Forgotten Promises - Setting/OOC/Casting Call

While Uriah was explaining about “The Thing” that had been attached to her neck, Molly could only stand beside him and try to absorb his outrageous words. She kept on shaking her head, mumbling, “No ...no...OK...OK for god's sake it's going to take me awhile for it all to sink in. Before today, my world was normal can you just give me a break?”

He gave her a minute before giving her the news,

“Jimenez is dead. He lost his head to one of the last men with machetes. He died saving the kids, so make sure you tell the officers that. Go make your report. Explain it as you will to the police. Many of them will be looking for a rational explanation too. I suggest you give it to them, like you would have this morning, else be thought…crazy.”

Molly's hand went up to her mouth, her eyes became moist, “I...I didn't know.....I was just getting to know him ...and I liked him.” She tried to get a hold of her emotions before continuing, Yes, I will make sure everyone knows he died a real hero saving the kids.” She paused before adding, “And my report will give a rational explanation because I want to get these bastards for what they have done.”

Uriah paused before going on,

“If you want to know the truth........ Molly could only stare as her words were thrown back at her, she saw fire now at the casual way Uriah slowly walked away from her, (What the hell is this guy?)

Molly watched him walk into the crowd her curling her lip just before she shouted,

“Not so fast buster, I want answers and I want them now!”

In less then thirty seconds she was at his side, still running slightly to match his long strides. Her anger taking over, as her green eyes flashed up at Uriah,

“You owe me an explanation and I am not leaving your side til I know what is going on here and where I fit in all of it.” When he looked down at her, she continued with her tirade,

OK...OK..I believe you...there is supernatural beings running around the city. I remember what my Granny told me by the firelight. Now I want to know what or how much of it is true.

Breathing heavily from talking and running at the same time, Molly grabbed Uriah's arm to slow him down. There it was again, the emotion or power flowing from his arm into her hand and up into her body. Her grip became stronger as she questioned him,

“You can begin first by telling me why when I touch someone, I feel their emotions followed by an increase of strength.”

Iscaa said:

While Uriah was explaining about “The Thing” that had been attached to her neck, Molly could only stand beside him and try to absorb his outrageous words. She kept on shaking her head, mumbling, “No ...no...OK...OK for god's sake it's going to take me awhile for it all to sink in. Before today, my world was normal can you just give me a break?”

He gave her a minute before giving her the news,

“Jimenez is dead. He lost his head to one of the last men with machetes. He died saving the kids, so make sure you tell the officers that. Go make your report. Explain it as you will to the police. Many of them will be looking for a rational explanation too. I suggest you give it to them, like you would have this morning, else be thought…crazy.”

Molly's hand went up to her mouth, her eyes became moist, “I...I didn't know.....I was just getting to know him ...and I liked him.” She tried to get a hold of her emotions before continuing, Yes, I will make sure everyone knows he died a real hero saving the kids.” She paused before adding, “And my report will give a rational explanation because I want to get these bastards for what they have done.”

Uriah paused before going on,

“If you want to know the truth........ Molly could only stare as her words were thrown back at her, she saw fire now at the casual way Uriah slowly walked away from her, (What the hell is this guy?)

Molly watched him walk into the crowd her curling her lip just before she shouted,

“Not so fast buster, I want answers and I want them now!”

In less then thirty seconds she was at his side, still running slightly to match his long strides. Her anger taking over, as her green eyes flashed up at Uriah,

“You owe me an explanation and I am not leaving your side til I know what is going on here and where I fit in all of it.” When he looked down at her, she continued with her tirade,

OK...OK..I believe you...there is supernatural beings running around the city. I remember what my Granny told me by the firelight. Now I want to know what or how much of it is true.

Breathing heavily from talking and running at the same time, Molly grabbed Uriah's arm to slow him down. There it was again, the emotion or power flowing from his arm into her hand and up into her body. Her grip became stronger as she questioned him,

“You can begin first by telling me why when I touch someone, I feel their emotions followed by an increase of strength.”

Click to expand...

He staggered when she grabbed him. The power flowed out of him as if his femoral artery was severed and it was blood…then it stopped as he caught his equilibrium.

He regained his footing, took a breath and looked her in the eye. “Magic. Is. Real. That’s what you just felt. “

He leaned in close, speaking in a whisper. “That power. That heat. That feeling you have right now…feels like you just got a good fucking, doesn’t it? Like you are standing over the body of your slain foe, looking down on it, wanting to shout to the sky in victory? Feels good…

That’s the magic, baby…And it’s all around you. Hidden in plain sight, yet never seen. People who say they know about it are locked up as nut-jobs because normal people do not believe them…and others who know want to keep it secret.

This shit today, it’s just going to be accounted for as those guys being part of a gang of drugged out people who had some bad ganja, then went voodoo nuts. You’re a fucking hero, first day on the job. Congratulations. You get a pretty fucking medal, a new training officer, plum assignment, and will be told that everything’s alright.

You are a fucking hero, don’t get that taken away from you with all this shit. You saved those kids…but that was a side show.

That binding on all the men, someone set this up. Same someone who killed that werewolf under the overpass last night and sent out that seeking.”

He paused, backing away.

He took out a cigarette, held it in his hands, looked at it for a second, then put it in his mouth. He didn’t use a lighter or a match, but it was lit…

Speaking louder, but still softly, “Yeah, the guy last night…the body, he was a werewolf. The reason you felt the seeking so strongly as you looked at it was because it was looking for you. I think the reason he used the werewolf is because you have some werewolf in your bloodline way back when."

He took a long drag on the smoke, then continued.

“You got an interesting history in your family. You probably don’t know it, but it makes you special. Not superman special…more like ‘The Omen’ special.”
She blanched.

“I didn’t say you were the daughter of Satan. Relax.” He said at her expression.

He had met the daughter of Satan in 1893, then again in 1915. Nice girl. Well…for someone who’s Father is the Devil…Spent a weekend in Paris with her the first time. The second time, in WWI, she tried to kill him and almost succeeded. But that was war…Sigh.

She was now running a Law Firm in Washington, D.C. that specialized in lobbying Congress.

“You are…unique.” He said. “Through happenstance, some very interesting relationships in the past put you in a position to have a very unique lineage which makes you valuable to people on the spooky side.”

Molly loosened her grip and then let go when she saw Uriah stagger but it didn't make her back down. She had had enough of getting the run around. She was now willing to listen, really listen to what this strange man had to say. Her eyes widened as he talked about power and how
good it felt. Yes...nodding in agreement. ( That is what I've been feeling when I touch someone...power!) She smiled slightly as she remembered how she felt just seconds ago with Uriah.

Refocusing on him, Molly listened as he explained the rest, it wasn't as reassuring not in the least bit. Covering up the real drama, well that just didn't sit well with her. Her mouth became grim as she listened and knew that was the way it had to be. She sighed as she took all of this in, muttering under her breath,

“Fuck what a screwed up world....”

Then he started on the bad stuff, the scary stuff, Molly didn't really want to hear, but knew she had better pay attention. It was time she woke up and smelled the coffee. When he paused she relied softly,

“I am glad I was there to save those boys, but why did whoever is behind this have to try and take down innocents?”

She shook her head as she watched him light his cigarette without a match mumbling as she waved her hand to brush the smoke away,

“Geezzz....another smoker in my face!”

Uriah just continued on, going to the part about the werewolf and Molly's connection, blowing smoke in her direction. She was about to step back but instead put her face up closer,

Wait, you think I have werewolf in my blood?”

All she could do was to slowly shake her head as he spilled the rest of the news to her. Once he finished Molly was able to take a deep breath and tried to calmly inquire,

“So....how do we find out my whole background...meaning what else is there in my heritage besides werewolf and I don't want to be some kind of special “Omen” type of person! Your totally freaking me out!”

She stood there for a few minutes letting this all sink in, ( what about my brothers? Do they have this in them too? Oh ....Wow!)

Molly took another big breath, and asked Uriah;

“Can we go for a drink? I think I feel like getting really really falling down drunk after what you just laid on me.”

“I don’t think you have werewolf in your blood. I know you have that, and more.” He stubbed out the smoke, then threw the butt into a puddle of water.

“Yeah, you look like you need a drink. Unfortunately, you also got a job to do, so get your shit together, get on over to your superiors and start the post-shooting dance with the police. I’m sure Chou has everything in the bag by now, but one thing you are going to learn, and learn fast, is that no matter how weird or freaky, those people don’t get to know it, so you can’t go ditching your life simply because something spooky happens to you today.”

He walked over to the senior people taking over the crime scene and identified himself. Molly did the same. Each was taken aside separately, given the speech about how they had to cooperate or be fired (not that he was actually working for the police, but appearances…) and weapons checked.

His was not fired, and he was left with his weapon.

Molly’s gun was taken, but she was given a replacement at the scene by an investigator. Unfortunately, it was not a 1911 like she was used to carrying, but a .357 Magnum revolver with a 2 inch barrel. The investigator saw her expression as he gun was taken and she looked at the replacement, and said to her, “Them’s the breaks, kid. Welcome to the LAPD…I want that back. I’ve had work done to it, and I’m not selling it.”

The older guy gave her a pair of speed loaders and a box of extra ammo, then told her to pick up her gun from Internal Affairs when they were done with it. Given the nature of the shooting, it would be fast, just a few days. Maybe less.

Chou walked by Molly, looked down and said “Nice gun. I didn’t know they still made those…OH, Caplain must have given you a replacement…he’s loaned that out to a lot of people over the years.” She motioned for it, and Molly opened the cylinder, took out the ammo, made sure she had all 6 rounds, and passed the gun to Chou.

She checked it again, closed the cylinder, then dry-fired the gun once.

“Nice piece. It has history to it.” She hefted it for a second, then opened it and handed it back to Molly who loaded it, closed it and returned it to her waistband, not having a holster for it.

Chou said “So. You and the Mage had The Talk?”

Molly listened to Uriah with a growing dislike for his hard boiled attitude she watched him walk away thinking, ( good riddance, he doesn't have to treat me like a numbskull.” As she followed him over to the senior people she muttered,

“Thank god I don't have him as my partner.”

She soon was caught up in the procedure with the speech and guns. When she was handed the .357 Magnum, she sighed, she had seen and handled one before while in training. She didn't like them back then and she wasn't going to like it any better now. When the investigator said,

“Them's the breaks, kid. Welcome to the LAPD...I want that back. I've had work done on it, and I'm not selling it.”

She nodded her head at him and replied,

“No worries, I'm not buying.”

The older guy shoved the rest of the equipment for the Magnum into her hands telling her she probably would get her gun back in a few days. She thanked him and was about to walk away when Chou walked by and commented on her gun. Molly felt like saying if you like these things so much take it, but just emptied it and handed it over to her to look at. Once she was done with it Molly reloaded it and stuck it in her waistband. She thought that Chou was going to walk on, but surprised her by saying,

“So. You and the Mage had The Talk?”

For a reply Molly scowled.

“If that was The Talk, I have more questions now then I had before. He sure knows how to rub a person the wrong way.”

She looked up at Chou, wondering just how much she could trust her, but realized, she had better trust someone, otherwise she was really out on a limb. She sighed before asking,

“Are you willing to take some time after I am done with my report and fill me in on what I can expect and how to deal with whatever is going down?”

While Molly waited for Chou to respond, she looked her over to see if she could tell what the hell she was.

Iscaa said:

For a reply Molly scowled.

“If that was The Talk, I have more questions now then I had before. He sure knows how to rub a person the wrong way.”

She looked up at Chou, wondering just how much she could trust her, but realized, she had better trust someone, otherwise she was really out on a limb. She sighed before asking,

“Are you willing to take some time after I am done with my report and fill me in on what I can expect and how to deal with whatever is going down?”

While Molly waited for Chur to respond, she looked her over to see if she could tell what the hell she was.

Click to expand...

She nodded, then told the lead officer she was taking Molly back to the station. The officer saw she was new, and figured "What the hell." and let her off duty after a hard first day.

Chou commandeered Jimenez's squad car, and proceeded back to headquarters.

As they were driving, the sun came out. It was barely 10:30 AM

"I assume the Mage told you of our world?" She said.

Molly nodded.

Chou looked over at her. "You are of our blood. At least a little...as well as that of others. I smell it...the earth of the Fae, the corruption of blood drinkers..." her eyes narrowed at the mention of the vampires.

"Your bloodline marks you as the nexus between 5 races. Fae, Vampyr, Witch, Garou...and, of course, B'nei Adam."

"B'nei Adam?" Moolly asked

"It's hebrew. You are of the children of Adam. Man." Chou replied. "Your blood marks you. Magic is not my forte, so you'd have to ask The Mage why, but someone's looking for you." She glanced over at Molly.

"I don't think he wants to stare at your lovely form or recite poetry to you." she said, laughing softly.

Molly looked over at Chou in the driver's seat. "What are you?"

"You would call me a werewolf." Chou paused, then said "But you should not...We call ourselves Garou. I am of the Black Furies. No, I'm not a monster. Except when I wish to be...and I don't eat human flesh. Too stringy without a citrus marinade and a lot of prep..."

She looked over at Molly, who appeared to be trying to decide if she should jump out of a moving car, or blow Chou's head off with the .357 magnum.

"Look. I'm sure this is a lot to take in. I was kidding about the human flesh thing...don't blow a gasket." She said.

The car pulled up in front of an upscale bar. Chou got out, Molly followed.

She knocked on the door, and when it opened, she walked right in. Molly followed.

Inside was a very large, very muscular man behind the bar who was counting out money. On the bar next to him was an AR-15 rifle with a very short barrel topped with a suppressor, and a large knife.

Even in the low light, it looked different from steel. And it was...it was silver.

Chou sat down at the bar, then said to the bartender "She needs Tequila. No training wheels." nodding at Molly. "I'll have a Springbank, neat. Warm the glass, & mineral water on the side. If I find ice within a foot of my scotch, I'll rip your eyes out and replace them with your balls."

The barkeep looked at her. He wasn't impressed.

He said "Whatever..." and got her the drinks. As he did, he took the knife off the table and placed it in an under the arm sheath. He left the rifle.

Molly had a bottle of Gran Centenario Tequila Leyenda tequila placed in front of her, along with a rocks glass.

Bartender said "Tough day?"

Molly glanced from the bottle in front of her to the bartender,

“Yeah, you could say that.”

Her eyes went back to the bottle, while her mind was digesting all the information that Chou had just been laying on her on the drive over to this place. The thing that stuck out the most for her at this moment was,

“Your bloodline marks you as the nexus between 5 races. Fae, Vampyr, Witch, Garou...and, of course, B'nei Adam.”

She took a rather large swig of her Tequila grimacing, then said,

“You know you make me feel like a run away lab experiment gone wrong. How on earth can one person, namely me, have five different species in their genome? Yeah, I read, it would surprise you just how much.”

She took another hefty swig of her drink, wiped her mouth and laughed. Her hand went to the Magnum, just to make sure it was handy, round about now, she wasn't feeling too secure in these strange surroundings. Plus she wasn't used to drinking hard stuff in the morning, she looked down at the bottle picked it up and now just gave it a sip. Molly ( starting to feel no pain or even nervousness for that matter,) gazed at Chou before finally asking,

“So....wanna tell me all about my Garou roots? The other three species I will have to search out and question them ...like personally.”

She gave a wee hiccup at this point, before pointedly staring at Chou.

Iscaa said:

“You know you make me feel like a run away lab experiment gone wrong. How on earth can one person, namely me, have five different species in their genome? Yeah, I read, it would surprise you just how much.”

She took another hefty swig of her drink, wiped her mouth and laughed. Her hand went to the Magnum, just to make sure it was handy, round about now, she wasn't feeling too secure in these strange surroundings. Plus she wasn't used to drinking hard stuff in the morning, she looked down at the bottle picked it up and now just gave it a sip. Molly ( starting to feel no pain or even nervousness for that matter,) gazed at Chou before finally asking,

“So....wanna tell me all about my Garou roots? The other three species I will have to search out and question them ...like personally.”

She gave a wee hiccup at this point, before pointedly staring at Chou.

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“A lab experiment is exactly the wrong way to put it. That would imply someone planned you. Think of it as…a confluence of circumstances. Your Garou roots…Kid, this is the first time I met you. Contrary to popular belief, I am not all knowing.”

The man behind the bar, obviously ‘in the know’ because she was talking so freely, snorted.

Chou threw her empty glass at him. He plucked it out of the air nonchalantly, refilled it and set it down on an embossed leather drink coaster, then cleaned the drops of whiskey off the mirror where they splattered.

“She needs to see the elders. She needs to be seen by the elders…” he said.
Chou was silent for a moment, then said, “I think that’s an unnecessary complication.”

He looked at her, then said, “I think it’s a necessity.”

“Perhaps, but I do not think it wise at this time.” She responded.

Turning to Molly, she said, “You may not know this, so I’ll tell you…we aren’t fond of the Vampyr.” Using the older term for Vampire. Continuing, “You, having that in your heritage…well. It presents a problem in our world. We…” she motioned around, and for the first time Molly saw the figures, men and beast, in the shadows sitting silently, “are somewhat used to them because we live in the City. We kill them when we can, and they are a foul stain on the face of Mother Earth – but we have to deal with them occasionally, and have a…tolerance for them.”

She made a ‘don’t worry’ gesture.

“Your bloodline isn’t your fault…just…understand that it’s a strike against you in more than one way. The Blooddrinkers are powerful, and think little of us as well. The witches…well. You’ve already met one.”

Molly said “Uriah?”

Chou nodded. “If that is his name, yes. A powerful one…did you not wonder how we came to you so quickly this morning? Did you not wonder why we each had a cut over our hearts when we arrived?”

The blood, dried, was still in evidence on her white shirt.
“His magic brought us to your aid this day. Why he is here, I do not know…but I believe it has to do with you.” Chou said.

Just then, the doors opened up. The people…well, occupants of the bar turned around and saw three figures silhouetted against the morning’s light.

The tall, muscular man behind the bar said “We’re closed.”
The figure in the center walked in, the two others flanking him. “No hospitality?” he asked, putting an emphasis on the word hospitality that seemed very…
Weighted…

“Not to your kind.” Said a voice behind them.
Uriah stepped into the bar behind them.

The figure closest to Uriah walked toward him, and Uriah drew out of his pocket and threw a length of thin black rope or cord, braided with silver, each end capped with a small figurine of a snake. The figure attempted to swat it away, but the rope came to life.

It wrapped around the arm of the being, pulled him to the floor, then snaked around the figure’s neck and started garroting him…choking him as if it was a snake. The man and the rope wrestled on the floor, his face turning purple.
The man in the middle who had previously spoke looked at Uriah, seeming to ignore his lackey being garroted by a length of twine all on it’s own.

“You play a dangerous game, mage…” he said, but was interrupted by his lackey’s head coming off. Gore splattered on him.

Uriah said, “Not really…”

The man’s smile faded, “You know not who you cross.”

Uriah responded, “Let’s see…You aren’t vampires because the sun is shining…I’m in a Garou bar and you aren’t one of them. I’m a practitioner, and don’t sense anything from you…and you aren’t human. That makes you Fae…I’m guessing…goblin?”

The being snarled, then said “You live on borrowed time.” Then it, and it’s companion walked out of the bar, into the sunlight and faded away. Literally, faded away.

Chou watched the affair with a hunter’s concentration. She stood up, walked over to Uriah, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and planted a deep kiss on him, with tongue, biting his lip. He returned it, grabbing her ass.

When they parted, she was licking the blood from her lips, and said “I told you, we were going to be friends…” Then she dropped him, and sat down next to Molly, giddy as a schoolgirl. Uriah composed himself, nodded his greeting to the bartender and sat down next to Chou.

He grabbed a napkin and dabbed his lip, but Chou leaned over and licked the blood.

He looked over at Molly and said, “I’m going to assume you have questions?”.

Chou hip bumped Molly and said with a whisper, “You wonder how you come to have a mixed bloodline? It’s days like this that cause that…”

As the bartender snorted putting in his two cents, Molly glanced between the two of them thinking, (they are talking like I am not even here.) She wasn't pleased as she watched their exchange but kept quiet. When Chou turned back to her and continued talking about the vampyr, she grimaced,

“I am getting a real bad feeling that I don't fit in anywhere, and who the hell are The Elders?”

She took another big swig of her drink finishing it off, motioning to the bartender that she wanted another one. “The don't worry” gesture that Chou made did nothing to reassure her as she clued in to the figures in the shadows. She touched her magnum again for a brief second before bringing her hand back on top of the table. Molly wrapped her hands around the new bottle of tequila that was set in front of her. She played with it as she listened to Chou go on about bloodlines.

“Your bloodline isn’t your fault…just…understand that it’s a strike against you in more than one way. The Blooddrinkers are powerful, and think little of us as well. The witches…well. You’ve already met one.”*

Molly's eyes narrowed,

“Uriah?”

As Chou went on about Uriah, Molly thought better of drinking the second bottle of Tequila, ( I better keep my wits about me, the more I hear the more my gut says, get out of here.) But she kept listening to what Chou had to say concerning Uriah. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Uriah with two buds. Then some real bad shit started happening, all Molly could do was stare in horror.

She sat frozen to her chair while a man/being was strangled and beheaded right in front of her. His friend didn't seem bothered at all by the events, instead he confronted Uriah. When the head came off she nearly jumped out of her skin, now her trembling hand reached for her magnum and stayed there. She watched as the exchange continued until the two remaining beings left the premises and faded away in the sunlight.

Looking back at Uriah Molly watched Chou take a bite/kiss out of Uriah before the both of them got control of themselves and sat down. He looked over at Molly and said,

“I’m going to assume you have questions?”.

Chou hip bumped Molly and said with a whisper, “You wonder how you come to have a mixed bloodline? It’s days like this that cause that…”

For an answer Molly brought her hand up to her mouth and ran for the washroom. Once inside she barely made it to the toilet before losing everything she had in her stomach. Finally when there was nothing left she stumbled over to the sink, rinsed her mouth out with cold water then splashed some on her face. Feeling much better she looked up into the mirror and wondered who that white faced person staring at her was. Her whole world was crumbling down around her, she swallowed hard, trying to think.

(Where do I go from here? Who do I trust? These are all cold blooded killers! How do I survive? I can't run, they'll find me,... knowledge is the only thing that is going to get me through this and a whole lot of luck.) Taking one last look at herself in the mirror Molly then turned around and made her way back to the table. Standing beside it for a few seconds she looked at first Chou then at Uriah, with a pained expression she finally sat down. Glancing from one to the other Molly drew a great breath, and declared,

“I need to know what I am capable of, to learn to control my ...I don't know what you call it,.... my...abilities? I also need to know who is looking for me and why. What do they want me for? “

She paused thinking as she continued to look them both in the eyes. Now she leaned back, she started to get angry,

“I feel like a pawn in some huge game and now I want to know the rules, which one of you ...or both of you is going to teach me what I need to know to survive this? One thing I know for a fact, you two wouldn't be trying to help me out from the goodness of your hearts!”

She now laughed out loud, right now everyone looked like the bad guys in a really bad horror movie, and she was the sacrificial lamb they were all about to go to battle over. She continued to eye them both, ( I have something they all want, I just have to figure out what it is they all want so badly. The only thing I can do now is play along with them until I can understand the big picture....if I can understand the big picture.)

Feeling a little bit in more control now Molly asked in a quiet voice,

“OK.... so what's it going to be? Who is going to teach me what I need to know?”

Uriah watched as she ran for the bathroom to puke.
That was going to happen eventually, better here than in his place on the Persian rug.

Molly came back, and she was pissed.

By the time she had returned he had poured himself a glass of the excellent tequila she was drinking, and sipped it as she demanded answers.
He hated giving people straight answers…especially in this case, as he wasn’t sure he had any. Funny thing…being given an assignment he didn’t want to take by a vampire, apparently hooking up with a werewolf and getting into a fight with a sorcerer wasn’t on his agenda for this week – but sometimes, nobody asks him.

He didn’t know if the vampire wanted Molly safe from her sorcerer…or wanted himself safe from the sorcerer…or wanted Molly to use against the sorcerer…
It was times like this when he decided ‘Fuck it. I’m nobody’s slave…”

“Kid, you want answers? Life sucks, because I’m sure I’ve got the ones you are really not going to want to hear.”

He reached out with his left hand, and the rope on the floor (the body had vanished) rolled itself up into a neat knot, then leapt into his hand. He put it in his pocket.

“The answer I have for you right now is that you are, through no fault of your own, the focus of a lot of bad people, who want you.”

He paused, then sipped again. He grimaced, slugged the tequila, and looked at the bartender, then asked, “Do you know how to mull wine?”

He nodded and said “We don’t get much request for that, but yeah.”
Uriah pulled out a $100 and asked, “Give me a flagon of red, mulled with spices & honey.”

The hundred disappeared from his hand and the bartender nodded with a smile on his face, the turned around, reached under the bar and pulled out a bottle, uncorked it and poured him a small serving.

Uriah shiffed, thought, nodded and the bartender handed it to the waiter who brought it to the kitchen for heating with spices.

His drink satisfied, he said after the waiter, “Black bread, caviar, butter & sautéed onions.”

Back to Molly, “You look like you need food. Anyway…You, well…you have something a lot of people want. You happen to be a person with a lot of different ancestors, born under some very auspicious astrological signs –“ her expression said bullshit “Yeah. Well, people still take that shit seriously in our circles…and that makes you a…”

He paused.

“I’m trying to say this nicely so you don’t freak out…”

She responded, “Just cut the shit and say it.”

He nodded, and continued, “Your blood, your skin, your bones, your tears, your pain, your spirit, your heart…it’s ALL got a mystic component. Hell, even having sex with you in the right way could literally be earth shaking – or shattering. Right now, everyone and just about everything wants a piece of you – if you’ll pardon the expression.”

She looked horrified. “Told you wouldn’t like it.” He said.

“That does not mean she is powerless.” Chou said, quietly but forcefully.

“No. No, it does not…but it means that you are not to underestimate your worth to people who are…less than polite.”

The bread with fixing arrived. He tore a great hunk out of the hot, black bread, slathered it in butter and caviar, put some onions on it, and passed the plate to Molly, who took bread and butter, but no onions or caviar.

“Add the rest, it will settle your stomach. I’ve had hangovers since before it was impolite to drink before noon and you need the salt.”

He took a bit, ate it and continued, “Those men today, the one you killed?

They were lures to see if you’d bite, and what you’d do. I don’t know who sent them, but I know he’s powerful and doesn’t like me right now. In fact, I think he hates me more than he wants you.”

Molly asked “Why, because you took the…thing…off me?”

He answered, “Oh, that…no. Because he talked to me through one of the bodies of the dead men, and told me he’d have you…and I mystically stabbed him in the face. I don’t think he thought anyone was capable of doing that, and didn’t protect himself. That tells me he’s powerful, well trained, but arrogant. Too bad, as he’s going to be a lot more careful next time.”

The wine arrived, hot and fragrant, in a ceramic flagon wrapped with a napkin.
“Ah…” he said, as he poured himself a cup. The wine, a merlot, had been heated with cloves and cinnamon as well as other spices & honey. It smelled wonderful, and he drank deeply.

Chou took a small cup, sipped and poured Molly a cup as well.

“As to what do I want with you…” He sighed…

Chou spoke “You sought her for the Vampyr…but now, you have doubts.” She said it as a statement, not a questions.

He set the drink down carefully. He felt the eyes of the wolves on him.
He looked at Chou, saying “But now I have doubts.” He said as a statement of fact as well.

Continuing, “I was told to bring her to the vampyr, yes, but had I wished to do so, I could have done so long before now.”

She looked at him, asking him another direct question, “Will you?”

He looked right back at her and said, “I do not know what I will do. She is in danger from all sides, and it may be her safest refuge –“He felt the energy in the room thicken. He continued, “depending on the situation…but I am Order of Hermes – and I do not like the Vampires.” He said with a snarl.

Sounds of approval were made from the darkness. Even the wolves knew the Hermetic order's distaste for the vampires.

He said to Chou. “You ask direct questions as if this situation has simple answers. You know better - it does not.”

He turned to Molly, “Has she offered to take you to her elders? Those of her pack closest to The Magic? Or has she deemed it unwise? Tread carefully, but understand that not every truth concealed from you, or lie told to you, is done with malice. Know you this well, everyone has an angle. Sometimes they know it, sometimes they don’t.”

He turned and his eyes swept the figures in the shadows, then turned to Chou, then back to Molly.

“Not everyone is your friend, nor your enemy. People are people…even if they sometimes aren’t what you would have considered normal a few hours ago.”
Someone in the crowd said “Even if we aren’t people all the time…”

Someone else barked.

Chou said “Even if you are a witch!”

He raised his cup and drained it.

“So. There it is. That’s the basics. You’re special in a special sort of way. She’s a monster who bays at the moon, I’m a witch, you’re an LAPD rookie hero who’s got a target on her back, and there are a lot of…well, things…that want you, including a Vampire that specifically asked me to find you and bring you to him.

As to teaching you what you need to know…Well, first thing’s first.”

He took the knife, held it as if it was a ritual object, then put caviar on her bread as well as the sautéed onions.

“Never pass up caviar & sautéed onions. Get's the taste of vomit out of your mouth.”

Molly listened to all that Uriah was saying to her, with Chou adding her two bits in. It was just all too much to take in at one time. She needed time to absorb it all ....she needed to be alone.....she needed to get away. Molly felt panic raising up in her as Uriah told her more and more outrageous things. She kept backing away in her chair, wishing she could melt into it and hide.

Uriah continued talking asking what Chou had told her,

“Has she offered to take you to her elders? Those of her pack closest to The Magic? Or has she deemed it unwise? Tread carefully, but understand that not every truth concealed from you, or lie told to you, is done with malice. Know you this well, everyone has an angle. Sometimes they know it, sometimes they don’t.”

All Molly could do was to shake her head indicating a no! It became too much, her hand went to the magnum at the same time she stood up, the chair scrapped the floor. With panic plainly in her eyes she cried out,

“I don't want your damn food, I don't want anything from any of you!”

She quickly looked around, pulling the gun out expertly pointing at the various beings in the room.
Backing up making sure no one was behind her she continued,

“Now I am getting out of here, and none of you are going to stop me. Any attempt and I will shoot to kill, make no mistake about that.”

Keeping her eye and gun on the various people, she slowly moved towards the door making sure all the while no one sneaked up behind her. Turning to face them once she was at the door she said in as calm a voice as she could manage,

“Now I am getting out of here and don't want anyone to follow me...do you get that? I will shoot any of you that do.”

All of a sudden a street person, obviously on drugs and highly agitated burst through the door, crashing into Molly. She caught herself before falling and hung onto her gun with one hand, while grasping the man with the other. She instantly felt a surge of energy flow from his body into hers, the result was to two fold. One he calmed down immediately and backed away and ran out the door.

As for Molly, it was like a shot of adrenaline, clearing her head of the panic she had been feeling moments ago along with increased strength. She quickly brought the gun up again and said,

“OK..now I will repeat myself, no one follows me....you all got that? I will shoot the first person that is so stupid as to try anything.”

Taking one last look at everyone, ending with Chou and Uriah, she then turned and fled the bar.

Once outside Molly ran to her squad car, found her keys, unlocked it and jumped inside. In moments she was speeding away from all the horror that she had endured for the last hour. The further she went the better she felt. Nodding to herself, ( I was right to get the hell out of there, now I'll drive home, drop this vehicle off, then grab my car and head for that secluded park I know of.)

Still thinking she remembered you could rent a cabin out there, (With any luck there will be a vacancy or two, then I will have some time to think, before they find me. Because one thing I have learned, they are going to find me. I just gotta have some time to think.)

She was just about home when she realized she had to notify the precinct that she needed a leave of absence. Once there, she parked the squad car, and ran into the apartment where she quickly threw some cloths into a bag. Striping her uniform off, she threw on some jeans and a top then grabbed her cell phone. Trying to catch her breath she then called her supervisor to let him know she had a family emergency and needed a few days off. Within ten minutes she was out the door running for her car, unlocked it, threw her bag in the back, jumped in and was on her way out of the city heading north. Once she saw the open road she took a deep breath and sighed.

Iscaa said:

Once outside Molly ran to her squad car, found her keys, unlocked it and jumped inside. In moments she was speeding away from all the horror that she had endured for the last hour. The further she went the better she felt. Nodding to herself, ( I was right to get the hell out of there, now I'll drive home, drop this vehicle off, then grab my car and head for that secluded park I know of.)

Still thinking she remembered you could rent a cabin out there, (With any luck there will be a vacancy or two, then I will have some time to think, before they find me. Because one thing I have learned, they are going to find me. I just gotta have some time to think.)

She was just about home when she realized she had to notify the precinct that she needed a leave of absence. Once there, she parked the squad car, and ran into the apartment where she quickly threw some cloths into a bag. Striping her uniform off, she threw on some jeans and a top then grabbed her cell phone. Trying to catch her breath she then called her supervisor to let him know she had a family emergency and needed a few days off. Within ten minutes she was out the door running for her car, unlocked it, threw her bag in the back, jumped in and was on her way out of the city heading north. Once she saw the open road she took a deep breath and sighed.

Click to expand...

It watched from high above as the young one left the wolf den.
He did not know why she was special, but she was. The master said she was special, and that was all this one knew. Others of his flock watched from their stone perches, high above the herd of men. They saw her leave one carriage, enter the mountain of steel, then leave in another.
They would follow.
They would always follow.
They would watch and follow.
The flock sensed the one who flew above, under the shadowy sky last moonrise. They did not like that one. They did not like the one who called it to their skies. They did not like the way he flew without permission of the flock.
It was bad tidings. Ill omens. The ancient ones had spoken of it, and the younger watcher, who had only endured less than five centuries would listen to his elders.
She left the town of humans toward the open lands. The plane of rocks, trees, grass and stone far away.
But they would know where she went. The stones were their friends. The stones would tell them…

MEANWHILE…back at the Werewolf Bar…

Uriah looked at Molly. He thought “Oh, yeah…she’s pissed off…”
He tried to talk to her, but she pointed the .357 Magnum at him and he saw the hollow point down the barrel and decided better to let her go.
She left, and Chou said, “We cannot let her be taken. I have worked in my position for over 40 years, and as much as they are ignorant, the police are as much my pack as these fools,” nodding over her shoulder, ignoring the catcalls and swearing, “…and she shares our blood.”

She meant Molly’s wolf bloodline.

Uriah nodded.

“Yeah, I don’t really want to find her after, well…whoever is after her, finds her. Besides, she’s adorable when she’s pissed off.”
Chou growled.

He reached out, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her in for a rough, biting kiss on her throat. She returned it, till the bartender threw a pitcher of water on them and said “Last time that shit happened I had to replace furniture. Go find nature somewhere else…”

Chou said, “Yeah, but the last time was you and I, and you didn’t complain!”
He laughed and said, “Yeah, but I used your credit card to pay for the repairs!”
Uriah shook his head. He didn’t know much about werewolf mating habits…but he figured he’d find out. Either way…he was working.

He coughed politely, then said, “So, we follow her?”

Chou nodded, then called LA traffic control, and started asking for Molly’s personal vehicle to be tracked via camera and easy pass. The soon knew her destination.

Chou asked if he would take them to the wilderness area with a spell. He looked at her with a “you gotta be kidding!” look and drew from his pocket a set of keys.

The 2010 BMW SUV was a very nice, if non-descript, car in California. It also had a well stocked trunk with various gear, magical and the ‘goes boom’ kind.
Of course, given that Uriah was a bit behind the times in some things being…well. How old he was would be telling, his collection of gear tended to favor the middle ages through WWII and Korean War era weapon rather than the modern incarnations of the same.

The Sturmgewehr & Browning Automatic Rifle worked in 1944 – it would work just fine now!

They reached the woods shortly after dark. They parked about 10 miles away from Molly’s suspected location.

Chou, who had taken a look at Uriah’s collection, after shaking her head, as she was considerably more up to date on weapons than he was, adopted a cut down Browning Automatic Rifle from his trunk, along with a bandoleer of magazines, under the theory that anything that needed to be shot would be well handled by the old workhorse machinegun. Besides, she was strong enough that it wasn’t going to weigh her down.

Uriah went with his old standby, a cut down Browning Automatic-5 12 gauge shotgun and a steel mace. If anything happened, he expected it to be up close, personal and given that this was the woods, he didn’t think he’d be making long shots.

“Do you think we are making a mistake, approaching like this? Is it likely she’s going to misinterpret us in the woods if she sees us?” Uriah asked Chou.
Chou responded, “I am less concerned about her seeing us, as I am about who bound those men as a test and a lure finding her, or us. My pack will be coming later to help us, but they have lives and responsibilities. They cannot drop everything for me, so better to have and not need.”

They trekked through the woods fairly quickly in silence. Chou, because she could see just find being a werewolf…Uriah, because he was used to sneaking around the woods since the days before electricity.

They were about 2 miles from the Cabin when they heard it.
Silence.
The woods aren’t silent. They are teeming with life, especially at night.
Silence isn’t natural. An energy crept over the woods, like an army of ants.
Then the silence was broken by the flapping of wings overhead.

The looked up, and in the light of the moon, they saw it.
It was beautiful. It was hideous. It was…not from this plane of existence and it was searching. And in the moon, in the shining light, was the black shrouded figure’s image, looking down from up high.
Chou nodded, as if to say “Let’s go!” Uriah held her arm and motioned, “No. Wait.”

He sat down on his knees, and drew in his will slowly. He drew in power from the earth, from the wind, and from the life surrounding him till he was brimming with it…brimming with the power of the forest, the ancient life surrounding him…

He opened his eyes, stared death in the face high above, and while looking at him in the eye, and took a knife from his pocket.

It was a small knife or wrought iron. He cut his forehead with it, just over his left eye. Blood, just a drop, clung to the knife.

He said, “Not today!” and slammed the knife into the earth.
The ground shook. Not much, but it shifted and the forest howled.
All at once, it howled in life. In rage, and lust, and anger and pain and fear and exultation.

Then it was all over in a second.

Death smiled, nodded his leave, as if to say, "No. No...not today...for now..." then faded away from the sky.

Uriah was soaked with sweat. He looked at Chou, who had turned into a wolf and howled at the moon as she was overtaken with the fury of the spell.

He said “Come on, help me up. That monster is still here, and it can kill us anytime it wants to…”

Chou shifted (how in the hell she kept her clothing during the shift, he wanted to know, as that was not possible as far as he knew…or she was more skilled than he believed could be accomplished…), picked him up, and helped him run toward the cabin.

They arrived just as the…thing…touched down outside at the door.

The ground seared as it touched down.

It looked at the Cabin, and at the face in the staring out at it window, and while humanity couldn't really understand it's expressions...

It appeared to smile.

It had one eye, the other scarred over.

As Molly drove along the highway she went over the events of the last few hours, it was just too much like a waking nightmare. (How on earth am I supposed to sort through all of this, how can I be such a mixture of mythical beings? I have to admit, I have been feeling weird this past year, and its getting stronger, these strange feelings. I don't understand what is happening to me.)

She continued to drive on, the road was empty of traffic, all seem quiet compared to the city, peaceful, she smiled. As the miles went on, Molly slowly got the feeling she was being watched or followed or both. She kept looking around, to the sides, even glancing in the rear view mirror... nothing. Finally she looked up and saw a flock of what she thought of as crows or maybe ravens, they must a pretty fair size given the distance from the earth that they were flying. Her vehicle sped on for a few more miles, she kept watching the birds, ( Yup...those blasted birds are following me...Shit, I don't have a chance against these things, I just have to ditch them somewhere along the way.)

There was nothing to do but continue on to the park and the cabins on the lake shore. Thirty minutes later she drove up to the manager's cabin where she was able to rent one for the week, as well as pick up a few snacks and a some juice. Saying her thanks she took the keys and went back to her vehicle. She looked up and saw that the birds seems to have disappeared for now. (Good, I will leave my car here and walk to the cabin, the manager said it wasn't too far, I may be able to give whatever is following me the slip. The trees should give me lots of cover.)

Holding onto her purchases she walked back to her vehicle, opened the back door grabbed her bag, locked it again and headed for the path to the cabins. (He told me it should only take about twenty minutes to get to the cabin area.)

As Molly trudged along the uneven path, she kept on glancing around and up but never saw anything suspicious. Finally with relief she saw the cabins in the distance and behind them the lake, smiling to herself she thought, (This is what I need peace and quiet to think things through, no pressure, just time.) She hurried the last few hundred yards, walking past the first three cabins until she stopped in front of number 4, her cabin. It was a lovely small log cabin, just like she had seen in the brochures, walking up to the door she put the key in and heard it click. Pushing the door open Molly stepped inside setting the two bags on the floor closing and locking the door behind her. It was a nice clean cabin with all the comforts she could want.

Taking the food bag she walked over to the bed, took out one of the juices and a bag of chips and sat down to eat. After the kind of day she had plus the drive and now the food, the bed looked too inviting, she soon lay back and dozed.

Suddenly Molly was awakened by an unearthly sound of howling like she had never heard in her life. It didn't last long but did sound like it was just outside her cabin. She jumped up and ran to the window, grabbing her magnum from out of her waistband. Tentatively she looked out the window.

That is when she saw something awful come down from above and once it touched the ground steam seemed to rise up around it, then slowly it turned and looked straight at her. Heart beating a mile a minute, Molly could only stare at what seemed to her an evil smile, she slowly raised her gun, aimed at it's face and pulled the trigger.

That is when she saw something awful come down from above and once it touched the ground steam seemed to rise up around it, then slowly it turned and looked straight at her. Heart beating a mile a minute, Molly could only stare at what seemed to her an evil smile, she slowly raised her gun, aimed at it's face and pulled the trigger.

He heard the shot and saw the flash.
His first thoughts were, “Oh, shit. She didn’t…she did.”

The .357 Magnum fires a bullet weighing from 110 grains to 180 grains, depending on the load. The almost universal law enforcement load for that round was a 125 grain bullet, traveling at somewhere north of 1450 feet per second…but this one was a 145 grain Winchester silvertip round. It traveled slightly slower…but not by much, and one interesting thing about this round was that it was known for it’s brutal stopping power.

The round hit the creature dead center of it’s face.

If it had been a mortal…or even close to it, it would have been dead. Alas, merely because it was a “Silvertip” it was not mystical or even actually silver. It was merely pissed off the beast in the most severe manner, and the beast smiled deeper, then made as if the tear the wall off by drawing back it’s hand.

However, that gunshot, fired from within the house, was the signal for all hell to break loose.

Gargoyles.

A fucking flock of gargoyles. Uriah watched. Chou watched.

They looked at each other and said “What the FUCK!?!” at the same time.
Gargoyles, creatures of alchemical experiments, were rare. Rumors as to how they came to be circulated…but nobody knew.

All they knew were that they turned to stone in sunlight, and that you didn’t want to fuck with them. Ever. Never. Not ever.

Apparently, this…thing…whatever the fuck it was, didn’t know that…and the Gargoyles decided to teach it a lesson in why. Gargoyles were either simple creatures, in that they didn’t adopt much finesse in attacking the monster…or they weren’t that impressed with it. They just waded in and attempted to beat it to death with their hands, claws…and pieces of the beast they ripped off of it.

It was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. OK. Maybe not…but it ranked right up there…and they were fighting to protect Molly.

Their was a technical term for what happened just now.

Weird. Weird was the term. Even by Mage standards, which accepts some pretty weird shit as a given…

The beast, not having realized it would be facing a flock of magical horrors from straight out of the middle ages, was shocked, but soon started giving as good as it got within seconds, beating the Gargoyles with some of their own members.

Uriah decided, “The enemy of thy enemy…and all that” and gathered his strength, then unleashed a ball of fire the size of a dime that flew into the creature’s flank. The impact was reminiscent of a small nuke and the smell of ozone, burnt amber and brimstone filled the air, and the creature was thrown several yards.

Then, Chou got into the fray. Literally. A ravening horror of a wolf-man-woman-thing 8 feet tall landed on the creature from above and smote it.

Not hit it. Not struck it. Smote it. Like, as in, “Smited” from the bible. With one hit.

It didn’t like that at all.

It rolled away from the Gargoyles (and more importantly, away from the cabin) and gathered itself for a strike at Chou and the Gargoyles who were between the beast and the cabin.

It said (in cultured English), “You will not stop me, petty wolfling. You, or your stone freaks.” It turned around to Uriah, looked at him and said, “You, I will have my vengeance upon when I take the Scion’s soul for my own and gain the power that is rightfully mine. Horde that which falls unto you. I tell you, it will avail you nothing when the end comes…”

Lightning struck the beast.

It was a solid white bar of electricity which hit it. It staggered and burned, then looked up and it’s expression changed. The Gargoyles stirred, and the beast laughed, then said, “Another time…another time…” and faded into shadows & dust.

Uriah, staggered into the clearing, holding his head as if he had a headache. Throwing that kind of energy around, first telling off Death, then tossing those shots had drained him.

Chou snapped back into her human form (none the worse for wear, and still not a hair out of place…) and went to his side.

The Gargoyles had retreated to the roof of the cabin…all except one. One LARGE Gargoyle which looked at them, then Molly, cocked it’s head as if to question and said, “Kill?”

After firing that deadly shot, point blank to boot, Molly couldn't believe her eyes. It was not only still alive but the evil smile on that face was wider, then it drew it's hand back. Gulping for air she backed away until she hit the bed, falling onto it, she closed her eyes and thought, (This is it, what a horrible way to go,... by some creature from somebody's nightmare!) Suddenly all hell broke loose, she could hear unearthly screams as if beasts were fighting to the death.

Opening her eyes she quickly jumped up and ran back to the window, what she saw for some reason made her feel that she wasn't alone anymore. There were gargoyle type creatures fighting with the being that moments ago was going to take her. She calmly watched the brutal fight, knowing these grotesque creatures, were doing it for her...to protect... her. Something in Molly woke up....something powerful....no....somethings.... somehow she sensed all this in mere seconds, she calmly turned from the window and walked to the door. Opening it wide she saw that Uriah and Chou had joined the fight, standing in the doorway Molly felt some of her strength move into the fighting gargoyles...helping them now.

Uriah hit it with a ball of fire...quickly followed by Chou in werewolf form. With all of their combined efforts it rolled further away from the gargoyles, the cabin...and Molly.

It said (in cultured English), “You will not stop me, petty wolfling. You, or your stone freaks.” It turned around to Uriah, looked at him and said, “You, I will have my vengeance upon when I take the Scion’s soul for my own and gain the power that is rightfully mine. Horde that which falls unto. I tell you, it will avail you nothing when the end comes…”

Lightning struck the beast.

It was a solid white bar of electricity which hit it. It staggered and burned, then looked up and it’s expression changed. The Gargoyles stirred, and the beast laughed, then said, “Another time…another time…” and faded into shadows & dust.

When everyone had time to catch their breath and look around, there was Molly still standing in the doorway of the cabin, with her arm stretched out, she had combined her strength with Uriah's, and in doing so, had vanquished the beast ...at least for now.

All the gargoyles had flown up to the cabin roof, all except one huge ugly gargoyle,....it looked at Chou, then Uriah, and finally at Molly, cocking it's head. Telepathically she heard the word,

“Kill?”

Without moving a muscle her thoughts went straight into it's mind,

“No, don't kill, they are mine, now take our brethren to safety and have them healed.”

Molly watched as the gargoyles gathered up their fallen kin and disappeared, she then turned to Uriah and Chou. She felt a change come over her whole body, ignoring Chou, Molly's eyes locked onto Uriah's .... slowly, seductively she advanced toward him. She became ultra sensual, irresistible...her hormones were taking him over, he could only stand still as she came up to him.

Chou growled and made to step towards them, without looking in her direction, Molly threw her hand up sending Chou flying backwards 20 yards. When she landed Molly put her hand in a flat position, immobilizing Chou on the ground.

Molly reached up putting her other hand on Uriah's chest making a fist she pulled him downward until they were face to face. Eyes still locked on his, Molly moved the tip of her tongue around her lips before pressing them to his. She sucked some of his life essence, then withdrew, letting him go. She smiled up at him licking her lips, before whispering,

"I feel your arousal, do you know what I could do for you.... Uriah?"

Iscaa said:

Molly watched as the gargoyles gathered up their fallen kin and disappeared, she then turned to Uriah and Chou. She felt a change come over her whole body, ignoring Chou, Molly's eyes locked onto Uriah's .... slowly, seductively she advanced toward him. She became ultra sensual, irresistible...her hormones were taking him over, he could only stand still as she came up to him.

Chou growled and made to step towards them, without looking in her direction, Molly threw her hand up sending Chou flying backwards 20 yards. When she landed Molly put her hand in a flat position, immobilizing Chou on the ground.

Molly reached up putting her other hand on Uriah's chest making a fist she pulled him downward until they were face to face. Eyes still locked on his, Molly moved the tip of her tongue around her lips before pressing them to his. She sucked some of his life essence, then withdrew, letting him go. She smiled up at him licking her lips, before whispering,

"I feel your arousal, do you know what I could do for you.... Uriah?"

Click to expand...

Uriah stumbled into the clearing. He didn’t know how he’d drawn that much power, but he had.

Then he saw Molly bitchslap Chou with magic, and he had his answer…
He kissed Molly back fiercely, and responded to her whisper with his own…”Yes. Yes, I do…” He felt some of his life slip out of him and it felt like he’d came. He staggered, turned her around, her back to his chest, and whispered into her ear, “Yes…I do…”, then he kissed her neck, right below her ear.

As he did that, he dismissed the spell holding Chou to the ground with a flick of his will, who stood up, and walked over with a fierce growl. She stalked over to Molly and kissed her roughly. He could feel the energy spark between them and Molly arched her head back, pushing her breasts forward. He held her waist, kissing her neck from behind as Chou lightly bit her neck on the other side.

He drank in the feeling of the energy that was being passed around. They went on, standing there for a long moment, then he pulled away slowly.
Molly didn’t like that, and reached out, pulling him back closer to her, and he said, “Do you feel the energy? The power? The heat…the lust?”
She nodded hungrily.

He smiled. He said “Then let’s use it.”

Chou stepped away, lustful and aggressive in her demeanor.

Uriah wasn’t letting this moment slip away. The emotion. The lust. The power…
He was going to destroy that sorcerer…

He went to the wine rack, selected a white wine and a large goblet from her bar. He then took a tabletop mirror, a knife and salt from the kitchen, 5 candles from her basket on the window and Molly’s .357 magnum.

He looked at the table in the center of the room, and with a flick of his wrist, the table was pushed aside. “Come” he said, in command.

Molly and Chou came close to him.
He looked at Molly and said, “Would you know Power?” – Saying power as if it were a proper noun.

She nodded, and he said, “You have to say it.” – She said “Yes.”
He walked around then, pouring out the salt into a circle.

He asked her, “Would you know Secrets?”, she answered “Yes.”
He placed the candles at the cardinal points of the circle and with his will lit them all at once. Molly’s eyes shined with anticipation.

He went to his knees, and they went with him, kneeling in the center of the circle of salt. He opened the bottle of wine poured it into the glass, which was placed on the mirror, with the knife on the right side, the magnum on the left.
He put his will into the next question, and asked Molly, “Would you traverse Earth and Sky for The Knowledge? Would you face the waters of life and death for The Journey?”

The air was thick with the scent of lust and wine, power and darkness and blood…”Yes” Molly said.

He reached out one hand to each of them. They took it, then he brought all their hands together, then closed his eyes, opened them, and then all their hands touched the mirror at once.

Their eyes opened in shock, their skin felt raw, new and fresh, as if the outer layer was torn off. Their very clothing was raw on their skin.

Molly gasped, Chow sorted in anger. Uriah said “I should have warned you…That was our auras coming off...Look at the mirror.”

They looked at the silver mirror, and saw the colors swirling over it, like quicksilver…rippling and mixing in dizzying combinations.

"Your aura is that which separates your chi from that which is around you. Your protection, your shield...when you have sex with someone you love...or hate, you feel raw, open...you feel like you are truly naked?" he said.

"It opens in those cases..." He smiled.

Uriah raised the glass of wine and offered it to Molly, who took it. It was a simple Chardonnay, nothing special ordinarily…but Molly tasted the sun that beat down on the grapes as they were on the vine, the wine, the rain…it washed over her, inside her and through her.

Their eyes met. She saw Him. For just a moment, she saw who he was. His power, his experiences, his Knowledge…Then it was gone, like a passing shadow. She just saw him.

Molly passed the wine back to him, and he drank, then passed it to Chou who drained the glass.

Chou looked different without her Aura. As a werewolf, she was a creature of magic, and her Aura helped keep her looking human. Without it, she was stunning, but inhuman...powerful, full of energy and life...but almost too perfect, as if she was otherworldly. A hunting spirit made flesh...one which struggled against it's bounds to savage and destroy that which it deemed prey.

Molly was...

Wow.

A hunter spirit of the wolf. The dark, crimson mystery of the vampire...the earthen 'realness' of man, the fire of The Magic and the shadow of the Goblin...

It was all balanced carefully. It was beautiful. It was frightening. It was powerful like a bomb, and suddenly he understood why the sorcerer wanted her so badly that he was willing to make a deal with what ever he had to gain his form he had when he attacked.

He poured a little wine back into the glass, then opened the cylinder of the gun, and extracted the spent shell casing. He pricked his finger with the knife, raising a drop of blood, which he then smeared on the piece of brass, then dropped it into the glass. He said, “Then one who hunted you…the man who bound those men you had to kill…the man who sent the binding which almost took you…would you stop him?”

He offered her the knife. She knew a drop of her blood was all that was needed…

He waited.

Looking up at Uriah then glancing at Chou, Molly's answer is to take the offered knife. Holding it, she knows there is no going back from this, taking a deep breath she pricks her finger, squeezing out several deep red drops....holding her hand out between the three of them like an offering.

She looks up at the both of them with eyes that nearly glow, bites her lower lip before stating,

"Tell me what I must do now."

As she awaits with her found powers she contemplates,

(What have I got myself into? Is this going to lead to some kind of sexual extravaganza? I have always thought my decision to keep myself pure for my wedding bed was the right thing to do! But now everything seems to have changed...I have changed! I want to feel the power that I have inherited, revel in it, be consumed by it. To Hell with being a virgin and wedding beds!)

Still biting her lip Molly refocuses on Uriah....waiting for what she can't even imagine, her body trembles in anticipation.

Iscaa said:

Looking up at Uriah then glancing at Chou, Molly's answer is to take the offered knife. Holding it, she knows there is no going back from this, taking a deep breath she pricks her finger, squeezing out several deep red drops....holding her hand out between the three of them like an offering.

She looks up at the both of them with eyes that nearly glow, bites her lower lip before stating,

"Tell me what I must do now."

As she awaits with her found powers she contemplates,

(What have I got myself into? Is this going to lead to some kind of sexual extravaganza? I have always thought my decision to keep myself pure for my wedding bed was the right thing to do! But now everything seems to have changed...I have changed! I want to feel the power that I have inherited, revel in it, be consumed by it. To Hell with being a virgin and wedding beds!)

Still biting her lip Molly refocuses on Uriah....waiting for what she can't even imagine, her body trembles in anticipation.

Click to expand...

He took her hand, and flicked it so that the blood fell onto the shell casing in the glass, then gently wiped it off of her fingers, onto the grip of the gun.

He carefully loaded the empty shell into the handgun, turned the cylinder so that the empty shell with the blood on it would be the next one fired, then closed the cylinder.

He handed it to her, grip first.

She took it, and held it in her hands.

He told her, "Hold it as if you were going to shoot it. Hold it as you did when you shot the beast. Put your hands on it the same way..."

She adjusted her grip.

He said, "Visualize him. Think of him. See the same sight picture you did when you fired."

She focused on the front sight, her eyes locked onto it.

"Breath as you did when you fired."

Her chest heaved as she did.

"Hear the roar...feel the recoil..."

The sound of the thunder filled her ears. He hands tingled with the push of the wood and metal against her palms...her wrists tightened.

He summoned his strength, unfiltered by his aura. He reached out his will to her, and felt Chou do the same.

Without an aura, it reached into her, and suddenly they were all looking at the beast, feeling the roar of the magnum...

Molly pulled the trigger. It turned the cylinder, bringing the hammer back.

It fell.

The firing pin hit the back of the empty cartridge and the blood on the cartridge flared into a brilliant light. The Circle of Salt flashed with a faint, unholy light and the sound of the firing pin striking was much deeper and more meaningful than it's bare physical sound.

The auras on the Mirror rippled and in the distance, thunder boomed.

Molly looked up, feeling the rush of The Power in the working.

She was breathing heavily, and he reached over to her, pulling her by her hair close to him and he kissed her deeply. He felt The Power, the Lust as well. His left hand in her hair, his right hand on her breast, feeling the pulse of her blood through the shirt, the beat of her heart in her lips.

Chou bit his neck as he kissed her, her hand snaking under Molly's arms, gripping her around her chest pulling herself close to Molly & Uriah. She released Uriah's neck, and kissed Molly just below the ear nibbled lightly.

As Uriah grabbed Molly by her hair pulling her to him, she could feel her body start to strain with the increasing raw power/lust coming from deep within her. Then she felt his mouth on hers, his kiss ignited a fire she had never felt before, she moaned. Breathing became difficult as she clung to his mouth, her hand pushed Uriah's hand off her breast so she could tear her shirt off. She needed to feel his skin, as soon as her shirt was off, she tore his open and pressed herself to his chest.

One hand went behind her to so she could pull Chou closer, wanting to feel her hot skin on her back. Chou had already got the idea when she saw Molly ripping her shirt off. When Chou started to nibble just below her neck, Molly groaned again, frantic she slid her hands to the clasp of her jeans. With shaking fingers she undid it, then the zipper went down, she wiggled out of her jeans and panties while still lip locked to Uriah.

Her hands next went to his pants, pushing them down, sliding her hands around his neck, she then jumped up locking her legs around his hips. She could feel Chou's hands run over her body, grinding herself against her bottom. With the combined weight of the two women, Uriah fell back until he hit the floor.

Molly now spread her legs out positioning herself about his huge erection. with one hand she grasped him and rubbed herself before lowering herself slowly until he was completely sheathed in her. Her eyes opened widely as the air rushed out of her lungs, sighing she clenched him tightly and held him. Touching her forehead to his, Molly tried to calm down, she knew she had to hold on,....build the sexual tension over and over, she didn't know how she knew this, she just did.

She started to move up and down slowly, one hand reached for Chou...needing to feel her excitement and power, needing to channel it ...to have it increase ...and diminish ...again and again. Once they had reached the point where the power between the three of them was at the pinnacle, Molly cried out,

"Now Uriah, now let's destroy that sorcerer !"

She moved her mouth to his neck and bit down on his straining vein.

Iscaa said:

As Uriah grabbed Molly by her hair pulling her to him, she could feel her body start to strain with the increasing raw power/lust coming from deep within her. Then she felt his mouth on hers, his kiss ignited a fire she had never felt before, she moaned. Breathing became difficult as she clung to his mouth, her hand pushed Uriah's hand off her breast so she could tear her shirt off. She needed to feel his skin, as soon as her shirt was off, she tore his open and pressed herself to his chest.

One hand went behind her to so she could pull Chou closer, wanting to feel her hot skin on her back. Chou had already got the idea when she saw Molly ripping her shirt off. When Chou started to nibble just below her neck, Molly groaned again, frantic she slid her hands to the clasp of her jeans. With shaking fingers she undid it, then the zipper went down, she wiggled out of her jeans and panties while still lip locked to Uriah.

Her hands next went to his pants, pushing them down, sliding her hands around his neck, she then jumped up locking her legs around his hips. She could feel Chou's hands run over her body, grinding herself against her bottom. With the combined weight of the two women, Uriah fell back until he hit the floor.

Molly now spread her legs out positioning herself about his huge erection. with one hand she grasped him and rubbed herself before lowering herself slowly until he was completely sheathed in her. Her eyes opened widely as the air rushed out of her lungs, sighing she clenched him tightly and held him. Touching her forehead to his, Molly tried to calm down, she knew she had to hold on,....build the sexual tension over and over, she didn't know how she knew this, she just did.

She started to move up and down slowly, one hand reached for Chou...needing to feel her excitement and power, needing to channel it ...to have it increase ...and diminish ...again and again. Once they had reached the point where the power between the three of them was at the pinnacle, Molly cried out,

"Now Uriah, now let's destroy that sorcerer !"

She moved her mouth to his neck and bit down on his straining vein.

Click to expand...

“Destroy the sorcerer?” he thought – shit, when she pulled that trigger and they felt the magnum go off - even though nothing had been fired this time because of the empty shell, and heard the thunder in the distance, he knew the working has succeeded.

Molly’s having shot that…thing…before gave her a connection to it that he channeled with her, and her inherent mystical ability combined with his power and Chou’s closeness to nature had ratcheted things up past ‘10’.

Whoever the fuck that guy had been was toast (or immortal – as in, cannot be killed. Ever…but that wasn’t likely…maybe) because that wasn’t distant roar of thunder wasn’t thunder. That was the BOOM of the spell.

Either he was dead…or really, really angry right now…

But that didn’t matter, because there was at the moment a naked woman on top of him…and she was part vampire.

“Oh shit!” Uriah thought in more ways than one as he felt the bite. She’s not just were – she’s part vampire…but it felt good. That was how they fed, the bite felt GOOD.

He knew what was happening, that she would drink his blood and who the fuck knew what would happen then…but holy shit, it felt good…He should have pushed away. He should stop her.

He grabbed her ass and ground himself into her harder and snarled, “Yesss…” He entered her as she bit down on his neck with the final bit of pressure and they both felt it – he into her, she into him.

They lay still for a moment, her on top of him, he inside her. She slowly began to taste his blood and her tongue began to slowly circle around the wound, he beginning to move his hips against hers in the same slow motions.

Chou’s nails ran up and down Molly’s back, as she knelt behind her, her hair draping over them, whispering to Molly “Take him…Own him…You feel the power in his blood…let his power into you…” as she bit Molly’s ear, and her hands traced down to Molly’s flanks, up and down her sides & arms…

Molly ground into him harder and Uriah thrust with equal strength.

He reached up and grabbed Chou’s hair, pulling her closer to him, pressing her up against Molly as they started grinding into each other harder and slowly speeding up.

Molly didn’t have fangs, so thankfully the wound wasn’t as deep as a vampire would have made, but the blood welled up in the wound just the same…every time her tongue moved on the wound, they matched thrusts…

Part of Molly couldn't believe what was happening, the ordinary Molly, the Molly that came from a nice Irish family. The other part, the one taking over her body now, well that was coming from somewhere deep inside, her mixed ancestry was awakening. This feeling was primal, Molly's tongue circled Uriah's wound tasting his blood, it was glorious...she wanted more. Her hips responded to his thrusts as he reacted to what she was doing to him. Then she heard Chou whisper in her ear,

"Take him…Own him…You feel the power in his blood…let his power into you…”

She moaned doing just that, in moments her power turned around engulfing all three of them, the sexual tension was building to an incredible height, that had only one place to go. They were headed for the climax of their lives. Molly met Uriah's upward thrusts with every bit of her being.

Then it started, ...beginning deep down in her belly radiating to her inner walls and clit. Molly's body started to shimmer as she groaned closing her eyes so she could concentrate on what was happening to her. The power of her impending orgasm spread to consume both Uriah beneath her and Chou behind. At the last moment, Molly's lips left Uriah's wound trailing to his jaw before ending up on his lips. She kissed him with an all encompassing passion, sucking his life essence as she started to climax, she couldn't stop herself even if she tried...not now.

They all three came together in an unforgettable shimmering explosion, seeming to last forever. Finally when they were coming down from that high Molly, now exhausted fell on Uriah's body slipping off to the side and onto her back, breathing heavily, Chou just seconds before her slid onto the floor as well. With her mouth dry from all the gasping and groaning, Molly moved her head to her left to see if Chou was alright. Seeing she was, she then turned her head toward Uriah, he wasn't breathing. Her eyes opened wide, he really wasn't breathing, she had to do something and quick.

Bringing her arm towards him, she pulled herself back to him, grasping his head to her, she locked her lips onto his. He was so still, so pale, she had to act quickly, shaking from exhaustion she began breathing his life essence back into his body. After a full minute, she could see he was slowly coming back to life, still feeling weak herself she bent her forehead to his and just breathed. Once he was breathing steadily on his own again, Molly lay back on the floor sighing before passing out.

Iscaa said:

Part of Molly couldn't believe what was happening, the ordinary Molly, the Molly that came from a nice Irish family. The other part, the one taking over her body now, well that was coming from somewhere deep inside, her mixed ancestry was awakening. This feeling was primal, Molly's tongue circled Uriah's wound tasting his blood, it was glorious...she wanted more. Her hips responded to his thrusts as he reacted to what she was doing to him. Then she heard Chou whisper in her ear,

"Take him…Own him…You feel the power in his blood…let his power into you…”

She moaned doing just that, in moments her power turned around engulfing all three of them, the sexual tension was building to an incredible height, that had only one place to go. They were headed for the climax of their lives. Molly met Uriah's upward thrusts with every bit of her being.

Then it started, ...beginning deep down in her belly radiating to her inner walls and clit. Molly's body started to shimmer as she groaned closing her eyes so she could concentrate on what was happening to her. The power of her impending orgasm spread to consume both Uriah beneath her and Chou behind. At the last moment, Molly's lips left Uriah's wound trailing to his jaw before ending up on his lips. She kissed him with an all encompassing passion, sucking his life essence as she started to climax, she couldn't stop herself even if she tried...not now.

They all three came together in an unforgettable shimmering explosion, seeming to last forever. Finally when they were coming down from that high Molly, now exhausted fell on Uriah's body slipping off to the side and onto her back, breathing heavily, Chou just seconds before her slid onto the floor as well. With her mouth dry from all the gasping and groaning, Molly moved her head to her left to see if Chou was alright. Seeing she was, she then turned her head toward Uriah, he wasn't breathing. Her eyes opened wide, he really wasn't breathing, she had to do something and quick.

Bringing her arm towards him, she pulled herself back to him, grasping his head to her, she locked her lips onto his. He was so still, so pale, she had to act quickly, shaking from exhaustion she began breathing his life essence back into his body. After a full minute, she could see he was slowly coming back to life, still feeling weak herself she bent her forehead to his and just breathed. Once he was breathing steadily on his own again, Molly lay back on the floor sighing before passing out.

Click to expand...

His first thoughts on waking up were, "Dam. I lived...Oh, wait. No. I didn't."

Then, the fear hit.

He seldom felt it anymore...but he was sure he knew what it felt like. Yup...this was it.

Fear. That nauseating, sweaty lump of greasy coal in his guts...

He looked over at Molly, passed out of the floor and breathed deeply.

He looked over at Vanessa, barely breathing, but alive and Molly, covered in sweat, sleeping but glowing with desire, beauty and deep within...power.

He gently got out from under her, and made his way over to the mirror which held the aura of them all. With one hand on Molly, another on Chou, he knelt and touched his forehead to the mirror and felt the rush of the auras as they snaked through him, back onto the others and snapped in place with a comforting familiarity.

He felt safer with it back.

He suddenly looked up at the window and saw the eyes.

Eyes he knew from long ago.

Fatima i'bin Thetmis Al-Faqadi.

The hand of vengeance of the Banu Haqim, or Children of Haqim, a middle eastern group a Vampires who's stock in trade was assassination and diablerie, the killing and consuming of other vampires' souls.

And here she was, in Southern California.

Standing outside the Cabin of a Scion of Power not hours after enough magic had been thrown around to wake the dead...

The Gargoyles. Where were they?

Had she killed them? Unlikely, but with Fatima, anything was possible. She was old. Well over a millennium, and had experience killing just about anything, but she had a reputation for not being bloodthirsty.

Well.

Not for a vampire...

He shook the others without taking his eyes off her. They woke, and he told them who was outside.

Chou paled.

Slightly, but her flush got lighter when he explained who was outside. Yeah, she'd heard of Fatima too...

"What are you going to do?" Asked Molly. Molly stretched, her breasts rising as she did, her expression vaguely predatory as she looked at Fatima.

"Talk. I'm going to talk to her." He replied. He took his eyes off Fatima to look at Molly, then said to her, "No. Don't. Don't think about it. Don't try it. Fatima is old. She's survived the Crusades, Middle Ages, the Enlightenment and more...That's one scary, smart, creature that isn't going to go down easy, but she's not here to fight."

"How do you know that?" Molly asked.

"From everything I've heard of her, she's not arrogant. Lots of older vampires, they don't adapt well to change. She has. She's the kind of creature that would not underestimate anyone, and is more than willing to use modern technology to win. She'd have just blown us up and decapitated the burnt corpses if she was out to kill us...She's interested in being civil. For now..." He said.

He rose, put his pants on and took a deep breath, then stepped over the line of salt that formed the circle they were inside.

The air cracked with gold and red sigils that were barely visible, but definitely there as he stepped over the salt.

He reached down to his gear and took his sword. It was a simple hand & a half, with a crossguard, leather wrapped handle and pommel of steel shaped like a fist in a black sheath...and his 1911.

He walked out the door.

She stood motionless, then turned to face him.

He nodded, then said nothing.

She said, "As-salam alaykum" to which he responded, "Wa alaykumu s-salam."

She nodded, then said "May we use English?" He nodded, "Yes."

Silence lay between them. Not hostility...but silence none-the-less.

"I am not her for the child. I know what she is. I know who she is, and I am content that she not be fodder is His game." She stated.

She looked at him, smiled slightly, then said, "You know of who I speak?"

Yeah. He did. The creepy old fucker who started him on this clusterfuck...

"Why?" He asked.

"My word does not suffice?" She asked.

"I did not question your word, elder one. I asked - why. Why you would thwart one such as he? Why you would draw his ire?" He pressed.

"Because I will it." She said.

"Why?" He said.

Fatima laughed. It was a small, heartfelt thing, full of life.

Then her voice changed. "Because I will it so." He voice was smoky. Heavy.

He forced his will up, and burned the tendrils from his mind, then looked back on her and into her eyes.

Their wills met, and they took each other's measure.

"Thrice I ask, and done. Why?" He said.

The air crystallized with pent up aggression. He's just done the conversational equivalent of throwing down the gauntlet.

"Because I will not suffer a witch to live." She said.

Holy shit. She wasn't talking about him...

The old fucker was a..."Tremere?" he asked?

"No. Would that he were..." She replied. "Baali"

"Shit." he said.

"Indeed." She replied.

The origins of the Baali are shrouded in mystery and deceit. What is certain is that the Baali are among the few things that caused most things to put away their differences and unite against them in various Baali Wars.

The Baali are rumored to had a strong hold in ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Phoenicia, masquerading as one of the myriads of city gods to gain blood sacrifices for their dark masters. Baali-influence in Carthage, which rose to a peak once Troile and Moloch did become lovers and resulted in massive sacrifice ceremonies and bloody abominations, was what spurred the Ventrue of Rome to action against the Brujah and led them to salt even the earth around the city in order to bind whatever horrors the Baali had awoken. Many of the Baali, however, dispersed into the Roman society, practicing their vile craft in various mystery cults.

"They are back?" he asked.

"He is the last. She, a by-blow of a revenant family on his estates. In another generation, the blood would have thinned to the point it would be beneath my notice - but for her family's confluence. Witch, Wolf, Cainite, Fae...and Adam. 5 races, in one vessel. A prize worthy of a god...Worthy to wake even a false one...Do you not agree?" She said.

"And you would stop him." He said.

"Lā ʾilāha ʾillā l-Lāh, Muḥammadun rasūlu l-Lāh" She declared.

(There is no god but G-d, Muhammad is the messenger of G-d)

Fatima wasn't a 'radical muslim' in the modern sense. She predated modern islam by...well...Fatima had been born in the Almohad Moorish clans of the crusades era. She wasn't a wahabist fool...but she believed.

Holy war.

Some fought for honor, others for money, family or power...

Fatima sought to oppose Him for the sake of her god.

He nodded. "I will speak with the others." She nodded, then sank to the ground and sat cross-legged, back straight, but not tense.

"Oh, and the gargoyles?" He asked. "What have you done to get past them?"

"The Gargoyles and I have shared a common enemy in the past. They are not my foe without cause." She said, as she brought out a small, hand written, leather bound Qu'ran.

He went back inside and told them of his encounter with Fatima.

When he finished, he said, "Can we trust her...she's a vampire...but, my gut tells me yes. Molly, your call. You want to talk to her?"

Molly's aura snapped into place, even though she was passed out, her inner self acknowledged it, sending her state into a more comfortable sleep. Soon she felt someone shaking her...reluctantly she came around. Sitting up Molly listened to what Uriah was saying ...about some kind of vampire assassin. Seeing Chou's reaction put Molly on her guard she stretched feeling her power charging up for whatever was about to go down, she whispered,

"What are you going to do?"

When Uriah looked at Molly and told her to back down that Fatima wasn't here to fight, she again asked,

"How do you know that?"

Molly lifted her eyebrow nodding her head as she listened to him explain what this creature could have done to them. She took a deep breath as he put his pants on, took his sword and walked out the door. She glanced at Chou noticing that Chou seemed to have complete confidence in Uriah's decision. Getting up, still a bit wobbly from the extreme experience they had all just been through, Molly grabbed her jeans and top, slipping them on as quickly as she shaking fingers would allow. Chou nodding, got dressed as well.

Molly and Chou waited while Uriah talked with the ancient being, finally he came back in, telling them both what he had learned. When he finished, he said,

"Can we trust her...she's a vampire...but, my gut tells me yes. Molly, your call. You want to talk to her?"

Molly looked from Uriah to Chou looking for, what she didn't know....she hesitated, this was really really scary shit...she didn't know if she had it in her to be strong and survive it all. Without warning Molly felt an inner strength well up from deep inside, she again looked at the two that were waiting for her answer,

"Yes....yes I will talk to this creature....Fatima."

Molly rose and walked out the front door into the night.
Fatima sat as she approached, then shut the book and rose in one fluid motion.
“Peace upon you, young one. Do you know who I am?” she asked.
“A vampire. Uriah told me you are a vampire assassin. He told me you were old, powerful, and dangerous to cross.” Molly responded.
Fatima nodded. “That I am, and more. Did he tell you why I was here?”
“Because of me.” Molly said.
“That is true. I am here because I will not see you fall into His hands. No matter the cost.” Fatima said. Her eyes met Molly’s. Molly’s power stirred inside her, hot, vengeful and angry at the last comment…but the vampire didn’t even flinch.

“I do not make enemies I do not have to. You would be wise to follow that advice.” Fatima responded. She paused, then continued, “I do not threaten you. I merely state what will be, because I will not allow any other outcome. You are powerful, but so is the one who seeks you. He is old. Wise. Cunning and patient. I will not permit him to add your power to his own. Take that as you would. Make no mistake - I am not your protector, I am not your friend, but for all that, I bear you no ill will.”

Fatima looked at Molly’s gun. “You have vanquished an enemy tonight. I felt the power a short while ago. I am impressed one so young as you could wield such energies and survive. You can see why you are a danger, can you not? The blood that flows in your veins can do many wondrous things.” She said as her eyes shined with an unholy, deep hunger for the barest fraction of a second…then the hunger was gone, locked back under iron control.

“You want my blood.” Molly said. It wasn’t a question, merely stating the obvious.

“I am of the Banu Haqim, what you would call a vampire. Of course I want your blood – but I do not give into the Hunger. I am its master, not a slave to it.” Fatima said with the conviction that it was absolute fact.

“And Chou? What about her? Can you get along with her if you are with us? I know you and she aren’t likely to get along…” Molly asked.
Fatima shrugged. It was a sensual, liquid, and utterly devoid of emotion movement that said much…and nothing.

“If I ask you a question, will you answer it truthfully?” Molly asked.

Fatima nodded, but said, “Truth often has a bitter flavor, but yes.”

Molly paused, then asked, “Who is Uriah?”

Fatima’s eyes grew distant, then said, “He is a finder of things lost, and a best forgotten.”

Molly asked, “That’s it?” Fatima nodded and said, “I did not tell you I would give you the whole truth – merely the truth. Do not confuse the two. They are not as one.”

Molly rolled her eyes and said, “Well, do I have to invite you in or anything?”

Fatima shook her head no.

Molly said, “Well, fuck it. I guess this isn’t going to get any more weird…” and headed back inside the cabin.

Chou looked at Fatima as she walked into the door. They eyed each other for a moment, then Chou broke away pointedly, and ignored Fatima. Uriah looked on as this happened and exhaled.

Oh, yeah…Homicide was in the air…

Uriah said, “Well, if everyone’s ok with the idea, what say we move this to a more comfortable setting. Any objections?”

Chou was sipping tea, not deigning to look at him. Fatima waved, as if to say
“Go ahead…” and Molly said “What did you have in mind?” Uriah said, “My place.” Then uttered a harsh, guttural word and clenched his fist.

The world went mad for an imperceptible instant, and then they were in the living room of a large, well furnished apartment that overlooked…

“Holy fuck!” Molly said.

She was looking at the Eiffel Tower, illuminated by it’s own light against a moonless night sky.

They were in Paris.

Uriah walked out of the room briefly, then returned with a 6 pack of beer. He tossed one to Molly, gave one to Chou and to Fatima…well.

She didn’t drink beer.

He waved his hand at the fireplace and a blaze started. “Like I said, my place.”

With her heart beating just a tad faster then normal, Molly left Uriah and Chou behind as she stepped out into the night. She had no trouble finding the vampire in the darkness, she watched fascinated while the being shut the book she had been absorbed in and rose gracefully. As they exchanged words about herself, Molly could feel anger welling up inside, anger that she was some kind of trophy that was to be sought and fought over.

Fatima was not disturbed in the least with what she felt arising from Molly, just advised her to think rather then react....Molly had to acknowledge that it was good advise....just a bit difficult to be detached and zen these last few absurd days. She continued to listen to this being, trying to take in all this information that she was hearing. The hungry look in her eyes when she talked about Molly's blood was indeed frightening, she could feel the hair's on the back of her neck rise then just as quickly the look disappeared.

It was impressive the way the vampire controlled herself, something that Molly knew she would need to learn at some point....she stated,

"You want my blood."

Molly nodded her head at the answer, before continuing with her question about Chou. Accepting her ambiguous shrug. She then asked,

“Who is Uriah?”

With the frustrating replies to her questions, Molly finally said,

“Well, fuck it. I guess this isn’t going to get any more weird…”

She turned around and headed back inside the cabin.

Once they were all together Uriah took over advising that they move to a more comfortable setting, Molly said

“What did you have in mind?”

Uriah said, “My place.”

and before Molly knew what was happening she felt....well she couldn't have described it if she tried. The world went mad for an imperceptible instant, and then they were in the living room of a large, well furnished apartment that overlooked…

“Holy fuck!” Molly said.

As Molly looked around wide eyed, Uriah left the room returning with a six pack of beer handed it around, except Fatima who wasn't a beer type of person. He waved his hand at the fireplace setting it ablaze, before saying with some satisfaction,

“Like I said, my place."

The only thing Molly could say to herself now was, (Go with the flow Molly girl...go with the flow.) She opened the beer took a mouthful, grimaced at the taste for a second then glanced at Uriah before commenting,

"Now what?"