And The Snakes Start To Sing [Darius]

Winter was coming to a close. The wind became less strong and the sun's glorious and lively rays shown brighter each passing day. The snow was melting, as it had become certainly irrelevant to the single leader's one great knowing in being capable of watching and pacing the lands by her lonesome self. There was not a speck of the earth left that had not been untouched by her very paws. She made sure of that by marking of which was rightfully and clearly her territory in order to collect what belonged for merely the shifter's and theirs alone. No one else's, just hers. Theirs. Her nights were nothing more but restless turns and twisting within her sheets. The stress of keeping up with her race was becoming a hassle now that she was beginning to trust others in taking care of the seed she planted and was raising. It was great to trust others for those whom were capable, but it was much like a mother's love for a child when it came to her and the clan shr strived to build. Diallo and Jagara had been working so hard, and in secret she had smelt some activity growing about the Epror's coat scenting towarda that of a werewolf. There was not one scratch from her when she returned the other day, and she seemed mildly pleased with her adventure. This made Eden satisfied to know her kind was interacting with Lucian's kin. The last thing she needed was a fault in the system to make their different species hate each other anymore than they may have used to. Luckily, the case of an alliance was being knitted together by her and the Alpha's conversations and unconditonal relations with each other as time grew.

She liked seeing the male, but an anchor was drowning her into another stronger direction. Diallo. The thought of his name made butterflies scatter about her stomach and smile in secret as she wandered mentally to another realm where only happiness existed. She bit her lip and made a sweet noise as her eyes were still very much open and bright with colorful images of Diallo's smile, eyes, and lips stare through to her mind. Only did her thoughts break when a crashing noise make her jump in her seat. It was her coffee cup. She swept up the glass into a neat pile and mopped up the coffee puddle, carefully kneeling down to pick up the pieces. Just as she had begun to get the all, she cringed as one cut into her palm by accident, the blood spilling out from the cut and dripping onto her hand below it. She sighed and went to the bathroom of her work office to clean it up. As she was done, she closed the front of her journal of many secrets and hid it with the rest of her books on the top shelf. Eden sighed and looked out the window. The lights that lined the streets were all aglow and not a sound in sight was able to be heard except for the crackling of the open fireplace only ten paces away from her reach. All the stores and shops were closed at this hour, and she had missed curfew of returning back to camp for the evening bonfire. The clan would be there, expecting her to show but the Regina had been too stressed by work and commanding them all that the thought was overlapped with other things on her mind. She needed a drink, time to herself, she thought.

As she had begun to lock up her office for the night, the thought of taking a drive sounded nice. It had been a long while since she had been able to have the chance of an evening dedicated to just herself, that is, until the once she met the Alpha for the first time. She shook her head. This was not a time to be thinking of him. She loved someone else, not him. It must be one of her mind's weird and mean jokes. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, Eden drove through the streets of Lunari, admiring the lights that shinned in her eyes of which the buildings and sidewalks were alined neatly with. Her white and blue thin fitting dress hugged against her curves to accent her figure, stretching to the way she was positioned and moving with the direction she walked. In the distance, a glowing golden light shown over a near river, shimmering over its surface and sillouetting the body of skyscrapers that hid it. She had never seen this hotel before, but it seemed lovely. Looking at the time, she noticed how late she was, and decided she would stay there for the night. As she pulled into the parking lot, Eden grabbed her stuff and stood outside the revolving door to make a call as she lit a cigarette, a terrible habit she had gained recently. She called Diallo first, knowing he would be the first to answer. When she had told him that she was thrusting him to be in charge, she finished with a sweet goodbye and hung up, picking up her purse to head into the large lobby. Her heels clicked behind her steps, carefully nearing the front desk where a thin, brown haired and nervous man stood looking at her while he held the phone up to his ear. The tigress tilted her head as his jaw was open in surprise. He was staring at her, why? She felt strangely uncomfortable, "Ahem.." he fidgeted and hung up the phone quickly to aid her towards a room. The man was kind enough to help her with her things, but she was a big girl, she could handle it on her own.

The room was nice and spacious, certainly something that was nice for her on such short notice. She didn't need a royal room to feel pleased, she was thankful for the things she got anyway. Pushing off her bags and jacket, she took her clutch tightly in her hands before taking down the pin from her hair, letting the lochs fly down and roll down her back freely once more. When she was finished, she took her card and stepped away from her room to go downstairs a couple levels. The employee had told her of many rooms within the hotel to keep her busy, but the one thing she did find wonderful above all the choices was the small self serving bar and game room. She liked the sport  and if she were lucky enough, no one would be there to bother her. Passing through the halls, she found the room and dove in without a word, keeping quiet as she had fortunately came at a let enough hour for everyone to be sleeping. It was so quiet, she could hear her own heart beating in her chest. The bar was small and packed with all the good drinks, and along the other side were three large pool tables. She started a game, setting out the colored balls within the triangular contraption that held them together. Before she cracked them, Eden made herself a drink and comfortably sat on one of the table's corners with her legs elegantly crossed. Things were so perfect sometimes, she thought happily.

It was not the usual place one would find Darius, at the Borgia Hotel. The ex-pirate, ex-gladiator and ex-bodyguard with the heart of a lion was not one for deep contemplation or brooding ruminations. It was at its core, a habit that could lead to dark places if under-taken far too much. Cycling through what ifs, what could have been or past heartache and regrets were things that could force a man, or woman, to go mad with feelings that were better left in the past. The young werewolf was standing on the balcony of the middle floor, leaning against the railing with his arms crossed over on the top in an easy, relaxed position. He had just finished swimming in the pool near the bar. Fortunately it’d been heated because of the weather to give the guests some comfort from the freezing cold. He went back into the room he’d booked to dry off with a towel and throw on a long-sleeved white shirt and swap his swimming trunks for a pair of army green cargo pants. His eyes were gazing out to the river. They seemed to be glimmers of something in them, echoes of something that was seemed to make his youthful features seem slightly older. He had the heart of a youngling but perhaps, with more heartaches and turmoil that it should have had to contend with. Fire still shone from his eyes, one that would never be extinguished. He was taking in the scenery. For all of Darius’ passion and thirst for life, for adventure and excitement, he also appreciated the visceral beauty that the world had to offer in all its natural abundance. The water in front of him for instance, which was glittering like a mass of stray pearls strewn across the surface and the radiant, effervescent glow of the hotel lights that lit up the streets and surroundings with a magnificent gold shades. Laughter drifted from down below, glasses clinking sharply. So there were still some people lurking around at this hour. He started to turn, catching a glimpse of a car pulling into the parking lot. A young woman stepped out, clad in a white and blue dress that outlined the curvier parts of her figure. She was a Shifter, one with a feline scent. He couldn’t have picked what rank she was. Stretching, he turned around running his hand through his damp hair. Maybe they’d end up meeting each other in some comical turn of circumstances later on. It was an exciting prospect as Shifters were intriguing to him. Together they composed of a multitude of animals that could fill an encyclopedia. Darius had not recognized each one of them, for he was not a walking text-book and this world had an endless supply of animal species, some that had been discovered during the course of a century or within the last decade. But he relished in learning and seeing new things. And above all, in meeting new people. Memories and experiences were the only treasures a supernatural almost immortal could live for. Everything else paled in comparison when time was involved.  

Heading from the balcony back into the conservatorium he walked past the eateries and restaurants, all closed. The only exceptions were the array of fast food restaurants that were sprinkled throughout the floor. He stopped at the lifts, hitting the down arrow. With a brief ping, it opened and he strode inside tapping the buttons to one of the lower levels. As the doors started to slide shut his stomach rumbled. Hunger it seemed, was a perpetual companion to him. Darius had pinned it down to his werewolf metabolism. He could eat a horse and a bird for seconds if he was starving which he had done once. The doors slid open revealing a wide hallway with an entrance on the right with double glass doors. Strolling down, he saw it was a game room and a self-serving bar. There were a few pool tables spread out over the floor and a bar. The lights were warm gold, bathing the chairs, tables and room in an orange-yellow glow. There were a few pin-ball machines and even a couple of vending machines for stuffed animals. A Plasma screen TV was mounted on the wall a few inches to the front, showing a game of football. Darius wasn’t particularly interested in football. It was a hit or miss for him. It was almost exactly like the days when he travelled as Roman gladiator around Rome. It was entertainment. Thrilling and exciting because of its nature. For the spectators, it had been a visceral feat for the eyes and something to cure their boredom. It got the blood pumping. For him, it had been just another day in the arena. Injury was common though it was not something he would welcome on any day as it would’ve meant he wouldn’t have been able to fight properly. The only difference was that it was solo and the aim wasn’t to get the ball over the line but to fight. So it was like football but much bloodier and much more gruesome with the added possibility of death in every match if a green gladiator sliced with his sword the wrong way and stabbed his heart instead of his arm. But pool was a game he enjoyed on casual occasions so he headed for the bar first, mixing a drink. Tequila and orange juice, with grenadine sliding down the sides to mix and an orange peel and a cherry to top it off (though he ate five of the cherries to satisfy his hunger for the time being). Strolling back to the pool table he picked up the cue that someone had left on the edge setting the drink down onto the edge of the table. It felt like a twig with his enhanced strength. Someone had been halfway through a game. There only three remaining balls with the cue ball in the top left hand corner.    

Taking aim, he fired at number 2 in the middle. The ball rolled across the table, knocking into the remaining two. One fell straight into the pocket opposite it. The other tumbled off the edge, dropping the floor. Kneeling down, Darius felt around for the ball. When his fingers brushed it he heard the door open. A scent wafted through the air, with a tinge of cigarette smoke. He stood up, the ball in his hand. It was the woman he had seen earlier. She was sitting on the edge of one of the pool tables far across from him, eight balls set out to play a proper game. He glanced at the pool table beside him. Missing the cue ball and four coloured ones. She had a full set. He set the ball down, taking the drink and strode towards her in easy, powerful loping strides. She wasn’t facing him but on angle so he approached her from the side. His eyes creasing into a handsome smile, he said extending the drink out to her, “Fancy some company? Two’s better than one and don’t worry, the drink’s safe haven’t touched it.”  

Her eyes flitted over to meet the orbs of a mere other, his stench surely displayed as one more closely related to the ally she had made so long ago known to be the original lycan himself. The contours of his face were sharp and angled to a sheer perfection, just as most werewolves, or at least like all the ones she had officially gotten to know or observe from a safe distance. His hair was a burnt brown, edged to shape short against his head and neat - just as the combination of the materials he wore upon his lightly tanned, soft flesh. The male's posture gave off sophisticated, though she would not be surprised if it was just a comfortable cover to make him less noticeable amongst the human eyes. Species such as shifters and werewolves and even Mora always had that ability, though the frustration and lack of control in some races have attempted to expose their kind with but only a single committed act of betrayal. Her soft, lightly dashed pink lips melted into a smile as his scent reminded her so much of, what she assumed, his leader. This made her feel at ease with the stranger, and simply offered a gentle, creamy pale hand in welcome to the male, "Company would be divine, actually, especially after knowing no one else will be willing to be badgered with my presence. Must I owe'th thee a favor for having the kind of heart to mingle with one such as I?" The tigress's voice was skittish, yet playful, as if she were already regaining her lack of energy and reviving herself from within to take on what was next of her occurring agenda for the night. Her fingers grazed against his as she received the crystal clear glass that was a centimeter away from being brimmed with the sweet liquid within it. It appeared tempting to the vulnerable eye, what with it's enriched flavor and lightly toned color, whom wouldn't be so accepting to not only a free drink, but one that would sooth the tongue of even the stressed and tired.

She quirked a curious, dark blonde brow upon meeting his face once more as she brought the glass's rim up to the end of her plump pair of lips and allowed her hand to tip it back until the drink began to flow into the caverns of her mouth. Once she was done, she silently placed it on one of the pool table's sides and fastened back into her position to lightly tug down the fabric of her dress so that it did not completely ride up her figure and wrinkle. "And to whom exactly am I speaking to, dear Mr. Werewolf? Do not deny yourself of what you are, we both know it'd only be a lie, now wouldn't it? You already know what am I, and I already know what you are. But.. may I be granted a name?" In a way of providing more space between the single individuals, the leading shifter slide from the wooden corner and back onto normal ground, planting both heeled feet before her till she stood to her entire height of only an inch at most taller than he in their human suits. She was almost surprised that for once she was taller than a man, but showed nothing of shock upon her face to reveal her internal reaction, this way so he would not be concerned or questionable about himself. Her ocean-like orbs stared into his light brown irises as she awaited a simple answer, that is, before she nodded into his response and parted her lips to speak, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Eden, Eden White, the leading and original's offspring to the race you've already classified to be a shifter. If you must know, I am of a potential part of Lucian's time, and that I am no harm to your race. We've.. actually begun to discuss an alliance together." She smiled at the sound of the werewolf's name curled at the tip of her tongue, lavishing herself in the little joy it gave her to know that the shifters will soon be able to be protected against war once the alliance was knitted as officially a whole.

As her eyes appraised him analytically, he set the cue stick down and leaned against the edge of the pool table. His expression remained as it was, open and friendly, without any pretensions. The smile grew into a slight smirk, confidence trickling from him easily as he did the same for her. He had pinned her to be someone of high status within the Shifter race and he was ultimately very curious. His knowledge of the social hierarchy and structure of Shifters was limited. What he knew were pearls from the Shifters he had met during his piracy days. As with werewolves, he knew they had an Alpha and Alphess although they were called Regina and Rex respectively. They were Roman terms, something which would always be close to his heart. From the way she was standing he guessed she was the Alphess or the Regina. Rex, as it would be, was literally a “King” and Regina would then be a “Queen”. Perhaps she was the latter. And there was another scent on her, the same one that he had smelt from his Beta. There was either one more male roaming around in their pack-lands or it was his Alpha. She had blonde hair, hanging in long wavy curls and her features were classically angled in that they were sharp and ultimately feminine. The dress suited her, accentuating her curves and angles. She had beauty that was conventional and attractive, down-to-earth. When her lips curved into a smile, he registered that they were heart-shaped and in that instant, surmised them to be the most beautiful part of her features. Darius took the hand that was offered with his free hand, lowering his head to her and bending a knee in a roguish, charming bow. Straightening he picked up the cue stick and said, “Then those people are missing out and well, the favour lies in a wayward rogue having a beautiful Shifter’s company for the night. You oweth me no favour, my fair lady.” Werewolves, as it were, were not known for being clever with words or commonly associated with charm that was not of the scruffy kind but he was not a typical werewolf. As powerful as he was when it involved activities of physicality, he was also an avid reader and enjoyed some things that other werewolves seemed to either shun, hate or were completely indifferent to. The art of seduction was one of them and it was a game that he loved. Impressing the opposite sex was no easy feat as every female was different but it was fun when he managed to do it. As her fingers grazed his skin when she took the glass, he noted that her skin was soft and smooth a stark contrast with his own calloused skin that was rough and worn with the labour it’d had to contend with over the centuries. He watched her, head inclined towards her with a calm, warm expression on his face. The dim lighting threw shadows across them, darkening his form in shadowed shades but it was as if the darkness was complementing the atmosphere. Darius was as relaxed as he had ever been. He was at ease with almost anyone he met, either due to his natural disposition or that he had become accustomed to a wide variety of varying personalities and this was no different. The atmosphere was as if they weren’t strangers but merely old friends that were hanging out together. When she quirked a brow at him before she started to drink he merely smiled back, winking at her reassuringly as if to say she wouldn’t regret doing so. It was generally a good drink to calm the nerves.

He pushed himself off with one foot as she finished, eyes drifting from the glass back to her as she adjusted her dress. She was careful, which was a good thing. Not everyone had pure intentions behind their actions and not everyone was good-natured. He plastered a pretend thoughtful expression on his face, fingers threading through his ruffled hair in a casual brush. It was a trick of his, one that he used when he was feigning innocence. Though his features lent themselves best to that so it fooled strangers at the least. He said slowly, “Let’s see. I’m a werewolf as you figured out. As to who you’re speaking to, that’d be a gladiator, a pirate and a bodyguard in that order.” He said with a flourish of his hand, declaring,“And the name is Darius, jack of trades, master of none.” That wasn’t completely true but he liked teasing the pretty ones and playing as was deserving of his reputation as a rogue. A secret was never to reveal all his cards at once and leave some things for guesswork. It was something he had learned during his time spent flirting with women during his time in Italy. Though, it was something of a gamble but when life was as chaotic as his, he had to use whatever tricks he had at his disposal. His façade was never an act in that sense though. He knew how to look suave and presentable, how to be civilized as it were. However, he didn’t place a high priority on what was considered “proper” social etiquette and customs. He loved a life filled with adventure and danger, excitement because that was what he lived for. Would a Shifter have the same views he wondered. Shifters weren’t entirely human, having two forms and having to disguise themselves in the guise of a human when they were partially animal. They were players on a stage made for people that were normal and so were in the same position as werewolves. Surely their animal selves had to find freedom somehow. He was about to ask when she slid off the edge of the pool table, two feet landing on the floor in front of him. She was only just slightly taller than him, a fact which would have irked him if he had been insecure about his height but he wasn’t. He gazed back into her eyes, back settling against the edge of the pool table behind him and hands in his pockets comfortably. The corners of his lips turned upwards in a half-smile. He was the picture of confidence, at ease with himself and approachable. He was wondering what animal she would turn into. Something graceful and elegant perhaps. Some kind of feline? A panther? A lion? Then she spoke, answering his unspoken question. He picked up the cue stick he’d put down, kneeling down on one knee in front of her and set the stick down in front of her in a gesture of goodwill, looking up at her with a playful spark in his eyes. “Well then it’s a pleasure and privilege to meet you as well, Ms Eden White. I’m glad to hear there’s no ill will between us and that our races could potentially become allies. I’d hate to make an enemy out of someone so divine.”

"A gladiator, a pirate and a bodyguard you say? Sounds like quite the journey if you ask me. Pray tell me more, will you?" Her eyes twinkled with his clever, collected words. He had a way with beating it around the bush when it came to courting a woman, but she would not be won over so easily now that she had two suitors on her plate, or at least one, that is. The strong, broad shouldered werewolf portrayed a cocky demeanor, melted into the body of handsome confidence and heroic attitude, all the while filled with history she craved to know. Eden graced a hand over her mouth slightly, peering down at him in the position to which would resemble that of a knight greeting his one and only majesty. Her finger lightly stroked over her bottom lip and down her chin till it finally fell back upon her side. She enjoyed the way he spoke to her, but if only he knew that such royalty feelings and actions were not needed. They were equals, in a sense, maybe not through rank upon their race, but as individuals outside the pack lives, yes. She meant no disrespect to the man that knelt down before her, presenting himself with what she caught and made out to be a playful aura in his step that revolved around them. Chuckling softly to herself, she nodded, her long white and blonde waves bouncing as she did so, "Certainly you are mistaken for another, for I am not beautiful, maybe on the inside I could agree with you, but not on the outside," She said modestly, exaggerating her sense of humor by dramatically pausing and putting a hand over her chest. Then she rolled her eyes and dropped the act before she began to laugh. Nothing was more worse than being the only one to laugh at their own humor, especially when the audience does not relate or understand what was funny in the first place. Darius claimed to be a werewolf, just as she had predicted, but she knew that even if he did know that she was a shifter, no one was able to determine what type of shifter she was. For all he knew, she could be a parrot, or perhaps something more agile, like a mouse, as her personality is fragile and so is she, but she is also wise and sneaky at times, like a fox. Sometimes it did make her wonder what other species thought she was on the inside - the real side beneath this disguise she chose to wore only to fit in with society as a secret. That was where shifters and werewolves came to be a lot of like, they both had troubles staying under the radar to the danger of some humans coming after them. There would never be a time where their kind would be safe unless the human race was eventually exterminated, but the facts of that ever happening were slim and be-fitting. Without them, she would have never been born, but she supposed there was some good to them being here.

Seeing the male now, her trained sense of sight began to tail down his features and complete form that was still knelt a foot away from where she stood. Shifters were not particularly treated by royalty for any of their species, but she did like the pride he held in bothering to show her some form of respect, even if she wasn't usually praised like this. Instead, she stood back near the bar's edge and peered down at him, meeting his playful graze as soon as it stalked into her own. The woman then bent her back into an arch-like form and within those passing seconds, her dress had faded and so had the woman standing there. Material and skin caved into a place of the unknown and her human features smoothed out to be a feline-friendly face and body. Her milky colored flesh was now completely covered in pure snow white fur, lined with dark brown black stripes that stretched around her body with two round ears at the top of her cranium and a long striped tail to drape behind her hips. Her hand had still remained on his shoulder as she shifted, having it placed it before she shifted so that he'd get a sense of how easy it was for shifters compared to the werewolves to phase without any pain. Her smile remained intact, only her furred lips appeared closed to the human eye, though perhaps as a werewolf he would be able to see the corner of her lips had quirked since then. Flicking her rounded ears forwards, her light blue hues smiled at him before she leaned in her head closer to press against his forehead, "The pleasure is all mine." This was how shifters greeted each other if they made a friend, or simply showing another sign of affection by either nuzzling them or perhaps pawing into their sides. Either way, Eden left her head against the lycans as a sign of respect and slowly leaned back on her paws away from him, "I only pray every day that our forces will unite and become stronger than what we have yet to face. I fear if it hadn't of been for Lucian and I crossing paths, my kind would be putty in the human hands and we'd eventually die off. Now that I am becoming closer with your Alpha, I feel more safe and relieved that we, my species, will be alright." The tiger tilted her head inwards as she drew a long, happy sigh and curled her tail around her haunches. Her height only exceeded to his kneeling position, which was nice since she could see his face as clear as day. Fortunately, they were the only ones in here, so at least then she wouldn't be so easily exposed unless it was with Darius, a person she could trust. The tiger cooed a tired growl and batted her lashes quickly to keep herself alive and more importantly awake, "If there are any questions you wished to know.. ask away." She granted him the trust to know more about her kind, for he deserved to if they were going to become close with the alliance. They really had no choice, in a way.

"I'm an open book."

Grinning up at her, he picked up the cue stick and said, “Not much to tell. I fought for my life, literally in the colosseums of Ancient Rome not just among men but animals like lions, elephants and tigers. After a brief stint in China I ended up sailing the high seas as a pirate, both under the command of a vampire and under the command of myself and well….” He rolled the stick in his hand, adding, “It wasn’t as glamorous as the movies make it out to be but they got some bits right. The sword-fights, the sea battles between ships were right and so were the injuries. I lost a leg or two and an arm in a fight with the captain when he marooned me on a coast-line of Spain after I failed to overcome a challenge he’d set for me. That was when he tried to kill me so I killed him and became Captain. As for the bodyguard, it was for a Chinese princess and a Japanese warlord. The first, before my piracy, was the one I protected for many, many decades from assassins, from bandits, even aggressive suitors who wanted to kidnap her or rape her and from people who would have been my friends, from pirates. I grew to love her very much but I was blind. One of her guards was a vampire and he was changing her or maybe he was pulling out what she already was. I didn’t notice that she was becoming a monster and all she wanted was to do turn the country into a hellish nightmare where vampires would be the master race and everyone else would be prey or servant.” At this, his tone became dark, regret threaded in the rough under-tones and his voice strangely quiet and reflective,"I tried to help her but she was beyond hope. She wanted her utopia even if it meant innocent people would die and I just wanted to enjoy a simple life enjoying every moment. I couldn’t save her and she couldn’t let me live so I killed her. The villagers saw me kill her and wanted me hanged for murdering their Queen. The Empress saved me in the end. I wasn’t hanged but I was stabbed with a sword, believed to be dead and thrown into the ocean in a coffin.”  

He gazed back up at her, eyes seeming to smoulder with a hint of liquid gold. He didn’t say anything else for a moment, images of deceased loved ones flashing through his mind. He treasured all his memories, the good, the bad, the ugly for life was filled with all of that and everything else in between. But some were more painful than others, bringing some emotions to the surface. He did consider her an equal in terms of just simply as a person as he did for most everyone and as much as he was a man of action, he was also passionate and revelled in each moment. The wolf in him was reacting to the pain. Finally he spoke again, his eyes turning back to normal, “As for my time in Japan, it was after the pirates. Most peaceful time of my life. I made some friends, lost a brother and served as a samurai in a pack of werewolves to defend my land against invading armies for a few centuries.”He laughed at her theatrics, starting to stand until she arched her back and began to morph, human features transforming into feline, white brown-black striped fur replacing human skin. The hand, which had been placed on his shoulder before she’d shifted, showed no sign of pain. Not a single tremble. She didn’t feel any pain it seemed and it was an enviable thing but he had come to terms with the pain his transformations brought him.    

Surprise darted across his chiselled features as she touched his forehead with hers followed by confusion. It had to be some form of friendliness based on what she said. It was one which he had never been honoured with before so he received it with something in kind by placing his arms around her neck in a strong, cordial hug. It was the first time he’d touched a tiger without the mutual intention of both of them trying to kill each other for the entertainment of bloodthirsty spectators. It was much more pleasant. Letting go, he sat down with his back against the leg of the pool table with one leg sprawled out, the other drawn up to his chest arm across his knee so that he was still facing her. He leaned forwards, spying a part of something beneath her paw and reached out to take it away. It was a card, lodged underneath one of her paws. It was a Queen of Hearts. Lying it down in front of her he chuckled,“Well now, if you’re an open book then you’re the Queen of Hearts aren’t you? The heart is the most beautiful when it’s open after all so it seems like you’re in love.” She was marvellous up close, a creature of beauty with startling sapphire eyes. There were many questions in his mind. How many Shifters did she have in the clan? Were Shifters able to live longer than normal animals? What would happen if a Shifter had a child with a werewolf such as himself? And most pressingly, what her relationship with his Alpha was exactly if he offered her safety and security from what fear? She seemed happy, albeit a little tired but happy. Was it Lucian’s doing or someone in the Shifter clan? And of the more trivial questions. What did she do to occupy her time as a human? Did she work in the city? Or did she enjoy staying in animal form and venturing out only as a human only for important matters relating to the clan? So he opted for a question that was neutral between the two but relevant.“Lucian is the first-born of my race. You’re the Queen so you’re the same. So if it’s safety you seek from my Alpha and our kind then is it the humans and the vampires you’re scared of?”

His fingers were gripping the butt of the cue stick in a tight fist. Like a sword. It seemed normal, natural. His expression was calm, bathed in the glow of the lights from the bar but a muscle in his jaw twitched. Darius didn’t like killing but it was an ugly reality of life. Death, violence, brutality. Sometimes peace was not attainable especially where the supernatural races were involved, particularly between werewolves, humans and vampires. And if someone was trying to kill him, he’d return the favour. If anyone did the same to his friends and family, he’d do the same. Acting first and asking questions later may have not been the best approach in all circumstances but it had been the only thing that had kept him alive all these centuries. That, and having quick reactions and the ability to act accordingly to a situation instead of recklessly (though the reckless part had been tempered into wary caution by time). Darius was a fighter through and through but he was cunning enough to think fast too. He supposed being the Regina of the Shifters, Eden was the same that respect. They both had to fight for simple things because of problems that came with being born or just for being the way they were. Security and safety being the number one thing and at a close second, freedom to be who they really were, to stop hiding from a world that would for her, capture her and use her for her own amusement and for him, fear him and try to kill him. But for now, there was no one to harm either of them. Not vampires, or humans. He set the cue stick down, his gaze on the tigress in front of him waiting for her answer.