Fate · Part 2

Fate · Part 2 (2/4)
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Then there was him. Yes, she knew him, but that was from over a century ago. To an extent she did trust him, but, how much had HE changed since she saw him last? Finally, there was the fact of what he was, a demon. How did she know this wasn't a stunt just to get a hold of the oldest and most powerful of their kind? Then there was Dani, HER reaction to all this if she found out Zarah was the one that told him. She knew Dani wasn't the psycho bitch the legends made her out to be. BUT she was VERY capable of doing everything those legends said she could, and more. To add to that, she did have a violent temper, when sufficiently provoked. She wasn't sure how Dani would react. She looked at him and shook her head. "I don't know if I should do this, Darious. It could get me into more trouble than I could bail myself out of."

"Zarah, look at me." He said to her softly.

She looked up into the piercing blue eyes that chilled so many beings to the core and made them tremble with fright. But she saw none of that; what she saw reflected in those eyes was that he was being totally honest with her and that there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Zarah, you saw what I was like with her in Germany. Would I do anything to hurt her?"

Zarah shook her head, "No. But, Germany was a long time ago. You could have changed a great deal since then."

He shook his head, but his eyes never left her. "Not when it comes to her, I haven't. I couldn't hurt her then and I can't now. As for me, having the ulterior motive of wanting her soul or other such bunk, I don't. All I want is to see her and talk to her. Anything beyond that is entirely her choice. If she tells me to leave her alone and that she doesn't want to ever see me again I will. It will…," he frowned and tried to find the unfamiliar word for the feeling, "hurt but I will do it. Zarah, I would never try to trick you into something. Never! Seeing you today was the first time I've felt good in the longest time. And I want to see you again. I won't mess that up with some stupid stunt. Please Zarah, tell me."

Zarah looked at him and sighed. If she was reading what was in his eyes right he was telling the truth. "Alright, I'll at least point you in the right direction. Does that help you?"

He nodded vigorously. "Yes Zarah. Thank you."

She shook her finger at him. "If I get my ass in a sling over this, yours is going to be in it right beside mine. Got me?"

He nodded again. "You can blame it all on me. I'll take all the heat for it."

She sighed deeply ad rubbed her face. "Alright then. When she decided to move she wanted to go somewhere where it's warm all year round and where she could easily blend in. She's in Los Angeles. She's going part time to UCLA." He nodded vigorously. He could feel his heart start to hammer in his chest so hard, he was sure Zarah could hear it from where she sat. After all these long years, he was going to be able to find her and see her once again. "Is she using her real name?" His voice sounded hoarse and strangled because his mouth and throat had dried up from the excitement he felt.

Zarah arched one of her delicate eyebrows but didn't comment. "No. She never uses her real name. She is using the name Fyre Wulf." She quickly spelled it for him.

He burned the name into his memory immediately, thinking that name quite suited her. "Is she living in a dorm?"

Zarah shook her brown curls. "She would risk being exposed if she did that. She has her own house." She quickly gave him the address, which he also committed to memory.

He squeezed her hands and smiled, "I don't know how to thank you, Zarah."

She giggled, "Not getting us both in trouble is thanks enough."

He leaned back in his seat and smiled at her. He could feel an elation the likes of which he had never felt before.

For the next couple hours he talked with her about what she had been doing since she had left Germany, and generally played catch up.

When they were done he paid for the dinner then walked her out to her car. He was so elated that it felt like he wasn't walking at all, rather that he was gliding.

After she opened her car door she turned and looked at him. "You're going out there aren't you?"

He nodded, "I'm going tomorrow morning. I have to go anyway because of the contract negotiations. I am just going to move the trip up by a few days."

She nodded then grinned from ear to ear, "Do me a favor. When you see Dani tell Mayhem I said to tell him hi and that I miss him."

He looked at her quizzically. "I will, but who is Mayhem?"

She giggled madly, "You'll understand when you see her." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, then got in her car and drove off.

He walked over to his immaculately maintained Bentley and got in. Before he had even pulled out of the parking lot he dialed his executive secretarie's home number.

When she picked up the phone, after looking at the caller ID, she growled, "What do YOU want?"

He chuckled deeply, "Well, hello to you too, Nyssa."

She sighed deeply, "OK yadda, yadda, yadda. Now, I repeat, what do you want?"

"Get on the phone and get them to get my jet ready. I want to leave for LA at 6 am."

"WHAT?!?!?!?" she screamed into the phone. "We weren't supposed to leave until Monday!"

"Change of plans. Something else has come up so I bumped it forward a few days."

She huffed into the phone, "Fine! I'll get it all arranged. Do I still have to go with?"

"Yes Nyssa. I can't function without you, you know that."

"Damn it, Darious! I had plans for the weekend."

He grinned. He could always count on Nyssa to give him her unvarnished opinion on things. As a matter of fact she was the only human being allowed to speak to him in that manner, no one else would DARE. She was so valuable to him that she could get away with almost anything. She had been with him since he started Triple D and was irreplaceable. As a matter of fact, she earned as much a year as some of his executives did. "I'll make it up to you. You know how you're always saying that you want to do a house cleaning at the LA office and get rid of the worthless trash?"

"Yes." She answered suspiciously.

"I'll go ahead and let you clean house."

"Anything I say goes, goes?"

He chuckled deeply, "Yes Nyssa. From the top to the bottom."

Nyssa chuckled evilly. "Does that include Cassandra?"

Darious groaned and rolled his eyes as he navigated the narrow streets towards him home. Cassandra was his executive assistant; every woman in the office loathed her, especially Nyssa. She was a gold digger and tried sleeping her way to the top, but had only made it as far as his assistant. Now she had her sights set on him. She was trying all her considerable charms, but to no avail. He saw her for what she was; an amateur at what he was a master of, manipulation. "No. Cassandra has her uses."

Nyssa huffed, "What THOSE are, I can only imagine. I'll have everything ready at 6 am. Are you going to get hold of everyone or shall I?"

"I'll handle it. I'll be just you, me, Modega and Marcus. I'll call Modega when I get home."

"Alright. You better appreciate this, Darious!" then she hung up.

He chuckled deeply and shook his head. When he got home he found Marcus in the living room, watching TV. Marcus, at one point in his life, was a werewolf clan leader. His whole clan had been slaughtered by a demon. That demon had given him a choice, die with his clan or become a slave. Marcus had chosen the latter in hopes of one day being able to exact revenge for what was done. That choice, however, had earned him a death sentence from the Werewolf Governing Council, because, no matter how noble the reason, no werewolf shall EVER serve a demon. He should die before that. Serving a demon earns him an immediate, and irrevocable, death sentence.

Even if he were to be freed, he would still be sentenced to death. He came into Darious' possession when Darious had a run in with his demon master, shortly after Dani had left him in Alaska. Darious had sent him back to hell, then laid claim to all his possessions, including Marcus. In the over-a-century, Marcus had evolved to being a slave in name only. Now, he was basically a companion, assistant and manservant. Marcus was reclined watching mostly naked women cavort across the television screen. Darious chuckled deeply and shook his head. He was such a horndog. If it was female and of legal age Marcus would try to nail it. "Marcus."

Marcus looked up at him from the couch without moving. "Hey Boss. What's up?"

"Are the imps and djinns gone for the day?

Marcus sat up and stretched. "They finished hours ago so I sent them on their way."

Darious nodded, "Good. Now, I have a job for you. Get our stuff packed. We are leaving in the morning instead of Monday."

Marcus raised an eyebrow but said nothing about the change of plans. "For a week, still?"

Darious thought for a minute. "No, better make it two. Did you call today and make sure the apartment was ready?"

Marcus nodded, "Right after you called me about it. They said it would be ready by tonight."

Darious nodded, "Good job. OK, get to it."

Marcus started to walk off. Before he got to the door he stopped and looked at Darious. "Oh, Modega called about a thousand times. He said you weren't answering your cell. He wants to talk to you, said it was important."

Darious nodded again, "Thanks." Marcus headed upstairs and Darious went to his study. He had just poured himself a drink and was about to sit down to call Modega when the doorbell rang. Knowing Marcus was busy he got up to answer it. Before he made it to the door however, Modegas large body was filling the space. Darious looked at him, eyebrow arched.

Modega glowered at him. "If you would answer your cell once in a while, I wouldn't have to show up here, unannounced. We need to talk."

Darious lowered his massive frame back into his chair and picked up his drink then gestured for Modega to take a seat.

Modega flopped in the chair closest to Darious and glowered at him again. "Would you like to tell me what in the blue hell that was all about today?"

Darious looked at him, "What was what?"

Modega rolled his eyes and shook his head, "The bit with the one named Zarah and you knowing Lady Danyealla." He shuddered after saying her name.

Darious sighed and looked at his drink. "Zarah was still human when I knew her. She was the woman I knew as Kats' maid. I didn't know until today that she was now a she-devil."

Modega nodded, "OK, that I get. Now, this Kat you knew is really Lady Danyealla?" He shuddered again.

Darious sighed and nodded, "That is what I am gathering, yes. But I didn't know it at the time."

Modega groaned and covered his face with his hands. He then looked back at Darious through his splayed fingers. "How could you NOT have known it was her?"

Darious took a drink and shook his head. "I knew she was a she-devil, she told me that much. But the whole time we were together she never told me her real name." He shrugged. "How was I to know who she really was?"

Modega shook his head. "You know that isn't going to matter to our boss in the least. When he finds out that you knew her, and he will, we both know that, he's going to take a keen interest in the whole matter."

Darious' face hardened at the mention of his boss, Azmodeus. "He doesn't care WHAT I do just so I get my job done and keep a steady stream of souls on the road to hell."

Modega shook his head, "Who do you think you're talking to, Darious? I'm not one of the minor chaotic demons that you can run a line of bullshit on. You and I both know Big A takes a very special interest in EVERYTHING you do."

Darious got a weary look on his face. He was right of course. For some odd reason, Azmodeus always took a keen interest in all his dealings, no matter what it was. He never did figure out why. He sighed deeply, "You're right of course, he does. It's moot though, since I haven't seen her since we parted ways in Alaska."

Modega nodded, "That's a plus on your end then."

Darious took another sip of his drink. "I was about to call you when you showed up. There has been a slight shift in plans. We are leaving for L. A. tomorrow morning at 6 AM rather than Monday."

Modega looked at him sharply, "Why the sudden change of plans?"

Darious gave a nonchalant shrug. "There is something out there I want to do that is going to take a few extra days, so I figured we may all as well go out there and get a head start on everything."

Modega looked at him intently but quietly for several minutes. When he spoke next it was quietly. "You know where she is don't you? And you're going to try and get in touch with her."

Darious glared at him, his eyes boring holes into him but said nothing.

Modega shook his head. "You're acting like some damn human when it comes to this…this ANIMAL! Getting obsessed just like they do. What in the hell did she do to you to get you in this state?"

Darious glared harder at him and ground his teeth then hissed. "Watch what you say, and your tone with me, Modega!"

Modega glared back at him. "Like hell I will. I've known you far too long to pull any punches with you when we talk. What did she do to you in Germany to get you into this state? I have never seen you get like this over any other being."

Darious shook his head. "I'm in no state over her. I just want to talk to her again. We had a good time together."

Modega was no fool. He had known Darious for eons and knew one of his understatements when he heard one. He also considered himself a fair judge of his moods. There seemed to be a light in his eyes that hadn't been there before today. When it came to other beings he wanted, Darious acted like it was a game. Hunt and conquer, then get what he wanted and drop them. This wasn't like that; it felt different to him. Something had changed in Darious since the morning and it made Modega highly uneasy. Ever since they came back from the Pussycat, if he got close enough to him, his skin started to prickle, as if electricity was dancing back and forth across it. He sighed deeply, "What went on between you two in Germany? And don't feed me any of your bullshit, Darious. I know this whole thing is about more than 'just wanting to talk to her again'."

Darious sighed deeply, staring out the window into the night darkened yard. "I've known her longer than the bit in World War II. I met her the first time in France, a year before the French Revolution started, at one of the Marquis De Sades' infamous parties. I knew then she wasn't human, I just thought she was a werecat and she didn't enlighten me any further.

"It was just what they refer to as a one night stand now. That was it. Then, when I was working for Mueller in the SS, right after I was promoted and transferred from Ravensbruke, I met up with her again, by accident, in a bar. She was masquerading as the Countess then. We were both perfect cover for each other so we became somewhat of a couple. She was the one that engineered my exit before the Reich fell. We went as far as Alaska together, then we split and went our separate ways."

Modega arched an eyebrow, "Uh Huh." He said in a sarcastic manner.

Darious stared at him, "And what do you mean by THAT tone?"

Modega snorted, "None of what you just told me explains why you would go to such lengths to see her again. Especially now, knowing exactly who she is."

Darious looked out the window again, a far away expression on his face. How could he explain it to Modega when he didn't even wholly understand it himself? It was more like how she made him FEEL and what he felt like around her. How he could be totally himself with her because she wasn't the least bit frightened of who and what she was, even with her knowing he was a demon. Or how she held and touched him when everyone else was frightened to, or just plain didn't want to because he made their skin crawl. How for the first time in his existence he had met a being he COULDN'T intimidate, even if he wanted to.

How, when he was with her, he was happy, something he hadn't truly felt since she had passed out of his life. When he was with her, he had something he could look foreward to when he went home. That he felt complete. Darious just shook his head, "I can't explain it to your or myself for that matter. It's just something about her that draws me. I don't understand it."

Modega shook his head again. "Again, that is just what humans say about those women." He looked at Darious again but Darious wasn't paying attention; he was staring out the window, a far away look on his face. Modega cleared his throat and Darious jerked then looked at him. Modega shook his head. "You are woefully short of any kind of reasonable answer tonight aren't you?"

Darious just leaned back in his chair and glared at Modega but said nothing. He could sense the demons frustration and fright at what he perceived to be a weakness in Darious. He sighed deeply, then rubbed his face. "Modega, how can I give you answers when I don't have them myself?"

Modega rubbed his face wearily then sighed, "OK, tell me this then; what do you want with her? Don't give me some bullshit about just wanting to see her. I mean what do you REALLY want from her?"

Darious looked at him quietly for a minute or so, trying to formulate the answer the best way he could, "What do I want with her? I want what we had when we were together in Germany; to have her back in my life and, if she's willing, to live with me once again. It was nice to have someone to come home to."

Modega looked at him, utterly and completely horror-struck. "Have you completely lost your fucking mind? These women don't have companions; they have pets, that's it!"

Darious leaned back in his chair and steepled his finger then looked at Modega blandly, "She is a reasonable being from my experience, I am quite sure that she and I can negotiate a mutually agreeable situation that suits the both of us."

Modega looked at him incredulously, his jaw hanging open. "Negotiate? Mutually agreeable? You have lost it, Darious, completely. These WOMEN don't negotiate; they possess and take, then discard when they are done. That's IT! They are completely ruthless. You should know that by now!"

Darious looked at him, smiling, "We shall see, won't we? Are you forgetting who I am? And that I have a way of getting what I want?" His facade of confidence was flawless but it was just that, a façade. He wasn't about to reveal to Modega the turmoil he was feeling, that was akin to showing weakness to an underling, something he never did, even with Modega.

Modega shook his head sadly, "Demon senility is a sad thing."

Darious chuckled deeply, "Just wait, you'll see."

"Oh, I'll see alright. I'll end up seeing you sent back home or being on a leash after she's laid claim to everything you own. You've made up your mind to go through with this foolishness, so there will be no stopping you." Modega shook his head sadly.

Modega stood up and stretched his bulky frame. "This conversation is going no where. You are going to go ahead with this foolishness no matter what I say. I've had my say on the matter, so my ass is covered if it hits the fan. I'm going to go home and get packed. I'll see you at the airport in the morning. Don't get up, I'll show myself out." He then strode out of the study and within a minute the front door was shutting behind him.

Darious sat alone in his study for a long time, thinking. The realistic side of him knew Modega had a valid point, several of them actually. But that was overridden every time he thought of just how she had made him feel when she had been around, and by how it had felt to have her hold him.

He sat alone with his thoughts until Marcus came in to tell him everything was packed and ready to go. He then went up to bed to get some rest. All he ended up doing was staring at the ceiling until the alarm clock went off.

The long flight to LA wasn't the most pleasant he had ever experienced. Modega was quiet and withdrawn, obviously still upset about the conversation the night before. Nyssa, on the other hand, was very vocal about her displeasure at having to re-arrange her plans to make this trip. Marcus did his usual thing, found a seat in the back and was sound asleep shortly after take off. Darious listened to the grievances for a bit then got them settled down and got to work.

It was shortly after noon when they touched down in LA. Darious and Marcus went to the apartment Darious maintained in LA. Modega and Nyssa went to a hotel near the office. After settling in a bit, they all then met at the office, minus Marcus, and started working on setting up the meetings with the she-devils. But Darious' mind wasn't on business; all he kept thinking about was a tiny blonde woman with big brown doe eyes. He kept running her address over and over in his mind, counting the time until he could get off work and go find her. Nyssa kept having to swat him with a file to get his attention and get him back to work.

Finally, at about 4:00, it became obvious to him that he wasn't going to get any more work done, so he left for the day, leaving instructions with Nyssa to call him on his cell if anything came up. He left her at her desk happily writing out pink slips, humming to herself.

Instead of going back to the apartment, he drove around trying to find her house. It took him a while but he found it, in one of the upscale neighborhoods near the UCLA campus. He parked a little way down the block and just watched her house for a while. It was a nicely maintained, older, two story home with a large yard, immaculately landscaped and maintained. From his vantage point he could see a large in-ground pool in the back yard.

For at least an hour, he did nothing but sit and watch the house, not believing that behind those walls was the person that he had been searching for for well over a hundred years. Finally, around 6:30 PM, she walked out of the house. He sat up straight and stared, mouth hanging open. It was her, no doubt about it. Her hairstyle was more modern and she dressed like a typical college co-ed but other than that she was exactly the same. His eyes followed her until she vanished into the garage. When her sleek, black Lamborghini Diablo roared out, then down the street he started his Humvie and followed her at a discreet distance.

First, she drove onto the UCLA campus and presumably went to class. He waited for her in the parking lot. At almost every other college campus in the country, the hummer and her car would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Here, they blended in well with a variety of other expensive vehicles. About an hour and a half later, she came back to her car, got in and once again roared off with her speakers blaring. This time she drove to a nearby McDonalds, where she met up with a group of girls. They sat down together to eat and gossip. He followed her inside, ordered a cup of coffee, and sat across the restaurant, watching her.

When she finished, he followed her home. He watched her house until it was dark. He then drove back to his apartment.

Marcus could see a strange look on his face when he walked through the door. It was not one he had ever seen before. He looked at him quizzically, but said nothing.

Darious didn't even acknowledge him and walked straight into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him. He sat down at his desk, steepled his fingers and just stared out the balcony door across the LA skyline. His heart was still hammering in his chest from the excitement of seeing her again. Now, he just had to figure out how he was going to approach her. That wasn't something he normally had a problem with, but this time, he had to be extra cautious. He had just found her again and didn't want to frighten her off. He sat and thought, both about the current problem and reminiscing about their times together until it was full dark outside.

He was finally jolted out of his revelry when he heard Marcus' bedroom door shut, signaling he was going to bed. Darious looked at the clock and was astonished to find that it was well after midnight. He got up, stretched, then started getting ready for bed. But again he didn't sleep. Unlike every other being on the planet, he didn't really NEED to sleep, but it did recharge his batteries and was a luxury.

The next two days pretty much followed the same pattern as the first one. He worked for a while, then spent the remaining time following and watching her. He was trying to find a way to build up his courage and approach her, something he normally didn't have a problem, with but she was different. He had to proceed with extreme caution.

Finally, Wednesday afternoon, when she met her friends for lunch at McDonalds, he felt the time had come. He was sitting across the dinning room, sipping coffee, watching her, when he felt he wouldn't have a better tim

Fate · Part 2 (2/4)
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