"Looking Back" ... for DarkEmpress and I ...

[BLACK BART]

Talon stood on the edge of a craggy mountain cliff and smiled as the wind howled at him in frustration, it's power tearing at his clothes and tousling his shoulder length black hair, then whipping away only to return scant seconds later.

He didn't smile because he possessed the raw, physical strength to taunt the wind, but rather because of the memory it brought back to him as he felt it whipping against his skin, the cold-hot feel of it bringing Her face clearly into his mind...

And so he stood,a lone, lean figure with a smile on his weathered face, his crystal blue eyes staring out into the distance as if he could will time to turn itself backwards and return with his mind to the day they met so many years before...

It had been an accident, the two of them meeting as they had, he being a hell bent youth in his prime, full of confidence and the arrogance of a falsely perceived immortality, while she was an innocent, beautiful creature who wanted to feel what "living life" was truly about...

He had courted her relentlessly, seeing in her eyes a reason and purpose in his wild, careless life, one that felt so damned right he was willing to gamble his fortune and future on if she'd only accept him for what he was...

Why she finally gave in to his attentions he never knew or at the time cared, so wrapped up in the joy of having her with him in his life that he forgot all caution, casting aside the ancient rules he had created and opening his heart and mind to her.

For a short time it was glorious, he could still remember the power of the emotions they shared, still FEEL how a single soft touch from her fingertips would send him over the edge to leave him weak... helpless.... and softly begging for more... He knew then he would never be more alive, that it was Her who showed Him how to Live life... and it was Her who fanned the fires of their passion to a level he had never imagined possible, or found since...

He wanted it all back. Wanted Her back. But as the winds abated and the evening colors filtered down the valley, so did his hopes of ever finding that One again, his eyes growing flat, dull, almost lifeless as he swung off the precipice he clung to and into the cool evening air, to begin a different kind of search....

******

The City: He found himself over it's stinking streets once again, the air that lifted from them making his lips curl in disgust and eyes narrow at the fleeting thought that he might ever be like the beings that filled the streets with their noise and stench.

"Never, I am no better than they, but at least I possess the intelligence to lift myself out of the sewers."

He laughed softly, knowing his actions contradicted his words, that his intent to hunt would lead to the death of at least one occupant of those very streets he detested... Dark eyes flashing he moved closer, hovering over the roof tops and letting past excursions guide him, the knowledge that soon he would have to leave this city and find new hunting grounds a pleasant thought as his feet touched the garbage strewn street of the alley.

He had found his prey, a man and woman who were bent over a still form in the rear of the alley, their voices growing excited as they argued, their senses so dulled from living in the city they weren't aware of his presence until he stood between them and spoke softly.

"Have you NO pride? You bring your human prey down and squabble over it for the few baubles on it's still breathing form? FEED, you imbeciles, revel in the power and life in the blood you feast upon, then LIFT your forms from the stench!"

He spoke to the pair and sighed as they turned angry eyes towards him, distrust and greed flashing across their pales faces as they bared fangs and growled back at him.

"Leave US before we turn and take YOU down, outsider, then you will SEE what pride does, you may NOT need money to survive in this world but WE do!"

He sighed because of the too apparent youth of the pair of would be vampires, knew inexperience drew them to this place and brought out what was about to come next, the pair lunging at him, attacking him and expecting easy prey as they had found in the mortal on the street...

In seconds it was over, his own hands lifting to grip their throats and pin them to the concrete wall, his own incisors flashing as he ripped the throat from the male and drank deeply, then turned to the female and did the same for her... He drained them, focusing not on the foul taste of the undeads blood but the energies and memories it carried with it, his mind and body filling with it and giving him a false "high" as he dropped their headless corpses to the street and watched them turn to dust...

"What kind of human did you catch?"

His curiosity carried him to the form of the human, a well shaped pair of legs showing from under the hem of a torn dress, the front of it shredded and telling the intentions of the now deceased pair was to have some "fun" with the female before they took her blood. All of those details came in an instant, his mind sorting the memories of the pair he had fed upon, flashing before his eyes as if he were there and showing a face that he recognized... and gripped the wall for support as the name came to him....

"NO, It cannot BE, you are... No, it's NOT possible?"

He gathered his thought and turned swiftly to the now softly moaning form of the female, her hair carrying a tinge of blood but not enough to show she was hurt seriously, his fingers gentle as he brushed it aside and saw the source of the blood to be a pair of full lips and a tiny cut on her lower jaw...

"NO, you are NOT her, you are human..."

He lifted a finger to the cut, capturing a single drop of blood and moving it to his lips, the taste of it sweet and cloying, but carrying no presence of an immortal... Her eyes fluttered and then rolled, the knowledge she would soon awake reminding him of the primary rule in surviving, to never let a human, or humans know that a Vampire was anything more than just horror tales told to scare the young children and amuse the older adults... He should kill her, he thought, drain her blood and savage the wound, the other humans would blame their own kind and label her death another unsolvable homicide....

"Damn you Samantha, WHY do I carry your memories, knowing your body is long removed from this world? Can you not give me peace, at least, in that aspect?"

He should kill her but he would not, the face that lay in the tangled mass of hair reminded him of another, happier time and the creature who had made that time what it was.... He gathered her in his arms, then stopped as a small hand bag fell from her torn dress, his head shaking in wonder as he looked at it, then dropped it in a corner and lifted into the air to find the closest hospital.....

"Here, take HER... She was mugged and needs your help..."

Minutes later he handed the waking form of the woman over to a pair of orderlies, their objections stopped as he looked into each set of eyes and gently rolled their minds, his attention turning to the woman as they lifted her to a gurney and pushed it towards the glass doors that slid open for them. The pair slowed and one of the orderlies thought to turn and ask a question, his brow curling in confusion as he couldn't find the now absent figure of the vampire, his partner breaking that thought with terse words as he pulled the gurney and the female upon it into the corridor...

[DarkEmpress]

Her footsteps fell silently on the sidewalk as she made her way through the throngs of people to a bistro a few blocks from her home. She was meeting a bunch of friends for a bite to eat and a few drinks. A soft smile tugged at her expressive features in anticipation of the conversations that were bound to do the rounds at the table. They were a colourful bunch of people and she enjoyed their quirky company tremendously.

The wind toyed with raven black wisps of hair, forming a velvety mass of soft curls that fell to her waist, swaying in time with her hips as she moved at a relaxed pace. Violet blue eyes anticipating the movements of the crowd, were set in a naturally pale complexion and highlighted by a light blue dress that fell to just above her knees. It hugged her slender form as the light breeze playfully wrapped the soft material to her body to accentuate her form.

She turned into a quieter street and walked another two blocks before turning into a relatively deserted street. She was blissfully unaware of two pairs of eyes that were following her progress with marked interest. She came to a halt with a slight start as a female figure appeared in front of her, seemingly from thin air. “You startled me,” Alyssa said in a nervous voice, while she kept a smile plastered to her lips … not wanting to offend.

Alyssa stepped to the side, wanting to pass her when the female countered her step to block her progress once again. For the first time Alyssa noted the menacing expression that lingered in her dark eyes. A slight chill crept down her spine as she tried to push past her with a polite “Excuse me,” only to feel a pair of arms wrap around her in a vicelike grip. She was startled to realise that there was another … Alyssa had been completely unaware of his presence. Her eyes snapped to the dark ones of the female in front of her as fear quaked through her being, eliciting a predatory smile from her tormentor.

“Please … pl-please take whatever you want,” Alyssa pleaded as she squirmed in his arms, fear racing through her veins as her heart rate increased.
“We plan on doing just that,” the deep voice behind her whispered in her ear with an almost hypnotic timbre before he licked her earlobe, sending a horrified shudder down her spine.

She was squirming in earnest now … trying her damndest to free herself of his arms, but to no avail. The female took a step closer as her lascivious eyes devoured Alyssa. She let her hands trail across her body while her hand gripped Alyssa’s chin tightly between her forefinger and thumb, forcing Alyssa to look at her. “I am going to enjoy hearing your screams, as we suck the life out of you,” the female said with an expression that made it very clear that this was no idle threat.

A blood-curdling scream erupted from Alyssa’s lips as she kicked and fought for all she was worth. With a sickening lurch, her body was thrown through the air and into a concrete wall with a soft thud as she crumpled to the floor. The entire world drowned in a blur of voices and images as darkness slowly wrapped its arms around her … engulfing her in its dark clutches …

~~~~***~~~~

Alyssa could hear voices around her … lights flashing … as her mind slowly fought its way back to lucidity. She finally managed to pry her eyes open … only to quickly close them again as the world took a nauseating swirl around her. She groaned, her own voice sounding foreign to her. She could feel a warm hand squeeze her arm as a soft voice whispered, “Alyssa, honey are you okay?” The unmistakable voice of Mischka calmed her frayed senses immediately.

Alyssa mumbled some unintelligible sentence as the first stab of pain jarred through her mind. It felt as if her skull would split open from a throbbing pain that drummed through her senses.
“You’re alright, except for a nasty bump to the head. The doctors want to keep you overnight for observation,” Mischka said softly … close to Alyssa’s ear as she gently smoothed her fingertips across her forehead. Alyssa whimpered in response.

Alyssa’s eyes finally fluttered open and it took a few moments before she could focus her eyes on the pale features of Mischka. They had been friends since kindergarten, and she instantly felt a pang of guilt for causing her friend so much distress. “You gave us quite a fright,” Mischka said, smiling into her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Alyssa managed to say before her eyes fluttered shut … drifting off into a drug induced sleep.

[BLACK BART]

Hours passed and Mischka left as the soft voice announced over the intercom that visitors had to go and the figure outside the window moved inside quietly. Outside the half closed door the corridor hummed busily, figures pushing carts rushing simultaneously in a single direction as the soft voice changed to a harsher, more insistent one as it announced the location of the emergency.

Inside the tall figure stood quietly beside the sleeping woman, brushing her hair back with long, gentle fingers and looked critically at her face as he spoke to her while he regarded her with ebony eyes.

"This place is full of death small one, if you could see through my eyes it's a wondrous thing, the souls of the old and pained given release, to move on to a higher plane..."

He expected no reply and wasn't disappointed, his hand turning to stroke her cheek with the back of it, his emotionless face twitching as a past memory worked itself into the foreground of his mind as a smile curled across thin, pale lips.

"Rest safe mon petite, your body is strong and soul lies safely within, I promise you no harm will come once I've removed the memories of your attack."

His eyes moved to the door and it glided slowly to a close, then turned back as his caress moved from her cheek to those full, red lips and once again he spoke softly.

"Open your eyes little one, look into my own and find the peace you need and let me take the memories..."

He smiled as her eyes fluttered, her violet orbs moving side to side before finding his own obsidian pupils, his hand moving to gently hold the side of her face.

"You are safe little one, and in the care of your own kind, all you need to do is look into my eyes and forget...."

His smile remained soft and never left his face, his eyes shining dark in the relative gloom of the room and slowly he stepped into her mind to find the last events that brought her to the room she now lay in.

"Rest little one, let the past go and know it will not haunt or harm you, you have my word..."

He offered release with his promise, his hand warming against the heat of her flesh, his eyes softening as deep with her subconscious she accepted his promise...

In minutes it was over, the door floated open as the window closed, and once again a single, sleeping figure remained inside the room.

[DarkEmpress]

Alyssa’s eyes slowly fluttered open. The sun was streaming through the window, brightening the room around her. She felt disorientated … not knowing where she was or what day it even was … it was unsettling.

She looked down to find Mischka slumped over the bed next to her, asleep. A soft frown furrowed across her brow as she lifted her hand to let her fingers gently trail through her light hair. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment trying to remember … She remembered Mischka’s voice … her emerald eyes filled with so much worry … ebony eyes … smouldering and intense dark eyes …

“You’re awake!” Mischka’s voice interrupted her thinking.
Alyssa opened her eyes smiling down at Mischka. The movement made her wince as a slight pang of pain throbbed through her mind. She furtively let her fingers trail across her face as she found a bump just above her left temple and a small cut on her lower jaw. “What happened?” Alyssa asked as her eyes snapped back to Mischka.

“I don’t know,” she said as she pushed herself to her feet, hovering over Alyssa with a worried frown. “We were hoping that you would be able to tell us.”

“I don’t … remember,” she murmured as she closed her eyes, deep in thought. She could remember walking to the bistro, could recount her thoughts … the route she took. Everything was crystal-clear to a certain point and after that … a complete clean slate. Alyssa let her fingers trail across her entire body as she searched for any other injury or mark that could shed some light. She ran her hands up her arms and halted for a moment … she slowly pulled her sleeves up. There was distinct bruising on both her upper arms that resembled finger marks. Mischka looked in horror while Alyssa only frowned at it.

“That’s bizarre,” Alyssa murmured. She had no idea who had done that … and oddly, it did not bother her in the least.

~~~~***~~~~

The Doctor sent Alyssa home with strict instructions to take it easy. Mischka dropped her off and hovered for an hour before leaving. By then Alyssa had been completely exhausted and sank down on the couch almost immediately drifting off to sleep. She woke as the last rays of sunlight disappeared on the horizon and absently pushed herself up from the couch. Walking to the kitchen, she flicked on a light and pulled everything she needed from the fridge to make a ham sandwich.

A few minutes later Alyssa stood staring out the window at the streets below, slowly chewing on a bite of her sandwich. She walked herself through her memories of the previous night trying to find the missing pieces, but found nothing. The police had come to pay her a visit in the hope of her giving them any information as to what had happened to her. All she knew was that a tall man had carried her to the emergency room … and had handed her to two orderlies, who did not look closely enough at the man to be able to identify him.

The brief but startling image of a pair of dark eyes … intense … searching … played across her mind again. Who was he? She almost felt as if she was supposed to know.

On a spur of the moment, Alyssa grabbed a throw from her cupboard and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, the bright red colour dripping to her thighs. She made her way down to the lobby and pushed through the glass door onto the bustling sidewalk. Slowly and meticulously, she started retracing her footsteps of the previous night … hoping that it might spark something.

Finally coming to a standstill on a street corner, Alyssa stared at a building that had a smooth concrete surface … grey and dull in colour. A frown played across her expressive features … this was the last place she remembered. She looked around furtively, not finding any answers to the questions that were floating around in her mind.

[BLACK BART]

"You should be careful out here, I heard the other day there was an attack near here, it's terrible how the neighborhood has fallen apart, isn't it?"

He had tracked her as the sun dropped under the horizon, his eyes measuring the emotions that flitted across her pretty features and making him mentally wince as he recognized both confusion and a slight frustration that were there due to his actions. He wondered if it would have been better, to leave her with the memories of her attack, knowing she'd be aware of his "kind" as well...

"If you care to trust a stranger, I'll walk you back to your car?"

He feigned lacking the knowledge she had walked, wanting only to hear her voice and perhaps strike up a friendship based on trust, not past memories of a vicious attack.

"But then perhaps if I introduced myself... you wouldn't consider me a stranger?"

He offered, knowing she had no reason to trust him, or the area she was now in...

"My name is Talon, Talon Devries and I own a small curios shop near here called the Obsidian, you have nothing to fear from me, I promise."

[DarkEmpress]

Alyssa gasped with fright at the deep baritone voice that sounded as if it was right next to her. Her hand shot up to her throat … an instinctive move as she turned to find the stranger standing a mere pace or two away. “Yes … it is terrible,” she answered breathlessly.

His dark hair fell to his shoulders and he had his hands clasped behind his back … a tall figure, watching her with … Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes found his … intense ... dark and smouldering eyes. There was a genuine look of concern in their depths along with … curiosity?

"If you care to trust a stranger, I'll walk you back to your car?" His words snapped her from her reverie. For some bizarre reason Alyssa felt drawn to him. That is absurd! Her mind said to her in a tone of disdain. You do not even know the man!

It was as if he had read her exact thoughts at that moment. "But then perhaps if I introduced myself... you wouldn't consider me a stranger? My name is Talon, Talon Devries and I own a small curios shop near here called the Obsidian, you have nothing to fear from me, I promise," he said in that smooth baritone voice of his. For a moment, she thought she had seen a strange longing in his eyes … as if he desperately wanted her to accept.

“Alyssa Stephens,” she said softly, nodding her head in a greeting, not trusting herself to extend a hand. Truth be told his sudden appearance had startled her and something in the back of her mind was nagging her.

Whatever the situation might be, she was about to take him up on his offer … the thought of making her way home alone suddenly seemed to be a daunting task.

Alyssa absently let her fingers trail through her hair as she tucked a wayward strand behind her ear. “That would … I mean, if you don’t mind,” she stammered. It then suddenly dawned on her that she was not actually here in a car. An instant tinge of colour stained her cheeks as she hastily added … “oh, I am not here in a car … I walked.”

She held her breath without even realising, as she waited for his answer. Her mind then offered his words of the Obsidian … it was one of her favourite little shops. “You own the Obsidian … Talon?” she asked curiously, trying his name out … letting it roll from her tongue and onto her lips. It suited him.

[BLACK BART]

“Alyssa Stephens,”

He smiled and nodded, entranced by the woman before him, suddenly glad that he had interfered and she now was able to walk the streets again.

"It is a pleasure to meet you"

He watched her hand move, fascinated by her long, lean neck and the vein that pulsed under it as she tucked away the lustrous hair, her blush making him smile as she announced she was not only alone, but on foot...

“You own the Obsidian … Talon?”

Fascinated by her voice and how his name rolled off her full lips, his mind was flooded with images of her writhing underneath his own body, his name being screamed out in mixed passion and pain.

"I'm pleased you like it, since it is close and you are on foot, let's retreat to it's relative safety, shall we?"

He could sense others of his kind gathering on the roof tops, knew from the scent they gave off it wasn't just hunger, that the woman was in danger and though he was older than any and stronger, there were too many to be able to guarantee her safety for long out in the open.

"Please, trust me and take my hand?"

He offered his long fingers to her and smiled softly, as if he hadn't a care in the world, his face and poise relaxed despite the rapidly approaching danger...

Her hand was warm in his, and as they touched it was a shock, something about her own, hidden aura uncurled and wrapped itself around his own. He could feel it, just as the "others" could as well, and where it was exciting and erotic to Talon it sent a wave of fear and revolt through the ones above.

"Come, they serve the teas and coffees I smell on your wrap... I'll treat you to one and you will tell me more about you as new friends do, yes?"

[DarkEmpress]

"I'm pleased you like it, since it is close and you are on foot, let's retreat to it's relative safety, shall we? Please, trust me and take my hand?"

Alyssa looked at his offered hand for a moment ... why did it feel as if this was a life changing decision she was making right here, right now? With a slight frown, she lifted her violet blue eyes to his before she acquiesced to his offer reaching her hand out to his, “I would like that very much.” Alyssa gazed into his dark eyes … there was still something about them ... she could not quite put her finger on it...

The moment Talon touched her it felt as if an explosion of light reverberated through her body, rendering her slightly stunned for a fraction of a second. Alyssa’s eyes fluttered shut as she inhaled a sharp breath, her hand fitting into his as if it was a missing puzzle piece. She slowly opened her eyes, staring down at their hands before stealing a glance at Talon. If he had felt it, he did not show it at all.

Alyssa cleared her throat as she desperately tried to bring her senses under control, her eyes making their way back down to where her hand was wrapped in his. What was it about this man that seemed to call to her soul?

"Come, they serve the teas and coffees I smell on your wrap... I'll treat you to one and you will tell me more about you as new friends do, yes?"

Alyssa simply nodded, not able to find her voice yet. Talon lead the way as they retraced her steps back to the main road. It felt as if they were walking out of a war zone, the ominous feeling that seemed almost palpable slowly fading into the background as if they were increasing the distance from it with every step they took. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the crisp night air as they made their way to the Obsidian.

Once there, Talon held the door for her and Alyssa stepped inside, relishing in the familiar place she had visited so often before. Stealing a glance at Talon, she had a feeling she would be visiting more often...

Ordering a Chai Tea Latte, Alyssa took a seat on a comfortable couch and watched as Talon joined her. “There is not really much to tell about myself,” she said, smiling into his eyes. “I grew up in a small town, have a brother and sister both younger than me,” she paused to take a sip of her Latte as the waitress placed it in front of her, nodding her thanks. “mmmmm …” she murmured savouring the delicious spicy drink.

“I moved here when I was a student. Studied hard … partied hard,” she said with a slight blush as she grinned at him. “Found a job along with a small apartment … and that is basically that,” she said taking another sip.

“And you Talon Devries … tell me a little about yourself,” Alyssa asked.

[BLACK BART]

"A little about himself....."

What could he say?

"Of course Alyssa, I am an immortal, so old I've forgotten my true age and I prey on the weaker species called humans, draining them of their blood so can exist eternally and call myself superior"

He thought to himself and mentally struck that idea.... then grimaced.

"I'm no one, truly, simply a.... man, who doesn't want to see an innocent, such as yourself, hurt."

He spoke the words softly and looked to his own tea, lifting it to his lips to sip at it and study the woman next to him.

"I bought the shop from an old friend, something to ground me I was told, and come occasionally to enjoy a cup so this place serves as my mailbox...."

In case someone ever trusted him enough to want to reach him... or ask for help? What was he thinking? To engage in a relationship with anyone was dangerous, not as much for him as it would be the one associated with him....

"The tea, it is good though, yes? And the old books, they are filled with trivia that make one curios of the past..."

He had to sharpen up on his social skills, his attempt to change the subject was as clumsy as a bull in a china shop, and perhaps just as destructive.

"Let's finish and I shall call a car and see you home... shall we?"

It was best, he'd see her home and watch over her until dawn, at which point she'd be safe from his kind...

[DarkEmpress]

There was nothing simple about Talon. Everything about the man intrigued Alyssa … to the point where it was just too good to be true. No other man had ever been able to keep her attention quite like he did and Alyssa was hard pressed to pinpoint exactly why … it was bizarre!

"I bought the shop from an old friend, something to ground me I was told, and come occasionally to enjoy a cup so this place serves as my mailbox...."

Somehow, Talon seemed to fit here, it epitomised his personality … mysterious and yet so curious. The Obsidian was a place Alyssa loved visiting … a place she could lose herself in. She could never get tired of it and regarded it as a small reprieve from the world, her own personal hiding spot. Alyssa took a sip and felt the warmth of the spicy tea seep through her veins as she carefully inspected him from across the rim of her glass … mmmm, so many similarities, she thought.

His answer did strike as being slightly … odd. It was a bit offish, as if he was trying to avoid the topic. She was however, too polite to question him further and so simply let the topic drop. She would ask him at a later stage when he was not so … guarded?

"The tea, it is good though, yes? And the old books, they are filled with trivia that make one curios of the past..."

“The tea is absolutely more’ish,” Alyssa said as she took another sip, moaning appreciatively just to accentuate the point … blushing a little at her own spontaneity. Her eyes found their way to the bookshelves as she contemplated his comment. “They do,” she said as she pushed herself up from the couch and walked to one of the shelves, her eyes dancing across the titles with interest.

She relished in the knowledge that the titles seemed to be perfectly random, so unlike every other bookstore she had ever visited. The books spanned across a diverse collection of topics and seemed to originate from every corner of the globe. Some titles could be considered antiques in their own right and others were delightfully crisp and fresh. It was such an eclectic selection that proved to be thoroughly inviting and certainly added an extra ‘zing’ to the Obsidian.

"Let's finish and I shall call a car and see you home... shall we?"

Alyssa stole a glance at her watch. It was nearing one AM and she suddenly found herself wondering where the time had gone. She surveyed the shop and realised that they were the only two people left, besides the lady behind the counter who looked as if she was about to fall asleep on the counter.

“That is probably a good idea,” Alyssa said as she gave the lady an apologetic smile. Talon had barely called and a car stopped outside the store. They were both whisked off to Alyssa’s apartment block where they arrived a few minutes later.

There was however, a sense of urgency in the way that Talon moved. She noted more than once that he was surreptitiously looking around himself, as if there was something that he was aware of … that eluded her attention entirely. “Is something wrong?” Alyssa asked, frowning slightly.

[BLACK BART]

Talon was surprised.

Not by the ones that he felt growing closer, but the fact that Alyssa had picked up on his body language and ascertained from it that something was wrong...

"There are... others coming towards us."

He answered simply and watched Alyssa accept the news stoically.

"I would advise calling for help but I'm afraid it will be too late by the time the police arrive."

And that if they did arrive while the others were still there... it would be a massacre. He could sense three, and they were stronger than the ones he had dispatched, they would mow through twenty humans before they realized what was happening and then another fifty before the first immortal fell...

Still he couldn't tell Alyssa the full truth, by omitting the fact of vampires existing he protected her slightly, for now it was only one faction coming after her, if she were aware the immortals existed it could easily be the entire hoard.

"Perhaps it would be best if you moved indoors and turned on all the lights, I will call for help and make myself visible out here, if you don't mind? Once I am certain they are gone I will bid you a good night?"

It was the best plan he could conceive in such a short time, the three were soldiers no doubt and not want to cross paths with an unknown of their own kind, the best possibility would be they simply would try to out wait him and be forced to leave before dawn arrived, the worst being they would try to force their way past him. in which case he would be forced in return to deal with them.

"It will be alright, no doubt some hyped up addicts after a pretty face, I will discourage them and we will laugh at it over tea tomorrow."

He promised softly and lead Alyssa to her door, listened to the lock snap shut and then watched window after window of lights come on, none of it would slow them, but it made her a small bit more reassured, and that allowed Talon to do what he must. He walked into the tiny back yard and waited quietly, hours passing before the trio emerged from the darkness to ring him, the largest of the three quickly stating their intentions.

"We are here to remove the woman you are with, we will not harm you now if you simply step aside and allow us to complete our task, we have no quarrel with you."

Talon had no need to answer or time, the trio quickly attacked, and in seconds the back yard was a torn remnant of it's once quiet beauty and Talon clung to the corner of the home for several long minutes.

"All is well, I've talked them into leaving before the police arrive, you will be safe for the night, I promise"

Talon knocked quietly and announced through the screen door, his face smiling as he assured the woman it was over, then bid her a good night.

"That is what remains of it, the sun will rise in a few minutes and I must be on my way"

He nodded and moved into the dim light of the coming day, his stride gated but quick enough to carry him out of sight, to pause and rest a minute before moving on. His thoughts were on the woman and why the three tattooed vampires had come for her with the intention of killing her.

[DarkEmpress]

Alyssa sat huddled in the corner of her lounge on the floor, staring out at the garden … her eyes riveted on Talon. It was nearly three in the morning. Fear kept the adrenalin pumping as she sat hidden between the folds of the curtain from both the inside and outside. She had her cell phone on the floor next to her along with a baseball bat. If anything happened, she could call the police or at the very least try take someone’s head off, not that her aim was all that great … but they would not know that.

There were so many questions flying through her mind, the most pertinent being whether there was actually any danger. For all she knew, Talon could be a deranged axe murderer. It was not so much, what he said, but what he did not say … that made the blood in her veins run cold. Who were these people? How did Talon know them?

Alyssa dumped her head in her hands and tiredly smoothed her fingers across her eyes. He has been standing in her garden for the last three hours keeping a lookout … she was a virtual stranger to him. That should surely count for something?

An hour later, Alyssa was slowly nodding off having to fight to keep her eyes open. She woke with a start as her chin landed on her chest and in that moment of clarity saw three men appear in the garden, surrounding Talon. She jumped to her feet as her eyes widened in horror. She was dialling 911 and stood against the window pane, her other hand spread out across the cold glass.

All four figures blurred into motion, the altercation taking place in scant seconds. “911, what is your emergency?” Alyssa killed the phone call, unable to speak let alone think. One remained, the garden completely destroyed … and she found herself feverishly hoping it was Talon. He turned slightly, and she sighed with relief … he looked as if he was hurt.

Alyssa’s mind was reeling. What the hell had just happened? In her entire life, she had never seen anyone or anything move that fast. “…it will be too late by the time the police arrive,” Talon’s words rang through her muddled thoughts.

She watched him turn the corner and heard the soft rap on her door.

"All is well, I've talked them into leaving before the police arrive, you will be safe for the night, I promise. That is what remains of it, the sun will rise in a few minutes and I must be on my way."

Alyssa had opened the door with trembling fingers, he smiled as he spoke and she kept her features carefully schooled. “Thank you Talon,” she whispered and then watched him walk away. She stood staring at the spot where he had disappeared before slowly moving back to the window. As the sun crowned on the horizon a few minutes later … the three figures that were lying very still in the garden evaporated into dust …

She sank down to the floor and stared at the garden in absolute shock. Alyssa had no idea how long she had sat there … her mind slowly retracing everything that had happened … trying to make sense of it.

“…they serve the teas and coffees I smell on your wrap”

"There are... others coming towards us."

A tall man had carried her to the emergency room …

Intense … searching dark eyes …

She did not want to believe what her mind was screaming at her … it was impossible. Such things did not exist, they were rumours … old tales conjured to keep children safe at home at night. If it was true … and it was Talon, it would mean this was the second time he had saved her life.

Why?

She could not even bring herself to say the word … her mind could not fathom the possibility. She pushed herself up from the floor an hour later and lay down on the bed … staring at the ceiling with blind eyes. She must have fallen asleep some time later.

It was late in the afternoon when Alyssa’s eyes fluttered open. She was ravenously hungry as she stood and stretched. She precariously walked back to the window, hoping that it was all a bad dream … the wrecked garden stark proof of it. She stood for a moment staring out at the destruction before absently turning to make something to eat.

An hour later, she walked to the Obsidian. Pushing the door open, a little bell alerted the occupants of her arrival. “Is Talon here?” She asked the lady behind the counter. The friendly lady recognised her from the night before and gave her a warm smile. “No dear, he rarely comes in during the day.” Somehow, that comment did not surprise her.

“Thank you,” Alyssa simply said as she turned and made her way back to her place. She opened the door … and left it open, as she walked to the couch and sank down in it. She watched the sun disappear on the horizon and fixed her eyes on the door … waiting.

[BLACK BART]

The sun set and Talon rose, his body nearly, but not completely healed, the blow the last and most desperate of his opponents struck cutting across his arm and chest, another few inches and he would have been the one floating in the breeze...

He fed, then bathed, his mind on the woman he had fought for and still not having an answer as to why....

Why had he taken her side. Why was she being hunted. Was his intervention the first time as accidental as it seemed, or was she a pawn, being used to draw them both into something larger.... And finally, did she know what kind of monster he was?

The answers he realized, lie within her, and just as he had suppressed the memories he may now have to bring them back to the surface, his one thought protection having become a prison... for her, and him?

He moved into the night air and smiled, enjoying all the sensations even as he traveled swiftly, his body wrapped almost lovingly by the cool embrace of the air, his nostrils flaring as he deliberately detoured over a small park to breath deep of the cypress and juniper it contained. He was alive at that moment and thankful, the final bit of humanity remaining within him giving him the desire and drive to live. It was what kept him going, at least it had been the sole driving force, until he met Alyssa...

He touched ground at the edge of the park, walked the few remaining blocks to her home, his eyes flaring in worry as she saw the door wide open and no lights within, his senses expanding to search for the presence of "others", and when detecting nothing reaching into the house...

"You are well then?"

He stood quietly at the threshold and spoke, knowing Alyssa was within, his eyes picking up the glint of her own in the darkness and ears detecting the sudden increase in her heart beat. He sensed no hostility, only a wide mixture of emotions tinged with fear, his hands unclasping from behind his back to hover open palmed before him as he regarded the open door and the woman within, her silence the only thing preventing him from entering...

[DarkEmpress]

Alyssa was sitting with her feet on the couch, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin perched on her knees as she stared out the door. A silhouette finally appeared, illuminated by the silvery light of the moon. For a moment he did not say anything and even though there were no features to distinguish, she instinctively knew it was Talon.

"You are well then?"

“Yes, thank you,” she said softly. Alyssa was not sure whether she should be afraid of him ... he had given her no reason to be. After last night’s display however, she was not so sure anymore. Her survival instincts kicked in and she slowly pushed herself up from the couch, walking around it and coming to a standstill behind it, placing at least one more obstacle between them ... even though she knew it would probably serve no purpose other than putting her mind at ease.

“I am more worried about you,” she said, suddenly regretting the fact that there was no light burning. She could not see his expression ... a possible blessing in disguise?

“I ... ahm, was watching through the window last night,” she said very matter-of-factly as she kept her eyes glued to her hands, idly tracing patterns on the back of the couch. “It looked as if you were hurt,” she let the comment linger in the air for a moment.

“I don’t know ... what ... you are Talon, or why you even did that ... thank you,” she said lifting her eyes to his, appreciation shimmering in their blue depths.

Nervously biting down on her bottom lip, Alyssa started walking along the couch, the intense gaze she could sense from Talon making her uneasy. “Something happened to me two days ago ... I can’t remember, I think it was at the place where I met you yesterday,” she continued, feeling as if she was playing ‘connect the dots’ with someone who knew where the dots were going. “I have seen ... I remember your eyes,” she simply said as she came to a standstill looking back into the darkness, just able to distinguish the outline of his form.

“Yesterday ... when you took my hand, there was something ...” Alyssa stopped, as she turned ... the calmness slowly ebbing away to be replaced by apprehension and fear.

“Do I know you, Talon?” Alyssa asked in a shaky voice. “It feels as if something in the greater cosmos or a voice from a distant past is calling out to me ... trying to remind me of something that I should know. I only met you yesterday, but it feels so familiar ... so comfortable, as if ... somehow ... I’ve known you my whole life. It just doesn’t make sense,” she was unaware of the fact that she was gripping the couch until her knuckles went white.

[BLACK BART]

He listened.

To her words.

To her voice.

And more important perhaps, to the words she didn't say.

She suspected but wasn't ready to give up her old beliefs.

She trusted, but barely, ready to flee, to hide from what he might be, a threat to her carefully arranged sanity.

She was scared, confused, but wanting answers... and perhaps brave enough???

He had no right to give her those answers, knowing what it would do, how it would involve her with his kind, but then there was more to it, they had attacked her, not once, but twice... for what reasons?

Perhaps she was already involved? And by trying to protect her, by blocking her memories he had made things worse, not better?

"I am, if you will it, your friend, Alyssa"

He would proceed slowly, step by step, if nothing else she deserved the truth.... If and when she was ready for it...

"We met the first time, a few days before, as you were attacked, the first time... I brought you to the hospital and once you were in good hands, left... When I saw you in the alley I was curious of your health, it seems your body has recovered but your memories?"

He gave the smallest bit of her forgotten past, enough to link him and perhaps show his good intentions, but then that too could be twisted if she did not have the truth.

"The men.... creatures of the night, that came last night? They wished to kill you. I sensed it in them and chose to make myself, once again, a part of your life. It is a forbidden act, for I am like them, not human... and to make myself known to you is a death sentence..."

The smallest of steps... His mind was on her but elsewhere, expanding through the night, across the streets and down, into the air and even into the soil below, checking for eyes and ears that could hear.... IF they were close enough....

"There are times in our lives where we must choose... Choose to believe what is in our heart, not our mind, to lay down beliefs of what is supposed to be and simply accept the what is...."

How each did exactly that was entirely different. Some simply shrugged and let it happen, others went nearly insane trying to deny it, while others talked themselves through it in an intelligent way....

"I am afraid for you Alyssa, what has happened before has reasons, your being attacked, and unless we discover those reasons I fear it will only become more dangerous for you..."

[DarkEmpress]

Talon’s words were milling around in her mind. Every new revelation, every added statement was made with a pause between … as if he wanted the words to sink in before the next round of softly spoken words siphoned into the air.

“attacked, the first time...”

Alyssa took a step back as her fingertips flitted across the small cut on her jaw. Talon was there, he had been the one that delivered her into the care of the emergency room. His dark and searching eyes flitted through her memories once more. “You were there,” she whispered.

“They wished to kill you.”

Alyssa took another trembling step back, as her eyes slowly darkened with fear. They wanted to kill her? “Wh-why, do they … want me dead?” she asked as her breath shuddered past her lips. Fear quaked through her being. To her knowledge she posed no threat at all ... up until yesterday she never even considered the existence of such creatures. She was racking her brain trying to think of a possible reason but coming up empty ... she wouldn’t even last a minute against any of them...

“not human...”

Another step back and she felt the cold wall behind her. Alyssa flattened herself against the hard surface and shook her head in disbelief. She had witnessed the fight last night … had seen them move … was standing in the garden a few minutes ago inspecting the destruction. It cannot be real … everything that Alyssa had believed her entire life cannot be a lie. “It is impossible,” she mumbled to herself.

“to make myself known to you is a death sentence..."

She lifted her eyes to Talon, a look of shock manifesting on her features. It was bad enough that she had a bull’s eye painted on her back for unknown reasons but it was worse that he had put himself in danger for her. “You have signed your own death warrant … by helping me?” Alyssa asked incredulously. “You should have left me Talon...” she said very quietly, the thought that her very existence had put his life in jeopardy was something she could not fathom. Why would he do that?

Alyssa lifted a shaking hand to her hair as she nervously flitted her fingers through the silken strands before dropping her hand back to her side. Her outward calm belied the fact that her mind was racing ... her heart thrumming in her chest. There was only one question left to ask, and she was not too sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

She drew a shuddering breath and in a shaky voice...

“What ... are you Talon?”

[BLACK BART]

“You have signed your own death warrant … by helping me? You should have left me Talon...

He smiled at her concern for his own well being, knowing the only thing stronger than the desire to live in a vampire was his honor... it simply wouldn't have been right to let her die...

“What ... are you Talon?”

He cringed deep inside, knowing that he was about to lose the heroes title she had just given him, but also knowing she deserved the truth as she now asked for...

"I am a vampire"

He could have added a thousand other descriptions, tried to defend his own kind, or gentled his answer in a dozen different ways...

And in the process confused the hell out of Alyssa as well as made her even more confused and terrified.

He stood outside of her home and looked inward, the cool breeze of the night calling to him, the worry for her holding him where he was. He knew his own kind, they wouldn't attack again too quickly, they always preferred to take their time, gather facts and create a dozen different plans to debate which one would be the best to use next.

"You will be safe for the time being, until they form a new plan, I will try to find the answers we both need before then."

She was from a different world then he was, one he had no right to impose on even inside the privacy of his own thoughts, and certainly not in the real world...

It was the absolute rule, the bottom line truth, and deep in his heart he knew the reasons for it and agreed with them, and it saddened him... knowing he'd never allow himself to find the happiness a woman like Alyssa could bring...

"Until then it seems best that I leave"

[DarkEmpress]

"I am a vampire"

His words slammed into Alyssa leaving her stunned. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a petrified little voice whispered … r u n

Everything she knew about vampires came crashing into her mind conjuring horrible images that her imagination artfully combined with the spectacle she witnessed the night before … painting an exceptionally vivid picture of horror.

Talon will not harm you, she kept telling herself like a mantra. He saved your life … twice. Alyssa slowly lifted her ice, blue eyes to stare at the man that stood like an angelic grim reaper outside her front door … she knew those words were a lie. All it would take was one, solitary fraction of a second … in which he lost control and succumbed to his primal instincts … Just …

One

Alyssa closed her eyes tightly as she vehemently tried to push her crippling fear to the back of her mind. Fate had arranged for her to live another day and this man … vampire, had been thrown in her life for a reason. She had to believe that.

"Until then it seems best that I leave"

“No don’t,” the words tumbled from her lips as she took a step forward, holding her hand up in the air as if to stop him. A light of determination flickered in her eyes as she willed her feet to move, taking small steps towards him. “Please don’t go … I don’t want you to go,” she said as she rounded the couch and walked towards Talon.

She haltingly came to a standstill two paces away from him and lifted a trembling hand in silent invitation. The moment they had touched the day before she knew he would change her life. Alyssa could feel the silent promise in the space between them.

“Stay,” she whispered.

[BLACK BART]

He watched her body stiffen at the words, could smell the fear form on her skin as her eyes widened then darted to different corners of her house as she seemed to plan the fastest escape route and he knew what would follow...

He had experienced it before, the level headed person knew when they faced the truth and had the presence of mind to set aside old beliefs only to run when faced with perceived danger.... while the weaker minded denied loudly and either attacked or broke and ran....

He could literally see the fear as it moved off of Alyssa in waves, knew her will and sanity was being tested and felt shame in his own mind at his part in all of this, but knew it had been unavoidable.... he couldn't have walked away from her the first time, just as he couldn't now if she were in danger...


His words had been offered as a courteous way for her to retreat, to show he meant her no harm if she doubted his earlier promise, and as she replied it was his own turn to be surprised at the turn of events...

“No don’t,

He stood tall and still, watching her hand move as if to dismiss the idea of his leaving and when she moved slowly towards him he was amazed at her courage and her grace...

Please don’t go … I don’t want you to go,”

Still, he consoled himself, she'd find an excuse, some event she had forgot that would allow that graceful exit and remove him from her porch... and her life... it was again a surprise when she lifted her hand and paused before him, her eyes meeting his as she spoke a final word that seemed to boom and echo through her home...

“Stay,”

He lifted his own hand as if in a dream, watched it float upwards from under and towards her own, his palm wide open as it slipped between her fingers then rested there waiting for her to pull away... while hoping with all his might she wouldn't.

He lifted her hand, lowering his head and lips to kiss the back of it gently, then raise his eyes to hers to smile as he spoke.

"You're an amazing woman Alyssa, it seems we've much to learn about each other, doesn't it?"

[DarkEmpress]

“Yes it does,” she said as she looked down at her hand that was resting in his … the skin on the back of her hand still tingling where his lips had touched her. His hand was so cold … Alyssa reflexively wrapped both her hands around his in an attempt to warm it.

She belatedly realised the futility of her actions as a soft blush crept up on her cheeks. Feeling self-conscious, she dropped Talon’s hand and then walked to the kitchen, hoping that a huge gaping hole would appear beneath her feet that would swallow her whole and save her from her own embarrassment.

“Would you like anything to drink? Coffee?” She asked in her stride. Alyssa was so focussed on avoiding another blunder that she inadvertently – made another one. She stopped dead in her tracks as she dumped her head in her hands. “Ugh,” the slight groan echoed from her lips as the blush on her cheeks deepened.

She spun around and gave him a genuine apologetic look. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve never entertained a … vampire before,” she said as she half bounced to her toes and back down onto her heels, straightening her arms and fidgeting with her clothes. “Wooould you like … to watch a movie?” She asked smiling brightly at him.

Before she even made it to the television, a very familiar voice spoke from the front door.
“Hey Alyssa, how are you?” Mischka said as her bursting mane of blonde hair appeared in the front door. “Oh … I’m sorry,” she amended as she noted the tall man standing just inside the door. “How rude of me, my name is Mischka,” she introduced herself without batting an eye and then promptly walked up to Talon and threw her arms around him, giving him a warm hug.

Alyssa had to stifle a laugh. Mischka certainly knew how to break the ice. Talon’s response was classic.

“Hi Mischka,” Alyssa said as she watched her friend walk over to greet her in the same manner.
“I was in the neighbourhood and I thought I’d pop in to see how you are doing, feeling alright?” She asked as she gave Alyssa a thorough ‘look’ from top to bottom. Alyssa gave her a knowing glance, Mischka lived clear across town … she drove out here specially.

“Oh, I can’t help that I worry,” Mischka defended herself with a mischievous grin.
“I appreciate it,” Alyssa said as she gave her another hug.

Satisfied, Mischka walked into Alyssa’s kitchen and placed a bag of shopping on the counter. Alyssa shot a wayward smile in Talon’s direction trying to warn him … Mischka was like a whirlwind. She never stopped talking and she loved to cook and visit.

Alyssa pulled up a chair at the kitchen counter and motioned for Talon to join her as Mischka assumed control of Alyssa’s kitchen. She proceeded to bring a pot of water to the boil for some or other Italian dish that she wanted to share with them. True to form, a glass of red wine materialised for each as Mischka chattered incessantly.

Alyssa often indulged in Mischka’s free-spirited nature and her warm and unassuming way. More times than she cared to remember, she had landed up laughing so much that it hurt … but Mischka had been with her every step of the way, and Alyssa loved her dearly.

Her eyes were glistening as she caught Talon’s eyes, tipping her glass in his direction in a silent toast before she took a sip.

How bizarre life could be. She was sitting in her kitchen with her best friend cooking dinner to a vampire who would probably not eat it. She couldn’t help but laugh.

[BLACK BART]

“Would you like anything to drink? Coffee?”

It was obvious Alyssa was flustered, but then that was almost a relief, how often did a human invite an immortal into their home and live, after all?

"No Thank You, I enjoy the taste but..."

He gently deferred and tried not to smile as he watched the blush spread across her face and neck, his mind wondering if it spread below...

“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve never entertained a … vampire before,”

"It's alright... It's been a long time since I've come calling on...."

The way she moved and how she tugged at her clothes, it did interesting, exciting things to the body underneath.... and made it, for some reason, difficult to focus on the threat outside...

"Such a beautiful... female... human?"

“Wooould you like … to watch a movie?”

He returned her smile, knowing that in her present state she'd hear little of what he said, the newness of a creature like him needing to wear off a bit before it all began to register clearly. He watched her bounce across the floor, wondering if she really wanted to watch the TV or use it as a distraction while she tried to cope, the voice that called out before another female entered almost a welcome relief from having to face pretending interest in a box that spewed false realities and endless assaults upon ones sanity in the form of commercials.

And suddenly he had a second woman touching him, pressing her body against him as she rattled off a greeting, then whirring away to begin unpacking a grocery bag, leaving him flat footed and tongue tied...

He watched the two women closely, not needing to be told they were close friends, that much obvious by the looks they gave each other when they thought he wasn't looking as well as the easy banter between them as he took the offered seat and then his glass of wine at which he sipped at.

It was interesting, to say the least, to watch the pair interact and see how humans in general lived when not threatened, something he had never witnessed or thought possible, his own experience with their kind extremely limited in the past few hundred years...

The food smelled delicious and the wine, though not blended with blood was easy to palate as well, his eyes moving over the pair of women as he relaxed and smiled inwardly at the idea of him being a threat to either Alyssa or Mischka, unless that threat were in the bedroom... So he did what he did best, settle back and become as invisible as possible, letting his senses expand outside of Alyssa's home while he listened and watched the pair of beautiful, young women inside...

[DarkEmpress]

Dinner had been a spectacular event and they had remained seated around the kitchen counter while Mischka put her things together.

To say that Mischka was curious, was an understatement. She stood behind the fridge, obscuring herself from Talon’s view and then she rolled her eyes at Alyssa. “Who is he?” she mouthed the question.

Alyssa lifted her wine glass and rested it against her cheek, letting her hair cascade across her shoulder … hiding her face from Talon. She in turn gave Mischka a teasing smile and mouthed, “Long story.”

Mischka snorted in a very unladylike fashion and threw Alyssa a sceptical glance before she appeared back in Talon’s view with a friendly smile. She slung her handbag across her shoulder and then walked around the counter to give Talon a warm hug. “Pleasure meeting you Talon,” she said and then walked to Alyssa, giving her best friend a bear hug. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said conspiratorially, noting the blush that crept up on Alyssa’s cheeks.

“Thank you Mischka,” Alyssa said and then watched her friend disappear into the night.

She was insanely aware of exactly where Talon was at all times.

Alyssa slowly turned around and levelled her gaze on him, a thoughtful expression lingering on her features. She crossed her arms across her chest and lightly swayed from side to side as she tilted her head. So … he drinks wine and he eats a little bit of food, she said to herself as she wondered what else she didn’t know about vampires …

Suddenly, Alyssa took a step forward and grabbed Talon’s hand, and then unceremoniously dragged him to a couch. She nearly pushed him into the chair and then took a seat next to him, facing him with her legs pulled up against her as she perched her head on an elbow, staring at him.

“So … how old are you? I mean … where are you from?” God there were too many questions flying around in her head. “Tell me everything,” she blurted out and then blushed. “If you don’t mind … that is,” she added sheepishly. He was gorgeous … and goddamn sexy … and even if she tried, she wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes off him, much less reign in her curiosity.

[BLACK BART]

He had, to his surprise, enjoyed the dinner with the two ladies and the striking differences in personalities, the conversation moving quickly from subject to subject, most of them which he had no clue what thet were talking about and instead of proving it gave him time to sample the many flavors in the food and of course the wine...

One notable subject they never discussed of course was him and his being there with Alyssa, though his intuition and the curious looks Mischka gave him were proof the woman was more than ready to broach the subject and it gave Talon a smile as he wondered what her face would look like if he broke tradition and told her the truth?

The dinner ended much too quickly, the ladies voices carrying easily to his ears, and Talon's faith in Alyssa not sharing his "secret" was confirmed as she avoided Mischka's questions with two simple words....."long story..."

"It was a pleasure meeting you as well, perhaps another time?"

He bowed at the hip and smiled, watching the two women say thier own goodbyes and knowing what it had cost his host to keep the knowledge of who and what he was away from her friend... It was the curse of his kind, so afraid of being the hunted instead of the hunters, they had sworn an ancient pact to keep thier very existence a secret and kill all outside of them who might discover.... Carrying that secret was a heavy burden... and when tried it eventually created more trouble than it was worth.

"I hope I have not created a rift between you two?"

He softly apologized as she turned and approached, her manner sending not unpleasant tingles up and down his spine, the look on her face and eyes as well as even her manner changing as she pulled him to and seated them both on her couch.

“So … how old are you? I mean … where are you from?.....Tell me everything, If you don’t mind … that is,”

He smiled softly and relaxed into his seat, one arm over the back of it and the second laying on his thigh as he studied her profile...

"Telling you everything will take more than one evening.... I was born in the year 910 A.D., a tiny village off the east coast of what we now call France..."

He watched her do the math in hear head, her eyes flaring at the result and he chuckled softly, enjoying the expressions on her pretty face and how she moved on top of the couch.

"I was born as everyone was, lived with my mother... father... sisters and a brother... we farmed, grew our own food, made our own clothes, fished from the sea.... My comprehension of the world around limited to how far I could walk or swim... I grew and one day moved from my parents home to one of my own, raising cattle, crops... until one day soldiers came and "recruited" me by burning the home I had built and my crops... they were generous though and spared my parents, so in gratitude I went with them and learned the "art" of killing, became quite adept at it, until one evening we attacked the wrong village and found ourselves in the midst of a clan of Vampires who had just woke..."

He smiled at the memories from long ago, the events still vivid in his mind, how young and naive he had been, foolish enough to think he'd live forever...

"I died that night at the age of thirty one and was reborn to find myself in the arms of a woman who thought me "pretty" enough to keep me a plaything... and thus my immortality began.."

He paused and ran his hand across his thigh, his eyes running across her face and upper body, returning to her eyes which met him curiously and made him laugh softly again.

"If you ever meet another of my kind NEVER look into the eyes, they will use it against you by mesmermizing you and from there..."

Again her eyes flew wide and again he smiled, wanting to touch her in reassurance but knowing he had to move slowly in this new found friendship...

"Rest easy lass, I will not take advantage of you, I am here as your guest and thus am bound by my honor.... Not do me the same favor and tell me of you? How old are you, where were you born and what do you do?"

[DarkEmpress]

Alyssa listened to his words, enraptured by the timbre of his voice. It was quite hypnotic. She could just sit and listen to him speak the rest of the week and never get tired of the sound. He was quite simply … enticement, excitement and curiosity all wrapped up in one. She could easily start a pet project called ‘the great discovery of Talon Devries’ and explore every part of his mind … body. Alyssa blushed as she quickly averted her gaze, taking a deep breath.

Pull yourself towards yourself Alyssa, she chided herself as she levelled her azure eyes on him again.

"If you ever meet another of my kind NEVER look into the eyes, they will use it against you by mesmerising you and from there..."

Alyssa’s eyes widened as she quickly looked away again. It was not so much what he said but what he didn’t say. Her curiosity got the better of her though as she glanced back at him again … mesmerised …? As quickly as he had made the revelation, he changed the subject and Alyssa sat staring at him like a gaping fish, trying to formulate words … thoughts even.

“I ehhh … I am twe-twenty five,” she stuttered and then grimaced at herself. Good lord Alyssa, the man will think you don’t know your own age. She grinned at him sheepishly and then shifted a little to get more comfortable.

“I grew up in a small town in the middle of nowhere and my parents thought it wise to send me to the big city to enrich my mind in the world of microbiology. I have found a job not so far from here actually, and am still busy paying off my student loan.” Alyssa grabbed a scatter cushion as she folded her legs beneath her, placing it in her lap … fingers idly tracing along the embroidered pattern. She gazed at Talon pensively for a moment. She certainly did not have as much to share with him as he had ... her life seemed rather trivial in comparison.

Alyssa's mind was still hung up on his earlier statement though.

She suddenly pushed herself up on all fours and leaned in close to Talon, staring into his eyes … tilting her head to the side.

“Mesmerised?” she asked as she inspected his eyes carefully. “You can’t say something like that Mister Talon Devries and not expect me to be curious,” she prodded him. “You have to explain …”