The east side of the city is the very heart of Sacrosanct - it's unique skyline is a clash between modern sky rises and small Victorian-inspired storefronts. In the heart of downtown, the sleek colored glass buildings reign supreme though their old-world roots can be seen in the most peculiar places from the lamp post styled electric street light to the stone sidewalks. The old world architecture slowly returns the further from downtown you travel, however. It's here that magic thrives, it hums in every stone and can be felt in every breath. Often, newcomers to the city may become overwhelmed by such sensations but, eventually, it becomes an ever-present feeling that's hardly noticed.
City Creek Center
Dark Hunter Department
Inner Sanctum
Red on the Water
Starlight Tower
The City Creek Center is an upscale open-air shopping center centered in the heart of downtown Sacrosanct. With its numerous fountains, foliage-lined walkways, and bubbling streams, City Creek Center offers three blocks of chic boutiques, delicious dining, and the newest showrooms.
The City of Sacrosanct's Dark Hunter Department's primary concern is the safety of all of Sacrosanct's residences. Their public safety responsibilities include code enforcement and supernatural crime prevention. The Sacrosanct Dark Hunter's Department follows the directions of the International Dark Hunter Council and serves as a local point of contact for any Dark Hunters working within the Council's ranks.
The Inner Sanctum is an independently's owned specialty coffee company and cafe with a singular focus: quality. A hidden gem on the side streets of the busy downtown, the Inner Sanctum source's the world's finest beans and local treats. From it's delectable pastries to the exquisite latte art, the Inner Sanctum is dedicated to both its craft and the customer's experience. With beans roasted in house and every cup prepared by the best baristas, you will never be disappointed at the Inner Sanctum.
Owner Alexander Macedonia
Barista Alexis Wilde
Nestled in a pleasant alcove that is but a stone's throw away from the dazzling labyrinth of downtown, Red on the Water is a spectacle in its own right. Renovated in the style of a classic Irish pub with a dash of modern flair befitting the city that boasts it, this up-and-coming venue is the perfect place to snag an impeccably prepared home-cooked meal and enjoy the city's most impressive collection of brews from Ireland and beyond. You and your guests are sure to be mesmerized and invigorated by the energetic offerings of the live Celtic band to be found here every weekend.
Home of: Elysium
Owner Isolt Marcello
Co-Owner Damon Marcello
Waitress Yumi Chizue
With one hundred floors and a 125-foot spire, the Starlight Tower rises high above the Sacrosanct skyline. More than just a landmark, the Starlight Tower offers a unique mix of restaurants, shops, and offices spaced throughout the building. Organized into nine verticle zones, each of which features a sky lobby and a light-filled garden atrium which merge the upscale interior with a faux landscaped exterior setting.
Alexander's confidence has always been intimidating to me. Maybe that's also part of what attracted me to him in the first place. That and his gentle kind manner, his patience with teaching, his mild mannered voice and humble way of approaching others but with that same cat grace that makes you think of a predator ready to strike. I've never underestimated that behind that kind demeanor, he could probably kill someone so much as look at them. I've never doubted his strength but he's never been anything but gentle and these things among so many others warranted my affection for the hunter against my instincts. I'm sure there are so many reasons why we shouldn't be together, not in any way, shape, or form. And yet here I am begging for employment and he has to be the one to bring back up bittersweet memories of the last time I was with him. I didn't expect him to want anything more from me than my willing work and even that was doubtful since I know it took a lot of patience just to teach me to write on coffee cups. And yet he is questioning so much more than that and I'm puzzled as to why. Surely he must have moved on and found someone more deserving of his affections. Someone who can match his confidence and vigor, who can fight at his side. I was always weak, more to hide behind him than ever be at his side. Now that might be different but still, I'm not worthy of him. His power is beyond anything I've ever sensed before and thought we've never talked about the past, I know there's so much more than than meets the eye. There's no telling who and what he really is. I remember when Frost tried to hint at something and Alexander was quick to shut him down. I was drunk at the time but I never blacked out so I still remember parts of it. I know Alexander has a rich history. What place could I possibly have in a future? As he steps in closer, I'm all too aware of the power he has to read my thoughts and of the haunting memories that continue to torment me both awake and sleeping. I don't want him to know what I've done, that my family, my pack....they're dead because of me. I don't regret it either and that partly scares me. Yes, it was down to me or them and I chose me. I know I would be dead if I didn't defend myself but it doesn't make what I've done any easier. I am haunted by the life leaving my father's eyes, the screams of the people I used to consider friends and family. Now they are only ghosts in my memories, memories I don't want Alexander to know about. His feelings for me would change drastically if he knew, I'm sure. I watch his brows furrow and I have to fight the urge to grab him tightly, to comfort him in some way when he seems almost disappointed by what he's reading in my eyes, probably my thoughts too. His lips tighten and I inhale as he lets his fingers drop, relief flooding through me unbidden that I can now stop focusing so much on hiding certain thoughts. His words still shock me though, eyes widening as he says so bluntly that he wants me. I have to keep myself from blurting out why like an idiot but it must be written all over my face. Why would he want me? I'm thrown further askew by a large hint on his age. Over 2000? Wow...I mean I was always thinking he was pretty experienced but 2000? His birthday? I now have to fight from blurting out happy birthday like an even bigger idiot. I don't think that's his point in all this, somehow. His voice trails off but I can tell he's not done so I keep quiet and still, waiting. His gaze always has a way of anchoring me down right where I am and here I am once more, frozen to the spot. He points out that while I may have been gone a while, it wasn't that long in his lifetime and he never forgot me. I don't know whether to be flattered that he didn't forget or offended that I can take up so little of his life. What must what we had be to him? Less than a one night stand? And yet he said those words. He wants ME. I look down at my feet for a minute, trying to clear my head since it's so hard to do when I'm looking at him. "I'm not worthy of you." I murmur the words softly but I know he can hear me. Only then do I look up, tears suddenly stinging the backs of my eyes. "You don't know the things I've done, the monster I've become. Every time you touch me, I'm fighting to keep you from seeing. I can't even savor the fact that you're touching me again. I've dreamed of your touch ever since I left but I don't deserve you, Alexander. Maybe I never did." Sniffling, I wipe at my eyes angrily, not wanting to be like this. I'm supposed to be stronger than this. Now I just feel like a weak sniffling baby again. I won't be like that again. I promised myself. I hate that I've already told him that I'm keeping secrets from him. What if he tries to force them out of me now? I don't know how well I can fight it. I don't think I could ever fight him and win. |