"I just have one more question then…" Mark turned and closed the bedroom door behind him, a sense of pure faerie in the way he moved, turning back towards her, a look in his eyes that Emma couldn't identify. "Why lie?"

Emma felt like the ground might be spinning underneath where she stood. She hadn't really seen this coming, she knew what she was doing of course, but being faced with the actual outcome was much different than the simple thought of it. Mark was staring at her still, having moved closer to her but seemed to be waiting for permission before really crossing the line.

She brought her gaze down to his shoes, wearing normal looking sneakers that were old and worn down, probably a pair of Julian's. Julian. She clamped down on the thought, blocking it out quickly, as she moved her eyes up Mark's figure. Tall, lean, muscular now instead of simply thin. The way his jeans fit his legs, the way they hung on his hips, the way his light shirt clung around his waist, up to his broad chest. Her eyes lifted and met his, after outlining his Blackthorn features, mixed with faerie, all sharp edges, singing of promises and regret. His pale hair curling around pointed ears, falling on his forehead like a halo. His pale eyebrow lifted delicately over his multicolored eyes. They weren't the sea green-blue eyes she loved, it wasn't the thick brown curls she loved, or the bitten fingernails and paint covered hands. But that was the point, wasn't it? She felt her blood turn to steel, felt her shoulders pull back, her head raised high, and her resolve set.

"Why, indeed." She tried to make her voice as sexy as possible, smokey and wanton. Whether it worked or not quickly left her mind, as Mark was suddenly on her.

He closed the space in seconds, his hand cupping her cheek, the other on her waist, pulling him close to her, his smooth face just next to hers, a small smile playing on his lips as his eyes, so different from each other, so different from the Mark she remembered from when she was young, flitted over her face, resting on her lips once, then settling on her gaze. There his eyes rested, and Emma thought maybe she could see the loneliness and pain in them, behind the hunger that currently resided there. But then his lips were against hers, hot and soft, pressing into her, devouring her. It was nothing like Julian, and she had to force her mind away from him, kept her resolve as she kissed Mark back, pulling at his back with her hands, wrapping them up in his shirt. The kisses became more fervent, more feral, and she found that she didn't mind too much. She was easily lost in the kissing, her mind void of all the worry, all the anxiety. It wasn't love, but it was a great distraction.

Seeing and feeling the way he wanted her, the way his hands were pressing hard into her lower back, the small groans of pleasure when she nipped at his lower lip. The light bloom of heat in the bottom of her stomach when she felt his tongue lightly graze hers.

"Emma…" It was a mix between a growl and moan, deep and quiet, and it set Emma's insides on fire while giving her chills at the same time. He grabbed at her thighs suddenly, hauling her body up like she was nothing, pulling her tightly against him, and she promptly wrapped her legs around his waist, and let out a startled breath when she realized she was placed directly against the sudden bulge straining in his jeans, but Mark wasted no time in pulling her mouth back against his, and she was wrapping her hands up in his curls, not paying attention to anything other than the feel of him, nothing existed outside of this moment.

And then she rolled her hips against him, and felt his fingers dig into her thighs deeper and he let out another groan that made Emma smile wildly against his lips. Mark caught it instantly and a smirk suddenly pulled at his lips and he was looking at her with a wild glint in his eyes, as he backed her up hard against the nearest wall. He pinned her against it with his hips, his erection still pressed firmly against her, and he grabbed both of her wrists and held them in place above her head, an evil grin taking over his face. "Now you're all mine, Carstairs…"

"And what're you gonna do about it?" Emma looked at him as definitely as she could while completely pinned in place against the wall, her lips swollen from kissing, her hair no doubt disheveled.

"I intend to drink you in like you're a stream in the desert, and explore your body like it's a map home." His eyes were full of nothing but desire and Emma felt a moan escape her lips as his crashed back into hers.