The Kingdom of the Secret Soul

Fantasias trusting nature, along with the fact that she was a Seer, made it tempting for Cael to accept her invitation. This girl wasn’t protected by the pact, meaning her death would have no consequence. For a moment Cael savored the thought. Sensing his bloodlust, Ava shot out of the car and began darting excitedly around his feet. Unable to reprimand her without Fantasia noticing, Cael played ignorant to her presence. The little Skol wasn’t making any sort of effort to mask herself, reminding Cael that although she was a trusted companion, she was also a slave to her hunger.

Ava’s little mind was racing with images even more violent than Cael had imagined, making his decision much easier. Cael could go weeks without human interaction, but it had only been a few hours since Ava last fed, and she was already forgetting the importance of subtlety. This girl could provide them both with a much needed service.

Continuing to ignore the little shadow scurrying around him, Cael smiled warmly at Fantasia, who at this point had no doubt seen Ava.

“That’s very sweet of you to offer, but I’m in a bit of a hurry. You see, Candis is the only person who can help me find an old friend. It’s very important that I speak with her right away. Or…” Cael paused as if in contemplation, “If it’s not too much trouble maybe you might know who I’m looking for? Harper Evans, as I understand it she lived with Candis when she was younger.”

Cael struggled to keep up his front as Ava’s desires continued to flood his mind, it was making it incredibly difficult to concentrate. Her excitement was attracting more Skol, he could feel them approaching rapidly. Fantasia was certainly taking her time, she seemed to be recalling every young girl she’d played with in childhood. Strangely she was not bothered by the Skol’s presence.

“Look miss, I don’t mean to be rude but I really need to get back on the road.” Nearly eight Skol were hovering around the pair, Cael was struggling not to give into their influence. He was constantly reminded of his inability to rise above instinct. In a room full of terrified humans, his brothers could keep their composure, but Cael always lost control in a matter of seconds.

Then in a moment of weakness Cael let his glamour slip, and though it only lasted a matter of seconds, Fantasia had seen his true form. Suddenly she wasn’t so calm, her fear began to rise as she backed away. It was too much for Cael to take, and forgetting all pretense, he gave in.

Even the morning sun couldn’t bring Ava down, she purred happily in Cael’s lap as they weaved in and out of morning traffic. Cael rested one hand on her head and she moved affectionately into his touch. A quiet whimpering was coming from the backseat of the stolen sports car, which was no longer topless.

“Ah, good morning Fantasia.” Cael glanced in the rear view and smiled as though he was addressing an old friend. “I didn’t want to tie you up like that, but I couldn’t have you screaming and making a scene.”

Her eyes were red from a night of pleading and her was cheek cut and bleeding, but beyond that she had not been injured physically. Cael wanted to make her last as long as possible. She hadn’t known much about Harper, except that she lived somewhere in the Seattle area. That was all Cael needed to know.

“I’m going to stop at a rest area, if you’d need to relieve yourself you should do so then.”

When Fantasia finally came to her senses, she was tied up in the back of a car with a man talking to her. She recognized that he had kidnapped her, and she laid in the back seat and sighed softly. At least the back seat was comfortable. She closed her swollen eyes and whimpered softly. If she was here, who was going to take care of her cat for her? She would surely lose her job... She brought her knees closer to her chest and stared at the floor of the car. She wasn't in any acute pain, so she was sure that she wasn't bleeding, at least. She listened to the soft purr of the engine and buried herself farther into the cushion.

She thought for a moment and tried to assess the situation. She was, indeed, kidnapped in the back of a stranger's car. She had seen him turn into a grotesque beast, and she was grabbed and thrown into the back of the car.. She hit her head on the door of the car, and she figured that was when she stopped remembering the events. She squirmed a bit and looked at him, although, she was glad that they were going to stop at the rest area. She had to pee very badly, so she nodded at him through the rearview mirror.