Absence of Conscience

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget (Brid) Taylor

Bridget walked on, her step light, but determined.
She did not know where she was going, but yet, she did.
She moved without pause crossing the street, walking downwards, glancing at the highway for mere seconds, before hastening lightly to cut through the parkway and then moving through trees towards the yet unseen pond.

Had she stopped to think she would have questioned how she “knew” where to go.
Had she stopped to reflect, she would have realised that in “normal” circumstances walking in this area at this time of night, without anyone knowing she was out could be deemed … foolish at best!
As it was, she had an appointment to meet a serial killer and no one knew where she had gone or why.
Her actions were tantamount to suicidal!

But she didn’t stop and think.
There was no room for thought or care of personal safetly.
Her mind was totally focused on “him”:
On the man who was the real victim in all this.
She didn’t know why she believed him to be a victim, but she did.
Behind all the hatred and murder and anger there was … something … much more sinister and deadly.
Something he could not control alone.
Only with her help did they stand a chance of stopping further killings.

And yet, she had not reasoned that out.
She felt it somehow and knew it was so.
Her mind was so full of him, of them that she could not reflect on her own safety.
She was in danger, powerless and it was all illogical, and yet it made perfect sense.
It was what she had to do.

Her mind was filled now. She was close and she knew it.
Brid’s feet moved slowly, picking their way along the grass.
Her feet almost matching the unseen footprints of the being who had preceded her to this place.
The feeling of closeness was overwhelming.
A oneness and then…
...nothing…

Brid almost cried out with a feeling of loss as he left her.
She stood, bereft, confused as he slipped away, beyond her.
She looked around as if suddenly aware of her actions, or her surroundings.
For the first time, she saw the night through her own eyes.
She could not remember how she had gotten there.
She realised that she did not even know for certain where it was she had ended up.

For the briefest of moments panic overwhelmed her as she turned her head glancing desperately this way and that, her body circling as she remained unable to get her bearings,
unable that is until she saw it...

… the water… Diamond pond ...

It was as if he had spoken to her again.
She took a deep steadying breath.
This is where she had to come.
Her mind filled once more as she tried to reach out to him.
Slowly, assured and calm once more, Bridget walked slowly towards the water.
Her eyes grazed the surface, watching the moonlit reflections contrasting with the dark shadows undulating below.
The sight gave her a better understanding of the one she had been called to help.
He too had a surface that she would see, but beyond that seemingly tranquil appearance she would find the sinister currents that ran through him.

Bridget stood, she took a deep breath, her mind emptying, fully this time, and reaching out ...
and yet ... all was still silent and void…

"It is good to finally meet you, Miss Taylor"

The voice did not make Bridget jump.
The words might almost have been spoken by the dark waters.

It did not seem strange or unfamiliar.
She had heard him before, speaking in her head.
That internal voice drawing her to this place had been as real as his words to her now.
And yet this was a voice that spoke externally.
Bridget turned towards the sound.
She knew that she had "heard" his words not only with ears, but also with her mind, her very soul.

As if mesmerised, Bridget’s feet worked, as of their own accord, closing the short distance to bring her to stand before the one she sought.
Bridget looked down at the kneeling figure before her.
As he lifted his face, she saw his features a study of moonlight and shadow.
Their gaze met and held.
His face was strange and yet familiar.

"It has been much too long"

The words were softly spoken.
Brid found herself agreeing.


”Yes … is he here with you?”

She questioned, searching his eyes for signs of the one who threatened them both.
Her words were calm, matter of fact.

”What can I do to help you both…?”

He did not answer immediately, but began to draw himself upright.
Bridget stood her ground and watched as the man slowly straightened allowing her to fully take in his towering muscular form.
She remained motionless and silent until he looked down at her.
Their eyes and minds merged.

He knew she felt dwarfed by him, that she found his physique alone intimidating.
She was all to aware of his physical ability to kill.
She knew he was not trying to scare her, merely showing her just what it was he had to physically deal with, to control.
Bridget ran her eyes over his muscular torso.
The body was a challenge in itself and yet she knew that the mental struggle would be the real threat.
There was something more powerful that he needed her help with.
She raised her eyes to his, not understanding what it was he wanted from her.

” ... you have to show me what I can do?
How can I help you ... control … this…”

She asked softly.
She wanted to reassure, to help, but did not know how to.
She turned questioning eyes to him once more.
He felt her sympathy, her compassion and yet, at present, he sensed no fear ...

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

No fear in her eyes or in the sensations that emanated from her as well, in her mind an open willingness and concern to help us "both" and not knowing what the cost.

"My name is Trevain and I have been waiting four hundred years for you" I began, knowing I had only a limited amount of time before the beast would begin to strongly insist he be in control and not knowing if i could deny his wishes...yet.

My voice grew in strength and it surprised me, the deep timbre of it had returned, as I once possessed so many centuries ago, was it in response to her being near me?

"I have been "possessed" by the beast for nearly four hundred years now, and he has used my body as a carrier to move thru mankind and feed upon them, taking what he needs regardless of the cost to humanity until a few weeks ago."

The announcement that I believed I was possessed sent warning signals into Bridget's mind and from hers to mine and I strove to quell them, knowing I needed her perception to be accurate of me if I would indeed be able to defeat the monster within.

"Possessed in the manner he takes control of my body and metamorphosis within, twisting and reshaping my flesh and structure into his own and in doing so pushes me to the back of his mind to watch in horror"

The bells grew and I knew I was indeed losing her, the horror of her imagining she was dealing with a madman coming to her as reality, for fear of facing an even greater and unbelievable truth.

"I am NOT insane Miss Taylor, nor are you" I reassured her carefully and stepping towards her "What I battle with every moment is inside me, but it is NOT an imagined foe, though I wish it were and also wish I would awake from the nightmare of it all"

It was more that I had ever dared confess to myself, to wish that this horror were over and at any cost to me, and I was telling it to a woman I had sensed for but a short time.

"I have control over him for but a short time and do not understand why or how completely, only that a combination of events and emotions gave me a freak chance for hope. And that is why I have contacted you, Bridget, to help me find that chance and take it, at any cost to me"

It was out in the open now, the words spoken and reinforcing what I KNEW she could feel...myself and the beast in one, and if she would face both of us?

"Help me and there no guarantees, Miss Taylor" I warned softly again, lowering myself to my knees as I stood within arms reach, forcing the beast and me to submit to her...and hoping she understood the act as I looked up at her. "The Beast may win and consume us both, and you may find yourself joining me in eternal damnation as well"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget ( Brid ) Taylor

"My name is Trevain and I have been waiting four hundred years for you"

Bridget watched as he began to talk. 400 years!
Had she known him another time? In a life before this one?
But that was too ridiculous even for her to comprehend.
But the familiarity… the voice..

"I have been "possessed" by the beast for nearly four hundred years now, and he has used my body as a carrier to move thru mankind and feed upon them, taking what he needs regardless of the cost to humanity until a few weeks ago."

Bridget tensed… possessed… yes.. she felt that… she felt the “beast” he called it, the other “being” within him, repressed, but present. Even as her mind pulled away, she felt Trevain’s mind reach out and hold her with him.
Again she let him draw her close, unable to pull away from the need, the desperation she knew he felt.

"Possessed in the manner he takes control of my body and metamorphosis within, twisting and reshaping my flesh and structure into his own and in doing so pushes me to the back of his mind to watch in horror"

Bridget looked over the body of the man before her.
She had seen his victims. Not his victims, the beast’s she corrected herself and yet …
Such strength and force and no conscience if his words were to be believed.
She could almost sense the beast holding back, watching them now, even as he made Trevain witness the murders.

"I am NOT insane Miss Taylor, nor are you."

He took a step closer. She looked up into his eyes.
They were clear and pleading.
She felt a bolt of … awareness … an empathy a … closeness for this man …

"What I battle with every moment is inside me, but it is NOT an imagined foe, though I wish it were and also wish I would awake from the nightmare of it all"

Even despite the fear, the horrors that she now forced out of her mind, Bridget’s instinct was to reach out to touch, to comfort him, but she remained immobile.

"I have control over him for but a short time and do not understand why or how completely, only that a combination of events and emotions gave me a freak chance for hope. And that is why I have contacted you, Bridget, to help me find that chance and take it, at any cost to me"

… emotions… yes… he fed off them.. .responded to them…
She still looked at him confused.
How could she help him find that chance?
At present she was not a threat to the beast.
He was watching, biding his time.
As yet Trevain was strong enough to keep him from her, but what would happen when … ?

"Help me and there no guarantees, Miss Taylor"

She nodded. No guarantees of safety.

She watched him as he lowered himself to the ground.
His whole demeanour one of surrender, supplication.

"The Beast may win and consume us both, and you may find yourself joining me in eternal damnation as well"

The tremor ran through her.
Damnation…
She was rising more than her life.
She was risking her immortality, her very soul.
And yet…
She looked down at Trevain and took a step towards him, her hand touching him.
She started at the jolt that the contact sent through her.
She pulled her hand away as if burned.
And yet it made sense.
If their minds were united then how much more aware would they be of each other physically?

Again she reached out and laid her hand upon him.
She felt the sensations, so intense.
She stroked his arm gently, her eyes on his, knowing he felt it too.

This is your destiny.

The words came to her mind as clearly as if they had been spoken.
Her present meant nothing anymore.
She had to do this, to help, to free him.
She felt his other arm move, she felt his hand encircle hers.
He held her hand and looked at her imploringly.

”I’ll help you, but, Trevain … “

Her words were soft, whispered in the moonlight.

”How can we keep him at bay, how can we expel him from your body?
What can make you strong enough to resist him?
After 400 years, what is it that is different this time?”

Her mind raced.
There had to be a reason for her involvment, if she could only find the key...?

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

”I’ll help you, but, Trevain … “

The words brought two reactions from us...One from myself and it being a joyous feeling, a small sight of hope that glimmered vaguely and yet made my heart hammer at the briefest glimpse of it. I was overjoyed and elated, my pulse quickening as I met her eyes and saw the compassion and need to help me, and a hint of something else more personal as well.

And from the beast...deep inside me he twisted and turned, growling and lashing out his great claws and baring his feline like teeth, unhappy, displeased and also giving off something I had never felt from him before. A sense of fear???

”How can we keep him at bay, how can we expel him from your body? What can make you strong enough to resist him?
After 400 years, what is it that is different this time?”

"He's grown bored with life in the woods, Bridget, and the stench and wickedness in the city has great attraction to him, confused him as he's trying to adapt, weakened him"

I sighed, not knowing how she would react to the next statement and yet vowing to tell her the truth and all of it.

"Twice he's tried to mate with a woman and both times the arousal has driven him back, weakened him even more so then when he feeds and drains a victim to death, though both times he has killed the women he tried with"

Bridget’s hand came off my shoulder and the current between us stopped, creating an instant void I did not want, as if I were feeling for the first time what an addict felt in withdrawal. I rose, reaching out to recover her hand and as our bare skin touched the feeling returned, a warm rush that made me giddy and yet strong at the same time.

"The difference is in you. I'm sure of it. You hold inside of you a power greater than you've even dare dream of, greater than the one you've kept secret from your police friend"

And with that confession I admitted as well I could sense her thoughts, read them as they passed through her consciousness and she considered them. I had avoided the first question and now hoped she would not press it again, knowing the answer would somehow be to her dismay, knowing the cost of expelling him would be paid at any rate by me.

"I will never harm you Bridget" I promised as I stood there and held her hands, my eyes looking onto hers and deep beyond them. "But you must promise me when I tell you to leave me you will, immediately and without question or looking back. Leave until you hear ME calling you back and you know it is safe"

It would have to be. She needed a way to distance herself in case HE gained control again, a way to be safe.

"I have found an old warehouse, one I now use as my home and it are enormous steel beams and frames, perhaps so enormous and strong HE will not be able to escape them?"

And with the suggestion our plan would begin, if the beast escaped me...would it be able to escape a cage of steel as well?

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

"He's grown bored with life in the woods, Bridget, and the stench and wickedness in the city has great attraction to him, confused him as he's trying to adapt, weakened him."

Bridget nodded. The city was a weakening force.
Her mind raced. She had to get them away from the familiar surroundings of the woods.

"Twice he's tried to mate with a woman and both times the arousal has driven him back, weakened him even more so then when he feeds and drains a victim to death, though both times he has killed the women he tried with."

Bridget drew back and looked into Trevain’s eyes.
The term of mating reminded her more fully that it was a beast that possessed him.
To … mate… and then to kill… she shuddered remembering the woman she had seen;
The woman on the bed, on the bed in the apartment.
She had sensed him there, but she had also sensed the beast.
She had felt his anger, his hostility.
It had driven her away from the scene then.
She remembered the photograph.
It was that which had enabled her to connect with them.
Yes that could have been him in the photograph.
She looked at Trevain confused as the two personalities merged in her mind.
The image looked like him, but it was not, Trevain who had attempted to “mate“ and then killed those women… She must remember that, hold onto that.

Even as Bridget cast around for understanding, Trevain reached out and took her hand in his.
Bridget turned to him and smiled.
She knew she had no difficulty in separating the two personalities!
His touch invaded all her senses, filled her completely.
The panic left her mind, clearing the way as they reached out and bonded mentally and physically.
Her second hand instinctively reached for his.
She needed the contact, the touch.
It was the anchor, it would help them think, plan.

"The difference is in you. I'm sure of it.
You hold inside of you a power greater than you've even dare dream of, greater than the one you've kept secret from your police friend."

Bridget gasped, but did not pull away.
Her mind and her hands remained his.
He knew.
He could read her, even as she sensed him.
It was ironic.
Mike knew little of her “powers” or “instinct” as he preferred to term it, but assumed he knew her. He bought the “tough cookie” image she bandied round the precinct.
No one messed with her. No one pushed her around.
She was known as a strong even formidable woman.
Yet now … with Trevain the façade was non-existent, all was open, laid bare and yet… it was the most natural thing in the world.
All that pretence … what was it worth?

"I will never harm you Bridget"

She knew that already, but nodded as he promised her.

"But you must promise me when I tell you to leave me you will,”

Her mind began to object.
She couldn’t leave him with that thing.
She wanted to stay and help … but knowing her thoughts he persisted.

” … immediately and without question or looking back.
Leave until you hear ME calling you back and you know it is safe"

His eyes were intense. He would know if she lied to him.
… without question or looking back … ?

But she knew why.
She knew that Trevain feared that he would not be able to control the beast.
She saw the words he could not say.
Saw that he feared that the beast would harm, would kill her if she stayed.

”I promise…”

She whispered, leaning forward and letting her body move against his.
She trembled as their bodies made contact.
His arm moved round her, tentatively, shyly, warily, as if gauging the reaction of the beast possessing him.
She raised her eyes to his, her expression questioning, stunned by the intensity of feeling between them.
She couldn’t feel the beast at all now.
All she could feel as she drew close and finally felt his arm round her as he drew her into his body was safety, closeness an overwhelming tenderness.

"I have found an old warehouse, one I now use as my home and it are enormous steel beams and frames, perhaps so enormous and strong HE will not be able to escape them?"

She nodded knowing he wanted to trap the beast, contain it in the physical way if he could not destroy it mentally.

”It’s worth a try … and it takes him out of the woods,”

She commented softly.

”You think that better than any other place in the city… than … my apartment for example..?”

Bridget raised her eyes to Trevain’s.
She felt how overwhelmed he was by her offer, her suggestion.
She didn’t care that the beast would be able to find her more easily.
She already knew that now she had linked so fully with Trevain, that the beast would know instinctively where to hunt her, should it wish to do so.
She already understood the risk she had taken, but didn’t care.
She had to do it … for him…
She felt the wave of emotion wash over them as they realised that they were now inexorably linked.
They belonged.

He raised his hand and ran it gently through her hair.
A heat suffused her body.
She was filled with an aching need for him.
She blushed hotly knowing he would feel it too, that he would read her thoughts.

”Ohh God… Trevain… “

She exclaimed hoarsely.

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

”Ohh God… Trevain… “ I heard the words and her passion flooded me, the warmth and the thoughts of her body against mine, silk against steel, soft against hard, want against need.

And as it flooded into me I felt the beast weaken, then like the caged animal it was lash out, the sheer, raging anger tearing at me from another side as her warmth streamed thru my veins and meeting it.

"Bridget" I moaned, my arms around her and wanton lust and need in my eyes, feeling for the first time I was truly a real man and not an animal of base needs.

And then HE tried, reaching up and slamming into my mind as Bridget and I touched, our lips about to carress each others, LAUGHING as it tried to force it's body OUT and mine it.

A deep, harsh GROWL and I heard his voice with my ears, feeling mty skin tingle and swell as HE rose to the surface.

"BRIIIIIIIJEHHHHT" Came the leering word, HIS voice as Bridget broke away and looked at me, horror and concern both showing in her eyes and face as she felt the force of HIM.

And yet I fought him this time, Fought him with all my might as I felt Bridget slide away from me and seeing with my eyes her dismay as I dropped to my knees, HIS hands coming to MY face.

"Nooooooooo" I screamed as the LUST pulled at Bridget and I felt her drawn to it as all the others were in tha past. "NOT her"

"NOT HER" I heard my own voice as I peered thru his fingers and fought him, the feelings I felt for the woman I just met, just touched, just....wanted, battling his own projected lust.

Bridget fought her own battle, fought the lust HE projected to her and in return accepted my own emotions, seperating them with her mind with an effort, but for the first time keeping US apart, two seperate beings battling for one body, one mind.

And then she stepped forward again, courage and determination showing on her face as her hands reached to me too quickly to avoid, taking HIS hands from my face and the power of her washing into US.

It was the last thing I remembered as I blacked our, fearing for her life as I felt the combined energy of THREE living beings inside me, and the first thing I thought of as I stirred, looking for the dead and maimed body of the woman who tried to save me.

"B..b..bridget?" I moaned thru thick, dry lips not feeling her as I searched and then suddenly sensing her alive but weakened presence.

"It's allright Trevain, I'm...OK" Came her soft, compassionate words from behind me and I turned to see her. Her face was tired, haggard, showing the effort it had cost her to defeat HIM and deep inside me I knew it was only the first battle we had won.

"Now you see why we must cage the Beast?" I implored "The next time he might break thru and come for you, and with your death he would finally break me...and then there will be no one to stop him"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

"Bridget"

His soft moan echoed Bridget’s need.
He drew her close to him. She melted against him feeling such unity, such closeness.
Bridget tipped her head back as she drew near Trevain.
But the Beast moved between them.

Bridget paled and drew away as she heard the growl leave his lips.
She knew the beast was gaining control.
Unable to help herself, she broke free of Trevain as she heard it call her name.

"BRIIIIIIIJEHHHHT"

The tone so different, leering, predatory.
The life force of this creature was strong and destructive.
And yes, she’d felt it before. In that room, when she’d picked up that photograph.
Again the growl.
The voice was the beasts and yet, still Trevain battled, not quite losing control yet.
On his knees now, Bridget watched the physical struggle and felt he mental anguish of the battle that raged internally.
Bridget tried to link with Trevain, as her mind opened an all encompassing lust drew her forwards.

"Nooooooooo"

Trevain’s scream stopped her in her tracks.

"NOT her"

Bridget centred on his voice.
Desperately trying to make the link, to move beyond the horrific force that raged and was focused on destruction.

"NOT HER"

Again, Bridget felt the emotion wrenching at her.
The lust she had felt with Trevain was safe and good, this lust was heated, selfish, aggressive.
Over and over, Bridget tried to block the beasts emotions and reached out to Trevain.
Somehow she had to link with him.
He was there, just beyond her reach!

Her eyes on the struggling man, Bridget took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Her hands touched his hands and his face.
Even as she touched, she knew she’d made contact with them both!
Her body rocked with the power of conflicting emotions.
The rage, desperation, hatred and… love…
She was flooded with the tumult of feelings that coursed through her being.
Still Trevain held on and still the beast raged.

Even when Trevain lost consciousness, Bridget knew that if she moved away, the full power of the creature would be unleashed. She did not allow her mind to pursue what would become of her then.
Still her hands upon Trevain’s face, she filled her mind with thoughts of him, of the short but intense contact they had shared.
Let her heart fill with the tenderness they had shared as the beast battled on.
Again and again it tried to infiltrate her mind.
Tried to show her pictures, images of what he could do to her, what he wanted to do to her.
But she kept those horrific scenes of rape and mutilation at bay.
She focused on Trevain’s closed eyes and imagined the tenderness the pleading she had seen there earlier that evening.

Just when the beast withdrew, she had no idea.
Over and over like a mantra, Bridget had played and replayed words and images whilst clinging to any iota of connection she could with the unconscious man before her.

"B..b..bridget?"

His voice was soft, even as his mind reached out.
She felt his desolation, despair, his panic.

"It's allright Trevain, I'm...OK"

Relief flooded him. She tried to smile at him as he turned to see where she had collapsed finally onto the ground close to him.

"Now you see why we must cage the Beast?
The next time he might break thru and come for you, and with your death he would finally break me...and then there will be no one to stop him."

Bridget nodded wearily.
She held wanted to move forward, to be comforted by him, but was afraid to do so.
The images she had held at bay came flooding back into her mind.
The fear rose in her.
But Trevain made the move she did not dare instigate.
His hand encircled hers once again and his touch calmed her.

”He wants to destroy me, us… he knows, Trevain ... he knows I’m a threat, but …”

She lifted her face to his and gave a brave smile.

” … if he sees me as a threat now, then it must mean that we have a chance.. a good chance…of controlling him… ”

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

Bridget in my arms felt so natural, so good, so right and as her words came to me an almost calm demeanor I nodded.

”He wants to destroy me, us… he knows, Trevain ... he knows I’m a threat, but …” The pause she gave told me volumes, the quiver in her very soul told me more as I felt her resolve to fight this beast and WIN.

” … if he sees me as a threat now, then it must mean that we have a chance.. a good chance…of controlling him… ”

And the fear of losing as well. The horror of her mind and what the Beast had forced her to see as she refused to give up on my unconcious body, hovering over me and fighting HIS will, holding HIM at bay until I could return.

Was that something a stranger did for another stranger? Or was there some sort of link between us the Beast had quelled in instinctive slyness, dulling the memory of it in fear it would prove to be his Achille's heel?

"Bridget, Take me to the warehouse and then go home" I spoke softly, my mind returning to the calm state I needed, saving the energies I knew would soon be drawn upon, too soon.

"You'll need to make excuses to your people, tell them you'll be away for a time and gather supplies for yourself before you come back, perhaps you want to clue your policeman as to what is going on?"

Feeling her flare at the thought of trying to convince "Mike" what was really going on I smiled, rising to my feet and then pulling her gently to hers and gathering her in my arms.

"It would be easier to not just tell him then" I nodded and smiled softly, instinct guiding me to bend my head and press my lips to her open ones.

The contact of our lips was akin to opening a gate and thru it washed years of pent up passion, my hands carressing her face as I pulled back slowly, not wanting to break the "link" we had just found.

"Someday" I promised "Someday I will show you how I feel about you Bridget Taylor"

Bright eyes turned to me and she nodded, her strength momentarily regathered as she moved to the path that would lead us from Diamond Pond. Hand in hand we walked, long strides matching each others in unison as we quickly moved along the lovers path and in the direction of the busy street and a cab.

I felt admiration as Bridget waved down a car and barked the address I gave her, the beast within me cringing as we slid into the rear seats, our handhold never breaking.

Minutes later I stood on the street and looked into that same car window, her face pressed to it as it drove away, wondering if I would ever see her again and not blaming her for not wanting to return.

I moved for the first time with purpose, inside the warehouse and to the pile of metal rails that took even all my strength to lift, the plan coming to shape as I locked each into place length by length.

"I'll be waiting for you Beast" I made the second promise in one evening. "And when we meet again one or both of us will die, but you will not kill again"

A phone call and the voice promised immediate arrival of a welder and the qualifed hands to run it, the cage would be greater than anything the Beast had ever had to breach, for I shared his memories as well and would use them against him.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget (Brid) Taylor

"Bridget, Take me to the warehouse and then go home."

Bridget’s mind screamed, “No!” She did not want to leave him.
Even as the thought filled her mind, she saw him smile and knew he had understood.
He was calm now and reasoned. She struggled to act logically.
They had to get control of all their emotions if they were to succeed.

”You'll need to make excuses to your people, tell them you'll be away for a time and gather supplies for yourself before you come back, “

Bridget nodded. His calm tone helping her gather her senses.

”… perhaps you want to clue your policeman as to what is going on?"

Bridget looked at Trevain and knew he read her thoughts once again.

Tell Mike!? There was no way he would accept … all this as fact.
He would think her insane, tell her she was crazy to have met with a potential killer … no he would never understand…

They exchanged a smile.
Bridget felt herself drawn towards Trevain and nestled in his arms.
His touch, his voice, all was so different from the creature who, at times, possessed him.

"It would be easier to not just tell him then."

Again a nod was exchanged followed by a soft kiss.
The contact once again rocketed awareness through the two.
Need … belonging… passion… but not the destructive lust she had seen from HIM.
The hand that stroked her face now was gentle, tender.
Bridget knew now how entirely separate the two beings were.
She looked up as Trevain drew back from her, unable to withhold a regretful sigh.

"Someday … Someday I will show you how I feel about you Bridget Taylor"

Bridget nodded. She did not let any doubt enter her mind.
Some day they would be together, as it had always been intended that they should be!
Words as ever were not necessary between them.
As one they turned and walked hand in hand towards the street and “civilisation”.
The place had seemed deserted earlier, but Bridget was determined to make the homeward journey as quickly as possible, for both their sakes.
The taxi she hailed seemed to sweep through the streets.
She sat in silence, her hand surrounded by his.
They did not risk words. They used their own communication.

All to soon it seemed the warehouse loomed before them.
Without a word Trevain got out finally breaking the hand hold.
Even as the physical contact was broken, he felt the strength of Bridget’s mind reach out to him.
They held each other’s eyes almost with desperation as the taxi drew away.

”Young love!”

The taxi driver commented, laughing, but neither heard the comment.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the cab drew up outside her place, Bridget paid the fare and climbed wearily out and up to her apartment. Securing the door and dropping the key by the side, she walked through the semi-lit rooms and looked round.

It all seemed so different to her.
She was a different person to the one who had left the night before.
She looked at the clock… 6 am!
How long she had fought and held the beast at bay she had no idea.
It had been a long and exhausting night.
Bridget did not even make it to her bed.
She fell asleep on the sofa.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It was 10:15 when she next woke.
She moved to pick up the phone before she had fully opened her eyes.

”Yeah..?”

Her uncustomary greeting did nothing to reassure Mike.

”We had a briefing at 9 am! One you insisted on.
So… where the hell were you, or rather what the fuck are you up to?”

” … Mike…?”

Brid enquired down the phone, only just recognising him.
The words about her missed meeting had not made any sense to her as yet.

”Now… are you going to do any bloody work today?
I’m sat outside your apartment. We have another corpse to go see!”

As ever, Mike's anger masked his concern.

"… Brid...?"

She was not responding anything like normal.
What he had not told her yet is that the dead girl was in fact the girl who had asked after Brid the day before.
He just didn’t like the way things kept leading to her.
He finally let that concern show... almost ...

”Brid, I’m parked outside.
Are you coming out or do I have to come and get you?”

Brid struggled to make sense of it all.
Her mind was still totally detached from the "police" perception of the case.

”You can come right up, Mike,”

She invited lightly.

”I have to dress and … just come up ..”

She finished lamely and put down the receiver.

"Fucking hell!"

Mike swore to himself as he locked the car.
Something was really wrong... he could feel it!

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

I stood before the monument admiring it, the dark metal rods crisscrossing each other and framing a two-sided barrier that reached from the concrete floor to the metal ceiling overhead.

"The door is even tuffer Mistah Trevain" the black faced welder bragged to me as I handed him his payment and watched him gather his tools. "You gunna keep a big dog or wild animals in there?"

"A very large and wild animal, yes" I confirmed and closed the stout door, sliding the double bar into place and feeling the action of the padlock.

The welders farewell went unnoticed as I opened the door again and stepped in, feeling something inside of me shrink and recoil from the cage that now surrounded US, and what it was that hated it so.

"You hate the idea don't you?" I questioned out loud and felt the Beast inside of me snarl in response, my throat choking on the sound as I fought it back. "But do you hate it enough to let me be the Master and follow my rule?"

I didn't need an answer to know HE could ever be ruled over, that the killing would continue if it were up to him, and part of me wondered what it would be like to be alone.
But I was no longer alone now, I knew that with a sense of joy and comfort, knew with Bridget's help we would find a way and a place for both of us in her world.

"It is my time to live, Beast, yours is shortly going to be over, for good if I have my way."

And then the Beast replied, the pain in my chest and back nearly blacking me out as HIS form pushed outwards, the snarl in my throat all HIS as he screamed in anger and frustration at me and the world. Looking down I saw with familiar horror my fingers darkening and elongating, the short nails turning into long peircing weapons as I forced them to grip the door and pull it closed.



"You will die, SHE will die, WE all will die!"


With a final snap the lock went shut and I heard myself laughing at him, his hands rattling the bars and howling insanely, the hardened metal laughing in rattling unison at his efforts.
The Beast had possession of me now, But for once I knew he would not killing, his promise an empty and hollow threat as he climbed the bars to beat uselessly on the metal overhead.

It was but a matter of time and he would weaken and this time I would be waiting for him.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget ( Brid ) Taylor

Mike rung the bell insistently.
Brid was not there to meet him.
Again he pressed his finger on the buzzer and finally the door opened.
He opened his mouth to ask what had taken her so long, but shut it immediately.
She looked awful and this time even he had the tact to keep his observation to himself.
He walked with unaccustomed calm into the apartment and shut the door himself, the followed Brid into the front room watching as she slumped on the sofa.
It was obvious to him she had spent the night there and showed little intent of moving in the near future.

”Shall I get coffee?”

She nodded absent-mindedly.

”Yeah.. sure if you like….”

And waved him in the direction of the kitchen.
With a last worried glance, Mike hastened to make a strong brew.
He hurried back to the front room carrying the pot and poured the drink into a large mug, putting it into Brid’s hands when she did not reach out to take it.
She sipped it slowly, seeming to revive slightly.
She looked over at him and gave a wan smile.

”So … kid… tell.. what gives?”

Mike’s enquiry was casual, but he eyed her worriedly over his coffee.

”Gives…? Ooh… I had a rough night… fell asleep on the sofa… overslept… did I miss something this morning…?”

Mike frowned.
Just the briefing about the series of murders she’d been bending his ear about for the past week and a half!
But he answered calmly.

”We had … a meeting arranged, Brid.
Don’t you remember?”

He asked carefully.

”Ohh … that…”

Brid shrugged dismissively as she remembered.

”Yes. That. “

Mike’s staccato speech showed more concern than anger.

”Are you coming in today … or… shall I call you in sick.. or.. something…”

Brid raised her eyes to his finally.

”Actually Mike… I need to take time off..”]

Mike looked incredulous.

Time off? How much exactly?”

He echoed.

”At least a week, I think…no more… I hope…”

Mikes cup rattled as he set it down.

”Geeze Brid! Get a grip will ya?
What the hell has happened in the last 24 hours!
Are you ill? Did you get bad news?
Have you fallen in love and running off to elope?
God.. nothing makes sense with you anymore !”

Brid as ever was unfazed by his temper.

”All of the above Mike, but for our purposes, whichever one will get me the leave I need.”

Mike let out a long sigh.
He moved close to her and put his arm about her.

”I’m worried about you honey...
To tell you the truth, I’m scared to death…
There’s something you should know…
That girl ... The last dead girl.
She was the one who came into the station.
She was the one who contacted you …”

He watched her face anxiously, but Brid merely nodded.

”I know. It’s OK Mike. I can sort it.”

His grip on her tightened.

”You know? What the fuck do you mean you can sort it?
You can’t even do your job at the moment!”

Bridget pulled away slightly from his tight grip.

”I can do the job I have to do…”

He watched her and rolled his eyes.

”This isn’t about all that voodoo visionary nonsense is it?
You haven’t been holding séances or whatever it is you people do?”

She smiled then, but it angered him more.
He grabbed her and shaking her turned her to face him.

”This ain’t funny Bridget!
Don’t get involved and don’t try anything on your own."

His anger had flared and abaited.
He looked at her helplessly.

"Geeze, babe. We’re supposed to be a team.
Can’t you tell me what’s going on?”

Brid paused and looked into his eyes.
Worry … fear for her safety … she read it all, but …
He wouldn’t understand or accept and he would be unable to help without an acceptance of even the basics involved.
Regretfully she shook her head.

”I’ll be fine. Just give me a week.”

Mike looked at her earnestly.

”You’ll stay in touch?”

Again she she shook her head.

”No… I have … things I have to do…
you’ll hear from me though... one way or the other ... ”

She … knew something … he was sure…

”And the case…?”

He eyed her curious to hear her response.

”The case will still be there when I come back, Mike… or not… “

She responded carefully.

”Now… you should be getting on… I need to take a bath and do some shopping…”

She listened to his objections, then insisted quietly.

”I’ll be fine… I … just need some … time … really Mike… I’ll be .. in touch…”

It took a full 15 minutes to convince Mike to leave.

Bridget finally closed the door and leaned with her back against it.
She had the leave, now she had to go and get the provisions.
She moved down the hall towards the bathroom.

She paused and gasped.
The beast was back.
She could feel his rage, his anger.
He wanted to kill her.
But … he was trapped … he wasn’t moving… she could sense that he had taken over Trevain, but this time he was caged.

The knowledge revived her.
She had a mission and she knew what she had to do.
She ran the water and sunk gratefully into the water, letting her mind drift at peace for the first time in ages …

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

The beast howled and leaped, his claws shooting sparks off the walls as they dragged across and slowed his descent, but not stopping him. Winded for the first time in my remembering he crouched on the floor and swung his head, the sight of the cage sending great rippling tremors through him as i watched thru our eyes. I could feel his anger, anger that pulsed from him and spread past the bars of the cell, past the walls of the warehouse and into the streets outside like a shadowy mist. And covered under that anger?

Fear. A growing and real fear that gnawed at him, weakening him in a way that made me feel empathic sorrow for him, but strengthening my resolve to continue as well. Strengthen it because I could feel a third entity in this battle, weak but growing stronger as well, being quite aware of what was happening and taking solace from it as it did.

Time was growing short for the Beast, Bridget and I both knew it now, and rejoiced in that knowledge. But what I needed to know now was still hidden inside his memories and I put my mind to the task, delving into the insane jumble of raw emotions that governed him and trying to sort them out, trying to remember WHAT had happened in the very beginning when he had come to feed on me.

Deeper and deeper I pressed until with a silent gasp I stumbled on the scene, and for the first time saw myself laying on the battlefield, a lance driven clean thru me as the beast approached with others of his kind and moved in for the attack.

Thru his eyes I saw the blood run as my sword cut into his own mate and killed her, the face shifting to human form as she died between us, blue eyes replacing the dark ones, blond hair coming in place of the dark and ragged fur as her face smoothed into features nearly too beautiful to believe.

And then the Beast came, his anger and thirst for revenge matched only by the thirst for my blood, and with one move he took both.

Gasping out loud I knew! Knew what had happened and what would happen if and when we defeated the beast, and why Bridget seemed so familiar to me. Knew with another gasp it was me sitting on the bare concrete and trembling, naked as the day I was born and trembling, but not from the cool surface.



"Bridget? WHEN you are strong enough and ready?" I sent out, nearly confessing my love for her as I projected I was ready.

I was ready now, the knowledge I needed now mine, as well as the understanding of what I had done four hundred years ago. The Beast was capable of feeling as I was, and too long ago he was capable of caring for another, an emotion that had died with his mate.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

"Bridget? WHEN you are strong enough and ready?"

Bridget paused as she pulled on her fresh clothes.
The beast was weakening, trapped.
She knew it was time.
Trevain needed her.
She smiled and pulled the holdall over her shoulder.
Moving to the kitchen she packed a rucksack with a range of supplies.
How long this would take, or just what would be involved she did not know, but they would succeed.
She was determined.
Calmly she collected the necessary items and made the call.
The taxi was prompt. It arrived merely ten minutes later.
She gave the address of the warehouse and settled in the back seat.

Deliberately she cleared her mind and reached out.
She could sense nothing.
He would be unconscious or exhausted perhaps, but she kept reaching out to him, forging the link to make it easy for him to contact her.

”Hold on… I’m coming… we’ll beat it. Trevain… we can beat HIM…”

Over and over, her mind repeated the mantra, hoping that her strength would permeate into his consciousness and give him the determination he needed.

So focused was she on her thoughts, she did not realise that the taxi had stopped.

”You sure this is it, Lady? You want me to wait…?”

The cab driver clearly was unsure about leaving her.
He eyed the bags as she leaned forward to hand him the fare and a generous tip.

”This is fine … no… I’ll be sticking around a while… “

She commented casually.
He thanked her and after a slight pause handed her a card with the number of the taxi company.

”I’m Joe … call when you want picking up … “

She nodded, but made no verbal response.
It seemed this man had a hint of intuition about him.
He seemed uneasy about leaving her, but had no choice but to start up the engine and pull away as she stood and watched.

”Trevain…?”

Her mind again reached out and found a stirring of response.
She walked slowly carrying her supplies, moving with calm determination around the building until she found the concealed entrance and with only a momentary pause, found how to gain access.
Again, it was as if she saw everything through his eyes.
She knew somehow where to go, how to pick her way through the dim, deserted building, saw how he had woven a path into the very boughs of this place.

What she had not forseen was the cage.
He could not communicate that sight to her.
As she turned the corner she gasped.
Her soft gasp sounded loudly in the emptiness.
The iron structure dominated the floor in front of her.
Welded and secure, it was indeed a prison strong enough to hold any manner of beast.
Stepping silently near, her eyes searched the cage, half expecting to see a rabid animal tearing about inside.

Her eyes widened in shock.
Her steps halted abruptly.
On the floor she saw the crumpled form of Trevain.
He lay unnaturally still, almost corpse like on the floor of the cage.

”Ohh.. my god!”

The exclamation was spoken outloud.
Her heart contracted with pain and sympathy and love for this man.
This man who was a part of her.
A part she had lost somewhere in her past and would always be a part of her future, somehow, no matter how events turned out.

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

I felt her. Felt her as she approached and the like a child awakening became completely aware of her and her strength, drawing slightly from it and apologizing as I did, using it to fully return to my world and our reality as I rose to my feet.

"I'm not sure God had a hand in this, and if he did for what purpose Bridget." Attempting a soft humor at her exclamation of finding me and in this state. Still there was no shame in me for my nudity; it was one strength I had gathered from the beast, no shame for being what I was...or modesty of it. And in Bridget I sensed a sort of approval in it, the honesty touching her and meeting her expectations, making us closer inside as we stood looking at each without moving on the outside.

"The Beast is resting now" I assured her "And he's shared a few interesting facts with me, though he was reluctant to do so"

Nodding towards a three-legged table Bridget followed my gaze and moved to pick up the key without being asked then returned and unlocked the heavy padlock of the door.

Sliding the double bar back we pushed the door open and I passed through, a sigh escaping me at being temporarily reprieved from our prison.

"Do you believe in past lives, Bridget?" I asked as our hands touched on the cold metal of the door and felt her reassuring electric warmth, a touch I was growing rapidly fond of. "I've accepted that it is possible and in someway is what makes this universe and it's occupants so intertwined, why we "feel" alike to one another and yet are surprised by that familiarity."

I moved to the table and pulled a pair of pants on, then a T shirt as well, not of embarrassment but to lessen the attraction the beautiful woman was feeling for me and I was responding to as well, to put off for a short time what I desired so...and instinctively felt she did as well. Bare footed I padded back to her and took both her hands, letting the memories I had gleaned move slowly into her, feeling her able to sort them out as I held back the pain and knowing she saw what I had just viewed inside the Beast.

"He is pure, raw emotion, he lives and feeds on it and that energy has helped him forget the past and live...for an eternity because of it"

A small answer to a much larger question. And suddenly I was thankful this woman had returned, knowing what it had cost her and the double risk she had put herself under without asking for a reward.

"I am glad you've returned, Bridget"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

"I'm not sure God had a hand in this, and if he did for what purpose Bridget."

Bridget gave a faint smile as she stood watching Trevain stand slowly and let her eyes travel over his nakedness.
His nudity seemed … natural somehow.
In the cage, he seemed almost … feral …an imposing figure in his own right and rampantly masculine, she realised as she drew her eyes away from his manhood.

"The Beast is resting now.
And he's shared a few interesting facts with me, though he was reluctant to do so"

Bridget wondered, what facts the beast could have been tempted to share.
She took up the key and moved to free Trevain, unlocking the padlock and helping him to pull back the door.
She smiled softly as she heard and felt his Trevain’s relief at being freed and felt that somewhere, deep down, tension left the beast he hosted.

"Do you believe in past lives, Bridget?"

The contact of their hands on the metal made the warm shock travel through each of their bodies once more. She nodded. With such evidence, how could she deny the possibility that she and Trevain were somehow … linked…

"I've accepted that it is possible and in someway is what makes this universe and it's occupants so intertwined, why we "feel" alike to one another and yet are surprised by that familiarity."

She watched curious as he moved to dress, the clothes hiding the strength of his body and making him seem less wild ...
It was almost with reluctance that Bridget raised her eyes from his body to look into his eyes as he approached.
Again, the contact between them was wordless.
He took her hands and she felt him reach out and fill her mind with images.

Images, a combination of man and animal, hunting, fighting,
She felt the harshness of the battle,
exhaustion ... panic ...
And yet … she was detached …
How could she view, feel and yet…?

And then it came to her…

First a feeling of unity, bonding, but when she sought understanding,
it was a feral being whose instincts and form she shared.
Even as she recognised the bond, she felt as they had moved as one across that battle field,
sensing the threats the danger and then she knew...

She had thrown herself upon the attacker, the man who threatened her mate.
Bridget gasped out loud as she realised.
It was Trevain who had been the murderer!
At that time, in the beginning, she had belonged to HIM and it was Trevian who had torn her from her soul mate.

"He is pure, raw emotion, he lives and feeds on it and that energy has helped him forget the past and live...for an eternity because of it"

Trevain spoke, pulling Bridget back from the pain and anguish of that death. Pulling her away from her memory of that first union.
Somehow the beast and not just Trevain were interwoven and both sides a part of her.

"I am glad you've returned, Bridget"

She looked at him and drew back her hands, chilled suddenly, her mind desperately trying to make sense.
It was the beast she reached out to now, trying to contact him not to battle against him, but to link,
offering to share a memory of what had once been.
She spoke, trancelike, her voice pained as he refused to open his mind.

”He’s locked me out … he won’t admit what I once was to him."

She turned and looked at Trevain again.

"What you did … he’s never forgiven you … “

She shivered, understanding now why they battled so.
Desperate for reassurance, Bridget pressed against his chest, shivering.

”It’s as if you’ve spent your life time waiting to make amends for what you did and HE …
HE will not allow himself to feel sorrow, guilt, remorse or love.
HE will never let himself recognise, acknowledge me… “

She spoke slowly, as if explaining it all herself and to him.
Trevain and the beast had been one entity for so long, perhaps they would never be parted …
And she ... she belonged to them both!
How could it all be made right once more?

Perhaps, ultimately, they were destined to ever destroy her as they battled one with the other …
perhaps that is what they had always done, throughout the ages…?
Perhaps that was her destiny, to ever be their victim...

 

[Indigo Spirit]

”He’s locked me out … he won’t admit what I once was to him."


The words spoke volumes, pain, agony, her own forced lonliness that she had never recognized until....

"What you did … he’s never forgiven you … “


Until now and because of what I had done to her and HIM four hundred years ago. The truth of it showed clear in her eyes as the past life was triggered in her memories by the combined touch of US.

Her words were not so much an accusation as a statement of truth, proof of the pain I had caused too long ago and how it would reverberate thru the centuries to come. Unsure of herself Bridget came to me and pressed herself against me, much like she would have IF she were still part of the Beast's lair and HIS mate.

”It’s as if you’ve spent your life time waiting to make amends for what you did and HE …
HE will not allow himself to feel sorrow, guilt, remorse or love.
HE will never let himself recognise, acknowledge me… “

And at her discovery of the emotions the Beast would not feel my own welled to the surface as I clung to her, guilt at the revelation I had murdered so long ago what I now loved, remorse over the action and the second startling fact she was a kindred spirit to HIM, and yet under both those heavy emotions a third came...the love I couldn't deny I felt for the woman in this present, the woman I knew as...

"Bridget...Forgive me?"

Beyond the words she spoke I could feel more, FEEL her fears of being alone, and prey to US, fear of being hurt over and over again thru the centuries by US and not being able to stop the endless cycle of it all.

Inside me the beast laughed, a deep, rumbling laugh at what Bridget and I had discovered and how his hand was played out in it thru time, how shrewd he was to choose the one he did to possess knowing it was only a matter of time before history repeated itself.

"NO, This time I won't allow it" I spoke in defiance to HIM and felt the beast coil as if ready to attack.

"Whatever was in the past is going to stay there" I promised them both and felt my own strength revive. "Bridget is her own person, her own being and as such has the right to live freely, unhaunted by a past chosen by others for her to live over and over again."

My own hopes as well. But now knowing my true place in this and the grief I had caused?

"Whatever the cost to ME...I will hurt no one...again"

It was not a vague or weightless promise, for as I was linked to the two inside and out of me so did I share the secrets unlocked in both. And with those fragments I understood HOW it had to be done and where.

"Bridget" I spoke, my strength returned to me now, drawn from inside and from her... "There is a way. One I can guarntee will end your pain and let you live the life you choose, and in which I can repay you for what I've done."

And deep inside of me I knew the cost. I would lose her as well.

"I can feel the want inside your body Bridget, the passion you feel for both of us and if you are willing? Join me and let that passion inside all of us, let our bodies merge in the physical pleasures and as the pleasure spreads through us..."

I would use the opportunity to seperate us. Push the beast from my being and then remain long enough to finish what had to be done...Free the beast from this earthly state as should have happened long ago...So in the next life he could return to Bridget without the burden of crazed hate and anger trapped with him.

"I know now how it can be done"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

"Bridget...Forgive me?"

Bridget lifted her eyes to his. She saw and felt his remorse.
But she saw and felt his love.

”There is nothing to forgive.
It is destiny. We have no choice in it.
I have loved HIM. Now I love you.
There is only ever one outcome.
Over and over it plays itself out.
And now we have been put together again.
There is no help for it.”

Bridget’s voice was soft, accepting as she forced a smile.
The tears she only just held back were not of sorrow or self-pity,
Her tears were of loss. Loss of the love she had once shared and for the loss of the love she had now discovered. She tried to hide the knowledge from Trevain, but she knew that HE would never let her be with Trevain.

Before now death, murder had been a reality she saw in her job, but not something personal.
All this explained her intuition, her sixth sense, her ability to assist in murder investigations and then, finally THEY had found her, found her again.
She felt HIM laughing.
Laughing at her despair and she knew that he could only do that if he refused to recognise her.
He knew, but would not let her in, would not allow himself to feel for her again.
Last time his love for her had destroyed him, his soul and all that he was.
The two had switched roles and emotions.
She looked up at Trevain.
If he lost her, would he transform into a vengeful being?

"NO, This time I won't allow it"

Bridget jumped taken aback by the defiant cry she had not sensed before he spoke.

"Whatever was in the past is going to stay there"

Trevain held her still as she listened to his words.

"Bridget is her own person, her own being and as such has the right to live freely, unhaunted by a past chosen by others for her to live over and over again."

Bridget heard his words, but knew that they were foolish.
She was linked. She, in her own way had set this cycle in motion.

"Whatever the cost to ME...I will hurt no one...again"

Bridget closed her mind to Trevain and pulled away.

”Perhaps not in this lifetime … but … “

What happened now between the three of them would determine their roles in ages to come.

"Bridget"

She turned and allowed the connection once more.

"There is a way. One I can guarantee will end your pain and let you live the life you choose, and in which I can repay you for what I've done."

Bridget felt turmoil inside him, but could not decipher what it was about that statement that did not seem right.

"I can feel the want inside your body Bridget, the passion you feel for both of us and if you are willing? Join me and let that passion inside all of us, let our bodies merge in the physical pleasures and as the pleasure spreads through us..."

Already she was shaking her head, even as his words tried to convince her.

"I know now how it can be done."

Bridget took a step backwards trying to deny the truth of the words.
She felt a turmoil of emotions, her own, the beast’s and Trevain’s.

”Noo.. it won’t work…
if he recognises me, he will destroy you and then claim me once more as his mate …
if he does not recognise me… he will kill me as he did the others … “

How could Bridget do as Trevain asked?
How would she understand the passion she felt for the two intertwined beings?
How could she let both of them inside her, give herself to the ones who between them were her destroyers?
Yet … how could she fail to love and give herself to them both?

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

”Noo.. it won’t work…if he recognises me, he will destroy you and then claim me once more as his mate …
if he does not recognise me… he will kill me as he did the others … “

Holding her still I bent and kissed her, knowing we needed time to think calmly and discuss what I was proposing, to show her logically what I felt.

"Think of the two times it was different for the victims" I prompted softly and brushing back her hair from her face. "The beast inside was weakened when the woman brought out the physical reactions I responded to. The lust to be touched and know someone cared for me making me stronger and him weaker"

The memories were there if she wanted to look, though memories that would sting with the horror of what happened, but could be used as lessons and learned from as well.

"I know how HE merged with me and why now" I reflected as I felt Bridget stir in my arms and looked down to her eyes. "He felt anger at your death...and pain, and for the first time in his existence? Fear...and rather than face it alone he forced himself into me as I was weakened, making me feel what he felt and damning me with those feelings for eternity...until now"

And now we had a chance...if only a slim one, for Bridget to be free and the Beast? I held that secret back from her, that the beast's physical body was gone...his sharing mine was the only way he could exist in this time. And once mine died?

"I will protect you." I promised, knowing now what mattered to me, what meant the most.

After all, what other choices did we have?

"Would you rather it remain the way it is?" I asked softly, letting her inside me again to see I would obey if that was the way she deemed it to be, the image of myself and the Beast inside the cage....forever.

"The choice is yours to make"

I moved from her then, wanting her to make the choice and not feel forced, not wanting her to know the consequences for me if we tried...Needing her to be free..and happy.

There was water inside the cage and I was thirsty...and needed to wash the grime off my skin as well, it would give me something to do and her time...to decide our futures.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

Bridget was comforted by the soft kiss.
She exhaled letting the initial panic seep out of her.

"Think of the two times it was different for the victims.
The beast inside was weakened when the woman brought out the physical reactions I responded to. The lust to be touched and know someone cared for me making me stronger and him weaker."

Bridget felt some of the memories, but pulled away, not wanting to see the full picture.

"I know how HE merged with me and why now"

Bridget looked up at Trevain, knowing that he had thought long and hard about this since the discovery of her role in this triangle.

"He felt anger at your death...and pain, and for the first time in his existence? Fear...and rather than face it alone he forced himself into me as I was weakened, making me feel what he felt and damning me with those feelings for eternity...until now"

Bridget nodded. She knew that. Had felt all that in him as she had died.
He had called out to her, but such was her injury that she could not hold onto life, even for him and now … perhaps he blamed her?

"I will protect you."

Her mind responded in protest.
How could he offer protection?

"Would you rather it remain the way it is?"

Bridget did not have to turn to see the harsh reality of the cage before her, but as her eyes took in the sight, her mind saw it from the inside, through the emotions of Trevain and the beast emanating from the time when they had been locked inside.

"The choice is yours to make"

She wanted to shout that it wasn’t fair, that it was always she who was caught between them.
Did she have to make a choice between them, or a choice whether to live or die.
Whatever choices offered themselves, she knew that the choice to walk away was not even an option!

She sat on an upturned packing case and put her head in her hands.
Trevain moved away to drink and wash.
She glanced over at him.
He was a combination of man and beast, just as she too had a joint personality.
Her mind was in turmoil.
But she knew that whatever thoughts she had could be read by both of them.
How could she hide those thoughts?
Over and over she tried to mask the one feeling that kept recurring.
She could not rid her mind of the idea that perhaps this time, it was for her to let the beast slay her and in that way the score would be even … but … if she allowed that … then what would Trevain become?

She sighed heavily and hoped that he had not picked up on her half formulated idea.
There seemed no other logical answer.

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

Bridget's words stayed with me as I washed, the shirt discarded to cleanse the dirt and feeling away as I thought over her fears and my problems.

It startled me but I knew they were mine, not hers and as I finished with the cold water and the small shaving of soap, I realized there was another alternative.

Fanning my arms I returned, her figure a picture of dejection as she sat huddled over the crate, her face dark and cloudy with the thoughts that flowed outward from her.

"Bridget, there IS another solution. One that will free you from the triangle of the Beast and myself and not involve you, one that will guarntee you are safe and that I am no longer the carrier for the one you mourn for. Would you take it?"

I stood watching her, feeling her try to probe my thoughts as her head remained clasped in her hands, and the pain of making decisions washed over her. But instead of letting her into my thoughts I pushed towards her the love I felt for her, then knelt on the floor a few feet in front of her.

"It is my decision to make, true?" I asked softly and watched her lift her head, the tears in her eyes giving me the answer before she whispered to me.

"Yes"

Nodding I rose, then made my way to where the small phone lay and dialed the same number I used when first trying to contact her, knowing I had found the correct answer to my problem as I spoke softly into the phone and disconnected.

"I must step out for a short time Bridget" I explained softly to the still unmoving figure. "You will be safe here and from now on"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

"Bridget, there IS another solution. One that will free you from the triangle of the Beast and myself and not involve you, one that will guarantee you are safe and that I am no longer the carrier for the one you mourn for. Would you take it?"

Bridget watched him standing by her and tried to sense the meaning behind his words, but he wouldn’t let her in. Again she was shut out.
Even though she could feel his love, his need to protect her, it was still a cover.
She watched as Trevain knelt down beside her and looked at him steadily.

"It is my decision to make, true?"

She didn’t know why, but she had an even worse feeling about this.
Almost choking on the tears, Bridget conceded;

"Yes"

She watched as he stood and moved to the phone.
She watched him dial and then speak into the phone.
There was something familiar, something he was keeping from her.

"I must step out for a short time Bridget.
You will be safe here and from now on"

As he turned away from her, the pieces fell into place.

”Nnooooo!”

He stopped and turned round.

”Nooo! That is not your choice to make!
You’ll destroy both of you, destroy us all if you do that… “

She ran to him and pulled him back.

”Both of you have made the choices, all the way down through the ages.
It’s my turn now. It’s up to me.
I don’t know what the answer is, but … we’ll stay here and next time he comes… well… .we’ll see... only the three of us can sort this out together.”

He began to protest.

”For God’s sake, Trevain.
You know Mike! You’ve seen all you need to of the police.
The police in this day and age will lock you for one reason or another.
Trust me on this. That will not work... now … please… we don’t know how much time we have left … let’s just… “

She held out her arms to him, wanting to draw him back to her, wanting to convince him that the only way to deal with this was together, but whether he realised it or not, she meant the THREE of them!

 

[Indigo Spirit]

”Both of you have made the choices, all the way down through the ages.It’s my turn now. It’s up to me.
I don’t know what the answer is, but … we’ll stay here and next time he comes… well… .we’ll see... only the three of us can sort this out together.”


Was she so distanced from the crimes that she had no idea what terror came as the Beast hunted it's prey and consumed it? No, I knew she wasn't but to let HIM regain control and then?

The words made me turn and look at her with new respect, but my resolve was the same, perhaps stronger as she continued to speak.

”For God’s sake, Trevain.
You know Mike! You’ve seen all you need to of the police.
The police in this day and age will lock you for one reason or another.
Trust me on this. That will not work... now … please… we don’t know how much time we have left … let’s just… “

"Or they might decide I am too dangerous to be taken alive if prompted and then killed?" I asked softly, the anger rising in me at her concern for the beast and I but not herself.

"You wish me to continue to live, the Beast trapped inside and struggling for control or using my form to satisfy himself, yet will sacrifice yourself in thinking it will end the struggles?"

I shook my head, returning to the cage I had built and pulling the door closed, then looking thru the bars at her.

"It will only repeat the cycle and leave the Beast free to roam as he wishes, knowing he has won this round for the next four hundred years, for I will not attempt to control him without a reason of my own to live"

The door clanged shut and I slid the lock in place, snapping it closed and tossing the key to the table before looking to her and opening my thoughts to Bridget.

"With any one of our deaths we all suffer, only by seperating the Beast from myself and restoring the balance as it was then...do we have a chance for our future."

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget Taylor

"Or they might decide I am too dangerous to be taken alive if prompted and then killed?"

Bridget gasped and moved to him, clasping him tightly to her, but he pulled away and she felt his anger. She looked at him hurt.

"You wish me to continue to live, the Beast trapped inside and struggling for control or using my form to satisfy himself, yet will sacrifice yourself in thinking it will end the struggles?"

He turned and did not see her tears.
She had thought … that if the worst happened and the beast took her, then … perhaps it would be over …
His words immediately contradicted her thoughts.

"It will only repeat the cycle and leave the Beast free to roam as he wishes, knowing he has won this round for the next four hundred years, for I will not attempt to control him without a reason of my own to live"

She turned as she heard the cage door slam and watched him throw the key outside and onto the table.
He looked at her then.
She felt him reach out at last to her.

"With any one of our deaths we all suffer, only by separating the Beast from myself and restoring the balance as it was then...do we have a chance for our future."

Defeated she turned and moved closer to the bars, the tears still on her cheeks as she asked softly.

”So … you want to go for your first plan … what do you want me to do, Trevain…?”

 

[Indigo Spirit]

Trevain

"Remember the difference between love and lust when he comes"



Time passed and we sat by the bars, our hands touching as we talked about small things, memories of happier events, small events that meant so much to us, trying to get to know each others lives and pasts in the little time we had..

Eventually we were talked out and we just sat next to each other, the bars supporting us as we were together, and a constant reminder we were apart. Bridget slept, her head nodding down gently and I caught her, sliding my arm thru the bar to support her and hold her as she rested, a part of me touched by the fact she trusted me enough to sleep next to me.

The day passed and I brushed her hair with my fingertips, enjoying the sensation of her silken skin against them and wondering what it would be like if we were...together.

And then I felt him stir, the long quiet spell broken now that he was rested, the presence of Bridget next to me making him...hungry.

I moved, gently recovering my arm and watching Bridget stir, using my own force to mask and control the beast until I was the furthest from her, huddling in the corner next to the sink.

And then he came. With a silent rush he moved to the surface, wiser now from past experience on how to deal with me, stronger in that knowledge because of it and showing his intelligence at that fact.

I didn't fight, instead choosing to stand aside and let him take over, to save my own strength for what I knew was coming, knowing the hunger in him was a desperate thing unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Skin rippling I felt the change coming, the back of my hands bulging, growing, tendons appearing where there had only been soft skin, the muscles bulging as they grew ten fold...and from my throat his voice, a low deep thing that called to his victims. He stood now, the legs tearing thru the pants I had just donned, his height a full foot taller then my own six foot as he stretched and turned his eyes towards Bridget, his nostrils flaring at the scent of her as she rose to her feet and looked at us.

"Come to me" The words rolled off the wolf like snout, the power of them doubled as her mind received the command and the energy behind it.

"Come to ME"

And then with a start I knew...the beast did recognize her, and his intent was to use that familiarity against her, use it to draw her near and free him...

"Noooooooooooooo" I screamed within him and knew with a sagging feeling it wasn't heard. Knew as well that he had planned this very thing all along, had known of her existence and simply used me to gain access to the city and it's ways.

The beast moved to the center of the cage and stood there in all of his primeval magnificence, Bridget's eyes drawn to his form and then his eyes as the sheer power poured from him and to her.

Memories of how it had been rode that power, the scent of the grass and the mighty forest flowing out of him and the sight of two lean, dark streaks side by side as they ran...the thrill of the hunt shared by them...together.


"Come Join Me" The beast spoke clearly this time, arms open and his posture imploring her to do just that.

A second time I screamed, uselessly it seemed as Bridget took a step forward and placed her hands on the heavy bars, her own aura reaching out and touching the one who she had loved so many centuries ago...

"Nooooooooooo"

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Bridget

"Remember the difference between love and lust when he comes"

Bridget nodded dumbly and sat beside the bars.
All the time they talked, they were aware that at any moment the beast might jump between them and force them apart once more.
The touch of his hand on hers filled Bridget with a bitter-sweet longing.
If only things were different … if only things were “normal”.
As if in an effort to hold onto “normality” she talked to him of her school, her early efforts at dating, her prom, her graduation … of many of the small things that had happened to her as she grew up.

And then there were no more words.
Bridget sat, slumped against the bars, Trevain’s body mirroring her posture, touching and yet separated. As if that was always as they would be.
The intensity of the emotion weighed her down.
Soon her head nodded and she rested against the metal bars, unaware of the arm curled about her body in tender support.
Unaware of how vulnerable she was, sleeping against the cage, Bridget sighed softly as Trevain tenderly brushed her hair and let his fingertips trail across he skin.
Only when that touch was removed, as she felt Trevain draw away from her, did Bridget stir, her eyelids fluttering open in confusion.
By the time she was fully aware, she saw Trevain in the far corner, pressed against the sink.

”Trevain…?”

The whispered enquiry had barely left her lips when she knew the answer.
Trevain was gone. The beast had taken him over.
Trevain’s physique, his face, everything about him seemed to transform before her eyes.
Staggering to her feet, Bridget stood beside the bars, watching as the tall creature met her eyes. She knew he was picking up her scent.
She knew he wanted her … wanted to destroy her.

"Come to me"

The words were spoken directly to her and yet, he communicated to her ears and to her mind.

"Come to ME"

Bridget took a step nearer the cage.
The beast stepped forward. His torso rippled.
His power exuded from him.
Even in this form he was feral.

Bridget gasped in recognition as he showed her how they had been together.
She had been his mate. They had run together … wild ... free… hunting …
She remembered the thrill, the excitement.

"Come Join Me"

Bridget saw him open his arms, appealing, inviting.
He had been her all … in that other life …
She stepped forward, irresistibly drawn to him.
Her hands curled round the bars separating them.

"Nooooooooooo"

The cry broke though.

... Trevain ...

Bridget let go of the bars and jumped back as if scolded.
Her eyes still held the beasts as she looked longingly at him.
His power exuded and coiled itself about her, promising her a unity, such as she had never known since that time … and yet …

”Ohh.. God… no… “

She whispered, torn.

All her instinct told her to open the cage to go to Him.
And yet … common sense told her that He would destroy her if she did…

Again she took hold of the bars, resting her forehead on them, her eyes on the beast.

”If you loved me… if you love me now… for God’s sake … stop this killing …
Show me how we can make peace with this … “

She implored him,.

”Trevain killed me once … but now…
You’re destroying us over and over again… “

Her voice was husky with tears as her heart ached for him.