The First Touch (44 page)

Her three alleys
surrounded
her, as she closed her eyes, and placed her hands over
Drake
’s closed lids. She pictured the flames traveling through her arms and out through her fingers to fill his body with the fire that it needed to begin its reanimation.
Autumn
felt
Drake
sitting up and she uncovered his eyes.

As soon as he opened them she hugged him tightly and then she pulled back quickly asking with genuine
concern
, “
Are you alright? How do you feel?”

He blinked at her confused, replying
breathlessly, “I am fine.”
She fell back on her back
side as his friends
crowded
in patting him on the back and shoulders. He seemed completely
bewildered
by the enthusiasm, “What happened?”

Flora replied exasperated
, “
You died!”
Drake
pushed Flora out of the way to get a conformation from the source.

Autumn replied
, “
I didn’t mean to I just thought you would
pass out
.” He did not seem to like what she was saying though, and she added hopefully
, “
I healed you as soon as I realized what I had done.”

Flora
chimed
in
, “
Yes
,
she saved you.”

Drake
shot her a look that said
,
I will look at the tapes later.

Flanagan finally spoke then breaking the tension in the room, his mouth
newly formed and his voice
clear, “One hell of a way to die though,
”
he smiled at
Autumn
,
“
you can practice that one on me anytime.”

She
put her hand to her head and felt the urge hit her hard and said
, “
I need somet
hing to eat. Please hurry I cannot hold it
back much longer.” Utvic was at her side holding two large pitchers of blood instantly and looking
concerned
. Everyone stepped back watching the floating pitchers next to her.
She
looked at Utvic and waved them off
telling him not to worry about them. Then she took the first one and guzzled it greedily, then took the second one and did the same.

Afterwards she handed them both back and said softly, “Thank you Utvic.”

He nodded and looked at the
council
who were staring at her bloody face and then at the pitchers floating away from her
, dumbfounded
.
Autumn
then
stood again and smil
ed and snapping her fingers,
finally
rel
eased Helen from the wall N
ow freed she walked over to join the group, her
expression masked.
Autumn
wiped her mouth with the back of her arm and smiled un
-
phased asking
the group, “
Who is
next?”

Helen stepped forward surprising
herself
and the others as well,
Autumn
smiled and said, “Do your worst Helen.” She nodded and came to the same conclusion that she had
before;
Helen’s
pheromones
had no effect on her. So
in turn
she activated all of the others to capture
Autumn
, and
instead of kiss
Drake
,
she was
suppose
d
to kiss Henry.

She
ou
tsmarted her this time, and
caught Helen quickly this time. Then she hit her in the face so hard that it crushed her skull in and she fell to the ground. As they all shook
off the tightness in their
muscles they saw
Autumn
holding Helen’s body. She was healing her
within
moments, reconstructing her face bit by bit until Helen gasped for breath. Helen
,
unlike the
others
could tell right away that she had been damaged. She shot up looking into a mirror that
she
pulled from her pocket as she asked
, “
Is my face alright?”

Flanagan
answered sarcastically
, “
You look great Helen.”

Autumn
winced at those words and then walked over and touched Flanagan’s face
, “
I am sorry. I should have been more thoughtful.” He smiled and winced and then she said
, “
Close your eyes and try to relax.” He nodded and complied, and
Autumn
closed her eyes as well. There was a sudden bright light coming from
the
skin on his face. Then she stepped back and Flanagan was whole once again.

He smiled
cheerfully
,
raising his eyebrow as he flirted shamelessly this time,
“T
hanks love, and I
meant
what I said earlier about that training.”

Autumn
blushed and w
aved him off asking
, “Alright who’s next?”

Galen nearly chirped his
response
, “
I would love to try, my dear.”

Autumn
smiled and turned to Utvic who was no
w back at the door looking
calm now
, “
Could I get another pitcher just in case, please?”

Utvic nodded and left the stage quickly, then
Autumn
turned back to Galen who blinked and twitched, “Who were you talking to?”

Autumn
smiled
, “
My new friend
.” Galen twisted his head as if he were going to argue but thought better and shrugged.

Then he jumped into the air and flew around for a while until he felt confident enough to strike.
She
smiled as he took the first chunk from her flesh. Then she reached up and pulled that arm off. He
squawked
loudly and shot back down to hurt her and instead she held the arm for him to take back and he did then he
roosted
on top of the
beam
high above
reattaching
it.
Autumn
pulled in all of the
available
energy from the air around her and shot herself into the air. She landed with a powerful thud on the
beam
not ten feet from him.

Galen let out a warning growl as he finished
reattaching
his arm. Then
she
saw a new glint in his eyes and
Autumn
asked
, “
You have been hi
ding something.” Galen nodded, h
e came running at her then
,
his teeth drawn and su
nk them into her forearm. S
he
immediately
threw him over the ledge. He swooped back up as
Autumn
noticed that the
limb went to sleep.
She
shook it at her side, as she felt it begin to travel up her arm to her chest. Her flame flared in her chest and managed to keep it at bay
, but just barely
.

Then Galen took another swipe and knocking her from the ledge. She landed with a thud and let out a cry of pain. Then she turned her pain into a growl and pushed off of the ground swooping through the air just as Galen had. Her growl was near
deafening
as she wrapped her arm around his neck but not before he caught her again with his front teeth.
Autumn
hissed as her arm stopped working
altogether now
.

The tables turned, as Galen now began to
pursue
her. She backed away as both of her arms
lay
helpless at her side. It was not how she planned this encounter. It hit her then, another urge to eat that pulled her strongly. She hissed and then let it turn in
to her natural reactive state, t
he place where no sound existed, just the moment the motions.
Autumn
let the cold begin to expand out from her mind
,
and travel down her body. Filling it with healing
iciness
, as she did,
she kicked Galen square in the side of the head.

He went flying sideways and she followed right behind him landing on his neck as his back hit the floor.
Autumn
let out a r
oar unlike any she had ever heard and
lifted
Galen’s
upper
bod
y up off of the ground. Then she
twisted
her waist and her body fell backwards snapping his neck and jer
ked her legs
,
pulling his head clean from his body. The crowd behind her roared as the head came rolling
across
the stage.
Autumn
slowly stood as the feeling began to finally return to her arms and hands
,
now that he was dead,
and flexed her hands for a moment
.

Henry meanwhile fetched his head, returning it to her, as
she
whispered
, “
Sorry about that,
” to Galen
,
while
she reconnected the head with her golden touch. Utvic was already be
her side
with another two pitchers and
Autumn
smiled at him and drank greedily.

Then she said
, “
Thanks you’re a life saver
.”

“
Perhaps if you wer
en’t so generous with your gift,
”
He urged.

Then he motioned to Galen who was twitching and blinking and watching her closely.
Autumn
smiled
, “
I hurt him
.
I cannot very well leave him that way. Even allowing him to suffer for
a moment longer than he had to
would be cruel. I just don’t have that in me.”

He nodded
, “
Very well I will keep them ready and waiting for you then.”

Autumn
smiled, “Thank you.”

Utvic reached his hand out and pat her shoulder and then disappeared carrying the pitchers away with him again.
Galen
still sat still blinking, “I am not the only one with secrets.”

She
shrugged, “It’s not mine to tell.” Galen blinked and
Autumn
stood and offered her hand and he took it readily. Then she wiped the blood from her face with the back of her arm again, “So who will be next?”

Flora raised her hand and then stepped forward smiling sweetly. The smile could not take the look of fear in her eyes, “I am just going to sing you a song.” You just have to try and resist it.”

“I know.” Flora smiled again and began slowly just as before, and
Autumn
added politely, “
A
little louder love.” Flora opened her mouth wider and the sound increased until it was nearly painful.

Just as befo
re though the sound stopped, and
Autumn
smiled feeling calm and happy, then she said, “My turn.”

Flora seemed alarmed but
Autumn
sang softly and smiled sweetly and she calmed instantly. It was almost too low for anyone but her to hear. The tune changed then and Flora nodded and walked over to her
mate, reaching
her hand up gently sliding it up past his chest ruffling his collar and she rubbed his face sweetly smiling. Then she pulled her hand back and smacked Henry hard across the fac
e, sending blood flying from his
mouth. Henry shot
Autumn
a sour look rubbing his jaw,
she
smiled teasingly back at him without missing a beat. Then she changed the tone again and Flora smiled up at Henry and then kissed him passionately.

Autumn
stopped singing then, and Henry finally pulled back and smiled at Flora ruefully and then remembering asked Flora, “Are you alright my heart?”

Her smile
widened
,
and she answered, “Yes, of course…
” But then seeing the look of worry on his face she asked frowning, “Why?”