Disclaimer: Just the usual gang. If you recognize them they’re not mine, and if you don’t then guess what they belong to me so :oP
Author’s Note: Well let me just thank you if you have taken the time to read this story. If you have even left me a review then I give you much love. I live to write and write because I love it. But it makes it much more worth while when I get feed back from those of you that review my work. Also if you don’t like this story the back button is ^^^^^^^^^^^^ there feel free to use it. Sorry about this chapter being so short but I have just started school again and I’m trying to do papers, work and my story so please be patient with me
In a side note I would like to say a special thanks to Songbird and my sister for keeping me motivated. Thank you guys from the bottom of my heart. Now without further ado.
When I woke again I was in a darkened room with my entire body throbbing. Not to mention that I had a headache that made a migraine a walk in the park. I mentally took stock of my injuries. I don’t think that I had any broken bones but the muscles in my body were sore. I tried to sit up and my muscles screamed in protest. I groaned and settled myself more comfortably on the bed or at least I tried. I sighed knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to just sleep it off.
Against the protesting of my muscles I sat up. The room swam crazily and it took a few moments for the world to right itself. I slid to the edge of the bed and was surprised when my bare feet hit carpet rather than the cool linoleum of a hospital floor. I walked slowly through the room towards what I hoped was a door and in turn a light switch. I found what I thought was the door and groped for the light switch finding nothing I tried the door and it opened and the light that came from the hallway was blinding.
I stumbled out into a long hallway with rough stonewalls. I had better be at the Circus, I thought to myself. My second thought was that it was awfully cold. When I looked down I saw that I was wearing an emerald green men’s button down silk shirt. Must be Jean-Claude’s I thought. Rubbing my arms to get warm I looked left then right trying to figure out the way to the main room. Since I couldn’t figure it out by sight so I closed my eyes and listened I heard voices far off to my right. Hoping that I wasn’t wandering further into the maze that was the underground lair of Jean-Claude I headed that way.
I walked toward the sound of voices. Feeling slightly sleepy I was confused by a wall of silken cloth barring my path. Rather than try to find the entrance I called for someone to let me in. I waited while the curtain was pulled aside by a blonde that I didn’t recognize right away. That is until I looked up into his cornflower blue eye and I knew that it had to be either Stephen or Gregory. He smiled at me and I smiled back and walked past him into the main room.
I froze on the other side of the curtain. It looked like I was interrupting something between Richard and Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude and Richard turned towards me with equally annoyed expressions. Jean-Claude’s look quickly went from annoyed to concerned. Richard, at least up to this point I assumed it was Richard because he was tall and from what I could see had an all over tan and the shoulder length wavy brown hair. Richard was still looking annoyed and crossed his arms over his chest.
Jean-Claude walked gracefully over to where I was and ran a hand over my hair and his arm wrapped around my shoulders. He looked down at while I looked up at him. No I didn’t look him in the eyes I’m not that dumb. I just watched his mouth as it moved. “Mademoiselle, did we wake you,” his voice full of concern.
“Ah! Ce n’est pas un problème. Suis j’interupitng quelque chose*?” I asked and my brow furrowed now where the hell did that come from? Jean-Claude looked surprised as well, he wasn’t the only one.
“Non,” he said somewhat hesitantly. Then he continued on in a more confident voice, “We were just discussing some business that needs some attention. But it’s nothing that can’t wait. What brought you out of your room?” He had slipped into his grand courtier façade. His manners above reproach, I couldn’t say the same for Richard. He was glaring at the pair of us.
And then Richard got this, cat that caught the canary, smile. And stepped towards us without thinking about it I took a step closer to Jean-Claude. Jean-Claude in return patted my arm in a reassuring manner. And Richard’s smile got even bigger. He leaned in close to us but spoke directly to Jean-Claude, “Does Anita know that you’re keeping a strange woman here at the Circus,” the malice was palpable in Richard’s voice.
At that most absurd statement I couldn’t help myself I laughed and wished I hadn’t. His anger was instantly turned on me. The hate that was in those eyes was haunting. Because it wasn’t a hate of just anyone it was a hate of one’s self. In that moment I wanted to reach out to him and tell him that I understood I had gone through a phase like that myself. I understood the feeling of self induced isolation. But whatever he saw in my eyes was not what was truly there. He jerked back as if slapped. And shouted in my face, “Don’t pity me! Don’t you dare!”
Any kind of sympathy I might have felt for him died in that moment of anger. His anger sparked my own, and I pushed my face up into his so that a deep breath would have had us kissing. Into that perfectly handsome face I yelled, “Oh I know all about you, Richard! Mr. I am not cattle. I am the thing that eats the cattle. Mr. Perfect. Mr. Untouchable. Your so busy being the boy scout that you forget that not everything in this world is black and white. There is some much gray that you could drown in it. So tell me, Richard, tell me how are you sleeping at night knowing that you almost cost your people their lives along with Anita and Jean-Claude. Are your high morals keeping you warm at night?” When I finished my tirade I was panting and my anger was still flaming.
Jean-Claude and Richard were wearing shocked expressions. I don’t think either of them knew where that had come from. And to be honest neither did I but I wasn’t going to take it back. A small noise caused me to look sharply behind me. I met the wide-eyed stares of both Jason and Stephen or Gregory, I still didn’t know which one it was.
Into this walked a very confused looking Asher. I knew it was him because before he knew there was someone new in the room he had left his scars very visible. Anita was right his hair was gold not the blonde that most people would describe it as. I really wanted to look into his crystalline blue eyes but after what happened with Jean-Claude I would take no chances.
Asher spoke to Jean-Claude rapidly in French. The most that I could pick up was something like is this the one and she did what? Don’t even ask me where I got this knowledge of French because I didn’t know. Asher turned towards me and reached for my hand. I let him take it I didn’t figure he was going to harm me not in front of so many people. I was surprised at the soft but gentle touch of his lips on the back of my hand. And I could feel myself blushing and hated it.
Finally remembering my manners I asked, “Bonsoir, comment sont vous**?” Oh for the love of, where in the blue hell do these phrases keep coming from? Please someone stop me before I ask either of these pieces of eye candy to have sex.
Asher appearing unphased said, “Je fais bien vous remerice de demander***.” A smile turning the corners of his mouth up.
I so wanted to look into his eyes. You never realize how much a person communicates with their eyes until your forcible reminded that you couldn’t look them in the eyes. But I laughed instead trying to break the sudden tension I felt with in myself. “I hope you don’t expect me to be able to hold a full blown conversation, cuz I’m even sure I know what I said.” I heard them laugh and smiled in response and then just as quickly sighed.
Asher asked me, “What’s wrong ma petite lionne,” running a hand over my hair. And in that moment I looked into his eyes. They were like the skies of a barren snowscape. Lonely and beautiful the way I sometimes felt. I looked into his eyes and wondered how Belle had ever sent him away or how she could have overlooked such beauty.
I tore my gaze away and shook my head I didn’t know if I would be able to make myself clear. How could I possibly explain how I felt? I felt like I had failed my sister and thereby caused this attack on her. If I had remembered I had a sister sooner, if I had at least tried to contact her then maybe, just maybe I could have saved her.
But these thought were getting me nowhere. I returned to the question that Jean-Claude had first asked me. I looked sheepishly up at Jean-Claude and said, “I couldn’t sleep anymore,” he looked surprised at that. I continued on despite my embarrassment, “Well one cuz I was hungry. And two I was alone,” the last was said so quietly that Asher who was standing closest to me had to lean in to hear it.
Richard laughed cruelly. And in that moment I HATED him! Hated what he had become. A whiney self-absorbed brat. He was still laughing and I couldn’t stand any more. I walked over to him smiled sweetly up into his face and with my right hand I tried to slap the taste out of his mouth. His head rocked with the force of the blow and thankfully that retched laughter had stopped.
The look in his eyes would have probably made me run at any other time. But as I was feeling right now I could match him blow for blow. He slowly brought his right hand up and brushed away the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. I watched as he looked at it a moment then slowly licked it off his hand. I don’t know what he was looking for but whatever it was I didn’t give it to him and he growled at me. I felt my face twist as I returned the growl with one of mine own. Jason was suddenly in front of Richard pushing him back and when the other blonde man touched me I knew it was Gregory. I knew because I could feel a connection with him.
His cornflower blue eyes begging me to back down. I didn’t want to I really didn’t if Richard wanted a fight I was now in the mood to oblige him. And then he said, “Please.” It was the tone of voice that I couldn’t say no to. I heaved a deep heart felt sigh and backed off. I turned away from Richard and that was my mistake.
I guess that was the opening that he had been looking for. I felt a forearm to my back and could feel his arm coming down for another strike. I grabbed hold of that arm and used his own momentum against him I flipped onto his back. I straddled his hips and was drawing back to hit him dead in his face when he caught me total unawares. He grabbed my arms and flipped me over onto my back. I felt my breath leave my body in a rush and had me relearning how to breathe.
Richard had my body pinned beneath his. That didn’t bother me too much until I caught the malicious glint in his eyes. And then I felt him wedge my legs open and pressed himself completely against me. This was too close to rape for my tastes and I started to struggle within his grasp. But my movements only seemed to excite him. His emotions must have been too close to the surface because all at once I could feel his aura. In that moment with our skin touching I felt our beasts rise to the surface and I felt that powerful wolf form tear into me.
I screamed high and pain filled. It hurt it hurt so bad that I didn’t think I just acted. I treated this just like any other fight and I gave as good as I got. Soon the only sounds were the cries of pain emitted by both Richard and I. And after a time even that stopped until the two beasts were rubbing side as if to declare a draw. However Richard seemed inclined to make some point that I didn’t understand. I felt him run that powerful metaphysical form through my body touching things that no lover ever had. I had time to think this isn’t right. I shouldn’t have this kind of power. If I was this powerful then I was in effect an alpha wereleopard. And could challenge Anita for her place as Nimir-Ra. Trust me I didn’t want the job. I knew the kind of hours that went into being a leader and wanted no part of it.
That’s when I felt another presence. I had enough time to think Anita. And then I heard a gun being cocked and her cold voice say, “Get off her, Richard.” And when he didn’t move fast enough to suit her she said, “Now, Richard!”
He looked up at her from over my body and said, “Would you really kill me, Anita? Over this piece of trash.” As he said the last he ground himself against me again this time hard enough to hurt. I whimpered and could feel my eyes starting to water.
I rolled my eyes up to look at Anita and wished I hadn’t. She was in that dark place that kept her safe while she killed. No I wasn’t condemning her. I had one myself so I could I? But it was the total lack of emotion that made her visage totally creepy. She said calmly, “Yes Richard, as much as I love you I could pull this trigger. So don’t test my patients and get off of her NOW!”
He made an angry sound and as a last dig he ground into one more time. And again I cried out I couldn’t help it but I could hate the fact that he had reduced me to this. Fuck that I hated him with a fine and burning rage. And nothing save my own death would have ever made me trust him again.
Richard rolled off of me. And Asher and Jean-Claude both made a move to come for me. I held out my hand and shook my head at them. As much as I wanted to be comforted I didn’t want any one to touch me right now. Right now what I wanted I couldn’t have. I wouldn’t risk Jean-Claude and Anita for revenge.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and put my forehead on them and began to shake. At first it was just little tremors until my whole body was shaking violently and then the tears came. I have never been one to cry very loud it served no purpose. But I let the tears flow and tried to breathe as normally as possible. After a time my tears stopped but I continued to shake and I knew that the coldness I was feeling wasn’t something that could be cured with more clothing or even blankets.
Richard had taken something from me. Richard had taken my ability to trust completely. I would never again look at men the same way. And in some dim part of my brain I wondered if this was how Gabriel had turned the pard into a bunch of submissive messes.
I turned to Anita and said, “Call Micah I want to get out of here, please.” I added the please because most people respond well to courtesy. Anita sighed and shook her head. I could feel my lip tremble and hated it. I wanted out of here and I couldn’t leave. I felt the tears falling as I looked at Anita and her eyes held a world of emotions and all of them indescribable. I knew that she really was sorry that she couldn’t take me out of here.
Anita put her gun up having figured out that Richard was going to behave for the moment. I watched as she pulled out a cell phone and talked to someone on the other end of the line telling him or her to bring my things to the Circus and to bring Cherry. Anita turned to the vampires and said in a quiet and emotionless voice, “Tell me.” Her tone all the more scary for it’s lack of emotion.
The vampires tripped over themselves to try and answer her and the explanation was coming out muddled. I sighed I was NOT going to explain what happened. She was already pissed at me and what she heard was going to make her even angrier. Finally Anita cut them off and turned to Jason.
Jason gave her a very short version of the story. He left out the part where I threw up his total lack of regard for anyone save himself. But he did tell her that up until the last little fight it had pretty much been a tit for tat kind of deal. Like each of us trying to out hurt the other. Only that Richard had taken it too far. It sounded about right even if I would’ve have liked for it to be all Richard’s fault.
Anita looked at Richard and asked, “Is that about the size of it?” He remained stubbornly silent on the issue. Anita turned her hostile glare on me and asked me the same thing. Unlike Richard I knew that she could and would hurt me if I tried to be stubborn. I just nodded and she sighed disgustedly.
When I tried to stand I got a sharp stabbing pain that centered around my groin. And yes girls have groin muscles too. I collapsed back onto the floor. I heard Richard chuckle and glared at him. It didn’t help. I turned my attention to the vampires then. I asked if someone could help me back to my room, I told them I couldn’t stomach some of the company.
Jean-Claude nodded and both Gregory and Jason moved cautiously forward as if afraid I would freak if they touched me. I assured them that just because I was mad at Richard doesn’t mean I was going to take it out on them. And when they were in hitting distance I said at least I would try not. I laughed, they didn’t. I sighed, no one ever gets my jokes.
As I was being helped up I began to wonder where Jamil and Shang-Da were. Weren’t they supposed to be with Richard wherever he went? I finally realized that I must be shielding too tightly because I couldn’t sense a damn thing outside of my own body. So I dropped my shields entirely and still felt nothing. I felt the hands of Jason and Gregory but not that otherworldly energy. I was confused and asked, “Does anybody else feel strange?”
I now had everybody’s attention. They were staring at me as if I had another head or something to that effect. Finally Jean-Claude said, “Strange, how?”
I pursed my lips and felt my forehead wrinkle. I was trying to think how to word this. At last I just said, “I’m standing here being supported by both Jason and Gregory and yet I FEEL nothing from them.” I shook my head when Asher would have spoken. “I feel the heat of their hands but that’s it I can’t feel their,” I groped for the right word and finally shrugging my shoulders said, “Aura.”
I watched the others as what I said finally began to sink in. I noticed that Anita, Jean-Claude, and even Richard’s eyes widened. They finally noticed the total lack of any activity. And they were looking at me as if I was the cause. I had enough time to think ‘Oh please,’ with the accompanying eye roll. When we heard screams coming from the upper part of the Circus.
In an instant we were all bounding up the stairs. My injuries forgotten, let’s hear it for adrenaline. We rushed to the main part of the Circus to see total pandemonium. People were rushing for the doors and some were even being trampled by the stampede towards the exit. I noticed in out of the corner of my eye a young child no more than four standing rooted to the spot as the people rushed around her. When I turned to look more closely I noticed a chair in flight its route on a collision course with the child.
I didn’t think I just reacted. I ran to the child, threw her on the ground with my body coming down on top of hers. I had enough thoughts left in my head not to let all my body weight fall on her though. I felt the chair fly over us it missed us but not by much. She was scream and crying for her mother. I tried to comfort her as best I could. I asked the child’s name. She calmed down enough to say Eilianna. When I said her name wrong she tsked me and said it slowly ill-e-anna. I asked her if her mother was around her somewhere. I shouldn’t have asked because she pointed to her left, which made it my right. I turned to look and there lying on the ground was a woman with her neck at an awkward angle and in that moment I knew she was dead.
The others finally caught up with me. They asked if I was alright and I said I was. I motioned toward the prone body of Eilianna’s mother. And I heard indrawn breaths but I didn’t look to whom had made the sounds. I picked up Eili as I called her. It was a bad habit I had of always shortening someone’s name.
There was a commotion going on inside one of the main tents and after asking if I’d be okay they went to investigate. I set the child down in my lap and let her cry while I rocked her. I don’t know how long we were there. But it didn’t seem all that long before the gang showed up with someone in tow. My heart stopped when I got a good look at the face. It was Diego.
Author’s Note: I almost forgot to put this section in, these are the translation for the phrases used in this section.(*)= Oh! It’s no problem. Am I interrupting something? (**)= Good Evening how are you? (***)= I am well thank you for asking.