Night's Omen

Prompt List

• Fly
• Loyalty
• Fear
• Love
• Light
• Gold
• Unfair
• Roses
• Phone Call
• Frustration

Selene walked slowly on the sidewalk, phone to her ear as she searched through her bag for her wallet. "No, no," she said to the person on the other end of the line. "No, he said no shifting. No roughhousing. No nothing. Bed rest," she spat.

On the other end, Loic sighed. "Did you ask if he thought my power would impact you negatively?"

"I did, but he couldn't say." She paused, looking up. She had a sudden strange feeling rush through her, like she was being watched.

"What?" Loic said, aware of how her voice trailed off. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just - I don't know, I got a weird feeling," she confessed.

"Maybe you should just come home," he suggested. "Skip the errands."

Selene snorted into the phone. "Oh, are you going to come do something as mundane as Christmas shopping?"

"No, and neither should you. We don't like anyone enough to give them gifts."

"Yeah, yeah, well - it's good to keep up the appearance of positive relationships, Loic. You were a warlord. You know this." She stopped, having arrived in front of the department store she wanted. "Listen, I'll call you when I'm on the way home, okay? It's only going to be an hour." She paused, hearing him make a noise. "I'll be fine. One hour, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed. "But I don't like it."

"You don't like anything," she challenged.

"I like you," he said, voice softening.

"I like you, too," she laughed. "I'll be home soon."

Selene walked through the department store, basket on her arm, small items such as scented candles and Christmas ornaments in them. In her other hand, a bottle of red wine. Just because she couldn't enjoy it didn't mean it would make a bad gift.

"How."

It was not a question, it was a demand.

Selene turned, brow arched, having a sneaking feeling that the demand was directed at her. She wouldn't have been wrong, either - she turned to face a shorter woman with long, dark hair and honey-gold eyes. She knew that she recognized her, but she couldn't place her face. "I'm sorry?" she asked, mind still indexing what she'd need to do when she got home, before Loic sequestered her to the bedroom.

The woman was gone, very suddenly, and before Selene would really say or do anything, she was behind her, a knife pressed against her round belly. She froze so badly that she dropped the wine, and the bottle shattered, spraying red liquid all over the white floor, and both of their shoes. "Don't," she hissed. "Please don't."

  "Walk. Straight to that exit door. Now," the woman said.

Selene did as she was told, considering fighting back. The woman was a vampire, that much she could tell. Selene had taken them out in the past, but it wasn't her specialty. She thought perhaps she could take her by surprise, and at least get away from her. She'd call Loic; he could be there in an instant. Could he still feel her? She had been feeling pain when she was under stress, but would it be worth the risk? She was pushed through the door, and found herself in an empty stairwell.

The woman let her go, walking to face her, and gestured to her with the knife. "Tell me."

Selene swallowed, hard. Fuck, this was the most scared she could remember being - even from childhood, things had never scared her. They had only enticed her, sparked her curiosity and sense of adventure. But this? This situation was volatile, she could feel it. She tried to keep her emotions tightly contained; if this vampire knew Loic, she'd know that he should be able to know if his pet hawk was in distress. She didn't want to tip her hand; it was all she had.

"Who are you?" Selene demanded.

The woman rolled her eyes, but she did lower the knife. "Come on," she sang, walking towards Selene and then around her in a small circle. "Think really hard. I'm sure you've read it in his history books. Does he still keep all the ones that mention him? Back when I was with him, he had scribes writing scrolls for years, documenting every conquest, every win, every nightmarish victory." She held the knife up again, but it was merely something in her hand, and she pressed her fingertips to the point of the blade idly, spinning it.

Oh, fuck. Selene realized who the woman was, and her eyes went wide for a moment until she could reign it in. "I see," she said, her voice thin, the hint of a tremble on it. There was absolutely recognition on her face, and Ember gestured to her.

"Now, answer my question," she directed.

  Selene hesitated, but realized that she wasn't getting out of this. She looked away, and began to speak, unable to make eye contact with the raven. "It was when he was human," she said softly. "I know you remember. You were all affected by whatever it was."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Ember snapped. "So he turns human and the first thing you did was fuck?" She snorted. "You should have killed him and run when you had the chance. He has no hold over us as a human," she informed her, tone sharp. Ember could not fathom, in any reality, where she would have ever let that piece of shit touch her again, let alone put a fucking baby in her.

"I know," Selene said. "Listen - I will give you whatever you want. Please, just let me go. I won't even tell him. I swear."

Ember laughed a little. "You're not lying," she said, her voice impressed. "You really wouldn't tell him about this. Why? What would he do to you?"

"He wouldn't do anything to me. It's what he'd do to you," she replied. Something in her tone was pained, as though she were speaking of an outcome she didn't want. "I know who you are. I know what he did to you. He will come for you, Ember. He will never stop. He will take everything you have and crush it until it turns into dust. You know this. So please, just let me go. I'll walk out of here, and we will never, ever see eachother again."

"Pffft, do you think he still scares me?" Ember said, a Look on her face. "If you know what he did to me, you know he already took everything from me," she snapped. "So now, it's my turn." Her expression darkened, and all humour had drained from her voice. "It's my turn to take."

"What?"

Loic was staring at her critically, and she had no idea why. She set the shopping tote down on the pristine marble countertop and put her hands on the counter, leaning a little. She gave a little head shake, still staring back at him, her gold eyes locked on his, full of suspicion. When he didn't say anything, she pushed off the counter and folded her arms.

"You look different," he said. His voice was almost accusatory. He still remained where he was, his body in the doorway of the kitchen, leaned against the frame of the door.

"No I don't," Selene said, head tipping back in indignation. "How do I look different from three hours ago when I left?" she demanded.

They did this a lot, lately. Ever since he'd had the human experience, he'd become strange - not really cold to her, but more standoffish than usual. She didn't feel his draw much either; she was unsure if it was because he had finally listened when she told him that he didn't need to burn extra energy just to keep her there. She wasn't planning on leaving. "You are my entire life," she'd told him. He hadn't said anything in response, just grunted and went back to staring out the large glass patio doors into the darkness.

"You do," he insisted. He pushed off of the door frame and approached her. Loic had known for a while now why she looked different. He wondered if she was lying to him - playing some game with him, trying to hide things as though it would have worked. But when he took a quick glance into her thoughts, he saw nothing but confusion - and irritation, with him mostly - and something about someone taking the last of whatever it had been that she'd been looking for when she was out.

"Okay, well, when you figure out what it is, you let me know," she said tersely. She wasn't about this married-couple argument lifestyle. They picked at eachother from time to time, but she wasn't in the mood. She had been tired for the last few days, far more than usual, and it was routine that he found her in bed in the afternoon fast asleep. She was feeling that fatigue now, but she was also hungry, and so she set forth pulling the things out of the tote that she'd bought - ingredients for dinner, presumably.

She pointedly ignored him as she began pulling pots out, filling one with water and setting one aside. She placed a jar of spaghetti sauce in the pot she'd set aside, and opened a box of spaghetti, carefully snapping the noodles in half.

"Shit," she muttered. She'd meant to do that after the water was boiling. "Where is my mind today?"

She turned from the stove after clicking on the burner, discarding the noodles in the pot with the jar in it for now. Loic was right there, and she gasped as she bumped into him. "Fucking hell!" she snapped. "What? What is your problem?"

"Selene," he said, warning in his voice. "How are you feeling?"

"What? I'm feeling like you're in my way, god damnit." She felt her cheeks warm as her blood pressure rose; fuck but he made her feel so hostile sometimes. She had grown inexplicably aggressive over the last two weeks. Probably because it was so damn hot out, she wagered. They kept the house cool but it was never enough for her.

He held his hands up, letting her know that he was backing off. Wordlessly, he turned and left the kitchen, missing the angry gesture Selene made in his wake. He went to the patio, shutting the door behind him. He could still see her in the kitchen, and glanced over his shoulder as she completely wrote off whatever had just happened and went back to making her dinner. He shook his head, then glanced back out into the yard, and beyond. The sun was close to setting, finally. Daylight savings was a whole joke. It was almost 8 o'clock. He tapped the cell phone in his hand, wondering if it was worth it to call that voodoo man and even bother with an inquiry.

Selene ignored him for the rest of the evening. He was in one of his pensive, brooding sort of moods, and she had long ago given up the idea of being attracted to some Byronic hero type - which Loic had never been. She blamed it entirely on him having been turned human, even for however brief it was. He needs to get the fuck over it, she thought, angrily eating her spaghetti, which was overcooked and not very fulfilling. After she'd finished, another wave of exhaustion hit her, and she decided to just call it.

"I'm going to bed," she told him, hair still damp from her shower. The heat had made her feel a little light-headed, which was new, but she chalked it up to stress - and the fact that the water was damn near scalding. For someone who disliked a hot house, she sure enjoyed bathing in what felt like lava.

He had been reading through some old text in their living room, the television on but not on anything he'd been watching. He looked up, and then closed his book suddenly. "I'll join you."

"I - okay? You don't have to. I'm really tired. Stay out here and do your thing, it's fine," she insisted. She honestly didn't want him to come to bed; she didn't feel like laying there while he stared at her, trying to figure out whatever "difference" he noticed. Oh yeah, she knew he was still on that, even if he'd let it go. Because, Loic never really let things go.

He was already standing up, hand on the remote to turn the television off. "No, it's okay. I'm done for the night. I'll lock up." And with that, he set about the house, checking doors and turning off various lights. She knew he'd make a pass at the thermostat and turn it up from what she kept trying to set it at. As much as she insisted that 62 was perfectly fine for the interior, he disagreed. This had been a new thing, of course, and it only added to the list in his head of things that had changed about her. Avians didn't like the cold.

She was already in bed when he came in; deliberately, she'd turned off the bedroom light. He was a vampire, he could see in the dark. She heard him shuffling around, and she could tell he was trying to be quiet, despite knowing that she was wide awake. She sighed, closing her eyes. Oh, they fucking burned, too. It was like she hadn't slept in days. When she felt him get into bed, she rolled over onto her side, facing away from him.

"Selene," he said softly. The darkness seemed to swallow his voice up; or maybe he was just trying to be that quiet. "I know you're not asleep."

"Of course I'm not asleep," she said matter-of-factly. She felt hot all over again, and violently kicked until she had maneuvered the thick blankets off of herself, exposing her to the elements. The ceiling fan was on, at least. She reached up, pulling at her thick blonde hair, and piled it on top of her head, trying to relieve her neck from the heat of it. "It's too fucking hot."

She heard him sigh, which was new to her, and looked over at him incredulously, eyes wide in the dark. For a moment, she wanted to ask if he was okay, but she thought better of it. "Are you still brooding?" she settled on.

"I've got a lot on my mind," he replied.

"Story of my fucking life," she muttered. She saw movement in the darkness, and then felt his hand on hers. His touch was gentle - it was funny, Loic had spent his lifetime razing cities and had even cut a kingdom or two down to size, but here he was, touch as light as a feather, his fingertips brushing against her own. In spite of herself, she laced her fingers with his. It was so easy for him to do this, to just melt away her bad moods - but this time, oddly, she still felt that hostility in her chest.

"How do you feel?" he asked. "Honestly."

"Honestly?" she parroted. She looked over at him, then moved to sit up, letting go of his hand. She crossed her arms, and even in the dark he could observe that she was closing herself off. "Tired. Irritated. All the fucking time. It's not you, either - though today you contributed," she added with a laugh. "I don't know what my problem is," she sighed. "Maybe I just need you to do the magic thing again," she suggested, though it was obvious by her tone that wasn't what she wanted. "Make me feel better."

He sat up, too. "Selene, if that's what you really want, than I can, but I don't think it's a good idea," he said, and it gave her a little pause, because it was uncharacteristic of him in the sense that he wanted such rigid control he wouldn't turn down the offer.

"What?" she asked, unable to hide the shock. She uncrossed her arms, moving her body so that she was facing him, and drew her knees up. "So if I asked you, right now, to just - make it go away," she said, gesturing in reference to her shitty mood, "you would say no? I want to be absolutely sure that's what I understood you said."

"I would refuse you, yes," he admitted.

"Okay," she said, her tone dismissive and finite. She started to get up. "I don't know who you are, or what you've done with my Loic, but when he gets back, tell him I'll be on the couch."

He reached out, grabbing her before she could fully get out of bed. His arm hooked across her chest, and she felt the warmth of his body pressed against her back. "No, no running," he told her.

"Loic," she said firmly. "Let go."

"No."

"Then I will let go for you," she snapped. She grabbed his forearm, meaning to pry it off of her, but he squeezed just a little, and despite her strength, he was simply stronger. "Loic, STOP." She was getting mad again, but this time it wasn't just that mild irritation of fatigue that had been at her all day, it was actual fucking anger. And, if she would admit it, fear. He was very, very rarely rough with her. Despite their relationship and its complexities, he respected boundaries.

"No," he said again. "We need to talk about this."

Selene took in a shaky breath. "Please let go."

He did that time, cut from the fear that he heard in her voice. She got up immediately, putting distance between them. "Selene, wait," he said.

"No." What the fuck is wrong with me? she thought to herself. She felt like she was about to - to cry? Was that was that sensation was? It had been so long since she'd cried, it was such an unfamiliar burn in her throat - but, yes, she felt hot tears spring into her already burning eyes, and she went for the door.

Loic was there before she could open it, using the perks of being a vampire to his advantage. He grabbed her, this time far more gently, shushing her as she cried. "I'm sorry," he said, and he meant it.

"Why are you being so weird?" she asked, struggling to contain her small sobs before they gave way to larger ones. Fuck she felt overwhelmed all of the sudden. "What is wrong with me? Why am I crying, I should be hitting you," she sobbed. Fuck, she was so frustrated.

"Selene, we're going to go back to the bed, okay?" he said, coaxing her like a scared animal back to the king-sized bed. Once he got her seated, he brought a tissue to her, and knelt before her, placing his hands just above her knees. "I didn't mean to upset you," he told her. "I'm sorry, I just wanted you to stay, and to tell me what was wrong."

"Just make it go away," she demanded. She was so tired of feeling tired. Hell, she was tired just sitting here, and she felt a sinus headache creeping in. Crying was the worst.

"I can't, love, I can't," he murmured, taking her free hand and kissing it lightly.

"Why not? It's never been a problem before. Is this because of the human thing? I told you that you didn't have to waste energy but that doesn't mean you don't have to use it at all, ever."

He chuckled. "Oh, I think it's about the human thing, but it has very little to do with magic and a lot more to do with nature."

She had finally stopped crying, but now was quiet, unsure of what to say to that. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Here, lay down," he instructed. "I'll explain," he said, holding a hand up as she opened her mouth to protest. "I will explain, but I think you should get back into bed, first."

She felt utterly drained, now, having been wrung out by rapid fire emotions that changed on a whim, and so she did as she was told. Her body felt heavy and her head felt fuzzy - and ached, now. When he was settled next to her again, she reached out, putting her hand on his chest. "Will you tell me now?"

He could hear the fatigue in her voice. Christ, if this was any indication of how the next several months would go, he was going to have to seriously consider consulting one of those gypsy girls for some sort of potion to calm her nerves. Or his. "Do you remember the second night that I was mortal again?" he asked, placing his hand atop hers.

She looked confused, but then smiled a little. "Yes. You wanted to watch the sun set, and have dinner outside on the patio. You complained about mosquitos, and we had too much wine. We - " she paused. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Selene, I was mortal," he told her.

She just stared at him for a moment, and then her mind started racing.

"No," she said softly - unsure if it was to him, or to herself. "No. No, no, that's not how - I don't - no, no, no," she repeated. She tried to sit up, but Loic had been prepared for that, and stopped her.

"Calm down, Selene - calm down," he told her, already having seen her panic session on the horizon. "Breathe," he coaxed.

She did as she was told (for once), but she felt numb all over as she tried to breathe.

"Your kind run hot, but you've been running extra hot the past few weeks," he explained softly, beginning to tick off all of the indicators to his suspicions. "You've been angry to some degree steadily, mostly at me, but at just about anything else in your radius - including the toaster," he added.

"That toaster knows what it did," she hissed.

"Yes, but the fact still remains, level-headed people don't fling it into our neighbor's yard when it burns their toast. You've been tired all of the time, which is out of character for you, as much as you'd like to argue about the other two points. And, finally, tonight when you made that garlic bread, you took one look at it, and gagged so badly you went to the sink thinking you'd puke. Yes, I saw that," he added, giving her a Look.

"Okay, but none of this means - "

He placed a hand on her abdomen, and she stopped talking, the contact making her uncomfortable.

"And I can hear it," he concluded.

"Loic, I can't," she said, pushing his hand away. "We can't. Okay? This can't."

He fell silent, and she could see in the dark that he simply nodded. She thought he'd say something else, or protest, but all he said was, "Okay." She felt his fingers brush her hand gently, and then he shifted, turning his body from hers and laying down, mirroring exactly what she'd done when he'd come in at the beginning of all of this nonsense.

She sat there for a while, knowing that he wasn't asleep, and wondered what the hell he was thinking. What did he expect to accomplish by this? How could he possibly think that this would work out? If she was being honest, she knew that Stockholm Syndrome had played a large part in her upbringing, and now she felt okay - she had seen her family, she had been offered freedom - but she stayed. Did that make her a monster? Would bringing a child into this make her a monster? She looked over at his silent form, and pursed her lips. Part of her wanted to get up and go to the couch, but there was another part of her that wanted to stay.

She finally slid down under the covers, rolling to the opposite side of the bed. It felt cold now; or was that just because she was running so hot? She curled up into a ball, still lost in her thoughts, when she felt Loic moving. He was at her back again, and slipped an arm around her to hold her, dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

"I'll figure it out," she told him. "We'll figure it out."

"I know," he replied. And then she felt a warm sensation rush through her, the familiar feeling of his magic creating a calm within her. "Get some sleep, love," he whispered. She didn't even hear it - she was already gone.