Forsaken < corby- rissa - lil' >

[Lillie Galleau]

I need you like water
Like breath, like rain
I need you like mercy
From heaven’s gate
There’s a freedom in your arms
That carries me through
I need you

You’re the hope that moves me
To courage again
You’re the love that rescues me
When the cold winds, rage
And it’s so amazing
’cause that’s just how you are
And I can’t turn back now
’cause you’ve brought me too far




Oh man, if it was humanly possible to be on the brink of becoming a talking beach torch, she was right on her way. That kiss had seared her; made her body heat and her bones turn to liquid. She’d wanted to part her legs and welcome him into the cradle of her hips, pulling him closer, until she could feel the sweet weight of him against her. She wanted to hear the sounds he’d make when she tilted her hips up toward him, feel the hot blast of his breath on her neck, feel those sinewed arms tremble at the sides of her head. And, God, she wanted to taste him on her tongue.

The man, the dragon…he was addictive, and she wanted another fix. Damn her tangled emotions for dredging up the need to know why she’d been taken. So what if she’d thought that it was her fault somehow; that her stupidity and ignorance had let her ignore the fact that her dreams were real and as a consequence, someone had sat up and taken notice? None of that mattered, as long as he was in her arms, and she in his.

Inside, Lillie couldn’t help but smile. And here she’d thought that romance novels were just fiction written for lonely, lovelorn women. Oh, if someone had told her six weeks ago that the alluring man she’d painted over the years would be the one to sweep off her feet, she’d have laughed and called them crazy! But now…who was the crazy one?

Reluctantly, she allowed the shifter to pull away, slowly pushing herself up so that she could sit next to him once more. The name that rolled off his lips sent a shiver up her spine, and unconsciously, she leaned toward him, seeking out the comforting heat of his body.

Corbin Muunokhoi…that was his name. Her eyes closed as she let her head tilt down slowly. Somewhere inside, something loosened as she finally put a name to that evil voice. Corbin Muunokhoi. A man named Corbin was her kidnapper.

She did her best to hold it back, but a giggle escaped her. She removed her hand from his chest and pressed her fingers to her lips, ducking her head. “I’m sorry, go on,” She said when he’d paused, her voice a bit strangled. “I just…I never got the chance to ‘see’ him, just hear his voice. And now that I know his name…Corbin…” Another laugh escaped her, and she shook her head. “I keep picturing a one legged man with a parrot and a pirate hat. I just…I’m sorry. Please, go on.”

The urge to laugh finally faded away as he spoke again. Muunokhoi was the member of a political body? What kind of people let such an…evil man into their midst? A frown crossed over her lips as she kept her face averted, taking in the information that he presented to her.

So that was why he’d rushed out of the university so quickly; why he’d claimed that she was helping him and his cause. Idly, her fingers brushed over her lips, slightly swollen from the feverish kisses he’d stolen. She could feel his breath on her mouth as she’d tilted her face up toward him, and then the accompanying breeze as he’d sped away…to the Council. To warn others about what she’d depicted in her painting.

He’d been trying to save the world, and had unknowingly alerted her kidnapper to her presence in New Orleans. The urge to laugh returned, and she knew that it was nothing more than nerves. Was it Kyle’s fault that she suddenly felt like she was in some kind of 007 movie, with the dragon as James Bond? Should she start serving him shaken martinis? Well, one thing was for sure; he was DEFINITELY sexier than Daniel Craig.

With a shake of her head, she forced herself to focus. The pained, guilt-ridden tones of his voice made her turn toward him, her good hand reaching out for him once again. She found one of the fists he’d curled at his side and curled her fingers around it, smoothing small circles around the taut knuckles there. Slowly, she moved closer toward him, until she was half kneeling and, careful not to misjudge the distance between them, proceeded to do what she did best:

Hug the life right out of him.

“You silly, silly man,” She said, resting her cheek against his. “It’s not your fault that I was taken by that deranged pirate, as much as global warming is your doing. I think it’s the Council’s fault for even letting such a bad person in their circles, and it’s my own fault, for continuing to sell my paintings, even though I knew that they were real.”

Pulling back, she leaned forward until she could rest her forehead against his, unseeing eyes open and pointed toward his own. “Someone would have found out about me sooner or later, especially now that that woman is tearing holes in the universe. As for my kid…Corbin’s lover; you didn’t hurt her and, from what you’re telling me, your using her to get to him was a good thing. You opened her eyes to what a monster he really is.”

The crazy dragon-man, actually thinking that all of this was his fault. She’d have to have a talk to him about men and their ego’s, she thought with a small smile, tilting her head up to place a small kiss on the tip of his nose.

“You wouldn’t have hurt her, ‘cause you’re a good man, Kyle Aodhagán. I would know…I’ve painted you.” An impish smile crossed onto her face. “You found me. You heard that I was missing and you came looking for me. You reassured my brothers, you helped that woman, Marissa Skye, and right when I was ready to give up, you brought me out of hell. None of what happened was your fault…except the part where you gave me my life back.”

At that point, the tears she’d been so good at keeping at bay began to trickle out of her eyes, and she pulled back, quickly swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. Great, now she was going to impersonate a ball of snot. Wonderful.

A shaky laugh escaped her and she shook her head, using the hem of his robe to blot at her eyes. “I must have just melted your teeth with my noxious breath. I think another trip to the bathroom might be in order, if you have an extra toothbrush.” Sniffle, sob. “Let me just find a tissue…I know I knocked a box over before. Clumsy is my middle name…” Sniffle, snort, as she finally grabbed hold of a Kleenex. “None of this is your fault; if anything, I should be apologizing to you for…sniff…making you worry. I was so stupid to sell those paintings when I knew they were real.”

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

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

As Kyle explained the events that had taken place, the giggling from Lillie had come from no where. However displaced, to the dragon it was a glorious music, and the smile that came with it was nothing short of magnificent.
Of course he had no idea what why the name of the dark fae would provoke images of a sea bandit; he hardly ever enjoyed a movie or a television show unless it was the Golden Girls, and even THAT was a rarity.

…And so he went on, forcing the story that cut like a knife across his tongue until she wrapped her delicate fingers over his tightly balled fist, and then moved to kneel beside him. Kyle lifted his azure gaze to her blithe face. Suddenly her arms were wrapped around him and the human was negating the blame he had put on himself. Though it did not remove the guilt he felt, or the sense of obligation to eventually put some distance between them if it meant keeping her out of harms way, it did effectively cause his shoulders to loosen and the fists to relax so that he could wind his arms around her too.

The shifter didn’t deserve the embrace, or the affectionate words, but he drank them in regardless; relishing every tender inch of her skin and breath from her lips.
He could no more deny the warmth than a drowning man could refuse the breath of air as the waves heaved him to the surface of the violent sea. Kyle clung to her, holding on to her every word; contemplating her belief on his guilt and heroism. It made his heart feel lighter; that fortification around it crumbling to mere piles of stone and ivy. The dragon was more defenseless no than he’d ever been.

When those crystalline drops begun to spring from her shimmering opal eyes, he drew a hand up to touch her cheek; the moisture burning his skin like an acid rain.
“Lillie, do not waste thought or precious tears. You are safe and now that the Council will be made aware of Corbin’s actions, we will have the patronage of many powerful beings to assistant in that protection.”

He followed her hand to the bedside table and took the tissue just as she had grasped it, smoothing away the tears and the fount from her nose with a gentleness the dragon hadn’t been aware was possible.

“It will be -your- paintings that save your world. Take no blame in what has happened to you. The fae is wicked and egocentric; he wanted to use your visions as a way to forge a path for himself; a path of darkness and iniquity. Your gift is a miracle, and will help us to prepare for the war that lies ahead. Knowing that the depictions were real, how ever deep down that knowledge was buried, tells me that you are in no way stupid, but bright as the stars under which those dreams were sent.”

He shook his head and crumbled the tissue in his lap, wishing to those same invisible stars that her arms were still around him. How odd the distance seemed though she was right next to him. How strange how his body craved her touch after years of loathing human contact.

“You should probably rest, Lillie.” Kyle willed his body to move, but it refused to put any more space between them. “This reverie of the kidnap is not good for your healing spirit.”

[Lillie Galleau]

When the weight of the world
Breaks down so strong it
Leaves footprints on the street
And theres too many miles to face
Without a few more hours sleep
The storm clouds overhead won't shed
Any rain to quench your thirst
I wanna be the one you reach for first

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Wow, this guy should be brought in for self help meetings, she thought with a surprised blink. Her paintings were going to help save the world Her paintings? No matter how many times he kept saying it, she just wasn't going to get used to thinking of herself as anything but an average shop owner. Had life been better when she'd thought her paintings were just fanciful dreams, and her ability to paint while blind the result of brain trauma?

She didn't know. Despite her little jaunt through freaky Torture Land, the feeling of being in the middle of something was...exciting. Like she was in some kind of adventure and had lived through the hard part of the novel.

She really had to stop reading so much. These optimistic thoughts were really going to get her into trouble one day. She'd just been tortured, abused, frightened, close to death...

And yet, there she sat, feeling an odd glow of pride that her meager additions to the world- which mostly bordered on the downright scary...definitely said a lot about their current society- were doing something more than just sitting on a rich person's wall. She was going insane; that was the only reason for it.

She started slightly as she felt his hands on her face, and felt a strange lightness in her chest. She wanted so much to lean into him again, to taste his lips and feel him above her. Instinctively, her body followed the train of thought, her face turning into his hands, placing a kiss on the rough pads of his fingers. She wanted so badly to close the distance between them and invoke that time stopping kiss once again, but her body betrayed her, protesting every movement.

She couldn't see his face, but she could feel him pulling away from her; distancing himself from the heart stopping moment from before. She wanted to pull him back and make him lose control. Frustration pricked at her chest as, with a subtle drift toward him, the pull on her side forced her to stop.

There would be another time, she assured herself. He was probably telling himself never again, but she knew better. That had been no goodbye kiss he'd given her, pressing her so securely into the pillows behind her. She shuddered at the memory, cheeks heating.

"You sure you're not a poet on the side, Kyle?" She said with a smile, feeling the need to make light of his compliments, despite how they warmed her.

Ignorant to his inner struggle, she finally closed the distance between them, curling her fingers around his. Okay, so if she moved slowly and carefully, she could definitely manage not to start whining like a two year old. This was progress! Idly, she traced the rough callouses and raised scars on his knuckles. Such strong hands, capable of doing so much damage had held her so gently. The man was a walking contradiction.

"I don't want to go to sleep just yet," She shook her head, smile fading slightly as he spoke again. "I keep waking up, thinking that all this is a dream, and I'm back in the prison."

She shifted, memories popping up unbidden once again. She was so tempted to ask him how long it took to get over the brutal torture he'd sustained under the witch, but she bit her tongue. Ruthlessly, she shoved the thoughts back, giving his hand a pat as she caught the uneasy tone of his voice. "I'm fine; not even a bit tired. I think that bath woke me up."

Memories of bare skin on skin replaced the darker ones, and a blush crept up over her face again. Yeesh, at this rate, she was quickly becoming a walking human torch. Slowly, ever aware of the aches and pains, she leaned into him slightly. "Thank you for letting me...for telling me the truth, and not trying to hide anything from me," She said after a minute, voice soft. "I needed to know and now that I do, it feels...more real."

She raised a finger at him in dramatically stern manner, sitting up abruptly with a mock severe look on her face. "And I don't want you blaming yourself for anything again, buster. Or...um...I'll sit on you."

Oh yeah, that was going to scare him...and not to mention that it evoked all kinds of interesting images in her own brain. Darn, he was just too tempting for his own good! But whoof, despite her words, she had to lean against him again, the past hour beginning to take a toll. Unwilling to go to sleep, however, she allowed herself a minutes respite, then forced herself to sit up, though her hand stayed curled around his.

Okay, so now what? He'd answered all of her important questions, fed and bathed her- cue more blushing...dang, she was never going to be able to bathe without turning into a human blow torch ever again!- did he have anything of his own to do? Was he telling her to rest so he could leave and get some rest himself? Well, call her selfish, but she really didn't want to be alone. If he wanted Dragon Time, he could just knock her out and run away. For the time being...well, 'clinging' made her sound like a psychotic stalker, but it was probably a good way to put it. Oh, how her brother the wanna-be psychologist would LOVE this...

"I know I should call my brothers, but I doubt you'll want them swarming your house. But...could you show me around a bit, if you're not busy? If you could walk me around the room...and maybe to where the stairs are, I could stop myself from denting your wall again," She laughed, moving to slowly stand. "That way, I won't have to bother you every time I have to pee."
---


((Hookays, so I tried writing the brother thing and it came out so darn random, so I thought I'd throw her in this direction. XD I figured that Kyle can escort her around the house, maybe steal a kiss in the pantry, and show her where the phone was, so in mah next post, the family descending can begin. If that don't work, or you have something better, DO IT. Now that she's all safe, my muse is going 'WE JUST TORTURED HER ASS; HOW DO YOU TOP THAT WITHOUT THE MONKEY SEX?' lol ))


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[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Continued in : Like The Rain

[Kyle Aodhagán †]

Baby you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And love is all that I need
And I found it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven

Lillie’s hair fell down in a blanket of chocolate silk across Kyle’s face, neck, and shoulders. It took the breath from him, (whatever he had left in his gasping lungs), and etched a smirk of satisfaction across his lips. His arms wound solidly around her, inhaling; breathing her in as well as drinking in the warmth of her.
The prophet’s breath against his neck was a rope to which he clung firmly, a sensation that the shifter found engraved on his soul like the immortal ink that marked his skin. It was positively magnificent.

When her tongue trailed along the path that her breath had just fled, Kyle let out a half moan chuckle, flinching just a little when Lil’s lazy movement drove his body out of hers. Already he missed the rhythm of her heart against his and the awareness of being inside of her, and it took all the strength in the dragon not to tug her carelessly back across his chest. The will was wiser than the impulse, for when an unbidden murmur of ache escaped the human; the shifter remembered her wounds and healing body.

Kyle forced his azure eyes open. This was no dream. She was truly in his arms and in his heart, and he wasn’t going to miss a single moment of it. Turning on his side slightly to face her, the dragon allowed her into the curve of his body, laying one arm covetously over her hip and gazing on her divinely satiated expression as if it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It was breathtaking.
Her husky voice spoke louder than the compliment that fell from her lips and he smiled, pressing it sheepishly against the crown of her head. He was sated and idyllic, but to know that he had pleased her was a gratifying caress to his dragon sized ego.

He reached up to draw her hair across her face and then tucked it behind her ear so he could see her face, leaning down to lightly kiss the gently drawn eyelids. What did she see behind those closed eyes? Did she recall his countenance from paintings or did she only imagine that she could distinguish the chisel of his jaw or the blue of his eyes?
On a whim, Kyle reached down to grasp her hand, which had been gently resting against the ridge of his thigh. He brought the fingertips against his lips, whispering a kiss against them, and then lifted it to his cheek so her pinky was just touching the upturned corner of his contented grin.

Lillie dissolved into his body even more, and the grin grew, lips parting in a playful gasp when she teased him about still being aroused and the rescheduling of any further activity regarding it. He lifted his head enough to look down upon her impish face; his own filled with surprise and pleasure. “Such things you say.” Kyle responded, his brogue full of airy amusement and mock surprise. “And if I tell you that my happiness remains, will you inscribe this rain check twice over? In case the first does not cure the condition?”

And then an actual laugh escaped the dragon’s amiable smile, and he settled back down into the downy pillows and velvety comfort of Lillie’s embrace. The crazy fog that enveloped the lover’s fell down around them, a blanket under which to give into the soothing rhythm of heart beats and chests rising and falling with slow breaths.
Kyle sighed and let his eyes close again, and the hand slid back down to lie possessively over her waist.
“Rest, Lillie. Rest and heal.” He murmured groggily, and though his purr was lazy, there was a hint of male dominance within it. He had been selfish with her body tonight, but he meant to see her mended even if it meant keeping her in bed for a week. And that thought carried him into a blissful trance, and a mercifully dreamless sleep. “And I will rest and heal…” Kyle whispered as he fell. And he meant it. This night had begun to mend his scarred and bleeding heart.