Under Georgia Rain (Lyonel)

[Demi Fae]

Her hand was taken after Demi offered it and while she felt the coolness of the embrace coming from him, Demi didn't think anything of it. It was raining and the air was cooling down, some people had bad circulation, there were a number of reasons the driver could have had cool hands. The southern belle never for an instant thought 'monster' or 'vampire.' Those sorts of things didn't exist in her part of her very sheltered world.

His name finally came after Demi's hand was released, and while she didn't know how it was spelled, Demi could only think of 'Lion' as a form of an alias and the cat found somewhere in the Sahara. When he inclined about her time constraints, Demi shook her head. “Curtain call was over an hour ago.” She started to unzip her bag, then glanced over in 'Lion's' direction.

“That's fine. I'm just here for the ride. But, if we're going somewhere...I can't wear this the entire time.” Demi pointed out, not knowing what this 'Lion' person might be up to. But if she ruined the costume, Demi would never hear the end of it, would have to buy another one and might not be cast in anything again. “I think there are...three hooks. The zipper I can manage from that point.” Demi turned her back to 'Lion,' as proof of the hooks she spoke about. “Help a girl out?”

“No perving.” Demi said as his attention moved from her, to the road in front of him. Not that he would see much, Demi was an expert at dressing and undressing quickly in a shared space with people she barely knew, or at least considered friends. What business could someone have in the pouring rain? Something inside, Demi determined as she pulled out a dress,that she was clearly planning on changing into while they were on the road. That was, as long as the 'Lion' was willing to help her get out of the costume with what seemed like endless layers around Demi's midsection.

[Lyonel]

“Four.” He revealed her count was off by one without taking his eyes off the road.

It had little to do with the storm brewing in the darkness that the vehicle was aiming for. Perving. His eyes went upward to the interior roof of the car before answering the call of duty. He had released countless hooks and guided more zippers than he could count down the female spine. A few caught his attention, initiated a game of temptation, rise and counter but more often than not it was just as innocent as what was being asked of him by his passenger.

The West family had females with sky is the limit designer taste and preferences for the most confining garments. West women were not the only ones who lacked the ability to reach their backs when it was required. More than once he had rescued the old man and a brother or two from clothing that wouldn’t comply. They lived in a tight world where they had each other's backs, hooks, zippers and anything else that required a helping hand or two. All for one and one for all or something like that. While his fingers did the work requested of him he chose to reassure her with a promise he could keep.

“The rest is in your hands. You are safe.” He finally glanced over because the next part was even more crucial in understanding. “For now.”

Demi provided a distraction that up until that point he had been fine without. Just as she more than likely had been before he interrupted her bubble of a world where she called all the shots. It was one of those things that happened when other plans were supposed to be in place. Her bubble was about to be popped and she wasn’t going to be there when it happened. While the sounds of fabric shifting and the sweetness of the air it stirred took hold he decided it was for the best. Her Dad missing future events would finally have a viable reason beyond his greed and less than savory dealings.

“Ever been to Canada?” It was a fair question while he searched for something decent to listen to. Just as his typical playlists were pulled up the burner phone he was hanging on to until the job was over came to life. He glanced at the number. It figured her father would take his sweet time making the call. Casually he stretched his hand over towards Demi. “I think it is for you.”

Lyonel knew it was best to get the creases the two had ironed out first. It added extra incentive for the southern businessman to take it seriously when he applied the extra heat. The shady peach of a guy's options really were dwindling quickly. Lyon wasn’t this far south to play games or leave without what he had come for. How far it went was up to the guy waiting for his daughter to answer his call.

[Demi Fae]

"Right. Four." Demi said with a nod of her head, remembering that was what she was told weeks ago by someone in the costume crew. The roll of his eyes was missed by Demi, because she wasn't checking him out, so much as glancing in his direction every once in a while, before her eyes went to the road to try and see where about there were at. But, with the storm brewing over their heads and the increased darkness, Demi wasn't sure they were anywhere near home anymore. Part of her should have been worried. The other part, the one that reminded her that he was someone to her dad; work friend, family friend, blew it off. So what if they had left the familiarity of her hometown and were in another city next to it? He had said he had things to do.

"I was worried." Demi stated, somewhat sarcastically about the idea of her being 'safe.' A flash of lightening close to the ground highlighted the fact that they weren't anywhere near Grayson, or any other city near it. The top part of the belt was pulled off her shoulder and put behind her back so that Demi could change as she slowly frowned. So, maybe she was feeling a little alarmed at the moment, but didn't let it show as Demi put the dress over her head, then worked on pulling the straps of the garment down from her shoulders and to her midriff. Demi paused to make sure her dress was all the way down to her knees, before she kept going on with the changing act.

"Canada?" Demi asked as she slowly pulled the one piece from one leg, to the other before she held it out triumphantly. "Easy. Even if it's a little cramped in here." Demi commented, before going back to the question. "I've never been to Canada. Europe a few years ago. Mexico last year. But no Canada." Demi wondered what the small talk was for, but didn't express as much. "You? Let me guess. You grew up there." Demi asked as she seat belt found its way to the rightful shoulder, her eyes glancing his way.

When a phone was pushed out towards her, Demi groaned and begrudgingly took it. "Hi, daddy." Demi answered, her voice more chipper than she had been a few minutes ago when talking to 'Lions.' "Uhm, I'm not really sure where your friend from Canada is taking me, but, we're okay." Demi stated, before pulling the phone away from her ears and hitting the disconnect option. "So, what about Canada?" Demi asked, as she put the phone in the center console, attention on 'Lions."

[Lyonel]

Lyonel had been keeping his eyes on the road figuring the conversation that was to be taking place would inspire a little more complaint and alarm on the other end that than it did. At the very least he anticipated it lasting a little longer than the mere seconds that it did. Instead the woman seemed to handle her father with the same finesse she demonstrated back at the house. Her tone sounded all upbeat like they were hitting off great and the night was full of possibilities. Eyes that warmed to finding his cell phone deposited into the dividing console finally landed on her. A chuckle surfaced out of amusement at how the conversation was cut off clean and quick with no interest on her part. Perhaps this whole last minute move to take her with signed the killer up for no dice and extra baggage no thanks to the one delinquent on paying his personal debts.

“You don’t pay for a changing room when you customize one of these. Canada. Well, it is north.” He couldn’t help but allow the chuckle roll into a laugh that had him taking his right hand off the steering wheel and rubbing the base of his chin pondering what he was in for. “It is hell of a lot more exciting than where you are from.” He took the cellphone in hand and pulled the SIM card out tucking it into his pocket. Next he began the steps he could do blindfolded to wipe the phone clear of all minimal data and have it blank. While he did this he looked over at the one who was back under the proper setting of the seat belt. “No.” The cell phone screen flashed then died as it was expected to. “I was actually born in New York.” The wafer thin communication device flipped in his fingers while he gave it a glance to make sure it would not produce any signs of still having something that could be traced back to him. “My Dad is retired from the police force, my mother is a saint.” He glanced at her as a set of oncoming headlights shined on the windshield revealing the heavy rain that they were cutting through. “I am in the business of collecting information, recovering property, funds, people and whatever else someone is needing to be done because someone else can’t get to it.” He slid the cell into his other pocket with a subtle lean of his body then corrected to sink back in the custom drivers seat once the deal was done. “Business is business, but yeah…” His celadon eyes sparkled as they pulled from her to the road ahead. “Ballet, huh?”

His hand stretched out and he adjusted the air in the car. He tolerated the heat and the cold without noticing the difference but keeping the air moving would keep her comfortable and less likely to distract him with complaints. Once that is accomplished he decides honesty could be the best policy in the situation at hand.

“You don’t have any reason to worry. It is pretty simple really. I came to see your Dad and he is going to be paying a client of mine what he owes them. You coming along for the ride is a little get away for you, extra company for me and perhaps a little incentive for your father to pay sooner than later.” He glanced at her again without a smile. His face was sober and free of any indication of what if. Without weighing her down with the dirty deeds her Daddy had done dirt cheap he filled her in respectfully, at least he thought so. It wasn’t her debt to pay but it was the seedy businessman’s error in not paying it before it all got to this point. “Let me know when you are hungry or need something and we can take care of it.” He chewed at his bottom lip briefly then decided to keep the long ride productive. “So, tell me about you.”

[Demi Fae]

"New York? I guess that's probably more exciting than Grayson, Georgia." Demi admitted with a little shrug of her shoulders. It was all a matter of perception in her mind. "We might not have every store ten times around in the city like New York does, but we have an Imax, and..." She shook her head. "I bet you think us country folk are so *** backwards that for excitement we sit out on our porches drinking tea or lemonade and watching our ice cream melt on the cement." She teased him, before proudly puffing out her chest. "We make our own entertainment. Think that says a lot for us southern 'hicks.'" Demi put that word in air quotes, before she rolled her eyes a little.

When he talked about her dad owing some money, Demi snorted a little. It was possible, but pretty unlikely. Her life screamed upper/high class, so how was it possible her dad short changed anyone was beyond her. "Maybe your client didn't hold up their end of the deal. My dad is rich, if you didn't notice." She pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. While it was true that they were 'rich' for Grayson, Georgia, when it came to being rich across the country, they weren't even one of the top 100 families. Again, it was all a matter of perception and hers was way off in this regard.

"And yeah, ballet. I'm a fairy in this years production of Sleeping Beauty. I'm almost twenty-two, but I'm sure you know that by now, working with my dad. I'm the daughter of many daughter's who took some form of dance, and in a few years, like my mom and her's and so on, I'll find someone to marry and stop dancing, because that's just how it is in our long line of Fae's. Anyways. Like I said, we make our own entertainment down in the south. You really don't know what you're missing. Our fares and carnivals are a lot of fun, and in October, we have some of the creepiest haunted mansions, mazes and houses. It's that delightful southern charm that the people of the north lack." She waved a dismissive backhand at the comment. "So we're just going to keep driving until...when?" Demi asked curiously, thinking how they couldn't drive all the way to Canada. That would be sort of insane, right? Maybe New York then? "If we're stopping in New York, I'd love a new handbag and shoes. If we're in the neighborhood." She suggested evenly, gaze still on the driver. If he was trying to put any sense of fear in her, or make her worry that she wouldn't be back home sooner than later, there wasn't a shred of doubt riding on her face.

[Lyonel]

It could have been left as it was. This was a common thought after the fact. He could have pulled the pricey automobile over at the nearest town and dropped her off. The job could have been left unfinished and it would have done little to offset his yearly profits. Any backlash he could easily handle and pretty much dust under the nearest rug without a second thought. Done and dusted as they say.

But that was too predictable and monotonous. Even for the taller than average killer comfortably seated in the driver’s seat. It would leave him lacking knowledge of what could have been. Blaize came to mind and that was when a series of unfortunate events were set into motion. Unfortunate, that is, for a southern belle in the wrong place at the right time.

Lyonel wasn’t about power despite the amount of it he had at his disposal. He knew how the world worked. There would always be someone stronger. Some force that he would not be able to reckon with until he had gained whatever it would require to meet its challenge. Even then it was not a guarantee he would come out of it winning. He counted on the latter to be true more often than not. Winning every time meant there would be less ahead to gain. Eternity was a hell of a long time to sit around with nothing left to accomplish. Now Wolfgang came to mind.

“I think you are selling the north short.” His eyes glance over to the passenger side and find the visual epitome of the sugar plum fairy that took up dancing in his head. “We have a lot more to offer than you have been lead to believe.” Instead of checking back with the darkness and the road ahead he had his focus on her and it was growing questionable. If he was to be honest the longer it continued the more it did something for him thinking about it. “And I can show you creepy and haunted.” There was a resident beast just itching to come out of the West killer. “It is part of my charm.”

His smile surfaced slowly. The stretch at the corners of his mouth had his lips parting and revealing what he had hidden out of habit until that moment. Two pearly white hard to miss points standing out in an otherwise flawless set of chompers. A set fine enough, large enough that they couldn’t be denied serious attention. They opened the door to a place he tried to avoid stepping into most of the time. The darkness that swelled within was the core of what he was. He was no different than any other vampire in the basics. There was the same potential if was let loose.The hunter. The killer. The creator. All would rise.

“What do you have to say about that?” Lyonel was getting to the point it probably wouldn’t matter.

[Demi Fae]

Demi looked at Lyons when he mentioned selling the North short. Maybe she was, like her ancestors did centuries ago during the civil war. Not that Demi was for the idea of owning slaves and the other political ******** that went along with it, but there had been some huge flops on the south's side and so maybe she should be a little more cautious when speaking about the north. Especially to someone who was from it.

"Maybe I'll find out some day." Demi replied with a lift of her shoulder, not sure when, or if that would happen, but maybe some day. What she said wasn't a lie. Maybe implied just that. She might, or she might not. When he mentioned creepy and haunted, Demi gave him a sideways look that almost said the stereotypical, 'as if.' Still, there was a slight lean away from the guy, to the door, just in case she needed to get out of there quick. "You could, but my dad is a pretty influential lawyer and I really don't think you want to rock that boat. Besides, if you were trying to scare me, you just would. Not carry on about it." Demi pointed out with a look in his direction, trying to figure out if the guy behind the driver's seat could be creepy. Anyone probably could, she supposed.

Then he gave her his version of a leering smirk and Demi saw two pointed..fangs? And she laughed. And laughed even harder when he asked her what she thought about that. "I think you have a lot of money to waste. Your car and the dental procedure proves that. I know a few good charitable organizations, if you're interested in throwing money around." Demi suggested, before she decided to reach for the phone and scroll through it to find the last incoming call-which was from her dad. She indicated the message application, instead of the physical calling someone, one to send the text [Your friend is a little weird. Just saying. Need some new ones, daddy.]

[Lyonel]

P L A Y I N G

Lyonel listened to the sound of laughter echoing from the passenger seat. It really wasn’t a complete surprise. He wasn’t offended. Once upon a time he likely would have responded the same way in the same situation. Wolf presenting a set of fangs while cruising together in his pricey wheels which he had an insane eye for. Lyon would have been busting out laughing too. The man who could stop traffic with his eyes, his devastating all-knowing smirk would have not found it acceptable to let the amusement go by unchecked. It was then and there that Lyonel knew what would have happened next if he laughed like she was.

The killer figured it was his duty at that point to teach the young lady a valuable lesson. Channeling inward the killer began sifting through all the options at his disposal for the moment. Lyonel allowed the laughter to continue while he did. He nixed disappearing in the shadows that were accessible around him at any time needed. She could say she missed it or it simply didn’t happen. Shooting claws from his fingers and so on seemed small scale for a mind as sharp as Demi’s. No. Any of those were something that could be quickly written off in a fit of giggles that seemed to be invading his passenger not easily sold on the truth of what he was. This called for something far more extreme without sinking his meathooks and killer claws into her and retrieving her spine in the time it took her to hiccup her last breath.

Without warning his arms and legs stretched to the point the material over his body split at every seam it was originally designed with. His shirt became small patches that did little to cover the mutating monstrous form he took on with such ease that the transformation was in effect in seconds. His neck tripled in size, his shoulders sprung outward nearly pressing her into the door. His original form was gone and what came to be was grotesque. The enormous shape went back with the sounds of the metal tracks holding the driver seat in place giving way with popping and pinging of compromised parts. All this sudden shifting left him no choice but to lean over as the mass of his body swallowed up the space in front of him and to each side. His door was secured as was hers so this meant that the monster he had become was closer than ever to her.

With a head the size of the grill of a smart car and a set of serrated mangled jaws jutting out he felt the small band of leather beneath him that was the steering wheel and applied pressure to stay in control with the use of his open palms. The war blades for claws were effectively slicing the custom dashboard with any minor movements. If the sight of what he had become was not enough to stun her then the smell of the monster he embraced was offensive enough for both of them. His left hand attempted to hit the button that the window mechanisms would respond to and lower for much needed fresh air. Instead the windshield wipers were slapping back and forth over the windshield in front of them like a set of pinball flippers gone wild. All of this was enough to finally piss off the typically calm and cool killer.

“**** your Dad. I see him anytime soon I am going to snap his neck like a frickin’ toothpick. Understand?” He no more than growled out the promises he intended to keep when the wet pavement and his inability to keep the miniature steering wheel in line with the increased speed they were traveling thanks to his enlarged clod stomper sinking into the floorboard. “Scaring you is more trouble than it is…” His eyes rolled up as his head dipped down in enough time to spot the road signs coupling the loud alert of running over the grated sides of the road meant to wake up truckers and motorists who had fallen asleep at the wheel. “S-H-I-T!”

The car shook and slid over the washboard of asphalt as the squeal of tires said he was taking action. With focus his form shifted back into what he had been and revealed the shock on his own face as he hit the brakes just in time before the guard rail connected to his treasured car. His white knuckled hands were still gripping the steering wheel when the car came to a full stop. The shredded fabric over his body as well as the damaged dash was proof that all of it happened. The driver's seat was in constant motion that sent him sliding forward then coasting back now that he was far lighter in its cradle. But he was oblivious to that other than to place his foot down to prevent any further motion. His eyes fixed on her instead.

“Anything else you want to add? Or are we good?” He felt the corners of his jaw twitch with the tightening of the small muscles that kept them together.

[Demi Fae]

A guy in silent mode was nothing new. Her dad had a knack for being silent more times than not when it came to work and business. There were some things he could and couldn't talk about. Ethics, he called it. So, while he did what he did (legally and not so), Demi never got wind of anything, until it was in the newspaper (the legal stuff).

"Look, your fangs are cute and all, but-" She heard the sound of fabric ripping, which had her eyes off the heavy rain that pelted against the front window and nearly made it impossible to see what was going on, to him. Demi expected to see--well, she wasn't sure. It wasn't hot enough to be losing layers, and while he didn't strike her as the perv type, it was the only thing that came to mind. Someone she didn't know, and someone like her?

But, what she expected and what she got were two very different things. Right before her eyes, Lions seemed to bulge into 'hulk form' without the green skin to go with it. "WOOOOOOOOOOOAH!" Demi said, wondering how he was doing what he was doing and if there would be room for the two of them in the sports car if he kept going the way he was going. She slid all the way to the passenger side of the door, then wrapped a hand around the handle, trying to open the thing. She didn't care if the car was going twenty, or two hundred, Demi wanted out before she got squished by the ever growing guy.

When he snapped out about her dad, only then did it click with Demi that this guy was not someone that was friendly with her dad. Or maybe she knew that as he 'hulked out,' because she had never seen or heard of anything like she was seeing right now. "Let me out!" Demi said, frantically pulling at the handle, while trying to flip the unlock switch to get herself out. Only, her fear had Demi scrambling, so it was impossible to unlock her side, because she was so busy trying to get out, not get squished and think of how she royally screwed up by getting into a car with a virtual stranger.

He swore, and the car shifted and spun on the wet pavement, making the right side of Demi's head hit the window to the door she was cozied up against out of fear. Not once, but twice as they spun and he tried to regain control of the direction the car was going in. She moaned and grabbed her head, before shaking it. She blinked a couple of times, then shook her head again, completely dazed. She was seeing stars, or spots. One of them. She was also feeling something...wet? Demi pulled her hand down and rubbed fingers together, knowing well enough that her hand was wet, but not knowing what with. "Rain." She said, assuming somehow the rain got in through the window, but the rain was secure outside the window. No, no rain splotched the interior of the car, but her blood did from the two konks against the passenger seat window.

[Lyonel]

“I can’t do that.”

Lyonel tried to override the scent of sweetness as he delivered the truth. Well, as it applied to the case at hand for him that is. He could pull over, let her out to hike off in the darkness back towards the hours gone city they left. But he knew she wouldn’t ever make it back safely. Not that she wasn’t any less at risk with him. Especially now that she was bleeding. The minuscule particles of flavorful confirmation floated through his parted lips and registered on part of his brain where she never should really be.

“Blood.” He stated as his large cool hand found hers. He curled his fingers around the evidence and ignored the lack of permission issued to put a hand on her. “You know what that means to someone like me?” Celadon eyes fixed on the hand and gave it the brush of his thumb. The glistening tip warm compared to the rest of him thanks to the traces of her that he now wore. It would be no surprise that the thumb of his hand left her own and found the reception of his lips waiting for the sample of what could be found within easy reach if he wanted it. “Do you?” He questioned her awareness, her level of acceptance to what she doubted before.

The disappearance of his thumb was brief. It rotated enough on the down slide typical of the retreat so that should he need to say anything more he could. He watched her, waiting. She was all answers and assumptions until now. He was waiting for what she had to offer the scenario besides a hasty exit and run for her life which clearly was now floating on borrowed time. The darkness around them was endless and so was his growing hunger. She was welcome to have at it if she was feeling lucky. Sometimes they needed to work the fear out of their system, the desperation before they saw things for what they really were. Lyonel West was patient and accommodating like that.