Hey hey, let me know what you think of this chapter. :D REVIEW please.

Hunted

"Look, Meatball head… I'm sorry I just yelled at you. I don't mean to. Forgive me?" As I stared into those deep blue orbs I felt all of my previous feelings towards him melt away. I didn't hate him at all, I really did care about him and I wanted to be friends. More than friends but still… after so many years, how could we just move away from enemyhood?

"Yeah, I forgive you… you're right I've had a rough morning. Thank you for understanding and giving me a place to stay." He smiled genuinely then nodded and stood. How confusing he was. I mean, how many guys are mean to women that they love? "Hey, jerk face?" I asked as he went to step out of the room.

"Yes meatball head?" He turned and looked at me with a calm smile and a relaxed demeanor. I wanted so badly to just throw myself in his arms but I wouldn't I was well aware of the fact that I was what one would consider "vulnerable".

"Thank you again." I smiled and for a brief moment he seemed as though he was deep in thought. Finally he nodded and left the room allowing me a moment to look around. The room I was in was fairly large and the king sized bed fit perfectly within it. The room was completely white, the carpet, the walls, even the bedspread was white! The one thing that lent itself to color was the wall made up or large floor-to-ceiling windows that revealed a panoramic view of the city. Sighing, I stepped forward and thought about everything that had happened and had yet to happen. I imagined that soon, the police would discover the truth, then I would be hunted. There would most likely be a missing persons report or something. The whole city would be searching for me soon… then… when Darien saw the reports he'd accuse me of lying. The whole thing looked bleak. Perhaps I really did have to leave town, maybe I should just leave and not tell a soul where I'm going.

For some reason the thought of leaving this apartment, leaving Darien, hurt me greatly. When did I let myself become so attached to him? I wondered then turned back to the large bed. That thought would have to wait for a later time because I was definitely tired. I would stay as long as I could then, if I had to leave, I would.

Walking through the park under the full moon I paused at the cold concrete bench that offered my feet some well-needed rest. I had been walking all night, thinking of what to do. As I sat down a voice interrupted my thoughts, it was a soft masculine voice, one that I knew well. Looking up I saw Diamond smiling at me, his eyes almost black in the dark night. "Hey Diamond. Why are you out so late?"

"I'm looking for you. Serena… come away with me." He held out his hand and seemed to wait for my response. I simply shook my head. Running wouldn't solve anything. No matter where I went I would be hunted. They knew about me. "Serena…they're looking for you. Come away with me, I can keep you safe, I can hide you. I've hidden from them for so long I know how to." He tried to reassure me.

"I can't go Diamond. My friends and family are here. I don't want to be so far away from them… I know it's stupid, I know they'll find me but I won't go quietly." I stared into his eyes and saw an unhappy frown wash over his face.

"You don't understand Serena. The normals aren't the ones looking for you. You're being hunted by other Aberrants. I have searched for you for a long time and now that I've found you I'm not going to let them take you away." I gasp as he grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his eyes. "You want to come with me Serena. We could be great together. We could rule the entire earth with the power that rests between us… don't you see that?" I swallowed and closed my eyes so he couldn't persuade me. I knew of his powers now and I wouldn't let him in. He tried desperately to break into my mind but finally relented and backed off. "Serena, your beacon has been sent. They are coming for you and when they find you… I'm not sure what they're going to do. I only ask that you love me and come with me."

"Love you?" I stared at him in shock. What made him think I felt anything towards him, much less love? "I don't love you Diamond. I'm sorry but I don't." He narrowed his eyes and moved his other hand to my forehead, his pointer finger pressing on me. A black symbol that looked like a down turned crescent appeared on his forehead as I felt a warm sensation on my own forehead. "What is this?" I asked in hesitation.

"We are opposites Serena. Don't you see? We have the same powers, light versus dark. That is how the world balances itself out, we are meant for one another. Two parts of a whole. Together we can't be found, our beacons cancel and no one can detect us. Not even those who hunt us. If you come with me Serena, you will be safe." He removed his finger and materialized a mirror. Sure enough I saw the inverse of his symbol on my own forehead. Mine was golden and glowed a warm light whereas his was black and seemed to take in light. "Haven't you ever heard that opposites attract? How do you think I knew where to find you?" I looked at him and then back into the mirror. Could this be real? Why were other Aberrants searching for me? "You have many questions Serena, far too many for me to answer now… you'll be waking soon."

"This is a dream?" I knitted my brow and sighed. "So none of this is real?" I smiled and felt myself lifting from my place on the bench.

I woke and sleepily rubbed my eyes. What a dream THAT was! "It's very real Serena." The sound of Diamond's voice stopped me dead in my actions and caused me to open my eyes and fix on him. "Please, don't be alarmed. I had to talk to you, tell you what's going on." I looked at the door and wondered if Darien knew he was here. "He doesn't know. That idiot could be staring at me and still not know I was here… he's so blind." I blinked and looked at Diamond with caution now. How had Diamond gotten into Darien's penthouse apartment without being detected? What kind of guy was Diamond? "Serena, you're coming with me whether you want to or not. As I said in your dream, they're after you. You're beacon's been sent."

"What are you talking about my beacon? This doesn't make sense! I've never heard of opposite Aberrants or anything else you've said thus far!" He glanced towards the door and seemed to tense for a moment. "Look, I haven't asked to be rescued or anything so…" My mouth clamped shut, I could feel Diamond forcing my body to betray me as he slowly approached the bed.

"Don't say anything more Serena. I can't have him knowing I was here." My eyes widened as he moved onto the bed and over me, his face was so close to mine. "Do you know how hard it is… to be so near you and not act on my feelings of lust for you?" I glanced at the door and almost willed Darien in the room. Diamond had me, I'm not sure when he'd broken into my mind but he had and thought I still had the faculties of my mind, my body was in Diamond's control. He could do anything he wanted to me and I could do nothing to stop him. "I don't want to control you Serena. I want you to want me." He lowered his face to mine and rest his forehead on mine. Our lips were so close I could feel the warmth coming from his skin. The warm sensation I felt on my forehead from my dream surfaced as he smiled at me. "Serena, I can make your wildest fantasies come true… come with me." He pressed his lips to mine and moved his one of his hands to the back of my neck to pull me closed to him.

My mind was screaming as his other hand began to roam me. I didn't want this and I hated the way my body responded to him. I hated the fact that I could feel him manipulating my body, making it long for his touch. I tried desperately to connect minds with Darien but Diamond was blocking me and just like that he had control of me. I felt his mind fill mine and his kissed immediately became more demanding. His hands moved up my shirt and his fingers brush against my breast. Somewhere in my mind I was protesting this but at the same time he was pushing erotic, lustful thoughts in, he was making me long for him, making me want him! I opened my mouth to protest, to scream for help and was surprised by the words that left my lips. "Yes, Diamond… please…" I inwardly gasp! My tone was so pleading, so breathy! NO! I didn't want this! I fought against him mentally, regaining a little of myself until finally I felt myself force him from my mind and at the same time, from my body. He lifted off of the bed and away from me as a result of my own mind taking control of him. Suddenly I felt power surging through me, as if I had just drank a whole case of energy drinks and God… It felt amazing!

As suddenly as it had appeared I felt the power leave me and both my mind and body become exhausted. "Meatball head, hey, are you ever going to come out of there?" I heard Darien knock on the door. Diamond disappeared just as the door opened and Darien peaked in. "You okay?" Darien pushed the door open suddenly and rushed over to the bed. "You look sick." He stared at me with concern and put a hand on my forehead. Unlike the way I had responded to Diamond, when Darien touched me I felt my body alight with need. "You're burning up! What am I going to do with you?" He smiled at me and made me want to jump him. I knew why my forehead was hot, it was my symbol that had recently glowed there. My exhaustion was something else altogether.

"It's okay Darien… I think I just had the covers over my head. That's all. I feel just fine. No worries." I smiled and sat up. I could see the doubt on his face and shook my head to assert myself. "Look Jerk face, just because I'm staying here doesn't mean you have to pretend to care about my health." He rolled his eyes and shook his head in silent resignation.

"Fine then meatball head. I won't." He stood and crossed his muscular arms as he stared at me for a moment. A slight blush appeared on his face, which made me flush a bright red I'm sure. "So um… are you going to come out of this room and eat something? It's two in the afternoon you know?" I briefly tapped into his mind and saw him pushing away thoughts of us together in the bed I was in. I quickly got up and nodded. "Okay, what do you want pizza?" He switched gears and began to think of pizza. I was both relieved and saddened. I'll admit, Diamond had done a number on my… hormones and I was still a little… excited. I sort of wanted to see what fantasies Darien had about me.

"Pizza would be great." I smiled and stared at him as he seemed to be surveying me. I remained in his mind and felt my heart flutter as he was mentally appraising me as the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. That's right ladies and gents, he thought of me as a woman and NOT a girl! Score one for me! "How about pepperoni? I like pepperoni." He nodded and turned towards the door. "Hey, I'll be out in a little bit, let me change into something a little more appropriate." I blushed as I realized I was still in my camisole and shorts, I wasn't wearing a bra… I wasn't comfortable sleeping in one.

"You don't have to. I don't care what you wear." He shrugged and walked out of the room to leave room for me to change if that's what I decided. I began to peel off my camisole, thinking of what Diamond had done, then, I realized, I could have a lot of fun teasing Darien! All the years he had tortured me, I could torture him. Now that I realized that he actually had the hots for me… I could play a little couldn't I? So, confident I pulled my camisole back on and walked into the living room confidently.

"Are you going to call or should I?" I asked and plopped myself onto the couch. I made sure to bounce a little bit which caused certain parts of my anatomy to bounce a little too. I stared at Darien innocently as he gazed at me with a blank expression. Oh, he was good at hiding it but I could see that I had struck a cord with him on that one. I inhaled deeply, pushing out my chest as I did so then pouted a bit. "Ddddaaarrrriiiieeeennn! I'm huuunnnngryyyy!" I drawled out and leaned forward revealing my cleavage. He inhaled sharply and pivoted on his heels to grab the cordless phone on the wall. I smiled to myself. Yup, this was going to be fun. I had never teased a guy like this, I'd never been interested before but I wanted to experiment. How far could I push him?

Darien ordered the pizza and sat in the chair as far away from me as possible. I simply stared at him as he flipped on the large flat screen TV and began searching through the menu for a movie. "So… what um… what do you want to watch?" He breathed and glanced at me briefly. I bit my lip and crawled along the couch towards him. You better damn well bet he watched me do it too, because he did. When I was close enough to him I stretched out and held out my hand for the remote.

"Let me look." I smiled and tilted my head to the side. His eyes were fixed on my face but I saw him take a few glances down. "Please?" He didn't say a word as he handed me the remote and snapped his face back towards the large screen. I flipped through the menu items and decided on a horror film. If I acted scared and latched onto him it would definitely be a tease. He groaned as I imagined he realized the same thing.

Does she have any idea what she's doing to me? He mentally grumbled and glared at me. I simply smiled happily and stared at the TV. Of course I knew what I was doing. After all these years it was my turn to do the teasing. I could forget about the fact that I was being hunted for one night right? Besides, if Diamond came back it was hard to tell what he'd do. Tonight may well be my last night to be around Darien. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door and before I could say anything Darien was up and at the door to get the pizza. I stared at him as he retrieved the pizza from the guy and paid him. I caught a glimpse of the guy and at the same time he looked at me. A few more words were said and Darien shut the door in the guy's face.

"Did you just slam the door in that guy's face?" I asked amusedly as he set the pizza down on the coffee table and left to retrieve plates and some drinks. He didn't respond but I could tell by his stiff posture and darkened eyes that the pizza guy had said something about me. "Are you angry?"

"No, not at all." He lied and sat on the floor in front of the couch so he could have better access to the pizza. I sat on the couch so close to him that my leg slightly brushed his arm. Shrugging I leaned over and grabbed a piece of pizza then slid onto the floor next to him. She has to stop. He said firmly in his mind.

"Thank you again for letting me stay, and ordering pizza." I nudged him with my arm and smiled as he nodded absently. Maybe I was being a little too harsh on him. I definitely wanted to tease him but I didn't want to drive him to the brink of insanity.

You're playing with fire Serena. Stop baiting him. Diamond's voice filled my head. I bit my lip and tried to force him out. Oh how I was starting to hate Diamond. He wasn't supposed to be able to connect with me from so far away… wherever he was. I'm the only one you should be teasing like that. If you keep going like you are he's going to snap and force you into bed with him. I smiled at the thought. It wouldn't be forcing me if I willingly went right? I'm warning you woman, if you give him what's mine I will come after you and it won't be to protect you.

I ignored Diamond. If I wanted to be with Darien I would be. I could care less what Diamond thought. Soon I found myself watching the movie and latching onto Darien's arm. He struggled to pull away but for the current moment, I was truly scared! "AH!" I yelped and buried my face in the nape of his neck, completely unaware of the fact that I had truly gone too far in teasing him. After the scary part had passed I released him and he stood up immediately, his back to me. "Darien?"

"I'm going to bed." He stated flatly and walked towards his room. The door closed shut just behind him and shortly after that I heard the water running. He was taking a shower? Had I excited him so much that he had to get in the shower? In a way I felt bad but in another I didn't. I returned to the movie and for the first time that night I regretted picking it. I was definitely going to have nightmares tonight.

I somehow nodded off to sleep on the couch and awoke to a dark living room. Everything was pitch black but I could feel someone in the room. "Darien?" I whispered hopefully and suddenly felt hands over my mouth. Nope, not Diamond! I struggled and soon two other sets of hands were on me, restraining my movements and lifting me from the couch. Honestly, after having a similar thing happen the other night I wasn't about to use my powers. Then again, why was I attracting all the burglars? I bit the guy's hands that were over my mouth and screamed for help.

"Come on, hurry and get her out of here. Someone else is here." I paled. These men were after me! They weren't burglars at all! I felt them carrying me towards the door when the lights flipped on. "Holy shit." They quickly set me on the floor and stepped away from me as I could hear Darien tromp down the hall. I turned and looked at him, I just about melted as I did too. Darien was built! I had never realized how massive he was until he was standing over me, glaring at the men at my feet. His bare chest slowly rose and fell with his breathing as he glared at the men in front of him. Reminding myself that I had plenty of time to admire him later I stared at the men at my feet and took a good inventory of them. There were three of them, each with long hair pulled back in pony tails. One was average height and had black hair and blue eyes, the second one was shorter and had white hair with green eyes, and the third was tall with brown hair and brown eyes. All three were lean but toned.

"Get out of my apartment." Darien snapped threateningly. "Serena, get behind me." He demanded. I followed directions and stared on in wonder as the black haired intruder shook his head and rushed at Darien so quickly it was hard to see him. The man punched Darien in the stomach and Darien simply stared at the guy. Without hesitation Darien grabbed the intruder by the neck and began to squeeze. "Why are you here?" The man pointed at me and Darien looked over his shoulder at me. "Forget her and get out." Darien dropped him to the ground and his friends gathered him up. All three left, then Darien turned and looked at me. I simply stared at him and blushed as I admired his body. Goddamn he was hot! He was shirtless and was wearing black slacks, that's it ladies. If he were a dessert I would have eaten him up. Yummy… "What's going on Serena? Why were those men here?"

"It's a long story." I shrugged and turned towards my room. I was stopped short by one of Darien's large hands clamping down on my shoulder and turning me back towards him.

"I've got all night Serena. Spill it." He stared at me and crossed his arms. I gulped and wondered how I was going to tell him this. It was a difficult thing to tell.