DON'T PRAY TO ME

09 - The Deir Girl

Slade is in a dark alley. His eyes take a moment to adjust. He recognizes the tall chain fence running at the back, and the rest of the place piece together. He now knows where he is. Slade walks over to the center of the alley and sees the silhouette of a girl on the ground. His heartbeat quickens. He starts walking towards her. With each step he could see her a little clearer. Her pale skin glows like a pearl. Her dark lush hair moves with the wind. She pulls in her arms and legs as if she's cold. Above her flushed lips and cheeks, her wet eyes finally look up at Slade. Slade swallows. His mouth is salivating. The tip of his tongue feels the peaks of his canines. Before this, his fangs had only ever come out when he had been in serious and intense fights. Now, however, the intense emotion surging in him is not the urge to fight. But it's just as primal. Slade kneels on one knee in front of her and extends his hand. She reaches for it while speaking a trembling whisper, "Please."

Her voice stirs his already boiling desire. "Help me," the girl says. Slade grabs her hand tight. She winces from the pain. Slade moves closer to her. Her face reads from worry to fear. Slade seizes her lips and starts kissing her. She struggles to breathe as his tongue gropes inside her mouth. Slade breaks the kiss and pushes her down. "No," she breathes out. Slade kisses her again, before moving his lips to the side of her neck and biting down into her soft skin. The girl shrieks in pain. She starts begging him to let her go. But Slade is unable to understand.

He can hear her voice, but can't hear what she's saying. He tastes her bare skin all over her body, up to her womanhood. He stops there and takes his time wetting her, and when he can no loner hold back, Slade moves his face back up over to hers. He is naked now, with a hard on. He bites her neck again. The girl is still crying out for help. All of her words escape him. Until... "Slade!" Slade snaps out of it as his own name pierces through him like an arrowhead through the still air. He looks down at the girl. She looks terrified. He looks up and sees his own face reflected in the dark - his protruding fangs, pitch black eyes, spots of her blood at the corners of his lips. He looks back down on her. And smiles. In an old Dhamenci tongue Slade utters, "Mine," before thrusting deep into her.

Slade wakes up from the dream, panting, covered in sweat. Once his breathing slows down, Slade touches his chest. There's a strange feeling in his heart. It's not happiness. It's not sadness. It's not fear. It's not courage. It's not hate. It's not... Slade grabs his chest tighter. "That can't be," he says. He doesn't even know her. Confused, he thinks. He's just confused. His phone rings. Welcoming the distraction, he picks it up, takes the call, and hears his father speak.

In the afternoon, Slade enters the Harlow Bar. It's empty save for the two tables at the back, occupied by large, intimidating men. Slade approaches them. The huge man at the right, slides back his chair and gets up. "My boy!" Ivan Drazeydan says and engulfs his son in a hug. "Dad, come on," Slade says, laughing and trying to escape his father's grasp. "No one can escape the great Dhamenci Chief's hug that easily, kid. Especially you," one of the men says and they all laugh. Slade sits down next to his father. "How's the school?" Keith Drazeydan, Slade's uncle, says from across the table. "It's good," Slade says. "Keith is going to stay back for the ball. He's this year's special guest," Ivan says. "Cool. So you all came here just to drop him off?" Slade says. "I told them not to, but you know how your father is like. He'll take any excuse to see his son and wife. I'm surprised he still has his job," Keith says. "Where are you guys headed next?" Slade says. "To the Ginzi Province," Praeto Gurman, one of Ivan's closest friends, says, "There's some turf disputes with the Deirci from the neighboring town. Got to sort that out." "Would save us a lot of trouble if those bastards learn to manage their own," one of the men says.

"It's not like their Chief doesn't know what those guys are up to," Keith says. "Doesn't matter who knows or who doesn't. We can't tell them how to run their cities. But they sure hell can't bother ours," Ivan says. "What about you, Slade? Any Deirci boys giving you trouble? I heard from Cosman you scared away a bunch a few weeks ago," Keith says, laughing. "I didn't do anything. They just ran away after getting caught trespassing," Slade says. "When we were in school, students were smart enough not to step into the other wing," Ivan says. "They usually stay away, but that day, they were chasing a girl. She accidentally ran into our territory," Slade says, while trying to keep his heartbeat down. "She's lucky, her legs knew where help will be," Keith says, "Cosman said she's a smart one."