Faith woke with a groan.
"Oh, shit! Waking up from a fight sucks."
Leaning up, Faith tried to remember what happened last night. The last thing she remembered was that the vampire was about to rape her before killing her. She also remembered that she had been powerless to stop him.
So why am I still alive, she asked herself. And how did I get home? She looked around her apartment. Nothing seemed amiss. Her room was still as neat as a pin, a compulsion she had picked up in prison.
Shaking her head, she headed into her kitchen. Turning the Mr. Coffee on, she sat at her table as the java brewed. She leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to remember. She remembered that she had gone out to slay last night. She remembered meeting the makeshift gang. She remembered being held down, waiting for the end to come.
Suddenly, she remembered a red haired man. Her memory was sketchy, she had been in and out of consciousness for it. But Faith did remember that the red haired man had saved her life. The next thing she remembered was being carried through the street towards her apartment. The man had held her so gently that she hadn't been afraid. She remembered feeling that safety of the past few weeks. Apparently her guardian angel had come out of hiding.
Concentrating,, Faith tried to remember his face. It had been familiar, but unknown. Try as she might, she couldn't remember who it was.
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Walking down the street, Ian thought of Faith. He remembered holding her as he carried her. She had smelled like raspberries. Ian loved raspberries. He remembered the feeling of completeness with her. Ian had known very little peace in his life. Ian had many demons haunting him.
Ian knew he was a killer, he had never denied that. He was considered the best. Not one of them, the ONE. He had killed people every way that was known, and a few he had made up on the fly. He had fought battles that no man should have walked away from, yet he had survived. As a result, Ian had more than his share of scars. Because he had been doing this all his life, and because he was so skilled, Ian was a very wealthy man. He could live the life of a pampered prince. Only two things kept him from doing so; he didn't feel that it was right to waste his skills when there was so much evil. Also, Ian despised snobs, the stuck up little mama's boys. Ian grinned, he loved playing with their little heads.
As Ian walked by an alley he heard a yelp. Turning, he went down it. What he saw made him see red. A big burly man was beating a dog with a tree branch. Ian didn't like people who were mean to animals. Ian owned several hundred acres around the world for the sole purpose of animal habitat.
The man was yelling.
"Motherfucking dog, that'll be the last time you snap at me. I'll teach you to mind your master. I'll have you put d...!"
The man was slammed into the wall by an enraged Ian.
"What the ...." Ian slammed his knee into the mans stomach, then brought his elbow down on the back of the mans head. On his knees now, the man could offer no defense as Ian sent two snap kicks into the mans right ribs. The sharp snap of bone breaking was heard. As the man rolled onto his back he was defenseless as Ian straddled his ribs and sent blow after blow down upon his face. Ian only stopped when the man was unconscious.
Standing up, Ian quickly went to the dog. As he got closer he noticed that it was barely out of its puppy years. He knelt to examine it. The dog could barely raise its head but still it tried to mount a defense.
Ian grinned. "It's all right boy. Ian's not going to hurt you."
The dog seemed to understand him, for it laid its head back down. It remained still through-out its entire examination. Ian was able to determine the extent of the dogs injures. Despite the horrendous beating it had gone through, the dog was remarkably unscathed. For all intents and purposes, the dog should at least have some broken ribs, but Ian could not find a single one. However, to be on the safe side Ian decided to take him to the vet.
"Come on boy, time to take a trip to the doctor." Ian picked up the dog as gently as he could and turned to walk to a vet he had seen on the corner. Coming to the unconscious man, Ian accidentally kicked him again. Four or five times.
Ian was sometimes clumsy.
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"Well, Mr. McCloud, you have a very hearty dog. This is not the first time he's been in this office. Where, if I may ask, is Ralph?"
"Who's Ralph?"
"Ralph is what you may call the town bully. He is a brute of a man who enjoys intimidating others. He also raises these dogs."
"And he seemed like such a lovely fellow."
The vet grinned.
Ian leaned forward.
"Mr. ....."
"Doctor Jones."
"Doctor Jones, what kind of dog is he?"
The dog in question was currently sound asleep, thanks to Doctor Jones shot. He was a large dog, weighing about 75 pounds, and covered in thick grey fur. He looked like a cross between a giant timber wolf and a huge puppy.
"He's a buffalo wolf-husky mix."
Ian raised his eyebrows.
"A what?"
"A buffalo wolf. Buffalo wolves get to be about 150 to 200 pounds. They were so big that one could bring down a buffalo, hence the name."
"That's a damn big dog. So, is he cleared to leave?"
"I don't see why not. Just keep him calm for the next couple of days and he should be fine."
Ian thanked Dr. Jones and paid the bill. As he was walking out Dr. Jones spoke up.
"Young man, if I may recommend, you might want that hand bandaged up."
Ian grinned.
After Ian left, Dr. Jones sat down.
"Guess Ralph won't be bothering any one for a while.
He laughed.
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Ian opened the door to the apartment he was staying in temporarily. Closing the door, he moved into the bedroom and set his new dog on it.
"You just sleep for a while. Even tough guys like us need to heal. Drawback of the job."
Ian sat there, petting the dog. As he stroked him, he thought back to his actions of scarcely 2 hours ago. Why had he kept the dog? It would have been far easier to just drop him off at a shelter and be done with it. He looked down and saw that the animal in question was staring up at him with those big trusting eyes. No, he couldn't have just dropped him off somewhere. It took a special kind of person to own a dog like this. This was a dog who wasn't just a pet, he was a companion. If Ian treated him right and never harmed him in anger, this dog could very well stay with him until one of them was dead.
Ian sighed. Maybe it was time for him to settle down, to a certain extent. He certainly was rich enough. Being an assassin, if done properly, could be quite lucrative. But could he really stop hunting over great distances for murders and rapists. Ian nodded, he could if he had the proper motivation. Maybe this animal was the first part of it.
Ian looked down. "Well, I've got to call you something. I can't keep calling you boy. Any ideas?" The dog just looked at him. "How bout Lobo?"
The dog snorted.
Ian laughed. "Yeah, I guess that does sound kind of corny." Ian thought for a while, continuously stroking the huge dogs head. " I got it. How do you like the name Ersus?"
The dog lifted his head and looked at Ian with confusion. "It means bear. It's a good tough guy name."
He looked like he was thinking it over. Finally coming to a decision, the dog now named Ersus stood up and gave Ian two sloppy licks before laying down again and promptly falling asleep.
Wiping his face, Ian just looked at Ersus. "I'll take that as a yes."
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Faith walked the floor of the Crazy Ass, seeing if anyone wanted a lap dance. Yeah it was a little degrading, but she had done worse. As she strolled, she returned to who her protector. It still surprised her that someone was watching over her. Try as she might, she couldn't help smiling. Someone liked her.
Faith knew she was romanticizing the whole thing. FOr all she knew, he might be just another pervert who still hadn't made his move. He might be another man who just wanted to get some and get gone. Faith shook her head. Negative thoughts like that had plagued her life, and look how that had turned out. Neither of the last two people who had cared about her had been normal; one was a vampire with a soul, the other turned into a giant snake.
Maybe it was time for her to trust someone again. If he had just been another pervert, why did he risk his life the previous night? And why hadn't he taken advantage of her last night? Maybe he was the one meant for her. Faith shook her head and grinned. "You've been reading too many romance novels, girl."
Her internal monolgue was halted by a strange sight. Seated about twenty feet from her was a man seated in the shadows. That wasn't what was strange. What was strange was that he was in a strip club, reading a book. And a real book, not something from the adult book store next door. She grinned. Time to play with there little heads. Their minds too. She walked over to him as gracefully as a panther stalking its prey. She knew he was watching, for she felt his eyes on her.
"Hiya, handsome. That book any good?" Faith said in a breathy voice.
The man chuckled. "It has its moments. I pull it out when there's nothing good going on around me."
Faith looked over to the current stage act. Three girls were giving a triple lap dance to some guy who's friends had brought him here for a bacholar party. From the faces of the men around the stage, they certainly thought it was captivating.
"That's not interesting?"
SHe could tell the man was grinning. "It means nothing. When that's finished, all you'll have are three bored girls and a guy who needs to change his jockeys. It lacks any true passion."
Faith was shocked. She had had an almost identical thought when she first saw one. "Then why do you come here?"
"One of the girls here has caught my eye."
"Which one?"
The man leaned out of the shadows, revealing his long red hair tyed back into a loose pony-tail. "You."
Faith's eyes widened. Her red haired savior was sitting in front of her. This was her mystery man.
"You!"
Before he could answer, Ian found himself being dragged into one of the private rooms. Faith threw him into a chair and sat in one across from it.
"Your the one who's been following me. You saved me last night."
Ian looked surprised. Apparently she hadn't been completely unconscious.
"Why?"
Ian tried to come up with a good excuse. He didn't want her to think he was some weirdo. But looking into those chocolate eyes, he just couldn't lie.
"I couldn't help it. I like you."
'I like you'. That was the best I could come up with. When did I turn into an idiot around women.
"You like me?" Faith looked puzzled. Out of all the things he could have said, that's what came out. She smiled. Those words had never been used with her. She kind of liked it. Plus, this guy was kind of cute when he was flustered.
Ian grinned. "Thanks."
SHE HAD SAID THAT OUT LOUD. Faith hid her face, which was uncharacteristically red. "You weren't supposed to hear that."
"Oh, I enjoyed it. My names Ian by the way."
"Faith."
"Yeah I like you. You kind of remind me of me."
Faith raised her head. "Huh?"
"When I came in here a few weeks ago, you were on stage. When I looked into your eyes, you had thge same look in them I do. A little lost, a little lonely, but too damned proud to admit it. I don't know, it stuck with me. I haven't met too many people who might understand me."
Faith mulled this over. It was true that she was lonely. She missed having someone she could look to in times of need. Granted, she hadn't had too many, but still. Faith was tired of being lonely. This was her new life and she wanted other people in it.
"So", Faith said, "Isn't this the point where you ask me out?"
Ian was surprised. She didn't seem startled that he had been following her.
"Umm, you want to go out sometime?"
Faith smiled. "I'd love to."
"Great. How bout after you get off work?"
"Sounds like a plan, Stan." Faith was happy. "Umm, I hate to break this up but I have to get back to work. My boss will come in here in a few minutes, wondering what I'm doing."
"No problem. I've got something that needs taken care anyway. I'll, uh, see you after work."
"Kay."
As he stood up, Faith noticed that his fist was bandaged. "Did you get that last night?"
Looking at his hand, Ian shook his head. "Nope. I met one of the charming locals earlier. We had a disagreement."
Noise out front caught their attention. Looking out, Ian let out an annoyed groan. "Speak of the devil."
Standing on the main stage were Ralph and three other men.