The wind howled in his ears as he ran with enhanced speed towards the Shoebox. A square building with no character, chipped paint and no window treatments. He stood on the right side of the apartment building looking up to the third floor window. From Isaac's memory he knew which one was Genevieve's, smiling as the light was still on.
He thought about how she was immune to his powers. He couldn't read her mind, or heal her body it's likely she would also be immune to him possessing her. Not wanting to take the chance, he glanced across from her window, to the apartment building next door. He smirked as he devised a plan.
Several minutes of waiting, someone entered the building and he followed them inside. Sterling climbed the three carpeted floors and knocked on the simple brown door to the left of the hall.
A heavy set man, in a white stained tank top answered, his balding scalp reflected the yellow light from the hall.
"Yeah? What da you want?"
Sterling grimaced and with a distasteful tone answered "Your body" he put his hand on the man's moist shoulder, his light shining into him. He closed the door when he was inside the apartment with the borrowed flabby man's arm. The window overlooked Genevieve's apartment, he rushed to stand in front of it, noticing a pair of binoculars on the side table by the window.
Sterling looked out and saw Genevieve wearing a thin strap tank-top and short pajama shorts, an outfit that would be considered promiscuous in his time. She made her way to sit on the couch her back to him as she placed a computer on her lap.
He opened the window a crack, when she spoke his enhanced hearing only heard a whisper.
"Is their no place in this town big enough to hold 400 people?"
Sterling watched as she closed her computer frustrated and pushed it aside on the couch, she sat up pouring herself another glass of wine.
He could hear the soft murmur of her squeal as she turned up the volume to a particular song. He thought about Ray and his personal attachment to the mixture of melodies. Genevieve started dancing her golden locks piled on her head coming undone with her movements. She moved similarly to Ray, arms flailing and feet kicking, he thought when his friend danced it looked like he needed medical assistance but her, with her hips swaying, he couldn't help to think how exquisite and sexy she looked. She let out a hushed chuckle her happiness unable to be contained, the sound pulled Sterling to the reality of his behavior. He felt disgusted watching this women unaware of his presence on her alone time, much like the man he occupied the body of.
The door knob to the apartment building began to turn, he rubbed the back of his neck as his body stiffened. A young man entered the home, with quite movements. He was well built, tall, and had a threatening smile on his face as he tossed his shoes haphazardly on the entry floor.
The muscles of the heavy set man he occupied, tensed as an urge to protect Genevieve overcame him. With her back facing the door to the unknown man, he took the opportunity to sneak up on her. Sterling watched as he picked her up off the ground and spun her around the room.
Genevieve's quite laughter eased his nerves, and he exhaled slowly, relieved. The man put her down and she gave him a deep kiss in return. Sterling's heart ached as the man's hand lowered down her back and she moaned at the sensation.
He closed the blinds to give the two their privacy and picked up the binoculars on the side table. He wanted to kill the man Genevieve welcomed in her arms, he felt rage consuming him, pulsating in his veins breaking the binoculars along with the lenses.
Sterling hated that his body was disobeying him, acting on its own will towards her, ignoring all reason. She was spoken for and a possible threat, if that man in her apartment had come to harm her his problems would have been answered. But the idea of that reality churned his stomach and stabbed his chest. He realized Ray was right, Genevieve was dangerous.
He was breathing heavily, his body was hard as the fury rose inside him. He focused on the mind of the body he possessed, scanning through the memories, confirming his suspicions. The perverted thoughts and the true usage of those binoculars was exposed to him throwing gas to the flames releasing the demon within.
With a sinister he rushed to the bathroom and stare at the man's face in the mirror. The small beady eyes stared back at him, burning with resentment, his voice deep and threatening.
"Today you have been given a warning. I will not be generous next time. The women across the window is off limits, to you. She will no longer star in your perverted fantasies, you will not watch, look or glance her way. For if you do I will see to it that you burn in hell. And to show you how serious I am…" Sterling brought his arm up to face the mirror, he held his right hand in his left and squeezed till the sound of crushing bones echoed.
The hand swelled a dark blackish purple, fingers remained in distorted angles. He placed the left arm on the bathroom counter palms down, he brought his other arm, with the broken hand and secured it on top. Lifting up till the forearm snapped. Sterling looked back in the mirror expressionless scolding the middle aged man "You have been warned"
The body glowed as Sterling exited the body, a loud thud as it hit the tiled bathroom floor. He looked down at the body and sneered, leaving the apartment in need of a hot shower.
Steam escaped the bathroom in Ray's suite as Sterling stepped out in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. The hot water relaxed his muscles and washed away the slimy feel of the perverted man he possessed. The shower succeeded in taming the demon within and he felt like himself again till he borrowed Ray's clothes. Ray's simple t-shirt sat loose across his shoulders stopping past his hips. The shorts he borrowed needed a belt to keep from falling, he felt like a child playing dress up. He turned to his friend on the couch and sighed
"I need clothes"
"You need a house, you need clothes, you need to break a curse and massacre an entire species. What about what I need?" Ray lifted one eyebrow
He hung the towel on the bar and asked,
"What is it you need?"
Ray turned off the tv and patted the seat next to him on the couch. "I need answers, sit and tell me what happened"
Sterling shuffled to sit on the couch running his fingers through his damp hair. "The stake out didn't go as well as I hoped. I did a terrible thing."
"What did you do?"
Sterling leaned forward resting his arms on his legs. " I broke both hands of Genevieve's neighbour"
"Dude what the hell?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know, I lost control."
"Back up. Let's start at the beginning. What happened when you got to her place"
Leaning back on the couch, Sterling delved into the events earlier that night. "Well, for starters the only means to watching Genevieve was through a window in the building next door. I possessed the man with the view to her window and found he had been doing that same act on a daily basis"
"Perv. Is that the guy you broke his hands?" Sterling had a blank expression as the memory of the man's thoughts ran through his mind, clenching his jaw and fists. Ray put a hand on his shoulder "It's okay, it's over now." Sterling let out a long breath, when he felt calm again, Ray spoke.
"So this guy watches her through a window. Much like you did why did this guy deserved to suffer"
Sterling crossed his arms across his chest and replied "I read his mind, and how he thought of her."
Ray shook his head "Bro. I warned you. You shouldn't read minds, the men of today are different than your time most have a lot more perverted thoughts than that neighbour."
Sterling rested his head back and looked up to the ceiling.
Ray asked "Well did you at least find out if she's dangerous?"
"Oh I'm certain of it." Sterling breathed deeply to calm his nerves.
"Really? How is she not human?"
"She's human." Ray lowered his brows
"I'm not following. How is she dangerous than?
Sterling ran his fingers through his hair and sighed "I found she brought out feelings comparable to Nedra after she…" Sterling hung his head not able to finish his thoughts
Ray scrunched his face finishing Sterling's thought "After she cheated on you? You felt that way about this Genevieve? Jesus how long were you with this women?"
Sterling stood up and paced "It's irrational. We were never an item, I knew she was spoken for but my body seemed to betray me, and ignore all reason. When I saw her with that man, touching her intimately I was overcome with resentment and anger towards him. He could have been a wonderful person, someone who is kind to others but when he held her I wanted to tear his arms from his body."
Ray erupted in laughter. Sterling narrowed his eyes at his friend who mocked him. "I get it, you were jealous."
"No that can't be. I'm the hybrid. I am above petty human emotions."
Ray rolled his eyes "You may be the most powerful being on earth but even you are helpless to the powers of attraction. I hate to break it to you bro, you're a man" Ray laid further back on the couch, his arm wide on the back cushions.
Sterling nodded "If that's so, the best course of action would be to ignore her at all cost and focus my energies on the mission"
Ray raised eyebrow "How do you figure?"
"When I saw her with him, I sought out a reason to damage, or destruct to appease the demon inside. It is of man's best interest to have me not pursue Genevieve"
Ray rubbed his beard, nodding "Makes sense, solid plan but it won't work"
Sterling focused his eyes at Ray, intent to hear what he overlooked. Ray smirked "You have manly feelings with manly urges when it comes to her. Take it from me, if you ignore what you crave it'll keep gnawing at you until you give in. You won't be able to focus on anything else. More people will suffer, especially you. Give into those urges, get to know her, you'll either get bored or…" Ray wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
"Hmm I see."
Ray stood up and pulled out the bed Sterling watched him turn in for the evening before he went to lay on the ground outside. Looking up at the stars, pondering what Ray had said. He felt his heart squeeze as he contemplated ignoring Genevieve. He flexed his fists frustrated with how he was reacting. He was an angel and demon hybrid, an immortal and superior being to a human, she somehow managed to tether his body, and infiltrate his mind. He hated the power she seemed to have over him and that his body was offering it to her without resistance. Sitting up he ran his fingers through his hair, his body felt it was wound tight and felt the need to expel some pint up energy. Sterling ran.
Muscles tight and jaw clenched the run unsuccessful in calming his nerves. Sitting at a bench, overlooking the park he watched his favorite part of the day, the beginning of a new. The sun hung low on the horizon illuminating the sky in reds and oranges, the gray smoky clouds rebelled the morning not wanting to wake up just yet. A morning that looked to be on fire and at war projecting his inner battles on the screen of the sky.
The sound of upbeat music and shoes hitting the pavement had him sit up taller, he smelled her familiar scent as she placed a soft hand on top of his shoulder, he flinched at the contact, his arctic blues widened as they fixated on the cloudy grays of Genevieve.
"Mind if I join you?" Sterling nodded staying silent as she made her way to sit on the bench next to him.
"I usually watch the sunrise alone, but it seems you got the best seat in the house" Her hair tightly held in a pony tail, resembling his nerves, the side of his body closest to hers warmed from the heat she gave off, comforting him. Taking his eyes off her to watch the scene before him he shared, "Sunrises are my favorite part of the day"
Genevieve smacked him on the arm, he turned back towards her surprised as to what he had said for her to desire hitting him. She grinned "Mine too. I feel like sunrises predicts what the day has in store."
"Interesting, how so" He loved the sunrise for what it represented for him freedom and the closest to heaven he would ever see. For her it was more, it was a gift.
She gestured towards the sky "Well, sometimes the sky would be lit up with purples and pink, those are the happy, fun days. Ones you will cherish. Sometimes the sunrise has darker hews of grays, blues and purple, those are the days of bad things to come. A warning to avoid the unknown, stay at home and watch tv. Luckily those don't come by that often."
"Hmm. And what does today's sky tell you?"
She tapped a finger to her lips in thought, and turned to face Sterling her cheeks tinged pink, and avoided his eyes. He wished he could read her mind, what was she thinking to shy away from him? He leaned in close hoping she will voice her inner thoughts. She looked up at him through her thick lashes and said "Today is a day full of passion"
He raised an eyebrow and smirked "Is that so?"
She put a hand to her chest her mouth hung open, "Are you doubting my abilities of reading the future in the skies"
He laughed at her mock expression. "Not at all. For myself, though a day of passion seems unattainable when you're not attached"
Genevieve shook her head, "Typical man thinking passion means sex." He smiled to himself, if she only knew he wasn't a typical man. She returned the smile and continued "It could be a project you know. Do you have anything like that going on?"
He nodded, "Indeed, I do."
She put on a large smile showing all her teeth and elbowed him in the ribs "See. Today is the day to just go for it. Speaking of going, I got to run pun intended." She winked and waved goodbye as she ran away and out of his sight.
Sterling leaned back resting on the bench with a smile he was unable to squash. The clarity of Ray's words hung true. The little interaction he had calmed the demon inside and revitalized him. He smiled eager to start the day with passion renovating the mansion.