Of Fire And Shadow [completed]

Chapter 1

Lydia and Parrish cuddled together on the couch in his apartment watching The Notebook, Lydia's favorite movie. He was leaning back, relaxed, with an arm around her as she snuggled up close, her head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest. She loved doing this with him. It made her feel safe and warm, not just because of the constant heat radiating off his skin. She felt protected in the arms of her boyfriend, and she leaned in close to give him a little peck on the cheek. He smiled down at her, in complete bliss, and wished it could be like this forever.

But then, as he glanced back at the television screen, he saw something like a shadow move in the corner of the room. He sat up straight, startled, and stared at the corner for a moment.

Lydia shifted. "What's wrong?" she asked, rubbing his arm comfortingly.

"I don't know." Parrish said, tearing his eyes away from the corner to look back at her. "It's probably nothing."

"Okay," Lydia said, motioning for him to sit back again and relax. Parrish obliged, but his mind was still racing. He wouldn't have felt so uneasy if this was the first time this had happened, but it had happened before, multiple times. He knew he should tell Lydia he was seeing things, shapes moving in the shadows, seen by nobody but him, but he didn't want to ruin the great time they were having. He tried to turn his attention to the movie, and to the beautiful young woman he was spending the evening with, but his eyes kept drifting back to the dark corner, drawn by both curiosity and fear.

About twenty minutes passed, and just as Parrish was dismissing the idea that he had seen anything at all, the shadows in the corner began to shift once more. He stared at it, trying not to disturb Lydia, and hoped that if he didn't move maybe it would take a more solid form. His wish was granted as the shadows condensed even more, ultimately forming the hazy shape of a hooded figure. "Cerberus," the figure whispered, and Parrish knew it was talking to him. Almost on cue, Parrish's eyes began to glow the fiery amber color of the hellhound. He stood up sharply, eyes ablaze, but as soon as he moved, the figure dissipated back into nothing.

Lydia stood up too, shocked and concerned. "What is the matter with you tonight?" she asked as Parrish walked slowly over to the empty corner and brushed the wall with his hand. He was certain there was something there that time, but he still didn't tell Lydia, even though he knew he probably should. His eyes had returned to their usual forest green as he turned back to face her.

"Umm ... I'm sorry, I'll be right back," Parrish said as he rushed off to the bathroom.

After closing and locking the door, he leaned against the sink, breathing heavily, and tried to calm his nerves. He looked at his reflection as his eyes flickered amber and back to green. "What is happening?" Parrish whispered, glancing back down at his hands tightly clutching the edge of the sink. He could feel his body beginning to heat up and to avoid a burnout, he took off his shirt. He sank to the floor and put his head in his hands, trying to calm down and slow his pulse, but all he could see when he closed his eyes was the shadowy figure taunting him from the darkness.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Jordan?" Lydia asked through the door. "Are you okay?"

Though he loved hearing her call him by his first name, he didn't want her to see him like this, all shaken up and unstable. "Lydia, go," he said. "Don't come near me."

On the other side of the door, Lydia started to become more worried. "Jordan," she said in her most soothing voice. "It's okay. Just open the door so I can help you."

After a few seconds, she heard the lock click and reached for the handle. Opening the door, she found Parrish huddled on the white tile floor, leaning against the wall, with his shirt off and his head in his hands. Lydia dropped down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay, I'm here," she said, and he lifted his eyes to meet hers. They kept flickering from his soft natural green to a bright burning amber, and back again.

"I can't control it," Parrish said shakily, his eyes filled with fear not for himself, but for her. "You need to go-"

"Shhhh," Lydia said, her eyes fixed on him. "Look at me, just focus on me."

Parrish tried to hold her gaze, to focus on her calming tone, her hazel eyes, her strawberry-blond hair, her rose-colored lips. His eyes remained green as he stared at her, doing his best to memorize every feature, but suddenly he was overcome by a strong wave of cold darkness. Some other force was there with them, he could feel it. He slouched back down and placed his head in his hands, closing his eyes and letting the figure appear in the ensuing darkness. "Cerberus," Parrish heard in his head again, louder this time.

Suddenly, Parrish sat up and stared straight ahead as though in a daze. His eyes were solid amber, no longer flickering, and Lydia took a tentative step back. She knew from experience it was best not to get in his way when he was in hellhound mode, but she also knew she'd been able to reach him before, and she just hoped she could do it again.

"Jordan," she whispered, but he didn't falter. Instead he stood up and turned toward her, his body beginning to smoke and his eyes burning bright. It was clear he wasn't recognizing her.

Indeed, Parrish wasn't seeing Lydia at all. All he saw was the mysterious figure facing him, shrouded in shadow. Parrish hated this thing. It had ruined his night with Lydia and made him think he was going crazy for days. He knew he was going to have to get rid of it once and for all. He felt his claws and fangs emerge as he growled menacingly at the intruder who was slowly backing toward the door. His muscles tensed and he rushed at the figure.

"Jordan-!" It tried to scream but it was cut off as he dug his claws into the creature's neck.

As suddenly as it had come, the figure was gone, and standing in its place, eyes filled with fear and hands clutching her damaged throat ... was Lydia.