The First Touch

by Alice Sweet

  Autumn put her hands on her hips, “I could have taken care of the bad man all by myself Ivan. I am not that weak. Even you agreed with me before. I believe you said, “I could probably give him a run for his money.”

  Ivan nodded, “True, but I am here just as I was then, and I can make faster work of him.”

  Autumn nodded in agreement, then snapped her fingers, and said, “Sophia is going to need to be moved, those men saw me leave her apartment. Once they see a picture of me then they might put two and two together.” They nodded together and Autumn took the note and journal back and put them into her bag. Then they left the alleyway and took another taxi back to Sophia’s apartment.

  Twist and Turn

  Autumn knocked on the door and it swung open, there was no sign of forced entry but she stepped in cautiously anyways. The two men were sitting calmly waiting for Autumn as soon as she saw them, Ivan stepped in front of her. They raised their hands and began speaking in a foreign tongue similar to the one that Mirth had used. Autumn felt a chill hit her, something was wrong? The two men backed away cautiously and she watched as Ivan closed in on them speaking fast and harshly in a cold voice.

  Another chill hit her then, and Autumn asked, “Where is Sophia?” Ivan asked the men and they shrugged, seeming bewildered. She left Sophia’s apartment then and went next door. As she pushed open her door, she saw her destroyed apartment and let out a gasp. She began calling for Jack instantly, and then she heard him meowing in the closet near the front door. Autumn opened it and he leaped into her arms then and began purring loudly. Autumn petted him and then heard a loud bang, as the two men stumbled into the room.

  Jack didn’t seem to notice them as usual, however, when Ivan followed them in, Jack jumped from Autumn’s arms and stood in front of her hissing at Ivan. She furrowed her brows and tried to calm Jack, but he did not seem to hear her. His hisses turned to growls as Ivan stepped closer eyeing the cat. Autumn stepped closer to Jack and reached down to pick him up but he jumped at Ivan instead. Then she watched in horror as Ivan grabbed him in mid-air and ripped him in half. As he did this he turned his back to Autumn and began throwing a slew of words at the two men, who watched him horrified. Autumn stepped back then seeing Ivan’s reflection in the broken mirror in the hall, a look unlike any she had seen before.

  Autumn’s inner voice whispered, run and without hesitation Autumn took a running leap out of her apartment window. As she landed on the ground, her ankles shattered, even though she tucked and rolled, attempting to redistribute the weight to avoid anymore damage. Just then, a black sports car came flying towards her, stopping inches from her head. Before she could even take a breath, Grayton reached down and scooped her up off of the ground into his idling vehicle and sped off. Autumn hissed as her bones began slowly and painfully mending themselves.

  Grayton’s face looked pale and he was cursing profusely as he weaved through traffic heading for the expressway. As soon as they were clear, Autumn whispered though her pain, “Thank you Grayton.”

  He finally took his eyes from the road long enough to look at her. “How do you know my name?”

  Autumn winced, “Where is the rest of the council?”

  Grayton seemed confused and a bit angry, “What? What would you want the council for?”

  Autumn frowned, “Wait, why? Is Mirth still in charge of the council in this scenario?”

  He narrowed his eyes, “This scenario?”

  Autumn frowned, “Is he in charge or not?”

  Grayton growled, “Yes.”

  She cursed, “Then where is Serena?”

  He snapped, “Dead.”

  Autumn snapped back, “When did she die?”

  “Long ago,” he replied.

  Autumn frowned, “Right after Isisa killed herself and Mirth took power all supped up on her blood I am guessing?”

  Grayton pulled the car off of the highway, his eyes blackened and snapped, “What is going on?”

  Autumn huffed, “I am the eye.”

  Grayton stopped and said, “Mirth is the eye”

  She huffed again, “Fine them I am the next eye.” Grayton eyed her, and Autumn continued, “Mirth and Gregory are trying to kill me before I can finish my transformation. So that I cannot replace Mirth, though I am not sure what he has done to Ivan though.”

  He raised his eyebrow, “Why did you run?”

  “I was in danger.”

  Grayton hissed, “How did you know?”

  “Ivan killed my cat.”

  Grayton raised his eyebrow again, “Explain.”

  Autumn huffed, “Ivan would not have done that. Well at least not the Ivan I fell in love with in the past.” Then Autumn cursed again, “So Ivan works for?”

  Grayton spat, “Mirth.”

  She hissed to herself again, and then asked, “So if Serena is dead then how did you know where I was then?”

  Grayton replied, “I didn’t I was following Ivan.”

  She nodded, “What is Ivan like now in this reality then?”

  Grayton twisted his head, “Why do you want to know?”

  She spat back, “Because I need to know if I need to kill him or not.”

  Grayton huffed, “You will not be able to kill him. No one can.”

  Autumn looked at Grayton thoughtfully, “Did Ivan kill Serena?”

  Grayton did not answer and Autumn nodded, “So I have to kill him.” Grayton nodded, and Autumn asked feigning innocence, “May I taste you?”

  He shifted in his seat, his eyes watching her cautiously, “Why?”

  Autumn shifted in her seat then, “I want to know what is really going on and the best way is to taste you so I can see how the world is now from your eyes.” Grayton continued to watch her and Autumn continued, “Plus it will prove to you that I am the eye.”

  Grayton shifted adding, “Or that you are my mate.”

  Autumn smiled brightly then, “Then you would be pleased either way, since you do not have one.”

  Grayton winced and she reached forward to touch his hand softly, and Grayton flinched withdrawing his hand instantly. Autumn pulled her hand back cautiously as well then, and added, “If this is a trick, then you can kill me quickly and go back to stalking Ivan again.” Grayton continued to watch her cautiously, and Autumn slid her hand out a second time. This time he did not jerk away, “You can even cut yourself and pour a bit into my hand if it makes you more comfortable.”

  Grayton continued to watch her, “You might need more than that.”

  Autumn watched him cautiously, “Oh. You think?” Grayton nodded, and then he gave her a look of warning and she nodded. Then Grayton sliced his wrist and held it out to her. Autumn moved slowly towards him and began to drink slowly, keeping her eyes opened. As soon as the images began flashing in her mind she threw herself backwards, half closing her eyes. She was completely immersed in a barrage of horribly painful memories that shot through her brain leaving cuts that caused her to call out.

  Immediately, she felt strong arms wrapping around her tightly, and a familiar comforting voice filling her head with calm. Then after what seemed like forever Autumn finally understood the words, “It is alright, no one will hurt you.” She felt the warm salty wetness of the tears that had fallen silently on to her cheeks. She finally sat up and wiped her eyes, “That was horrible Grayton, I hope I wake up from this one sooner than the last.” Grayton eyed her and Autumn frowned, “I am sorry for all of your loss, I did not know that you and Drake were the last of my clan.”

  Grayton looked at her confused, “What clan?”

  Autumn looked at Grayton, “You, Henry, Flora, Galen, and Helen were all members in my clan during my first life as the eye.” Grayton looked at her strangely, and Autumn explained the entire jumping process over again to her new ally.

  Grayton ended, “So Drake killed his creator and Mirth made him think that she was a traitor?”

  Autumn nodded, “Yes, but like I said before, he will change sides once he knows the truth.
”

  He frowned, “Ivan was your mate?”

  Autumn nodded sadly, “Yes... but he has become a different man now.”

  “Yes but you already bonded with him.”

  Autumn nodded blinking back tears again, “Yes if I have to stay this route... his death will be particularly... painful for me.” Then she cursed, thinking about killing Ivan seriously.

  He asked solemnly, “Do you really think you could do it?”

  Autumn frowned, “Honestly? I do not know, one part of me says that I have to,” Autumn touched her hand to her forehead, “and the other part says to keep him a prisoner.” She touched her chest then. “Either way will be painful for both of us, but I think a clean break would be the best.”

  Grayton continued to frown, “If you think you will not be able to see it through then once you have weakened him, I can finish him off.”

  Autumn frowned, “I don’t think that is such a good idea. I have one fatal flaw.” Drake perked up a bit, and Autumn laid it out for him, “I cannot forgive someone when they wrong me.”

  Grayton did not seem to grasp her words and then suddenly he nodded, “Taking him from you.”

  “Yes, and sadly I hope Ivan hurts me enough to numb the pain, even if it is just a moment or two. Just so I will be able to flip the switch and cut him off quickly.”

  Grayton replied matching her sorrow, “I hope for your sake then that he is as cruel as he was the night that he murdered all of our friends.”

  Autumn nodded looking distraught, “Yes my thoughts exactly.” Then Autumn hissed, “I am so tired now,” and she looked at Grayton changing her tone to thoughtful, “You are old Grayton.”

  Grayton nodded surprised by her words, “Yes I am.”

  She reached forward and ruffled his hair, “You need a hair cut, and to eat. You look like hell.” Again Grayton seemed surprised by her, “I have been busy.”

  Autumn looked at him nurturing, “I guess you have. Thank you for saving me.” Grayton nodded, and was about to start the car when Autumn stopped him, “Wait, why did he know before I did?” Grayton looked at her uncomprehending, then Autumn slapped her leg and cursed, “Gregory must have awoken in a different time and place than I did because Mirth was already in power before I was even born. But how could that be unless he has the power to move by himself. I would not have sent him back, would I? No I would not have sent him back to put Mirth in charge. But Gregory was not waiting for me. Why was he not waiting for me himself?”

  Grayton interjected, “Perhaps he thought you already had your abilities.”

  “But if that were the case, then why would he allow Ivan to run into me?”

  Grayton replied, “To test a theory?”

  Autumn nodded, “Either test to see if I could or to see if I knew if I could. Or it could be that Ivan did not tell them the whole truth when they spoke about it the first time.”

  “Or to ensure that you bonded with their strongest male, one that they have been grooming for centuries for just this purpose,” He offered.

  Autumn nodded, “To kill me. Just like Drake did to his first.”

  “Have you tried to use your abilities?”

  Autumn frowned, “No, but I can think of the perfect opportunity to test it.”

  Grayton replied, “The bad man?”

  “Yes but in the past it only came out when I was in danger. So you cannot help.”

  He agreed though not looking confident, “Alright.”

  Grayton started the car, Autumn frowned, “They will definitely have the files now….”

  He frowned, “How important are they?”

  Autumn shrugged, “I do not know but Serena seemed to think they were important enough to take with us before.” Then she cursed again, “I wish that Ivan did not have my journal. I burnt it the first time, so he never read it. Well he glanced at it but nothing important at least I was pretty sure.”

  Grayton sat quietly, and she pouted, “He will know me fairly well after reading it.” Grayton nodded understanding and Autumn snapped, “I made a lot of inappropriate comments about Ivan in my last writings.”

  Grayton raised his eye brow, “Inappropriate”

  She smacked the seat next to her, “Yes, though embarrassing would be a better descriptor.”

  He smiled, “Those are usually seen as healthy.”

  Autumn frowned blushing, “Well they are my private thoughts and I did not want him to see any of that.”

  Before Grayton could rebut Autumn said, “He went back father than I did perhaps even back to his birth like I did. Are we linked in someway? He already knew about me or else Mirth would not have risen to power after his sister’s suicide. Then why did he not simply kill me earlier? Like before I could use my powers? He certainly could have done it easily enough. There is something else, what am I missing?”

  Grayton resorted back to his original theory, “They might have decided to take a gamble and try and bring you into the fold like they did with Ivan.”

  Autumn frowned, “Then why not take me as a baby and raise me as one of their own? I could have been easily shaped.”

  He frowned and shook his head, “Maybe they could not.”

  Then Autumn asked, “When did Isisa die?”

  “Long before you were born,” he explained.

  Autumn asked angrily, “Mirth took power right after that?” He nodded and Autumn frowned looking frustrated and huffed, “I just need more….”

  Grayton smiled suddenly, “Yes we do.”

  She huffed, “I should have bitten Ivan.” Grayton nodded his approval.

  Run Away

  Ivan watched the scene over and over again in his mind, there is no way that he could have foreseen her jump. He should have, but she had not even fallen asleep yet. That move would have been suicidal had she not already begun the change though. He felt the weight on his chest again and cursed, she was his mate and she had nearly killed herself fleeing from him. Only to be picked up by someone else, he cursed to himself.

  Ivan put his hand to his chest, as it shot through him piercing his skull, the pain was horrible now. It was like nothing he had experienced before, and he knew pain. He dropped the two men’s bodies in the back of the van and patted the back after closing the door. It drove off and Ivan sniffed the air looking for his mates scent. He found it fast enough, though as soon as he did, the pain increased. She was not too far, he could feel it. There was another feeling that touched his mind; she wanted him to stay away.

  Ivan smiled, pain and more pain, the subtle nudging of life, to keep you moving. The first lesson that he had taught by his creator was pain, when he was first born into this life. Pain keeps you moving, while all others are intended to slow you down. Others shy away from it, embrace the others because they satisfied the lesser urges. If you let go of those urges, tend them less, eventually they wither.

  Pain on the other hand can be a powerful motivator. No need to tend it, allow it to run free and spread. It will consume you, leaving its power behind. Decades of training and this one was causing him so much pain that even he had trouble pretending to breath. This agony now truly consumed his body, ate away at his soul, what was left of it. The strangest feeling was the new weight that he now felt on his shoulders. Perhaps that was what they had meant by slowing you down.

  Ivan patted his side and pulled the hidden book back out of his pocket. This journal was filler for the images that were still flashing in his mind uncontrollably. He watched them over and over provided him with another dream like version of himself. The way that she saw him was unsettling. No one had ever been so intensely intertwined with him before. Touching him and driving him to think things that he never would have before.

  Pushing him to think...he stopped himself, reconsidering his perspective... the frustration of not having her next to him. Being able to touch her, that would help him to close the book, at least he hoped it would. He sniffed the air again, and followed the scent closing in on its source. Even if she di
d not want him he was coming for her, to collect what was his.

  Minutes later Ivan heard the struggling of two people in the alley. Then Ivan heard her voice, “I told you to stay away why didn’t you listen?”

  He stepped into the center of the alley and asked, “Why do you want me to stay away?”

  Autumn hissed, “Because I am busy, right now.”

  Then a thud hit the wall next to him and he adjusted his vision, “What are you doing?”

  She hissed “Practicing.”

  Ivan watched her throwing a man across the alley like a rag doll, and he asked watching her smash his skull into the ground, “Why?”

  Autumn spat back, “So I can kill Mirth. But he already knows that I am coming for him doesn’t he Ivan.”

  He growled, and Autumn hissed back, “Just a few more moments, I want to finish him.” Then a ripping sound and Ivan was standing behind watching her feed. He reached down to touch her and she raised her hand sending him flying without even lifting her head. Ivan scrambled back quickly, reaching for her again. This time she let his hand finally rest upon her skin. But instead of pulling her away or hurting her as she had expected, Ivan simply set his hand upon her shoulder.

  As she finished she swung her head up sending her hair and blood flying backwards flinging it everywhere. Ivan did not even flinch, and Autumn stood then watching him her eyes dilated. “What do you want Ivan?” He eyed her back as if he did not understand her words. She snapped, “If you want me then you will have to side with me when I kill Mirth.” He growled and Autumn replied seriously, “The pain in your chest will never go away otherwise.” Ivan growled again as she continued, “I am sorry Ivan. If I had known that you had already chosen Mirth’s side in this life then I would never have bonded with you.”

  He stopped growling and blinked, and then she frowned, “It is not that I wouldn’t have wanted to bond with you, it is just the pain,” and she touched her chest. Ivan continued to watch her and he stepped closer, and Autumn let the flood gates open, “Why is this happening to me? I don’t want you, no us, to be broken, to not to be able to be with you always.”