Greetings from The Lady Mage,
Well, here's chapter two. Hope you enjoy!
Rating: PG- just cause I say so.
Disclaimer: *The Lady Mage stands* I, The Lady Mage, do NOT own Underworld or any of its characters. Thank you.
* ~ * ~ *
He crept to the door, listening for activity in the apartment. Once he was sure it was just him, he peaked inside, and the sight that greeted him with surprising to say the least.
Everything was exactly as it should be- the cardboard was still taped over the windows, the magazines were still stacked neatly on the coffee table, the vase of flowers still standing on the kitchenette counter. Nothing was disturbed.
Without shutting the door behind him- what good would it have done since it didn't shut properly anymore anyway- he made his way to the little bedroom. The bed was still made, the closet door still open, their dirty clothes still on the floor near the hamper. It looked as though nothing had been touched at all.
A little suitcase was pulled from beneath the bed, and Michael began to fill it with Selene and his things- their clothes, a few pictures they had taken, the book Selene was in the middle of reading, her perfume, his cologne, the thick wad of money taped underneath the bed. When everything was packed, he headed back to the common room, to the fridge. Selene would need blood when she awoke- lots of it to sustain both her and their baby.
Four bags were stuffed into the case before it was zipped shut. When he shut the refridgerator door, a piece of paper fluttered down to his feet. He bent over and picked it up, unfolding it and skimming it over.
"To Michael and Selene . . . " he mumbled as he read. He scowled, stuffing the note into his coat pocket. Selene could make more sense of it when she awoke. Right now, the important thing was for him to return to her as swiftly as possible, so that is what he did. He left the key to the apartment in the lock, turned off all the lights, and headed back into the streets.
She was still asleep when he returned, but she awoke when he neared the bed, her instincts warning her somebody was close by. When she saw it was Michael, she turned on her side towards him. "Have you gone?"
"Yes." he answered. "You were right. They know where we were living." A bag of blood was pulled from the suitcase and handed to her. She sat up to drink it, and he took a seat by her side. "The door was kicked in, but nothing was messed with- everything was just as we left it last night."
She scowled for a few seconds before sinking her fangs into the plastic bag. After a long sip, she spoke to him. "Did you smell anything? Had anyone been there?"
He nodded, pulling the note from his pocket and holding it out to her. "This was on the fridge."
She gave him her bag of blood, then took the note into her hands. "To Michael and Selene," she read softly to herself. "We never meant harm towards either of you. We only want to speak with you. We offer you protection from those who would hunt you . . . " She turned it over in her hand. "No signature."
"I know." he grumbled. "What do you think of it?"
She balled up the paper and tossed it into the waste basket beside the bed, then took her bag of blood back. "I think we'd better leave as soon as night falls."
* ~ * ~ *
" . . . and that makes three." Michael said, setting a month's rent into the landlady's daintly hand. The old woman smiled and nodded, handing him a small brass key. "Danke. (Thank you.)"
"Haben Sie einen angenehmen Aufenthalt. (Have a pleasant stay.)" she said back, her voice shaky with age. "Guten tag. (Good day)"
Michael nodded. "Er, guten tag. (good day)" Next to him, Selene merely nodded to the woman, turning and slipping into the little one-room place they had rented for the next month. Michael followed her. They had to hurry to cover the windows before the sun could come up.
It had been two weeks since they had moved, since they had been chased from their home. Now, they were in Berlin. They would rest here for a while, then head into Poland. The baby wasn't due for another three months, so they could travel easily until then.
Inside, Selene tossed the stacks of cardboard sheets onto the shabby futon, and she lifted the hammer and little bag of brads- which Michael quickly took from her.
"Why don't you rest?" he asked, trying not to sound belittling. "I can do this."
She glared at him, but didn't argue, nor did she obey him either. Instead, she simply sat and watched him work. He could feel her eyes on the back of his head as he worked.
"How long do you think we'll stay here?" she finally asked.
"As long as we can." he answered. "I paid for a month, but we can leave anytime, or stay another month."
"We'll be found before a month's out, Michael. They know we're in Germany. They'll redouble their search efforts."
"They won't know if we've gone north or south, Selene. We could be anywhere to them."
"They'll find us." she said firmly. "They won't give up until they do."
* ~ * ~ *
By the gods, Selene hated being right.
"We're going to have to stop these little moonlit walks of your's!" she panted to Michael as they ran from another group of hunters- these all lycans and all in their lupine forms. There was no way they could outrun them.
Suddenly, Michael stopped in his tracks, whirling around to face the lycanthropes. Selene halted a few feet from him, watching him change, watching his shirt rip to shreds. He turned to her. "Run! Go!"
She didn't have to be told twice; she booked it around the corner and down another dark street. Behind her, Michael faced off with the group of hunters. She could hear their barks and growls as they fought, then their whimpers as Michael undoubtedly began to win against them.
Selene continued running until she felt she was far enough away, and ducked into a tiny alley to catch her breath. She stood next to a fire escape, one hand on her chest, the other protectively around her stomach as she panted.
Just as her breath was returned to her, two robed figures dropped down from the roof of the building, landing on either side of her. Before she could blink, before she could run, he had caught her by her arms and pressed her back against the wall.
"Don't struggle." one said, his voice calm but his grip like iron. He reaked of lycan.
"We won't hurt you." said the other, her voice more soothing.
"Let me go!" hissed the vampire, trying to pull her arms from their grips.
Three more figures dropped from the building, all wearing the same black hooded robes. The one in the middle, supposedly the leader, stepped foreward. He looked at the two lycans holding Selene against the brick wall. "Be careful!" he hissed to them. "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"We won't." said the male. "It's not like she's-"
"She's pregnant, you idiot!" hissed the leader. "Get off her!"
"What?!" The lycan removed his weight from her, letting her off the wall, but still holding her arm.
"Did you get Michael?" asked the female on Selene's other side.
"He's coming."
As if on cue, Michael rounded the corner, the group of seven lycans- all a little beat up- behind him. He growled threateningly at the two lycans holding Selene, barely keeping himself from attacking them. Once they caught sight of him, they released the vampiress. Within the blink of an eye, both attackers were gagging for breath from Selene's fists hitting their throats, and said vampire was back by Michael's side, eyes blue and fangs at the ready.
The leader watched his two guards regain their breath. "Now, that was really uncalled for."
"Okay, I'll listen." Michael said to the leader, ignoring the two. "Who are you people? What do you want?"
The leader pushed his hood back, revealing a very pale face framed in brown hair around two brown eyes. The vampire smiled the tiniest bit. "We were sent to retrieve you." he answered. "It isn't safe here. The Coven knows you are here. Soon, they will send their dealers after you."
One of the smaller figures behind the vampire stepped forward. "We are with the New House." she murmered softly. "A den of vampires and lycans who wish to live in peace with one another. We have come to offer you protection from the Covens. They grow stronger in their search for you. If you do not come now, soon, it may be too late."
"Come where?" Selene asked, eyes still blue.
"Currenly, we are residing within a circle of three castles in the Koda Penninsula in Russia. Our leaders are there, waiting." said the vampire leader. "Now, the choice is your's: stay and take your chances, endanger your lives and the life of your unborn baby, or come with us and live in peace- have your child born in peace."
The couple still looked skeptical. "How do we know that it is as you say it is?" Selene hissed. "Why should we trust you?"
"You could easily be lying to us!" Michael growled. "Trying to trap us and drag us back to Ordoghaz!"
The leader sighed, crossing his arms. "Well, I had really hoped we wouldn't have to resort to this." he murmered. "Ivy! Jinno!"
The last thing Michael or Selene heard were the two lycans stepping up behind them, then everything faded to black.
* ~ * ~ *
So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Review, please!
The Lady Mage
Well, here's chapter two. Hope you enjoy!
Rating: PG- just cause I say so.
Disclaimer: *The Lady Mage stands* I, The Lady Mage, do NOT own Underworld or any of its characters. Thank you.
* ~ * ~ *
He crept to the door, listening for activity in the apartment. Once he was sure it was just him, he peaked inside, and the sight that greeted him with surprising to say the least.
Everything was exactly as it should be- the cardboard was still taped over the windows, the magazines were still stacked neatly on the coffee table, the vase of flowers still standing on the kitchenette counter. Nothing was disturbed.
Without shutting the door behind him- what good would it have done since it didn't shut properly anymore anyway- he made his way to the little bedroom. The bed was still made, the closet door still open, their dirty clothes still on the floor near the hamper. It looked as though nothing had been touched at all.
A little suitcase was pulled from beneath the bed, and Michael began to fill it with Selene and his things- their clothes, a few pictures they had taken, the book Selene was in the middle of reading, her perfume, his cologne, the thick wad of money taped underneath the bed. When everything was packed, he headed back to the common room, to the fridge. Selene would need blood when she awoke- lots of it to sustain both her and their baby.
Four bags were stuffed into the case before it was zipped shut. When he shut the refridgerator door, a piece of paper fluttered down to his feet. He bent over and picked it up, unfolding it and skimming it over.
"To Michael and Selene . . . " he mumbled as he read. He scowled, stuffing the note into his coat pocket. Selene could make more sense of it when she awoke. Right now, the important thing was for him to return to her as swiftly as possible, so that is what he did. He left the key to the apartment in the lock, turned off all the lights, and headed back into the streets.
She was still asleep when he returned, but she awoke when he neared the bed, her instincts warning her somebody was close by. When she saw it was Michael, she turned on her side towards him. "Have you gone?"
"Yes." he answered. "You were right. They know where we were living." A bag of blood was pulled from the suitcase and handed to her. She sat up to drink it, and he took a seat by her side. "The door was kicked in, but nothing was messed with- everything was just as we left it last night."
She scowled for a few seconds before sinking her fangs into the plastic bag. After a long sip, she spoke to him. "Did you smell anything? Had anyone been there?"
He nodded, pulling the note from his pocket and holding it out to her. "This was on the fridge."
She gave him her bag of blood, then took the note into her hands. "To Michael and Selene," she read softly to herself. "We never meant harm towards either of you. We only want to speak with you. We offer you protection from those who would hunt you . . . " She turned it over in her hand. "No signature."
"I know." he grumbled. "What do you think of it?"
She balled up the paper and tossed it into the waste basket beside the bed, then took her bag of blood back. "I think we'd better leave as soon as night falls."
* ~ * ~ *
" . . . and that makes three." Michael said, setting a month's rent into the landlady's daintly hand. The old woman smiled and nodded, handing him a small brass key. "Danke. (Thank you.)"
"Haben Sie einen angenehmen Aufenthalt. (Have a pleasant stay.)" she said back, her voice shaky with age. "Guten tag. (Good day)"
Michael nodded. "Er, guten tag. (good day)" Next to him, Selene merely nodded to the woman, turning and slipping into the little one-room place they had rented for the next month. Michael followed her. They had to hurry to cover the windows before the sun could come up.
It had been two weeks since they had moved, since they had been chased from their home. Now, they were in Berlin. They would rest here for a while, then head into Poland. The baby wasn't due for another three months, so they could travel easily until then.
Inside, Selene tossed the stacks of cardboard sheets onto the shabby futon, and she lifted the hammer and little bag of brads- which Michael quickly took from her.
"Why don't you rest?" he asked, trying not to sound belittling. "I can do this."
She glared at him, but didn't argue, nor did she obey him either. Instead, she simply sat and watched him work. He could feel her eyes on the back of his head as he worked.
"How long do you think we'll stay here?" she finally asked.
"As long as we can." he answered. "I paid for a month, but we can leave anytime, or stay another month."
"We'll be found before a month's out, Michael. They know we're in Germany. They'll redouble their search efforts."
"They won't know if we've gone north or south, Selene. We could be anywhere to them."
"They'll find us." she said firmly. "They won't give up until they do."
* ~ * ~ *
By the gods, Selene hated being right.
"We're going to have to stop these little moonlit walks of your's!" she panted to Michael as they ran from another group of hunters- these all lycans and all in their lupine forms. There was no way they could outrun them.
Suddenly, Michael stopped in his tracks, whirling around to face the lycanthropes. Selene halted a few feet from him, watching him change, watching his shirt rip to shreds. He turned to her. "Run! Go!"
She didn't have to be told twice; she booked it around the corner and down another dark street. Behind her, Michael faced off with the group of hunters. She could hear their barks and growls as they fought, then their whimpers as Michael undoubtedly began to win against them.
Selene continued running until she felt she was far enough away, and ducked into a tiny alley to catch her breath. She stood next to a fire escape, one hand on her chest, the other protectively around her stomach as she panted.
Just as her breath was returned to her, two robed figures dropped down from the roof of the building, landing on either side of her. Before she could blink, before she could run, he had caught her by her arms and pressed her back against the wall.
"Don't struggle." one said, his voice calm but his grip like iron. He reaked of lycan.
"We won't hurt you." said the other, her voice more soothing.
"Let me go!" hissed the vampire, trying to pull her arms from their grips.
Three more figures dropped from the building, all wearing the same black hooded robes. The one in the middle, supposedly the leader, stepped foreward. He looked at the two lycans holding Selene against the brick wall. "Be careful!" he hissed to them. "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"We won't." said the male. "It's not like she's-"
"She's pregnant, you idiot!" hissed the leader. "Get off her!"
"What?!" The lycan removed his weight from her, letting her off the wall, but still holding her arm.
"Did you get Michael?" asked the female on Selene's other side.
"He's coming."
As if on cue, Michael rounded the corner, the group of seven lycans- all a little beat up- behind him. He growled threateningly at the two lycans holding Selene, barely keeping himself from attacking them. Once they caught sight of him, they released the vampiress. Within the blink of an eye, both attackers were gagging for breath from Selene's fists hitting their throats, and said vampire was back by Michael's side, eyes blue and fangs at the ready.
The leader watched his two guards regain their breath. "Now, that was really uncalled for."
"Okay, I'll listen." Michael said to the leader, ignoring the two. "Who are you people? What do you want?"
The leader pushed his hood back, revealing a very pale face framed in brown hair around two brown eyes. The vampire smiled the tiniest bit. "We were sent to retrieve you." he answered. "It isn't safe here. The Coven knows you are here. Soon, they will send their dealers after you."
One of the smaller figures behind the vampire stepped forward. "We are with the New House." she murmered softly. "A den of vampires and lycans who wish to live in peace with one another. We have come to offer you protection from the Covens. They grow stronger in their search for you. If you do not come now, soon, it may be too late."
"Come where?" Selene asked, eyes still blue.
"Currenly, we are residing within a circle of three castles in the Koda Penninsula in Russia. Our leaders are there, waiting." said the vampire leader. "Now, the choice is your's: stay and take your chances, endanger your lives and the life of your unborn baby, or come with us and live in peace- have your child born in peace."
The couple still looked skeptical. "How do we know that it is as you say it is?" Selene hissed. "Why should we trust you?"
"You could easily be lying to us!" Michael growled. "Trying to trap us and drag us back to Ordoghaz!"
The leader sighed, crossing his arms. "Well, I had really hoped we wouldn't have to resort to this." he murmered. "Ivy! Jinno!"
The last thing Michael or Selene heard were the two lycans stepping up behind them, then everything faded to black.
* ~ * ~ *
So, what did you think? Good? Bad? Review, please!
The Lady Mage