When one finds their soul mate, their lover’s past is, usually, not an issue. Yet secrecy can often harm more than help. It can even be deadly at times...

*********

Under a full moon, a lone, female, vaguely equine-like creature sat on the railing of a balcony, her long legs gently kicking back and forth while a soft breeze teased her mane and tail. With a quiet sigh, her head dropped, chin to her chest. Her silver - blue mane fell across her shoulders, shadowing her gentle aqua eyes further from the night. She was deep in thought when a pair of strong arms slipped around her, startling her back to reality. "Hunter..." she whispered, leaning back towards him. He simply held her tighter and nuzzled her neck.

Hunter whispered quietly to her, "Nytehawk...my beautiful bird..."

She smirked at a running joke between them. "Bird only by name, love."

He was another of her kind, a delphin, equine creatures resembling a cross between a horse and a human. Nothing is known of their origins, but the sad fact is that most of them have been, at some point in their lives, slaves. Hunter was lucky, he was born outside of slavery, to free parents and in a place where slavery was not taken lightly. Nytehawk, however, was just the opposite. She was born into slavery and the only reason she is free is because her master was killed and the slaves set free. This is all Hunter knew of her past.

He gently nipped at her neck, drawing out a quiet whicker from her. "What's wrong, my bird?"

"Something is coming...The winds carry a familiar scent."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Something that can only bring trouble."

"What is it?"

"My past has come back to haunt me, I'm afraid."

"What needs to be done?"

"I'll go and take care of it in the morning. Shouldn't take long."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No. No sense in putting you in danger."

"Danger?" he asked, concern quite noticeable in his voice. "How much of your past haven’t you told me?"

"It’s nothing important. I’ll be fine going alone...and it’ll be easier that way."

He sighed in resignation and hugged her tightly. "Whatever you say, Nyte..."


As they slept that night, Hunter gently rubbed the sleeping Nytehawk’s firm, fur - covered stomach, thinking to himself. "What are you hiding that's so dangerous?" He nuzzled her neck again and sighed quietly. "So mysterious...Yet I wouldn’t have you any other way..." he whispered to the sleeping female, receiving her quiet, ragged sigh in response.

*********

At dawn the next day, Nytehawk quietly slipped away from Hunter and headed out to confront a piece of her past she thought long dead. Her slender form walked down the silent street, the sound of her hooves piercing the foggy morning.

A lone figure appeared in the fog. Human, male, and long blue - white hair, the same color as her fur. She stopped a few feet away from him, her figure still partially cloaked in the slowly rolling fog.

"Angel?" he asked quietly and unsure.

She gave him a small, almost predatory smile. "Nytehawk now..." She shifted into her human form, aqua eyes gleaming and her silver - blue hair blowing in a slight wind. She flicked her long bangs out of her eyes and grinned at him again. "Why have you come back? After all you did, you came back." Her normally gentle eyes burned with anger at him.

"I wanted to see you..."

"Don't give me that crap, Janus."

"Fine. I came back for you."

"Oh?" she smirked.

He walked toward her quickly, backing her into a wall. "Yes, you," he restated, grabbing her upper arms and kissing her a bit roughly. Breaking the kiss, he pulled away from her, his grip on her arms loosening his grip on her arms.

She slowly opened her eyes and began to chuckle. "You never were a good kisser..."

"Oh?" he said quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah..." she grinned, leaning towards him, then in one smooth movement, had him forced against the wall.

"What the hell?!"

"You can't have me, Gate Keeper. I'm already taken. But one last thing before I go." Now it was him pinned against the wall and she was in charge, returning the favor. She pulled away slowly, giving him a bit of advice. "Remember what you lost, Janus. What could have been..."

She turned to leave when he realized what had just happened. "No...You aren't going."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "The hell I'm not."

He grabbed her left arm roughly. "I am not letting you walk away. I came back for you."

"And you were too late." She struggled to break free, but only succeeded in making him tighten his grip.

"You are mine, Nytehawk. You will always be mine."
The last thing she remembered after he turned her back towards him, grabbing her other arm, were his piercing gray eyes, then darkness.