Branded As Yours

One

Earth; Year 2018:

Hana ~

•••••••

"They're watching you again."

Peeking out from under the waves of my hair to where my she was pointing, I scowled and quickly averted my eyes.

"Then stop looking at them."

"I can't!" She whined, shuffling on the blanket we were sat on. "It's too weird. I don't know how you can stand it."

I shrugged. "I'm used to it."

Ever since I could remember, crows had followed me. Though not stalking me in the sense that it had become a problem, I just found that wherever I was, there was always at least one crow in sight watching me. It had been unnerving growing up, strange even, but now it was just a regular thing that happened.

Crows followed me. No big deal. Move along.

"It's weird." My best friend Kami repeated, her eyes darting around to the group of crows in a nearby tree and to the two a little off perched on the top of a statue. "What do they even want?"

"How the Hell am I supposed to know? I don’t speak crow."

"Well haven't you ever tried doing anything about it before?" She snapped, her hand reaching out to snatch the book away I had been reading. "Seriously, Hana, it's not normal. Wild birds don't just follow people for no reason."

"Everyone says I'm paranoid." I sighed reluctantly. "The Doctors, shrinks - everyone I've ever told about it. They think I'm imagining it. Birds are everywhere, right? It's not like I can prove they're actually following me. They just... Turn up wherever I am. They don’t do anything."

"They stare at you! Jeez it's making my skin crawl, the way their beady little eyes are locked on you. Aren't crows, like, a sign of death or something? Maybe they're fore-warning you."

"They might be."

"I was joking." She muttered, though the way her lips pressed together I was beginning to think she was believing her own 'joke'. "Seriously, though, we need to do something about it."

Kami just didn't get it. Nobody did. Nothing I did or said would make these creatures leave me alone, though in truth, they weren't exactly doing anything. Just always watching me. Always there. I'd met Kami when I'd began rooming with her during freshman year here at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine two years ago, and we'd been best friends since. It hadn't taken her long to realise crows showed up whenever I was outdoors and just like everyone from my home town in Cali - she couldn't just ignore it like I'd learned to.

"There's nothing we can do, save for shooting them or something. But more will just come, believe me." I muttered.

I'd had an ex-boyfriend back in my high school Sophomore year who had taken it upon himself to try rid me of my 'crow infestation'. He'd 'borrowed' his dads rifle and shot at a group of them, killing some and scaring off the others. It didn't take long for more to appear, replacing the dead ones. There were always more crows than there were bullets, it seemed. And I'd counted the bodies of those birds.

"Then can we move inside? They're giving me the creeps and I can't concentrate."

"But the AC is broke." I reminded her drily. "Our dorm is an oven."

"The library's nice and cool."

"It's also nice and overcrowded because of that fact, especially at this time."

3pm was basically rush-hour time for the library. Groaning, Kami threw herself down next to me on the blanket and attempted to study, but it was obvious she couldn't forget about the crows.

"Forget it! I'm going to go get some ice cream. You coming?"

"Yeah, why not." Gathering up our things we set off across campus to the nearby ice cream parlor, Kami's mood lifting now we were on the move.

Half an hour later we were strolling back, ice creams in hand and talking about an upcoming party. Kami was trying to convince me to actually come to this one, but I just wasn't feeling it. In truth, all I wanted to do was study. Studying would help me get a good job after graduation. Partying? Yeah, not so much.

"You're just so boring." Kami whined.

I laughed because it was true. I wasn't offended by it, if I was, I'd have caved long ago and gone with her to one of the many parties that were always happening on campus, but the reality of me was that I was boring. Studying was a high priority to me, up there hugely with getting amazing grades and graduating with honours whilst Kami hoped to bag herself a boyfriend. We were both studying to be nurses, but Kami had seen it more as an opportunity to 'get in' with a pre-med before he became a Doctor.

"Grades won't matter when you're married to a Doctor." She would tell me severely.

She’d succeeded and had been dating Matt now for almost a year, but it hadn’t curbed her love of partying. It was in that aspect we always disagreed. I didn’t see the need for either wild parties or a boyfriend and it was the one thing that set us both apart.

"We have a test tomorrow. That's the whole reason we're studying together remember?"

She groaned. "I can always re-sit it though, right?

I sighed. "Right."

"Then I'll catch you later. I'm going to get ready at Trina's. We're prinking."

Hugging her goodbye I made my way back to our dorm room. I only managed to get a few hours of study time in before the stifling heat became too much. I was sprawled out on my single bed in just my underwear, wishing that I had chanced the library after all. Licking the sweat off my lip I groaned as I drank the last of my water.

It was no use, I needed to take a break and stock up on water. And maybe some packs of ice for my water. Anything to cool me down.

Pulling on shorts and a vest top over my sweat slicked skin, I slipped my feet into a battered pair of flip flops and set off with my purse to the campus store, the very slight evening breeze nice on the back of my damp neck. Even with my hair in a bun it still was too thick and in my way. There was no taming it, but I knew cutting it off wasn't an option.

My mother would kill me; she always said my thick mane of wavy blond hair that I inherited from her was my best feature. I, however, would rather like to think my mind was my best feature. Cheesy thing to say, but I had what my tutors called an 'over imaginative' mind, one that never really shut down. That's why I liked studying.

The guy behind the counter of the store, Frances, had his ear phones on while he watched the TV behind the counter, but he flashed me a brief smile as I entered. He knew me from my late night visits and in turn I knew he hated working the night shifts - he must have only just started since it was only 8.30pm - but he did it because they paid for his expenses whilst studying Business.

Trawling down the aisles to the freezers I frowned when I noticed they were sold out of ice. I should have known, of course. No doubt it would all be at the party Kami was going to, which would be starting in under an hour. Heading back to the fridges I had just opened the door when there was a strange, almost blast of pressurised air that struck me, throwing me into the fridge. I barely had time to throw my arms out to catch myself on the cold shelving, saving my nose from being broken.

With my face smushed against the bottles I fought to regain my footing and whirled around to see a guy stood behind me. He was breathing heavily and wore a strange leather vest top with matching black leather pants, thick boots on his feet. But more than his strange choice of clothing in this stifling heat, my eyes were drawn to the blood slicking his sweaty skin, dripping from the jewelled golden cuffs on his wrist and down his clenched fists onto the ground.

My first reaction was to gasp loudly and his head jerked towards me at the sound. He scowled as his eyes met mine and I could see the malice reflecting back at me - it was nothing short of terrifying. He towered over my short 5,3 frame and stood at least 6,2-6,3. Long, sweaty black hair limped into dark forbidding eyes and he had a strong nose that cast a shadow over full lips that were twisted into a snarl.

Any of those features of any other guy would have appeared normal - well, as normal as seeing them on a model, anyway. But when put together with his fierce expression and weird clothing they made him look edgy at the very least, but terrifying and downright malevolent in the florescent lighting of the shop. I knew immediately he wasn't someone who would easily be crossed.

And his attention was fully on me.

"Oh god." I muttered.

A cruel smirk twisted his beautiful lips and with no warning he reached out and viciously grabbed the strange of hair lose from my bun, tugging me against his chest, head yanked back to look up at him from the harshness of his hold. My hands immediately grabbed his chest for leverage and found the leather of his vest under my fingers wasn't smooth, like I expected, but weirdly soft, like velvet.

"Oh how funny they are." He mused, his voice deep and low, almost gravely like he smoked too much. "Sending me to the Human realm."

I stared up at him stupidly because his words made no sense. The intensity of his gaze on me was just too much though and I looked at the shelf behind him desperately.

"Get off me." I cried out, punching at his chest with my fists.

But he just huffed out a laugh. His hand in my hair slacked slightly as we heard a voice clear from down the aisle and we both turned to see Frances stood with a wide-eyed stare as he watched us. Seeing my position his gaze filled with unease.

"Just let her go, man." He spoke, his voice only shaking slightly.

But the man holding me didn't. In fact, as he turned back to stare down at me I knew he wasn't concerned in the least at having an audience to his manhandling of me. And that, of course, flashed up even more red flags. He obviously had no regard to how he was treating me and I could feel he wasn't bothered by Frances holding up his mobile in warning, no doubt in a threat of calling the police.

"Leave us." He ordered Frances, who flinched at the authority in his tone.

I tried to beg the man with my eyes to let me go, but his expression was unrelenting.

"Look I don't want any trouble..." Frances began uncertainly.

"Then leave." The man repeated more firmly.

Frances met my eyes again, his panic no doubt reflecting my own, but the man growled and tightened his hold of my hair, forcing my eyes back on him. He was looking at Frances.

"Go back to your post and you won't have trouble." He spoke. "But believe me when I say; if you call the guards I will hurt this girl. Understood?"

I couldn't see Frances' reaction, but I could hear his footsteps retreating back to the front of the store. I hoped it was so he could ring the cops.

"You Humans are so meddling." The man muttered darkly as he looked back down at me.

Suddenly his free hand reached up and wrapped around my neck, causing my eyes to widen in true fear.

"No!" I gasped, renewing my attempts to punch at his chest. "You can't do this!"

He chuckled lowly and tightened the hold on my neck, applying pressure. I whimpered.

"Can't I?" He mused. "And who will stop me? The child back there? Your guards?"

His thumb began to rub against my throat and his lips quirked into another smile as he watched me tremble against him. Lowering his head I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt his breath against my ear and his body move flush with mine. I froze as I felt how hard he was against my stomach and a different type of fear only a woman alone with a strange man could feel gripped me. He was getting turned on by all of this!

"Can you feel that?"" He rasped lowly so only I could hear. "Your life is in the grasp of just one of my hands. I control how much air you can breath..." and to prove his point he tightened his hold momentarily, cutting off my air so I choked and clawed at his vest until he slackened it again. "I could crush your windpipe in a second."

He leaned back and stared down into my tear filled eyes with something akin to pleasure. It made me tremble at how much he was clearly enjoying this. I could feel the proof of it still poking my stomach. I tried to squirm my body back away from him, practically arching my back to escape his touch. His free hand grabbed at my hair tie and I felt a slight pull before it popped, the elastic snapping.

"Do I scare you?" He asked in that same low tone. I nodded truthfully, my wild hair fluttering around my head. "Good. That's how it should always be. You women should fear us."

His words sickened me. I'd seen my father knock about my mother in his drunken stupors after losing bets, seen how he enjoyed having power over her and I hated how weak I felt now in the same position. I'd always felt like my mother was stupid, pathetic, because she never fought back. But now I understood. The hands against his chest balled into fists and I could feel my finger nails dig into my palms hard enough to draw blood.

But I relished the sting. It was helping ground my nerves when all I wanted to do was scream and cry and beg. But begging was useless. I knew that. If anything it pleased him to see me so upset So anger was all I had left.

"You're an asshole." I spat.

He nodded, accepting this. "And you're a controlling little whore." He retorted, matter of fact.

"You don't even know me!"

"All you women are the same."

His hold on my neck tightened again, harder than before and in a panic I tried to shove away from him, my fingers sliding over the sweat and blood coating his strong arms. But he was too powerful. Watching me struggle for a moment, my face no doubt turning red from lack of oxygen, he didn't release me until I was feeling somewhat faint. When he finally relaxed I was gasping for air.

"This is what's going to happen. You're going to walk out of here and next time you try and use your womanly charm to control a man, you're going to think back to this moment and remember that you aren't in control. You will never be in control and you will never, ever, Lord over a man."

He shoved me away as violently as he'd grabbed me and I fell into the fridges, my back striking the glass hard enough to crack it before I tumbled to the ground in a heap, crying out in pain. Another blast of pressured air slid me back a few feet. Looking up through the mess of my hair I found myself alone in the isle and gasped out a cry of relief as Frances sprinted towards me.

"I called the police." He told me lowly as he held my arm, supporting me as my legs shook as I tried to stand. "I'm so sorry, Hana, I shouldn’t have walked away, I should have done more."

"It's not your fault." I whispered.

"I've looked around. He's managed to get out somehow. I didn't see him go through the front." He paused as he looked me over. "Oh God, you're bleeding!"

I glanced down and could see my red stained palms, the moon shaped inserts where my own finger nails had pierced the skin, but there was no way I had bled that much. Then I remembered grabbing his bloody arms and knew it wasn't all mine. It was his. I scrubbed them on my shorts, sickened to be wearing even a part of him.

The flash of blue and red announced the arrival of the police and I let out a relieved sigh. He was gone. I was safe now. But what had happened still sliced through my nerves and I couldn't stop shaking, not even as the armed police rushed in and announced the shop clear of threats and I was led to a waiting ambulance.

Never before had I felt such hatred from a stranger.