Book of Flames Ch. 02

Keira rubbed her temples and shut off the light, closing her eyes. The ache in them told her she had been staring too long again. Pushing back from the desk, she dropped the book into the locked cabinet along with a spiral notebook with her discoveries. It didn't look like much, just scribbles and odd shapes, but it was five years of hard work for Keira.

She stood up and touched the picture on the desk, as she always did. It was of her and Pops. They were in the hospital, the nurse had been kind enough to take it for her. Even though he looked like a shell of himself, all Keira saw was the strong, smart and capable man that had taken her in and gave her the best year of her life. She felt sadness wash over her at the memory. He died three days after the picture was taken.

After the funeral, a woman showed up to his lawyers office. Keira walked in eyeing a thin blonde woman arguing with the lawyer.

"So this is the woman that convinced my father to hand over his life savings to her?" she stated, her look of disdain making her features look thinner. She wore a black business suit, dark stockings and plain shoes. Everything about her screamed plain, unlike her father that was warm and full of life. Keira felt anger rise at her throat.

"You never returned any of his letters, phone calls, nothing. He tried to contact you and your mother many times to no avail."

She huffed and looked at the lawyer, dismissing Keira completely. "Look, I want what's mine! I know he had some money stashed away and it belongs to me!" The lawyer looked as if his smile was plastered onto his face as he said, "The documents here are legal and valid, all possessions go to Ms. Dawn as does the store, which I assume is what you are here for?" He looked past the woman to her. "I have all the paperwork here, all you need to do is sign."

"Thank you," Keira said to him as she moved past the woman to sit down. She could feel the daggers the woman was staring into her. Her anger got the best of her and she turned around, "Your father was an amazing man. Smart, caring, loving. You came here today to receive some monetary reward. Well, there is none. I soon as cast it into the sea, then give any to you, you horrid woman. I found the letters he did receive. Every mean thing you ever spoken to him, every tear he shed because you refused his affection, blaming him for your mothers infidelity, your crummy life, even as he sent you both money every week. Leave this office and don't come back. You were never worthy of being his daughter!"

The woman looked at her in fear, Keira thought it was her words, but what she didn't know was in her anger, her eyes had started to change. They started to glow, a dark swirling red. The woman had felt hotter, a sweat broke over her as she stared in horror, and the woman wanted to be away from her gaze. As soon as she was done speaking, she returned to normal, turning around to the lawyer, he saw nothing unusual. The woman hurried out of the room, her heels clicking down the hallway, panic and fear over taking her.

Keira decided it was time for bed, letting old memories go. She needed to be up early for there was going to be an event for kids the next day at the store. After renaming the store to Pops, Keira had taken up a more active role in the community, offering programs to teach and help kids read, it had gotten so successful she was booked out most weekends.

She had fallen into a restless sleep. Ever since she found out she could see things in the book, she has been having weird dreams. Flashes of things she couldn't make out, and a pair of aqua colored eyes. She sometimes woke up hot, covered in sweat. This night she woke to the smell of smoke, jumping off her bed she could see the charred outline of herself, her bed sheets gently smoking.

What the hell is going on? she thought worriedly. Her mind went back to the book, she was obsessive with it, that she knew, but there was a strong pull, an urge to be with the book, to know its secrets. It's like it was apart of her, but in a puzzle locked away.

Sighing, she headed to the little kitchen and put the kettle on. She checked the window, a bowl sitting on the ledge, to see if any strays had come tonight. The bowl was empty, licked clean, and Keira smiled. She had a fondness for animals and kids. It was a lack of a home life growing up, she figured. Stretching, she stepped out of her clothes and headed for a bath, while waiting for the water to boil.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked average. Pale, long red hair, her arm was covered in tattoos. She had gotten it done a month after Pops passing. Blue green flames wrapped around her forearm, meeting a stack of books and a lions head with 'Beta Echo Zero' written each on the spine of a book. Her nose was pierced, something she had gotten when she was eighteen, much to Pops dismay. She wore two earrings in each ear, just little studs, blue twinkles peeking from her hair. She was average height. Skinny, she had small breasts and a bit of a butt, she shrugged at her reflection, no super model was here.

Turning on the water, she set it to the highest setting. She couldn't stand cold water, and lately it made her feel sick. Getting in, she sighed as her skin met the heat of the water, relaxing her tense muscles. She felt lonely. Aqua eyes flashed before her again and she found herself playing with the piercing on her nipples, they were something new, and still a bit sore. Steam rose from her body as she focused her mind on the eyes, and suddenly she was in a room.

The room was dark, she couldn't make out much, but of the sleeping form in the bed. A window was in front of it, casting light upon the sleeping area. It was dark outside, and had Keira noticed, she would have realized it was space, stars and darkness and a passing ship silently rolled by. But she was too focused on the breathing form as she moved closer, her feet quiet on the floor. The figure turned to lay on its back and its eyes opened. Aqua met brown, and Keira found herself crawling up to sit on him, she felt an overwhelming need she had never known before.

Keira wasn't sexually active, even with herself. Growing up and watching her mom bring home a new man every week, she had learned fast about the dark dirty side of sex. It had affected her growing up as she had shied away from it ever since she came into womanhood. But now, all she wanted was to pull away the blankets and impale herself upon this man.

He looked at her with surprise and lust, like she was the first woman he had ever laid eyes on. He wrapped his arms around her middle, drawing her down for a kiss. Their tongues met, and Keira felt lightheaded, forgetting to breathe. The man, giving her little pecks along her jaw, grazed one thumb around her nipple, through her nightgown, an over sized Metallica tee. His other hand cupped her bottom under her shirt, fingertips stroking, teasing at her panty line.

Keira felt herself heat up, unable to control the emotions and desires in her, and she heard the man say no, pleadingly, and she was snapped back into the bath. Panting, she became aware that there was no more water, the tub was empty, a steam rising from her skin. Shakily, she got up and wrapped a towel around herself. Maybe I should buy a vibrator, she thought amusingly, trying to calm herself. It's the book, it has to be.

Heading back to the kitchen, she tried to calm down and drink some tea. Her mind was rattled, going over the events that had just happened. As dawn broke over and the sun started to rise, Keira decided to go read the book again. Donning some clothes, she headed to the desk, determined to make sense of it all.

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Greyson woke with a start, a sheen of sweat covering his face. He got up out of bed and padded to the bathroom to relieve himself as he tried to get over this latest dream. He had been having odd dreams lately. Snippets of a girl, red hair, brown eyes that had turned red tonight. She was in his bed, on top of him, the outer light shining on her, making her look like a ghostly goddess, her hot skin beckoning him to taste, nibble, and enjoy. Her intense heat was unreal, and Greyson had never felt as hard as he was when she kissed him.

He shook is head to clear his thoughts, his black hair getting into his eyes. He was a good looking guy and he knew it, if he wasn't he wouldn't have lasted long in this line of work. Padding to the kitchen, he imputed the order for a beer and some food, as he decided he'd go to med bay in the morning to get himself checked out. The dream had felt too real, and he had to make sure nothing had mind linked with him. He had an implant that guarded him against that, as almost everyone did that was one of the Taken. It was for added security to owners, that there stock wasn't being mentally tampered with.

As sunlight touched the station, Greyson got dressed and headed to the lower levels. This station was one of seven in the galaxy, and it was packed with all different kinds of life. It was sprawling and huge, different quarters housed different species and the middle section was all the offices, businesses and needs departments. Docking stations were at the top levels. Greyson entered the Dimiri quarter, seeking out the local doctor. He tended to avoid the Colony doctors, because they tend to treat the Taken worse than the lowest of the species.

He was scanned over and everything seemed to be in working process until they reached his AMK, or Anti-Mental-Hack that was at his temple.

"Strange," the on call doctor spoke, his many arms going every which direction as he looked over the notes, "Your readings are verys strange, and yous said you've beens havings odd dreams?"

"Yes," Greyson responded, "This last one was intense."

"Hmms," the Dimiri doctor spoke, even though there was a language transmitter for all races, the Dimiri's language ended up with added "s" to most words in the common Terra languages. Greyson was amused every time they spoke. "I'ms goings to reverse the implants outputs and sees ifs we can finds the source, please focus ons the parts ofs the dreams yous remembers."

Greyson closed his eyes, his thoughts immediately going to her, the girl. He remembered the color of her hair, her scent, her smile and most of all the intensity of her eyes as they turned red, a look of lust and longing piercing into him. He felt himself pitch a tent but he ignored it, concentrating on her. He felt a pull at his gut, like his entire being was trying to drag something to the surface. He grabbed onto the examination table, knuckles white as she became more and more clear, to the point her could smell her. His face wracked with pain he gritted his teeth and pulled on the connection.

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Keira was pouring over the book, the symbols were bright and fast swirling over the pages, she gave up in writing them down for they were too fast for her. Suddenly she felt a tingle in her stomach, and her body broke in sweat. His face came into her head, his face a mask of pain and concentration, for what she didn't know. Instinctively, she pulled away from him, something in her panicked and she willed him away. It wasn't working. She placed her hands upon the pages of the book, why, she did not know, and suddenly she felt power coursing through her, watching in some form of horror as the symbols crawled up her arm and coated her skin completely, as Keira screamed, head thrown back, her body ablaze.

------

Greyson gave one final yank and was jarred from his connection by the doctor screaming. The doctor was on the floor, thrown back as a smoldering wreckage was in the middle of the room, destroying the doctors work table. In the middle of it stood the girl from his dreams, her hair and eyes ablaze, symbols glowing on her skin, she wore no clothes and Greyson thought she was the most erotic, beautiful creature he ever saw. She looked directly at him as she spoke, her voice echoing as it was not just hers, but many at once.

"The first of Five has awakened, Drackon-El has been unleashed. Keeper of the Flame, may you prepare for war."

The light of her went out at once and she passed out on the floor. Greyson and the doctor shared a look as the doctor rose slowly.

"Wells, now yous know what was on the other sides."