Collection

Tick-Tock, tick-tock, is all I hear as I wait for Andrew to enter his apartment. He had two weeks to pay up and now times run out. The more the clock ticks the more his apartment smells of decay and spoiled milk. His apartment alone is proof enough the bastard has no way to pay the Don.

The sky roars just as Andrew enters his apartment complex. Fat drops begin to fall, pounding on the filthy windows with urgency. As if wanting to come in. People run in every direction they act as if the rain would burn them. I move away from the window, blending into the darkness within the shadows. Something about being between shadows and darkness is always comforting, almost familiar as if it where we're I belong.

He's made it up the steps and onto the fourth floor, I can smell him even through the stench that clings to his apartment like moths to the flame. The nearer he gets the more the beast wants to be set free. It likes the wait enjoying the hunt even more. Unfortunately for the beast, the Don wants him alive.

The lock clicks as he turns the key, he stumbles in a bottle of gin in one hand and a newspaper in the other, opened to the track section. Why people would force animals to raise is beyond me? Such cruelty forcing them to perform for them. He tosses his keys into the tin next set atop a broken-down console table. The man looks like he hasn't showered in a few years smells like it too. I wonder what drove his wife to finally leave him. Was it the stench or was it his addiction?

"Andrew," my voice is but a whisper in contrast to the roaring sky.

His head shoots up looking for the source of the voice. Eyes wild from his drug addiction, he stumbles towards the kitchen.

"Andrew," I call out again moving with the shadows. His eyes land on the open bathroom, "You're not looking in the right place," I say moving closer until my blade is pressed against his throat, "it's time to pay."

"Who are you?" his voice quivers breath hitching.

"The Collector," I say before knocking him out.

###

Jai stands atop the building facing the one his sister just dragged a male figured from. She tosses him into the trunk of a black SUV with little effort. Even in this world, her hands must be covered in blood. To what end.

"You have to hand it to her," Nora says as she joins him, "glamouring him to seem like a black garbage bag is pretty clever."

"Why are you back?" Jai doesn't look at her, his eyes on his sister as she drives off.

"We've been summoned," Nora says, "Selene fucked up."

"What?"

"The Shadow Queen has called us back, she said Cerin will be fine."

"She doesn't have her memories," Roan says his glamour falling minty hair replaced by raven black one eye silver one eye violet, "we can't risk leaving her."

"That's the purpose of accession," Eira says allowing her glamour to fall as it begins to hail. "Cerin is strong she'll be fine on her own."

"Easy for you to say…

"Enough," Roan doesn't get to finish his sentence as the Dark King stands before them, "the world will end and be rebuilt. This is a test your sister must undertake on her own."

"Father," Roan greats just as dark chains wrap around him and Eira taking them back to their world.

###

The Hecate is buzzing with energy as I drag Andrew's limp form through the busy kitchen. No one bats an eye as I make my way towards the secret elevator that takes us down to the Hecate's true business. While above is a five-star restaurant below is where the underworld parties. I toss Andrew at Aldo's feet, not bothering to step out of the elevator.

"He wants to see you," Aldo says ushering two of his goons to take Andrew away.

"Not tonight," I say as the doors' close taking me back up.

###

As I'm climbing up the steps to the house I share with the triplets, I hear a rustling followed by whimpering just as the smell of blood hits me. I follow the scent finding a massive wolf sprawled atop barren rose shrubs. Blood as red as the roses that bloom in summer seeps from him coating the earth he lays on. His eyes a half-lidded follow my every move as I kneel before him.

A sense of Deja vu hits me as I look him over. His black fur is more crimson then black at this point, his ear twitches as I place my hand over his heart just above the silver shaft buried into it. Where he not immortal he'd be dead by now. I wrap my free hand around the shaft and pull it out disintegrating it in the proses. Blood gushes out causing him to shake, I press both my hands over the wound and chant the words Nora taught me the one night I showed up bloody at her doorstep. If only she were here now.

The wolf lets out a low growl as the wound closes over. I run my hands over him closing his wounds in the proses there's a knife embedded into his lower back I remove it tossing it into my inner pocket.

"Just who are you?" I ask as he loses consciousness.

###

I wake to a warm body pressed against mine. The scent is female a mixture of honeysuckle and rose. As I try to sit up, I find I'm still in my wolf form. The female sleeps her face covered by a blanket of midnight hair; one of her arms is draped over me the other is wrapped around her pillow.

She mumbles something as she turns hair falling back revealing a lovely face free of any flaw. I continue to look her over unaware of her waking when I hear her voice soft like velvet sweet as honey.

"I see you're awake," she says eyes like black pools looking me over she smiles a wolf's smile, "how do you feel? You've been asleep for two months now."

Two months how much blood did I lose? She runs a hand over my fur before rising. Did she just pet me? I'm not a dog.

"I'm Rania," she says stretching, "what's your name?" so she knows what I am.

After a few seconds, she shrugs and stands from the bed stretching once more. She heads into another room where I hear water running. Has she been sleeping next to me this entire time? Such an odd woman.