Author's Note
Hi guys! I love the Strange Angels series and decided I needed a continuation, and I had some ideas…and a computer. Haha. But anyway suggestions and reviews are awesome! You know the drill!
Disclaimer: I unfortunately own utterly nothing but this plot and the characters I create.
-Hope
"Push kochana, you almost had me that time." the aspect slid through Christophe's dark hair, lighting it with blond professional looking highlights. I snarled something nasty and lunged again, using my anger to my advantage, Graves leaving? My malika whirled, narrowly missing Christophe. Dad dying? So close. My mother dying? I hit him square in the chest with my right leg, sending him sprawling backwards. I followed him down, white hot rage pushing me on. I was so angry all the God damn time. He leapt up, fangs at his bottom lip, smiling at me cruelly, willing me to advance by the way he precariously placed his feet.
I was breathing hard, but went into first form anyway. Think in circles. Christophe's voice, calm and confident ringing through my head. He smiled again and leapt, I rolled to the side, holding my malika so I wouldn't stab myself. I bounced up, fangs protruding from behind my lip, aspect like a rubber band over my skin. And I felt good, pretty fucking invincible. No more losing my balance or second guessing myself, I was going to kick every suckers ass I went up against and Christophe was helping make damn sure of that.
"Come at me Dru." and so I did. I tucked, rolled, lunged, and swung, backing him up to the wall of the gym, and then he started answering my strikes with his own, hawthorn meeting hawthorn, the sound echoing through the large otherwise empty gym at the Prima Schola. We hit again, each knocking into each other and sending the other falling back. I hit the mat with a dull thud and fought to catch my breath. Christophe lopped over gracefully, and to my delight was actually breathing heavily, although not sweating. "Dru, milna, are you okay? "
I coughed and blinked my blue eyes. "Peachy." He cracked a grin and held out his hand, which I took. He hauled me to my feet and appraised me.
"You're getting better."
I snorted. "Since you say that every day, Chris, I might actually start believing you."
He shook his head, aspect sliding away. "Go to the baths Dru, I have to take you to aspect mastery soon." We both knew my schedule but I didn't want to go in the locker room by myself, I would be left alone with my thoughts and nothing else to keep me from thinking about my screwed up life.
"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, stalking off to the locker room, mood already plummeting.
Graves left you last week. That was my first thought when I gingerly sank down into the tub filled with not water. He promised he'd come back, I reminded myself sourly, leaning back and making sure my hair didn't get in the stuff. It felt mighty nice but was a bitch to get out of my hair when I took a shower. But what if he doesn't come back? I'd get left behind again, story of my pitiful life.
I was so tired of being left behind like a suitcase, wondering if anyone would come back for me. Christophe always comes back, that tiny nagging voice in the back of my head shouted. And then there was Nat, who was my only girlfriend, who had told me she would've come and helped kick Sergejs ass if I'd asked. She never even left.
I yawned as the adrenaline faded and the aspect retreated. And I still have classes, I thought bitterly and shifted my now larger hips on the seat, trying to find a more comfortable position. My bed sounded nice, my God the sheets and comforter. Yep, I was going to skip aspect mastery, and since a psycho vampire king wasn't trying to kill my anymore I thought I deserved the little nap break. It's not like I slept when I was supposed to anyway. Tired and pissed off all the time, what a great combination, Dru. If Christophe or any of the council for that matter found out I wasn't sleeping they would try to fix it, guaranteed.
Water pounded my back as I stood in the shower, the goopy stuff from the tubs sliding down the drain. Screw a bed, I'll just sleep in here. My eyelids drooped dangerously and I leaned against the wall. It was those damn nightmares, everything I didn't want to see I got an up close viewing of them, and it sucked. True seeins that's what Gran would call them, but did I really want to believe I was watching what Sergej did to Graves? Or how he killed my mother, or the terrible things he did to Christophe? My skin tingled and goose bumps rose on my arms, somehow those had been the worst so far.
"Dru!" Christophe's voice, muffled from the door.
"What?" I demanded, leaning my head back against the wall.
"You're going to be late, hurry up!"
"Just leave, I'll be out in a minute, damn."
I could almost hear him rolling his eyes at me. "Kochana, you know damn well I can't do that. If you aren't out in two minutes, I'm coming in there."
"Fine, fine, fine. Jesus Christ." With a sigh Dylan and Bruce would've been proud of I shut the water off and wrapped myself in a fluffy white towel they pretty much only use at Spas. I know, Nat dragged me to one after Graves left. My heart fell with a pang. Nice one Dru, any other blows you wanna throw in there? Feet practically dragging I tugged on my jeans, which is no easy feat when you just get outta the shower, trust me, by the time I was ready, Christophe barged in. "Guess my two minutes is up." I said sarcastically, throwing my towel on the counter where I always put it.
"You look dead on your feet." He stated matter-of-factly and was in front of me, inhuman speed coming in handy for all intense of purposes. He took my chin in his hands and studied my face, eyes lingering on the bags under my eyes. "Have you been sleeping?"
I snorted, taking in a whiff of his baked apple pie smell. "Define sleeping."
"Nightmares?" He asked regrettably stepping back and releasing my chin. "Of course they're nightmares. Have you thought about talking to the Maharaji? Since you're part of them to?"
I wrinkled my nose. "Thanks for the happy reminder, Chris, and no. What are they even gonna do about it?"
"Who knows? I'm not Maharaji. I'll cancel you're classes today after I take you to your room. You're more likely to die when you're tired." There's Christophe, blunt as always.
"You're seriously gonna cancel my classes for today?"
He eyed me up and down and cracked one of those rare smiles that made my heart skip a beat. "You would've fallen asleep anyway. Come on milna, let's get you into bed." I could've wept with gratitude.
"Christophe?"
"Hm?" He replied as we made our way to my room.
"Thank you." He looked at me slightly shocked and then smiled again. Twice in one day? Dru, you're getting good at this.
"You're welcome Dru. It's better than you trying to sneak off without me." Guilt hit me fiercely despite my sleepiness.
"Christophe, it's just I can't stand-"
"Being stuck inside one more fucking minute or I'm gonna go God damn psychotic. I know, we've discussed this before." He was right, we had. "But there are going to be more things that want to hurt you, if I could I wouldn't do this to you, Dru, I wouldn't. There will be another king again, and you need to be well trained just in case." He was right, he was always right.
I threw up my hands in an exasperated gesture. "I can-"
"Take care of yourself, sometimes." He fixed me with a look which I returned with a glare.
"I really wish you'd stop doing that."
"Anything for you, Milady." I glowered at his smirk and kept walking, deciding maybe he was right after all.
"Smart ass." I muttered under my breath with a practically imperceptible roll of my eyes, but God forbid one thing gets past Christophe.
He chuckled darkly under his breath and kept going. My room was my mother's old room, light where mine at the reform Schola had been dark, with skylights. The whole nine yards I guess. But instead of my mother living there it was me. When we got into my room I kicked off my shoes and plopped myself on the comfy bed, my mother's locket landing hollowly against my collarbone. Christophe eyed me from across the room. "What?" I asked, not finding it weird at all that he was still in here, baring my door.
He wrinkled his perfect symmetric face at my attire. "You're going to sleep in your clothes?" Well I could sleep naked…I swallowed the comment and shrugged against the bed.
"It really doesn't make an impression on me anymore. Are you staying or going?" Even though the question was obvious by him baring the door, I still asked, just to hear him say it.
"Staying kochana." I rolled over to hide my blush and let my eyes close as he walked around the room, making sure the window was locked before settling down next to me. That was the only time I really slept, with Christophe was next to me….or when Graves was. And with that thought I drifted into unconsciousness as I asked Christophe not to leave. He whispered something I didn't catch as sleep pulled me under.
