The Amalgamation Of Two Worlds

** Damon’s POV **

Kick. Punch. Sidestep. Repeat. Ahh, gotta love the feeling of kicking ass. The feel of your fist slamming into something fleshy, the feel of hard bone snapping under your hand and the feel of the screams in your ears. If I had the time, I would close my eyes and just revel in the sound of it all. I would take it in like a euphoria.

I dropped my body, rolled and launched at a particularly large demon. Give me challenge over safety any day. I hit him in the gut, taking him to the body covered ground. He landed on his back hard, and his hands-change that to claws-immediately came at my head. I swept my one arm forward, knocking both arms back, then hit them again, this time with force. The shoulders dislocated, earning a very un-human sound from the demon. It fueled his rage, and soon I found myself face to face with his bloody mouth. Sick.

I grabbed the blade from my side and slashed it forward. His teeth, which almost looked stained red, froze; about two centimeters from my face. The blade was so sharp, and the cut was so clean, that it took a few moments before a small visible line appeared on its neck. He, I’m assuming it was a he, was dead long before that.

I stood, shoving the dead weight off me. Blood covered my hands, my face... well, to make a long list short, it covered me. But I didn’t care. Or, I didn’t really care. It was making me hungry, though. But demon blood, though while satisfying, has a nasty bite to it. Kind of like a sick after taste. Once fully upright I looked around, scouting my next victim. A challenge would be nice, but if I took on that large demon with very little difficulty, I didn’t think I would find one. So, that left the question, what to do now?

“Damon!” Well, there was something I could do. But should I? But then, what did I have to lose? I turned to Hayden’s now frightened screams, and had to do a double take.

He was beaten, but he didn’t seem to notice. He had various cuts scattering his face, his eyes were blood shot... and red? Since when did he have red eyes? They were also covered in pain and sorrow. Blood covered him head to toe, so much that his hair was actually dripping it. And here I thought I was bad. His body was hunched at a funny angle, and his fingers seemed... wrong. Had they been stomped on? He was lurching, and it took me a moment to realize he couldn’t get up. Surely the beating wasn’t that bad, or else he wouldn’t be yelling. So why did I care? Why should I help him out, when I didn’t really care to? I didn’t owe him anything, but I felt loyalty going to him, merely because we were both following the same leader, or had been. Which in turn, made us partners. I didn’t see any immediate threat opposing him, so why the yelling? As soon as that thought entered, I realized an aspect of his position I missed. One of his hands was clutching his stomach. A feeling.

“Shit.” I hissed, spinning quickly, expecting to find an attack about to meet me, but none came. Was Hayden wrong? No. He hadn’t been so far, so wh-

“Damon!” He yelled again, this time more frantic. I snapped my eyes back to him, and this time, our eyes met. I was slammed with pain and darkness from his eyes, but it left as quickly as it came. What the? His eyes bore into mine, and he said that one word that had my rage boiling immediately, and my gut going cold at the same time. “Audrey.”

** Audrey’s POV **

I don’t remember much from my childhood, having repressed most of it. Since I grew up in The Dark Lands, that’s not uncommon, or as weird as it sounds. I grew up being tortured and beaten, so as I got older, I pushed it deep within me. The problem with that was along with those painful memories, I lost the few memories I had on Earth. I forgot what my real parents looked like, I forgot whether I had any siblings or not, and I forgot who I had been.

And while I still didn’t remember all of that, I now had a few vague memories. Along with some of my horrible torturous ones, both types having come back with my whiplash of memories. So while I still didn’t know if I had any siblings, I did know I had a happy childhood. Or the beginning of one, anyways. And looking back at the few memories that came back to me, one stuck out. One of the few un-happy Earth memories.

I had been young. Really young, but young enough to speak words. A babysitter had been watching me, for what reason I didn’t know. She was one of those babysitters who didn’t really care about the kid, just wanted the money and some quiet. So the best way to get a kid to stop begging you for sweets, is to give it to them. Then watch them crash. That’s what happened, and I crashed on the couch. She ended up watching tv, and somewhere along the lines, had turned to a horror. Part way through, when the crash wore off, and my body stirred, I woke up to the sound of screams on the tv.

That’s the first time I heard screams in pain... and saw blood. So much blood was in the tv, or so I thought at that age. It had frightened me to no ends, but if I had known what I did now... I would have reveled in it. For if I could trade in actually experiencing the pain, and hearing, seeing and feeling the blood and screams to just seeing a fake verison, I would in a heart beat.

I was shaking horribly, both from pain and terror. The Dark Lands had been horrible, and the uprising Damon had issued against the king had been brutal. But it wasn’t this. It wasn’t this... this gruesome. Every step I made, I crunched bones from either one of Mackenzie’s men, or one of the demons. I didn’t know who was who anymore, for blood coated everything. Bruises covered my face, as did blood. My face, my hair, my body, was covered in blood. Demon blood, vampire blood, werewolf blood, and who knew what else. It covered me, and made me shake in revulsion.

The demon who had been attacking me had disappeared to who knows where, but I didn’t argue. I was just glad it was gone. That it wasn’t on my anymore. I don’t think I would ever get the feeling of it on me, out of my head. Its thick scaly skin pressed against my bare skin, it’s rancid breath and blood covered teeth hissing in my face and its long claws toying with my hair, running across my arms...

I shuddered before looking around. I couldn’t hear anything, but was quite pleased about it. I was sick of the screams, and shrieks, and all the other un-human sounds that had been being released. The silence was calming and relaxing.

Now where was Gabriel? Last I saw, he was fairing well, having decided to stick close to Josh for help. I had tried to stick by them also... but when had my luck been that good? I spotted Josh first, battling two demons. Gabriel was a ways behind him, farther than the last time I saw. He was battling a smaller demon, but was struggling at that. I didn’t doubt his fighting skills, but a demon is a demon. And a human is a human. Demon’s in strength outrank humans, and I’ll admit to that.

My feet stumbled over the bodies as I hurried towards him. I wouldn’t let him die. Not now, not ever. I may not have known him long, but he felt like family to me. I hadn’t even thought I could feel for someone like that, I didn’t even know what that feeling felt like, but I did now. And no one, or thing, was going to take that away from me.

I sped up when I saw Gabriel stumble. No! I broke into a run, ignoring my small trips and the searing pain my bruised body was letting off. My eyes watched Gabriel fall, and the demon leap. My heart jumped into my throat and it seemed the whole world froze around me. The demon’s claws glimmered in the little bit of light let off from our abandoned lanterns, and its teeth stretched into a grimace. Gabriel’s hands immediately went up to protect himself, and I heard myself shout at the same time they did. But his hands did no good.

The demon had barely scratched Gabriel when his body was hurtled off him. Josh’s hands yanked Gabriel to his feet before darting off to another demon.

I blinked a couple of times to make sure I was seeing right, before taking a breath and letting out a happy sort of yip. He was alive! My heart was still beating erratically, but it was beginning to slow down; slowly.

I met Gabriel’s eyes and smiled widely, fully knowing my relief showed in my face. He began to grin, but faltered. Why? Had the demon scratched him worse than I thought? Was he going to bleed to death? But for some reason Gabriel wasn’t paying himself any attention, for his eyes were locked onto something behind me.

“Audrey!” His voice barely registered in my head, before something sharp slammed into my back, and something even heavier, took me to the ground.

** Damon’s POV **

I saw it all. I saw the sword slam through her. Saw the demon take her down to the ground with him, and saw Gabriel’s weak attempt to get to her. I saw it all, but didn’t believe it. It was Audrey. Audrey didn’t die. She got beat up, emotionally scarred, but never died. She was as tough as a rock... a bouncy rock that always bounced back. So surely, my eyes were deceiving him... right? If that was the case, why did I smell her blood? Why was the scent of death and fear clinging to the air? And why was Hayden still yelling at me?

A strangled sound left my throat, and emotions slammed into me. Emotions I never experienced before, and emotions I had no idea what they were. But my eyes were locked onto Audrey’s body. She was face down in a mess of bodies... and the demon over top of her. A real demon, not a figment of my imagination, and not a hallucination. And a real sword was sticking through her... not an imaginary one. “No!” The sound roared from my throat, tearing its way out and leaving me momentarily hoarse. I lunged now, all logic and skills gone... like the blood that was still leaving Audrey.

I slammed into the demon on top of Audrey before it had a chance to twist the sword or do any vial acts to her dying body. Our bodies slammed into the ground with a deafening sound that rang through my ears. His claws raked across my face, but I paid no mind to them. I was already seeing red.

Audrey. No! I lashed my fists at the demon, stunning it momentarily. Audrey was mine. No one else’s! I ducked the blow he sent to me, before slamming my knee down into his stomach. She didn’t die, and no one, I meant no one, touched her! No one!

“Mine!” My fist hit his face one last time, this time going all the way through. I was on my feet before its last squirm of life. Fury raged off of me, and a different demon that had been getting ready to attack me, froze.

I snarled, a low deadly thing, that actually had the demon backing off. Not just the one, but the majority of them. I snarled louder, the sound completely feral, and allowed my rage to roll off me, slapping all the demons in the face. And it worked.

I ignored the small victory and raced over to where Audrey was. She was no longer face down in the bodies, but now face up, her head in Gabriel’s lap as he spoke to her quietly and urgently. Words of encouragement.

Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, and her face deathly pale. The sword was still in her, and the blood was still leaving. Her chest still heaved... but at a rapidly diminishing speed.

Hayden had managed to crawl his way over, and was now examining the sword, the tip now protruding from Audrey’s ribs, the hilt at her back.

I dropped down by Audrey, earning a jump and a strangled sound from Gabriel. His eyes were puffy, and I noticed for the first time, that he was crying. Crying. Tears. My body stiffened at the word, almost as if it yearned to do those things. Pathetic.

The thought of Audrey dying filled me with a cold dread, something I don’t think I ever experienced. She didn’t get to leave this world! Only I decided when and where she did! Only I decided who she was with and what she did. She was my human, and I’d be damned if she left without my permission.

“Help me.” I snapped at Hayden, standing up. Hayden struggled to stand, but failed. I shot him the deadliest glare I could muster on short notice, before turning to the next being I saw, not including Gabriel; Josh. “Help me.” I hissed. He was smart enough not to argue or ask questions. I grabbed Audrey from Gabriel, dragging her to her feet. Gabriel protested, curses leaving his mouth, but Hayden shut up him. I don’t know how, but I didn’t care.

“Hold her up.” I shoved her body into Josh’s hands and bent to look at the sword. Cold filled me more so, seeing the wound up close. By the time I stood completely, I felt numb. Numb to everything. I grabbed the hilt of the sword, murmured a few words to Josh, then pulled.

Gabriel’s yell filled the silence, and Hayden had to subdue him to keep him from attacking me.. Amazing how even a weak demon can subdue a human. The circle of life.

Blood streamed out of the hole, and her eyes shot open, a scream also leaving her. I took her from Josh and quickly dropped to the ground. Blood was leaving too fast. Way too fast.

Her mouth gasped soundlessly, like a fish out of water. Her eyes were unseeing, dying. No! Her body was convulsing as her body struggled to get in a few last breaths. Gabriel’s sobs filled the silence along with Audrey’s gasps.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I let my fangs drop and lowered my mouth to her stomach, where the blood was pulling out. Gabriel began yelling, but my ears didn’t form the words. Hayden kept him restrained, so I had nothing to worry about.

I pressed my lips to the wound, and her body stilled. My fangs pinched the skin together, drawing it across the wound. It was simple, or so I was telling myself. The only human I had ever healed, was Audrey. And that had been a small cut on the hand, not some gaping hole in her body. But I had to try. I had to!

Her blood filled my mouth as I pinched tighter, and the warm liquid slid down my throat, causing an almost burning sensation. I couldn’t let her die! I pinched harder, and slowly, too slowly for my liking, the skin began to knit back together, over the wound. First just a light covering, than another, and another... slowly closing the wound. The front wound.

Gabriel stopped yelling, frozen at the sight. I didn’t hesitate to flip Audrey over and drop my mouth to her back. My fangs pinched the skin together again, and squeezed it. More blood slid into my mouth, and this time I drank what came. I didn’t siphon any, but I took what was coming out of the wound. Her blood filled me as the wound began to slowly close, and my body screamed in joy as the blood finally did stop.

She was mine. Her blood filled me. My mouth healed her wounds. She was mine, now more so than ever.

Which was why I didn’t hesitate to sink my fangs into her neck.