Sable

Laughter, loud conversations, and the beat of drums filled Sable's ears. Light danced across her skin from the fire that burned before her. She was staring into the flames, knees pulled up to her chest, her thoughts lost to Conor. That stupid fire boy. Akeem sat with her then, carrying to plates piled high with food. He handed one to Sable who accepted it gladly.

She looked up to the night sky, the stars twinkling back at her as she thought about praying. That would be silly. Would the God even exist, with other gods roaming the earth? Well, one god- reincarnation of a god. She chewed her food and sighed.

"What's on your mind?" Akeem asked, startling her. She almost spat back out her food. Why was she jumpy? She knew he was there with her. "That was a dumb question. It's Conor, isn't it?"

Sable nodded. She placed a sliver of roast chicken over a piece of bread and bit into the makeshift sandwich. Conor was her friend, despite being mostly a stranger to her. She had grown to know the Conor that didn't crack under stress. When Inara had trusted Akeem to be her familiar, Sable wondered if what she was feeling then toward Conor was how Inara had felt toward Akeem.

A gasp slipped past her lips. She shook her head at the thought. How would Akeem react to that? Could a vampire even become a familiar? She quickly ate the rest of the sandwich, then picking at more pieces of chicken and the vegetables on her plate.

"It's funny, you know," Akeem said. Sable looked up at him, eyebrows rasied and mouth full of food. Akeem chuckled at the sight. "Inara chose Lucca, and you're falling for the brother."

Sable spat out her food. She stared at him, her mouth agape.

"No," she said. She shook her head and wagged her finger. "I have not fallen for anyone. I've only known him about two weeks."

"Infatuated with him, then," Akeem corrected himself. Sable sighed in irritation, but her heart pounding betrayed her. If Conor had been there he would have known. A small crush then, she allowed. "You have a different feeling about you, Sable. It was in Inara's nature to be the goddess of romances. You started off with every gift; even before that, you had none."

"So?" Sable growled. She took another bite of bread and chewed, then swallowed. "What's your point?"

Akeem took her hand, and she looked up at him. The look he gave her was very intense and made her hope it would be drawn away soon. It was a very unwelcome gaze and touch, so she pulled her hand back and continued eating.

"You are not Inara," Akeem explained, "who wasn't known for her fidelity."

"Okay, I get it," Sable grumbled. "I'm not a cheater. Go me. You know, I've never even had a boyfriend before. Just haven't felt the need. I didn't like anyone. Alex was the only person who ever even came close, and he turned out to actually not even be Alex- he was Finnian."

"Not even had a boyfriend?" Akeem asked. His eyes were wide when she looked back up. Her cheeks grew warm and she looked away again.

"You were my first kiss," she muttered. "Technically. I didn't kiss you back- and you said it wasn't a real kiss anyway."

Akeem moved closer to her, setting his plate down in the grass. She felt his breath on her ear, and a feeling of fear built up within her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to know what would happen if she were to look at him properly.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. He placed an arm around her shoulders and leaned her against him. That wasn't how she was expecting events to go.

"Would you like a proper kiss?" he asked, even quieter. So she had been wrong, things were going to go that way.

"I'm not Inara," Sable told him.

"I know that," Akeem said.

"Not from you, then," Sable shrugged him off. "Not out of sympathy or pity either. It doesn't matter. I can just not even count what happened, you know. And I don't. And I'm not some school girl- it really isn't that big of a deal. It's just embarrassing is all."

"Alright," Akeem agreed.

"Thank you, though," Sable nodded at him. Akeem smiled warmly at her, and she gave him a small smile back. "I am infatuated with him."

"I know," Akeem laughed. He picked his plate back up. "I'm sorry for my behaviour. It is sometimes hard to remember that you are not Inara. She is gone..."

"Grieve as long as you need," Sable shook her head. "I understand. Just don't make anymore passes at me. It really makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Akeem nodded.

When he looked away her smile fell. She was beginning to fully understand the strange effect she had on men. It had been that way all throughout her life, she recalled, even if she had only recently obtained the powers. Even then her familiar was having difficulty keeping himself away; Conor had no issues.

Was it because Akeem had originally been Inara's familiar? Was part of the bond severed through her death? She chewed her lip and stared into the fire.

That night when she drifted off into sleep she found herself in the dark abyss from previous dreams. But there was no trace of Inara that she could feel; the goddess was gone. Akeem had already been summoned. Why was she there?

A light shone off in the distance. Sable made her way over to it, moving as though she was walking through deep mud. That place had some strange laws of physics.

The light was such a gentle glow compared to Inara's burning fire. But as she managed to get closer, she felt the air growing hotter and hotter. What was that off in the distance? There was a strong energy hanging in the air. It lured her closer, demanded her attention.

She reached the top of a hill and peered over it. And then she bolted upright in her bed. She still wasn't awake- the world had an odd red hue to it. The man she had been thinking about and worrying about loomed over her.

"Conor?" she gasped. She looked over to where Akeem was supposed to be sleeping, but the bed was empty and neatly made.

The fingertips of Conor's hand trailed gently over Sable's jaw, turning her head to face him again, and sending shivers through her. He loomed closer, a hazy look in his eyes.

"Conor, what are you-" she started.

He interrupted by roughly pressing his lips to hers. She gasped into his mouth, and his tongue slipped past her lips. Sable moaned and placed her hands against his chest in an attempt to shove him off. Conor wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulled her tight against him, and pushed hips lips against hers more.

Sable moaned louder, her head tilting back as their mouths separated. Conor trailed kisses over her jaw and down her neck. Her hands were grasping at him then, pulling him closer as her head spun furiously.

"Sable," Conor whispered.

She bolted upright again; her breathing came hard. There was no Conor, and Akeem was in his bed when she looked over at him. Sable placed her hand over her heart, the beats of it shaking her entire being.

"What was that?" she whispered into the night.