It was a dark night as I made my way quickly down the cobbled street. Figures, the moon would be hidden tonight, hell a full moon at that.

Turning I could swear that there was someone following me. Shit, now wasn’t the time to get caught out without my protection. Hurriedly I made my way to the door of my flat. Phew, at least here I was partially safe. I could feel the magic influence and my wards.

For a moment just a moment I thought I caught the sight of a female. That was all I needed was an inexperienced coven coming after me. Harming one of them would set off a major alarm in the magic world. No, I needed to avoid that at all costs.

Finally secure within my home, I let the magic wash over me. I felt it cleansing the filth that I had to endure from the human world. It wasn’t my first choice though it was by far one of the safest and at the same time most dangerous.

Taking a deep breath, I felt the dampening field I had used to cloak my identity, fade. Now then I thought, reaching out to find out just who was after me. Not far away, I felt her rather than saw her. A young woman a lower mage or as the humans called them, a witch.

Ah! I could see now why she had been following me. The camera she was holding was an essence drainer. I’d have to be more on my guard now I thought. She was either a young, stupid beginner or a shrewdly planted decoy. Then again as weak as her power felt, she might be a disguised agent who suspected me.

Damn it! Here I thought that my hidden identity was better than any that I’d ever seen. Well, that plus the fact that I hadn’t used any of my power outside the shield around my flat. I could always go and ask her, then again I’d have to take her also.

Bah! I had no interest in sex with these weak humans. The females here always broke far too soon. Shaking my head, I’d have to come up with something else.

Reaching out further, I tried to probe her mind without notifying her. That’s when I hit an incredibly powerful mind shield. Thing was? It wasn’t hers, so for all intents and purposes she was a mind slave. If I pressed much harder than I was, it might alert the one that had placed it there.

Placing a tag on the female I waited ‘til I felt her leave. Walking to my mirror I waved a hand before it, then picked up a small, old looking, instant picture camera. Hey? What can I say, the humans hardly ever discovered what they really were.

Adjusting the lens I rolled the film advance ‘til I got to the address and dimension I wanted.

“This is the Hawk, are you there hidden dove?” I called out ready to shut the dimension communicator in an instant.

For a moment I was afraid that my only friend there had been found out. He might be in a prison for trying to help me clear my name.

Suddenly there was a slight crackle then he came on. “Yeah, you got the dove. Good to see you still alive my friend.”

“Yes, the same to you. If it gets too hot I want you to abandon it, you hear me?” I sternly told my friend.

“As if that will happen. Look, I have found out quite a few things. I’ll send them in the next out of phase portal.” He relaid to me. “We almost have enough to get you free, just a few things more, then I can go to the council for you.” He told me.

“One more thing. I think there may be an agent here after me, though I don’t think she knows who I am yet. What have you heard?” I asked.

“Strange, I can account for the whereabouts of all the agents. No, this is probably one of the descendants of the few magic users that escaped there. Just in case, maybe you ought to move.” My friend suggested.

I shook my head, “not really possible, this is the longest I have been in one spot since I got here, two of their years ago.”

“I really don’t want you caught, nor reduced to one of those that live there. It is a fate worse than death.” My friend explained.

“I know believe me, I am working to keep that from happening. Oh, another thing, she has an extremely powerful mind shield. I’ve only been able to get past the first two levels. This seems to be by someone who knows what the hell they are doing.” I told him.

“Powerful? As strong as one of yours?” He asked a look of great worry on his face.

“As a matter of fact yes, what are you not saying?” I questioned, some worry creeping into my voice.

My friend ran his hand through his jet black hair, then wiped his large forehead. “As far as I know there are only four female users with that much power. Two are locked away for a few centuries at least. One is the council leader’s mate.” Here My friend grimaced as he stated. “The last is your mate who has been out searching for you every day.”

“Shit,” I almost shouted, “I thought that bitch would be glad that I was gone. She is fore most of all the main witnesses against me in all this.”

“Look,” my friend said. “Look at what I’ve found first, I’m sure it will help you to plan accordingly.”

With a sigh I nodded then all was quiet as the mirror returned to normal. Damn, damn, damn! Now of all times for that homicidal bitch to try and find me. Turning toward the window I reached out following the young female as she neared her home.

For the next few hours I watched and gently probed the brain of the young female. I found that she did have some latent magical power within her. Probably why whoever, was using her, was.

Thinking about what my friend advised me of, I then turned to all that he’d sent me. Sifting through everything I had to curse, damn if it didn’t have all the ear marks of my current mate.

Surprised I wondered what her game was. To all appearances she hated my guts for something I had or hadn’t done. It was so hard to tell with her. As busy as I had been the last few decades I wasn’t all that sure.

Waving a hard over the camera, I adjusted again now seeing the young female. Strange I thought, she looked familiar. I just couldn’t seem to place her at all. Pressing a little hard I had to find out what I could. I just hoped that it didn’t alert the one who was using her.

After a few hours I sighed getting no closer to what was going on. Shutting the camera down I laid down to rest setting all my wards in case.

I was off the next day so I was really in no rush. Awaking two hours later I felt that something was bothering me. Finally opening what my friend sent me, I whistled when I saw that my mate was at the fore front of those that were after me. That plus, her name was mentioned at almost all points of interest.

Looking and reading further I was almost convinced that it was her that started all this hell that was raining down on me. As I said almost, the further I got though, the more it started to look like someone had manipulated everything to look like it was her.

Shocked, I started to think back. Who had been so nice to me but was hiding behind a curtain of lies and deceit? Sitting back I decided I was going to have a headache trying to figure this out.

Sighing I turned back to the camera I had shut down. I had to do a retrieval in order to figure this out. Damn it I hated that. It hurt worse than any failed spell I had ever done, always did.

Taking a deep breath I opened the lens aperture, set the timer then waited. I heard the click, then I felt the pain, searing, burning, nauseating, revolting. I know I lasted longer than I thought I would, though I still didn’t make it all the way through.

I awoke a few hours later with a cure ward hovering directly over me. Unfortunately it couldn’t help the fact that I was laying in my own regurgitation. Wonderful way to wake up to that smell on you and in your nostrils.

Washing up, I sat down two hours later after renewing my self. Opening a setting on the camera I started back through certain memories that I held as suspect. When none of those turned up anything I went to my second set that I held as suspect.

I was shocked when I finally found a culprit. Surprised and pissed as hell. The sad thing was I couldn’t really do much as he was a full member of the council. Then there was the fact that he was far more powerful than I was. Though the last few months I had managed to go up a few levels. Still, he was definitely higher especially given the extra power that the council had.

This was going to take a bit of training on my part if I was going to survive. Looking at my camera I thought of the essence draining setting, no, I shook my head I wasn’t a monster like they said I was.

I needed to put back what I had taken out though, that was far worse than taking them out. I flexed my power feeling it weak, damn that camera had done a real job on me.

I still needed to go out, though as weak as I was, I wasn’t sure I could survive a medium attack, forget a full attack. I had to risk it though, I had hardly any food, my power still insignificant to summon any.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled all my wards to me feeling my healing ward working overtime to completely restore me. Shit that wasn’t about to happen as depleted as my body was.

Stepping out I was glad that there was no one about. I started to walk the five blocks to the nearest store. Damn I needed to learn to control one of those monstrosities the humans rode in. Hell forget blinking out, plus the camera was limited outside the room.

Walking in I grabbed a basket walking around gathering a few things I needed to restore my energy. I had just finished walking out with the two bags when I spied the same woman from hours before.

Hmmm, I thought she’d changed her appearance, though I knew it was her. Same dirty blonde hair, same rather large breasts that almost begged to be ... I stopped suddenly almost slapping my self. Damn it! I had already started to fall for the allure spell that was heavy around her.

Turning back toward my flat I had to fight tooth and nail not to cross the street. That female was the least of my problems right now if I got caught out in my weakened state.

I dared to look across the street at her when I was stopped to wait and cross. My, my was that a look of confusion on her face? I know she’d expected me to cross and engage her long before now. Damn! That one glance had almost done me in, with my power as low as it was she might attract me after all.

I hurried to get to my door had just opened it when I felt a soft hand touch me. The jolt I got wasn’t that severe though it did make me pause. The only thing that saved my ass was falling forward. I felt my protection wrap around me, letting me pull away.

I hear a gasp of astonishment as I made the stairs feeling more wrap around me. Turning I was prepared to either kill or maim though not with the beauty that was before me.

Growling I hadn’t even noticed that my power had manifested in my hands. “NO!” I heard her whisper as she tried and failed to back out of the door way. “You are the enemy I...” Here she brought up her camera shifting several adjustments pointing it at me.

I started to laugh, inside my small domain there wasn’t much that could hurt me. Again she gasp as she tried more than a few settings to no avail. Reaching out I snatched the camera from her looking at the soul capture setting she’d been trying to use on me.

Tsking I told her, “such an adult toy for a child to be using.”

“I am not a chi...” she started though I waved my hand over her silencing her.

Looking up from the camera I told her, “to me you are a young child. You will tell me all you know, also who put you on me.” I waved my hand to allow her to speak.

“You can’t hurt me I am protected I...” She started.

“Yeah, yeah I’ve heard it all before.” I got in her face as I hissed low and threatening. “You will talk, there are things I could do to you without touching you. You are an amateur at best compared to me. Ah! I see you are starting to realize just how deep in the shit you are. You entered the building, it is my domain on this earth therefore a place of power for me. You will not be able to leave without my permission, my death or a hell of a lot more power than your master has.”

The young, slender, dirty blonde smirked a moment. “You seem so sure of your self. When my coven learns of my capture they will attack in force.”

I snickered as I drew my hand toward me watching her smirk go to a look of terror as she floated toward me. “Let them come, all of them combined probably don’t have a fraction of my full power.” I pushed with my other hand as the door shut, no sense sending out that clear of a beacon to the agents hunting me. “Now to demonstrate.”

I raised my hand passing it over her head. At first I was impressed as I had to go up four levels before she started to tremble. I looked down at her camera, hmmm it was one of the newer models. Clicking a few of the settings I found an interesting one that had me smiling.

At level five she started to scream though still hadn’t spoken a word. Damn this bitch was as tough as my mate she had resisted all the way to level eight before she was overcome. Stopping the mind torture I showed the setting to the young woman. I saw her lips tremble though not a single word came.

“I want to know why you are following me. If I use this setting I can’t guarantee you will be the same again. Well? Are you an agent? Just a pathetic witch huh? Fine.” I sighed as I pointed the camera at her clicking the soul capture, it hurt like hell when it ripped you lose from the body though, they always talked.

I had just started the camera wishing I didn’t have to do this. I wasn’t the monster that they painted me to be. I could see that she was starting to feel the pulling sensation. A small whine issued from her throat, I knew she was a lot stronger than this the level five probe proved that.

I slowly increased the power it was a shame she wasn’t with me I could use a strong ally here. Then again with what I was accused of almost everyone was an enemy.

The power was starting to climb now her whines getting louder. Looking over her inert form I sat to watch the camera work more. adjusting slightly higher I knew she was fighting it with all she had.

This time a scream emitted from her throat. “Please no more, I can’t take any more it will kill me.”

I jerked up to look at her, kill her? It only killed pure form, no I couldn’t believe one this weak was a pure. “Good bluff I’m not buying it. No pure form is here unless they are hiding and they sure aren’t as weak as you.”