Ch. 4

Ruby's head turned toward the door, and I took a moment to appraise the dish before me. The bagel was toasted and the cream cheese was in a side dish with the tomatoes and onions artfully spread over the salmon and the capers in another small ramekin. God that's a fantastic word. RRRRRRRamekin. I licked my lips and glanced at Sarah's undeniably good-looking omelet as Ruby spoke to the new comers.

"Oh David, Mary- Margret! How are you?"

I was tempted to turn around, but just settled for reaching for my coffee and appraising the low steady voice that answered, "We are doing ok, Red, thanks." As my hand wrapped around the mug, I caught Sarah's surprised look and her foot jerking under the table. Well that's an interesting development.

Rather than reacting, I lightly shook my head as I brought the mug to my lips, pressing down on her toes briefly before pulling it back to my side of the table. Let's just see what happens. She nodded just as lightly as she reached for her utensils, which had somehow magically made their appearance from out of the front pocket of Ruby's apron. Huh, she really is a true pro.

"You guys want the usual?"Ruby chirped, seeming to be unaware of the slip up on her name.

"Yes please. And coffee, Neal kept us up half the night." This voice was on a lower scale as well, but female. Melodic and sincere, I pictured a Broadway romance type. Let's see, is it more Christine dramatic or more Wicked? I'm leaning toward Christine. Or maybe Eponine. Yeah, that's more the bill.

I watched Ruby nod, then shoot Sarah and I a smile, "Well, duty calls!" She turned on a remarkably sharp point, considering the shoes I just realized she was wearing. Fuck those heals are longer than some-STOP DO NOT FINISH THAT THOUGHT BAD CATHERINE. DRINK YOUR COFFEE.

Finally left alone at our table, I decided to dig in. Sarah seemed to have the same idea, and dug into her omelet with gusto. I set about getting all the various bits and pieces of the smoked salmon dish onto the bagel. I quickly located the pepper shaker at the end of the table, and casting a stealthy eye at the kitchen, into which Ruby had disappeared into, I unscrewed the top and liberally applied its contents to my meal, earning a smirk from Sarah around a mouthful of her eggs. With a flourish, I dropped the top bun onto a now complete locks bagel. Oh fucking god this is going to be so good.

I was about to take a bite when I heard in a carrying whisper, "Charming, they are strangers. How did they get inside the town lines?" Eponine it is.

"I don't know Snow, but don't worry. They seem harmless enough. Red didn't seem bothered by them." He kinda sounds like that guy from Lost a little bit. Huh.

I sighed and dropped my bagel back on my plate with irritation. What the fuck is it with these people? And don't they know that stage whispers only work on stage? Sarah was pointedly looking at her plate and avoiding my eyes. I felt an irritation settle in my chest and I pinched the bridge of my nose, pushing up my glasses, before wearily wiping my hand down my face and repositioning them on my face. If they want us to fucking leave, fine we'll just fucking leave. These people...

"How's the coffee?" Sarah asked, after she had finished her bite. I looked at her, letting my hand flop onto the table with a loud smack. Sarah winced.

"Well, it was really good a few minutes ago, but it's taken on a bitter taste now," I bit out, not bothering to lower my voice, as she had. She winced again, giving a eyebrow that clearly told me that I was being a little shit. Yeah well, I honestly couldn't give a fuck right now. Ugh my back. All this driving is killing me.

I dropped my hand to rub the soreness out of my lower back, trying to keep the grimace off my face, choosing to take a sip of my coffee instead. I turned my head lightly to catch any more conversation, but they seemed to have dropped all conversation. Good, they got the fucking message.

I looked back down at my plate, suddenly a lot less hungry than I was when I ordered it. My stomach was actually already churning, the little coffee I had had sitting uneasily in my stomach, and I realized that I was sweating a bit, my skin felt tight. Why am I...Fuck what day is it?

I quickly pulled my purse to me and pulled my phone from its pocket, clicking the home button to turn the screen on. Fuck, it's the seventh. Shitshitshitshit. Even as I figured out why, I felt a wave of nausea sweep over me, and suddenly the smell of my food and Sarah's food and the coffee were all too much.

"Sarah, I-" I had to clamp my mouth shut, slapping a hand over it as I started to scramble out of my seat.

"Kit? Kit!" Sarah sounded panicked, but as I got upright and the blood rushed to my head, it was all I could do to keep from passing out. I managed to stager through the back doorway, eyes searching frantically for the universal sign that indicated a temple to the porcelain god. It's called a toilet. Calm the fuck down. Having spotted it, I shoved open the door, not bothering to lock it behind me, and fell to my knees in supplication before I felt the tell-tale tightening at the base of my throat. I tried so hard to keep the few sips of coffee down, but greater powers than my strength of will were having none of it.

The next few moments were a haze of violent shades of crimson against the back of my eyelids as my digestive track rebelled against itself. The static I could hear between my ears left me dizzy and unable to think. Just hold on and wait for my body to finish what it had started. Which it took its time doing.

Slowly, the burn at the base of my throat and the sour sensations on my tongue died down and I was able to open my eyes to the watery mess in the toilet before me. Well that was fucking awful. I let out a shaky breath before spitting, trying to rid my mouth of the horrid taste. I tried to swallow, but another wave of bile-tasting air burned up my throat and I fell forward coughing.

A soft tap on the door followed by a gentle, "Kit?" dragged me back to a semblance of reality. I couldn't manage words quite yet so I croaked out a sort of groan to acknowledge her silent request to come in. I sound like Shawn of the dead, fucking hell. I heard the door open.

"Well I didn't think there would be anything that could get you down on your knees," came her half hearted comment from above me.

However, even feeling like I was dying could stop me from taking advantage of such an opportunity. I turned to look up her hazily out of the corner of my eye, allowing my eyebrow to jump up halfheartedly with a small smirk. "Well, there are one or two other things that I'd be willing to go down on my knees for."

That got a huffing laugh out of her. "Yeah I walked into that one didn't I?"

"God I hope you didn't. Can you imagine how awkward that would be?"

"Honestly, you'd probably choke because you'd be laughing to hard."

That brought a real smile to my face, as the truth of her words was irrefutable. Still it would be awkward. Although whoever it was might take it as a com-STOP STOP STOP. I lightly shook my head as I gave a huff of amusement. Is that even a phrase? When I stilled, I expected the world to continue to move, but it seemed like my stomach had decided to behave for now.

I took a moment to assess the state of my body. I could feel the throbbing from my lower back and the stabbing pain from my lower abdomen starting to intensify and a massive headache. But the nausea seemed to have passed for the moment. Fuuuuuuuck.

"You alright?" came Sarah's quiet inquiry. I sighed, casting another glace as the liquid contents that now resided so cheerily in the bowl.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just help me up will you?"

She immediately offered bother her hands, grabbing mine and carefully pulling me to my feet. The world didn't spin, but it did rock a bit, and everything stayed more or less where it should. Oh wait no, not everything.

"You good or...?" she asked as she helped me over to the sink. I gave another little huff of amusement, wincing immediately afterward as the muscle contraction caused pain to flare in my abdomen.

"Yeah, I'm alright. If you could go grab me my purse though, I'd really appreciate it."

"What do you need you pu-" she started, and I couldn't help the snicker as the pieces fell into place. "Oh, yeah sure, one sec. Don't go anywhere." And without waiting for a response, she yanked open the door and hurried out.

I wearily glanced over my shoulder at the now closed door before huffing out a sigh. This really could not have come at a worse time. Now I got to deal with a broken car, a sick friend, and my period. Go big or go home. Unless you go home to go big in which case... Oh my god grow the fuck up.

Shaking my head at my own stupidity, I slowly reached over to the tap and turned the water on, cupping my hand to get some water. Slurping a few handfuls, I swished and spit, hoping to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. It helped marginally, but I could still feel the burn at the back of my throat. Feel the burn haha. Once I had spit pit the remaining water, and decided I didn't feel like my mouth had been used as a Petri dish, I registered the gross feeling of my sweat covered face, Uggh, that's disgusting. I brought my other hand forward and quickly cupped the cool water and buried my face in it, tensing as the diver's reflex kicked in and my mind immediately became more alert. I splashed a few more handfuls onto my face, savoring the feel of the violent change in temperature. I let out the breath I had been holding as I wiped the loose drips from my face before my eyes were drawn upwards to the mirror just above the sink, and the tired reflection that haunted it.

The eyes that looked back were now a familiar, if still disconcerting sight. The pupils glowed gold while the rest of the eye was an inky black. The lids drooped and there were dark bruises underneath them. The cheeks were hollowed out and the lips were thin and discolored. The hair that dangled around the face was the same shade, but it looked ill cared for and oily, like someone who had not bothered bathing in a while. The thin lips did little to cover the fanglike teeth that bared themselves. The eyes continued to consider as a single drop of crimson separated itself from the stain the stretched across the sallow lips and chin and fell, landing in the small puddle, disturbing the reflection with small ripples that danced away from the rapidly diffusing drop as it slowly vanished from sight, become invisible in the water that surrounded it.

Then there was a whimper from nearby, and with a jerk, the reflection vanished, to be replaced with a view that should have been beautiful enough to take the breath away. A pond near the edge of the cliffs, falling away into the rolling green that was the forest below, with a sun setting over the horizon in the distance, lighting up the sky in the colors of warmth and passion. But the view is bittersweet, and ignored as the whimper returns. Quickly the view of the sunset is forsaken for the nearby forest line and the small figure that lays huddled there.

Deft steps carry the figure closer, while strange limbs swing in and out of view. Long arms and legs, with flesh the color of the dead, end in long claws, seeming to extended what would have normally been nail into something altogether more sinister and deadly. A strange shadow seems to haunt the progressive steps forward, making the image cast by the setting sun seem to be surrounded by a strange reddened glow that deformed the humanoid darkness on the ground. A crimson shadow that kept pace with every movement, never faltering. A shadow of wings.

The whimper sounded again, and with a few more steps, its source came into view. Sarah was curled up tightly in a bundle of furs and blankets. He face was even more ghastly than the one from the reflection. Her body was thin and clearly could no longer hold itself up. Her eyes, squeezed tightly shut against the images her dreaming mind had painted, were bruised and sunken. The image of the living dead.

I couldn't stand the sight of her, the one who should be so full of life, wasting away while I continued my profane existence. I knew if she was able, she would vehemently reject my idea, as she had in the past, but I was far too selfish to not offer her what strength I could. What was the point of having this power, if I could not share it? When she was the reason I had touched the fire and burned in the first place. With that in mind, I knelt down by her form, mentally preparing myself for what I was about to experience, knowing that regardless of how familiar the sensation was, it would still take me off guard.

I spent one more moment on token indecision before carefully drawing out my knife, setting the sharp edge against my forearm. In the fading light, the long shadows made the nearly invisible scars that already resided there, amidst newer slashes of crimson against the dead looking flesh, stand out in sharp relief. Some things never change, only the circumstances in which they happen. Looking back down at Sarah's tight and sickly face, I pressed down and pulled. I felt the sharp burn of the blade cutting through the nerve endings, the cold of the blade biting into the meat of my arm, and the gentle tugging as the microscopic flaws in the blade caught and tore the edges of the newly opened wound. Then the sticky warmth of the dark blood as it beaded and welled up from the cut.

I dropped the knife, keeping my arm level, letting the blood pool and then drip down. With my other arm, I gently reached down and carefully pulled Sarah's head into my lap. The light jostling proved enough to wake her from the light slumber she had been fading in and out of over the past few hours. She blinked blearily up at me, the glossy look over her brown eyes dulled them, so the only thing I could see in them was my reflection. Without speaking, I carefully brought my wounded arm up to her lips, managing to smear some of my blood across her lips. I watched as her tongue dipped out to taste the wet on instinct, and a moment later, I felt her whole body tense slightly, and knew that the narcotic affect of my tainted blood had begun to take effect, the tiny amount strong enough to seduce her mind in her weakened state.

Her head raised a small bit, trying to get closer to the substance that now consumed her thoughts. A shiver of absolute revulsion ripped through me. She had deteriorated so far that the last few times I had done this, she hadn't even remembered, simply feeling as if she had gotten a refreshing sleep. It was rape in some ways. She had no way to refuse me, and I would use her current condition and the unique qualities of my blood and power to force my will on her, with or without her consent. And the token argument of all the work being for her own good sounded just as hollow and false now as it had when I had told it to her the first time.

So I helped her mouth find the cut in my wrist, and held her there while I felt her start to suck on my opened vein. The longer she swallowed my blood down, the stronger her muscles became, until her body was capable of holding her up under its own power. Then, I gently pried one of her hands free of the vice grip she had taken on my arm. Upon it, I could see almost a dozen sets of bite marks that were at varying stages of the healing process. Some were paling into scars while the newest was still an angry red. As I looked at the raw flesh, I felt my grow dry and my throat tighten. I couldn't help licking my lips as I tried to summon my self control. When I felt I had acquired it, I carefully lowered my mouth to an unmarked portion of her arm, licking her tender flesh. The saliva numbed the area, and once I bit hard into her arm, it also acted as an anticoagulant, keeping fresh blood welling up to the surface and into my waiting mouth.

The blood coated my mouth, and I could taste the rust and salt. My throat worked to pull the blood out of the wound. Once the first swallow made its way into my belly, I felt the fog begin cloud my mind, much like alcohol, driving away all lines of thought but the single one that called for more. I pulled another swallow and felt my whole being focus on the sensation of the hot sticky mess on Sarah's arm. For a few moments, we stayed that way, Sarah in my lap as we each drank from the other. Then Sarah let out a moan and shifted, as I felt the true effects of the deed kick in. A sharp pain laced its way up from where Sarah was latched onto my arm into my chest, making my heart ache.

Then, like viewing a vista through a fading fog, sensations started to come into my mind that were clearly not from my own senses. At first vague impressions lingered in the cusps of my mind, but the longer the connection remained, the clearer the impression and thoughts became. And as the mental link strengthened the pain in my body increased, until it felt like my arm was being pulled apart, atom by atom. All the while, Sarah's groaning had grown louder and more insistent.

It was an interesting exchange that the power demanded. A strange price we both had to pay. While a mortal was fed on, they experienced pleasure, dissuading them from trying to fight back against the act. But when they fed, it caused excruciating pain, to dissuade those who possessed it from willingly giving away their power. When both acts happened at the same time, a link between parasite and host was formed. An exchange contract. The host was able to take strength, power, speed, heightened senses, while in return, they were laid bare, mind, heart, and soul. An exchange of perfect unity, mind for body, between the two.

But if the parasite did not pull away, and consumed the last drop of their life blood, the very essence of that mortal is absorbed. All they are, were, and could have been is absorbed. A gift of health, longevity, near-immortality from feeding, but to take that, they have to know the mortal so intimately, they die with them. An exchange that guaranteed that only the strongest, the cruelest would have that kind of power.

Sarah's mind slipped into perfect clarity, and at that moment, her body experienced the peak of pleasure while mine felt the pain spread from my arm to consume my whole body. In the haze born of pain and pleasure, the two of us merged, completing the union. And like every time in the past, I could see myself through her eyes. See the demon I had become. The demon I had become willingly.

Forcing my will into the forefront of all the sensations, I pulled my reserves of strengths, replenished from the recent prey I had hunt down. Then, like trying to pull a stone put of mud, I drew my reserves out of my body and pushed it into Sarah's, giving her as much strength as I could spare without becoming incapacitated myself.

Then, with a strength of will that was ever dwindling, I ripped myself away from her form, letting her slump down as I staggered backward, disoriented from the abrupt end of the link between us. The darkness, the craving in me flared, trying to drive me forward to finish what I had so willingly started. I could smell and see her blood still from where I standing, and the itch I felt was getting stronger. For the first time, I was actually afraid. Of myself. Of hurting her.

I staggered away from her and deeper into the woods, trying to get away from the cloying smell of blood that lingered on the air. My head was spinning with a combination of Sarah's thoughts and bloodlust. It was so hard to focus. I staggered, catching myself on the stump of a fallen tree nearby. Bracing myself, hunched over, I pinched my eyes shut, trying to force my mind to focus, like trying to pull myself out of a drunken haze. Finally, the logical thought of return to my natural form spurred my mind back into gear.

I relaxed and focused on the power that pulsed through me, centering it in my chest. Tentatively I looked down to see the black stain above my heart reappear. Then I willed the power outward, watching as the darkness followed my veins, creating a network of darkness that eventually reached the tips of my limbs, chasing away the pain of the feeding and making my skin hum. For a fraction of a moment I savored the feeling of sheer and absolute power, both physical and magical, its intoxicating sensation tempting me, whispering to me to just give in completely. Then just as quickly, I willed the power to withdraw and disappear. In response to my mental command, the veins of darkness under my skin started to recede.

As they did, they burned, transforming dead limbs back to their pale, freckled, and scarred state. The sheer pain of transforming back causes my knees to buckle, but all the pain in my body is suddenly eclipsed by agony from my back. I felt like bones were breaking and I was being skinned, but there was far more pain than there should have been surface area. I couldn't help the scream that ripped its way out of my throat as the transformation slowly finished, and I was left writhing on the forest floor with scraps of clothes and a completely human form.

Once the transformation was complete, the bloodlust faded to a mild pounding in the back of my head, while an ache settled into my bones. Hazily, I heard a voice calling out my name, and I realized that Sarah's body must have processed the strength I gave her and she had regained consciousness. Even in this state, my senses were heightened and I could hear her footsteps approaching. As much as I wanted to just lay there, I forced my naked form up from the ground and the pile of rags I had been laying in. Then, with a sigh, I again summoned the power within me.

But in this form, when I called it to the surface and it crawled out of my limbs to be expelled, it traced swirling patterns into my skin and made my eyes glow brightly with a magical golden aura. I watched the tattoos creep down my arm until it reached my hands and the magic pooled in my palm, and I was able to direct it to the tatters at my feet, willing the fibers to repair themselves and shed the dirt they had acquired. In my mind, I watched every particle move under my influence, stitching it together in my mind while the physical form followed the mental image and in short order, a repaired and clean pile of clothes lay on the ground while the tattoos receded up my arm and back across my chest. In a moment, I had the clothes back on my body, hiding the black spot over my chest. And just in time, for as I bent to hold on the tree stump to let my head clear from the blood rush using magic had caused, Sarah spotted me.

"Kit? Are you alright?" she asked frantically. For a moment I couldn't answer her, and I heard her close the distance to grab my shoulder, turning me to face her. "Kit?"The face of death looked back at me.

"Kit?"

I blinked, the images of tree trunks fading to wood siding, the bark I was bracing against changing to porcelain under my hands, and Sarah's sallow face filling out before my eyes.