She had been pleasantly surprised by Reglan's mannerisms. Not that she had expected him to be unpleasant, but her exposure to him earlier had not given her much of an impression. The prince was clearly educated, and very polite, not having touched Will even once during their meeting in his room. Though Will imagined that could have been an artifact of the culture he was raised in.

After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to the business that Will was truly there for. "I appreciate my mother's faith in me and our people, but I worry that it is not truly in my people's best interest to have me as ruler," He had confessed to Will. "My mother's advisor has made it clear she would be willing to take over when my mother passes, but my mother is… stubborn…"

"I understand that," Will said with a laugh. Then she sobered up. "Why is your mom so hell bent on you taking the throne over her?"

He seemed to not understand her turn of phrase, but took meaning from context "My mother wishes to initiate change in our kingdom, with less social difference between males and females," He answered, "Similar to your world."

"Our world has a lot of social conflict too though," Will said, "It's only in the part where I come from that things have even sort of evened out. For a lot of Earth's history, males have been the superior gender. And there's actually still a lot of inequality."

Reglan seemed surprised at that. "Interesting," He said. "Then what of your slave?"

Will wasn't sure how to answer this question. Sure, she was marrying the guy, but she couldn't be sure she could trust him. "He and I have a different arrangement," She said vaguely, although it was mostly the truth.

He nodded. "Your culture is very interesting." He said with an honest fascination in his voice.

Will smiled wryly. "I suppose," She offered.

The topic had shifted then, and Reglan had offered Will and the others a tour of the castle, which Will had gratefully accepted. It would be easier to feel more comfortable in this place if she had a vague idea where things were, and didn't just have to be lead around by escorts constantly.

After a pleasant exchange that had gone on longer than Will had expected, she announced that she was tired, and Reglan sent for an escort to take her back to the rooms.

When she opened the door, she had expected full dark, the other guardians having gone to sleep. What she didn't expect was Cornelia to be sitting in the common area, reading a book quietly. "Cornelia, what are you doing up?"

Cornelia looked up, gently putting her bookmark in. "I just want to fill you in on some things, before Matt tells you everything is okay."

Will's heart sunk. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, he's sleeping," Cornelia said evenly. She pet the seat next to her. "Come sit down."

Will ached to go see Matt, but acquiesced, sitting down next to the earth guardian. "What happened?"

Cornelia met her eyes evenly. "He had a panic attack earlier."

Will's eyes widened. "Why? What triggered it?" Matt hadn't had a true panic attack in months.

Cornelia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm pretty sure our escort from earlier has decided that she likes him," She answered darkly, "Soon as we were headed back to the room she grabbed his leash and started pulling on it. She kept trying to get him to call her mistress but he wouldn't talk." Will felt a pit developing in her stomach. She had forgotten to rescind the no speaking order.

"I guess that was because of you?" Cornelia asked, and Will nodded silently. "I figured. Anyway, Hay Lin says that he started panicking there, but it got really bad when she pulled out these manacles…"

"She did what?" Will shrieked.

"She had his hands cuffed behind him before we could even say anything. I think he all but lost it then. We barely made it back to the room before he completely lost it. Somehow Taranee managed to get our escort to leave us while Hay Lin and I talked him down. He couldn't talk, but Caleb goes nonverbal a lot during his panic attacks so I'd dealt with it before…" Her eyes were far off.

Will nodded. She and Cornelia had had conversations about Matt and Caleb, and the PTSD they both had from that time, Caleb really from his whole life.

"Were you given a set of keys?" Cornelia asked, looking at Will again and breaking her out of her thoughts.

Will shook her head. "No, I wasn't. Why?"

Anger set in over Cornelia's face. "She didn't give us the keys to the cuffs. He's not wearing them anymore because I could take them off with magic, but…"

"She didn't mean for him to get out of them…" Will growled.

Cornelia nodded.

"God…" Will whispered, putting her head in her hands. "I have to go apologize to him…"

"Hey," Cornelia touched her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself too much. This lady is a real piece of work."

Will snarled under her breath. "I'll try to talk to Ayaka and Reglan about it. What's her name?"

"Sule," Cornelia spat, as if the name tasted bad on her tongue. "Oh yeah! How'd the meeting go?" She turned it around quickly.

Will shrugged. "He seems nice enough. Doesn't seem ready to take control of this place but then, I would have said the same thing about Elyon before her coronation." She was anxious to get to Matt and Cornelia could see that.

Cornelia nodded again. "Let us know how the meeting went in the morning?"

Will agreed, "Definitely," As they both stood, Will said quietly, "Thank you for telling me… what happened…"

Cornelia sort of half smiled. "Of course. You should know. And Will?" She caught the red head's eyes, "I don't think Matt is safe here. I saw way too many people looking at him the wrong way after you left. Sule just happened to have authority."

Will nodded, her heart skipping a few beats. She bid Cornelia goodnight and walked quickly to her room. She opened the door to half darkness, and saw Matt sitting on the bed. His legs were crossed, hands twisted together in his lap, with his head turned down. He looked up quickly when she entered.

He looked as through he had not spent the last few hours in peace. His nearly naked body was strung like a taut string, dark circles under his eyes and a haunted look on his face. He just looked so stressed and broken sitting there, evidence of previous tears on his face that Will found herself crying before she could stop herself. "Speak if you want to, God Matt, I'm so sorry…"

Matt surged up from the bed, walking to her almost like a man possessed and wrapping his arms around her tightly. She flinched and Matt pulled back from the hug, his face agonized. Will didn't know how he could hug her. How could he comfort her after what she did? After what he had had to go through because she messed up?

"Babe, it's okay," Matt whispered, and he was trembling. "I mean, I know it's not, but it will be… I just wish I could have stopped it somehow…"

Tears cascaded down her cheeks, the stress of the day compounding into this moment in a way she didn't expect. "No, I chose to do that to you, it was my fault…"

A hurt, broken sound ripped its way out of Matt's mouth. "We went through this with me Will. It's not your fault, please Will." He gripped her shoulders and stared imploringly into her eyes. "Please… I know it takes a while to understand that, I really, really do, but when it happens it's never your fault."

Will shook her head, blinking hard to try to clear her eyes of water. "But it really was. I should have said something before I left with Reglan, I just didn't even think about it. My mind was somewhere else and I didn't even think about it…"

Matt reached up to cup her face, gently wiping her tears away. "Will, whatever you're thinking you did to deserve it, you didn't," His voice was tight with restrained emotion, "No one deserves that and he's a terrible person for putting you in that situation and taking advantage of you."

That was when suddenly, something didn't line up. "Wait, what?" Will asked, suddenly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The prince," Matt snarled, "The bastard who just…" He shook with what Will now realized was fury and pain. "I'm so sorry," He whispered brokenly.

And then it clicked. His words and his reactions to her body language. A sick feeling grew in her stomach. "Matt, he didn't…" Will shook her head. "Reglan didn't touch me."

Matt's eyes widened, and desperate hope started to bloom in his eyes. "He didn't…?"

She shook her head again. "Matt, I'm completely fine. What did you think happened?"

Matt's whole stature seemed to sag, and then he was crying, pulling her into his arms and just holding her tightly. "Oh God… I thought… I thought…" His whole body shuddered, "I thought he had raped you…"

"Oh my… Matt, no…" And he was sobbing in her arms as she wrapped her arms tightly around him. "It's okay, he didn't touch me, I'm okay…" But he just sobbed harder, and his legs were trembling so bad she felt them start to give, and she knelt to the floor with him.

"I would have never forgiven myself," He whispered brokenly, "If you had had to go through that…" Another full body shudder.

"Matt, why did you… what made you think that had happened?" Will asked, not knowing how he had come to such a drastic conclusion.

"Uh…"

"Did Sule say something?" Will snapped. At Matt's full body shudder, she had her answer.

"She… how did you know her name?" Matt asked, drawing back to look at her, still sniffling but concerned now.

"Cornelia let me know what happened earlier," She answered simply.

Matt cringed. "I wasn't going to tell you," He said weakly.

"Why?" Will asked, "I deserved to know. I messed up and got you hurt because of it! She sent you into a panic attack! That's not nothing!"

"Will, other less serious things have given me panic attacks…"

"From what Cornelia told me, she pulled on your leash, tried to get you to call her mistress, and then handcuffed you with no intention of you getting free…" Matt's whole body tightened as Will continued. "And she told you that Reglan was going to rape me, all while you couldn't talk!"

Matt was silent.

"Was it a bad one?" Will asked quietly. "Don't sugarcoat it."

Matt paused, taking a deep breath before nodded. "Not just a panic attack," He answered. "Flashbacks too. The ones that I can't function through."

Will nodded. Matt shook his head, staring off into space. "I don't want to call anyone else 'Mistress'…" Will sighed, stroking his back where his wings ran in his Regent form. He arched into her touch a little. She knew he couldn't actually feel the sensation like he did when he had wings, but when he reacted like that, and made a soft noise of pleasure it was hard to remember.

Matt shifted his shoulders, torso turning towards her. "Do you think anyone would care if I turned Regent just so you can play with my wings?"

Will felt a jolt of lust at the idea. She traced down his spine, making him arch his back again and shifted under her nails. He whimpered slightly, and Will pressed her nails harder into his skin. "You want me to touch your wings?" She asked, voice dropping into her throat. "You going to be okay with that?" She didn't want to trigger anything, especially with what he had just been through.

"Yes," He murmured, cupping her face. "Will, I need…" And then she kissed him, pressing her body against his until his back hit the floor. He chuckled and broke the kiss. "Should I transform then?" Looking up with her with dark eyes.

"Please," She whispered, tucking her hair back as she sat up. He sat up, giving his wings room to manifest and with a crackle of lightning over his skin, her dark angel was looking at her. She quickly pulled his mask off, as that still freaked her out a little after all these years. "This stupid vest," She grumbled, willing little spark of electricity to dance along her finger tips and prick at Matt's chest.

Matt sucked in a breath rapidly, fumbling for his vest and pulling it upwards. It shredded as it passed his feathers. When Matt had turned eighteen, he had gained the ability to sharpen the feathers of his wings into bladelike projections when not in flight. It was useful during battle, but even more useful during the times when they were ripping clothes off. When his arms lowered to his sides, Will still appreciated the lines of muscle that rippled over his chest.

"I'll never get sick of looking at this," She whispered, scratching down the right side of his chest. Current ran through her fingers and Matt whimpered at the sensation. "Get naked and kneel on the bed," She commanded, watching as he swiftly followed her order. "Hands behind your head and stretch out your wings. Keep them there." Matt nodded, obeying.

She smiled, taking in the lovely body in front of her. He was very attractive, that was for sure. And while she knew that he had to obey her orders, she knew he also kind of liked doing it, so it didn't freak her out as much as it used to. She leaned forward, tracing the collar around his neck.

It was oddly symbolic, she thought. He was hers, and had been for a long time. But seeing him like this, exposed for her and wearing nothing but the metal collar, her collar… "You look so good," She whispered, willing the current to strengthen as she danced her fingers along his pecs. He gasped as her fingers pressed into his nipples, and she grinned. Pressing her fingers against them, she strengthened the current slightly, and Matt gave a small cry of pain and lust. Will hummed under her breath, pleased with the reaction. His breathing was deepening, chest beginning to expand and contract rapidly.

"Will please…" He whispered, looking at her pleadingly.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked seductively, tracing her fingers lower, into his abs.

He shook his head, smiling faintly through gritted teeth. "Stop being such a fucking tease," He hissed.

"Oh?" Will asked, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face. "Really?"

"Will, I swear on the Heart, if you don't touch my wings or my cock right now…" His words were cut off on a howl as her hand gripped him at the base firmly, electricity still dancing from her fingers.

"Happy?" She asked, giving a light stroke, and Matt bit back a curse as electricity arched over the head.

"Not fair," He snarled, still rock hard and thrusting into her hand. "That's cheating."

"I didn't like your tone," She said lightly, pressing her thumb against the tip and sending a bolt of current down his shaft.

Matt hollered, and Will thought that if not for the order keeping him in place he would have folded in on himself. "Christ…"

"On your hands and knees," She barked, releasing him, watching as his hands hit the bed. Matt's whole body was shuddering, whimpers breaking out every few exhales. This position put his wings nice at arm level for her, and she traced down along the external primaries, watching as Matt trembled.

"You like that?" Will teased him.

"You know I do," He bit back, shivering as she pulled on a few feathers. She smiled, touching the tip of the wing bone and letting electricity course down it. The sound that left Matt's mouth was half cry half moan, and all sex. Hormones flooded Will's body and she struggled with the temptation to order him to please her instead. This was for him. Current crackled down his wing, dancing out to twirl on his feathers and tap on his back. Will focused a little more, and some of the sparks reached out the gently land on the gland between his wings.

Matt cried out then, a full-throated yell. His head, which had been turned to watch her, dropped to hang at his shoulders. He swore and whimpered and moaned as the electricity continued its torment. His body shook, wing quivering and cock all the while throbbing hard with his heartbeat.

Will knew she could do this endlessly. Matt entered a different headspace when she was using his pain kink against him, especially when it involved his wings and electricity. He had no sense of time or the outside world unless Will allowed him to "come up for air" as they called it. She adjusted the projection of her lightning so that it started dancing along his other wing, and he cried out again, body quaking violently.

It had scared her, how deep Matt was willing to go into this headspace they first started. They had been experimenting with the electricity, knowing he liked it, and started implementing his wings, limbs Will knew to be so incredibly sensitive. He had sunk so deep that first time that it took Will a good twenty minutes to fully bring him out of his head, to a point where he could do more than just cuddle her and breathe.

"It helps me," He had promised, "Helps me not think for a little while."

With everything he had been through, she could understand it.

She became aware of quiet words from Matt, moving closer in front of him to hear them over the cackle of lightning. "Your hands, please, please, Will, please…" He was barely coherent, but Will knew what his pleas meant.

She lifted the current, letting him sag in position for a moment, before she dug her fingers into his wings at the joint. He moaned, full throated as she dragged her fingers down the ridges towards the middle of his back, the pitch gaining frequency as she moved inward. She grabbed the hair at the back of his neck with one hand and scratched down the center of his back with her other hand, hard. He whimpered at the stimulation, his hips thrusting in the air. "Please, please, please…" He whispered.

She knew what he wanted. She had been in his head before at this moment. Whole body tingling with pent up hormones and lust, vision fuzzy, everything focused towards the pounding, aching need to come.

This is normally where she would start giving into his pleading. She wasn't sure what it was about this situation, the emotional bleed from the last twenty-four hours, the way he sounded, or the glint of that oh so simple but oh so loaded collar around his neck, but she was overcome with and energy she had never felt before. Dominant, powerful, more like a goddess and she could feel it throbbing off of her in waves. Matt seemed to be reacting to the energy, upper body lowering into more of a bowed position than the hands and knees one he had been in before.

And then, through all the whispered pleading, one word met her ears.

Mistress…

Will's whole body violently shuddered, not knowing how to react to that word from him.

"I don't want to call anyone else 'Mistress'…"

The earlier comment still was fresh in her mind.

Was he having a flashback? She hadn't noticed any of his normal tells but maybe she had missed something. Her eyes roamed over him, looking for any of his normal tells, but all she could see was lust soaking every bit of his being.

Was he getting off on it?

She grabbed his collar at his throat and tugged his face up to look at her. His eyes opened sluggishly, air still rushing in and out of his lungs. "Matt, are you okay?"

He blinked for a moment, seeming to need time to comprehend the question. Then he nodded, something having clicked.

"Matt, who are you calling mistress?" He blinked owlishly at her. "Who are you calling mistress?" She repeated, "Matt, answer me."

"You." His voice was quiet and rough, but he could have shouted it at her by the way she jerked back from him. "No, please…" He whined.

"On your back," She commanded. "No more talking." He fell back and Will climbed on top of him, discarding her clothes faster than she knew how. His eyes were pleading her as she sank down on him, groaning and the stretch and fullness and how right it felt.

And how, even with his admission that should have shocked her and been like a bucket of cold water to her libido, she still needed him inside her, and the flame burning in her groin had not subsided.

He went to grab her hips but she snapped, "Hands over your head, don't move them." His hands flew up and he stared at her pleadingly, eyes begging her to move.

Her powers reacted to her emotional state, static dancing up and down body and running to Matt were their bodies touched. His mouth opened in a silent cry and his head bent back. "God Matt… this is so messed up," She whispered, feeling everything they were doing, everything they had done suddenly resonate within her about how strange it was, and how it had felt completely natural for him to call her mistress…

Matt wasn't going to last long, strung out as he was, so Will rubbed herself where they were joined as she rode him, "Matt…" She whimpered, feeling him thrust up inside her. She saw the orgasm wrack his body and felt as he slammed in once, twice, and then a final time where he froze, breathing heavily and shaking convulsively. With manual help, it didn't take that much longer for Will to come crying out his name, and she fell forward onto his chest.

It didn't feel like that long before Matt was shifting his hips underneath her in an effort to get her attention, and she remembered the state she had him in. "Oh right, Matt, move and talk as you want."

He stretched out his arms quietly before she felt him encircle her in his arms. "Hey," He whispered hoarsely.

"Hey," She responded. "You okay?"

There was something on his mind, and he shrugged before he responded. "I… I don't know."

"What…" She shook her head, "What was that?"

"Uh… which part?" Matt chuckled warily, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know," She knew he was trying to stall. "Maybe the part where you called me mistress?"

Matt blushed darker than his already sex flushed complexion. "Uh…" He seemed flustered, and Will was starting to feel a mix of emotions come over the bond. "Uh…" Lust, arousal, joy, but also mortification and self-hatred, and a feeling that manifested as the phrase, what the hell is wrong with me?

"Matt…" Will started, pressing a hand against his chest, not missing the slight flinch. "What's going on?"

Matt shook his head. "Will, please don't make me talk about this." There was pain in his voice, and Will felt the darker emotions over their bond again.

"Matt, let me in…" She started pushing into their bond, trying to figure out what he was thinking, and she got a flash of the first time she put his collar on, just before he had shut down the bond. Then he pushed her out again. "Does this have something to do with you blocking me?" She demanded.

Matt wouldn't meet her eyes. "Aren't I allowed to have a little privacy?" He snapped.

"Not when you shut down our bond and possibly endanger our mission!" Will cried back. "Matt, I love you, but you know that when we do these missions, our dynamic changes. I need to be able to count on you to follow my lead, and right now there's something going on I don't know about, and that could be really dangerous."

"What, I'm not allowed to have secrets?"

"Not from me."

There was tense silence between the two. Will was exhausted, but the strength of emotions she felt coming from Matt about this made her incredibly uneasy.

"I'm just scared," Matt whispered finally.

"Scared of what?" Will asked gently.

"I…" Matt swallowed. He fidgeted with his hair. "Just… let me think on it a little. I swear I'll tell you, I just…" He sighed. "I just need to work through this myself." He met her eyes, "And I'd respect if you let me do that."

Will sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win this one. "Okay," She said quietly. "But if this starts impacting the mission…"

"I won't let it get to that point," Matt promised, but there was still uncertainty in his tone. "Come on, let's go to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Will nodded, leaning forward and kissing him gently. He reciprocated, and grinned goofily at her. She smiled hesitantly back.

Neither knew what was going to happen tomorrow, or how everything was going to change.