Love Bites

Switch

Night was drawing in, the chill in the air was getting deeper, more noticeable. It was the kind of night that was deceptively cold, when your breath would hang in clouds in the air, but by morning it would be pleasant once more.

However, this wasn't the morning and Cassie was feeling the bitter cold as it chewed at her exposed skin. She'd left Cal's with the few belongings she had: clothes, her grimoire and a small silver framed photograph of her parents but no money, well not much anyway. Money had never been anything she had to worry about; the Lucien's had compelled everything they had or needed. So, now here she stood, broke with no where to go and no one to go to.

She checked her purse again, as if somehow money would appear in there, £12.82. Not enough for a room anywhere. Sighing resignedly she looked around for somewhere to sleep, she'd sort out this mess tomorrow. She settled for a shop doorway, set back deeply from the shop fronts, hoping it would afford her some protection from the wind. She hoped wrong. The chill from the wind and the cold from the hard, concrete seeped into her bones. She was not sure she would last the night.

"What the fuck are you doing?" a voice growled making Cassandra jump.

"Just sheltering from the wind a while." she replied as confidently as she could. 

A mammoth man stepped into the wash of the street. Standing easily at over six foot in both directions he loomed over her. His breath smelt of stale beer and cannabis, his sneer revealing several yellowing and broken teeth. His beard hair was matted with filth and grime, and it was painfully obvious that his situation was, and had been for some time, dire. He advanced on Cassie and she pushed herself back against the door frame. He placed a hand on either side of her head and leaned into her, his fetid breath mingling with her own. She fought back the urge to gag.

"If you wanna share buttercup, I'm sure we can work out some kinda arrangement." He tried to kiss her as Cassie tried to push past him. "What's the rush?" he snarled grabbing her upper arms and holding them tight, his ragged, dirt encrusted nails gouging into her flesh. 

Cassie closed her eyes and turned her head away as he laughed manically, "Sey hantazo ke!"

The man yelped and stumbled backwards clutching at his head. Cassie used the brief opportunity and ran. She ran and continued to run, unsure whether the brute had followed her. When she finally stopped, she was surprised to see where she'd run to. Panting, and with a stitch in her side she eyed the house. Could she knock on the door?

                                                                                                  ***

Standing in the dark, Cal watched the world go by from the front bedroom window. Shadows shifted making him nervous. The night had always been his friend, but now, now it seemed frightening and left him feeling vulnerable. Somewhere close by a dog barked, deep and booming. Then something caught his eye. A shadow flitted, moved, he was sure of it. He strained his eyes trying to decipher what he'd seen but his human eyes were too weak to see through the gloom. Again the shadows moved. Seemed to approach the house and then ebb away again. He cursed the broken street light and he cursed himself. He knew something or someone was out there, watching him.

The pounding on the door announced the arrival of whoever had been lurking in the shadows, and Cal dithered on the doorstep for some time, trying to decide if answering it was a good idea. Eventually he gave in to his curiosity and opened the door. There stood Cassandra, tears streaming down her face.

Cal handed her a mug of tea then set about lighting the fire. She wrapped her hands around the mug and her shoulders finally relaxed. "Thank you."

"What for?"