bnthridiot: Hey, sorry its been a while. I'm a lazy one this time. But, I finally got my butt working. I'm so lazy; its like my biggest fault. Problem I know.

Anyways, this chapter is one big sex scene, so once again: If sex bothers you, you might want to only read a bit of this thing at best. Do enjoy it!


Can You Breathe? Barely...


By

H


Several hours later, Caiden finally feels up to going downstairs. And confronting Aasia.

"She must be furious," he thinks outloud. And for good reason. The day had been wonderful, just being with her. Relaxing and doing simple, friendly things. Very rarely had the atmosphere between them ever been carefree. Then, just as the experience had been about to culminate—something he very much had wanted—that shocking kiss had happened.

It had been so quick, it had alarmed Caiden. And confused him. They'd kissed passionately before, several times. Why should the last kiss have been so strangely different?

Perhaps, he muses, it had been the nature of the kiss itself. He and Aasia had opened up a new side of their relationship in that kiss. They weren't just lovers now.

They were partners.

That kiss had been shared without hesitation, and with pure trust. There was no contract involved, no rules or conditions attached to that moment at all. In that kiss, they'd been simply and utterly devoted to each other.

And, he'd run from it, he thinks bitterly. His lip curls in disgust at himself. He'd already decided he loved her; because of that, he had no right running like a coward from what she'd offered.

Caiden strides through the castle with intent purpose. He has only one destination in mind, and that is Aasia's room, where he'd left her. He figures she'll be sleeping, as active as their day had been. But he decides what he has to say can't wait until morning. She'll just have to wake up and hear him out. He pushes open the door to her room, and is up to the bed instantly. "Aasia—" He begins, his voice hesitant with nerves.

The bed is empty.

Caiden's eyes dart over the empty mattress, the pushed back bed spread, and the jostled pillows. He turns without a word and hurries out of the room.

His stride quickens, a dark scowl beginning to develop on his features. He nearly runs over Dante, who was turning the corner at the same time. Dante leapts out of Caiden's way barely, growling a complaint. Caiden ignores him, rushing straight through the dining room to the front double doors. He throws them open and pauses on the threshold. His flashing blew eyes travel over the courtyard, looking for Aasia.

He doesn't see any footprints. The snow is undisturbed. So, he reasons, relieved somewhat, she is still inside. He shuts the doors with a bang, and turns in an agitated manner. He is halfway across the dining room floor, intent to search the entire castle top to bottom, when the sound of crackling fire stops him.

He realizes for the first time that the room is warm, and that light is flickering across the dark walls and the eaves. Someone has started the fire he'd stacked earlier.

Caiden turns his head sharply to the great fireplace. His eyes gaze straight into Aasia's calm brown ones.

She is laying on her right side atop Dante's skinned bear rug. It was right in front of the fireplace, so the flames create a warm glow haloing her shadowed figure. She wears only the red silk robe, so when she shifts her long, stretched out legs, the cloth clings and moves with them. Aasia leans her elbow on the bear's huge head and fists her knuckles under her chin.

"Room got a little cold. So I came out here," she explaines. When he contines to stare at her, the dark frown still on his face, she smiles sleepily. "I'm glad I did, because then I was here to watch you come out of your room, enter mine, then speed out to the yard. It was amusing to watch. Since usually you seem to always know hen I'm around. But for once, you walked right past me!"

Aasia rolls onto her stomach, folding her arms across the Bear's head. Her eyes might be heavy-lidded, but Caiden can see the glint in them. "You look surprised. Whats wrong, Caiden? Dissapointed I didn't try to leave again?"

Her barb hits him deeply, although he doesn't show it. It had been the first thing that had come to mind when she hadn't been in bed. He'd thought she'd tried to leave him again. He grits his teeth against his embarrassment, his hurt, and says stiffly. "What was I supposed to think? You weren't in your room where I left you."

"Yes," she agrees coolly, "Where you left me."

Caiden sighs, pressing a tense hand to his forehead. Slower then he'd moved before, he walks up to the bear rug and kneels. Without taking her head from the bear, Aasia scoots her legs over to make room for him, her gaze trained on his face as he looks down at her. The fire crackles undisturbed in the silence for a few moments as Caiden gathers his words. She waits patiently for him to speak.

"Aasia," he finally begins, "What happened earlier…I'm deeply sorry."

She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I see," she whispers, resigned.

He frowns, confused. "What do you see? I haven't even begun to explain—"

"I felt it to," she interrupts. "When our lips met, that shock—well, you know. I could see you felt it as well."

He nods his head in acknowledgement.

Aasia smiles sadly. "That kiss was different. More complicated. Anyone would be frightened off by it."

Caiden's gaze sharpens. "Frightened off? No, Aasia—"

"Ssh." She silences him, pressing a finger to his lips. Her sleepy gaze is frank and assessing. "I've just watched you leave me, then come search for me in a hurry. Its flattering, and comforting. But I need you to understand, Caiden, that I'm not frightened by what just happened in my room. But I understand completely if you are. And I want you to know, that's okay. Us getting close together in a friendly way is not apart of our bargain."

Aasia looks down at the bear rug, feeling vulnerable as she states what she feels. "I'm not saying I don't want us to become more friendly. I rather liked spending time with you that didn't involve drinking my blood. But that is something I would give freely. There are no strings attached to that kind of relationship."

Oh yes, Caiden thinks bitterly, there are.

"Even if we were to suddenly hate each other, or if you suddenly decided making a snow angel was beneath you, I want you to know I would not leave again. I'm bound here by my word, by the bargain we made. And, because…" She hestitates. "Because, I don't want to ever leave this castle again. Unless you're with me, Caiden."

She finishes speaking, waiting nervously for him to say something. She can't look up to meet his gaze, so she just stares down at the floor. Caiden breathes deeply for a few moments. When he speaks again, his voice is low and grave.

"Well. It least I know you'll never try to leave me again."

He takes Aasia's chin in his hand and lifts her head up gently. He is frowning when Aasia finally lets her eyes look at him. "And you seem to be misinterpreting me. Yes, I will admit the nature of the last kiss did…shock me. I had no idea such feeling could be mine just by touching you. But you are wrong to think I was frightened off. Even though I had left, I didn't intend to stay away from your side long." Caiden cups the side of her face in his right hand. Tenderly, he leans forward and meets her lips with his. Aasia digs her fingers into the bear's fur, bracing herself for the shocking feeling from before.

His lips brush her closed ones, carefully, experimentally.

Both breathe out a sigh of relief as nothing sinister shoots down their spines. Aasia chuckles once against his lips in relief, and he smiles faintly. "You see? The simplest thing in the world," he murmurs against her mouth. His hand slides behind her neck, holding her still as he leans in.

Aasia smiles, her mind forgetting its sleepiness. Before she forgets all her worries completely, she lifts her hand and touches the underside of his jaw. "So," she reasons outloud, tilting her head back so Caiden's eager mouth is put on hold. "You're not becoming uninterested in me?"

That stops him. He frowns down at her questioning eyes. "Uninterested? Why are you not making any sense tonight?"

She shrugs, her lashes flickering. "Well, we barely sleep together one night, then when we start to come together again, you back away. You left me riled up and confused. What was I supposed to think?"

His frown darkens, blame settling keenly in his gut. "I thought you were just as shocked as I was. I thought you'd have forgotten your desire and wanted some time alone."

Aasia raises a sardonic brow. "It would take more then a silly kiss for me to forget my desire for you, Caiden. However, if my sexuality wasn't up to par—"

Caiden's mouth crashes on hers, stifling such nonsense. In a second he rolls on top of her, pressing her shoulders down into the bear rug. He holds her head between both his hands as he thoroughly silences any thought she had been about to say. Aasia's eyes closed in pleasure as she opens her mouth to him eagerly. Their lips fuse, their tongues clash.

Vampires tasted good.

Human food corrupted the mouth, while Caiden's mouth held all kinds of delicious flavors and contradiction. Not to mention the fact the muscles in his were stronger then Aasia's also. Even when they kissed, Caiden dominates. His arms, legs, and body have her pinned, caged in the soft fur. His possession thrilled her, sent her pulse racing.

When her chest begins to heave from lack of breath, Caiden pulls back, giving her precious air. He takes a swallow full himself. He watches her eyes flutter open, her mind still riding from the assault. He wasn't going to be giving her a lot of time to recover.

"Do I look uninterested, Aasia?" He questions her, his voice husky and on the dangerous side.

She wets her lips. "N-No."

Grinning triumphantly, Caiden slips his hands underneath her lower back, lifting her hips off the rug and up into his lower body. "Do I feel uninterested?"

Her stomach muscles quiver at the pressure and the heat coming from him. "Definitely not," she gasps. On her own, she opens her legs and lets Caiden slide between them. She wraps her right arm around Caiden's neck, and pushes herself up with her left hand. Caiden leans back in cooperation, pulling her up onto his lap.

Aasia likes this position. Very much so. Their legs and bodies were interwined so perfectly this way. Her arms are around his neck; his are wrapped around her lower back, keeping her pressed flush against his chest. Their faces, where usually she was looking up to his, are directly aligned.

Aasia leans into Caiden, being the first to start the kiss this time. Their lips catch, tangle, and hold. Aasia bathes in the sensation, then very decisively, traps his bottom lip between her teeth.

Caiden's growl rumbles in his throat as she bites down, then moistens the tender skin with her tongue. He pulls back enough to warn, "Your turn." His mouth takes control of hers again, without much effort it seems. His tongue momentarily tangles with hers, him ending the dance by dragging his tongue across the roof of her mouth. His teeth fix around her lower lip, biting. And piercing.

Aasia moans as a metallic taste fills her mouth. Caiden's throat rumbles in satisfaction. He massages the wound with his mouth, drinking bare mouthfuls. The effect on both of them is something unworldly and animalistic.

Aasia's head spins from the flowing blood, and from the pleasure his suckling gives her. The mixed flavors of Caiden's mouth and her blood was the most wonderful taste in the world.

With a sound of content, Caiden pulls his mouth from hers. He presses his face against her shoulder, matching her heavy breathing. His fingers begin to move against her back, working at the knotted silk ties. Aasia's hands slip to his shirt front, hastily, clumsily undoing the buttons.

He has her stripped first, of course. Damn vampires' quick hands! Caiden shoves the silk aside in a greedy haste, letting his fingertips glide over her smooth skin and round curves. He chuckles into her ear as his touch traveles over some of her more sensitive areas. "You may want to hurry it up a little," he teased.

Aasia responds to his jibe by biting his throat underneath the chin. Caiden laughs at her aggression.

Aasia undoes the last button, pushing the sleeves down his shoulders. "Maybe you should slow down a little, buddy," she teases. She pressed the flat of her palms into his chest, urging him back. He complies, curious about what she wants.

When he is on his back in the fur, herself on top and her legs straddling him, Aasia allows herself the chance to look at him all she wants.

The firelight looks marvelous on his pale skin. The shadows emphasize his strength, every muscle and plane. The chest under her hands heaves with control, bridled for the moment. Her eyes rake over his ice blue eyes, the cocky smile, and the tostled black hair. He was all hers. Forever.

She loosens her thighs' grip against his body, leaning down. Holding herself up with her left hand, Aasia places her palm flat against his lower abdomen. Holding his gaze, she drags her hand, warmed from laying in front of the fire, up his cold skin. The air between them sizzles, like suddenly released steam. She lets her nails gently scrape across his muscles, feeling them quiver. Her fingers follow the path of his feelings, finding trails across his body she'd had yet to explore. Her mouth closes over the pulse at his throat; he suppressed a moan at that, secretly pleasing her. She lets her mouth journey down his throat, to his chest. Her mouth soon discovered the delights of the paths her fingers had just laid.

Caiden lifts his tense hands to her thighs, one on every side of him. He cupped the muscle in each leg, working the smooth flesh between his fingers. He slides his hands up the leg, gliding over her sides. When his cold fingers travel up her rib cage to her breasts, he cups them and presses the flat of his thumbs into each round peak.

Aasia pulles back from his neck with a gasp of surprise. "Caiden!" She squeals, "You're fingers are freezing!"

Caiden merely grins, looking down from her face to the appealing view of her chest. "Are they?" He slided his thumbs across them again, making her shiver and gasp again. The nipples hardened and pucker, responding to his touch completely.

Aasia places her hands back on his chest, anchoring herself as his hands sculpt and explore her out. When that was no longer enough, Caiden gripsher hips and pulls her farther up his chest. He tugs her down to his level, his mouth settling where his hands had just been.

Aasia twines her fingers into his hair, shuddering as he takes each of her breasts into his mouth, one at a time. While she holds herself above him, he works his pants down his legs and kicks them off into the room somewhere. Caiden finishes at her throat, his fingers pressing into her rib cage. He takes her shoulders in his hands and pushes her back up so she is straddling him once more.

Aasia and Caiden lock gazes, both their chests heaving and falling with their desire. Devastating hunger is smoldering in Caiden's ice blue eyes as his strong hands grip onto Aasia's hips. He lifts her and settles her where he most wants her. He takes her thighs and shoved them apart as far as they would go across his body.

He bucks his hips, piercing straight up into Aasia's opening, filling to the fullest. Her hands fist against his chest, her inner muscles tightening around him at the intrusion.

Just who had whom captured? He wonders, reveling at the feel of her clasped around him. Strangely, despite how wonderful the first time had been, the previous night didn't even measure up compared to the now. This second time felt like the first, and even more so perfect.

Caiden pulls out, then thrusts again. Stimulating. Enduring.

As he repeats, Aasia's hips match his pace. She doesn't fight, or try to take control. She merely loosens when he does, and tightens as he does. Their bodies fit together like two working pieces, each building on the other. Each undulation of her hips sends the pressure inside him soaring.

As the pleasure began to build, the pace quickens. Aasia's body begins to feel like a rope being stretched to breaking point, but she lets it build despite the tension. Her back begins to arch. Caiden's fingers are like vices around her waist, his fingers urging her movements on.

Only so long can one rope hold against such power. Aasia's eyes roll back in her head. Caiden's eyes become fixated and hard. Right before everything in her snaps, Aasia feels the ultimate silence, and the feeling of halted time.

Then the climax comes. Ubruptly. Violently.

Aasia's body bows back, shuddering as the feeling of being electrified rips through her. Caiden's hands tighten painfully, bruisingly into her skin as he too shudders at the climax. His head falls back into the fur as he thrusts one last time.

Both let loose a cry into the night air.

Their muscles are locked, unwilling to loosen as told. Then, slowly, Aasia's thigh muscles began to quiver. Caiden's fingers slowly began to peel back from her skin. Aasia's arms shake from the effort of holding herself up. She falls forward into Caiden's chest, taking deep shuddering breaths.

Caiden wraps his arms around her body, holding her as he too comes back from the brink. Letting out a deep groan, he lifts Aasia's hips, removing himself from her warm, slick sex. That done, he throws one arm across Aasia's back, and lets the other one lie uselessly against the floor.

It takes several minutes for her heart to slow enough so she can't hear it beating wildly in her head. Aasia takes a few deep, needed breaths. Her head feels strangely empty, compared to the storm it had been a few moments ago.

Gods. Caiden was…Gods!

She flips her head to the other side, her nose brushing the underside of his chin. "Caiden?" She inquires breathlessly. "Can you speak?"

He breathes sharply. "Yeah. Barely."

Underneath her cheek, his chest rises and falls quickly. "Yeah. Me too."


The fire's dying low, barely more then choked ash wood and glowing embers. Aasia opens her eyes lazily, gazing at the little glow for a moment. She's laying atop Caiden's still body, her head nestled under his chin. She sits up, folding her arms across his broad chest. Caiden's arms are folded behind his head; his features are relaxed and composed. He smiles into her eyes, utterly content.

She lifts a finger, tracing his jaw. "You look satisfied," she notes, smiling in relief.

He grins, catching her index finger inbetween his teeth. Caiden ignores her tug for freedom, only releasing it after she laughs. "After all that just took place, you still dare doubt yourself?"

Aasia's smile is coy and absolutely sultry. "Not in the least." She leans down and gives Caiden one slow, sensuous kiss. He smiles against her lips. She sighs, her heart rolling once in her chest and he softens the moment, turning what could have been a smoldering kiss into a mere pleasureable dream. "You're too perfect," she tells him quietly, her eyes closing in bliss.

His lips brush her cheekbones, then the underside of her jaw. "That almost sounded like a complaint," he murmurs. He untwines his arms from behind his head and wraps them around Aasia's back. He rolls to the side, facing the fire, settling Aasia comfortably at his side.

Her back to the dying fire, she rests her head on her folded arm and smiles at Caiden. Thinking rationally again, he reaches behind him and pulls her discarded silk robe across the floor. He lays it across Aasia's body, imagining he's draping a goddess. When he's convinced she's adequetly covered, he grips her thigh and tugs her legs into his body. Aasia smiles as their legs tangle, his arm draping once again over the curve of her waist. "Caiden," she announces affectionately, "You're an after-lover-cuddler. Cute!" She drags the tip of her finger down his nose to emphasize her point.

Caiden scowls once at being called cute, but lets it melt away as she continues to gaze at him.

"Are you warm enough now?" He questions her, his voice caressing and deep.

"Mmm," Aasia mumbles. "I'm more then fine now."

Caiden kisses her forehead, his hand smoothing the hair back from her face. "Sleep. You were tired long before I made it worse."

She snorts. "Worse?" She yawns. "I'm going to sleep like the dead now."

Caiden blinks, frowning at that statement. "Interesting."

But she doesn't catch the inflection, or the mood of his voice. Her eyes drift closed, her dreams already beginning to form with the feel of Caiden's arm and warm body wrapped around her…


bthridiot: YAY! Bear rug sex! Couldn't resist. Anyways, my friend is the one with the notebook now. I can't wait to see where she'll take the story! Definitely will be some action starting to brew with Neere and the villagers. I'm also wondering how Dante's going to feel about the two lovers borrowing his bear rug all night!

I sing to the tune of REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! I also write to the tune of review. So please, REVIEW!!!