Forsaken < corby- rissa - lil' >

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain

The human didn’t have to ask him to stay by her side. It would have taken an earth quake to move him, and even then…even if an endless abyss should have opened and swallowed him whole, the dragon would have climbed up from hell in order to get back to her.
Kyle didn’t know why he felt so strongly towards a prophet that was practically a stranger to him. Perhaps the unfamiliar invasion of emotions had somehow reawakened a soul that had long been quiescent. Perhaps he had been so forlorn and for so long, that he didn’t realize that his heart would react of its own accord in order to save itself from withering completely. For whatever reason he felt profoundly close to this mortal, and quixotic or not he meant to keep her safe and do whatever it took to make her content.

The shifter was glad when peaceful sleep finally stole her from the light of day, for when the doctor arrived to poke, prod, and move those weak and wounded muscles which had been latent for weeks; it was without tears or cries of pain. Had she been awake those cries would have made Kyle toss the physician out even though her intentions were for the human’s well being. Call him protective. He was a freaking pit bull when it came to the broken Lillie.

That tossing almost occurred when one moment the tests were being done and the human flat lined for a mere moment. Every one of Kyle’s muscled tensed and he held his breath; hands balled into fists to keep from striking out at the cursed monitor that displayed the pause of Lillie’s heart beat as a garish straight line.
The practiced doctor was able to revive the stubborn heart quickly, but even then the shifter did not dare breathe again until she was pulling off her gloves and rechecking the saline drips that now sat beside Kyle’s bed and hung from the humans arm while she slept.

The physician gave him explicit instructions on Lillie’s care which included rest, rest, meds, and more rest; making him vow to call on her if the woman’s condition changed AT ALL. Of course the dragon agreed to said coaching and promise; inwardly warming at the fact that Lillie would be in -his- bed for at least a week, if not more. Unbidden, and completely uncharacteristic for the dragon, his body tightened with thoughts of the human clothed in nothing but his downy sheets and immediately his face turned ruddy as he distracted himself with the tubes attached to Lillie’s inner arm.

The day turned into twilight too soon, and Kyle sat softly on the other side of the bed watching the human’s eyes twitch while she dreamed. A yawn stretched his mouth wide as he wondered what she was seeing behind those velvet eyelids, and a glimmer of foreign hope surged through him that maybe, just maybe she was thinking of him.

It had been four days since the dragon had taken rest, and even then it was for a few short hours. Kyle exhaled heavily and meant to get up to move onto the settee that was opposite the bed, but unable to keep his eyes open, he collapsed beside the human atop the covers and tumbled into much needed unconsciousness.

[Lillie Galleau]

With the early morning sunshine peeking in through the bedroom windows, Lillie woke in the same way she had been for the past seven days; slowly. For once, her dreams had been relatively pleasant, being filled with the feeling of flight, of being held in strong, safe arms as she was freed from her prison cell. Almost greedily, she hung onto that blissful feeling of freedom, trying to will herself back to sleep.

After a few minutes of lying on her back, she accepted the fact that there was no going back. So, as she’d done every day, she would slowly move her arms and legs, testing the wounds and brittle bones. If pain didn’t scream through her body, she’d take an experimental breath, flip over onto her hands and knees, and make her way over to one of the less stale bodies of water near the opposite wall. She’d take slow sips, try not to cut her palms on stray pieces of bone…

But there was no bone, was there? Her hands flexed under soft satin sheets and her breath caught. No scuttling nails on cobbles, or dirt covered pieces of mold. The fresh, clean smell of open air replaced the expected dampness, and, best of all…she could feel sunlight on her face.

Oh God, she hadn’t been dreaming about flying. Kyle had come for her and taken her away, and oh Lord, don’t start bawling, don’t start bawling…

Trying to keep quiet, just in case the dragon himself was trying to rest nearby, she lifted a hand experimentally up to her face, swiping at the tears there. Her eyes were covered in some kind of ointment, but she didn’t care, especially when she realized that she was finally able to open them fully. Next, she moved her arms and legs, running her fingers over the scratchy cast on her hand. Her fingers had been set, her midsection bandaged so deep breaths only made her half-nauseous…

She was safe. The doctor had come, she wasn’t in her cell, her kidnapper wasn’t around and…oh damn, there went the urge to bawl again. Quick, think of something else!

Wiping furiously at her eyes, she turned her head on the pillow as a soft sound reached her. That spicy scent surrounded her, thanks to being wrapped up in his sheets, but it was somehow stronger if she turned to the left. Going still, she strained to listen, wishing for the umpteenth time that she could see what was around her. Who was there? Where was Kyle?

Her answer came as she slowly inched closer toward the noise and realized that it was the soft puff of a snore. Her lips twitched into a smile. Slowly, so she didn’t jolt the bed and wake him, she moved closer to that wonderful sound, until the IV’s in her opposite arm made her stop. She was achy, groggy from the medicine and her stomach was demanding that she pay attention to it, but for some odd reason, the only thought running through her mind was that she wished the IV gave her more slack, so she could rest her head on his shoulder.

Her hero, the dragon-man. Wouldn’t the tabloids love that?

After a minute of lying there, basking in his presence- and the fact that he wasn’t poofing, stiffening up like a gargoyle or doing his gruff, tough, ‘don’t touch me’ thing- she slowly went back to her side of the bed. With the way her skin itched and her hair practically stuck to her neck, she was making a mess of the poor man’s sheets. A small trip to the bathroom wouldn’t kill her, and oh, the thought of getting up and walking on smooth wood floors was decadent. Grasping the rolling IV stand for support, she pushed herself out of the bed, disabeling the other machines along the way.

One good thing about being blind, she thought, holding onto the metal stand for dear life, was the fact that she couldn’t see the room spinning. She kept herself quiet, determined not to disturb her bunkmate, and slowly shuffled forward, her casted arm hooked around the rolling stand while the other felt out for obstacles. In no time, she found a doorway, felt cool tiles on her toes and smiled widely.

Score one for the not-victim!

…Now, if only she hadn’t misjudged the doorway. Taking a step forward, she proceeded to walk smack into the doorway, bumping her head and causing the IV stand to crash against the wall. With a yelp, she tangled herself in the lines, lost her shaky balance and, with a thump, fell on her butt in front of the bathroom door.

“Well…that definitely didn’t go as planned. Mission Control, we have a problem…”

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away

The grass beneath his feet was soft and cool. They were bare and the green shafts tickled between his toes when he flexed them. Turning his face up to the sky, Kyle breathed in the sweet smell of night blooming jasmine and something stronger; like oil paint on crisp canvas dancing on the breeze.
The heavens were painted hues of vivid lavender and light ginger; a perfect depiction of the dusky sky that he always favored. He imagined it tasted like ice cream, particularly orange creamcicle or some other summer delight, and it made him feel something he hadn’t in ages; light…content.

The shifters body was more relaxed than it had been in what seemed like forever, as if there had been no fighting or those wounds that healed on the outside but remained within. His worries were but dust on the wind; a memory, a fading ache that had been somehow lifted from his soul.

That deep flowery scent wafted to him again and glancing to the west, he knew the cause of his lack of tension.
The figure of a woman stood outlined by the vibrant ethereal light; the colors of sunset seeming to caress her gentle curves like a celestial kiss. Her soft russet hair hung loose and moved with the breeze; golden strands shimmering within the brown like a secret treasure.

Kyle was uplifted. He hadn’t visioned a peaceful dream of his wife in an eternity, but there she stood in all her magnificence, bathed in autumnal twilight and seemingly waiting for his arms to wind around her.
The distance between them was only a whisper. The dragon was suddenly at her back, gently pushing aside her satiny locks s that he could press his lips to her swan neck. He inhaled deeply of her, intoxicated by that heady aroma. Gods, had she always smelled this good?

Dropping his arms, he snaked them around her tiny waist, tucking his face into the curve of her throat. His body hummed with an electric charge. Kyle moaned. It had been so long since he craved a woman, he had forgotten how demanding it was. He pressed the rigid part of himself against the arch of her rear and growled softly in his throat.
Unable to help himself, the shifter spun the woman around intent on devouring her lips.
His eyes widened and his jaw went slack, for the female he had mistaken for his wife was another. Lillie gazed back at him with that familiar sweet smile stretched across her virtuous face. The breath sawed out past his lips, the hunger for a woman that he knew he could not deny, but could not have still resonating inside of him.

Her eyes…usually the opalescent white, stared back at him an intense blue; the color of the sea, and powerful emotion crashed into him like the unforgiving tide.
“Help me…” She whispered and just as she stood up on tip-toes to inch her face closer to his, thunder rolled across the sky loud and menacing.
The sound woke him with a violent start. It hadn’t been thunder at all, but the sound of the Prophet tumbling to the ground.

“Lillie!” Kyle croaked, jumping from the bed and rushing to her side; his gentle hands hauling her up from the plank floor.
“What hurts? I don’t want to move you if it will cause further pain.”

His brow was etched deeply in concern, startled azure eyes taking in her bruise mottled skin and the way tiny gooseflesh had risen all over it. She was chilled and shaking like a petal during a windstorm. The dragon could suffer her suffering no longer.
Snaking a strong limb around her he hoisted her up into his arms, his worried gaze darting from the bed back to the bathroom as understanding began to creep into his mind.

“You should have wakened me. I am willing to help in anyway I can.” A blush crept over his usually stoic face then; his mouth softening from that harsh frown to almost a smile.

[Lillie Galleau]

I am safe, when I am with you
And I feel warm, If you want me too
I am cured, when I'm by your side

[/color]



Damn, talk about embarassing. One would think that she’d have other things to worry about besides her Galleau Family Pride, but there she was, turning scarlet under the bruises on her face. With a defeated sigh and a whimper of discomfort as she attempted to rearrange herself in order to stand, she let herself lean back against the offending wall.

She had no idea where this sudden desire for normalcy came from, but she felt as if she needed to go to the bathroom on her own. She needed to wash her face and her hair, until all traces of that cobbled hell was soaped away; she needed to walk on her own. Her common sense let her know how good of an idea all of that was with an inner roll of her eyes. She’d just been busted out of the prison, she probably looked like a zombie out of some random B horror movie, and every time she even THOUGHT about standing, her teeth ached.

Yet, as she allowed herself to be picked up and huddled in Kyle’s arms, she couldn’t help that feeling of defeat.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” She said, voice slightly muffled as she turned her face into him. God, the man was like a walking incense stick. All it took was one deep breath, and she felt calm seep in through that crazed tangle of emotions caught up in her brain. “I was feeling much better and I didn’t want to ruin your sheets, so I thought I’d take a little stroll to the bathroom…but the wall got in my way.”

She brought a hand up to her stuff and scraggly hair as she spoke, wincing at the thought of what might be sticking to those once soft strands, then tilted her head up toward him. It felt so good to be held in his arms, and she couldn’t help but inch closer.

In a dramatic whisper, she put on a mock serious tone. “Kyle, walking into that wall’s made me realize…I think there might be something wrong with my eyes.”

It was a lame attempt at humor, but she couldn’t help herself. She had a feeling that, without it, she was liable to breakdown bawling like a crazy person. She figured the poor man had had enough drama in his life so far; he didn’t need a human watering pot to make his rug all soggy.

Cracking a smile, she let loose a snort of laughter before resting her head on his shoulder again. She felt tired yet again all of a sudden, but the urge to get clean was still just as strong as it had been before. Not to mention that the thought of running water practically had her eyeballs floating.

His last statement had her blushing as well. She probably couldn’t manage to stand under the shower for too long without toppling over, but she didn’t think she could survive his help either. Though, the thought of his wet, soapy body pressed against her back in the shower…

Whoof, okay, she was definitely getting better if she could go in THAT mental direction. Kyle’s doctor friend was a miracle worker.

“I just wanted to get clean,” She said softly after a minute, feeling the need to explain. “I’m sorry I woke you. I just wanted…I just wanted to feel like me again.”

And there she went again; tumbling into that web of emotion. She felt so damn small, like she was being pulled in all kinds of different directions, each feeling wanting to be King of the Darn Hill over its brothers. Gently, she pulled away from him, closing her eyes. She felt like she was in an emoational overdrive…but wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Wasn’t she supposed to feel numb? She’d been that way with her kidnapper, but now that she was free…

With a grumble, she rubbed at her eyes and jerked at the tug of the IV’s on her arm. Frustration, anger, shame, embarrassment…jeeze, stop the ride, she wanted to get off! Giving up on pulling away as that Incense Factor started doing its thing, she leaned against him again.

“I’m sorry, I’m just a little neurotic at the moment. Can you help me into the bathroom? You don’t have to stay; I’ll just use the IV stand and sink for support. Maybe with you around, that evil wall won’t attack me.”


[/center]

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You're safe and sound and
Until now it's where I've been


I am small
And I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your name
Just Your name and I'm ready to jump
Even ready to fall...

Kyle felt his lips curve up into a genuine smile. After all that the human had been through, and she still had a sense of humor that could rival the Golden Girls even on their best day. The sideways grin not only softened the dragon’s usually tense face, but it seeped into him, flowing through his tense muscles like a spreading warmth and radiating through his tawny skin in a way that was probably noticeable to the perceptive female.
The aberrant desire to press a kiss to her forehead sprang up within him, but the shifter just held his breath, ignoring the itching in his lips.

His gaze followed her hand as it lifted gingerly to her tousled hair; keen ears picking up the slight cringe as it found the matted strands. Kyle wanted to reassure her that no matter the condition of her locks she was still utterly breathtaking, but the moment she turned her angelic face up towards his the dragon lost his breath. Had he been more open of heart he would have pressed his own to them; tasted the essence he was so hungry for. But he was not open, nor brave in this instance, and so he held his breath in as she followed with another joke in a rough, sensual voice.

The joke was trailed by a contagious laughter that made the tenseness melt out his shoulders, and shaking his head, Kyle let out a rumble of his own that shook the female slightly when she laid her head in the crook of his neck. Though the mirth was light like a summer breeze, the ancient shifter could still hear the uncertainty in the faintest crack in Lillie’s voice, and before he thought better of it, he brought a hand to her chin to tilt her face up just slightly, his cobalt eyes darting back and forth between her pale orbs as if she might be able to see them.

“I see nothing wrong with your eyes Lillie. Behind them I see visions that will save thousands of innocents. In my opinion that makes them superior to those that can only see the lucid path before them.” The dragon was stilled for a moment; barely breathing as his finger softly traced the outline of her jaw. It was too much. He squeezed his eyes shut and mentally berated himself for once again letting himself get too spellbound by the prophet.

Remember her safety…
The angry voice resonated in his mind over and over, and he shook his head to clear the trance he’d let capture his better judgment.

Lillie’s statement about feeling like herself again sent the dragon into a tumble of hesitancy. He ached to help her regain her sense of self. After the trauma that she’d been through and survived, she deserved a bit of normalcy. However, the thought of just what it meant to help her resembled nothing that was typical. Kyle wasn’t sure Lillie wanted him to assist her in the way he had in mind; hell, he wasn’t sure he could follow through without seizing up and escaping to what was comfortable for him, but…he had to try. He needed to. At that moment was a requirement for the dragon as much as breathing.

“Yes. Let me help you.” Kyle answered her frustrated request, reaching out to gently remove the IV drip just as the doctor had explained. He held the place in her inner arm where the needle had been inserted, keeping a gentle pressure on it until he was sure it would not bleed, and then pushed the stand aside. Winding a brawny arm around her waist Kyle led her slowly into the large bathroom, pausing to guide her down to the edge of a deep claw footed tub. “Hold on for a moment.” He told her and led her hand up to a towel bar for support.
Moving to a cabinet full of things he never used, Kyle shuffled through the bottles and jars until he found what he needed; a little vial of rose scented bath liquid that had been left by the former owner of the plantation.

Leaning over the bath, he turned on the water, waiting a moment for the tub to fill before tipping the pink gel into the stream. Immediately it produced fluffy aromatic bubbles that made even the stoic shifter smile before moving back to the female that was waiting.

He offered a hand to help her stand, then reached for an over sized white towel that hung from a nearby rack. “The tub should be filled in a moment. If you like, I can hold this towel up in front while you disrobe. I will close my eyes so that I won’t see. I give you my word that they will remain closed as I help you in as well.”

[Lillie Galleau]

I'll stay with you
The walls will fall before we do
Take my hand now
We'll run forever
I can feel the storm inside you
I'll stay with you

[/color]



Well, if anything good could come out of losing one’s mind, that rumble of laughter was definitely it. In her mind’s eye, she saw a hardened warrior when she thought of Kyle; severe frowns, serious tones, an ever calculating mind. And the fact that she, Lillie Galleau, had managed to make him crack a smile and laugh? Ah man, better than winning the lotto. He was, as her favorite liked to describe the hero’s in the story, ‘much too worldly.’

The poor man. Well, all she knew was that if he stayed around her for too long, he could probably add ‘fat,’ and ‘stark raving made’ to his list of attributes. For one thing, when she got well enough not to mimic a garage sale water weeble, she was definitely going to bake him things as a ‘thank you for saving my life’ kind of gift. And for another…well, move over Lillie the Wonder Slut, Neurotic Lillie is in the HOUSE! The fighter definitely had mountains of paitnece if he could put up with the laughing-crying events that she just knew were coming.

Then again, he wasn’t going to hang around for long, was he? Her hand gripped his arm as he hoisted her up- okay, even if a week’s worth of starvation made her attain her goal weight, she was just waiting for a grunt- and she had to school her face. She liked to pride herself on being able to read people without having to see them, and every time Kyle pulled away, or did that shutter-voice thing, where she knew he was trying to tamp down on some bout of emotion…he was pulling away.

Oh, how strange it was to feel a pang of hurt at the thought of not hearing that hypnotic voice ever again. Not to mention the sudden, insane urge to tie herself to his legs.

Great, she’d been kidnapped by psycho and the craziness had rubbed off. Lillie the Neurotic Stalker was her new name. Oh joy. What would come next in the mental conga line? Plant a tracking device in his underwear? Mmm…if he even wore underwear. There went the urge to drool again—

All thoughts froze as she felt those callous fingers on her chin and trailing along her jaw. Those little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she felt the curious temptation to turn her lips toward those scarred knuckles and place a kiss there, especially as his compliment caused a smile to slide onto her face.

Oh, there you are, Wonder Slut. Well, she’d rather her than Neurotic Stalker.

As if in a daze, her cheeks tingling from where he touched her, Lillie allowed herself to be led into the bathroom. Man, the guy was all solid muscle, she thought absently, taking advantage of his closeness to lean on him slightly. Not to mention that he smelled good…really good.

With a mental ‘down girl,’ she hung onto the towel wrack and listened as he bustled around the room. When the smell of roses came to her, another smile twisted her lips. “That smells wonderful, Kyle,” She said, running her hand over the bubbles slowly growing in the tub. Her mouth opened to continue, to tell him that he could leave now, but she snapped it shut as he spoke again.

Lillie the Wonder Slut practically melted at the opportunity to get naked. Maybe if she batted the towel away and gave him a big smile, he’d get in there with her?

…Yeah, that was why WS didn’t get a lot of airtime. Kyle would DEFINITELY want to jump into the tub with her looking like a B movie zombie, twitching every time the air blew on her too hard, and smelling like an armpit. Right.

Reaching for the towel, Lillie nodded, face warming. “Yeah, that would be great. Don’t want to make you go blind or anything, right? Then where would we be?”

A half hearted laugh escaped her and, as she heard the towel flutter up and out, she started to slip off her robe. Oh, he’d better not be looking…especially now, in neurotic mode and almost broken. She could only imagine what she looked like, given the aches and pulls of bruised muscle as she moved. Raising her arm enough to slide the silk sleeve over her cast was a bit tricky, but she managed with only a few whispered curses. And, in true Lillie fashion, she refused to give into the awkward silence that lurked around them, talking as she awkwardly undressed.

“Man, your doctor friend did a really good job, Kyle. I don’t really feel too bad anymore, and it’s only been…what? A day or so? I feel like I could actually walk around on my own without walking into a door. Gotta love these pain meds, huh? I bet you can appreciate them, being so old. Er…not that you’re old…Whoof, this cast is huge, too. I think I could probably club someone to death with it!”

Carefully, she unwound the bandages from her ribs, hopped around to make sure that her legs weren’t about to give out under her- that was all either of them needed; coma by bathtub rim- and finally reached out to find one of the hands he held out. Brushing her fingers against his knuckles, she did her best to keep her voice light and perky.
“I’m…um, ready for you to help me into the tub now.” She said, stumbling over the ‘okay, I’m naked!’ that came to her lips.

Oh, if only her legs weren’t wet noodles. If the warmth was anything to go by, every square inch of her now bare body was fire engine read. Joy.


[/center]

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

The way you're bathed in light
reminds me of that night
god laid me down into your rose garden of trust
and I was swept away
with nothin' left to say
some helpless fool
yeah I was lost in a swoon of peace

Kyle had to force his eyes shut. The faint blush that crept across her pale cheek at his offer to help brought on a wave of warmth through him that lingered in the fingertips that brushed hers as she accepted the towel, and traveled down to rest as a tremble in the pit of his stomach.
Close, damn you. Close!
The lids had just about slid shut when the strained teasing came from the humble woman, and once again they were wide with disbelief. His jaw dropped open as if to argue; even wounded and bruised she was ethereal in his eyes. He couldn’t see the black-blue discolorations or the swollen eyelids, only a woman that still managed to steal his heart beat and his breath with the simple quirk of her mouth or sway of those perfect, curvy hips. Dear God, what was he thinking?

The shifter chose to let the question go unanswered lest he tell her the truth; that after years of building an obstinate fortification, the mere movement of her lips had it crumbling like the Berlin wall. He hungered like a starving man; the only ration that would sate him being her lips. For all the strength and iron will he had, a wisp of a woman had broken him.

But to voice this reality would be too dangerous. Kyle was still adamant that an intimacy between him and the human would only bring her more risk. The shifter was far stronger when weakening human sentiments weren’t involved.
He would be her protector, but from afar. Being this close to her was almost maddening. Of course, another threat loomed in the dragon’s mind. For all the strength he thought to carry, if he were to confess his emotions and the woman were to deny him, certainly the heart within his chest would wither and die.

“Yes, she is as skilled as she is kind.” Kyle said through a clenched jaw, finding it hard to keep the promise that his eyes would stay closed. The sound of silk on her skin, and then the soft thud as it hit the floor echoed through him like the clash of thunder. He could smell Lillie’s temperature rising and the smell of jasmine blooming heavily from her dominated even the rosy bubbles.

Her comment about his age and the pain medication brought a relaxed smile to his face. “Actually, I’ve never used pain medication.” He answered her in an amused tone, “Despite my old, decrepit age…I manage to get around.” With this statement came an actual chuckle and he shook his head as she lightly at the thought of her clubbing Corbin to death with the cast on her arm. “Yes, Lillie. I imagine you can take out one or two linebackers with that thing. If the linebackers in the PeeWee division weren’t very large…”

Was that humor from the dragon’s lips? Had the temperature in hell dropped below freezing?!

The tips of Lillie’s fingertips against his knuckles pulled the humor right out of him. Her words caused his heart to drop into his belly. She was before him unclothed, the aroma of her tepid body driving him insane. Surely it was the summer heat that had her blooming so opulently. Kyle could not see her want for him. He was blinded to it. Another defense mechanism he had put in place to keep him celibate. After his wife and the numerous women he had been forced to lie with, the dragon hadn’t been able to fathom that there would ever again be a female that could move him as much as his mate had. How wrong he had been…

Swallowing thickly to dislodge the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, Kyle nodded quietly. There was no way around touching her, and the thought terrified the formidable shifter. “Slowly…” He said in a raspy whisper as he moved to gently wrap her arm around his shoulder so that she could use his weight to step into the bath. His eyes were still pinched closed but there was no mistaking the soft thump of the towel dropping to the plank floor, and then the sensation of her porcelain skin against him. Kyle inhaled sharply and held it in, finding himself unable to move as the soft peak of her breast brushed against his chest. He bit hard into his bottom lip, eyes still closed but tilting his face down as if through those lids he could see her. The male exhaled; ragged and shaky. “Lillie…” he breathed huskily. He could move no further. The animal in him was intoxicated by the perfume of her desire, and he didn’t want to chance letting it rule his rationale. There was no denying the yearning she had for him; not when there were no clothing barriers to keep the sweet scent of it from drifting to his nostrils. Perhaps it was the pain medication she had spoken so highly of…of course, they were tampering with her emotions. That must be it…

[Lillie Galleau]

Give me your own special smile
Promise you'll never leave me
Just you 'n me
Simple and free
Life is so easy
When you're beside me

[/color]



With a laugh, Lillie couldn’t help but shake her head. Oh, if only she wasn’t standing in front of him naked, without knowing for sure whether or not he was staring at her. Well, okay, so she would probably have some idea if she was being ogled, and there was also the fact that Kyle was definitely too honorable to peek after promising not to.

…Was it wrong to feel a bit disappointed about that? Oh, wait, B movie horror extra; yes, it was very wrong.

“I’ll have you know that I can club like the best of ‘em, Mr. Dragon. You should see me during Mardi Gras. All those drunks think that the blind lady is this weak little thing, but lemme tell you; they leave the Quarter with cane imprints on their heads.” She laughed again, putting a dramatic confidence in her tone. Man, just leave it to a few teasing words to have a girl feeling a bit more relaxed. All of that tension she felt, all that emotional seesawing seemed to fade away, a strange warmth spreading through her chest as his laughter filled up the room.

She always did love that peaceful moment right in the middle of a storm. It was quiet; a respite from the howling winds and pouring rain, giving each and every person riding it out a sense that there was something nice on the horizon.

This was definitely that storm. As they shared casual jokes, especially hearing that rumble of rusty laughter, she was able to forget for a minute that she was both naked and in the same room with him while naked. But once the laughter petered out and she heard his heavy footsteps come closer, the rain started right back up again.

If she hadn’t been blushing before, she sure as hell had to be lighting up the bathroom by now. She was shivering when the heat slithering off his body wrapped around her, and started when the chorded thickness of his arm gently guided her arm to his shoulders, practically gasping.

And if all that wasn’t enough of a show? Either the Wonder Slut version of herself had overrode all iodas of common sense, or her boobs had decided to stage a mutiny against her brain. No, no, you wanton hussies, do NOT turn on those headlights! And in no way was she to arch her back slightly, or inch closer to him…damn it! What was she? Some kind of demented sex kitten? The man was SO not interested! He ran away from her when she was going to kill him, for crying out loud! He turned into a brick wall when she touched him! He just wasn’t that into her?

Oh stuff it and shut up for once, a voice in her head sighed and, with a stubborn sort of finality, common sense was thrown out on its behind.

There was just something about that sense of control that came with the desperate tone of his voice, she thought absently. Bringing her good hand up, she trailed her fingers gently over his forehead, then lower to his eyes. “You really did keep your eyes closed,” She said softly, a hint of amusement in her voice. Slowly, they slid lower.

“I like it when you say my name like that. It makes me feel special.” She tapped a finger against where he was gnawing at his lip, a frown pulling at her own. “Don’t do that; don’t hurt yourself. It’s alright…”

In all of her life, Lillie had never done anything out of the ordinary. She was the good girl, the predictable girl, the girl who relied on timetables and schedules to make her colorless world tolerable. She was definitely not one to break out of habit, or to put herself out on a ledge…so when she brought her lips to his, gently attempting to kiss the sting of his teeth away, she couldn’t help but wonder what had changed.

In the back of her mind where it had been quarantined, Common Sense whispered that all of this was a bad idea. For one thing, she was definitely not in any condition to do anything but sit her butt down in the bathtub and wash the blood off her hair. For another; wasn’t the dragon’s goal in life to get away from her, when he wasn’t obsessing over killing a witch and finding his son? She didn’t do one night stands, or casual relationships, though on more than one occasion, she wished it were true. She gave all of herself; every single piece, and if she opened herself up to Kyle, she was destined for pain, wasn’t she?

Didn’t I tell you to shut up? That soothing, mischievous voice was back, and with it, the heady desire that practically blew through her as she inched closer to him. He would probably push her away, claim that he was too dangerous, or that her mind was clouded from medicine or trauma…but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Especially not with her name on his lips.

---

((Okay, so I pretty much just typed this up on a whim after seeing your IM's. We could do a 'and it goes so far but the bath and the healing comes first sort of thing, because that would seem more realistic to me, but I can run with anything. ^_^ ))

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[Kyle Aodhagán †]

oh yeah, we meet again
it's like we never left
time in between was just a dream
did we leave this place?
this crazy fog surrounds me
you wrap your legs around me
all I can do to try and breathe

Kyle had always preferred to be emotionally empty. It was just easier than to have to deal with the pain that sentiments never failed to cause.
The loss of his wife and child had eaten up everything that was inherently good in the ancient shifter. It had left him virtually dead, tired, and angry; which for the first few years had nearly caused him to go insane with guilt.
Lashing out at everyone that came in contact with him, innocents included, he ended up hurting more people than he helped.

Eventually the pain began to dull, and the dragon found it was less complicated to simply become detached rather than get emotionally involved with things that were going on around him; especially when it involved the humans he was trying to protect from all the things; like him, that went ‘bump’ in the night.

So when this fragile, unassuming woman invited a wave of feelings that threatened to drown him, Kyle wasn’t ready for it. Nor was he expecting the feel of her fingertips against his closed eyelids and lips to rouse the already growing shower into a full blown tempest. He shuddered raggedly and willed his eyes to remain closed, but his senses were acting on impulse, snapping open to take in her stunning natural form.

Even bruised and broken it was the most stunning masterpiece his eyes had beheld in centuries. Her alabaster skin was absolutely perfect; his startling azure gaze didn’t even perceive the blue, black and brown blotches or the welts that were just beginning to heal.
The shifter was far too captured by the rosy peak of her perfect breasts; the tight little buds of her nipples causing all the moisture to suddenly vacate from his mouth. Gods, he was so thirsty. So very, very thirsty.

And then her lips were upon his and suddenly the dragon lost all train of rational thought.
Unbidden, a quiet moan of longing escaped him, and before Kyle knew what he was doing, his arm wound around her, pulling her against him.
The other hand lifted to the back of her head; fingertips intertwining with those tousled satiny locks as they drew her back towards his lips; the concentrated look of need lucid in his gem-blue eyes.

If the dragon had been able to help himself, he might have made that first real kiss something gentle; an embrace out of a fairytale novel or a romantic movie, but he could not, and so Kyle kissed Lillie with a desperate fervor; a man taking his first drink of water in centuries.

The shifter wasn’t expecting the decadent taste of her. He hadn’t anticipated that once he had savored her, there would be no going back.
He tried to stop himself. He didn’t want to feel this desire; this desperate need for the prophet. Kyle wanted more than anything to refuse this dangerous hunger; to pull away from the woman and escape the fire that she’d lit within him. But he found he could not let go of her. The flames were all consuming.

The shifters body hardened into stone, and his skin was tight all over. His hand fell down to the arch of her back and he gently pulled her into his body; gasping for air as he finally broke the passionate kiss.
Panting, he leaned his forehead down to rest on hers; his body tingling all over with unexpected and undeniable need. But the rational part of him had reared its ugly head, and the -one- thought that could have stopped him from devouring her hit him like a ton of bricks.

She needed to heal. He was only going to hurt her more…

“Lillie…” He murmured in a breathless rasp. “Please forgive me…”

[Lillie Galleau]

Oh good Lord and anyone else listening in, this man was a walking aphrodisiac. Forget chocolate, pretty sunsets, winning the lotto or making out with Jensen Ackles; if the house around them proceeded to blow up and the world swallowed by a freaking alien, Lillie would not have cared one bit. Stars collided and eons came and went as she stood encircled in those muscled arms, and if the heat currently roaring through her body was anything to go on, the sun had just exploded above her head.

A shiver clawed its way over her skin as she fell against his chest, eyes rolling back in utter bliss as he pulled her closer. Nothing had ever tasted so good, or felt so damn right, than making out with a dragon that was going to break her china heart.

She wound her casted arm around his neck, using her free hand to trace her fingers lightly over his cheek, before slithering down to the broad sweep of his shoulder and the rigid muscle of his chest. She wanted to learn him, to see him in the only way that she knew how, and damn if she didn’t want to rip off that stupid cast for getting in the way of her exploration!

Slowly, that wonderful little voice whispered as she met his lips, heat for heat. He was so darn strong, so wounded from the past, that if she pushed too hard, she might scare him away. Funny, how the thought had her pressing closer, curiosity and desire swirling in her chest. Little ‘ol plain her had made the brooding dragon want her…moan for her. Holy crap, it was just wrong how good that felt.

It must be some kind of control thing, after living in a cell for a week. Yeah, that’s right, she told herself, a different kind of shiver running up her spine. She wasn’t acting at all like her kidnapper…it was a trauma thing. A womanly thing.

A freaking terrifying thing. It was like adding oxygen to a banked fire; all these new thoughts swirling around in that maze of crazy emotion. The only thing that kept her from flying apart was Kyle, and she hung on for dear life.

As his hands came to the small of her back, pulling her closer, she couldn’t help but gasp. The rasp of his jeans and the smooth slide of skin on skin was mesmerizing, and she couldn’t help but move closer, needing more. With a gasp, she pulled back just enough to run the tip of her tongue over the seam of his lips, her good hand cupping the back of his head, wondering what his hair would have felt like if he’d grown it out.

But then, as in the gallery and the warehouse…he was gone.

God, it actually hurt to have him to stop kissing her. Biting on her lower lip to keep herself from socking him somewhere vulnerable for not continuing to inhale her face, she returned the lean, closing her eyes as she fought to breathe.

See, told you that was all a bad idea. Damn Common Sense had come back into the picture again, how wonderful. And, as if to add insult to injury, as she tried to un-melt herself from his chest, her bruised ribs screamed its annoyance. With a hiss, she pulled away, her hand going to her side as if to ward off the sting. She cursed under her breath, then let out an irritated sigh.

Reality was such an annoying little thing sometimes. If only they could have stayed in that magical moment forever…

With a little ‘tsking’ sound that served to ward off any panic on his part and an argument against his words, Lillie moved back to him, good hand coming up to cup his cheek. “If you’re trying to apologize for making my legs think they’re jello molds, I think I’ll accept.” She said with a smile, smoothing her thumb over his cheekbone.

“Now’s not the time for anything but bathing, I know. But I want you to know, Kyle…” Okay, so here came the hard part. Was she even supposed to be going this far into Truth-ville? Then again, he’d just discovered how nicely cut her back molars were; maybe she could just come out and say it. That’s right, Lil, put yourself out there…she could do it. Women in the movies did, didn’t they? “Um…I want…that is…um…you’re a great kisser.”

Wimp.

With an inner wince, the prophet turned suddenly and took a step toward the sound of running water. She could definitely get into the bathtub without his help, and she did just that, sliding into the bubbles with a little splash. She was pink all over, both from embarrassment and the urge to pull him into the tub with her and with a slosh of rose scented water, she shut off the faucet. Immediately, she dunked her head under the water, hoping that the steam would melt all the mush between her ears and bring her back to reality.

Of course the dragon would have kissed her like he was ready to eat her lips. She was naked, he was so obviously sexually frustrated…damn, she really had to get out more. Emerging, she scrubbed at her hair, then leaned back against the tub as much as she could, sighing in absolute bliss as the warmth from the water eased the soreness in her body. Huh, for a few seconds there, he’d made her forget about the aches and bruises. Definitely a good kisser.

Scooping the bubbles around her- the guy had just gotten an eyeful, but she felt the need to cover herself, strange as it was- she fiddled with a washcloth she found hanging on the side of the tub.

“So this is your house? It echoes like it’s huge… Oh, um, that is, you don’t have to stay in here or anything. I can wash and then call you when I’m done. Or you can just leave the towel somewhere and tell me, and I’ll meet you in the bedroom. Er, outside. Well, not outside, but out of the bathroom.”

Yeesh. If only he would kiss her again; THAT would shut her up.

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Life is like a shooting star
It don't matter who you are
If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time
We are lost 'till we are found
This phoenix rises up from the ground
And all these wars are over

Kyle didn’t want to let her go. The absence of her warmth against him was like being thrust into the midnight darkness after being embraced by the sun.
It took all the will he had not to pull her back into his arms and kiss her once more; slowly this time… tenderly. God knew after what she’d been through the human deserved some tenderness; not the punishing crush of his lips or the hard length of him pressed into her belly.
He sighed and closed his eyes when her delicate thumb grazed his cheek; inhaling the compelling haze of arousal coming still coming off of her as if to commit it to memory.
The moment had been a quixotic one, but god knew if he would ever let himself get this close to her again.

When she turned to slide into the bath the dragon shuddered and ran a trembling hand through his short hair. She was right, as was that maddening voice of reason within him. She needed to rest and to let the steaming water swathe her like a healing blanket. He was sure the balmy water would do good to soak into her bones and relax the injured muscles.
He waited until she sunk down below the surface, holding his breath until she reemerged, and then moved to gather the discarded towel on the floor.

Folding the terrycloth up the shifter moved behind Lillie, urging her to sit upright so he could hang the towel over the edge where she leaned back; extra padding in case she wanted to lay her head back. He brought another one out of the cabinet and hung it on the bar next to the tub, and then before he thought better of it, Kyle leaned down, brushing the damp hair away from her collarbone so he could lay a tender kiss there.

“The house is of adequate size, yes…” He murmured a reply, keeping his lips against the soft flesh of her throat. When Lillie dismissed him the dragon stood up stiffly; the pull of her aura making it almost impossible to put any distance between them.
But he thought it her wish; to bath and unwind in peace and solitude, and the man could deny her nothing.

“I’ll get you something to eat while you bathe.” He told her awkwardly; never having been a host of any kind and unsure of how to take care of her. “When you are done just speak my name. I’ll help you out and back to bed.”

He paused as if to say something more, but the bubbles had begun to dissolve, and once again that smooth creamy skin stole the words and breath right out of him. Nodding as if she could see the silent goodbye he turned and left the bathroom, promptly going to the French doors in the bedroom that led out to a veranda.
As with any emotion the dragon felt, the weather responded to it; and so the storm of emotions that the shifter felt inside mirrored the searing heat and darkening clouds up above. Kyle loped to the white wooden handrail and grasped it as if to keep from falling. He clenched his fists and his jaw; letting his head fall back against his neck just as the cloud burst above to let the cold raindrops free.

It felt so good. The wintery droplets acted as a relaxant as much as the hot bath was for the prophet. It rained over his closed eyelids and his parted mouth; all of the tension draining away like the water that dripped from the roof and down the storm trench.

When he felt something like himself again the dragon ran a damp palm over his face and head and then went back in, moving toward the kitchen in hopes that he could find something edible there. He hadn’t really ‘lived’ here, merely slept when fatigued plagued him, and so the cabinets and refrigerator somewhat bare.

The best he could find was some fruit and a package of sugar cookies. The fruit had been left by the one worker he had kept on from the plantations original staff; an elderly Spanish man that looked after the landscaping lest nosy tourists thought it abandoned and haunted. The cookies were his. He had a fierce sweet tooth that demanded attention at least once an evening.
Plating the provisions and carrying it upstairs on a wooden platter, he placed it on the end of the bed just in time to hear Lillie’s sweet call.

Reentering the sanctuary with a hesitant countenance Kyle went over to the tub and slid his hand into the water and under her arm. Helping her to stand (even though she could most likely do it herself) the shifter tried his best to keep his gaze locked in hers and not on her rose-scented, bubble covered skin.

Once he had helped her slide back into the robe with care not to jostle her cast too much, he guided her out and to the bed where the covers were already pulled back for her.
“Climb in. I found a snack for you…its not much, but enough to tide you over until I can go out for more provisions.”

[Lillie Galleau]

This world keeps spinning faster
Into a new disaster so I run to you
I run to you baby
And when it all starts coming undone
Baby you're the only one I run to
I run to you




Oh gah, she really did hate it when she tried to speak…not to mention tried to channel her inner romance heroine! What had she been trying to say; ‘I want you?’ SERIOUSLY? What was she, some kind of purring seductress? She must be having some kind of reaction to his saving her, or maybe to the meds that miracle-worker doc had put her on. Nightingale Syndrome? Allergies to pain medications?

…Or just plain ‘ol ‘I almost died, and I now know what I want?’ Oh, either way, if she pushed too hard, she was going to scare him away. Heck, she was going to scare HER away, for crying out loud! She never got this darn brazen around a guy…not to mention a stranger, AND the figment of some of her most chaotic paintings. He was immortal, he was a dragon, he was probably still mourning his wife and the family life that bitch-witch had taken from him…

And good Lord, he had the most amazing ability to make her go all squishy inside.

Her breath caught as she felt his lips on her collarbone, good hand immediately coming up to cup the back of his head. No, Lillie, you cannot drag him to a particular place on your body that was screaming for attention; you will drown the poor man. Not to mention that it was a bad idea. A bad, bad, BAD idea.

…Oh, she really wanted to be bad. Couldn’t she be bad? Good GAH, she wanted to be bad!

Biting back a whimper as he pulled away, she pressed her hand against her bucking heart. He really had to stop doing this to her; making her feel so hot and flustered, then pulling away. One day, she was going to spontaneously combust, and then where would they be? He’d be cleaning her insides out of his bathroom for the rest of time, and she’d be haunting him for making her insides outsides.

Awesome train of thought, Galleau, she thought with a sigh. As Kyle’s footsteps trailed off, she dunked her head again. Whatever she’d said to have made him stop kissing her, she wanted to eat. With vinegar.

She did her best to stay in the bathtub for as long as possible, contemplating getting out herself and feeling for the bed. But, after the last time, she knew that she needed help, if only to navigate. Kyle was too much of a gentleman to ogle her, anyway, and it wasn’t like he was getting a thousand dollar peep show…oh great, that didn’t help stop the girls from turning on the headlights again. She had to stop thinking about him watching her, getting aroused for her, wanting her—

FRICK, there she went again. Cue another dunk in the now cooling water.

When the dragon came back to help her out of the tub, Lillie was beet red and doing her best not to leap on him like some demented monkey. It had to be all the stress; these strange, unladylike urges. She never felt this way…this uninhibited! But whatever; he wasn’t freaking, she was impersonating Rudolph’s nose and concentrating on not jostling her ribs too much and everything would be fine.

Snuggling into the velvet robe, she allowed herself to be led, counting the steps from the bathroom to the bed. Scooting up on the pillows, she couldn’t help an appalled look from sliding onto her face as her stomach proceeded to proclaim a national holiday at the mention of food. Jeeze…how long had it been since she’d eaten? Her kidnapper brought her scraps, but she did her best not to eat much, just in case it was drugged or poisoned.

As the plate was put in front of her, her hands practically shook from the urge to start stuffing whatever was on there into her mouth. She forced herself to eat slowly, grimacing as her stomach clenched around the cookie she’d inhaled.

“I don’t think I can eat much, to tell you the truth,” She said, nibbling on another cookie. “Even though I really want to. But thank you, Kyle.”

She did her best to ignore the twinge of panic that arose at the thought of him leaving her alone. What if her kidnapper came back while he was gone? Kyle could keep her safe, but he couldn’t be at two places at once. He could get to her in her house, where she’d thought she was safe, so maybe he could get to her here, if he left and oh GOD, she couldn’t go back—

With a deep breath, she forced the thoughts to the back of her head while shoving another cookie into her mouth. She would be fine, because she was safe. Kyle had found her, she wasn’t in the prison, and she was safe.

She needed to think of something else…hear that lovely brogue to calm her down. “Did my brothers come down looking for me?” She blurted, words rushed with the need to push the unwarranted sense of panic away. “I hadn’t gotten a chance to call them before I was…um…you know. I’m the youngest, you see, and ever since my parents died, Patrick- my eldest brother- has watched over us like a hawk, especially me, ‘cause I’m the only girl. He likes for me to call every few days, and I hadn’t, so he’s probably somewhere in the city. They must be so worried…do you think I could let them know that I was okay?”

She fiddled with her plate for a moment after, tilting her head down, as if she could see the blanket beneath her. “I also want to ask you…how did you find me? And…do you…I mean, did you find out who…um…took me?” She paused, tucking her arms against her chest. Well, there went her appetite.

“I’m sorry…twenty questions. I just need to talk about something…I need to know why all of this happened.”

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

I can't see the stars anymore living here
Let's go to the hills where the outlines are clear

Bring on the wonder
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long

Kyle helped Lillie into bed, pulling the covers up over her before moving the platter of food across her lap. He forced himself to look away, preoccupying himself with watching the storm outside wind down to a mere drizzle, afraid that seeing those virtuous lips take in the morsels would resuscitate the restless beast he worked so hard to distract.
But the little sighs of contentment from the human drew the dragon’s eyes like a lure.
There was something about the sight of the woman being fulfilled that made his heart race in his chest like wild horses through the green fields of Wyoming. He inhaled sharply, placing a hand to his pounding torso. It was so loud a hammer he wondered if the prophet’s sharpened senses could hear it echo off the walls and feel it vibrate through the room.

Dear gods, what was happening to him? Why did the thought of simply taking care of the human’s needs make his heart pound and his body ache with desire? He’d known when he met her that this fragile female would lead him to path he hadn’t dared follow, but the spellbinding draw of her was a drug he could not forsake. He wanted to drink it in until he was drunk from it. He needed another hit like the desert needed the storm.

Perhaps it was the fact that he had been able to save her, whereas he had failed the task before. His isolation and despair had been a sacrament he had been made to suffer for the failure, and this female was a seraph sent from the heavens to offer him another chance. Where he had lost all faith after the death of his wife, now the spark of something like conviction shone within the man’s chest.

“Never-the-less I will have someone go and get more. When you’ve healed some I’m sure your appetite will return and cookies and fruit won’t be enough.” Kyle responded and as if reading her mind, added. “I will not leave you here alone though, Lillie. I think by the time your body has had time to mend, you will have long grown tired of me.”

A little chuckle escaped his throat, but the sound was more poignant than amused. Though Kyle knew their separation was inevitable, the thought wounded him like a spear.

The shifter’s brow furrowed at the notion, and he was grateful for her sudden rush of words to steer his mind away from it. Reveries of the day he had met Lillie’s siblings came to him then, as did the promise he had made to the eldest brother.
This did manage to bring a light smile to the shifter’s lips. The brothers had been so protective of their sister, one even going as far as to threaten him.

Sitting absently on the bedside next to her, Kyle nodded his head and laughed. “I did meet your brothers; was nearly arrested by one, in fact.” He told her in a tone lighter than what was normal for the dragon. “They were undeniably worried about you, and though the eldest refused to believe -he- wouldn’t be the one to find you, I assured them that when I had you in my arms again it would be my first priority to give them word.”

His brow creased for the slightest moment with the realization that once Lillie called the detective he would be there to take her away to her family, but he knew it was probably what she wanted. The shifter would simply have to accept protecting her from afar; staying close but out of sight lest the humans sense something different about him.

“If it is your wish to call them, I have a phone somewhere in the house.” Kyle answered solemnly. “I haven’t had much use for it, but I’m sure I can find it and connect it at your bedside. Patrick will want to retrieve you, but for your safety I would rather take you to them. If that is your wish…”

His face had fallen with thought of her departure, but it was nothing compared to the pain her tone caused him when asking about her kidnapper.
Removing the try from her lap Kyle scooted closer to her, taking one of her trembling hands within his own and bringing it to his pounding chest.

“Lillie, don’t fear that monster any longer. I know his face, and his goal, as well as his weaknesses. He won’t hurt you again and I swear that he will bleed for what he has done to you.” The dragon debated on telling her more about Corbin, but thought that divulging the truth of his power and intelligence would only make her worry more. Once she was recovered and sounder of mind he would explain the dark fae’s plans and all the rest, but for now her recuperation and safety was his only concern.
Kyle understood her need for explanation, but the terrified look on her beguiling face compelled him to distract her a different way.

“Do you feel that?” He asked her huskily, holding the frail hand against his thundering heart. “So long as it beats I WILL protect you.”

Dear god he wanted to taste her again. The reveries of the kidnapping and the hunt for her hit Kyle with a wave of desperation so great it stoked the dragon within, and his body temperature rose to a scorching heat. It was the frightened look on -her- face that seared him though. Branded his memory like a tattoo. He would never forget that look.

He didn’t stop himself this time nor did he desire to. The shifter leaned in and cupped her face in his hand, letting his lips whisper over hers in a tender expression of his emotions.
“He will bleed for what he did…”
Kyle repeated with a sigh, and then gave in, closing his eyes as he kissed her with the gentleness he had wanted before.

[Lillie Galleau]

But if you can look in my eyes
And tell me we'll be alright
If you promise never to leave
You just might make me believe



He wasn’t going to leave her alone. Though she’d done her best to shove some steel into her spine, Lillie couldn’t stop but sag slightly on the pillows behind her, as with a few simple words, he dashed all those fears away. He was going to stay, and she was going to be safe.

Before she could stop herself, she was reaching out to him with her good hand, fingers curling around his forearm when he moved close enough. He was crazier than she was, if he thought that she could ever get tired of his presence, and the urge to pinch him for such silly thoughts was almost too much to resist. She traced her thumb over a scar on his arm, and resisted the urge to scoot toward him. Her voice was soft as she spoke, and probably laden with more emotion than she’d cared to show.
“I don’t think I’d ever get tired of being near you, Kyle. That’s the truth.”

She fell silent as he started to talk again, keeping her hand right where it was. It was such a bad idea, this need to be close to the dragon, to feel that powerful play of muscle under her fingertips. She wished that she could see his face; be able to read the play of emotion over his features as he spoke to her.

But none of that mattered, did it? She had to get used to the idea that he was leaving. Every time he kissed her, he pulled away; every time he touched her, he stepped back. He was doing his best to distance himself from her, as if preparing for what was to come…and what was she doing? Seriously considering how best to wiggle closer to him without having her boobs pop out of the silk robe to say hello.

She never was any good at the ‘keep your heart distant’ stuff. Never was, and never will be.

With a laugh, she imagined how her brother would have reacted upon meeting the dragon. Kyle was so Old World, both in speech and in action, that she just knew that Pat would have taken it the wrong way. As the head of their family, he was always protecting his siblings; the mama bear corralling the cubs until she was sure that the coast was clear. He’d wanted her to live with him and his family; get some sort of linked house so he could keep an eye on her. It was just Pat’s way; stifling, but loving.

She could just imagine how scared he must have been when he’d found out she was missing. How angry and frustrated and frantic. Only Tommy, her second eldest brother, would have been able to keep him from tearing the city apart, looking for her. Her loving, protective brothers…

Oh gah, there she went; tearing up again. Just picturing their faces made her want to start bawling. She’d never expected to get out of the prison alive- she’d prayed, hoped and begged that she would be found, but as the days went by, hope started to fade into acceptance. She was going to die, and that was the end of it.

But then Kyle came and scooped her out of Death’s arms, and back into her life. How was she ever going to go back? How was she going to explain what had happened to her brothers?

With a little squeak, she realized that she was practically ready to bend Kyle’s bones, her grip on his arm was so tight. With an exclaimed ‘I’m so sorry!’ she released him, scooting back on the pillows to hug her robe around herself.

“I’m sorry if they were overly…um…well, I’m sorry about anything that Pat- the cop- might have said or done.” She paused as he spoke again, eyes widening slightly in surprise.

God…she hadn’t even thought about calling Pat and the others; about staying anywhere but in Kyle’s house, until she was well again. She imagined her brothers’ reactions, the questions and the investigations. She could hear their pity-filled voices and the beeping of security locks sliding into place as they stood guard over her. Why, when such gestures would be filled with love, did they seem to stifling? And why did it seem so much more safer for her to stay with him, a man that she only knew through her dreams?

She started slightly as he caught her hand, breath catching as she felt the strong beat of his heart under her palm. His voice practically swirled around her like some kind of comforting cloak, and she found herself drifting closer to him.

“I know you will protect me,” She said, voice soft. “Which’s why I’d like to stay here with you until I’m better, if I can. You make me feel safe. I know that while I’m here, no one will be able to get me.”

She couldn’t help but let her hand drift higher, fingers brushing against the strong curve of his jaw. She felt him come closer and she did the same, sighing against his lips as he kissed her. God, he tasted like something smoky, something woodsy. He was addictive, and she wanted him.

Her hand slid to the back of his neck as she scooted closer, wanting so badly to mold herself into his front. His skin was so hot…did he burn for her? Or was it just a dragon thing? With a little gasp, she returned the kiss, while letting her hand go back to where it rested over his heart.

It was so darn hard to pull back, but she did, parting them so that only a few inches separated them. Her fingers caressed the warmth of his chest and she tilted her face up, eyes half opened and face flushed.

“Let’s just call that retaliation for all those times you pulled away,” She said, voice a bit breathy. Slowly, she put some more space between them, though she kept her hand on his chest. “I want to stay with you, Kyle…for as long as I’m welcome. Now…please, tell me. How do you know my kidnapper? How did you know where to find me?”

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

You're all I need to find
So when the time is right
Come to me sweetly, come to me
Come to me

Love will lead us, alright
Love will lead us, she will lead us
Can you hear the dolphin's cry?
See the road rise up to meet us
It's in the air we breathe tonight
Love will lead us, she will lead us

Kyle didn’t expect that her soft words could make him any warmer, but at that quiet confession he felt his temperature increase and his heart began to pump even harder with a frantic, rapturous cadence he was positive she could hear echoing off the walls of the yawning expanse of the bedroom.

She wanted to stay here. With him. The prophet trusted him to keep her safe until she was healed and that declaration meant more to the dragon than even the response of her body towards his. He was her protector. She trusted him. In that moment the dragon didn’t need his wings to fly. His soul was soaring.

Her gentle fingertips seared the rough stubble of his jaw; an electric charge flowing from her digits into that rough skin and then surged in stimulating waves through his whole body. The heated reaction to his kiss intensified that electricity, causing his body to tighten once more in expectation. Kyle leaned his weight on one outstretched arm as he pressed her gently back into the pillows. Her good arm wound around his neck as if she wanted to be closer still, and he obliged, lifting his hand from her chin to twist into the hair at the nape of her neck, pulling her up towards him even as he leaned into her.

The kiss was gentle, but filled with need. The shifter lapped at her velvet lips, savoring the uncontaminated saccharine taste of her before thrusting his tongue into her mouth like an uninvited guest. It was enough to drive him to the brink of rapture; just the taste of her, but before they could go further she was pulling away, and Kyle’s eyes shot open wide in bewilderment.

Was he doing something wrong? Had he hurt her?

His answer came with her breathy murmur, and at first the corner of his lips drew up into something of a smile at her brand of justice, but disappeared quickly when she urged him to speak of her captor.
The dragon loathed speaking of it, even thinking about it right now, but she was owed an explanation. If nothing else, the name of her kidnapper.

Breathless, Kyle unwillingly released his gentle hold on her hair and sat up, a weary hand rubbing at his jaw and then falling down to rest atop hers where his heart nearly pounded through his ribcage.

“Corbin Muunokhoi is, like me; from the Otherworld. He is a fae, but not like you would imagine a fae…made of light and goodness. He has a dark and sinister soul. In addition to that vague likeness we share a role on what is called the Council, a group which is made up of additional Other Realmers for the sole purpose of protecting this world from the things you have depicted in your paintings.”

As he continued Kyle lifted his cobalt gaze to her pleading, opalescent orbs, hating the distant look of memory he saw within her expression as he clarified what had been previously unknown. No doubt she was recollecting things that the dark fae had done to her. Vile things that he’d demanded and said.
The dragon let his hand fall to his side, both of this wide palms balling into fists as he forced himself to go on.
“It is there he must have learned of you. It was the Council I went to with accounts of your gift and your prophecy.” He paused there, and his face fell with regret and the straightforward understanding that he was to blame for this. She had been put in harms way because of his actions, and he would continue to be a danger to her if he remained in her life. It was with this heartbreaking realization that he began speaking again; the misery apparent in his deep baritone.

“He must have been following me, or had someone else track me to you. How else could he have known -you- were the prophet…?”
Kyle drew in a ragged breath and shook his head. “Apologies, Lillie. Had I been stronger…had I been able to stay away, Muunokhoi would never have found you.”

He tightened his balled fists as the anger within ignited. The dragon inside of him clawed at his gut with razor sharp talons; the need to avenge her attack as great as the previous need to taste her.
Still, through a clenched jaw he continued; the truth flowing out of him like water from a fount.

“I went to your apartment not long after you were taken. The smell of your fear permeated the air like a fog, as well as another scent; his scent, which I did not recognize until I came upon it on the one he calls his woman. Love had cast a veil over the eyes of Marissa Skye until she could not deny that her fae had been keeping things from her. She led me to him, or rather led him to me. It was then he revealed the whereabouts of his prisoner when faced with threat to -his- heart. I did not plan to harm her, but for you, I would have done so…”

He was ashamed as he confessed this, and his face fell even further. It was a double edged sword; this confession.
Perhaps if she knew the truth…that he was a monster the likes of which she painted, the she would loath him, force the distance between them, and it wouldn’t be so hard for him to make it so…