Mark squinted at the bright light when he opened his eyes. He gave a little groan and felt his bed shift as a weight was deposited on it. He looked towards the disturbance and saw Zoey's tear stained face peering at him with worry, her hands wrung nervously into the bed sheets.
"Hey..." She said softly and he smiled grimly at her, "How are you?" She asked and helped him sit upright with the pillow tucked behind him.
"I feel a bit sore, but...I'm fine." He said softly and she gave a sigh of relief.
"I was so worried...I found you in the corridor and..."
"Did you bring me here by yourself?" Mark asked her with surprise and she nodded.
"It wasn't easy but I managed it." She mumbled and blushed as he took her pale hand in his.
"Thankyou..." He murmured softly, struggling to picture the petite girl pulling more than her own weight.
"Oh it was nothing." She laughed and squeezed his hand tightly. They rested in each other's silence for a while and Mark glanced at her curiously. She was staring absently mindedly at his sheets though her hand held him tightly. Clearly her mind was somewhere else.
"I've something to ask you." Mark said suddenly and she looked up at him with a little "huh?"
"I've wanted to ask you this for a long time."
"Ok...go ahead and ask me." Zoey replied, she felt a little uneasy as his tone of voice was sharp, as if he was waiting with baited breath for one slip of her tongue.
"Just...what exactly is Dren to you?" It felt as if he'd just shot her in the stomach, her eyes widening slightly as her response failed to gather in her mind. And still he kept talking, shooting even more bullets into her. "I mean...he was the one that did this to me. Did you know that?" And she shook her head numbly. "He said you lied about the whole brother act, which I'm sure is true, and that's not even the start of it." His tone was now accusing and raised her heartbeat to the sky. She felt like she was under scrutiny, like she had done something wrong...
"He's annoyed at me...he's annoyed at me and Dren. What if he knows about us kissing? He'll never love me now!""What else...did he say?" Zoey asked him stiffly and felt her hands grow clammy as Mark's expression turned sour. For a person with such a sweet expression, the turn of moods was almost frightening.
"He said he'd been..." And Mark paused for a moment and squeezed her hands even tighter, perhaps out of anger than fondness. "He said he'd been touching you."
"T-touching me?" Zoey repeated with a stammer. And she remembered the intimate situations she was put in, with the phantom touch of Dren gracing along her lips and the heat of his crotch as it gently nudged her expectedly.
"Yes. Touching you." Mark finished flatly, "I need to know if there's something going on between you two. If there is then I'm afraid I'll just have to take a step back and let you both-"
"NO!" Zoey shouted and got to her feet. "There's nothing going on between us. We were friends but now we're not, that's all." She replied stiffly with a firm expression that raised an eyebrow on his face. "I can't lose Mark...I could never lose Mark. He's too important to me." She chewed her lip in frustration as she fought away lingering phantom touches of Dren.
"Are you okay?" Her asked her gently and looked at her softly. "I didn't mean to be nosy." And he gave her an adoring look that sent blushes across her face. The sort of blush that made her feel the need to bolt and hide her expression. It'd been a while since she'd felt the need to, she could always stare down Dren when they fought.
"I-I'm fine – I've gotta go!" And she dashed away but Mark hung on grimly with a small wince as his injuries pained him a little.
"Just a minute." He gasped and she paused in her motion but still daren't turn to face him. The thought of Dren's musk and touch was still causing the hairs on her body to stand on end...especially when he had licked her neck so seductively..."Zoey are you listening?" Mark interrupted and pulled her so that she had to look at him.
"What's the matter Mark?" She asked him quietly and he put a hand on her face.
"I asked if you would become my girlfriend." She felt herself paling at the thought and hoped Mark could not see it. "And I mean for real, will you be my proper girlfriend?"
"Your...girlfriend." She repeated hollowly. Her heart was thumping heavily. "He's asking me to be his girlfriend...I've waited so long for this...What should I say? Of course the answer has always been yes...but-" Her thoughts floated by as she felt slightly light headed.
"What do you say then Zoey?" He asked, but this time with a little more force. "If that had been Dren asking me he would have asked the once and demanded the answer then and there. Not...repeatedly asked me." She thought to herself, the alien's foreign features ringing clear in her mind. In fact it was nearly all that was on her mind.
"Yes...of course I will be." She sighed out and allowed herself to be pulled into his chest, She closed her eyes in bliss as she returned the gesture. He smelt of disinfectant and bandages...different to the deodorant or the spicy musk she was used to smelling.
"Zoey?" Mark prompted her and she bolted upright. "Why are you crying?" He asked uncertainly and looked at her helplessly as she brushed tears away from her face. She didn't say anything though so he continued to embrace her lovingly. Deliberately asking Zoey to be his girlfriend was a selfish motive, he concluded. "But there is no other way to secure her protection and loyalty from that monster." He thought bitterly. She wouldn't be tempted to cheat would she?
Over the next few days Mark had been allowed to leave the infirmary and little questions had been asked, many thanks to Wesley and Elliot hacking into the school systems and editing the security footage. Zoey had rarely left his side but today was one day where he had kendo practice and couldn't make time for her. "He really is such a gentleman." She thought with a small smile and held a photo of him close to her chest, cradling it between the palms of her hands and her thumbs. "He's so nice and sensitive..."
She found herself at the library and looked up the roof of the building where the Cyniclon's base was erected out of human sight. "I really hope he doesn't mind me visiting Dren..He doesn't really have to know.." No sooner had she thought this then Dren appeared at the roof, his legs dangling over the edge as he leant down to get a better look at her.
"Kitty cat, it really is you." He said simply and grinned at her as she walked up the steps to the entrance. "The library's closed now you know. You should get home, it's not safe around here." And he grinned at her menacingly.
"I wasn't going to the library." She replied and stared up at him, not quite sure where to begin. "What should I say to the guy who was screaming that I upset him?"
"What's the matter?" Dren purred in her ear. She snapped her gaze left and there he was, leaning close to see every detail of her. "You look a little off colour." Another voice said and she looked to her right. There was another Dren, or rather a split decoy or double of him, which also leant down to her. They rested their chins on her shoulders and stared at her unblinkingly.
"I'm fine!" She blurted and took two steps away from them. The pair of Cyniclons grinned mischievously at her, each grin the exact same width and length.
"If you were fine then you wouldn't have come here." They told her simultaneously and wagged a finger at her in perfect unison. "So what did you want?" They demanded with a boyish wink.
"I-I just came here to-"
"You came here to get some more love didn't you?" They asked her huskily and she felt a chill creep up her spine. In a one heartbeat, Dren was behind her snaking his arms around her waist pulling her closer to his body whilst the other one walked towards her slowly. "You really do have some nerve coming here after our last little meeting, which I'm sure you haven't forgotten." And she swallowed nervously, aware of how close she was pressed to his body.
"At least you sound like you've forgiven me." And he raised his eyes brows slightly,
"I'm a fleeting creature, I can't dwell on such trifling problems like you. No matter how much I love you." He held her chin and turned her head slightly from side to side. "Hmm...you look a bit peaky." He commented dryly and frowned a little.
"What do you mean?" Zoey mumbled at him and he shrugged.
"I could mean anything. I could mean that you haven't been eating enough vegetables, or I could mean that your emotional side is going out of control, judging from your scent." He replied lightly and bared his fangs a little at her. "Or am I driving you wild?" He asked her with a low chuckle.
"You're really not making sense, and no way!" She snapped at him as he tilted her head up. She was powerless to resist his touch he noticed, as he still held her face up to him. She finally was willing to submit to his will...how very delightful. He chuckled a little and his eyes trained onto a small dark patch of skin on the side of her neck. It was impossible to miss.
"What is this?" He hissed to her and grabbed the other side of her neck tightly, forcing it to bend so he could see it clearly while she whimpered in discomfort. It was a sweet noise to him. He bent down to her neck and sniffed it curiously, he then ran his tongue over the mark and straightened up with a lethal expression. "You little whore." He spat at her. He snapped his fingers and the Dren who had his arms around her burst into green sparks.
"Why are you calling me a whore?" Zoey demanded feeling rather hurt by his insult.
"Aren't you going to be a whore soon?" Dren asked her sharply and she shook her head indignantly. "It's funny because from that "love bite" you have on your neck that's exactly the way you'll be heading soon. I can still taste his scent on you!" And he spat on the floor.
"Don't be stupid Dren!" She exclaimed hotly and he waved it off,
"I know all about your little rendezvous with dearest Mark. It's disgusting. All so cutesy wootsy."He snarled at her, "Why I ever let you touch me is a mystery itself. You only sullied my perfect complexion with the bacteria on your skin." He added with a false sniffle of hurt.
"You touched me first! So don't go around saying I've been molesting you – you pervert!" Zoey retorted and immediately felt highly embarrassed when he gave her an accusative look that screamed, "Oh really?", clearly indicating the time when she gripped his shirt so tightly, in a subconscious attempt to get closer. Thankfully he didn't comment.
"Judging from how I could taste Mark on your skin, you've let him get close haven't you?" He hissed after a moment and curled his hands into fists when she shifted awkwardly under his gaze.
"No, I ...we've just been going out." She replied and he gave her a grim look while folding his arms.
"Going out? That's a rich explanation. More like what he's been doing is suckling on your neck." He said scathingly and bared his fangs at her, partly in possessive rage and anger directed at Mark. He ran a clawed hand over his ears, "So...how was it? Was it as sexy and hot as you hoped?"
"No it was..." Zoey began but held her tongue as she felt that Dren was peering straight into her soul with his piercing amber eyes. They flickered over her face as if decoding a message. He could see her raw emotions she was sure, her secretive thoughts of love and desire were laid bare to him and there was nothing she could do to stop this perverse invasion. "It was good." She finished lamely and he gave a little noise of disbelief coupled with a low laugh. He extended a clawed finger and traced her jaw line, gently.
"You're such a bad liar." He chuckled and grinned at her without malice. For a moment it seemed as if he were back to himself, but moments never last for long. "It's pretty clear to me that you didn't find it satisfactory." And he noticed that she bristled a little at his comment.
"No-I-"
"Stop kidding yourself Zoey." He said flatly and advanced upon her. "You know you can't resist me..." He purred, and ran a hand through his hair while he advanced on her.
"I...just came here to talk to you." She said quietly and he sneered at her whilst leaning down.
"You might say that. But since your here and offering yourself to me so willingly-" He rasped and lowered his head to the side of her neck,
"I'm not offering anything!" She shouted and tried to push him away. Her actions had no effect on him other than ruffle the shirt he was wearing despite the force she exterted. He was stronger...so much stronger than he'd ever pretended to be.
"Oh but you are." He whispered darkly and put a hand on the small of her back and on her head. "Subconsciously you came here seeking pleasure because Mark can't give you it. You can't say that I don't make you feel like a woman, whereas precious lover boy is still trying to develop."
"That's...not true." Zoey muttered with a small gasp as he licked her neck again. This time preparing the skin. She was powerless to resist him, not to mention she was trapped without transforming and severing all ties between them.
"Yes it is. Humans aren't good enough for you now that you've had a little taste of me, aren't I right? I'm irresistible." And he traced his lips on the surface of her skin. He didn't need an answer as her hands had grabbed a hold of his shoulders, half pulling, half pushing him from her.
"Why yes, I am right." He bared his fangs and sunk them gently into her neck where the love bite was. The surface of the skin broke with a little pop and she cried out in pain. Her petite body wracked with nerves as he sucked and swallowed her blood. He disliked the taste of her blood, but this appeared to be the only way to top Mark's love "bite". Sucking on a part of skin where Mark had broken capillaries beneath the surface didn't appeal him greatly. But Zoey's untouched fouled blood did.
She could feel him slurping the blood, not greedily, but with a dogged determination as if he were forcing himself and she could feel his tongue as it pried gently into the wound urging the blood flow. It was a gruesomely intimate act as it delved into her body and he could taste her Mew Mew power flowing in her blood.
Her power stung against his own magic, causing pin pricks of pain against his tongue as they fought to repel itself from his body before digesting inside him. After a minute he straightened up, a bloody smear over his lips and she clamped a hand to her neck in mild fear and shock. "Mark can give you all the love bites he wants, but it can't top mine." He licked his lips and she let out a shuddering breath at the foul act.
"Let's not lie to ourselves Zoey. Our friendship is over. From the moment I got my memories back all we've had is a bond full of desire and lust. I just thought you'd like the table of cards laid out for you to see." And he gave her a sharp wink.
"What did you do to me?" She asked him shakily and ran her fingers over the scabs forming at the two puncture holes.
"I drank the stinking blood that made the love bite. So now you have bruises off me." And he eyed the large dark patch forming on her neck. "I don't like seeing anything of Mark's on you. So if you come here again with a little present from Mark, I will destroy you for being an irritation Zoey." It wasn't just a threat, it was a fact.
"Your being possessive Dren, and we don't have desire or lust!" She reasoned with him feeling a little more than put out that he'd so easily taken advantage of her, while knowing her denial would do little to deter the Alien.
"You're lying to yourself. But I'll leave you to think about that." He laughed and levitated a few feet. "Oh...here come my lower ranking brothers." The two Cyniclons descended from the roof of the building where they had just teleported to.
"Eurgh." Sardon wafted the air with his fan and wrinkled his nose up with distaste. "How rude...a Mew Mew on our doorstep. And she smells bad enough, but add the stench of blood and it's unbearable." He gave her a withering look as he fanned the air beneath his nose and she stared back at him fiercely.
"It's not as if I wanted to be bit by him!" She replied tersely and pointed to Dren as Tarb gave a little laugh.
"He's been planning that for weeks!" The small Cyniclon laughed, "Ever since he saw how vampires seduce women he's been-"
"That's enough Tarb." Dren growled, his voice deep and layered with warnings. His eyes flashed into black slits and the smaller Cyniclon hurriedly dashed back to Sardon's side with an impish grin. "Thank the heavens." He groaned and turned to face the pair of them. "Now what exactly are you both doing here? You're supposed to have gone out for recon."
"We've just returned." Sardon replied tersely and narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "You however were supposed to waiting inside our dimension for Deep Blue's message. And you've probably missed it by now."
"Other things came up." Dren replied with a little shrug. And Sardon looked at him sourly.
"I'm afraid that thing over there must be neutralized." He said and pointed accusingly at Zoey. "Last time Deep Blue's message included a short sentence about removing the leader of the Mew Mew team from this planet, who coincidentally happens to be here."
"When was this?" Dren asked him shrewdly and Sardon ignored him.
"If I'm not mistaken...that girl there is the Mew Mew leader..." And he pointed his fan dangerously at her.
"You're not wrong Sardon. Get rid of her now so we can take over this world already." Tarb gave a great yawn and eyed Zoey lazily. "She'll be so easy to pick off! None of the other stinking Mew Mews are here!"
"Just a minute there." Dren interrupted with a growl, "You can't just say something and expect me to believe you."
"O great mighty Dren, don't you believe your loyal subjects?" Tarb asked him mockingly and rolled his eyes.
"Seeing as you felt it fit to leave me in human captivity for over a month for sheer entertainment, no I don't trust either of you." Was the sharp reply.
"Then the feeling is mutual." Sardon said flatly. He shot a blast of energy at Zoey who had just finished transforming, she leapt nimbly out of the way and Dren wiped away the gory mess on his face with his sleeve.
"This fight seems rather biased don't you think?" He asked Sardon who was now taking pot shots at Zoey, he was deliberately missing her it seemed to him.
"Biased? Only if you believe in fair fights." Was the dry reply and he bristled slightly as another blast of energy missed Zoey.
"If you're going to destroy her then at least do it right." Dren said wearily and levitated towards them where he slapped the fan with the back of his hand causing Sardon to gasp slightly at his impudence. "Watch and learn." He stared into Zoey's eyes and established a telepathic link.
"Run away Zoey. Run as fast as you can back to the cafe."
"But why?" She breathed out aware that the Cyniclon's sensitive ears could hear her clearly. If Tarb and Sardon could hear one side of her conversation they didn't betray any emotion as they stared vacantly at her. Albeit with some traces of loathing.
"Because you don't belong here. All Cyniclons are dangerous, don't ever come here alone." He faced his palms together and gathered up a jade coloured sphere of power.
"I still haven't had the chance to talk to you."
"Aha. Is that an invitation to visit you tonight then?" He teased and allowed his lips to tug into a grin as his fingers tugged at the sides of the sphere.
"Err."
"I'm afraid you don't get a choice." Dren chuckled aloud and threw the sphere roughly in her direction. The direction was skewed but the blast force was imminent and propelled Zoey a good distance, where she hurriedly gathered her feet and fled.
"Argh, she's getting away!" Tarb whined and sighed as they watched the figure streak away into the city.
"It doesn't matter." Sardon said and retreated into the dimension closely followed by Tarb and then Dren. "Whatever it is Dren, please get it sorted soon. We don't want to offend you by picking up your duties." And he fanned himself slowly, his eyes unblinking as they bored into the Cyniclon's head.
"I don't know what you mean." He replied lightly and gave a stretch as he pushed past the older alien.
"You know exactly what I mean." Sardon hissed his eyes flashing dangerously as he pointed his weapon at him.
"Hm. I really don't." Dren snarled back and turned around to face him squarely.
"Yes you do!" Sardon roared at him, his fangs were bared and his cool composure was lost. Dren could smell the anger seeping off his elder like a bad plague, it was threatening and unpleasant.
"Listen. If Deep Blue wants that pesky human destroyed, then I'll do it." He replied calmly and ran a hand through his hair. "But until I do that...no one is going to lay a finger on that human." He growled. And he walked towards Sardon's raised weapon and rested his finger tip on its point.
"While you may be in your adult form and assume to be holding higher power than I and Tarb..." Sardon replied lowly, his weapon unwavering as Dren increased the pressure on his fingertip. "You don't dare go against our Master." He swiped the fan away from the Cyniclon's touch and returned to fanning himself. The calm composure he usually held was back and effectively masked any seething emotions he harboured. There was a cut on Dren's finger and he sealed that easily with a flick of his magic.
"I'm glad you finally worked that out." The younger Cyniclon replied evenly and tucked one hand into his pocket. "As for destroying dearest Zoey, I'm afraid to tell you that I'll be doing that at my own leisure."
"Then leisure away." Tarb interrupted with a sour expression. "Come on Sardon. We don't need to waste our time."
"Indeed." Sardon replied dryly giving Dren a roll of his eyes. He watched the pair of them fade from view back to their private dimensions and he gave a little shake of his head. "I cut it a little bit too close today, maintaining relationships on both sides of this war is harder than I thought. The power channelling through Sardon's weapon was a little more than threatening. If I don't keep up with my power training, those two could just about overwhelm me. Then no one would be able to protect Zoey as well as I could." He thought bitterly, his mind wandering over to Mark. "That little weasel couldn't save his own skin never mind hers. And speaking of her...I can't wait until nightfall."
He kept well inside his own quadrant not thoroughly wishing to run into either members of his species. And once the humans had deemed the time to be "evening", he transported to her room and found it vacated. Possibly as Zoey might have took refuge in the Mew Mew cafe. With a little "hmm" noise he lied down on her bed and decided to rest his eyes for a few seconds, maybe a few minutes...it'd been so long since he'd felt a human bed beneath him. It was oddly comforting and he was soon creeping under the thick covers. His heightened sense of smell lulled him into a light sleep as his nose burrowed deeply into her pillow, drinking in her scent.