When Souls Collide

Petra's offer had brought the heavy scales back into equilibrium, negating the effect of Jerry's maniacal behaviour - in theory anyway. It was simplistic, but Tabby was grasping at anything that would help ground her and help her deal with the fact that she'd been attacked. Though she had convinced herself that her pep talk had helped, in truth she was still sliding down a slippery slope, digging her nails in anywhere she could to slow her descent. In her fragile mind, she saw the scales back in balance, thus, there was no balance owing so she could stop paying the emotional toll.

After drying off and wrapping another thick towel around her wet hair, Tabby padded out into the bedroom on bare feet. On the bed lay a clean t-shirt and her pair of flannel sleep pants. Petra must have unpacked her overnight bag and laid the clothes out for her. She dressed quickly, wanting to cover up the bruises so that she wouldn't have to acknowledge what they represented and ran her fingers through her tangled curls, getting them to straighten into a roughly neater mass of chestnut and auburn. Taking a comb through it right now, would only leave her with a head full of frizz by morning, so her fingers would have to do the trick.

She walked down the hall and froze half way to the living room, soft voices drifted down the long hallway and halted her with a fresh burst of panic. There were male voices as well as Petra's speaking so quietly that she couldn't make out any of the words.

Who could be there? It had to be almost four in the morning and Tabby couldn't think of anyone who'd be visiting at that hour. She felt a tendril of suspicion wind its way around her chest, suspecting what Petra had done and feeling anger begin to flare hot and bitter.

Petra appeared at the entrance to the hall and her face took on a sympathetic and apologetic look. "Tabby," she said carefully. "Please don't be mad. I had to call Diego. I couldn't hide this from him and baby...you need his help," she pleaded with her, holding out her hand to encourage Tabby to come forth.

"Why?" Tabby croaked, her voice thin and brittle. "I asked you not to, Petra. I can't go through this again. Please don't make me..." Tabby whimpered and wished that she could turn and run back to the bedroom, but something inside her made her take one step toward Petra instead. She took one small step, her entire body shaking like a leaf, then another and another until she was able to peer out around the corner and into the living room. Milling around the room were three big men - Diego, whom she recognized and two others, all were drinking coffee and staring in her direction with concern and curiosity.

Diego set his mug down on the coffee table and slowly approached. He had a kind face with a shadow of stubble darkening his Hispanic features. He stopped behind Petra and wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to him, kissing the top of her head and giving Tabby a kind smile.

"Hello Tabitha, remember me?" he asked calmly, his voice was warm, masculine and nonthreatening, but Tabby still glared at him through narrowed, wary eyes as she nodded in response. He cocked his head in the direction of the other two men. "Those two idiots over there are my friends: Cooper and Jaz."

"Hey!" the two men objected in unison, both managing to act affronted through grinning expressions.

Just then, the door to the apartment opened and another very tall man strode through holding his cell phone in his hand. Tabby jumped and tried to back away but Petra had taken her hand and held on tight. Tabby's breath was coming in short puffs as her anxiety skyrocketed.

"It's okay, Tabs. It's only Marcus. He had to go down to his car and grab his phone." She was stroking the back of Tabby's hand with her thumb, it was helping her calm down by redirecting her focus off the newcomer.

"M'sorry," Tabby mumbled, feeling embarrassed for being so skittish.

"It's okay, sweetie, we forgot to tell you to expect another person."

Marcus had halted in the entrance to the living room feeling badly for startling the terrified young woman. His face hardened at the sight of her trembling and the livid bruise that was quickly spreading on her cheek, becoming a black eye. Her face would be black and purple by morning, he thought, instantly wanting to rip the bastard's genitals off, who had done this to the girl, and choke him with them. The fierce rush of possessive aggression caught Marcus off guard and he turned his scrutiny on the girl with an appraising eye.

What was it about her that had sparked such a lethal response in him? He'd already heard what had happened from Diego, it had made him angry but that didn't justify the level of feral violence he had felt upon seeing her. Something dark deep inside his soul had woken up and taken notice of the girl and had instantly wanted to protect her.

To claim her.

Holy fuck. What the fuck was he thinking? Seriously dude, get a grip. The poor thing had just been attacked and you're thinking...what - dragging her off like a caveman and keeping her for yourself? And you called the bastard who'd done this to her, sick.

He agreed whole heartedly with the mental dialogue going on in his head. But that didn't dispel the urge - no, the need - to run over to the girl's side, scoop her up in his arms and take her home with him. Keep her safe and protected and...his.

Her green eyes flickered up and met his for a brief instant, before shooting back down to her own hands. The fear he saw in that one glance made him murderous with rage. Cooper and Jaz had better get some useful information from her, because Marcus didn't think he could keep the need to go asshole hunting under wraps. He needed to find the slime ball that had touched his woman and teach him a lesson in pain.

His...wait...WHAT? Marcus rocked back on his heels, his brain playing catch up with his subconscious. Where the fuck did that come from? He closed his eyes, hoping the loss of sight would help restore his sanity. She wasn't his! For fuck's sake, had he completely lost his mind tonight?

Mine.

He felt the word reverberate through every nerve and fibre, like an earthquake that sent vibrations straight down into his molecules and imprinting itself on the very atoms that made up his cells.

Imprinted. Underscored. Bolded. Something about the beautiful, damaged, young woman had just left an indelible mark on Marcus' very soul that he felt like a physical pain burning him up from the inside out.

He would find the prick who had attacked her, beat the shit out of him and then call one of the available subs from his club and fuck until he couldn't think about anything at all.

Especially not about the green-eyed angel standing twenty feet from him right now.

Most especially not about her. No way. Nu uh. Not going to happen.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

Marcus took a deep breath, using every ounce of self-control he possessed, to walk casually over to where the other three men were waiting. Each of his long strides pulled him toward Tabitha, as if she was a lodestone for his magnetic north. He fought his own body to just keep walking in a straight line.

Petra was gently coaxing Tabby away from the shelter of the hallway and bringing her into the living room. Marcus could see how rigid her muscles were, fear making her red-rimmed eyes wide and bright. God damn, he swore. She reminded him of a tiny bird that had wandered blindly into a cat show. She was terrified of them.

Now that she was closer to him, Marcus was actually surprised at how tiny she was. After hearing Petra's retelling of what had happened, he'd somehow just assumed that the fierce creature in the story would have been more substantial than the dainty thing he was staring at now. His gaze absorbed her perfectly proportioned frame and he could tell by the lithe way she moved that she was in good shape, strong but nothing that detracted from her inherent femininity - more like the opposite. Her curves were seductive and obvious, even under the shapeless nightwear that she was wearing. Even freed from a bra, her breasts were full and firm, riding high on her chest and accentuating the flat of her abdomen.

He took a mental snapshot of the girl, without knowing why; she fascinated him in a way he didn't understand...yet, but intended to figure out later.

His eyes visually caressed the soft slopes of her hips, imagining his hands on them, pulling her naked ass onto his cock. He felt a stirring between his legs as said member began to tingle and he abruptly looked away, trying to clear his head of the erotic daydream.

"Why, why are you here?" Tabby stammered, wanting nothing more than to retreat into the bedroom and hide until they left. She didn't think she had the energy to deal with more people tonight.

"Because Petra is worried about you, and from what she has told us, it's for good reason." Diego beckoned her forward and with a wave of his hand, indicated that she should go sit down. Tabby let Petra lead her by the hand into the midst of the big bodies of the men. She kept her eyes down, afraid that if she looked up, Jerry's face would appear. Sinking into the plush cushions, Tabby scrunched herself into the corner of the long sofa, needing to keep as much distance between the men and her as she could.

Especially the tall one named Marcus. There was something about the man that unnerved and intrigued Tabby at the same time. She had reacted with fear when he'd entered but thinking back, she realized it was something much more intense that she'd felt, her fragile mental state had just translated it as fear. A current had jumped between them, shocking her straight to her core. There was something familiar about the handsome stranger and she felt like she knew him...or should know him...or once knew him. God, she was so confused that her head was spinning, or maybe it was because of her headache. She didn't know anything anymore.

Tabby may have been keeping her eyes lowered, but she saw Marcus. He filled her vision in snatched covert glances from her periphery. She'd never seen such a tall, broad man before in her life, except maybe basketball players on the TV. He was well over six feet tall and Tabby figured her five foot four inch frame might bring her up to his nipple line if she stood on tip toes.

He was walking closer now and Tabby drew in a breath at the graceful way he moved, like a panther only much bigger. She was hypnotized by the way his muscles bunched and glided, making his motions fluid, graceful and broadcasting his power. Warmth flooded into her core, startling Tabby. How could her body be reacting sexually to this stranger?

I don't even know him! I can't be attracted to a stranger! And he's so big, how the hell would that work anyway? He'd crush me...or split me in two. Warmth turned to heat and Tabby shivered, making Petra pat her sympathetically. Tabby choked down a hysterical burst of laughter, her dear friend thought she was afraid and was trying to comfort her. What would she think if she knew I was getting wet just from looking at Marcus? I seriously need my head examined, Tabby thought to herself.

The men took their cue once Tabby sat, grabbing seats wherever they could find one. Cooper perched on the sturdy coffee table directly in front of Tabby, Jaz sat in an arm chair to her left, Petra and Diego claimed the rest of the sofa and Marcus had disappeared. She cast her gaze around the room, but the man had vanished out of her sight.

Petra misread her jerky head movements and attributed it to nerves. Tabby was nervous, definitely, but she also wondered where Marcus had gone. She felt his absence on a level deep inside her, like something vital had been removed that her body needed to function. Like oxygen.

That's it, Tabby, she scolded herself sternly. From this moment on, textbooks are what you are going to be reading. Boring, dull and romance-free. All those chick books piled up beside your bed have filled your head with crazy romantic bullshit. He's probably taking a leak or something. He'll be back in a second...right?

Diego began speaking, leaning around Petra so that he could see Tabby. "I'm sure that the last thing you want right now is to relive what happened to you tonight but Cooper and Jaz are both police officers and they want to help you."

Tabby took a deep breath, knowing that she had to find the courage to do this. When it had just been her, it had been easy to slip into denial and to sweep the assault under the rug so that she didn't have to deal with the fallout. Now that she was surrounded by all these caring, concerned strangers, those blinders had been torn from her eyes, forcing her to face what had happened to her and look the beast in the eye. She didn't think that they were going to let her hide and ignore what had been done to her.

Jerry needed to be held accountable for his heinous behavior and, the more she thought about it, the more she felt a sense of relief at being able to share what had happened, before it became a burden too heavy for her have to carry by herself.

Petra handed her a cup of sweet, milky tea that she'd made for her while she had been in the shower. It was lukewarm and syrupy, just how Tabby loved her tea. She took the cup and sipped a little, feeling the sugar boost her energy almost instantly.

Everybody waited patiently for Tabby to marshal her strength and collect her thoughts. She could feel their curious stares but was lost in the pleasure of drinking her tea and had let her attention drift away. Thus she was startled, almost spilling her tea, by a sharp cracking sound that came from the kitchen. Her head spun in that direction, her gut clenched in terror.

Marcus appeared a second later carrying a tea towel wrapped around a lumpy bundle in his hands. He approached Tabby carefully, keeping his body language as casual and non-threatening as a man his size could. Cooper sensed what he was doing and slid out of the way so that Marcus could fill the vacated space with his imposing presence. He crouched slowly down in front of her and placed the bundle into her free hand, wrapping his huge palm around hers and bringing it up to her wounded cheek. Cold radiated through the terry towel and into her face, dulling the throbbing ache to a more bearable level.

Tabby held her breath; her insides quivering with nervous energy and making her feel like she had swallowed a sparkler. Electricity was running rampant from where his warm skin had made contact with hers and suffused her with an effervescent energy. Jerry's hideous face and slimy flicking tongue were momentarily forgotten, the memories wiped away to make room for the most incredible pair of blue-green eyes that she had ever seen.

Their gazes had locked together and Tabby thought she could fall into those intense pools and never want to surface again. The emotions simmering in his eyes mesmerized her and the amazing colour reminded her of the hues of a glacial lake that she'd seen in a nature book long ago. A deep pool of blues and greens surrounded by the cold white of the snow and ice; his eyes should have been cold, like that water, but they glowed with an internal heat that was burning a trail into Tabby's heart. She wanted nothing more than to bask under that heat, purring like a contented cat.

"Thanks," she murmured, full of gratitude for the simple gesture.

"Keep it there, it will help bring the swelling down," he replied, his smile warming her like a blast from the sun.

Marcus removed his hand from Tabby's, feeling the loss of contact like a mule-kick to his balls. What was it about this woman? He moved away from her, loathe to do so but suddenly needing to put space between them so that his brain could function again. He took the last remaining arm chair and sat, unable to keep from staring at Tabby who was shivering and flushed at the same time.

His cock did get hard this time, arousal filling his head with a roaring need to take his woman and lose himself inside of her. He coughed, in an attempt to cover up the growl that had clawed its way past his rigid self-control. Thank god his jeans were tight and held his pulsing dick down, well mostly down anyway. Marcus casually pulled one leg up and rested in on his other knee, in hopes of hiding the silhouette of his shaft that appeared to be embossed on his pants.

Cooper had been watching his friend's strange behaviour since the moment he'd walked back into the apartment and shot Marcus a "What the fuck?" look. Marcus glared back at him, his expression saying, "Mind your own fucking business."

Jaz cleared his throat, picking up on the aggression flowing between Marcus and Cooper and redirected everyone's attention back to the task at hand. He asked, "Do you think you can tell us what happened tonight, Tabitha?"

The hand holding her cup of tea began quivering, the full mug coming dangerously close to spilling. Petra wrapped her soft hand around Tabby's and helped her take one last sip before relieving her of the cup. "Take your time, honey. We can wait."

"M-my car broke down, ma- making me late," Tabby swallowed hard against bitter taste of regret. "Jerry didn't take it well." A sob barreled up her throat before she could stop it, smothering her words and leaving her feeling strangled from the inside out.

Cooper leaned forward and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Tabitha. I know this is hard and I'm sorry to make you relive it again, but we need to take your statement. Just take your time. You are safe here and among friends."

She nodded, embarrassment heating her cheeks and rubbed at the tears that had blurred her vision. Several deep, tremulous breaths later, she continued recounting the events of her assault to Cooper, while Jaz patiently listened, jotting down pertinent details in a black notebook that he had pulled from his jacket.

The more she spoke, the more her aching head throbbed and she wished she could just go to bed and close her eyes; the light from the lamps was really starting to bother her.

When she was finally done, Tabby felt deflated and utterly exhausted but also strangely lighter in her soul. She hadn't realized the toll that keeping everything inside had taken on her until some of that pressure had been released.

Cooper, Jaz and Diego all wore similar angry, compassionate expressions at what she had described to them, but Marcus...Marcus looked practically incandescent with incendiary rage. Violence and aggression radiated off him in waves that buffeted Tabby like a blast of wind blowing over a desert. It abraded her nerves and scorched her skin and her anxiety level skyrocketed from the volatile energy that he seemed to be directing at her. He sat in his chair, hunched forward with his elbows perched on his knees, his eyes had darkened almost to jet black and he stared at her with single minded focus, barely moving even to breathe. With his intense gaze, black hair and short dark beard, he reminded Tabby of a large wolf waiting for the right moment to pounce.

Cooper had been keeping an eye on his best friend with growing concern. He could see the effect his staring act was having on Tabitha and wondered what the hell had gotten into his normally, level-headed friend. Couldn't he see that she was practically cowering into the corner of the sofa, shaking so badly that her teeth were chattering? He got up, casually moved over to Marcus and grabbed him by the arm.

"What the fuck," he growled under his breath so that only Marcus could hear. Thankfully, Petra had also picked up on Marcus' odd behaviour and was fussing over Tabby, distracting her from Cooper.

"Can I see you a moment?" he indicated in the direction of the kitchen with a quick cock of his head. Marcus ignored him and flashed him a stubborn, furious glare that bordered on a snarl. Cooper squeezed his bicep and pulled him to his feet "Now," he said in a tone that just begged for Marcus to disagree with him.