Author's Note: This chapter contains rather suggestive sexual insinuations. Just a friendly warning. ENJOY!
Chapter Eight:
"Niles…" a delicate voice calls to him.
His eyes widen, taking in his surroundings. He inhales a sweet breath of fresh air, feeling the brightness absorb into his lungs. Beneath his hands, he feels the spring grass. His fingertips are moist from the morning dew. Gazing around, he can see mountains around him, and clear blue skies. He exhales in response to the beauty surrounding him. The rugged mountains are a glowing purple color, turning ruddy and bronze further toward the ground. Then, he notices tall, looming trees sprouting up from the terrain. The branches gnarl and curve with an unnatural force. Orange and red leaves grace the arbors; he watches a few crumble to the ground, turning to dust as they land. He peers up toward the sky again, noting the absence of clouds. He gets an unnerving feeling of being in a sphere, due to the boundless sky that seems to stretch up, but morph into a dome around him.
"Niles…" he hears the voice again.
He stands, turning to look in all the directions of this… odd place. He begins jogging, searching for the source of the sound. He soon comes across a running stream. He carefully steps onto the stones resting in the rushing water. He swiftly crosses the small river and finds a beautiful flower growing on the other side, unlike any specimen he's ever seen before. It's a deep red, blending into a mystical purple toward its outer petals. The center is a blinding white, and dotted with pale blue flecks. It seems to be glowing as he reaches down to pick it.
"Niles!"
He turns abruptly to see a stunning woman standing near him. They are nose to nose, and she is smiling. Her pale skin is shining and her hair seems to be spun into gold. He sees himself in her eyes. Her aqua orbs are clear and brilliant. They're glistening with what might possibly be tears. He reaches a palm up to stroke her cheek gently, but stops when he notices the flower in her hair. He peers down at his hands to see that the flower is gone; now tucked aptly behind her ear. A train of blood chugs its way down her neck, pooling on her collarbone.
Before he can protest his own actions, he dips his head to lick away at the blood dripping down her neck. His lips travel up her throat; kissing and lapping and tasting the metallic liquid. He soon reaches the source of her pain – a black thorn has punctured the skin just beneath her ear.
"Niles, I'm glad you found me. Please, make it stop. Take the pain away." She speaks to him weakly now.
He raises a hand to carefully pluck the thorn away –
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Uuuuurrrrghh." Niles slams his fist down onto his alarm clock with a frightening strength.
What in the hell was that about? Niles lies in bed for a few meager minutes. He is fully aware of the fact that he has to get breakfast on the table soon, and be dressed in an impeccable suit, no less. Still, his head is spinning from last night's dream. That was by far the most vivid and strangest dream I've ever had. I could have sworn it was Babcock, but that voice… it was too light and almost helpless.
Niles tosses the sheets away from him and makes his way to the bathroom, stripping off his t-shirt and pajama pants. He starts up his shower and, as he waits for the water to warm, selects his attire for the day. He is just getting around to picking out his tie, when his body tenses. He thinks about C.C. and the way she rough-handled him yesterday. He imagines himself fiercely stringing her arms up to the bedposts by the silk of his ties and taking her. Get it together, old man. You're going to have another heart attack. He shakes his head and enters the shower. Since letting his thoughts escape him, he needs to adjust the water and take a much colder shower than he intended.
Meanwhile…
C.C. finds herself lying supine, staring into the depths of a blood-orange sky. The clouds sweep violently around her, leaving her to wonder just how fast this planet is spinning. She quickly sits up and realizes that she's on a bridge. The chiseled stones are cold and damp beneath her fingers. She rises and notices that her wrists are chained to the pathway of the bridge. She's wearing a white flowing dress that drapes around her in long tendrils. She glances around to fully take in her surroundings, only to realize that nothing exists past the bridge.
She gasps when she feels a hot breath on her neck. She is simultaneously frightened, yet strangely turned on. She can feel a bare chest pressing up against her back and hands roaming up and down the sides of her body.
"Unchain me." She breathes.
"I can't do that." He whispers in her ear.
He gently kisses his way from her ear, down her neck, and along her bare shoulder. One of his hands brushes her hair away from her neck as the other rests possessively on her stomach. She moans softly as the man continues kissing and sucking at her throat.
"Please…just set me free." She begs him.
"I cannot. Only you have the power to do that."
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
C.C. suddenly jolts away, sitting upright in bed. She was sweating and her hair was slightly sticking to her face. She reaches a hand up to push the strands away and she shoves her sheets away from her body. God, I need a shower. What the hell was that about? She groggily reaches the shower to turn on the water. She fumbles with the buttons of her shirt and eventually slides it off, letting it fall to the floor. She is deeply unsettled by her dream. She can still feel the man's hands on her body as she runs her own hands along her skin, washing herself with her sweet-smelling blackberry soap.
