This wasn't happening.
"Ara, I really think we should find someplace el-"
He snapped his mouth shut at the proceeding glare the fiery young werewolf threw him. Ara glazed over him with her eyes curiously (maybe even a bit hungrily) and pressed on after a moment or so. Luka let out a deep, slow breath but it did nothing for his nerves. He'd mentioned living on the beach once in passing and Ara instantly set her sights on finding a house there at once. It was best to indulge in Ara; at least, that's what Luka thought at the time. That is, until she found the very place on God's green Earth Luka spent as much time trying to avoid as his birth home up for sale.
Of course it was.
Ara started rambling like a child in a candy store, saying who knew what, but Luka couldn't hear her. Stepping over the threshold into the heart of the house twisted the Time Demon's stomach into a mess of knots. He could swear the room was starting to spin and he squeezed the door handle tighter in his grasp to keep him leveled. Jesus, it was just as Luka remembered it. He blinked several times, mistaking the vivid avalanche of memories as visions, but they refused to cease their assaults all the same. Although the walls were bare and the furniture absent, everything began to appear in Luka's mind's eye as he once knew it to be. The couch that had so many food and drink stains, the dining table with it's scratches and colored marker streaks, and the tree - it all came back to Luka in the span of time it took Ara to walk to the glass wall overseeing the bank of a small beach. How many times had he'd washed up on that accursed land, as the waves washed away a new aspect of his life with every crashing wake...
"Luka?"
The Time Demon shifted his attention back to Ara, her brow drawn in confusion and concern. It could be that Luka was practically ripping the door handle out of its socket from all the weight he had been applying to, but he was only spitballing on that one. Thoughts of anxiety licked at the edges of Luka's mind but he smiled in reassurance, hoping it would distract Ara as he set up walls around those memories in a portion of his mind.
"Sorry, I, uh... stomachache." Which wasn't a total lie but a lie nonetheless.
Ara regarded him again but shrugged, the excitement of being a new and beautiful home consuming her thoughts. "Look, Luka! Isn't the view wonderful?"
Luka stared at Ara, who's back was turned to him as she watched the swell of the waves upon the beach. She was so full of life and spirit, a striking contrast to the Ara he first met and knew... the one who had helped learn to love again. It was fortifying, seeing her so happy with a unmistakeable spark of light behind those amber eyes...
Yes, thought Luka fondly, the view certainly is wonderful.
Ara felt like a little girl with a new toy. She ran upstairs, searching every room for who knows what. She just wanted to see as much of the place as possible.
ReplyDelete"Do I get my own room?" Ara asked Luka enthusiastically.
He tilted his head to the side, a dumbstruck look took his features. "Um. . . I thought . . . never mind. Yea. You can pick out any room you want." He smiled at her, but he could have sworn she saw a his sadness in his eyes. But it was gone as fast as it appeared. Perplexing little Time Demon. . .
Ara walked into a room, almost hidden in the house. Her eyes widened in wonder, this was it. The window had the most perfect view of the ocean. She could see the sun as it began to sink into the horizon, coloring the sky with all sorts of soft colors.
"This one,this is the roo-"
"I'm glad you like it. I would too. For a mutt, you have good taste." Ara spun at the unfamiliar voice, her eyes catching the figures of two women standing behind her. Immediately, Ara's body tensed, the wolf within her awakening at the sign of danger. . . but she supposed she saw everything as danger, didn't she?
"Who are you?"
"Oh, Luka didn't tell you?" Speaking of which, where was he? She could have sworn he was right behind her.
"Oh, don't worry, he'll actually be here in 3. . . 2. . .1" Right on cue, Luka walked into the room. His eyes finding the women first, recognition flashed in the blue depths before they turned to her.
"Ara, stay back." He warned her. But her wolf wouldn't let her leave her mate to face the two threats. Instead, it growled. Actually urged her to take them out as soon as possible but she didn't know the extent of the threat. And the unknown was something she didn't want to risk right now.
"Oh, your bitch will be alright. We're not here for her anyways. If you cooperate, we promise not to hurt her. . . much." The female with darker hair purred with confidence. She was cocky, both of them were. They thought the battle was already won, and the way that Luka glanced to them and back at her made her think they really had.
Dammit. As if the day couldn't get any worse, these two just had to show up. Luka glared towards the taller female Time Demon, who's smug, hazel eyes flashed against the dark brown of her hair. She sent him a wicked grin and Luka had never wanted to throw up so much in just one day. Ara's thoughts barraged Luka's mind with such fervor and fear and he sent her back soothing thoughts, hoping it would help lessen the tension filling the room.
ReplyDelete"Well, well, Luka. It certainly has been a long time," cooed the brunette. The sound of her voice already made Luka's head throb.
"Apparently, not long enough... Kali." The Time Demon known as Kali frowned at the way Luka spat her name but otherwise said nothing. "What do you want from me?"
"You're cooperation." Kali paused, a wry smile forming upon her lips. "... If you don't, we have ways to make you submit."
The swell of panic radiating from Ara's thoughts drove Luka into action. He blinked and Kali was in his grasp as both of her hands attempted to pry his own from around her throat. He pushed forward, as Kali reached for him with one of her hands desperate for some kind of leverage. Kali aimed at his face and fought back against Luka to get a better shot. She only got so far as grabbing hold of the collar of his shirt before Luka shoved her right into the wall, ignoring the loud tear of fabric still within Kali's hand. She slumped slightly underneath the weight of his grip and was left employing the sturdiness of the wall behind her as support. In all honesty, the only reason Luka hadn't shoved her through the wall was that the silver-haired Time Demon teleported immediately to take hold of Ara. That didn't help quell the fire in Luka's chest.
"You forget who I am, you boor," Luka hissed, he exposed chest taut and glistening with sweat, defining each toned muscle with every intake, every heave, of breath. He closed the distance between them until near enough to move the locks of her hair with every breath. "By all rights, I am still your ruler. You might want to rethink about where you stand."
Kali wheezed loudly and Luka loosened his grip marginally to allow her to speak, but he was met with shrill cries of laughter. Someone might as well have taken a knife to Luka's forehead. "Actually, cute stuff, you're the one who should rethink where you stand. Unlike you..." A small intake of breath drew Luka's attention toward Ara and the other Time Demon, any regard for Kali lost at that moment. "... we're willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get what we want."
Luka's eyes darted, confused, until it dawned on him: they weren't talking about sacrificing Ara. He practically snarled; leave it to Time Demons to play like filthy vermin... and really, Luka was hardly any better himself.
With all the distaste he could muster, Luka calmly released his grip around Kali's throat and took a step back. He kept his eyes fixed upon her but his mind was completely focused on Ara and her captor. It didn't matter if one of the women would finish the other's job in the event of death... if they so much as touched Ara, he would slay them both without a second thought.
"Don't let her interfere, Jocelyn," Kali ordered the silver-haired Time Demon, who nodded her compliance. She didn't even flinch under the glare Luka was giving her.
"Alright, handsome," the brunette called, striding back over to Luka until they came to be about an arms-length apart. "You're gonna wanna kneel for this."
Nobody moved.
Kali shrugged nonchalantly. "As you wish."
In the time it would've taken for a viper to snatch its prey, Kali's hand shot up to Luka's head and the world was momentarily lost in darkness and unyielding pain.
It was as if the breath had been knocked out of Ara. The world moved around her, but it was almost as if Ara wasn't moving with it. Her eyes locked on Luka as his body gave out and he fell to his knees.
ReplyDelete"No! Luka!" The wolf inside her seemed to scream with the same horror as she held in her heart right then.
"Don't move, bitch." The woman's clawed hand inched closer to Ara's neck, drawing a small line of blood as she emphasized her words.
Gods, no! Ara's heart wrenched with everyone of Luka's pained screams.
Luka! Fight back, please! She pleaded with her mind. Desperation filled her every pores as she began to sob quietly at how useless she was.
The anguish only grew unbearably as she saw his body get physically weaker. His screams receded until mere quiet whimpers before he finally collapsed on the floor.
His ragged breaths filled the silence in the room. Ara reached out through the bond, looking for any sign of his wellbeing but she only met resistance.
"What did you do to Luka!" Ara snarled. It was then she noticed the appearance of another figure. If she hadn't seen her Luka just get tortured in front of her, Ara would have mistaken the new figure for him.
"Finally." Kali breathed as a malicious grin appeared on her smug face. Anger began to boil inside Ara.
You. . . hurt. . . Luka. An unknown power awoke within her, its magnitude caused the air to shift.
Kali turned a surprised glance her way before quickly narrowing to a glare.
Almost startled, Kali called out to the woman behind her. "Shit, a space angel? Jocelyn, get away from-" But it was too late. Before Ara even knew what she was doing, she found herself turning on her captor. Within a blink of an eye, the woman vanished from the room.
"You little whore!" Ara attempted to trace her movements, only to find them sporadic. It was almost as if she glitched out of existence, and every time she would appear again, a new pain radiated from Ara's body.
She probably could have put up a better fight, but her focus was on her unconscious mate. She just wanted them to leave. She just wanted to be with Luka, just once, she wanted her life to be left alone from the clutches of fate!
"Shit!"
Kali's exclamation brought Ara back down from her thoughts. She hadn't even noticed until then. The room looked so much smaller, even the figures (that seemed huge to her before) looked so much like toys.
The wolf snarled, baring its fangs against the unwanted intruders. She stood protectively over Luka, her eyes leveling with the males and Kali's.
"For fucks sake, Kali. You can't even take care of a mutt." The male vanished from her line of vision, causing Ara to think he had finally resigned and left for good. But she was wrong. She felt an overwhelming pain erupt from her neck. The shear force of it was enough to trigger her change back to human. She moaned, tears filling her eyes as she reached for Luka's hand.
"Well, fuck me." She felt the males foot force her to turn over and face him. She showed no fear in her eyes then. She bared her teeth at him, almost challenging him to try something.
He only grinned, oddly enough,reminding her of Luka's grin. And yet, they held such different meanings to her. "Seems Luka, has found himself a fucking mutt. Not only is she a bitch, but she's an angel too. Ha! Great catch there buddy." His eyes glanced over to her unconscious Luka, a flash of satisfaction passed over his eyes before turning to Kali.
"Shall we?" She smiled as she took his side. Fury burned within Ara as she was sent condescending smirks before finally, leaving for good.
Her attention was immediately drawn to Luka. It wasn't hard for her to push all her pain aside, not when she had no idea what had happened to her demon. She cradled his head in her lap, her hands passing through his hair as she willed him to wake up.
Please, Luka, don't leave me.
Fingers, toes... Yes, good, good. Can't move, though. God, my head hurts... Is that warmth? What the hell? It's... hard to breathe...
ReplyDeleteLuka awoke with a small gasp, the cool air adding onto the head splitting pain. He blinked several times, adjusting his vision as best as he could, and immediately caught the attention of shimmering gold eyes framed by bright, fiery red hair...
His brow furrowed but otherwise he put on the best grin he could manage. "... Hi."
"Oh, Luka!" cried the girl, inexplicable waves of relief washing over Luka in drones. His whole body tingled at the sensation, it was like being plunged into the world's most warm and fulfilling elixir. The crinkle in Luka's brow only drew closer; why was he feeling this way? The girl's smile faltered slightly, as if sensing his confusion.
"Luka? Are you alright? Say something," she laughed airily, concern sweeping throughout Luka's body. It was strange... Luka himself didn't feel concerned... were they somehow... her's?
She could sense him and, for some reason, he could sense her too. This girl... whoever she was, she knew him, and she was linked to him in some way. Maybe, she could help him?
"... Where am I?" Basic question, but it was the first step to finding out how Luka got to be in the arms of a very beautiful young girl. He racked his brain, searching for the last thing he could remember. They all seemed like random events to him: a lake, a woman of red hair (not unlike the one hovering over him but noticeably older), a dark-haired man with a younger red-haired girl (seriously, what was up with all these women and red hair?)... but for the life of him, Luka couldn't make out any of their meanings.
Anxiety filled Luka's mind; that obviously was not the right thing to ask. Unfortunately, the string of bad, basic question tumbled out of his mouth, fueled by his own growing fears in response to the girl's.
"Do I... do I know you? How can I sense what you're feeling? What are you? ... What am I?"
Luka should've just kept his mouth closed. The anxiety was almost suffocating. Why... why couldn't he remember anything?!
What? He didn't . . . know her? Ara stared blankly at Luka as he began to have what seemed like a panic attack. She had to move away as he searched frantically for something, she didn't know what.
ReplyDelete"Luka. . . Luka?" Gods, her voice nearly broke into a panic herself when he didn't pay attention to her. What did they do? What could _she_ do? She didn't know anything, she had no one to ask for help. She had no idea what to do, how to help him.
She could feel his desperation and it ached to know she couldn't ease him.
"Luka!" She finally screamed. He turned to her, his blue eyes holding so many questions, and the fact that no recognition showed in their beautiful depths brought tears to her eyes. But now wasn't the time to break down. Come on Ara, think. . .
"Luka. . .um. . . I don't know what they did to you. I don't know what I can do, do you know anyone? Anyone that can. . . help?"She tried to hide the fear in her voice, but she doubted she could hide it from the bond. It was another thing she didn't know what to do.
"Wait, who's 'they'?" He turned to face her completely. He seemed a bit calmer now, which brought Ara some courage to continue.
"Um . . .It was two women. I think. . one was named Jocelyn? And. . . oh! Kali." The sound of the woman's name brought an unreadable emotion to Luka's eyes, but whether he knew her or not, he didn't say. He just motioned for her to continue.
"Jocelyn held me back as Kali. . .she. . . I don't know. She just placed her hand on you and you kinda just screamed. I didn't know what to do, Luka." Damn her, despite her efforts she found herself crying. "By the time I broke free it was too late. You- you were on th- the floor." Her voice hiccuped as she rushed through the events. "And then, there was man. He looked so much l-like you. But he wasn't. He- he and Kali l-left and now you're awake with n-no memory of me and-and stuff." Gods, just shoot her now. She should have stopped talking but she couldn't. For some reason, she hoped that if she rambled long enough, Luka would understand and know what to do. Ever since she came to this time she had looked to him for everything. And now. . .
"I don't k-know what to do L-Luka." She wiped away her tears as best she could, all the while she cursed herself for being so useless.
"Whoa, whoa, hey." Great, Luka, you made the girl cry. He had to fix this, somehow. Before he could actively think of what to do, Luka was on his knees in front of her with one hand on either shoulder. "Hey, look at me, okay?"
ReplyDeleteHer glistening gold eyes shifted up to gaze at him, the avalanche of emotions momentarily quelled with Luka's intervention. Jesus, even with tear stained cheeks and puffy red eyes she was still gorgeous. He moved a lock of hair away from her face and neither of them missed it when his hand lingered tenderly against her temple. Dammit, focus, man.
"You can do something," Luka claimed, although that "something" was still left open for interpretation. Just his luck, if he had his memories Luka was sure he would know what to do in this exact situation. Was that even true, though? The term "human" felt wrong to apply to him but what else could he be?
The flicker of hope at the edge of Luka's mind began to dwindle the longer he stayed silent. The wheels clicked into place at that moment. "The connection! Show me what you remember through the connection!"
The girl tilted her head curiously, her incredulous expression hiding the excitement of that statement. "... But... I don't have-"
"Anything will help," implored Luka, his hands moving to cup her face in his hands. He didn't know if it would help but right now this girl was his lifeline and he'd damned to lose the only hope of remembering who they both were if he let go. With her amber eyes still full of doubt and fear, Luka added softly, "Just relax... and recall as much as you can."
He held her gaze, skeptical as it was, as small waves of memories flooded into the connection. Many of them were highlighted more so than others (Luka had to smile at himself as he caught the pattern immediately) and it was startling how little there was actually she remembered. Nevertheless, Luka analyzed each and every piece like they were the world's most precious, historical artifacts.
He felt the echo of the girl's excited fervor to finding a home near the beach, and her near possessive inclination for him as Luka screwed over a male sexual participant (whom he also didn't remember but figured delving into his identity would not help his good standings with the girl). A memory of them both, taking each other hard and fast arose next (Jesus, they had slept together even?)... then going back even further was a desolate landscape enshrouded in darkness as the girl leapt forward in battle against adversaries holding Luka hostage... but she was noticeably younger. His brow together, confused, yet there was nothing to indicate time had passed between the two scenarios. At least with that memory, however, something seemed to come back to him. He knew that place. It wasn't one anyone could go to, so how did the girl... wait... the bond... They'd made a bond because-
The rest washed over Luka like a suffocating avalanche within his mind. The floodgates flew open and the deluge of memories was almost too intense for Luka to make out consciously. Anyone else who's name and face he still couldn't recognize were infinitesimal compared the warmth and glow of his beloved-
"Ara," Luka breathed, the adoration saturating his voice as just her name itself felt like the sun was igniting his heart.