Between two large trees Lysander paced in human form, he was both angry and aroused and in this state he was ferocious to anything that came near him. Naked and sweating his huge erect member hung between his legs, he was unsated and in pain, his blood was hot and the tiger in him was growling to be joined with his mate once more. But he could not let lust dictate his reason, not until he had calmed down at least, in this state he was likely to hurt Nyssa if he went near her.

Nyssa.

Tilting his head back until the tendons in his neck strained Lysander gripped his black hair, pulling until it screamed at the roots and he groaned. The way she had looked at him! He was a prick, he'd hurt her so badly he knew it, he could smell it in the air the moment he'd opened his mouth. But mated to an Arcadian, how could the fates be this cruel? Well, Lysander knew how, they were heartless bitches who lived to screw with peoples happiness, but they seemed to have surpassed themselves this time.

Growling at the injustice of the situation and the general shittiness of the world in general Lysander flashed himself into his tiger form and flew into a rage. The damage he wrought was astounding, slashes and gouges from his claws ran deep in the tree until they bled out their sap. The grass and the huge leaves were torn to ribbons, circular tracks were scored into the earth like ravines by his lethal nails. He roared and snarled at nothing and at everything until he heard a gasp, Lysander immediately went into a threatening crouch while his eyes searched the area for the source of the sound.

Nyssa stood looking innocently sensuous standing behind a flourishing bush of pink flowers, a light rain began to fall and it trickled through her loosely tied back hair, making it look darker and shinier. It moved over her skin and speckled the front of her pinafore dress, her feet were bare and she shivered, while her wide eyes skittered over what was before her.

Lysander flashed into human form again, his eyes staring at her through his haphazardly fallen hair, the way he would watch his prey through tall grass. His chest heaving, his body nude to her gaze he hardened at just seeing her again, he saw her eyes look away and her cheeks flush.

It was evident she was no longer comfortable for her to see him like that, he flashed on a pair of loose, black silk, Indian pants, everything else was bare.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his normally gravelly voice almost non-existent through his roaring.

"I felt the mating mark," she said softly, Lysander didn't respond, only a clenching of his fist told her he had heard.

"Well, I thought there were some pressing issues we needed to discuss, don't you agree?"

Her voice was haughty and disdainful, she had caught him acting like a rabid animal and now that's all she thought him.

"No."

"No?" A tic moved in her jaw, she was angry, "what do you mean no?"

"I mean I don't want to talk."

"Well, I do!"

"Bully for you," Lysander moved towards the watering hole, in his frenzy he had torn open an old scar on his shoulder. To his chagrin she followed and waited, her arms folded over her chest, her hip sticking out sexily while she tapped an impatient foot.

"What is your problem?"

"You," he suggested casually, uncaring of her feelings and stripping his pants off, he waded in the water just as he was hit by the scent of lust so strong he hunched, doubled over. Looking back over his shoulder he cast her a furious glare.

"Leave! This instant!"

Nyssa almost jumped out of her skin and left dust behind her as she hurried to comply to his orders and Lysander almost laughed. He waited until she had left him completely alone before his body relaxed, he huffed out a quiet laugh and moved deeper into the water, wincing as the cool water touched his hot erection. He reached down and handled himself gently, he sneaked a look over his shoulder to make sure Nyssa wasn't spying. He might hate her Arcadian blood but it didn't mean he didn't desire her.

Nyssa felt like someone had tied her to the electric chair and was taking little zaps at her for shits and giggles every time she tried to sit down, every time she moved, her nerves were jumping so much she literally twitched. How in hell could she mate with someone like him? He'd rip her throat out for the slightest infraction. But she had to try, didn't she? If she gave up now on fate, on destiny, did she deserve to have the life she wished for? Did she deserve to gain her treasure when she feared to tread near the dragon?

A subtle, dull cracking noise of a twig. It was deliberate of course, Lysander moved like the wind, he was the dirt under his feet, he was the one with the air he breathed, none of the elements betrayed his presence unless he wished it to. He was giving her time to prepare herself, perhaps he liked her more then he let on, even to himself, Nyssa smiled to herself before arranging her face into a stern mask. Lysander appeared, dripping wet and wearing the Indian pants once again, to both Nyssa's relief and disappointment, she put all her effort into supporting her relief. He raised a mocking eyebrow.

"Still here?"

"Obviously," she snapped back nastily. "Can you talk civilly now?"

He gave a indistinct grunt that she took as a yes, with a sigh for strength Nyssa began to pace where Lysander had been doing the same thing before she arrived.

"We are in a difficult situation," Nyssa started her prepared speech and felt like an idiot, she was a doer not a speaker, wringing her hands she muddled on not catching his eye. "But we could make this a lot easier on ourselves. I want one day to perhaps have children and I'm sure that you want the same -"

"I don't." That took her aback.

"How can you not?"

Lysander rolled his eyes and looked at her like she was dim. "Why would I want a group of brats running around expecting me to look after them?"

"Well, you wouldn't, would you? I would!"

"And why would I take a chance of procreating more of the Arcadian species?"

Nyssa did not gape but it was a near thing, instead she gave him a strange look, it sent shivers through him and he didn't know it then but it would be a look that would haunt him. She tilted her head to the side and her dark hair a little loose fell over her forehead, her dark eyes were not narrowed but not wide, they were intense as they bored into his. The first time since she came to find him she met his eyes, like she was trying to name a alien specimen.

"But they'd be your children …"

"Not if I don't claim them."

Nyssa blew out a breath, this wasn't going to be easy.

"Okay, look, your really fucking up my planned speech right now -"

"I noticed." Nyssa growled and Lysander bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Well just shut up and listen. Thank you. Right, well, what I'm thinking is that we need to spend some time getting to know each other, and maybe you'll see I'm not so bad and can be lived with and I'll think the same about you …." she grimaced almost to herself as her eyes raked him. "Eventually."

Lysander didn't know whether to laugh or be indignant, she was like a young college freshman, full of life and not enough experience of it, cocky and sarcastic and confident. He could handle her without breaking a sweat.

"Have you considered that I don't want you?" Lysander said and moved past her, casually flashing himself into tiger form he pranced off through the greenery, Nyssa followed clumsily behind, tripping and stumbling all the way.

"Well, get used to me, I am so staying."

Nyssa wasn't sure but she could swear she heard him laugh evilly.

****

"You know, people automatically think that countries that are so humid and hot during the day are the same at night," Nyssa shivered again as she addressed Lysander's prone animal form casually from across the small clearing where they had settled. "Well, I would like to confirm that that is bullshit."

Lysander lifted his furry head to pin her with a droll stare then looked back down again, Nyssa's stomach rumbled and she pouted in a self-pitying type of way.

Why don't you just go home?

Lysander looked up again as he sent the mental thought to her, she was still in her thin dress, her hair was soaked from the last tropical rain they had just had. She was sitting with her legs drawn up and her back against a tree.

"Not until you agree to mate with me," she said mutinously, "you know you should be happy, most of the time it's the males doing all the chasing, be flattered."

I don't want a mate remember? Especially not you.

"Charming," she grumbled under her breath. His words should hurt her but the way Nyssa saw it was, she was a young, fit, modern chick married to a grizzled, grumpy old geezer, she would have to take his grousing with a pinch of salt. So she decided she wouldn't leave his side, she would bug him into agreeing. Nyssa stared at Lysander's thick orange fur, bisected with the ebony stripes, in tiger form he was just as attention-grabbing as he was in human form, he was terrific in a most deadly and frightening way. She noticed he was staring back at her.

"What?"

If your cold put something on rather then a frilly sack!

Nyssa poked her tongue out at him. "I'll have you know they were wearing something like this at Paris fashion week!" She was offended, she had great style. "But I wouldn't expect a jungle bum to know anything about style and class, so shush!"

I got style, little girl and your cramping it!

"Tough shit!"

Lysander roared and Nyssa winced then gave him a is-that-necessary kind of look.

They fell into uneasy silence with Lysander trying not to look at Nyssa and Nyssa trying to pretend she wasn't cold. Truth was she was freezing but she had never been taught how to master her powers and what she had learnt had been self-taught all for the day when she would impress her 'hero'.

Yeeeaaaahh, her hero was likely to crack a rib laughing at any attempt of magic that she tried, she'd rather go without warmth all night then be humiliated, as she always did …

Nyssa wondered what Rumba was doing back at Iri'ni, was he somewhere in his stone cold missing her presence? Doubtful.

Was the fact that she wasn't propped up the bar with her berretta in its holster on her hip making the place less homey and lonely for Rumba as he worked his night shift? Double doubtful. The slight internal warmth that she had gotten from bugging Lysander so much went out as she thought how alone she was in the world, how unloved … she shivered more from the loss of her little light then the actual cold.

"Will you just put a damn sweater on!" Lysander was in human form and was standing up, his fists clenched at his sides, Nyssa cast him a wary look.

"I'm fine," she said more timidly then she would have liked, but he looked dangerous with the crescent moonlight catching his eyes and making them glowing orbs.

"You know what fine, if you freeze to death then I'll get rid of this abomination of my hand and our problems are solved!"

Nyssa wanted to stay quiet but she felt that like a stinging slap, damn, she was just too sensitive!

"That's a horrible thing to say," she murmured looking down at her frozen toes.

She did not see Lysander rub a hand over his face, everything that concerned her consumed him with worry or guilt and he hated that. He hated that she attracted him on a level that was indefinable, that she amused him to no end, that he was soothed by her presence and worried for her safety and well-being. He looked down and saw the said abomination and wanted nothing more then to cut his hand off, cut away the limb and cut away her, but fate didn't work like that. He was fused to her, tied, bound, the mark is a mere physical symbol of their connection. Like a wedding ring or the Bindi, but take it away and they were still tied together. At that moment Lysander hated Savitar just that little bit more then he hated himself.

"Just put something warm on, okay," with a conscious effort Lysander made his voice go from angry to exasperated, he was a little surprised when Nyssa pinned him with a half angry half exasperated glare of her own.

"I. Can't." She said it very slowly as if he were mentally slow.

"You've not learnt to use your magic?"

"Correct Einstein."

Her sarcasm was grinding on him, he clenched his teeth and chose to ignore it. "Why weren't you taught?"

Nyssa couldn't bare to look up so she shrugged and continued to stare at her feet an said as nonchalantly as she could.

"Where I live the animals don't like me very much …"

"Why do you talk them to death too?"

Lysander let his comment slip out without thinking, he was automatically nasty and sarcastic to everyone, he saw her shoulders lower an inch more. She was ashamed. Lysander couldn't think why but the thought of her being so ashamed of something that was not her fault hurt him, it angered him. Crouching down before her he placed his finger under her chin and raised her face to him, she kept her eyes downcast.

"Would you like some warm clothing?"

Her eyes flickered up at his softened tone and Lysander had an inexplicable desire to kiss her and hug her close to his chest.

"Yes please," she sounded like a little girl again and a fresh wave of guilt cut him deep, had he not left her perhaps she would be happy now…

Sighing to himself he flashed a pair of kaki combat trouser on and a long sleeved shirt, they were over sized and didn't matched, Lysander watched as she stood up and held her arms out, the cuffs fell well past her fingertips, she looked adorable.

"Sorry its not couture," he said scratching the back of his neck awkwardly and she smiled at him so sweetly his chest seized up.

"How do you know about couture?"

"I haven't always been a jungle bum."

"I bet."

Lysander unwillingly gave her some semblance of a smile and walked back to his worn in patch of earth where he intended to sleep, Nyssa followed.

"May I sleep next to you tonight?"

Lysander looked up in shock and all he saw were two wide eyes, a fathomless beauty stood before him asking to sleep at his side. Lysander almost said yes but he remembered his dreams, he would hurt her if he woke from a nightmare and slashed with his claws.

"No."

Nyssa's petite little face closed down immediately and she nodded with a small but insincere smile and moved away from him to her tree where she curled up. Lysander wanted to call her back but he couldn't it was for her own good, his chest was literally aching, he couldn't remember last time he caused someone pain that wasn't physical and the last time it had happened to him he saw he would kill the next person to try.

Offering a silent prayer up to the Gods that Savitar die riddled with pain and sores, he flashed into tiger form and slept.