"SHIT!" Sage yelled, sprinting down the street with her burger bag wrapped tightly in her arms and Yas keeping pace beside her. Both were by the back dumpster when she arrived. "Shit, fuck, shit! Holy hell, what did I just do? What just happened?"
Her chest rose and fell so quickly it was painful, scratching air through her lungs laced with barbed wire. Sage knew she couldn't keep up this tempo, settling for running until sirens were long gone. Only then did she slow her wild pace and stagger into the mouth of an alley, huffing and puffing.
Yasuo refused to sit, pacing in front of her as Sage leaned back into the brick wall, sweat sliding down her temples. The world was tilting a bit and blackening at the edges, allowing familiar panic to take control again. It was chilling. Clawing at the edges of her mind and forcing her limbs to lock up.
A gasping sob rose in the back of her throat, and Sage did everything in her power to keep it there. This was too much. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was Hunter's mangled stomach and that poor, innocent man's lifeless gaze as she yanked the weapon out. Fuck, it was too much.
Why'd Hunter make her do that?
And why'd he let her go?
Yas whined, snapping Sage out of it. Saying fuck it, she gave into the wobble of her legs and slumped to the dirty concrete. She was still hugging the takeout bag for dear life and couldn't feel her fingers. Numb. That's what the ice in her veins had done.
It wasn't half bad.
Yasuo pushed between her legs, jumping up so two paws rested on her stomach, golden eyes big and worried. Sage gave him a weak smile, murmuring soft words of encouragement.
"Love, are you alright?"
Sage swallowed hard, eyes darting toward the voice, internally bemoaning her bad luck. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
At the mouth of the alley stood a tall, lithe man swathed in shadow. It did little to dull the ivory tone of his skin contrasting the veins of inky tattoos covering every inch. A tailored black suit down to the tie hugged his frame, and he was smirking.
Are his canines filed?
Sage's mind spun as she stared, unabashed. She didn't know if she'd ever met someone so aesthetically striking in all her life. His hair was darker than sin and blowing in a soft, hot breeze that made Sage's throat go dry. The man didn't move to leave, stepping further into the alleyway instead.
"You're bleeding."
His words would've been normal, expected, if they hadn't left his mouth on a purr. Sage stiffened, sensing the danger the man posed. Yas reacted to her body language, hoping to stand between the stranger and his mom, teeth bared.
The man paused, smile never wavering and hands still tucked casually into his pockets. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, revealing his gaze was trained on Yasuo, crinkled with amusement. Silver winked in his ears, swaying with every movement, along with a similar collar encircling his throat, thick and proud as if keeping people away. His long, raven hair being slicked back into a high ponytail accentuated it.
He crouched a few feet back. "Your dog, what's his name?"
Sage ached for the energy to do something about him coming so close, but that was a fool's wish. As soon as the adrenaline of fighting Hunter wore off, the pain of her injuries immobilized her along with the tired quiver of every muscle.
"Yasuo."
Sage refused to give him an inch in the event he wanted to take a mile. This being the third threatening man to speak with her tonight was no mistake. The only difference was that this one was smarter than the others, waiting for his prey to tire itself out, thinking it was safe, only to be devoured in the end. Unable to stop herself, Sage reached up and curled one fist around her necklace defensively.
"Ah, so you know why I'm here," he replied, stooping down to scratch a growling Yasuo behind the ears. The little loaf gave in after two pats, that sorry excuse for a guard dog. "That'll speed things along. Here's the deal. Either I kill you and take the necklace, or you give it up and walk away safe."
Sage's upper lip twitched to form a snarl, and ire filled her veins so quickly it reached her heart too, making her entire chest feel hot as it'd had all night.
"Why?"
The man blinked, one hand hanging limp between his knees while the other idly scratched behind Yasuo's ear. "Why what?"
"Why do you want it? I deserve to know."
"They warned me you were feisty for a human, but I didn't believe it."
… for a human?
Sage didn't want to know what that meant. Back at the restaurant, she suspected something weird was going on. Hunter was a monster of a man, and his eyes… They were luminous. It was a branded sight she couldn't even attempt to explain away.
Not only that, but from the moment this man stepped into the alleyway, the hair of Sage's arms stood on end. Her skin prickled, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Yas," Sage snapped, ignoring the callous comment. "Come here."
The pup reluctantly drug himself away from the man as she stood. It was difficult, but Sage managed, lowering the takeout bag to her side and white knuckling the leash with the other.
The movement forced her to let go of the pendant, leaving the silver dara knot at his mercy. It was the largest piece of jewelry she'd ever wear, spanning two inches in diameter and old enough that her grandmother's grandmother wore it. It was all she had of her past. Sage didn't even possess a single, sweet memory of her mother and father's faces before it all burned. Her family wasn't relevant here no matter why these men wanted her pendant, but every time she touched the cool metal at her throat, it reminded her of what she'd lost. Everyone. She wasn't about to give up the final dredge of connection without a fight.
She glanced away, missing how the man zeroed in on the now unguarded charm, eyes calculating. The rushing embers through her veins were overwhelming, but now that her panic was under control and there were no maces around, Sage recognized it as something she could only call her life force. Warm and pulsing with an ivory glow.
What the hell?
She tried to ignore the sensation while shuffling out her phone and dropping into yet another fighter's stance. At this point, it was almost a joke, her resistance, but that didn't always spell surrender. Sage kept her thumb poised over the emergency number, goading the guy closer.
"Come a step closer and I call the cops! After what happened to your accomplice, you know I could hold you off until—"
"Ooof!"
The exhale left her lips faster than her mind could comprehend what was happening. The back of her skull slammed against the concrete, eliciting a whimper of pain, and the man's cool forearm pressed against her throat. It was heavy-handed, the pressure on her arteries, and all Sage could do was claw at him. The scratches along his arms left no lines or blood. She was ineffectual and without protection from whatever creatures were after her.
Creatures.
CREATURES!
I still can't get over that.
Sage gasps, switching tactics. Her whole body slumped into the wall, being held up only by the taller man's tattooed forearm. It forced him to soften his hold a little, giving her feet the last few inches needed to support themselves while leaning into her, breath hot.
"My brother may be soft," he mused, nipping her earlobe, his long tongue darting out and licking inside. "But I will not pull punches just for a hot piece of ass."
With the words, his leg forced her trembling thighs apart, taking up residence there. His skin was cool through the thin fabric of his dress pants. It seeped into Sage's very marrow, effectively drowning out the agonizing throb of her injuries as a wild, electric zing of pleasure suffused her limbs, making her head spin. Enough that something stupid left her lips.
"You think I'm hot?"
"Undoubtedly."
His lips came back to hover over hers, plump and too engrossing. Sage was losing it as the man's leg pressed and rubbed against her as if he'd done this before. Like, enough times that making someone feel good was child's play. The thought suddenly repulsed her, and Sage grabbed hold of the glowing energy within along with a shit ton of audacity.
"Your confidence would be sexy if you weren't trying to steal from me," she seethed, slamming her heel into his boot.
The man grunted, but didn't let up across her neck, if anything, he pressed harder. Soft spots fluttered across Sage's vision, the pain paired with blood loss becoming too much for her to handle. Sage's body struggled, but her thoughts were on this man alone. A weightless feeling sent her arching. He ate it up, staring down at her with sharp, ebony eyes.
Stupid, beautiful prick.
"I'm sexy either way, we both know that," the man chuckled, gripping her chin and tilting it upright.
I think I hate him, Sage mused as she slumped even further into the wall, completely at his mercy. It exposed the prize he was looking for, shining and pulsing with white, palpable light Sage still couldn't comprehend. Plus, air, she needed air. The strength in her limbs was gone, and every finger tingled, but she thrashed regardless. What was this weird combination between hazy, near unconsciousness, and desire? Sage's eyes rolled back in her head.
"Ah, yes. Allow sleep to take you and this will all be over. Fighting will only cause you more pain."
He's right. Those with power win and those without lose. Every time. In every story. In every game. Why would real life be any different? I like to imagine, in some timelines, there's a protagonist version of me stubborn enough to try but humble enough to understand they cannot possibly do it alone.
"No matter the pain of fighting," she gasped, clutching his forearm and digging her nails in. "Not giving something your all results in a far worse kind of failure."
He frowned, a shifted understanding lighting his eyes. "You sound like Eddie, or maybe he sounds like you. You," he hissed, leaning in. "You're the one who's been filling his head with optimistic drivel."
Sage huffed her discontent, tilting her head. "You must be a sad sac of an individual to think having hope to fuel your strength is drivel."
"That smart mouth of yours is dangerous. Is that how you gave Hunt the run around?"
All attraction to him fled at the insinuation that she was a hussy, allowing Sage to gain courage. Without remorse, she brought her hand up and struck the man across the face, snarling.
"Fuck you and that psychopath," she spat.
In the blink of an eye, her own head snapped to the side, and pain bloomed along her right cheekbone. Sage almost couldn't comprehend it until her eyes blinked back into focus. The man wore a grim frown, hand still raised and one diamond ring dripping with blood where it'd re-opened her clotted wound. Sage gaped, and knocked aside his forearm that'd gone limp.
He hit me.
He. Hit. Me.
"How dare you! Y-you… Scoundrel!"
"Scoundrel?" he mused, brows furrowed. "Man or woman, if they're strong enough to land a hit, even by surprise, I don't pull my punches."
That was a good point, but Sage didn't fucking care. Not now with her throbbing body and achy, swirling mind. She shoved him in the chest, frustration mounting. Lock stumbled back a step, then shoved her harder, right back into the brick wall.
She had the good sense to catch herself this time, barely avoiding hitting her skull. He recovered first, and before she could even think to stop him, Lock reached forward to take hold of the medallion, fingers brushing the silver when—
BOOM!
A blinding ivory blast rocketed her captor backward, slamming him into the opposite concrete wall with a resounding smack. The brick indented with the force of the blow, and his head seemed to take the brunt of it as his body slumped, slow and limp, to the concrete.
Sage almost fell to her knees as she took in the scene and his bloodied scalp, open-mouthed. Her body pulsed with a variety of feelings, blending pain, confusion, and excitement.
What the hell just happened?
Figure it out later.
Right now, run.