Author's note: I have no clue what happened, but this chapter just would not come up. So I am reposting it.
Disclaimer: The usual, I own nothing except plot and characters not mentioned in Underworld the movie, script, novelization, and comics. Please don't sue me. Savvy?
CHAPTER 15: LOVERS TOGETHER, LOVERS APART
Erika lie on the bed, trying not to think about that Death Dealer and his advances. She couldn't let Marcus see how upset it had made her, he'd be able to figure it out. But still, it made her flesh crawl, what that prick had done. She wanted Marcus back, and she wanted him back now. She couldn't go out of the room, she didn't think she'd be able to see that Dealer without trying to strangle him. She didn't have much to do in the room, except lie and wait.
With a sigh, she got up and walked to the window, staring up at the full moon. She hoped nothing happening with Marcus. She was afraid he would lose control in front of the Death Dealers, and she knew that would be very, very bad. No matter what Marcus said to try to comfort her, she knew that's all he was doing.
Trying to comfort her. She doubted he himself believed the covens would let him rule if they discovered his blood was now tainted. Marcus hated himself, how would the covens treat him?
Suddenly she heard someone try to open the door. Tensing up, she turned, and stepped closer to the door, wondering if she should open it. When the door handle stilled, she decided it must have been that arrogant Dealer from earlier. Perhaps she should tell Marcus.
No, no, no. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, and I can handle myself.
She turned away from the door and walked back over to the window, relaxing the slightest bit. She leaned against the tall glass pane, again staring at the moon as it slowly began its descent towards the mountains and forests. She reached over and turned off the lamp so the only the moon lit up the large bedroom.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her, and a mouth hovered over her ear. Erika almost froze up, until she caught the familiar and now welcome scent of lycan mingled with vampire.
"Did you miss me?" Marcus whispered, his lips brushing against her ear teasingly. She felt him smile when she whimpered, and he turned her around in his embrace so that she faced him. His hands came up her back and gently held her neck as he brought her mouth towards his.
Erika moaned into the kiss, and smiled, breaking away momentarily. "And how long were you gone, three, four hours? Hardly enough time to miss someone, I would think," she taunted him playfully.
Marcus growled and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. "I was gone for five hours and forty-eight minutes," he stated and laid her on the mattress before joining her on it. "And that was five hours and forty-eight minutes too long."
As he kissed her neck she nodded. "Yes, far too long, I agree," she mumbled before surprising him by pushing him onto his back and then straddling him. "And I expect you to make up for lost time."
The Elder grinned. "I am happy to oblige, though I do have to see about something-" he was cut off quite quickly by her mouth again on his. He groaned as she began unbuttoning his shirt, her fingernails gently scraping against his skin purposefully.
She pulled away, grinning back at him and took of her small sweater, then let his finger play with the hem of her shirt. She went back to unbuttoning his shirt, and when she had finished he lifted up so she could take the shirt off.
"You can check on whatever it is later, right now, you have to check on me," she declared, and by now he had given up any hope of argument.
Not that he would have tried very hard in the first place.
Adam drove, nervously glancing at the dark man beside him. Lucian, that's what Michael had called him. He had ended up in the front seat. He was adamant that he be able to see where they were going, and Michael had seemed to want to stay near the Matrix convention runaway he saved had saved his life.
Adam was now thoroughly convinced that he was insane, and that Michael and his two companions were in even worse condition. Probably mixed up in drugs somehow. Probably taking drugs too, lots of them. Lots of powerful drugs.
He turned into the parking garage of Leila's apartment complex and looked for a free space, when he slowed down to turn into one, Lucian suddenly got out of the car and headed for the building.
The young American looked at him in bewilderment. "What the hell is wrong with that guy?"
The woman kept silent, simply watching Lucian before she also got out and joined him. Michael shrugged, but stayed in place. "It's a long story, and he'd be better at explaining. He will soon, just go ahead and park."
Adam sighed. What had he gotten himself into?
"Lucian, wait," Selene called out as she strode up behind him. The hybrid paused and turned to face her, waiting until she was next to him before once again practically running into the building. "Lucian, what is it? There more to it than Kraven simply taking the doctor, isn't there? After all, Kraven didn't even know who we were looking for, if we were looking for anyone," she said as they entered the building.
Lucian remained silent and stared ahead of him, sniffing the air and then going towards the stairs. He kept at a pace Selene could match but made no attempt to shed any light on the situation. She glanced at him as they ran up the stairs, and she noticed for the first time that his eyes were glassy.
He was trying not to cry.
"Lucian," she said, grabbed his arm, "what happened?" This time she was not going to take the silence. She needed to know the what was going on, they all did.
The lycan blinked once, twice, then faced her. "I'm not sure myself," he whispered, and Selene let go of him. Whatever had gone on in that hospital, it had managed to nearly break Lucian, and that worried her. Perhaps she should simply wait and let Michael talk to him, since Michael was indeed closer to the alpha. But that wasn't in her nature, and stubborn will refused to let it wait.
"I don't understand," she replied, and the older immortal sighed, closing his eyes.
"Somehow, the girl, the doctor, she," he paused and a hand reached up to stroke his pendant. "It was Sonja," he finally stated and met Selene's stare. "The doctor, she's Sonja."
Kraven carried Sonja up to their new hotel room, smiling and pretending she was merely sleeping. He let her down gently so he could open the door, then picked her back up and took her inside. Once they were in the room, he walked over to the bed and dropped her on it.
He looked around for something to use to tie the girl up, but decided he would simply have to use shreds of bed sheets. He moved the comforter of the bed she lay on, and began ripping several strips of cloth to use to bind her hands and feet, plus a gag as she would most likely want to scream. He was about to tie her hands when he heard a knock at the door.
"What the bloody hell?" he muttered and quickly went to the door, opening it slightly. "Yes?" he asked the maid outside. She handed him some towels, which he swiftly grabbed and muttered a "Thank you," before she could speak. Shutting the door and locking it, he threw the towels into the bathroom and walked back to the bed.
Where a now conscious Sonja sat was sitting up.
Before Kraven could react, the woman was up and had efficiently kicked him in the groin. Hard. Much harder than Kraven thought a human female could kick, and he bent over in pain. She ran past him and he grunted as he stood up and ran to the door, slamming it shut before she could even get it half way open.
"Don't even try, you're not going anywhere yet," he hissed and grabbed her arm, dragging her back to the bed so he could tie her up and gag her quickly.
Leila struggled against Kraven's grip as much as she could, but he was still several times stronger than she was. He was male, larger, and a vampire, sired by her father. No, her past father, or her, she wasn't really sure how to think of him in that regard. In other regards he was a tyrant. Like this slimy prick that had kidnapped her.
"Let me go, Kraven, now!" she demanded, and for a moment he stopped, as if remembering the previous time she had told him that. Back when he had barely been a yearling in her father's court, not long after her father had brought him back from his trip to the northern territories along a few others sired.
It had been only an hour after dusk, and she had gone outside to for a little while, just to feel free for a few moments. Kraven had just become a Death Dealer, and had been sent to fetch her. But his patience had been even thinner back then, and he had grabbed her after she had brushed him saying she would come in soon.
That had been the first time she had heard Lucian speak, she thought for a moment and stopped struggling at the memory.
It was strange, she was so different and yet the same now. She had never believed in reincarnation before, but now she knew it had to be real for some at least. But it wasn't how she would have thought it to be, or how it seemed in the movies. She was still the same person, not two different people really. It was more like she was whole, like she had remembered the part of her life that had been hidden from her.
She remembered Lucian, her first father, her first mother, when she had discovered she was with child, nights she had spent in Lucian's embrace, the day she had died. She remembered Lucian's screams as they tortured him and made him watch her and their child burn. She remembered the ray of light falling on her, melting away her skin, killing her and her unborn child.
She remembered Lucian as she had turned at met his eyes in the hospital. She remembered staring into his gray irises, seeing a whole lifetime play before her eyes, and suddenly remembering who she truly was.
Sonja.
Then she recalled how his expression had turned from shock and joy to horror, that familiar look of horror as Kraven had come from behind and grabbed her, dragging her away from her lover. She remember struggling to get away from him, to run to Lucian as the vampire dragged her into the elevator and then grabbed her neck. That was when everything went dark again.
And now here she was, struggling to get away from Kraven again as he bound her hands and feet. Finally she opened her mouth to scream, giving up with kicking. But before she could let it out, Kraven grabbed her throat roughly.
"Don't even think about it, or that pretty neck of yours is going to turn crimson, because I'm feeling quite hungry as it is, no matter if I need you alive. I don't have to drain you completely," he threatened her, his eyes turning icy blue.
Sonja glared up at him, but remained silent and sill.
Erika smiled contently as she nuzzled Marcus' neck and lie down on top of him, breathing in his scent. She felt him smile and kiss her forehead lightly. She sighed, and ran her fingers across his chest as his arms wrapped around her.
"So, what was it you had to do again?" she asked softly. She felt him shrug beneath her.
"It can wait a little while longer, the sun is rising, no need to worry right now," he replied. He reached down to pull the sheet higher over them, then returned his arm to her waist.
Erika nodded, letting it go. She was fine with not knowing, and just lying here now, just the two of them. She closed her eyes, finally able to block out the memory of what had happened in the library. She just hoped that the Death Dealer would leave her be while Marcus was home. She planned on returning to the dust filled room after Marcus went to take dare of whatever it was he had to do. She still wanted to find out if there was any law concerning mixed bloods.
A soft moan escaped her lips when his fingers brushed against her back, and she smiled. "I thought you just wanted to rest for a little while?" she teased.
"What, can't have any fun while I rest?" he questioned her, then moved to kiss her again. "Besides, this is a form of resting. I said rest, not sleep, love."
Erika pulled away slightly. "What did you just say?" she whispered huskily.
Marcus stared up at her, a half-smile on his face. "Love? Is that what you were asking me to repeat?" he asked her, and flipped them over so the he lie on top, though he moved his arms to take most of his weight. "What, is it such a shock, my dear, that I can say love?"
"No," Erika said, shaking her head. "It just, I, well," she stammered. She wanted more than just him calling her love.
"You what?" he questioned and brought his lips so close they brushed against hers. "Is there something you want me to say, Erika?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"What?" Marcus taunted. He grinned, showing her he knew very well what she wanted to hear. But he was going to make her say it.
"I want you to say you love me," she finally declared, glaring up at him with a small pout. "I want you to say that."
Marcus kissed her gently, then pushed himself up slightly. "I love you, Erika."
Erika grinned back up at him playfully. "I know."
Marcus growled. "You are something," he said and kissed her again. He broke away and began kissing her neck and jawbone.
Erika couldn't help replying, "I know."
When Adam and Michael had finally reached Leila's apartment, the door was ajar and the handle had been ripped off. Adam was about to ask Michael what was going on again, then decided not to and walked on in. The man known only as Lucian and the woman - had Adam even gotten her name? - were in the small apartment. Selene turned to them, but Lucian simply stared down at a picture of Leila on the beach with her mother and father.
Michael walked over to Lucian, throwing Selene a questioning glance, but she merely nodded at Lucian and the picture he held in trembling hands. Michael came and stood beside the alpha and stared down at the photo.
"It can't be," he stated disbelievingly as he stared wide-eyed at the photograph. "It's impossible!"
Adam mentally cursed and wondered - for what he knew had to be the hundredth time by now - just what the frigging hell was going on.
"It's Sonja," Michael declared softly.
Lucian nodded. "Yes. And Kraven took her."
Lucian stared down at the small picture in his hand. He stared at her smile, her golden hair in the sunlight, the bottom of her rolled up jeans wet from the ocean. She was with an older couple, whom he assumed were her parents in her new life. He reached up with his other hand and stroked the pendant, the one that should be around her neck.
He kept seeing the look f recognition in her eyes as they stared at each other in the hospital, he kept cursing himself for not moving to her immediately, for letting that bastard take her from him yet again. He set the frame back down and turned to face the other three in the room.
"I think it's time to explain to our new companion just what is going on now," he spoke softly, his voice soft. "Michael, Selene, go and make sure that there are no Death Dealers near. I don't want to have to stop midway through because we have to hide yet again."
He motioned to the small table in the kitchen. "Please, sit down, this will take some time," he said to the young American. "Now, your name is Adam, correct?" At the young man's nod, he continued. "I thought so. Now, Adam," he said as they both sat down, "what I am about to tell you is believed to be nothing but fantasy or science fiction, myths and legends to you and your kind. You will think I'm crazy." Lucian leaned over slightly, staring Adam in the eye. "I can assure, I am not."
Michael and Selene swiftly ran down the flight of stairs, neither one saying a word as they went to make their security check. Both were to shocked by the discovery and the fact that someone who looked just like Sonja, and who Lucian as convinced truly was Sonja, was alive and was the one they had come for. And now she was with Kraven, captured.
Part of Michael was seething and wanted to hunt Kraven down and rip him to shreds. He knew that somehow, Lucian was holding back, but he honestly didn't know how, as the part of him that was Lucian was nearly overwhelming.
Michael glanced at Selene as they walked out of the building. She turned and met his gaze.
"I know, I want to kill him too," she said softly. "I can only imagine what Lucian, and therefore you, are going through. And that's hard enough."
The hybrid turned to her, stopping for a moment. He sniffed the air, just to be certain there was no immediate danger. Then, he leaned down and kissed her fiercely. He was rewarded by her returning the kiss, just as passionately.
He was the first to break away, his eyes meeting hers as they slowly opened. "But at least I have you," he stated.
Selene nodded. "Yes."