Under The Sea ( Jay )

[Story]

Story woke in darkness to a dank smell and the sound of frantic scurrying all around her. A whimper escaped her throat and it startled the unicorn; the noise unfamiliar and terrifying as the ones coming from the shadows nearby. She was in heavy shackles and shivering; her new form completely bare to the musty extremes of the dungeon.
A sudden awareness embraced her and the mythical beast could not stop the moisture from spilling from her wide, searching eyes.
It was the first time in her life she had cried.

The wounded creature she tried to help had betrayed her; a demon that snatched her from the safety of her woodland and dragged her to the slithering, malicious woman.
The female had hurt her, and the innocent equine could not fathom what she could have done to warrant such treatment.
And then the most horrible torture of all…
The sorceress, desperate to steal Story’s magic, had forced her into this awkward, helpless form.

Story had wept so much and for so long she believed she might drown the whole Other World and realizing her land did not deserve such a flood, dried her tears.
Standing on two lumbering limbs she used the moist wall to guide her toward a heavy wooden door opposite, but the manacles surrounding her wrists prevented the youngling from making it to the sliver of illumination leaking from underneath.
She wailed, clawed at the chains and then finally gave in, sinking to the damp ground and using her long golden mane as a blanket.

It might have been mere minutes, or perhaps it had been hours, but her weeping had drawn the attention of the unknown things scampering in the darkness. The three animals were not so unlike common rats, but had fluffy upturned tails and spikes going down their spines. They gathered around the sad unicorn and offered any help they could give.
They also confessed that there were many others like them; people and creatures that served the sorceress or lived within the bastion walls that were outraged at the capture and harsh treatment of the last remaining unicorn.

Desperate to escape a worse fate than had already been dealt, Story allowed them to take her out of the cell to meet with others. These others wrapped her in gauzy cloth to cover her starkness and led her out of the castle quickly, explaining the only way to live was to hide far away from the witch; someplace she couldn’t ever be found.
They had stolen a weapon the sorceress used to rip openings in the veil between their world and the human one, but it would not be long before the woman noticed the absence of the artifact or her most prized prisoner.
Her saviors cut a hole in the cloak between worlds and begged her to go through; to live in the thick of the very species which form she now wore. Scared, but desperate to survive, the unicorn did as she was told, slipping through the opening and landing in the middle of a place called Hollywood, California.

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Her faceted eyes were broad like the moon; and the leggy blonde spun around in a circle to take it all in.
In the sky, the mortal sun looked like the one from her world, and its warmth upon her pale skin calmed her weary soul.

Until an obnoxious noise erupted from behind the girl, and she leapt up in the air in fright.
Blinking in confusion at the large metal beast Story peered through its vast gaze to see a human within, and she immediately mourned the loss of the human for the beast’s repast.
But the loud noise came again, and the human inside the belly of the monster begun flailing their limbs and making her wonder at what she could do to help the mortal.

Suddenly the metal beast moved forward, whipping around the staggered girl, and Story was left to watch as the creature dashed away winking glowing red eyes from its backside.
How very…curious.
There appeared more metal beasts behind her, and unexpectedly the breeze was filled with a hundred horrible squeals and moans (the honking of the vehicles, of course). Story began to run on those two awkward limbs, running until the delicate pads of her bare feet were bleeding and she was out of breath.

How strange it all felt. To be in a place she didn’t know, in a body that was so strange and different from her true form. She swallowed a massive lump in her throat and wiped at moisture escaping her eyes again, limping in a lofty structure where she thought to hide out for a while.

The aquarium was rather empty this time of day, thank heavens, for as soon as the staff and some of the customers saw the lithe, nearly naked blonde the place was abuzz.
But Story didn’t notice. How could she when suddenly it seemed she had been transported back to a magical place. A place where she could breathe underwater and was surrounded by fish as colorful as the rainbow.
A smile was written upon her face and she clung to the gauzy material wrapped around her and lifted her free hand to the glass of one huge tank.

[Alek Romanov]

Ah, the sight and smell of Hollywood during the day. It was just so…ethereal, he thought with a smile. The graffiti covered buildings, the rowdy, suspicious clientele, the acrid smell of a river somewhere off in the distance…beautiful. If it were colder and less liberal, he would have become quite homesick for his beloved Russia.

Not that he’d been there since he’d been turned into a monster. Oh, he didn’t like thinking of those nights in the sewers, feeding on rats…rats didn’t taste very good, nor were they nutritious. Not to mention that their fur smelled really bad when one bit into them…and claws at one’s cheek is never a good experience.

But what was he thinking about? Darn, now he couldn’t remember. He really did hate the fact that his mind was so jumbled all the time; it really made having a true, philosophical thought such a hard feat. Now…where was he going again? Ah yes, he was going home to see his dear sister, that’s right.

Just one problem; none of these buildings looked familiar. And, if he wasn’t mistaken, he’d passed that fire hydrant before. He recognized the particularly ironic ‘Vampires Are My Drug’ sticker on it. Oh drat…he was lost.

With a sigh, Alek stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, glancing around with a growing frown. Ever since he and AJ had come to the States on Council business, he’d been working at the local supernatural sanctuary, The Pit. The owner, Ilani Moonblood, had promised his sister that she and the others would look out for him; give him something to do and keep him out of trouble, while Anya was out hunting. He would work from sundown to about two hours before sun up, and meet his sister in the extravagant suite that they’d rented for the month. He would be escorted to the bar by Anya, then walked back by one of the staff, ensuring that he returned safely.

And didn’t make any unnecessary stops. Nobody wanted the insane vampire to go on a killing spree, did they? Nobody wanted to deal with hiding bodies, covering up bite marks, wiping the blood from previously white walls…

Blood…God, he was hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry—

With a growl, he cut the thought off before it could stick in his brain. Grabbing a clump of his hair, he gave it a good yank, relishing the pain that brought tears to his eyes. Tonight was the first night that Tony, one of Ilani’s bouncers, hadn’t walked him home, and he wasn’t going to disappoint them. He’d fed just that morning from a willing donor, and he didn’t need anymore. His hands weren’t shaking with a lack of blood, his eyes weren’t tinged with yellow, and his eyeteeth were not growing. He wasn’t hungry! He would make it home!

A hollow laugh escaped him as he pushed on. Yes, he would make it home. He would see the look of despair on AJ’s face before she closed herself off, as she left to find him another source of sustenance. And then, he would go into the little room at the back of the suite and lose his mind.

If it wasn’t lost already. Seriously, he could already hear the poor girl’s screams as he bit into her neck! Taste that first burst of life as it exploded on his tongue, feel her warm, warm body shake against his as he eased that ever present gnawing in his belly—

“Dear God, Mary! Look at that woman! She’s practically naked! Quick, let’s leave. What is the aquarium thinking, letting people like her in here…”

The sudden sound of a man’s voice startled him, causing him to stop. Blinking, the hazy image of the still body in his arms disappeared, replaced by a small crowd of people, staring at…something off in the distance. And was he inside? Oh, God in Heaven, give him strength to withstand that evil little voice in his head.

Looking around, he forced himself to calm and focus on the walls around him. There were posters of various aquatic creatures around him and…ah, yes, an aquarium. Why had he wandered in here, of all places? Alek had to bite back a chuckle as he glanced around curiously, wondering why various people were crowded around one another, twittering like little birds. Usually, when his mind wandered off and his feet took over, he found himself in ratty hotels and back alleys. Never a child’s wonderland.

Amused, he finally glanced over to the aquarium’s main attraction. And if he’d thought he was surprised at finding himself in an oceanic museum, he was wrong. Was that a woman pressed up against the glass down the little hall? He blinked, and couldn’t help his eyes from traveling down to the hem of her gossamer robe. How curious. What was she doing there, dressed like that?

“Isn’t anyone going to do anything about this?” A woman asked her husband, who shrugged, obviously too busy staring to care.

“Mommy, is she really naked?”

“Is she okay, Daddy? Is she sick? Maybe she doesn’t know she don’t have pants.”

“The nerve. I bet she’s just trying to get attention. Children these days…”

A muscle in the vampire’s eye twitched. So many condescending, concerned voices, obviously disapproving…maybe even afraid? He knew what that felt like; being the only naked person in a room full of stuffed shirts. If anything, the girl was brave, to show up like this.

At least her perk was a general lack of clothing. That was nothing, when compared to his past transgressions.

Slipping his heavy coat off his shoulders- even in the summer heat, his body’s fast metabolism left him eternally cold- he pushed passed a group of giggling children and approached the girl. Cautiously, so as not to startle her too much, he let the soft material drape across her shoulders, covering her from prying, ugly eyes.

”They are beautiful, are they not?” He said, coming up next to her, dark eyes locked on a particularly colorful fish that flitted passed them. ”If only it were possible to be that carefree forever. I hope you do not mind my intrusion. It is a tad cold in here.”

[Story]

Story had failed to notice the stares and aggravated whispers of the humans surrounding her, but even if it had come to her attention, she would not have cared.
What care did a unicorn have towards the judgments of others, especially the judgment of beings she had never known to exist? What care did a true creature of the wild have towards what was right or wrong in a place she knew not about? What did the mystical equine recognize about manners or nudity…when the woodlands were all she had ever been familiar with?
The simple and innocent unicorn was too mesmerized by the watery wonderland to heed the sound of threat behind her; her wide cerulean gaze lost to the beautiful and liquid movements of the living things behind the glass.

Story had seen these swimming things in the pools and ponds she had drank from, but never had the unicorn been surrounded by them. A gasp escaped her parted lips when a school of colorful fish darted by, and the female pressed her face to the cold glass wall. She wondered how on earth she could get past this barricade to bathe with them.
Still pressed against the aquarium when the male approached, Story leapt in surprise when the heavy material came down around her shoulders, unaware that the vampire had gotten so close.

Immediately she recoiled; spine pressed against the aquatic paradise as her eyes when wide and her nostrils flared.
In a world that was so foreign to the unicorn, the smell of this being was somewhat familiar. Vampires existed within that Other Realm where human had not, though she had never actually come face to face with one.

Blinking, the female let her eyes drop to his moving lips; ears twitching slightly at the sound escaping them. She opened her mouth to mimic that sound, but nothing but air escaped. She had never actually spoken before. Lifting her pale fingertips to her own rose colored mouth Story left them perched there as her eyes drifted back towards the glass. Once more her attentions were distracted. The fish were so very beautiful!
Whimpering in desperation Story turned back to the male, perched fingertips leaving her lips to press against his as if to beckon forth more of that melodic sound.
She flung her arms wide and the coat fell to the ground along with the meager cloth that had been wrapped around her, and yet again she pressed her pale, shivering form to the lucid wall.

[Alek Romanov]

Well, wasn’t this just interesting? Alek was used to being the one everyone else thought was crazy; the one whom nobody knew how to act around, and whom everyone was afraid of setting off. Usually, he was the one receiving the wary, surprised looks, as the people around him skittered out of reach. And, while the girl was indeed fulfilling the usual criteria…he was returning the favor.

How strange!

When she leapt away from him, he wasn’t too fazed; he’d expected as much, given his past actions. But…the way those pretty little nostrils flared and she eyed him like she was looking into him was definitely a new one. It was almost like she knew what he was; that, though he looked like the humans around them, he was far from it.

Her mouth opened and closed, as if attempting to mimic his words, and he was entranced; intrigued. He inhaled sharply when she came closer to him, pressing her finger against his lips. He was tempted to kiss the soft pad, to pull her even closer. She smelled like summer rain, he thought absently. Like the damp earth right after the thunderstorm passed, with a hint of fruit mixed in.

But then, as the scents roiled around his brain, that ever present monster in the back of his head reared up its head with a snarl. A hand slapped over his mouth a split second before his fangs elongated, pricking his bottom lip. She smelled so sweet, so good…like food.

When she flung herself away, he was almost grateful; the sane part of his mind happy that she was removing herself from immediate danger. He had to get ahold of himself, especially with people around! He had to bite back a growl, when one man raised a camera to take a picture of the now naked woman.

God, but she was beautiful…like she’d come right out of a painting. He could have looked at her for hours, but now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Keeping a hand over his fangs, he moved over to the crowd and snatched the offending camera away. “Go back to your business!” He snarled, scaring some of the younger children in the crowd with the ugliness of his voice. More afraid than curious now, people started scuttling away from them.

But they didn’t have much time, before the aquarium security showed up. Especially, now that there was a completely naked woman on the premises.

With a deep, calming breath, Alek tried to calm himself and ignore the gnawing in his belly. He wanted to go to her; to wrap her in his arms and take a deep breath of that tasty scent. Then, he wanted to place a kiss on the side of her neck, run his fangs along the soft curve and bite down, oh so gently—

A groan escaped him as he put a hand to his forehead, and he bit the inside of his cheek until it bled. Calm, Aleksei, he told himself. He could almost hear Anya’s voice in his head, which was a welcome substitute for the ‘HUNGRY, HUNGRY!’ screams in his head. He heard the slight squeak of flesh on glass, as the girl shifted and took another deep breath.

When he looked up, his fangs were still long and his eyes still wild. But, thankfully, his voice was calm. “Don’t be afraid of me,” He said to the girl, not moving toward her, lest she run away from him. “You can’t be here. I don’t know what you are, but…if you come with me, you’ll be safe. I swear it.”

Not that he looked the part, but he had to try. Covering his mouth again, he shut his eyes against the voices in his head and shook his head slightly. He was in control. He wouldn’t hurt her. He’d given her his word.

[Story]

Story could feel the crowd moving in behind her, and the unicorn squeezed her eyes shut; wishing that when she opened them she would be safe behind that glass wall. Safe and cradled by the soft loving arms of the water.
A whimper escaped the girl’s throat again as a pang of sorrow flooded her chest. It was all consuming, this emotion, still so new to the magical creature that it left her completely raw inside. She missed the stallion; proud and so strong. The absence of the mare had also left a hole in her heart that still bled fiercely, and the loss of her siblings only made that gaping wound bigger.
The woodlands had been her haven; so guileless those creatures had been about the terrible things in the world. How guileless she had been.

Unbidden her body turned to face them; spine pressed back against the aquarium as if she might be able to fade into it. Where was her magic?! Why could she not feel that familiar surge of powerful current through her veins? Had the magic been stolen from her along with her divine form?!

And why were they so afraid of her? Or…excited by her? She looked like they did with these gangly limbs on her lower and the pale digits of her hand. Save the odd materials covering their bodies, was she not like them?
Story bent to pick up the gauzy cloth from the ground and held it to her breast; covering her shame.

Blinking in bewilderment the unicorn focused on the eyes of a miniature sized human that was looking at her with reverence rather than the shock, disgust, and lust that was swimming in the others wide gazes.
Story leapt slightly when the dark-haired male that had approached her snarled at another; thieving a device from him as if it were a weapon that would be used against her.
His irritation was a palpable thing. The unicorn’s nostrils flared again as she drew in a deep breath; the taste of his chaos was rich and sweet on the back of her tongue. Like a storm…it tasted like a winter storm; cold and unforgiving but so very beautiful.

She ached for him. The kind and guiltless creature wept for the turmoil that was surging through him like the tide.

The young man turned back to her and Story clung to the calm in his voice. Though the bedlam in his dark gaze belied that tone, she clung to it, for it was the only lifeline she had at the moment.
The unicorn’s heart broke as he made his declaration and then closed his eyes like he was in pain. She reached out an alabaster hand to him, the soft tips of her fingers whispering across his eyelids.
When he opened them Story met his stare; her cerulean eyes wide and beseeching. Yes. She wanted him to help her.

As if there were no chaos behind them the young woman turned and walked leisurely away, heading towards the opening that had allowed her into the underwater wonderland. Her gaze lingered on the fish behind the glass and she was sad to leave them, raising her palm to run across the cool surface of the last tank she passed before departing the building.

Outside the commotion and noise of traffic assaulted her ears and slapped her palms over them to staunch the sound. It was an ugly world; this one. Oh, she mourned the tranquility of her woods.

[Alek Romanov]

Hungry, hungry, hungry, HUNGRYHUNGRYHUNGRY—

With a deep, calming breath, Alek tried to push the voices away and focus on the girl. God, if he had any decency still, he’d give her his coat and leave her to whatever fate had in store. She might be defenseless and naked, but perhaps she was just a psych patient away from her meds. What if her family was looking for her, and were worried about her? He had no right to step into her life.

Especially when he was in threat of ending it.

The vampire bit back a sigh of relief when the girl picked up her flimsy shirt and covered herself. Strange…he felt almost hurt that she hadn’t picked up his jacket as well. He’d rather liked seeing the large, heavy coat around her shoulders; his scent-filled clothing warming her. He didn’t enjoy those particular feelings, and shoved them aside.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he tried to center himself. Anya had taught him many ways to calm the voices and bring him back to reality. There was the deep breathing, the number counting, picturing their childhood home in Russia. He chose the later; preferring the memory of cold winters, soft furs and loving voices, to the rest. He would have to make this quick, as the aquarium security was sure to come looking for them soon enough. With the angry dispersement of the little crowd, they had little time to leave this place.

They. Yet another strange realization; he wasn’t worried only for himself, but for the girl, as well. His sister had taught him to value himself over others; to remove himself from the public eye when necessary, and leave others for the authorities of the human world. He had to survive, Anya said, in any way necessary. It was obvious by the mute girl’s very breath that she was trouble. And he did NOT need any more of that.

But when he felt the first brush of foreign fingertips against his lips? All of those worldly lessons immediately disappeared. Yes…they. He had to get them out of there, before the others came.

The shock of her touch made him forget the pain in his middle for a moment, and he simply stared at her. His lips parted ever so slightly, and he had the urge to take one into his mouth and swirl his tongue against the pad. She was so beautiful, and he hadn’t been touched for so long. The others were afraid of him; afraid of what he was capable of. The girl was also obviously frightened, given the way she’d jerked from his side before. The memory hurt him, and he took a step back, away from her.

Hungry, hungry, hungryHUNGRYHUNGRY!

He winced at the insistent reminder of his need for blood. Damn, he didn’t have time for this. He had to keep it together, just for a little while…just until they were safe.

Almost obediently, he followed her as she turned away and headed toward the exit. Well…if she’d gone and done that a lot sooner, they’d both be much happier, he thought with a little twitch of his lips. Snagging his coat as he passed the tanks, he shouldered open the door and stared at her in curiosity when she stiffened. From the looks of her, it was almost as if she’d never heard a car horn before.

Once again, he draped his coat over her shoulders and took a step forward, offering her his hand. “It is only the automobiles,” He informed her, his voice gentle and soft, while his body shook with the need to feed. “Come. I will take you to my hotel. You will be safe there. I swear it. Then, we will see about getting you home.”

[Story]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style,width:100px; height:300px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/ejPHO.jpg);padding:25px; padding-top:50px;-webkit-border-radius:100px 100px 35px 35px;-moz-border-radius: 100px; ] Story had never heard sounds as horrible as the metallic shrieking all around her. She had never felt a chill that stole her breath as it did now; all alone in world that she could not comprehend. Even before the devils had taken the light and safety that was the mare and the stallion and the witch had thieved her from the shelter of her woodlands and her natural form, the unicorn had never felt a fear like the one which crept up her spine and through her limbs like liquid silver now. But she was not alone, was she? The gentle weight of his coat was laid around Story’s shoulders and the creature closed her eyes and breathed in the spicy smell of the material as much as she absorbed the soft voice which drifted around her like a comforting embrace. The aroma was a delicious tang that drew the moisture from the tongue within her mouth and brought tears to her innocent stare. The sound of his voice was heart-breaking, and Story opened her eyes and sank into his white-blue gaze as her trembling hand sank into his palm. She couldn’t quite understand the words that he spoke but she knew their meaning, and squeezing the cold hand wrapped around her balmy one, the unicorn nodded her head once in accord. Concern for the male flooded like an aggressive sea within her, and the beguiling unicorn wondered if he was helping her, or if she was saving him from the darkness slowly creeping up behind with the thread of consuming him altogether. Oh yes, the female could see it as surely as she could see how the moon lit his too reflective eyes; his near transparent skin. Wishing she could make the words come out of her with the same ease as the he, Story whined quiet and tugged at the hand holding hers. She knew not where they were bound for, but any where would be better than this. Some place quiet, she hoped in the recesses of her bewildered mind. And as Alek guided her towards the hotel which he had spoken of before Story could not help but notice the way his limbs were desperate to move with more haste than her awkward limbs would allow her and his body shook with an energy that was barely contained within the smooth pale skin. Story lifted a hand to stroke his raven hair once as a shaft of moonlight caught the crown and lent it a silver halo, but her graceless steps propelled her forward, and she found the hand fisted in it suddenly instead of a whispered touch. Finding her balance she whimpered helpless again and brought the hand to her mouth in an expression much like a chastised child. The unicorn hadn’t meant to touch him, but she couldn’t control herself. Everything so was new and amazing. Without warning the female’s wide gaze was caught by a cluster of fairy lights hanging from a tree that was prisoner behind a little picket fence at its base. She gasped, darting forward, fingertips lifting to touch the tiny white illuminations. A guileless giggle escaped her and she turned to Alek; smile as bright as those little lights.

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