When his eyelids opened again, he saw the blurry image of a woman over him. Maybe it was the exhaustion playing tricks on his mind, but he swore she had horns growing from her temples.

Judging by her bright red eyes, white skin, and strawberry blond waves, she appeared to be the same female monster that helped him fight off the Yakuzas and their friends; so in the end, that mesmerizing and frightening creature was none other than his Tara. He could feel the rightness of that statement in his gut. Plus, she was wearing the burnt remains of his girl’s ivory lace blouse and brown skirt.

“I hope I’m not the one responsible for those things in your head.” He chuckled weakly as his vision cleared and he noticed the second pair of dark gray horns curving, like those of a mountain goat, around her pointy ears. “Don’t remember being unfaithful to you so many times.”

Her head whipped from her glowing hands hovering inches above his stomach to his eyes and her own orbs widened as her plump lips parted. She threw her arms around him so quickly, her image blurred, giving him zero reaction time.

Her white flesh felt scalding against his own, burning him as if hot oil had been thrown over his body. The scream that followed threatened to shred his throat with its intensity. But, as suddenly as she had thrown herself over him, she retreated with a scared look in those scarlet pools she had for eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you more harm,” she said in a whisper, refusing to look his way.

Taking a deep breath, the demon witch transformed back to her human appearance and focused on healing him once more.

She needed every bit of concentration to keep a steady flow of magic, otherwise, the damage could be lethal. Add to the mix some emotions that should be dead long ago, plus the fact that her magic had gotten wilder because of centuries of lack of use and she had the recipe for disaster. One tiny mistake and she could kill her lover instead of saving him.

Lover? Argh! He is NOT my lover!

“Why is your skin so hot? What are you, Tary?” Marcus’ raspy voice grabbed her attention. It seemed his last scream had done more than irritate his throat.

“Please, refrain from using that nickname, Mister Di’nardo. I’m not the same silly girl of eight years ago,” she asked in a soft yet firm tone. It annoyed her to no end that he kept using her nickname as if nothing had happened between them… as if he had never left without bothering to tell her why.

And now you’re healing him. Healing the man that broke your heart like it never mattered to him! You should have let him die.

Watching the green glow that enveloped the blond’s hands, Marcus sighed and turned his gaze to his surroundings. Trees of different types and bushes were found everywhere he turned to and even a light mist could be seen covering small areas. But the truly creepy shit was above him. Four crows rested over the branch of a nearby tree as the soft glow of daybreak filtered between the leaves. The birds appeared to be eerily watching his interactions with Tara, sending a chill down his spine.

“If you aren’t going to tell me what you are then at least tell me where we are. This doesn’t look like Central Park.”

The female rolled her amber eyes, took a deep breath, released it, and only then she deigned to answer him. “We are in Ireland.”

He attempted to sit but, feeling a pang in his abdomen, he decided that leaning over his elbows was good enough. “Why the hell are we in Ireland? Last I remember I was dying over your living room’s floor.”

“This is my haven, okay? The only place on Earth where I feel truly safe. And I needed a safe and peaceful place if I was going to heal you.”

That seemed to appease him, and he was quick to apologize for his outburst before his eyes fell upon her figure. She squirmed under his gaze. He stared at her with longing and need; like a starved man that knew the banquet laid before him wasn’t meant for his person but that didn’t stop him from dreaming of stuffing his mouth until he couldn’t eat anymore. A stare that made her feel hot and angry… desiring to have more than his dark brown eyes over and, at the same time, cursing him for reappearing in her life and herself for being reduced to an idiotic ball of contradictions.

Tara wanted to scream. She shouldn’t be feeling anything for him, not after all the tears that she spilled because of his disappearance. And yet… she wished to be loved by the idiotic bastard once again.

“Does your skin gets hot when you’re transformed into your horny appearance?” Marcus asked, shivering because of the sudden cold wind that blew and yet looking proud of coming up with such a clever adjective. “I can’t feel your heat anymore and it’s freezing out here.”

She conjured him a long, wool coat to keep him warm but left his question unanswered. Deep in her heart, she wanted to tell him all about her; confess her darkest and most cherished secrets but he had already failed her once. Who could assure her he wouldn’t fail her again?

No. She had to rip out the weed before it grew out of control.

The glow in his horny girl’s hands began to diminish until it vanished without a trace and she stood, turning her amber eyes to him. Irises that appeared to shine with anguish for a second.

She mumbled something under her breath that he couldn’t catch, and her tattered clothes were replaced by a black, long-sleeved lace dress, that revealed too much of her fair skin, and a leather jacket.

Marcus’ left eyebrow arched. Didn’t she feel the chilly breeze blowing around them? Or was she immune to cold?

“Your wounds are healed,” she began, pulling him out of his thoughts. “You’ll probably feel sore for one or two days but that’s your body’s reaction to the accelerated healing.”

Marcus jumped to his feet at her words but not without grimacing one or two times. He did feel sore; as if he had worked out too much, making all his muscles and joints ache.

Pushing his soreness to the back of his mind, he reached out and grabbed her hand before she could slip from his grasp. Something told him a farewell was approaching rapidly and he didn’t want to let her go. Not after spending so much time apart from her. Not after they were finally reunited by fate.

“Don’t go. We can start over again.” But when she responded with a halfhearted laugh, he continued, “I still love you, Tary.”

She yanked her arm away from his hand before biting her bottom lip and lowering her gaze to the grass beneath her feet. She refused to let him see how much his words affected her. “You say you love me even after seeing the monster that hides beneath my skin? No one can love a monster… not even you.”

“I’m in love with your heart, not your appearance. You could transform into a gorilla for all I care, and my heart would still beat for you with the same force.” Marcus tried reaching out to her a second time, but she backed away from him.

“I GAVE YOU MY HEART AND YOU LEFT!” A soft red glow began covering Tara’s body as the pain and anger strangled her heart in turns. Witches were supposed to have the strongest, hardest hearts in all the supernatural world but, right at that moment, hers felt just as weak as a human’s. “WHY? Why you left me if you loved me so much?”

“I had to. I didn’t want to go but I had to, Tara. Please, forgive me, babe.”

The eyes that met his weren’t amber anymore, they were red. Irises and scleras were now completely red. And they looked at him like an animal about to be butchered.

“You want my forgiveness when you refuse to answer my question? Go fuck yourself, Mister Di’nardo,” she barked at him, feeling her fangs and claws emerge. It wouldn’t be long before she transformed completely and then… No, she needed to go before her demon blood hurt him beyond the healing point.

Tara took a step back and was about to weave a spell to send him back to New York when he grabbed her hand, and his lips graced her ear.

“I killed an FBI agent, Tara. That’s why I left without telling you.”

His breath tickled her earlobe before his lips found hers and his arms circled her waist. Regret, pain, and desire entered her mind so suddenly she felt dizzy with its intensity. The pain of leaving him behind without ever knowing the truth mixed with the regret of not only making the biggest and silliest mistake of her life but also of never having the courage to look for him.

Wait. Those weren’t her emotions, they were his.

Somehow her psychic abilities were showing her his emotions and even more. She could see flashes of images… memories that could only be his. Many were about her but, waving those aside, she found one that called her attention.

The desire to touch the image’s watery surface bloomed inside her fiery core and she was unable to stop her hand from following the command. Then, before she knew it, she was thrown inside the memory.

 Marcus was looking at the dancing crowd bellow them through the office’s glass window while Vergil Larsa sat at his desk reviewing the recent renovations done to the nightclub. He was about to comment on the dark, gothic decoration of the place when they heard a commotion outside before a man in a cheap business suit barged inside the office.

After the security staff was dismissed, the insolent stranger presented an FBI identification and began accusing Vergil of a long list of crimes, many of which involved money laundering and murders.

The white-haired mob boss just laughed at the accusations that had no proof whatsoever but Marcus stiffened and walked to his employer’s side. He feared Vergil’s aloof attitude would only provoke the agent even more.

“Don’t just laugh at me, piece of shit!” the man exclaimed, hitting the desk with both hands.

“The moment you bring me proof that I committed at least one of those crimes, I will let you handcuff me and take me to jail without objection,” Vergil said, crossing his legs and leaning back in his seat. “In the meantime, I suggest you go back to your office and start focusing your efforts on the real threats to society.”

“You’re just another rich prick that thinks he can get away with anything. Not in my watch, pal.”

Vergil smirked evilly and leaned forward in his seat, evidently taunting the law enforcer. “And what can you do about it? These days the police force is so corrupt…”

“Son of a bitch! This will show you your place!” the agent yelled, opening his suit jacket and reaching for its inner pocket.

Marcus didn’t stop to think, he just acted. A shot rang inside the office before the FBI agent’s body dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. Blood quickly covering the carpet while the nightclub’s security staff barged inside the room with guns at the ready.

Then, the memory got confusing as everything blurred around her and she could only make out flashes of the events that followed.

Vergil’s angry shout. Someone finding only a paper sheet in the corpse’s jacket. More shouts and angry curses. Vergil shoving a flight passage into Marcus’ hands.

After the last image, the blurriness cleared, letting her see her surroundings with absolute clarity once again. This time she stood in the middle of her old apartment, watching the front entrance. Her mobster hesitated before the door, his hand over its handle, while a traveling bag rested beside his feet.

That was the moment he exited her life, leaving her broken and confused. Afraid of opening her heart to others. Afraid of what she could become if she was betrayed one more time.

His eyes roamed the little, cozy apartment they called home, and tears filled his gaze. He had doomed their relationship with one stupid, careless mistake and the worse thing of all was that she would never know the reason for his sudden departure. She would probably hate him forever… and with all the right reasons.

I’m so sorry, Tary. It was never supposed to end this way.

The witch pulled away from the memory, coming back to reality. Her red orbs returned to normal and misted with tears when she found herself still in Marcus’ arms. He held her with so much warmth and longing that her heart broke a little more.

Now she knew the reason for his disappearance and yet the knowledge only opened the door for more questions.

Locked together in an intimate embrace, she could only wonder about his reasons.

Why you never searched for me after your return? Why you didn’t fight for our love?

************************
A/N: Finally everything is out in the open. Well... At the least the past is.

Chapter word count: 2,241
Total word count: 8,460