Stolen Soul

Weeks passed by and Maddison continued to attend the weekly meetings, not mentioning to Michael about the plan she had been formulating to manufacture a meeting with Marcus.

She knew that she had promised the spirit that she would stay by Michael’s side but she got the feeling that Michael would not approve of her plan and at present she could not think of a good way to get him to come around to her way of thinking so she thought it was best if he was left out of it for now.

For weeks she scanned the weekly sightings reports and it appeared that Marcus had been regularly attending a club on a Saturday night called The Awakening and she had made her mind up that the forthcoming weekend would be when she and her vampire would meet.

---

Maddison dressed carefully on Saturday night as she got ready to go to the club. She needed to wear something to attract Marcus’ attention and draw him to her as she had no idea what he looked like. She had of course seen various portraits in the ancient books she had read but who knows if they were a true likeness and also his image and dress sense would have obviously changed dramatically over the centuries.

She tried various outfits on with varying degrees of make-up but in the end she just decided to be herself….what was the worst that could happen?

The weather was warm, being mid-August and so she wore a dress with shoe-string straps and she pinned up her long, brunette hair, leaving the odd wisp hanging tantalizingly around her neck and shoulders.

She eyed herself in the mirror and smiled, happy with the result.

Her smile faltered however, as she thought about Michael and the sect and what they would have to say to her if they found out what she was up to.

She would just have to make sure that they didn’t discover what she was doing.

She waited until dusk and then left her flat and made her way to The Awakening. If she was one of the first people in the cub she had a better chance of observing who arrived.

She bought herself a glass of wine and sat by the end of the bar, trying to ignore the curious stares of the bar staff.

She watched as people arrived but none of the men who entered the club remotely resembled Marcus and it wasn’t long before her wine glass was empty.

Sighing she turned back to the bar and ordered herself another drink.

Whilst she waited for the bartender to bring her drink she glanced at the other people who stood at the bar and her heart began to beat a little quicker in her chest as she caught the reflection of light in a man’s eyes who stood a little further along than her…..a sure giveaway trait of a vampire.

She looked away quickly as he looked at her and she paid the bartender for her drink and turned away, intending to leave the bar area and go for a walk around but she was stopped in her tracks as she collided with a hard chest and she barely managed to not spill her wine all over the man stood before her.

“I’m sorry, I had no idea you were stood so close….”, she mumbled, her breath catching as she looked up into the eyes of Marcus Baker.

Marcus looked down at the woman, his eyes lingering on the exposed skin of her neck and shoulders and he realised that she was either very stupid or she was new to the club…or both…..

“No harm done”, he replied, trying to sense her thoughts and he was surprised that they appeared to be blocked from him.

He frowned and went to move past her.

“Marcus?”, she said and he froze, his eyes flying to hers.

They stared at one another for an endless moment until Marcus said,

“I often wondered who my Watcher was……I never expected someone so beautiful….or someone quite as young….”.

“You know of us?”, Maddison asked, forgetting herself and Marcus smiled.

“Of course……I just didn’t know who you were……until now…..”.

“I need to speak with you”, Maddison said, the urgency in her voice surprising him.

“You do know that a Watcher is not supposed to reveal themselves to their charge don’t you?”, Marcus asked and Maddison blushed.

“Of course…..”, she began but he cut her off.

“I see…its just you seem to be doing this all wrong then in that case”.

“Look…..I just need to tell you…….”, Maddison began but he cut her off again.

“Tell me nothing……and stay away from me”, he replied before seemingly vanishing before her eyes and Maddison sighed deeply.

“Well that went well”, she muttered, pushing her way through the growing crowd.

She wandered through the club, her eyes searching out Marcus and now that she knew what he looked like she could hardly mistake him.

His image seemed to be burned upon the inside of her eyelids. He was very good looking, she had to concede. He had dark hair and his eyes were blue and she had the feeling that had he been alive they would have sparkled with mischief and fun, as it were they glinted with danger and deceit.

Mentally shaking herself she continued to seek him out and she eventually spotted him talking with a blonde woman and Maddison got the strong urge to protect the woman at all costs.

She boldly walked toward them and glared at Marcus.

“There you are darling….I have been looking for you everywhere”, she said and the blonde threw Marcus a look of disgust before walking away.

Marcus glared at Maddison…..a threat very clear in his eyes as he said,

“I hope there is a damn good reason for what you just did?”. demanded Marcus.

“I told you that I needed to speak to you and I meant it”, Maddison said sounding un-phased and Marcus scowled and gripped her arm.

Looking around them, he bundled her toward an empty booth and shoved her onto the seat.

“You have two minutes before you never lay your eyes upon me again”, he told her and Maddison nodded.

“Apparently I can get you your soul back”, she stated, coming straight to the point and Marcus laughed before his face grew serious.

“What?”, he said and Maddison twisted on the bench to look at him.

“I am a Witch…..the direct descendent of the one that took your soul from you actually”, she informed him and she saw Marcus’ eyes darken.

“Then I should kill you now for what your ’ancestor’ did to me”, he grumbled and Maddison swallowed hard.

“But I can help you…..I am the one who can give you back your life”, she said and Marcus looked away.

“And what if I do not want my life back?”, he questioned and Maddison cocked her head to one side as she regarded him.

“Your recent activities suggest to me that you are bored with your existence. You long for normality…….”, she trailed off as he turned to face her.

“Normality?!”, he scoffed and Maddison nodded.

“Look……my little bookworm Watcher….it was nice to meet you and all that but really……you should stay away from me and just do your job, which if I am correct is to just watch me, nothing more, nothing less”, Marcus said as he stood and Maddison stared at him.

“Marcus……”, she trailed off as he shook his head.

“Goodbye…….Maddison”, he replied and she gasped, shocked that he had been able to wrangle her name out of her subconscious.

Marcus moved away and into the darker recesses of the club. He had known there was something about that woman from the moment he had entered the club and had spotted her at the bar, her beautiful creamy neck and shoulders on show for any hot-blooded vampire present to see.

He wondered where her guardian was. She had obviously given the Werewolf the slip for one reason or another.

‘Stupid bookworm’, he thought, ‘Did she not realise the dangers of coming into to a place like this alone? Obviously not’.

He glanced over to the booth where he had left her and saw that she had gone, but a feeling of apprehension filled his mind and he knew that something was wrong.

He headed for the exit, the inexplicable feeling of danger forcing him to move faster.

-

Maddison stepped onto the darkened alleyway as she exited the club and sighed deeply.

So what if their first meeting had not gone to plan. She would not give up on Marcus Baker that was for sure.

She turned to walk away but came face to face with a vampire from the bar, his fangs bared for her to see.

Maddison gasped and went to turn the other way, but was greeted by the sight of two other vampires snarling at her hungrily.

“Aren’t you the silliest little thing coming out here all alone?”, one said softly, as Maddison tried to remember a spell….any spell….anything to get her out of this but she was frozen with fear.

“Are you here with anyone?”, the vampire from the bar asked as she turned back to face him, crying out in fright as she felt one of the others press against her back, his cold breath fanning her neck.

“M…….Marcus…..Baker”, she stuttered and the vampire laughed.

“Yeah right…..sure you’re with him”. scoffed one of the vampires.

Suddenly a strong breeze blew down the alleyway and two of the vampires moved away from her as Marcus appeared before her and he grabbed the vampire who was at Maddison’s back and launched him into a nearby wall where he landed on some scrap metal, piercing his heart, disintegrating.

“Anyone else want to doubt the fact that she is mine?”, Marcus challenged and the vampire from the bar growled and flew at Marcus.

They grappled. but Marcus dealt the weaker vampire a fate the same as his friend as he screamed and then disintegrated, he turned to face the third he saw him darting away up the alleyway.

“Th…..thank you”, Maddison managed and Marcus frowned at her.

“You’re not much of a witch”, he commented and Maddison laughed nervously.

Her laugh turned into a squeak of alarm though as Marcus suddenly pushed her back against the wall of the club, his mouth close to her ear as he murmured,

“You realise what I could do to you now if I so desired?”.

“You…….wouldn’t”, she said surprised by the strong sexual rush she felt as his hands gripped her hips and she heard the cracking noise as his fangs distended from his gums and she swallowed hard.

“Why not?”, Marcus asked sensing her desire, feeling shock when he realised that he felt it too.

“You want your soul back as badly, as I want to give it to you”, she replied and Marcus moved away from her.

He stared at her for a moment before saying coldly,

“Like I said earlier, stay away from me Maddison…..for your own good”, and then he was gone and Maddison released a gush of air that she’d had no idea she’d been holding.

She pushed away from the wall and saw Michael glaring at her from behind the wheel of his nearby parked car.

“Get in the car NOW Maddison!” raged Michael as she walked towards him. Maddison knew she was in big trouble when she felt the waves of rage washing off him. She gasped as she saw that his hands that were wrapped tightly around the steering wheel were growing longer , as his sharp wolves claws were extending.