Strange Love

"How's it going, man?" Rin flopped down on the ledge of the large outer wall overlooking the vast lands beside Russ. "What's on your mind?"

Russ grunted as he stared out over the strange new landscape. "What's on my mind? What... Who is always on my mind..." He ran both large hands through his hair. "I can't help but think I'm just wasting time sitting here, while she's out there with that asshole... possibly in danger..." He sighed loudly causing several birds that had been perched in a nearby tree to take flight. He watched as they flew into the clouded sky. "Rin, it's all my fault. I pushed and pushed... and even after I got her

I... I..." He covered his face with his large palms. "I fucked up so bad."

Rin looked out over the land watching the distant twinkle of the city lights. "You know, for the longest time every time I saw Shelly I'd think: Is this my chance? What if it is... what if it isn't... I'm so much older than her, would it be creepy if I said something now? would she hate me..." He glanced over at Russ. "I know you don't really think about it, may not even realize it but it's hard to openly love someone with so many odds stacked against you. Take Shelly and me, she's royal..." He held up both arms exposing the tattoos branding the inside of each wrist, "and I'm no more than a servant."

Russ rolled his eyes, "You are a powerful gin AND live in an actual palace. Big difference there, buddy."

Rin arched his brows, "But is it? Do you think your counsel, your clan... are going to look at it differently?"

Russ shrugged, "Who cares what they think."

"You should," Rin said stoically. "Your people do, Joslyn does..." Rin clasped Russ's shoulder, "Social class, age, race, orientation, species... it all matters to the outside world, whether it does to us or not." He frowned, "Some of us are more painfully aware of this than others... but it still affects us all."

Russ arched a brow in his friend's direction. "I get what you're saying and yes Jos has made it painfully obvious my... 'social class' matters to her as I'm sure the difference in our species does as well." He frowned as he looked back out toward the sparkling lights of the city. "I would gladly give it all up in a heartbeat if it would make her stay with me."

Rin lowered his head as he shook it. "Your place among your people is already written, it's past time your people had a worthy leader."

Russ sighed, "Speaking of written fates... what do you think that picture of you meant?"

Rin frowned as he turned his head to avoid his friends searching eyes, "It means I should value every possible second with her that I can... We never know when it could be our last..." With that Rin stood up. "Think about what you would what to say to her most... what you wouldn't want to leave this world without her knowing..." A sad smile lifted the edge of his full lips, "And tell her..." He held out his hand and snapped his fingers, disappearing in an instant.

Russ shook his head, "I'll never get used to that..." He looked down at the phone he had been holding. "What would I want her to know before I die..." Russ racked his brain. {There's so much I haven't said... so much that I would want to fix.} He slid his large index finger across the screen to unlock it, taking a minute to stare into the eyes he missed so much, before pulling up her earlier message and typing his response.

***

The evening light had faded to night. The moonlight cast a shimmer on all the many embroideries throughout the room. Shelly blinked several times trying to dispel the sleep from her eyes. The cool night breeze coming in from the open balcony sent a shiver across the bare flesh of her stomach as large fingers created tingles along the patterns they traced there. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the large frame of the man she loved who was laying quietly beside her. "Rin?"

"Hum?" He purred as he continued tracing patterns across her tiny flat stomach.

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She frowned taking in the darkness of the room. "What time is it? How long have I slept?"

Rin smiled meeting her questioning eyes warmly, "It's a little after midnight. You were sleeping so well I didn't want to disturb you."

Shelly snickered, "Yet here you are tickling my tummy?!"

Rin's smile widened, "I couldn't help but think what it would look like," The merriment and wonder danced in his eyes like a child on Christmas eve admiring the perfectly wrapped present with their name on it. He leaned down and kissed her stomach before meeting her eyes again, "swollen... with my child growing inside..."

Shelly blushed as her hand instinctively moved to her stomach as well. "I... I..." her blush deepened, "Isn't it too soon to think of something like that?"

He brushed her bangs back cupping her face in his palm, "It's never too soon to think of making a family with you." He leaned down and kissed her deeply. He kissed her several times, savoring the taste of her lips before resting his forehead against her and whispering, "A healthy boy with your radiant blue eyes, my dark hair..." he chuckled, "Your brother's hard head..." They both laughed together, Rin's hand clasped gently over her hand that still rested atop her flat stomach.

Shelly went quite, turning her head around to better look him in the eyes. Her questioning, troubled gaze burnt into him. "How would it work?"

Rin furrowed his brow, "Shelly we've made love several times... unprotected-"

Shelly cleared her throat loudly a deep crimson blush coloring her cheeks, "I know how 'it' works, I'm not that naïve. How would it work with us, a gin and a werewolf? Would our child be a hybrid?"

"Oh, that..." Rin said trying to cover his amusement. "The child would be gin. It doesn't matter what else is mixed in, it will always only be a gin, kind of like vampires..." He cut himself off realizing the error of his word choices too late. He looked away, not wanting her to see the irritation in his eyes.

Shelly lifted her small hand to his jaw and carefully turned his face back to her, "It's ok. I'm here now, with you." She sent him an encouraging smile. "Tell me more."

Rin gazed tenderly down into her warm eyes. "I don't know much about it. Where the bonds could only be made with virgins, there wasn't much known about crossbreeding for the longest time. It was typically just masters forcing their gin to mate with another to produce more gin. "That's how it was for my parents. The original masters were pleased with the offspring the combination of my mother and father made so they continued forcing them together..." Rin looked down at her stomach as he continued to speak. "Many generations of masters came and went before they were finally passed down together as a mated pair, instead of constantly pulled apart and separated then forced together again." His voice trailed off with the pain of the story.

Shelly cuddled closer to him. "I'm so sorry to hear that about your poor mom and dad, they seem to love each other so much. I could never imagine them apart."

Rin frowned as his eyes met hers, "It was a bit worse than that. The children were pulled away as well, as soon as their powers had fully developed."

Tears stung Shelly's sad eyes as she asked, "At what age do they develop?"

Rin ran his hand lightly across her stomach. "Gin are born with power that is fully developed by age five."

Shelly drew in a quick gasp of air. "Five?! Oh my!"

Rin laughed, "Yes, five. I know that may sound young to you, but it is the way we are." He laughed thinking back at his childhood here in the palace under the care of his parents and a very gentle caring master. "I would love to tell you that all gin handle their powers with maturity and respect..." he snickered as he stroked her stomach, "But that would be a lie!" His eyes gleamed as they met hers. "I was the only one of my siblings raised by my parents and boy was I spoiled! I would throw temper-tantrums and disappear for hours. It used to worry my mother sick until finally, my father cast wards on the palace so that I couldn't teleport out."

Shelly's eyes bugged, "I don't know whether to laugh or be worried about that news." She cupped his hand against her stomach and snuggled against him. "At least I'll have you by my side."

Rin held her against him tightly, resting his chin atop her head. "Um... yes..." He kissed her head, trying his hardest to mask the pain he felt inside. "Yes, you are right about that, no matter what happens, I will always be with you. No force in this world could pull my heart from yours."

She wrapped her arms around his narrow waist and held him tight. "Rin, I love you." She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. As she sat back she cocked her head to one side and asked, "Do you think there is any way to help Russ? To get back with Jos, I mean?" A tear slid down her cheek, "It feels wrong for me to be this happy, knowing I was the one who ruined things for them."

Rin pulled her forehead down to meet his lips, "Don't worry about them. There is no doubt in my mind those two will find their way back to one another sooner or later." He grinned warmly down into her eyes. "There's no power in this world strong enough to keep true love apart."

She smiled up at him. "Promise?"

Rin's face lit up with happy mischief as he whispered, "Promise." against her lips as he gently nudged her back against the mattress. He took extra care not to bump her stomach as he worked his way between her eagerly spread legs.

She leaned forward to meet his lips as he lowered down atop her, circling her arms around his neck and tangling her legs with his. "Um..." She purred between kisses. "My only wish is to always be yours."

"And I yours," Rin said as he tenderly caressed her sensitive ears with his fingers. His eyes glistened as he gazed down into hers, "Forever and always."