The Crimson Spire / Gateway to the Amber Forge

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

And time for inspection then bed!

Ilea was a bit uncertain when Shale called a halt for the day, uncertain of her work and what they would be doing now. She still stood back when he motioned her away from the golems she'd made, giving him full access to them, to make sure she'd created them right.

But Ilea hadn't exaggerated when she'd said she'd learn. She'd understated it a great deal.

Beyond a few fumbles in the beginning that he'd corrected in ways she wasn't used to, the rest she'd made were absolutely perfect. She still stood there shaking, though, remembering another time she'd created something.

She'd created a personal guard for Goh, using the necromancy he had taught her, and infused them with changed demon souls. In truth, they'd been perfect in every way and as utterly devoted to Goh as she'd been. But he'd declared an imagined flaw in each and every one then destroyed them so casually. He'd destroyed them then told her to clean up the mess while he sat in his throne and watched her do it by hand.

So she was suitably cautious and fearful of what Shale's reactions would be as he looked over the golems he'd had her create, swaying slightly on her feet from exhaustion and trying to hide her trepidation from him, rather unsuccessfully of course.

She wanted to ask him what he thought of them, if she'd done it right, if she'd followed his instructions correctly, if she'd messed the constructs up in any way.... But her voice seemed stuck in her throat as she waited...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

I hope the mount will suffice. I drew a blank in there.

Shale did indeed inspect Ilea's handiwork. He inspected it in great detail, not only for the things that he had taught her but also for the kind of flaws or variants that occur for unavoidable reasons. Remarkably, he found two. With a wordless command he called two of the golems forward. Then he turned to look at Ilea and motioned her to approach.

When she was closer, he pointed out subtle differences in the reflectivity of the materials and also a slightly longer finger length on the two. Then he smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. The differences and length change occurred for one reason.

"Every golem is alive in a way. These two are different because of the skill and attention of the one who created them. They have become better because of you. These are capable of more delicate tasks and will prove valuable for gathering the more sensitive materials that we will need for battle golems. Well, done." His voice had an extremely subtle note of pride in it. "But, for now, it is time for rest. We have accomplished much today."

Shale led the way back to their quarters and left his staff beside the bed as he headed toward the healing bath. He concealed a twinge of pain from that old scar as he lowered his tired body into the water. The amount of magic that he had used over the past day had irritated it badly. But, instead of being red and inflamed, it was deep blue and both hard and cool. Most of his fatigue actually came from it throbbing the whole time.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Embarrassment set up! Do not pass me up on this one! I gotta have it!

Ilea had followed him in complete shock. She'd never been praised before. Not like that. Being told that your screams and sounds of pain are a symphony to be heard while someone is squeezing your beating heart in your chest, really doesn't count as a compliment as far as she could tell. She'd taken it as such, of course. Perhaps that was why-

She shook her head as she watched Shale moved to the healing bath and considered following him. But she was tired and a bit dirty, not exhausted and sore. Besides, he hadn't told her to join him. So she made her way into the smaller regular bathing chamber and started up a bath for herself in there.

As the tub filled, she took her hair down as her bodysuit flowed off of her to 'fold' itself onto a bench for when she was finished. The thing wasn't what she was used to wearing. She actually preferred her crimson leather and found herself missing it for a moment. Then she shook the thought from her head and moved into her bath to clean up.

She simply cleaned her hair and body and enjoyed the simple heat of the water for a short while then got out. Drying off took nothing to do, even with her hair, so she simply had to run a brush through it before she finally headed to the bed.

She slid between the sheets and pulled them up over herself tightly, finding that she'd fallen asleep almost before her head hit the pillows. She was tired enough that she'd left her bodysuit in the bathing room. But that state didn't show with the way she was laying right now. No, she looked like a bump in the bed with black hair that breathed slowly and gently as her dreams started with Shale's complimenting her work, confusing her all over again.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Alright, here goes nothing.

Shale got out of the water when he found that the scar was getting more agitated from exposure to the healing magic. The pain actually had him breathing a little heavily as he dried himself off and first tried to dress. Getting dressed didn't work so well. The pain was worse than a physical injury. It actually seemed to sap his will to move. He found himself just leaving the body suit on the floor, confident beyond conscious awareness that Ilea would have had no trouble dressing herself.

Actually, he found himself thinking of her a lot. She had incredible abilities. In fact, they were so incredible that they only seemed to be matched by her fear of punishment. He sighed at the memory of her profound confusion at his praise. Shale knew that there were a great many demons of significant age and power who could never have claimed to learn so quickly and so well. Even with the blood-bond there were many things that he was having difficulty understanding. In fact, there was an entire aspect to her that he couldn't get at all.

She was beautiful, yes. He had known that right away. But now... he found her intruding on his thoughts. It wasn't her shape exactly, or the size of anything. It was the way she moved when she was utterly focused on a task. Ironically, he found her least sensual movements to be the very thing that was penetrating his thoughts every time his concentration wavered. At least those thoughts were more pleasant than the pain. He had managed to hide it as it had gradually become more bothersome over the past eight or ten hours but it had been difficult.

Shale stood from where he had sat on a bench since his failed attempt to get dressed. His cloak was hanging by the bed where he had left it. His staff was by the bed, also where he had left it. His boots were sitting under the bench where he had been sitting. And, finally, the outfit that had served him well for quite a long time was laying unfolded where he had dropped it after it defeated him. He took one long look at that body suit. A very long look. Then he turned around and walked slowly to the bedchamber.

Ilea was already asleep. Shale considered trying to get under the covers but a twinge from his old scar made him think better of it. Besides, moving the sheets would be certain to wake her. He was about to lay down on top of the covers instead when he remembered that morning. He had a lot of confused feelings stirring about waking up naked with her curled up next to him. At least she would be clothed. He decided to try sleeping on his side to keep the sheets off the scar instead of sleeping on top of them.

He lifted the edge of the sheets and slid in carefully. He was right. The scar wasn't so irritated if he was on his side. But, he wasn't used to sleeping that way. It made him feel exposed to have his back pointed toward a side of the room. He found himself changing position over and over again, getting more and more tired. Then he found a place that was comfortable. It was soft. It was warm too. And it was breathing.

He opened his eyes for the sake of vague curiosity and discovered four things. First, that his head was under the sheet completely. Second, that the soft and warm, breathing thing was Ilea. Third, that they were both completely naked which he knew by virtue of the fact that his hand was resting on her hip. And fourth... was that part of him was already well aware.

Now, all demons have some inheritance from their hedonistic ancestors. Most have the amazing looks, the natural talent with the opposite sex, and the drive of a force of nature gone mad. As a result of this, very few are still inexperienced by the time they have lived for a century or two. Shale however, had absolutely no idea what was going on. Four hundred years and not a single thing had ever 'awakened' him.

He froze. He couldn't see it himself but it would seem that he blushes a beautiful shade of golden amber when absolutely transfixed by embarrassment. In fact, he blushed everywhere... without exception. He practically glowed with it, everywhere except that one scar. It remained cold and blue and black.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

And there ya go!

Ilea's dream had gone from confusing to chaotic in a short period of time. But then everything calmed and she gave a soft sigh in her sleep as she shifted a bit and snuggled into the warm spot in front of her without waking up.

That meant that Shale went from a little distance between them and his hand on her hip, to having her right up against him and her head tucked under his chin with her hands tucked up under her own chin.

The spot felt 'right' to her and she calmed into a fully relaxed sleep almost instantly as his hand slid from her hip to being more around her. She also, instinctively probably, avoided his scar so that she wouldn't hurt him.

If she'd been awake, she would never have wound up this close to him. She would have maintained the distance he seemed to want between them. she would have been terrified of approaching him this closely without his permission.

But in her sleep, she was managing to find a spot that was absolutely perfect to sleep in that was warm and kept her sleeping mind calm. The fact that her breath kept moving over the skin of his chest for it was purest coincidence for her.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

And, time to skip to the glorious wake-up.

Shale was wide awake. Ilea was touching him in a number of very... potent... places. He could feel her every breath, every heartbeat. She was calm, still asleep. He was brilliant amber-gold from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He was, in fact, literally glowing slightly with the blush. Sleeping Ilea was very different from awake Ilea. This position was serenity itself for her. For him... it was a storm of hellacious drives and inner currents that he couldn't have obeyed even if he had understood them. They were like being screamed at in a foreign tongue, battering to the mind but incomprehensible.

He wanted to run. He wanted to roll away gently. He wanted the ride to stop. But, a small part of him stayed in control for one reason. If she wakes up now she'll panic. That thought served as an anchor that he clung to until he finally, after several hours, managed to 'relax'. Finally, he fell into sleep.

By the time that either of them awoke again Shale had pulled Ilea even closer against him and had shifted such that one of his legs was between hers. Many places were touching firmly. His scar, one of the few parts not touching anything, was mostly black now and was almost as warm as the rest of him.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Panic attack!

Ilea slowly found herself waking up feeling warm and beyond comfortable. But it took her a little bit to figure out why she was so comfortable. Shale was holding her close, her head against his chest and one of his legs between hers. He was still asleep but she came awake in an instant as realization sank in.

She went from asleep to awake to full blown panic in less than sixty seconds. It was a record even for her. She didn't even know how she got from the bed to the floor, but she managed it while breathing hard with eyes about to pop out of her head. The fact that she landed on her a** was coincidental. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the bathing room she'd been in last night and scrambled to sit with her back against the wall, fully expecting him to be upset with her for the close contact.

She'd managed to toss the covers almost completely off the bed in her panic but hadn't done anything that would hurt Shale. She'd somehow slipped from his arms then gone into full flight mode from the bed, thinking she'd done something wrong.

Of course, the moment she was close enough to it, her bodysuit moved on its own to cover her body. A bit late for that, but it was what happened. She barely noticed it as she waited for him to do another torture session on her for whatever had just happened...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

And, back to you, Red!

Shale awoke from dreams of shadowed emerald to a sudden draft and the incredibly distinctive sound of panicked flight. He lay there while sleep cleared from his mind and he put together what he knew. His eyes narrowed while his thoughts filled with a violent dance number featuring every one of the colorful curses that he had heard over the past few centuries.

Then he became awake enough to attend to the blood-bond. His eyes softened and he sat up, noticing that one of the the sheets had actually been carried completely across the room to fetch up against the wall by the speed of her flight while the other hung limply, attached at one corner. He stood up to go after her but stopped when a wave of vertigo set in. When the room stopped spinning he found his hand pressing against that same damnable injury. He looked at it and felt rage, old rage. But, that passed quickly enough. It was the wrong color. It was completely black and had veins of amber in it now. Of all the times to have to deal with a rapidly changing magical injury, it had to be now.

He started walking toward where he could feel Ilea hiding. Then he realized that he was still naked and that her seeing him like that might not be the most 'calming' first impression in her current state. So, he slipped past the small bathroom and collected his body suit first. It hurt to put it on but this time he didn't care. He put it on anyway but left his boots on the floor. Then he walked in his bare feet to the small bathroom and stepped inside.

There she was, huddled in a corner with her dutiful golem protecting her with both passive magical wards and it looked like several layers of light armor. Her eyes were practically blind with terror. But, Shale wasn't looking that impressive right now. His suit covered most of him but his feet were bare and he had truly impressive bed-head. Also, his eyes weren't angry or hard. They were more like black velvet. He walked over to her softly and knelt down in front of her, meeting her gaze with his own. Then, in the gentlest voice he had ever used, he told her what he believed would be the most important thing for her to hear right then.

"You did nothing wrong, Ilea." Then Shale reached out and took her by the shoulders, pulling her against him in a hug. He would not let her go until she had calmed. Though, her golem was being a little panicked too. It had made several small blades without orders and had actually cut Shale's hands and feet. It hadn't been able to penetrate the body suit but it had tried. He was bleeding, but only a little. "Did you sleep well?" He asked softly. Thinking back to that night, even just to refer to it, was enough to take him from pale to pale amber with gold hints. At least it didn't reach his feet this time. It didn't help that holding her was triggering several inconvenient physical symptoms at present.

He stood up, taking her hands in his own and pulling her up with him. "Let's get breakfast before our work catches us." He didn't realize it, but that was his first attempt to be funny in... a long time. It was also a pretty bad one. But, his smile wasn't half bad even with bed-head.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

And more panicking!

Ilea instantly looked down when he knelt in front of her and flinched when he touched her shoulders. But, strangely enough, she calmed a bit more when she caught the scent of blood. That was something familiar to her and soothing in a way.

Until she realized that he was the one bleeding and her bodysuit had caused it. Once that hit her, the blades instantly vanished and the golem-suit processed that thought to mean that Shale was never to be harmed, even to defend her from him.

When he pulled her to her feet, she looked at his hands and feet in almost a panic over the injuries, "I'm so sorry... I don't know how that happened... I'd never hurt you like that..." she told him softly, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts all centered around the fact that she'd done so much wrong despite what he said.

She grabbed at a hand towel and tried to wipe the blood from his hands then knelt to do the same with his feet, not thinking that a simple touch of the healing pool's water would heal the injuries easily. Instead, she could only think of the fact that she'd hurt him, silently wishing that she was the one bleeding instead.

Her thoughts went to taking care of him. From wiping at his injuries to brushing his hair to seeing to his meal. All of it unnecessary, of course, but still the way her mind worked.

Then she realized that she hadn't answered the question he'd asked her, "I did sleep well, master. I've never actually slept in the same bed with anyone before, but I slept surprisingly well," she hesitated to continue but knew she had to say something, "I'm sorry that I... that we... that..." she found herself unable to figure out how to say what was troubling her about the fact that she'd cuddled up to him as she had without making it sound as if they'd done anything wrong.

The surprising thing for her was that she'd felt so comfortable with him holding her. But she kept remembering that day when she'd woken up to find herself bound to him, when he'd implied that nothing intimate would ever happen between them. That one statement had left her telling herself to maintain distance from him in any way that involved intimacy so that she wouldn't offend him even as the rejection left her feeling woefully inadequate in a way she really couldn't define.

She finally cleared her throat and kept her eyes down as she collected the hairbrush and got to work on his hair, ignoring her own which was in a similar condition to his, "I slept well, Master," she finally went with the simple answer, hoping she could avoid anything that would make him uncomfortable even as she decided to sleep fully clothed from now on to avoid another repeat of this morning.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

It is such a good thing that our characters don't have realistic heart problems.

Shale just stood there for a minute while Ilea's panic settled into a rather protective pattern. He didn't move more than slightly so as to not make what she was doing harder. He knew that it could take awhile for the bleeding to stop if he didn't stop it with magic, but he didn't care. He wouldn't bleed out from any number of such injuries. He was actually mildly pleased that the golem suit had responded so quickly. It would take time for it to become more wise in when to act, but he had hope that it would eventually become second skin and last resort to her.

"Ilea, I designed it to prioritize you above anything else." He knew that a part of her couldn't hear him right then but she might understand later. "I am happy that it does what it is supposed to do."

He found himself thinking back to when they met while she tried to clean his hands and feet. Under the watchful gaze of the King and his Guardian the new baron had accepted a responsibility and a mission. He had also correctly identified what he needed to accomplish it and said what had to be said in order to secure those necessary components. But, looking back, he felt odd. Shale Azuranal had not felt anything positive for anyone. He had killed his own family because they were in the way. He would have thrown Ilea to Lareth's wrath without hesitating. Now, there was so much more that he perceived. Something very important was there in a place that had been dead and empty before.

Then Ilea started brushing his hair. She had stopped babbling uncertainly and fallen back on that old habit of being cautious. He closed his eyes. Her closeness was affecting him again. "This has been my first time sleeping with someone else too." He said quietly. He was feeling a little tired again. Odd... he shouldn't be. His skin gained a slight hint of amber as he reached up to catch her hand. "I slept well, too."

He turned his head to meet her eyes. They were only a short distance away. He felt tingles where their hands were touching. Then, the room lurched sideways and began to spin violently. His other hand clamped over the black scar as a spike of pain stole his breath for a moment, causing his eyes to go blank. The pain did not last but it had been strong enough and sudden enough that he hadn't been able to hide it this time. His control snapped back into place quickly but his grip on Ilea's hand was tighter than it was before. The room was still spinning.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Oh yeah...

Ilea reacted in ways that would have been predictable to her, though probably not to him. She caught it the instant the pain overwhelmed him and dropped the brush to catch him under his arm with a worried expression, "Master? You're not well..." she said softly, her worry filling her voice as she carefully lead him back into the bedroom, ignoring the tight grip to her hand and certainly not making any attempt to take it back from him.

Instead, she somehow managed to get him sitting down on the bed then laying back and one sheet pulled up over his waist all with just one hand to use, "What can I do, Master?" she asked him softly, her voice now bordering on panic once more.

She'd known what to do with Goh, every moment of every day and night. When he was injured, he either healed himself or allowed her to tend to him if he was feeling generous. He told her everything she needed to do until she didn't have to think about any of it, until it became second nature to her to know what she had to do for him.

With Shale she was treading on unknown ground, not certain what to do or say from one moment to the next. She was constantly worried about letting him down in some way, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, incurring punishment for anything she might say or do wrong, or damaging his standing with Lareth in any way. He didn't wear armor that she could remove for him or help him into, he didn't need or want her to bathe him, he didn't need her to cook for him, had banished her use of shadows since it was a power that Goh shared with her, didn't need her necromancy since his blood sorcery was so much more powerful...

And she didn't know how to handle him being hurt right now, "What can I do? I don't know what to do, Master..." she said in a soft whisper, her frustrations filling her with a silent anguish that she wasn't sure he would appreciate from her. But she was asking a question that showed him that she needed something she could do that was just for him, something that would be something only she could do that would help him right now.

Her entire focus was constantly on him and what she could do for him, learning everything he told her with so much attention to it all that it was almost frightening. Her desire to please was so total that it might as well have been part of her DNA. And right now, she could think of nothing to do. It was tearing her apart inside.

It wasn't helping much that she was realizing that she couldn't sleep peacefully unless she was beside him, that she needed to hear him saying she'd done something right, that she'd hear him say that she had something only she could do for him that no one else could do, a role in his life that no one else could have.

As her panic and frustration welled up inside of her, she found herself gently brushing a lock of his hair back from his face with a surprisingly tender touch as a single bloody tear rolled down her pale skin, "Please... Tell me something, give me something I can do..." she begged him in a soft whisper, not sure how to voice what she needed in this moment in order to take care of him.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Alright, and I hand the time-skip over to you.

Shale struggled to get the room to stop spinning. His eyes stayed open, their focus shifting from one swirling point to another as he tried to regain control of his perception and help Ilea with her increasing uncertainty and fear. He could hear it in her voice. He could feel it through their joined hands. He could sense it through the bond. But the pain pulsed and throbbed with every beat of his heart. The scar glowed with veins of amber pulsing against the black. It wasn't cold anymore but hot, hotter than the rest of him, hotter than he'd ever felt before now.

He finally shut his eyes to drive out the vertigo and then he realized what the pain really felt like. He found its name. It was a thing that he had lost long ago, what he had been missing for the past several centuries. The key to the very shape that he once could have taken.

He felt Ilea's touch on his face and a surge passed through him from the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes. He knew the name of his demon nature, the root of the ambition that had coldly driven him for most of his life. His eyes opened. They were no longer only black. Vertical slits of amber pierced them as his gaze locked with Ilea's. The room behind her continued to spin. He didn't care. His free hand reached up to cup her face and wipe the bloody tear away.

There had been a part of the bond that Shale had not been able to unlock. A kind of sharing that he had not been able to do. There had been a kind of trust that had been so far beyond him that he couldn't even conceive of it. Now, that part of the bond suddenly snapped open as he realized what it was. Suddenly his feelings, his confusion, his re-awakening and the true name of his strength flooded through the bond as he pulled Ilea's mouth to lock with his in a long, powerful kiss. Desire.

No other being could ever give him dreams in the dark. No other person could stand beside him as his partner in absolute and implicit trust. To no other person could he reveal any weakness or true need. But, beneath all of that was a single uncertainty. He didn't know what to do. Raw instinct and deep passion drove him but he didn't know what to do next. His body suit was still between them. The sheet was between them. The golem of his making was between them and he didn't want them to be but he still couldn't move well.

He pulled her against him tightly as the very blood on his hands began to shimmer with flecks of amber flame and his body glowed with golden amber. Then, his control managed one final thing. It managed to get him to relax his hold so that Ilea could move. There were no orders. This was a moment that he could give her something precious. But, only if she chose.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Done!

Ilea found her own world spinning as his eyes opened to meet hers, spinning even more as he wiped the tear from her face, then exploding as he pulled her down into a kiss that opened a flood of sensation inside of her that was beyond anything she'd ever felt before. She returned the fierce kiss by instinct at first, simply answering it with a soft gasp, a pleading moan, submitting to his sudden desire in pure perfection to what he needed from her.

She felt it in that moment, that need for something only she could give him, something only she could supply for him. She felt it deep inside of herself and answered that need with all the knowledge she'd been given over her years with Goh, giving him the basics of information he needed even as her bodysuit fled from her and her hands moved the sheet and set to work on him with a desire she'd never felt before.

Bloody tears still rolled from her eyes but they were tears of relief that he did want her, tears of desperation to fulfill his need of her right now, tears of hope that she wouldn't spoil this for him.

Her own need was awakened purely by that kiss so their first joining was frantic and rushed but no less gratifying. Their second was slower, encompassing the learning of each other purely for the sake of touch and the need to raise the desire more slowly. After that, she submitted to him in every way he needed her to until even she was exhausted.

She gave into his need for dominance gladly and found herself struggling to stay awake just in case he needed more of her in any way he might think of, even if it was simply to talk to her.

But she had to admit, deep inside of her, that she'd never achieved with Goh what she had with Shale and it surprised her. Even with his lack of experience, Shale had still pulled more screams and cries from her than Goh ever had, even while torturing her...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Caution to any readers that didn't get the memo! This is very intense.

Shale was a master. He had mastered magic that could erase entire lands. He had mastered arts of craftsmanship that could mimic life in all its details. But, most importantly of all, he had mastered the art of learning. Every hint of Ilea's experience that he could use, every twitch and sound, he learned them all.

By the time she lay half beside him and half on top of him he was well in command of exactly what things she liked best and knew on an instinctive level how to bring her even higher. Shale was tired. Ilea was tired. She needed a few minutes of rest, but his energy was still high, even after so much satisfaction. He was not finished yet. Inside him was a voice, a feral howl of dominant desire, and it was not ready to be quieted after such a long time muzzled. Part of him wanted to talk, to express his gratitude for who she was, his pride in how far she had come already, and his hope for a future for both of them. But, to form the words he would have to push his primal self back down. And, he didn't want to.

Ilea needed a few minutes. Shale gave her a few minutes. Letting her regain some strength while feeling her every breath on his chest. Then he ran his hand down her side, barely touching her skin until he reached her hip. That was when he nipped her neck, just beside the jungular, right where he knew she was most sensitive and also where she least expected it. Shale had begun this without any experience. That was clearly no longer the case.
Every lesson he had learned, he used. Every touch, every whispered growl, and especially the openness of the bond and the natural dominance that came so easily now.

Again and again he raised her to peaks and then allowed her to slide into restful valleys only to raise her again. But, when he finally began to feel his own energy wane he raised her to the highest peak and kept her there, not with magic, but with newly developed skill and drive, for nearly an hour without abating.

Then, and only then, did he finally settle in with her head on his chest and his arms around her, still touching each other in as many places as they could. Finally, his desire was eased. It was not truly sated but it would likely take many nights of such vigor to appease hundreds of years of enforced repression.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

And now for the morning worry! I am so loving this stuff!

Ilea had, in fact, passed out before he placed her head on his chest but not until after her voice had cracked with her final scream. This time, she didn't have to tell him anything or show him anything. This time, he showed her that he'd gone beyond mastering what she'd shown him. This time, he showed that he truly understood her completely. Including her need for pain.

He'd given her small pains, but they'd been enough. From that first bite to the last, effectively marking her pale skin in ways that would ache for a few days. Later, perhaps, he'd learn to embrace a slightly darker side of himself with her, but it was more than enough for now.

She snuggled against him, settling one arm over his waist as she sleepily rubbed her cheek against his chest and her body did what it had to do to get her breathing regularly.

Slowly, she settled into sleep fully, her body shivering as the sweat dried against her skin. But his body kept her warm enough, his arms around her keeping her from dreaming anything but the simple contentment she felt from having found something she could give him that no one else could, found a special place to fill, having finally done something for him that only she could do, having served him in ways that no one else ever had and brought him contentment.

She'd seen that slightly feral smile on his face when her voice had cracked in that final scream, a look that said he knew he'd made her do that just for him. That smile had filled her heart to bursting, knowing that she'd put that smile on his face...

She was hesitant when she woke again, her body remembering everything that happened before her brain registered it and sent her shifting against him in the process. But when her brain kicked in, she froze where she was, unable to move for two reasons: the first was uncertainty of how he'd react upon waking this time, the second was the fact that he was holding her where she was in a steel grip that ensured that she wouldn't be scrambling away this time.

Still, her uncertainty buzzed through her even as her body practically buzzed just from holding her like he was, as well as the marathon they'd done the night before. For all her confidence when things had started last night, that confidence had been in her skills, not in how he'd react after when reason would rear it's ugly head. Besides, that last time he'd shown her that the skills she possessed were now blown out of the water for good...

But would he resent the changes? Would he be upset with her for the change in their relationship? Would he remind her of their initial conversation and tell her to maintain her distance? Would he give her that one wonderful night then banish her to being nothing more than the servant she'd been created to be, just as Goh had done to her on the night and day after she'd been created?

She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to calm herself as she waited for him to wake and reveal how he'd truly react to what had happened. Only that would tell her how she needed to react, what she would need to do. But when she closed her eyes, she was left with her other senses: hearing his breathing and heartbeat, feeling his skin moving under her as he breathed, smelling his unique scent that actually left his taste on the back of her tongue... It was enough to having part of her wonder if maybe... just maybe...