meeting with a vampire

The door opened on silent hinges, revealing a cold and very plain looking environment. If one was to believe in there being a sky in this place it would be grey and black like clouds swirling about, much the same color and texture as everything else around. I turned about to look behind me and Atrimus’ home was still there looking warm and inviting… colorful much like the world itself was.



This place really was strange, “I guess he wasn’t kidding when he said this place wasn’t exactly earth”



Slowly I closed the door behind me and glanced back at the door. I had originally thought to just get away from Atrimus all together and never return but as the door closed and vanished into the drab surroundings I felt myself panic. There was no way to get back into his room and if I wasn’t inside… was there any way for him to find me again.



I looked about as the scenery seemed to slowly change around me. It looked as if it was moving while I stood still. My mind ached at the strange scenery around me even as the middle of my forehead seemed to throb in a very odd head ache that involved nothing more than the middle of my forehead.



My head continued to turn this way and that as I stood rooted to the place. Unsure if I was moving about and unsure of what to do next. I took a deep breath deciding that if anything I could possibly find Atrimus, or perhaps I could at least find my way back to the door… if it had indeed disappeared and reappeared some where else.



As my feet moved across the seemingly unexplainable floor that was neither solid, nor plushy, black nor grey, everything around me started to begin to grow some semblance of a form. I noticed the corner of a building, or the shape of a car. Soon things began to take more shape and I found myself walking down what seemed to be a town only the colors were dull and any sounds that might have erupted from a car passing or people walking by was muffled or silent.



I took yet another deep breath wondering where in the world I was. I remember Atrimus mentioning something about a spiritual plane… perhaps that was what this was? I had often read things about a spiritual plane coinciding with the physical plane… was this what people had tried to explain? I shrugged figuring it wasn’t all that important right now, because what was most important was finding Atrimus… or the room… or even better, finding a way out of this… spiritual plane.



As I wandered by a group of grayish colored people I noticed something black hanging over them like a dark shadow. I paused in my wandering to watch them, my eyes focusing on the shadow hanging over them. As I watched it the shadow seemed to move, part of it growing a black shadowy head and suddenly red slanted eyes appeared as it gazed threateningly at me.



I took a step back as I saw the shadow slowly detach itself from the group of people and slowly started to crawl and hover it’s way towards me. I turned to try and run away but I found myself caught in it’s red hateful eyes. I was panicking inside as I realized this thing was trying to hypnotize me into staying so it could make it’s way towards me and kill me.



With a soft cry I mustered the energy to turn and run for all that I was worth. A Strange call erupted out from behind me, being emitted from the shadowy thing. As I ran I noticed more and more of those shadowed things slithering their way out of shadows, alleyways… and some times out of people.



Turning my attention towards where I was going I tried to put more distance between me and those things. As I turned a corner I found a large person in my way just ambling down the street. I tried in vein to get around the person or even slow down. My eyes widened as I found myself plummeting towards the large person… and passed right through. As I slowed down I looked around and behind me. The person was still there and was still doing his own thing completely oblivious to me or the things slowly growing speed and numbers as they ambled their way towards me.



I didn’t understand how it was that they could grow in speed but… they were. I shook my head as if to shake myself out of shock and turned once again to run.



My feet pounded hard on the ground beneath me, padding silently on the strange ground. The sounds continued to come from the creatures behind me who seemed to grow louder and louder as I ran.



I jumped over a large stone in my way and noticed some one standing in front of it. Thinking I would pass through him like I had the other person I just continued to move and ran right into the person’s back. I saw stars as I fell to the ground, my eyes peering upward as I saw the now humongous gathering of dark shadowy globs crawling over the rock starting to lower themselves onto me.



One moment I stared at dark globs moving ever closer and the next moment there was a slash of silver and gold in front of my face and suddenly the dark globs were no longer there. Slowly I sat up and watched as the stranger I had run into was slashing away at the blobs that had been following me. Slowly the blobs backed away and eventually fled, this time without making that annoying noise.



I looked up at the person who had saved me and shuddered as I saw red eyes staring down at me. “Oh great…” I muttered, “Out of the pan and into the fire”

~~

Atrimus paced the floor of the church starting to grow worried. He didn’t quite know why but something told him that Nittia had left the safety of his room and had begun wandering about in the spiritual plane. He knew what she would possibly run across and none of it was good. All but for a few of his own people and a few of their allies whose numbers had sorely dwindled these past few decades everyone else she would find there would more than likely rip her heart out… or eat her soul or just… plain eat her considering that Dragons weren’t too nice to come across, especially not when they were sleeping.



He knew that Jonick had asked him to stay longer but he was growing more worried by the second. He glanced up at Richard who was still typing away at his laptop. The man lived and breathed computers.



“Richard” Atrimus called out. He watched as Richards head lifted, “Tell Jonick I’ll be back later” Richard lifted his hand up in the air and then went back to typing.



Atrimus sighed, knowing Richard, it might be a while before Jonick found out that he was coming back but Atrimus didn’t want to risk waiting any longer.



Fingering the star pendant once more everything around him shimmered and grew soft and dull. He swiftly moved through the planes until he came before the door to his room which he had cleverly hidden to fade into the background when ever it was closed. Many who lived on this plane had to find one way or another to protect themselves when they were asleep.



He waved his hand before the door muttering words softly causing the plain oaken door to appear before him. Swiftly Atrimus entered the room hoping to find Nittia there when he did. All he found was the fire near dead now as embers smoldered in the fire place and a mussed up bed. The night gown he had made her lay across the bed and her clothes he’d hung up to dry were missing.



And he knew where they had gone to, on to his Nittia’s body who was probably now dead or eaten as she had left the protection of his home. Cursing loudly at himself for not thinking ahead of time to perhaps lock the door… or something along those lines he turned around and made his way back outside of the room. If she was still alive she couldn’t have gone far.



Terror Raced through him as he heard a loud roar tear through the normally silent atmosphere.

~~



I had backed up against the large rock behind me as the man with gleaming red eyes started to make his way towards me a grin of pure hatred and victory crossed his face.



“You are Atrimus’s women… I can smell him on you… I can see his mark on you.” His fingers clenched as his nails grew to long sharp pointed daggers. “Once I feast on your soul and show him your dead and broken body, he will willingly turn himself over to us.”



“Um… no thank you” I stuttered out as I backed up more and more away from him pushing my body up against the hard stone behind me, “I don’t think you would want to feast on me… I wouldn’t taste that great” I said although it was mostly sarcastic and I was fishing for anything to get him to leave me alone. I was weaponless against a creature with more strength, speed or abilities then I could ever hope to have in my life time.



“Oh I’m sure I do” he said as he lifted his hand to attack. He suddenly paused looking over me in disbelief. I frowned wondering what the heck he was looking at and I turned around to look behind me. There was nothing there but the rock. I turned back to look at him tilting my head, “what?”



He just shook his head and began backing away. I was seriously doubting he was backing away because of something I did. Once again I looked back behind me and noticed something blink, I focused my attention on the rock and a very large eye on or in the stone opened revealing a yellow eye. I gasped moving away from the rock as suddenly the ground began rumbling and falling about me. I rolled and stumbled away as the ground began to fall away, a very very large creature pulling itself out of the ground. It looked at me and at the man who had attacked me and lifted its head to the sky letting out a loud roar.



The man screamed and began running for all he was worth, which apparently wasn’t enough, as the creature which I could only consider to be nothing other than a dragon snapped out like a snake striking and grabbed the man up in its large mouth and chomped him down.



I looked up at the dragon wide eyed. Sooo here was my predicament, a very large dragon which I had thought to have never existed or had long since been dead, and the body of a man or creature… or demon or vampire… what ever the heck it or he was. Now being gobbled up by said dragon that I had not just a few minutes prier jolted over what now appears to have been his head.



“I am having the bad day from hell.” I muttered.



The dragon seemed to be preoccupied with gobbling up his breakfast but I decided any fast moves would make me become side plate number two in Mr. Dragons main meal for today.



“Um… hello… Mr. Dragon…” I said hesitantly as he seemed to finish swallowing his meal.



Slowly the dragon moved his head to peer down at me with his big yellow eyes, “hello yourself mortal” he said with a deep rumbling growl of a sound. His hot breath washed over me like a bon fires heat, “What pray tell is a mortal creature such as yourself doing here in the Ether?”



I blinked a few times, the dragon could speak… and rather well too. Who knew?



“Um… well… Some one I knew brought me here… well actually he brought me to his room and then told me to stay… but I didn’t, and then I got chased by these black blob thingies… and then I got attacked by this guy with red glowing eyes who you seemed to have just taken care of…” I took a deep breath as I seemed to have just gushed out everything all at once, “thank you by the way.” I added as a last note.



“You’re very welcome. Though you are lucky he was there, a dragon is very hungry when he first wakes up, and very annoyed when he’s woken up not of his own accord.”



“I… see.” I said softly.



“So who is this person that brought you here and whom you deemed not to listen to his probably very wise advice?”



I bit my lower lip lightly wondering if the dragon would eat me if he knew that Atrimus had brought me here. It was hard to tell who was a friend of Atrimus and who wasn’t. So far I had yet to find anyone that didn’t want to kill me at first sight.



“I did Serengay” a male voice announced from behind me.



My eyes lit up as I recognized that voice right away. I turned to look at Atrimus my heart in my eyes as I was so glad to see him. But by the look in his eyes he was angrier then when he left and I felt my heart plummet. I really needed to get with that program I had set for myself. Don’t get involved, and don’t fall in love.



“Ahh Atrimus, I should have known it was you. Let me guess, this is the mortal that you had been watching over these past 20 years or so?” The dragon, Serengay, swished his tail behind him lightly seeming to squish a few of the black shadowy globs that had originally chased after me.



Atrimus nodded as he came towards me. From the look in his eyes I was afraid he would grab my arm roughly and drag me back to his place. Even though I knew it was stupid I suddenly felt like getting as far away from him as possible, he was angry and I was afraid he would hurt me.



Atrimus paused, his blue eyes turning to look down at me as they changed from hard steel to a warmer softer blue, “I could never hurt you Silver” he said softly. I blinked a few times at first not even noticing that he had called me Silver when I had asked him to call me by my real name.



But from the look in his eyes and the way he had said that… I knew without a doubt that he never would hurt me… at least not intentionally.



“You are very lucky I chose to rest here last night Atrimus,” Serengay began, “If I hadn’t been here your lovely mortal would have had her soul devoured by an Aduun and they would have used what ever connection you had to her to tear you apart.”



Atrimus looked down at me his blue eyes searching through mine, “yes… it would have killed me…” he said softly. I opened my mouth to say something but could think of nothing and slowly I closed my mouth licking my lower lip nervously.



“Perhaps it’s time you brought her back home.” Serengay suggested, “And perhaps take her away from this plane. If she ever happens to leave the safety of your home again I doubt she would be as lucky as she had been today.



Atrimus smiled his fingers lifting up to slowly stroke my cheek the look in his eyes telling me that he was grateful to find me alive and kicking, “Yes I think you are right.” Slowly Atrimus lifted his head and gave the dragon a strange sort of salute, three fingers lifting up into a strange design and twirling through the air.



I turned to look at Serengay and he seemed to do the same move although it looked stranger with a dragon’s bulky large claws attempting the salute, “Good luck and many travels to you friend” Serengay said before he began to saunter of the ground seeming to shake beneath him at each step that he took.



Atrimus was very silent for a time as he led me back to his home, aside from the small comment he had made to Serengay I had no idea what was running through his thoughts right now. Was he going to just send me away? I know I had been trying to get away from him but the moment things had gone wrong I had wished that he was here… If I left… would I regret it for the rest of my life?



What if I was ruining every chance I had at love… because I was angry… and that really all it was. He had even explained it to me… and after today I had a pretty good idea as to why he had left me in the first place. When left with a choice of living in the real world or living in this… what was is the dragon called it? The Ether? Most humans would choose earth… and apparently he had been watching me for 20 years?



I looked at Atrimus as he stepped away from me and into a swirling odd section of the ether… my stomach knotted lightly, it was true that so far… I really did not like this place… everything was beyond weird. Atrimus started to mutter something softly and the oak door appeared out of no where. It was just floating on a swirling mass of color. He opened it up and looked at me with his silver eyes, “Come on” he said.

I swallowed lightly and entered the room, letting out a relieved sigh as I entered the warm, realistic looking room. The fire had completely died but other than that everything was just the way I had left it. I turned to look at Atrimus, “are… you going to make me leave?” I asked… thoughts of him leaving me in some random city and then just disappearing rushed through my mind, the thought of never seeing him again hurt the most. Much as I tried not to admit it… this morning just waking up in warm arms… it had been bliss.



Atrimus shook his head, “No Silver I’m not going to make you leave…” I watched him stand there for a moment before he took several slow steps towards me before wrapping his strong arms around me in a hug. I eeped lightly at just how hard he squeezed for a moment there, “My God… I thought I had lost you… I could just feel something was wrong and… when you weren’t here… I thought they had found you…”



He pulled back and I looked up into his worried blue eyes, his beautiful blue eyes that held so much emotion in them. Was there love? Had he said he loved me? He had called himself my lover but… a lover didn’t necessarily mean love. Slowly I wrapped my arms around his waist and I felt him open a connection between us… or was it that I had finally opened up to him… warmth and love filled me as well as worry.



I looked up at Atrimus a question in my mind, how long… I had wondered. I watched him smile softly at me and my heart seemed to melt under that soft lifting of his lips, his fingers stroked my cheek lightly, “Since I first saw you” he said answering my unspoken question.



“But… when? Why? What happened?” I watched him frown and remembered when he had told me he didn’t like to talk much, but how was that true when he seemed to speak so much to me… he didn’t explain much sometimes but he still spoke.



I felt his chest raise and fall as he sighed softly, “Since you were a child” he told me, “I was checking up on some Aduun activity at your neighbors… and just then your parents came out holding you… you were just a babe”



I blinked frowning, “Why would you be interested in a baby?”



He ran his fingers through his long black locks and my hands reached up to stroke through them lightly, I blushed as he looked down at me, “I don’t know why Silver.” He told me, “I didn’t know why… I just had to see you and make sure you were okay. It wasn’t until recently that I realized…”



He trailed off and my mind was racing, realized… realized what? That he loved me? What was it?



I saw him smile, “I do love you Silver…” he told me his blue eyes growing sad and I felt a feeling of pain wash through him, “I… we… my people… we have what you might call Soul Mates… someone whom our soul and body and mind recognize. Often we never find our soul mate and we don’t need a soul mate to reproduce, we can mate to anyone.”



I tilted my head as he trailed on, “So… what are you trying to say Atrimus?” I asked him softly frowning in confusion.



“I’m saying you’re my soul mate” he admitted softly.



“Soul Mate…” I said softly, “so… you watched me all those years because a part of you knew who and what I was?”



He nodded his head, “And that is why when I couldn’t keep myself back anymore you allowed me to claim you mind body and soul.”



I blushed the long ago memory suddenly washing up in my mind. It had seemed just seconds before the end of our lovemaking that everything of us was connected. I looked up and saw in his blue eyes the memory had also washed through his mind as well as his blue eyes darkened.



I backed up a step his hands letting me go, “I’m sorry” I told him and I felt more pain wash through me… us… before there was suddenly nothing from him. “No Atrimus wait…” I said feeling him close off completely from me. His face grew hard, expressionless and he grabbed my hand, I winced for a second afraid he would hurt me in his pain and anger. His touch was soft and gentle, though his face was still hard. I saw him reach up to fiddle with a star pendant around his neck and suddenly I felt like I was falling, the world turned around me and I wondered maybe if I had been turned into a doll and thrown into a drying machine.



I couldn’t see anything for a second before suddenly I felt like my senses went on overload and I cried out softly closing my eyes and falling… to land on tiled floor.



“Yo Atrimus, your back!” I heard some one say, “wooo who’s the babe?”



I slowly opened my eyes to see Atrimus growling at a stranger, standing in front of me suddenly.



“hey!” the man said backing away from Atrimus who looked ready to tear his arms off if he stood to close to me, “Just chill I was only kidding…”



I blinked and reached my hand up to gently touch Atrimus’s hand and saw him visibly relax, “Atrimus?” I asked softly, “Where are we?”



The man from before snorted crossing his arms, “Your in Saint Ann’s Cathedral” he told me, “I’m Richard and who the hell are you? More importantly why is Atrimus ready to rip my arms off for calling you a babe?”



I blinked a little more as Atrimus helped me up, I looked up at him pursing my lips lightly thinking at him that I didn’t hate him but something told me he wasn’t going to listen to me even if I said it.



“YO!” the man, Richard said impatiently.



Atrimus turned to look at him, “She’s my soul mate Dick, and don’t ever insult her or I will kill you.”



I watched the mans eyes widen a little and he nodded, “Right… well… okay then.” He shrugged his shoulders and made his way to a front row pew putting a laptop on his lap and started to type.



I heard creaks of a door open and turned to see two more strangers enter, a tall lank man with cold green eyes circled in dark mid-length hair and a shorter stalkier man with blond spiky hair and brown eyes, both where wearing white trench coats, and black leather beneath it. I watched in amazement as they pulled their coats off to reveal weapons everywhere on their persons. The tall man had a long katana strapped to his waist, with more straps all along his arms, and legs, I could see daggers and guns tucked in.



The smaller man wore two gloves with wicked claws protruding from them, he also had knives and guns strapped to his body, and I noticed two sabers on his back.



Oh… did I forget to mention that they were covered in blood?



I trembled clutching to Atrimus, both of them looked as if they were ready to kill anyone or anything and their eyes were currently on me. I felt Atrimus’s arm wrap around me and tighten lightly holding me close to his body.



“Alex, Jason, greetings. Good hunting?”



Alex nodded, and Jason came up to us his brown eyes turning from a cold slate into expressive eyes, he reached out his hand and I watched Atrimus reach out and grab his in a hand grip, “as good as can be hoped” he said his mouth turning up into a grin.



As their hands released he stepped back to look at me a question easily read in his eyes, “And who is this?”



“Nittia.” I said the same time Atrimus replied, “Silver.”



Jason frowned, “Nittia or Silver? Which is it?”



I sighed, “Both…” I sighed and glanced up at Atrimus, “You are so set on everyone calling me that aren’t you.”



He smiled softly at me and stroked my cheek lightly, “I’m sorry love but it fits you so very well.”



I sighed and turned back to look at the two newcomers and was surprised to see shock on both their faces, “Um… are you guys okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”



“Near about” I heard Richard’s voice from behind me, “Atri never shows emotion and he’s NEVER nice to people aside from boss man, he’s almost as silent and moody as Mr. Solemn face is.”



I frowned in confusion looking up at Atrimus, “Who?”



Atrimus sighed, “Richard’s nick name for Alex.”



“ohh…”



I heard Jason laugh, “And Alex doesn’t like it one bit… but it’s kinda grown on him.” he grinned when Alex gave him a death glare, “He’ll never admit to it though.”





I watched Alex sigh and started to walk past Atrimus and I on his way to the altar. He bowed down on his knee’s and it appeared that he started to pray. I looked at Jason, who aside from when he came in looking ready to kill, seemed like a kind person, “Does he do that a lot?”



“Almost always” Jason told me, “The reason?” he shrugged “No idea” as he said that he headed towards Alex and then veered to the right towards a door that I had previously not spotted.



I looked up at Atrimus, “Okay… now that we’ve got introductions out of the way… why did you bring me here Atrimus?”



He looked down at me stroking the side of my cheek a soft expression on his face before his face seemed to harden again, “come on” he told me grabbing my hand and heading to another door. The minute he opened it I saw what looked like the staircase for a tower, I paused for a moment and Atrimus grabbed my hand and pulled me after him.