LAST TIME IN MOTH:

Frustrated with confusion, I slept there, in the pitch darkness. No noise came about; not the chirping of crickets or the occasional honking of traffic out my window that I usually heard when sleeping in my bedroom. It was then that I knew I wasn't anyplace near home; this atmosphere was deafeningly silent. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing level, even after the driving came to a slowing stop.

CHAPTER II: FOR NAMESAKE

Before long I jerked awake, flashing my eyes open, yet not moving a muscle in my body. It was suddenly evident that I was awakened by silence. Yet, unlike the darkness and cold I was in before, now I lay in a bed.

I blinked, only to be sure I wasn't dreaming. I was in a canopy bed from the looks of it; black weightless mesh hung over the teak bars of the canopy, creating a private and rather sensuously intimate setting. My hands moved along the sheets. Soft silk feel and a vampy violet color. The feel of it was comforting enough to drown all the worries away, so much so a deep exhale escaped me. Well, this was certainly a pleasant dream so far.

Incense filled the air. It was burning nearby, I could tell by the intensity of its lethargic fumes. My lungs took a deep whiff. Was this what drugs were like, the way it made my breath catch for a moment? Suddenly I felt so calm, my body relaxed and ready to sleep again. Agreeing with my senses I rolled over from facing the black painted walls, onto the other side of the pillow-

A gasp escaped me, truly from shock. His front was to me, his face calm and free of the day's troubles. He had hair like a Greek; thick and rich and silky, from the flickering candles I could even see the great sheen. How beautiful it looked, all black and luxuriant, the curls loose about his head. Did he ever tie it back, I wondered? It's totally gorgeous. I took a hand and slowly stroked at his tresses, gentle as if touching the wings of a butterfly. I smiled at the silkiness.

For some reason, my hand refused to stop at his hair; I wanted to feel more of this gorgeous stranger, whoever he was. Fingers traced from his hidden ear down to the outline of his jaw, his neck and down to the fingertips of arms that boasted manly muscle. Smooth; every edge of him was smooth.

Why was his face so familiar? Had I seen him somewhere before, with that unforgettable natural arc in his slick black brow, a handsome mouth shaped like an archer's bow; full and completely kissable? This was not the average olive-skinned individual, I knew; somewhere, whether in this life or "the one before", I had met him previously. I only wish I knew his name. Only in my wildest dreams, I told myself with a small smile.

For a moment, I saw how obvious it was that he wore no shirt to bed. If he wore anything, I was certainly not ready to find out, and scooted back a little.

Satisfied with what I myself had discovered, I edged slowly back to the wall, clutching the pillow tight. Who is this guy?, I kept asking myself. I wanna know his name.

In the vivid flickering of candles, I caught a bright gleam from his ear. Curious to know, I gathered the sheets around my body- well aware that I was stripped of all but my Hello Kitty panties and the hair loose down my back- and came close to his face. With but three inches from my nose to his ear, my fingers carefully pulled back the loosely tangled tresses, revealing a glimmering diamond stud in his ear.

It was the most alluring thing I had ever seen on a man in my life. This diamond, the size of an olive, was just big enough to draw attention, yet not small enough to let it slip for long. And it wasn't a dozen tiny diamonds all pressed together on a silver earring, but a clean cut rock, as if straight out of the mines. So bold and beautiful. I gawked at it in amazement, yet refrained from making it so obvious I wanted to touch. I was quite sure my hands had touched him enough.

"Alas, you have awakened."

The voice slithered into my ear as a snake into a hole, slowly and yet well aware of where it was going. It was velvety and deep, strong and even a bit sexy. No, not a bit… it was totally sexy.

But then again, what would a virgin know about what's sexy?

I glanced down at him, that once still body, his eyes now open. Yet where a slumbering 'frown' had once been was replaced now with half of a smile.

I didn't like the part-smile on his face, considering it wasn't much of a smile to begin with; simply a frown slightly upturned. His brow arched at my slightly open mouth, and quickly I shut it.

"Who're you?" I asked, trying to put on my fearless façade. I wanted to see what would happen, considering this all must have been a dream, and in dreams, it didn't matter what you did. You always wake up in the end…

didn't you?

He sat up slowly, the sheets falling to his waist. Good; he was wearing boxers, however low they were hanging. I backed up to the wall, not wanting to get any closer to this guy. My head had started thrumming, a sure sign of a migraine, and I felt suddenly dizzy. Five minutes from waking up in darkness and I was already getting knocked out. Perhaps taking in all those unusually pleasant yet indolent fumes was like smoking my own joint of angel dust.

A frown formed across his face, and he put his palm to my forehead. My reflexes made me jump from his touch, flattening my bare back to the wall. It was freezing, both his palm and the painted wall.

"You're cold." I whispered.

He ignored my comment and continued feeling at my forehead, my cheeks, behind my neck. I tried jerking away from him again, but he grabbed my arm with his other hand, demanding quietly, "Stop it."

"Don't touch me!"

"Do not yell." he hissed, glaring into my eyes; misty gray pupils that had those odd streaks of brown. It was an unusual color for any person I had ever seen, but due to the lightheadedness I was suddenly feeling, I only thought they were the freakiest things I had ever seen. He continued, "If you stop moving, I will be able to tell faster. Now, stay still. Damn, you have not changed a bit."

I shook my head. "Just let go of me. I don't even know you."

That stopped him, because he dropped his hand to the mattress and glared at me. I tilted my head, as if to say, What?!

He asked huskily, "You do not remember?"

"Remember what?" I put my own hand to my head, closing my eyes from wooziness. Too much happening in five minutes.

"My name. Who I am. Do you not remember, Irune? Or are you still-"

"What the hell, that's not my name!", I argued heatedly. "My name's not Irune, it's Taeyler!"

A heavy sigh escaped him, as if out of frustration, and he looked the other way, closing his eyes. "The incantation must not have worked to its full potential. I was afraid of this… " His eyes met mine again, and there was a sudden shock in my gut. Where had that come from? "Your name is Irune." he affirmed. "Irune and it means gem treasure."

I shook my head defiantly. "No, it's not. My name is Taeyler, I told you. Dammit, why the hell am I even arguing with you? You don't even know me."

"I know you much more than you think, Irune." The way he slithered Irune made it seem as if I was the one trying to be convinced. What's wrong with him? How dare he say what he doesn't know?! "On the contrary, I know a lot more than you do right now."

"Look, dude, I dunno where the hell this is goin'", I snapped, using one hand to fly up to my forehead, embellishing my irritation. My mouth was moving quickly, as I often did when I was becoming angry. "I don't really care what you think my name is, but I'm telling you right now, just drop it or-"

"Or what?"

His tone was sharp now. It was coaxing in an evil sense, as if daring me to finish my sentence. With his eyes piercing needles in my flesh, I felt scared for a moment, even doing so much as to gulp in cowardice. But I wouldn't back down when I was already in the game. So I lifted my head up high, glaring right back at him, and replied assertively with slow force,

"Or I'll kick… your… ass."

It was a sure action of defense and offense all in one, the common yet ultimate threat. Seeing that his clean-cut pronunciation reminded me of the ancient times, I waited for silence, for no response, for a glare in the eyes that muttered, You got me there.

But he laughed. He laughed like a fool.

Actually, I shouldn't say laugh. It was more like a chuckle, because through the smiling mouth and the laughing facial features, those eyes were still dark. They still portrayed the needle-point effect, and it came right back at me. This was not what I expected in the least.

He shook his head then, still chuckling. The devil. The way the devil smirked and had a few words to say before taking another soul. "You will not want to do that, Irune. I can assure you, nothing good comes from trying to defend yourself against me."

As if completely waving away the conversation, he cupped my chin and whispered, "One of my men found you in the dungeon, about as lifeless as anything I had ever seen. Apparently my messengers hadn't distributed you the way I explained, but they will pay for it later. It was quite fascinating to see you again, quiet and mute for once, after so long. Two thousand years is a bit of time, though I doubt you can recall any of it."

I shook my head. What was he talking about, ranting like this? Yet he seemed so sure and positive of what he said, so absolute of himself. Maybe… could he be telling the truth?

"I am telling the truth", he alleged. I noticed now that his voice was no longer velvety, only hard and deep, like a military general who decided to keep his voice down instead of yell. "Once you stay a little bit longer, you will see. All your lost memories will come back to you as if it were all yesterday."

Yeah, sure.

"You doubt me, Irune?" I glanced up at his face from the sheets around my chest. He seemed very adamant, his features sharp again. Where had all the smoothness gone? It was as if he was calm and gentle once, then morphed into an inhuman creature. What was his problem?

"I didn't say I doubted you." I replied, a little shaky. No fear, Taeyler. No fear. "I… didn't say anything."

This was true. Did he assume I had said something?

A dark chuckle escaped him as he pecked my cheek, and yet again I pushed up against the wall before he whispered, "Something else you will remember; I am not at all lenient to misunderstanding mortals, even more so to women. And the only things that upsets me more than a misunderstood mortal is their incomprehensible wit."

Was he calling me stupid?

I clenched the sheets tighter around me, not wanting to be lectured. As much as I didn't like it when my mother scolded and yelled at my face, I hated it even more when a stranger, someone I hadn't virtually ever seen, dared to criticize me. It simply wasn't done.

I looked away from his shadowed face and to my hand that clutched a piece of the silk visor. A bit precariously I asked him in a demanding tone, "What're you saying?"

"Do not make me angry." he murmured, just low enough to give off a frightening vibe. And I felt it sink through my flesh, thick and full as a cumbersome poison. A shiver ran down my spine, and he grinned. He had seen my fear, the very thing I was desperately attempting to hide. According to his expression, my apprehension was rather evident.

He stroked my jaw line gradually; a soft and slow connection of his skin and mine then pulled back the transparent visor that shielded the canopy so he could stand up. When he stretched, the muscles in his triceps flexing madly as he lengthened his arms briefly, I stared, dumbfounded. As he relaxed again he glanced back and he saw me, catching my gawking expression, and smirked.

"You still find me enticing, do you not?" he asked, a bit smugly. He probably knew what I was thinking just by my expression. "Time may have converted your mind, yet the same thoughts run in your head. You loved me from the moment you saw me, as you still do, two thousand years later. You've not changed a bit, Irune."

I didn't bother to argue my name, nor what he was saying. It was hopeless; he had been calling me that, and I definitely thought this dude was the hottest piece of heaven that ever walked the planet. Yet, as I knew that, something told me that he was the hottest piece of… what? Something. But it undeniably was not Heaven. His aura was satanic, as were his features and the expressions he wore. Only they were satanic in a charming way; so charming, in fact, I felt as if I was falling for it. It's too early in the game to tell, I told myself, watching his backside as he opened the door to what was the bathroom. You don't even know-

"What's your name, anyway?", I asked in a murmur, though I meant for it to be loud and demanding. What was this effect that was on me, besides the pounding headache and profound lightheadedness?

He didn't turn to me this time, his hand still on the doorknob. "Constantine", he replied solidly. "Constantine Aurelius Lucius, son of Lucifer the Dead. Do you remember now?"

I automatically shook my head, and he nodded and closed the bathroom door behind him.

I didn't move until I heard the showerhead turn on, and even then I was still a few more moments. Constantine, huh? I rubbed my palms over my shoulders in sudden Goosebumps. So, I was scared. Well, I know where I've heard that name before; he's definitely of Greek descent. But the son of Lucifer the Dead? His old man must've been a Satan wannabe…

After a few moments my head began to spin, and the mix of headache and dizziness hit me hard. Without further thought I collapsed onto the pillows, once again into a sleep of blackness.