The Thief Who Came In From The Cold: A Tale of Detroit
Intermezzo: Blue Fires That Burned The Past
The darkness was blasted aside by a wave of bright orange light. The fire crackled warmly as he picked up another branch and tossed it into the flames. The strong sea breeze whipped the flames higher, causing the fire to leap and dance. The wood cracked and popped loudly as he watched them burn. Deep in the back of his head he felt the beast struggling and screaming, terrified by the nearness of the conflagration. He sneered at the feeling as he chose to ignore it. Let the thing suffer, it was a weak part of him, useless.
He turned at the sound of her laughter. She came gliding out of the waves like a goddess. The surf crashed among the rocks as she pulled herself out of the ocean. The water cascaded down her naked skin, the liquid flowing over her soft, marble white curves. Her long blonde hair was plastered to her face, clinging in damp curls around her delicate features. From behind those wet strands of gold he could see her eyes, despite the darkness. The two orbs burned like bright pinpoints of blue crystal. Marble skin, gold hair, crystal eyes...it was as though she were a treasure, or a priceless work of art. Her lips parted in a feral gleam, her white teeth flashing. She motioned to the fire.
"Isn't that a bit conspicuous?"
"True Blue, always stating the obvious when it is unimportant. I thought you would need to dry off," he grumbled with a dismissive wave of his hand.
It always interested him how she made him feel. How she made him act different around her. His calm control and professional precision cast aside by the flash of her eyes. He remembered when he had spoken to her of one of his few true loves. He had played some of his music for her. She had smiled and danced to it. He and she had spent one entire night listening to Holst's masterwork 'The Planets', over and over. She had said to hear the universe described thus, made it all make sense.
But it hadn't made sense to Harris. He knew that others, like Falco, had become enamored by her ethereal beauty and zest for passion and life. But he had always been beyond that. Just a deadly killer, good at what he did. But the look in her eyes as she'd described the music to him. The way she had hummed the tune of Venus, the Bringer of Peace, had started a strange reaction in his gut. Not love, but, perhaps lust? He didn't care for it, and had been gruff with her ever since.
"Besides, when did flashy displays begin to bother you," he snapped.
"And here I thought enough had been displayed for you already..." She spun around slightly, "so have you seen enough?" She smirked as he quickly turned away from her. His eyes still burning with the alluring image of her bare skin glistening in the firelight.
"I was told to watch you," he began. But he could already feel the assured smile spreading across her perfect face, and so he stopped. He scowled as he forced himself to stand tall. He was no schoolboy to be swept away by a few glimpses of flesh and a seductive face. He was a lieutenant of the Black Hand. He was a killer and assassin feared by the predators of the night. He glanced up at her as she entered the ring of firelight. He felt his resolve weaken. He shifted away from her again as he pointed. "Your clothing and gear are there."
"Why thank you," she whispered softly. He heard the gentle whisper of silken cloth against more silken skin. He waited and focused his thoughts. Finally he turned around to her. She wore her blue dress again. Only it wasn't blue any longer. There was a wild series of splotches and marks that still stained it. The dried remains of blood that had splattered her as she'd torn apart the bishop. She reached down and traced one of the patterns. Her elegant fingers curving along the smear of blood as she followed it up along the smooth curving underside of her breast. He followed the finger higher as it slipped over the edge of the dress, dancing along the swelling and delectable mounds that seemed to almost spill forth again as they strained against the tight material. Finally her finger reached her mouth. Pouting red lips parting slightly as she traced along their soft outer edges. "What are you thinking," she whispered with a suggestive smirk. "Go on and tell Blue."
"Huh?" Harris cursed as he shook his head and tried to clear it of the strange cobwebs that were clogging his thoughts. "I was just thinking you made a bit of a mess," he sneered. "We were supposed to deal with the bishop, he had become unstable. But we weren't supposed to enjoy it!"
"Anything worth doing is worth enjoying," she softly said as she walked towards him. The orange light of the fire was reflected in her bright eyes. But the firelight was such a pale and meaningless thing to the fire that already burned in her eyes. "And killing..." Blue grinned as she paused in front of him, "is one of the two things that I always enjoy."
"We should get moving again," stammered Harris. Knowing quite well what her second passion was. His own eyes were locked on hers. He felt her hands drift up and lightly brush against his strong jaw. Silken caresses as she massaged his bald skull, her fingers dancing against some of the swirling black tattoos along his temples. It felt like his mind was on fire, but not a painful fire. Simply a burning hot...passion! "We...should really...Falco will be...expecting."
"Poor Falco," she breathed softly in his ear. Her body pressing against him as she stood on her tiptoes to rest her cheek against his own. "I knew the first time I saw him what he thought about me." Her scent seemed to fill Harris' senses. A wild and deadly aroma that swam like fire through his very being. The heat of her hands was unbearable, they pressed against cold flesh and seemed to demand that it feel again. "But I...I only saw you."
"Me?"
"You." She pulled back her face slightly. Her deep blue eyes looking up demurely from under the damp golden curls of her hair. Her lips broke into a shy grin as she watched him carefully. "You were so quiet. So reserved. But I could see something within you. I liked the way you looked at me, not like the others. You looked at me with a mixture of fear and desire. It called to me...it...it made me burn for you."
She burned? She too felt the fire? He looked into her eyes and knew it to be true. True Blue. His True Blue. The salty wind whipped around them. The logs crackled and split in the heat of the roaring conflagration. The branches blackening and smoking away into nothingness. But that heat was nothing...nothing to the heat of their fire! She pressed against him, her eyes wild and burning things. Her pale and soft skin was his, she was his, always. His True Blue.
"Being good yet?"
Her voice was a gasp of a whisper. Her eyes scorched him and burnt away any doubts about this one moment. This one, perfect, moment. Harris lowered his head. His lips met her own. The fire swept over him, burning through his mind and wiping it clean of any concern but to feel this way again.
She was his.
"What was that?" Blue glanced over her shoulder as she stood on the dock. Her tight silk dress hugged her tightly, clung to her skin in a way Harris wished he could again. A blue scarf was casually tossed over one shoulder, it danced lightly in the wind. Her golden hair danced too, it's wild motions a reflection of her inner emotions. Her uncontrollable nature. Her deadly wildness. Black sunglasses were perched on her delicate and perfectly formed nose. The black shades hiding her eyes from view, concealing the windows to her soul and the fire within her.
"It's over, Blue." Falco's face was grim, his dark trench coat pulled in about him tightly. He had argued against this, he hadn't wanted to let her go. But it had been ordered. He glanced up, his boyishly innocent face trying to smile reassuringly. "Anne gave the order just an hour ago. You aren't wanted in Windsor anymore. If you stay the Sabbat will consider you a free agent, and act appropriately."
"Appropriately?" Harris swore he could see the pulse of burning blue orbs flare up even behind the dark sunglasses. Blue's voice remained calm and even. Her rich, silken lips curved upward into a smile. "Would you be the one, Falco? Would you act appropriately?"
"Blue..." Harris felt the word wrench out of his gut as he spoke it. He didn't want to see her go either. He wasn't sure why. Sure she was effective. Sure he liked having her help. But she was so wild, so dangerous, so...the fire. Like a fire she could burn too hot, too fast, too deadly. They had to have distance from her. He understood all of this. Why then was it so difficult? "You should just go."
"Ah." Blue glanced at him. Her red lips seeming to twitch slightly as she looked at him. Small lines of worry appeared on her usually flawless face. "So, am I not True enough for you either? You too want me to leave."
"It isn't anyone, Blue," cut in Falco. The wind hissed through his red hair as he stepped towards her. His wild red locks looking like a small fire grew within him. But Falco's flame was an innocent and small thing. He couldn't possibly understand the cold fires of Blue. Not like I can, thought Harris slowly, unsure why he was so certain of the thought. Falco reached out for her, his face pleading. "I don't want to be without you. You mean too much. Let me come with you..."
"Come with me?" Blue's arms fell to her sides as she looked down at his hand. Her face returned to its alabaster perfection. Her eyes unreadable behind their dark coverings. The wind whipped and raged around her and him. His red hair crackling. Her golden hair fluttering around the dark shades that hid her own fire. From where he stood behind Falco, Harris could smell her. Her scent, so wild, so deadly. She was the flame. Blue sighed and a small smile lit up on her features as she looked up. "Do you trust me, Falco?"
"Of course." Falco's words were breathy and desperate. He looked at her with that same wild passion of wanting that Harris had seen in so many other eyes that had looked at her. In that instant he knew that Falco would never be able to fully be one with her. He worshipped her as a goddess, instead of...what? Fearing and desiring her like Harris did? Was there even an answer? "I'll go anywhere with you, do anything for you."
"Kill yourself."
Falco froze in surprise. Blue watched him carefully, her head tilting slightly to the side as she did. Harris felt a strange shiver pass through him. She was the fire. Was anything impossible for her. If she asked it, would he kill himself? Surely not, surely he controlled himself and had only taken what he wanted from her. But...that fire, it drove you mad. It made you forget yourself and the limitations of the world. When he and her were one, nothing was impossible, nothing was too much to ask.
"What are you talking about? That's crazy." Falco took a step back from her, his face twisting up in worry and concern. Blue sighed as she reached up and brushed at some of her loosely blowing hair. She carefully slid it back behind her ear as she watched him. "I just think we could be happy together. That we would be good together."
"Happy?" Blue laughed. "I'm only happy when I'm doing one of two things. And us good for each other? Are you being good?" Harris sensed the danger a half instant after she spoke those words. Blue's final question, for which there was no answer, either for herself or her prey. Her hand that had been behind her ear suddenly snapped forward, a flash of light marked the speeding knife that hurtled into Falco's throat. He gasped in surprised pain as he staggered back, his hands tearing open his coat as he reached for his weapons. But Blue was too fast for him, too deadly. Her sword was already out, she moved in for the kill.
"Stop this!" The descending blade of her falchion met a hardened length of bone with a sharp crack. Harris twisted his arm, the bone spur that extended from it twisted her blade away as he stepped between her and Falco. "Blue, are you mad? The Sabbat..."
"Have fired me from my employment," said Blue with a laugh as she suddenly slashed in with her blade again. "I guess that means they want me as an enemy rather then a friend." Behind him Harris heard Falco collapse to the ground, the debilitating effects of Blue's Assamite blood coated knife robbing him of strength. Her sword arced in high and fast, Harris raised his bone blade to block it. However she only lightly caressed his weapon, instead allowing her sword to skitter off it as she spun around to his left. Harris cursed as he tried to turn to follow her, but she was too fast.
There was an explosion of pain in his chest as her sword tore through his back and ripped out of his front. He looked down at the curving blade, blood spraying off the point in a crimson shower. Her hand grabbed at his face from behind, fingers hooking into his eyesockets as she jerked his head back. Her cheek was pressed against his, her soft skin so warm and inviting. The smell of his blood mixed with her smell, an enticing and intoxicating aroma.
"I thought you would understand," she whispered softly to him as she twisted her blade slowly. He grunted in pain as he felt organs rupture and blood spray across his insides. She turned his head towards her. He could just see around the sunglasses to catch a glimpse of one of the eyes that burned with azure flames behind it. Ruby lips parted as pearly teeth flashed in an eager grin. "I think you were my favorite, Harris. So, I'm not going to kill you...just yet. You be good for Blue now."
Her lips lightly brushed against his own, the sparks of their fire danced and flew between them at even this light and chaste touch. The blade tore out of him and he groaned as he collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his lips to coat where she had just touched. He rolled over weakly to see that she still stood over him. An angel of death with burning blue eyes. She smiled as she removed her glasses. Her eyes glowed with the heat of her cold and unbearably hot fire. And then she was gone. The fire burned through him, fiery pain from his wounds, and fiery pleasure from her touch. She was the fire, as she was his.
His, always his, always...never. Never his, not really.
For it was she who was the fire. And he was only the wood that would be consumed.
He was hers.
The fire burned with a madness. Eyes glazed. Blood swelled and burst. Skin cracked and split apart. Fat and muscle melted and rolled in rivers around the bones as they burned black. He was within the glory and horror of the fire. He looked at himself. He laughed.
"What the hell, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Harris groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He was cold, so very cold. Snow drifted down, soft and white against the harsh black sky. The gentle flakes lightly caressing his skin, as she had. But now the caresses were cold, cold and uncaring. He slowly shifted his head to the side, kneeling next to him was Belle. She frowned at him, her eyes peering at his own.
"You okay? That bullet to the head really seemed to throw you for a loop."
"Bullet?" His hand reached up and felt along the side of his head. He had hair? Of course...of course. He had changed his face and body long ago, as he had changed the man. He wasn't that man anymore! He could feel the injury that still lingered under his scalp, but his blood had already repaired the worst of it. He sighed as he sat up. "No, I'm fine. I was just remembering some...old friends."
"You sure? You were saying something about a fire?"
"Yes!" His head snapped around as he glared at her. "I'm fine!"
"Keep it down," came Doc's chiding voice, calm yet obviously alert. Harris glanced around and spotted the anarch lurking near the mouth of the small and narrow alley they were crammed into. Doc seemed to be watching something carefully. Harris paused and listened, he could hear the wail of sirens and the shouts of people in the distance.
"The club?"
"The club," agreed Doc with a nod. Harris frowned as he stood up. He brushed snow from his suit and paused to check his weaponry and other equipment. Finally he nodded and looked up at the other two with a grin. "Okay, I'm fine. I know where to look now. I can handle Blue. Let's go find Eric."
He turned and walked away. Doc spared one last look at all the activity around the distant club and scowled. He puffed on his cigarette as he turned and strolled after Harris. Belle slowly stood up and crossed her arms. She glanced down at the patch of blood Harris had leaked onto the dirty slush of the alley. She listened to the sirens. She remembered the attack of the Sabbat pack within their own haven. She started walking, but quietly hissed sarcastically under her breath.
"Stealing a car would arouse too much suspicion?"