1
Although she was fine by outward appearances, Tria felt incredibly tired after the alley, almost like the experience had drained her energy. The next day was spent in bed, with Tria usually sleeping, but more often than not, lying with Ash as he held her.2
On the second day, Ash held her against him in the shower, letting the warm water cascade over her body, trying to awaken some sense of her former self. Her eyes closed at the warmth of the water, and the hardness of the body against hers as he gently ran a washcloth over her back.3
Helping her out and wrapping a huge fluffy towel around her, Ash used his powers to dry her hair before scooping her up and easily carrying her to the bed. Laying her down, he hid a frown as she rolled over and stared at the wall.4
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t keep my eyes open.”5
Lying on the bed, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. “Rest,” he said. He inhaled as she rolled over and cuddled into him, her bare skin warm against his. 6
“You should go,” she slurred in an exhausted voice. “I’m sure you have more important things to do.”7
“It’s all right,” he whispered. “It can wait.” 8
Her eyes opened and he saw absolutely clarity in the black orbs. “Don’t place things on hold for me,” she said. “I’m going to be sleeping, and unless you know that the Gallu and Daimons are going to stop killing until I’m up, then you best get moving.”9
This was becoming a little too surreal for Ash, and compared to his life, that was saying a lot. Women never pushed him out of the beds, not even ones that could barely keep their eyes open. 10
“Okay,” Ash said, not wanting to argue with her. “Simi will be upstairs if you need her. Don’t leave the property.” He put a finger on her lips when she started to refuse. “Please. And don’t try to shoot fire at Simi to get her to let you out. It won’t work.”11
“Get going,” she whispered slowly. “You’re hogging the bed.”12
Ash couldn’t help but laugh as he gave her a kiss on the forehead, then rolled off the bed. He stood as Tria stretched out completely, and immediately fell to sleep. 13
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~14
“How hard is it to kill one human?!” Kessar stared at the Gallu in front of them. He switched his glare to the lone Daimon that stood as far as he could from the others without being disrespectful. “Any answers?”15
The Daimon took a moment to compose a response that wouldn’t earn him a sharp jab to the chest. “As you are aware,” he started in a neutral voice, “Dark-Hunters are vicious creatures that are created to kill. It is not easy to remove one.”16
“I hadn’t noticed,” Kessar said, his voice thick with sarcasm. “I had hoped that this legendary animosity between Daimons and Hunters would be enough to spur your kind into some sort of action beyond running.” He turned thoughtful. “Maybe you’ve grown soft since our members last fought.”17
“Did you get this Huntress’s address from the Gallu that failed to kill her?” the Daimon asked pointedly, ignoring the obvious sarcasm in the demon leader’s words. 18
“If you want her address,” Kessar said with forced patience, “then follow her home.” 19
Sensing dangerous ground, the Daimon gave a brief nod, then summoned a bolthole to wisk him away to the much preferred surroundings of Kalosis.20
Kessar stared as the blue light from the bolthole faded, then growled deep in his throat. “I want that woman dead,” he said to no one in particular. “Kill her in her home if you have to. I don’t care.”21
~~~~~~~~~~~~22
Ash covered a yawn with the back of his hand as he walked down the streets of yet another city, on the lookout for more Gallu. Since leaving Tria in Simi’s care, he had visited nearly all of the Dark-Huntresses, staggering his trips so he could arrive during the night in their locations. Having basically circumnavigated the Earth, he was now in Seattle, with about an hour to kill before the sun set. 23
He thought as he walked, his brain rapidly going through all the information he had gotten from the Huntresses, cataloguing their complaints for a later time, and concentrating on strange activities. 24
Only about half had come into contact with a Gallu, while a few more were not sure. There may have been something suspicious about a few people they encountered, but there was nothing concrete enough to prompt an attack or killing. The rest of the female Hunters had encountered and even killed Gallu. 25
By mapping it out in his mind, Ash could see that the Gallu preferred heavily populate regions, near places where there were underground areas they could escape to. Las Vegas had the original caverns, New York had underground transit tunnels, as did London and Paris.
In downtown Seattle, Washington, there was a network of subterranean basements and passageways known as the Seattle Underground. The one-time ground level for the city before the 1889 fire that destroyed thirty-three city blocks, the area was an ideal place to scope out in case Gallu thought it the perfect location to set up residence. There had been a posting to the Dark-Hunter web site from a Seattle Hunter, stating that he had chased what he believed to be a Gallu, but had lost the demon, so all he had were suspicion and guesses.
Quickening his pace, Ash wondered if he had enough time to check out a few things with the uinderground before dusk. That way, he would be able to meet with the Huntress he had come to see, listen to her usually long list of complaints and then leave.
The daughter of an Amazon Queen, Zoe was quick-tempered, impatient, and held a skill that put her slightly above more than a few of her male counterparts. Diana, the other Seattle Huntress, was just as deadly as Zoe, but held more of a peace-maker role in her decisions. After Ash’s meeting with Zoe, he planned on dropping in on Diana, who would more than likely have no complaints…that she wanted to air, that is.
Walking past one of the openings to the underground, Ash concentrated and felt out with his powers to see if he could sense anything that shouldn’t be there. He could feel a lot of homeless in the tunnels, but none really felt out of place from such a large city. Maybe luck was with him for once, and the Gallu had yet to move into the Pacific Northwest.
Yeah. Lucky. That was his middle name… not! He knew it would only be a matter of time before the demons made their way here either by relocating or by infecting. Deciding to wait for Zoe, he headed across the street to one of the seemingly bazillion Starbucks coffee shops that were littered throughout Seattle. Zoe, if nothing else, was a creature of habit, and one of her biggest habits was her need for an extra large coffee fix before she started patrolling. This was her area, and this particular shop held her as one of their favorite customers.
Picking a seat near the back so he could see the door and the rest of the coffee shop, Ash settled in to wait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 26
Simi tapped her long fingernails on the coffee table, then got up from the couch, walked around the living room, then sat back down.27
“The Simi is bored,” she said to the empty room, pouting in annoyance and just for something to do. Grabbing a magazine from the end table, she flipped through it, putting it back before the pages finished turning. 28
She thought it would be easy to essentially baby sit someone that was sleeping while Ash was gone, although she hadn’t counted on how boring it would be. She’d already watched more than enough television, and although there was the shopping channel, she didn’t want to watch because she couldn’t buy anything. Alexion had hidden her credit cards on her, again, and until her Akri came back, she was broke. 29
So, instead of watching and fretting over things she couldn’t buy, she decided that not watching and making up for it later was the better thing to do. Besides, Ash had trusted her to look after someone, and Simi always listened to her Akri…usually.30
But Akri had been gone a long time, and Tria was still sleeping, and none of that was helping Simi at all with her boredom. Maybe Tria would wake up soon, then Simi would have someone to talk with, and find out just what was going on between the Huntress and her daddy. 31
~~~~~~~~~~~~~32
Ash felt her presence even before she walked into the coffee shop, and leaned back in his seat with an unconcerned look on his face as he waited for her to enter. The door swung open, admitting an amazingly beautiful woman. At six foot five, courtesy of five-inch steel-spiked boots, she had long auburn hair that fell in a braid to her waist. Zoe took a look around the interior of the coffee shop, her gaze pausing ever so briefly on Ash before continuing to take in the rest. She walked to the counter, ordered a venti-sized coffee, then sauntered over to take the seat across from Ash.33
“What the hell’s going on?” she asked, pausing to take a sip from her coffee. “One squire goes missing, and suddenly it’s lockdown on the rest?”34
Ash stared at her through his glasses, wondering what the hell she was talking about. A quick check through her mind provided the information needed. Squire councils in various areas had taken to temporarily securing their charges until it could be discovered what information the Gallu had gotten from Trinity. “That was a preemptive measure, Zoe,” he said easily. “The missing squire turned up, infected, and had to be… dealt with.”35
“Nasty,” Zoe replied, sucking back more coffee. “My own squire has taken to carrying a few lighters with him wherever he goes… and he doesn’t smoke.”36
“Smart guy,” Ash said, knowing it would annoy the Amazon. “Seen anything strange lately?”37
“It’s Seattle, man,” she replied. “Strange is an everyday occurrence.”38
“Then think beyond the ordinary.”39
“Nothing,” she leaned to the side like she was ready to stand. “Is that it? I have a lot of territory to cover before my coffee runs out.” 40
Annoyed at her attitude, but not really in the mood to verbally spar with the Amazon, Ash waved her away with a slight flick of his hand. 41
Zoe stood gracefully, then looked down at him. “How’s Tria handling it?” 42
“She’s strong.”43
“Giving her comfort, are you?”44
Ash stared at her through the dark lenses of his glasses. Had it been anyone else but Zoe, he would have been royally pissed at her sarcastic remark. As it stood, the Amazon had always held a forced civility when it came to Ash, and over the millenniums, they had settled into a corrosive association. “Your sarcasm never ceases to amaze me,” he said in a light voice. “No, I mean it.” He got up and walked past her to the door.45
“Never answered the question,” Zoe called after him. 46
“If I thought it worthy of a reply, then I would have given you one,” Ash said as he pushed open the door and casually walked outside. Crossing the street, he ended up back at the entrance to the underground. He could feel Zoe as she exited the coffee shop, and headed in the opposite direction from where he was walking. 47
Still not feeling anything strange from the underground, he continued walking. Passing by a newsstand, he slowed to look at the various headlines from various sources. Plucking the Daily Inquisitor off the rack, he paid for it, then walked away as he leafed through the pages in search of a headline that had been on the front.
Run by Leo Kirby, the trash/gossip magazine was designed to kept their paranormal world hidden by posting mostly nonsense stories, with a bit of the truth hidden between such gems as ‘Man cuts of head while shaving’, and ‘Elephant births triplet humans’. Leo, the Squire Regis, or Head, for Seattle, loved his job, and loved wording things in a way that it would be totally unbelievable to those that didn’t know it was the truth.48
Ash, however, knew the headline he was searching for to be the truth. Reaching the correct page, he stopped walking and read through the article quickly. ‘Space Zombie Haunts Local Park’. The article, about a ‘space zombie’ chasing local university students, also described how a leopard attacked the zombie, chasing him off before disappearing himself. Shaking his head, Ash closed the paper and shoved it into one of the pockets on his long jacket. 49
He knew the zombie was more than likely a Gallu, and the leopard would be none other than the Dark-Hunter Ravyn Kontis, who was also a shape shifting Were-Hunter. Since Leo had printed the article, he more than likely knew that Gallus might be in the area, and had that had been the reason behind the recent temporary lockdown of Squires.50
Making a mental note to contact Leo Kirby after he had checked in with the Huntress Diana, Ash decided to take a walk through the park mentioned in the article to check things out.51
~~~~~~~~~~~~52
Still feeling completely wiped out, Tria forced herself off of the bed and slowly stood. Her body protested, but she put one foot in front of the other and shuffled to the bathroom. Getting into a cold shower helped clear some of the fog from her mind, enabling her to function enough to brush her hair and teeth, then get dressed. 53
Checking the clock, Tria decided to try to make it up to the main level and maybe find something to eat. The stairs proved to be more difficult than she anticipated, and she stopped halfway up and stared at the door at the top. Not really sure why her body and mind were so unbelievably tired, she concentrated on one step at a time and finally pushed the door open to the kitchen. 54
“Finally!”55
Tria jumped at the voice, and grabbed at the door to keep from tumbling back down the steps. Moving, she closed the door, and stared as Ash’s demon stood in front of her, bouncing in restrained excitement. 56
“Is you feeling better?” Simi asked.57
“I think so,” Tria replied slowly, her voice cracking with fatigue. “I’m just really tired.”58
Placing her hands on her hips, Simi studied her from head to toe, then back again. “The Simi thinks it’s Tria’s bodies way of dealing with nearly dying.” She nodded, certain of her diagnosis. “Dark-Hunters have different reactions to it, and this is yours.”59
Tria had to smile at the exuberance and seriousness of the woman in front of her. “I think I need some food,” she said. “Would you like something to eat?”60
“Yes, please,” Simi chirped. “But maybes the Simi can makes something for you. I knows how to make the most excellent biscuits.” 61
“That sounds…excellent.” Tria sighed lightly and looked at the archway leading to the rest of the house. “I’ll just dig into my chocolate until then.” 62
Simi walked to a cupboard, pulled out a chocolate bar, and handed it to her. “Can the Simi ask something?”63
“Thanks,” Tria said, “And sure.”64
“What’s you doing with Akri?”65
Blinking slowly, Tria looked into eyes that seemed too innocent to believe. “Honestly, Simi, I think that is something you should ask Ash.”66
“Okays.” Simi turned and started looking through the cupboards for her ingredients. “Oh,” she said without looking. “Akri said for you to stay here until he gots back.”67
“No problem there,” Tria said as she walked to the living room. “I’ll be lucky if I get to the couch before dawn.” Shoving the tiredness down, she made it to the couch a lot sooner than expected, and stared at it. Sitting in the chair by it instead, she perched on the edge so she wouldn’t be tempted to snuggle into it and fall to sleep. 68
Opening the chocolate bar, Tria took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flavor just didn’t appeal to her somehow and she stared at the floor in confusion. One of the last conversations she had with Trinity ran through her mind, and she clenched her eyes at the way she had acted. A stupid tantrum over chocolate. And now her squire was dead. 69
The two events weren’t related, but Tria couldn’t shake the guilt she had as her actions and words repeated over and over again; especially the part of her throwing a fireball at Trinity in anger.70
Her fatigue slowly being replaced by regret, Tria tried to shake both off. Her life was full of events that could make the heartiest of beings stop in their tracks, and she had to get used to such things. She was a Huntress, one of the immortals that protected the unsuspecting, and as such, would more than likely outlive nearly every human she knew, or would know. 71
It was a sobering thought, but one that her mind and body needed to be thinking of. Laying around in bed sulking and moping would do nothing for her, and she had to pull herself out of that state of being. Then again, lying around in bed had recently become a rather entertaining prospect, and one that she fully intended to take advantage of while it lasted. 72
Speaking of Ash, well, at least thinking of him, she wondered what he was doing. She hadn’t wanted him to leave, and would rather he stayed in her bed for the remainder of his time, but she refused to be clingy. She knew and accepted that their time was limited, and didn’t want to do anything to mar it, or ruin the good-byes that would signify the end. 73
Reaching down for the guitar on the stand beside her leg, she paused at a sound coming from the kitchen area. The pounding was short lived, and soon replaced by some rather nice singing. Smiling at the seemingly naïveté of Simi, Tria picked up the guitar, and listening to the words coming from the kitchen, started playing along to ‘Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart’ by Janis Joplin.74
~~~~~~~~~~~~75
Stalking through the park, Ash kept his quarry in sight as he checked out his surroundings. The person ahead stumbled through the park, his pace and gait a little too precise to be someone who was drunk or high. 76
Grimacing, Ash quickened his pace as the person’s head jerked to the side at a noise coming from another path. People could be heard laughing as they walked, then sound coming closer. Ash watched as the being in front of him changed, his face morphing from human to something straight from a thousand nightmares. 77
Within a second, Ash moved from where he was, appearing directly behind the Gallu. The laughter was coming closer, and needing to keep them from stumbling upon what would soon be a fight between two mythical creatures, Ash waved a hand, creating a dense fog that immediately surrounded them. 78
Turning, the Gallu snarled and lunged at Ash, who merely took a step to the side, and pivoted, tripping the demon. Motioning, he sent a gold bolt straight to the head, bringing the fight to an end before it started, and bringing the Gallu population down by one. 79
He could hear the people in the park as they talked over the fog, trying to scare each other with stories about what could happen in the mist. Ignoring them, Ash quickly set fire to the Gallu, using his powers to mask the scent of the flames and the burning body. Soon, all that was left was a small scorch on the grass that showed anything had even happened. 80
Looking around, Ash reached out, trying to sense more Gallu in the area. He knew that if there was one, then there could be more. Picking up on the feeling of at least three more in the area of the park, he closed his eyes to locate them. To make matters worse, the people were still in the general area, laughing and making themselves prime Gallu bait. Overhearing one bit about Seattle vampires, Ash smiled slightly as his eyes turned a blood red. He let his hair turn to its natural blonde, and then transported himself to where the laughter was. 81
The sight of a six foot eight man with glowing red eyes, wild blonde hair whipping around him by an invisible wind, and fags bared was enough to stop a group of college student in their tracks, and then send them off screaming and running out of the park. Quickly changing back to his normal appearance, Ash tried not to feel guilt about scaring those he had vowed to help as he set off to track down more Gallu.82
~~~~~~~~~83
Standing outside a large fence, three Gallu looked for a way to get over the top. The road that ran by the property was empty of traffic, with only the occasional vehicle passing by. They had walked the entire perimeter, looking for some way in, and had to finally admit that the place held some rather strong security. 84
They had already tried a code on the gate that had been supplied to them, but were not surprised to find that it did not work. The system had no doubt been changed in the past week or so. Climbing the wall was also out of the question, the smooth walls not giving up any places for hand or foot holds. Adding to the problem was the obvious electrical current that coursed through a network of wires that ran the entire top of the fence.85
If it came to it, they would wait in the wooded area across the road for someone either entering or leaving, and rush the gate before it had time to close. The Dark-Huntress may have been able to defeat one Gallu, but they doubted she would be able to take on three at once. 86
~~~~~~~~~~87
Tria chewed the biscuit she had bitten into, surprised at how something so heavy could be chewy and crunchy at the same time. She could see Simi watching as she swallowed.88
“Good, huh?”89
Tria smiled. “I can honestly say that I have never tasted anything like it.” Sitting it down on the small plate in front of her, she picked up her tea and took a drink. 90
A small flash from the direction of the kitchen, followed by the footsteps walking in their direction prompted both to look. Simi was at the door the same moment Ash walked through, and gave him a big hug, which he returned. 91
“Everything all right?” he asked, his deep voice completely relaxed. He looked over Simi’s head at Tria, giving her a smile that brought a blush to her cheeks. His eyes fell on the biscuit in front of her, and he gently shook his head. Whispering something to Simi, he cringed as she squealed in delight, then vanished.92
“Been awake long?” he asked.93
“Couple hours.” Tria watched as he slowly walked around the living room, his path bringing him directly behind where she was sitting. She resisted the urge to turn to see where he was. “Productive trip?”94
“Unfortunately, yes.” Ash stopped just to the left of her and placed his hands on the back of the chair above her head. “Most metropolitan areas now have some sort of Gallu presence, and it’s growing.”95
“That sucks.”96
“Literally.” He stared at the back of her head for a few moments, then continued. “You’re going to have to be relocated.”97
Tria finally turned to look at him. “Why?” she asked slowly.98
“They know where you are.”99
She stared at him while a few scenarios ran through her mind, each one trying to figure out how anyone could know where she lived. In each instance, she could only come to one conclusion. “Trinity told them where I lived.” She stood and looked at him. “Where do Simi go?”100
~~~~~~~~~101
Appearing just outside the property wall, Simi took a quick look around, smiling in delight when she saw three figures ahead of her, and coming her way. She had been excited when her Akri whispered that there were three Gallu poking around the property, and asked her to dispose of them. 102
After her babysitting, she was hungry, and there was nothing she liked more than a crunchy barbecued snack. The Gallu stopped in slight shock at seeing her, then changed into demon form as they approached. 103
Covering a yawn with her hand, Simi rolled her eyes. “You guys are not scary,” she said, her voice carrying a petulant tone. “I’ll shows you scary.” Morphing so fast that it seemed like a mini explosion, Simi’s appearance changed to that of her true Charonte demon form. 104
The Gallu stopped in their tracks at the sight of seeing one of the reason they had been created. In her full demon look, with blood red skin, black lips, hair, wings and claws, the Charonte made an appealing target. 105
“Come gets some,” Simi taunted. “Oh, waits, where’s my manners.” Flapping her wings, she lifted from the ground and flew at them. “Ladies first!” Wrapping herself around one, she ripped into his neck, tearing most of it out, before turning to the others. 106
Feeling rather disgusted that the new generation of Gallu didn’t really seem to know how to fight, she tried to give them a little advantage of letting the remaining two attack at once. Within ten seconds though, three Gallu lay dead in front of her, and she got down to the ultra-serious business of setting them on fire so they would be nicely roasted for her early morning snack. 107
~~~~~~~~~108
“Where did Simi go?” Tria repeated. 109
“Out.” Ash walked around the chair and stood in front of her. “I asked her to take care of a few things. She should be back soon.” He raised a hand and rain his fingers along her cheek. “How are you doing?”110
“Still tired, but manageable.” Tria took a step back from him, which brought a frown to his lips. “Without trying to change topics on me, or being vague, I would like for you to tell me exactly why I have to be located.”111
Closing his hand into a slight fist, Ash regarded her calmly. She had a lot of will power, he’d give her that. “Because the Gallu know where you are, and it will only be a matter of time before they find a way over the wall.”112
“So, I’ll remain inside, or use my other exit.” 113
“When you get another Squire, they’ll immediately become a target.” Ash knew it wasn’t the best thing to say, but it was what Tria needed to hear to bring some reality to the subject. 114
“Then I won’t get another squire.”115
Nodding slightly, Ash pulled out the ultimate card in his imaginary deck. “Then how about because I’m asking you to.”116
Tria’s rebuttal was forgotten with the emotion he delivered with that line. Although he said it neutrally, she could hear the underlying worry he held. “What’s to stop them from following me?” she asked quietly.117
“You move, we pack you up, and ship it out all at once to some random location, where it sits for a while before being sent to you.” He sighed. “If it were Daimons that found you, it would still be the same thing. Once they have a location on a Hunter, then life for all those around that area becomes limited.” 118
“Fine,” she sighed in defeat.119
“It won’t be for a few days,” he said. “It will have to be someplace they wouldn’t expect.”120
Sitting back in the chair, Tria leaned forward and placed her head in her hands. “Anywhere…wherever,” she said. “Just as long as I can wake up some evening and find this freaky nightmare far behind me.” 121
Walking around from behind the chair, Ash went to the couch and sat down. As soon as his body made contact, he realized how tired he was, and wished that Simi would hurry up with her playing so that he could get some sleep. “I’ll get more security on your perimeter until then,” he said, covering a yawn. “Sorry. Tired.” Standing before he got too comfortable, he looked down at her. “I think I’m going to go to bed. Care to join me?”122
“I’ve slept enough,” Tria said, and had the perverse pleasure of watching the expression that crossed his face. “Unless you weren’t referring to sleeping?”123
“No, I wasn’t,” Ash replied dryly. 124
“In that case, yes, I’ll join you.”
Ash held his hand out, helping her to her feet, then led her out of the living room. Simi. I’m going to sleep. When you’re done, go back to Katoteros. I’ll call you tomorrow morning.
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Comments
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ooh! i love the sexy endings to chapters- those are probably the best cliff hangers ever created!
so anywhos, great chapter as always, i found it very uplifting in a way- not sure if that has to do with the increased siminess or the way that ash and trias relationship has grown... -
Way to Go!
This has to be one of the best stories I've read on SW so far. It kept me interested through the entire chapter, and even thought this is the only chapter I've read so far, I feel like I know everything that has happened. I expect nothing from this chapter, because I do not know what to expect yet![which is a good thing] and the chemistry between Ash and the main character is great, I really can't wait to see what happens next!
Great job and keep up the good work!
Summer
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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This is a really great story! I haven't finished reading it yet (stupid work) but definately bookmarking it! Keep it up!
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"most excellent biscuits!" Those buscuits seem to pop up in a couple of your stories.
Another excellent chapter, but not much of a comment since I am rushing to read the whole thing with my limited library time.
beginning: 4, language: 4, plot: 5, ending: 4, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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