Spike thought for a long time. He stayed vigil beside Qila. She slept fitfully.
It was three in the morning when Turner called.
Spike went outside before he answered.
"Yes?"
"Sorry to disturb you, sir. We discovered white powder mixed with the coffee, cereal, dry seasonings, and other powdered foods. We suspected it to be a kind of drug, sir. But we don't know yet what is the effect."
"Poisoning. Somebody wants to poison Qila."
"Very likely, sir. The dosage is high."
"She is currently suffering the effect. She is in the clinic now, Turner."
"Oh." Turner was speechless for a second. "She must have ingested it through coffee or toothpaste."
"Or she must have inhaled it. Someone sprayed the mixture to her..." Spike's brain ticked faster than he could speak. "While she slept..."
"Thank you for the input, sir! I'll get back to you after we examined the content of her refrigerator, sir!"
Spike stared at the sleeping Qila for a few moments. He wanted to have the old Qila back!
What if--
He walked over to her very slowly while he was thinking fast.
Spike gazed at her full lips. They were dry and cracked because of dehydration and illness.
He inhaled and held his breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated to have the right amount of magic. When the lids lifted, he exhaled slowly. His irises were colored red and Qila was reflected at the center.
His mouth came near Qila's mouth and nose. He inhaled deeply until he could smell something foul. He continued drawing in until her fresh scent was the only thing left.
Spike went outside again to exhale all that he breathed inside his lungs. The plant in front of him withered and shriveled. It died before him.
His countenance became silently ferocious.
'If this is your handiwork, Due...' he threatened fiercely.
Spike heard Qila coughing so he went back swiftly.
She was sitting with her hands covering her mouth.
"How do you feel?" He rubbed her back gently.
"Something tickled my throat. What time is it?"
"It is three thirty in the morning." Spike looked at his watch. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving. And thirsty!" Qila started to get off the bed.
"No. You are still weak. Let me carry you--"
"I can manage--" Her knees folded beneath her. His arms caught her before she fell on the floor. "Where will you take me?"
"We shall have an early morning snack," Spike murmured before he kissed her forehead.
"Just water and biscuits will be fine to me," she whispered insistently.
"Okay." He winked before he spoke to the intercom. He ordered cold sparkling water, a hot pot of tea, sandwiches and canapes to his morning chef.
They were at his sitting room when the snack arrived. The presentation was sumptuous. Even though the food was simple, it appeared extravagant.
"Here's the water." Spike served her the sparkling water in a glass. He surreptitiously inspected it through smell. "We'll eat all these sandwiches and canapes. Otherwise, my chef will be mad." He was just joking but when she looked at his face, he was unsmiling.
"You roused the chef very early?" Qila was disbelieving.
"He is up since last night."
"Why?"
"He cooks breakfast for everybody."
"And then he cooks lunch and dinner?"
"No. There is a lunch chef and a dinner chef."
"How many chefs do you have?" Qila asked before opening her lips when Spike put a canape inside her mouth.
"Three or four. There's a dessert chef, too."
"Well, you can afford it. You are rich!" Qila commented when she had swallowed the food she was chewing. She had scooted away from him, too.
"It is not my fault I am rich, Qila," he muttered while his arm hooked her waist and pulled her back to him.
"Yes, it's not your fault but I don't want to be your plaything!" Qila pushed at his wide chest.
"Who said I want you to be a toy?" he asked teasingly.
"What do you want from me?"
"I want you as my woman, Qila!"
"One month," she breathed huskily.
"Yes," he hissed quietly. "Let's continue with our snack." He poured tea to two cups and offered her a cup.
She accepted it and sipped the reviving liquid. They ate the remaining sandwiches.
"Your flat is contaminated, Qila. You have to stay here for a while." Spike opened the conversation once again.
"I can't understand. Why would someone do that to me?"
"I don't know yet. The investigation is still on-going."
"How can they go inside the flat? The door has double deadlock!" Qila's brain was almost back to normal.
"They have a master key."
"The door chain is extra-long. I should have reported it to the landlord!"
'The landlord!' Spike took note of that. He would feed it to Turner.
Qila yawned widely. "Sorry. I feel sleepy suddenly."
"I'll carry you to your room," Spike obtruded gently. Qila did not protest when he carried her in his arms. She was asleep already.
He brought her to the room that had never been used but was adjacent to his bedroom.
'The bedroom of my future wife...'
The woman he designed the room for had ruined their relationship but it happened many years ago. Maybe, it was time to think of marriage...?
He gazed at the sleeping woman. The first time he saw Qila, he was intrigued.
Spike met her when he took a surprise inspection at the encoding pool. Qila had a straight face but lurking inside her eyes was a mischievous soul. She also did not see him when she looked at him.
He knew someone who was like that before...
"Please, get the file of this person and bring it to my office." Spike asked for the personal file of Qila from his trusted assistant. He had secretly snapped a picture of the woman in his cellphone.
Her name was Qila Arrow. Twenty-three years old. Single. Spike memorized her address.
And he started to stalk her. He wanted to know her life outside the office. She had no boyfriend. She lived alone in the attic flat.
When Spike pinned the poster of the fire-dragon--his perfect likeness, he entered through the roof. Her ceiling was the weakest structure. Although the roof was too risky. Its slope was steep. Not too steep for young burglars though...
He investigated all corners of her flat. She was neat and tidy. No adult toys in bedside drawers. No magazines strewn around. The books on her bookshelves were all about mental illness and physical fitness.
Qila worked as a part-time physical instructor. According to her several bank accounts, she did not need the extra-salary. Maybe, she did it for motivation.
'You lived frugally,' Spike muttered to himself. 'You save money like ants would save food for the rainy days... Why?'
The deposits of large amounts every month were staggering. The hundreds of thousands were way beyond an encoder's fee!
Spike did not want to think dirty but when he saw her enter that bar, he started thinking bad. Maybe, Qila had rich sugar mommies or sugar daddies...
A lot of maybes!
'You are a mystery, Qila Arrow! Fortunately, I like mysteries!' he thought while he laid the inert woman on the queen-sized mattress.
The first time she dreamt of him was correct. He influenced the poster to dominate her brain so that she thought of the fire-dragon without knowing it.
Spike was able to enter her dream...
Her second dream was a puzzle. He could not penetrate the thick smoke. Fortunately, Qila told him about the dream.
'Tomorrow, you must tell me the whole story!' Spike pushed aside the long strands on her face. 'Who wants to kill me?'
Aside from his nemesis...
Due Seawolf was Spike's childhood friend but became his number one enemy now. What happened?
He always felt sad every time he visited the memories of yesteryears. Those were happy days. No problems. No troubles. Just laughter and joy of the youth.
When the humans multiplied fast and progress started to crawl on secluded corners, Spike was forced to transform into a man. He amassed the hoarded riches inside his cave and began the rise to the finance world. He bought companies around the globe and nurtured them as if they were his own children.
Spike lost Due along the way. He thought his werewolf friend had died in the numerous wars that humans had everywhere. But he had under-estimated the ability of a werewolf...
"You must have nine lives, Due!" They laughed and embraced one another like in the old days. They patted one's backs before they stood away and stared at the other's changes in appearance.
"You are handsome, Spike!"
"You are handsome, Due!"
They spoke as one and fell down laughing again.
Due had chosen the underground world. "Guns, ammunitions, and drugs are the norm in war-stricken countries. It is easy money, bro."
"I can give you a better job, bro."