Lover

[MissCellaFane]

Samir was at a loss, his mind racing. He couldn't allow Eve to kill Tristessa! She hadn't done anything wrong! Yes, she had stumbled into him at the worst time possible, but that wasn't her fault. But what? Anything he said would probably either go ignored or would fuel Eve's already out of control temper.

He took a deep breath and stepped between them, facing Eve, looking down at her directly below him almost pressed into his chest in her eagerness to get at Tristessa. "Eve, don't do this." He had to say it, even though he knew Tristessa wouldn't understand, would probably be hurt. But he had two things he needed to accomplish, saving Tristessa's life and saving his friendship with Eve. "I'm bound to you, remember? Do you think I'd do something to endanger you? Never, Eve." He grasped her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "Look at me, Eve. She won't be a problem."

 

[CJF]

Trista stood, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Eve wanted to kill her? For what? She hadn't done anything! Fear gripped her, though she tried not to show it. She felt relief flood through her when Samir stepped between her and Eve, though couldn't believe what he said. What does he mean, he's bound to her? In what way? Trista wasn't ignorant in the different ways a person could be bound to someone, but most of them left her out of the equation. Slowly realization sank in, and Trista felt dispair once more. He was no longer hers. He belonged to Eve. Her Brennan, belonged to another woman. This was far worse than anything she could have ever imagined. Nothing she could do or say would change it. It would be as if they never had crossed paths. Her heart sank. He belongs to her. She couldn't even comprihend it. "Is it true?" she asked him, hoping that in someway it might not be.

 

[Nella Fantasia]

As much as Eve didn't understand it and wanted to resist, Samir now held a power over her since the binding that afternoon. As soon as he stepped between them and his soft words flowed through her ears, Eve could feel the calming effect already apparent in her heart. Then he grasped her chin, and with his touch she felt a weakening take place -- the same kind she had felt earlier when she had been held in his arms. His dark eyes were soft, pleading.

"Do you think I'd do something to endanger you? Never, Eve." She wanted to scream at him, tell him to look at what was happening. If they didn't kill her and get rid of her, she would tell! They would be found out! But she couldn't. She couldn't say anything.

Instead she forced herself to turn around, her hair flying behind her, and walked off. She didn't bother to turn around to see if Samir would be following. She knew he would in his own time. Right now she just had to get away before she lost all control over herself.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir saw in her eyes when she had broken. How had he convinced her? This was the second time he simply had to speak reason and she accepted his words without protest. She turned and walked away. He watched her go, relief flooding over him.

But then he remembered Tristessa behind him. He turned to face her, her expression confused and hurt. He licked his lips in hesitation, not knowing how in the world to explain this to her. "I'm sorry, Tessa." He said, using the nickname he had apparently given her. "I had to get her to back down." In the back of his mind he was wondering if this was some kind of sign that he should be faithful to Eve, to never see Tristessa again. But no, Eve may own him, but she wasn't in love with him. Tristessa was. And for the first time he could ever remember, he actually wanted to be loved. The thought scared him and he was never scared. "Are you going back to Loiradel soon?" He asked, his voice low.

 

[CJF]

Trista looked down and shook her head. "I haven't lived in Loiradel for years." she said softly, unsure why he'd asked. She suddenly felt cold again, though she knew it wasn't the weather this time. She knew she probably didn't have much time before he would follow Eve, so she went ahead and asked what was on her mind. "What did you mean when you said you were bound to her?" She wanted to know for sure.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Again he hesitated. He was never going to be able to explain the bond that he and Eve shared, even without the ritual she had performed earlier. Only those who had tasted the evil of Necromion could truly understand what had drawn the two of them together.

He shifted his weight. "I'm in her service. She saved my life and I devoted my life to serving her. A spell was performed to secure the deal." He gave the easiest explanation he could. Then he stepped forward, trying to get her mind off of Eve. He needed to make sure he could see Tristessa again before he went off to find Eve and reassure her of his loyalty. "I would like to meet again. I want to remember my past and I think you can help me do that. Where are you staying? In the castle?"

 

[CJF]

Trista rose her eyebrows. "Um...no, actually I'm not staying anywhere. I was going to travel home tonight, but I suppose I could find an inn somewhere..." He wants to meet with me again! Relief flooded through her. She'd thought for sure he would be gone forever, and even if they only saw each other one last time, it would be once more than she expected. She looked up at him. What if in helping him, he remembered the feelings he once had for her? What would happen then? Trista decided not to think about it. "When do you want to meet again?" she asked, not sure she'd be able to withstand the wait.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Relieved, Samir shrugged. "I'm not sure." He thought for a moment. It was going to be difficult evading Eve. Even that thought brought guilt upon him. He shouldn't be trying to evade her. She was the one person who saw him for who he was. But he had realized now, more than ever, just how much he needed to remember who he had been as a man and not a vampire. "Is there an inn you usually stay at when you come here? I can ask for you there when I'm ready to meet."

 

[CJF]

Trista actually smiled at this. "I've lived alone for fourty years, and before that I lived in Loiradel. This is the first time I've been here." She thought a moment. "Earlier today while I was...out walking, I saw a small inn down on the south side of the village. I'm not sure what it was called..."

 

[MissCellaFane]

Lived alone since he left, then. But why did he leave? The thought crossed his mind that he left because he'd been bitten. That seemed right. But why not just tell her? She seemed to be willing to try to accept him now, after so many years. Would she have been as willing had he told her all those years ago?

"I know the inn. Even if you don't stay there, I'll leave a note with the innkeeper for you." He paused, not sure what to say in parting. Their meeting and subsequent discovery by Eve had been so utterly bizarre. He pulled his hood over his head again, preparing to leave. "Watch for me." He said as he turned and hurried in the direction Eve had gone. Now.....to make sure Eve was all right.

 

[Nella Fantasia]

As Eve walked back to the home her and Samir had taken, she could feel her heart growing heavy and anger boiling over again. It was easy to do that when Samir wasn't there with his soft touch to tell her otherwise. She weaved in and out of the crowds, trying to avoid the drunken ones. A few times they crashed into her and even attempted to make lewd remarks. In return Eve just snapped her fingers, catching the corner of their tunic or robe on fire...just a little. It was enough that it made her feel a little better to bring about pain to someone else's life when hers was so obvious.

She had almost made it to the house, but still Samir hadn't come up to her or said anything to her. This entire walk she had refused to look behind, truly believing Samir would follow. But now she was starting to regret leaving him there with that harlot. In fact she was growing angrier by the second.

You stupid girl! You should go back and put an end to her miserable life now! And while you're at it, let Samir join her.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir walked the streets back to the house he and Eve had been staying at earlier. He knew she would go back there. It was the only place they had to stay without either paying for an inn or taking over someone else's house. Both would draw too much attention.

As he hurried down streets and through alleys, his mind was replaying the scene between the three of them over and over. It was like something from a dream....a bad dream. He shook his head slowly, his mouth pressed into a firm line. How did he get himself into these situations? He knew Eve was going to be very angry with him, mostly because he was now going to be the only person around to scream at. He just hoped he'd be able to get her to calm down. His mind went back to that moment when he'd stepped between Eve and Tristessa. Why had she suddenly backed down? Was it the bonding? He frowned as he turned down another alley. Now that they were united, could it be that he had some measure of control over her? If that were the case, he was sure she didn't realize that would be a side-effect. Otherwise she probably never would have asked him to do it. And if he had a measure of control over her.....then it followed logically that she had the same over him.

He took a deep breath. He was thinking about this too much. Instead, he concentrated on just getting back to the house. He'd deal with whatever she had to throw at him when he got there. He caught up with her just as she was about to go inside. She had stopped just outside the door. She didn't look at him, but he knew she was aware of his presence. He opened the door into the house and chanced a look back at her. She still looked livid. "Inside, Eve." He gestured for her to go ahead of him. "I know you want to yell at me, but let's do it inside." He said, his voice low and resigned.

 

[Nella Fantasia]

Eve could feel his presence coming up on her as she reached the house, so she purposely stopped and waited for him. Samir moved to the door and opened it, waiting for her to go in. She didn't. She just stood there, not even looking in his direction, her lips pressed firmly together. Anger. Pure anger. That's all she felt, and right now she wanted to scream.

"Inside, Eve," Samir said, gesturing her forward. How dare he tell her what to do at this moment! "I know you want to yell at me, but let's do it inside."

Well, he did have a point. She had half the mind to just stand there being stubborn, but decided she was more mature than that. At least a little. She was a full grown woman anyway. With her chin held high she marched passed him into the house. And then it all went downhill. She didn't even give him time to follow and close the door before she swerved on him, her eyes on fire.

"You told me she was gone! You told me she would be out of our lives, and she wasn't going to be a problem!" Eve yelled, her one good hand at her side balled into a fist. "But she came back, didn't she? And now she knows too much! You even had to say my name in front of her! She's going to tell someone, anyone, and it's going to be over! Our secret is going to be revealed, and our plans are going to explode in our faces! And why? Why?!" She brought her hand up to her head, gripping her hair tightly at her scalp in frustration. "Because of you! Because of you and your man testosterone!"

Turning she kicked a stool which just happened to be in her way. It fell to the side and rolled some feet before finally coming to a rest. Eve hurriedly undid the leather strap at her wrist with her teeth, shoving it into her mouth, and chewing like a horse. At one point she thought she bit down so hard she tore it in two.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Well, he'd survived her initial outburst without getting injured. Though, he had to admit, as she balled her fists he felt sure he was going to feel her knuckles on his face at any second. This wasn't like her. Usually she was cold and calculated, taking her time when dealing with people who upset her. Now, she was letting her emotions get the best of her. Something had changed inside her ever since they'd come to Namor.

He closed the door and took off his cloak slowly as she shouted, tossing it on the chair next to the front door. He refused to let her upset him. She was upset enough for the both of them and she had some good points, ones he wasn't willing to argue against. He couldn't explain why he trusted Tristessa not to say anything. He just did. Maybe it was the fact she'd lived alone for forty years. To him that meant she didn't have many friends, if any. Who was she going to tell? Nobody. But he couldn't say that to Eve. She'd just tell him he was assuming too much and he probably was.

"Testosterone?" He repeated as he watched her practically tear one of her leather straps to pieces with her teeth. "What does that have to do with anything?" He paused, formulating what he wanted to say. "You remember your dream, Eve? About me attacking you? Well I had a dream too, about Tristessa. Only mine wasn't just a dream....it was a memory. It felt real, but I wasn't sure until just a few minutes ago when I talked with her." He ran a hand down his face. "I remembered part of my past, Eve. You can't expect me to have let that go until I was sure if it was real." He turned away from her, folding his arms across his chest. Most of the time he tried to forget about the fact he couldn't remember his past. But since he'd seen Tristessa and had that dream, it was always in the back of his mind now like a nagging headache, bothering him that he couldn't remember.

 

[Nella Fantasia]

Eve didn't know what to respond with first. So he had dreamed about her; only, of course, it wasn't just a dream. She had been right; they had been lovers a long time ago, and now the bloody elf was wanting to take him back. How had her and Samir separated to begin with? Maybe he had been bitten and she discarded him like a dirty rag. But did he stop to think about that? Of course not! All she had to do was bring up a few tears and he's melting in her hands. The thought sickened Eve. Had she ever judged him? Betrayed him? No! But had he thought about that either?

His past was the past! She had her own, too, but she couldn't wait to get away from it. Why was he flocking to it? It didn't matter. He wasn't even close to the being the person he was in his past, so how could that help now? All it would do is bring up terrible memories and harsh words.

All this Eve thought but she couldn't say a word. It was all boiling up inside, she thought she was going to explode. Not being able to take it, she spit the strap into her hand, and threw it behind her against the wall with a yell. It snapped against the wall, leaving a black streak where it had hit. Then she knelt to the ground, leaned over, and placed her forehead on the wooden floor. It was times like these she wished she was a healer instead of a destroyer. They were able to create spells to calm themselves and bring about peace.

But that wouldn't sit right with Eve. Her life was chaos; always had been and always will be. Peace would just mess it up.

 

[CJF]

For a moment, Trista just stood still and watched him go. Part of her wanted to follow, but she knew that would be wrong. Possibly suicide, judging by the way Eve had glared at her. Trista wondered how Samir had met her, and what caused him to travel with such a woman.

Once he was out of sight, she ran into the palace, fetched her cloak and made her way to the inn. She got a room and locked herself in. She wasn't about to take any chances, in case that Eve came looking for her. The thought made her shudder.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir flinched a bit at her yell. He heard something smack the wall next to him and when his eyes darted that direction, saw it was one of her leather straps. He turned around in time to see her sink to her knees, placing her forehead to the floor, every muscle in her body tight.

His brow furrowed in worry. He'd never seen Eve throw a temper tantrum like this before. This wasn't good. She was going to give herself a heart attack or a stroke if she didn't watch out. At first he just wanted to slap her out of it. She was seriously overreacting to this! But then, as he watched her kneeling on the ground, he was struck suddenly with the realization of how this must look from her perspective. After all her careful planning, in one moment he'd managed to put the entire thing in jeopardy. And he felt bad. He didn't regret meeting Tristessa, he only regretted the timing. It couldn't have been helped, of course, but he still regretted it just the same. He stepped over to her and knelt in front of her.

"Eve, stop it." He said. When she didn't respond, he reached out a tentative hand, letting his fingertips brush the top of her head, expecting her to slap his hand away. "Eve? Look at me." He wasn't sure he wanted to see that fire of hatred in her eyes, especially directed at him, but he couldn't stand seeing her like this, knowing he was the cause.

 

[Nella Fantasia]

Eve didn't notice or hear Samir until his fingers brushed her hair. At first she was startled, but then realized who it was. "Eve? Look at me." There he was again, trying to demand things from her, trying to control her. The scary thing was, he probably could, and she knew it. She just hoped he didn't.

At first she didn't move, didn't want to give him that satisfaction. Then slowly she looked up, her hair falling into her face from all directions. She could just barely see him through strands of blonde hair, but she didn't bother to move it aside for a better view. Besides, within another few minutes she'd probably be back on the floor anyway.

"What?" Eve asked. One single word but it held so much fire.

 

[MissCellaFane]

Samir didn't think she was going to look up at him, but then slowly she raised her head, peeking out behind strands of hair. "What?" She asked, her voice dripping with venom.

Now that he had her attention, he wasn't sure what he was going to say. What could he say? Everything he could think of possibly trying to say sounded so lame. Without thinking, he moved his hand across her forehead, brushing back the hair from her face so he could look her in the eyes. Then he let his hand drop onto his knees. "It was never my intention to put your plans in jeopardy." He said, his voice low. "You can choose to believe that or not, but it's the truth."

 

[Nella Fantasia]

Eve felt her heart skip when Samir moved her hair away from her face. She hoped he didn't notice the change in her eyes or behavior. It didn't take long though for her frustration to rise up again as he spoke.

"Intention?" Eve asked, chuckling hysterically as she sat up on her knees to look at him face to face. "Of course it was never your intention. That's not the point. The point is, you still allowed her to come back to you. And how do you even know if she's telling the truth about anything? How do you even know if she wasn't the reason you ended up in Necromion after she felt disgusted with the fact you were a vampire and didn't want you around her? How do you know that now she realizes after seeing you that she made a mistake and wants you back, taking your amnesia for her own use to use against you?!" She slammed her good fist down on the wooden floor, not too hard, but enough to show she was frustrated. "How do you know?! You don't, and yet you go behind my back to see her even though I never disregarded you because of who you are!"