Beyond the Prophecy

The moment I walked into my room Leda greeted me, but my hands were too filthy for me to consider petting her. I grabbed a change of clothes before quickly making my way towards the bathroom. Before reaching it, however, I took a few steps back to the floor mirror I passed.

All of the dirt and dried blood on my clothes and skin were dark and crusty. My hair was completely disheveled; my clothes had rips in them, tears so big and constant that there was no way to salvage them. But instead of focusing on them, I concentrated on everything I saw on my body. Discoloration and swelling surrounded my left eye, matching the bruises on my arms. Lifting my shirt I glanced at the torso and found more marks, and when I turned I found even more on my back. The more I looked, the more I found as if my eyes would only allow me to take it all in one piece at a time. I stared at myself a bit longer, thinking and feeling a million things yet not focusing on a specific one. I looked and felt absolutely manky in more ways than one.

Once heading into the bathroom I went straight for the medicine cabinet and pulled out the Ibuprofen before dry swallowing a few of them. Soon after I filled the tub with water, wishing I had some Epsom salts to add to it. With the adrenaline gone I was starting to feel the pain from the battle. As I bathed in a sluggish pace I let my mind recall all that's happened today. It's hard to believe that it started out so normal, but in an instant became absolutely…wicked. It wore me out physically and mentally, so much so that all I did when I was done grooming was head straight to bed, with sleep following at a surprising speed.

While it was still dark out, I awoke with the sudden urge to approach the window. There was no purpose I knew of, just a gravitational pull that drew me to whoever was outside, in this case it was a man who stood beside a tree in the forest. The invisible force pushing me towards whoever this man was prevented me from doing anything else. My senses failed; the only one working was my sight. It stayed fixed on this man alone, even as my finally functioning feet dragged me away from the window. And when I found the courage to look away, he appeared abruptly in my room. Either he can teleport like Chris can, or this is a dream. I'm betting on the latter choice.

This man was a few inches shorter than me, which is pretty common, but it didn't bother me at all. I just wanted— no, I longed to be near him. He limped as he walked towards me, his cane making a pounding sound along the way. It wasn't until he could no longer move forward that he looked up at me. I stared immediately into his chocolate brown eyes, even though it made me sluggish and exhausted with every passing second. The moonlight might've been the only light allowing me to see his features, but it was bright enough for me to tell his skin was tan and his hair was a few shades darker and so smooth. His lips were luscious and utterly kissable…but again, I resisted the urge.

"Who are you?" I whispered, feeling too tired to speak in a tone any louder than that.

As he circled me, the ends of his lips curled upward. I stood in place, but my head and eyes followed; not from caution, but from infatuation. His hand tenderly brushed the shoulder my t-shirt exposed and I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding. Feeling his breath against my skin, his occasional tender touches on even the smallest parts of my body that showed skin, his gaze, his leer…It was all so hypnotic. How can a man I've never met make me react this way?

"What do you want?" I inquired.

His response was just a smile that reached his eyes. Back to standing before me, he came so close that every time we took a breath our chests touched. Those brief moments of contact made me shiver.

The hand that held the cane went to my hip while the other tenderly brushed my cheek, my head following its direction like a loving feline. But the real cat in this room felt anything but that. There was such an intense anger in Leda, from the very top of her head to the end of her tail tips, being directed towards him. A reaction from her like that normally alerts me, but neither I nor this man paid any attention to it.

Through my peripherals I noticed her pacing towards me before scratching my ankle. The scrapes burned like a paper cut, and as pissed as I should've been (because she knows very well I hate when she does that), the stinging helped me think. What the hell am I doing, and why am I acting like this? Leda squeezed herself in between us and hissed at him, her belly lowering to the ground and her tail swooping from side to side. She must really hate him; that kind of reaction from her was never a good sign.

"Get out," I demanded, though only part of me wanted it to happen.

He must be doing something to me that made me respond to him. The question was, what? I tried to think of any possibilities but when his fingers lightly cupped my chin, it no longer mattered.

"Is that what you really want?" he asked in a voice that was lower than it should've been.

I relaxed under his touch completely. "No…" I whispered, bringing a satisfying smirk from him.

"Your pet blocks my path. I cannot approach you if she attacks me."

All I wanted was for him to stay, to be close to me for as long as possible, so I reached for Leda and lifted her off the ground. She tried to wiggle out of my arms as I walked back towards the bathroom. I turned away from him, just for a second, to drop Leda in the bathroom and close the door behind me. Ignoring her pleas, I walked back to him, relieved to be close with nothing else distracting me.

His hand brushed my cheek once more, but this time his lips lightly kissed my neck. Another shaky breath escaped the opening of my lips before I tilted my head to give him more access. The hand that was on my cheek slowly moved down towards my neck, shoulder, chest, before stopping on my belly. Even though my eyes were closed, I saw a dim light begin to slowly flicker. Carefully, I opened my eyes and saw it; a dim, fluorescent light emanating from his cane.

"What's that?"

He placed a finger against my lips before moving his head closer to mine. I lowered my head to meet him halfway. Just a few more inches and those succulent lips would finally press against mine. It probably would've happened had Leda kept her mouth shut and stopped pleading loudly.

The man chuckled a little. "To be continued," he said, just before heading towards my window.

"Wait, can you at least tell me your name?"

With a small smirk he said, "Aciago."

Aciago…A name so distinct that I'll try to engrave in my mind. "Don't go Aciago, please stay," I beseeched. Wait, I was begging? Since when do I do that voluntarily?

Leda made even louder protesting noises so I quickly cracked the door to allow her to reenter my room. Unfortunately, by the time I looked back, Aciago was gone.

I awoke soon after. The intense sunlight blinded me even before I could open my eyes, adding to the pressure I was already feeling on my forehead. It must've taken a full minute just to get my eyes to open and remain that way, and I didn't have the energy to do much else. Had it not been for my rumbling stomach I would've remained in bed for at least a few more hours. Leda leaping onto my bed and rubbing her head against mine with a whine told me she was having the same stomach issue.

Every inch I moved served as a reminder of the physical blows I took from the fight last night. A part of me wanted to just ignore them and get washed up but I'm too curious for my own good, so I approached the tall mirror with a little apprehension. Every bruise, especially my black eye, turned a much darker shade of violet, increased in size and became very sensitive overnight. If I stayed still my body (with the exception of my forehead) felt fine, but every movement sent a painful jolt from the tip of my toes to the very top of my head. I looked and felt like shit.

The meeting with the record execs is in two days. How can I go looking like this? Would I even be able to hold my guitar without biting my lip? I'll have to work on that today for as long as I can.

As always, the kitchen wasn't empty. Michael and Calista were pulling items out of plastic shopping bags and placing them in the appropriate locations. I offered to help but they said they didn't need any. It's just as well; I was too exhausted and too hungry to move much.

"Natasha," said Michael, "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you look like shit."

Calista swatted his arm. "Mike, don't be rude."

I chuckled and winced soon after. "If you went through a massive fight with vampires and woke up the next morning with a thousand bruises and a hangover, you would too."

"Ooooh," they spoke in unison sympathetically.

"Got any flakes?"

"Flakes of what?" Calista asked.

"Not flakes of what, just flakes. Cereal."

"Oh! Yeah, just bought some this morning."

She poured some with milk in a bowl for me and I grabbed a tall glass of apple juice. I grabbed all of it and brought it to the table, but I also made sure to go back for the milk and flakes in case I want seconds. Michael was kind enough to place a cup of water and a bottle of aspirin beside me.

"Thanks, love."

"Sorry I didn't come soon enough to help in the fight. Those vampires were tailing me like the sons of bitches they are," Calista told me.

"Sorry I wasn't there either. Though, I'm not much of a fighter."

"What's your 'specialty'?"

"Medical expert. I have my bachelor's degree and even started my internship but I never got as far as doing my residency."

"Why not?"

"I got into a lot of trouble with the hospital I interned at and Chris bailed me out of it. I've worked here ever since."

"How'd you get in trouble?"

"I'd rather not go into details but don't worry, you have nothing to worry about. I basically got in trouble because of someone else's mistake."

"I see."

No matter how may bowls of flakes I've already had, it's didn't affect me. I might as well have had a bowl of oxygen to consume. I don't know why my hunger isn't going away. Maybe I'm getting my period soon. That's when I usually get this hungry.

Michael pulled out a packet of frozen chips and gently placed it on my left eye. I held it in place with one hand, thanked him, and began eating my flakes again.

"That must have been some fight."

"Last night…there were so many vampires. I hadn't seen any other vampires besides Hatsumi and Chris. They just kept coming. And I…killed some of them. How could I have allowed myself to do such a thing? I swore I'd protect people, not kill them. I know I have a temper sometimes and I won't even deny that I'm stubborn, but I've never gone on such a rampage. I mean, I might beat the shit out of someone, but not kill them…

"They just kept coming too, and they were coming or me. The first one to attack me said he'd be rewarded for 'this.' He had his hand fisted around my neck when he said it. Was there some kind of reward or bounty for killing me? Who would even want me dead—?"

I paused with a slow gasp. Only one person came to mind. Could he be the one behind the attack?

"Okay," said Calista, "you suddenly look pale. What's the matter?"

"I know who would. I know exactly who would. But, that's impossible. There's no way…It's not possible…Things have gotten so strange, just like my dream."

"What dream?"

"It's nothing. I had a weird dream about a man I've never met. The fact that I remember it's weird on its own. I never dream when I'm hung over."

"Well technically," began Michael, "people dream almost every night. You probably just don't remember."

Calista smiled and said, "So, tell me about this dream you had."

I told them as much as I remembered, but the more I said the more serious their faces became. By the end of my recount, they were silent. Silence is never a good sign. Michael rushed out of the room when Calista covered her mouth and kept her eyes fixed on me.

"Master Chris is going to be so mad."

"Why? It was just a dream."

She slowly shook her head. "How are you feeling right now?"

Her question puzzled me; it came out of nowhere. "I'm fine, I guess."

"No, be really specific."

The concern written on her face started to scare me. "Um, I guess I'm really hungry. This fucking hangover's making my head hurt and making me feel a bit nauseous. My back's killing me and not just because of the bruises on it, but then again I hurt all over. I'm also tired as hell and my body's sensitive when it comes in contact with anything."

"Nausea, back pains, fatigue, hunger, headaches…Shit."

"What's the big deal?"

"If you really want to know, come with me," I heard Chris say.

He stood beside Michael with his arms crossed, an unspoken anger burning in his eyes. Chris's hair was a little disheveled, his feet were bare, and he wore blue and white pajama pants with a matching t-shirt. If he just woke up, then it could be the reason why he's livid.

Chris stood his ground even when I walked up to him. The longer he stared, he angrier he became. I just gave him a questioning look. With a heavy sigh he turned and walked away, and before I could follow Michael tapped my shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"What for? You didn't do anything wrong."

"No, I'm sorry for all that's about to happen."

My eyes narrowed. "What do you know? Tell me."

"Natasha," called Chris.

I sighed, patted Michael's shoulder and then walked beside Chris. My sore muscles made it difficult for me to walk at his pace. Nonetheless I managed to make it to the library, where he led me. While he pulled a book out and flipped through the pages I dropped into one of the chairs and rested my head on my arms.

"Do you know what an incubus is?" said Chris with and undertone of anger.

"The band or the creature?" I mumbled.

"Creature."

"That's that thing that has sex with women to get them pregnant, yeah? Why are you asking?" I jumped when he slammed an open book right in front of me." What the fuck is your problem?"

"Read this entry out loud."

I shot him a glare before I read.

"El Trauco, also known as El Duende. Origin: Isle of Chilote. El Treauco is a dwarf that resides in the woods, often times in the hole of a tree where he spies on wandering young women. He dresses in a suit and hat made of natural fibers and carries a walking stick which has the powers to impregnate women. It is said that one glance can make a woman fall into a heavy lethargy—"

"That's enough."

The text became one big blur. The one they described sounded just like the guy from my dream with the exception of the dwarf part. It's like his description was pulled from my memory and captured on this page. The one word that my eye kept coming back to against my will was one that made me absolutely nervous: impregnate. The longer I stared, the fuzzier it looked.

"Do you understand now?"

My eyes widened as it saturated with water. "What is this…? What's this about? You can't mean that…"

"Yes, I do. What happened last night was no dream. He, Aciago, the trauco, whatever you want to call him, made it seem that way."

My head shook in disbelief. "So I'm…I'm pregnant? By some creature?"

"By an incubus, specifically."

"Oh God…" The temperature in this room was suddenly too hot to bear. A dizziness came over me just before I stood, my mouth drying up rapidly soon after. "I have to lie down…Need to lie down…" I muttered while rushing to the big couch. But even when I did manage to lie down I couldn't find a comfortable position.

"We have to act quickly and get rid of it before it's too late," he said before grabbing my arms and helping me sit up.

"Get rid of what?"

"The cambion. That's what the demon you're carrying is called. Delivering it is life threatening."

Brushing my stomach lightly, I already felt a small bump on it. "How much time do we have?"

"No more than twenty-four hours."

"What!?"

"Normal rules don't apply when it comes to this."

My head shook again, but as my body temperature rose, so did the bile that wanted to shoot out of my throat. I tried to move away from Chris but his grip on my arms was too strong. He tried to get me to calm down and sit still but it wasn't the news that made me frantic. Eventually he understood and brought over a trash can, moving so fast that my eyes could hardly keep up.

I thought I'd feel better after throwing up, but my nausea was replaced by wooziness. Chris tried to get my attention but his voice sounded so distant, and it was the last thing I remembered before I passed out.

Once I regained consciousness I found myself back in my bed. Hatsumi stood by the door scanning the room cautiously with her hands positioned to grab any weapons she had at her disposal. The fact that she was awake indicated that it was already nightfall. Just how long was I out?

The other servants were in the room too. Michael sat on one of the armchairs by the window, rapidly making phone calls, while Kyle sat on the other seat typing away on the laptop that sat on his lap. While they seemed to be occupied by their electronics, Calista was focused on me. I heard the sound of dripping water before she dabbed a saturated wash cloth on my face and neck.

"You're awake," she said with a smile of relief."

"Where's Chris?"

"I'm not sure. All he said was that he was going to find information."

Just for a second I forgot about my current situation. The large lump I saw beneath the thick comforter covering most of my body served as an instant reminder. Tentatively, I reached for it. There was movement underneath, and even though I've never been pregnant, I knew the motion felt unnatural.

That was all it took to make me tremulous. I couldn't stop myself from crying. "Oh God…This is really happening…I didn't want to believe it…" Before I knew it I was in a frenzy. What's going to happen if or when I go into labor? What would it look like? Will it be even more painful because it's a demon that I'd give birth to? Would it somehow turn me over to its evil side or kill me in the process?

"Get rid of it…Get it out!"

"Don't panic," Calista spoke softly, but it only made me panic more.

"Get it away from me! I don't want to deliver it! Get it out! Get it out!"

"Seriously, stay calm," said Michael, rushing to my side. "You might induce early labor in this state. You're already at risk for it because it's a short pregnancy and you didn't gain enough weigh during it."

"How could I gain weight? It's been a day!" I shouted. "I don't want to do this! Get rid of it! And where the fuck is Chris?!"

"He went to find me," said a voice in the room.

Looking in the direction that the voice came from, I saw the guy from my dream—actually, from my encounter last night. What was his name again? Aciago. That bastard had the nerve to lean against the wall with a smug look on his face.

I shot him a fierce look. "All this is happening because of you. Why did you do this to me?"

"Because you're the pawn and Chris is the King."

"Who are you talking to?" Kyle asked me, kneeling beside the bed on the other side.

"There's something here," Hatsumi said, "but I can't see it. I can only sense it a little."

"He's right there," I said, pointing with my eyes.

"Shh," whispered Aciago. "You should go to sleep now."

And just like that, I felt a drowsiness unlike any I've ever experienced. Fighting against it, I reached out to him and tried to rise but it was no use. The sensation was strong enough to make me lose consciousness once more.

Drip, drip, drip. That was the sound that my senses first picked up on. The second was the water droplets landing on my face consecutively. Turning my head to the side, I clenched my eyes and opened them in caution. The last time I woke up after passing out I was in my room, but the setting I'm in now wasn't at all familiar.

This time, I was in a massive cavern with the grounds covered in water. Wait, if there's water then it's more like a grotto. Torches affixed to the stone walls were the only lighting source, though it was too dark to see anything passed the giant entrance to this place. In the middle of it all was a stone slab sitting atop an islet that wasn't much wider than the slab, a stone I happened to be tied to with ropes from the chest up and around my ankles. Even though I was capable of bending my arms and clutching the ropes, they were tied too tight to pull. It didn't help that the knots weren't visible. My frustration with my escape attempt turned to panic when I saw that my belly's size increased three times as much while I was out. I'm running out of time!

Chris…where are you? You're the only one that can hear me without saying anything aloud. Shouting is too risky; the echo will increase the volume and carry it further than I want it to. But, what if he's here yet can't hear my thoughts? What if this grotto us enchanted for that purpose, like Farrokh's dome is enchanted to make him smaller?

You're a fool.

Who said that? I don't recognize that voice.

Of course you don't. I'm still new.

Who are you?

I have no name, but I will soon enough. It might be a new one, or it might be yours.

What are you talking about?

I haven't decided which body I want to keep. For now, I think I'll borrow yours. This will hurt you, and I don't care.

One moment I was frail and the next I was in some major physical pain. Electricity coursed throughout my body from the inside with no visible evidence. Had I not been restrained I'd be thrashing all over the place with the threat of falling into the body of water surrounding the tiny island this boulder rested upon. That would absolutely suck; I don't know how to swim. My body shook like it was on vibrate while my eyes looked so far up that an outsider would've only seen the whites of my eyes. The more I kept myself from screaming the more I wanted to, until I couldn't hold it in any longer, its volume and intensity increasing with every second that passed. But the pain—the constant sparks creating a lightning storm and electrocuting everything it touches—was too much for me to handle all at once. You know the feeling when an object shocks you painfully and suddenly? If you multiply that sensation by a hundred and have it travel all over your body from the inside out, then you'd know what this feels like.

I sunk deeper and deeper into myself, spiraling into a hole so dark that the world around me faded to black. Or, was it me who was fading?

You're still here. We both are, but now I'm the dominant one.

The voice returns. Who are you? I asked, feeling myself cackle soon after even though I wasn't laughing.

I think you know me as, the cambion.

The demon fetus? How can you already talk? And mentally no less. You're just a baby.

Your human rules don't apply to me, Natasha.
________________________________________
Manky: Filthy, dirty, unclean
Residency: Stage of graduate medical training. A person that's a resident would've received their degree and now practices medicine under the supervision of a licensed physician in a hospital or clinic.
Chips: Slang for french fries