Bound (Amber, Wink)

[Lovely]

Name: Amber Walcott Aliases: Ber DOB: Feb 16, 1988 Species: werewolf Position/Occupation: Witch Location: New York likeness used: Taylor Swift

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PIC HERE Name: Aliases: Wink DOB: Species: werewolf Position/Occupation: familiar Location: New York likeness used: Cam Gigandet

[Lovely]

Feb 16, 2009
11:08pm
New York

Amber was officially twenty-one though she hadn't celebrated the event with her friends, in fact she didn't feel like celebrating at all. She had been pouting about how her summoning hadn't worked, she knew she still had things to learn but had really wanted this to work. It hadn't and so she'd dragged herself out to a bar for a drink, she was too upset to really enjoy herself and headed home rather early, it was just past eleven when the cab dropped her off and drove away. She was so preoccupied, going over the summoning in her mind that she didn't realize she was on the wrong street until after the cab drove away. "Well crap." She muttered to herself and shook her head, it was only a few blocks to her place so she started in that direction. Her fingers brushed over the locket her grandmother had given her, on the front was a beautifully etched wolf, on the inside a blank space for a picture and another etching, a tiny rose complete with thorns and tiny drops falling from them. Amber sighed and her fingers moved over the tiny etched wolf as if she were stroking it's fur.

The two men came out of nowhere, suddenly one was in front of her and the other behind her. She hadn't even heard a footstep or heard a rustle.. they moved so fast she could hardly open her mouth and they had ahold of her, pulling her into an alley. She tried to scream but found only a choked gasp came out, she realized then the pressure of something wrapped around her neck, she was being strangled with some kind of cord or rope. Her hands tried to lash out and she kicked her legs, but one arm was captured and twisted painfully behind her back. Tears formed in her eyes from the pain and fright, she heard something rip.. her shirt? The man in front of her laughed in a way that scared her even more, though the words that followed made her eyes widen and her entire body go cold.

"Mmm you're a sweet little thing, ain't cha? We're supposed to kill you but no harm in having some fun first."

This wasn't happening.. it couldn't be, she tried to tell herself and at the same time her mind reeled as she tried to figure out why they were supposed to kill her! She went wild with her thrashing until the rope tightened and totally cut off her air for a moment once she was able to take in a tiny gasp of air again, she felt the cool metal slice her free arm and then felt it pressed against her inner thigh. The man behind her pulled on the arm he held behind her back and she arched with the pain, her shoulder was burning, if she thrashed again she'd dislocate it. The one in front of her leaned in close, smiling that cold smile again.

"Now hold still or I'll use the knife to do it instead." To get his point across he sliced into her inner thigh and let the tip of the knife drift up. When Amber held herself mostly still, he nodded and the knife moved away from her legs but came up toward her face, the flat part of the blade caressed over her cheek.

Six floors up, a television in a dark room splashed its pale light over a solitary figure as the news highlighted more on the fires and riots in California. The past week had been nothing but coverage of the increasing destruction and rise in unexplained violent crime. A low chuckle eminated from the figure, louder than the volume of the broadcast he shut off. "Glad that shit ain't happenin' here," he muttered out, though he was suddenly distracted by something that silenced the commentary and any humor. He rose and slipped the hood over his head then pulled the window up further to the winter night. The ice on the glass crackled with the sudden movement and his breath billowed visibly now in the opening as he slipped through it to the fire escape. He made little sound at all as he seemed to float to the floors below and down to the alley. The sign from the all-nite convenience store hummed next door and shone off the small piece of metal under his hood, a brief glint in the shape of a thorned rose that vanished as he slipped into the deeper shadows, running low to the ground and out of sight faster than even the most agile teenage shoplifter could have managed. His face was obscured by the hood but shone in glimpses in the lights from windows and open doorways were trash and mop buckets went in and out in normal routine as he passed. One man spouted a string of angry Vietnamese at him as he hurtled over a trash bag in close range, too close for the man's comfort. He stopped abruptly and turned. Whatever the man then saw had him shrieking and darting back in his shop, arms waving for mercy and sanctuary as the door slammed shut. Turning back to his task, the hooded man unzipped the jacket now and tossed it behind this door, confident no one would come back out and take it, then ran off, faster than before. He appeared for a moment that he stumbled forward, his arms arcing widely as his torso bent down toward the pavement, as if diving to swim along the asphalt.

He didn't fall, but continued on all fours, his face contorting into an angry maw that bit at the cold night with large swallows of steamed air beyond bared teeth. He turned into the darkness of another alley, sailing first into the man with the knife and snapping his jaws tightly around his arm until he felt the satisfying snap of bone. A jerk of his head tore the limb and he let go to turn and face the other man who held her. Theatrics were the fun in this game. He growled, baring the bloodied teeth in warning... let her go or else.

Amber could hardly react to the sudden appearance of.. she wasn't sure what and didn't have much time to ponder it as her arm was let go but the rope around her neck tightened. The darkness swallowed Amber in a thick fog of spots and shadow as she lost consciousness, her legs no longer holding her up.

The man considered using her as a shield but cut off her air and she went limp, he let her go to fall to the cold pavement in a heap as he tried for his gun. "This aint your business." He hissed at the werewolf, perhaps strange that he knew what the creature was and he didn't simply flee screaming.

It is my business, he thought as he watched her slump to the ground. She wasn't dead but she'd be in a world of hurt. He turned on the man with the gun, confident the man would use it, but just as confident he didn't have the right kind of bullets to hurt him permanently. He lunged, expecting to feel the shot and expecting to feel a juicy mouthful of demon throat to shut the guy up.

He was not an upper level demon, merely one of many henchmen sent to begin destroying those with the power to fight against them in the war that was begining. The first strikes made, expendable lower demons like himself sent ahead to thin the herd.. he wasn't a match for the strength or speed of the wolf. Before his finger could squeeze the trigger he felt the jowls of the beast at his throat, his finger squeezed then, the sound of the shot muffled against the bulk of the beast.

The men tumbled back in a bloody blur, the demon's blood black and curdled while his own flowed red around the wound where the bullet had only grazed but still burned from the close shot. Just as he thought - a normal bullet and not nearly enough to keep him down long. Another snap, clean through, and the demon was finished, left to dissolve back into the shadows that had formed him. His friend wasn't dead yet, but he wasn't going to leave much for anyone to find of him, either. He stood a paw down on the injured arm, another paw turning back into its partly-human hand to take the knife away and cut the ropes loose from the girl's neck. He broke the knife against the ground then and threw the pieces into the dumpster while its previous owner gurgled against the gravel in his teeth and pain in his arm. He came back to him, resting on his haunches, squating almost human-like but not quite as he turned the demon over and lifted him up by shirt and skin with one clawed hand to stare him down. "She's mine," he growled out. He didn't need a knife. His other hand swung at the demon's stomach, spilling him open to the frigid air.

Amber was semi conscious to witness the end of her attackers, roused from the darkness by the ropes being cut free and the air rushing back into her lungs. She heard the growled statement from the creature who saved her but everything was still seen and heard through a hazy fog, she was greatly confused. She fought to keep her eyes open as she blinked heavily, the blood running from her arm and her leg making her feel weaker by the moment. The side of her face hurt, scraped from her being dropped in a heap on the pavement, her lips moved but hardly any sound came from her. A very soft hoarse whisper of "Thank you." was all she could manage at the moment, her rescuer would likely hear it just fine.

Whoever was their master, let the men and their wounds tell him their kind wasn't welcomed here. Both lumps of former men dissipated, leaving him alone with the girl and a whole lot of questions to answer if he didn't get her out of here quickly. The hospital was out of the question. He knelt down to her, not wolf and not man but still somewhere between and darkly veiled with the shadows of the alley. He didn't know if she understood what she saw as he leaned over her. "Don't talk and try not to cry out. I'm going to take you someplace safer than this," he said, starting to lift her when he saw the extent of the bleeding. A mumbled curse rolled out under his breath and he looked around the alley. Now would be the worst time to be caught but he took his chances with the wound on her leg. "Gotta stop the bleeding," he explained and she would feel the touch of warmth against the cut.

She was drifting in and out as he spoke to and tried to move her, some things she heard and others were lost for now but might be remembered later. She didn't protest him trying to lift her or telling her he was taking her somewhere safe, she didn't even protest the strange sensation against her thigh. Somehow she felt she could trust him, she knew he wasn't going to hurt her despite his appearance which should have frightened her. Her eyes fluttered and widened briefly as she saw him hunched over her and realized the sensation she felt was him licking her wound. Her head spun in confusion, questions she couldn't voice filling her mind as her eyes closed again. Her neck and throat hurt too much to speak at the moment though her thigh was begining to feel better.

He tended her arm once he was satisfied that the leg wound was closed enough for her to travel. He didn't have time to spend on them here, but she wouldn't bleed to death. He grinned a little that she didn't try to flail or stop him, though she likely didn't have the strength for that yet.

Once the arm was no longer seeping, he lifted her to his shoulder and started back as quickly as he could manage to carry her without the benefit of her holding on. He retrieved his jacket from behind the shop on the way and draped it over her for the warmth. He was radiating quite a bit, too. Once she woke up again, she'd feel bandaids and warm blankets in a place above the noises of the street.

[Lovely]

She didn't yet know how long or how short of a time she'd been asleep for, but she wasn't lying on the ground anymore, perhaps on a couch or a bed, either way it was much softer and warmer. She felt the weight of the blankets and shifted slightly to snuggle into them, a very faint 'mmm' coming from her still sore throat. Her eyelids felt heavy and she felt safe enough to continue sleeping here but her curiosity made her blink and slowly bring the room into focus. She could feel the bandages in her arm and thigh and shifted enough to see the row of bandaids covering the slice on her arm, she assumed her thigh was covered in a similar manner but didn't try to see it yet. Her eyes drifted around the room, searching for the one who had saved her from the attack.

He'd pulled his chair in from in front of the television to the bedside and was dozing, his head down over his arms and elbows resting on his knees. The movement stirred him slowly and his hand slipped up to his neck that appeared sore or stiff as if he'd been sitting there waiting for a while. A couple of towels safety-pinned together over the window held their privacy but let in the icy February morning behind him. "You're awake now? Good. How do you feel?"

She blinked and focused on him for a moment before glancing to the towel covered window. "Sore.. raw.. tired.. confused." Her voice was soft, a whisper as if she was afraid of speaking louder, which she was since her throat was still felt raw. "I've been here all night?" Her hand reached up to run lightly through her mussed blond locks.

"Most of it, yeah. In the bed, I mean, once I got you cleaned up. Hope you don't mind.. your clothes were soaked with blood. They're in the wash," he said quietly, stretching and snapping through his muscular frame as he stood up to adjust the towels so the sun wasn't shining right on her pillow. "Hungry at all? I've got eggs," he mentioned, coming back to the bedside and picking up the glass of water to hold out for her.

Don't mind.. she had to check first and took a peek under the blankets to find herself wearing just her underthings. "Oh.. no, I don't mind.." She said a bit hesitantly, she didn't really mind but wondered why he'd left her in just this. "Thank you for washing my clothes." That was actually really considerate of him and she smiled a little. "Um.. I think I could probably or should try to eat a little.." She watched his every move, more curious than having any fear of him. "What's your name?"

He shrugged a little, holding out the glass for her. "You can call me 'Wink'," he said as if he decided on the name just then. "I like your locket. Family heirloom?" She might notice his earring as he sat on the bed beside her and how similar the design was.

She realized she'd been rude and hadn't even noticed the glass he'd offered her before, she blushed at her lack of manners and slowly shifted herself to sitting up and reached to take the glass from him. "Thank you." She said again in her soft whispered voice, she took a sip of the water and then sighed, it felt good. "It belonged to my grandmother, she gave it to me when I was sixteen but said I had to wait till I was twenty one to wear it.. I turned twenty one yesterday." She explained, her fingers brushing over the locket, it made her remember or think of some of the things that had happened the night before. Her eyes caught the glint of light off the earing he wore and her attention was drawn to it and she noticed it was almost exactly like the one inside the locket. "I'm Amber.." She had asked his name so it was only right to let him have hers as well.

He nodded as she explained the locket's history, or maybe the nod was to her name, securing it in memory or simply agreeing that he knew the information already. "Happy Birthday, Amber," he said gently, a warm smile coming over his face. His light brown hair was cropped short in this form and he reached up to it to smooth down a tickle. "Or.. happier than yesterday. How do you like your eggs, hm?"

She smiled softly as he wished her a happy birthday, he was actually the first one to do so and somehow it was nice coming from him. "Sunnyside up or scrambled.. whichever is easiest for you." She replied to his question about eggs, her eyes staying on him as he moved and shifted. He was handsome and she definitely noticed that but she was thinking about what she'd seen the night before and trying to find the creature in his features now. She wasn't frightened of him or what she remembered, she was intrigued but not ready to ask him anything directly about it yet.

"Easiest for me is 'edible'," he chuckled, not going into further detail on his cooking skills. The water seemed to be going down well to start with and she didn't look like she was in pain. He stood again and started for the stove which was behind a shallow partition. The whole of the apartment was really one large room. "So, I guess I'll go first. What do you remember about last night?"

She relaxed against the pillows as he went around to the stove, she chewed at her lower lip, nearly making it bleed as she thought about the night before. It was several long moments before she attempted to answer him. "Enough that if I told anyone about it they'd lock me up in a little room for a long time... and I'm pretty sure you licked me."

[Lovely]

"You're only telling me," he reassured her with the flash of a smile. He pulled out the egg carton and some milk from the half-size fridge. In a few moments the clicking of a fork and the smell of scrambled eggs started to fill the space. "I was there and what you think you saw, you probably did. I mean, c'mon Amber, you know they exist. You're not flaking out."

"I liked it alot better when I just thought they were real and wasn't being... attacked by them.." She curled into a ball, shivering with the chill that ran through her. "I don't want to talk about it.."

That was fair. She'd come within an inch of her life. It probably wasn't a comfortable topic. "Alright, we won't... for now..., but you're still not flaking out. Alright, eggs scrambled and they look edible. Hope you like them," he said, bringing her a cereal bowl with a heap of egg in it. "Not exactly room service, but it's what I've got."

A few tears had made their way down her cheeks and at first she didn't want to uncurl from her little ball, but she didn't want to be rude either. She wiped at her cheeks and slowly sat up again to take the bowl from him. "Thank you." She attempted to smile for him, he had been nothing but nice to her and he'd saved her life. It wasn't fair for her to take out her upset on him when he made her breakfast and all. "It's great.. I never get breakfast in bed."

"Well, you should make it a habit, then. You're twenty one now, the world is yours, so why not? Any time you're here, you'll get breakfast in bed. How's that?" She took the bowl and he smiled again, happy to serve her, it seemed. "You think you'll be okay for a minute and I can check on your clothes? I pretty much just have what I'm wearing... and those towels."

"Are you planning to have me over alot?" She asked and her smile brightened a little as she chuckled, though she realized it was a pleasant thought and she curled the bowl of eggs closer. She didn't know this man, other than him saving her life which definitely earned him alot of trust, but she shouldn't be thinking of having breakfast in bed at his place again. "Um.. yeah, I'll be fine for a few minutes." She assured him but wasn't sure herself, she did feel oddly calm and safe with him close but would panic and fear set in once he was further away?

"Any time you need me, like last night when you called. Mmm.. maybe some other times, too," he considered, looking around the place with a bit of dismay. "Maybe not 'this' place, though. Unless I get more to go in it."

"When I called?" Her face showed her confusion, she didn't remember calling him or anyone else, she'd tried to scream but hadn't been able to. "What do you mean by that? How did you know I needed you last night?"

Now he was the one confused. "You called me. The spell? A humble servant made, remember? I'm bound to you. Of course I heard you," he explained, at least the part that made sense to him.

She dropped her fork, staring at him with wide eyes. "It... it worked? I didn't think it had.. that's why I was out.. I went for a drink.. Why didn't you come before that?"

"Call it jet lag," he chuckled. "Have you ever been summoned? It pulls you out of time and space and does things to your insides you don't want to know while you're eating. That and I kinda had to take care of the guy who used to live here."

"No.. I've never been summoned." She said quietly, looking down at her bowl and feeling guilty that she'd caused him such disruption and possibly pain. "What do you mean.. had to take care of the guy who used to live here?"

"Don't worry, I didn't 'eat' him if that's what you're worried about. Actually, he's enjoying his sweepstakes winnings and road tripping coast to coast in a new RV. He's got a son out on the west coast, so... just convenient he's got someone to watch the place while he's gone.. if he knew I was here."

[Lovely]

"Oh.. I didn't think you ate him.. I was worried I'd hurt him somehow with summoning you." She admitted what her concern was and looked up at Wink with a small apologetic smile for the fact that she may have given him the impression she would think that of him. "Umm.. if you're bound to me.. why not just stay with me?"

"I had to get to you, first. You see, the spell wasn't perfect and that's not your fault. You got me here, but instead of the spell keeping me here, or with you, it's my own will. I'm where you need me to be, but if I'm not needed, not called for, I'm pretty much a free agent. After last night, though. I choose to be bound. So, if that's an offer, I'm accepting."

She studied him for several moments before giving a nod and a soft smile. "It's an offer. I'd be happy to have you, if you'd like to stay with me?" She made it official and let him decide for himself what he wanted, though he'd already said enough to make her believe he wanted to be with her.

"So mote it be," he grinned, offering her his hand, palm up. "Guardian to heart and soul, I am bound. And you are mostly nekkid, hm? Let me get your clothes and we can get you home?"

She reached to put her hand over his, palm down against his and she smiled more warmly at him, then blushed when he mentioned her state of dress. "Yeah.. it seems I am.. and thank you."

"Thank -you-. For my purpose here and to be honest, the nice show. I'll be right back with your clothes," he said, leaning close to kiss her cheek before leaving.

"You're welcome?" She wasn't sure what else to say to a comment like that, the show had been unintentional and she blushed softly at thinking of him undressing her... hopefully next time she'd be awake to enjoy it. That thought made her blush more and then made her wonder how in tune with her he might be, could he hear her thoughts or sense her emotions? If he couldn't now would he be able to in to in the future? She touched her cheek where he'd kissed her and thought that he was the best thing she'd ever gotten on her birthday. Amber dug into her eggs so they could leave sooner and she could learn more about Wink.

After a few minutes, he returned with her things and a strange smile as he set them down for her. He wasn't sure how to explain, but he tried. "So um.. you're not disappointed, then. That your spell was flawed and you ended up with me?"

She offered him half of her eggs, since she hadn't seen him eat anything since she'd woken up, besides she was full and wanted to get dressed and get going. Amber shook her head gently, beaming a soft happy smile at him as she answered his question. "Not at all.. you're better than anything I imagined." She confessed quietly as she knelt on the bed and leaned to kiss his cheek before sliding off the side to stand and get dressed. Her arm and her thigh hurt a little now that she was moving around more but it wasn't intolerable.

"Hey, don't overdo it. You're only a little bit healed. You'll get the rest now that you know what and who I am. That is, if you'll let me, I'd like to," he mentioned, watching how she moved a little bit stiffly. His gaze roamed over more than the injuries as she stepped away from him. He distracted himself with putting the bed back as it had been. He'd be back to clean everything and restore it for the RV guy, but he had weeks to come back, probably longer considering the man was driving into a hotbed of demon activity. The man wasn't his ward, though. Amber was. "They mentioned snow today," he said offhand, looking at her tiny uncovered feet.