Amid The Shadows Ch. 06

Karl looked to the maps laid on the desk, they outlined Martinez estate and the surrounding areas and towns. Although they were dated and used, the maps displayed several key areas in which a super natural could hide and not be found. This little problem was going to change and fast. Karl had already delegated to his security team and several search parties, wolf and magical had gone out to search several key areas.

Karl glanced at his watch, it was closing down to midday. The night had been long. After the body of young Duncan had been prepared and laid, Karl had carried out the usual blessing and enchantments to protect the young shifters soul. Karl rubbed his neck and grabbed the coffee cup from the desk taking a swig. Sleep could wait.

George strode into the office with purpose, he was dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved polar neck, He dumped a pile of pictures on the desk.

'These are security picture of everyone at the fund raiser Karl, only the first three are unrecognisable.'

'Male or female?' Karl enquired.

'Two females and a male.'

Karl nodded and scooped up the first few pictures on the pile and looked down at them intently. He smirked to himself and passed two of the pictures to George.

'These two were protested against the rights of magical victims, they were escorted from the building.' He frowned at the last picture of a beautiful blond, she was smiling and had a hand on Paul's shoulder. It was then he noticed her eyes, where people normally had red eye due to flash exposure, she had a blue glow.

'This one....' George shook his head.

'Is a shifter of some sort, a changer but not a wolf?' George made the statement a question.

'Yes' Karl answered, slightly surprised. 'She's dancing with Paul.'

'He's taking a shower, then he'd joining us.'

Karl gave a jerk of his head. 'Let's hope his intel is useful.'

*......................*

After the strange scene in the dinning hall, Alistair had Alexis taken to her quarters, which he had had prepared with some of her favourite things, according to the human.

Later in the evening, on his orders, Taran had tried to separate Jensen and Alexis only for another round of violent fits to ensue and several unsavoury explicit words from the Mage.

So his Mage was still unchained and cradling the Concealer in his arms on her bed. His expression was pained and Alexis was still white, from the blood loss of her wound. Alistair couldn't help the twinge of jealously crawling up his back at the scene before him.

'Is she healing?' Dominic asked from the corner.

'Slowly.' Jensen answered in a whisper, stroking hair from her face.

'Don't get use to the reprieve of your usual sleeping place Mage, you will soon be back there.' Alistair adjusted his cuff and met Jensen's eyes.

'If she doesn't heal she will be of no use to you Alistair.'

Alistair shrugged, 'She will heal to some degree, that will be enough for what I desire.'

'Don't lie to me Alistair, I saw the look on your face in that dinning room, either you didn't know what you'd done or it had escalated out of control.' Jensen kept his voice lowered as Alexis stirred.

'Perhaps.' Alistair drew the word out, an indication of nothing. 'It is always an advantage to know a person's weakness my Mage.'

'Meaning?' Jensen asked.

'Meaning, concealers usually had an aversion to one type of supernatural being, something that challenges their skill, heightens their fear and its seems Alexis' weakness is spirits, ghosts, essence of the dead. However you wish to name the little show last night it amounts to the same.'

'So all that shit in the dinning room was a test?'

'I knew the place was haunted, although Alexis' reaction was unprecedented and highlighted a need for me to keep a closer eye on Miss Martinez.'

'No shit. Have you tested other beings?'

'Taran and Diana are demons, they caused no pain or infliction.' Alistair ran a hand down his suit, took an unnecessary breath and folded his hands in front of his navel.

'Anything else?' Jensen asked through gritted teeth.

'Seems Alexis has a soft spot for Mages' Alistair smirked. He flicked his fingers towards the human who whimpered. 'Come Dominic, time for your reward.'

Taran picked up the human and flung him over his back like a rug. The human whimpered, Jensen looked over him impassively. He had bought Alexis into this horror house and for that Jensen couldn't forgive him.

As Taran exited followed by Diana, Alistair looked back, 'I'll give her night fall to rest then my procurement begins.' The large wooden door slammed shut and a bolt slid into place. As Jensen stared at it intently, trying to harness the energy from the wood the door glowed in response. Jensen grinned and murmured in response. 'soon.'

*..............*

Alexis opened her eyes slowly, for a second time she stared at an unfamiliar ceiling. She looked down and noticed the arms encircling her, rings of red flesh on the wrists, she craned her neck slowly to meet Jensen eyes.

She smiled at him and something tingled inside her, she shouldn't be feeling it, but it was there. As there gazes stayed locked, Jensen stroked her face. She shivered and he smiled. Reaching out a shaking hand she touched his face, a cheek, his eyebrow, his lip.

'I...' Alexis pulled back. 'I should get up.' She pulled away and wobbled to a stand, with Jensen at her side quick as a flash.

'Whoa, you need to sleep, rest.' As he spoke, Alexis fingered the bandage on her chest.

She shook her head and swallowed, 'No, I need to get the fuck out of here.'

Jensen let out a bark of a laugh and hugged her suddenly, easing up a little as she winced, 'In that we are in total agreement.'

They stood in the embrace for a few moments. It was Alexis who spoke first. 'You helped me last night.'

Jensen sighed, 'Yes, I shared a little of myself with you.'

'I feel like I'm in the middle of something I don't understand here Jensen, this house freaks me out for one, what I saw last night I can't explain and I feel like I've been sheltered from something.'

Jensen drew back and caught her hand. 'Do you know what you are Alex?'

'What do you mean?'

'Has your mother or father never discussed your talents?'

'My mother passed away when I was very small and my father has always been something of a floating influence. I know I'm a concealer Jensen, I was told but I haven't trained for the position. You know a concealer has to be named before they can train.'

Jensen scoffed at the tradition. 'Why not just stick a target to your chest and be done with it? Alistair wants to find something and you're here because of that skill Alex. I don't doubt whatever it is he wants you'll be able to find it.' Jensen stroked her palm and then the back of her hand, strangely Alex found it comforting.

'If that's why I'm here, why are you?' Alex questioned.

'Lets get you cleaned up and into bed.' Jensen stopped, surprised by the need to care. He coughed and looked away, 'I want to use the shower.' He dropped her hand and stepped back. 'Ladies first.' He motioned to the closed bathroom door.

'Was whatever you did that bad?' Alex whispered. Jensen whipped around to stare at her.

'Is my telling you going to make a difference?'

'You're not here by choice either. So why not?' Alex straightened her shoulders. Jensen smirked, she was beautiful and strong and... He stopped that train of thought.

He looked at his wrists, his arms, his chest trying to focus and stop the plague of memories assaulting him. He took a slow breath.

'I met a woman a few years ago, Claudia her name was.'

Alex frowned, 'Did you love her?' the raise in her voice made her feel shame, she had no right to be...to be....jealous.

Jensen moved to the bed and sank down in a heavy drop.

'Very much, we married just a few months after being together. I was so in love with her, deeply, passionately. It wasn't till later I started to notice things in her persona, her moods thereafter.'

Alexis moved to a chase lounge located by the window and perched on it, waiting,

'She became intent on discovering different magical experiences, Jensen continued, 'I thought at first it was something we had in common, an interest. She took it further, reading up on cultures and rituals. It was around that time.' He stopped and swallowed hard.

'Around that time what?' Alex prompted.

'She started practising in the dark magics, I knew it was a bad idea, I'd been there, I'd done that, but for Claudia' Jensen sighed, 'my word and experiences didn't seem to pacify her own need. She started rambling, flying into rages, changing.'

'The magic consumed her?' Alex asked tentatively.

Jensen nodded. 'I thought Alistair could help me, in our youth, well I'm sure your father had told you of our ideals.'

Alexis opened her mouth to question the comment, but Jensen continued to speak, 'Alistair said the only way to save her was to change her.'

'Vampirism?' Alex sat rigid. Turning without consent was illegal and so was black magic in all its forms.

'Needless to say I offered him a boon. He help me, I'd be indebted to him in his services so to speak.'

'Where is Claudia now Jensen?'

'The change was difficult on her, she became....her condition got worse not better, Now she was a vampire with a thirst for black knowledge and blood. But I still, I couldn't.'

'You didn't report any of this to the authorities?'

'Jumped up wizards with badges couldn't have stopped her Alexis'

The use of her full name made her pause, she'd obviously offended him and the wound was still raw in his mind and his heart. Jensen stood and moved to the window on the left of her seat, Alexis couldn't help but move slightly to the right, further away.

'Claudia took her own life, Alistair took me to the ashes at dusk one evening, all that was left was her wedding ring. That is why I started to fight, at first it was the money not that I saw any of it, but after, I started to like it. It meant I could still feel.'

'I'm sorry.' Alex whispered. She stood and moved away.

Jensen turned to her direction and frowned, 'You fear me.'

'No!' She cleared her throat, 'No, I don't know, its just a lot to take in.' Alex took a breath as fatigue rolled over her, the insistent throbbing in her chest had now turned to sharp pains and a burning. She wobbled on her feet and grabbed a bed post for support.

'Alex.' Jensen touched her forehead, it was clammy and warm. 'I need to check your chest.' He took her hand and led her to the bed.

'I'm ok' She mumbled.

'Of course you are.' He lifted her easily and placed her on the sheets. She winced and held her chest, Jensen pried her hands away and gently removed some of the bandages. The gashes in her chest looked angry and red.

'Do you know any healing spells?' He asked quietly, inspecting the wound.

'Up to master level but I'm not...' Alex inhaled sharply as Jensen gently touched her injury.

'Sorry.' Jensen frowned, master level of anything at her young age was indeed impressive. 'You don't have enough energy?' He made it a question.

Alex shook her head, Jensen looked up as he heard something like a hiccup.

Alexis was wiping her eyes with one hand and balling the sheet with another.

'I'm going to heal this, as much as I can ok?' He straddled her waist and bent his head over her chest.

Alex touched his shoulder in protest, Jensen looked to her hand then her eyes, his eyes dropped to her lips.

'How exactly are you, oh' Alexis eyes widen in surprise as Jensen gently lapped at the wound with his tongue. Jensen murmured something before he started the treatment again.

'oh god.' Alexis writhed under him, the sensation of his mouth on her flesh, so intimate and warm. Her hands found his hair and she grabbed it in handfuls as his tongue whirled around the end of the injury. Jensen moaned and the action sped up until he threw his head back and cried out dragging Alexis into a sitting position in front of him, her hands still fastened in his hair.

His eyes glowed the green of grass as his vision found her, his voice was hoarse as he spoke, 'You taste of power' he licked his lips and eased towards her.

Alexis lowered back onto the bed until Jensen's body covered her own. The wound tingled and sent a wave of energy through her body, lighting up her nerves at the slightest sensation. She ran her cheek across his jaw in a feline like greeting.

'What do you taste like Jensen Lewis Crane?' even to herself, Alexis' voice was different. Instead of uncertainty flowing through her, determination had taken its' place. She craned her neck and met his lips, harsh and full on. She released one hand and clawed at his back with her fingers. He kissed her back urgently and moaned.

As soon as it started, it was over. Alexis felt a whoosh of air and then the isolate gap in the cradle of her arms where Jensen had just been. As she shoved upwards on the bed the bathroom door slammed in response and the sound of water running filled the cold room. Alexis was alone and Jensen had shut himself away.

*...............