Stolen Soul

Maddison awoke in the early hours and decided that enough was enough.

If Marcus didn’t want his soul back then who was she to try and persuade him?

She had finally realised how dangerous the game she had been playing was and her common sense was finally telling her to leave Marcus alone before he killed her.

Sighing deeply she swung her legs out of bed and reached for her dressing gown.

Suddenly a cold waft of air swept by her and she could almost sense anger and disappointment in the atmosphere around her.

Standing she shook her head and set her shoulders determinedly. She had to put Marcus Baker’s soul out of her mind and concentrate on merely watching him from a discreet and very safe distance.

-------

Marcus waited impatiently as Gabriella, the Voodoo Priestess he knew, moved about the small room that they were in at the back of her shop moving bottles of lotions and potions and he sighed agitatedly.

“I haven’t got all night Gabriella”, he said folding his arms and she turned and glared at him.

“You would have if you stopped fighting that little watcher of yours”, she snapped and Marcus’ eyes widened for he hadn’t explained anything to Gabriella yet.

“What do you know of my watcher?”, he asked and Gabriella smiled.

“Enough to know that you shouldn’t push her away Marcus. She is your destiny”.

“That’s rubbish”, he said and Gabriella raised an eyebrow at him.

“Is it now…..well, seeing as you seem to be completely in control of your destiny you wont be needing me so I’ll…….”, she went to move away but Marcus moved faster than she could blink and he blocked the exit.

“Alright…you win, as usual. Tell me what you know”, he said resignedly and Gabriella smiled up at him.

“You weren’t meant to be a creature of the night Marcus…..let your watcher help you…let her give you your soul back and then you can be at peace and live your life”.

“Why does everyone seem to think that I actually want my soul back?”, Marcus asked sounding disgruntled and Gabriella sighed.

“You mean you don’t?”, she asked and Marcus glared at her as he headed for the door.

“Goodnight Gabriella”.

Goodnight Marcus”.

----

Over the next few nights Maddison fought against the persistent whispers in her mind.

Marcus was trying to call her to him but she was determined not to let him take over her conscious mind again and she managed to block him out, frustrating him no end.

They both still kept having the same strange dreams…both waking up disturbed by what they saw.

For two weeks Maddison kept up her determination to steer clear of Marcus and she was doing well until she realised that in her attempt to concentrate her mind totally on avoiding Marcus she had clearly missed the fact that December was already more than halfway through and she had yet to make a start on buying her friends and family any Christmas gifts.

She had of course seen her mother and some of the other sect members decorating the huge tree in the foyer of the mansion but obviously the sight had meant nothing to her!

She sighed deeply and approached Michael who was sat in the library reading that days’ newspaper.

“I need to go into the city”, she said and he looked up at her.

“For what and can it not wait until tomorrow?“, Michael replied glancing at the window to see that the night was drawing in.

“I need to go late night shopping and no it cant wait until tomorrow, I’ll be too busy. Besides, late night Christmas shopping can be fun”, Maddison replied but Michael merely rolled his eyes at her in a ‘yeah right’ sort of fashion.

“Well I’m going to get ready to go now anyway so if you don’t want to come with me that suits me fine…I’ll probably shop better alone anyhow…..”, Maddison said but stopped as Michael stood and grabbed his jacket.

“I’ll be out front in the car when you’re ready”, he muttered and Maddison smiled sweetly at him before heading off to get her purse and coat.

--

The city centre was alive with Christmas cheer but Marcus felt anything but cheery as he pushed through the crowds of people in Harrods.

He normally steered clear of these sorts of places but the old couple next door insisted upon buying him a gift each year and so, for some strange reason, he always felt compelled to return the gesture.

He had just picked up a huge hamper filled with Christmas goodies when he spotted Maddison over by the coats, hats and gloves section and he froze as he watched her hold up a fluffy scarf and examine it.

She was beautiful and he swallowed what could only be described as jealousy as he saw her laugh at something a man stood next to her said.

It hit him there and then that if she so wished she could share the sunlight, her life, her body, anything she desired with any man but she had chosen to help him. She had wanted to give him his soul back so that he could see the sunlight again and maybe share things with her and he had pushed her away and then worse, he had nearly taken her life.

He put the hamper back down and headed over to her but stopped as he saw Michael stood a few feet away, looking at ties.

Snarling he ducked behind some coats as Michael turned around and looked about suspiciously.

“What are you buying Alexandria?”, Maddison asked suddenly and Michael turned to look at her.

“What?”, he replied, his senses still picking up that danger was close by and he looked away from her again and glanced around the store.

“Alexandria…..what are you getting her for Christmas?”, Maddison re-phrased the question, wondering what Michael was looking for.

“Uh….I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it”, Michael replied absently and Maddison tutted at him and grabbed his arm.

“Come on…let’s head over to the perfume counter. I want something for mum so you can see if there’s anything for Alex over there”.

Michael grunted in response but let her lead him away, glancing over his shoulder occasionally as they left the coats section.

Marcus followed at a safe distance waiting for his chance.

It came shortly after when Michael got besieged by two Harrods’ assistants as they began to show him their entire perfume range and Maddison began to laugh, stating that she would be over in the jewellery section.

Marcus watched as Michael tried to object but the two Harrods women had him cornered, wanting to get a sale.

Maddison looked at the costume jewellery which was just about all she could afford in a place like this and she saw a necklace that took her eye. It was a blood-red stone in the shape of a heart surrounded by diamante stones and it dangled from a silver chain.

She held it up to her neck and looked in a nearby mirror.

Marcus moved so that he stood behind her, knowing that she could only see herself in the reflection.

Maddison knew that Marcus was behind her even though she hadn’t seen him in the mirror and so she wasn’t entirely surprised when she heard him speak.

“That’s very pretty. It suits you”, he murmured and she put the necklace down and turned slowly to face him.

“What are you doing here?”, she asked, trying to see Michael over his shoulder.

“Christmas shopping…like you”, he replied and Maddison laughed.

“You buy your vampire friends Christmas presents?”, she said and Marcus scowled at her.

“I don’t have any friends. I was about to buy a hamper for the old couple who live next door to me”, he told her and Maddison’s smile vanished as she remembered seeing the couple as she had fled from Marcus’ house that night.

“You actually care enough to get them a gift?”, she asked sounding surprised and Marcus nodded.

“They always get me something and so I return the gesture”.

“I see”, Maddison replied as she tried to understand how he could almost kill her and had killed countless other people but yet he could be caring enough to buy the oldies who lived next door to him a hamper from Harrods.

Marcus saw her confusion and said,

“I wasn’t always a bad person Maddison”.

“No…..I’m sure you weren’t”, she replied, looking up into his eyes.

After a moment Marcus realised that he didn’t have long as Michael would be done soon and he said,

“I need to talk to you….about this returning my soul business”.

“Look….I realise that you’re not interested and so you have no need to worry…I’ll be leaving you alone from now on…..”, Maddison began but Marcus shook his head.

“No….Maddison…you don’t understand…I want….”, he stopped as he got the overwhelming urge to protect himself and he turned to find Michael right behind him, glaring at him.

“Get away from her….now”, Michael said, his voice low and menacing and Marcus had to fight to keep his fangs from distending. He didn’t want to scare half of Harrods to death.

Maddison moved around Marcus and stood in front of him, facing Michael.

“It’s alright, we were only talking”, she said but Michael grabbed her arm, his eyes never leaving Marcus’.

“I told you I would kill you if you ever went near her again”, he said and Marcus regarded him.

“So are you going to do it here…in the middle of the store?”, he asked challengingly and Michael growled at him.

“If I could I would”.

“Of course you would”, Marcus answered in an understanding tone which only infuriated Michael more and he went to drag Maddison away but Marcus said,

“Why don’t you let her decide if she wants to talk to me or not?” and Michael stopped and looked from Marcus to Maddison.

“Well?”, he asked and Maddison swallowed hard as she looked from Marcus to Michael and back again.

“I’m sorry”, she said and Michael grinned broadly as he pulled her away.

Marcus stared after them as they moved away.

He couldn’t believe that she was just going to give up on him so easily. He had thought she’d had more guts than that. He went to turn away but heard a faint whisper in his mind and it stopped him and he glanced up to see Maddison looking over her shoulder as Michael led her though the crowds.

He concentrated hard on the whisper as it wasn’t very strong and then he heard the words,

‘I will think about helping you again’ and he smiled his first genuine smile in centuries.