5 comments/ 7616 views/ 8 favorites Felis Nigorakxe By: kitteh_kat 'I am so completely screwed.' I said. 'You got that right.' Snapped a senior officer at Metropolitan Police Station. 'So absolutely, completely, utterly, finally...' He thought for a minute. 'Stupidly...' I put in, bored. The officer's eyes narrowed and he sneered a little. 'Don't play games with me...' He looked at the police report and his eyebrows shot up. 'Your name is Mencal?' 'Yup.' 'Why doesn't it show your last name?' 'Because I don't have one.' 'Whatever. Just tell me where the goddamn ring is!' I smiled and shook my head. 'Aww, I don't think that Mrs Katie Middlebum, I mean Middleton would call it a "goddamn ring" now, would she? I mean it is her wedding ring...A royal's wedding ring...' The officer turned puce. 'Then you do have it!' 'Uh, yeah. Real shocker there!' I replied icily. This particular officer was really starting to get on my nerves. And I'd been through a lot of officers at Metro Police. 'So for the goddamn...' 'Don't you get tired of saying goddamn all the time?' 'Shut your face! And tell me where the ring is!' I rolled my eyes and cursed him silently in French. Then as quick as lightning, I shoved my chair back and jumped up from it, startling the officer and annoying him just as quick. 'Get your arse back in that chair right now, you lowlife, good-for-nothing, careless, idiotic-' He stopped abruptly. I wasn't surprised. It's pretty much impossible to speak when your throat's been disabled. Shoving him onto the floor, I walked around the table and smiled at the people I knew were there, on the other side of the one-way mirror on the wall. I laid the tip of my index finger on the top-left corner of the glass and pressed down slightly. Then I drew my finger all the way to the bottom-right. No-one could see that I'd made a hairline fracture of the glass with my nail. I tapped both sides of the crack at once and they both fell to the floor, shattering and cutting my bare feet. Numerous thin ribbons of scarlet blood seeped out of the slices. Ignoring the officer struggling to get up from the floor, I went to the door and knocked three times, as I'd seen other police officers do countless times, and the guard opened a slot and asked for a password. Crap! I thought. I didn't know about a password! I thought for a second, wondering what I should do, then decided. I went back to the officer and disabled his left side, making it go limp. His eyes widened and his breathing became more ragged. I smiled coldly, and then made my way back over to the door. Leaning slightly closer to the gap, I looked straight through into the guard's eyes and he gasped. I smiled a little more and opened my mouth to sing. Both the guard and the officer's jaws dropped when they heard my voice. I smiled and sang a little quieter – it wouldn't do to alert anyone else – and both men drew instinctively closer. Though I constantly sang in French, people could always understand me. I sang the usual song that I use to get out of Metro Police, 'Paix à l'esprit de nombreux'. Both officers relaxed as they heard the song and the man on the floor fell into a deep sleep. Cool, I thought, that's fine with me! The guard looked as if he was going to faint and I quickly changed to a different song, 'Ouvrez les portes fermées de Dieu'. I really need new escape songs, I thought seriously, Ones that aren't hymns. As the song took hold of the guard, he shook his head slightly and slowly opened the door to the holding cell. I smiled as I walked past and changed to a new song, one of my favourites, 'Pardonner et à oublier'. The guard's expression slipped from his face and a new one of extreme calm settled in its place. Quickly, I walked through the corridors, not singing any more. As I reached main entrance, I lowered my head and prayed to God no one thought to check who I was. Maybe that's why I use hymns too much, I thought, grinning inwardly, I pray too much as well. I chanced a quick glance up and saw that the main doors were literally 5 feet away. Well done girl, you've done it again. I remembered to thank god for automatic doors – no fingerprints! – And hopped down the stairs feeling elated. I looked around for where I'd left my motorbike and cursed all police in French over and over again, my good mood evaporating. They'd taken it! I kicked some bushes angrily and startled some sparrows, who chirped at me crossly. I sighed and tried to calm down before turning to the birds and listening. Then I decided to exercise my other skill. I stepped forwards and chirped back an apology at them, in perfect sparrow dialect. I had been mimicking both animals and humans for years now and sparrows were easy. I'd listened to them a lot and picked up sounds for me to practice. The two brown birds seemed a bit shocked (well how often is it when you come across a human that can speak textbook Sparrow?) and chirped a friendly 'It's Okay!' Then they flew off. I sighed and turned over the plans for Metro Police Station in my head. I knew pretty much all of it, and I knew where they kept the vehicles of prisoners. As I walked almost casually to the vehicles, I spotted my bike straight away. The green and gold stripes of my beautiful Kawasaki glinted in the sun, and I saw a flash of light that wasn't reflected from my bike. 'C'est génial!' I cried. 'Ils ont marqués ma moto!' I tried to calm down again and saw that it was a simple tag. My beast paced angrily even though I sighed in relief. At least I could cut it. I used my nail again and cut through the basic plastic as if it were butter. What I didn't realise though, was the fact that a police officer was stationed just in front of me, to prevent the very thing that I was doing. I sensed the other person's presence but it wasn't quite right. It was almost...feral. Wait a minute! I looked up too late; the guy had already stepped out of the shadows and drawn his gun. 'Stop right there and tell me who you are!' $Shit. Felis Nigorakxe Ch. 02 Sorry about any past or future grammar mistakes, but you know... nobody's perfect, right? Please comment as I really need some more advice right now! p.s. I'm just sayin', but the last chapter was from the point of Darley (Darley is Mencal's real name, the police just call her Mencal) and hopefully character changes will be a bit more obvious in this one. O_o Thanks! k_k ------------------------- Caleb I couldn't believe my eyes. A person, obviously a prisoner, had escaped from questioning and was right here trying to steal a bike! And whoever it was, had just shouted in... French? I reined my wolf in at the outrage of someone trying to underestimate the police. I stepped out of the shadows and drew my gun. 'Stop right there and tell me who you are!' I shouted and squinted hard. Even with my advanced vision it was hard to tell if the prisoner was a man or a woman from this angle. I stepped sideways so the sun wasn't in my eyes. "That's better." I thought. It was definitely a girl. She froze immediately. I lowered my gun slowly and edged towards her. Her hair glinted against the sun for a moment, flashing my eyes. I looked down and blinked hard, trying to get rid of the imprint on my eyes. 'Damn.' I looked up again and the woman had got on the bike and was fumbling with the key. 'Hey!' I shouted. 'Stop now and get off the bike!' She looked round and smiled shaking her head. Then she managed to turn the key and revved the engine, still smiling to herself. I had enough of this girl, whoever she was. Not only was she stealing a bike and escaping from prison, but she had the audacity to try and speed off with no helmet and with a police officer 15 feet away! I ran towards her as she revved the engine again. She turned round, ready to say something. Then she froze a look of horror on her face. I was taken aback, though I kept running. "Am I really that ugly?" I thought, smiling to myself. Maybe in my hybrid form, but I was full human at the moment. But when I got closer to her, I saw that her gaze wasn't focused on me, but on something past me. I was about to turn round to see what she was so frightened of, but faster than I would have thought possible from a human, she had revved the engine one more time and sped off down the road. I cursed. Looking round I spotted three police cars not too far away. Running towards one, I clambered in the front seat and used my set of keys that every officer gets to start the car. I drove out of the gates that she used and spotted her steaming off down the road. "At least she can drive." I thought to myself. Then I drove after her. * Darley "Got to get away." I thought as I raced down the street. I looked back at the police car chasing me, then back further at what had terrified me in the first place. It was gaining. The van. It had been chasing her for seven years now. I looked back. "Nine years too long." Then I remembered I was also being chased by police, but I could deal with that. I looked in my wing mirror at the guy in the police car. He had felt feral, and I knew what that was. I laughed. A Were in the police. Not unheard of. I checked again. They were both closer. I felt my beast curl up and unconsciously I sped up. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on driving. Veering quickly to avoid an idiot in a fancy car, I cut down a side street. I stopped the bike and turned round to see the police car swerve down the street, nearly hitting numerous things. I jumped of the bike, killing the engine at the same time, and started to push it into the shadows. I heard a car door open and my beast rose up and into a defensive posture. I tried calmed her slightly, not wanting a confrontation, but it didn't work very much. After the bike was covered in the shadows, I turned and was surprised to see that the Were hadn't moved. He called out to me. 'Are you finished yet?' I cursed him in French. God he got on my nerves, and we had known each other for literally five minutes. Then I remembered the van and shivered. Where was it? I saw the guy's eyes narrow and knew he had seen my shiver. Undaunted, I walked straight past him and to the corner of the street. I looked left and right and couldn't see the van anywhere. "But it'll be back." I thought and shivered again. I stood up straight and turned, and then jumped back and let out a small shriek, because standing about a foot from my face was the cocky werewolf. I was sure that he was a wolf now. I glared at him. 'Are you trying to give me a heart attack?' I asked. He smiled and it made me hate him more. 'No. Just arrested. Which reminds me...' He held up a pair of handcuffs. I stared at them. They were the same make as they had used. I shuddered and he smiled even wider. 'Don't worry! If you come quietly I won't put them on.' My eyes widened at that phrase and cursed again in French, out loud this time. He had said something like that. I screwed my eyes shut for a second, trying to forget what they had done. I looked at the Were's face. Was he one of them? I decided I might try to test him, even though those handcuffs made me remember... I stroked the deep scar on my stomach absentmindedly, and opened my eyes to find the Were looking at my belly. He cocked his head to one side and reached out to my top, but I sprang backwards, terrified. 'Get away from me, Were!' I hissed at him and he stopped in surprise. Then his face turned wary and he looked me up and down. I didn't like that and I started to back away. He ran forward and faster than a human could ever move, he had grabbed hold of both my wrists in one hand and with the other he put the handcuffs away. I started in surprise. He then grabbed the bottom of my t-shirt and that surprise turned to terror. I started thrashing about, desperate to get away, not wanting history to repeat it's self. He ignored my frantic attempts for freedom and lifted up my top. That was it. With one strong move, I ripped my hands free of his grasp and pelted away. There was a high wall in front of me but walls couldn't stop me. They never had. I ran up the wall and latched onto the top with my hands. Swinging my legs to the side, I pushed up with my hands and spun in the air, landing on top of the wall, panting with fear. My beast paced inside me. Wanting to get out. 'What the...?' I heard him say. * Caleb 'Stay back! Stay away!' She cried. 'Hey, I wasn't going to fuckin' kill you!' I said, slightly apprehensively. 'I just wanted to know...well...I wanted to know if you were pregnant.' She blinked and nearly took a step back, but at the last moment seemed to remember she was a 10 foot wall that was about as thick as a TV remote. 'Pregnant? Me? No way! Why would you even think that-' She stopped. I wasn't sure if she was going to run or not. 'I saw you rubbing your stomach, and lifted your top up to see if you had a baby bump...' 'Oh.' 'Sorry. I take it, then, that you aren't?' She shook her head. 'Now are you going to come down?' Instantly, She looked wary again. 'No. Keep away.' I sighed and raised my hands in a surrendering gesture. She frowned and cocked her head to one side. 'Are you really not going to hurt me?' I was really confused then, and shook my head slowly. Why was she obsessed with the idea that I would hurt her? 'No. Why would I try and hurt you?' 'Because you're police.' 'Oh. Are police really that bad?' 'Yeah.' 'Umm...well, I swear that I won't harm you unless you force my hand or in self defence. Deal?' 'Umm...Ok then. Deal.' She stretched out her legs in front of her, then pushed off from her right foot and leaped over my head. As she neared the ground, she stretched out her legs and caught the impact with her feet. She folded quickly into a forward roll and stood up, swivelling on her right foot as she did so, to face me. 'Cool.' I said, looking at her with approval, but she must have taken it the wrong way, as she narrowed her eyes and started to step backwards. 'Hey! I said I wouldn't hurt you!' I said with confusion in my voice. She stopped, but still looked slightly guarded. 'I don't trust people like you.' I felt hurt and slightly reproachful. Wait, hurt? Where did that come from? 'You don't trust me?' Or police?' I thought for a second. 'Or Weres?' She paused and looked down. 'I defiantly don't trust police. Weres...aren't so bad. But considering you're both, I-' She stopped abruptly and looked down the alley to the end, where it joined the main road. 'Oh no.' I was surprised to hear a terrified tone in her voice. 'What's wrong?' I asked, alarmed. She didn't answer, only pointed to a spot off my left shoulder. I turned and looked at where she was pointing. A silver and red van had pulled into the end of the alley. A van? I thought, confused. But I saw the look on her face. She was terrified of something, no...wait...she was terrified of the van? What had happened to her to make her scared of a VAN? I growled low and my wolf took advantage of my low defence levels to come out. I tried to stay human, but he was having none of it. So I compromised at the last minute, deciding to go hybrid instead. 'Fuck.' I heard her say. Exactly right. Felis Nigorakxe Ch. 03 Hi y'all! I read your comments on making the chapters longer and updating more often!!! I didn't realise you cared so much! [tear] But Seriously, I really don't have much time on my hands at the moment, I'm going to try to make this one longer, I promise! Thanks for Caring! k_k ---------------------------------------- Darley I heard the noise of the engine first. The horrible rattle that signalled to me that the van was near. 'Oh no.' I sighed. It was the van. I barely heard the Were ask what was wrong, but his voice tickled on the edge of my hearing, even though I didn't feel compelled to answer him. Instead I just pointed at the awful vehicle and watched as he looked at it, then back at me with obvious confusion. Then he let out a low growl as something seemed to click inside of his head. I watched in alarm as he shifted into his hybrid form, ripping his police uniform to shreds. 'Fuck.' Was all I said. He now stood at 7'7", covered in patches of thick grey fur and looking REALLY scary. Well, I was scared of the van, which had now stopped halfway down the alley. 'Oh shit.' I heard him mutter. 'Got that right.' I whispered. He looked at me in a way I had never thought a man capable of. Almost like...pity? Wow. A man who can feel. Looking again at the van I shrank back almost to the wall. He looked at me again, this time with confusion. 'Can I ask why you are so afraid of that van?' He asked quietly. I whimpered and my eyes darted around me, searching for quick ways to run. I quickly rifled through my brains for ways to get from here to my Kawasaki quickly. I spotted a stack of wooden boxes piled up near a pole that jutted out horizontally from the wall I had jumped off minutes ago. Eyeing it thoughtfully, I remembered a combo of moves I had learnt years ago. They weren't exactly made for this set-up but I adjusted them in my head slightly so they would work better. I took a deep breath and whispered quietly to the Police Were (I then realised that I didn't know his name!), 'I'm going to get outta here, and they don't know you so they'll probably let you go. Just go home and forget about me. Don't follow me.' He looked round at me in alarm. 'What are you doing?!' 'Gettin' outta here! Didn't you hear me?' 'No I heard you.' 'Good, then GO!' I sprinted for the stack of boxes just as one of the van's doors opened. No-one got out. "Yet." I thought. I leaped onto the first box then cartwheeled through mid-air to the second. Vaulting, from box to box I swung both my feet up in one move and grabbed the pole, swinging round and landing on top. I looked at the Were and he was standing exactly where he was before, looking up at me in shock. I felt him poke a bit at my mind and knew he was trying to communicate, but after last time, there was no way I would let down my barriers. But I was accomplished at mind work and tapped into his brain so we could have our conversation there. I knew he was surprised at my skill but he didn't say anything. –Where are you going?- He asked me mentally. -I don't know, probably just away.- I replied. -Alright for me to follow you?- -I wouldn't, but- Hey, wait! Why are you asking me? I thought that you'd have just followed me anyway.- -I can be a gentleman sometimes...- He chuckled and I couldn't help but grin. -Ok, then. But keep a distance... By the way, what's your name?- He chuckled again. -My name is Caleb. And yours?- -I give police the name Mencal, so you can call me that.- -What's your real name?- I stiffened and his embarrassment flooded through our tentative bond. –No, wait, I... I didn't mean it like that...- I turned away and leaped onto the wall, effectively cutting off our discussion. Since that whole conversation had been mental, the whole thing took about the time it took to think something. I sought out my beast in my brain and found her curled up in the safest corner of my brain; my secrets. "I need a little help here!" I thought to her. She heard me and raised her head, sending me terrified thoughts. I knew why. What they had done to her; to us was completely awful. "And if I don't get outta here soon, it'll happen again, only probably worse this time." I thought and unintentionally, she picked it up, finally giving me a boost of energy and adrenaline that made my mind shake. Then she retreated again, waiting for her human to kick in action. And I did. I leapt from the pole to the ground and sprinted for my Kawasaki. I heard footsteps and turned to see the Were racing for his police car, but I thudded to a halt when I realised that his foot steps where heavy but quite quick, yet the footsteps I heard were light and slow, almost too deliberate. I turned my head and my racing heart stopped. It was him. Damien. I whimpered and put on an extra burst of speed to get to my motorbike. Grabbing the handlebars, I swung myself onto the back and started the engine, whilst glancing back at Damien. He hadn't moved. I hadn't expected him to. Revving my engine, I sped down the alley closely followed by Caleb's (The Were's) police car. I wasn't focused on where I was going, just getting away from Damien and the Van. Unconsciously, I found myself heading towards my home. I knew it was a bad idea to head home with a police car in tow, but it was the safest place I knew, as no-one had ever found my house before. * Caleb "I'm such a moron." I thought as I followed the green and gold motorbike weaving through traffic in front of me. "I mean, asking her real name? Why? She was bound to take that the wrong way, and she did. I know I wasn't asking for her true name, but SHE didn't!" Cursing my stupidity, I followed her bike all the way to the harbour. "Hmm, the harbour..." I thought. "Well...For the fish I suppose, Judging by her grace and speed, the claws she developed and her jumping height, I'd say she's probably a Were-Cat of some sort... I wonder which one?" While I had been musing about my level of "moronity", Mencal or whatever her name really is, had pulled up alongside a shipping rig and was rooting around for something in a coil of rope. I exited the car and made my way over to her just as she leapt up, victorious in her search. I her hand was a thin slice of flint, about half a foot long. She caught my eye and her face darkened dramatically. I rolled my eyes for comic effect and watched as she slid into a small gap between a container and a brick wall. I tried to slip in after her but the gap was a little too small. 'Uh, hello?' She turned back to me, scowling. "Or maybe she's a banshee!" I contemplated, looking at her expression. 'What?' 'Where are you going?' She scowled again. 'Home.' 'You live in the harbour?' 'Uhh... sort of. Whatever.' 'Ok. Umm...I can't fit in that gap, so-' 'Fatty.' 'Hey, I am in peak condition thanks! Not my fault you're fuckin' anorexic!' 'Not my fault I don't get enough to eat!' 'You live- in a harbour! Eat fish!' 'First, I don't live in this harbour; second, I can't eat fish; and third, if you can't fit, go home!' I paused, and looked at her. 'Just, go home and leave me be, ok? You have no idea what I've been through...' I smiled sadly. 'You're right. I don't. So why don't you tell me?' 'You'd never believe me. You'd tie me up and handcuff me again.' I heard the slight tremor in her voice, and felt a wave of sympathy for the poor girl. Then I raised my arms and pulled back my collar, letting her see the marks on my neck. Her eyes widened. I turned away. 'Hey!' she shouted. 'Where you goin'?' I stopped walking for a second. 'Goodbye Mencal.' I said softly. She heard me though and I could feel her eyes on me as I walked away. * Darley I watched him walk away and felt a twinge of guilt for treating him that badly. As much as I disliked the guy, he was kind of an asset. And really cute, but I didn't really notice that. Much. But anyway, that's definitely not why I yelled after him, 'Meet me outside the police station tomorrow.' I stopped for a second then added, 'Please.' He turned and smiled sadly at me, and my gut wrenched at the expression on his face. It...looked like...gratitude... or patience. My face burnt and I turned away. I started walking and yelled 'Bye!', and I could have sworn the guy picked the worst thing to say after that. 'Ok, See you at 9!' I paused and yelled back. 'Ok. Bring dinner.' He chuckled, and I felt a kind of stammer or flutter in my stomach. I cursed. "You don't have time for that, Darley!" I thought to my self. Then I realised he was talking. 'Sorry, what was that?' He chuckled again. 'I said, I meant A.M. As in, the morning.' 'Aucun moyen de baise en enfer.' 'What?' 'Oh sorry, you're not French. Umm. I think that roughly translates into: "No way in Hell." 'Hah. You've got a sense of humor.' 'I'm not joking.' 'See you tomorrow, Mencal.' I sighed. 'See ya, tomorrow, at that most ungodly of hours.' And I walk away with the sound f his laugh in my ears, and a rather intense swarm of butterflies in my stomach. You see... The only thing is... as well as the obvious things I hate: Police, Racism, and Sexism. (Men) Shit like that. But if it's one thing I hate above all others; it's mornings. I really, really hate mornings! * Caleb "Calm down, Caleb." I thought. "She'll turn up. Eventually." I looked around. She was no where in sight. I sighed. "She's probably not coming. I mean why would she?" And as soon as I thought that, the Commander, my superior officer, spoke from behind me. 'And, why, may I ask, are you out here, instead of inside doing your job?' I sighed. 'I'm sorry, sir. I'm just waiting for-' I stopped. I had turned to face my superior, only to find that it wasn't my superior. It was Mencal. 'What the...' I muttered. Mencal grinned. 'Fooled you!' She said, happily. I was still confused. 'What?' 'I got you back! You thought it was the Commander!' 'Yeah, but how?' She smiled. A secret smile, which made me both annoyed and curious. 'Ok, fine. Don't tell me.' I turned and walked away. 'Hey!' She called after me, running to catch me up. 'Where you going?' '"I don't know, probably just away."' I quoted, still walking purposefully away from her. 'But why? I thought-' 'Thought what?' I interrupted, turning sharply to face her. She shied backwards and looked down at her feet, and I kicked myself internally. "Well done, you prick." I thought. I sighed again, 'Oh god, Mencal. I...I don't know what came over me. I blew that way out of proportion. I'm sorry.' Mencal looked up again, and I gasped. Seeing them properly for the first time in broad daylight, I was shocked by the intensity of her eyes. They were a really dark green and seemed to have little flecks of gold in. 'Wow.' I said. Mencal suddenly looked apprehensive. 'What? What is it?' She asked nervously. 'Your eyes...' * Darley I could see him from where I stood. He kept looking around and I suddenly realised that he was looking for me. I jumped down from the roof of the police station and walked to him silently. Then I saw his badge. He was the Chief Superintendant. I'd been chased around, flirted with and threatened by the Chief Superintendant! And that reminded me of all the shit he'd done that I'd conveniently – for him – forgotten. So I decided to get him back. I mimicked the voice of the Commander, his superior, and said, 'And, why, may I ask, are you out here, instead of inside doing your job?' It worked. He sighed and turned, saying, 'I'm sorry, sir. I'm just waiting for-' He stopped as he saw me. I grinned. 'What the...' He said, bemused. 'Fooled you!' I cried, happily. 'What?' He was still confused. 'I got you back, you thought it was the Commander!' 'Yeah, But how?' I smiled slightly. He wasn't going to get that out of me in a hurry! Then suddenly, he was turning around, with a scowl on his gorgeous features. "Wait, what? Gorgeous features? Get a grip, Darley!" I was busy berating myself, so I nearly missed the next bit he said. 'Ok, fine. Don't tell me.' "Huh? Don't tell him what?" 'Where you going?' I called, trying to catch him up. He quoted something I'd said before, '"I don't know, probably just away."' Great. Now I felt like crap. 'But why? I thought-' He interrupted me before I finished. He turned, his face as hard as his voice, when he said, 'Thought, what?' I scrambled back a bit and looked away, because he really looked like he was about to hit me. I heard him sigh again, and I flinched slightly. But he didn't hit me. He just said, 'Oh god, Mencal. I don't know what came over me. I blew that way out of proportion. I'm sorry.' I looked up, tentatively, and he gasped. 'Wow.' He muttered. 'What?' I asked, panicking. 'What is it?' 'Your eyes...' * 'My eyes? What about them?' I asked. It was my turn to be confused. He ran his hand through his hair, and it glinted as it caught the sun, flashing against my eyes. 'Aah!' I cried, holding my hand against them and falling to my knees. 'Are you ok?' He bent down next to me. 'Yeah, the sun caught your hair and flashed my eyes.' 'Oh. Sorry.' 'Not your fault.' He helped me up and asked to take a look at my eyes. 'Why? It was just the sun.' He looked a little bit sheepish. 'I admit, I really want to look at your eyes anyway. They seem...special.' He looked down and blushed slightly. "Blushed?! What on Earth?" I didn't know what to say. 'Ok.' He looked up, astonished. 'Really?' 'Sure.' 'Thanks. I promise I won't hurt you.' He walked right up to me, and stopped about a foot away. "I really didn't think this through!" I thought. "I forgot he would have to get this close!" My breathing quickened, and I felt the tell-tale flutter of attraction in my stomach. As he reached out his hand, I stared up into his pale eyes. His face had a mixture of emotions, but the only one I could identify made my knees go weak. Lust. Caleb bent down to look at my eyes and I could hear his breath catch as he leant close. His pale grey eyes watched mine and just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he took a step back and I could breath again. I blushed and looked at the ground and I could hear him trying to get his breathing back to normal. He looked up at the same time as I did and something seemed to pull me towards him, even as I tried to resist. My senses felt dampened and I couldn't hear what he was saying, even though I could see his lips move. He seemed to get frustrated when I didn't answer him, and he grabbed my arms and shook me. I cried out for him to stop. He blinked and let me go. I read the word "sorry" on his lips. 'It's ok.' I replied. He brightened and said something else. "What is stopping me from hearing him? From hearing anything?" I thought. I shook my head and pointed to my ear. He looked confused. He spoke and I clearly read the words "Can't hear?". I nodded. Then as soon as the feeling had come, it went. I could hear again. And what I heard made me look around frantically. 'What's wrong?' Caleb asked, then cursed as he remembered I couldn't hear him. 'No, it's ok now. I can hear you.' I explained, still looking for the source of the noise. 'You can?' 'Yes.' 'What happened?' 'I don't know.' 'Well...what are you looking for?' 'I can hear the van.' Felis Nigorakxe Ch. 04 I'm so sorry about the wait, my computer got killed and it took AGES to fix! Ok people, I tried to make the last one longer, but it wasn't long enough for my tastes. Keep the comments coming though; I love to hear from you! Hopefully Ch.5 will be coming soon, quicker than this one, most likely... And there are some Latin names in this one, Infernus is one. It's Vampire Colony and the name means Hellfire. There's also Erant, the name of a Pack. It literally means Were. Bye! k_k ---------------------------------------------------------------- Caleb 'I can hear the van.' She said. A shiver ran down her back. 'Which van? The one from the alley?' I asked. She nodded to confirm. 'I hate that van.' She muttered. I could hear the loathing in her voice. 'Why?' She shook her head. 'I can't tell you now.' 'Why? Don't you trust me?' She paused. 'I trust you more that I trust our safety right now.' 'What's that supposed to mean?' 'It means we're not safe, because even though I can hear the van, I can't see it. And that freaks me out.' 'Then let's go.' She looked at me, sceptical. 'Go where?' Taking her arm, I pulled her around the side of the building to where I knew she'd have parked her bike. 'I'll tell you how to get there. Now drive!' * Darley I ran to my bike and leapt on. Caleb followed me and sat behind, forcing me to be uncomfortably aware of his...maleness. "Mon Dieu." I thought. I turned the key and revved up, kicking the rest up. 'Hold on!' I yelled to Caleb and opened up the throttle, racing out of the car park. I followed Caleb's instructions, much to my own chagrin, and found myself outside a modern-looking apartment. 'Is this it?' I asked Caleb, slightly disappointed. He grinned, and my stomach gave a few back-flips when I saw he had dimples. "Get a grip, Darley!" I told myself. 'This is it.' He said. We walked in. It was nicely furnished, but minimalistic, with a cold-colour scheme of white and gold. It was slightly messy but it suited Caleb to a 'T'. I didn't let that show, of course. 'Doesn't look like much.' I sniffed. 'And it smells like wet dog and sex.' 'Damn, I forgot that Kaen and his friends came over...' 'Kaen?' I shivered. Where had I heard that name before? 'Yeah, Kaen is one of my best friends, and a fabulous Beta.' 'But not as good as you, obviously.' 'Holy shit. Was that a complement?' 'No.' 'It sounded like one.' 'You need your ears cleaned out. I'll do it with a scalpel...' 'No thanks.' He walked to what I assumed was a kitchen. 'You want something to eat?' I arched one eyebrow. 'What'cha cooking?' 'Ok...you can have...fish? I'm joking, I'm joking!' He added hastily, seeing the scowl on my face. 'Ok... how about a jacket with butter and cheese?' I bit my lip, unaware of his eyes following my movement. 'Ok. But can you add beans?' 'If you want.' 'Thanks, that'll be fine.' I worried my lip with my teeth, unsure of how he was going to take my next request. 'Umm, can I just-' 'Do you want a shower?' He interrupted. My eyes widened. 'What the- how did you know I was going to ask?' He looked slightly chagrined. 'Well, I-' 'You know what,' I said, strolling to the bathroom. 'I don't wanna know.' And with that, I closed the door and slipped into the most heavenly shower of my life. ¬¬¬* Caleb I watched as she slid through the door and shook my head slightly. What was it about the girl that made me want to both strangle her and kiss her senseless? "Wait, kiss her senseless?! Where did that come from?" I thought. "That's impossible. She can't be. I don't have a mate. She can't be my mate!" I growled and ran to my basement, where my personal gym was. I needed to get my head straight and the best way to do that was to decapitate a dummy. Fifteen minutes and twelve dummies later, I headed upstairs to get the food on, figuring that she'd still be in the shower. The door was slightly ajar, and through it, I could see Mencal. "Holy hell." I thought. There she was, standing in the shower, completely naked. I flushed and my work trousers started to become uncomfortably tight. I needed to get away from Mencal and her fucking gorgeous body, so I escaped to my room. I changed my clothes to a more casual jeans and a t-shirt, whilst tying my long hair back with a leather band. After taking a moment to compose myself, I walked into my living room just as Mencal came in from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. "Hot damn." I thought. She eyed me over and blushed slightly, while I could only imagine what thoughts were occupying her mind. I made my way over to the grill, starting it up, while Mencal shut herself in my bedroom to get changed. I was just pulling the beans out of the microwave when Mencal opened the door. She didn't look half bad. The borrowed top clinged to her damp skin, highlighting her curves and her denims rode low on her hips. She walked over while I was giving her the eye and sniffed appreciatively. 'That smells nice!' She said smiling, and turned to find me looking away from her with a strained expression. She frowned. 'What's wrong?' I looked pointedly down at her shirt then back up and away again. Her shirt was wet through and her breasts were perfectly outlined. She looked down and promptly crossed her arms over her chest, cheeks flaming. I coughed awkwardly and started to dish out the beans onto two jacket potatoes that had been cooking in the oven. After we had eaten, we sat on my sofa in comfortable silence. I sighed and leaned back, watching as Mencal stretched then did the same. 'Caleb?' I felt a warm rush over me as my name slipped from her lips. 'Yes, Mencal?' She frowned. 'For some reason, I don't like you calling me that.' 'I have no other name for you.' 'You're being awfully polite.' 'Would you rather me be awfully rude?' 'No.' 'Well then.' 'I wanted to ask you something...' 'Ask away, Mencal.' 'How long?' It was my turn to frown. 'How long what?' 'How long did you spend in that hellhole?' 'Ah. So you did notice.' She snorted. 'I've seen enough vampire bites to know what one looks like.' She paused. 'Do you... aagh. Never mind.' 'No, what were you going to say?' 'Umm...you know what? It doesn't actually matter...' 'Tell me.' Mencal flinched then glared at me. 'Don't tell me what to do.' 'Fine. Will you please tell me?' She sighed. 'My name.' 'What?' 'I was going to ask if...you still wanted to know my name. But it honestly doesn't matter now-' 'No, wait. Tell me, Mencal. I still really want to know. Please?' 'Will you tell me how you ended up getting bitten by a vampire?' '...Yes.' 'Fine then. Don't tell anyone, or I will hunt you down and kill you in your sleep. And I'll enjoy it.' 'Ok...' 'My name...Oh god! Okay deep breaths...in...out...in...out...' She sighed again. 'My name is Darleinaska.' There was a pause. 'Holy Shit.' I said, astounded. That was the name of- * Darley He knew. I could tell. "Oh God, what have you done?!" I thought desperately. "Why did you tell him, you idiot! -No-one shall know, and no-one shall ever know- Why couldn't I keep my damn promise?" He stared at me, completely unblinking. 'Darleinaska?' I shivered at the sound of my name. 'Yes?' He blinked. 'You're not...by any chance...The Darleinaska, are you?' I swallowed hard. He knew. 'Depends on who you mean by "The".' 'Umm... The last full Were-cat?' And with that sentence, my temper sky-rocketed. How dare they! 'Is that what they call us now?' I raged, jumping up and striding around Caleb's apartment. 'Full Were-cats? This is so typical of Weres! Making even other species conform to their standards. We are not, and never have been Were. I never want to be. I am not the "last full Were-cat" because there never was such thing as a "full Were-cat"! I am Felis Nigorakxe. The prime Cat; descendant of the Goddesses. And I am the Last Felis, The Alpha Princess Darleinaska.' I halted, suddenly realising something. 'Oh no,' I groaned. 'That's how they keep finding me! That's how Damien keeps finding me...' I held my head in my hands and stared down at the floor, abruptly lost in thought. However, my portion of nostalgia time was rather rudely interrupted by a growl emanating from Caleb. I arched an eyebrow. 'Caleb? Are you alright?' He stopped growling, but his face remained stony. 'Who is this Damien?' He rumbled. 'A very pissed off vampire prince, and my ex-captor. Why?' I was confused. Why did he care? His face relaxed. 'I just...don't really like the idea of you knowing another male by first name.' I was shocked. 'Why the fuck do you care?' 'Does it really matter?' 'Hell Yes!' 'Well... as far as I know... I mean, I could be wrong, but-' 'Spit it out, dammit.' 'I think that you're my mate!' He snapped, and then froze in alarm. My eyes went wide. 'Your...mate?! But...that's not... Shit! For fuck's sake...' 'I know. I'm not even supposed to have a mate, never mind a fucking princess...' I flinched. I hadn't been addressed as a princess for a long time. Then the rest of his statement sunk in. 'What do you mean you're not supposed to have a mate?' He groaned. 'I-It's to do with my time with a vampire colony...do you really want to know?' 'Yes!' 'Ok then. I'll tell you. Just... don't judge me' I was slightly excited. He took a deep breath and began to talk. * I was in my home when I got the news."No way." I thought. "They're not going to send me to live with blood-suckers for 3 fucking years!" But sure enough, 2 months later I was travelling to a vampire colony, to be an ambassador for a new alliance between my Pack and the Infernus Colony. The Infernus Vampires were notorious for their change. The entire colony had stopped draining their victims. But even then I didn't trust Vampires. I didn't want to work there, not even as a peace keeper. But I had no choice, Alpha's orders must be obeyed. When I got there, it wasn't that bad. The Vampires were...welcoming. Not hostile or even withdrawn, they were happy. I realised that these Vampires were free now. And I began to feel free with them. I made friends; a female Vampire was particularly interested in me, but even if I liked a few Vamps as friends, it doesn't mean I wanted to get... involved with one. I told her so, and she shut down. She became withdrawn and depressed, so I thought. Turned out she was just plotting. That was nearly a year in. A while later, she came up to me, said she was sorry, and asked if we could still be friends. 'I don't see why not!' I said. So we continued to see each other, strictly superficial, but I don't think it was ever enough for her. No matter how happy she seemed. After about 18 months I was... content. I missed my pack, but I had to take reports to my Alpha every four or five months, so I got to see my fiends and their mates sometimes. And living with Vampires wasn't awful. Yet. The vampire that had asked my out, everyone called her Mona, but her full name was Desdemona. It literally means "from the Devil". I wish I'd have known that then. Maybe, it would have warned me, warned me to stay away from that bitch. One day, she invited me for dinner at her place. We were still superficial, but about as close as two "superficial" friends could get. So I went, and they attacked. They beat me up and tied me to the floor. They fed off me for days on end, I didn't know what time or day it was, or when they were going to stop. Mona was insane; she tried to get me to love her for what she was doing to me. I never did, and that's why she got so mad. That's how I've got the marks on my neck. I was there for two months. When they found me, I was a wreck. It turned out that one of the newly-turned Vamps in Infernus was also rather enamoured with me, and when she hadn't seen me for a month, she contacted my pack to see if I'd gone back. Between them it took a little over three weeks to find where I was. Mona got decapitated and set alight, her two partner-in-crimes got defanged. They died around seven months later. I had therapy for a year, and then I joined the police. My alpha's never made me do anything to do with vampires again. * Darley I was shocked. How could the man in front of me, a normal werewolf, go through all that and still remain so...intact? He still looked, sounded and acted normal. Or, as normal as a Were can get. "Not like me". I thought. "My experience with Vamps messed me up big time." I stared. He stared back. After a while, he began to look uncomfortable, fidgety. I was still sitting, staring off into space, thinking about what I'd just heard and if it was similar enough to my own past to keep him from bolting if I told it to him. 'Say something...' I heard quietly. I shook my head slightly, and focused back on Caleb. 'Sorry?' I said. He gave a short, hoarse laugh, and I jumped slightly. 'It's fine. I'm almost over it now. But apparently, I was so severely scarred, mentally, that it would be impossible for me to have a mate.' 'Until, you met me.' 'Yes.' 'Because, you believe I'm your mate.' "I wonder if he's only annoying half the time?" I thought. '...Yes.' 'Are there anymore jacket potatoes left?' 'What?!' He nearly chocked at the sudden conversation change. 'I can't help it if I'm still hungry, Aesop.' 'Aesop? Oh right, the storyteller...' 'Yeah. So, potatoes?' 'Yeah, right, there should be. Hang on, I'll just grab them for you.' 'Thanks.' 'Wow, was that a thank you?' His annoyingness had just returned full-throttle. 'Yes, it was. So shut up and get my food.' I turned away huffily. 'And step on it!' I added, mimicking his voice perfectly. He jumped as he was pulling the tray from the oven. 'How do you do that?' He asked, setting it on the counter. 'Do what? This?' I asked innocently, this time mimicking the current Prime Minister's voice. He roared with laughter at that, and I could help but notice his dimples, and the way his eyes lit up as he laughed. "Fuck that sounds cliché." I thought. 'Ha ha! David Cameron! God, that was a good one.' He set the plate down in front of me. 'Do another, and I'll see if I can guess.' 'Ok then. How about... this? "Hey, what's up doc?" ' It was a perfect Bugs Bunny. 'Ah, my favourite wappit. Okay, another!' And we continued playing this new found game, progressing onto animals when we had run out a famous people. I could help but admire his quick-thinking and wit on some of my impressions. His laugh was deep and rich, and it was worth making a total fool out of myself just to hear it. At quarter-to-seven, I looked at the clock, suddenly realising how late it was. We had arrived at his apartment at half-past ten. 'Mon Dieu! Nous avons été ici pendant environ sept heures! Merde, j'ai vraiment besoin de rentrer à la maison, j'ai ... choses à faire, et ... J'ai juste besoin de rentrer à la maison!' 'Calm down, Darleinaska! You can sleep here, and in the morning, I will take you home. I promise!' 'Right, désolé. Thank you for your offer, but I really should get going...' 'It's winter, Darleinaska. The skies were dark two hours ago, and I refuse to go out now. I'm sorry, but I really don't want you getting mugged... or worse.' 'That's good, because I hate the cold.' He laughed again, loud and rich. 'Désolé encore, but with my past, I find it very hard to trust people, especially men or police officers. And since you're both...' 'It's ok. When I was in therapy, I could hardly talk to a girl, and I never made eye contact. It was like being sixteen again.' I laughed loudly, for the first time in ages, and I could see how pleased he was at my reaction. 'Thank you for gracing me with your laugh, Darleinaska. You are most gracious.' 'Don't push it, Caleb. And please, no more of the "Darleinaska", it makes me feel old. Just call me Darley.' 'Very well, Darley.' I suddenly felt an unbidden rush of tingling pleasure at my name coming from his lips. "God, he made it sound like a hidden promise! How can a name sound that erotic?!" I thought, my mind suddenly being battered with images of him calling my name as I took him in my mouth... "God, Darley! Obtenir une poignée de vous-même! Tu agis comme un adolescent putain excitée!" 'Darley? Hello?' God, I hadn't even realised that he was talking to me! 'Désolé! I... zoned out for a second there. Yes, I'll stay.' 'Yes!' My eyebrow arched. 'But...' He groaned. 'Why must there always be a "but"? Why must there always be one to ruin a perfectly good sentence?' I laughed. 'Hey, it's only a small, yet still extremely important, "but". And it is this, I do tend to have nightmares, but do not, for the life of you try to wake me from one. I Hopefully, I won't have one tonight, but the Fates aren't usually that kind to me, so be prepared.' 'Ok. Fair enough.' 'And one more thing... Please can I sleep on the sofa?' 'Do you really want to? I mean, you can have the bed, I'm not saying join me or anything-' My mind flooded with pictures of us entangled together. '-But I'll sleep on the sofa, if you want!' 'No, no, I definetly want the sofa. Besides, I'ts probably more comfortable than what I sleep on at the moment!' 'And what's that?' 'A large, rather old cat bed.' 'Oh. I can guarantee it's more comfy that that.' I laughed again. It was going to be an interesting night.