Small Taste

Xerxes watched the woman come out of the shop from where he was perched on the roof. Zani was next to him chomping on some animal he'd caught right outside the door. Good, he hadn't eaten in the past few days. His emotional turmoil caused him inappetence.

'I'm starving, I need more food.'

'Alright.' Xerxes said still watching the two. Oddly he was watching the male a bit. What was he to her? Xerxes wasn't sure what that mattered.

"Kendra, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that how it sounded."

'Kendra, she sort of looks like a Kendra.' Zani commented looking over the edge and watching them move below.

"Whatever Derrick. I'm tired of being looked at like a thing." Ah the seeds of doubt, he'd hoped she would finally admit it.

"I don't think you are a thing." Well, this was good, she wasn't too taken with her human handlers it looked like. Perfect, she could be so useful to them, all the information she held. They moved across the roof watching and listening to the two of them.

"One person doesn't matter, and back there it didn't sound like you cared that I was even shot. Oh, what a pain it must have been for me to get in the way of those wolves."

'She got in the way of the wolves?'

'Must have, the one named Mirage said that someone had helped them. Saved them.' Xerxes commented his eyes were on the woman moving with anger. She did have a nice figure for a woman, and she walked with a glide even though she was clearly pissed. Xerxes gaze moved over her contemplating.

'Suddenly interested in the opposite sex again?' Zani commented.

'I would be more if my other half wasn't crying in the corner half the time.' He said teasing Zani, he made a sniff.

'I was not crying in the corner. I'm compatible in my maleness and can cry in front of others.'

'It's comfortable in my manhood, and you'd eat others if they ever saw you shed tears.'

'Most likely.' It was good to hear him joke after the dive he had taken the other day. However, they continued to listen to the other two.

"I told you that I stand behind what you do. You did what you thought was right." She turned on the man, her hair whipping out and her eyes flashing fire. The woman had talent, she just didn't use it, powerful talent.

"Really? Really!" She shouted at him and threw her hand up in the air. "You can't be on my side. I'm not human," she said turning and stopping at a car.

"I want to be on your side."

"But you can't." She snapped. "Sorry, I know you care." Two others were coming toward them. "No one else does. I think I'll walk." She turned and didn't walk at all. She took off at a fast sprint, she didn't even pause as the man called after her. The man was visibly upset with the conversation. It seemed that he cared for Kendra.

Xerxes turned and went over the roofs before landing on the ground and moving to follow Kendra at a distance. Zani showed gliding next to him and then landed.

'What are you doing?'

'I'm curious about this woman. Why don't you just go hunt or something, let me be for a bit.'

'Fine, but you better not cut me off if you do anything. That's about as much excitement as I get.' Zani said and Xerxes gave a smile as Zani darted off and was gone from sight. He moved following Kendra, he didn't get why she hung on the humans. Had she been human herself? That was probably why she acted the way that she did.

She slowed and was in a roundabout way moving toward the place where they were staying. She paused and was muttering to herself. She just turned and slammed a fist through the window of an abandoned building. He instantly smelled blood, and it was really sweet smelling, not at all like human blood.

He couldn't help it. He was drawn across the street to where she smashed the window. She kept moving and kicked some garbage. He paused at the window and took in a deep breath, damn that smelled really good. He wasn't sure where he'd smelled that before. Actually, he didn't think that he had, he moved on following her.

Her anger was infecting the air and it put him on edge for the moment. He watched the way that she moved and how she flicked her hair in agitation. She seemed to do that a lot, and mutter to herself. She also opened and closed her fists. She was rather expressive when a strong emotion hit her. He took several long strides and was up next to her. The urge to talk to her was incredibly strong.

"You know there are better things besides smashing windows to waste your energy on." She jumped a little but didn't say anything for a moment.

"What do you want? And what do you care? Happy that I know I'm an outcast, that they don't care, and that I'm disposable? Going to do away with me?"

"No, and I wouldn't say you are disposable to them, you do a lot for them. That touch of yours is gold." He admitted.

"Thanks, makes me feel so much better. I have a value stamped on my forehead." He just smiled, he was surprised that she spoke to him so easily. Most would move to put space between him and them, they instantly didn't trust him seeing that he was the stronger. She was something, his eye drawn to her over and over.

"So why do you stay with them?'' With the knowledge she had to have of these humans, she would be a powerful ally. Yet she was hung up on them.

"Because they are all I know alright. Now get off my back, I was raised with them, it is what it is." She flicked her hair again and the air was still just as anger filled.

"Perhaps you should try something new." He started looking her over.

"And what, be used by you to fight them? Don't think I don't see what you are doing, trying to make me doubt." He shrugged.

"Pointing out what I see. I don't make anyone fight. I just ask that they stand up for themselves. For the right to live here, humans don't have exclusive rights to the planet. They just think they do, and to what lives in it."

"Not according to their religion."

"Their religion is wrong." He said angrily, there was a rush of energy from him. She actually stopped walking with the impact of that statement. She turned and looked at him. "The creator made all of us in his image and gave us all gifts. man, has lost sight of it. The first humans weren't even humans at all. They were humanoid, pure beings that weren't one given entity."

"I didn't mean to offend you." She said. Why was she standing here talking to him? Why was it easy to talk like this and not be worried or trying to stop him when she was supposed to? She felt like moving closer to him instead. He wasn't harming her either, and she had to wonder a bit.

His gaze was dark with the anger that he felt. With all the transgressions done to him. She reached as always to touch him and ease that pain. To calm him, he didn't flinch from it but didn't seem to notice it either.

"It doesn't matter. You don't offend me, it is the humans that do." He said. Xerxes was so very attractive to her, she sighed inwardly. There it was again, that draw. So strong she just wanted to throw herself at him. He'd feel so good too, and do exactly what she wanted. She wanted to touch him a bit more to see what he felt like.

Was that normal? Did others meet strangers and feel such a strong desire? At first, she'd just ignored it and chalked it up to what he was. But it wasn't really that, it was like she needed whatever it was that he could give. She wanted it like he had the answers. Like he could give her a place when she never had one before. Where that feeling of knowledge came from she didn't know. She wondered if that was how he influenced the others so well.

She stepped closer and he tensed not trusting her. She ignored that signal and put a hand on his chest, the other on his arm. She was looking at him as a whole but not really seeing him. She wasn't sure why she did it. Just that she wanted to, like with the phoenix she got images, though they were a lot more guarded.

She saw a young boy, watching a village burn far below. Then it flashed forward and she heard a bit of laughter and what felt like wind flowing over her. That sensation of flying, then she saw more blood, more death, over and over again. What she was started to dictate to her to listen now, and it didn't occur to her that it was stupid or dangerous.

"So sad." She said, listening to what the world had made him. She found it fascinating, and she moved closer, nearly right against him. She dropped her head and put it against his chest listening to his heart. It was strong but there was a pain inside. His own but not. So very crushing it would be if ever he or the other gave into it. She felt tears, they were starting to only survive, not live and that was dangerous.

Xerxes had no idea what she was doing. He felt like perhaps he should shove her away but it kind of felt nice having someone against him. Other than Zani, seriously sometimes his claws got to be a pain, and having a woman against you was far different. Her touch was soft and calming, soothing, yet starting a slow burn at the same time. Her effect was very addictive, he was sure others did the same thing with her dangerous gift.

His hands were on her shoulders, posed to push her way. She hadn't done anything yet though she should, and she could. Her touch was calming and felt really good. She slid them to his stomach and kept her head against his chest like she was listening to something intently, her breathing even. Anyone receiving her touch could do no other than move toward it. It took away every painful thing and offered so much more.

Yeah, okay, his breathing wasn't so even anymore. His body was tense because of a far different feeling. It had been some time since he'd enjoyed another, and she was just standing there against him. Just what did she think his reaction was going to be? With the way that her hands were moving…

There was a sudden sharp tang in his mouth, he wanted, no, needed to taste. Like a fist had gripped his stomach and demanded that he do so. Why shouldn't he? She was right there and she smelled so very good, like the ocean and something sweet. She didn't move, seeming lost in a far-off place, as he lowered his head to her neck.

Kendra made a small sound of pain, something burned horribly at the side of her neck. She felt her head go back slightly but she wasn't seeing the here and now. She was aware of the hand against the other side of her head but it might as well be miles away.

She watched the world go by, different ages that she had never seen things she couldn't really understand. She felt herself sigh in contentment at the feeling going through her body at the here and now, but she was still lost in time. At his life, but all of it was so blurry most of the time. As they got closer to the real here and now she thought that certain time periods looked familiar to her. Like stored memories in her mind threatened to come forward.

She felt her body go pliant and a bit weaker just letting him take the weight of her. It was getting harder to focus, but she felt really, really good. Needy, wanting and her hands moved up to his shoulders and over them. Somewhere she felt the pull of his mouth against her neck and each time his mouth sucked she felt the pull low in her stomach. However, she was still reading him and felt kind of trapped in it and his energy.

She found an image that was very strong, closer to today, not so long ago. She felt such sorrow and pain. All she wanted to do was take it away. It was like his soul was weeping, their soul was weeping, she saw the dragon sitting and staring at a round object.

In her view she felt lost standing there and watching the dragon, feeling the same pain. She didn't know what the object was, but the dragon was very attached to it. She saw it wrapped around it multiple times throughout the years, but this time was different. It was like it was trying to hold the object here as if it might disappear, no turn to stone.

She felt herself pulled tight against the man before her, and she heard her own heart starting to labor a bit. She came back to the here and now and found it hard to care that her life was slowly draining away, mainly because it felt so exquisite.

"Xerxes, it's getting hard to breathe." She said with a sigh, she just knew his name. Picked it from the memories, and she liked the sound of it. Xerxes, it sounded like a name given to those of importance. Those that stood apart from others. She tried to pull back, but she might as well have just stood there for all the good it did.

His arms tightened around her and it was almost painful the way that he crushed her against him. She tasted like ambrosia, he'd tasted that once. The plant was nearly gone from this world. It grew in a very remote place, and it was deadly to humans, something like the fountain of youth.

Not that he cared at the moment, he heard her heart slowing, but not going unsteady like human hearts did. She grew weaker as well, and he was completely supporting her at the moment. Though she barely touched the sidewalk anyways. Her form was soft like a woman's should be, yet had the firmness of toned muscles. Her body would feel good too, he wanted it. He'd take it if he could stop himself from draining her so.

'Xerxes!' Came Zani's voice, and Xerxes glanced up down the street. His mouth was still over her throat and saw the small group that was running toward them. One aimed something to fire at him, the way that they were turned they had a clear shot at his side. Xerxes was not paying attention to his enthrallment. Which this time was dangerous with the group coming at them. Zani was fast this time diving straight down.