*
The inn was as dead as a graveyard.
Tobias stepped into the warmth with his cloak completely drenched, just as a fork of lightning illuminated the night sky. He paused at the door, as several eyes turned sharply in his direction. The colours he wore -a dull grey tunic with a red badge across his breast, black leather pants and heavy black boots which were caked with mud- announced who he was even before he spoke.
As did his horns, jutting out of his blonde hair.
His amber eyes swept over the entirety of the room, settling on a small dagger which had been stuck on the table. The owner, a portly man with a heavy moustache and a bald head, had stuck it there as soon as he entered, a clear sign that he was not welcome there.
Tobias pushed into the room still. He could not care less about what others thought. He slipped out of his cloak and threw it over a hook, flashing his sword, which drew everyone's attention.
The silence was of two kinds. The first one, which held the room entirely like the vice of an earthly demon, was that of contempt. They were disgusted by him, as they always were whenever his kind dared to show their faces in a crowd. Although most of them were hesitant to approach, they made their contempt quite clear from the way they stared at him.
The second was one of fear. Few creatures who walked the earth were as frightening as Tobias' kind. The stories preceded them, and their names had been uttered by hundreds of mothers in the dead of night to scare their children into submission. That fear, which some considered to be their most powerful weapon, had grown into the hearts of grown men as well, so that the tales of terror were whispered in alleyways and the dark corners of the town until everyone knew to steer clear of them.
Tobias felt this fear even now. He could sense it, like a pungent odour which drifted from their pores. They were absolutely terrified of him, and that was just the way he liked it.
"A mule of rum," he said, drawing a stool and depositing himself on it. He slid a single silver coin to the innkeeper, who glanced at it hesitantly with his fingers twitching. A low fire burned in the grate behind him, illuminating the dark shadows across his face.
"We're all out of rum," he said in a quiet voice.
Tobias glanced at the shelf behind him, and the five barrels which were stacked along the length of the back wall.
"There's some right there," he said.
"That has all been paid for."
"By who?"
"That's none of your business," a gruff voice said from somewhere in the depths of the inn. Everyone turned to look in that direction, and they saw that it was the man who had stuck the dagger into the table. He slid off his seat now, and he made his way towards Tobias as six other men joined him.
"You're not welcome here, witch-hunter," he spat.
Tobias turned around slowly. He stared directly into the man's eyes, one eyebrow arching in disdain. His companions lined up behind him in an orderly fashion, a clear sign that this wasn't their first time doing this.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken," he said. "The sign outside welcomes everyone."
"That applies to humans only," the man replied. "Something which I'm afraid you are not. Now pack up your things and get out of here before things get really ugly. You of all people should know your place."
Tobias reached over and picked up a mug from beside him, which the innkeeper had set down for the skinny man beside him. He downed its contents in only three gulps, ignoring the shocked expression of everyone around him. When he was done, he set down the mug beside him and turned to face the bald man.
"Excellent rum," he said. "Almost makes me not want to leave actually. And I've heard the chicken here is excellent."
In response, the man flashed his own sword in Tobias' face. The latter chuckled, his eyes sweeping over the men. There were seven of them, and twelve weapons between them all; he had counted. The smallest one was trembling, which meant there was at least a little bit of fear in their hearts. They knew what he was capable of, and they must have held their ground only because the fat bloke was doing the same.
Footsteps suddenly came behind him, and he felt a jolt shoot through him as he realised who it was. Her scent was unmistakable.
"Now, now boys," she chuckled, "this doesn't have to be a dick-swinging contest every time you meet. Play nice."
She stepped around him, and Tobias slowly looked up at her. He hadn't expected her to be in town. Rumour had it that she was off in the mountains chasing after a Minotaur who had been coming down to steal goats and destroy crops.
She looked exactly the same as the last time he'd seen her, except the fact that her straight brown hair was longer than before. Her red eyes -which matched her red dress- glowed in the semi-darkness of the inn, and her slim, kind face was deceiving to anyone who didn't know her true nature. But Tobias knew her well enough to know that her appearance could not be anything good.
"Tobias!" she said in a surprised tone, as if she hadn't already known it was him. "Of course it would be you. Who else would be wandering the streets of Grimsby so late at night and looking for trouble?"
"That goes for both of us, Samara," he said.
"Why, there's a lot to talk about." She turned to the innkeeper and flashed him a knowing smile. "Come on. I have a room reserved up here. Chylos will bring your dinner."
She turned to the fat bloke and narrowed her eyes at him. "Simmer down, Dennis," she said. "You can stash your sword away for later. I'm sure you'll get another crack at it."
Tobias followed her reluctantly. He knew Samara meant trouble, but there was just something about her that drew him every single time they ran into each other. He had no intention of carrying on this conversation for longer than was necessary. All he wanted was some rum, a good platter of chicken and he would call it a day.
As they walked, her scent wrapped itself around him and nearly caused him to lose his senses. Twice he had been with her, and each time was as mind-blowing as the last. You could say that she had him wrapped around her finger, but that wasn't exactly the case. He had his wits about him, but he also wasn't a fool who couldn't appreciate beauty when he saw it. And Samara was the definition of that.
"I'm glad you came actually," she said. "I would have gone looking for you if you hadn't shown up here today. I take it as a sign that fate has brought us together."
"I doubt that," he said. They had reached the room, and as she threw the door open, he was surprised to find that the room was not empty at all. There were dozens of people in there, and every single one of them was naked.
Tobias kept his eyes on Samara, while everyone around him swayed and entangled themselves in a frenzy. The pile of limbs and desire did not arouse him in any way. He had tasted perfection already, and none of them could come close. He was aware of the strange stares he drew, but that was an occupational hazard which he was forced to endure.
"Make yourself at home," she said, leading him to the bed where two people were actively making love. They moved away as Samara approached, however, and as she sat down, she crossed her long legs in front of her, settling a wicked gaze on him.
"Well?"
"Well what?" he asked.
"Aren't you going to tell me to take off my dress?" she asked with a sultry smirk. Something inside him stirred, and he struggled to keep a straight face as the incessant moans and gasps kept distracting him.
"Take off your dress, Samara," he said.
Her smirk widened as she pulled one shoulder off, then looked up once again.
"Say please."
He took a step forward, and Samara's breath quickened. This was as much fun for her as it was about to be for him. When his arm wrapped around her neck and held her powerfully, she felt her arousal grow even more.
Her hand came up to his loins, and when she felt the bulge in his pants, she squealed with delight.
"I did not come here to beg," he said.
"Of course not," she said. "You never do. But I suppose it's because I'm hopeless when it comes to you. That's why I fall for you each time."
She slid off the other shoulder, and when Tobias saw her breasts perked up and directly in front of him, a powerful urge came over him then. She always did this, knew exactly how to tempt him well enough to make him do exactly what she wanted. How he had gone from wanting some rum to wanting her in a matter of minutes was beyond him.
But she was beautiful; exceptionally so. She had the body of a seductress, with the innocent looks of a young maid. She knew how to work men, and she worked him better than all of them combined.
Her hands came up to his waist, and she pulled down his pants before he could protest. When he sprang forward in front of her, she almost felt faint.
"My, how I've missed you," she crooned before wrapping her lips around his length. Tobias threw his head back as the overwhelming pleasure came over him. His fingers laced into her hair, pulling her closer and swaying as her head bobbed forward and backward.
He didn't care that there were other people in the room; he didn't even care what they would think of him. He had spent his whole life living in the shadows, afraid of what would happen if he got close to someone. Samara was the only person who made him feel wanted. Even though he could not love someone, he knew that he was drawn to her on some primal level.
He could feel his pleasure mounting, growing with each stroke of her lips. She did something with her tongue which nearly sent him over the edge. But he held himself, and when she shoved the entire length all the way to her throat, he knew that it was time.
He pushed her down on the bed, pinning her with his arm while the other pulled the dress away. They were both breathing hard now, and when Tobias finally succeeded in pushing her dress away, he knew that he couldn't hold himself any longer.
He slid into her as easily as he had expected to, seeing how aroused she was. Her warmth wrapped around him, calling to his soul and begging for relief. Each stroke brought him a pleasure unlike any he had ever felt, and each second that passed seemed like an eternity as he tried to ingrain all the emotions swirling in his heart to memory. He would remember this, the feel of her around him, and the way she took his entire length. He would remember the look on her face, lips slightly parted and plump, eyes darkened in ecstasy, with her hair falling over the bed like some famous mural by a very talented artist. She was captivating, and so breathtaking that he almost lost himself in her.
When his pleasure reached its peak, he exploded around her with a power which he never knew he had. It was so mind-blowing that it pulled him from the very centre, and he threw his head back as he was nearly robbed of his senses.
And then he saw it; a white castle made of stone perched on the edge of a cliff. He saw death and destruction before him, and bright orange flames which licked at the side of the castle. Somewhere in the distance, a woman was screaming. But Tobias was stunned by what he was watching. There was a great battle raging in front of him, and he saw a bright red flag burning atop the castle.
He did not recognise the men laying siege to the castle. But he felt something within its walls calling to him. The voice was a woman's, cold and terrified. Tobias felt her fear reflected in his heart, and he stood there listening to the sound of her terror.
A single name came to him, and it was as if the name was whispered to him by the wind. The name meant something to him, and he knew then that he would spend the rest of his life searching for her. She was his destiny, and he had to get to her. When he said the name, his heart soared with joy and the darkness was kept at bay, if only for a moment.
"Diana."
*