The darling vhenke made this picture for me based on her imagination of Rafe and Amour. *heart eyes* Just look at how well she's drawn their features! (And the colour of the leaves on the trees) They're so perfect! :)

Thanks, vhenke ! Lots of love from Rafe and Amour! And me. *kisses*

____________________________________

If I didn't see Rafe today, it would be my seventh day away from him.

This was the first thought I had when I woke up. This was always the first thought I had when I woke up.

I squeezed my eyes closed, pressing the heels of my palms to my eyes.

I had tried, more than once, to go to his room, but the damn elevator denied me access to the floor. And I belatedly realised it always scans our finger prints when we pressed digits. I realised that no one else was allowed on that floor either—Freesia and Wolf had tried too.

Frustration, helplessness and anger mounted on me and my mood was usually very foul.

Today was no different.

I promised myself that when I saw him again, I would kill him.

I pushed myself off the bed and went about my usual motions. I trudged out of the room half an hour later, my data pad the only device I was allowed to carry.

I skipped breakfast, heading out of the Main Entrance and walked straight into the forest.

Today was just not a good day for me. Then again, neither had the past few days been any better.

When I told my father what had happened when I saw him at the Education Centre, he legitimately lost his cool. Then he told me something that just turned my mood fouler.

He said he would request I be shifted to live with him. He didn't wait to hear me out and gave me a crushing hug (that told me how much this was scaring him), a kiss to my forehead, promised me I would be safe from now on and marched away with his hands fisted by his sides.

I had seen him every day since then and though his expression was grim, his eyes spoke of a determination I knew would not wear out until he got what he wanted.

And to add insult to the injury, every single C'Riel who saw me now, looked at me with pity, curiosity and maybe even a little disgust. News spread fast about me and Rafe and about being caught with a shirt on. Only a shirt on. Apparently that was the worst thing someone could get caught doing.

I don't understand why, and there was no one I wanted to ask that to either.

The one person I did, was not around, having chosen to walk away silently.

I shook my head, bringing my thoughts back to the present. I kicked the ground I stood on, rubbing a hand down my face and checked the time on the my data pad.

I looked behind me and realised I had ventured deeper into the forest than usual. I sighed and started back, walking a little faster, knowing that I would miss the Hover (and as a consequence, my schedule for today) otherwise and I was more than motivated to avoid any more encounters with Rafe's parents.

By the time I stepped out of the forest, the Hovers were being occupied. I got onto the one closest to me, occupying a seat close to the translucent sides of the Hover and looked out the whole time.

When I felt someone take a seat beside me, I ignored them, barely paying any attention to what was happening around me.

"You seem chirpy." A familiar voice said.

I let my eyes close, my lips twitching despite my mood.

"They do say you can draw more bees with honey." I said, turning to meet Ace's glinting reddish brown eyes.

Ace snorted, his eyes looking past me to the scenery behind me, visible through the walls of the Hover.

I turned as well, both of us going quiet for sometime.

"Are out alight?" He finally asked in a low voice.

I leaned my head back, not looking at him. I stayed quiet to a long time.

"I'm way to pissed off to be good company right now." I told him truthfully, hinting I didn't want to talk about that.

"But he is not." Ace told me, holding something, pinched between his forefinger and thumb, out to me.

It was a Com.

My eyes flashed up to meet Ace's. I think he saw the anger simmering in them, because his eyes narrowed at me in response.

I just look away.

"He wants to talk to you." Ace said to me, his voice was low enough that only I could hear.

"And he always gets what he wants?" I asked and my voice sounded cold to even my own ears.

Ace didn't say anything, but neither did he drop the hand holding out the Com.

I stoically stared out, ignoring the need that clawed at me, raking at the temptation to take the Com. Ace finally dropped his arm and I watched in my periphery as he put the Com on, his expression resigned.

He was probably relaying everything that just happened. I didn't care. I was just not in the mood to accept being tossed aside like a wayward thought.

If he wanted to say something to me, he would just have to wait for our punishment to end. He didn't stop his father from making the bed, now he has no choice but to lie in it by himself.

Ace let out a sigh beside me, running a hand through his hair. I saw him toss me an unreadable look in my periphery, but I ignored him.

When we reached the Education Centre, I got off the Hover before anyone else could, ignoring Ace's calls from behind me.

I walked right to the restroom, needing a moment away from everyone. Their eyes. Their murmurs. Their shared glances, nudges and raised eyebrows if they ever saw me upset or pissed.

My ears rang and my eyes stung. I was angry. And I was tired. And I was just so sick of this.

I slammed my hands down on the counter before me, my eyes squeezed closed, tears of frustration wetting my eyelashes.

I snapped my eyes open and the wall before me morphed into a mirror like material. I saw my red eyes. I saw my quivering lips and I looked down and lifted my hands in front of my face.

They were shaking.

Why was I so angry?

Why didn't I take the Com from him?

I dropped my hands, quickly splashed some water on my face.

I swallowed, pressing my forehead to the wall in front of me. It was freezing against my skin.

I could feel the heat collecting in my body, spreading all over me.

My skin felt clammy when I rubbed the back of my hand against my forehead.

I walked out of the restroom heading for the Health Care Centre Wolf and I had gone to when he and Rafe had gotten into a fight.

When I went in and told the two nurses I could find, that I was feeling very hot and having slight shivers, they immediately sat me down, bustling about me.

I was informed that my core temperature was heating up and my skin was absorbing it. They asked me if I was ovulating and I stared at them unsure how exactly I would be able to tell them I had no idea.

Seeming to realise my plight, they asked me when my last period was, when I told them, they ruled out ovulation.

Whoopidee do!

Then ten minutes later, after asking me another dozen or so questions, they concluded that I was probably stressed out and it was affecting my hypothalamus— which is the organ in the brain that regulates the body temperature.

I asked them what I should do and they suggested I take a good day's rest and integrate some methods to handle stress into my everyday routine. When I told them I was not exactly allowed to take a 'day off', they threw me stern looks and pulled out their data pads and went about typing at it looking very self-important. I almost smiled at their motherly authoritative behaviour, even if they weren't Human, but managed to reel it in. God forbid, I offend them and get locked in the C'Riel version of prison or something.

A minute or two later, they shooed me away, telling me I was going to be given a ride back to the Resting Stations and I was to rest today.

When I started to argue, they shook their heads, told me I'd been granted permission to leave and all but kicked me out all the way to the Hover waiting for me outside.

My brows lifted when I exited the building.

A whole Hover? Just for me?

Aren't I just a special snowflake?

I shook my head, got into the Hover and fretted over not having a communication device so that I could have informed my friends where I was going.

As soon as I thought of that, my fists curled, and a deep rooted emotion uncurled in my stomach.

Gosh, I hated this. I hated—

I stopped the thought right there. Then took deep breaths.

Today was supposed to be about getting some rest. Not about finding reasons to stay angry.

I looked out, willing my head to go as blank as possible. It didn't go blank, but it wandered. Mercifully, no where distressing.

Much.

My thoughts ended up taking me to Kylee.

What was she doing? Was the asshole with her? How do I get her to talk to me?

I was pulled out of my reverie some time later when the Hover slid to a smooth stop.

I yawned and got off, just as I started to head towards the floor my room was on, my stomach growled.

I remembered I hadn't eaten anything. Then the hungry feeling in my stomach suddenly escalated to a spasm. I pressed a hand to my stomach, gasping.

What in Heavens...?

When my stomach squeezed painfully again, I quickly pressed the digit that lead me to the Common Cabin and I prayed that there was some food there.

When I got there, I almost stilled, having never seen the Common Cabin as empty as it was now. When the spasm came back with a vengeance, I shuffled quickly towards the Kitchen having remembered where it was from when Rafe had made me some spaghetti. I shook my head. Why did everything take a path right back to him?

I slid my bracelet over the Identity Screen and stepped in.

I stilled when I saw four C'Riel men and two C'Riel women standing inside, the conversation in the room coming to a sudden halt and the smiles on their faces dying slowly as they took me in. They all literally stopped the cutting, slicing, dicing, mixing, tossing and whatever else they were doing, as soon as they all saw me.

One of them, dusted his hands and came towards me.

"Yes?" He asked me, an eyebrow raising.

Unease spread through me as my eyes flickered over everyone's blank expression, as if they were being extra careful about expressing what they were really feeling.

"I was hungry—"

"You did not eat in the morning?" He asked, then held his hand out and one of the younger C'Riel standing behind him picked something up from beside him and brought it to the C'Riel before me. I saw that he was being handed a data pad.

I rubbed my fingers against my forehead when I realised that it was something Rafe did and immediately dropped my hands back to my side.

"No, I didn't." I said, my eyes narrowing as he looked at the data pad, before flicking his bluish white eyes up to me and looking back at the screen before him again.

"And why did you do that?" He asked.

I was being interrogated.

"I was..." Pissed off, "Not hungry."

I had clearly not said the right thing. He calmly placed the data pad beside him on the counter, crossed his arms and looked at me.

"Do you know we prepare food based on the number of people who eat? So today, the amount you were supposed to eat has been left unconsumed."

I could feel the anger in me that had settled, starting to boil again. But I pushed at it.

He was right. I shouldn't have skipped breakfast. Now I had to suck it up.

"I was not aware of that." I admitted.

"You can sate your hungry in your next allotted session. Please leave."

Then he turned and got back to work. Everyone else followed suit. My whole face burned with humiliation and I turned away, walking fast towards the elevator, cursing the stinging in my eyes.

I stormed out of the elevator once it landed on my level, running my bracelet over the screen outside my door and rushed in.

I flung my data pad onto the bed and stood in the centre of my room, glaring at the wall before me, my fists clenching by my sides.

I took deep breaths and pressed my eyes closed. I could practically feel the hot air leaving my flared nostrils. When the ringing in my ears settled, something prickled against the back of my neck and I snapped my eyes open. Awareness skid like static energy over my skin, lifting all the hair on my body.

Someone was in the room with me.

I felt my heart beat pick up, fear prickling at me. Just as I was about to turn, two large trunk sized silver suited arms wrapped around my neck and squeezed. I gasped and my hands immediately came up to pull at the arms.

When I lifted my hands I saw that my silver suit has turned black.

Then I also realised something else.

Despite the choking hold this person had me in, I wasn't choking.

I. Wasn't. Choking.

The black suit that covered me was protecting me. The second I realised this, my panic abated, but in its place anger unlike anything I've ever felt before spread through every part of me.

I felt my expression turn dark and I reared my head back and felt a satisfying crunch sound. I heard a male grunt and almost instinctively the arms around me loosened a little. I snapped my teeth closed against the meaty part of his forearm, eating a mouthful of suit.

A harsh curse slipped free from his lips and I watched with wide eyes when his suit started to turn black as well.

Dammit!

Terror stuck at me when I realised this just made him stronger, and he was already strong. I started to struggle, twisting and jerking in his hold. Suddenly the arms around me dropped and I stumbled forward, but the adrenaline and anger fuelling me had me whipping around with my fist cocked to punch the man behind me.

But when I realised where my punch would land, it was already too late to stop the action. I braced myself for the pain. My knuckles slammed right onto a mask—similar to the one Rafe had put on me that fateful day—that covered the bluish eyed C'Riel male who I had never seen in my life before.

Pain shot up my knuckles and I cried out, cradling my wounded hand in my other arm. Clearly after I'd smacked his nose with the back of my head and bitten him, the suit and mask had automatically come on.

The C'Riel smirked and then lunged towards me. I jerked back, slamming my hip against the chair near my desk. I winced then and quickly lifted the chair and hurled it against the C'Riel, my eyes stinging at the pain shooting through my right hand. I'm pretty sure I broke something. He caught the chair easily and I used the time to escape towards the bathroom, the only place I could go.

But before I could swipe my bracelet against it, the chair slammed against the screen cracking it and I whipped around, meeting the asshole's glare.

Then slowly a little bit of rationale crept in. I needed to reach to Rafe somehow.

I swallowed then spoke to the computer in my room.

"I need you to alert R—"

The C'Riel before me started laughing.

"You are a dull, even for a Human." He said.

Clearly something was wrong with the computer in my room. Was that why he'd been able to enter?

His voice was low, but smooth. He looked nothing like a killer.

Then again, they never did.

"How did you get in?" I growled out, straining to ignore the pain lacing through my right arm as I stretched it behind me hidden from his gaze, to reach my old back pack.

"All you need to know is that you are to die."

I laughed out loud, a tear sliding down my cheek, "So are you, asshole. He will find you. And when he does, you'll wish you never looked my way." I said.

Then I threw my bag at him and shot to run past him. An unfamiliar sound, a sudden blue light flickered in the room and I was screaming, dropping to the floor. I whipped onto my butt, clutching my leg, my breath not coming properly as blood pooled everywhere.

Whatever he had shot at me had been able to make it past my suit and wounded my leg really badly. I couldn't even imagine moving it. I was losing blood real fast, real lot.

I looked at him and he held a gun. And I just knew it was laser.

Water seeped down my eyes as I bit my lip and looked down at my leg. Even if I made it out of this, I would be lucky if I could ever use it again.

The pain was unimaginable, it burned and lanced up my leg so much I could feel it at the pit of my stomach. At that minute, I didn't have any other thought than wishing this would end soon.

"Any last words?" He asked, aiming the gun at my head.

"Eat shit, bastard." I said, my voice was filled with pain and unsteady but it was clear. And you had to be deaf to not hear the hatred filled in it.

"I am glad to be the one doing this," he said and just as he pressed the trigger I heard the most ferocious sound in the world and something dark flitted across my room latching onto the C'Riel's hand which caused his shot to miss me by at least a head to my left.

My vision darkened and I realised I was lying on the floor, because all I could see was Ryx growl with his jaw locked on the C'Riel's hand—the only part of him bared. Then I heard the most amazing voice in the world.

It wasn't in a language I understood, but it was I voice I would recognise anywhere.

I watched as Rafe said something sharp and Ryx let go of his hold on the C'Riel and landed one is fours, the skin on snout folded back as he growled, his eyes dark. I watched, tears leaking onto the floor beside where my cheek was resting on the floor as a pair of legs came to stand with their feet braced apart facing away from me. When he lowered himself to lift the gun that the C'Riel had dropped I realised it was Rafe. I lifted my gaze to look at him and watched him consider the gun almost casually, before aiming it at the C'Riel before him.

No.

But before I could say anything I saw Ace come to stand behind him, catching hold of him. Four other C'Riel rushed into the room and caught the other C'Riel. Rafe then went crazy, starting to struggle, throwing punches left, right and centre when he seemed to realise that his opportunity for revenge was slipping through his fingers.

My ears were ringing so badly, I couldn't hear a word of what was happening. Ace seemed to be shouting something at Rafe which caused him to still. Ace's eyes flicked to me and Rafe whipped around to look at me. The next second he was kneeling in front of me, his hands were under me and he lifted me off the floor. A painful whisper of a whimper left my lips and I immediately felt Rafe's lips against my cheek.

When the ringing in my ears lessened, I heard a few words of what he was whispering.

"—will not let anything happen to you."

When my mind realised I was safe, I let my eyes close.

Finally, mercifully, I blacked out.

-- --

I woke up to spasming pain in my stomach. My lids snapped open to meet dark intelligent orbs. As soon as he noticed I was awake, Ryx lifted his head and let out a low howl. I blinked once more and Ryx whined, leaning his head towards me and licking my face gently. I patted his head, absently.

When everything that happened rushed back to me I sat up really fast and blood rushed to my head and I felt woozy for a second.

My eyes snapped to my right hand and I watched as there wasn't a single mark on it. I looked at my leg, where my suit (now back to silver) was cut till my knee and the wounded area was sealed with bandages; but it didn't hurt. Except slight twinges if I moved it a particular way.

I looked up as Rafe walked towards me where I was lying on a bed. I didn't recognise where we were but he was here and that was enough for me.

He put a knee on the bed and launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing myself against him.

My heart thudded against my chest as I thought of how bad everything could have gone.

His arms locked around me, and for the first time I felt the stubble on his chin rubbed against my temple.

"Thank you." I whispered to him, squeezing my eyes.

"Shut up." He said in response.

"Thank you for—" I choked up a little, "Coming to get me despite what happened early today."

Despite me having ignored his attempt to reach me.

Rafe pushed against me and I reluctantly let him.

I looked at his enraged expression and said, "What?"

"You think that just because you threw a tantrum, I was not going to come get you when you needed me to?" He asked.

"I didn't throw a—"

"Shut up," he said again, pulling me back to him. I squeezed my eyes closed and hugged him to me.

"I was really scared," I admitted in a whisper.

He leaned back again, cupping my face in his palms.

"It will never happen again." He promised me, his eyes dark.

I let out a breath.

"Ryx totally saved the day." I told him, turning to look at my hero. Ryx was wagging his tail and when he saw me looking at him, he got to his feet on the bed and bounced towards us, lifting on to his hind limbs, resting his paws on either of our hips. He let out a bark as I leaned in to kiss his snout.

"Thank you," I whispered to him. He responded with a lick on my cheek. I laughed and looked back at Rafe who was staring at me with the kind of intense expression that had small spaceships taking off in my stomach.

"How'd you know?" I whispered to him. How'd you know to come and get me? How'd you know I was in trouble?

Rafe's expression changed, going darker. He jerked his chin at Ryx.

"Ryx went ballistic. I immediately knew something was wrong with you."

I smiled down at Ryx remembering that he shared an affective bond with me as I rubbed my thumb over his ears.

I looked up at Rafe and my smile faded at his clenched jaw and hard eyes.

"What?" I asked him, the hand that was still around his neck, curling into his hair instinctively.

"It was supposed to be me." He growled out low enough that I had to strain to hear. Then he moved away so fast that both Ryx and I lost our balance. I dropped my hand to the bed for support and Ryx was on his fours, both of us knocking into each other in the process.

Ryx was staring at Rafe who was a few feet away, his hands clenched by his sides, his back to us. His shoulders were bunched under his suit with his muscles rippling.

I slowly got off the bed, gingerly placing my wounded foot on the floor. When it didn't scream with unbearable pain, I limped towards Rafe, walking around him to stand before him.

His eyes tracked me and stayed on me as I stood before him. I lifted my palm to trace his jaw, then cup his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He leaned his face towards mine, his angry expression flickering with frustration.

"It was supposed to be me." He said. Again.

I leaned into him because I could feel my leg losing the ability to hold my weight. He wrapped an arm around me, holding me up easily.

"What was?" I whispered.

He stayed quiet and I let him, not pushing for an answer.

"I was supposed to be the one who knew you were in danger. If I had surrendered to you then this would not have happened. If—"

I shushed him with a press of my index finger to his lips. "It will happen. Stop rushing it."

"It should have already happened." Rafe countered.

"Your mother said that humans didn't have the ability to develop relationships like that." I challenged.

"I do not care what my mother says." He growled, his dark eyes flashing.

My eyebrows raised.

"Since when?" I asked.

"Since seven days ago." He said, eyes narrowing.

When my left leg buckled from being unable to hold me up, Rafe caught me, lifting me easily into his arms.

He placed me on the edge of the bed and pulled out a box that was beneath it. He started to unwrap the bandages and I watched in shock at the almost sealed wound and the area around it which was yellow—not even a purple or black bruise but a yellow one.

"How long was I out? A week?" I asked shocked.

Rafe tossed me a look, "Four hours."

"Four hours and I'm almost okay?!" I gasped.

Rafe gave me a wry smile, "Our medical advancements—"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah. You're cooler, smarter and better. I know the drill." I said.

He smirked, chucked my chin gently and started to apply some ointment on my skin around the wound. I couldn't feel his fingers, so I assume it was an anaesthetic of some sort.

"Why am I not at a Health Care Centre?" I asked.

"Because I do not trust anyone." He said, his fingers moving deftly as he started to wrap new bandages around my wound, "Especially around you." He tossed me a dark look.

"So you had doctors come here?" I asked, curious.

Rafe shook his head, no.

"I took care of you myself." He said.

Before I could say anything he was on his feet, off to dispose the old bandages with Ryx at his heels. When the door opened I recognised the outer room. I could see the sofa that Rafe had bought (for me) from me. We were in Rafe's room. Room Gigantor.

This was a room...within that one.

Rafe came back a few minutes later, wiping his hands on a cloth that he disposed of in a compartment that opened up for him near the door itself. Ryx didn't come back in and the door slid closed.

"He is eating." Rafe said in reply when my eyebrows raised in question.

Then I watched as Rafe walk towards me and held his hands out to me.

"I want you to stand. Tell me if it hurts to put weight on." He said.

I caught onto his hands and he hefted me up. I couldn't feel anything on the part of my leg where he'd applied the ointment and I told him that.

He nodded.

"Good, that means it is working." He said, then he started to step back with my hands still in his. And because of this, I had to move too. Because I couldn't feel it, the nerves in that region were not responding too well to me. I grimaced at the feeling.

"Does it hurt?" He asked again.

I shook my head. "Just feels funny."

He nodded, then led me back to the edge of the bed.

"So what did you taking care of me entail?" I asked.

Rafe shrugged.

"You had dislocated the fingers of your right hand and I set them back in place. I sewed the skin on your leg injured by the laser, back together."

My heart almost died in shock.

"You gave me stitches!?"

I swear to God, the wound did not look like it had been stitched together. It looked like it had naturally sealed itself.

Rafe looked me in the eye and I stared at him in shock.

Good Lord.

He sat me back down on the bed and kneeled, starting to move my foot and knee this way and that and periodically asking me if I felt any pain.

Watching all this there was only one thing I could think about. Rafe told me he'd never wanted to be like his father as much as he wanted to do something else.

Was this it?

I thought back to all the times he'd taken care of me. Unwrapping and redressing my bandages. How he'd 'taken' my blood and figured out the reason behind my lack of hunger. How he sometimes told the nurses what to do, like when he'd punched Wolf.

I had never given it so much thought because...it seemed to come so naturally to him.

What if it was more than that?

What if it was a passion?

"Rafe?" I whispered.

He was concentrating on massaging the back of my leg on the same spot that the front was hurt in and asking me if I was experiencing any pain.

I made an impatient sound and caught his face in my hand and lifted it to look at me.

"What?" He asked, his brows furrowing.

"The other profession you said you were actually interested in. It's this isn't it? You want to be a doctor, don't you?"

Rafe turned into stone under my hands.

Then the most beautiful thing happened.

His dark eyes went completely gold. No whites left. Four seconds later my vision blackened and blood rushed to my brain and my body swayed, unable to balance itself.

When my vision cleared, I watched in shock as Rafe's face split into a brilliant smile.

And he said one word, "Ethrés."

Shock had my heart thudding as Rafe's suit started to dissolve into itself, stopping only at his waist.

Smirking at me, he lifted his right knee (with his foot planted on the ground), pressing his right forearm to his knee so that it was perpendicular to the folded leg. His left knee was pressed to the ground and so was his left hand that was resting in a fist that was pressed to the floor.

He dropped his head and started to speak. Or sing. I couldn't tell.

I could see something black peeking over the skin on his shoulders. I dropped to my knees too, taking his face into my hands.

He opened his eyes, a gentle hum still stirring the air from his words. His gold gaze seared through me and I shivered. And I watched as the black mark I could see peeking over his shoulder rippled with a crimson colour.

I licked my lips.

"Can I see your marks?" I asked.

Beaming at me even while smirking at me with male pride, he turned around letting me see his back. I sucked in a gasp at the beautiful swirl of dark thick lines that scored his back in a design that held no pattern, which made it all the more beautiful and elusive. My hands immediately went to his back and the marks turned crimson and practically glowed wherever my fingertips touched them.

My breath left my lips in a soft whisper of praise. His head turned a little to the side, his own lips parted. I looked at him and back to his marks. Unable to hold myself back, I leaned forward, pressing my lips softly to his back. Four second later, Rafe had twisted in my hold and I had the chance to take in his front.

His was ripped. The Lord save me. He was ripped.

My hands scored his hot chest.

"You're beautiful." I whispered.

I ran my thumb over the small scar on his abdomen that was lighter than the rest of his skin.

I looked up at him and his eyes were hooded. Half-mast but brilliant.

"All of you." I said.

I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his chest.

"Finally." I whispered against his skin, revelling in the freedom of being able to touch him.

I was his ethré.

He had surrendered to me.

Mine.

"My turn," Rafe said.

I looked up in confusion and Rafe cupped a hand around my neck and lifted my face to his.

"Finally," he agreed and pressed his lips to mine.

For four seconds I didn't react. Then my heart burst and warmth spilled into my skin. I threw my arms around his neck as he slanted his lips over mine, coaxing my mouth open.

And I let him in.

I let all of my me go. To him.

His kiss was raw. Passionate. There was nothing gentle about it. And I didn't care, because I didn't want gentle.

His other hand curled in my hair and he cradled my hand in his palm, pressing me closer to his lips. A moan slipped free and he bit my lower lip. I sucked in his plush lip into mine and he made a sound at the back of his throat. All of me shuddered at the sound, so I did it again. I curled my fingers into his hair, not caring that I was scraping my nails against his scalp.

He seemed to revel in the pain because his kiss became more desperate.

I pulled back a second for air, before rushing back to him, our heads tilting in opposite directions. I let my hands drop and wander his chest and as I did that, his breath shuddered into my mouth. When I ran my nails down his back his whole body jerked into mine and he let out a low groan.

"Sensitive?" I asked in a ragged whisper, my eyes still closed, my lips brushing against his.

"Very." He said, his own voice was low and filled with need.

Then both of us desperately brought our lips back to the other's, like we had finally found a drop of water in a desert after days. Like we'd finally found a ray of sun in the darkest night.

There was nothing awkward about this kiss. There was need, want, greed and desperation.

He pulled back to place soft kisses against my lips, the sound of the action causing my blood to boil.

"You taste like spice and sugar," he admitted to me.

"And you taste like sunshine and midnight." I admitted back. I didn't know how else to explain his taste. But that's how he tasted. Dark. Bright.

I don't know how long later we shifted to the bed, I was too busy to notice. He was pressed against me, mindful of my wounded leg, his forearm braced against the bed beside my head. I was arched into him, taking as much as he would give.

And he was giving more than I could take.

I could not tell which taste I liked more—the bright or the dark parts of him because they were both equally delicious. He refused to let me move, ravaging my mouth and I had no complaints.

He kissed and he kissed and he kissed. It was too much and too less. My lips were swollen and his stubble was rasping against my skin, but I didn't care, wrapping my unwounded leg around him, and giving in to the most tempting thing in the world.

Him.

He would smile against my lips whenever I moaned—which was quite often. His lips would leave mine and linger on them like he wanted to come back, before trailing to kiss my neck, jaw, eyebrows, nose, eyes...

But he would always come back to my lips. Greedy. So greedy.

"Don't stop." I would whisper to him if he leaned back.

He would look at me for two agonising minutes, where I could feel the emptiness where he had been and I wondered how I had lived so long without his kiss, before he dived back in, indulging in me again.

His lips were as swollen as me, his eyes still gold. And he was so beautiful to me. The sound of our breathing, his kisses, my kisses, our desperation, our need and our desire filled the room, driving us closer, making us addicted to each other.

I was drunk, intoxicated when his lips slowed to a lazy pace, devouring me like I was the most luscious piece of dessert and he could only have me once and he didn't want to rush it. Even if I moaned and asked him to press closer, he tortured me with his drugging kisses and his conscious control and determination to drive me insane.

I let him. I let him have me the way he wanted. He had waited all his life for his ethré and now that he'd found me, he kissed me like he never wanted to stop.

I loved this.

I loved how he kissed me.

I loved how he pushed my hands away to stop them from distracting him, running his own against my face, over my sides, into my hair, his need greedier than mine was.

I loved how he let my hands go when I fought and brought them back down after a few minutes from where they were—either sliding down his chest, digging into his back or pulling at his hair—and telling me it was his turn this time.

I loved how he knew that tears were slipping down the sides of my face despite his closed eyes. I loved how he brought his thumbs to wipe them away, but didn't ask me to stop crying.

I loved how he didn't let me up for air, like he felt that he needed me more than I needed air.

I loved this.

I loved him.

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*grins*

You guys happy with me?

You better think I'm the best thing ever for this *sticks tongue out*

Love you guys.

Also! Sorry it's been a week. :) and ignore typos. ^_^

Laters, sugars!