Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed my previous story. I really do appreciate it. This story will be in two chapters, the second of which will be published shortly. In the meantime, I would not object to a few encouraging words. I hope you enjoy.
Isabel is coming to see me. I can't hear her thoughts so much as sense her presence as she makes her way up the mountain that hides my chambers. A feeling of excitement stirs in my stomach, although I expected her. This has become something of a ritual on nights that neither of us have missions to attend to. Time alone seems to be hard to come by these days, and so we take advantage of it when the opportunity presents itself.
She has reached the face of the mountain now, where my secret door is already opened in anticipation of her arrival. I am waiting for her in my octagonal control room, but I do not have to wait long. She is running down the passageway, as if it has been days since she has last seen me, rather than just this morning before leaving for school. I can't help but smile at her youthful enthusiasm, so refreshing to someone as ancient as myself.
She enters the room, and immediately rushes towards me. She takes a running leap, and launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and her legs around my waist. I laugh softly at this, but hold her tightly all the same. "It is nice to see you too, Isabel."
She lowers herself down to the floor, still in my embrace, and replies with a raised eyebrow, "Just nice, is it? Try again, Arkarian."
This time I laugh outright, and lean my face closer to hers. My lips hover a hair's width away from her own as I acquiesce. "I meant wonderful, perfect, the best thing that's happened to me all day. Better?"
She closes the gap between us as a confirmation, and I feel her soft lips against mine. I marvel at the sensation, wondering if this newness will ever go away. As someone in their six hundredth year of life, it is not often that I feel this completely awe struck. After so many years, there is not much now that throws me, but the simple feeling of Isabel's lips on mine is enough to make my head spin. I smile into the kiss, marveling at the how she has altered the way I perceive even the tiniest things.
These thoughts overwhelm me, and I deepen the kiss, parting my mouth to allow her tongue greater access. She eagerly accepts, and through the euphoria that is my soul mate, I hear a shred of an errant thought emitting from her. Before I can make any sense of it, however, she pulls away from me, and clears her throat somewhat nervously. I try to decipher why, but draw a blank. Whatever thoughts she wants to keep from me are well guarded now, and I wouldn't dream of intruding.
She yawns, and I realize how late it is. With all that has been weighing on her mind lately, the minds of all the named, it is no wonder she is tired. With no more delay, I scoop her up in my arms, earning a squeal and an indignant look from her. "I can usually manage walking on my own, you know."
"And what kind of lover would I be if I didn't pamper you every once in a while?"
At this, she blushes, and I figure out why a second too late. She is thinking of my wording, my somewhat archaic use of the word "lover," and its implications.
Luckily, before she can make a reply we arrive in one of the dimly lit sleeping chambers, and I lower her onto the large bed in the center of the room, covered in soft blankets and pillows. She removes her coat and boots, and tosses them unceremoniously onto the floor, leaving her in a light sleeveless shirt, and a pair of shorts. She treats the small pack that she brought with more caution, and places it on the bedside table. She yawns yet again, and stretches her arms above her head. Her shirt rides up as she does this, giving me a view of her toned stomach. It isn't long before she notices my gaze, but I don't look away. There is no point in pretending she doesn't have me completely transfixed.
After a moment longer, I too remove my boots and sweater, leaving on a loose pair of linen pants. Aware that it is now she who is observing my every move, I make my way towards the bed, and settle in next to her. She curls up close to me, her forehead leaning against my chest. I bring a hand up to stroke her hair, completely content for what feels like the first time in ages.
Isabel apparently does not share my contentment, and makes it known. Rather than settling into sleep, as I foolishly believed she might, she shifts her head slightly to pepper kisses along my chest and neck, and whispers, "I've missed you all day."
I am suddenly overcome with emotion directed towards this girl who I did not know only a couple of years ago. How I managed all this time without her, I cannot fathom. To be separated from each other for even a day is too much. Part of me feels like a hormonal teenager experiencing love for the first time, and I suppose in some ways I am. I cannot dwell on this long, as Isabel has turned her face up to gaze into my eyes, awaiting a reply. "And I you," I manage, before I capture her lips in mine once again, and get lost in her passion and fiery enthusiasm.
As we kiss, one of her hands tangles itself in my long blue hair, and grips it tightly, her other pressed against my back. I can feel her nails dig into my skin, and I have to wonder where all this force is coming from, even as I moan into her kiss, thoroughly enjoying her attentions. She moves her hips towards mine slightly, tentatively testing the waters to see if I will move away. When I don't, she is encouraged, and moves closer to me, so that our hips are now touching. Moving closer still, she intertwines her legs with mine.
Unable to stop myself, I now begin to explore her body with my hands. I feel the dip of her waist and beyond, moving my hand to her lower back, and towards the alluring curves that are so close. Now her hands are on my chest, my waist, my stomach, tracing my muscles with the tips of her fingers. Her hands drift downward, toying with the top of my pants before moving to feel beneath the fabric. I inhale sharply at the contact, which spurs her on. She says my name, and it comes out in a hoarse whisper. It is then that she opens her mind to me, and I figure out what I heard earlier that she did not intend for me to hear. I realize what she is asking.
"Isabel…" I begin, but find that my voice is not much use to me at the moment. I take a steadying breath, and start again. "Isabel, are you… are you sure? We have time. We don't have to do this tonight."
My words have an almost imperceptible effect on her, but I see it. She deflates the tiniest bit, and I can see that it took courage to express her desires to me. In her thoughts I can sense her usual determination, but it is alongside nervousness and vulnerability. I lean in close, and reassure her. "Do not doubt that this is something I want, Isabel, but after waiting six hundred years for you, a while longer will not hurt me. I want to take this at your pace."
She closes her eyes briefly, out of what I believe to be insecurity. When she replies however, I realize that I should know her better than that. "You spoke to Matt, didn't you?"
Her irritation is clear, and while I have spoken to her brother about this, I do not think now is the best time for that confession. "It isn't that, Isabel. It's just that you're…" I trail off, and her eyes narrow. She is starting to work out what I am thinking, and she does not like it one bit.
"I'm what, Arkarian? Young? Of all the people to patronize me, I really didn't think it would be you."
Oh dear. I am treading into dangerous territory, and I know it. The last thing I want to do is fight with Isabel. I understand that her anger comes from her stubborn need to prove herself in every situation, and although this drive is one of the many things that I admire about her, this time I feel that I should intervene. "Isabel, please. You know I don't mean it that way. I've seen how you work, and I've seen how you throw yourself into everything you do. I would never patronize you because of your age. It's just that this is something you cannot take back."
"I won't want to, Arkarian. How could I ever? I love you." She illustrates her point by grasping my hand, and bringing it up to her lips. She presses a kiss to my palm, and then looks into my eyes. "You say we have time, but how true is this, really? Any day one of us could die at the hand of the Order. Being with you is the only time that I can forget all this. I don't have to think about the Goddess, or the prophecy, or even my next mission. You make me feel safe, and I don't have to worry about tomorrow, because no matter what happens, I'll have had this. And this is more important that any prophesized battle we might face."
I look in her eyes and into her thoughts, still opened to me. Where I felt dejection and nerves before, I now feel confidence and certainty. Most importantly, I feel her love radiating through me like rays of sunlight.
"I love you too," I tell her, reaching up to touch the side of her face. "I love you more than you know. If this is what you want, if you are sure this is what you want, you know I am helpless to deny you. But please, if you change your mind, if you have any doubts at all, you must tell me at once. I swear we can stop. It…" I trail off for a moment, upset by a sudden thought. "It will hurt."
She looks at me stubbornly, yet so beautifully, a look that she has perfected, and says, "Again with the patronizing." And then she is kissing me fiercely, the last shred of my resistance torn away.