FULL SUMMERY: After Anita's confrontation with Marmee Noir, an unknown force comes to her aid, bearing strange gifts and unimaginable powers. Now the hunt is on to find this wayward ally, but is this person such a mystery? Especially when Anita knows who this new friend is all to well, who is bound to her by ancient soul magic likes of which the world has not seen in years. But could this old friend be more that just a friend, who's love and devotion know no bounds. Who can heal the rifts revolving around our favorite supernatural group, who's aura burns like the ancient hum of nature. But most of all, what is she exactly and what does she truly want?

Disclaimer: I don't own Anita Blake, I simply own my original characters Please R&R!

"Friends depart, and memory takes them

To her caverns, pure and deep."- Thomas Haynes

Prologue: Platinum Dreams

Anita...

The dark of night camouflaged the blood, making it look like spilled ink smeared on the walls, floor and windows. While I couldn't see the red substance, I could smell it, thick and coppery in the stale air. And I'm pretty sure it wasn't water I had almost slipped on in running into this room. Hazy silver light from the moon broke through some of the glass, really doing nothing to banish the night. The room was still, eerily quiet. But I knew better, I could smell the perspiration mingling in the rose scented and clean air that I had come to associate with this house. I could taste the inhuman power that had crackled in the air only moments ago, now tense and cautiously hidden in the dark. But I wasn't alone, I wasn't a necromancer for nothing. I could tell there had been a struggle here only a short while ago, and if I was right it was still going on...

I had leaped out of bed and into the night to find the person that had surely been the victim of this fight, our mental bond we shared had shaken in adrenaline and terror. She was someone who had been with me for my whole life, someone who meant a lot to me... The idea that she had been in trouble made my heckles rise in anxiety. If SHE was having trouble with someone than it meant she might need my help. And I could just sense that she was in danger. With my resolve returned, I braced myself for what I would find as I flipped the light switch. The artificial light spilled into the living room, casting the shadows out. The carnage bloomed in a mess of crimson, confirming my suspicions. My stomach turned at the gore, finding two bodies slashed on the floor, on opposites sides of the room, twisted and broken. However, the damages couldn't have been done by a lycanthrope or vampire, for they had been made by a curved blade. A sword kept in this house just in case of serious intruders...

But whatever they were, they were no supernatural creatures I had ever come across, but the conclusion I came too left me shaking my head in disbelief. Their bodies were cut up, and almost unrecognizable, but I took a closer look at them. I jumped back in shock at the conclusion I came to. They couldn't be..!

"ANITA RUN!!" I gaze snapped back to the center of the foyer, finding my friend drenched in blood, sword waved, and looking worse for ware. I had interrupted their battle, and I could only register the form of her last remaining attacker before he charged me, flaming weapon in hand. I had only begin to study judo, I really only had my necromancy to aid me, but I froze like a deer caught in headlights. I couldn't move as cold terror ran down my spine, realizing my skills weren't enough to stop him from killing me. He was alive, seemed immortal, and hell if I could summon a zombie in this condition. He wasn't human either, so dodging or countering his attack using force was useless. I watched as he drew nearer, murder written on his face, bloodlust clouding that cruelly beautiful face.

"ANITA!" The cry followed by a faint sound of whooshing air, a few smudged pictures of movement, the spluttering of flesh being cut, and then silence as his body dropped to the floor, weapon forgotten. I realized I had thrown my arms up in a chance to defend myself, and when she came to touch me in concern her I jerked before realized I who it was. Shaken eyes looked at me in concern and gratitude, and I knew she had known what had driven me to her rental house so late at night. Her soft lips formed in an odd mix of a relived, and thankful smile as she drew me into one of her hugs, hoping maybe to squeeze the fear out of me with her soothing warmth. From those lips she whispered sweet things as she petted my hair soothingly as I cried in her chest like I had when we were little.

"Anita..." She whispered my name gently, in a way only she could make it sound. And it almost sounded like she was about to cry as well. For some reason I knew things were going to change...Things would. The next few days would be tense and unrelenting in paranoia for the both of us. Then three days after she had been attacked, she vanished altogether, leaving me jaded but worried. Over the years I had always wished to see her, hear her voice, not just read the words she wrote me in her short letters. I sealed all connection with her as a way to cope, hoping to forget her.

I wanted to hate her, curse her so much, but knew I could never come to commit the act. She was a piece of me, and without her I felt lost. I told no one of her, our link dead and unused in all these years. I had tried to move on, forget the times we spent together, but as much as I tried to bury them, I knew I would never forget her, all of her. So it came to be she was my only dark secret, just for me to cherish in memory and ache over the loss of a person I loved as family and friend. I don't think I could ever tell my closest of lovers about her...

Suddenly the dream scape shifted violently, ripping me from my special one's embrace, and into the cold fear I had come to associate with Mommy Dearest. The slick taste of jasmine welled on my tongue, the heady scent of rain drowned me as the darkness came alive, and to took the shape of the Mother of Darkness.

"So little necromancer, what secrets do you hide within your heart, that even your dear Jean-Claude does not know? What is it you hide from all else?" She whispered harshly in my ear, causing me to shiver in fear and then I could see her in her room rousing slowly, a room with no windows, meant to seal her darkness in. I felt powerless in her grip, I always had. I screamed as her shadows came to take me, possess me, rip me from all those I knew and loved.

I struggled, I fought with all my beasts, kept calling on my wolf, even my cats. She might be able to use them against me, but I would do almost anything to be free from her. Her darkness couldn't be banished like the shadows of night, for she was the fear, the shadows that dwelled and lived to consume the living. As her power swallowed me, I felt a hint of warmth form in my chest, a flicker of spiritual light that glowed like a candle in the night. But the light grew, its hot white power surging through the darkness, banishing it with its own vicious power. Her shadows screamed in pain as the diamond force ripped her astral projection apart, and wrapped around me like curtains of silk. Like wild fire it kept burning the darkness away as it flowed soft and warm against my soul. It restored me, cradling me as it breathed love and life into me again. I drank its hot energy in, letting it surge through my blood like liquid power, let it lighten my soul with energy and comfort until it shone, leaving no trace of the taint of Marmee Noir's shadow.

I closed my eyes, and fell into its embrace, surrendering to it. A small voice in my head mentioned that being so weak willed was not my thing, that something had sent the silver light to save me. But I ignored it as I floated, the power like warm sunshine on my body, felt the delicate touches of butterfly wings on my face, almost like fingertips. They seemed to cradled my face, to run their fingers through my hair, soft and apologetic. I smelled the spicy scent of ginger and lotus blossom, sweet in its spice, letting me drift in peace. The silver power swirled around me, comforting and protecting me like an ivory cocoon, sweet but strong. It surged around me in liquid waves of soul magic, gently rocking me like the sea back into conscious awareness. I felt like I was being rocked by power made of starlight and moonbeams, guiding me back... The light started to fade, some how urging me towards awareness... It said I needed to wake up, needed to free myself of sleep to regain my strength, that there was something important waiting for me... Someone was waiting for me... Like a breeze the power finally faded, leaving me oddly aching and safe, at last pushing me towards...

I woke with a start to the early morning sunshine of a Sunday morning, two very warm unaware leopards snuggled on each side of me, and a tear stained face. What a way to start a morning. I looked over at the clock and glowered. It was eight o'clock in the fucking morning! Who woke up at 8 o'clock on a Sunday morning?! I laid back down and groaned as the light persisted in getting me out of bed. Even Nathaniel stayed in bed until nine. I finally growled in defeat, surrendering to the mighty sun and rose with care from the bed.

I didn't need two cranky wareleopards groaning at the early hour too. I looked at my two live in sweeties, so beautiful and nude. Nathaniel, a twenty one year old wareleopard stripper at Guilty Pleasures was still growing into his own beauty, transferring from beautiful to being painfully so. He was my animal call, part of my trimutive with Damien, my vampire servant. His vanilla scented amburn hair was loose, ankle length, and was most of the time braided. When he was awake his eyes were a pretty lilac, and his rising dominant attitude kept surprising me every day.

Micah, was my Nimir-Raj to my Nimir-Ra. We ruled the local pard of wereleopards together, and he headed the Furry Coalition to smooth things over with humans and those special people who had a bit extra fur to them. Micah was more my height, and he had a smaller, swimmers build to him. He has some amazing accents as well. His hair was a rich brown, now out of its usual ponytail, and his gold-greenish kitty eyes were rolled to the back of his head as he dozed. I loved them both dearly, I had latched onto them the moment I was safe and sound back from visiting Jason's parents.

It had been a week since all the metaphysical shit had hit the fan, and I was still recovering to speak. The bonds with Jean-Claude had returned full swing, but I still feared Marmee Noir appearing again. She had destroyed the one sign, the one symbol that could keep her at bay, and I had never felt so mentally vulnerable. I grumbled again at the unfairness of my life as I went in search of that life giving elixir, coffee. Only then did I realize with cold terror she had meant to take me again last night, while I was still weak and unprotected. But my ass had been saved again, but by who? I wondered as I padded my way towards the kitchen. I had been saved, protected by that platinum energy, that white fire attack that had gleamed like moonshine, and warmed me like dawn's first light. The ferocity of its power, I had felt, was far greater than one I had ever encountered. But such power, it had seemed so oddly familiar. Like I had seen it before, felt it, drunk its light before, felt its taste of milk and honey, smelled the sweetness of its spice. The same natural scent I had come to place with... I stopped in my tracks and hit myself repeatedly on the head.

Like hell it was time to think of her again.

I still was in a dragon of a mood as I sipped my heavenly coffee, but strayed my glare towards the kitchen clock, reminding me of the early hour I had risen at. Though I was in a bad mood, my body felt good. Better than good actually. Hell, better than I had been in a long time. I felt fucking amazing. There were no aches, no pains from my exploits, not soreness from my activities in bed. I felt like my muscles held some sort of power in them, felt my blood seemingly hum with some kind of new power. An energy that made me feel alive, made me feel powerful, and felt like liquid silk running in my body. My aura had grown, healed in someway that it hadn't before. My metaphysical armor felt renewed, stronger, fortified by pure energy. My shields felt denser, impenetrable.

I hadn't felt this strong in a long time, and I wondered if my lovers had felt this rise in power. It was like being hooked up to a power generator. Feeling alive and empowered was just fine, but I had some suspicions as to where my power boost had come from. That white aura had saved me last night, asked nothing in return, and had vanished without a trace, save its energizing affect from our psychic encounter. I wanted to know who had saved me, maybe even thank them or question them, but I had a sneaking suspicion at who had been behind the interference on my part with Mommy Dearest.

I sighed sadly suddenly. I hadn't thought about her in a while, and I hadn't heard from her either. I had received her last gift to me, but I hadn't gotten any written response with it. Usually she would send a small letter, a gift for special times, like my birthday, Christmas, or in the event of some kind of personal triumph. She had always been untraceable, so unpredictable. At one time she bad been my "guiding star", my "Polaris" as I used to call her in fondness, when we were alone. But that had been before she had to flee from her enemies, leaving me to pick up the pieces of my life and face the black void where she had been.

That had been way back when I had been almost completely human, and life had been simpler. For six years I had hadn't seen her face, for five I hadn't heard her voice and for four, hardly heard anything from her at all. Three counting the shut down mental and soul link between us. That had been our lifeline to each other, and she had cut that off too. I couldn't say that it wasn't called for, seeing as what both our powers and occupations were. It had been done more so for her situation than mine. She had wanted to keep me out of danger, out of the line of fire as those things hunted her.

For four years I hadn't spoken a word of her existence, not even to Jean-Claude or Micah. She was my secret, a promise I kept in the deepest pits of my soul. I had tried numerous ways to find her, but she vanished like the wind, invisible and quick. But she had no troubles tracking me down, often trying to make up for her absence or what she couldn't help in. Often in the shape of a letter, a mysterious message left at the office, sending emergency back up by her own means, or a physical gift meant only for me. But the dream from last night, god I had thought I buried those memories for good.

Apparently not well enough. I could still sense her at times, just certain vibes that leaked out into our link from behind her monster shields that kept me out. It felt nice to know she was alive. I would feel a slight pang of pain if she was tortured or imprisoned, a rush of power as she killed her pursuers. The chained feeling of loneliness and self-hatred she had only for herself.

Her life was like so: run-hide-get captured or tortured or kill and keep running. It drove me crazy just thinking that I could have helped her somehow, try to protect her from her demons for once. But it was always about me, and not her. And for this reason I was so hellbent on finding her. I wanted to love and protect her just as she had and still was doing for my sake. It's not like I wanted her to get tortured on my behalf, like I needed something else to weigh on my soul. I loved her, and would fit her into my life without complaint. She's the only one who I could do that with, and not agonize over it. She was my other half. She had been my best friend, my closest confidant. The good in our relationship outweighed the bad, if there was any, and that soul tug was to damn annoying to ignore anymore. She was always looking out for me though, negating her absence in my life.

The arts she had taught me had come in handy in some of my darkest hours, but I even kept those talents secret. But as I dreamed last night, just as Marmee Noir had been about to truly take me, she had come in a blaze of her own power fighting off my demons as she had once had and had comforted my subconscious enough to be stable when I woke up. In those moments I had felt happy, whole again, something I had missed from our bond. But when I woke up, like a dream she had vanished, all silver and gold gone. She had shut herself away again, light and all, hiding in the dark, leaving only faint traces of her power, the scent of lotus, and my heart aching for my Polaris again.

Now I was haunted again, but not by the taste of jasmine on my tongue but by sweet ginger around me filled with cool starlight and white power. I missed being rocked by her ocean of essence, her aura touching mine. I missed her everything, and that pissed me off more. I was not longer helpless, I had powerful allies and lovers, I had powers of my own now. But that frikin maternal instinct of hers drove her into overdrive and she was now playing martyr when I knew she missed me as much as I missed her. But no matter how angry or frustrated I was I couldn't hate her, couldn't blame her.

She had valid reasons from keeping her troubles away from me. One if I died, she died, since physical survival was a must for most people. But secondly, I just loved her too much. She had been there for me when my family hadn't when my mother had died, she had stood by me when my father had remarried. She had been in my life more than any female influence ever had, had been a mother, sister, best friend, rival, opponent, plushy and teacher to me. She was in a way my soul mate, my other half , the double side to my powers. Our bond was not like a human servant and their master vampire, not like a lycanthrope pack or pard. It ran deeper, down through blood, suffering and power.

She had taught me things Manny had never been able to do, and she had helped stabilize me in so many different way. And with all my new powers, I needed someone to help me finally get a grip on them. But she wasn't here, and I needed her. More importantly I wanted to see her again, get our friendship going again, catch up on old times. Hell even test each others fight skills.

As I finished off the last of my coffee I felt a sudden tug at my power, my aura flared with resistance at the pull. But then it was gone before I could fight or recognize the power signature. It had come from outside... I wrapped my robe around me tighter, and felt the Browning slide into my hand. I approached the door cautiously, thinking protective thoughts about my two snoozing kitty-cats in the next room. I unlocked the door, and peered out. No one was outside, the neighborhood deadly silent as I opened the door wider and walked outside completely. I frowned at my incompetence to stay asleep, and glanced around again. I sensed no danger, no presence at all that was out and about.

I had turned to go inside when my gaze glued itself to the package at my feet. It was a small, shiny ivory box, those expensive jewelry cases that the name brands put their glittering little trinkets in. An icy blue satin ribbon tied the box shut, and it had no marking on it what so ever. It was Sunday, no mail was delivered, unless one of my lovers had dropped it off personally.

But no one had claimed there would be a surprise for me when I woke up. They knew I hated them. I stared at the gift openly, and again looked around in a sort of panic. The gifts had always been delivered when only I was home or sent to the office. This had no identification on it, and I sensed no evil from it. So could she have...? Had she been...? It couldn't be her, she had always made her greetings discreet, random and as impersonal to throw off suspicion of some sort of connection between us.All in one move I had scooped up the pretty package, untied the bow and wrenched the gift box's lid open.

On a burgundy cushion sat a silver and white gold charm, small enough to fit on a bracelet. I gasped at the beauty of the fine craftsmanship, but then again I always had when I received her handmade pieces. The tigress glared up at me, with a slender body and strong eyes of bloody rubies . The socks of her paws, the tips of her ears and tail were white gold, shiny as diamonds in the sunlight. Her silver body was engraved with stripes of smooth tigers eyes, her claws flexed, her mouth seaming watchful, her ruby eyes deadly. Down to the last stripe and claw, this was my tiger beast's form in bejeweled slender. My breaths started to hitch as my right wrist started to itch where a charm bracelet had once jingled softly, but it had been put away for four years, locked up safe to cloak our bond. It had been a precious gift I had always kept close to me, it had been from someone special. I licked my lips as I numbly lifted the small note hidden in the burgundy silk of the gift box. I nearly fainted at the familiar cursive script.

(Paris-Night time)

Miles away, in the lit up city of Paris, the city of love, as night lights blinked merrily a figure watched the night life pass by from below her perch. She suddenly looked to the sky, beholding the full moon and the blinking stars. Tears ran down her face, reflecting the silver light making them look like crystal diamonds falling from her eyes. She painfully closed her eyes as she felt the bond, felt her little one safe and shocked at her end while her side was dead and sealed shut. She gasped at the sudden pain in her heart like a dull ache, and looked at the moon again. It was time... Full lips smiled gently, in a sad watery smile.

"Anita..." She whispered the name in a cracked voice, and with reverence as if it was something great. But her whisper was lost to the wind, blown and scattered to the shadows of the dark. Her sobs were silent and painful, and she allowed herself to feel the pain, the torture because she knew she deserved it.