Sable

The meal was actually really delicious, and Sable wondered why the lady felt the need to badmouth it. It settled in her empty stomach quite nicely. Her stomach gave a gurgle of content, and she patted it gently, sighing in agreement.

The smile left her face when she glanced back at the boarded up window. She had almost gotten out of there. If the blond haired man hadn't caught her, she would have been gone. There was still the issue though of her having no clue where she even was to begin with. How far had they taken her? It had to have been somewhere nearby.

Sable thought of all the possibilities of her current location. It had still been nightfall the first time she woke up- although she had no idea how long she had been out for. She reminded herself that she felt pretty good, and that not too much time could have passed. She looked down at her hands. There was a forested area nearby her town, with a few summer homes scattered throughout. That was a great possibility. If that was the case, if she had kept on going through those trees and hadn't been stopped by blondie, she could have made it to the highway and received help.

She laid on the cold floor. Staying in that room was getting pretty boring. She turned her head and stared at the door. Maybe the guards would let her wander about, with supervision of course? And if her powers came back she could knock them out and be on her way to freedom again. It was worth a shot.

She pulled herself back up from the floor and took a step toward the door, then looked down at the nightgown she was in. That wasn't acceptable, she thought. She didn't want to be walking around in a billowy nightgown.

There was a wardrobe in the far off corner of the room. She wandered over to it. Luckily when she pulled the doors open there were plenty of clothes within, whether they fit her or not was still a mystery.

Sable made a face as she began pulling each clothing item out one by one. They were long ball gowns, each vibrant in colour. What century was this? She shook her head and threw them all on the bed. All were dresses. A long sigh escaped her, and she grabbed the yellow one with short, puffy sleeves off the bed. That one would do.

Sable moved to the mirror beside the wardrobe, swaying the skirts of the dress around. It was kind of pretty the more she looked at it. Did dresses even suit her? She hadn't worn one since she was six. She examined herself in the mirror; the nightgown looked pretty good on her. She held the dress up to her body. A smirk formed on her lips; it would definitely work.

She stripped off the nightgown and threw it into the corner. The dress was hard to get over her head, and there was a built-in corset. Yuck, she thought. She didn't understand the need women had to make their waists look so small it was a wonder how organs fit in their bodies. She did up the corset anyway, and wondered how she managed to get the dress on by herself. It made sense then to her why royalty had people to help them get dressed. She grabbed a pair of gold slippers and put them on her feet.

There was a wide grin on Sable's face as she made her way over to the door. What would the men posted outside think of her sudden change of dress? It didn't matter really, but she was still curious.

She pulled open the door, and this time the guard was prepared and didn't stumble.

"Oh," one gasped out as they looked at her.

"Pretty, huh?" Sable spun, the skirts swishing out further. "I don't usually like dresses, but this one is nice. Oh, I'll put the dresses on the bed away later. I want to walk around."

The guards exchanged looks. Sable sighed and slouched her shoulders.

"Come on guys, I've been cooped up in there for god knows how long," she complained and rolled her eyes.

"After the stunt from yesterday-" he cut himself off. "I suppose. But there isn't too far to wander; this isn't like the castle."

"Oh, so he has a castle?" Sable asked as she stepped out of the room. She shut the door behind her.

"He is a king, after all," the other guard scoffed.

"And apparently I'm a goddess, so I don't think you should talk to me that way," Sable scolded him. His cheeks turned pink and he straightened up a bit. She took note of the fact that they held no weapons; they were probably concealed. "Come on."

She turned left down the hall, and they followed after her. She was having fun with the whole goddess thing, as weird as it was; she wanted to be ordinary, but this worked to her advantage. She heard music- someone was playing a piano.

"What's that?" she turned to them.

"His majesty likes to play music from time to time," the one she knocked out the other day said.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

They came upon a staircase, and for whatever reason the guards let her wander up them on her own. She was thankful for that, but she wondered what the motive was. Blondie was probably the reason. The music was coming from the right, so she turned that way. There were large doors open wide as she approached. She peered into the room; it appeared to be a study. A grand piano was positioned toward the back of the room near bay windows, and the king man was sat at it, his fingers gliding across the keys expertly.

"Wow," she whispered again. Her heart fluttered. She had to remind herself that this was the man who had ordered her abducted. She straightened up and all sense of awe left her.

He stopped playing the music and turned his head to look at her. There was a slight smile on his face.

"Sable," he said. "You're awake."

"And I've eaten," Sable responded. "I do need to do that, you know."

"Forgive me," he bowed his head. "You've been hard to keep awake and feed. Especially with your attempts to escape. I see you've fully recovered from the drug; I can smell that it's no longer in your system."

Sable remained silent. What a weirdo, she thought. She crossed her arms and remained standing in the doorway. Blondie stood up and dusted off the back of his pants, and turned to face her.

She felt a tingling in her fingertips, and she glanced down at her hands, raising them in front of her face. Was it back?

"Why can't I go home?" she asked quietly. She looked up at him from her hands.

"As I explained, your powers have awakened," blondie said. "You're like a beacon now to other demons. We'll need to move you to my castle where you'll be cloaked, until you have them under control."

"What?" Sable balled her hands into fists and dropped them to her sides. "You can't keep me here, and you can't move me! I refuse! I don't want to stay here anymore; I want to go home!"

"It's not possible, Sable," blondie said. "I'm sorry."

She turned away from him and ran. She ran down the stairs, and almost made it passed the guards.

"Stop her," the blond man said.

The two men grabbed her under her arms. They held her tightly in place.

"Let me go!" she screamed. The tingling in her hands grew; her skin grew warmer.

"Come with me," the blond man said.

He rushed down the stairs passed them, turning left and around the corner. The other two followed suit, dragging Sable along with them. She screamed and tried to pull her arms away from them. The man stepped through a door. The other two followed him, into a room with a table in the center. There was a large circle light above the table, illuminating random shelves and counters and a sink.

"No! Let me go!" Sable screamed.

They brought her to the table and strapped her down. She struggled against the straps, sobbing hard. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Please, don't do this to me," she begged.

"You don't even know what we're going to be doing," the blond man said.

"I'll never forgive you for this," she threatened. "Just let me go home."

"This is no longer about your happiness," the blond man said. He wandered over with a vial between his fingers. "This is about your safety. You just recently turned twenty; there have been signs that it's you. We had to come get you before your powers awakened out there. You would have been in grave danger."

"What are you talking about?" Sable sobbed.

"I'll explain another time," the blond man said. "For now, just go to sleep. This won't have any nasty side effects on you. When you next awaken, you will be in my castle."

Sable shook her head. "Please," she whispered. He waved the vial slowly by her nose. There was a sweet scent, and her head felt dizzy. Consciousness slipped away from her.

That was happening way too often, she thought when she woke again. The bed she was in felt softer. Our bedchambers echoed through her mind again. What had he meant by that? Goddess? Powers? Thoughts swirled through her head and made her dizzy.

She sat up slowly, looking around the room. It was modeled after the other room- or perhaps the other room was modeled after this one- only it was larger. She stood up from the bed and wandered over to the mirror. She stared at her reflection, taking in her tired eyes and dry skin. Did they have lotion at all? They must have; blondie's skin was smooth.

She sighed heavily. Goddess, magic, powers; demons. Demons? Blondie had mentioned 'other demons'. What did that mean? She wanted to ask him all these questions, but at the same time she felt too much anger toward him to speak to him. She didn't want to stay calm in all of this. She had been abducted after all.

The tingling in her fingers grew stronger. She turned to the door and if looks could kill, she'd have burned holes in the door with her gaze.

She walked confidently over to the doors. She halted as she reached them, glancing down at her hands. A glow started in her fingertips. She could use her powers again. She pulled the doors open forcefully.

"Hello, boys," she said.

She knocked the two guards back just by raising her hands and aiming her palms at them. The corridor here lead three different ways. She stepped over the unconscious men and walked down the hall that lead straight down from her room. She could sense him. She could feel his presence with every fiber of her being; knew exactly where he was.

Was she calling to him, or was he calling to her? She knew he wasn't human either. That was odd to think; she wasn't human. There was a pull in her blood though to get to him, and she was confused about who was doing the pulling.

She didn't need the strange call in her blood to find him anymore. The sound of music filled her ears- this time he was playing the violin. Blondie was definitely very talented.

Realizing the music was catching her in a trance, she shook her head and refocused. Luckily he was very close. This way she could reach him quickly, and- what would she do to him? Every fiber of her being was telling her something; a survival instinct was weaving its way through her thoughts. If he was going to continue holding her captive, she would just have to eliminate him.

Sable gasped as she reached the doorway. What had she just thought? Killing someone? But he wasn't a person. A war raged within her. Her other self from her dream- that person recognized him. She was still with her, telling her that the man wasn't a threat, that he was there to protect her.

But Sable wanted freedom.

"You," she said, stepping into the room.

"Me," blondie said, setting down his violin.

"You're going to let me go," she demanded. She raised her golden glowing hands. "Now."

"I'm afraid that's something I cannot do for you, at this very moment," blondie replied. "Sable, you and the soul that you carry are very precious. Although I see you've become one with the soul."

"No more of this," Sable growled. That was unlike her, but she was done. She wanted to go home- to her friends, her family.

Sable pushed her hands forward and a golden wave of energy rushed foward, toward the blond man. He raised his hand, glowing violet, and dispersed Sable's attack. With a flick of his wrist there was a flash of violet that was flung toward Sable. She dodged and turned, running out of the room.

"Don't make this hard on yourself, Sable," the blond man warned. She heard a thud, the violin was set down. Footsteps followed quickly after her.

"Please," tears ran down Sable's face again.

"Just stop running," he said.

Sable came to a stop. He stopped not far behind her. Sable sank to her knees, the skirts of her dress puffing up around her for a moment. She stared down at her hands and watched the glow fade from them. Her stomach rumbled.

"There's lunch prepared back in my study, where I was playing my violin," blondie offered.

"What is it?" Sable asked reluctantly.

"Penne pasta in a light cheese sauce, with roasted vegetables on the side," blondie said.

Sable was silent for a while, and then spoke again, "That sounds good." She stood up and turned to him, dusting off her dress. He had a faint smile on his face.

"Shall we?" he asked.

He held his arm out to her, and she linked hers with this, though she wondered why it was necessary. They walked back to the room, and he led her over to a table where there were plates set. The food looked and smelled better than she imagined it would. Her mouth watered, and she held back from diving right in after blondie had seated her- she had to remember manners.

"Go ahead," blondie chuckled and took the seat to her right.

He laid a napkin in his lap and began eating. Sable picked up her fork and joined him. A few bites into the meal she realized she still didn't know his name; he was either the king or blondie in her mind.

"What do I call you?" she asked.

"Lucca," he replied.

"What? Lucca?" she furrowed her eyebrows. "That's an odd name. But I've been calling you blondie in my head, so I have no room to talk."

Blondie- Lucca- chuckled again. He raised his fork to his lips and took another bite of the pasta. They chewed in silence for a moment.

"How do you know my name?" Sable asked again. "I've never once introduced myself to you. And it seems to have taken you an awfully long time to even find me."

"Just like you, I am not human," Lucca responded. "I am no god, either though. I am a different class of demon; I am a vampire."

"But you have powers like mine," Sable said. "Just a different colour."

"That... is something we will not discuss at this time," Lucca dodged the question. He took another bite of his food and chewed. After swallowing he said, "You are very important to this world. We- the demons have been making huge mistakes for a long time. You are the last remaining reincarnation of an immortal, a goddess- the goddess Inara of nature."

"Goddess of nature?" Sable set her fork down and thought. Was that the name of the girl from her dream? Was that Inara- the goddess of nature? She felt more like her element was fire. Though she knew in her bones that all of the elements were Inara's.

"Yes," Lucca said. "The most important of them all. If her spirit died..." His head fell to the table.

"Wow," Sable exclaimed. "You got some issues, dude. Well, obviously. You kidnapped me."

"Abducted; you are not a child," Lucca corrected. He raised his head and rested his chin in his palm. His gaze made her a little uncomfortable, so she squirmed in her seat and picked up her fork again. "Sorry. I knew Inara."

"That's cool," Sable said. That would explain the calling to him she had in her blood. "Wait. How did you know her?"

Lucca was silent a long while. He let out a heavy sigh, straightening up. He slumped forward again and pressed his mouth into his hands, folding them together. Sable watched the odd behaviour. Would he tell her?

He opened his mouth. No words came out, and he shut it again. Sable coughed to encourage him to go on, waving her hand.

"I don't know where to begin," Lucca said quietly. He sighed and closed his eyes. "It's been a very, very long time. I guess I should start with...

"There were legends among the demons," he continued. "Among the vampires and other creatures. Legends that there was something greater- or rather, there were greater beings than demons. Stronger, more powerful. Bright and beautiful creatures- in comparison to our dark tendencies."

He paused for a moment. Sable stared at her food, picturing a time long ago. It was something she couldn't comprehend.

"Were there humans back then too?" she asked.

"Oh yes, I'm sure," Lucca said. "I'm old, but I'm not that old, and humans have been around a long, long time."

"Okay," Sable giggled. She picked at her food with her fork.

He sighed again before continuing, "Gods and goddesses, they were. They had themselves hidden away so well. But they were found... We- the demons tore them apart. Devoured them, and absorbed their powers. We hunted gods and goddesses down for ages in search of a fraction of a taste of what their abilities were like. It was an exhilerating hunt."

He picked up his fork and took a few bites of his food during the silence that time. Sable did the same, chewing slowing and watching his face.

There were lines on his face, faint ones; he looked young for an old man. His hair which had been neatly combed and swept back in all their other encounters was now disheveled and framed his face well. It was a nice face.

Stop. That was the enemy; one of the enemies. There was no way she was going to be attracted to the guy who abducted her. She shook her head furiously. Lucca raised an eyebrow at her, chewing slowly.

She looked away from his piercing eyes. She began to think perhaps he and Inara were very close. That must have been why she was admiring him. That was why she felt the need to be near him.

"How did you two know each other?" she asked quietly anyway.

"I hunted her down," Lucca whispered. He cleared his throat and spoke louder, "When I cornered her, she held her hands up. She told me she forgave me, and she asked for my help. Something... compelled me to help her. Every part of me demanded that I protect her."

He looked up at her. The stare made her very uncomfortable. Her gaze fell to the glass of water near her plate, and she lifted it to take a sip.

"We were betrothed," he muttered. Sable spat her water out.