City Limits

Chapter 7

She was hidden in the shadows when she first spied the pair. Unlike the graceful vampire she'd seen at the club, these two were hunched over and lumbered across the street toward the park. One of them snarled, bearing his fangs, at a passing cab causing the driver to speed away in fright. In response, the other lunged toward his partner and they scuffled in the middle of the road for a few seconds before stopping abruptly. They straightened up and sniffed at the air before grinning maniacally at each other. Like the other nights, they'd caught the scent of their prey and shifted immediately into the hunt.

Lex could only pray it wasn't her scent.

To her surprise, they didn't come her way. In fact, they let a half dozen people walk past them without so much as a growl. And yet their eyes roamed the city park constantly. They WERE hunting, only tonight they were looking for someone in particular. They straightened up as he entered the park; his suit was slightly rumbled and his hair stuck up in a few areas like he'd dragged his fingers through it by way of a comb. As if knowing better, any other wayward pedestrians disappeared – choosing other paths home than the park tonight – but the rumpled man was too distracted to pick up the hint of danger. The pair of vampires closed in on their unsuspecting target, following him for only a moment before letting out a guttural snarl.

The suit jumped, his eyes wide, and spun around toward the sound. He stumbled backwards, trying to flee, but they were too quick – supernaturally so. The white haired vamp circled him, bearing his fangs twice just to see his dinner jump around. Though Lex could see the suit's lips moving, she couldn't make out his words. She eased out of the shadows, hoping they wouldn't spot her, and began inching forward toward the trio.

She was still twenty feet away when the attack began in earnest and she had no weapon and no plan. Still, she couldn't stand by and watch the man get killed by them. She lunged forward, sprinting into the fray and throwing herself between the fangs and their victim. “Leave him alone!” she shouted, sparing the suit a brief glance as he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. He had a bloody wound on his neck – courtesy of their teeth no doubt.

“Back off missy,” Dreads growled, crouching into an attack stance. “You don't want no part of this,” he warned.

“No part,” Whitey parroted, a twisted grin on his face. “Don't want no part.”

“Maybe I don't, but here I am,” Lex said, steeling her nerves as her hands started to tremble. What the hell was she doing? “And I said, leave him alone!”

Dreads narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air, “what are you? You ain't our kind...”

“Ain't our kind, no no...” Whitey said, shaking his head repeatedly. Behind her, the man in the suit groaned and Whitey licked his lips again, still anticipating dinner.

“You're right about that,” Lex said, her lip curling in disgust. “I don't want trouble but I've seen what your kind does and you're not doing it to this man.”

Dreads threw back his head and laughed, “and you're gonna stop us? I don't think so. See, we got orders – that man there has been marked.”

“Marked,” Whitey said, giggling as if he'd heard a joke. “Can't we just kill 'er and be done? I'm hungry,” the vampire whined to his companion.

Dreads seemed ready to agree, his whole body tensing for the assault, but at the last minute he jerked up and looked away from them. Whitey's eyes glazed over as well. Lex took a slow step back, not taking her eyes from the vampires for a second. After a moment, they twisted away in rage and raced out of the park. “What the...?” Eyes glued to their blurred forms, she moved backwards toward where the suit had fallen. Only when she was beside him did she look away from where the vampires had been a minute before.

One of his hands was covered in his own blood – probably from clutching his own wound – but it had fallen away from the bite marks as unconsciousness had taken him. She could see his chest rising and falling, a good sign, and let out a sigh of relief. “Okay Lex...now what?” she muttered, looking around the barren park for an ally. She ripped a strip of cloth from his blood stained shirt, apologizing as she did so and tied it as tight as she dared around his neck.

It took three fruitless attempts before she got a cabbie to pull over for her and it took all the money in her wallet and the victim's to convince the driver to help. “Now, you drive him to Saint Aegis's,” she instructed, closing the door carefully after situating his feet.

“No, no – you come too,” the driver insisted in stilted English, pointing adamantly toward the doors. “In! In!”

Lex shook her head and backed away from the cab quickly. “I can't,” she insisted. “I have to wait for the police,” she lied. It would take hours for emergency services to respond to any call in this part of the city (or more since she hadn't called them) and she had no intention of being around if or when they showed up. “Go! He's going to bleed to death!” Reluctantly, the cabbie pulled away from the curb and disappeared around the corner.

Lex went the other way – putting as much distance as she could between herself and the park. She was violently rubbing at the dried blood on her palms as the elevator slowly rose toward her apartment a dozen blocks away.

------

His eyes shifted toward her as she entered the apartment. Hidden in the darkness, she didn't observe him, even as she passed within a few feet of him. He caught a whiff of the blood and snarled. He felt the change tingling in his fingers and slipped further back into the shadows as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

By the time she descended, the beast inside him was salivating for a taste and his whole body was on edge, ready to strike. Unable the wait any longer, he sprang from his hiding place and released a guttural growl.

Lex spun around, immediately raising her arms in defense as she did so. “Who are you?” she demanded, slowly backing away from him. His face began contorting in front of her eyes! The bones beneath the flesh seemed to shift as he stalked closer, his glowing eyes tracking her minute movements. “Wh- What are you?' she asked, stumbling back a few steps. As fur grew from every visible part of his body, Lex looked toward the doors – plotting an exit. She didn't have the time to execute one before a full grown, angry looking wolf stood in her apartment. “Oh you have got to kidding me!” Lex shouted. Mere feet away from her, the wolf cocked his head to the side in confusion. In spite of the looming threat, Lex barked out a laugh before scrambling backwards toward the front door.

The wolf sprang forward, dragging her toward the ground with his claws. As the claws pierced through her clothes and dug into her skin, Lex cried out and attempted to twist away from her attacker. For every centimeter she gained, he yanked her back several more until she was pinned down in the middle of her living room far from the door. His muzzle came closer, saliva dripping down as he loomed over her. For a second, a dangerously long second, Lex was mesmerized by the wolf’s rich golden eyes.

She didn’t hear the door open or the approach of the stranger but the wolf did. He twisted toward the sound and snarled at the newcomer. Lex silently prayed for both for salvation and that none of her poor human neighbors had stumbled into their deaths. Without warning, the wolf leapt off of her, his sharp claws tearing at her flesh as he sprang away and rounded on the man standing at the door leading to the balcony. Even as she attempted the drag herself away, she wondered how he’d gotten in.

Propping herself against the couch, Lex took a moment to survey her wounds. Her thin, cotton lounge pants had done little to protect her against the claws and were shredded at the thighs. She ripped the remnants of the legs free and wrapped them around the punctures left in her legs. She didn’t take the time to consider cleaning the wounds or even examine the severity before binding them to stem the blood flow. She almost managed to block out the ensuing battle between the wolf and her rescuer until they careened into her TV, bringing it down with a loud crash.

Lex looked up in time to see the man slice into the wolf’s abdomen with a sharp, curved blade. The animal let out a guttural howl and stumbled backward several steps. Blood seeped from the wound, pooling on her living room rug. With a growl, the wolf bolted out the back door and circled the balcony twice before jumping the railing. Lex stared, in horror, at the edge of the balcony as if expecting the wolf to return. When he didn’t, she swung her attention toward the stranger. “What the hell?”

“Hell’s got nothing to do with it,” he muttered, leaning heavily against the wall as he caught his breath. “Name’s Hunter by the way.”

“Hunter?” Lex smirked, “that what your parents named you or did you take a name to mirror your work?”

He raised his eyebrows but made no response. “Can you walk?” he asked, motioning toward her legs with his bloody knife. “I’ve been tracking that thing for weeks – he’s been on your trail specifically and he’ll be back.”

“Back?!” Lex used the couch to get to her feet and slowly let go. Pain coursed through her legs as she stood without support but she didn’t fall. She limped onto the balcony and peered over the railing incredulously. "I'm on the thirteenth floor – how the hell could he come back?!”

Hunter followed her onto the balcony and lifted his nose to the sky, inhaling deeply. After several breaths, he turned toward the docks and peered into the darkness. A few blocks away, a man clutched his side and staggered east. “He’ll be back,” Hunter repeated. “You should get away from here. I’ll try to track him down while he’s healing, give you time to get away…” Lex stared at him, struggling to process his words. “You’re still here,” Hunter said simply, turning his gaze on Lex. “Werewolves don’t give up their prey easily, he’s hunting you for whatever reason.”

“Werewolves. Hunting….” Lex wanted to be shocked by this new revelation but it didn’t surprise her. After all, if vampires existed, why shouldn’t there be werewolves too? Without another word, Lex leaned over the railing and retched. For a moment, she felt sorry for the people below her but it passed quickly. She stumbled away, limping back into her apartment. When she turned back toward the balcony, Hunter had vanished.

It took her several minutes to climb the stairs to her bedroom, pulling herself up via the railing. In the bathroom, she carefully washed the wounds on her legs and dug out her first aid kit. On closer inspection, the wounds weren’t as bad as she’d been expecting. In fact, the shallower ones almost appeared to be healing already – which was crazy of course! After drying her legs, she dabbed antibiotic ointment on each spot before covering them with gauze. She used up almost all the bigger pads and shoved the rest of the kit, mostly small band-aids and creams, into her duffle bag. Though she worried about the jeans rubbing against the claw marks as she ran, she couldn’t flee in tattered pajama pants.

Bandaged and packed, Lex dug to the back of her nightstand drawer and pulled out the hunting knife Alan had given her when she turned sixteen. Fingering the blade, she felt it prick at her skin and then sheathed the knife. She glanced around the room, gnawing on her lip as she considering what else she needed. She sighed and pulled out her cell phone, it was late – after one in the morning – but she punched in Link’s number anyway and waited through five rings before it went to voicemail. “Hey, this is Link. I can’t answer the phone right now obviously, leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

“Hey Link, it’s Lex… look, I’m getting out of town for a few days. I’ll check in when I get back. Tell Alan… Dad…. That I should be back for his birthday,” Lex said. “On that note – I’ll pitch in for the party or whatever. Just let me know my portion. Love to you and Jenny.”

End Chapter

City Limits Update!

Some of you may remember this story - most of you have probably never heard of it though. I started City Limits two years ago as part of a collaborative effort with other story tellers. The idea was that all the stories would be set in the same universe with a common set of guidelines. It was a great idea but we had a limited set of story tellers at the time.

After 6 chapters that I absolutely loved writing, my story sort of got buried with other stories and hasn't seen the light of day in awhile. BUT, I mean to revive my dear City Limits!

This story is set within the bounds of the fictional city of Auchlin. Auchlin, like many cities, is home to a whole cast of supernatural creatures - all hiding in the shadows under absolute secrecy. While the supes can recognize each other for what they are, humans are blissfully unaware of the dangers all around them. Or most humans are anyway...sometimes one human gets a little too curious or one supe gets a little too meddlesome.

Then secrets have a way of getting out.

So, if you're interested in stories of the supernatural bent (these were written before we had Supernatural the EP by the way), then please check out the first six chapters while I prepare to revive the city and the story.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

General Housekeeping Update

The girls and I just got back from a week long road trip, so I'm in the "recovery" period of that! lol But as I have received a couple comments about various stories, I thought I'd post a quick update on everything!

School Days is very much still active! There are roughly 12 chapters left in Senior Year and then a series of post-graduation chapters.

Project Unity is in the forefront of my mind lately so I hope to focus on it for the next couple weeks. There is no end in sight for Unity as sci-fi is my passion. ;)

Dusty Plains and The Taffity Legacy both have plenty of story to tell! I have both generations currently mapped out and they WILL get done in due time I promise! I'm very excited about the direction they are both going and I hope you'll all enjoy it as well!

City Limits is on hiatus for the time being. It is not over! Just paused.

Niko and Leni is unfortunately at and end I think; the save and backup is corrupted along with the Federal Building (which I did not save to my bin). That being said, expect to see Niko make an appearance in the Taffity Legacy this generation!

Crescent Bay has it's own blog now so you can follow it here!

Truth or Dare: Cami's Sims

All the cool kids are doing it! I've added an ask page to my Tumblr account - partially to give the poor thing a use I imagine.

Truth or Dare

If you have a Tumblr account, you can ask any of my sims - past or present - a question over yonder. But if you DON'T have a tumbler account you can just ask it here and I'll copy it over as needed.

Questions and Answers already processed can be found here.

The questions should be addressed to a particular character and will be answered in character - hopefully with a picture just for fun. :)

General Update

I wanted to post and say that I love you all! You're wonderful readers and I'm happy to have you all.

I know I've been somewhat focused on Dusty Plains and Taffity lately but I wanted to let you know I have not abandoned or forgotten my other stories! I've had a bit of tunnel vision for those two as of late. I am working on City Limits update slowly but surely and soon after Unity and School Days will follow.

Peace!

Oh and I recently downloaded new skins (previously used only EA skins) so if you notice a slight shift in appearance of characters, they's why.

I don't like to have a post with no pictures, so have some eye candy:

City Limits

Chapter 6

Mir slipped into the darkness and watched with mild amusement as the young reporter cursed and left the club. After she was sure he was gone, she slid into the elevator and made the short trip up two floors. The bouncer at the door said nothing as she passed him into the true VIP room of Elysium. The bouncer was not there for the vampires but to prevent any curiously foolish humans from invading the den of vampires.



As usual, Aaron Radtke was holding court on the small island in the middle of pool. Any vampire who wanted an audience with the Regis was required to cross the blood red pool to reach him. That was not a particularly difficult feat, it was mostly a symbolic way of putting himself on a dais. While she did need to speak with him, she did not join the small band of vampires at the edge of the pool. She barely glanced at him but could feel his eyes - and his mind - tracking her to the bar. "A negative." she said to the bartender.



A few newer vampires gasped and oohed as the Regis stood and leapt from the dais in a single bound. He landed on his feet, without a single hair disturbed. Mir didn't have to turn towards him to know he was coming her way. She could feel his presence tingling all over her and becoming stronger as he got closer. She barely felt his physical touch through the cloud of mental caresses. "Regis." she said with a discreet nod.



He nodded at the human behind the bar. "AB negative my dear." he said. She looked at him like a dog in heat and nodded vigorously. She clumsily prepared the drink for him, blood droplets splattering on the floor and bar. With no finesse or showmanship, she presented the glass to him with her head ducked down.

"I don't think your new girl is going to make it." Mir said smirking. She looked at the bar - where her own drink still hadn't been served - and then over at the bartender. One mental push and the girl's gaze snapped up to her in fear. She was trembling all over but quickly poured a glass for Mirelle.



"Now now Mir - no need to frighten the poor child. It's her first day on the floor..." Aaron said. He was looking over the girl, hunger and desire mingled over his face as he took in her small frame and ample endowments.

Mir tried not to look over disgusted. "I didn't know you fancied dumb blondes Aaron." she quipped.

His head snapped around quickly and he snarled at her. Mirelle knew he wasn't offended on behalf of the girl but because she had disrespected him - especially here where everyone in the room had exceptional hearing and had probably heard every bit of their exchange.



Before he could say anything, she made herself look appropriately repentant, looking down toward the floor and waiting for his body to stop pulsing with anger. 'There was a reporter,' she couldn't say it out loud so she continued to look at his feet as she spoke to him mentally.

He was silent - physically and mentally - for a few minutes. He nodded and then put his fingers on her chin, tilting it up to face him. He put his hand at the small of her back and navigated them toward the door. Their drinks were left untouched on the bar.



They were both silent as the elevator moved down toward the basement of the building where Aaron had a small private apartment and office space set up. This was in addition to the sprawling old mansion he had in the hills outside of town. Just inside the door, Aaron leaned in close to Mir, pressing her against the wall. He didn't say anything but his eyes were on fire and she knew he wanted her, possibly as much as she wanted him. "Tell me out the reporter." he said, his voice low.

Mir, not as quick to change tracks as he was, had to shake off the pulsing desire insider he. "He came into the club tonight - looking for you. Alex Garza?"

"Garza...of the Times right?" he asked, pushing off the wall and away from her. "Care for a drink?"



"Sure." she said, following him toward the bar. "Yes, he's a writer for the Times. Said he got a tip that you'd endorsed Pike...you didn't did you?" she asked.

He didn't respond as he poured them both drinks and passed one over to her. "And if I did?"

"Oh Aaron..." she groaned thinking about all the implications. "You know how much attention this will get - considering your rather outspoken political opinions. When this gets out half the reporters in town will be focused on you..." She'd put her glass back on the bar without taking a drink and paced the room.

"Aren't you going to drink your drink Mir?" he said. "What's wrong with having a few reporters around? It's good for business."

"It's not good for us though!" she snapped at him. His nonchalant expression slipped as he flared with anger at her outburst but was just as quickly gone again.

"I wasn't aware there was an 'us' anymore Mir - much to my disappointment." he replied.

She rolled her eyes. "No there isn't - you got married remember? And that wasn't the 'us' I was talking about and you damn well know it!"

"I didn't get married - I took a partner. And it was strictly strategic." Aaron easily navigated the conversation in the direction he desired.

"Does Mrs. Radtke view it as a strategic endeavour?" Mir asked, trying to regain her composure. He was one of the few people who could rattle her cage in this way.



He seemed to think on that for a moment and shrug. "Can't say I really care." In a blur he set down his glass and was by her side, pressing her against the bar and twining a strand of her hair around his finger.

"Stop that!" Mir said trying to push against his chest. Even with her enhanced vampire strength it was like pushing against a wall. He was a vampire too and almost four times her age. If he didn't want to be moved by her, he wasn't going to be moved. "The reporter Aaron..." she tried to bring the focus back around to the original subject.

"Mmhmm, let's forget about the reporter." he whispered into her ear. Mirelle cursed her body's willing responses to him. His lips brushed against her skin and she let out a small, involuntary groan. "There's a good girl..." he teased.

"Why do you keep doing this to me Aaron?" Mirelle whispered, even as his strong hands ran along her pale skin.



Afterward, as they lay in the afterglow of the encounter, Mirelle's haze slowly cleared and her thoughts returned to the real reason she'd sought him out. "I don't think you can sex the reporter away Aaron..." she said as she climbed off the couch and collected her under things.

"Oh I don't know - he might swing that direction..." Aaron said with a grin on his face.

"Is everything a game to you Aaron?" Mir snapped. Inside she felt the sting of thirst since she'd left both her drinks go to waste and allowed Aaron to capture her attention for so long. She could feel the tug of encroaching dawn as well and wanted to be well away from here when she had to go to ground for the day.



"Not everything." he said, showing no sign of modesting or covering himself. "The reporter will be dealt with and I have Pike under control."

"That's exactly the problem." Mir said. "If the Concil finds out how much you're meddling in human affairs..."

"What about the girl?" Aaron said, brushing the topic aside. She knew that he thought he knew what he was doing but sometimes, though rarely, he let things go too far. "The one who snatched your dinner away last week."

"I went to her apartment like you asked." Mir said seething in frustration. As he was the Regis, she had to watch her words, but right now she just wanted to slap him.

"And..." he prompted.



"She wasn't there - but her apartment smells like Dog. Took me forever to get the smell out of my hair." Mir frowned and sniffed her hair again. It had been days since she'd been inside the apartment but she could still smell it sometimes.



"Dog?" Aaron asked raising his eyebrows. "Ah, were...do you think she's a were?" Mir was suspicious about Aaron unusual curiosity about this Lex but didn't say as much.

"No, I don't think so. I can...identify...Weres. Whoever, WHATever she is - it's nothing I've met before." she countered. "But she associates with Weres - extensively."

"Mhmm." Aaron said. He stood up, still not considering it necessary to cover himself, and walked over to her. "I want you to extend her an invitation..."

"Why?" Mir asked, feeling a sting of foolish jealousy at his interest. "She's nothing!"



"But she knows about us and is clearly a supe of some sort..." he said. "It merits investigation I think. And I'd like to meet her. No offense my dear Mir," he said, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "I'm several centuries older than you. Perhaps I'll be able to identify her."

Mir snarled and recoiled from his touch. "And if she refuses the invitation? She had no love of vampires on our first encounter."

"I'm sure you'll find a way to fulfill your Regis's wishes." Aaron said coolly. "I want the girl."



After several tense, silent moments, Mir nodded. "As you say...Regis." She collected the rest of her things. "I better be going before the dawn." she added, hoping he didn't object and try to keep her at the apartment.

He merely motioned to the door and disappeared into his bedroom, leaving her to show herself out.

------

The sun had been down for less than an hour when Mir returned to Lex's apartment. She could smell the hint of dog even before the elevator doors opened and snarled. "'I want the girl,'" she rolled her eyes. "Get your own damn girl Aaron..." she stepped into the hallway and approached the door, prepared to let herself in again. To her surprise the door was not only unlocked, it stood ajar. She glanced around the hallway before gently pushing the door in.



The apartment was in disarray with a few broken dishes and a few upturned chairs. There were deep claw marks slashed through the couch and the pictures on the wall were at all angles as if the place had been rumbled by an earthquake recently. The apartment still smelled of dog, only this one had a different, stronger odor.

None of this was particularly concerning to Mir. She didn't care in the least what sort of trouble the girl had gotten into. Except the girl wasn't here.

"Well damn." Mir said. "Now I'll smell like dog again and still have nothing to show for it..." She checked the apartment one more time and left, sure not to touch another more than necessary. On the way out of the building, she detected the unmistakable smell of Were and whipped around. He sensed her at the same time and their eyes locked on each other - each with an equal mix of disgust and anger.



End Chapter

City Limits

Chapter 5

Alex tossed and turned in his tent that night. The snarky witch had told him he couldn’t leave the campgrounds, or more specifically she’d told him that he’d be better off staying there for the night. He couldn’t stop thinking about his girlfriend – surely she was wondering what had happened to him. Sy kept reassuring him that Clarissa was just fine and tucked away safely in the cabin but she wouldn’t tell him how she knew that. She just knew.

After an hour of staring at the fabric walls of the tent, Alex threw off the sleeping bag with a sigh and crawled to the flap. In the corner he saw a small bag of clothes and the investigative reporter in him drew him to the bag. He carefully poked around in it, not wanting to disturb the contents too much. He couldn’t even say why he was poking around anyway. He knew right off that it was Sy’s bag – of course he’d already gotten the impression that he was sleeping in her tent, in her sleeping bag. But if he was here – where was she?



In response to his unspoken question, he heard a twig snap just outside the tent and then a shadow fell across the flap. He scrambled back into the sleeping bag, unwilling to be caught with his hand in her bag. Truth was it probably wouldn’t matter – she’d know he’d been there the same as she knew about Clarissa. Still, when he heard the zipper on the tent flap, he closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

Sy stuck her head in the tent and surveyed their guest. She smiled at his attempt to feign sleep and grabbed an extra blanket before retreating back outside. “Sleep.” Sy said quietly. A fine mist surrounded the tent. As it dissipated, she nodded to herself and returned to her spot overlooking the city of Auchlin.

------



Alex step outside the tent and shivered a bit in the chilly night air. Even the fire – which was magically still lit – did little to warm the campsite. He imagined, though, that none of these women were uncomfortable. He wondered what the insides of the other tents looked like. Were they really multiple bedroom houses under those bland, deceptive covers? Did they have all the comforts of a four star hotel? His imagination ran wild with the possibilities. He was about to peak his head into the neighboring tent when he saw someone standing on the cliff a short ways off.



He started for her without really thinking but then stopped dead in his tracks. Hadn’t Sy said something about a circle, some sort of protective barrier? He walked around slowly, staying close to the line of tents as he searched for some sort of physical indication of this circle.



Sy chuckled in the distance, drawing his attention back to the cliff where she was standing. “It’s perfectly safe,” she spoke quietly, barely above a whisper, but her voice traveled along the wind to Alex. For a moment, it felt like her voice was swirling all around him, pulling him into a warm embrace.

Alex felt drawn to her and took several awkward, halting steps before he seemed to regain control of his body. “What are you doing out here?” he asked. Unlike Sy, his voice was loud and seemed to disturb the very air around him.



“Watching.” Sy said simply. To her, it was all the information he needed but Alex’s mind instantly formulated a dozen possible questions.

“Watching what exactly?” Alex asked. He took a chance and moved until he was standing next to her though she hadn’t asked him to join her.

Sy smiled at him. In the pale moon light he could see her eyes were twinkling; he felt like behind those eyes were the answers to so many mysteries and questions. “Everything.” she replied. Alex didn’t doubt that she had the capabilities to see everything. Alex was silent for a while. Sy didn’t seem bothered by his presence and he was loathed to return to the tent and the hard ground that awaited him. “Your wolf has left the area.” Sy said after they’d been watching quietly for some time. The rim of Gladio, the larger of the two suns, was just beginning to peak over the horizon behind them painting the sky like a brilliant canvas.

“What? How do you know that?” Alex asked even though he knew she wouldn’t tell him. As expected she simply smiled at him.



“Look, sunrise. Guess you can get back to that girlfriend of yours.” Sy said, in a fluid movement she turned, like water going around a bend. She paused to look at him, “Good luck Alex.”

And then she was gone. He could barely have blinked in the time it took her to disappear completely from his sight. “What IS she?” he asked aloud. He turned back to look down on the city in the distance and shook his head. It would take years to answer that seemingly simple question.

------

Try as he might, Alex couldn’t get that night in the woods out of his mind. The wolf invaded his dreams at night, growing larger and more menacing each time. And then there were the witches, mostly Sy. Though he’d gotten the impression that one of the others led the coven, Sy had exuded the real power in the group.

“Alex!” Clarissa’s shrill voice finally snapped him out of his thoughts. “Where have you been lately?” she asked, looking both concerned and annoyed with him.



“Sorry Rissa..” Alex said. “I’m just thinking about this article I’m working on,” he tacked on. It was a bald face lie but Clarissa would never be mad at him for focusing on work – his work kept her from having to work particularly hard. He stood up and put on his work face, “in fact, I think I’ll go to the office and get some work done.”

“Alright hon.” Rissa said with a grin. He could practically hear her ringing up the shoes, clothes and purses. He kissed her quickly on the cheek and left the loft in a hurry – more eager to be away from her than he probably should be.

Alex wasn’t the only one working late at the newspaper that night but the crowd was light. He waved to a few people as he passed them until he reached his small work station. He dropped his bag on the floor and sat in front of his computer. Even here, where focus was never an issue for him, Alex’s mind wandered while he waited for his computer load. The shrill sound of his desk phone shook him out of his thoughts. Alex looked at the phone in confusion - why would anyone be calling here now? He picked up the receiver, "Alex Garza, Auchlin Times" he answered. He was sure he could hear faint noise over the phone but no one spoke. "Hello?" he tried again. He rolled his eyes, probably a crank caller. "Anyone there? Guess not..." He replaced the receiver just as his computer connected to the network.



His email alert chimed moments after he hung up the phone. After sorting through the various spam, he had only one email left. "Radtke endorsed candidate Pike with a large donation." That was all it said but it had said enough to get his attention. Alex tried to verify the contents of the email but if it was true it hadn't hit the waves yet. Still, if he could find enough to run with it, he could get a scoop so he started trying to determine the source of the email.



Unfortunately, the sender had jumped through a lot of hoops to keep himself hidden. Alex even went down to the IT department where there was always at least one guy on duty and asked them to track the email. The IT guy had his feet up in his chair and was playing what looked a lot like Grand Theft Auto on one of the screens. "Um...hello?" Alex said trying to get the guy's attention.



He didn't even turn, "Bathroom is down the hall dude."

"Yes, I know that. I came down here to talk to you - assuming you're IT." Alex said.

"Oh. Cool. Gimme a sec." he said. Alex watched, somewhat impressed, as the guy finished the race. He spun around to face Alex then and smiled. "What can I do for ya dude?"



"I got an email from someone - he covered his tracks well - and I was wondering if you might be able to track him." Alex said.

"I'll give it a shot. May take some time though." Alex gave him all the information he needed and left it in the hands of a computer whiz who liked to use the word "dude". He tried not to let that fact disturb him too much. He glanced back into the tiny, darkened office one more time and shook his head. "Call me on my cell if you find anything..." The kid didn't say anything and just waved in acknowledgement.



It was too late to call anyone about this potential information but Alex couldn't just go home and sleep either. He knew Radtke's club was open most nights until four in the morning so he grabbed the suit jacket he kept at his desk just in case. After changing, he crossed the few city blocks that separated the business district from the clubs that populated Auchlin.

Elysium was set in the heart of all the clubs and was one of the more exclusive spots in town. Not being a real club goer, Alex was a little surprised to see there was still a crowd of people near the door and reconsidered his plan - such that it was. He was standing toward the back of the ill formed line and about to leave when he heard his name being shouted. "Alex! Come on!" He recognized her from work but couldn't place her department right off but he jogged toward her anyway. "You wanna go in right?"

He nodded. "Of course...you going in?"

"For a piece, I know it's not the investigative reporting you do but it gets me in the door" Liz said with a chuckle. Alex was amazed as she gave her name to the bouncer and they were waved inside without a second glance. "So, well...have a good time Alex." she said, smiling a little shyly. It was a stark contrast to her normally boisterous attitude at the office that Alex was caught off guard.



"Hey thanks Liz....how about I buy you a drink for saving me from a long, possibly fruitless, wait out in the cold?" Alex suggested. His suggestion went over well and soon they were sharing a drink and a laugh at the bar. Finally he was forced to excuse himself but Liz nodded casually and turned her attention to the dance floor.



Alex considered just asking the bartender outright if Radtke was here but they were busy serving people so he turned his attention to the crowd. "If I owned this club where would I sit?" he mused to himself. There were slightly more secluded tables in the corners of the room where local celebrities seemed to congregate. At first glance he could pick out at least a dozen faces he'd seen in the news but he didn't see Radtke among any of them.

When he stopped one of the bartenders to get another drink he made his initial inquiry. "Is Mr. Radtke at the club tonight?"

"Mmhmm." he replied with a slight nod but he gave no more information and turned away from him to make his drink.



He frowned and tried to get his attention again to ask more questions but as soon as he placed the drink in front of him, he turned away to serve someone else and the other bartender seemed to be keeping his distance as well. Maybe it would have been better to wait until the morning after all - this wasn't club business he wanted to talk about anyway. He finished his second drink and decided he'd make one lap of the floor - if he didn't have any luck he'd just have to come back first thing in the morning.

Without warning or introduction, she fell into step next to him. "Mr. Radtke is busy."



Alex turned in surprise, expecting to see the bartender or maybe Liz. She was pale as a ghost but her dark hair was full of life. And her eyes. Her eyes were like pools of blood. He'd never seen anyone with such an eye color before! He felt like he was being sucked in; drowning in her gaze. "And who are you?" he asked - his voice sounded weak and far away even to him.

"My name is Mirelle." she said. "I'm one of Mr. Redtke's..." she tapped her long, perfectly painted nail against the edge of her mouth in thought, "Associates." she said after a short pause. "If you tell me what business you need to see him about, I might be able to pass along a message."



Alex was startled by the exchange, he didn't know this woman and as far as he could tell, the bartender had never even left her post. Something was off, but his desire to get the scoop won out. "I heard that he'd endorsed a certain political candidate - contrary to his normal inclinations - and wanted to talk to him about it."

"Mm. Curious, I wasn't aware that that news had been made public." Mirelle said.

"It hasn't as far as I know, I received a tip..." Alex said and then wanted to kick himself. Why was he being so open with this woman. For all he knew she was actually a reporter for another paper or, well who knows who she was. But he couldn't seem to help himself.



"Well, Alex Garza, I'll pass on your name and inquiry..." she said with a slight nod. It wasn't until after she'd disappeared that he realized he'd never even given her his name. Damn! She probably was a reporter and had recognized him and was trying to get her own scoop!

End Chapter