Sunset Coven 17

Not edited, but that's nothing new. Kinda had a problem writing this. It reads weird, but I think I got back into it towards the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

River gently laid Toren down on his bed. It took longer to get him there because Toren insisted that the people did not see him in such a state, and he had to sneak through the dark tunnels, masking their scent. He didn’t want them to worry or for them to strike out while he was predisposed. River didn’t agree with that outlook. If it were up to him, he would inform the clans and their alliances. The more people who knew the better their chances would be at finding the witch and the vampire.

Toren laid on his front, his raw back exposed.

“I’ll send for Taliah,” River said. Taliah was a nurse in the mortal world and one of the healers in the nest.

“No,” Toren said. “Don’t send for anyone. I’m fine.”

“No you aren’t.”

“No,” Toren’s voice was that of the warlord, not a friend.

River sighed, resigned. He was completely fed up with all this. Since they first ran into the witch back at Jack’s, Toren’s view and judgment had been clouded. River found his friend and leader too focus on wooing the spring chicken and not on saving their nest.

He wasn’t against Toren having some fun with a woman, but it should wait until after the nest was saved. Besides, Suri was just a kid. A dead kid once he got his hands on her. He stared at Toren’s back.

“You should really have that looked it.”

“It’ll heal,” Toren replied. “Eventually.”

“When I find that witch, I’m-“

Toren was up on his feet and in River’s face within a blank of an eye. “You. Will. Not. Harm. Her,” his voice a strict command that reminded River that despite Toren’s weakened state, he could still defend what need be.

River huffed, not happy at being denied vengeance. He held Toren’s eyes, which were glowing, until he turned away, dropping the challenge of strength between them. Damaged as he was, Toren still was the more dominate. But, that didn’t mean he would keep quiet. “Is she worth the lives and future of the clan?”

“How you constantly put the two into the same category baffles me, River.” Toren’s eyes started to fade. He sat, grimaced, and then eased down more smoothly. “Let me tell you this one final time. I never forget my duty is to my people first.”

River pressed his thumb and index finger to his eyes. “Fine. Then tell me what you’re going to do now.” He dropped his hand and looked at Toren. “You had a deal with the wolves, but that broke when your witch went dark. Which brings me to another point. We haven’t heard from the wolves yet. That’s odd. I expected the Alpha and his mate would have sought you immediately.”

Toren had also found it odd that Amor and Eva hadn’t cornered him yet, but he had been out of the nest lately. They could have called for him while he was out. “Go check with Joslyn to see if there are any messages.” River turned to leave. “But whatever you do, DON’T tell her where I am. The last thing I want is for her to see me like this. Don’t even breathe my name. Go shower and throw those clothes out first so she doesn’t scent you. Maybe roll around in the mud as well.” At River’s quirked brow, Toren waved a hand in the space between them. “You’re right. Forget that idea. Just wait. Don’t go near Jos. Leave the nest and call from somewhere far away. Yeah. Do that,” he said, because Warlord or not, there were people even Toren would like to avoid, and his sister was one of them. He loved her dearly, but she could be a bit overbearing. Too bad she was one of the strongest in the nest. Whenever he and River were absent for extended periods of time, it was Joslyn who lead the clan. If she saw him damaged and ruined like this, she’d somehow get it out of him, and if he didn’t talk (he wouldn’t) River would likely tell what happened, and if River told what happened that would require explaining what went down between him, Suri, and the leech. That would be no problem if it were any other person, but Joslyn and the Jime…he shook his head. Bad combination. Dangerous pairing.

No. He’d have River check for messages and give Jos as brief report of what’s going on. He didn’t want his clan on edge, ready to rips heads off, or worrying about their future, but he wouldn’t leave them in the dark entirely, because despite his messy relationship with his witch, his clan came first. Always would.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

She couldn’t sleep. The darkness cloaked her dreams whenever her eyes closed. The dark dreams started only a weak ago while Sage had been searching for their daughter. She hasn’t mentioned the dreams to him. She had mentioned them to her dad who had talked to the medicine man. They drafted a potion that would keep her seer abilities at bay while she slept, but it hadn’t work. The darkness was always there, clinging to Suri. She lost her husband to it centuries ago. She wouldn’t lose her daughter as well. Oh, how she prayed to the spirits that her dream was wrong.

Angelica looked at the sleeping body beside her. He rested peacefully tonight. Too peacefully in fact. He slept like a log while she stewed in her own worry over their daughter, the daughter he drove off, the daughter she missed dearly and hadn’t so much as heard a word from for a year, the daughter cloaked in darkness. She pulled her knees up, positioning them midway. She kicked, hard, sending Sage off the bed crashing to the floor with a loud thump. "FIND MY DAUGHTER!"

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Her life was spiraling down a path she wasn’t sure when she stepped on. She destroyed him. Those glorious scales of his. How many had she plucked? How had she let the darkness take over to…

No. Suri couldn’t blame what happened on the darkness. Not entirely. She was conscious. She knew what she had been doing, and she enjoyed it, inflicting pain on the one who had caused her so much hurt. Her back still burned. Suri wanted revenge and gladly let the darkness help seek it. Now, if she acted without the influence, would she have plucked his scales like guitar strings? No. Hell no. No doubt she would have made him suffer, but she would have choose another form of punishment. Maybe. They did need scales for the list-quest-mission-thing after all.

She smacked her palm to her face. Then again. And once more. She vividly remembered the first time she had ever saw his.

They had gone down to the bayou. She and Jime dropped by to crash a party thrown by a bunch of berserkers at one of Jack's bars. Or, Jime wanted to crash. Suri wanted nothing to do with the overly muscled heathens.

Apparently, they weren’t the only ones who decided to crash. A few Unseelie fey, shifters, wolves, and dragons had been there. Jime blended in instantly, jumping straight in, frolicking with the many men, and doing something Suri will never ever allow her mind to recall. In fact, she wiped the memory, so she no longer remembered exactly what Jime had been doing, just that it was something she didn’t want to remember.

Suri slipped out. She never liked the whole crowd-party scene. Being around so many creatures of the lore after spending twenty-three years of her life in small settings, she felt cramped. She disappeared deep into the bayou, miles from any of the party-goers. At least that’s what she thought.

Not two-hundred feet ahead, she saw a fire glowing, heard rough rowdy voices, bodies smacking. Oh, goody. A stupid brawl. When she got close enough, she noticed it wasn’t just a brawl, but a bet. Organized fighting. She kept her distance, but spied the fighters, the audience, and put out feelers to see if there were other’s lurking. She kept her eyes in the circle on the fighters. One was tall, at least seven and a half feet, his skin so dark, black seemed too light. His eyes were pearl white, so were his teeth, a stalk contrast against dark sweat glistening skin. He was heaving, winded from the fight. His opponent was also tall but in normal standards, six-feet, maybe a few inches taller. He was muscled and fit, biceps and abs rippling across sun kissed skin. Dark hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, and trickled down his face, a mix of Asian and something…old. Meso. He was angled away from the tall guy, a bogey Suri thought. They circle each other. A flicker against the fire. Suri squint her eyes. Scales. Glorious bluish-green scales the flowed from the top of his neck down to below his waistline like island waters on a sunny day. It almost hurt to look at them. Dragon.  She knew who he was because his scales were rumored to be the most hypnotic and seductive of all dragons. They called him River.

They lunged at each other and then…it was over. Just like that. The bogey’s face was smashed between wet earth and the boot of the dragon. It happened so quickly Suri almost missed it. Damn he was good.

“No use hiding way back here,” a voice spoke from behind. Suri didn’t jump in surprise. That would show that she hadn’t been paying attention, a weakness. One didn’t display weakness around others who would some day use it against them. She batted her eyes in a slow lazy movement. “All who venture out to this area are automatically entered into the competition.

“Wh-wha-what?” Suri sputtered. That certainly caught her attention. What the hell did he mean automatically entered in the competition? She wasn’t enrolling in anything. She certainly planned to tell him that, but when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the clearing where the other’s stood as if he was flicking a feather, she found herself momentarily speechless. Later, she learned his name was Rex, a troll in charge of ushering all stragglers who sought to watch the competition but too coward to fight.

“Well, well, well. Who’s this?” one of the berserkers spoke.

“A girl. Haven’t had a girl join the fight since Lenny killed that one harpy seventy years or so ago. Ain’t that right Lenny?”

“Aye.”

“She’s just a baby.”

“Looks mortal.”

“Let me fight her.”

They all spoke.

“Why not. Let Flacko have at her.”

“What’d you say, little girl?” Flacko, a goblin if she judged by his stench, said with a fang-full grin.

Having quickly regained her composure now that she was surrounded by so many…other’s, she stared Flacko down, bored by the way they all diminished her because she was 1.) a girl, 2.) small, and 3.) mortal-looking. They all thought to make a spectacle out of her, toy around for a bit before getting serious and really harming her. She didn’t even want to think about what a goblin would try to do after that. It totally pissed her off. She thought these guys would know better than to judge someone by their size and sex. Didn’t think know who Jime was? Jime would destroy them all without breaking a nail, probably while filing her nails. The first thing Jime had told her when they set off on their adventure four months prior was to never let any put her down, no matter how small it was. In fact, she suggested blowing up over the small things, that way everyone would be deterred from trying being stunts.

“I’ll say you’re going to lose that filthy little spiked tongue of yours really soon if you ever call me a little girl again, you ugly beast,” she spat.

A mixture of laughs, growls, curses, and taunts exploded from the thirty or so guys that stood in the clearing. From the corner of her eye, she saw the bogey picking himself up off the ground, the dragon pulling his shirt on.

“Is that so?” the goblin hissed in Suri’s face. Apparently, her strike out hadn’t deterred him. It only made him more eager.

“Funny how you’re so energetic and pumped to fight a female half your size, Flunko, when you wouldn’t pipe up at any of the other challenges.”

Suri turned to look at the speaker. Another dragon. He stood beside River, a spitting image of Park Shi Hoo, only much more deadly in appearance. But that could have been a simple trick of light, because when Flacko gave him the one-finger salute, he laughed and grinned so hard, a boyish laugh, a charming smile. Definitely a light trick.

“What’s it to you?” Flacko said.

“Why fight the female? Why not me?” Toren walked from the side over to where they stood. He stopped behind Suri. “Challenge me.”

“Defending the female?” Flacko said.

“No one defends me,” Suri said. She glared at both men. “If you want to fight, then we-“

“I challenge your challenge,” Toren cut Suri off and spoke to Flacko. He looked around the circle of men. “That’s okay boy’s? I’ve been waiting all night for a go.”

There were a few grumbles, but eventually the guy’s agreed, okaying the challenge of the challenge. Suri wasn’t really sure how that worked. She didn’t care either.

Flacko backed away, stepping into the battle circle that acted an the make-shift ring. The Dragon with the boyish charm stepped around to face her.

“What the hell? I don’t need you, whoever you are, fighting for me? I can do so myself.”

He looked down at her, his clear eyes focused. “I have no doubt about that little witch,” he grinned cheekily when she eyed him wearily.  “Yeah, I know what you are.”

“I don’t care. Don-“

“Don’t deny me this.” He reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He tossed the shirt over to River. Leaning down until they were eye level, he smiled. “I’ve wanted to rip that filthy spiked tongue from the ugly beast for a long time now. It’s not fair that you just show up and get the opportunity just because you’re so beautiful.”

Suri rolled her eyes while fighting a blush. Usually she would have brushed the comment aside, made a snarky response at the attempt of flirting, or slapped the guy for such a weak line. But with him so close, and his eyes so sincere, even if they were glowing with glee, she could only roll her eyes and turn away. “Sure. Sure. Whatever. Don’t bust your balls at it.”

He laughed, a whisper of power shifting over her skin. “Thanks.” He started for the circle.

She spun around so fast mud kicked up. No way that guy was the warlord. His back was towards her as he walked to the circle, and she knew the rumors weren’t true. Toren’s scales of black, jade, and gold, were more spectacular than anything she’d even seen. Even River’s. Dear lord but they were gorgeous. 

Feeling her eyes on him, he looked over his shoulder. “By the way, the names Toren.”

“Suri,” she replied.

She stayed at that fighting circle that night, not just to watch Toren, although that was part of the reason, but mainly because not much longer after he ripped through Flacko the Flunko, Jime showed up. Then ---

Suri snapped out of her daydream when she felt a trickle of magic hit the feeler she set out. Jime’s magic. Jack’s as well, and a low rumble that told her they were heading for her, fast, much faster than when she ever drove ‘ol Jack. She looked around. How the hell had they found her so fast? She looked left, right, behind her, but nothing. A shiver went down her spine. She looked up. “Aw, what the fuck?” she said in disbelief when she spot Jack the mustang. FLYING. She didn’t have time to stand there in awe. She had to get away. She wouldn’t let them catch her. Jime would be pissed and the repercussions for using dark magic again would be terrible. And Jack had an alliance with the dragons, which mean the Dragon’s would arrive at any moment. “Fil amo,” she said and teleported away.

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

“God damnit.” Jime beat her hands against the dashboard.

“Stop beating my car,” Jack snapped.

“It’s all your fault. I told you to park and go in quietly. Now she’s going who knows where.” She beat the dashboard in anger again.

“Oh shut up. Honey-boo can follow her. Now stopped beating her.”

“It’s a HIM, Jack,” she snapped. Her fangs elongated at that stupid pet name. Honey-boo. He never called her honey boo. Stupid ex-god. Screw him and his stupid car. Angry, but not sure how to unleash it, she took it out on Jack. She shoved him, hard, into the car door, his head smacking into the window. That felt a little better. Teasing Jack always made her feel be—Her head slapped the passenger window. Jack shoved her back. A knot formed on her tumble instantly. Slowly, she turned murderous eyes on her assailant. She hissed and flung across the space between them.

Sunset Coven 16

The moment Jime had come out of jack’s trunk she knew something was extremely wrong. Jack was right next to her, looking solemn, and River was on his way to tackle her. Suri and Toren were absent though, which meant she had to find Suri. Now.

“Stay!” she voiced Jack and River, she could do that to other creatures of the Lore for only a short amount of time, their own specialness making them less vulnerable than humans to her power trick. Jime teleported just before River could make a grab for her.

*******

Toren’s body was his own again. The second Suri left, her spell disappeared and he knew he could move, but he still waited to even try it, his body had been through too much in too little time and was functioning at an almost human speed, so he just stayed there, on his knees, head low, with his back an indiscernible mess of meat, bones, and dragon blood. He didn’t have the energy to even look up when he heard Jime cuss when she came into the room, let alone wonder the how.

“Damn it all!”

She fumed as she thrashed the place. Jime will not loose Suri like she lost Sage. This time she would make sure the apple fell well far away from the tree. Jime had lost precious time teleporting to all the places she thought Suri might have gone to, and had found her –wouldn’t you know it- at the very last one she tried. She would have used River or Jack to follow her niece since vampires don’t have the tracking skills those two had for hunting a creature of the Lore’s energy trail but the Dark clouded Suri’s energy and she could not be traced that way. Just as well, it would not do to have River find Suri, he’d attack on sight, and Jack… hmmm, maybe he knew another way.

Jime left the room and went to find some salt. The place Suri (or the Dark, as it turned out) had chosen to have the scale-plucking was an old abandoned house in Baltimore. They had found it before their road trip one time when Jime needed a place to crash, and Suri had placed some magic around it so that it remained unnoticed, but neither knew exactly why or how it had been abandoned in the first place. It was as if the owners had just stepped outside for a minute, but never came back. Jime and Suri had long ago cleaned out the perishables and other potentially nasty stuff and had left everything else as it were. It suited them anyway. Only they knew about it now.

Jime went to the kitchen and found a big container full of salt, bingo. She went back to the room and found Toren still as a statue, but conscious, looking almost alive.

She circled him, eerily in almost the exact same way Suri had done before, she popped the container open in front of his face and instead of her finger she used the tip of the salt container to touch his torso.

Toren swallowed, he knew what will come next.

“Listen here lizard, you will remain still for a few moments longer and then I’ll take you to your second in command, got it?” She asked sweetly.

“Fine.”

“Good.”

Jime positioned herself behind Toren and oh-so-slowly began to pour salt over his raw back. She drew a big S with a J in the middle, marking him for all to see. The salt will repel his dragon magic (all magic really, it was a nifty tip every creature of the Lore was taught), making the healing process slow so much he will be scarred. At least for as long as Suri was. It was justice, after all.

“Don’t worry about aesthetics lizard. Your scars? They will heal.” She rubbed the salt into him.

Toren didn’t know how he managed not to break and wail like a little boy crying for his mama, but he did, only a single tear escaped from his left eye. Jime gently grabbed it with her fingertip and cleaned her hand on her clothes.

“Blood, sweat and a single tear. It’s better than nothing. But don’t mistake my not killing you now that Suri’s got her revenge, any friendship we might have shared in the past is forgotten now, if I find myself in the position to fuck you up, I will.” She gleefully patted his back rubbing the salt some more with so much force he was thrown onto the floor again.

“D-don’t expect me to take it lying down either then. ‘Cause I won’t, not anymore.”

“You wouldn’t be a Dragon Warlord if you did.” Jime studied him for a moment, wondering what his deal was. Whatever. She had other more important things to do now.

She grabbed him by the belt in his pants and teleported to the parking lot where Jack, jack and River waited.

Appearing at River’s back, she threw Toren’s body next to him. River quickly turned around to inflict some damage but was stilled by Toren, who had grabbed his leg.

“Shit.” River knelt down and winced at Toren’s back.

“Dragons, you will not follow me, or try to find Suri!” Jime voiced them.

“Not again…” River sighed, “What is that, anyway? It’s like I hear your voice inside my soul as well as my head and am compelled to obey…” He gulped, “For a little while anyway.”

“You are such a noob, River. I’m old enough to know a few tricks you know nothing about.” She responded with self-importance.

“But I know.” Jack murmured.

He was leaning over jack the car, watching the action silently.

“Of course you would know… you’re as old as dirt.” Jime rolled her eyes as she walked to the car.

Jack bristled, remembering this game Jime used to play on him, making him feel old or inadequate. It would have been nothing for him back when he had been beyond human years before joining the Sinn-Jammers, but now… Well, he could piss her off too. He straightened and regarded River.

“The ancient Art of Voice is- Uhm… ah…” He was cut off by a female hand slowly caressing his chest.

Jime did not need the Dragons to know what Voice was. Any way she could distract the men she’d do it, besides, it had been such a long time since she got her hands on Jack, somehow it felt like coming home it was so familiar, which was just wrong on so many levels she would not think about it, for now, she was sure she’d fret over it later though, when she was alone.

“We need to talk, you and I.” She whispered in Jack’s ear, leaning her body over his, feeling his hum and vibrate, infecting her as well.

“Yes. We. Do.” Jack responded in a breathy voice, regarding her under his hooded eyes.

River was looking at the pair with his right eyebrow almost touching his hair line; he glanced at Toren, who was also watching them from the floor. It was good to know Toren wasn’t so hurt he didn’t pay attention to what was happening around him. As far as River knew, after everything that had happened, it was war between Suri, Jime and him. Anything he could find out about his enemy was welcomed, he’d have to investigate this Voice thing.

Toren, on the other hand, was reflecting on the nature of male-female relationships. He was amused at how easily Jime could play someone like Jack, but he wasn’t so naïve as to believe Jack didn’t realize it as well, or that Jime herself didn’t know that he knew… they played each other. Which made him think about the mess his relationship with Suri was, and if he could ever make up for the mistake he had made with her. Or even if he wanted to… nah, he wanted to. At this point, he still needed to. At least they had even ground now, they hurt each other equally.

Jime glanced at Toren and River, “Let’s hit the road, Jack.” She went to open the driver’s door but was stopped by him.

“I drive, it is my car.” He invaded her space, pushing her away from the door.

She bristled but knew she’d have to pick her battles, time was of the essence here and she wanted to find Suri fast, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t piss off Jack. She walked to the back seat door on the other side of jack and opened that door.

“Driver, let’s go.” She waved her palm in the general direction of the road and got inside.

Jack fumed but got in as well, he turned on the engine, and to Jime’s annoyance the car responded beautifully, one could even say happily. They took off in a burst of speed that left Toren and River covered in dust.

“Damn Vampires!” screamed River.

**********

“I missed you so much, my love. You don’t know how I’ve suffered. One moment you were there, the next this huge void in my heart. No one will ever even compare-” Jack got choked up and couldn’t continue.

Jime was lounging in the expanse of the back seat, all that space for herself, trying not to continue rolling her eyes, at the rate they were moving they might just pop out of their sockets on their own.

“It’s just a car! Give me a break.”

“My honey-boo is not just a car I’ll have you know!” Jack shouted to the rear-view mirror. He got a bit distracted with the sudden glimpse at Jime’s legs but quickly shook his head to snap out of the increasing in-lust he did not need to feel as his time with Jime prolonged. He needed to get used to her again.

“Oh? Not just a car? In what way, pray tell, driver, is honey-poo not just another car and you not just another man in a mid-life crisis who’s in love with it?”

“First, I am not in a mid-life crisis.” He started to count off with one hand while driving with the other.

“Potato-potahtoh.”

“Second, I am not your personal driver.”

“I see you driving me… case closed.”

“Third, honey-boo is special because she’s mine in every way.”

“Forth,” Jime interjected, “This car is male, not female.”

“You will not impose your world views on my honey-boo!” Jack swirled around to glare at Jime so fast the car swirled too.

“Eyes on the road, buster!” Jime yelled while sitting correctly, she made a grab for the seat belt but decided not to strap herself down. “You sure drive like a rookie.” She mumbled while hugging the seat before her, bringing her closer to Jack. “It’s as if you forgot how to drive in the little time honey-poo’s been mine…” she sneered, “In fact, it’s as if honey-poo is doing all the work-”

The shifter changed gears on its own, Jack was not quick enough to mimic the move. He cursed under his breath, the jig was up. Just another secret Jime knew about him now.

“HEY! I saw that! It is driving itself!” she pointed at the shifter. “What the hell? It never did that with me!”

“Ha! That’s because honey-poo is mine! We are connected in ways you know nothing about!”

“So this is a special car…” She rubbed her hands (which where hanging in the air next to Jack) with glee. Maybe that was why sometimes it broke down on Suri and her, because it was already magical, and to top it with Suri’s magic was somehow messing with it.

He gripped Jime’s hands with his own free hand, “Stop that.” The electricity of their skin contact charging them both.

“Why the hell?” She shook him off.

“Uhm, because…” Jack was momentarily at a loss.

“Because? Just because? You’re suddenly serious, what could rubbing my hands- wait a minute, you rubbed your hands when you got in the driver seat, you sorta caressed the steering wheel before turning the ignition, I thought it was just you being weird, like always, but…”

“How many times must I tell you, woman! I am not weird, I am an ex-God!”

“Same dif., I bet it’s like a magic ritual, oooooh, I bet it’s how you connect with the car!” She slapped his shoulder, now sure she discovered the secret because of the expression on Jack’s face. She knew him too well still. “O.K., so what else can it do?”

“I am not telling you anything.” Jack pouted.

“Oh, come on, tell me,” She cooed near his left ear, blowing a little on it while seductively running her hand down his arm.

Jack shivered, “No.”

“Can it go wherever you tell it to go?” Her hand moved onto his lap.

“YES,” Jack hit the wheel, “Damn it.”

Jime removed her hand slowly, but the grave tone with which she talked next made Jack forget about his swelling boy parts in an instant.

“Make it go where Suri is.” Her eyes were serious, pleading.

He could never say no to her when she played with him, but he knew that when it came to her family, if you got in the way, that was a deal-breaker. No one messed with Jime’s family. He had learned that the hard way. Fate had presented him this new chance, he would not squander it for anything.

Jack faced the road and said, “Ullr magiske skiene, ta meg til Suri.”

Jack the car revved as if alive and took off into the sky.

Sunset Coven 15

Isn't she just the cutest!!!!

How ironic that this picture proceeds this chapter. Is that isn't as wrong as it gets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jime had showered in the hotel room before meeting Suri out by Jack. Suri had the trunk open; she leaned on the side of the car. She looked up when Jime appeared before her, her expression thoughtful.

"Jack and I were a long time ago. Really long time ago. More than a blue moon ago," Jime said, not really wanting to get into this conversation but glad Suri hadn't walked around with a bitter expression as she had when she told her about the La Reina thing.

On the contrary, Suri had seemed to find their encounter with Jack highly amusing as she farmed a different section of the field with her eyes locked on Jime and Jack.

Jime wasn't the most forthcoming on the best of days. Suri knew that. So she resigned to let Jime peel back the layers one at a time. Although, ripping them all off at once would get the pain out of the way...if one didn't bleed to death in the process.

"Extremely long time ago," Jime said

"Did you love him?" Suri asked.

Jime's face became impassive. Whether that meant, "yes" or "don't fucking kid yourself," she wasn't sure.

Moments passed by and Jime didn't respond.

"Very well. We'll talk about it later, I guess." She wasn’t happy about dropping the subject though. Suri tapped the interior of the trunk.

Jime slipped inside, tired from all the farming as well as keeping her guard up when Jack was around. She couldn't wait to sleep. Suri shut the trunk before she could say goodnight. Maybe she was pissed again. Oh well! She didn't have time to deal with that. She had to figure out how to shut off those feelings being close to Jack had brought. She sighed and let the darkness close in.

Suri had flashed back to the room to shower. She threw on an oversized t-shirt and hopped in bed when she was through, but she didn't sleep. She couldn't. Her mind was rolling; her body restless, and the pit of her stomach felt like it brew acid. The darkness. Using dark to defeat the wolves back in alien land made her skin feel stretched and tingly. The only time the sensation had abated was when she was in P and S cooking up a brew for Jamie.

Suri rolled over and tossed the comforter on the floor. Not use sitting in the room like a caged chicken, she thought. Magicking a pair of teal leggings and white tank top, she changed clothing and flashed back outside to Jack. She hopped on the hood of car and laid back in what should have been an uncomfortable posting, with her head down by the trunk and her feet up on the roof of the car.

"Numira," she spoke softly. The air around the car shivered with magic, a cloak of invisibility surrounding her and honey-boo. Just remembering that name-spoken pass Jack's lips made her giggle like a schoolyard girl. Like she would know anything about that. She never giggled in a schoolyard. She didn't have friends to laugh with. Everyone either envied or hated her for her power, or they feared her for her power and because her dad was Sage, the black Mage who destroyed half of Europe because he was bored.

Suri magicked a pack of twizzlers next to her. Popping the bag open, she grabbed two of the sticks and stuffed the ends in her mouth while she watched the sun rise on the horizon.

She was stretching her legs while she lay on the car when the air her started to twist. Suri released the leg that she had extended up to her shoulders and started out into the empty road where Jack was parked across from the hotel out of sight of any camera. A moment later, Jack Jammers of the Sinn-Jammers was standing in the once empty road. How had he found them so soon, under and hour of teleporting from him? It took other half a day, if not days to pick up her and Jime's trail.

Jack looked around. Suri knew he didn't see her or the car, but his gaze lingered on her for a moment before looking around again and coming back once more to her.

He inhaled deeply as if sniffing the air for a scent. He wouldn't smell anything, though. Her cloak of invisibility was perfect in every sense. Not only couldn't he see them, he couldn't smell them, hear them, or any of that.

She was about to step out to ask why he was there when she felt a stir. Another twizzler enters her mouth. The air cracks. Toren and his running mate, River, flash next to Jack. Funny, she didn't know Dragons could flash. Also funny that they should show up directly after Jack does.

"Jack," Toren greets

Suri wings her legs off the hood of the car and sits up. She braces her hands on the hood of the trunk between her legs, her fingers gripping the steel so hard she could peel the paint from it. Just looking at him, hearing his voice made the darkness growing in her blood burn.

"Toren," Jack replies and nods at River in acknowledgement. He turned his attention back to where she and Jack sat. "Their trail ends here, if you're looking for the witch," he said.

"Have you checked the hotel," Toren asked.

"No. The trail ends here. Not there."

"There's nothing here but trees and a nice view of the hotel," River stated.

Traitor! The word vibrated through Suri. Kill the traitor, the dark inside her whispered. Her insides raged to hurt him. He hurt you. Physically, she was scarred. They would heal soon leaving no mark behind, but at the moment the scars were there, not just a memory. Mentally, he betrayal hurt more than the scars. Suri didn't trust often. Besides her aunt and parents she didn't trust anyone. And even with them she trusted that they would always treat her like a child. But she wasn't a child. She was a woman, a woman who had been betrayed but that damn dragon standing 25 feet away. Make him suffer.

"Yet the trail ends here," Jack repeated.

Toren found that odd. That the trail stopped there with no energy left to trace, means that Suri and Jime were there. He let his eyes glow and used the sight of the dragon to scan their surroundings. River did the same thing.

"I don't see anything," River said.

Toren almost laughed. "You wouldn't," he said. Not unless she wanted them to see. He turned to River. "Pull out your locket."

River pulled the necklace from under his shirt. Toren took the locket into his hand and blew on it.

The locket around Suri’s neck grew hot. She growled, a low menacing sound of a beast. That douche bag could track her threw the locket. She had a feeling it worked that way when Jack said a lizard told him where they were, but she couldn’t be certain.

Toren dropped the necklace from his hand and looked where Jack at been looking. How Jack was able to locate them without a trail was another story. “She—“

“Lunpe,” Suri mumbled darkly from her spot perched on the trunk of the car.

Toren flew back like he did when Jime tossed him earlier. He landed hard on the ground on his back. He shook his hard to dislodge the shock and looked up. River and Jack both stared at him, a confused expression on their faces. Pushing up, he stood up only to be hit from the side and flew back again.

“Dadoe. Luet. Kimel. Kimel, kimel, KIMEL!” Suri threw spell after spell after angry spell at Toren, hitting him from all angles until his clothing was tattered. But the dragon was strong. He always got up without taking too much damage, and that only made the darkness in her scream. “Ku tet new a le eck zinha,” she said. She didn’t look down as a bow, glowing bright with spirit energy materialized in her left hand, a spirit bow in her right.

Toren stood tall, looking in her direction.

“My Lord,” River rushed over to his leader when it seemed like the attack at stopped. Jack walked over as well. Having an alliance meant that he would join Toren and River in battle if the dragon warlord was to ask for his help. But he didn’t think that was necessary at the moment. What? The witch was only a baby. To fight against her would be like—

Suri fired the arrow. The attacks had pushed Toren further away from the car then he stood before, but that was okay. The spirit bow wasn’t of this plane. The untrained eye couldn’t see it. That’s why none of them saw the bright neon blue arrow until it struck its target in the center of his chest. Toren dropped to his knees upon impact, a hole gaping in his chest, his blood running out.

The darkness inside her clapped with glee. More. Make him suffer more. With a simple wave of her hand, she shattered the invisibility cloak.

River reached for Toren but stopped when the wind suddenly shifted and howled. He looked up at the once empty spot a few feet away to see Suri sitting on the trunk of a car looking like the devil herself. Her eyes were dark, her expression pure murder. He went to stand in front of his lord, ready to fight and protect, destroy. He reached for his waist—

“Freeze,” she said, and they all froze movement, his body locked. Though their bodies couldn’t move their minds were still aware.

She hopped off the car, her eyes only on Toren, and stalked forward so slowly like a cheetah hunting. She waved her hand and Toren groaned as she released the freeze from him and him alone. She wanted him alive and kicking as she tortured him. Ten feet away, she pointed at him and beckoned her finger. Toren rose off the ground into the air like someone stepping on a rake until he stood straight, his feet a foot off the ground. She glared up at him. Steam flowed from his nostrils. “Veroppi.” He grunt, his face twisting in pain his blood turned to acid in his face. But after a few second of coping, or maybe just to bother he, he smirked.

“Is that all you got?” he taunted, blood spilling out from his mouth.

The darkness raged, begging her to send him to Hecate. She obliged.

Suri placed her hand on his chest over the wound leaking blood. She looked him square in those crystal clear beautiful eyes of his as she said, “Hecate. Feed.”

Toren gasped and grunted, but he wouldn’t cry out. His soul felt like it was being twist and torn, the blood in his veins destroying him from the inside out, but he wouldn’t cry out. Let her take her revenge if it pleased if, but for the love of god, if she doesn’t, “stop…calling dark magic,” be hit out, angry with her for doing so.

Granted, her sudden use of dark magic may be his fault. May. If he hadn’t turned her over to the wolves, she wouldn’t have committed that ritual. He had no doubt that she hadn’t used it before. If so, she wouldn’t have spared the human side of the wolves. And yes, it was his fire that blew the building apart which killed the wolves. So, maybe he was to blame for using the mage powers. But that doesn’t mean she needed to keep doing so. Did she even know how dangerous it was to call the dark magic?

And, if the marks on her back looked anything like the scars visible on her shoulders then…why hadn’t she healed? She was immortal. She should have heeled. She’s a witch after all, Jime vampire had said, and witches could be killed by fire.

From the corner of his eye he saw River breaking free of the spell. So did she. Her gaze shifted from him momentarily to River. “Leave,” she said, her voice low. She flicked her wrist, but instead of attack River, she transported them to a new location.

River watched as Toren and Suri vanished, the spell she casted breaking once she left. A tiny clink sound was all that was left of those two as the locket Toren gave to her sat on the cold ground. He turned to Jack who was stretching his muscles. Jack walked over to the car but came up short just out of its reach, unable to get through whatever charm had been placed on it. “Dammit!”

Toren collapsed onto a cold stone floor. Where he was, he didn’t know. He pushed up on his hands but the pain seared through him and he almost fell again. He was almost on his knees when Suri’s foot connected with his back and she pushed him back down. “Naydok.” His body locked, a sensation different from when she had froze them, but the motionlessness just the same. He felt himself raising again the same way as well.

She shifted in front of him. “Liar,” she called him.

“I,” his voice small but strong, “never lied to you.”

She slapped him like a woman scorned. “Liar. You betrayed me.”

“Yes.”

She slapped him again, his face turning from the force of the hit. Whoever said witches weren’t much stronger than mortals were the real liars. Her slaps were as strong as River’s punches. Or maybe it was his currently weak state of being that made it feel that way.

“You seduced me, followed me like a lost puppy, spouting your nonsense, and then you fed me to wolves. WOLVES!” She slapped him twice.

He turned his head, a slow progress, until he faced her. “Exactly, which pa-part of that are you upset about?”

Her jaw clenched, but she didn’t hit him again. “You scarred me. Left me damaged.” She fisted his shirt and snatched it from his body. Circling him slowly, a single lazy finger trailing across his torso in the process, she stood behind him. “It’s only fair I do the same thing to you,” she stroke his back, running that solo finger from the top of his back down to the hem of his jeans. “Awake!”

This time, Toren cried out as his scales grew onto his back without his call, forced. When she called the Hecate, it might have felt as if his soul was being torn apart, but now his skin was being torn apart…literally.

The change last for close to five minutes, painful the entire time. Had he called his true form, they would have grown instantly, in a matter of seconds, painless as can be. But he hadn’t called.

Suri allowed him a few deep breaths. She balled her hands into fist, a small material instrument suddenly in her palm. “Better?” she asked when his breathing was no longer ragged. “How about now?” With the little tweezers in her hand, she snatched one of the scales from his flesh. He roared a loud painful sound. Good thing no one was around for miles and miles. He could scream all he wanted. In fact, she wanted him to scream. The darkness wanted him to scream.

“How many scales does it take to until I have a kilogram,” she mocked the tootsie roll pop commercial tune. She peered around him and smiled a dark bitter smile. “Let’s find out.” Pluck. “A one.” Pluck. “A two.” Pluck. “A three.” She peered around into his face again. “Doesn’t weight a kilogram yet. I suggest we keep going until we find out.” So she plucked and snatched and pulled at his scales tossing them over her shoulder after each one, and he grunted, cringed, and groaned with each one.

“You know the worst part about it all?” she said what were probably hours later after removing more than half the scales from his back. “It’s not the burns or the fact that I had to call on Hecate.” Pluck. “I trusted you.” Pluck. “That’s the worst part.” Why had she even trusted him? She asked herself.

Because he had been nice? He made her laugh? Because of the kiss they shared that was so hot it scorched just thinking about it? No. It wasn’t any of that, though his kiss wasn’t bad. She wouldn’t admit to anyone that she went to sleep thinking about it every night. At least she did until The Tavern. No. It was because he showed interest in her. Not her powers or what she could do for him, what he could use her for. He showed interest in just her. Just Suri. It was the first time anyone had showed interest in just Suri.

Her parents love her. She knew that, but with them it was always about being the best. Her classmates, the ones who didn’t envy or fear her, only wanted her to help them with assignments. Her teachers were only interest in having the chance to say they were her teacher. With Toren, it had been just about her. Well, if that’s what showing interest in her lead to, being chained to a gas line, beat, and bullied by a pack of wolves, she didn’t want it.

“Suri!”

“Lunpe,” she called out and tossed the scale over her shoulder. She turned around to find out who the intruder was and how sorry they would be.

Jime had been knocked off her feet by the unexpected spell. She pushed herself up onto her feet almost as soon as her back hit the floor. She looked her niece, her poor baby niece who looked more like a mad woman covered in blood ready to attack than the sweet, innocent little girl was really was.

She was about to cross the room when thunder crackled, inside the room, and Zeus stood between them.

“Well, well, well,” his voice vibrated off the walls. “Aren’t you chicky's on a roll?” The scales that once littered the floor disappeared. “One kilogram. Taken.” He vanished.

“Suri stop,” Jime said the moment he was gone. She wasn’t concerned with him at the moment. Right now, her focus was getting Suri to stop. Yes, she wanted to see the dragon suffer for what he did to her, but she would rather Suri make him suffer when she wasn’t being tempted by darkness.

Suri raised her hand to cast another spell.

“Suri!” Jime voiced.

The hand froze midair and Suri shook her head like a wet puppy. The darkness in her eyes began to fade. Suri looked at her then turned to look at what was once Toren’s back. The tweezers fell from her fingers. She looked back at Jime, back at Toren, then at Jime again and shook her head before vanishing.