-Alex-

I was outside now, and I could still feel Geoffrey's mind like a soft nebulous ball of clay in the back of my head. He was... odd. I couldn't get inside his head, but I could tell exactly where he was and what he was feeling. It was extremely odd, the rest of my Pride only ever showed off their thoughts; I never saw any emotion other than what I heard in their voices. It felt more... intimate, with Geff,  because of that. Though... I also couldn't reach his actual thoughts as easily as I could with those of my Pride. Regardless, I knew he was in his bedroom, still asleep, and I was going around and remarking my Pride members; reinstating myself as their Alpha while apologizing. I had been an idiot, and I was just grateful Geff had snapped me out of it. I was still shocked, though. It had been just what I needed, something I'd thought was impossible was the perfect thing to convince me to fix my mistake- and boy had that been a shock. I'd looked up, hoping for a kiss but expecting a terrified child about to try and comfort me, and gotten a fist to the face and a dominant man tough as nails- or, it had seemed like it while I was still stunned from the punch- and shocking me in his demand for obedience from a man well above him in both dominance and hierarchical standing. It had been awe inspiring.

Of course he'd lost it afterwards, along with the fearful awe he'd inspired, but I'd already promised and I had regained my sense. Of course, I'd made Ken and Gavin leave him be and gotten their permission to re-claim them as my Pride members- which was perfectly okay. They'd been grateful I was willing to do it before the negative aspects of being outside of a Pride started affecting them- mainly having to do with a roguish scent and small... problems. I then had had a brilliant idea; since Geff was in a submissive pose, I wanted him in my Pride, and I knew it would help him in the long run- even if he'd hate me more for it- I initiated the bond. He'd been a swirling tangle of raw and painfully strong emotions at first, mainly anxiety, fear, and confused pain; then he'd grown confused and conflicted, his fear almost disappearing as he looked at me. Of course, I'd sighed and let Ken and Gavin go, but they'd... exchanged pleasantries while I wasn't looking. Ken rushed to Geffs side, the only thing I could sense was a low muttering filled with such raw disgust and disappointed disapproval that I'd almost felt bad; then Gavin moved. I'd expected him to do what Len was doing, Rush to comfort their friend, but instead he walked up to me with a glare; I'd thought he was going to yell at me but instead he punched me. I saw it coming, known I could block it, but it had been such a shocking idea, so surprising, I hadn't even thought about it.

He hit and my head turned, but that was it. I was designed to be stronger and more durable than a beta, and he'd gone against every instinct he had hitting me. I simply held my jaw and thought, wondering just how badly I'd screwed up that it had convinced Gavin- the beta- to hit me. I shivered, praying as the town began to go to sleep around me, that I hadn't just made a huge mistake. I slipped off of the dumpster and headed towards a drainage pipe, shifting as I reached it. I began climbing the thing, not trusting the AC guys to leave me alone at night when I was sleeping, and made my way to the roof of the building with relative ease. Sleeping on a roof that was as flat as my parents humor wasn't my favorite way to spend the night, but I was used to it. The typical cold seasons came and went, I slept here every night. The winds blew, I slept. The rains came, I got a box and held it down from the inside. There wasn't much else to tell about my sleeping habits. I did as I did.

I'd left my parents years ago, there were at least two or three reasons why, and none of my Pride could house me without raising their own parents questions, so I simply lived. Not like it was any big problem, I simply had to live a slightly harsher life than was necessary; I made due. I lay on the roof, shivering slightly and wondering about things, until slowly my eyes began to close. But not in time to avoid seeing them. I groaned, rolling upright and kneeling as I sighed. I whistled, knowing they'd already seen me, and waved them over. There were five of them, bordering the line of a coven, but still merely a clan. I raised an eyebrow and waited. The lead one smiled, red eyes glowing in the darkness. "Not your usual talkative self I see, is there any particular reason? Maybe some fresh strings I could play with?" I knew what he was talking about and sent him an unimpressed glare. He was from the Anima tribe, the one that was heavily invested in Magic's focused on the soul. Whatever bonds I made with my Pride were apparently in reach of his talents, and the newer something was the easier it was to mess with. I knew the threat he was making, and I knew exactly how logical it was.

My Pride was asleep by now, I couldn't warn them, which meant they wouldn't know what had happened to me until it was too late to save me. He'd been after me for some reason for years, and all I knew was that he wasn't the one who wanted me. But Vampires do each other favors now and then, for equivalent prizes, so I had no doubts about why they were trying to catch me. I also had no chance of escaping. They could jump between rooftops quicker and easier than I could, they could drop from the roof to the ground safely without breaking anything, and they could outrun the fastest cat alive; even if I'd been a cheetah instead of a mountain lion, I wouldn't have made it away. They had me cornered every way to Sunday, and my only option was to continue acting as if I was in control. They might see through the charade of power, but I was hopeful that they would make a mistake for once in their lives and not steal me away. I was a thoroughly wild street-cat now, and I did not plan on being tamed any time soon. Nor did I want to lose my cat.

Vampires couldn't shift, they lost everything they used to be when they became what they were: magic, shifting abilities, tails, siren song, draconic form... everything changed to form the almost identical nightmares that were the Vampires. Hair stayed the same, height stayed the same, most of your body remained the same, but you lost everything else to the change. Like hell I'd give up my cat for some bloodsucker I didn't even know. "Pull your strings, 'Lando, see where it gets you. As for the agreements we made with you, I've heard of some odd things happening in augertown the past-" I cut off abruptly as I felt my insides snap, a yell of pain frozen in my tongue as I gripped my chest in shock. Orlando grinned, the rest of his coven elsewhere guarding him. "Did that hurt? I'll bet it did. It like pulling out a hair; you just grip it," I felt it this time, like claws lightly grazing against my heart, "and... pull." The pain came again, worse this time, and I choked on a gasp of pain, teeth clenching and tears forming in my eyes. The others weren't guarding him, that would be stupid, what was there to guard from? No... They were blocking my pain from reaching the others. My Pride would sleep unaware I was losing them, again- this time only because of how much of an idiot I was. He pulled again, and I lost Gavin, muffling a scream as best I could as I doubled over.

Orlando grinned and kept pulling, string after string, boy after boy, until only my Omega was left. I a senseless shell by now, fearless and unseeing, simply feeling pain and twitching every time he pulled my Pride away from me. I could feel Geff, he was awake, and he felt scared and cold. I murmured gently, whispering meaningless words to myself as I touched the string that tied me to Geff with more awareness than I ever had before. It was beautiful, the connection I had made with my Pride, and it was so delicate... Orlando chuckled. "Oh... you'll make a wonderful addition to the Anima tribe." He pulled, and I grabbed the string and held on, crying as I squeezed my eyes closed. I couldn't lose this, I wouldn't. It felt like what Geff had been feeling the moment after I'd marked him, raw, painful, and overwhelming. He was past that, now, and whatever he was feeling should have been dulled compared to before; not if I lost this string. I held on with all the desperate need of a dying man, refusing to let go even as I felt the strain in my body.

Orlando looked amused, and I could feel how much of that was real as he touched the string more deftly and carefully than I could have imagined was possible. He was unraveling the thread this time, and I had no idea how to tie it back into one thing. I let out a whine, shuddering at the idea of losing everyone, and I felt Geff move. Whatever his string had been, changed, and he sent me the memory of punching me, along with a slightly scared, angry, questioning sensation. I made my body move, and I'd socked Orlando across the jaw before the others could grab me, leaving him shocked and frozen in disbelief. With four Vampires holding my body still, I panted heavily, twitching now and then in an odd, uncontrollable movement. Geff sent me his curiosity, and I sent back fear and helplessness, images of what was around me, a sense of begging... he felt cold again. He was moving, running as fast as he could, but not towards me. I knew what he was doing, and I felt tears of gratitude welling up, even though I knew he wasn't in time. He may know where my Pride lived, but he had no way to reach them in time. Even if he could outrun a jet engine; they couldn't get everyone and make it here before I was gone.

Of course, Orlando recovered quickly, and stood, glaring contemptuously at me as he gripped the unraveled string, then pulled. I screamed, loud and pained, but the string didn't come out. It felt like he was pulling everything away, dragging me painfully by the single string, and he blinked in shocked surprise as his clan mates covered my mouth. They couldn't afford to break draconian law any more than I could. Geff stayed in one place for a minute, and I felt his urgency as he spoke, I could almost hear the words. Why hadn't he pulled out of me? I would've thought he'd be the easiest to remove since he hated me, but... apparently not. Maybe because he was an Omega? Orlando yanked again, and my muffled scream came again, my tears beginning to feel odd on my face. The Vampires holding me stiffened as my nose began to drip a warm liquid down my face, and I tasted blood on my lips. I was mostly limp now, an empty feeling suffocating me as I clung desperately to Geffs thread. I wanted to curl up and sob, hide from these monsters, but I couldn't. So I held myself as much in check as I could and struggled to keep from losing it as they held me.

Orlando grew somber, then a grin touched his face. "I see... an Omega. He's new, but that won't be a problem. He'll rush here to help you, knowing Omegas, and then we'll have a new pet and a new member of the coven. Oh won't Rhea be pleased..." His voice dropped of sincerity, and I could feel Geff running here already. He'd spoken to someone, Kennedy as best I could tell, and now... he was in his way to help. I wanted to snap, I really wanted to kill them, but I was held down and outnumbered five to one. I was literally a dead man walking; Geff wouldn't stand a chance. I was a Vampires equal, in speed and strength at least, but against five? I needed my Pride, and one untrained, inexperienced, abnormally submissive Omega wasn't going to cut it. The bloodsuckers were right. They could easily handle him and me both, no trouble at all. I prayed that he would be slow enough for the rest of my Pride to arrive, but I already felt him getting close. He could run, as I knew well from our first encounter, and he could run well. I personally was convinced that his animal was a cheetah, though Gavin was deadset on a margay. I was distracting myself at this point, and I knew it; but I couldn't help it. The innocent boy was only a block away, and I could tell he was alone; only men who were alone had the kind of determination I was feeling from him.

Orlando lightly touched my neck, one clawed nail tracing down the thing as I realized I was whining in anxious fear. "Now now, calm down little kitty; wouldn't want to rile up your poor kitten in shining armor~." I gritted my teeth, my eyes glaring hatefully at him. I was held down by three Vampires at this point, one of them having let go to crouch at the edge of the roof. I knew he was waiting for Geff, I knew Geff wouldn't see him coming... unless he heard the guy. He was still autistic, hypersensitivity to external stimulus was part of that. A were with hypersensitive senses... I felt my hope rise along with my fear. Maybe Geff stood a chance of not getting caught after all. Then the Vampire jumped. Orlando yanked, hard, and I blacked out, the pain too much for me to handle. When I came to, me and Geff were in a cell together, somewhere dark; and he was crying.
_________________________________(A/N) Hey Guys!

Vampires.
That's all I have to say about that.
Vampires.

Geoffrey has a lot of soul-searching to do, and their captivity will last a while; they have next to no chance of breaking out, less of escaping if they do, and almost no hope of being found. For now. Any questions? Comments? You know what to do! Ask 'em in the comments! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Till next time, Sept-Mates!

Your Poet and Scribe,
~ShadeFinder<(0^0)>