Arrival

Chapter 21: Kysael- Reunion

\tIt was around midday, now, and I was growing tired. I had just barely missed the rabbit, and had settled instead on going and fishing for a while.

\tAt least I would be able to catch something more than likely, since I didn't have to run around and chase the fish. The rabbit had been a bit too much of a challenge for me, but I had gotten close, and that was enough to spur me on to continue with my progress.

\tI found a nice long branch, and tied a long string to it, before digging a worm out from under a little stone next to the little pond and then I sat down, tying the worm to the string before setting it into the water.

\tIt was just as I was pulling a fish onto the shore that I lost it when someone came running out of the bushes, calling my name in an eerily familiar voice that always haunted my dreams, startling me.

\t"Kysael!" The voice called again.

\tI was just getting to my feet when I was yanked into a pair of thick, strong, muscular arms. Too short to be Dragon. Too rippling, obviously muscled to be Dragon. Dragon's muscles were thicker but softer.

\tVoice too thick and rough to be Dragon.

\tEnergy too dark and sinister to be Dragon...

\tI tried to turn in their grip, but I wasn't strong enough right now. It was only then that my pain reminded me of how weak and vulnerable I was at that moment, and I was in no condition to fight.

\tAt least they didn't seem to mean me any harm...

\t"Kysael! I am so glad that I found you!" The voice was oh, so familiar....and yet....it was deeper, a little older....it was more.... rough, manly sounding. "The others were worried that something had happened to you, because you weren't around! I am glad to see that you are okay."

\tFinally, he turned me to see who he was, and my heartrate went wild at the sight of his blonde wolf-tail, his bright, bright golden eyes, blue around the outside of the golden irises, the handsome contours of his face, the sweat gleaming off of him and wetting the shirt he wore over his chest, the black cloak and hood covering him from the sunlight.

\t"...Kelose?" I asked, shocked. Apprehension ran through me, fear, and the Soul Bond that we had begun so long ago tugged at my spirit, trying to draw me to him despite that I had moved on.

\t"Yes, it is me," he said, hugging me again. "I've heard about everything that has happened to you. Are you alright?"

\tMy throat threatened to close up, and I felt like I had butterflies in my stomach. "Yes," I choked through my tears.

\tI didn't know if they were happy tears or not.

\t"I am so glad," he said softly.

\t"Where is Lunariel? Where is the baby?" I asked, trying to bring myself back from my temporary, unwanted euphoria.

\tHis face got solemn. "Lunariel....she lost the baby, and...and then she cheated on me, and I left her. We are done. And I am now a Rogue. I was banished."

\tI tried to force my feelings of happiness down. I knew that it was not right of me to be happy about that situation coming to an end. And I knew that I didn't want this anyway.

\tAnd he had been banished?

\tSo, my dream had been true. He was a rogue.

\tThat was dangerous, and it wasn't safe for anyone to associate themselves with a rogue.

\tThat could make them targets as well.

\tI was...almost...afraid of him.

\tAfter everything that had happened between the two of us, I had little trust for him and I was afraid to open my heart to his presence again, but if he had already heard everything, then that meant that he only had more than likely talked to Dragon and that there was only one reason he was here.

\tHe was here to break the mark.

\t"I am sorry," I said, only being half truthful. "Rogue? What on earth are you going to do? There must be a large bounty on your head-"

\tHe held me at arm's length. "I am more worried about you. Have you really been under Mafrien's mating mark this entire time?" He asked.

\tI had suspected that he knew, but I was shocked to hear it come out of his mouth. "So you...? You've already talked to Dragon?"

\tHe nodded. "He told me everything. And I know that I am the only one who can break it...."

\tIf I wanted to be out of Mafrien's control, if I wanted to stop being haunted with dreams of him every night, if I wanted him to stop being able to do whatever he wished with me, I would need to have the mark taken care of.

\tI immediately thought of Dragon.

\tDragon, my hero, who had sent the one person who could ruin mine and his future together, just to break the mating mark from my back.

\tMy husband....

\tI could never, even possibly, be able to repay him for all that he had done for me.

\tAnd I knew, that if he had sent Kelose after me, then he must want for us to go ahead and break the mark whenever we could, so that I could, finally, be free.

\t"I....."

\tHe met my eyes. "I know that Dragon is on your mind. I can see it in your eyes. You..." He sighed. "You've always loved him, always had feelings for him, but.... but now.... You love him."

\tI smiled. "Yes."

\t"He loves you a great deal, you know. He is being selfless and allowing you to be freed from bondage to Mafrien, rather than telling me to get lost and keeping you to himself."

\tI smiled through fresh tears, giving a silent nod.

\tHe pulled my chin to look up into his eyes. ".... Kysael...." His voice was thick with emotion. "I want to help you. And... although you would never be able to be with him entirely if we continue the Soul Bond....he still wants for you to go through with this. At least you would be free. Please, just trust me and let me help you."

\tI looked into his eyes, and he stared back at me with an intensity that I had not seen in his eyes since we were young, all those years ago.

\t"Why would you want to help me? Who says that I even want your help? After all that you've put me through, that we have put one another through....how could I even trust you?"

\tI felt a strong pull as a sultry, seductive tune poured out from between his lips, and I fought it, tears rolled down my face from the pain of trying to push down the urges to do as he wanted.

\tHe slowly pulled my face upward, leaning down to meet my lips in a searing, bruising kiss. I swallowed the song in his throat, and I tried to fight, but my body lost the battle. I didn't want this, but the Soul Bond and his powers of persuasion made my body do as he willed.

\tAnd for the first time since I had been placed under the mating mark, a kiss didn't send me into a writhing torture.

\tAnd his kiss only enflamed me, bringing back all of the feelings that I had pulled into the recesses of my heart. I didn't want this. I didn't want to feel these things, I didn't want to love him that way again. But the Soul Bond ripped at my soul, and it was so hard just to breathe.

\tI would always and forever love Dragon....but I had a soul bond with Kelose.

\tIt was different.

\tIt caused me to feel things that I didn't want to feel anymore, things that I had locked away.

\tAnd I slowly felt my walls being broken down, even when I didn't want them to.

\tI gasped into his mouth as his own feelings poured into my soul, the feelings that had for so long been locked away, and he had the same reaction.

\tI tried to push him away, but instead, my hands only clung to him tighter, against my own wishes.

\tI didn't want to feel these things...did I?

\tHad all of my progress been for naught?

\tPerhaps there was more to my heart than I had thought. That, or I seriously lacked will power.

\tTears ran down my face as I thought of my husband, and I tried to pull away. But I couldn't.

\tHe pulled away, his lungs clawing for breath. "I had.... I had kept those feelings hidden away for so long, because of my anger.... I...." He met my eyes. "I nearly...forgot.... how powerful those feelings had been."

\tI nodded. "I, too, had pushed those feelings into the recesses of my heart and soul, because you.... were not mine anymore. But now.... I am at more conflict with myself than ever before. I don't want to feel this," I sobbed. "I don't want to feel this way anymore."

\t"Do you still love me, Kysael?" He asked softly. "Or have you replaced that love entirely with another?"

\t"I... I do, in a way. Of course. I always have. And we have a bond that cannot disappear. I will always care for you. But...I love him more, no matter how closely I feel for you. I don't want these feelings for you anymore..."

\t"What do you mean?"

\t"I once loved you both almost the same amount...but I've loved him much longer. He raised me. And he has brought me through all the pain that loving you has caused for me. I love him more. I care for you, love you even...but I don't want to go back to what we had before. I don't want to feel that way."

\tHe nodded. "I see." He looked away, then back at me. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you."

\t"Do you still love me?" I asked him.

\tHe smiled. "As much as I have wanted to hate you, and for you to hate me.... I have always loved you. I feel almost as you do, however. I wanted to move on, I didn't want to return to this. Well...part of me did, but I didn't want to, entirely. This wasn't something that I had intended to happen. I was on my way to see you anyway, to offer you my service, in payment of everything that I had put you through in the past. Kirinae found me, and told me you needed me. I am here for you."

\t"But...we can't be together. I am married to a man that I love. You are a rogue."

\tIgnoring me, he brought me into another brash, searing, passionate, heated kiss before he led me back toward Dragon's medical clinic, telling me about their agreement to meet there in two hours because they had been worried about me.

\tIt didn't take long for us to get there, and Dragon and Kirinae were waiting there for us.

\tWhen Dragon saw us together, his body tensed, and his eyes were sad.

\t"You found her, then." Dragon gave Kelose a long, meaningful look before he turned his attention to me. He gave me a small smile, but I could see how sad he was. I sighed. I needed to get this over with.

\t"Kirinae, Dragon....Kelose and I are going to go talk about things. I'm wanting to catch up with my old friend."

\tKirinae looked at us wryly, but didn't respond. Dragon, eyes hurt and body tense, merely nodded.

\tI looked at Kelose. "Give me a moment," I told him softly, and he nodded. Kirinae went off on her own, back to the city to be with her fiancé again.

\tI walked up to Dragon. "Are you...sure that you want for us to do this?" I asked softly. "Our marriage.... this could ruin it. Even if he cannot stay here, even if he cannot be with me, even if neither of us want to be with each other...this will entirely change the dynamics of our relationship."

\tHis eyes were pained. "You have been a prisoner to a mad man for long enough. I'll be alright. I just want for you to be free."

\tI smiled a pained grimace, and then I hugged him. He squeezed me tightly, and then held me out and turned me around, nudging me toward Kelose a few yards away.

\t"Go to him," he whispered, his voice barely audible. I could hear the lump in his throat, I could feel how badly his hands were shaking on my shoulders. And in that moment, all I wanted to do was comfort him.

\tBut I didn't.

\tInstead, I did as he instructed, and with tears running down my face, I went to Kelose, who took my hand in his and led me into the forest. I heard the door to the medical clinic slam harshly as Dragon went back inside. I cried Dragon's name as Kelose pulled me away, and I could hear furniture slamming against the walls as Dragon unleashed his rage.

\tTears ran down my face, and my heart tugged painfully, ripping apart in my chest as Kelose squeezed my hand, trying to soothe me in some way but without success.

\tAfter a little while of walking, and then having to be carried because my body couldn't handle the pain anymore, Kelose and I found a nice, soft, mossy spot by a little stream, and he set me down in a nice lush spot.

\t"I....know how.... hard that must have been for you, Kysael. And I am so sorry."

\tI sobbed into his chest brokenly. "His....his hands were shaking.... I could...I could hear the tears coming....I...." I screamed into his chest, my heart breaking. "I hate myself! How could I do that to him? After everything, how could I hurt him that way?"

\tHe held me, no response on his tongue. There was nothing that he could say to soothe me. He stood there and held me in his arms as I broke down. His strong, muscular body kept mine supported.

\t"I could just...feel his heart breaking, hear it cracking in my soul as he pushed me to you."

\t"I know..." He sighed softly, and pulled me tighter into him. "I know."

\t"I love him and all I can do for him is bring him pain!"

\t"There is nothing that can be done to help it, Kysael. I know it hurts. I know it breaks your heart. But there is no other way to free you from the bondage that Mafrien has over you. You need this. And... and I need this. Ever since we began the Soul Bond, we have had part of one another's souls locked away in the deepest recesses of ourselves. I promise you that you will have your time with your beloved, but for now... for now, you have to be mine. And I have to be yours..." Kelose kneeled before me, and tilted his head to the side. I hiccupped broken sobs as I bit into his shoulder with no hesitation, not even numbing the spot first, and he moaned as his blood, salty and strong, poured into my mouth.

\tI let him roll us so that I was beneath him, and he let his blood continue to drip into my mouth as he undressed me. His hands ripped at the buttons of my tunic, nearly ripping the clothes off of me in his haste to have me. My nails clawed at his bare back, and I could feel blood pool beneath my fingertips as his back bowed, pushing him more onto me, moans on his lips.

\tTears ran down my face as we undressed, and our bodies began to mold into one another. We cried out into one another, bodies thrashing wildly, violently.

\tI writhed in painful pleasure beneath him, and bonds were made that night that I had never dreamed would be able to be completed...that I almost didn't ever want to be completed.

\tAnd I could only think of Dragon the entire time.

\tI didn't want this...

And as Kelose and I poured our souls into and through one another, completing the bond... I cried.

*

\tThe next morning had come before we moved from that place. It had been a horrendously, painfully blissful night of screams and tears and pleasure.

\tI got dressed as Kelose was leaving to wander for the time being, until he could find a way to build himself a life, deep in the forests, away from any other cities.

\t"Kysael," he told me before he left. "Go now, to Dragon. You know how deeply he cares for you, and you know how deeply you love him. And....no matter what may transpire...I will always love you. I will try to visit you sometime, but.... being Rogue, means a nomadic life for me. Even though we didn't want this, I know that being completely Soul Bonded to you means a lot more than just a bond. It means commitment, it means visiting you, loving you even if I may not wish for it, and even if you do not wish for it." His face contorted into an expression of hurt anguish. "I will not be angry if you are with Dragon. He is your husband. I..." He took my hands in his. "I wish that you could be mine. I have completed the Soul Bond to you. I cannot simply leave it alone. We are tied to one another, now. I can't let you go. But I must...for now. It is a complicated mess of feelings."

\tIt seemed that I just couldn't stop crying lately. I didn't remember ever being so emotional before all these men came into my life.

\t"That means a lot to me. Thank you."

\t"I know. I am at your service if you ever need me. Send for me if you have need of me. A messenger hawk should be able to find me easily enough. Go on now, back to him. I will see you again, only whenever you have need of me... or we simply cannot resist the pull any longer." He pulled up his hood before he kissed me, and then he left, his black, hooded and cloaked figure disappearing into the depths of the forest.

\tI sighed once he was gone. There were some things that I needed to take care of, as soon as I was able.

\tI thought of Dragon, the distraught look on his stricken face....and I cringed. This would not be easy...

\tI made my way to his medical clinic, but his assistants told me that he had decided not to come in that morning, and had stayed in the room.

\tThat made things a little trickier; that meant that I would have to go back down all of those stairs. I was afraid.

\tIt was one thing to crawl my way up the stairs, but to go back down.... I was unsure that I could handle it.

\tBut I had to try.

\tI had to try, for Dragon....and for myself.

\tI finally arrived to the city's entrance, and they opened the doors for me.

\tIt was with only a third of the way down the stairwell that I tripped, my left foot catching on a step, and I screamed as my body plummeted down the stairs...

\tAnd then, the tumbling and the pain stopped.

\tI looked up, and was surprised to see that Dragon had caught me in his arms during my fall down the stairs.

\t"Thank heavens," I breathed.

\t"I was coming to the entrance to get you. I felt your approach."

\tI sighed a breath of relief as he carried me swiftly down the rest of the stairs, and continued to take me to our shared chambers.

\tOnce he had gotten us there, he shut the door behind him and set me down roughly. I could feel his leashed pain.

\tI slowly, ever so slowly, let my gaze run over his face. He had obviously not slept. There were little bags under his eyes, which were discolored from the lack of sleep. His eyes were tired. His face radiated exhausted pain. But his eyes....

\tThey were stricken, as if he had been completely destroyed by me...and perhaps he had, for which I felt even more guilty.

\t"So.....?" He asked, his voice sounding harsh.

\tI cringed at his tone, but I turned, my back facing him, and lifted the bottom of my tunic up to show him that the mating mark was, indeed, gone.

\t"I see," was his curt response. I turned back to face him, and his eyes were even more enraged. He was not an easily hurt man, yet I had hurt him.... with such little effort.

\tHe truly loved me.

\t"I could never possibly atone for what I have done to you..." I said softly. "I... I don't want for our friendship to come to an end, simply because of this horrid situation."

\t"Our friendship is fine," he said in a stonily cold voice. "Our marriage is what is on the line, Kysael."

\t"Dragon....please...."

\tMy eyes burned with thirst. And he said nothing as he kneeled before me, and much like Kelose had the night before, tilted his head to the side so that I could feed. His hands grabbed onto the hem of my tunic, and he clutched on tightly to me. No matter how angry he may have been at me, his need to serve me under the Blood Bond forced him to quench my thirst.

\tI dropped to my knees in front of him, and I kissed the flesh before I sank my fangs into it.

\tHe hissed. I had not numbed it first. But he relaxed after a moment, and I could feel his body heat a bit, but then his body tensed again. He was still angry, and so he didn't want to feel pleasure from the action. I could feel his hurt anger through his blood, I could taste it.

\tI could feel his tears run down my neck, onto my tunic. My heart ached for him. And so, I did the only thing that I could do.

\tI sliced a little cut on my neck, and pulled him toward me, pulling away to speak to him for a moment. "Drink from me."

\t"I....I shouldn't. You are bonded, now, and he-"

\t"He is not my husband. You are. He may be my Soul Bonded mate, but you are my husband, my true mate. I want you, not him. He is a Rogue elf, and he is gone. He is under bounty, a nomad, a wanderer. Now, I am ordering you through our Blood Bond, Dragon. Shut up and drink from me, as I have asked you already."

\tWith no hesitation, because my order forced him to obey, his mouth latched to the wound on my neck. He moaned as the liquid hit his tongue, and he began to suck hard from me.

\tI moaned, and I went back to my drinking from him, which caused us both to feel further heat from it.

\tHe tried to pull away, but I forced us down onto the floor, and straddled him. "No, Dragon. You may be angry at me, but I won't lose you like this. I will not allow us to end this way. I have waited so long for you," I choked through my tears, and my tears fell to land on his wide-eyed face.

\tAnd I locked my lips with his, gripping his hair in my hands as I cried into his mouth.

\tI pulled away once more. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to leave you last night? How badly I wanted to comfort you, to push away from him to come back to you? But I knew that you wanted for the mark to be gone. Do you know how hard it was for me to watch you slam that door to go in there and suffer, while Kelose and I did something so....so...." I couldn't even finish. "I love you!" I shouted. "I cried the entire time I was with him! I cried because I had wanted for it to be you!" I sobbed out my broken confession. "You were my beginning! You are my husband! I lo-"

\tAnd he silenced me with a searing kiss, and with grunts and hisses we ripped at each other's clothes until they lay discarded on the floor. We could, finally, enjoy our marriage. And this time, we would not be interrupted in our post-coital bliss.

\tI looked over his body. It had been so long since I had seen him, I hadn't seen his body this way since the night that we consummated the marriage and then the war had started. He was not nearly as scarred as Kelose. He was tall, thick and wide and muscular. Not as lean and tightly muscled as Kelose's smaller, toned and brawny frame.

\tHe was a healer, afterall, and so he didn't need to be overly muscular. His muscles were a bit softer and not as well defined as Kelose's. There wasn't a real reason for it.

\tI shivered at the anticipation.

\tHis eyes swept over my body, taking it in. I could feel his breathing quicken.

\tHe pulled away and moved so that he now held himself above me. "You are beautiful," he breathed softly. "Truly."

\t"As are you, my lord," I said softly. I pleaded with a sultry tone. "Take what has belonged to you for so long," I told him.

\tHe smiled. "I love you, you know," he whispered as he molded himself into my body, and I moaned out against him.

\tAnd as he made gently angry love to my body, we felt ourselves descend into madness. I cried his name, over and over again. I sobbed and tore into him with my fangs, drinking from him as he thrust into me. And I could feel pain wracking, deep inside of my soul. I knew that Kelose knew what had transpired.

\tOf course, he knew.

\tHe had felt it in his own body, because of our Soul Bond. And my heart broke for him.... but my heart broke even more so for Dragon....

\tBecause his wife was torn between not only him, but also a Rogue Elven Assassin that was a nomad, and even though I loved Dragon, those feelings for Kelose would always hinder me, even if neither Kelose nor I wanted those feelings. It was a conflict of interest. We didn't want to love each other, didn't want to be with one another, but we cared about each other. And we were forever Bonded and tied to be with one another, at least sometimes. It would always be that way, and it would always hurt Dragon.

*

\tI awoke to find my body lying, naked, on his naked body under the blankets on our bed.

\tI opened my eyes, to look up and find him watching me with sorrowful and calculative eyes, cautiousness evident in his gaze. His eyes were tired.

\t"Did you sleep well...?" He asked softly, wary.

\tI nodded. "Yes. Did you get any sleep?"

\tHe sighed. "No. I....couldn't sleep. I feel as if I have done something wrong."

\tI closed my eyes. "Can we not simply bask in our love for a little while longer before we let in all of the worries and stress of our lives?" I asked.

\tI felt his chest rumble with a dark chuckle. "I suppose we could, if we tried."

\t"You know that.... I truly...love you, don't you...?"

\tHe met my eyes again. "Yes, I know that. But....we really shouldn't have done this."

\tI scoffed. "You are my husband, even if he is my mate. I know the laws. Soul Bonds come before a marriage in technicality. I am Soul Bound to Kelose, now. And... although, while he is gone...I..." I huffed, unable to express what I wanted to. "I have waited a very long time to finally be with you. And there have been many times that I have wanted to give myself to you, unable to because of the mating mark from Mafrien. We haven't been able to be with each other that way since our wedding night. But now, I am free. And I...." I met his gaze, tears blurring my vision. "I wanted to be able to finally give you something. I wanted for you to have a piece of me, a part of my heart untouched by him. You have earned that from me."

\tHe smiled sadly. "Thank you, Kysael."

\tAnd then, we got out of bed, and got dressed.

\tHe smiled at me from his place in the room. "Truly....thank you. And, Kysael," he said, getting my attention. "I will always remember this. I will burn the vision of you writhing, because of me, forever into my heart, so that I can know that I was the one who delivered you that pleasure, not Kelose."

\tI sighed, my heart breaking. "Yes. I really am unsure how to approach this situation. It sounds wrong to be...shared, between the two of you. I don't want to be with him, but the Soul Bond forces me to, at least part of the time. And I do want to be with you, but as long as I am Soul Bonded to him, I cannot be with you completely, either. Being with him would mean that I would have to be a nomad, always on the run. And to be with you would mean to be married to a man that I could never Soul Bond with, because even if Kelose....died...." I sighed. "Even if he died, I would simply die along with him. And you cannot Soul Bond with more than one person. I am unsure what I can do. I am so at odds. I am trapped just as badly as I was while I was under Mafrien's power."

\tHe bowed to me. "I will get to work, now." And then he left the room, leaving me breathless, weightless. I could sense through our Blood bond that his heart was pounding, and he felt just as upset as I did.

\tTurmoil flooded my mind. I couldn't choose between the two of them anymore. It had already been done. I had Soul Bonded to Kelose.

\tBut I was married and Blood Bonded to Dragon.

\tHow could I choose between the man I loved and the man that I was trapped in a Soul Bond with who I didn't want to love and whom didn't want to love me?

\tDespair wracked my body with sobs as I cried into my pillow, until I fell into slumber.

*

\tWhen I awoke again, I shot out of my bed with a renewed energy. Something good must have happened to Kelose, because I could feel the positiveness in my soul. I idly wondered what had happened.

\tI was suddenly full of energy, and I began doing squats, jumping around the room, trying to immediately jump into training my body to get back into fighting shape.

\tSomething had me wanting to fight.

\tSomething had my blood pumping, though I didn't know what.

\tI was ready to get back to being strong.

\tI marched outside of the room, and went to the staircase I'd had so much trouble with yesterday.

\tI made myself run up and down those steps, and though my leg caused tears to run down my face in anguished pain, I had to keep going.

\tSomething was spurring me on.

\tSomething was pushing me to try to improve faster. It was odd. It was almost as if my body had a mind of its own, as if I had no control over my actions.

\tI kept it up until Dragon returned from the clinic, and he watched me in shock as I ran up and down the steps, stunned at my progress.

\t"Kysael!" He said, shocked. "What are you doing? You shouldn't push yourself so hard, that could ruin your progress," he said softly.

\t"No, Dragon. Something is fixing to happen. Somehow, I can feel it. I don't know what, or when, or why, or how. All I know is that something big is fixing to transpire, and I want to be ready. I have to get better. I have to. Something must be happening with Kelose, because all I feel is energy and trepidation and will to strengthen myself."

\tHis eyes got wide. He seemed as if his mind were in a far-off place, contemplative. He nodded. "Alright, then. But if you feel bad enough, promise me, as your physician, that you will stop and rest?"

\tI nodded. "I will. Now, don't worry, Dragon. I am going to be stronger than ever, and I will have the knowledge and wisdom that I lacked before. I will be more powerful than I have ever been to face what is coming."

\tHe watched me with wide, thoughtful eyes. "The Soul Bond is much more powerful than I had anticipated. For Kelose to be in this mood to affect you so drastically..."

\tAnd after a few hours, I did begin to grow tired. I had kept this up all day. I was growing sleepy.

\tI decided to call it a day, and I went to the bathing room for women, letting my tired body soak in the medicinal soaps of the Wraiths.

\tOnce I was clean and refreshed, I pushed my body even harder on the way back to my chambers. I began skipping, hopping, leaping.

\tI was in such excruciating pain, but I made myself do it. Something in me knew that I had to do this and that I couldn't stop. But part of me also felt...free.

\tThis was something that I had been wanting to be able to do for months.

\tMy body was, of course, in horrible pain the entire time, but that didn't matter. Right now, I was walking on air.

\tDragon opened the door before I got there, and saw me as I leaped into the air outside of the room, doing a back flip mid-air, landing on my left foot with as much grace as I could muster, although I was sure that the grace was lessened a bit due to the tremendous pain that shot through my body.

\tHe watched me, dumb shock on his face. "Are you alright? You have been acting strangely...." He looked at me as if I were a dancing bear.

\tI stood, and stretched my arms high into the air. "I'm fine, Dragon, really." I smiled sweetly at him. "I am..... just.... happy," I grated out through the pain, skipping around the hall some more.

\tHe watched me with surprised fascination, as if I were a purple elephant.

\tHis mouth even hung open.

\tI giggled, and popped a kiss on his lips before slipping past him into the room. At first, he didn't move from his position, still facing outward at the door, looking into the hallway. He slowly turned to face me.

\t"Are you sure that you are alright?" He glanced at me warily. "I haven't seen you act so giddy since.... well, I don't think that I have ever seen you quite this giddy. What is going on?"

\t"I don't know, to be honest with you. I just am finally free."

\tHe smiled sadly. "Yes, you are."

\tI pulled him into the room, and shut the door behind us as I shoved him to the bed, and he held his hands up in shocked surrender as I kissed him, forcing him under me.

\t"Whoa," he said around my mouth. "Whoa, whoa, Kysael, wait a moment-"

\t"No," I said, defiant and pouty. "I will not wait," I said softly, kissing his neck.

\tHe shivered. "You aren't even acting like yourself-"

\t"I finally feel free and happy for the first time in a very, very long time. Of course, I'm not acting like my usual dejected self," I said.

\t"I understand, but..."

\t"Am....am I moving too fast for you?" I asked, a little embarrassed. "I just.... I feel strange today. I don't know what has happened to me. I feel.... unusually happy."

\tHe sat up, me still straddling his lap, and he held my face in his hands. "You...are moving a little fast. I know that last night was...very heated, but.... today, you are just acting unlike yourself altogether. Frankly, I am actually...a little concerned." He looked into my eyes for a long moment, studying me.

\t"I am fine, really. I just...sense something. Something good, something bad, just an entire mixture of feelings and senses...."

\t"Your mind is trying to receive premonitions, Kysael. And something, as you said yourself, is happening with Kelose. The two of you are linked, now. But you are driven further by the beginning of foresight. That is how it began for me, when I was younger. But my visions didn't begin nearly as young as your age." He thought for a moment. "Something is trying to show you the future, but you aren't old enough to see the visions yet, so it only comes across as feelings."

\tI nodded. "That makes sense, I suppose."

\tHe chuckled. "You are so young." He helped me to climb off of him. "If you are still so eager, we can do things a bit slower.... but do try to calm down. I don't like to move at such fast paces," he reminded me gently.

\t"I am a lot younger than you," I said softly. "I am more impatient than you, and ready to get things done faster."

\t"When it comes to this sort of...." he grabbed my rear, pulling my body toward him. "Situation....I prefer to.... take my time," he said softly, kissing my neck.

\tAnd this time, the pain that I had felt the first time I had made love to Dragon was not as great as it had been the first time, but it was still there.

\tMy thoughts of Kelose distracted me from the current happenings, and I nearly startled while Dragon was working on me as I came back to myself.

\tI shut my thoughts out, focusing on the here and now. And as Dragon descended on me, I cried and writhed, my body wiggling and squirming. I cried out, calling his name desperately as he mated with me, going much too slowly for my preference, but it was too deliciously torturous to stop the agonizingly pleasurable slow pace.

\tMy body tingled with tremors, and I clawed his back when he began picking up the pace. I almost forgot to breathe. He flipped me to be on my belly, spearing into me in an animalistic fashion.

\tI screamed his name into the mattress of his bed.

\tHe gasped my name repeatedly as he continued his movements, his pace rising to a near frantic speed. He flipped me again.

\tI wrapped my legs around him as he growled out my name in a tone that I had never heard uttered from his throat, a guttural sounding moan that made me tighten and threw me into thrashing bliss under him, causing him to make the sound again.

\tOnce it was over, we breathed heavily as we came down from the high that the session had given us.

\tI kissed his cheek as I got up and dressed, and went to go to my own bed when he stopped me, pulling me back to his.

\t"Stay," he requested gently. "Be mine for now. Because I may just lose you forever. And I want to have you. Is that alright?"

\tI smiled. "Yes," I whispered, and I let him pull me on his bed and into his arms as we fell asleep.

\tI wanted nothing more in that moment, than for the moment to last forever. I had never wanted anything more. I wanted to belong to my Dragon… forever and always.

\tHe was everything that I'd ever had, and more than I'd ever wanted.