Air

Three

    Damara slowly woke up and accessed the damage to her body. She had a deep, throbbing pain in her abdomen and she could feel twinges and aches all over her body. She looked down and saw that the bleeding slowed down to a trickle. She started tearing strips from her shirt to bind herself and after securing the tie she realized that she was imprisoned in a cell with no apparent door to be found.

    She tested her limbs and slowly stood up and scanned the walls looking for a door. "s**t, what the…"

    "Do not even think of trying to escape. You won't succeed, and it will only anger me." A deep, raspy voice spoke behind her. Damara twirled around and glared at her jailer.

    "How dare you. You will release me." Mara narrowed her eyes as she finally got a good look at him. He had dark, black hair framing a chiseled and handsome face. His eyes were black with a strange orange light briefly flashing within its depths. He had an air of sinister intentions and the way he looked at her spoke of his plans for her.  He was tall and physically fit wearing black clothes that helped him blend into the darkness.

    "Ah, little bird, I will enjoy breaking your spirit. I will enjoy watching the fire in your eyes die and be replaced with submission. You may call me master." The demon walked to her and placed his finger on her cheek and grazed it softly.

    Mara flinched from his touch and felt fear rise within her. "I will never call you master, and I will never yield. I know who you are."

    "Who am I other than your master?" He grasped her throat in a flash and pushed her back into the wall. "Who am I?"  His fingers slowly tightened and he smiled when he felt the flutter of her heart beat. He could smell her fear and it excited him.

    "Bane…" she gasped out. Bane dipped his head down to her throat and inhaled her scent.

    "You smell of innocence and I thirst for your blood." Mara saw his teeth grow larger as he snapped at her tender throat. Mara squeezed her eyes shut as she felt a tingling in her fingertips. A dim, white light shone from  her fingers and as she felt more power enter her hand she paced it on Bane's chest and released it.

    The burst of power threw him across the cell as he hit the opposite wall with tremendous force. "I warned you." Mara realized her mistake when she glimpsed Bane's eyes as he focused his sight on her. His eyes changed to a fiery red and there was no mistaking his anger. His mouth twisted with cruelty as his features turned insidious. "You will pay for that…" Bane growled out before there was a large blast somewhere above them.

    Sounds of a raging battle soon followed with cries of death. Before Mara could gather her wits, there was a bright flash of light that blinded her. As her eyes cleared, she saw a large form launch itself at Bane as the giant  threw a punishing blow to his face. Bane quickly recovered and engaged him back, and Mara quickly saw this battle was to the death. They were evenly matched but the stranger fought with a deadly precision that Bane lacked.  His moves were swift and accurate but Bane was not going down without a fight.

    There was another flash of bright light and she quickly turned her head.  She raised her sight and saw three more men dressed all in black join in the melee. Bane saw the newcomers and growled, 'This isn't over." In the next blink he was gone. And now she was alone with the stranger that still burned with rage and bloodlust. 

    He slowly faced her and she gasped as she saw his face. This was the same man that has haunted her in her dreams. And as Mara saw him in the flesh she was more terrified than anything, as a rising fear took over her. She dreamed this man chased her, was constantly pursuing her. She would scream for help but no one came to protect her from this monster. As he finally caught up to her she would die and then she would wake.  Her eyes, wide with fear, backed up shaking her head no as glimpses of her death flashed before her eyes.

    Alastair finally took a good look at her and he breathed his first calming breath. She was beautiful and he was so relieved she was mostly unhurt that he didn't notice her fear at first. He stepped forward and she quickly took two steps back, with her hands in front of her as if she can bar him from her path. Alastair frowned, "I will never harm you."

    "Prove it. Let me go."

    Alastair shook his head, "I am sworn to protect you, and I can't do that if I'm not around you. Do you know who I am?" Alastair braced his feet apart and placed his hands behind his back. He tried to appear unthreatening as possible to put her more at ease.

    "No I don't and I don't want to know. I want to be released." She crossed her arms over her chest, and glared her displeasure at Alastair which made his mouth twitch with amusement.

    "Come lady, I am  your liberator not your warden. Regis sent me to locate you…."

    "You know Regis?" Mara quickly interrupted him and rushed forward. "Do you know if any others were taken? Was there anyone hurt? Please tell me?"

    "I don't know anything but I can take you to him if you like."  Alastair finished.  "But first, we must talk about payment."

    "Payment? I have nothing to give you." Mara looked insulted that he would ask such a thing from her. Alastair laughed. "I have no need for your money but I do desire a kiss. One kiss is all I ask." His eyes turned seductive as his voice lowered with his desire. Mara couldn't look away. She was entranced as she regarded him with eyes wide with shock.

    Mara considered his proposal. She couldn't see anything wrong with a simple kiss, if she could be reunited with her sisters. "Very well, one kiss…" she breathily replied. Alastair smiled and it transformed his face. His features became softer and if it was possible even more handsome.

    "Alastair…" A masculine voice whispered with exasperation. "Need I remind you where we are? It won't take them long to bring reinforcements and I suggest that we leave this place with all speed. You can save  your courtship for another time."

    Mara's face bloomed red with embarrassment. How in the world could she have forgotten that she wasn't alone with the stranger? He was truly dangerous, even more so without knowing his true agenda but she felt her fear of him disappear.

    "Z…" Alastair started but Mara interrupted him. "He's right, we need to move. I will owe you a kiss, one which you can collect at any time. I don't know about you but I want to leave this place. Are we agreed?"

    Alastair didn't answer instead he walked up to her and extended his hand out to her. He waited, and as Mara slowly placed her hand in his she realized her life was never going to be the same.