Mine...Yours Pt. 01

If I could've, I would have fallen in love with my neighbors simply for their cooking! I gazed at the banquet of the food set out on the kitchen table. That's why I set my cookies on the counter, the table was full. Pots of pulled pork, T-bone steak, thick cut honey glazed ham, sweet potatos with brown sugar and walnut crust. Corn casserole, different kinds of chips and dips. Two different kinds of fruit salad, with what looked like real southern banana pudding! I immediately set about to make a Dagwood sandwich! If your not familiar, A dagwood is based off of an old comic strip that...never mind. It's a great big, huge sandwich that's all you need to know!

"What are you doing here?" a rough voice said. My eyebrows went up in surprise. I hadn't heard anyone come up, and didn't see anyone approach me. But there she was, a blonde...uh? I don't know. She looked like a brownish haired barbie doll. No, seriously! She looked like a barbie doll come to life with real skin and hair and, weird. You know how something looks too perfect so you know it can't be real? This was it, too perfect to be real. I finished my bite of sandwich I had just taken and looked around for something to drink. Of course, all that food and I didn't bother to get myself a drink. The lady looked like she expected an answer and expected it now! I kept chewing and held up a finger for her to wait, and moved over to the kitchen where I found...YES! Mountain Dew! Nothing makes a dry mouth go away like Mountain Dew!

I cured my problem as I heard her huff her breath in exasperation. "Sorry, I couldn't answer with a mouth full. What did you ask me?"

"What are you doing here?" she repeated like I was a slow person. I raised an eyebrow at her in surprise. Not even asking my name or offering her own? She was as rude as Jemima when I first met her! Even more so since this isn't even her house. "Well, I was invited to this party by the hos..." she didn't even let me finish.

"I never saw you come in!" she snarled.

"I work nights, so I got here la..."

"Why aren't you with the rest in the front room!" she shouted. It sounded more like a demand to me, like she wanted me to be with all of those conjoined bodies on the floor, couches, and if memory serves the coffee table! This was getting weird, and I have seen some weird shit!

"It's not really my thing. I don't really like watching other people having sex, and I tried doing the group thing once and didn't care for it. Anyway, that's beside the point. I don't know who you are, and I never saw you before here...I mean, here before. What I mean is, who are you?" My head started to feel funny, and I could almost hear a voice clamoring in my head to get my attention.

Her eyes were watching me closely, and I saw a very faint smile cross her lips. "That's it, just relax! I am just a friend who was invited in, I had to use the bathroom so the party started without me. Why don't you go into the living room and I will join you there soon?" her voice was syrupy thick, and suggested of things that you would never tell your parents about. Or tell your wife, or well, tell anyone because it's just so wrong! It all felt so unreal, like a dream. This lust I was beginning to feel, it was growing so fast! I wanted to yank her over the table and press her face down...

Blink.

That was all it took, in that space of time, all my emotions died. I felt the sweet peace and heavy weight of a few months back, before I even met my neighbors. I felt my mask of happy Greg fall away and break into pieces. "What is your name?" Even my voice felt cold! I thought I had been making some head way in getting my emotions back. Looks like I backslid a bit, and I didn't know why, at least not yet. This perfect looking woman bared her teeth at me. As a side note, beautiful women don't really look very beautiful when they bare their teeth.

"What the hell? How did you do that!" She shouted at me. I could hear the moaning and sex sounds from the living room get louder. I replied from the still frozen hot center in my chest. "I still don't understand what you are talking about. I just asked your name." She looked me over carefully and tentatively reached out a single finger tip and touched me, I pulled my arm back. I didn't really care about her touching me one way or another. I was just waiting for a response so I could understand what was going on.

She shuddered and her smile grew wide and predatory as she sucked the tip of her finger. "Oh, such pain, and you're all pent up? A broken little man like you needs a little lovin'. You taste just delicious! I am going to enjoy this!" Alright, this just pegged every single alert that the human body has, and some that haven't even been realized yet. My Sight kicked even almost before I even called it. There was no beautiful woman before me. Where I usually see the person, with the truth about what they are as a shadow behind it, I saw just what it was, no after image, just her.

All dark grey skin, with little sparkles that shone like black glass speckled throughout her body. Wide dark wings folded on her back. No hair on her head except for eyebrows, just a pair of black horns a little thicker than my thumbs at the base, and spaced as wide as my hand apart. They protruded out from her forehead then swept back along her skull about five or six inches with sharp points at the ends. Her ears were only slightly pointed, not long or anything, they almost looked human shaped. Her body was long, and tall. Well compared to me anyway. She looked to be about four or five inches taller than me, but thin, almost emaciated. Definitely female shaped, but almost totally lacking in breasts. You could hardly even call her an A-cup. Just flat breasts with darker black colored nipples about the size of a hershey's kiss. Her arms and hands looked almost disproportionately long to her frame, the small claws on her finger-tips reached to her knees.

Yeah, I did say claws. At least three inches long, very thick too. Her feet, were definitely different. She looked to be standing on the balls of her feet, but not. It looked like a bird's feet, foot, whatever. With a big long claw, talon looking thing coming out of her heel. It looked like a manicurist would wear out a case of emery boards polishing those up. Probably have to use a machine file, or a rock, or...sorry. I ramble when I am scared.

I saw a mist with my Sight coming off of her and a quick glance saw that it was surrounding the people in the living room. Well, I can tell you right now that I was not born yesterday! I know, from personal experience that Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires exist. IT wouldn't be too far a stretch to believe that other creatures of myth could exist as well. I met her eyes and my sight let me look deep into black orbs with no pupil. She smiled and I could see short pointed teeth in her mouth.

"What are you!?" I asked calmly. Though I felt anything, but calm outside of the icy void in my chest. That voice inside my mind clamoring for attention was getting really loud, and I was starting to formulate a plan. I had a pretty good idea of what her response would be, and I had an idea of what I should do, just not sure if I could pull it off. Timing would be everything.

"Silly, little man? You haven't figured it out? I am a sucuaaAHOOoof!"

The Door in my soul bent outwards, and blue light flooded from the gaps. My hands shot forward snatching her horns in my grip. As a side note, that's how I know they are a little thicker than my thumbs. I took a half step back with my right leg and yanked her towards me. She was heavier than I thought and harder to move than I anticipated but I still yanked her towards me and down face first into my rising right knee! That made it easy to plant my right foot and smash my left knee into the other side of her face as a follow-up.

Not knowing how a creature such as her might handle me attacking her, I secretly was afraid that all it was doing was tickling her, I rammed my knees rapidly home several more times. I could hear a gasping sputter with each blow, then I saw her hands move, I wanted those claws nowhere near me. I turned and twisted my hips hard, swung her like a heavy sledgehammer through the sliding glass doors. I had been aiming for the pool but she hit the porch railing sideways and tore it off on impact before tumbling to the lawn. Damn. I had worked hard to make sure that top rail was level, and got into several arguments with Jemima about it! She kept on saying it wasn't level with the ground. I kept on saying it was level with the house, and the house was crooked! Funny what things come to mind in the middle of a fight isn't it?

I knew I was strong, but how could I have thrown her that hard? Even throwing a bag of fertilizer, those things are like 50 pounds, I couldn't go more than several feet. I tossed her and she weighed much more than that, through a sliding glass door, across an 8 foot deck, and broke off a railing of two by fours held in place with carriage bolts? Either I am buffer than I knew, or I need to re-examine the Home Depot's parts warranty! I stepped out to see her struggling to her feet. Her face looked flatter but was already starting to fill back out to her original form. I closed my Sight and saw that the human Barbie doll look was gone. Her wings unfurled and she crouched to shriek at me. Seriously, I don't know what to call it. It's wasn't a roar since it was too high pitched, and there were no words so it wasn't a yell, so I call it a shriek. She got her meaning across though. She was going to hurt me so bad that I would need a thesaurus, a dictionary, and a medical journal to comprehend the damage she was going to do to me!

"So, what's your name?" I asked calmly as I bent down to pick up the porch railing. Either she didn't hear me or she decided not to answer, at least with words anyway. One beat of her wings lifted her off the ground, and now I could see a grey tail dangling behind her. Huh, I wonder why I never noticed it before? Probably distracted at the time. The next beat of her wings launched her right at me, teeth bared, rear claws extended to...She smashed right into the end of the porch railing I held up. Normally, her weight and speed would have bowled me over, however, the top porch rail I was holding was nicely tucked with it's back end against the house, so she basically lolly-popped her self in the stomach! The wood splintered and she hit the deck hard. I proceeded to knock her in the head a few times with the broken rail before stepping back.

"Curse that foolish wizard and his weak sacrifice!" she grunted, trying to get back up. I stomped her head to put her back down. She hardly seemed to notice except to narrow her eyes at me. "Enough, mortal! You won." She spat through gritted teeth. She began to get up again so I football kicked her in the face! "If I won, you stay down and answer some questions!" I growled. I really wasn't feeling so calm anymore. She grimaced, and spat black blood onto the deck, "This body is weakening...damn fool wizard! Ask your questions, I will be gone soon." The first part of her statement didn't seem to be directed towards me, the second, I guess I better ask quick.

"What were you doing here?" I asked, keeping my distance. She lolled her head to the side to look me in the eye. "Trying to kill the Gatewatch." She responded. I really wish I knew more, but I didn't even know enough to ask the right questions. "Alright, you came to kill the Gatewatch...why?"

"I was hired to." came the softer reply.

"By whom?"

"Don't know his name. Paid in spells." Her voice was getting softer, she looked weaker.

"What's your name?" I asked quickly. Her eyes darted to my face again and narrowed.

"What's yours?" she returned.

"Greg."

"My name is...Lu...ohhh!" her eyes began to roll back in her head. I stepped closer to her.

"Come on, answer the question before you go! I...Yowch!" I shouted and stepped back quickly.

The bitch had shot her hand out as I stepped within range and slashed my shin! I saw her lick my blood from her claws and she smiled. "I have your scent and taste now, Greg! Know this! If I am ever summoned to this Plane again I will hunt you down, and feast on every bit of energy you possess! I swear it by the Empty Throne! I...Lucretia, will hunt you down and drain you dry!" Then she laughed, long and hard, even as her body disintegrated into ash.

I hopped back from the remains, and saw even the blood she spilled disintegrating. "Son of a... Crap!" I leaned against the wall of the house, then felt eyes on me. I turned and looked in the doorway and saw everybody in the party looking at me. Except, wow. The guys all were in...I don't know what you would call it, werewolf form? Sounds almost like a cheesy martial arts movie. Look! I use Crane Form against his Werewolf Form! Hyah!. Okay, again, scared and rambling.

I saw Jemima step forward, fangs extended, eyes all rainbow colored. "You alright Greg?" Amazing, you would think with her teeth like that she would have a lisp or something, but she didn't. Must have a lot of practice doing it.

"Just some blood loss. No biggie. Thanks for asking." I chuckled. I really was feeling dizzy. I saw a larger were wolf with long blonde hair step forward and take my shoulder with a hand. Normally I don't let people touch me, but hey, I wasn't feeling all that good and Hildy wouldn't hurt me. Hildy? I looked back up into her face, then smiled. "I am guessing that's you Hildy?" The wolf looked down and a voice not too conducive to human speech answered, "Yes."

"Well that's good. Love the fur coat by the way. I'd ask if it was new, but I guess you had it for a while and this is the first time I'm seeing it?"

Hilda's mouth opened in a dog like wheezing laugh. Jemima had torn open my jeans around my leg, and was eyeing my wound critically. Then she began to lick it!

"Hey!" I shouted. "None of that!" My other leg came up and smacked her in the face, or tried to. It just kind of flopped up and down.

"Relax Greg." Gwen said, walking up to me. Her lipstick was smeared and her hair was mussed as she was doing up the buttons to her blouse. I saw the rest of the guys had changed back and most of the girls too, they were starting to get dressed. I could see one girl bent over putting on her panties. I couldn't help myself, and gave a low appreciative whistle. She stood quickly and turned to look for who whistled. She met my eyes and I held my hand up to my ear to pantomime a phone. "Call me?" I asked quietly. She smiled, shook her head and finished dressing.

Jemima was staring at my face, while licking my blood. She appeared puzzled. "Don't tell me." I said, "My blood tastes strange to you?" She shrugged. "Nope, you just taste plain vanilla human to me. Kind of surprised you took a succubus one-on-one though. You must be some kind of crazy. I am just making sure your wound is cleaned up and my saliva can stop any pain you're feeling. Then Gwen can do her thing and fix you up." She paused in her licking. "I gotta say, Greg. You're taking this all very well. Most people would have pissed themselves and gone screaming into the night!"

I looked over at Gwen who was watching me closely. "Where is everyone else going?" I asked.

They all glanced at each other. Gwen spoke first, "We're not sure how much to tell you Greg. There's an awful lot that will just leave you with more questions. Some is to protect you and the other stuff is just not our information to give." I nodded. Then looked down at Jemima inspecting her work on my leg, then at Hildy who was slowly turning back to human, or human appearance. Then looked at the broken glass door.

"I see, well. Looks like I am involved now. Oh, and I am sorry I broke up the orgy that you were all spelled into with no chance of getting out of. After speaking to the succubus before she went the way of the dodo, She told me she had been hired to kill the Gatewatch or something to that effect. Then after beating her with nothing more than a hunk of wood and my own body thereby saving you all from death by fornication. I understand you not wanting to tell me anything. I guess I really am not the trustworthy sort. I am sorry to have bothered you, don't worry, I'll see myself out"

Hilda, while still not beast like, was still very strong! She picked me up in her arms and set me on the couch to lay down. I tried not to think about what had been going on where I was laying just a little bit before! "Sarcasm doesn't really suit you Greg."

"How would you know Hildy? I don't talk all that much period! In fact I normally don't talk to anyone at all!", I said weakly. Really, you would think that it would take more than some scratches to make me feel this loopy. I don't act like this! Gwen walked up to me, and placed her hands on my cheeks. I pushed her hand's away.

"None of that now! You just came out of an orgy, wash your hands first, I don't know where they have been!" I muttered darkly. Gwen at first seemed put out that I wouldn't let her touch me, then smirked. "Huh? You let Jemima lick the blood from your leg. Don't you know where her tongue has been? Seems a little late to get testy about things like that." I shook my head. It made me feel funny to shake it like I was concussed or something. "No, vampires...scare me. Couldn't of stopped even if I wanted to. Too strong...you, you're going to see...please...witch...don't touch me."

I didn't know half the stuff I was mumbling. I just knew if she touched me, somehow she would know what I didn't want her to know about me. I don't know anything about magical healing, but it seemed like a huge invasion of personal space. Fear of the unknown and all that I guess. I could only hope, that she would respect my wishes... Then I fell asleep.

Chapter 5: Exposed.

I woke up, still on the couch with some sort of compress on my leg. I had only been asleep for a few hours and I heard voices talking. I recognized, Jemima, and no one else...some male voice. Oh, crap. A police officer.

"Ma'am, we received an anonymous phone call about a disturbance happening here, and the time we get here several cars are immediately leaving the scene. You also have an injured male who is a known sex offender passed out on your couch, I just need to know what happened and then interview him when he wakes up." The officer sounded business like and reasonable. I knew though, he was wondering what an SO was doing alone in a house with three women. Very beautiful women at that! I heard another female voice, must be his partner, talking to either Hildy, or Gwen. Then a shadow fell over me, and I saw Hildy, with the other female police officer with her.

"He's awake." The female officer said flatly. Her eyes took me in with disgust, dare I say even...loathing? I like loathing, I think that sums it up quite nicely. Her eyes took in my recumbent form with LOATHING! Yeah you never really get used to it, even after seven years, you never get used to that particular brand of look from people. Like you have a growth on your face the size of a softball, that is colored fuschia.

"So, Mr. Brooks. We just have a few questions to ask you and we will be on our way." I swallowed and asked, "Am I being arrested?"

"No you are not, at this point in time." The male officer said, "It would just be helpful if you could fill us in on a few details of what happened tonight."

I swallowed again since my throat was dry, must have slept with my mouth open. "IS this conversation being recorded?" I asked. The female officer's brows drew together. "No, we are taking notes though, so please be as clear as possible." I chuckled. "No deal, unless I am being recorded and am given a copy of the recording I have nothing to say." I saw the male officer frown. "Is there a reason you are being unreasonable? What's wrong with answering a few questions we have? We are trying to help you Mr. Brooks." I saw Hildy slowly sniff the air, and she was now watching the officers more than me. I could almost see her ear twitch, waiting for my answer.