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Mercurial Ends Ch. 01

By: TalyisBagley



MERCURIAL ENDS is the sequel to OF THORNS AND PEARLS. The story about Salome Tabor Matthias who is a sickly artist living in New York City. She meets a sexy rouge, Shy, in college who is enchanting and confounding. Tabor must accept that Shy is not only a vampire but he is the master of her nature and she understand who she is. Little does she know that Shy is her cure and salvation. MERCURIAL ENDS starts where OF THORNS AND PEARLS end.

If you liked OF THORNS AND PEARLS, please help by being a beta reader for the first three chapters before I post them to Literotica, please contact me below.

I hope you enjoy this vampire tale. Cheers, Talyis

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MERCURIAL ENDS BY TALYIS BAGLEY

Nothing is Lost.... Everything is Transformed -- Michael Ende

CHAPTER 1 -- Everything is Transformed

Thunder. The tremolo roll of drums swelled in fierce intensity -- danger. The moaning earth moved by reverberating new energy into the air, vibrating the dead leaves and unleashing an un-heavenly breeze that billowed the trees in one unnatural direction. No birds cried or flew from their nests all was still and silent while the spectacular glorious rays from the sun hit the earth with little heat now as it began to settle behind the serene purple mountains. 

Long reds and yellows billowed from the train of her dress like fire surrounding a human form. She was trapped on the edge of the precipice of the red jagged cliff, the trees reaching out as if to yearn for a kiss with the opposite side of the deadly drop. The lush valleys etched into the earth that looked like small green lines from high on top of the cliff. The rumble among the drums came nearer out of the forests, but she stood still, her face stoic without expression. Her pillowy lips tightened into a line, her chest only moved slightly, and tension seized her with each determined breath. 

Rumble became a rhythmic beat of war as it drew closer to her and now the bold battle calls of men could be heard. 

Bird's caws rose from the shadows of the forest, but no winged creature spoke, no it was tribes united, clamoring for victory against this one woman. With one small step back, the rocks shifted under her bare feet, the grainy ground shuffle as pebbles fell to certain doom in the long plunge into the valley below

The hollowed whistle shot past her hears, she could see the trail of air like waves in a tranquil sea as the spears flew around her, missing her as she gracefully ducked while seemingly standing still, her dress flowing far to her side majestically. 

Small brown faces with burning red cheeks and white eyes inflamed with courage crowed battle calls as they emerged from the forest. Some still in boyhood, chieftains, warriors, others were old men ran from the canopy of trees, their bare feet slapping against the earth and the bells around their ankles stomped in a jangled mess.

With might they attacked her, but she only stood stoically, unmoved. Inside, fire burned within her, moved in rhythm with her anger and fury, it passed through her small clenched fists, and lay dancing on her toes as she moved easily dodging the men running towards her. The beat upon the drums was her dance partner; the tribal hands continued hitting the stretched skin over hollow gourds as she turned and ducked and the courageous men flew around her, over her and down falling to their death off the deep cliff. The fire within her, turned her eyes a glowing red as the lava from the Oxotili volcano.

She screamed unnaturally, her small mouth simple and delicate caused the men still standing to fall onto the ground their hands tight gripped their ears, writhing in pain attempting to bury their faces in the dirt. The drums stopped and only the rumble of the earth remained. Cracks began to ring in the far distant as the earth separated from itself when she stepped towards one of the men, placing her small feet on his anguished face. 

His courage turned to fear. She looked over to an older man kneeling and rocking his ears' bleeding. He was a healer in the village and enjoyed gathering flowers from the forest floors for her. 

The valley below sparked into flames and quickly rolled destroying the quaint valley. The setting sun stopped and slowly began to climb up the stairway of the horizon with each accession the strange hot wind blew around them, but calmly her thin gown blew around them painting the horizon's reds and yellows. The moon had already climbed into its house the sky, the evening competing with the day bright and dark bordered across the land until evening began to rule as the sun slipped behind the moon. It became night and day at the same time, the earth in complete darkness except for the red and yellow glean from the woman's gown flowing from her body brilliant like a star. 

The rocks and pebbles continued to roll towards the woman and over the cliff, more rolled from the forest's edge, but it was no longer her pull. Her master took deliberate steps towards her, stepping out of the shadows among the trees; and the rocks rolled away from his every step as if to lay a royal carpet out for him. 

The wind calmed and settled as the men slowly gathered to their feet quickly grabbing their spears and pointing them at her. Her master spoke melting her. The fury within her became ribbons of love. He came closer with fearless steps. His words continued to soothe her, and her eyes returned their dark browns. 

She loved her master; everything about him summoned her softness and sensuality. She longed for his touch as his strong hands tenderly took her shoulders pulling him closer to her. He held her nude breast transparent through the thin dress and kissed her deeply. She moaned and fell into his embrace. She didn't care if her subjects, the fearful tribe trembling from her wrath with their spears trained upon her saw her weak and openly ready to make love with her mate. Her master's hands traveled down the silks of her gown pulling up the long train flowing from her waist to her juncture. 

Her body ached for his touch to go deeper, but he only teased at her inner thighs. She dripped with anticipation, impatient need; she thrust her hips towards him as their private dance began. He twisted her body around his own, his lips devouring her, his long fingers finally brushing against her and then turning her hard to a new angle the tango began, and he commanded her hips to gyrate as he trusted his fingers into her, his lips sucking and kissing her neck. She smiled, her ancient eyes rolling back in her head.

He whispered sweetly into her ear, "Eliock tu ew." 

And she began to float, "Eliock tu ew" she whispered sweetly in return. 

Her voice stabbed his heart; he loved the music in her every word. And rock and float she did, higher and higher, until she saw the clouds and the sun stop in its unnatural accession quickly began its natural retreat to the earth in the night.

Higher and higher, she floated amazed by the world, and then she looked down with great sorrow. She saw herself in her lover's arms, her body being hoisted high as the villagers carried her away, her arms loose at her sides, her head bounced as they carried her returning to the forest edge. She tried to fall returning to the ground below, but higher and higher she floated until the forest was like a speck of green dust. 

***

"Ah!" a sharp soft scream awoke her before she realized she was only sleeping. It was still the middle of the night. She stared blankly into the dark bedroom trying to remember where she was. She had many times awoken in a cold sweat, always looking around for where she ended up after her recurring dreams. Was she in a bedroom or a cage? She hated disturbing Shy in the middle of the night with her constant night terrors. 

He assured her many mornings over breakfast that it was perfectly normal to have nightmares after what she had gone through. She still didn't like the fact she was one, so vulnerable and needy when it came to her past; and two, she would wake Shy, and even though he did not say anything she knew he must be annoyed by her constant fears she couldn't let go. 

Shy lay asleep, although she wasn't sure if he were truly sleeping, or if she had indeed awakened him. Guilty she found her to answer; he was on the edge of his dreams already falling back to sleep with a moan as his arm over her tightened its grip holding her closer to him all the while assuring her that she was ok, and her vampire was here. To sleep as a babe with lions, she thought to herself at the irony of feeling safe with a vampire. Nevertheless, she arched and then crinkled her eyebrows now admitting the fact that she too was part vampire. She was a power aura because somewhere deep in her family tree a relative made whoopie with a vampire. And because she had special powers that she so brazenly but conservatively displayed for Shy in private at a restaurant; she was captured and dissected by scientists. The ordeal was one to make someone draw a line in the sand and cling to whom and in her case what one truly is. 

"It's only been a month," Shy said sleepily. He was reading her mind again. 

"Two months," She corrected and sighed, clinging closer to the vampire. "I'm sorry." 

"Tabor, don't be ridiculous, go to sleep. You need your rest." 

"I'm sorry." She only said again quietly. She was sorry because her night terrors were no longer about the scientist but of a strange woman being killed in an indigenous village. Tabor turned to see if Shy had heard her thoughts. She had been practicing how to block him from her mind. She had succeeded, and she didn't want to clue him in on her secret training. She knew that he depended on reading her thoughts lately to gauge her feelings when she tried to hide it all from him. Sometimes things were best left as they were and not everything had to be fixed that second. She felt like she needed to let the near-death experience bother her, so she would never end up in that place again. 

Perhaps that's all the dream meant, that she was going to die one day and to let it go. Let go of her fear of being attacked. She knew Shy did not like the idea of her being killed or the acceptance of her mortality one bit. 

"No I don't," Shy's voice was gruff with sleep and irritation; he was reading her thoughts again. 

"Please make love to me." Her voice was innocent. 

Shy propped his head on his hand his other tracing her clavicle, "Anything to shut your mind from your morbid thoughts, My Love." 

She reached for his neck, drawing him to her lips. "Eliock tu ew."

Shy sat up his eyes investigating her more. "Where did you learn that?" 

"A little bird," She said drawing him closer to her again. 

"Mmm," he was suspicious of her, and lately he had a hard time reading her. It bothered him hearing those words, but he did not let it show. He only heard the phrase in very old stories written in ancient vampire languages. With everything he had to deal with managing Tabor's safety and recovery this was beyond strange peculiarities that he reluctantly should add to the list. 

Again, she pleaded softly for him to make love to her. Her single moveable leg rubbed against the soft bed sheet as if she were a ballerina. He carefully moved her cast aside and with her free leg wrapped it around his waist, not without massaging her leg, feeling its smoothness and lovely curves. His cock rubbed against her opening that was already slick with heat, and he loved the sensation of her sex wetting his cock. She arched her back pushing her hips wantonly forward wanting to take him in, and he obliged her. In slow deliberate strokes, he sawed into her sex. She was already panting, thrashing her head against the pillow as little whimpers escaped her breath. 

He grunted as he began to trust into her more quickly, he loved the way a surge of her power aura slammed against his chest and his thighs pulling his body taunt and heating his burgeoning organ, egging them to explode. Her aura brought out his most primal nature as he wanted to conquer her, and his rhythms came faster and harder; every grunt and groan that escaped her moist lips was his reward. He pushed her further to the brink. 

A salacious grin spilled across his face when he snuck his hand to her clit and drew circles before he felt her sex walls squeeze him hard. Loudly, he exhaled a deep gratifying groan as his seed flushed her, filling her completely, pulsating against her walls. He stayed firm as his orgasm ran long and hard. 

He removed his cock and he was now thirsty, starved for more power and immediately latched onto her sex. His fangs puncturing her mons and his tongue lapped at her clit and drank her blood. He could feel her pulse through his mouth vibrating to tell him to suck harder on her clit to tease her lips and how close she was to orgasm. 

Her aura was intense, and the waves were now moving around him. He could see it through his vampire eyes, as if it were waiting for permission; his permission to drive her to orgasm. 

"Come," he commanded and once more latched onto her sex, and indeed, she came as the aura restored to attack him wonderfully with its power. He drank her essence and blood. Now he was truly satisfied. 

***

Crackle and the tinkling of crystal shards splattering against the marble swooshing like a low tide against sands as glass scattered about. Red eyes inflamed with anger barely blinked through her brow crinkled in unison with her pout.

"Come on, Genevieve, you act as Menefer's brat. It isn't all that bad." The rolling tongue of Caledean made her stomach boil in this instance instead of her dotting eyelash butterflies. Ilsino teased her, rolling his goblet stem lazily between his long fingers allowing the occasional drop of red hit the floor as he slumped deeper into his plush leather seat.

"It's not fair!" She screamed as a banshee and another 17th century vase crashed to the floor as she laid across the hearth. Her curly black hair haloed her face like she was some devilish siren, hiding her snare.

"It's not exactly a fortune or a blessing." He rolled his eyes this argument was becoming boring and found the red wine sliding down the crystal dropping onto his Ming Dynasty rug much more interesting.

Genevieve's theatricals grew as she moan and crumpled to the floor her body leaning over her heels like a modern dancer rocking in lament.

"I just want to die. This is not life!"

Ilsino only gazed out the window his eyebrow arched with stressed irritation. He gulped down his last drop of the fine imported blood, a little international student. He loved to entice around NYU with a sweet lullaby in ancient vampire to make her forget they had ever met. He swallowed hard; the constant whigneing had devoid his experience of the taste.

"Right. Get up." He took two long strides and jerked the vampire to her feet. "I will not hear you go on about Phio into the dawn, tonight." He said Shy's name as if it were a curse. "What is done is done. However, if you continue, I'll drain you dead myself."

"Fiend!" Her eyes sliced into him as she stomped away throwing her head back dramatically before she perched on the bar. She always moved like a cat or a deer; stealthily with the dexterity of wicked intentions or pranced around as gracefully and lightly as a pure doe, but always with dramatics. She flared her dress out as she crossed her shapely legs showing off her alabaster skin peeking through her black lace stockings.

"I want to get even then, Ilsino. Make it even as you honor your love to me." She said calmly, her hands in her lap as an innocent child.

Ilsino hummed as he crossed over to her, he couldn't pass up the chance to smooth his hands up her legs as he poured a glass of scotch.

He hummed, "What's in it for me?"

"What else, but proof of your love for me." She snarled, but a sly grin pulled to the side. Ilsino shrugged unimpressed and downed his scotch. "Plus you can have your way over Shy."

"Interested." Ilsino arched an eyebrow.

"Kill his lover, thus you break him."

"You are wicked today, my dear. You would steal his chance for love twice?"

"You know Shy. He'll find another. But it will crush him long enough so you can finally get what you want."

"I have a better idea. We can go along with your plan, but the key is at this moment beyond Shy. Now, what we need is his legacy. We want to have an aura for ourselves."

"Ilsino you mean to steal from him thrice."

Ilsino wrapped his long fingers around her neck bringing her so close to him. His other hand travelled further up her thigh. "I could kiss you."

"I could kill you."

"Fiend!" He growled as his fangs unsheathed to attack her lip as she attacked his mouth, sucking biting. The tear of stockings from her body as they passionately groaned into each other's mouths. Thick crimson lines raced down their white chins as they set the sealed their agreement in lust.

***

They stared at each other for a long time, one would raise a hand, and the other would follow. It was so quiet even they began to match every thought as the thoughts turned to a twist of the body here, to a yank of a limb there, each thought connected and copied one another.

Something was not right beyond her image in the mirror something was very wrong, and it was terrifying why he would hide the truth from her. She felt her heart begin to race as if it were ready to pound out of her chest. She clenched her eyes and willed it to a slow pace. Her fingers trailing over the tender lined scars left behind by the metal staples to put her back together again. 

She refused herself a good cry. She had never given herself over to the importance of looks and appearances before, why would she start now? She was always so unlike her mother. But the image of Frankenstein came to mind as her fingers traced over at least six angry lines still in various stages of stitching and scaring. She looked down so that she could capture the tear that threatened to leak out but then landed on the large white cast. She had propped a book under it, so she could stand with only one crutch. She quickly looked up but it was too late tears were streaming down her cheek. 

Her fingers traced the line running from one side of her pubic bone to the other. The hair that was removed was already beginning to grow in, and it was the only sign of hiding at least one ugly reminder.

"What are you telling yourself?" He scolded her but love was still in his voice. Shy wrapped her in his arms pulling her close to him.

"I wasn't thinking."

"Tabor, it's too quiet here to lie. It's only you and me, and I heard a lot of talking up here."

Tabor merely shifted her eyes away, not wanting to face Shy, the perfect handsome vampire in the mirror; not wanting to face herself.

"Tabor, talk to me."

"Why, you've heard it all already."

"You're worried about your appearance."

Tabor huffed at the ridiculousness of that thought and reached for her other crutch. "What's done is done." She hobbled out of their expansive closet to sit on the edge of their bed.

"Are you in pain?"

"No, I think I've gotten used to it." She struggled to pull her sweater over her head; her chest throbbed. Shy grabbed a pair of shorts pulling a leg over her cast and then helping her with the other. "Maybe I'll become like Frida Khalho."

"Hmm," he only hummed his mind was elsewhere again.

The last two days she often caught him mulling about something. His thoughts were concentrated and deeply blocked. She watched him just going through the motions of helping her dress and do the simplest tasks. 

It had been two days ago that her breasts had become tender and leaked milk. It disturbed her that she had no explanations, and she worried what the Institute had done some abhorred experiment on her resulting in her ability to lactate without pregnancy. She felt like her body had become a ticking time bomb with more medical anomalies to appear at the most inopportune moment. She wanted to go to a doctor but her many surgical scars would only make them ask questions, things she didn't want to answer. She often pretended to ignore that Shy was hiding something from her as she often noticed he would tuck inside a quiet corner and whisper quickly into his phone. What was he hiding?


Mercurial Ends Ch. 01



"Nothing dear heart," he answered, heard her thoughts. "We are the most melancholy happy couple that ever lived."

Tabor smile slightly, her left hand felt heavy more important than any other body part she had.

"Oh, I can think of some more important body parts." Shy grinned and Tabor giggled.

"It's so quiet here, too quiet." Tabor glanced at the wood that surrounded the house in the Catskills Mountains of Upstate New York. Not a single soul to interrupt them, not a noisy neighbor above them to play house music, no yelling couples arguing unabashedly, no crying babies. Silence and stillness were a complete change of pace from the bustling New York City life.

"Do you want to go back to the city?" Shy massaged her non-plastered leg.

Tabor only bit her bottom lip tentatively before releasing it. "It's a huge house."

Shy chuckled and shook his head, his eyes glinted with such admiration for her. "And you called me a stingy vampire."

"It's ..." 

"It's too big for us." 

"Perhaps you are right? Have you spoken with the actress?" 

The actress was Tabor's mother who constantly worried about her. "I can't Shy. She'll ask too many questions. 

"It's been taken care of don't worry." 

"When do you want to get married?" 

"Tabor, you are already my mate. You are mine. You are my Aura." 

"Oh," She burned with embarrassment. 

"What?" 

"I thought you wanted to "really" marry me." 

"Tabor, I consider you my mate already. I come from a different time then you do, where you were pared together it was with very little pomp and circumstance. Anyway, I thought you didn't want a fuss." 

"It's too big for us." 

"Perhaps you are right? Have you spoken with the actress?" 

The actress was Tabor's mother whom constantly worried about her. "I can't Shy. She'll ask too many questions." 

"It's been taken care of don't worry." 

"When do you want to get married?" 

"Tabor, you are already my mate; you are mine. You are my Aura." 

"Oh," She burned with embarrassment. 

"What?" 

"I thought you really wanted to marry me." 

"Tabor, I consider you my mate already. I come from a different time then you do, where you were pared together it was with very little pomp and circumstance. Anyways, I thought you didn't want a fuss." 

You've been around long enough to notice that things have changed since Ancient Grecian times. She muttered to herself but only said aloud.

"Perhaps." She shuffled to her foot. 

"Why don't you take a nap you look tired or why not paint for awhile?" 

Tabor rolled her eyes; she hated when he always tossed in paint commands passive-aggressively or dictatorial. "Why, so you can hide away and make calls?" She snapped. 

"Tabor." He tried to level down to her. 

"No, Shy, what are you hiding? You know something. Tell me!" 

"I know that you've been through a huge ordeal, almost died and a lot more." 

"Shy, if I am your mate, then you need to be honest with me. Tell me things." 

"Not now, Tabor." 

"I want you to train me. I fully want to know what I am capable of as an aura. I want to heal myself. Make the scars go away." 

Shy pressed his forehead to hers, his fingers brushing her neck before he forcefully drew her face to his, capturing her lips with a delicate kiss. 

"Tabor, you are beautiful." 

"I'm changed." 

"No you're not." 

She felt herself give into his trap to distract her. Shy was a grand master at that. She knew she wasn't the best bed mate the last month, as she would wake up and thrash about from her nightmares. He was very patient, even through the many nights, she kicked him in the leg with her heavy cast. 

Nevertheless, every night through gritted teeth wincing from pain of being hammered by plaster, he would comfort her, help her draw her thoughts to the present. Other times when she was near to him in his secret whisperings, he would stop her in her tracks, stopping her from the change to question him. By drawing her off her feet and carrying her straight to bed with the finesse that he wasn't covertly trying to divert her attention with passionate sex, but he truly did want her then and there. 

And he had her. His lips locked so sweetly on hers with earnest kisses. His hands tenderly cupped her face in their dark bedroom. She was melting her will to his. 

Perhaps I'll let him get away this time.

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself to him though it took a lot of strength. Again, her heart raced as if it would pound right out of her chest, it was painful, but she wanted to endure. 

"Damn!" he hissed into her mouth and pulled her off of him. "We have company. Do you need anything?" She shook her head and smile happy to have a visitor finally. "I'll be right back-" 

"I want to go down too-" 

"No," he said sternly. "Stay here." 

"Shy?!" 

Before she could further contest, he was already gone rushing down the stairs, swearing that dusk had come so soon. 

"Since when did you learn to knock?" Shy scolded as he opened the door to four vampires, Genevieve, Ilsino, Menefer and his daughter, Julisa. 

"Where is your aura, Shy?" Ilsino slithered. 

"Why are you here?" Shy's arms stretched out commandingly as if with ready to blast the door frames apart with the slightest bead of sweat 

"We've come to discuss matters." Ilsino slurred. "We know about Helsinki." 

Shy pushed the frame, the muscles in his arms drawing taunt with restraint. "Why must you emotional charge me when my guard is down?" Genevieve purred as she danced around him, her fingers playing with his collar like a mistress. 

Shy knew what they meant as they planted the image of him hunting for the file while they watched baffled why he would not leave the facility. His mind recalling with the painful details of what was done to Tabor. 

"What do you want?" 

"We want to know if it is true and what your intentions are to deal with it," Ilsino smirked and glanced at Genevieve to continue her sensual play with Shy. 

"My intentions are for me and myself." Shy voice was like ice. 

"Not ever your aura?" Ilsino poo-pooed and smirked mockingly, taking great pleasure in the deceit Shy was burying himself in. 

"No, not even for her to know," Shy snapped. 

"Well, the information is very valuable, and we want to know what you are willing to do for us to keep our secrecy." 

"You mean to bribe me." 

"Oh, Shy," Genevieve purred into his ear; her old smell danced about his nose straight to his heart. "That is exact." She turned his face to hers, her lips so close to his. "You know what it means to a woman," Her red lips tucked to one side in a seductive grin. "You mean to crush her in the end because that will be your outcome." She planted pictures of Tabor crushed learning the news, her anger towards him, turning herself cold and un-trusting. He immediately thought of how Declan had crushed Tabor, many months of sadness and living in an invisible trap. "Oh poor cupid always doomed from love. She'll leave you and then, as you know; her deterioration will come quickly. I want to make it better." 

Shy closed his eyes and shook the mental picture from his mind as best as he could, but it was so vivid, and she was right; he had the worst fate with true love. "You have become a real monster, Vieve." 

"Only because you have made me, remember Shy," She leaned into him and dragged his lips across his chest stopping at his nipple to bite. 

Shy pushed the vampire away. She truly mastered the art of using seduction with vampire magic. He didn't realize how fast he was caught in her siren like trance remembering the love he had for her. He looked at the vampire he had made, her pale white skin and long curly chocolate brown hair as she crouched in a stance as if writhing sexually. 

"No secrecy. I will not be an ant to you!" Shy boomed. 

"Oh, you are an ungrateful bastard," Ilsino hissed. "I should have let you starved to death when I laid my eyes on you. We helped you get your aura back and you refuse to join with us to keep your secret from your little toy before a little longer before you ruin her life anyway. You may even like what we have to propose."

"No, I want nothing to do with you."

"Then I'll go see your aura, where is she?"

Shy blocked his mind but winced at the sound of Tabor trying to walk away from eavesdropping was the only sound in the house. Ilsino hissed and smiled looking up the stairs to where Tabor had been standing.

Shy exhaled deeply, he would have a lot of explaining and he already heard her questions berating him from upstairs but she didn't hear enough thankfully. "Fine, what would you have me do?"

"NO! Don't Shy!" Julisa cried out but Menefer pulled her back sternly.

"Don't what? What are you three playing at?" Shy narrowed his eyes on his enemies

"Wage war with us against the Lycans." Ilsino said more like a jester than a fierce warmonger

"No!" Julisa cried and tears fell from her eyes.

Clarity came to Shy's face and he could help but smile at the thought of war.

"You pestilent bitch! This is because you. You best mind your tongue around me or I'll rip it out." Ilsino grabbed Julisa's hair twisting her head to his attention. Gone was the cad, all was left was the predator.

Shy removed his smug expression. He had to play it cool there was more to this than war with the wolves; there was always more when it came to Ilsino. "Why would I care? I keep to myself."

"Simple. They know about your aura." Ilsino remarked smugly.

"Shy you hate the wolves. You've wanted war with them for centuries." Genevieve added. She was his lover that remembered his darkest secrets and wishes.

Shy's fangs unsheathed and feral anger mounted. "I am more powerful than all three of you. I can do whatever I please. War or no war with the wolves, I can take them all down because of what they did to Tabor and what she gives to me."

"This is why we need you." Menefer finally spoke.

"Don't forget that I am stronger than you. Don't try to test me." Shy seemed to grow monastery with each syllable in commanding power

"Shy, your head is full of shit." Ilsino rolled his eyes.

"I am the most powerful vampire on this planet and you don't like it. You will not threaten me. The power aura is mine. She is mine. I am her master. You will never have an aura." Shy's eyes glowed silver with Tabor's aura making his vampire nature impenetrable.

"Ahh but you are not too sure about that, are you Shy," Ilsino looked at his nails casually, "I know what you wish to hide from us all and we will take it from you. Or....we can help you, if you help us."

"Listen, the Lycans may come an end us. You need to join with us, Tabor aside, we are in danger." Menefer leveled. "There is a rumor the Lycans are gathering because they have been getting ready to war against us. They are gathering from all over the world to launch an attack."

"And it's all because of her!" Genevieve hissed and pointed at Julisa.

"That's not true!" Julisa cried out and Menfer pulled her body taunt like an insolent child.

Shy tilted his head looking at the young vampire incredulously and walked over to the girl. He seized her face squeezing her cheeks hard "You endangered the wolves and brought them to those scientists. You are reckless. And because of that you are also at fault for what they did to Tabor. The humans and the wolves have both responsible for her pain."

"Ah get a TV commercial lawyer sue for damages," Ilsino interjected.

"I cannot, will not allow a chance for Tabor to be harmed ever again." Shy words were strong and direct to sliced through the young vampire. Julisa knew better than to struggle against Shy grip. He terrified her, he was indeed stronger and more powerful than any vampire she had known. Shy released her and then turned to Ilsino. "You have me as your ally. Now, promise to leave Tabor alone."

"To the sun my death, I swear." Ilsino smirked.

"Good, now please leave my home."

The vampires smiled in varying degrees of assured promise, anticipation and terror. Shy quickly closed the door and locked it.

He quickly skipped stairs to Tabor; her mind was reeling with questions.

She hobbled around barely letting her foot touch the ground; she was tossing her clothes in frenzy onto the bed. He head snapped around when she heard him at the door and glared at him before violently continuing to pull her belongings from the drawers in which she had made herself at home.

"Tabor," Shy said as he stood in the doorway just watching the fire and waiting for it to burn out. "Tabor." It was a strong hot fire. "Tabor, please stop."

Tabor's eyes flashed angrily. "What do you care? What do you think?!" Shy couldn't help but smile and exhale happily in relief, she was jealous. Only jealous. "Just leave me alone!"

Tabor hid herself in the bathroom and slammed the door. She plopped herself on the toilet seat exasperated and now realizing what transpired during her tirade and how she couldn't truly leave - leaving meant death. She had to surrender and talk to Shy. She read his mind and they silently conversed angrily back and forth through the door about Genevieve.

"Tabor, why do you care? You know I love you." Shy said aloud once she opened the bathroom door.

"What do I care? Shy, you should tell me who she is to you, why did you let her kiss you? Play with your body? When you fully know the first time that I had met her she tried to EAT me!"

"Again Tabor, why do you care, you know who I am; and you know whom I am dedicated to. It's you."

"How do you think it made me feel seeing her on you like that?"

"I think you should put your clothes back in the closet because you are my aura and I won't have you waste away over your histrionics about what you perceived you've saw."

"Leave me alone!" She screamed bloody murder slamming the bathroom door in his face again. The fire was burning itself out.

Shy first thought about making her put her clothes back but he instead did it for her. She still didn't understand how vampire magic could also work against other vampires in a way that humans never would be affected. Eventually, Tabor made her way out of the bathroom and he quickly moved to her side to help her sit down on the soft bed. her body collapsed into a hunch. She knew he loved her, but the whisperings and plotting with Ilsino, the phone calls and now Genevieve were too much.

"I want to go back to the city," she said quietly.

"And why?" Annoyance tinged Shy's voice.

"Since this isn't an official "companionship" as you put it then I don't want to be stuck without having my own fun."

"You think I was having fun with that monster?" Shy sneered.

"I wouldn't know since you are always keeping secrets."

***

Silence; only the simple hum of the car engine remained. The trees whipped by turning from green to a black blur. Shy drove without conversation back to the city, his mind meditating on the past, his curse as a living primordial god and how life with Tabor seemed to reverse everything in his star-crossed fate. He affectionately watched as Tabor's head nodded and bounced hypnotized by the window until her head fell back into sleep. He finally felt he could exhale now that she had given in to sleep. He hope she would finally be able to sleep uninterrupted for once.

Smiling, he placed his hand on her good leg, the other laid jutted out in the cast. It was the last remnant of her ordeal the physically inhibited her from moving forward. The permanent reminder was her scars; he wished it didn't trouble her as much. She didn't see them as survival scars but garish lines destroying the beauty he still saw in her. The other remaining issue was that of Helsinki. He did not know how much longer he had or if he were too late all ready.

The engine roared louder as her eyelids turned brighter and more vivid. With each tread of the tire on the highway a distant beat grew slightly louder. Birds flew out of the trees fluttering and squawking for dear life. The greens became more vivid changing into a lush forest. The car was no longer moving but she was moving, floating amongst the branches, drifting down to the needled floor until her feet touch the ground bare. The warm dirt of the earth brought a sense of peace to her body. She took a step forward and glanced down at her leg. It was no longer casted but etching of geometric designs crawls around her leg and up. She looked up into the canopy, the sun's rays broke through the trees cascading a tent of light around her. 

Her feet were moving without her guidance. She tried to get her feet to stop but before her breath was consistent her heart began to race as her feet led her in a full sprint. The trees blasted past her in a whirl as if she were still in Shy's vehicle. She called out for Shy but her voice did not speak. She finally began to slow down as the trees lead to a clearing, she felt mentally out of breath and wanted to fall to the ground to catch it but her body instead crouched down grabbing the dirt into her fist before standing. With a quick twirl she scattered the dirt around her in a circle. Her long red and yellow gown twirled around her light as feathers. 

The explosions came first and then the groan of the earth as it rumbled beneath her bare feet. Her body began to sway and tremble jerking her torso back and forth as she raised her hands high above her head, the remaining dirt slipping down her arms. The ground shuddered and long violent cracks separated the ground from the earth. Fire exploded from the cracks setting fire to the canopy above her. Rapidly the blaze moved like a red tarp above her head. She opened her mouth to scream, but instead a giggle poured out. Her heart trembled urging her to run and hide, adrenaline flowed in her veins, but she only stood confidently laughing. The sky turned pitch black with smoke.

Jerking her torso she began to scream, tears falling from her eyes in fear but her body only chanted in low guttural tones and her face was not wet with concern. She felt like she was trapped in this body that did the opposite of what she wanted. A wailing of horns came from behind her, followed by the rumbling of drums, and high pitched whistles warning her. She only trembled all the more, her body sick to her stomach. She wanted to clench her stomach to stop the bile from rising. 

A rattling followed and a low hum came from the east, the host was no longer shaking but her body was rigid her chin glued to her clavicle and her arms out to their sides like she were a bird ready to take flight. A strong wind billowed around her like a tornado and for the first time she felt herself leave the host to see the monster she was. She saw a beautiful woman dressed reds and yellows her head slowly lifting as the cyclone of wind grew stronger she began to beat her arms urging it to build and gather. The woman turned away from Tabor and with her arms pushed the wind away from her; the fire followed the wind behind leaving a trail behind the large fire ball. The woman turned around her eyes black as night and Tabor screamed.

Her body jerked, her cast hitting the glove compartment her body in complete sweat. Shy looked at her strangely, and she realized, relaxing her grip on the car seat where she was. She closed her eyes mortified and shook her head.

Please don't ask, She begged in her mind.

Shy frowned and turned on the radio and focused his attention back on the road. Tabor gazed out the window trying to blank out her mind but all she could think of was these nightmares that plagued her, Shy's secrecy and what the vampires were whispering about. Her mind was focusing on it, on it all. Her mind was plagued with her troubles.

"Why don't vampires and werewolves get along," Tabor asked. It was the first off topic thing that popped into her head. Shy only looked at her strangely.




Mercurial Ends Ch. 01



"I don't want to talk about wolves, Tabor."

**** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Thank you for reading. Thank you HFK999 for doing an edit almost a year ago. Thank you readers for hanging in there for me to do this post. Please vote and all comments are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Talyis



Mercurial Ends Ch. 02



CHAPTER 2 - LOVE POINT MATCH 

"I love upstate, but it feels great to be back in the city," Tabor squeezed Shy's neck as he carried her up the stairs of his apartment.

Her two legs hung over his forearm, a single small leg bounced with each step up on the stairs, the other outstretched in stiff plaster. She nuzzled her nose into his neck smelling his personal cologne of ambrosia; she could bottle it up and make a fortune even though she was still upset with him.

Not much had changed in his quaint apartment building; it was still surprisingly quiet for the four floor walk-up building in the middle of bustling Brooklyn. His neighbors' doors were decorated with various welcome wreaths or had small table sitting outside their apartment with dried flower bouquets on top of paper doilies.

He placed her upright on her single good foot and she lend against the wall while he jumbled his keys out of his pocket. 

"I am glad to have you home, wherever our home is." Shy opened his door and then reached his arms out to carry her, but she was already hopping towards the door.

"Oh-no," he scooped her up before she could protest. "It's a threshold-"

"I've been to your apartment before Shy."

"Yes, but I am also taking no chances on you getting injured again."

"Shy, I am not that far off from you. I am not made of glass, I'm part vampire." Shy smirked proudly at her acceptance of her nature. "I should be able to walk through a door on my own without any problems."

"Fine, fine," he put her down and allowed her to hop down his long haul to the living room where she flopped exhausted on the couch.

Shy only glanced at her with amusement. 

Shy:Tabor :: 15-Love

He pulled a crystal tumbler from the cupboards and filled it with water for her.

"So do you still feel like being part vampire while you catch your breath?" Shy tenderly kissed her forehead ignoring her eyes darting at him. Although, stubborn to the core, he loved this woman with his whole existence.

"Har- har, Shy."

"Har- har indeed, little Aura," A voice commented in the dark.

The room quickly moved into action around her. The lights snapped on and Shy's fangs were already unsheathed, his stance ready to attack whomever their intruder were. Ilsino stood in the center of the room beaming with a wicked grin.

"Oh come now Shy, are you going to let your Power Aura get all out of breath?" Ilsino's white smile gleamed with congeniality.

"She insisted," Shy responded through gritted teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, my friend, I am only here to make sure you keep your end of the deal." Ilsino slithered onto the couch next to Tabor who immediately stiffened. "Oh, come now, Tabor, we are beyond all that. You need not fear me. It was me who came to your rescue you know. I even stopped your Master from killing you faster." Tabor's eyes snapped to Shy with concern.

Shy crossed his arms and snorted, "Hardly the case, Ilsino. I almost fed you my blood Tabor, in efforts to save you. I did not know that it would kill you."

"Neither did I," She whispered.

"Well, now you do," Ilsino snapped his gums and pat Tabor's leg. "There is a lot that you don't know about yourself, dear Salome." Ilsino brushed a tuft of hair away from her face. "You looked troubled, my child, heavy in thought."

"It's nothing. I just think a lot." She looked away sheepishly. 

There was something about Ilsino's magnetism that was drawing her to him. It was not like the feral animal that she experienced with Shy that aroused her. This was something else -- something dangerous, perhaps it was the fact that she was sitting so close to it. But deep within she wanted the danger, something deep within her was waiting for it to challenge her. But Ilsino was not a man logic wanted to tempt. She knew that he had a temper and a humor that were unmatched; equally, both were always dangerous.

"What troubles you my dear?" Ilsino cooed in a way that made her blush, a curly lock fell over her face and he brushed it away..

Such a simple gesture, but it was his touch that unnerved her. She wanted to tell someone how she felt, how she was like a trapped rabbit with Shy always watching over her with a determined watchful eye.

"Enough, Ilsino!" Shy snarled he had caught a bit of Tabor's mind struggling.

Ilsino grinned insouciantly, raising his hands in surrender allowing Tabor's mind to clear when he scooted away a bit.

"I may be cursed with Eros' namesake, but you are always a fiend." Shy shifted his protective gaze off of Tabor and trained like a predator on Ilsino.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Ilsino rolled his eyes at Shy's warning, he had already moved onto his next pawn to exploit and wagged his fine Italian black tapered shoe. His poise looked more like a minstrel than the fine dignitary he tried to emulate in the human world. 

"I know more about Power Aura's than you do, Shy. I remember when there were many creatures in the world, such as yourself, Salome."

"Why do you care? I am the only one left, as far as both of you are concerned, but I have my loyalties."

"Your submission-" Ilsino added with a pull of his lips playfully and Tabor shuddered.

"My- loyalties-" she emphasized, not willing to say that someone was a master over her. "They are with Shy and I kindly ask you to not play head games with me. I may be an Aura and at that a less informed Aura, but I do know how you wish to plant ideas into my mind to pit my heart against Shy."

Shy only crossed his arms and smirked proudly. He knew to allow her to stand her ground on her own. His eyes twinkled- he loved her even more.

"Albeit, you have chosen... Phio, but I can show you things that you never knew you were possible, let alone learn them from that cur." 

Shy hated when anyone used his birth name which meant bringer of love, especially when it passed flippantly off of Ilsino's lips. 

"That was enough. She will not learn anything from you!" Shy roared.

"Perhaps she would want to learn how she could save herself, perhaps in the event that she were kidnapped. You know, Darling, there are other creatures in the world. What if she had to fend for herself if you were gone, Phio?" He drew out the imagery like long spider webs floating endlessly in the air. "Or when you plan to travel, she may want to be able to protect herself from any mad scientists, that go bump in the night and want to do experiments. Let alone the nightmares-"

A stifled wail escaped Tabor's trembling lips, she strained to stall any humiliating tears from making matters worse, thankfully, Shy was already in protection mode throwing Ilsino from the couch onto the floor.

"You've gone too far. Leave." Shy snarled towering over Ilsino.

"No!" The vampires turned to Tabor. "No he's right, Shy. If he knows more about Power Auras, I want to know what I can do if I need to protect myself."

"Tabor, don't you realize he has ulterior motives. He always has another motive."

"But who else is old enough to know."

Shy's eyebrows and eyes knitted together with stress; he knew that the only older vampire that would possibly know more about Power Auras would be Menefer. It was a trap, to watch him making sure he fulfilled his commitment against the werewolves and they were using Tabor as a pawn. He sighed deeply again and whispered. "Menefer."

"Yes, Menefer, yes," Ilsino boomed and clapped his hands together foppishly. "But, Menefer is not as experienced and as knowledgeable as I am." Ilsino reached out for Tabor with a melodramatic sigh, Shy knew he was enjoying this game of cat and mouse. Shy held her protectively sensing the play was going to twist into the catch. "Child, don't you want your nightmares to end."

"NO!" "Fine" Tabor and Shy said in unison.

"Good. Let's begin training in the morning?" Ilsino interjected.

"NO!" Shy stammered.

"Deal," Tabor knocked her knuckles on her cast in verdict.

"NO! She still is in a cast."

"For two more days, Shy." Tabor pointed out.

"You won't have time. You have physical therapy and you need to paint."

"No Shy, I will make time."

"No, Tabor, you-"

"I'll leave you two lovebirds; see you tomorrow, Tabor." Ilsino tipped his imaginary hat.

"No- Yes" Tabor and Shy confirmed at the same time while Ilsino kissed the back of Tabor's hand before letting himself out of the apartment.

Shy glared at Tabor, his chest rising and falling like hell was boiling in it. He yanked their suitcases from the hall and stormed into the bedroom slamming the door shut.

 I can't believe you did this! He yelled but the room was silent, all but the tick-tock of his face clock on the wall, while Tabor sat in the living room unmoved.

"I need to be able to protect myself. You cannot be with me every waking moment of my life." She defended.

"It's my duty. I could force you as your master, you know. But I am giving you freedom of choice."

Ohh, how big of you, MASTER. Even while talking to him in her mind she let the word slither in the way, it was most disrespectful.

Don't tempt me Tabor Salome! Shy spat. He never used her name like that before, he was pissed, but so was she.

She sucked in air to stop the anger from building, she loved him and knew he was terrified of losing her again, but she was his lover not his child or slave.  "Maybe I don't want you around me for my every breath of everyday!" It was a low blow and she knew it. 

"That's rich Tabor," Shy snarled coming out of the room.

"But it's true Shy. No one is attached at the hip."

"You don't share anything with me, anyways!" It came out more fiercely than he wanted. Every fiber within him was racing with madness he leaned over her trapping her to the couch more so to help himself from doing worse.

"Maybe because they are just dreams, Shy. Maybe I don't want to humiliate myself by telling you what my pathetic sleeping mind says."

"What do you want Tabor? I am only a man."

"I want to be able to live. Yes, I am terrified that something will happen but I can't live like that. It's probably a once in a lifetime tragedy. But everyday life, the ups and the downs are normal. So what if I get a paper cut. You are not going to attack me and throw me onto a table of crystal over one drop of blood." She smirked trying to lighten his mood.

"Not funny, Tabor. This is your life - not some simple vampire romance novel- we are real and so are you."

"Yes, I am real. And I don't know anything about what I am that makes me so real. I don't know anyone who is like me and I can't ask my mother- she'll turn it into some melodrama. And I just as well, cannot tell my father who doesn't understand anything beyond science and reason-"

"But Ilsino is not the key to unlocking who you are-"

"But what if he is, Shy? Don't I deserve to find out?"

Shy sat on the coffee table in front of her, his long legs framing hers and was finally taking a deep breath in to calm himself. "I have lived a very long time, Tabor, and many of those decades I have spent regretting ever having met Ilsino. He has caused generations of troubles for me, Tabor. You have to understand. YOU HAVE TO TRUST ME!"

"I do trust you."

Shy cupped her neck tenderly, "Then tell me what's been troubling you. It's beyond dreams; I know it's not just the dreams, Love."

Tabor began to open her mouth to speak about how she was troubled by overhearing his conversation, but moreover seeing Shy so tender and nearly intimate with Genevieve. Genevieve was a vampire; she was not weak, nor scared like she was. She was a vampire and she could match him in strength and passion.

Tabor only shook her head.

Shy grumbled he knew there was more to it and she had blocked her thoughts from him. He narrowed his eyes on Tabor -- 

15 -15

He combed his fingers through his dark hair and proceeded to the entrance for the brown paper bags of Trader Joe's groceries.

"What do you want for dinner?" Tabor eager changed the topic.

"I am not hungry. You eat, I'll get something later." Shy placed the groceries on the counter and began to put them away.

"I want you to kiss me."

"What?" Shy folded the bag, not really paying attention.

"Kiss me damn it!"

He could hear her words turning like gears in a machine, scheming. "Tabor, don't be ridiculous."

"You are like an old married man, next I am going to have to give your blood meals to you like a neutered tiger."

"Neutered tiger, huh?" Shy chuckled deeply; he walked over to Tabor the water on the coffee table moved. She held her breath fearfully but he kissed her delicately on the lips.

She poked her chin up. "I said, 'kiss me', not peck me."

He kissed her more earnestly.

Tabor pulled him down to her and tore at his grey t-shirt, violently throwing it aside before ripping her blouse from her body. With every fervent move, Shy matched with tender sensual kisses down her throat. His strong hands gently holder her to him, while she crushed her chest into his.

"Help me take off these shorts," she quickly attempted to remove her shorts and Shy chuckled at his little nymph. He trailed kisses tracing the scar line down her stomach, teasing her.

Tabor pushed him off of her with her good leg. Shy looked down at her heaving body, her leg spearing him in the chest.

"Faster Shy." Was all she commanded, his own ardor growing by the second. He massaged her leg that was keeping him away from her. "Fuck me, Shy. No more tender bullshit."

Shy's mouth tugged to the side as he arched an eyebrow. He could hear her thoughts, racing for rough, fast careless sex. He brought the bottom of her foot to his lips and kissed. He won; she was raging inside, cursing him for his tenderness.

30-15

He quickly picked her up and set her on his kitchen island and easily pulled her shorts and panties down. She sat gloriously nude on his counter.

"I could eat you." His voice was gravely.

Wantonly she leaned back on her hands seductively arching her back and swinging her free leg to her side, opening herself up for him brazenly.

Shy chuckled deeply, "My, you are determined today aren't you?" Shy dragged her butt forcefully to the edge of the counter and was pleased that he elicited a little yelp.

His body towered over her even though she was sitting on top of the counter, Shy just commanded the room. Tabor snuck her hands around his waist to squeeze his butt that was so incredibly cute even while hidden in his jeans. She couldn't wait to see their Greek god, Eros embodied in front of her and gazing at her with heated silver eyes in lust for her.

His hair tickled her ears as Shy languished his tongue from his lips plump from his kisses, down between her breasts. She dared not make a sound or breathe.

Unexpectedly Shy twisted her nipple and it pulled more taunt making it beg him for more. Tabor couldn't help train her eyes on his. He continued to torment both nipples now but his eyes challenged her, dared her to ask for him to stop.

Pride before the fall. With a peep, "More." Tabor groan deep in her chest, throwing her head back. It was too much, she felt tears wet her eyes but she dared not release them.

Shy finally stopped and the swiftly suckled her nipple; bringing an odd mixture of relief and pain as blood returned to her tortured nipples.

"So you want to prove your fragility?" His voice was rough and fearsome.

"What are you going to do Shy," She opened the counter draw to pull out the wooden spatula he used to make pancakes for her in the morning.

He only grinned and grabbed the spatula from her hand and slapped it against his palm. Everything seemed to slow down between them. They only smiled at each other in various degrees of love, lust and challenge - it was competitor's game of passion constantly changing with each passing glance.

He moved her legs further apart forcefully, "Don't you dare move those legs."

Tabor snorted and licked her lips. She couldn't wait. She wanted this Shy, in his primal nature. She was tired of that Shy that babied her, tenderly held her like an already wilted flower. Most of all she was tired of the careful sex. She wanted to tap into the deep magic and the deep emotions, feelings and sensuality she would never experience in human sex. She wanted to have the raw dangerous vampire sex that sent all of her human and aura senses ablaze when they both thought it would be their last chance together.

She dared him and squeezed her legs shut. She felt her body react and tingle at her core just by defying him, her anticipation for the vampire to arise and take her savagely.

"Tsk. Tsk," Shy shook his head, his silver eyes glinted mischievous play. "You shouldn't have done that my dear."

"And?" Tabor challenged.

There was not time to fight, Shy grabbed her thigh and pulled her legs apart revealing everything she was to his eyes. He raised his hand, banishing the spatula and then brought it down on her sensitive sex, but not in a hard slap but a pat that was barely felt. Tabor sucked her teeth in disappointment but instead he tipped the spatula into her wet core and stirred. She melted. He continued his torture the spatula turning within her as if he were cooking and she were the stove, it pressed against all of her most sensitive spots, opening her up and making her drip copiously onto the counter. His lips captured her and turned all the right buttons to make her explode with heat within. Tabor loved this spectacular playful creature that smelt like sexy ambrosia and love to nibble on her bottom lips.

She wanted to scream when he removed the spatula from inside her, making sure to drag it along her g-spot. He tilted his lips up and her wet juices that had coated the spatula dripped into his mouth.

"My favorite part of your body." Shy said liking the spatula. "Your taste is amazing."

"Then bite me." Tabor panted.

"All orders now. Where's the love, Tabor," He slapped the finished spatula hard on the countertop making her jump. His hand forcefully covered Tabor's eyes, blinding her.

She heard the lovely jingle of metal and leather, her favorite sound -- Shy was taking off his pants. He then grabbed her hard and swiftly entered her, sawing into her with deliberate forceful strokes. The countertop rumbled, causing the glass salt and pepper shakers to rattle to the edge before having their own little deaths on the floor.

Tabor rocked onto his cock desperately trying to match his speed. Each stroke was meant to go deep, his cock was hard and long hitting her cervix and g-spot, filling her completely. She couldn't keep going and then her first orgasm flooded but Shy was relentless. He pushed through her spasming walls and massaged another little death. He held her body tightly against hers, his arms taunt, every vein and muscle was tight like the strings on a cello.

"Stay with me, my darling," he whispered tenderly yet his body was hard with amorous. He pulled her leg further away to open more of her pussy to his cock and then her third orgasm erupted and she screamed in ecstasy. Sweat dripped down her body and he came with her. His strong cock pulsating against her every nerve bringing a fourth, dare he pull out and give her a fifth.

Tabor fell flat against the counter, her arms winged out and she tried to catch her breath. She loved this man that was an incredible lover.

"And now for my reward," Shy smirked and lapped at her sex to illicit a sixth orgasm but the most important one.

He unsheathed his vampire teeth and dragged the sharp incisors along the length of her labia. The tiny scratch brought blood to her lips swelling them as he indented. 

"When I feed from you, you will be hyper sensitive; there is no turning back, love." He moved to her nipples again and allowed his teeth to lightly piece her nipples. They pointed back at him and he groaned with approval. "Much better."




Mercurial Ends Ch. 02



He again latched onto her sex and tiny bites surrounded her sex bringing more blood and nerve sensitivity to the area. And then he did it. He bit into her sex that was already engorged by his teasing and love pecks. She felt her entire sex drag into his mouth. And she couldn't do anything to stop the vibrations of her sex being dragged into this sensual abyss. Her head swam in a pool of bliss. He drank her blood and the spring of essence that flowed from her. She felt the pool rise higher as her body convulsed in delight and then all went black. 

***

"Why doesn't he just tell her the truth?" Genevieve lounge on a chaise completely nude with a young man's face buried between her thighs completely entranced with only pleasing her.

"Because that insolent cur doesn't know what kinda power that little creature has. He only thinks her a frail woman who would crumble to insanity." Ilsino leaned against the ornate fireplace, a glass of red blood in his hand.

Genevieve narrowed her eyes at him. "You know a lot about Power Auras."

"Another reason why he won't tell her. He knows what we want and if he cannot keep tabs on us, we will take all that is dear to him. He knows this. We want it for ourselves. When he least expects, we will take it."

"Why the wolves?" She blurted out trying to control the pleasure in her voice.

"Genevieve are you going to bore me with your stupid questions all night?" Ilsino tossed the rest of the blood to the back of his throat.

Genevieve only chewed on her mouth to hide her hurt from his scolding.

"I want the wolves to kill him," she said in the most cunning voice one would never expect from such an innocent face.

"You are cruel. I thought you loved him, your maker. You will love him for an eternity." Ilsino mocked cruelly as he grabbed her hair forcing her attention to focus on him instead of the man that lapped at her sex.

Genevieve scowled her nose crinkling up. She arched her back and her fingers gripped the velvet chaise. With her fangs unsheathed in the heat of anger, she attacked Ilsino. Like a scene out of an exorcist film her little body swiftly climbed up Ilsino's as she sank her teeth into his neck. Her silken legs wrapped around him, hugging her body to his.

"And I want to drain the Aura dry," her voice rustled with intoxication.

Ilsino violently pulled her from his neck and tightly held the vampire away from him like a stray cat.

"I will kill you," he warned his silver eyes cold as stone. Black horror filled Genevieve's eyes as she choked and clawed at his grip. "I will kill you this second. The Aura is mine. You are not to touch her."

He released her and she fell to the ground gasping for air. Ilsino was blank as death. He stepped over her to the bar to poured a glass of gin for himself. 

"You can have Shy dead or alive once I have Salome." He continued.

He sat down at the bar not looking on the crumpled pile of Genevieve on the floor. "Although, it would be nice to keep him alive, make him live an eternity with his pain."

Genevieve gathered herself to her feet quietly and carefully watched the older vampire.

"Come here Genevieve," Ilsino beckoned still not looking at her; instead he focused on his glass of ice that he crunched in his teeth. Genevieve walked over to him tentatively. "Hmm," Ilsino hummed as he wrapped his long fingers around the back of her neck and brought her close to him. His lips attacked hers in a passionate kiss and her hands took possession of his body boldly.

***

He stared at the ceiling for hours; once Tabor had fallen asleep he just laid there in his bed thinking about how everything upstate had gone so wrong and how everything had become a crucible once he opened the door to his quiet Brooklyn apartment. He glanced over at Tabor sleeping for once peacefully for a full three hours without waking in a cold sweat screaming, sobbing, her eyes desperate to understand. He scratched his nose out of habit to mask his irritation, her dreams irritated him. They were beyond her control, yes, but they stopped her from moving on and him from remembering what state he found her in.

Cheers breaking thru the silent darkness from his open bedroom window. He couldn't even bring himself to smile when the familiar Greek celebratory phrases were shouted or the jovial chorus of voices rang in songs of congratulations and well wishes to a happy couple.

A Greek wedding with all the trimmings, white lace streaming, and giddy women and ruddy men eager to share in the newlywed couple's happiness. Shy wanted to throw a medieval fit or even become the infamous Dracula- just to stop the happy music from reminding him of what was always so close within his reach but never attainable.

"Αγάλι αγάλι το φιλί, να 'χει και νοστιμάδα.." Some cheered, others translated, "Love me little, and love me long."

Shy seriously contemplated how he would crash his innocent neighbor's wedding party. He would first seek out the groom, no, the bride, because he wanted to see the poor wretch's horror when he sucked the life from the delicate neck of the his beautiful bride. He wanted to see the groom's expression when he would realize that he would live the rest of his pitiful life only wondering what could have been. The groom's now vacant future: the home with bay windows and a breakfast nook, the compliments from his co-workers at the Christmas parties at the office on how beautiful she looked and how amazing she cooked, how she would look so sexy even while tucking their two children in at night after bedtime stories., the way she would still surprise him even when they were old with grandchildren, and how they would one each other forever just like their parents did when they moved from Greece to the United States and times were rough. All gone!

The groom with his chest heaving in sobs would turn to Shy, instantly transforming into the sycophant begging Shy to kill him. The groom couldn't live without the love of his life. Shy would curl his lip and only tip his head looking down on the poor soul. No, he would change groom, so he would live as a vampire for the rest of his life. That would be the best comfort to give someone else - an eternity with pain -- just as he lives.

He had never changed a person; Genevieve, yes, but that was forced on him. He had never consciously changed anyone.

"Opa!"A triumphant happy cry rang thru the streets and applause brought Shy out of his malicious thoughts. He pinched the bridge of his nose, perhaps it was being at the edge of war that brought this dark side out of him. He exasperated, the single thought of wolves more than agitated him. Alas, he knew he couldn't blame the werewolves for his dark velleity, it was Tabor. 

A heavy boulder sat on his chest, its jagged edges punctured his lungs making every intake of air hot and painful. He tried to breathe a cleansing breath but he could not. He could only lay next to her, so still not to bother her with his troubled fate. He was always alone; this he was accustomed to- being solitaire. This, life with Tabor, for him when companionship was so close at hand it was plain masochistic.

He had to let her go or she would hurt him, she would leave anyways. It was too big of a chance she would go anyways. He had seen it throughout the centuries. She would be heartbroken once she found out and all was lost. And no amount of love he had for her would help her or heal her pangs. If he continued to shield her, for her sake, she would be bound to learn the truth, she would then never forgive him. She would close herself off and eventually wither away like fall leaves from an oak, first, into dust and then, nothing.

He was going to lose her no matter what. And even if the fates were for once kind and everything would be fine, it would be only a matter of time until they twist their minds against him again. He was cursed with Eros' divinity. He again stifled a cry of anguish his chest began to rise and fall quickly in panic. The panic reminded him that he took in air only because Tabor made it possible. He gripped his face pressing his fingers hard against his eyes. Tabor would die, it would be worse than any mortal human death in history. It would be so heinous it would destroy him.

Salty-tears, only possible because of the woman that lay innocently beside him, escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek, he no longer cared about attempting stopping them. His mind drifted to the past, when Tabor on the cold silver metal table surrounded by human monsters that did not care for her, they were not moved by her pleas for help when they sawed her ribcage open. Again, the sharp teethed instruments he saw in their minds were ready to gut her like a fish alive. He again heard their premeditated visions of hearing her screams for mercy until her lungs would be ripped out no longer giving voice to her soul.

Shy squeezed his eyes shut and reopened them to focus his grey-silver eyes on the present, however long he had her. He turned to Tabor and watched her sleep. She was beautiful as always but he particularly loved how peacefully graceful her body took in life in afterglow. His fingers traced the delicate smile on her face, her lips puffy from his kisses and her cheeks rosy, still blushing from such igniting intimacy she shared with him. He loved her. He knew with that his heart was so experienced in being broken, his mind having seen the many changing ways of the world and the anguish his soul had been through the centuries. Tabor Salome was indeed his real love, not Kaethe, not Genevieve. He was that happy groom across the street trying desperately to hold on to his bride....

Shy abruptly sat up and put his robe on, Tabor moaned in her sleep at the sudden adjustment of the bed but quickly fell deeper into sleep again. Shy couldn't lie next to her anymore, he will not marry her, he will not dream, he will not be the sniveling groom begging for death after his bride is slaughtered. He had to do what he could before his vampire fate destroyed Tabor; before it ate her alive.

It became so clear that he would be her death dealer or salvation; quite possibly both. Regardless, he had to do what he could because he loved her. The groom only would think of himself begging to end his life, but he was going to figure out how to save his bride's.

She did look amazing in the afterglow of his lovemaking. He would give her the world and now was ashamed he told her he didn't want to marry her. He let his cowardice push her to arm's length like these foolish modern men did with their women before their women wised up and left them. He despised their self-conscious self-pity and excuses. They never had to and never will have to fight every sunrise to be with the one they love, they take love for granted.

" Αλλού το όνειρο κι αλλού το θάμα," The dream is realized when you do not expect it, roared with thunderous applause from outside.

Shy walked to the window careful to not let the streetlamps to brighten the bedroom to awaken his lover. Shy peeked through the curtain and saw the bride and groom kissing while their family and friends circled arm-in-arm dancing. The young couple gazed into each other's eyes with elated smiles, he raised their joined hands to his lips and kissed her wedding ring, while another cheer resounded again, the couple was lost in each other. Shy bit his bottom lip, closed his eyes and saw Tabor standing in front of him, her aura hitting him so powerfully. He nervously giggle try to hide the affects of her piquant glances. They danced connected by handkerchief totally lost in each other happily oblivious to her family and college friends that surrounded them.

Duces

" Αλλού το όνειρο κι αλλού το θάμα." Shy quietly whispered to himself and finally took a deep cleansing breath of air.

***

The room was pitch black yet a rondo of cars honking in the dead of night startled her awake. She did not remember coming into the bedroom or falling asleep under the covers, she turned over in the bed and felt the chill hit her back. She shook her head. She always blushed at the idea of Shy unclothing her, especially while she was recovering. She blushed even deeper when she finally realized that Ilsino had also seen her nude when she lay on the gurney but she was more than unclothed. Her chest was pried open and her leg filleted and her body ready to be gutted. She sighed heavily and rolled over in the bed. Shy was not beside her, but a glow came from the living room.

As quietly as possible, she tried to hop out of bed but her cast struck the floor and her free leg made the floorboards creak easily dismantling her covert mission. She heard his thoughts and as she turned the corner saw him quickly close the glow that came from his laptop.

"Shy why are you sitting in the dark?"

"No reason dear, go back to bed."

"I don't believe you. I didn't take you for the type to look at modern day porn, while your lover is sleeping in the other room after a night of good sex."

Shy seemed to exhale, his tension left his body and he could only smile. "If you must see..." He re-opened the laptop and turned it around on the coffee table.

Tabor hesitated taking a step forward; she didn't like the idea of being the nosey distrustful lover.

"Hotels?"

"Yeah, I thought that after you have your cast taken off we should go on vacation."

Tabor smiled and cocked her head to the side thinking of all the wonderful things they could do together as couple on vacation.

How she had always wanted to be one of those tourists that always walked hand-in-hand while walking through ancient buildings and taking snapshots to show all their Facebook friends how in love they truly were with each other because they did adult things and that's what dedicated couples do.

Instead of luxury hotel bubble baths with champagne, she always had the guest room of her parent's suite. Instead of couple's massages at a spa with more champagne, she often darted away at the crack of dawn with nowhere to go in order to avoid the massive tour agenda her mother had planned. Instead of Vespa rides through the narrow cobbled alleyways to bistros for even more bubbly; she spent the evening with her parents at restaurants that were copycats of American fast food although they served the local lager because of her dad's constant desperation for familiarity.

"What about therapy and you scourging me with forced labor in the art studio?"

Shy shook his head, but could only smile- he heard her thoughts about how much she wanted to have romance.

"You'll survive without for a couple of days. Plus I can always physically train you."

"Perhaps in between the sheets, but I don't see you spending many of your many nights sitting in front of a candle during the early 19th century pouring over anatomy books."

"Eternity is a long time; a few medical journals never killed anyone of boredom."

"Does this have anything to do with Ilsino?"

"No, Tabor." He curtly responded.

"Alright, so where are we going?" She quickly returned the subject to more pleasant matters. She didn't like the idea of fighting with Shy. It really terrified her as she had fought with him against her better judgment and ended up nearly dead, instead of ashes -- her bodily tissues spread in medical jars for the next issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Helsinki,"

"Where?"

"Finland."

"I know where it is but... Why?"

"Why not?"

Tabor's lip curled like a little tiger wanting to growl and complete question. "What do they even speak in Finland?"

"Finnish and Swedish."

"And you do speak either of those?" her eyes squinted.

"No, but I am learning," he pulled a Greek-Finnish translation book from under the couch pillow.

"Greek?"

"My birth language, Tabor." He said curtly.

She smiled and shook her head, lovingly. She waddled over to his side of the seat not really caring that he was quickly killing tabs for other web pages he had up. She already began to suspect that he was not really looking for resorts in Finland.

"So what is there to do in Finland?"

"Drink Finnish bubbly, drive a Vespa and go to bistros."

"Not fair," blushing Tabor slapped his arm playfully. She looked closer at the website. "Ski."

"Skiing will not be on your massive tour agenda. Plus I've been kicked enough in the shins by your cast as it is."

She huffed again and playfully crinkled her lips. "If I want to ski, I am going to skiing."

"Over my dead body."

"Great!" Her eyes lit up. "Deal. Vampires are already dead."

Shy growled, walking around the coffee table to her like a prowling cat snatching her off her feet to squeeze her tightly to him. "You are lucky I'm in love with you instead of draining you dry."

"Hmmm." Tabor combed her fingers through his hair feeling absolutely in love.

"Let's go back to bed," he kissed her forehead and swept her up into his arms.

She held onto him tightly nuzzling her nose into his neck. "I can't wait to get this cast off so I can really sneak up on you and find out what you were really up to."

Shy carefully deposited her on the bed already sliding the sleeves and collar of her white silk robe down her body. "I'll tell you, if you tell me what these new dreams are about."

Tabor's eyes popped wide, he knew! She then shook her head and smiled weakly in attempts to hide her shock from him.

She wasn't spilling and her mind brocaded close. Shy took her in and arched an eyebrow while possessively straddling her. "I thought you would decide on that."

His long index finger tapped her nose.

 Game

"Hmm." Tabor dismissed him.

Shy pulled the covers over their bodies and then pulled Tabor's nude form into his arms, growling as he gave her a bear hug. 

"I still love you." He settled his nose against the back of her neck enjoying her scent.

"I love you too, Shy." He was a little disappointed to hear her do a maintenance check on her mind. She was trying to figure out when she let her defenses down to let the fact slip by to him.

He kissed her above her eye and she relaxed enough to fall back to sleep.

***

Sleep came like a veil and she realized she was back on the cot she has lived on for nearly two months. She knew it was a dream. She continued to meditate to herself, only a dream, only a dream and tried to focus on Shy's warm body against hers, his arms holding her protectively close to him. But all she felt was the cold sterile air.

It's a nightmare, she told herself, and at least it's a nightmare that makes sense. 

She heard a groan from the dark abyss in front of her. Daemoric. Her chest began to boil hot with anger; she stood up to march to her neighbor's side of their cage. She clenched her small hands and steadied them at her sides only wanting to reach out and choke him.

"Daemoric, I should kill you! You fucking piece of dog shit!" She yelled into the silent blackness behind the bars.

"Do you hear me? I know what you've done; show your sorry fucking hide to me!" He did stir.

She reached for the bars, fury boiled in her hands and she felt weakened immediately. He was siphoning her energy for his own survival again, and it made her furious that her body began to build in heat until it radiated throughout her body, down her arms to her hands clenching the bars.

"I'll find you and rip your mind apart if I have to," She screamed and searched for him, her mind probing for his.

The bars glowed red with the heat from her hands.

She found Daemoric, he was there the whole time, she saw his night with wild creatures running and the full moon lighting the night sky, full and brilliant.

She braced for his attack on her mind and it came violently, a grotesque creature pounded her to the ground, its teeth wickedly formed a demented smile. It was Daemoric but he was deformed as an imp, a devil of her nightmares, his skin peeled from its skull hanging by bloody sinews and fat exposing muscle. He raised his clawed hands and swiped at her face, hooking her delicate skin and tearing it away, threatening to eat her alive as saliva dripped onto her exposed skinless face.




Mercurial Ends Ch. 02



She screamed with excruciating pain but again her fury was stronger than his mental attack and the ground began to tremble beneath their bodies until they both fell through into a new world. She lay with him on top of her in a mound of colorful leaves. He quickly scrambled off of her in fear and ran into the lush forest.

Tabor huffed as she sat up on her elbows. Figures -- my nightmare would be afraid of my nightmare.

She accepted her new state of mind like it was familiar territory although not a welcomed visitor. She dusted herself off and went to search for the woman in the fire-like dress.

She walked quickly through the jungle, determined to put an end to this nightmare. She was emboldened by her victory over Daemoric and now she was eager to meet the mysterious woman to stop this nightmare as well.

The ground shook, throwing her balance off as she tripped over her steps but continued walking as sulfuric steam rose out of the earth's cracks. Tabor was coming close to finding the woman when she heard the birds take off with a noisy warning of danger. The distant sounds of drums could be heard, she began to run towards the sound, knowing the woman was very close.

She finally reached the clearing and saw the woman. The mysterious woman was enthralling and fearsome in every minute move of her body. The reds and golds of her dress indeed looked like fire swirling majestically around her body. Tabor watched the woman raise her arms high above her head and saw a globe of energy, like lightning, coming from her fingers into the ball of light that crackled in the air. This made Tabor hesitant to move forward out of the clearing, this woman was indeed powerful. The woman began to shake violently; Tabor remembered the feeling from her previous dreams. But in her dreams, she didn't feel as elegant as the woman was now. Her body moved, dance like, and the ball of electricity expanded until it burst into a blinding light dissipating across the sky.

The laughter came next and the woman that seemed sinister in her humor was more youthful and light. Tabor began to like this woman; she didn't want the tribal mob to come after her. Tabor wanted to warn the women as she felt kindred to her.

Tabor took steps towards the clearing, the drums were no longer a distant thunder, she didn't have much time but a boulder tackled her to the ground and covered her mouth to mute her scream.

"Carat, don't let them see you," the growl of a man's voice said loudly.

"Get off me."

"You can't let them see you. They'll kill you," Daemoric warned now in his human form. He removed himself from her but held her shoulder steady.

"What do you care? You left me to die anyways."

"Halfling, you don't understand. You may be the only one left."

Tabor struggled to free herself and kneed Daemoric in the crotch giving her seconds to scramble to her feet and approach, short of the edge of the forest shielding her.

She stopped wondering what Daemoric meant. She always thought this dream was a setting for ancient times.

"Don't let her see you!" Daemoric uttered. The air still not returning to his body as he moaned from her assault.

"I see you, Salome, come here my child," The woman called for her in her tribal language and Tabor stepped forward.

"Who are you?" Tabor said quickly. "Why am I dreaming about you?"

The closer Tabor came to the woman, the more beautiful she became. Her dark skin was covered in ornate black tattoos, her almond eyes were like prisms of light dancing around a spectrum of colors, and her curly long hair framed her heart shaped face making her more feminine than a fierce creature with unruly powers.

"They are here," she whispered. Her arms began to extend out from her sides. She began to mumble enchantments and her body trembled again, this time not elegantly, but jarring and violently. Tabor quickly hopped to the side as a large crack formed in the earth between her legs.

"Wait, I don't understand."

The woman stopped and looked at Tabor her prism eyes gone leaving brown caring eyes. "It's the vampire, Salome." Tabor's brows furrowed in confusion.

"He is the one. Watch out for the vampire, Salome."

Her voice undulated terrifyingly with her warning. She then wrapped her arms around Tabor in a strange psychic hug. She struggled feeling herself being pulled into the woman's body, seeing the world again through her eyes and then pulling away to return to her own body. As she struggled she saw the tribe had arrived and began to throw spears at the two of them, fighting to not merge while dodging the spears. She saw the man push his way through the tribe to the front and saw the woman in red and yellow gaze upon him with such love in her eyes, happiness and peace.

Tabor's fight to stay in her own body but was warping her in and out the woman's and her own, exhaustingly. Tabor looked to the forest edge to where Daemoric was, as she lost her battle to be herself. She felt warm strong arms embrace her as she looked off through the woman in red eyes as Daemoric. He was in his wolf form but surrounded by a pack of wolves. The wolves were not grotesque as Daemoric tried to make this form appear but beautiful and powerful.

She turned to the man embracing her. She knew immediately he was a vampire. His strong angular face and tribal insignia ran around his neck in a collar that traveled down the middle of his strong chest. He kissed her so deeply; she immediately knew the passionate love the woman had with the vampire. It touched her very core.

"Eliock tu wei," she spoke into his ear; the tribe began to yell in anger, ruining the intimate moment she was having with the vampire.

Tabor kissed him again, wanting his very essence to wrap her; she didn't care about exhibiting her love in front of the angry mob. She closed her eyes as she felt her power touch his heart, urging him to give back, returning with the gift of strength. But it was only faint; it was not as it was with Shy.

She opened her eyes and was shocked to see the face so close to her own. It was no longer the tribal huntsman, but her own vampire Shy. He made her heart stop with love and feel safer. His hands roughly grabbed her neck and quickly latched his mouth to her neck and began to drink from her savagely. Her eyes widened in shock. It was painful and excruciating as he was draining her of her life. His finger squeezed her fragile neck as if to squeeze an orange of every drop of its juice. His eyes were black with death; Shy's eyes returned an uncaring stare. Satisfied that her left side was drained he nearly ripped her head from her shoulders to drain the other side of her neck. Her heart ached as if it were being pulled out of her body, each sinew, muscle and vein stretched. Her lungs became like paper as she no longer felt the moist air enter her body. A freezing numbness was taking over, quickly spreading. The last moisture of her life fell from her eyes in tears and she tried to pull her Aura together from within to fend off her attacker. But it was like glass scattered about her body, missing shards when put together would only give her enough power to take in breath not enough to raise the volcano to cover them in a warm death of lava.

Death had arrived and she saw its confirmation in the sullen look of the wolves in the forest. They seemed saddened by her death, even Daemoric huffed a howl of pain the other wolves joined in unison. Tabor was drifting above the macabre scene as Shy let her body drop hard to the ground, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and further disgraced her body as he turned away walking back, signaling the tribe to attack her dead body. Spears tenderized her body; the largest man in the tribe with a huge protruding belly and stretched ear lobes was cheered as he approached Tabor's body. He raised a large machete above his head and brought it down severing her head from her body.

Shy was ripped out of his sleep as Tabor sat up screaming, possessed. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, trying to touch her Aura, anything that would stop this night terror, but there was an iron wall of resistance that actually fought him. He didn't understand as he retreated, he felt as if his soul was being severed.

"Love, Tabor, wake up," Shy pleaded until she stopped screaming.

Tabor only stopped for a second and then upon turning her eyes on him she scrambled away from him to the other end of the room. Her body shook violently and Shy was shocked as electricity was flowing through her veins, lighting her blood with a blue glow pulling downward towards her fingers.

"Tabor!" Shy cried out in horror

"It was a dream! Just a dream."

"Stay away from me!" Her feral voice was deep with volatile determination.

"It's me, Shy! It's me baby! No one else. It was just a dream Tabor!" Shy cried.

He didn't understand what was happening to her, it was awesome and terrifying at the same time. She was incredibly dangerous; there was no doubt about it. He had to break through to her Aura least she do something they'd both regret.

"Stop!" She screamed but he was touching her Aura. He had never touched her Aura before and wasn't sure he was doing it right. It felt like his soul was connecting with hers. It was an amazing feeling without a doubt he knew they loved each other.

"Tabor, I love you so much," he pronounced as his vampire nature finally broke through Tabor's resistance.

He could literally feel her soul, it was warm and bubbly. It had her quirkiness that he so loved about her so much, it also had a dark side but her loving nature overpowered it. Tabor was this radiating heat that impacted his nature so much, made him feel whole, a sense of redemption, for all of his wanderings in sorrow. He was awash in her power and the longer he stayed tapped into her the stronger he got and the more brilliant the heat of her soul became.

Shy came out of his revelry in time as Tabor swooned. She crumbled into his arms in tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I love you too. I do." She wept.

"Why are you sorry?" Shy smoothed her hair away from her face. "It was just a dream. A dream, darling, nothing else."

But it seemed so real, so ominous, and so true. Why would her dream warn her of vampires, of Shy?

She felt a migraine make itself present in her right temple, spreading to her forehead. She squinted her eyes and huffed. She just wanted to rest but she didn't want to return to the macabre scene of her beheaded body or her head being victoriously hoisted above the celebrating tribe.

"What does it mean if you die in your dreams," Tabor sniffled.

"It means I wasn't there to protect you," Shy tried to joke but it made Tabor's blood run chill. "Relax, dreams really mean nothing. Trust me; I've literally heard them all try to make sense of them, from Socrates to Freud. The only ones to come close are those misguided fools online with dream dictionaries. Let's go to bed."

"Please go on without me, I'm not tired." Tabor pushed his chest with her hand and he took her once dangerous hands into his own to kiss them.

"Ok," he didn't argue and helped her to her feet and chuckled.

"Wow, did you sprout wings and land over here?" He said a little nervously remembering how charged her Aura was and all of its unbridled power was directed at him.

"I don't know," Tabor was also shocked once she realized how far she had moved from the bed."Wow, you're right. Maybe I jumped."

Shy handed her the single crutch once she was steady and she hobbled into the living room to sit down. She motioned for the computer which Shy brought over with a throw blanket and pillow. She shook her head with warning glance and he put the pillow and blanket on the coffee table within reach just in case she decided to take a nap.

"I love you," Shy cupped her chin with his hand and kissed her head before going back to bed.

***********************************************

Thank you all reading and patiently waiting for this new series. This chapter I edited on my own, so please be kind - I know it's not perfect. I am looking for an editor. 

I hope you enjoy this chapter and please take a second to vote, you don't even have to login for it to count. Comments are also greatly appreciated here or in a private email.

Thank you Gerri for being a beta reader.

Cheers and happy reading,

Talyis



Mercurial Ends Ch. 03



CHAPTER 3 -- ABANDON DECORUM

His eyelids weighed a ton, yet he stared distantly in the dark. Shy was restless after Tabor had woken him up and then nearly blasted him—and quite possibly the entire apartment building—into nuclear ash. Nothing could distract his mind from the stress headache that throbbed in his temples, neither the big elephant-in-the-room wedding nor the Internet searches for hideouts in Helsinki. Only the haunting image of Tabor's veins alight with blue electricity, illuminating their dark bedroom, was etched upon his mind. This terrifying knowledge was his uninvited bedfellow, and he couldn't shake it. He closed his eyes, rolling as much tension out of his shoulders as he could, and listened to the quiet tapping of his laptop keys in the living room. 

Shy ran his fingers through his hair and unconsciously reached for Tabor's still-warm side of the bed, as he had many times in the night when he felt burdened. His fingers glided over her nightmare-haunted, sweat-drenched pillow and felt it sting his heart. He quickly abandoned that coping idea and instead massaged the contours of his eyes, withdrawing to his mind's situation table for a solution. If she were to find out about that the Institute was still a very present problem, how would she handle it with her past still volatile in her present? How could he continue down a path with her? Was it a cruel charade of having a future together?

My God, what was she really capable of doing?  Shy trembled. 

It was becoming clear to him that Ilsino was right; he didn't know enough about power auras. However, he knew that a fiend like Ilsino would not be the best trainer for Tabor. Shy chewed on his nails as he weighed his options, a habit he'd picked up during the Roaring 20s. He considered another trip to the Horn of Africa, to search the ancient vampire texts. No, he quickly nixed that thought; it was an opening to getting sidetracked, which he could not afford. He had too much business with the wolves, Ilsino, Genevieve, and the always-haunting ticking Helsinki bomb that would rock their world. 

Eventually, the sun brightened the room, and Shy surrendered to the state of wakefulness and crawled out of bed to survey the damage of last night's war.

The birds chipped, the wind was still, and this sunny fall morning was the epitome of perfection. His living room shared space with a small kitchenette, accented by two large bay windows that brightened and heated the room. Amidst this picture of tranquility, Tabor was curled in a ball and sleeping, her face etched with worry. His computer lay on the floor next to the couch, its screen still on. He picked it up, expecting to find that she was trying to hack into his history. Instead, he rolled his eyes and huffed "hypocrite" under his breath. She had been reading romance stories online all night. He tried to steady any jealous feelings and resigned himself to the fact that she had only been trying to forget whatever dream she'd had. 

Shy rolled his eyes as he turned off the computer and tucked it away under his coffee table. He didn't want to wake her, so he quietly made breakfast and brewed tea for her. He turned on the TV and watched with subtitles; his admitted guilty pleasure—morning talk shows with cooks for hosts. After last night's thoughts about massacring his neighbors and his lover nearly destroying him, he was spooked to the core. At times he could only stand at his kitchen counter, hands tightly gripping the edges, not daring to move, further trapping himself in a daze, his eyes clouded over with fear. Neither cooking nor TV could pull his mood away from the dirge to which his heart beat. He was awash in desperation; he wanted to cling to Tabor, yet knew it to be futile. 

Tabor's phone buzzed in the bedroom, and then his own phone rang. Shy swore as he rushed to his grey military pea coat on the couch, to fetch the phone before it woke Tabor. 

Before looking at his phone he already knew who it was. Tabor's mother had developed a habit of calling Tabor; when Tabor didn't answer by the second ring, her mother would immediately call him. 

"Is she there?" The actress on the other end of the line asked the moment he pressed the talk button. Shy squeezed the bridge of his nose; it would have been a simple enough question if it hadn't had such a horrific history.

"She's sleeping." His voice was gravely from lack of moisture.

"Ah." Her mother immediately calmed, and Shy knew she would now talk to him for hours if she could.

"I don't want to wake her. She had a rough night."

"Dreams, huh? Well anyways, don't talk; just listen. I've been wondering about you two. Are you getting on well? I only ask because you've been through a lot; with some couples that can bring you closer, and with others further apart. You two were still in the early days of your relationship when you first met, so this may be a strain on your relationship's potential. I know Salome seems like a dramatic girl, disappearing and being..."

Tabor's mom always got choked up with certain parts she refused to forget, even though Shy's spell allowed her the peace of forgetting the torrid details of what happened to her daughter. 

"Kidnapped. But she really isn't a handful. She's low-maintenance, more down-to-earth than any other child who has grown up in Hollywood, if you ask me. If anything, Salome is probably pulling back right now, not letting you in. She's like that, like a dying dog leaving its owner to spare its feelings. 

Salome really loved Declan. She loved that guy with her whole soul. Salome loves with her whole being. She's like that woman, the one that went to the ends of the earth for love - I forget the story - but she's like that." 

Yes, she was. Shy was comforted remembering how beautiful her soul was when his vampire nature touched it, and the immensity of her love for him. No matter how he was to talk to the actress initially, she really did have a way t of making him feel better. 

"She's a good girl. Shy, I know you mean the best for her, but what are you doing?

Shy grunted, his voice dry from not speaking.

"Don't answer that." Tabor's mom corrected herself. "And don't wake her, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Shy, you seem...."

She was searching for the right word that wouldn't insult him.

"You're a man of the modern world. I don't want my daughter to be one of those women who never marries, even though they wait and want to marry, but they settle for less just to have these... men in their lives in this charade of sorts, of what they truly have dreamt of. I don't know if I am making myself clear." The actress's summery voice frosted over. "Simply put, Shy: I know how much she was dedicated to Declan, but I will not put up with that mess again. 

"Salome deserves someone who will return her love equally, and I will not tolerate anyone giving her less again. He nearly destroyed her before she was even kidnapped and tortured by those crazy people."

Shy could hear her rubbing the stress from her face to try to calm the fury, which he shared on this topic.

"Salome has dreams of getting married, having children, and growing old with the one she loves. She's been planning her wedding, like most little girls, forever." 

Shy smiled and shook his head. He knew that the actress had plans for an extravagant wedding, not Salome. But then he did paused with the thought that Salome Tabor did want to marry him, and was very clear on her desires for a traditional union. The idea of marrying after hundreds of years, after so many women and chances for true love, just seemed like he was asking for all the goddesses to punish him more than the famed house of Atreus. 

"Anyways, she may have a funny way of showing it, but she really trusts you. She loves you so much. I've had a successful marriage in Hollywood. The key was to have no secrets and have absolute trust, even when we were afraid of how the other would react. Whatever it is that's keeping you two in limbo is better dealt with together. My daughter is strong, I know, but she will always be my baby. Just don't underestimate her." 

"Shy... Shy? Are you still there?"

"Yeah," he replied, rocks in his throat.

"Listen, I've got to go, darling. I love you both. I am really looking forward to spending more time with you. Also, please remind my lovely daughter about the Gala at the museum this week. If she gives you any grumpy gruff, remind her that we've talked about this in emails for over a week.

"Also Shy, please get her to the dressmaker on Madison Avenue, she already missed her appointment three days ago. So I will see you Thursday. Love you, Shy. Tell Salome I love her too."

Shy couldn't help but chuckle about Tabor's mother. He liked her a lot. He couldn't imagine the woman as a Power Aura with her temperament, but even though she seemed easily fooled she was a spitfire. 

***

The cab ride to the doctor's was relatively quiet because Tabor was in a sulk about the gala that clouded any happiness she might have had about the removal of her cast. Shy hoped that, once she could move on her own again, their moods would brighten. To make their already bad day worse, the last persons either of them expected or wanted to see were Menefer, Ilsino, Genevieve, and Menefer's daughter, Julisa.

Shy's face went rigid with contempt immediately at the sight of the gaggle of vampires sitting in the doctor's waiting room when they arrived. 

"Tabor, go sign yourself in," Shy ordered, not taking his eyes off of the vampires. 

"What are they doing here?" Tabor shifted her heavy purse from one arm to the other.

"Tabor, just do as I say for once." He winced, regretting how harshly it had come out, but she, in her Tabor-like way, hid it by biting the inside of her bottom lip.

She hobbled over to the reception window to sign her name on the clipboard, knowing better than to wait for the receptionist to pay attention to a patient instead of her gossiping chatter with the other medical data workers.

"What are you doing here?" Shy spat quietly.

Ilsino wagged his shiny Italian shoe, as if showing off inconspicuously. "You send your little girl off to school, it's a family affair. We see our little aura get her cast removed..."

"It's not the same thing."

"Oh, come now. We'll celebrate, go out to dinner at a horribly themed dinner buffet with fat men in floppy cowboy hats, and then have a quiet cognac at my townhouse." 

"Leave," Shy snarled.

Tabor clunked her way back to Shy and slumped into her chair. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body to shield herself from the blasting air conditioning, and the fact that Ilsino was here when she was again at her most vulnerable. A mischievous smile pulled across Ilsino's face; if it weren't for the fact that she knew he was an 'enemy,' she might have fallen for him. He was handsome with exotic features that had disappeared with throughout history. Characteristic high cheek bones that extenuated Ilsino's cunny yet charming bright eyes had become extinct today after centuries of war invasions, nations usurping nations and nomadic journeys. Mystery shrouded Ilsino, not only because Shy refused to talk about him, but because it was hard not to be entranced by his uniqueness. 

"Oh Salome, come here dear," Ilsino beckoned. Tabor froze. "Oh come on now," he pulled a magic marker from the inside of his coat. "I didn't get to sign your cast." 

"Don't bother; it will be removed within the hour," Shy muttered. 

Tabor cautiously sat down next to Ilsino, who leaned over, his tongue playfully stuck out to the side like a little boy enraptured by his art project. Tabor couldn't help but smile and looked to Shy, who was not amused.

"See, all done. Pretty, huh?" Ilsino announced. 

She was shocked. The calligraphy was amazing, like vines and flowers, but it was weird because it still formed into words. 

She stared at it, impressed but skeptical. "I went to school at the Champs Elysee with my friend Vincent, last name Van Gogh; you might have heard of him. I think I drove him a little nuts with my taunts, but it all worked out for the best." 

"It's pretty."

"Thank you, my dear, but can you see it?" Tabor's eyebrows knitted together and she looked to Shy, who only rolled his eyes and huffed. Ilsino only egged her on to look, so she inspected it more closely.

Tabor held her breath as she followed the curling and tossing flowers crawling up her cast leg. She focused on the vines that wrapped around the blooms, and her eyes popped delightfully with clarity.

"But not aloud dear, to yourself." Ilsino said. Tabor was grinning ear to ear. "It's a spell. It can cause all men to fall at your feet, rapaciously in love with you, if spoken aloud." She crinkled her brow and smirked, darkly. "We want the doctor to focus on his job." Ilsino's smirk was charmingly wicked. Shy folded his arms and towered over Tabor, trying to read the design himself, but all he could see were flowers and vines.

"You can read it, correct?" Ilsino asked Tabor, but he peeked through his silver lashes to check Shy's disposition. Tabor nodded with a stitched-close grin to suppress her bubbling excitement.

"Magnificent," Menefer choked.

"Can you read it, Shy?" Ilsino asked he wagged his shoe, leaning forward with his tongue massaging the burgeoning smile of victory from forming to soon.

Shy squinted, and with each passing second his face filled with more frustration.

"Can you read it, Shy?" Tabor smiled.

"No," he gave up and glared at his enemies, feeling more exasperated and cornered.

"Let's try this." Ilsino giggled and again began to scribble on Tabor's cast and this time

Tabor laughed with him.

Suddenly the tension in the room cracked with an explosion. Shy snatched the marker from Ilsino's hand, and cursing in ancient vampire and not caring who heard.

"Shy!" Tabor scolded him.

"Why are you here? Leave her alone!" Shy snapped.

"You can't read the language of a Power Aura?" Ilsino said in a faux shock. "Tabor can read it and she has never seen it before."

"And this proves?" Shy sneered, his fangs threatening to un-sheath in public.

"Do I even have to say it?" Ilsino added to the electricity sparking between them that threatened to combust. "Bravo, Salome! You are already excelling under my tutelage." Shy snapped his jaw and hissed at Ilsino.

"Salome Matthias," a nurse interrupted.

"Ready, dear?" Ilsino said helping her to her feet. "Let's go get this cast off."

"No, you won't." Shy said literally dragging at Tabor's body out of Ilsino's support and pulling her towards the clinic's doors. Tabor fumed; she felt like a prehistoric wench under misogynist control. "When I come out I want all three of you gone."

"Stop, stop. No one's going in there except me." Tabor pulled her arms away from Shy and strongly clutched her crutch, moving away from the vampires that infuriated her.

Give me my privacy. I decide who gets to come in. It's my fucking body! And stop ruling me. Her eyes shot daggers at Shy.

The room went immediately silent but Tabor could hear Shy arguing with Ilsino, raving with anger. Then Menefer joined in. The three vampires' verbal conflict would soon escalate into a physical brawl, no doubt. Tabor was glad to be out of the middle of it, for the most part.

The nurse had Tabor sit on the examination table to take her vitals. It was a simple task, but the nurse rolled her eyes; she had no patience for the beads of sweat that formed on Tabor's skin in unison with the speeding beat of her pulse. The nurse smacked her lips after she was finally able to get a semi-normal reading and thankfully left the room so Tabor could escape to the adjacent chair. Immediately, the panic attack stopped.

"You don't have to be afraid, you're a freaking power aura," the teen frozen in time since the 70's remarked as she ushered herself into the room. Tabor adjusted herself self-consciously; she felt smaller in the ridiculous paper gown.

"Julisa," Tabor remarked. She had never really official met the vampire; what she knew of her was from Daemoric's mind.

"I only have a short time before my father realizes I have left his side. He thinks what I

have done is an abomination. I love Galief; he and I did not chose to be what we are."

"What do you want?"

"Please, come with me to the wolves' den. Warn them of the war Shy planning to wage. Please, talk to Daemoric; he won't listen to me, but he will you."

Tabor laughed incredulously, "Why would I want to help him or the any of the wolves?"

Julisa's mouth dropped open. "He helped get you out of that place."

"What I do know, crystal clear, is that you are the root of all of their problems. And I am not sure I quite like you." Tabor clenched her fists and her veins began to thicken under her skin.

"Please, there is more to the story. You want to know what you are - the wolves, they know. Their history is as old as the vampires', and they know of you. They know the truth about what happened to the power auras."

"Why would I believe you? You betray your own kind."

"And you yours if you don't seek out the truth. My uncle knows a lot, but Ilsino doesn't know the whole story -- not all of it. And Shy, he doesn't know anything. I know more about your kind than your master does." 

That was it. That was enough to push Tabor off the edge. She stood up and squeezed her crutch tightly.

"What are you going to do, Salome? I may look young, but I am older and stronger than you. I am a vampire. You don't join my side then you are my enemy. "

Decorum could no longer belie her feral aura that rolled like rumbling thunder through her body. She took only one powerful step forward towards the young vampire and the cheap linoleum flooring seemed to turn to rubber from years of wear and tear.

"Ah, Miss Matthias, time to finally get that cast off. Oh-," the doctor ran into Julisa and finally looked up from Tabor's chart, "Is this one of your classmates from Brown?"

"No." "Yes." Tabor answered, but Julisa countered.

"Well kinda, I went to a neighboring school. My name is Julisa." Tabor clenched her teeth in fury; she was fed up with how all these ostensible vampires weaved their constant lies with such ease and charm as they manipulated their way through centuries. And now this bitch decided to pose as one of her college friends, who actually did worry about her disappearance and had paid for her missing person PSA. 

"I'm glad to have you back safe at home, Tabe Babe," Julisa said chipperly, and impudently fait la bise-ed Tabor. "Please think about it, okay? I'll arrange a pickup so you can see Daemo this weekend; then, drinks to celebrate your cast removal!"

With that, Julisa pranced out in the same flighty way that made Tabor's skin crawl; it was so similar to Genevieve. Tabor didn't like any vampire associated with Genevieve and, frankly, she couldn't trust Ilsino either. However, she had no choice than to use him to get what she needed. She would have to tread carefully.

"We'll do an x-ray afterwards. You'll have to work on strengthening your leg as soon as possible and wear the brace if you need extra support," the doctor announced, then motioned for Tabor to lie down on the table. "So are you set to have this cast removed? This will be quick and painless. Just relax." 

The doctor smiled kindly, but the kind things that happen on medical tables were the furthest things from her mind. As soon as Tabor lay down she was overcome with anxiety, but she willed herself to stay still and brave. The spinning sound of the saw immediately transported her to the past. 

Her chest burned, the air evaporated from her lungs, and she fearfully clutched at her chest, desperate to keep the air in. The wet blood was smooth on her fingers as they glided over each healing rib bone that had been cut in order expose her living heart. She regretted shifting her sight to where she heard the sound of draining water; it was a red river of blood falling from her body onto the floor. The sound became deafening. 




Mercurial Ends Ch. 03



The doctor seemed oblivious to her internal panic. He worked with her plastered, fully healed leg, and she only saw her old leg with the protruding bone, still throbbing with the ghost sensation of the hammer slamming down on it, breaking it, lodging tiny bone fragments into her nerves that sent waves of agony straight to her head. Tears flowed from her eyes, and her chest rose frantically. 

I'm coming in. Shy's commanding voice cut through the vivid memories of her past, vaporizing them in a flash, leaving only the present. The doctor was tracing a line down her cast.

No, I can do this myself. She gritted her teeth.

As soon as she felt the vibration of the saw against the plaster, her brain switched the present

off and returned to the macabre scene. Instead of her gentle orthopedic doctor at the end of the table it was Raelle, the scientist. She tried to scramble away, but her leg was in a vise.

I can't.... this is the past. This is not real. You are dead,  Tabor recited the mantra, but the vibrations on her leg persisted and the high pitched squeaking of the saw against the cast drove her mad. She glanced down and wept at the sight of her wretched, grinding organ struggling to keep her alive, as it had since she was in her mother's womb. Then it halted and she was again alone. Her split-open chest and gaping ribs jutted toward the ceiling like fingers suplicating prayers for relief. She was drifting away into darkness forever. 

"I'm here," Shy announced bursting through the door, in one stride of his long legs he was holding her face in his hands her hands. Tabor landed in the present and frantically gripped his hands at her face, humiliated by the sobs still wracking her body.

"There, all done," the doctor announced and frowned watching Tabor bury her face in Shy's hands. "I have taken casts off of five-year-olds with smiles on their faces."

Tabor's face burned with embarrassment, and she couldn't look the doctor in the eye.

"Well, that was the easy part. Now for the hard part: you will need to stand on your own two feet."

Tabor swung her legs over the side, eager to get off the table that invoked so many memories. She thought, wrongly, that walking would be like she had never broke her leg once the cast was off. Her leg was weak and looked smaller than her other leg. Of course, Shy was quick to catch her and offer support on her first unstable step.

"Alright now. Without him," the doctor insisted. "Stand on your own. Good. Now try to take a step by leading with your good foot... there you go. Now use the cane for support, but try to do the work. Good, move the other foot.... Alright, I think you'll be fine. Don't slack off on therapy and you'll be good as new again before you know it. The nurse will fit your brace for you before you leave."

Tabor moved, embarrassingly, more awkwardly than she had in the cast, but with each step she was already growing stronger as she moved from the x-ray to the nurse's office for her brace. That small confidence was shattered, and humiliation was compounded when she returned to the waiting room. Everyone had heard her cowardly screams. Her face burned red as she saw the incredulous smirk of accomplishment on Julisa's face - so much for standing your ground.

Ilsino was the only one to comfort her in any way, "Don't worry, my child. The horrors you've faced will not bother you once you really learn what you are capable of." 

He gently patted her shoulder, dampening the burning blush in her cheek until Shy hissed at him, pulling her away.

Tabor raked her fingers through the wayward curls that fell on her face. "Let's go home."

"Gladly," Shy concurred.

***

Shy kept squeezing her hand reassuringly while they sat in the cab on their way home.

It should have given her feelings of affinity, but it just annoyed her further. His hand was hot and heavy, and it made her palms sweat. All she could think about was how to discreetly escape from his insufferable grip. She didn't care if Shy could hear her thoughts, she felt like she was precariously on the edge of exploding or making a grave mistake again. 

She had been babied her entire life. Doctors surrounded her, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Their sympathetic sighs—"Why does the actress's little daughter keep fainting in large crowds?" Alternatively, the side comments about her talent—"Did you see that actress's daughter? She looked so pathetic and pale when she was giving her dissertation in the lecture hall." Now Tabor had come to terms with magic, a world of monsters, and the fact that she was one of them. Yet, remarkably, she felt stronger than ever. She was mentally ready to grow up, and she didn't want anyone holding her back.

"I promise to see you through. I want you to be strong, confident, everything that I have always known and loved you to be." Shy kissed the back of her hand. At that moment, holding her hand was the most tender, giving gesture she could have received.

"Thank you, Shy," she replied and tucked her head onto his shoulder, her other hand tracing the blue veins of his hand.

Shy kissed the crown of her head. "I love you so much, you know that." Shy tilted her chin up to look into her big brown eyes.

She smiled back at him, her aura lapping like the ocean waves against the sand of his vampire nature. He felt such peace with her on his arms that he could look out into the ocean and not fear of reaching the shores far away. Just the thought of Tabor made his heart swell in a maelstrom of the greatest elation he had felt in his entire existence.

He kissed her lips and prepared himself to bring them both to the shores across the sea. He was going to sail to Helsinki with her as his first mate. He set the sails. 

"Tabor, I have to tell you something...

Then the words were choking him; his throat burned with thirst, his head split in two. He wasn't sailing a yacht. He was naïvely putting them in a row boat and traveling across the shark-infested ocean. He tried again, even if it meant he had to paddle; he had to free what was preventing them from truly being happy.

"Do you remember..."

Tabor looked at him with trustful, piercing eyes, bursting with a beautiful innocence that crushed his soul. Gently, she patted his chin. He knew she enjoyed the feeling of his prickly whiskers teasing her fingers. 

"Do you remember the last time we went on a proper date?" 

He gave up. He couldn't tell her.

"Shy," Tabor affectionately kissed his favorite place, while purring into his ear. "Let's just go home."

"No way, we're going to try out this new leg of yours. Driver, change of plans. Museum Mile, please."

Tabor's cheeks became hot; she wished she could sink into the cab seat and hide. She could already picture the throngs of crowds on the shallow stairs leading up to the museums, and her freakish-looking leg in its cumbersome brace. Shy only grinned, not fully understanding he was going to expose her to her most feared humiliation. Thoughts were one thing, but to actually experiment in public with her stint of apropos egoism—in an art museum, that should be a sanctuary—she would be documented on thousands of annoying tourists iPhones and cameras as the strange gimpy-looking girl that fainted in a crowded museum, simply because crowds zapped her energy.

The cab turned onto Fifth Avenue and, even on a fall afternoon in New York City, the tourists had resurged their summer ranks on the avenue. Tabor changed her mind; she slid down in her seat, not wanting to see her next challenge.

**********************************************

Thank you so much Archangel for editing! You did an amazing job! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Dear Readers, 

Please don't forget to drop a comment and vote. PS you do not have to become a member to vote or comment so please do anyways.

I hope to post at least twice a month, I have an ongoing project that takes up a lot of my time so thank you for your patience. If you are interested in joining my mailing list please feel free to contact me and I will email you with a heads up before I post.

Cheers and happy reading,

Talyis



Mercurial Ends Ch. 04



Chapter 4 – Asserting Oneself


The shallow stairs of the Metropolitan Museum were littered with people, even on a fall afternoon. Tabor kneeded her hands nervously as she stood awkwardly in her leg brace in front of the Gothic, monolithic Museum.  

"Shy, this is the worst museum. There are too many people."

Shy quickly captured her elbows, not only to usher her out to the entrance but also to stop her from attempting escape. Tabor's beautiful, pleading brown eyes would not sway him; today, he was determined.

"Shy, I haven't been on a subway, outside your apartment or even to the store on your not-so-busy block. I was hermatiaged in your house in the mountains, for months. Isn't this..." she gestured to the infestation of energy zappers, "...a bit much, don't you think?"

Shy tousled her hair playfully and gave her a reassuring squeeze, "You'll be fine. You've been soaking in my nature for three months; it's time to get you back in the waking world. Plus, I want to go."

"Urgh," she trudged her feet along with his careful steps at her side. Tabor declaratively pointed her finger in the air and arched a warning eyebrow at Shy. "This is the worst place in all New York City. If I see one obnoxious Upper East Side or West Side parent pointing out any painting to their spoiled-pricey-private school preschooler, by inconspicuously really announcing to the entire gallery that her silverspooned, snot-nose kid tried to mimick Starry Night --I am leaving!" 

Shy smirked, his silver eyes glinting mischievously. "I can't promise that, but if you'd like, I'll take a little nip at the mother for you." 

"Oh, and sully her Kennedyesque sailing ensemble with blood splatters. Oh, it'll be the scandal of the society pages." Tabor's eyes brightened with that idea that he would actually snack on the parent if she asked him to do so and secretly hoped the opportunity would present itself. 

"Come on," Shy chuckled and gracefully bounded up the shallow stairs, three steps at a time. He quickly paid for the tickets but Tabor rolled her eyes.

"You know, you just paid the tourist price; this museum is pay-what-you-can."

Shy arched an eyebrow looking down at her. "I did pay what I could, and we are not only helping this cultural institution; trust me, we will get our money's worth." 

Tabor shrugged and followed him, rounding the crowded information vestibules, skipping past the long coat-check lines, and heading straight to the main entrance staircases to the galleries. 

"Wait, Shy. I want to look at the Greco-Roman wing; it's on the first floor." But Shy had already bounded up to the top of the stairs, his palm open waiting for her to take it, thus answering her--no. Tabor sighed as she followed him, dragging her feet up every stair. 

"I want to look at the Impressionists first." Shy's fingers curled around her hand possessively the instant she was in reach. 

She mumbled to herself.

"What's that, darling?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Lovely date, dear," she said through the side of her mouth, not caring to mask her feelings. Shy rolled his eyes endearingly and guided her to the warm hollow under his arm. His carefree, caring dimples charmed her enough to grin and bear it -- the Impressionists. 

"I'm glad we're getting some mileage out of your new leg."

Tabor softened and tugged on his zip-up sweater to pull him closer to her. 

For a vampire, Shy looked remarkably like an average, 30-something New York hipster. He effortlessly pulled off a carefree collegiate style, complete with a grey zip-up hoodie that was frayed at the cuffs and waist. Tabor loved stealing it when she could. It smelt like him -- ambrosia and woods by the sea. An azure t-shirt peeked from underneath it, perfectly accenting both the icy silver-green specks in his eyes and his jeans, which perfectly showed off his strong lean legs and ass. No one in the stuffy, bright museum would have mistaken him for a dangerous vampire that had been stopping human heartbeats for centuries. And right now he was as innocuous as the quiet students sitting in front of the paintings and sketching. Too bad the same couldn't be said for the annoying mothers - the art mom vultures. 

Shy chuckled and squeezed Tabor tighter to him as their eyes followed a skinny, loud, red-haired woman and her six-year-old child, who had a matching mope of curly hair and orange freckles splattered across his entire face. She pointed at a Cézanne fruit-in-a-bowl still-life. 

"I'm afraid you'll try to beat me to her before I can have my lunch," Shy joked as he purposefully took Tabor's delicate hands into his own. He imagined the veins in these seemingly harmless small hands alight with a blue glow, preparing to strike the woman. 

"For some reason I just don't like redheads." 

Even worse, the mother started rattling off facts about the painting that not even historians cared about. Tabor's expression could have literally curdled milk, and she wanted to scream. 

"Let's look at the Van Goghs." Shy kissed her forehead, which was conveniently tilted up towards him.

"Is it true Ilsino knew Van Gogh?" Tabor whispered; she didn't care to broadcast her art knowledge to the entire gallery, unlike 'some' people.

"Oh come on, I can see you becoming one of those mothers." Tabor brought their entwined hands to her mouth and playfully nipped him hard. He winced through his teeth hard and watched as the impression of her teeth disappeared. "Don't worry; I won't let you get away with that." 

Tabor pursed her lips, wagging her eyebrows and beckoning a challenge.

"Your question -- the answer is yes; he did know Van Gogh." 

Tabor hummed, trying to take in the information with a measured amount of disinterest, but she crossed her arms to stop herself from lunging into a pool of questions. Van Gogh was her only favorite Impressionist artist, but she liked him more for the drama behind the artist than his artwork itself. She could relate to the sickly Van Gogh, who was so poor he couldn't buy new canvases. She often wondered how painstakingly awful it had to have been to decide to paint over one painting that could have been a masterpiece and then end up with the worst painting ever because you were poor. 

She bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep her mouth from saying what she was thinking: she couldn't wait to see Ilsino again to ask about his "friend" Vincent.

Shy guffawed. "I would hardly call them friends. That's like your grammar school bully wanting to clamber onto your fame by saying you were friends after watching your missing person ads on the television, Tabor." 

Tabor kicked her foot and looked away.

"I would not be surprised if that Chaldean had something to do with that poor man losing his ear."

"He chopped it off because he was artistically frustrated—" Tabor piped.

"So we are to believe," Shy, exhausted on the conversation, flexed his back, ignoring Tabor staring with disenchantment at Van Gogh's self-portrait. She knew what that meant: a world of lies built by manipulative vampires. 

They drifted from one room to the next of large paintings with the delicate, sweeping and articulated brushstrokes that made the Impressionist movement so wildly popular. Tabor was nearing the end of her patience with the same old boring paintings she had been studying since her childhood art classes.

She wanted to stick it to the art goers, the art mom vultures and the museums that were fanatical about Impressionism. She purposely stopped in front a Pierre Bonnard oil painting of a family having a picnic in a park with the baby which was the focal point of the characters' interests.

Tabor snorted in art mom vulture volume, "The baby looks like a troll." Shy came over and tilted his head, neither agree nor disagreeing. "All of his work looks pedantic. Can we go?"

"No," Shy pulled her into the next room but was struck silent, gazing over more paintings by Henri. Memories flooded him when he spotted the series of paintings of his Henri's firstborn, Margarette. Henri's named her after a woman that had died long ago. Shy introduced Margarette to Henri and immediately the artist was smitten with the woman who pretended to be Shy's sister. 

***** 

Margarette had been Shy's only true vampire friend and, like the human Margarette, life was difficult for her. Vampire Margarette was like a sister to them both, but before she met Shy and Henri, she had already been struggling with living the solitary life of a vampire, a cloud of melancholy covering her.

Their friendship gave her the strength to pull her muscles to form a smile, or even laugh at times, yet it was not enough to push away the heavy night that she was forced to live in. The endless nights continued to crush her spirit; no matter how happy she was with the "family" she made with Shy and Henri's friendship, it was never enough. So she decided to show her true self to Henri.

That night after waking up alone in their dark home without Margarette, Shy had felt the burn in the air of loss immediately, even before he'd run into Henri, hoping to find his beloved sister. 

Henri was already standing in the door waiting for Shy; the yellow glow of his home behind was forever burned into Shy's memory. Henri looked like he had been painting all day, inspired in a fernetic desire to capture whatever it was, his smock was covered with fresh wet paint. 

Tears would have burned his eyes, if he could weep, an painful, heated breath would have burned his nostrils if his lungs took in air, yet he felt it nonetheless. He knew she was gone. Shy had stumbled and fallen into the dust of Henri's threshold; he had buried his face in his best friend's shoes, weeping.

"She wanted to go, Shy," Henri said simply, a tear trickled down Henri's check. "She said it was beautiful." Her last words. 

Henri had held Margarette close to him, sitting on the rolling Catalan hills of South France as he spent his last moments with her on earth by honoring her last wish to watch the sunrise with her -- her suicide. Henri had held onto Margarette while the chariot pulled the accursed sun higher into the sky, taking another love from Shy's life with every excruciating moment. It burned her skin, marrow and soul, reducing everything that was so dear to Shy to ash. She gritted her teeth to prevent her pain from affecting Henri. She knew his feelings for her ran deeper than the brotherly love she shared with Shy, her brother through the bloodthirst. 

On that day Shy had lost Margarette, the only family he had pretended and almost believed he had after his change. Henri had lost his first unrequited love and because she revealed their true nature, Shy had also lost his best friend. He couldn't imagine what would have happened to Henri if he'd stayed. He loved his friend dearly; if only he could have watched the sun rise and set with his friend, and watch him paint, and drink wine with him when the sun was high in the sky.

***** 

As Shy walked away from the painting, he stopped dead and shook his head, chuckling. Tabor was where he'd left her, still clinging to a Picasso where the artist had used African tribal influences; it was the least Impressionistic painting in the room. He pulled her into her arms, delighted that it was the afternoon, the sun was warming his skin, but most of all comforted by knowing she was his. He kissed her long and hard on the lips. She blinked rapidly and smiled at him, not knowing what to make of his sudden mood. He only chuckled and tapped her nose lightly with his finger. He loved how everything about her contradicted his own nature: her sensibleness, her shyness, his fate and her body. Her small frame huddled against his tall lean body, he felt proud to protect her, his strong arms covering her. 

His cheeky grin made Tabor blush. She heard his thoughts teasing her when he heard her admonish her body for revving up with warm sensual thoughts in a crowded museum. 
She took in her handsome boyfriend who was unabashed about a little PDA. She wanted him; just imaging his tall trim body draping over hers, every muscle exuding his lust, yet also his confident patience and control to tease her every nerve with his ministrations -- his cock pushing into her warm depths -- filling her completely. Her pussy pulsated in anticipation. She was ready to end this stupid museum trip to simply "add mileage" to her healed leg. She wanted to go home to test out wrapping her leg around his waist as he impaled her on his sex against their kitchen counter. She couldn't wait to lay her eyes on the sexy line of his throat that travelled down his taunt chest, to the juncture 'V' of his hips – a teasing prelude to his manhood. She longed to drag her soft lips along that line.

"Later, I promise, my sweet." Shy winked; he wanted to throw her against the wall and forcefully take advantage of her flowy skirt and lack of tights. His eyes glinted mischievously as he wickedly planted the image of him pushing her in-between the paintings she complained about, shoving his fingers against her willing-drenched clit, daring her through their connected eyes to utter a single word of apprehension against this perversion. Yet her hips would writhe against the walls.

Roses blossomed under Tabor's skin as she shied away from him to simply catch her breath. A gratifying blush came upon his own face as he smirked, Let's see how much you complain about the art after that.

They turned the corner, to Tabor's relief, leaving the Impressionist galleries to look at the French sculptures. It was a narrow hall with sculptures ranging from the size of an average child to those that could fit in the hand of a child. It was a forgettable gallery, mostly used by patrons eager to get to the modern art wing or to stop and take cellphone calls in what appeared to be just a hallway of insignificant art, despite the fact a Rodin anchored it. 

"Ahhh, the Dionysian Henri," Shy said to himself aloud. 

He couldn't help but allow a nostalgic smile to slide across his face. He forgot all about these little pieces now behind glass in a display case. 

Henri was so tactile and that's perhaps why they'd gotten on so well. They couldn't just sit in a tavern and look at the beautiful women with a tall lager; they had to be either eagerly trying to conquer them or preparing to woo them with a trick. Henri's favorite trick was to make a three-minute portrait of the women he flirted with. He was masterful; pen in one hand, beer in the other, and his mouth ran with the most deliciously naughty words that made the girls blush and wet-to-a-pant at the same time. He said he only needed three minutes to get under any French woman's skirts; which was always twelve minutes faster than Shy's personal best. 

Shy smirked; if only those women knew how much these little three minute tricks would be worth today. But he was unknown then, a nobody, and he enjoyed play more than the drudgery other French artists lived, slaving away to sell their work. 

Many times Henri and Shy would just sit in the tavern getting drunk, Henri fiddling with the clay in his pockets, not taking it out--just secretly petting it. He would once in a while take it out, construct something absentmindedly, and then shove it back into his pocket once Shy spotted their next woman for the evening. Shy rolled his eyes, remembering he often got bored with sitting with Henri when he was in an introverted mood with his art. Shy would use women just to lure Henri into having fun by ignoring his introspection. In those days women were pawns to skillfully manipulate to get what he wanted, and he enjoyed the acute game of bending women's emotions to his will without using his vampire powers.

"Tabor," he called her over, "Which one do you like?" He pointed to a case of black statuettes, one of which was Shy's rendering. He scoffed at Henri not wanting to be patronized when his friend insisted it was good. He never thought he would actually go home and make a real sculpture out of his idea.

"Let's go to the modern art gallery," Tabor grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the case, but he forcefully pulled her back to him.

"Come on, tell me."

Tabor shifted her weight to her good leg, jutting her hip to the left and huffed. "Matisse. Bronze. Kind of cold war of art between Picasso and Matisse, both moving from painting to sculpture." Tabor rattled off in an uninterested monotone and then looked down the hall towards the modern gallery.

"Tabor, I asked you which do you like, not what I can read on the wall placard." Shy said sharply.

"Shy-"

"Come on. Humor me."

"I've humored you this entire time. I look foolish walking around here with this leg brace." 

"You are fine. You've healed better than any human could. Now, what do you think?" Shy's expression was pinched but yet his flawless romantic smirk still slipped through.

"I like that one. It's the most sensual." She pointed to the little black bronze of a flirtatious nude curling her leg under the other, throwing her hair back with her arms seductively giving to the curves of her breasts and hips.

Shy licked his lips through a beaming smile and his silver-grey eyes glittered with amusement. 

"I did that." Tabor cocked her head and gave him a sideways glare. "I did. I started it and then, I guess, years later he finished it." Tabor shifted her eyes away from Shy, not wanting to fall for his joke. "Henri was my best friend."

Tabor ran her hands through her hair and gave an exasperated chuckle. "And Ilsino caused Van Gogh to lose it." Shy shrugged his shoulders with his hands buried in his pocket. "You know you make museum trips... interesting--to say the least." Tabor stared steadily at the little figurines and her body ran cold. "Is this beautiful to you?" Tabor imagined Shy had a muse to help him sculpt the women that leaned back on her pedestal.

"It's just an idea, Tabor; and yes, you match my ideal of sensuality, grace and beauty." Shy had read her dysmorphic thoughts but Tabor just waved her hand, dismissing his praise.

"Can we go to the modern art area?" Shy rolled his eyes. 

He glanced toward the end of the hall and could see the space-aged sculptures that more resembled the contraption that made the lunar landing than art. Tabor pulled him down the hall as he playfully groaned. 

"If it looks like a ten-year old could do it in the new millennium and have enough marketing engines behind him, does that mean it's art?" He balked again, a few steps into the gallery, once he saw a single color splashed digitally on canvases. "This is not art." His voice was calculated.

"Impressionists are boring!" Tabor countered.

"And that-" he pointed to a cellulous mass of sequence and beading on a messy Styrofoam painting that was over 20-feet high of golds, peaches, and red blotches of paint. "is a mess."

Tabor only shrugged and then walked over to the blob he abhorred. Up close the work was a massive wavy textile with woven cooper wire, plastic discs sculpted to look like flowers or shiny aluminum sea creatures caught in a Grecian sea net. 

"Come on, even you have to appreciate that," Tabor smiled, proud that Shy read her mind. Shy reluctantly pulled his lips to an appreciative smile of the African artist's work – she was right. It was kinda magical like the sea. 

Shy meandered around the museum, letting Tabor enjoy the galleries. He sat down like a husband waiting for his wife to finish shopping, but Tabor felt bad that he was not enjoying himself and so she joined him on the bench. She was actually relieved to sit for a while and just relax. Shy leaned back, anchored by his arms, and kicked his long legs out in front of him like he was lounging at the beach on a sunny day. He was indeed basking in the waves of Tabor's aura that always hit him when she was thinking about him or wishing to make him happy.




Mercurial Ends Ch. 04



"I have one of those," he pointed to the painting in front of them.

"You have 'one' of those?!" Tabor guffawed. "I thought you didn't like paintings that look like a primary student painted it." She gestured to the painted with three uneven geometric shapes that from a first glance just looked like yellow and white rectangles painted on a large yellow painted canvas.

"Yeah, a gift from the artist."

"A 'gift'? What sort of gift?"

"I was in the Northwest around the area your modern teen romance readers would free-associate as vampire territory, apparently." Tabor stuck her tongue out at him and playfully hit him. "Well, I was hungry, he was suicidal; so, I drank from him on many occasions in his wooded shed. Not enough to kill him, but just to bring him to the edge so that he could live if he changed his mind. He knew what I was and promised to keep it a secret as long as I kept coming back to give him a chance to die.

Tabor leaned back, just taking in what Shy had said about the prolific painter. 

"It's yours if you want it...." Tabor swallowed hard and couldn't fathom answering, let along having a painting by that artist on her wall.

"Where to next?" Shy stretched his arms up and brought Tabor back to her feet.

"You owe me big time for torturing me with the Impressionists." Tabor batted her eyes playfully.

"Did I?" He teased back.

"Yes. So, I want to see the Greeks and Romans next." 

"Tabor-"

"Nope, come on. I bet you'd love to debunk more of my Ivy art education anyways."

"Fine, but when I say 'we are done,' we are done," Shy warned coldly. 

Shy meandered around the entrance of the gallery of marble busts and tomb-raided sarcophagi. The skylights pooled sunlight into the room, giving it a warmth that could not touch him. Tabor happily walked ahead of him, actually showing the most enthusiasm out of all the galleries in the museum that they had visited. 

She had already walked through one side of the massive marble garden before she realized Shy was still standing at the entrance. He found a pillar to lean against and folded his arms across his chest, his eyes watching the people that walked by him, trying all he could to divert his focus away from the room. 

"Come on, I spent an hour in the Impressionists,  we only did twenty minutes in the modern wing, you owe me forty minutes here--something I want to see."

"Tabor -" he could only sigh and begrudgingly surrendered his hand to hers to to be led into parts of his past.

They stopped in front of a twisting stone that had been fueled with so much artistic realism it came to life, like the myth was actually true. But now, only portions remained, a large boa constrictor wrapped around the lap of a torsoless being. Tabor hummed to herself; she was really taking in the curator's notes in this gallery for the first time in many visits. She gleefully rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for Shy to dubunk the illustrious Metropolitan Art Museum's apologetics. But Shy only burrowed his hands deeper into his jean pockets and stared at the skylights. 

"Well?"

"Well what, Tabor?" 

"Aren't you going to tell me the truth about this statue?" 

"I am not in the mood." Tabor looked at him with disappointment. "Tabor, go on and enjoy the gallery." She still looked at him sheepishly. "I insist."

Tabor kicked her foot out in front if her, "Shy I really only wanted to come down here because I wanted to learn more about you."

He chewed on his cheek, still not allowing his gaze to fall on the room. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed Tabor's hand pulling her abruptly to the middle of the room

"This is Roman, not Greek. Nothing to do with me." There was malice in his voice and then he pulled her along to another statue of Hercules.  "This too is Roman, not Greek, and has nothing to do with me." He threw his finger as if it were a dagger to an adjacent statue. "That is Greek. And it has nothing to do with me." 

Tabor yanked her hand out of his tight grip and stormed away. Shy smoothed his face with his hand, feeling the bitterness he was unaware had transformed his countenance. 

He found Tabor in a smaller room of coins and little trinkets.  She didn't look too affected by his tantrum; she just stood looking at a glass case.  Her eyes rose as bit when she caught his reflection through the glass when he approached.

"Roman. I know.  Nothing to do with you." She shrugged her shoulder leaning away from him and tucked her wayward curls behind her ear. 

"Come," Shy tried to touch her face but she leaned away. "Come." Tabor dragged her feet to follow him to another small room off of the main gallery. 

He stood in front of a small case with barrettes and old wares. "You see that? My mother had one just like that when I was a boy." 

Tabor leaned closer, not even taking a breath. Her nose practically pressed again the glass and just stared at the insignificant item, a broken-off handle in the shape of a lion. She was completely mesmerized. She just stared at it, trying to imagine Shy's mother; he as a child watching his mother open, perhaps, her jewelry box with the lean lion stretching and purring with his looping tail. A simple, everyday item that wasn't worth anything in his day. However, now he saw how special it had become in that moment, just watching Tabor taking in every detail, wishing she could only hold it in her hand for a second

"Tabor, I'll show you more," Shy massaged her shoulders to signal it was time to let this ghost rest.

It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be to have his eyes lay on items from his home country; the things his friends, family and ancestors had used and left behind long after their bodies had turned to dust.  He thought it would remind him that he had lost everything, and that everyone he had ever known who was not a vampire was gone. 

He snorted, What a lovely life, to now only have Ilsino and Menefer as the only living people who know my past. 

He pointed out how the lamps worked and why some were detailed and others were plain. He had a difficult time pulling Tabor away from the buckles, which again to him more were mere trifles. 

"Now this is great." He pulled her into a small area of another side gallery. "Each province or tribe was dedicated to a god or goddess; my province worshipped Dionysus. You see how we had a lot of things in tribute to him." 

Tabor was quiet as she studied each item and eagerly waited for Shy to volunteer to fill in the gaps. He didn't fully understand why she felt like this was a way to get to know him, but he realized how important it was to her; ignoring the bargain as they had already spent an hour in the Greco-Roman galleries. 

They began to drift to another provenance he definitely did not want to visit.  

"Shy!" Tabor ran enthusiastically to a sculpted sleeping Cupid. "He's beautiful; you're beautiful!"

"That is not me."

Tabor giggled. "Of course." She drifted around the room, looking at the various artifacts with cupid insignia on them: bowls, pendants, and dozens of figurines.

Shy's jaw flexed and tightened with each passing moment he stayed in the room filled with Cupid and Eros. He crossed his arms over his chest, but holding himself could not bring any resistance to his strong apprehension to staying in the gallery another second longer. 

"It's time to go, Tabor," he grabbed her elbow to usher her away.

"No, wait." She walked over to a case in the middle of the room with two golden arm bands of the imposing furies. Their snake bodies of a curled as each held a tiny winged cupid. 

"Let's go home, Tabor."

"Please, Shy." Tabor fingers glided over the glass case showing off the arm bands. "Wow, they really worshipped you, didn't they?" 

"I don't want to talk about this, Tabor. I don't want to ask you again.  I am ready to go home."

"What are you going to do, throw me over your shoulder like a caveman?" Tabor snorted and then squealed as she quickly maneuvered around people to a large sculpture. "This is Psyche! This is your story. Please, Shy, tell me..." 

Shy suddenly understood why celebrities would get annoyed with their fans. They would ask stupid questions about things that were too sensitive in nature, and yet for the fan their tragedy was like an amusement park. 

"Shy, tell me what really happened. You're so revered; I can tell by the way they captured your story, made it such beautiful and tragic true-love."

"Enough, Tabor-"

"Why can't you see how much your story-"

"Idol. Worship. It has nothing to do with me. Only what made them feel better. "

She ignored him and was already hurling herself towards more Cupid artifacts.

Shy's long fingers grasped Tabor's hands as he pulled her away from the repulsive artifacts. Her eyes met his mischievous gaze and she shivered as a rush of butterflies ran though her body. She consciously blew out air; her lips trembled into a nervous smile, yet his icy gaze did not warm. 

It's time you learned your place. Shy rolled and settled his broad, strong shoulders.

Tabor remembered the statue of youthful man in alabaster marble, captured in eternal beauty. His triangular chest oozed sensuality and sex, his mop of curly hair floated in the breeze, but he couldn't hold a candle to Shy.

She had to run to catch up to Shy, who walked out of the gallery heading towards the small hallway of elevators that led to the second floor and the Impressionists. She reached for the elevator buttons but Shy held her captive hands steady. His face flickered dark threats and her confident smile wavered, yet she was relieved once he released her wrists.  He cocked his head patronizingly to the side, his silver eyes flashing victory as he brushed the pad of his thumb across her dry lips. She couldn't help but self-consciously wet them.

Follow. He commanded; even though the museum was bustling, Shy's voice hit her with frightening  clarity. 

Every muscle in Tabor's body became like stone and her mouth fell open as Shy unclasped the velvet rope to the private staircase of the museum. She tried to find the words that were caught in her throat, but Shy's eyebrows furrowed in warning so she surrendered any objections. He motioned for her to go through first. With a quick glance over her shoulder she covered her mouth and spoke in ancient vampire before slipping into the restricted-patron-forbidden-she-would-never-dare-in-a-million-lifetimes zone. And once Shy closed the velvet rope as if it were nothing and turned to her with his usual loving Shy demeanor; she was exhilarated.

Good girl. He grabbed her head to kiss her crown.

She followed him down the stairs that lead to more galleries that mirrored the ones open to the public, but these did not have painting on their walls. Instead, some paintings were covered with protective sheets, while others were being readied for upcoming exhibits. 

She gasped and giddily laughed as she saw art that had not been exhibited in over twenty years, art that was recently acquired from the 70s that had slowly started to make its way out of the private homes of the rich.  Yet Shy grabbed her hand as he strolled forward but she only watched the private museum tour she was missing.

"Shy! That's a—! Oh my God..." Tabor was exhilarated with disbelief, pulling his arm in a tug-of-war to take a closer look. And with that, Shy swooped her up into his arms and ended her chance to see the secrets below the Met with her three-second glance at stolen WWII art that would never see the light of day above that floor. 

He opened the doors to a pitch-black room and set her down on her feet.

"Don't move an inch."

Shy snapped his zippo lighter, casting a shadow on Medusa, screaming in Tabor's face! Medusa's snakes struck at Tabor. Tabor's breath caught in her throat; she couldn't scream and stumbled backwards into other ancient artifacts.

Shy caught her in his quick, strong arms and righted her balance.

"I said not to move." He didn't give her a second dismissive glance. 

The Zippo would snap on and off, casting shadows on various statues, tables, and vestibules on his journey across the massive dark room. 

"What is this place?"

"A room of dead history."

Shy found what he was looking for, turning on two library lamps that created enough dim light in the middle of the room. He arched an eyebrow and allowed his fingers to float over the notes and books lying open on the researcher's table. He then snorted, before further investigating the room, ignoring Tabor who was pensively staying in the spot where he'd left her. 

Shy cocked his head to the side and took in a measured breath in. His arms folded across his chest as he took in the large stone ruin at the edge of the room.

"It's time you learned a lesson. Come, Tabor." He was fixated on the object, and his muscles flexed against his shirt as he took his zip-up sweater off. His strength was captivating. "You want to know about Cupid. Cupid was not the angel baby in diapers on pink and red Valentine's Day cards. The Pompeiians got most of the story right, the brutality and the terror, and they reveled in it. Eros was perversity, lasciviousness, lust. He was their god and, until the volcano covered them, they enjoyed it whether it was acceptable or not."

"What is this?" 

"Your next lesson."

Before Tabor could moan and stomp her foot a little to attempt to move Shy to sympathy he pulled her to him, forcing her to sit on the ruin.

"It's thousands of years old; I can't touch that." 

The silver in his grey eyes was a flint igniting his acrimony. 

Tabor grumbled as she carefully sat on the large stone platform. She could feel the inscriptions the historians were painstakingly trying to translate language now inscribing themselves on her thighs. The stone was cold and caused her to shiver delightfully for Shy. He loved how it peaked her nipples through her blouse. The rough stone scratched her skin when she attempted to make the slightest adjustment to feel more comfortable. What was she thinking? There was no way to feel comfortable with the knowledge that she was destroying a piece of ancient history with her butt. Making it worse was Shy, standing over her so fixedly anal to have his way. This side of him frightened her.

Tabor winced when Shy grabbed her hair, forcing her to move her head to where he wanted. And that was to take advantage of her ruddy lips that had caused her so much trouble in the last hour. His lips attacked hers, overwhelming her senses and capacity to stop him – he dared her to challenge him again. She squirmed beneath him and sucked her teeth, admonishing herself for rocking her hips, scraping them against the stone. Satisfied that he had gotten her full attention, he pushed her, forcing her to lie down fully on the stone.

"This is a dais used for sacrifices and ceremonies. They think they can attribute it to the Greeks because they found it in Thessaly. It's a marvelous find, but this was brought over from the North Country by the barbarians centuries later, so we can't fault the museum historians too much, can we? Plus they will never be able to translate the text carved into the stone under your ass. They will never realize that the Goths brought it south, nor will they know the barbarians were most likely aided by nonhumans to carry this intact." 

"What was it used for?' Tabor leaned up on her forearms.

"You are about to find out." 

"Shy, I don't know about this. Someone could come in. We could ruin this." 

Shy grabbed her legs, pulling them apart using the jute robe he had found on the desks to tie Tabor's legs to iron hooks on the southern cardinal corners of the dais. Tabor's protests landed on deaf ears.

"Take off your blouse." 

"Shy-"

"It is not a suggestion. You can take it off or I will rip it from your body and you will leave the museum topless." 

Tears leaked from Tabor's eyes; she knew something had gone wrong, and she didn't know whether to stay with this man she thought she had loved and wanted to marry. Now he only terrified her. He looked at her as if he were relishing her tears; her frustration tumbled in her stomach with her humiliation. She slowly pulled her top over her head, wringing it in her hands close to her exposed body.  But Shy only yanked what little protective comfort she had from her hands. Without a word or even a breath to exhibit feeling, Shy pulled her arms above her head and expertly fastened her to the dais. 

She anxiously whipped her head around, watching Shy walk back to the table and grab a piece of paper. Even though the room was not drafty her body was covered with goose bumps.

"Okay, Shy, you've had your fun now. Please let me go."

"You are not in a position to speak anymore, Tabor. I suggest you remain silent."

If she'd had hairs on her neck they would have risen with contempt, but before she could release her anger he had had completely defused it with gentle caresses across her exposed belly.

He set the piece of paper down, carefully removed her leg brace, and set it aside with her shirt. 

"Please, Shy, someone could come-" Tabor tried to inch away to prevent him from unhooking her wrap skirt. 

"I guess they will learn the real purpose of this dais." 

"You can't be serious!" Tabor spat. "Shy, let me up now! I'm not playing any more games!"

"Neither am I." He grabbed the triangle of fabric that protected her sex from the world and ripped it apart. Again, her tears renewed with the second sound of fabric breaking apart. "Perhaps you shouldn't wear panties anymore, they're always in the way of what is mine anyway." 

"Please, Shy, can we go home? Please, make love to me at home." Tabor begged, blubbering tears. 

"Love, we can go home, but you are mistaken; I am not going to make love to you. This is a ceremony, a rite of passage." Shy dripped kisses along her healed leg. "Can you read this?" He held a rubbing on paper for Tabor to read. "This is inscribed all over the dais. You see it is in a language not originating from the dark ages, but from the Goths who crafted this stone for us."

Tabor shook her head nervously and more tears flowed down her face as she read the inscriptions that were embossed against her naked back and thighs.  She whimpered pleas but he remained stoic, ignoring her as he walked around the room opening drawers and cupboards. What she had read made her incredibly nervous and all she could do was lay exposed -- spread eagle.

Shy glided the back of his hand down the side of her face and kissed her tearstained cheek. "Remember this going forward, Tabor: I fiercely adore you." She stopped crying and turned to him, her eyes seeing the bottomless ocean of love he had for her in his silver-grey eyes. Tabor began to speak, but Shy pressed his index finger to her lips halting her. "Shhh, not another word."

Tabor anxiously watched Shy's every move around her. He picked up her blouse and bundled it into a pillow, which he placed under her head. Then pulled his t-shirt off and Tabor couldn't help but marvel at his chiseled chest. Shy was tall and lean and he was the epitome of sexy, yet this god of a vampire was unsettling to be so close to. He was a contradiction, his tender actions by sitting on the edge of the dais to massage her numbing arms awake because he held her captive. Tabor's fearfully tried to force measured breaths. 

"Now that you have read what this dais was used for, we will begin." 

Shy pulled her breast out of her bra, making her feel foolish that the only remaining clothing she wore was her bra, now rendered useless with her breast hanging outside of it like a wanton whore. Shy only hummed listening to her thoughts; he didn't care how she felt, and she was his. His hands covered her breasts, moving in circles, massaging her.




Mercurial Ends Ch. 04



"I have not forced my will on you, have I Tabor? Have I used vampiric magic to make you do as you were told, Tabor?" Her brows furrowed defiantly as he expected but she only shook her head.  He latched onto her nipple and sucked on her breast so hard it made her body arch into his. It was painful and delightful at the same time. She wanted desperately to cross her legs to ease the strong sensation between her thighs. 

"I should have used vampiric magic to make you behave before you were caught by the Institute." The sensations that combed over her body stopped the moment he mentioned the Institute. 

Tears pooled in her eyes; they had never discussed the fact she was captured and tortured for months because she had defied Shy's order to not go to the appointment that was only a ruse to catch her.

"I wonder if you ever wished that I forced you to obey when you were trapped in the god-awful cell. When my days became limited to nights where I could only search for you, I couldn't shake the regret that I could have easily stopped you. You could have been easily protected from harm; all I had to do was command you and your aura would have forced you to obey. I told you not to go to that appointment and you went anyway. It was my fault." 

"I'm so sorry, Shy." Tabor gulped tears; she dared not look into his eyes that swelled like a hungry man with desperate guilt.

"Silence," he said sternly. Tabor's body froze cold. Shy kissed her checks.

"Today, I have decided that you need to truly learn that I am not just your friend, your boyfriend, or your fiancé-"

"You said you don't want to get married."

"Tabor! You will not say another word or you will be punished." Shy got up from the dais and she immediately felt the cold stone creep under her skin. 

He picked up four pencils and rubber bands from the pile of things he had gathered. It seemed like forever before Shy moved toward her. He rolled the pencils rhythmically in his hand, creating the only sound between them.

"Simply put, my darling, I am your master." Shy draped his body over hers, contrasting his clothed body with her helpless, nude shape. He squeezed her with his jeaned thighs, claiming possession and further illustrating her inability to move away from him. He leaned over her, his hands holding the pencils and her hands as he trailed the pencils down her body, enjoying her moans. 

"Shy, I am my own woman." Tabor panted and tried to arch her hips into Shy's swelling sex, still protected within his jeans.

Shy tut-tuted and got off of Tabor immediately. She flapped her legs and arms in frustration as much as the rope would give, and Shy stifled a chuckle. Complete control was his weapon, even if it meant staying off his own pleasure.

He wrapped the pencils with rubber bands and returned to the dais, sitting next to her, without a word. He rolled her nipples between his fingers, his eyes locked onto hers, until he was satisfied with how they puckered. He clamped her nipples between the pencils that were tightened together by the pencils. Tabor's back lifted violently off of the stone, but Shy had muffled her scream with his hand. 

"I told you I would punish you for disobeying." His eyebrows arched and a smile slide across his face; he was pleased and surprised how well he could tweak her body to respond. "And now for the other..." Tabor rocked her head back in forth, but she didn't scream when he attached the second set of pencils to her nipple. 

"Relax, my sweet." Shy massaged the sides of her torso to warm her body's reaction from the adrenaline that was overtaking her - heightening her confused senses with pleasure and pain. "Now, have we learned our lesson?" He turned away from her, not taking in her acknowledgement or further insolence in response.

Shy moved below her legs and hummed. "I see a little obedience suits you well." He shoved three fingers unceremoniously into her drenched sex and pressed his thumb hard against her bud. "Your clit, or should I say my clit, is just begging for attention. I would love to pierce it with jewelry as they had done." His fingers pressed against her rosebud and she froze in panic. "And I should take this virginity, too." He circled around it, teasing the nerves despite her protests and attempts to escape. "But not today."

Tabor ignored his idle threats and nibbled her lips to stifle her moans. Her eyes rolled back as he made her wet with each thrust of his fingers. Her sex drooled and sloshed embarrassingly the more he agonizingly added pressure to her g-spot. 

She lost it when Shy latched onto her clit with his wet mouth. Her turgid bud was already hypersensitive but now he sucked it so hard waiting to lap at the river that flowed out of her. The walls of her sex gripped onto his fingers as a third eruption overtook her body. 

"Look at the mess you have left for these poor museum workers to clean. Your sex is filling the letters of the stone, my dear." 

"Please Shy," she begged and then whimpered realizing what she had done.

"Naughty girl!" Shy grinned, his arm snaked to her breasts to squeeze the pencils tighter on her nipples. She screamed but no sound escaped. He had already awarded her pain with pleasure by nipping on her nether lips playfully. 

His fingers never left her core; he splayed them apart, stretching her. He crawled up her body, never releasing his fingers from her depths. He pressed his chest against her, so close that he could feel her heart fluttering nervously. She couldn't get enough of the ambrosia. She was starving for his smell, every bit of him, his silky curly locks teasing her face as he kissed her, made her body pulsate with euphoria.

He whispered in her ear, his voice was gruff with his own controlled pleasure only free to burst through his voice.

"Now that you have lost yourself to me again, it's time for the next step – your lesson. Tabor, do you accept that I am your master? You may speak." 

Tabor only nodded, her eyes closed, still enjoying the strumming of his fingers inside of her. Then she cried out as pain shot from her nipple to her clit; he wickedly squeezed the pencils on her nipples to get her attention. She couldn't focus on what was pain and what was pleasure. It all melted into the center of her belly, hot and warm, and bounced to her radiating clit. She lifted her hips to the absent cock she wanted to fill her. 

"No, Tabor," Shy admonished and slapped her thigh hard. She tried to focus on lowering her passion but he had only brought it to apex with his play. "I want you to speak."

Trembling and trying to stop her undulating hips from moving, she cried out, carnally wanting more.

"Focus, Tabor, I need your answer now." 

"Yes! Yes!" She continued to squirm beneath his body. She finally heard the delightful sound of his buckle and exhaled with an approving moan. 

Shy stood over the puddle of passion Tabor had become on the ceremony stone. He pulled his jeans from his body and enjoyed the waves of her aura, pummeling him with warmth and power that invigorated his vampire nature. He was incredibly turned on and even enjoyed adding a bit of fear of being caught, even though he had hidden the room with vampire magic from any snooping museum workers. His cock ached to drive itself into her; she was his and he was hers, even though she doubted him.

"Love of my existence, I am your master and when I release you from this dais you will remember who I am."

"Yes, Shy. Please make love to me," Tabor cried, nearly dismissive. He couldn't fault her--what a lovely puddle, of everything the Pompeiians strove to become by worshiping Eros, she was.

"I will make you mine officially today, Tabor." He returned to her, possessively holding her already-captured hands above her head. His firm cock sat against her belly, hinting at what was soon to come. "I will never use vampire magic to make you obey, ever. But I will require you to bend your will and mind on your own volition to obey me. Do you understand, my love?"

"Yes." Tabor's eyes met his, this time with clarity instead of her lustful state of abandoned reason. He saw her aura through her eyes, a kaleidoscope of ancient power and Tabor's sensibilities, humility and strength. All the things that made him fall in love with her.

"When you submit to me, we will experience sex far greater than vampire sex."

She blushed and smiled. He chuckled, knowing her desire for vampire sex. She reached up to kiss his lips. 

"I love you, Shy!"

"Yes, I know but I am going to show you how much I truly love you." He kissed her again and the ambrosia that she so loved saturated the air around her. 

Upon freeing her nipples from the pencils, Tabor screamed loudly. The shock was short-lived; she grunted when he shoved his cock into her. His thrust slowly to enjoy the wet silky walls that hugged him. Gladly, she rewarded him by attempting to rock with him and he matched her by moving faster. He buried his head in her neck, inhaling her delightful scent of roses, apricot and spice. He kissed and licked the length of her neck... 

Her eyes became starbursts; she couldn't believe he had done it. He had bit her. She could feel him feeding from her; her body began to lift into the air on a cloud. The blood was draining from her and he had not shielded her from the fear or pain of death. He had never fed from her before, and she felt lightheaded and dizzy from the rocking of his body into hers. 

He released her neck and blood drained into the inscriptions, thus filling the words with a sacrifice as the ceremony required. "You have to reverently fear me, my love, for me to master you. And now you will see how much I love you."

Tears slid down her temples, tickling her ears. She was overwhelmed by passion, pain, fear. Shy continued his assault on her, his thighs slapped loudly against her skin, slamming his blood-engorged cock, completely filling her.  Her aura was now in control of her and encouraged him on. He flirted at the edges of the core of her aura and it in return teased his mind. He couldn't wait to taste her sex and see inside the bright core of who she was again. It was through her that he could attempt to believe in himself as she did. He masochistically fought against his pain to just get another glimpse at the absolute love she had for him. It was enough to shine light into the dark obelisk of his soul. 

He tweaked her clit as he continued thrusting into her. Her back arched and her pelvis tipped to receive more of him.  He was so close, and so was she. He had to bring her to climax first. He spread her nether lips out, opening more of her to his cock and forcing her to work harder to clamp onto him. 

Her ears roared she was so close; an acute burn pierced her clit. She dared not move and lose the sensation, but Shy was in control and as each inch his cock glided deeper into her she could barely hold onto the precipice to keep from falling. 

"That's it, take all of me," Shy panted, tweaking her clit between his fingers. "Let go, Tabor."

She clamped down on his cock and her pussy swelled and fought against each invading thrust of his cock determined to ram against her cervix. Her body ran hot like lava spilling down her thighs from her clit, her breasts arching and the tips of her toes curling until her feral-self was unleashed, rolling her body in ecstasy.

Shy came with her, soaking her with his seed and her aura pummeled into his vampire nature. He had only a moment to slice magic into the core of her aura, which was stitched together intricately with her nature and self. He reached out to penetrate it and braced himself for the blast of power he would receive. Boldly he opened himself up, unlocking a part of him that could only hook onto Tabor to open the doors of its secrets.

She possessed the only keys to unlock Shy and see him in a new light: vulnerable, pain and hope mingled together and fused with his vampire curse that was impenetrable and incapable of love. She knew to turn her back on him before it was too late; before he could break her heart as it had been with anyone he loved. 

Don't give up on him. Shy's vampire natured beckoned her to return to it in a still, small whisper.

She measured the time with her heartbeats beating between her ears -- debating whether to head into a world that would only leave her wounded with shattered dreams that sliced her heart, shredding what small hope and trust she had left to seek love again. She turned and walked deliberately towards the dark shadow of the vampire. The shadows swarmed her violently, moving through her until she left her body.

She covered her mouth in shock as she floated above her naked body tied to the ancient ruin. Her blood had pooled into the cracks of the inscriptions, and she could read the scarlet words indicating that when a vampire takes an aura by force he is dedicated to her till they both leave their eternity walking together. He is to rule the aura, bend the aura's will to forever service the vampire. Their strength shall copulate together as the aura's blood flows from the vampires bite into the aura's bonding fluids. She shuddered again, reading the promises writing by the ancient auras in their language inscribed with the ancient vampire language engravings.

She was captivated watching Shy from above; he had seemed so callous earlier but in truth he was so gentle and loving with her in everything he did. He watched as he kissed her eyelids as he steadily climbed to another orgasm. He whispered into her ear how she had set his heart free. Her body responded as they continued to mate, his long lean body and butt flexed with each thrust. It was hard to believe this sexy man that was grafting his olive skinned body against hers belonged to her. He had released her bonds and pulled her into his arms, never releasing their union. Floating above, she oddly felt that watching the two lovers -- herself -- was dishonorable, even though she could finally begin to fathom the ferocity with which Shy loved her. In third person she saw everything: she was his soul, his morning and his night. Shy ached for her and was as terrified of losing her as she was of losing him. How could she doubt his love?

She was funneled back into her body and the feeling of floating had dampened a bit. Shy lapped at her petals, tugging and pulling them in between his sharp teeth. She knew she was bleeding onto the table again, but he had only brought more delectable sensations to her already orgasm-ravaged body. She released every ounce left and he drank. She could no longer referee his nature and her aura; they slammed into each other and she felt their power growing within her and within him. The room began to crackle with energy and a bizarre wind flew around them, the fresh smells of soil, fire, forest and Shy's ambrosia carried on the tendrils that rushed around them. 

"I love you, Tabor Salome Matthias, to the ends of the world and eternity," Shy said, covering her again with his body and pulling her into his embrace. With bedroom eyes, she smiled tenderly and touched his face before the room went black.




***

  ...  ...Tart...

  ...    ...  ...   ...  ...  ...  ... ...  Crisp... 

  ...     ... ...  ...  ...  ...   Soft... 

  ...     ...      ...    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...   Warm...

  .... ... ... ... Sweet...

   ...  ...     ...      ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...      Brown... 

   ...     ...      ...       ...   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...   Brown Sugar... 

  ...   ...  ...     ... ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  Honey... 

  ...  ...   ...  ...  ...  ...  ...   Sour... 

    ...       ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...   ... Butterscotch... 

A glass of apple juice was tipped to her lips waking her up to find that she remain draped in Shy's arms.

"Drink, you need to replenish your fluids." He again raised the glass of apple juice.

"You fed from me!" 

"Yes; you were delicious." Shy's eyes and grin flickered in unison coquetishly.

"You fed from me!!"

"Tabor, stop stating the obvious," Shy scolded and again pressed the glass to her lips. She complied and tried to roll to her side in a ball, but Shy held her steady and brought cookies to her lips.

"l did not donate blood to you!" she spat.

"You're just startled." Shy chuckled and kissed her forehead leaving the plate of warm oatmeal cookies in her lap.

Sheepishly, Tabor ate the freshly made homemade cookies, sitting deep in their bed. She couldn't stifle a hum of approval as hints of warm butterscotch delighted her tastebuds. Shy was damn good at making her feel wonderful in spite of herself. Shy had covered her with every blanket in the apartment it seemed. She was sweating and pushed the mountain of blankets off of her naked body and blushed -- she was naked, he clothed.

'"Don't worry. I didn't carry you out of the museum naked, but I am sure your glow was a complete work of art. How do you feel?"

Tabor stretched, her joints cracked, and she forgot that her cast was gone. Shy had immobilized her with blankets, and it really made no difference from still being in a brace. 

"I feel fine; pretty good, actually."

Shy sat at the edge of the bed and stole one of the cookies "I know. I asked out of curiosity about how you would respond..."

Tabor threw her pillows at him and they both giggled. "Cocky asshole."

"A cocky asshole that you love." Shy stood up and pressed his hand to her forehead, but she was fine. "Finish the cookies, Tabor. Get some rest. I am going to hunt and finish up with business."

"Hunt? Didn't you get just have Thanksgiving dinner on me?" 

"No Tabor, I didn't drink enough from you to feed a mouse. Only enough for the ceremony."

Tabor rolled her eyes and remembered the inscription in vampire and power aura language. It was what was written in the power auras' language that troubled her. Her eyes shifted to Shy; he was still beaming in his afterglow; without a doubt this man--vampire--loved her. She remembered the picture she'd seen in the center of his soul. He saw himself in the sandals of his own myth. Psyche had seen Eros, breaking his only rule--not to look at him. She was afraid she had married a monster. In truth the people who created the myth saw Shy as a monster that killed their beloved maiden, Kaethe. Shy had loved her but his nature had destroyed her. Thus, her village created Eros.

After seeing Eros was not a monster, she went to go to the ends of the world to prove her love. She was the Hercules of love stories, completing dangerous tasks at the edge of the unknown world to win back Eros' love.

Now, Shy was walking through a dangerous storm in his mind. The proverbial wind and snow whipped at his skin and the ice floating in the gales shredded his beautiful body. Bravely, Shy struggled with each step forward into the white abyss of the unknown. He was determined to go to the ends of the Earth for her love. Tabor knew that when she had disappeared it was difficult for him. Once in a while she pulled her attention from whatever she was doing and noticed Shy's desperately worried eyes just guarding her.

"Shy, you said the Goths brought the stone to the south for vampires... how many languages are written on the dais?"

"Just Vampiric, love."

Tabor's forehead wrinkled; he didn't know about the terrible things written in the words of the Auras. Shy didn't know enough about her kind and it made her heart bleed for him--he struggled so hard to be the best for her. She reached to cradle his chin, a simple feminine gesture that she knew he loved her. Feeling her delicate hands contrast with his strength and his soul's brutal self-torment with man's obligations. In this moment, he felt she was the strongest force with just a gentle touch. Tabor knew he was overwhelmed with trying to protect her and help her master her powers.




Mercurial Ends Ch. 04



"How magical is the ceremony?" Tabor asked carefully, "I mean, we have lots of ceremonies and pledges. How real is our ceremony held up?" 

Hurt clouded Shy's face and she couldn't look at him; she didn't want to cause him pain. But pain quickly shifted to spite. "Tabor, I thought you would have learnt your lesson about trying to find loopholes."

"Shy, that not what I am asking!"

"It's more ironclad and real than any mortal frivolity the gross exhibition of self-importance and spending that you call a wedding." 

It was a low blow and she knew he was only reacting out of fear. But now she was terrified, her history of bad luck with love now threatened her life. And Shy, trying to take a chance against his own terrible curse by loving her with everything he had left, was walking blindly into a metaphorical storm--thrashing blankets of hail pelting him until they had already unknowingly walked off of a precipice.

Shy's eyes clenched shut. He couldn't even look at Tabor, and he was so upset that he had to get out of the room. He closed the door behind him, leaving her alone with the plate of cookies and apple juice -- the tokens of his love. 

***

Majestic and serene, the was world pure and perfect in this moment. 

Having landed on a branch, Tabor took in the breathtaking view before her. The world was untouched by man's self-cannibalism, not yet stripped of its natural beauty by gnashing iron and steel, the bleeding of coal clouds into the air, and the greed for oil that would devour the land's soul. 

A whist of wind whistled through the hollow branches hauntingly, its tendrils dragging across her skin and pebbling it with goose bumps. She didn't fully understand what frightened her--the fact that she had returned to this horrible place in her imagination, or that she had so become accustomed to this apocalyptic scene that she found she could appreciate the setting. Each time she returned to this dream it grew more mysteriously beautiful and then turned more and more terrifying. 

Melancholy hollows filled the air before the tropical bird swooped down to give Tabor a spectacular show. Its large wingspan was so powerful it caused the trees to rustle weakly as the bird flew out of the lush canopy. It was always a sign of danger when animals began to flee, leaving only an unnatural silence in a wild jungle. 

Sulfur burned her nose as the stilted air carried it hotly across her face. Suddenly an unnaturally hot breeze flashed-scorched her skin, forcing her legs to action before she heard the explosion ripple loudly outside of the canopy. She ran with extraordinary speed; it was the first inkling things had already gone terribly wrong--her natural fight-or-flight instinct had taken over. She sprinted through the forest, dodging tree branches and athletically bounding over fallen logs. The top of the canopy rustled like a rainstorm was fighting to make its way through the tropical barrier. It wasn't drops of water hitting the leaves above, but volcanic ash that fell like demonic fairy dust. 

A one-second glance over her shoulder was all it took to grasp the magnetism of how she had narrowly eluded danger. The edge of the forest was a ledge to threatening purple mountain that was now covered with ghostly shale and red lava rivers. Her curiosity was a dangerous heartbeat of time. A blanket of fire roared across the lush green ceiling.

She was stunned to stone. Her muscles atrophied to her bones. Her mind screamed, but no notes could reach her vocal chords.

The noise of trees falling to their deaths trapped her, but there was some hope of escape. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she knew something or someone was behind her watching from the only escape route. The smoke stuffed her lungs with toxins. Cotton-like ash burned her face. The earth groaned, and in front of her from the direction she escaped the ground separated from itself. Smoke of hell hollowed up from each opening, trees and rocks rolling into the chasm.

Tabor's heart jump-started and she sprinted away, but the earth was winning, each opening lapping at her heels. It shackled her ankles with scorching heat, but miraculously she pulled away despite her blistering skin. She ran hard, not allowing her lungs to rest.

Her mind was floating, becoming numb to the pain of searing acid in her calf muscles. Only the sense of flight and speed aided her. She had never been a particularly good runner--athletics in school meant crowded meets and games and the ruckus of fans.

The wind blew like hot steam through the air, dampening it with a musty-smoke smell, but the faster Tabor ran the more invigorated she felt. The world around her was crumbling and burning into itself, but she felt strengthen by the painful moans of nature, as if it were under her control. Her hands burst with flames glowing in her veins as she sprinted up the last un-burned tree with the agility of an animal. She crouched on a branch, looking over the canopy, and a stone bulged in her throat. The vast jungle was still colorful with vibrant rainbow flowers, unfazed by the large black smoke cloud that rose from the flames and the surrounding mountaintops.

Tabor should have been terrified; it was the end of the world. The giants in the core of the earth were no longer dormant and, like dominoes, the earth's furnaces exploded in each surrounding mountain range, circling her. Tabor felt immensely gratified by the cacophonous symphony of destruction. Her head tilted back and she twirled around in awe as lava and ash looked like fallen stars in the middle of day. A feral scream rose from her aura, heralding the end of the world.

She leaned over, grabbing her knees, unable to stand; her body was raked with laughter.
She truly had a vivid imagination. She no longer feared this dream, yet wondered what would happen next in the dream's attempts to make her weak.

And a haunted howl rose from below her.

"Not even the destruction of the world can scare me, so you think I'm going to be afraid of a few mangy dogs?" she called out. The howls fell silent.

Her body sparked with blue electricity that ran like a web down her arm to her fingertips. The canopy rustled like a large herd of raptors were approaching.

Gigantic wolves leaped out of the canopy with snarling teeth bared and dripping with braids of saliva. Tabor's heart fluttered to prepare herself to fight. A large grey-and-white wolf tackled her, causing her to fall from the tree and smack hard into the ground, knocking the wind from her lungs.

The wolf that nearly killed her was transformed into a man. Strangely, he looked more modern than the tribal huntsman she had dreamt about before. He wore a gold heart-shaped locket around his neck; it was tarnished green. His eyes were magnificent but she couldn't look at them for too long; she was being hauled to her feet by the others who had transformed to their human forms.

"Lycans." She pressed her lips into a tight line and dusted off her pants before folding her arms. "You could have asked me to come down from the tree instead of making fall out of it. Oh, oops, dogs have no manners unless they are taught." 

"I'm Galief." The one with the mysterious eyes, who hadn't even attempted to break her fall, stepped forward.

"Like I give a shit," Tabor spat, trying to put on her best hardass persona so as not to melt to his pretty face. Or his pretty body that was so strong and chiseled, or his rising chest or his dimpled cheeks that perfectly framed his lips and square jaw. 

"Daemoric wants to see you."

Tabor huffed again and rolled her eyes. "Brilliant. Well, guess what? It's my fucking dream and he can't make any demands of me. "

"Te Na'tebu, you must see him." 

Tabor kicked some dirt at Galief. She only wished she could have the power to make the earth move like she did earlier in the dream. "Get the fuck away from me."

The Lycans around her began to crouch in predatory stances, some already in various grotesque forms of transformation.

Good, she thought with a clear mind. She reminded herself that she did not like lycans, even though they were beautiful in their human forms. They began to circle her but she dug her feet in.

"Go ahead, it's all a dream anyway," she challenged.

"It's not just a dream. Not when we are here."

"Yeah-yeah, you are the night, you create the shadows, blah blah blah--heard it before."

"Tabor, please listen to reason."

That did it. Tabor's eyes flashed red-hot and alarms went off. She couldn't hear her conscious anymore that usually sat at peace tables. "Listen to me, asshole, you fucking abhorrent creature. I will kill you..." The men surrounding her laughed misogynistically but it only fueled her fury. "I will hunt your nest, cave, fuck... whatever it is you live in--a hovel. And I will personally lead Shy there. He will want to quickly tear you limb from limb..."

"Stop! Don't get her angry," she heard Daemoric behind the men, approaching in his human form.

Tabor narrowed her eyes on Daemoric and charged at him but the men held her back. "You!"

"Te Na'e, stop," She heard the violent voice of the women in red and yellow travel on the wind. 

"This is my fucking dream!" Tabor screamed in anguish, just trying to get some control. At least when she dreamt of the women she could feel for that minute the swelling of love for her vampire that seem to last the infinite span of time.

"Carat, don't try to fool yourself; you know this no mere dream." Daemoric held his hand out to Tabor but she only squeezed her body to herself more. "I need to speak to you. This is the best way to talk to you without him."

"Why are you here?" she angrily screamed.

"I told you, we are creatures of the night, Tabor."

"Well, it's been a long night and daybreak is probably minutes away." Tabor looked at her wrist and sucked her teeth. "I guess you'll have to twist my mind when Shy is around; and by the way, I hope you try. He has been looking forward to finding ways to torture you."

"Tabor, Na'e, listen!" The wind hissed.

"I'll only wake up at the zenith anyways, so who cares."

"You have no reason to trust me. But I am here to give you the truth you seek. Julisa told you I wanted to meet you, so here we are."

"You left me for dead!" Tabor growled.

"Halfling, do you remember tapping into my head? Why do you think you could do that?"

"I can read Shy's thoughts to me all the time."

"Yes, but Shy is a vampire, plus you can't read the mind or history that is deep in his heart. You read my history, and I am a Lycan. Lycans do not share the same way you do with your vampire. We share only our histories and our desires. We keep the deep inner-workings of our triumphs, dreams, and failures with each other. You saw in the Institute my failure as the alpha of this pack, allowing Julisa in to enchant my wolves."

Tabor shuddered, recalling the time she entered Daemoric's mind behind bars by accident. He had nearly frightened her to death to get her out of his head. She saw his dark and vile soul, filled with selfishness. His hatred for vampires was so intense it still riled her today.

She saw Julisa in between two wolves. They both loved her, both brothers, but one would be killed, captured because of his love for her. The scientists caught him off-guard while he was spying on Julisa and the other brother. She remembered eavesdropping on the agreement that Daemoric had with the other brother, who refused to try to find his sibling because he wanted the vampire bitch to himself. He betrayed his own brother. Daemoric believed that he had not protected either wolf; they were entranced by the girl to become like her - a monster.

"You have to stop any war between us and the vampires."

"I'm not The Hague or Switzerland. I hate you."

"Because I syphoned your energy?"

Tabor rolled her eyes. "Genius."

"Tabor, why do you think it was so bad? I was only trying to survive. "

"By stealing what is mine. My energy is mine. It is not ambiguous of ownership, especially when I depend on it to live."

"How is it different from the mother who feeds her baby from teat of her own bosom?" 

"What nonsense is that? If you are not going to make sense, I'm done with this conversation."

"Remember I told you, just as you are not so different from the vampires, you are also not so different from Lycans. If you allow Shy to go to war with us, you will only be killing a part of yourself."

"Well, being that I am the only power aura left in the world and have lived most of my thirty years just fine--I don't think I will miss my newfound Lycan half. Whatever that is."

"Then indeed you will be the last. We want you to join with us. We don't trust you with the vampire and we will pledge to protect you." 

Tabor barked out a laugh. "Protect me? I've seen your version of protection. No thank you."

"Tabor, I can't be more serious. Beware of your vampire master; he will rule your life and your second breath."

Her aura first sieged her before her conscience realized she had become the predator on attack. She had crouched down in a fashion she had seen Shy do many times before, preparing to deliver a lethal kill. She remembered the first time she watched him really hunt; he'd said that he could make it pleasurable, but this time she deliberately decided torment would be her course of action. If it were indeed more than a dream, then she intended to make sure he felt it in the waking world.

She had never been able to touch or glimpse at her own aura, but in this dream she became her aura--it was amazing. It pooled like melted silver around the edges of her soul and blasted out with sheer light that blended into the grass, giving each a blade a shade of green. It towered up into the air, stirring the moisture till it created frothy rain clouds. She saw the world through the eyes of an aura. 

Her delicate fingers dug into the ground, an acrimonious smile sliding across her face.
She glared at Daemoric and roared, and the werewolf flew into the air like she had lobbed straw to the wind. She didn't move an inch. She knew what she was doing, the moment her fingers were planted in the earth. She was the earth; she could move the ground like a child molded clay. The heat of the earth's core was at the tips of her fingernails; she only needed a simple twist of her wrist to turn the axis of the world in her favor. 

Tabor, the warrior, took deadly determined steps towards her Lycan prey. Her small frame towered strangely over the wolf. Daemoric's lips pulled back, his sharp teeth glinting.

"Don't test me, Carat; I don't want to harm you," he snarled. He was telling the truth, but Tabor didn't care if he refused to fight.

"You left me to die, left me to suffer, and now you threaten my master!"

The sky cracked and sizzled against the earth, moving Daemoric back inch by inch.
Tabor's eyes rolled back, returning with a deathly cold expression that frightened all the wolves as she toyed with their Alpha. Her hands pulled down blades of electricity, which she crafted into reverberating balls of crackling energy and hurled at Daemoric, purposefully missing.

"Mi-na Na'e! Stop! Do not hurt him," the ancient wind pleaded.

"When do you plan to attack the vampires?" Tabor demanded, her pupils lost in a dark green pool slowly filling to the edges of her almond shaped eyes. She clenched her fist and a blue ball of light rose from her palms.

"Stop this now, daughter!" The wind screamed like a banshee.

Tabor glanced at the sky and her heart sank, it had turned blood red and the moon and sun sat together side by side. The horizon was like watercolors, bleeding sunrise with the dead of night, and creeping on the opposite side of moonlight. The hot wind, painted with red and orange leaves, blew her off her feet--it was the part of the dream she dreaded. She didn't even notice the drums pounding, but this time they were still faint. She was in a different part of the forest, far from the woman and the vampire.

Tabor scrambled to her feet, gathered another arrow of lightning, and charged at
Daemoric.

Galief barked and crushed her onto the canopy floor. His jaws snapping at her face and threatened her in his language. His large paws pressed hard against her chest and she screamed, feeling her ribs yield. 

"Surrender!" Galief snarled, adding more pressure to her chest, saliva dripping down his chops. Tabor's reason turned from red to white hot, and her fingers gripped the dirt at her sides. The ground beneath them evaporated into a cavern. The fall stunned the young wolf long enough for Tabor to scuttle to the surface.

Daemoric was standing in his human form, waiting for her.

"Bring it on, Na'tebu!" Daemoric's eyes flashed.

The green sea in Tabor's eyes filled and turned from brilliant green to stormy black. Her lip curled and her fists tightened, producing a black fog of tendrils that twisted and curled around her fingers.

"NO!" the ancient jungle screamed and a blast of white light became a scalding wind with a roaring tidal wave of fire directed only at her.

Tabor screamed as she fell into a pool of the worst pain ever. Her aura fought to flee her body; it pulled every muscle within her away from bone, trying to escape her bubbling flesh. She didn't know anymore if she was dying or dreaming.

Footnote:
Mi-na Na'e – Sweet, from my womb
Na'tebu – of our existence

*************************
Hello Dear Readers!!

Thank you for reading this new chapter. 
I want to thank my editor, Archangel from the bottom of my heart.

I liked the contest I did in OTAP when Shy and Tabor visited the MoMA, so I am going to do it again. The winner gets to name my next character. 

Can you guess:

1.)	Who was the suicidal artist that Shy drank from that gave him a painting as a gift? 
a.	Extra points if you can name the painting. 

2.)	Can you find the mini-sculpture that Shy 
rendered? (Attach a link to it if you can)

3.)	What is the name of the artist who made the monstrosity that Shy eventually learned to like?

4.)	Can you find the Pierre Bonnard painting that Tabor dislikes or the Picasso she did like?

Post below or on my blog (talyis.tumblr.com) The winner will get to pick the name of an upcoming important character. Please include both Boy and girl names please.

Other Important News! I have a blog now! Its: talyis.tumblr.com.

I will post Shy's yummy cookie recipe from this chapter, playlists and other cool things from Mercurial Ends, eBook information and upcoming character interviews -- so you can interact with Shy. 

I am also working on publishing Of Thorns and Pearls and Talons.

If you have a writing blog – join my Erotica Challenge – it's a great way to promote your blog and writing.

Please don't forget to vote!

Cheers and Happy Reading!
Talyis 



Mercurial Ends Ch. 05



*********************

Dear Readers,

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this adventure. I know there isnt a lot of sex but I am building up the plot, but of course there is a lot of love. 

This chapter is still a work-in-progress but I want to make sure you get Chapter 6 before the end of the world! ;-) Archangel is still editing these two chapters.I have submitted Chapter 6, also a work-in-progress because its important to go up by Friday. I hoped it would have been posted on 12-21-12 but alas I did not post because I mentioned my blog - as a just in case.

Anyways here are the chapters pretend it's 12-21-12.

Thanks for your votes and for reading. Thank you Kat for your comments. I so appreciate them.

Cheers and Happy Reading,

Talyis

***********************************************

Mercurial Ends 

Chapter 5 - Trapped in Feuds

Tabor sat alone in a corner of the busy café in Greenwich Village. She appeared insignificant, just another young woman in a bistro biding time with an overpriced latte before having to rejoin the rush of New York City. But Tabor felt like she stuck out like a paranoia patient, she couldn't help herself from constantly throwing glancing towards the door and over her shoulder at the wall behind her. The wall seemed to have eyes bearing down on her. 

College students surrounded around at various tables enjoying their salads and flatbreads. Their computer screens glowed with word documents and their Facebook accounts. To eleaviate her nervousness, she eavesdropped on the table of NYU students, wearing matching knitted berets and sweaters. They argued over a mid-term Power Point presentation's design colors because it didn't match the stock picture of a penguin on the slide.

She smiled and sighed remember her days at Brown sitting with her girlfriends bantering over art and teasing each other's latest bombardment of criticism from their favorite hate-to-love professor. Those days were simpler without vampires, werewolves and mad scientists; the days before she was nothing more than a student and a struggling artist. Now she was something she was not quite sure of -- was she a monster as these other beings were and what was she really truly capable of. 

Stress began to mount and she pinched the bridge of her nose tightly shutting her eyes before she popped them open. Again nervously she looked around the room and the door. She was just waiting for Shy to magically appear with a disapproving scowl matched with complete fear drowning his eyes. 

She told him she was going to meet her mother in the city. She assured him by giving a location and time, he even overheard her mother agreed to meet her on the phone. However, she told her mother that she was running late as usual and wanted to make a stop at a store. Her mother would unconsciously lie for her, if and most certainly when Shy would call, providing the almost-perfect alibi. 

Finally, she walked through the door. Julisa, the young looking vampire quickly came to the table, dressed in the latest designer fashions and bags. With trendy black boots and colorful delicate scarfs around her neck, Julisa seemed to blend into New York City better than Tabor. However, Julisa also darted looks over her shoulder nervously, probably expecting Menefer to track her down and drain her blood in front of all the college students. Would they even notice? They all looked so entrapped by their social networks and flirts over coffee.

"Thank you for meeting with me Tabor." Julisa sounded nervous -- even this was high stakes. She pulled her sunglasses off to reveal the most captivating eyes Tabor had ever seen.

"Your eyes?!"

"I've been romanced by wolves," she beamed and her nerves melted away uncovering complete happiness. Julisa's eyes continued to glitter like rainbows in a prism for irises. Tabor couldn't comprehend; she gulped the saliva that had been building in her mouth as she anticipated Shy to interrupt at any moment. Her stomach turned, she knew it was her aura, punishing her because she was defying her master. At least Julisa was a vampire, she got vampires; it was werewolves she needed convincing of otherwise. 

"What do you have to tell me? I am sure Shy has caught on to me by now and even though I do need my space, I don't want to put him through what I had done before."

"Yes, I understand, my father is the same. Tabor I need your help to stop Shy from waging war with the wolves."

"What do you mean? Shy is not thinking about wolves. He is up to something in Finland."

"He..." She swallowed her words and they both looked towards the windows, doors and walls as if they were bugged with wires sending every nuance of their actions to Menefer and Shy. 

"What do you know?"

"Shy, Menefer, Ilsino and Genevieve have decided to wage war against the Lycans. I was there. Please Tabor, I love the wolves. Please stop him, they will kill them all."

"Why do they want to kill the werewolves?"

"Tabor, lycans and vampires have been enemies forever."

"Why?"

"A very old feud. I am not sure they even know what the original feud was themselves. They are just prejudice against each other. The one who knows -- you need to speak to Da...." Julisa trailed off and shot a look at the door and sighed it was only a tall lanky college student, not her vampire-father.

"Would the werewolves wage battle against Shy?"

"No, they wouldn't," Julisa paused again, she was censoring herself but this time Tabor knew that it was for her own benefit. 

"They would wouldn't they?"

"Yes, yes they would. They would if they wanted to and had a thought to, but now it would be careless. They are busy trying to re-strengthen the clan. I caused a discourse."

"Daemoric?"

"Yes, what about him?"

"Is it true he drained me? He could have saved me?"

"Yes. Well, yes and no." 

The frankness of 'no' in echoed in Tabor's head but the more she let it stir in her mind, the more it burned hot anger in her belly.

"What do you know about power auras?" Tabor whispered spicily.

"Some. I am not an ancient. I was turned only 50 years ago. But my uncle, Ilsino, he has told me many things of vampire history."

"Why does a werewolf drain me; while a vampire can give me power?"

"I am sorry, Tabor, I do not know. Can I count on you to help me to stop Shy."

"What do you mean: Stop Shy?" Alarm came into her voice and her eyes narrowed on the young vampire.

"I mean, if you cannot help me to stop him; the werewolves will."

"Do you mean to bring me here to threaten me?" The wooden chairs all around the room began to scratch the floor as they pulled away from the tables. The eerily slight and sound of grinding wood on the ceramic tile caused all the NYU students to look up from their computers like prairie dogs. For a moment the room was suspended in fear until the students determined it was nothing and continued to clip-clap on keyboards while laughter and quiet conversations continued.

Tabor hadn't even noticed what was occurring around her; her anger was mounting hiding reason. She wanted to slap the vampire that had risked her relationship's harmony with Shy. But the vampire's eyes shifted around the room, her mouth dropped in fearful awe of what had happened. 

Carefully and deliberately Julisa spoke, "Tabor, we have to stop both the werewolves and vampires from fighting. It is not the same day and age that they were able to engage in battle and still keep their lives from affecting the human world."

"Why?"

"Why, what?" Julisa spat.

"Why should I care? I only care about Shy and if you mean to hurt him, I cannot help you and I will not let you."

Julisa rubbed her forehead, "I am sorry if I seemed to threaten you. I didn't mean to. I really need your help. And maybe you can learn more about yourself." Again Julisa looked at the empty chairs that had mysteriously moved away from their tables. "The werewolves have been around for centuries as long as vampires have. Perhaps they can tell you something about yourself."

"I am not too sure that the werewolves are friends of power auras. Daemoric drained my energy. He didn't save me from the horror I was facing." Tabor pulled her collar to the side revealing an angry red rash running from her shoulder across her collar bone. "They attacked me in my sleep."

"You have to understand, Daemoric had to think of everyone, werewolves and vampires as a whole. Tabor the scientists were not going to discover what you were. You are the last Aura, your death-"

"I told them! They had me on a table, they were opening my chest!" Tabor sneered in a near yell. The bowls and plates began to shake violently against their tin placemats on the tables. The dim café lights flickered. "They tortured me, they inspected me, looked at my entire body!"

"Tabor," Julisa tentatively reach out for Tabor to calm her. The students around them held their rattling dishes to the table, fearfully.

"I have nightmares every night and he could have saved me. A werewolf decided to let me suffer! Why?! For mere secrecy?! It was worse than any rape, worse then death. I begged to just die every moment. Daemoric could have ripped their throats out! Werewolves are my enemies."

At that moment, Shy was walking through the door and with the expression she expected: anger and complete fear. Immediately her face blanched with deep regret. She shouldn't have come, she hadn't spoken about her ordeal ever and now she yelled it out in public. 

Julisa was no longer nervous about Menefer who shortly followed Shy into the little café. She was afraid of Tabor. Whatever power the girl had was amazing, yet Tabor hadn't even taken notice to the strange occurrences around her. 

"Shy!" Tabor cried and hugged him tightly to her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Tabor, its ok." He exhaustively exhaled, his strong arms wrapped around her body.

"Julisa what are you doing here?" Menefer scolded.

"Nothing Father," she stood and walked towards the door but her eyes never left Tabor. She regretted not listening to Galief's advice to stay away from the aura. The girl whom seemed like a simple mortal toy of Shy was indeed extremely dangerous. She feared for her life for the first time since she became immortal and remember the anxious ticking clock of frailty.

"I knew you would try to sneak away sooner or later. It's okay. Why are you crying?" Shy tilted her head up to him.

"I didn't want you to worry," she buried her face in embarrassment that the entire café heard her true confession.

The students started to pack their bags, computers and netbooks, not really paying attention to Tabor or her outburst. Many of them were busy texting their friends or asking each other if it were safe to take the subway after the "earthquake".

"Come on, let's go see your mom. I am kinda looking forward to hearing her latest."

Tabor shuddered still recalling the welstrom of emotions that gripped her, finally expressing her pain about the Institute. "You are not mad."

"No, not now that I have found you. I know you, Tabor. Let's go." He reached for her bag and held her supportively in his other arm. "I love you."

Tabor only nodded and whipped her tears away on her sleeve, taking his hand tightly in her own; she walked with him out of the empty café.

***

As soon as Julisa was home, her father had sent her to her room like she was a insolent teenager not a fifty year old vampire. She peaked around the door and found Menefer sitting on a chair around the corner like a real parent. 

She huffed at the room he had given her fifty years ago, it was a stark contrast to the grimy Lower East Side water plagued squat she lived in before Menefer changed her. The room was magnificent, much larger than her former single-room studio apartment with a communal bathroom down the hall with a toilet that never flushed. She shared her life with seven other runaway teens in that rundown building. It was a hard life that she was eager to leave and embrace the offer to play princess-daughter to a lonely man. It was indeed a decadent room fit for a modern Egyptian princess with heavy furniture wrapped in red velvets and everything she ever wanted. With a bat of an eye, Menefer gave her the world except she wanted what he refused.

She heard as small pebble hitting the window. Just in time. She smiled and quickly ran to the window, opening it to Galief. The tall lanky man with chocolate hair and an effervescent smile stood in her room and embarrassed her as he looked around at her youthful trappings. Yet, Galief also moved around like an awkward teen. His long arms moved this and that way, not really knowing what to do with his large body but it was unmatched by his beaming smile.

"Coast is clear," She wrapped her arms around him and his seemed to growl with satisfaction. 

"Were you able to persuade the girl?" When he spoke, his true age was revealed and his raspy tone dripped with perfected masculinity.

"I don't know. She scares me to be honest, but I think we need her more than ever on our side --more than Shy. She is the key. We need to turn her against the vampires to make her join us."

"Darling," he smoothed a curly lock of her hair behind her ear. "You forget you are a vampire."

"But I hate what I am."

"How can you hate what you are? You are you -- just with a small deformity."

"Deformaity!? I cannot age, Galief."

"Neither I." He smirked with his eyes and bit the corner of his bottom lip.

"You do!"

"Yes, but very slowly." She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed him deeply. A wolfy growl moved into her mouth as he swept her up in to his arms. The man's gangly awareness vanished, he wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed her against the wall with a thud, not allowing her lips to escape his. "I love you." His hands pushed her skirt higher, fingers tightly squeezed her flesh. 

"I love you too." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck keeping them together while he quickly undid he jeans. 

She grunted exquisitely as he trust into her, she didn't care about Menefer down the hall at that moment. She dared him to hear and realize she was really lost to him. 

Galief smiled his eyes matched hers glowing as if they peared through the darkness of night, speckled with rainbows. It was a sign of true love which spurred him to attack her neck with kisses, so like a vampire that sucked his victim's blood from the choice vein.

They lay in a pool of afterglow relishing in the entanglement of their limps on the plush carpet. Julisa's fingers traced the boarders of a wicked bruise on his chest. 

"You are right. We need Tabor to turn against Shy." He stopped Julisa's tracing, his strong hands cover hers - he didn't like the token bruise inflected by the aura on him in her sleep. She would have won hadn't she been struck by the mysterious bolt of fire. "The aura is our key."

***

Tabor slumped in her chair as she sat at Shy's small two-person table looking out into space; her spoon absently stirred her strange brew of yellow and brown dinner. "What's wrong Tabor," Shy reached his hand out to touch hers bringing her to the present. 

"Nothing's wrong." Her tempered eyes fell on him.

"Come on now. I know something is wrong."

"Well then stop reading my mind." She snapped her hands away from him.

He only shook his head. "My darling, I don't have to read you mind to know that something is wrong."

Tabor paused, she looked him and saw the same loving warm bright eyes she had longed for in desperation. She recalled being so alone, trapped without hope and in the dark of the cage with only her festering wounds. She wanted Shy so much, just to have his arms around her. 

She smiled slightly and took a bite of her food. 

"So how is it?" Shy asked as he sat back in his chair, his arms crossed over his broad chest. He was waiting for his "I told you so" moment. She insisted on cooking dinner herself tonight.

"Edible." She bit the inside of her mouth and avoided his glance.

"Good." He arched an eyebrow. Unbelievable he remarked on her obstinacy to himself.

"I never understand how you could enjoy cooking. You don't really eat human food."

"Human food, phhha. Not much different from what I eat."

"Except you drain yours," Tabor guffawed. Shy only smiled and dipped his spoon in her bowl. He tipped his head back and loudly slurped the stew for comedic emphasis -- he won, Tabor doubled over with laughter. "And I guess you are a sort of vegan cannibal?"

Shy only smirked wickedly and crossed over to her. He towered over her, he was so sexy it made her shirk back in sheer awe of how lucky she was to have this handsome man-vampire-person in her life. 

He pushed her hair away from her neck and dragged his finger down her throat making goosebumps travel down her arms. He loved tantalizing her just to get a rise out of her. 

"Are you going to tell me why you met with Julisa today?" He only rubbed her neck with his soft lips.

"She wants me to talk to you about going to war with the wolves."

Shy stopped his pursuit and arched an eyebrow, 

"Did she now?"

"I told her to fuck off." 

Shy growled in laughter and devoured her in a kiss, "Are you fighting my battles for me, Salome?"

"I've decided I hate the wolves."

Shy only hummed, his attention turned to the other side of her neck. His fingers traced the red burn mark the travelled down her neck below her collar bone. "Are you going to tell me how this happened?"

"No." She responded simply. 

She didn't want to think about her dreams, the Institute or wolves. She was done being a victim. Tabor reached for Shy behind her, pulling him back to her. He kissed her lips from above that made her feel so content and strong.

"I'll be right back. I trust you to stay out of trouble. I won't be far. I am going to stop by the local private club of mobsters."

"Be careful, Shy," She warned.

"Of course my dear, I am only a mere vampire." His eyes glittered with his sly smile with a brilliant row of white teeth.

Shy kissed her forehead and then locked the door tightly as he left. He ran quickly down the stairs of his building and then stopped to listen if Tabor was following him. He quickly pulled his cellphone on and made a call as he left the building.

* * * *

From the mountain top everything look barren on the other side of the range. Everything reflected oddly like oil under the sun. The world was hardened by a hard black marble like substance. The sky played a dissident chord hanging both the sun and moon on the horizon together as if to collide. It was the largo movement -- the world after destruction. 

Tabor's eyes burned from the sulfuric air, she blinked hard trying to stop herself from feeling the pit in her stomach that wanted to become a wellspring of tears. Her dreamscape was no longer lush, beautiful or violent; it was just barren with emptiness and full of lost.

This was the world after the drums died to a silence. 

She never expected him to betray her. He betrayed all of us by killing her. a voice whispered in her mind that strangely sounded like herself. 

Emotions played through Tabor rapidly changing from anger, to betray and always landing on love. 

"You're feeling what mother was feeling," a masculine voice said. 

Tabor quickly turned on her heels towards the voice still flooded by the strange feelings that plagued her with grief. She tightened her jaw defensively as Daemoric approached her. He wore only black pants and his pepper salt hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He has muscular abs that many men long to achieve. He was a threat in so many ways, yet he approached Tabor with his hand in placation towards her. She wanted to attack him but every breath she took, create a rush of emotions from this mother. Tabor crumbled to her knees in tears. "She loved him. She love him so much. He betrayed her. He betrayed all of us killing her."




Mercurial Ends Ch. 05



"Where is she now?" She blurted as herself the the crippling possession that wanted her to tremble with fear and sorrow.

"Gone and yet she is still here." Daemoric watched with pity as he knelt down beside her.

"What do you mean she is still here?"

"Let's start from the beginning where is all shifted. The vampire killed her, and then after they only wanted to control her. They became greedy for the power she possessed. "

"Vampires?"

"Yes. We tried to protect her. But father killed her and we turned our backs on father." Tabor felt the possession leave her. She wasn't going to stay in another dream pirated by lycans. Daemoric smelled Tabor's aggression and quickly wiped her view with a vision. "Its better I show you."

Sulfar was heavy in the air, everyone held their breath. Tabor crouched in the thicket with the wolves. Their scratchy wild fur brushed against her arms. 

"What are you showing me," she impatiently turned to Daemoric still in his human form.

"Watch," he simply answered.

The drums pounded loudly, the tree needles covering the jungle floor danced in rhythm. Tabor felt the urgancy the woman in red and yellow felt. Every sense the woman felt seemed to pull her skin in all directions too. 

"I've seen this a dozen times." 

"No, just watch," he nodded and the wolf from behind her took off, his paws thumped loudly against the earth, her large body dangerous potential made her quiver 

The wolf stood in the clearing and howl. Tabor recognized the clearing. This is where the tribal woman would die, but she wasn't there, only the large tawny wolf. 

Tabor didn't understand, the drums were faint in the distance--had she already died. Just then the woman's long red and yellow trains could be seen in front of the horizon on a hill. The woman was approaching the clearing and strangely Tabor felt comforted by her familiarity. 

The woman came up to the wolf and scratched behind his ears. The wolf turned his massive head, trying to get more affection the woman lavished on him. 

"Go now," the woman said in a language that perplexed Tabor that she could understand.

"No, Na'tebu." The wolf whimpered and bowed at her feet.

"Yes, now, you most go." 

The wolf howled loudly in great anguish and the woman unfazed by the sheer volume the wolf created, knelt down and held his face in her hands. 

The wolf's skin began to undulate and the fur pulled into sinew and skin, shedding from its body evaporating into a human form. 

A little naked boy fell into her arms crying. She cradled him and whispered. "Eliock tu ew."

"NO!" Tabor let out a blood curdling screamed.

*******

Footnote Power Aura Language Translations:

Mi-na Na'e -- Sweet, from my womb

Na'tebu -- of our existence

Eliock tu ew -- Precious whom I love (Modern Translation: I love you) :-) 



Mercurial Ends Ch. 06



***************************

Hello Readers,

Again this chapter is a work-in-progress, its timely so I wanted to get it up asap. Once it has been edited I will resubmit it officially.

In the meantime, please enjoy it as it is. I wrote this chapter actually 2 years ago -- but life that last few weeks has been hectic and I could get it to Arch Angel to edit before the Mayan End of the World Day. 

I love to hear your thoughts, I loved writing this chapter. Please also vote.

Cheers and Happy Reading,

Talyis

*****************************************

CHAPTER 6 - THE END OF THE WORLD IS A BITCH

"Tabor, you are so cold to touch. What is wrong with you?" he mother's voice snapped her out of her daydream. 



"What do you mean?" 

"Tabor! I've been calling your name for a good five minutes. You just sat staring out into space." Her mother's brows were furrowed in lines with her forehead her speculating eyes made her feel uneasy in her own awkwardness.

"I guess I was daydreaming."

"Tabor, maybe you should see someone. I have this feeling that whatever it was that you went through you should really talk it out. You've had this cloud over you. I can't quite explain it. But I have a feeling that something really horr-... well I cant say that, now, can I?" Her mother crossed her chest a number of times. Her body fidgeted in her seat to try find a way to express her anxious feeling. Tabor only looked at her mother, her eyes were hazy and tired. She forgot that Shy told her parents what happened and then made them forget whatever parts that were too hard for them. Her mother of course found the whole situation very hard and forgot everything but there were still remnants- motherly intuitions of what Tabor was feeling at that very moment. 

"Nothing mother. I was just daydreaming." Indeed, it was a daydream, but she was so exhausted she forgot what was morning and night- her body was so overwhelm but she tried to stay awake as much as possible. If she were dreaming about the Institute it was the strange dreams in a Yucatan-like jungle.

"Honey, you can talk to me. You know that right?" Tabor only rolled her eyes and nodded. "Darling, what is your agreement with Shy?"

"Agreement?"

"Well, he hasn't proposed to you. But he watches over you like he would kill anything that came to harm you."

"Mom, it's just Shy being irritating."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes."

"Well make sure he marries you before you get pregnant."

Pregnant she was not and children was something she loved but was even possible for Shy to conceive chilredn. Would he be the one that would take care of her and a baby? She shuddered thinking of what kind of creature she would have if she had a baby by Shy.

"Mom, it's just a little bit complicated right now. We love each other but it's... it's just complicated."

"Oh I see. So he is still shopping?"

"Mom!" the idea of Shy still looking for women made her sick to her stomach. She was absolutely committed to him. 

"Oh don't Mom me. Come on, lets go. I don't want to be late for this gala."

"Mom you know how much I don't like to go to these things. And plus I am carrying around a cane. "

"Come on dear, daughter. Your pumpkins awaits."

Tabor sighed and then quickly pulled her gown over her head hiding her Converse shoes, not caring if she looked ridiculous by juxtaposing hip culture with old money.

Her mother smiled brightly happy to see her in something other than jeans and a t-shirt and looking more regal. Her mother and father were the Sag Harbor types who loved to sit outside with an intellectual novel or go to the beach and dress their children or child in her case in white. Which were definitely not the outfits of choice for a little girl who loved to explore, pick up crabs on the beach and run wild through the woods. 

"I am only doing this for you," she said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, yes, I know darling." She beamed again and tucked a lock of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "Come on lets go. Are you sure Shy won't mind me stealing you for the evening."

"Mom!!"

"Yes I know darling, he's just—well more overprotective of you than I have ever been." She giggled slightly and twirled her hands in the air concerto-like. "I kinda like it. It levels my absurdity out."

"Mother , I never said that you were absurd."

"You didn't have to darling." The actress pranced out the door tossing her fine scarves behind her. "I know!" And with that her mom took a dramatic pregnant pause.

Tabor was glad for the silence in the town car on the way to the Natural History Museum. She loved her mother, but sitting in her thoughts had become a habit she developed in captivity. It often troubled her and made her wonder if she had lost a part of herself within those bars.

Her mother quickly pulled her out of the car and led her directly to her friends. The lobby was filled with socialites and their older gentleman escorts that looked more interested in bee lining it to the champagne line and cheese tables than chat. 

"Meet me my daughter Salome..." she heard her mother say over and over again while she shook countless number of hands and plastered a smile across her face. 

Tabor couldn't wait for the moment when her mother would find one of her real true friends that she could chatter with and catch up on their latest news so she could sneak away. Thankfully her mother ran into a Sag Harbor sailing partner and Tabor slipped away.

Tabor wondered down the halls of the museum away from the colossal diorama of the milky way past the windows of cavemen and sea creatures. She just walked aimlessly, not really paying attention to the descriptions, not really making stories in her head of what these plaster and wax representations meant. 

"This new exhibit is extraordinary" a faceless voice said beyond her in an old New England money accent. 

"I've always found the Mayans very interesting Richard. What a wonderful donation you made to the museum." A waspy lady replied and then she heard the heels clip-clip away followed by the shuffle of expensive Oxfords.

Tabor walked under the banner and couldn't help but roll her eyes: "2012: the End of the World."

As she walked and looked at the windows, describing how the built the pyramids and the agriculture of the Mayans. She couldn't help the urge to push the big red buttons that would atomize the action behind the windows. Little brown men pushed boulders to the top of the pyramids. Another made a quick flash of water flow down as blue tube to represent the irrigation system. 

"Hi, I see you've found our new exhibit," a lady came up to her dressed in a museum uniform. 

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well the Mayans are mostly talked about today because of their 2012 prediction of the end of the world."

"Yeah. But isn't that pseudo-science."

"Well, not quite. They were really good at predicting weather patterns, astronomical events and of course they are well known for their calendar."

"Which predicts the end of the world?"

"Well, there are more to the Mayans than that. Why don't I turn on the entire exhibit for you and you can explore. I don't mind. You don't look like you are very interested in the Gala, am I right?"

"Bingo!" Tabor pointed her finger like a gun at the young woman.

"Hey, I understand. My family are "blue-bloods" too," She seemed to cringe at admitting it herself. "They still try to drag me to these types of events. They never understood why I wanted to work here, but hey, to us and our rebellion." With that lady opened the control panel and started to flip on the switches that lite up the entire exhibit hall and other animotrons came to life.

"Thanks." Tabor smiled for the first time that evening genuinely.

She walked through the hall as the room began to rumble when she crossed over a sensor and a loud-godlike woman's voice began to narrator the history of the Mayans as she approached the empty room filled with screens that flip up with black, reds and yellow volcano images.

Air was pushed towards her face so that she would feel like she was taking a journey from Manhattan to the jungles of the Mayan civilization thousands of years ago. The woman narrated about the strange occurrences that happened and how the Mayans used it to document on their calendar such as the tidal shifts and lunar eclipses. A heavy hum rumbled around her from the speakers at her feet that sounded hypnotic.

"A figure has been found in recent excavations of a woman figure always painted with reds and yellows. It is understood by few who this woman was to the Mayans. Most Mayan royalty were men but this woman was either a ruler of the Mayans or a human-god."

Pots and wall carving on the movie screens circled Tabor. Drawings of a woman with prominent breasts and hips to suggest that the stick figure was a woman but always had lines of red and yellow surrounding her like a halo.

"Unlike other carvings found, this Mayan woman always was detailed with color which thankfully for our archeologist can still see today." 

"So what does the story of this woman have to do with the 2012 prediction? We do not know, but latest archeology finds have dated the woman to be the last ruler of the Mayans at the time of their demise. Other suggests that the woman is not Mayan or god-like but of the first group of conquistadors, perhaps a wife of the captain or a whore brought on to entertain the sailors on the journey."

The documentary style music shifted to an ethereal tribal beat that brought goosebumps to Tabor's arms. 

"But what if she was a part of the Mayan end of the world story? One carving found in a remote village shows the women again surrounded with a halo of red and yellow. Notice the circle above this carvings. This is the symbol for solar eclipse, which would predate the woman far before the Spanish take over. Another in a village further away depicts the woman and a volcano."

Tabor's stomach dropped as the reenactment actress stood at an edge of a cliff while volcanos erupted around her.

"As scientists and archeologists continue to hunt for clues about the mysterious woman in yellow and red and if she does play a part in the narrative of the entire world's fate."

The woman in red and whites was only a silhouette her hair flowing in the wind, while the physical air blowing on Tabor filling up the room. The woman raised her arms and the volcanoes surrounding her on the screens erupted loudly before all the screens blacked out. 

A single star appeared and the woman started to narrate again telling the more well-known explanation of the Mayan calendar system and how the earth's predicted axis would point the world in the direction of a void in the galaxy. But Tabor was shaken to the core and numbly nimbled out of the room. Her body was still vibrating from the subwoofer speakers and the chill of the faux air that had blasted her skin.

She sank to the ground her gold silk gown surrounded her covering her legs that she pulled closely to herself. She felt her body was literally exhausted, as she tried to take deep breaths to calm the stress that was mounting her body. She covered her eyes with her forehead but as soon as her eyes were closed she had to open her eyes. All she could see was the images of her dream and the horrifying images of the Natural History Museum. She snapped her hands away from her eyes and then looked up seeing the pottery that depicted the woman in red and yellow that they showed on the video.

Tabor scrambled awkwardly to her feet and with slow deliberate steps walked up to the case. The two-foot water cistern was quite intriguing with etchings of the woman with distinctive reds and yellow lines flowing from her, like a child's drawing of the sun. Looking closer, she noticed the eyes of the woman were also slightly colored with silver as if she had lightning coming from her eyes. Her eyes trained on the woman's as if she were hoping it to speak to her, zap her with lightning for the entire room to rock and rotate with answers. But nothing happened. Just a stressed out Power Aura thinking of the coincidence that her dreams matched up to this strange unorthodox exhibit at the Natural History Museum. She closed her eyes in withdrawn and retreated back to the wall and leaned against the wall. 

"So, what did you think?" the museum woman return. "Are you okay?"

Tabor only shook her head and lied. "Migraine."

"Sorry."

"You know this exhibit is pretty scary. I wouldn't think it would be really good for children."

"Oh you mean the video room?" She chuckled and tapped on the warning placard: Parental Accompaniment suggested for Children 13 years or younger.

"Ahhh," Tabor nodded and then shook her head still trying to gather her thoughts.

"So what did you think?"

"I dunno, weird."

"Yeah! I saw that you were looking at Aura."

Tabor chocked and coughed loudly. "Excuse me!"

"Archeolgical Unknown Root of Apocalypse." The woman giggled and smiled cheesy at her acronym proudly. 

"I was a part of the archeological team that found Aura. She's amazing isn't she."

"Yeah," Tabor said half heartily.

"I know," the woman responded sheepishly her eyes looking affectionately on the old dried clay. "Boring geeky stuff."

"No I didn't mean it that way it's just-"

"No its okay. It's that with the 2012 event upcoming and the recession not pulling in donors as it has in the past, the museum has-"

"Turned to pop culture fascinations." Tabor finished her sentence and felt a little bad for dissing her work. The young woman was obviously very passionate about it. She wondered if it were really a reflection of herself and her lost of passion in her own work.

"More or less. But I really do think this woman is significant. You see during this time there were major platonic shifts as well. And although we hope to find her remains, it is hard to tell if she was really a part of the Mayans as she is found in many surrounding villages and communities in the region who were actually tribes that were captured and sacrificed by the Mayans."

"So what do you think she was? I mean, I am curious." Tabor shrugged trying to seem a little more kinder than she had been with the young woman.

"Well, I think she is a demi-god. I think she was someone of importance, possibly a ruler and they thought that she was a god. I am not one who believes aliens had given the Mayan's their knowledge by the way." She laughed and tried to regain her composure. "I don't know why people think that a culture outside of Europe wouldn't be able to document and study the world without needing the help of little green men. But I digress.

"There are so many things geological and astronomical occurrences that we have found that carbon date with these depictions of Aura."

"What kinda occurrences?"

"Well we believe that she was around during a solar eclipse, during a large platonic shift that caused multiply volcanoes to erupt. Well, in essence, I believe she was attributed to be similar to the gods that cause the weather occurrences. But the Mayans believed the gods were not only responsible for weather. But this particular goddess was like Apollo, the bringer of the sun and Demeter, the moon and all other geological earth phenomenon all wrapped into one."

"What would she have to do with the 2012-?"

"Well, the Mayans wrote into the calendar predicting these things to happen and that they were caused by this woman. Plus, I recently found two more pieces that would suggest that she was also a goddess of animals and death. So she is kinda the ultimate god responsible for all the occurrences at the time."

"Death?"

"Well, yes." She said matter-of-factly. "This new piece is actually acquired by the Smithsonian it's a carving of Aura with bodies surrounding her. It's actually a large piece found within the largest temple in the Mayan city."

"Animals? The woman in the video didn't say anything about animals."

"Well no, it's not as scintillating. She is also depicted with a dog or wolf."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but it may mean she may have had a domesticated dog. Mayans also had domesticated dogs, which were often used to hunt for smaller tribes."

"Hmmm. Pretty brutal."

"Well," the woman tilted her head and shrugged. "I guess apocalypse is pretty brutal."

"I guess," Tabor shrugged and a bit disappointed that they was further away from finding anything than ever.

"Yeah, and they blame it all on women. History repeats itself again."

"Salome!" Her mother called while entering the room, her chiffon gown shuffling loudly with every step it reminded her of when she was a little girl trying to avoid these socialite gatherings. "I've been looking for you everywhere. You can't scare me like that. You are on notice my darling on disappearances."

Tabor sighed and gathered her gown in her hands, "Thank you-"

"Megan. Megan Westwick."

"Tabor-"

"Oh of the Westwick family in Connecticut," Tabor's mom piped.

"Yes. More or less," Megan answered.

"Oh, charmed. I just met your mother this evening."

Megan raised her eyebrow in acknowledgement and plastered a crocked smile Tabor knew all too well.

"Well, come along Salome. There is a young painter just like yourself; I think you should meet him."

"Thanks for letting me see the exhibit Megan," Tabor said.

"No problem, Tabor." The girls waved goodbye while the actress pulled Tabor away heading back towards the hall. 

* * *

The train rumbled down the tracks away from Manhattan swaying left and right with abrupt stops that jolted Tabor in and out of her strong exhaustion. The doors clanked open and closed before the car was yanked forward pulling her into the next seat. The train rattled along the tracks and the loud hum of the air conditioning was deafening. 

Three men walked broke the law by entering the car's emergency exit. They looked like Murray Hill types, white college graduate boys whose parents still paid their rent. They did not have to worry about a thing, they landed a great hedge-fund job and the city was for their taking. Tabor rolled her eyes and sniffled. Her nose was becoming congested by the cold air blowing on her from the train vents. The three boys sat across from her in the nearly vacant car blowing smoke in her direction. Her eyes watered as the smoke further irritated her. A deeply wrinkled Russian woman that had more makeup than a teen learning how to apply it quickly got out of the train as soon as the doors opened. The men chuckled and continued to purposely blow the marijuana smoke in Tabor's direction.

"What's the matter, girl? You don't like weed?" the taller boy said and then nudged his shorter friends. 

Tabor exhaled deeply and looked away from the men, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. She debated getting off before the train travelled over the Manhattan Bridge but she tired and was on the train first, dammit; she was not going to be pushed away.

"What's wrong girl? You all dressed up with nowhere to go?" the other said as soon as the door closed. He stood up, holding on to the middle vertical bar letting the train make him sway around the bar closer to Tabor. 

"Please just leave me alone."

"She wants to be left alone," the third spoke with a distinctive New Jersey accent. "Why are you being so prudish? We know you want to be with us, help you pull you up from your boot straps."

Tabor's contempt began to boil deep inside her. She didn't have to deal with it often but when she had till deal with ignorant and plainly racist people it was always a shock. 

"Come on girl. Have fun with us." The man swaying on the bar said and then with his marijuana butt in hand pushed a lock of her hair out of her face. 

Tabor shock and stood up abruptly. She wasn't even sure of herself how she was going out handle the situation but when the man touched her, complete boldness overtook her. "You are not allowed to smoke on the train."




Mercurial Ends Ch. 06



She then walked to the other end of the train but the men followed hooting as the bounced up and down with the train as it ran through the dark tunnel onto the bridge and then to an abrupt stop.

"Sorry folks, we have stopped because there is train traffic ahead. Please be patience" the train operator announced.

The boys continued to woot and then surrounded Tabor.

"Come on, play with us. Relax, chill, have a little fun. You aren't supposed to be so uptight." The Jersey man said and then grabbed her waist pulling her towards him but she held on to the bar. The Jersey man took a toke of his butt and then swung her hips around with his hand as if to dance with her. "Jamaican me crazy woman."

"Stop! Leave me alone!" She yelled.

"What you going to do?"

Again she remembered these were the types that always got whatever they wanted ever since they were young. Even things that were appalling they were able to get without anyone even batting an eye at their immorality. 

"You got some big black tits, don't you?" The tall man said his hands were reached towards her slowly that seemed to mimic a classic horror film where the villain was ready to choke the screaming woman. Tabor instead heatedly exhaled and then closed her eyes tightly while gritting her teach. "Get your hands off of me."

The man with his hands on her waist only laughed and then she stomped her foot and the boys were pushed away by a blast of energy. She had pushed things away from her, but never an entire human. But this was still the basics of what Shy was teaching her. But something else was rumbling in her.

The men scrambled to their feet and then she felt her anger surge through her again. How dare they try to assault her. She screamed out of pure hate and the subway car ceiling lights exploded sparking like fireworks before darkness. She then approached the men, now boldly playing the part of the monster, her hands reached out to grab one of the men. Only, she simply touched him and he was zapped with bolts electricity that branched out of Tabor's fingers. He laid stunned with his eyes wide in a permanent look of fear. 

The two others came to their friend's aid but Tabor clenched her fist and the entire car began to shake. The massive metal car twisted like ribbons and the men where vulnerable as they rolled around the sides and the ceiling of the train. Tabor had nearly twisted the rolling car off its tracks while it attempted to cross the bridge. 

She then clasped her hands as she had seen the woman in red and yellow do many times in her dream and the entire car began to crumble inwards towards the men. As if a god-like hand squeezed the car into itself, deforming it like foil. She deliberated tightened her clasped hands that then shot her hands out with a push energy that battered the men unconscious with blood poured out of their noises and onto their oxford tops and preppy sweaters. The man that she had stunned came to life and then with a screamed after he had saw what Tabor had done to his friends.

"Please, please don't kill them. Please." He said but table were turned around. Her eyes flashed with bright light and anger, she mentally pushed the Jersey man flinging his body had against the small subway car window. She happened to glance as the train around the train car that she had destroyed yet still connected to the rest of the train struggled to stay on the tracks. Sparks of electical friction accompanied the screeching sound of the wheels on the track. Parts of the floor were exposed to the open air. She saw the river leading out to the ocean below her, the water was turning red, directly around where her subway car shadowed. The red blood of the fish began to boil and Tabor clasped her head felt to the floor. She steadied her thought enough to gather the energy to make it the train reach the next stop safely. 

Once the nearly unaligned train reached the next stop after the bridge, Tabor quickly dashed out of the train and ran desperately out of the station.

"Whoa! Whoa!" a pair of hands caught her and halted her running feet to a stop. "What's wrong, Salome?"

Tabor shook her head in confusion and then realized it was Ilsino who held her back. Ilsino looked down on her, his dark eyes and toothy grin, instead of a demeanor of true concern and interest to match his tone of voice.

"I did something. I don't know how but I did something awful. I almost killed."

"You cannot drink blood or is our little aura longing to embrace her vampire nature."

'I did not suck their blood. It's hard to explain. But I think I ruined the subway car and they will probably be looking for me to explain how I was able to do what I did." Tabor sunk deeper into Ilsino's arms to steady the rising panic. "Oh god! What if they find out what I did and do experiments on me? Oh god, I don't even know what I am or what that means."

"Come on Tabor, why don't you come to my place and sit. Have a little cognac to tend to your nerves and we cans start off where we left off. What do you say?"

"I just want to hide right now. Can I come over?"

"The invitation has already been extended, Lamb. Come on let's take a cab unless you want to destroy that too."

***