears as he looked at me. The warmth overlapped the strange calm that had washed over me after what happened in the living room. Why does this shit keep happening to me? I sucked in a breath and, quickly reached up to cover my mouth as my jaw fell open partially and a rib racking sob escaped me.

“Hey, com’ere.” Xavier reached out, to close the sliding door with one arm, while the other simultaneously reached out to grab my upper arm and pull me up against him, when the door was shut, that arm came down around my waist, his cheek falling to the top of my head as I burrowed my face and my sobs against his chest. “Sshh, it’ll be okay, sweetheart. We’ll figure this out. All of us.”

An image of that thing smiling at me came unbidden to the center of my mind and I shivered, feeling the now soaked part of Xavier’s shirt cling to my cheeks. “I’m terrified, Xavier.” I hiccupped between each word as my voice was muffled slightly from the thick fabric of his sweater.

“I know, love….” I desperately need a Kleenex, maybe a therapist…. I thought to myself mockingly, turning my head slightly, my eyes catching movement inside my bedroom. Xavier must’ve noticed too because his arms loosened around me.

He slid open the door and let me enter first, I had both my arms wrapped around myself as I saw Zayne turn to face me as he’d pushed himself out of my bed. “Era…?” His voice was shaky, but still just as smooth and calming as I knew it to be. I felt a new swell of tears overflow the line of my eyes as I pushed myself into a speed walk to round the bed and wrap my arms around him. My cheek colliding with his breastbone as a new stir of sobs rocked through me. “Hey… I’m okay.” Why was he consoling Me? Shouldn’t I be the one reassuring Him? I felt his arms tightly wind around my shoulders, his mouth pressing an almost continuous stream of kisses to the top of my head.

Sucking in short breaths, I leaned back to look up at him, he didn’t look any different, then again, our evols were an extension of ourselves, not directly connected to our physical forms. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know I could do that.” I watched as an actual smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine. I heard Xavier clear his throat before the sliding door opened and then shut soon after. Taking the opportunity that Xavier had given us, I reached up with both arms around wrapped them around his neck, pulling myself closer to him as we shared in our now private moment.

Moment being the key word as a shrill ringing pierced the still air around us, tearing us apart as we both jumped from the sound. I released him and backed up a bit. He reached around to one of his back pockets and pulled out an actual pager. I smirked, using three fingers to cover my mouth, “What is this, the late 19th Century?” He chuckled as he read the small screen.

He heaved a sigh before he put away the little device, when our eyes met again, there was a light in them that I so rarely got to see. Unbridled happiness. “I have a surgery to get to, we will continue this later. Deal?” He tossed a cursory glance out the window before leaning down and capturing my mouth in a deep kiss again, before pulling away and patting a big palm to the top of my head and leaving the room.

As I heard the front door shut, I heaved a sigh and backed into the edge of my bed and tipped backwards. Landing none too gracefully on top of the covers. What the fuck is my life anymore….

Mated to a dragon, an actual lemurian. Soul bonded to two others, one former God and then the one that had confused me the most. I turned my head and looked through the glass at Xavier’s figure, bent over the balcony rail with his arms crossed over each other as he gazed almost longingly out at the brightening sky.

Never a dull moment, that’s for sure.

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

A Denizen and a Tether

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

I listened to a lot of Lindsey Stirling, her album Artemis specifically, through this chapter.

ENJOY the next installment!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 27:

“How… are you real?” Even within my head, my voice was hoarse and crackling through each word from the screaming. My fingertips bled from the incessant scraping they’d done across the rough surface of whatever the ground was made of as I’d stretched and shoved myself against the wall of the cage, desperate to put any kind of distance between it and myself. No use of course, a rounded cage where the length of your leg stretching out brought the entirety of the space between you and the other side.

“Do you not remember, filia mortis?” My head snapped up, eyes narrowing. That was Latin… why was it speaking Latin? How did I know that that was Latin?

“Filia mea.” More Latin… more frustration. I watched as its now crouched form slithered around the base of my prison, approaching slowly, twisting and turning its head similarly to that of a bird. Its hands curling slowly around each bar of the cage. As it approached, I shoved myself further away.

“Do you not remember? Your tua propria familia?” I swallowed around the lump in my throat. I knew that word… familia… that word meant ‘family’. I inched away as the creature, oozing decay and rot with every step creeped ever closer. It’s voice drawing me in like a moth to a flame.

“I… don’t know what you’re saying, I don’t understand.” I whispered as a shiver of disgust rippled through my body as it lunged forward through the bars, the flesh of its bone like arm tearing away like paper or cloth, making me want to vomit. The chunk of flesh now dangled freely over the wrinkled membrane of its folded wing. Gray rot moved like worms where muscle had once been. I pressed myself against my wall of the cage, turning my head to the side as its arm stretched toward me, the tips of its fingers just barely able to graze the skin of my cheek.

Retracting its limb, it backed away from the cage. Settling into a bulk of shadow, crouched menacingly like it had in that tree all those years ago. Its face stared at me; its mouth no longer stretched into a feral, deranged grin. I felt fear in my chest, spreading through me as an image began to play out around us. From the other side of the bars, I could just make out a figure knelt on the ground, a woman, maybe? She was saying something, something I couldn’t quite make out.

“Mother…” It held out the same bony arm it’d tried to grab me with, a single sharp finger arced in a point, directed at the woman in the image. “Mater sanguinis.” I shook my head, those two words, I somehow… understood those two words. ‘Blood Mother’.

“A-Are… are you telling me that, that is the woman who gave birth to me?” I pointed in the same direction as the image, and it immediately dropped its hand back to its side, and simply tilted its head. Those cryptic holes in its emaciated skull bore into me like daggers.

Suddenly a voice, much like my own, echoed through the chasm like space that surrounded me, surrounded us. “Da mihi, sanguinem bestiae tuae. Da mihi, filium tuum Inferni. Corpus meum tibi pertinet, o magne deus ruinae et desperationis, domine Hades, Thanatos, Hel, Satan. Audi meam infortunium, audi invocationem meam, implora voluntatem meam, o Pater Peccati.” It was all in Latin, but I picked out a couple words and names.

A world decimating realization clung within me as I figured out what the woman in the image was doing. She’s summoning something… if she was in fact my birth mother, why? For what purpose? I’d known people in my life that believed in such things, who’d tried such things. I’d never thought to incorporate my own life into something like that.

The creature outside my cage hummed a soft sound, and I turned to look back at it. “Have you never been curious? Have you never once thought to look? Search? Find?” A dread crept up my spine, as I watched the creature almost bounce from foot to foot. Was it excited? If so, what about? “Always such a useless child you have been.” I felt myself glare in response.

“If I’m as useless as you say I am… why? Why haunt my life? My dreams?” I asked, my voice surprisingly calm while my insides felt like they were surrounded by butterflies and were made of jelly.

I watched as its broken mouth spread into another wide grin. I shuddered, the thing had far too many teeth, far too sharp. Its head ticked sharply to the side, angling at almost 90 degrees. A sickening crunch reverberated through my mind as its head ticked another 90 degrees. Now upside down, but still grinning. “I have watched you since birth. Since conception. I have need of your… potential.” Well, that answered literally nothing.

Something grated at my already frayed nerves, “If I have potential… why fill my mind with such abhorrence? Why make me hate myself?” Its jaw ticked as I watched the already taut skin stretch further as its mouth spread further.

“Why not?” Its head slowly cricked back into an upright position, a new squelching sound coming from its mouth as a thick black sludge oozed from holes that had torn open in its overextended cheeks. The ink black substance, I only assumed could be its blood, dripped from its pointed chin on to the ground. With each of its ragged breaths, more of that blackness gurgled in small clots from its cheeks.

“Who are you?” I asked, finally voicing the question that had plagued me since I’d first dreamt of it. Even as a child, it had been there, watching me within my nightmares, within my mind.

“The correct question, child. Is who are YOU.” It licked its teeth, the withered appendage slithered over its angled fangs, smearing that black sludge across the already yellowed surfaces.

I narrowed my eyes, feeling an odd sensation of warmth develop within my chest. I closed my eyes and focused on it, it felt like a hug, but soon vanished, leaving behind a cold despair in its wake. “Alright then, who am I?” I asked through clenched teeth as it slid forward, through the gross mounds of its own bodily fluids. I pressed my back up against the bars as it leaned its face betwixt two of the bars, attempting entry. It’s mouth falling open, as an ungodly laughter permeated my senses.

Another warmth began slowly spreading through my chest, a delicate heat that beckoned for me. Begged for me. Wrapped its arms around me. I glanced around, watching as the things head pulled away from the bars as it began to writhe from side to side. “Too. Soon! Too. Soon!” Too soon? For what? I glanced around as the thing stood, and moved from side to side, its thin face twisting and turning in broken movements, the voids of its eyes almost petrified with desperation as the coils of its darkness spilled over the sharp angles of its cheekbones. I jumped back into the bars as it lunged at me again, both arms stretching between the bars, its fingers curling and grabbing for me, the surfaces of the gilded bars pushing painfully against my spine. “You are… mine. My own. They can not have you!” That once calm, inviting dulcet turned sour and cold. A vile and eerie sound that drifted against every fibre of my mind like a nail on a chalkboard.

I glanced around as the warmth within my chest eradicated the fear I’d felt, pouring through me like a balm of calm serenity. I quite like this… what is it? My mind drifted away from the creature that was stretching through the bars. Reaching for me. Wasn’t it interesting, why would a creature who put me in here, be trying to get me out? Slowly, far too slowly, I realized… this cage wasn’t some manifestation created by it, it was a manifestation created by me. It was my own form of protection, a shield. I looked up and around at the bars, the lock. Everything glimmered with an unbreakable aura of red.

Another wave of warmth brushed across me; it felt like lips pressed against my cheek. The warmth and love melted into the chill of my skin, and then another wave, surrounding me in a similar hug I’d felt just moments prior. What was this? Where was it coming from? I closed my eyes, finally seeing the warm caresses and kisses for what they were. Tendrils of… others. I could feel their connections, twined within my soul, but who did they belong to? Who were at the other ends of these tethers? I could still hear the creature hissing and straining to reach for me, but the sounds seemed distant now, further away.

I focused on these attachments. I reached out for them, clinging to their warmth, feeling them wrap around my hands, entwine with my fingers. Sapping every ounce of chill from my body as I felt myself drifting further and further away from the nightmare, further away from whatever that creature was. Returning to a place I sensed I needed to be. I looked at each of the stretching and reaching links, each of them, I realized, were different. There were four of them, a smoky red vine, a golden thread of pure light, an arm of water that warped with indigo, pink and blue, and finally a deep green, sprinkled with gold and tiny little flowers. Those are jasmine buds….

I reached out, picking one of those tiny buds between my fingers and holding it up to my nose. Breathing in the scent of it as I felt my body ascend from a suddenly very familiar abyss. My eyes sprang open as I remembered.

Sylus, my silver white haired, red eyed man who desired control and power above all else.

Zayne, my dark-haired, green-eyed doctor from my childhood, before everything went on its head.

Rafayel, my soft indigo haired, with his multicolored eyes… the lemurian artist who’d stole my heart.

And Xavier, my soft blonde haired, blue as the sky eyed man who has been nothing but calm and caring for me, through everything.

My breathing was ragged as my vision slowly cleared of the fog, and the off white, rough surface of a ceiling came into focus. I curled my fingers, taking note of any pain or soreness as my mind raced to keep up, the warmth I'd felt disappearing as the room became clear. Something was missing though.... Okay… I’m in my bedroom, at least I think this is my bedroom. The ceiling has that spot I always zone out on, that makes it look more like a kitty’s face. So, I must’ve been in my bedroom, I remember staring at that spot so often when trying to sleep after I’d moved in.

My fingers curled around the plush of my sheets, and the warm weight that lay across me told me I was underneath the covers at least. What happened again? How did I end up in here? I hissed in a breath when it all came slamming back into me. Melina… her hateful words… Right, I used my powers on her… and then… nothing.

Pushing aside those thoughts, I focused more on my surroundings, I hadn’t been alone when Melina had come uninvited into my apartment. Xavier… where is Xavier? I slid an arm beneath my and hoisted myself into a more upright position and turned to look around the room. Four figures sat around my bed, all of which seemed to out of breath, but smiling up at me. My eyes shifted across of their faces once by one. The one on my left, white and silver hair, and crimson eyes. He sat on one knee, his left arm curved oddly on the edge of the bed. My eyes drifted to the two forms at the end of my bed, one with hair of indigo, and eyed of pink and blue. The next with dark, almost black hair, eyes of green and gold, and as my eyes shifted further to my right, I had an odd sense that I should know these men… maybe it was amnesia? Wouldn’t be the first time having that. My eyes drifted to the final figure. His shock of blonde hair, falling into his face and swaying lightly as he breathed heavily through his mouth. Wide eyes as blue as galaxies stared up at me.

“Xavier?” I whispered, brows furrowing as I moved to my legs to push out of the blankets and sit on the edge of the mattress. The new position made my head swim, and I immediately reached up to press the palms of my hands to either side of my head and cinch my eyes shut. I heard the movement of the other men behind me, moving closer.

Upon opening my eyes again, once the dizziness subsided, I found Xavier kneeling directly in front of me. He had both of his hands on either side of my thighs on the mattress. “How do you feel? Are you alright?” I tilted my head at him, letting my eyes move over his features. The small dimple in his chin, his strong jawline, the curve of his mouth, the plumpness of his lower and upper lip, his narrow nose. The thick eyelashes that lined his gorgeous almond shaped eyes. I watched those eyes as they did the same to my own face, before flicking to something… or someone behind me.

“I think so… my memory is fuzzy, but I remember… cleaning, singing… you and then… she came in.” Thinking about it made my head hurt, at least this time I only needed one hand to press to the side of my head for relief. “Otherwise… I feel… tired.”

A voice from behind me spoke up, “Tired? You’ve been asleep for nine hours, my little guppy. Besides… I’d like a little attention now, we’ve all been worried sick about you, you know.” The annoyance in his tone from being ignored was obvious, not just from his words. I turned slowly, trying not to jostle my already fuzzy brain, and attempt to retain the remaining braincells I had.

My eyes met the indigo haired man’s, he was now up and sitting on the foot of the bed. He also had a strong jawline, like Xavier, but more defined. Plump lower lip with a slightly narrower upper, a narrow nose, high cheekbones and slightly upturned eyes. I raised a brow, feeling a snarky comment bubble up from within my chest. “There’s more than enough attention to spare, fishy.” But a wave of confusion washed over me after saying it, why had I said it?

I looked over to the dark-haired man who sat with his head cocked on the armchair in the corner with his square jaw, his strong chin, his narrow upper lip and thick lower. His narrow nose with the slight bump in its bridge. His narrow green and gold eyes, one of his feet bounced on the floor, his hands white knuckling the armrests. He was the picture of calm, except his leg and fingers.  I knew… no… I know them.

Shifting again, I bent my knee up on to the bed as I rotated my ass a little more to look at the man directly behind me. While the rest of them seemed to have retained some of their boyish looks, this man seemed to be the most defined out of them all. The sharp line of his jaw, his slightly wider but just as delicious looking but uneven mouth as one corner tipped into what had to be a permanent smirk. His slightly downturned, but also narrow nose. His also slight, but visibly downturned eyes were encased in dark lashes that contrasted the silver and white of his hair. Another comment bubbled up as I leaned back on to one hand and reached up with the free one to poke the spot between his brows, “If you scowl any harder, you’ll wrinkle that pretty face, Crow.” 

His shock escaped him through parted lips and a small gasp before he tipped his head forward, letting some of that thick looking hair of his fall further over his face as his eyes met mine through those outstanding lashes, a wider smirk pulling the corner of that mouth upward more. “You haven’t called me that in some time, kitten.” The term struck something inside me. Kitten?

At the sound of the voice in the corner, my head swiveled, and again began to swim from the dizziness. “You don’t remember who we are, do you?” His tone sounded sad, no not just sad… broken, as he gestured to the three of them, not Xavier.

I bit my lip, searching each of their faces individually, the dark-haired one was right, I didn’t… but there was something inside me that was screaming at me, telling me that I knew all of them! But how? “I… feel like I should and do know you, I just… can’t think how right now.” Alongside the dizziness, a sense of exhaustion poured over me, and I felt my eyelids grow heavy. “Xavier….” I’d barely gotten all his name out before he was standing, hands ready to catch me if necessary as I felt myself sway.

“I’m… we’re here.” He said as he pressed his mouth to the side of my head, why did those two words sound familiar? “Guys… don’t….” He suddenly spoke and my eyes fluttered open just to watch the other three silently exit the room, the red eyed one had stopped in the doorframe, the handle of the door in hand as he looked back at me with a very clear look of hurt in those red iris’ as he pulled the door shut with a quiet click. He hadn’t seemed angry… just hurt, and I could only imagine it was the same for the other two.

Xavier pulled me into a hug, and I returned it, my arms wrapping around his torso as best I could. “Starlight… I’m so sorry… this is all my fault.” I nuzzled into the warmth of his chest, brushing my nose over his collarbone through his sweater.

“I don’t believe its your fault, Xavier. You couldn’t have known any of this would happen.” I whispered as my little arms tried to tighten around his bulky frame. He lowered himself on to the bed beside me, keeping his arms tightly wound around me as I felt him breathing into my hair. “I should be the one who’s sorry…” I gestured to the closed bedroom door, “I feel like I know them… but it feels like my brain hasn’t caught up yet, from wherever I was….”

Xavier chuckled against my hair and leaned back, just enough so our that our eyes met, “Do you want me to tell you their names? Maybe that’ll help?” I smiled at him, suddenly curious if he even knew their names. How would he know? What an odd thought to have… I furrowed my brows together for the umpteenth time. My brain was catching up, but it was a confusing process, and it unnerved me. Where had my mind gone to cause this level of amnesia? Releasing the tension in my forehead some, I looked back up at Xavier and nodded. “The tall broad red eyed one with the silvery white hair. His name is Sylus.” I felt something in my neck twitch, “The one with the dark hair, and the green eyes, his name is Zayne,” my heart skipped a beat, “and the one with the purple hair, his name is—”

“Raf… Rafayel.” My eyes widened as a warmth erupted from beneath my left collarbone. I gasped as waves of sensations coursed through me, causing me to curl in on myself. My arms loosing around Xavier’s waist to wrap around myself. Behind closed eyes, I could see cords of light, shadow and color. A mixture of sensation and intensity as my mind latched on to each tether, bringing them close to my heart. My mates, my boys. How could I ever have forgotten any of them! Even for such a short period of time, it was unforgiveable. I missed Xavier standing and stepping to the door to swing it open, I heard him call each of their respective names and each man filed in. Their proximity snapping each cord into place within my heart as I released shaky breaths. I could feel the hum of heat inside my heart as it coiled with their hues, their silhouettes, their love.

“What’s wrong, what happened?” I knew that voice, always so calm, and I lifted my head to look at him as he crouched in front of me, his hands reaching up to press against me forehead, my cheeks, and my neck. Zayne… my….

“Zayne…” I whispered, tears pricking my eyes as I reached up to cup his cheek, feeling the warmth against my skin as his own eyes widened a fraction, before brimming with his own happy tears. I tore my gaze away from him and looked up at the other men in the room, “Rafayel… Sylus.” I choked on a sob as my memories of them came flooding back, my feelings for them, everything. Even where’d I’d been, but that was something I could sort out later, right now. I had apologies to make.

“I am so sorry… I didn’t mean to forget you guys. I’m sorry.” I was sobbing as each of them gathered around me, as bulky and wide as they all were, somehow, they all found their own spot close enough to hold me, pressing their faces against my shoulders, my neck, and my head so they wouldn’t show me they were crying, just like I was. “I love you guys… so much.” I whispered as I tipped my head to kiss the top of Zayne’s head as he’d pressed his forehead to my sternum. Turning, I planted soft kisses to each of the tops of their heads. I sucked a breath through a stuffy nose before gasping for air. “I do have one question though…” I watched as they all pulled back a bit, their eyes and cheeks shiny with unshed and shed tears. “Xavier was the only one here, how are you all here now?” It dawned on me that they were all here, at once.

Rafayel hiccupped once, reaching up to swipe at his eyes before standing to his full height, “Well, um… damnit, lizard, you take this.” He had to turn away as he continued to try to stifle the happy tears that still overflowed. I smiled lightly up at him before shifting my wet eyes over to Sylus, who was also trying to pull himself together.

“We felt what Melina’s words did to you… and we automatically sought you out.” My eyes widened, my lips parting slightly. “When we found you….” His words tapered off as he used his shirt to scrub away the remaining tears from the corners of his carmine eyes. He looked more his age as he did it, I noted.

Zayne spoke up, “Xavier said you’d collapsed after telling that damned fool of a girl to leave. You looked… dead, sweetheart.” He swallowed as his eyes clouded over, the image clearly popping into his head. I reached up to cup his cheek, brushing my thumb over his cheekbone.

“Forget that image, right now, Zayne. All of you.” All their eyes came back to reality and settled on me, and I smiled at them all, “I’m here now. I’m back, and I’m okay.” I chose to stamp down the fear I felt as I recalled the creature that stalked my life, my nightmares. That would have to come later… right now, I needed to focus on the four men in my room.

~~~

Latin Translations:

Da mihi, sanguinem bestiae tuae. Da mihi, filium tuum Inferni. Corpus meum tibi pertinet, o magne deus ruinae et desperationis, domine Hades, Thanatos, Hel, Satan. Audi meam infortunium, audi invocationem meam, implora voluntatem meam, o Pater Peccati -

Grant unto me, thy blood of the beast. Grant unto me, thy child of Hell. My body belongs to ye, oh great god of ruin and despair, my Lord Hades, Thanatos, Hel, Satan. Hear my plight, hear my invocation, beseech my will, oh Father of Sin.

Filia Mortis - Daughter of Death

Filia mea - My Daughter

Mater Sanguinis – Blood Mother

[xxfaithlynxx]

The way he said this…. 🤤

[xxfaithlynxx]

When writing a what was once perceived as a random character from a past reoccurring nightmare turns out to be a REAL thing… one loses some sanity points! 😱😅🤯

[xxfaithlynxx]

Bonds and Cages

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

Song: Love Goes On and On- Lindsey Stirling, Amy Lee, Foreverglow- Lindsey Stirling

ENJOY the next installment!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 26:

THE BOYS

“What happened?” Xavier cradled her body in his arms, he hadn’t dared move from her kitchen floor, the voice belonged to a very tall and broad man with silver hair and red eyes. Xavier had seen him in the thoughts he’d felt the other morning, the morning he’d realized everything she had never said. Xavier wasn’t surprised but had jumped a little when this behemoth of a man had inexplicably appeared out of nowhere through a cloud of red mist and black feathers.

He was now crouched in front of Xavier, his hands frantically moving over her ashen face, her shoulders, before those red eyes bore into his own. A flare of anger coiling within as they narrowed at him. “Tell me. Now.”

“She asked me to meet her here, I didn’t think my ex…” his voice trailed off as he looked down at the girl in his arms. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, the undersides of her eyes turning a sickly gray color. “She just came in… I knew she was insecure, but I didn’t realize just how unhinged she’d become….” Xavier’s voice was shattered, as he gulped small breaths between words. This was his fault…. He leaned down and pressed his nose and mouth to the crown of the girl he held, his tears falling into her hair as he kissed her. I’m sorry… I am so sorry…. He repeated in his head like a mantra.

“Did your ex physically assault her?” The sturdy, but wary man before him asked, his voice was calm, but there was a darkness to his tone as he looked down at her face, one knee pressed into the tile of her kitchen, one large hand resting over her chest. Xavier shook his head lightly, as he leaned back slightly, he reached up lightly to brush down the now tear soaked patch of her hair.

“No… what Melina said…. I felt her break.” Xavier looked up at the red eyed man he’d deduced as Sylus, the Onychinus leader. One of the loves of her life… He could care less that the man was wanted on all levels by the association. Nothing else mattered right now, but her. Her mind had shown him things he didn’t think possible that morning, made him feel what she’d felt. Her thoughts, and her memories. Everything had been laid out like a slideshow, allowing him to see things, feel things, and hear things he’d never thought he’d ever hear from her, about her.

“What did she say?” Sylus asked, the red in his eyes swimming with the ferocity of a beast. Xavier swallowed around the thick lump that had lodged itself in his throat from sobbing.

“She’d told Era that she had… no right to exist. That her very existence was wrong.” Maybe not in that many words, but the point was there. Melina had hated Era on sight, without reason. Without even bothering to get to know her. She’d concluded that his Starlight had been using herself as a charity, as a scapegoat for others to pity her, to love her. How could he have divulged the depths of how wrong she was when it wasn’t his place to correct the naïve girl in the first place. She’d made her judgment without evidence, and now Era was suffering the consequences of that girl’s unbridled insecurity.

“Damn it, Melina…” Sylus’ words took Xavier by surprise, and he stopped breathing briefly before finding it in himself to ask.

“How do you know her?”

“I…” Sylus ground his jaw as he picked his words, “The aether core in her chest, I wanted it… but I never got a chance to try, she wasn’t someone I wanted kicking around my land for long, her mental state was… off balance.” His low timbre trailed off, as the form in Xavier’s arms began to convulse, a bubbly foam forming at the corner of her mouth. Xavier’s panic rose in his chest at the sight of her body tensing and beginning to twitch violently. Both he and Sylus shared a brief look before they both made moves to try and hold her still.

Another voice cut through the choking sounds she’d suddenly started making as Xavier clung to her, “Roll her on her side! She’s going to suffocate if you keep her like that!” Two more large pairs of hands came out of nowhere, scars littering the skin on each hand, and Xavier looked up into a pair of forest green eyes with golden flecks surrounding the pupil. Those eyes focused on the girl between them as he eased her from Xavier’s hold and rolled her on to her side so she could expel the foam properly.

Doctor Zayne… the one she’d stayed with, her memories of him came to Xavier’s mind as well from the other morning. “Will she be alright?” Was all Xavier could ask as his eyes drifted back to the girl on the floor between them. Xavier had gone to see this doctor exactly once and had never gone back. Hospitals unnerved him, so he saw no point, especially when he really had no use for them in the first place. Being what he was….

“I’m sure this question has already been asked, but what happened?” Zayne asked his voice low, and menacing. Sylus explained this time, having taken one look at Xavier and the guilt and fear etched on his face that told him the boy as closer to breaking than he’d initially realized. Once Sylus finished explaining, Zayne then whispered between the three of them. “Did you both feel her soul shattering?” The question brought both other men’s eyes up to meet the Doctor’s.

They all looked up at the sound of a new voice, “Yah, what the fuck happened!” the new voice answered for all of them, it belonged to an indigo haired man in the entrance of the kitchen who was out of breath and worry flaring within his multicolored eyes, no one in the room had to ask who he was. They all knew. Rafayel, the fourth man in her life, and the painter/artist. “Tell me, right now lizard man, or I’ll gouge out those pretty eyes of yours.” Rafayel waved a hand, and a sharp looking dagger appeared in his hand, flames enveloping the obsidian looking blade.

“Please, I’d like to see you try, fish-boy.” Sylus all but growled but proceeded to explain the situation to the artist. Xavier quirked an eyebrow alongside Zayne. Those two clearly know each other.

Zayne spoke up once the conversation tapered off and all eyes had swung down to girl they all loved lying still as death on the floor. “The seizures seemed to have stopped,” he reached out and pressed two fingers to her left carotid, and he held up his other arm, eyes focused on the thin metal arm ticking away of his wristwatch, “Her heartrate has normalized, lets get her to her bedroom.” Xavier automatically curled one arm beneath her knees while the other curled around her shoulders, her cheek falling to press against his collarbone, he eased up on to his feet, carrying her in a bridal carry as he and the three other imposing men followed behind him to where her bedroom was.

Laying her gently down in the center of her perfectly made bed, Xavier brushed the disheveled strands of her ash blonde hair out of her face, before a question came to mind. He sighed, not daring take his eyes off her, “The other day… we all shared that headache, yes?”

Rafayel piped up at that, “I’d asked her to share her thoughts and feelings with me if she couldn’t voice them correctly. What I wasn’t expecting was her sharing everything. We all share a… bond with her. Be it from past lives or whatever… she dropped every wall, every guard she’d put up… so it’s not surprising that we all experienced it. Her powers are extraordinary.” The artist’s voice became soft and affectionate as he eased himself on the opposite side of her bed from Xavier.

The blonde man nodded, “She always had powers beyond anyone’s expectations. Not that anyone would admit it, but she was the one who initially was coined as Anhausen Class…” Xavier admitted, he’d promised to keep that between Captain Jenna and himself, but he no longer cared as he reached out and cupped her cheek. “We knew she was capable to many things, but what I saw today… went beyond anything I ever expected.” His mind went back to her stepping in front of him and lifting Melina off the ground to levitate the pink haired girl closer to her, he saw the cerulean glow from her eyes. “We thought she lost those powers after her accident… they healed her, but then just seemed to vanish.”

Xavier could hear the slow intakes of breath around him as he explained what he knew. Jenna had opted to place him as her partner, partly because even as high leveled Evolver, she had little control over her power, but also because she always seemed to be hiding something when it came to her power. “Have you experienced all of her powers?” Sylus’ voice asked from the foot of the bed.

“I thought I did.” Xavier said quietly, “Before her accident, she had a similar ability as Melina… she could resonate with others, amplify their powers, as well as her own. She healed incredibly fast, any wound stitched itself back together through a red mist, much like yours.” Xavier gestured behind him at where he assumed Sylus stood, “That black smoke… the first time I saw it was the night of her accident, she’d somehow grappled the Wanderer that gave her this,” He lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing the jagged scar on her abdomen, “I don’t even think she knew she did it… but it was wrapped in that black cloud and it just disappeared as the floor beneath her gave out.” His eyes stared off as the memories invaded his mind all over again. “As for that weird teal color that I saw in her eyes today… that one I’ve never seen before.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Each man deep in thought as they all stared at the girl on the bed. All of them had different experiences, different memories with her. She shared similar powers to that of at least two people they knew. She held the same resonance evol as Melina but lacked an Aether Core…. She could manipulate her surroundings and use telekinesis in a similar fashion as Sylus, but the other power, the cerulean power that gave her an ethereal unbalance was entirely foreign to them. With Sylus’ vast knowledge of evols, and their types after years of searching for more and more powerful ones. He’d never come across something like that one. With Zayne’s knowledge of protocore syndrome, he knew if she lacked the aether core, this was something that needed to be figured out, but the idea of testing her… made bile rise in his throat at the thought. Rafayel had never experienced this before, within and outside of the sea. As for Xavier, in his long life and all her lives with him, he’d never seen her with this type of power before.

“What do we do now?” Rafayel asked, his voice tinged with a certain level of anxiety that all the men in had been feeling as their eyes remained locked on her.

Sylus spoke up, “We can’t do anything but be here for her… it’s up to her now.”

~~~

Each of the men grew more and more antsy as time went on, Sylus had left to go ‘Punch something’ he’d said. Zayne checked her vitals regularly. He didn’t outright show his anxiety, but it radiated off him in waves. Rafayel had been pacing in the living room and occasionally laying down on the couch, rest one of the last things on each of their minds.

Xavier had opted to lay next to her on the bed, when she’d started shivering, they’d moved her, so she was under the covers and Xavier was right there with her. One arm stretched out, her head resting against his bicep. His arm had gone numb a while ago, but he didn’t care. His other hand rested over her midriff, allowing him to keep track of her breathing. His eyes fixed on her beautiful face.

He leaned his head forward and pressed his forehead against the side of her head. She was warm now, the shivers that wracked her no longer making her teeth chatter together. My Starlight… please come back to me… we still need to talk… you can not leave me, not now. Not again. Xavier’s mind was in shambles as images of her crumbling in his arms drowned him. Just like she had after her accident…. He didn’t think he had in him to go through that, not again.

Rafayel made an underhanded comment, and a deep grumble responded from outside the bedroom, alerting Zayne and Xavier to the reappearance of Sylus. The tall man stepped into the room, “Has anything changed?” The strain in his voice was palpable, a feeling that every man in the apartment could relate to in this moment.

“Nothing.” Zayne responded. “She’s breathing, her heartbeat is strong. She’s not shivering anymore. She hasn’t had any more seizures….” Sylus looked at the dark-haired man, sitting in the armchair she had placed in the corner of her room, the one she usually tossed assortments of clothing on when she didn’t feel like putting them away. Zayne was staring at the bed, his back arched forward, elbows resting on top of his knees as each foot bounced on the ground. With all of Sylus’ recon into each man, he’d never seen the usually stoic Doctor so outwardly agitated. Sylus’ eyes narrowed as he saw a spark of ice fall from one of the man’s fingertips. Sylus knew he had an ice evol, but he didn’t realize how little control he had over it.

As he entertained control in every aspect of his life, Sylus made a mental note of that. Zayne was powerful, he knew that and pushed far enough… who knows what the man could do. His carmine eyes, swiveled over to Xavier, the man who lay next to her. A part of him was thoroughly unsettled over the fact that another man had his hands on her, even if they were for comfort. Sylus had to reign in the beast side of himself, he took a deep breath and assured himself that as much as he wanted to be the one to be by her side, every second of every day, he couldn’t. She may be mated to him, but she didn’t belong to just him.

A thought slid into his mind, and he found himself tilting his head in inquiry. “We all felt her… and we all dropped everything and found her here. Yet… we didn’t know she’d be here, at least not all of us did. We felt her distress….” Sylus’ eyes clouded over for a moment as he pictured the eruption of emotion that had collided with his heart earlier. “I wonder… if that link can go both ways.”

Zayne’s head popped up, those green eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. Xavier turned as best as he could to look at the bigger man who stood beside the bed. Rafayel had at one point, came back into the room only halfway and was leaning against the doorframe. He arched an elegant brow and shifted his eyes over to the girl on the bed. “You have a similar power, don’t you?” Raf asked Sylus as he pushed off the doorway and came to stand next to the taller man. At six-foot, Rafayel was the shortest of the four of them, but his height mattered little to his lemurian title. He was a God after all.

“Not exactly… I can’t read minds, per se. I can reveal someone’s deepest desires, I can phase myself from one location to another, but I need to have been there prior, and I can manipulate energy frequencies, if anyone here remembers a much older movie collection called Star Wars?” Sylus glanced between the other three, only two of them nodded, Rafayel had a blank expression on his face, “It’s basically like the Force. I can create energy around an object of my choosing and move them.” With that clarification, Rafayel seemed to understand.

Sylus moved his big frame to the opposite side of the bed, and knelt beside the mattress, reaching out and cupping her cheek gently, his palm basically encased her entire cheek, his fingers reaching into her hair, “What I was thinking was… more what she can do. All I felt when I felt her heart break, was a desperate need to comfort her. To care for her. To be here with her. Did any of you feel that too?”

Zayne, and Rafayel nodded slowly, their eyes wide. “And you think we can somehow… what?” Rafayel’s unnerving manner grated on Sylus’ nerves. Zayne shot the purple haired man a look and he seemed to reluctantly hold his tongue.

“I think we may be able to access that… drive again. I can still feel her distress, right here.” Sylus reached up with his free hand pressed three fingers to the mark on the left side of his neck where shoulder and neck met. The same place she’d bit when they’d completed their mating rite.

Zayne lifted a hand and pressed a palm over his heart, his eyes glued to her form again. Rafayel lifted his own hand as well, resting over the spot just below his left collarbone. Sylus then turned to Xavier, he seemed slightly confused, looking between each man. “I had her in my arms… maybe it was because I was already here, but I didn’t feel that same drive as you three.”

Sylus nodded, “That is entirely possible. Do you feel anything that could coalesce with her energy? A pull or a… a tie to her? You said you felt it too, even though you were here.” Xavier had watched Sylus while they’d all been there, he’d read about this demon of the Lawless faction of the N109 Zone and how he was ruthless and considered one of the most dangerous men one could encounter. Yet seeing him now, having watched him for the last several hours, Xavier could see the desperation in those red eyes. He could see the fraying thread of his typically unwavering control.

Shifting his eyes back to the girl in his arms, Xavier let his mind drift back to how it felt the previous morning. That headache had been almost unbearable, but he had felt it. A deep-seated connection, was it the same tether he felt drawing him to her within each lifetime? Maybe that was it…. I just need to picture it. He thought briefly, as his eyes drifted shut and he moved the hand he’d had on her midriff up, so it covered her heart.

“Let him.” Rafayel’s voice said, closer to the side of the bed where the other two men were, with his eyes closed, Xavier could only see a wavering darkness. I need to picture something… I need to make that tether a stable thing…. I need my Starlight…. The thought swirled in his mind, starlight. That’s it. Starlight, he pictured it. A thread of pure golden starlight, tied around his heart, connecting her to him through every life, every galaxy, every realm and world.

He felt the connection slide into place and as he opened his eyes, he caught the expressions of all three of the other men in the room. Every spot they’d reached out to press a finger or a palm to was glowing. Being under the blanket with her, in that partial darkness surrounding him, Xavier also caught the soft golden glow emanating from within his chest. He could feel the warmth surround his heart.

The men’s eyes drifted to one another, seeing each of the glows in separate shades of color and styles. Sylus, with black soot and a soft red and golden hue, Rafayel with the matching indigo as his hair, mixed with the swirls of pink and blue, like his eyes. Zayne, with his forest green and gold, with tiny immaculate jasmine flowers, and finally Xavier with his pure golden starlight. “What do we do now?” Rafayel, ever the pessimist, asked begrudgingly.

Zayne spoke as he got up from the chair and stood at the foot of the bed. “Like Sylus said, we reach out to her. We want her to come back from that internal Hell, don’t we?”

Then Sylus spoke, standing from his crouch next, “We all saw it.”

Then Rafayel, he joined Zayne at the foot of the bed, “She’s too good to think she deserves to belong there, unloved and unlovable.”

Xavier eased his arm out from beneath her head and carefully shifted out of the bed itself, laying the blankets back down around her. He wasn’t sure what they were going to do, but reaching out seemed the most logical, if not the most appropriate thing to do. Standing, he looked up from her form and looked at the other men. They all shared a nod before returning their eyes again to Era.

~~~

                ERA

I’m so cold…

Good…

I wrapped my arms around my knees, burrowing my face between them harder. Trying and failing to ignore that stupid little voice, that nattering scaping sound that rummaged through my thoughts at an aggravating snail’s pace.

It had drug me into this gilded cage, sequestering me from reality, darkening my mind with nothing but a festering and treacherous raid of disquieted thoughts and emotions. I could hear every cynical thought I’d ever had, every unforgivable action those thoughts had driven me to do.

I’m tainted….

Infected… Unclean….

No one should want me…

No one should need me…

Not a soul… you are pointless, pathetic… flawed.

I reached up and covered my ears, not that, that would help. This was all in my own head, after all.

A blemish upon the world….

You are NOTHING.

What happened! Why was I back here? I hadn’t let myself get this far gone since my mother kicked me out and I’d been living on the streets, a street urchin with naught but the clothes on my back. The wiry little thing that missed having friends. Missed having the shield of family…

I’d finally done something good for myself, why had I let some nobody shatter that? Had it all been an illusion? Had their love been something I imagined? Absolutely…. Had the love I’d felt been the hoax? Why would men like them even glance in my direction? I wasn’t anything, I was a broken waste of flesh that trudged over the surface of this planet, and no one wanted me, no one needed me.

“What is the point of filling yourself with such false hope? You always were, have been, and forever more will be a blemish, a disgrace to yourself and anyone who may glance your way.” I lifted my head, and came face with something that made my skin crawl. I’d thought it was simply a nightmare, a garish reminder of my failures. Its voice seemed angelic, and inviting, it looked anything but. Its eye sockets were empty, roiling with a swirling darkness that further invited you in. Drew you into it’s grasp, the grasp of long, boney fingers that more resembled talons versus actual fingers. Cloaked in black, sharp edges of flowing cloth fell to its feet like a smoldering ash cloud above a raging volcano. Its smile was long, stretched grotesquely across a pallid, mutilated face that looked rotten, its skin chapped and separating. An empty cavern where its nose might have once been, what looked like too many teeth, curved into points, yellowed and dripping with saliva.

“I remember you….” I whispered, not having much else to say. This thing had haunted my mind, my dreams, my thoughts for decades. In thirty-three years, this thing had been there every night, had slowly gotten closer and closer each night. Reminding me that my frail and pathetic life meant nothing, WAS nothing. It had been my one constant, as I’d watched everyone else leave, or walk away from me, this grotesque figure of deceptive loathing had been there. Mumbling distortion and falsehood inside my mind.

“I have waited so long….” I watched as its hunched figure stood above me, showering me in shadow as it rose to its full height. The hulking figure curved over the top of my cage. It stretched its thin membranous arms to its sides, and I saw huge dark feathers attached to huge flaps of skin that stretched between where its shadowed hips would be, and its littlest fingers. I recognized the feathers, from the hospital after the incident with that dark figure. The huge black feather on the windowsill.

I felt my eyes widen as it draped those wings over the entirety of my cage. “It’s… you. You’re real.” I felt the fear ricochet through my mind and sink into my body as a piercing scream rang through the decaying air. It took me a moment to realize, the sound wasn’t coming from it…. It was coming from me, I was screaming.

~~~

[xxfaithlynxx]

A Star and a Black Hole

Pairing: Sylus x f!(Named)OC; Rafayel x f!(Named)OC; Xavier x f!(Named)OC; Zayne x f!(Named)OC (WAS a Hunter (chronic physical pain, back injury)

WARNINGS: Angst, Self-Loathing, Conflict, etc.

Personally have been having a rough time irl the past few days and apparently this is where it went. I wasn't planning on making this chapter like this... but I don't want to change it.

Highly Recommended to listen to some of the songs mentioned while reading. Love Goes On and On being the number one! Songs mentioned/listened to: My Universe- Coldplay/BTS, Angel with a Shotgun- The Cab, Love Me Like You Do- Ellie Goulding, Dandelions- Ruth B, I’ll Be- Celine Dion, Written in the Stars- Westlife, Starlight- Westlife, Half of my Heart- Josh Makazo, eclipse- Josh Makazo, Man on a Mission- Oh the Larceny, Love Goes On and On (feat Amy Lee)- Lindsey Stirling.

ENJOY the next installment!

NOT PROOFREAD!

Please DON'T steal or plagiarize my work. Much appreciated! As always. ~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 25:

I decided to give my apartment a good cleaning while I waited for Xavier, I’d texted him earlier and asked him if he was out in the field or home today and….

Me: Heya! You working, home, out?

Xav: Got a day off, at the gym, am almost done. Meet you at your apartment?

Me: Sure! That works for me, you know my door code.

Xav: I do.

I’d decided to clean, not because things really needed cleaning, but because… well… nerves. PLUS… I now couldn’t get the image of Xavier in that tight fitting muscle tank, and those black shorts. His bare arms, covered with a sheen of sweat, same for his bulky legs. Having a past with the man, I knew his body intimately and yes, that included what lay between his legs… I drooled when I thought of the look he made when he finished. In my mouth… The way the muscles in his jaw ticked, how his head either fell forward or backward depending on what position he was in. How his eyes tightly closed while breathy moans escaped up his throat. How his hands curled around anything as he unloaded down my throat, those little bucks and twitches his hips made.

I’d learned while we were… together seemed like the wrong word, casual seemed a little more apt, I’d learned that his neck was his biggest erogenous zone. I could bring the surprisingly big, but boyish man to his knees just by dragging the pad of my finger down his carotid.

I wonder if she bothered to learn about him the way I did…. The thought came idly to my head as I scrubbed an already shiny and clean plate. I sighed as I put the dish cloth and the plate back down into the sink. I needed to get these thoughts out of my mind, I wasn’t even sure how Xavier would react, would he be more like Zayne about it? He’s got a girlfriend though… Did I want to get in the way of something good for him? I still want to tell him… If what Zayne had said was true, then when I’d shared my mind with Raf, it happened for the rest of them as well, so Xavier would already know to a point… but whether or not he accepted it, was another story entirely.

“Oh my God… I need to put the shovel down.” I glanced around as I dried my hands on the towel I had dangling from the handle of my oven, eyes landing on my stereo. I nodded and pulled my phone from my pocket, noticing there was nothing from Xavier since his last I do. I turned on the Bluetooth on my stereo and connected my phone. Pulling up Spotify, I tapped on a list of songs and turned the volume up enough to drown my thoughts. Cleaning music… good. Keep myself occupied.

Turns out, I wasn’t really in a cleaning mood. As My Universe by Coldplay and BTS came on through the stereos, I found myself not only dancing around with broom and dustpan in hand but singing as well. Using the broom handle as a microphone, I sang my little heart out as I danced and twirled from one side of my living room to the other. The beat and the lyrics catching something inside me that made me smile while singing. Typically, I saved the little personal concerts to showers where I knew no one could hear me, but for some reason, I was thoroughly enjoying prancing, bouncing and twirling myself around my apartment. As Coldplay faded, I slowed down and swept up the little pile of fluff and dust I’d managed to collect and tipped the pan into the bin. I swung around so fast when a song I hadn’t heard in a while started playing, Angel with a Shotgun by The Cab, and I was immediately back into a groove as I sang into the broom handle, swung around in little circles, lifting the hand with the dustpan in the air and everything. Like I was really on stage at one of these concerts. I collapsed on my couch as that song came to an end and another came on. I needed this… I grabbed my phone and looked at the current song, another I hadn’t heard in a while. Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding. I pressed the phone down over my chest as I just started singing.

“… love me like you do… touch me like you do….”

The song resonated within my chest like a confession, and it was all I could do not to start crying as the emotions overwhelmed me. I didn’t dare turn it off as the chorus hit and I let myself belt out the lyrics like I was in the shower. My eyes closed as I felt that familiar warmth behind my eyes bubbling up. This song fits well for all four of them…. A warmth spread in my chest thinking about my boys. I pressed my hands to my chest and sent a silent prayer to no one in particular that Xavier would listen, but I tacked on a small P.S that even if he rejected me, that he would be nothing but happy in his future.

Sitting up, I hit the volume down button on my phone before setting it down on the coffee table at my knees. The music was low enough that I could still do a little dancing around, but I wasn’t about to start singing like I had been. Pushing off the couch, I grabbed the broom and the dustpan and walked back to the kitchen to put them back to their place beside the fridge. Finishing up the dishes, I found myself humming along to the tunes again, completely lost in thought and chores.

“…you are an angel, and I wanna be your messenger….” Absentmindedly the words formed on my lips as I started to sing along with the music again. “… no, you won’t be alone through the highs and the lows…. Wherever you go, I’ll be!”  There were a few times while singing that my voice rang true along with the vocalist’s voice, matching her pitch and it vibrated in my head, making me smile. Haven’t tried matching Celine’s pitch in a very long time… glad to know I still can, to a point. Now if I tried holding a key for the same length, I’d probably wind myself!

I was so engrossed in singing and wiping down the fronts of my cupboard doors, I hadn’t noticed the man leaning against the doorframe behind me, arms crossed over his chest, and one leg bent with its foot caught against the other, toe pointed to the ground. “…when you need me close, oh, I’ll be….” I swung around to get the island, and I froze, my eyes meeting the glimmering royal blue galaxies of Xavier’s. His hair was slightly wet and dangling in his face haphazardly, he wore a small smile on his lips. His cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink. He wore that comfy looking knit sweater and a pair of faded jeans. I could see the curves of his biceps through the arms of that sweater and my mouth dried. Am I ovulating or something? My mind stuttered as he didn’t say anything as he pushed off the wall and rounded the island, directly up to me.

I felt my balance waver as he stopped directly in front of me, our feet were nearly touching, as I tipped my head to look up at him. “H-Heya…” I wanted to ask him how long he’d been there, but there was something in his eyes that made me pause. He reached up and cupped my cheek, his eyes moving between my own and over my face. Like he was seeing me for the first time. Technically we hadn’t seen each other since that incident when I was staying with Zayne, but… why was he looking at me like that?

“There you are, my Starlight.” I barely heard him say it before he leaned down and pressed his mouth to mine. My eyes fluttered shut as I felt the warmth of his breath fan against my cheek, and as I melted into the kiss, I felt both of his hands gripping my upper arms, clutching me close to him. Starlight… it was a nickname he’d used to call me, before my accident. Before….

His mouth felt amazing against mine, his soft lips moving over mine in soft but passionate sweeps. A soft moan escaped my throat, and he deepened the kiss ever so slightly, pushing himself closer to me. Tipping my head back just as his right hand released my arm to come up and cup my jaw, his long slender fingers split as they curved in front and behind my ear.

When we parted, he pressed his forehead against mine, we were both out of breath. When I opened my eyes, he was already looking down at me. Without thinking, I leaned into his hand, and a movement behind him caught my attention. What?

“I fucking knew it!” I felt Xavier stiffen and I peaked around his wide shoulder. A girl stood there, she was maybe a head taller than me, long flowing pink hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She was on the thinner side but made up for it in the size of her chest. My eyes panned back up to her face, she was seething. Her cheeks flushed with anger, her thin brows pulled together over heavily shaded eyelids and golden eyes. Oh, shit….

Xavier didn’t even turn around, but he exhaled harshly through his nose, catching me off guard momentarily as I shifted back to look up at him. His own brows were drawn together, and his eyes had darkened angrily as well as he stared at something over my head. “Melina… why are you in here? This is neither mine, nor your apartment.” His voice was shockingly gravelly and monotone as it oozed a fury I hadn’t heard from him before. I was vaguely aware of the music still playing in the background, but my focus clung to Xavier as he slowly turned, keeping me behind him. This is my apartment is it not? Shouldn’t I be doing something? I thought quickly to myself as he faced the intruder.

“I followed you here. You promised there was nothing between the two of you!” My mind was having trouble keeping up. She’d followed him here. Why would she do that? Not thinking, I peaked around Xavier’s arm at her again, she was hissing air through clenched teeth as tears pricked the edges of her eyes. If looks could kill, I’d be cinders by now as her eyes landed on me. “You, bitch.”

Xavier took an abrupt step forward, “You, do not speak to her like that. What the fuck, Melina… are you truly this unhinged?” What is happening? It went beyond me in this moment to feel guilty for kissing him, my mind was still surprised and taken aback by the level of Xavier’s anger. True, she’d trespassed, but she’d also caught us kissing, I’d probably be mad too if I found one of my boys with another woman. Though… with that, shouldn’t Xavier be more guilty about it then me? They were dating, right? Xavier gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at his sides. “I tried to be kind to you, Melina, but you kept escalating things. I’d hoped you would give up the petty bullshit, the jealousy. Your words on the hunt the other day were the last straw, and I told you as much. I tried to let you go softly… but clearly, you’re more unstable than I thought.” He growled at her, causing her to pause her very clear crocodile tears. Was that her defense mechanism? Crying? I wondered as a shudder ran through me from the sound of his voice, it scared me, but it also did something else to me I wasn’t about to name at this moment. I glanced back up at Xavier and found him absolutely enraged by this situation. He’d broken up with her…?

I looked back at Melina, at least I had a name to go with her face now, “Melina… I….”

“You don’t get to talk, you’re nothing but a useless cum guzzling whore! Hell bent on using everyone around you! You shouldn’t even be here! You should’ve died!” My face blanched at her words and for the first time in a while, my vision blurred into a faint red. I felt my back ache at my shoulder blades as I felt my power surge through me. I heard Xavier’s shock as he and I watched as Melina seemed to lift off the ground and float toward me.

I hadn’t realized I’d stepped in front of Xavier until I felt his hand on my shoulder, grounding me as I held this girl in front of me, the red vines and black mist surrounding both of us as my own anger brought her directly in front of my face, “What gives you the right to tell me whether I should or should not be dead? What did I ever do to you to garner such vehement hatred?”

“You exist.” The admission through clenched teeth as she glared at me made my eyes pop open. My anger faltered and my powers let her go. I existed… so she hates me… but why? She collapsed to the ground, and I took an unsteady step backward. Xavier brought me back against his chest, circling his arms across my chest, my gaze glazing over as everything I’d thought I’d worked through in the last few days. Her words, reminded of how that little voice had chipped away at me, how it seemed to do everything it could to make me fall apart. Why do you exist? Why should you? Do you have any right to be here anymore? I was aware of the back and forth that was now happening between Xavier and her, but I wasn’t paying attention anymore. My mind was drifting to the place I thought I’d left behind. The image of that black, oozing hole of self loathing appeared in my head and I felt myself being drawn in. I could feel every tangible needle of her words poking me forward, forcing me toward that menacing clawed grip that had laid waist to my mind for decades.

How could someone hate me without even knowing me? Sure… I fucked up and let him kiss me, but I had no idea he’d broken it off with her, that was my own mistake…. Was she that insecure? How had she gotten like this? Had it all started when she realized he knew me? My mind drifted back to that incident in the hallway, where she questioned him about why he’d never told her I lived in the same building. I’d rushed into my apartment shortly after that and hadn’t heard his response. Was it because he’d shown such worry when he saw me and my condition at the time?

Your parents hated you on sight… they gave you up to another hateful pair of people. You suffered with no one there for you… and now, it’s happening all over again. Pure unfiltered hatred, rejection in the deepest form…. It was that voice again, hissing it’s words into my soul as I inched closer and closer to that hole. I felt something inside me break, and a surge of revulsion erupt from my mind, it was like a wave from all sides, as I felt myself in my mind collapse roughly to my knees at the edge of that cesspit, my hands reaching up to press their heels against my eye sockets. Pushing back the fear, the loathing, the abhorrence that I felt towards myself. Claws digging into my legs, pulling me further and further down. Abomination….

Behind my swimming eyelids, a warm tether pulled at me. I could feel that warmth within my chest, pulling me backwards. Pulling me away from the dark. Away from the digging claws and that familiar corruption. Suddenly another pull came from my shoulder, and another from the opposite. These tethers were pulling me away from what lay at my feet. Opening my eyes, I could see them circling me. One was an indigo color, a dusting of pink and blue infused within, the next was a crimson, mixed with black soot and gold dust, the final was forest green with hazel, tiny jasmine flowers circling around my shoulder like a rope. Wave after wave of yearning, and sanctuary pulled at me.

A harmony of familiar voices filled my mind as I heard one phrase, “We’re here” over and over again.

I could suddenly feel the warmth of Xavier’s arms still holding me to him, and I was able to hear some of their argument now. About how she’d become so crazed and insecure after first seeing me in the hallway, how he’d tried to put up with it, tried to convince her that we’d been truly nothing more than friends… and then hearing what she’d said during their hunt had abruptly ended any affection he’d held for her. Then, her retaliation of woe-is-me, I’m-the-victim here snide comments about how he’d never truly treated her like a girlfriend, how he was never there for her when she needed him. All of this… happening in my apartment. I felt the emptiness in my chest as it constricted around my heart. This is not how I pictured today going.

“Get. Out.” I’d barely heard my voice as I said it, and the sound immediately shut the two of them up. Xavier’s arms tightened around me, but I wasn’t talking to him. I lifted my eyes, I could feel the shattered emotion behind my eyes meet hers, and she audibly gaped. Her eyes widened; all crocodile tears forgotten as I stared her down. “Get out, right now, Melina….” I watched the anger disappear from her eyes and fear replace it, my voice was threatening. She’d had a small taste of my power, but I could care less now, I felt so drained, so tired. She wasn’t worth the use of my power….

I saw how she tried to cover her fear with a sneer, showing her teeth in a small snarl as she half turned away from Xavier and I. “Fuck you, Xavier.” Were her final parting words before she disappeared around the corner, and I heard the front door slam shut. Neither Xavier nor I moved for what felt like hours, his arms were locked around me. I knew he could feel my exhaustion, and my knees were shaking. Aside from feeling exhausted, all the glee, love and joy I’d felt earlier were entirely gone. Again, parts of my brain registered that my music was still playing in the background, but it no longer mattered. Those cords of warmth dissipated as I felt reality swim in my mind, my eyes only half focusing.

“Era… look at me.” Without much thought, I did as bid and turned to look up at him, he’d dropped his hands slightly to my forearms. I could feel the lifelessness in my eyes. I felt the desperation in my throat to cry, but I couldn’t. I didn’t feel anything anymore… and I think that scared me the most. It registered in my head that Xavier saw that too and tears filled his own eyes, making those galaxies of azure brighter, but I couldn’t focus on them for long. I was so tired…. “I am so sorry, Starlight… fuck. I’m sorry.” I felt his arms circle me again, pulling me into his embrace once again. My arms swinging lifeless beside me as I felt my cheek collide with his broad breastbone. His scent filling my nose, but I couldn’t differentiate the smells anymore. Was I really this far gone?

“Fuck… please, Era. Don’t go there again. Not now….” His voice was desperate, a low keening coming from the depths of his chest as he began to sob into my hair. His were the last words I heard before I felt my body collapse entirely. The refuge of those warm arm-like tethers that held me together dim but still there as I felt the cage of my mind slam its door behind me.

~~~