I froze immediately when I saw the lion prowling across the sidewalk in front of Tom's Pizza. It was definitely a rare sight, if not the most bizarre thing I had ever hoped to come across in the middle of town. I held my breath, admired the golden sheen of the mane, the fur. For the briefest of moments his speckled amber eyes locked with mine- and he vanished.

I stared, transfixed at where the lion had stood a second ago, when the door to the store behind me squealed open. My friend, Todd, stepped out with a bag in one hand. I recognized him from the corner of my eyes because of the trademark checkered baseball cap topping his six-foot six-inch height. He clapped a hand on my shoulder and said, "Hey, sorry it took so long. They had to check in the back for more of the orange hand soap you like." He paused and waved a hand to my eyes. "Hello, Liam? You okay?"

"Oh. Yeah, I'm okay. I just spaced out for a bit."

"You sure? I know how things have been pretty rough lately." He handed me the bag and we started walking. "Have you been checking the newspaper ads for jobs? I saw one today for that sub shop on Birch Street."

I sighed. "Not yet. I'm not in a hurry. Thanks for buying that little bit for me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Todd grinned and reached into his jeans pocket. "No problem. Want me to drive you home? My car's coming up on the right." His keys rattled as he fished them out.

"No, I'm good. I can walk from here."

"Okay then." He unlocked the car door. "See ya later."

"You have a goodnight." I waved him off hastily and broke into a brisk walk. The rural Pennsylvania town was quite eerie on a starless night. There was hardly anyone out now, and the quiet ambiance put me on edge like the still silence before a predator strikes.

Usually I wouldn't have declined Todd's offer. Although I lived in an apartment on the border of town, I was lazy and carpooled with him a lot, especially since my car was at the shop getting repaired after a sudden accident involving trees and drunken teens.

Right now I had to find that lion. He had given me a warning and I wasn't too comfortable with it. As far as I knew I wasn't infringing on any pride's territory.



     I breathed in and searched for the lion's scent. Nothing. How could a scent just disappear like that so quickly? Chances of finding him without a scent were very slim. The best option now: go home.

I began to jog when I passed an alley. If my memory was correct, then this was the one I took a shortcut through some time ago. Retracing my steps, I slipped into it and proceeded slowly. My night vision was six times superior to a human's. It would be such a pain if I didn't know where I was stepping at night. I honestly couldn't fathom how they put up with it.

A scream pierced through the silence. It came from a distance in front of me. Soon I recognized the fresh, coppery reek of blood. Something was happening right near me. Something not good.

If I turned around now and ran there was a good possibility I'd make it home safe and unharmed. I should really mind my own business and go back, but an unbearable curiosity gripped my imagination and I kept moving forward. There had to be a time when curiosity didn't kill the cat, right?

The bloods stench grew stronger and I heard yelling, panicked shouting. Here I go, I thought. Into the fray.

The next minute brought me to the rear of the alley which extended into a small paved area. Two dumpsters sat adjacent to each other, and behind them stretched a rusted wire fence. In the center of this were three men-or what seemed to be men- standing in a semicircle, all dressed in thin maroon robes. As I edged closer and peered from behind the corner I noticed that all of them were clutching handguns tightly.

Dammit, what the hell was I getting myself into to?

They shuffled their feet and I got the chance to see what they were looming over.

A woman. A small, delicate woman clothed in what I can only describe as rags. Her long obsidian hair cascaded to her hips, and her eyes were such a vivid lilac that without a second glance they seemed black. She was cornered, back pressed against the fence, eyes searching frantically for a way to escape.

One of the men spoke bitterly, "I should just shoot you in the head." He directed his gun at the woman. She narrowed her eyes and emitted a low, menacing growl from the bottom of her throat.

"No." The man beside him raised a hand. "We weren't ordered to kill her. We can wound her but we can't kill her. I see it as more fun this way." He grinned and moved near the woman, revealing his pistol from inside a sleeve.

  I should've left right then and there. I should've turned around and gone home. If I'd listened to my gut I wouldn't be in this mess. But I learned already that you can't change the past, and in that instant I really screwed up my future.

Swallowing my fear, I jumped out behind the guy to the far right, hoisted my arm over my head, and slammed the shopping bag hard into the back of his skull. He staggered a couple steps, completely stunned from the sudden assault. As he crashed against the asphalt the other men realized my interference. I took that single split-second and bolted to the woman, scooped her into my arms, and shot onto the road like a maniac.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled right in my ear.

I continued running and replied between breaths, "Saving your ass."

Her face twisted in disgust. "You moron! I had 'em right where I wanted 'em!"

"They were gonna shoot you! Didn't you see their guns?"

There was anger in her voice. "Moron!" She rammed an elbow into my ribs, pulled free, and fell onto the sidewalk. I offered her a hand, but she smacked it away.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked.

The woman stood up and glared furiously at me. "You can't just run from them. You have to take 'em out so they don't chase you." Her raven hair was wild. From this distance I could examine her closely, and that's when I noticed the bleeding gash on her left arm.

Before I could make a remark I heard a bullet flying toward her and moved my body as a shield. I ground my teeth as the bullet buried into my shoulder and emitted a surge of pain throughout my whole left arm.

The group of men were quickly advancing to us. I looked at the woman. She was moving her pale scarlet lips, speaking softly. "Three…four. Good. There's four of 'em now." She walked in front of me and inhaled deeply.

I opened my mouth to talk but winced as a throbbing pain bloomed where the bullet hit.

She turned to me and barked, "Stay right there! Don't move at all."

"Whatever floats your boat," I replied harshly, biting my lower lip. The air around us started to become hot and dry. She curled her hands into fists and like some sci-fi movie, four blazing violet flames instantaneously leaped onto the men. They screamed in terror as the fire ensnared their bodies, a roaring beast cracking and snapping like a thousand whips.

Their cries drowned out and at last faded; nothing was left of the four men but a small heap of ashes. Warily I jogged to the dying embers and inspected where the hooligans had fallen. To my dismay there were no bones, no teeth, no clothes.

Nothing.


************************************************************************


She seemed so peaceful, lying there with her mouth wide open. I'd wrapped her injured arm in a towel and wound duct tape around it to stop the bleeding. Her chest gently heaved, hands holding the corners of the blanket as if they were the only thing keeping the warmth inside her.

After the incident earlier she had collapsed. I really had no idea what the hell to do at first. I thought about leaving her, but what good would that have done? For all I know, there may be a bunch of those weird-ass guys still lurking about somewhere. Then I was going to take her to the hospital, but how would I explain that awful wound on her arm? Oh, that? She just fell down the stairs.

So after much internal debate, I picked her up, literally sprinted to my apartment, and set her down on the couch. Surely there was nothing odd about that. If the neighbors asked, I'd say my girlfriend had too much to drink.

I settled into the red recliner and exhaled. The past hour or so played through my mind in choppy scenes, specifically when I carried the woman to my apartment. No one saw. No one saw anything, right? That had to be true. It was the middle of the night. There's nobody awake in the middle of the night.

The bullet in my shoulder had ceased hurting, although the area around it was a tad tender. I could deal with it until tomorrow. Leaving the woman alone was too risky. I carefully shrugged my shirt off and threw it into the nearby laundry basket.

She moaned, eyes fluttered open, and lurched forward like a drowned person emerging from the water. I remained still, watched her turn her head and survey my apartment. I was ashamed of the mess it was: used plates were piled on the coffee-table in the living room and the kitchen counters, two dirty laundry baskets filled to the brim, the floor around them scattered with missed clothes sat by the couch, and a roll of ripped toilet-paper stretched across the unkempt carpet. Cheshire, a pudgy orange tabby, waddled next to my feet and purred.

"How are you feeling?" I asked casually.

Her hand slid up her arm and rubbed the towel. "This-where is this?"

"My place. You, I don't know, fainted I guess. I brought you here. It's been about four hours since."

"Why did you take me here?" Her voice trembled with fury and confusion. "You don't even know who I am! You're the one who interfered!"

I stifled a laugh and grinned. I probably saved this woman's life and all she cares about is that we're strangers? "Then let's get to introductions." Cheshire bounded onto my lap. I continued, "Hello, I'm Liam. This kitty here is Cheshire. What's your name?"

"My name?" she curled a strand of hair around a finger. "It's Jaz."

"Well hello, Jaz. I don't mean to be nosy, but what in the world was going on out there? Those guys had guns, and you-I don't know what the hell you did-but you killed them. And what's with your clothes? I don't think you'd normally wear a shredded up dress to go to the gas station."

Jaz's body stiffened "It's none of your business."

"It is too my business! I saved your ass, so tell me what the hell was all that." I took a breath and pouted my lip. "Please?"

Her gaze locked hesitantly with mine. "Do you really wanna know?"

"Yeah."

She licked her dry lips and a sort of wariness flashed across her features. "Alright, I'll tell you what happened. But be prepared, you're already involved since you interfered. Your life became a target the moment you chose to help me."

I crossed my ankles and said, "Wow. That sounded ominous. What are you? Like are you in a secret government organization? Oh, and what did you do to those guys? That was some crazy stuff!"

Her expression was unyielding. "In the first place, I'm not from this world. Secondly, I am in a sort of organization. It's not governmental, though. It's more like a rebellion."

"So you're not any of the paranormal creatures from here, huh?" On earth, there was the existence of what was known as the paranormal. The majority is commonly referred to as Lyrianthropes or Lyras. You know werewolves? There's a whole variety of creatures like them, half-human beasts. Wereleopards, weretigers, werelions, werecoyotes, and the list goes on.

Jaz ran her fingers through those silky obsidian locks and replied, "I'm a Shayd, or as you probably know - a demon. I'm from the world Hael. The humans here seem to always call it the 'Underworld' or 'Hell' for some reason."

I asked teasingly, "Shouldn't you be more terrifying if you're a demon? You know, have horns and bat-like wings?"

"Very funny, Luigi."

"Liam."

She scoffed and gave me the harshest pissed-off look I'd ever received. "Do you wanna know what happened to me or not? Cuz I'll just leave if you don't."

"No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I responded earnestly. "Please go on."

She sighed. "Anyway, as I said, I'm not from here. I managed to open a portal at the last second and come to where you found me. Unfortunately, those officers back there entered the portal before it closed."

I furrowed my brows. "What were those guys?"

"Let me go back a little further. I belong to the Revolutionary Insurgent Party, or RIP. We're a small group of Shayds determined to overthrow the current Tempest government."

My mouth gaped open. "Wait, wait, wait! You're trying to overthrow your government?"

"Yeah." Jaz's face turned solemn. "The government operates on a parallel level to the Shayd monarchy. They have all the money and land and don't give a shit about the citizens. For the last twenty years the world's been in a deep state of poverty and dissatisfaction. Only those born into rich families can be rich and have well-paying jobs. If you're born into a poor family, you're bound to be poor." She shuddered and tightened the muscles in her arms. "I was gonna change that-I still am. I had the chance and I blew it. See, I'm a multiple element demon. I can control more than one type of aura, unlike most Shayds that can't even do it or have one. That's how I killed those guys earlier."

"You're amazing." I uttered.

    

Jaz stared at her hands as if recalling a faint memory. "I'm not amazing. Don't you get it? I was being chased by those guys because they were police officers and I just broke out of jail the night before my execution date. I attempted to kill the Queen, but something went wrong. I'm a killer, a trained assassin. And you saved me from death." Her lips quivered and she fell back onto the couch in exhaustion.

I dashed to her side and slipped the covers over her again. "Hey, are you OK?"

"I need some sleep." she murmured, and her eyes closed peacefully. I couldn't help but gaze transfixed at her. She certainly was the highlight of my day. Damn, was she gorgeous, too. Just my luck to run into an escaped demon prisoner and take her into my home. I probably would've done it even if I knew she was a criminal to begin with.

I was skeptical to leave her out in the living room unattended, so I arranged a nice little bed composed of blankets and pillows on the floor beside the couch. I couldn't afford to be careless like I usually was. This woman was definitely going to be targeted again. I had resolved to take care of her until her recovery, but then I began to drift into other thoughts.

Thoughts of the lion-of Jaz-and what it meant.