Seven - Chapter 1
#1 of Seven
Seven
Written by: Aaron (Melfice)
Chapter 1: From On High
The city slept, but it was a restless sleep at best. Even as the sunrise began, the city was loath to stir from its slumber. The city's name was irrelevant; its population probably didn't even remember the name anymore. It was a city, and that was all anyone needed to know. It was an unusual city, split into two, distinct sections. There were the mountains of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, home to the upper class with their cash and luxuries. And then there was the suburbs, urban areas, ghetto-like in their appearance, small business' and apartment complexes, the airs of filth surrounding it all.
The people here lived with criminals, it was a fact. The crime in this city was of such constancy and repeatediness, that most of the folk in the city had come to accept this as common place, and continued their existence in stride of this fact. Such was not the case for Melfice.
He stood on the brick roof of his apartment complex, watching the sun reluctantly rise over the horizon, barely peeking through the overcast, spreading a sickly light on the people below. He took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaling heavily as he dropped it and used his foot to smash it. Anyone seeing him might have mistaken him or a cop, or a bodyguard, although he was neither.
He stood at an imposing height of 6' 7", tall even for most citizens. His red hair tossed in the wind even as his feline ears flattened against his head, his amber eyes narrowing in the breeze. He wore a loose, leather jacket; not bothering to zip it shut. Underneath, he wore a white tank top, that looked strained enough that it might rip to shreds if he so much as flexed a muscle, of which he had many. Too many people, he was built like a statue of a Greek god, although he would argue that was a rather large exaggeration.
His arms, while not bulging with muscle, were toned, and quite well defined. His chest and abs were the same, giving off the appearance of a bodybuilder, even through his dark fur. With a sigh, he looked up into the clouds, even as he turned around and began walking back to the stairs, his leather pants squeaking as he walked. He wasn't a cop, although he used a gun. He wasn't a bodyguard, although he did protect people. The police saw him as gun toting, vengefully minded, reckless vigilante. Most of that was true.
He reached the door to his apartment, turning the key in the lock, opening the door to his home. It had three rooms in all, the kitchen/dining/living room, bedroom, and the bathroom. There was trash everywhere, the wallpaper was peeling off, and the ceiling was stained from leaks. The floorboards squeaked like they were being tortured when you stepped on them. But it was his home, and it was the only place that he wanted to live in. He walked over the trashbags, and hampers of clothing needing to be washed, heading for the bathroom. As he approached the door, he yawned, smiling as his ears picked up the sound of the shower running. "Well well, it seems that we have an unexpected visitor." He said, knocking on the door lightly. When there was no answer, he swung the door open. The bathroom was in a similar shape as the rest of the apartment, but it was actually far cleaner.
The shower was big enough for three, but the curtain was missing, mostly because he had it removed because it was constantly being torn and ripped down. So, to remove the hassle of replacing it, he simply took it down entirely. However, the shower was not the center of his attention, but rather, the current occupant. She was quite possibly the most beautiful woman Melfice had ever known. She was a gold dragon, rare around these parts.
Her name, Samirah. She was not tall like him, but she wasn't petite either. Her scales, shimmering through the downpour of hot water, gave her toned and curvaceous body the appearance of being liquid gold. Her scales, so fine, that, unless given close inspection, appeared to be skin, rather than scales. Even to the touch, they were smooth and soft. Her long, pitch-black hair spilled around her shoulders, hanging down to the middle of her shoulders. Melfice could not but smile as he leaned against the doorframe. "Isn't it impolite to walk in on someone taking a shower?" She asked, looking at him with a sly grin. Her voice was like a soft, velvet cushion to his ears.
"I did knock, and I didn't hear anything, so I assumed that it was unoccupied." He said, reaching into his pocket for the cigarette pack. She turned, and set her arms on her hips. She was by no means skinny, even though Melfice could reach both his arms completely around her. She wasn't fat, not by any stretch of the imagination either. She was perhaps, larger than most anorexic models, but she had curves and tone they did not have. She was also completely naked, but it was nothing he hadn't seen before, or touched, or that matter. "What?" He asked, holding out the pack to her as he set his lips around the one he pulled out. "Want one?"
She stepped out of the shower, and padded over, her dripping feet making no noise on the usually tortured wood floor, a fact that sometimes amazed him. She walked up to him, and taking the pack, tossed it over her shoulder into the shower, which was still running. He blinked; his eyes following the arc of the pack as she set her arms around his neck, leaning up with a giggle. "You're such a naughty kitty, you know that?"
Looking down, he blinked twice, and his smile returned, and he gently stroked her cheek, blushing slightly as she leaned into his hand. Gently, he picked her up, cradling her against him like a small child. They had known each other for so long, and for the longest time, even before they met personally, Melfice had admitted to himself he was smitten with her. They had met because she worked at a strip joint down the block. Melfice was on a job then, working undercover there, when she'd approached him.
This was most unusual at the time, since girls seemed to always be intimidated by his size and height, as well as his imposing presence. But not Samirah, no, she came right up to him, and asked him if he wanted a lap dance. He had probably never blushed so hard in his entire life, as he had in that single moment. Since his client had not appeared yet, Melfice decided to partake of her offer. It was his first lap dance, and by all accounts, the best he'd ever had. That's when his client had decided to show up.
He was a gryphon named Malachi, intimidating, masculine to the extreme, always well dressed, and a fuse the length of a single fur, which on Malachi, was about an inch. His job was to have Melfice find a dancer that had run away from him. He was given little information as too the dancer's appearance, only that Malachi would recognize her, and with Melfice's help, they would extract her. The gryphon told Melfice she was a drug-addicted, single mom.
As irony would have it, as soon as he laid eyes on Melfice and Samirah, he exploded. It was the dragoness he was after, and his temper, already lit by Melfice aloof treatment of Malachi's plight; his assistance only needed as the gunman should things get sticky. Malachi then believed that Melfice had been tricking him, and that the duo was using him to squeeze as much money from them as he could. His bodyguards opened fire on Melfice, Samirah, and the entire crowd.
That, was the last mistake Malachi would ever make. Seconds after the shooting started, Melfice had killed both bodyguards with his bare hands, and emptied both clips of his Desert Eagles into the pleading gryphon. The police, desperate to put Melfice away for this, and numerous other offenses, tried to gather witnesses to confirm who had murdered Malachi, no one could be sure. Many claimed that either Melfice or Malachi drew first and fired, but who killed the gryphon remained a mystery. There was however, one eyewitness who, the police verified, had been right there when the chaos broke out.
Unfortunately for them, the eyewitness refused to testify, and with no other evidence, Melfice was released. That eyewitness, was Samirah. Melfice never did question her about her past, it was none of his business. To compensate for his rather violent actions, he found her a job near where he lived, and got her working with a person he knew well, someone he could trust to treat her well, and not betray him. Ever since, the two of them had been seeing each other on a regular basis.
She was a stripper, a dancer, but not a prostitute. She loved to dance, even if it meant removing pretty much all her clothing. It was what she loved to do, and Melfice supported her. He discovered early on, that she would not sleep for money, when her boss, before Melfice had worked out all the details, tried to pressure her into sleeping with the customers for extra profits. She had her dignity, and integrity. She didn't mind stripping, but casual sex with random men, or women, was never something she would do.
After her boss had threatened her with her job, and with physical harm, Melfice stepped in. He killed her boss, capping him mercilessly during rush hour times. Again, the police tried to put him away, but this time, none of the girls, the customers, or Samirah, would say that Melfice took the first shot. They all knew Melfice would've never shot the man without good reason, and Samirah trusted his judgement. Also, unknown to them, Melfice had discovered that her ex-boss had actually told Malachi where to find her, when Melfice was undercover, a set-up, since her boss and Melfice had never been on good terms.
Her new boss was one Melfice personally hired, and things went quite smoothly from there. He was snapped back to reality when her wet hand groped him. "Erk!" he grunted, flinching at the touch, not out of pain, but surprise. "Jesus, woman! Are you trying to take years off my life?!" He jokingly shouted, grinning sheepishly. She laughed, and leaned up, kissing his chin lightly.
"Maybe I am, a little gray in your fur might be a sexy thing . . ." She said, running her finger in circles in his chest fur above the tank top, near his throat. "What were you thinking about?"
"The past . . ." He said and blushed. "How we first met . . . ahh, who cares?!" He said, throwing back his head and laughing. "By the way, I've heard from the girls you're going out with some wolf lately, is that true?"
She gave him a rather inquisitive, and at the same time, teasing glare. "And what if I am? Are you jealous? Not that it's any business of yours, but I am, his name is Kresnorf. He's very nice, and don't you dare go and ?inspect' him to see if he's good. I don't want you freaking him out, alright?"
He shook his head, although inside, the tiny, pricking pangs of a familiar emotion rose in him. "Of course not! Your personal life is your own to deal with, and I won't get into it. Besides, I was curious. I'm happy that you've found someone who might make you truly happy." He said, smiling down at her. Her smile fell, and she sighed.
"Melfice . . . I know you and I have . . . been together . . .but . . ." She was trying to finish her sentence, but Melfice already knew what she was going to say.
"No need . . . my life is too dangerous to share with someone as kind as you. I've done some horrible things to try and bring justice to this city. You shouldn't have to live with someone who commits these deeds. I know I sound like a sap," He said, blushing redder, "but as long as you're happy, as long as I can see you smile, it's good enough for me."
She nodded and leaned in closer against him, and he tightened his grip on her, as if afraid he might drop her. "Well . . . maybe . . . we can talk about it later, alright? It's your birthday today, I don't want to bore you or sadden you with my life's endless drama." She said, and leaned up, kissing his cheek gently. He purred softly, his hands gently stroking the underside of her thighs.
"Well, I have some friends to see . . . perhaps, later tonight . . ." He asked, and she looked up at him, knowing his silent, unfinished question. "I don't want to pressure you or anything . . . it's your choice . . ." He said, trailing off, not sure exactly how to say it.
She merely smiled, and nodded. "Come by the club tonight, and I'll give you a special dance, alright?" She asked, and he nodded, leaning down to kiss her lips. She met him halfway, and she huddled as close to him as she could. He tightened his hands on her. He could smell the faint trace of cinnamon in the air, and slowly, he broke the kiss, their lips inches apart.
"Alright, Sami . . . Eight sounds like a good time." He said softly, and she nodded. Slowly, he set her down on her feet. "I'll see you then, alright?" She nodded again, and he smiled as she grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself as she walked out. He pulled out the lighter from his pocket, and picked up the cigarette that had dropped from his mouth during their embrace, and he pressed it to his lips, lighting it. Taking a drag, he sighed. "Sami . . ."
* * *
The bar was unusually quiet as Melfice walked in. He raised an eyebrow as he stepped through the open doorway, closing the door behind him. "Well, this is a change, albeit a strange one." He said, his hands in his pockets, cigarette in his mouth. "What, did someone die or something?"
People around the bar chuckled, and raised their glasses to him. The tender behind the counter, cleaning a glass, just shook his head with a smile. "Moment of silence to commemorate your birthday, and how long you've managed to stay alive. A tribute to our vigilant defender." He said, raising his clean class in a toast, to which everyone else joined. Melfice blushed again, and he realized that, aside from his first meeting with Samirah, he'd never blushed this much in his life.
"Jesus people, making me feel old before my time." He said, moving to sit at the bar. Next to him, wearing only a pair of cut-off blue jeans, was a muscular jackal, drinking some whiskey. "Well well Mordred . . . surprise seeing you here, especially since you told me you hated it here."
The jackal turned his head, eyes regarding the jaguar. "Yeah, but today's your birthday, so I'm going to indulge you for a bit . . ." He said, muttering almost to himself, as he stood, taking Melfice by the arm, and dragging him into a nearby booth. As if on cue, the entire bar, all who were watching this display, went back to their business, as if this was a regular occurrence to them everyday. Melfice allowed himself to be dragged along, only because Mordred was one of his closest friends.
Mordred was something of a wild card. He could comforting and caring one second, and ruthlessly angry the next. But he was Melfice's oldest friend, and he was allowed some freedom in his ever-changing moods. Chuckling, Melfice was pulled into the booth, right into Mordred's lap, and found a pair of lips against his own, a tongue shoved into his mouth and down his throat. He couldn't help but purr softly, even as Mordred's non-retractable clawed hands wrapped around his jacketed waist.
After a few minutes, the kiss was broken. "I missed you Melfice . . ." The jackal said softly, looking up into Melfice's eyes. "It's been lonely without you around . . ." Melfice sighed, and shook his head with a smile, nuzzling the side of Mordred's face. To others, this jackal acted manic-depressive, but Melfice knew it was all an act. Around him, in private, and even a few times in public, he was a kind person, at least, when he wasn't feeling horny.
"I know . . . I missed you too. But you know how work is, I'm not always available." He said, hugging the jackal around his neck. "I try, but we both have separate lives to live, ya know?" Mordred nodded, his hands gently rubbing up and down the jaguar's broad back, claws digging lines in the fur. "I know . . . we don't have to have separate lives . . .but you know I can't . . .not yet."
A long sigh escaped the jackal's throat as he licked at Melfice's chest. "I know . . . Sami is still in your mind, isn't she?" he asked, and Melfice looked away. "I already know the answer. And it's alright, she means a lot to you, doesn't she? I'm not jealous or anything, but I want you to know that I'm here too." Melfice closed his eyes, leaning his cheek against his friend's, nodding. "It's been such a long time Mel . . . since we've been together . . ."
"I know old friend . . . I know." Melfice said, arching his back as he felt the jackal's hands reaching around his tailbase, and he couldn't help but let out a low moan. Mordred smiled, leaning up to nibble gently at Melfice's neck. "Are you . . . trying to . . .?" Melfice tried to ask, his breath quickening, not of his accord, as he did his best not to react so strongly to Mordred's touch.
"And what if I am?" Mordred responded, winking slyly. "It's your birthday, you muscled idiot, let me give you my present . . ."
* * *
Driving 60 in a 35 road, Melfice let out a long stream of profanities, in combinations that he didn't even remember knowing. He had spent a great deal of time with Mordred . . . intimate time, and before he realized it, he had burned 5 hours, and it was already 8:05pm. He prayed that Sami, whose shift ended at 7:30pm, had not gotten impatient and left, or even worse, was waiting to chew him out for being late.
He winced, even as he parked at the back entrance of the club, and switched off the car. He looked at his watch, even as he slammed the door on his Firebird. 8:10pm; dammnit, she was really going to have his hide for a throw rug now. He quickly scanned the parking lot, even as he hustled towards the back door. Her car was not here . . . and she always parked back here, odd . . . He opened the door, and quietly closed it behind him. The back of the club was a long hallway, leading from the main lobby to the rear exit. The hallway was also chock-full of private rooms and dance rooms for those customers who wanted privacy, and perhaps a bit extra on the side.
He walked down the hall, and saw something quite strange. There was a rather fat skunk standing in front of the double doors that lead to the largest private room, used for parties and . . . other indulgences. What caught his eye, was the magnum that the skunk was packing. As the skunk looked at him, Melfice averted his eyes to the center of the wall, feigning ignorance and indifference. "Heya bud." He said, as he passed.
"Yeah, whatever . . ." The skunk said, and as Melfice walked passed him, the jaguar, whirled, kicking out one foot in a raised kick that caught the skunk in the throat. This sent him into the air, and down the hall about 15 feet into a potted plant, which gave a loud crash as the massive fur struck it. Melfice lowered his foot, and waited. No one came, demanding what had happened, no one came out of the doors. Obviously, no one heard, or no one cared, hopefully the former.
He walked over to the skunk, and bent down, pulling a loop of string from around the fur's neck, which turned out to be a nametag, like a member's card. "Sharz, eh?" He said, reading the card. "Don't worry, that kick will keep you out for a few hours, and you won't breathe properly for a few days, but that's what you get for being a suspicious guard." Melfice reached into the pocket, and removed the magnum. "You won't be needing this anytime soon either." He grinned, patting the guard's cheek. "Now be a good boy and get your rest."
With that, he stood, the grin falling from his face the instant he began to stand, as he checked the magazine of the magnum, and the chamber. One in the chamber, full clip, about 15 bullets. This was a custom job, no doubt about it. He leaned against the door, his right ear aligning along the wood as he listened carefully. He heard a low, but loud voice on the other side. "Uhhhhhhh . . . ahhhhhh . . . he's just as you said . . . delicious morsel." Melfice knew what the moans were, it was unmistakable.
"S-sir? Is he to your liking?" Came a softer voice, one far more timid and whiney. It was the voice of Samirah's current boss. "I-it took s-some time to f-find a kid that f-fit your strict s-standards, sir, b-but we did it." Melfice's eyes narrowed, hunter vision kicking in. If he assumed what he was hearing was accurate, that meant . . .
"Mmmmmm . . . yes, he's perfect . . . just what I've been looking for . . . Ahhhhh . . . I always wanted a slut of my own . . ." The louder voice groaned, and Melfice's vision went red. He knew exactly what was going on in there. Slave trader, children . . . the police had tried to break up this ring for years, and now he was just outside the door.
"Fine, time for me to lay down the law . . .my law." He said, and stepping back, clicking the gun ready, he leaned back, his foot bending back to kick the door in.