Since last Chapter was so short, here is the rest. From here on out, things start heating up with Elhana and Valen but it's a slow , and the M rating applies to this chapter. Thanks for reading! And thank all of you that have reviewed; I honestly didn't think that, with the age of this game, any would.

All I own is Elhana and Madam.

Beads of sweat had gathered at the base of her neck and it permeated his nostrils with the smell of her. Lilac. Grimash't always had her bathed in lilac…no…not lilac…

Rain. Fresh and clean as a summer's storm and Valen ached with the need to taste her. His lips parted and he languidly swept his tongue across her glistening flesh.

She whimpered beneath him trying to make an intelligible sound but, after the pleasure he had just shown her, Valen knew that would be impossible. The smell in the room was thick with sweat and sex but the only sounds now were panting breaths and the hectic rhythm of her heartbeat.

Blistering heat radiated from their bodies but there was no where he would rather be then beside her, watching over her sleep, protecting her from any that dared raise a malicious hand against her. His female. This was their sanctuary; here in his arms where she was safe from even the taint inside him.

Valen stroked her hair tenderly; this was his female to have, to hold and to protect. Forever.

Valen rose onto his elbow to see her; it was dark but a sliver of light from outside illuminated her in a yellow glow. Her pale, flat stomach rose and fell with her shallow breaths and he took pride in seeing that the nubs atop the swells of her breasts were still red from his tender care.

She reached out for him with a shaky hand, combing her fingers down his chest, over his abdomen, to his hips and across his instantly hardening flesh. He wanted to groan out her name to make her understand how she made him feel but the letters that came to mind were all…wrong.

Valen looked down at the midnight black hair that hung loosely over her chest like a blanket…

No…this is wrong…Anya's hair is brown….this is not her…

And yet he felt no desire to move or leave her. Instead, Valen pulled her heated little body closer and caressed a hand down her side. She purred into his chest, a sound that made his heart leap, and looked up locking her stormy gray eyes with his.

No words were spoken as none need be said; he simply pressed a gentle kiss onto her lips. Valen felt his lover's tongue urging his lips to part and he opened only to have the coppery taste of blood invade his mouth. He drew back in panic.

No longer was her dark hair smooth and soft to the touch but matted and thick with her own blood. The fear in her eyes burned holes into his very soul as her lips parted in an attempt to speak. Sickening gurgles came from her while the blood came freely from her mouth.

Bile rose in his stomach. Hate churned in his gut. No! This was not happening! This was not Anya! I was supposed to protect her!

With an accusing gaze she reached out for him and placed her palm over his heart.

"Cannot…save…her…" Valen stared down at her, barely keeping the tears of rage at bay. It was a voice he remembered; the same voice that comforted him in the darkness, that kept the demon inside him from taking control…Anya's voice. Except now it was contorted…tainted with hate and malice.

"Cannot…save…her…" she repeated.. " Could not….save…me…."

Valen's hands fell to her neck and caressed her tenderly, ignoring the streams of his dead lover's blood coating his fingers.

"Kill…her…"

"No." But his voice was weak. His hands tightened involuntarily against her throat.

"Kill…her…"

Her face flashed before him and changed; her cheeks hollowed, her tongue-purple, blue and swollen-peeked from her bloody lips. Valen squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the image.

"Kill…her…"

"KILL…HER…"

Valen jolted awake panting. Sweat rolled off his forehead and he was unsurprised to find the black silk sheets clinging to his bare chest like a second skin.

Nothing like the nightmares of a demon, he thought bitterly peeling the covers back and swinging his legs over the side of the mattress. The air in his windowless room was stiflingly warm making his breaths shallow and meaningless. He needed air.

Needed to erase the images playing over and over in his mind. The blood, his hands wrapping around her neck…

With a furious growl, Valen stalked to the water basin and violently splashed his face in the hopes the water would perform a miracle and cleanse not only his face but also his soul.

The girl was getting to him, crawling under his skin and implanting herself there. If he did not know better he would swear she were the demon in disguise. How else could he explain this insane, overwhelming urge to protect her?

As it was, Valen was fitfully repressing the urge to take a stroll down the hallway and check on her. And he not woken up in his bed, he would have already.

The nightmares themselves were disturbing but what bothered him more was the frequency in which they were happening lately. To think that one night he might wake up with her blood on his hands made his stomach churn.

Valen ran his fingers through his damp hair and inhaled deeply. Sleep could not be further from his mind as he threw a tunic over his head and snatched Devil's Bane from the rack.

Slinging the flail over his shoulder, Valen left his bed and, hopefully, the nightmares behind as he descended the stairs two steps at a time.

Outside the temple, refreshingly cool air filled his lungs and Valen inhaled it greedily leaning back against a temple wall. A slight breeze caught the hem of his tunic, brushing it against his abdomen.

Wind? Coming from all directions…

In the Underdark.

Valen tilted his head to the sky and narrowed his eyes at a figure, high atop a cliff, in the distance. A guttural growl escaped his throat watching the figure's long hair thrash around in the wind and streaks of lightning as she stepped closer and closer to the edge.

Panic griped his gut in its clammy-cold hands. What the hell did she think she was doing?

Elhana spread her arms, reveling in the wind that brushed her hair in a torrent of pure bliss. Chills ran down her spine, energy filled every cell in her body. She felt invigorated within the darkness. She felt happy. She felt alive.

Nothing could compare to a real, raw thunderstorm. But here, encased in winds of her own creation, Elhana was discovering herself again within the deepness of the Underdark.

Her fingertips tingled with power and she closed her eyes, allowing the energy to carry her, travel deep inside her body to her heart where it changed. Beautiful, healing heat encased her in a thick embrace.

Healing. The eye of the storm but it was weaker than it should be.

After destruction comes rebirth, Drogan had once told her and how she believed it. At the time it was meant to comfort an inconsolable child who had just lost everything dear to her heart but it was more than that. It was who she was.

The winds rose at her beckoning.

Elhana breathed it all in deeply, opening her eyes to the panoramic splendor of Lythe'Mythar below. From here, the temple of Lolth looked like a sleepy haven; lightless and absorbed in it's own world. To the west, the training grounds resembled a graveyard, the markets a ghost town. Only the battlements were charged with life.

From the corner of her eyes she saw Madam rise onto her haunches but before she could react, Elhana was trapped.

Thick arms wrapped around her forcing her backwards, away from the cliff's edge.

Lightning gathered on her fingers until she heard her captor speak.

"Do you have a death wish?" Valen's breath brushed against her ear, his voice low and husky.

All around them the winds began to die. "Not particularly."

Warmth from the contact drove away any lingering chills and she involuntarily nestled against him before she caught herself and stiffened.

"Please let me go." It was a plea from the deepest pits of her heart but she didn't expect how forcefully he would release her. Valen threw her away as if she were infected with the plague.

She stumbled but managed to regain her stance just in time to see his darkened expression before it deadpanned.

"Thank you." She said, smoothing her dress. "But was that entirely necessary?"

"I released you as you asked, my lady." The last words sounded more like a curse. Elhana recoiled. Such venom, but where was it coming from?

"Valen," she took a step toward him. "Are you alright? Why are you not in bed?"

He snorted. "An interesting question given that you too are not where you are supposed to be."

Elhana started at him stunned into silence by his anger. Valen stepped forward so close she had to crane her neck to keep eye contact.

"How many times do I have to tell you that this is not your precious surface?!" He growled. "What would have happened had you fallen? Or one of the Valsharess's allies had seen you? To the Seer, you are out last hope," he pointed to the city below. "Those men and women have placed their lives in your hands and you diminish that faith by being reckless."

Tears blurred her eyes. "That isn't true."

"No? Forgive me then, my lady." He sneered. "Perhaps you were here to meet with the Valsharess herself?"

Elhana's palm flew out before her rational mind had a say and slapped Valen across the cheek so hard it stung. When she realized what she had done, fear made her blood run cold. Valen's eyes flashed red and she wanted nothing more than to go back in time and take it all back. Last thing she wanted was Demon Valen come out to play.

Her hands fell limp at her side. She'd never hit another being in anger before and the disgust at her own lack of self-control made the tears threatening to fall, flood from her eyes.

"I couldn't sleep." She babbled through the wetness dripping from her nose. "There's no sun here, no moon, no grass, no peace. It is darkness and cold, hard stone all the time and I…I am so, so sorry." she broke off into a mountain of pent up tears.

Sobbing, Elhana waited for the backlash she knew was coming.

Instead she felt Valen's arms wrap around her and he gently pulled her to his chest. Elhana whimpered.

Valen's strong fingers snaked into her hair, smoothing and cradling her head against him.

"Forgive me." He whispered. "To be so far away from home, in a place so different…I was insensitive."

Elhana coughed out a chuckle. A demon apologizing for being insensitive…

"That…was the first time I have heard the real you laughe." Valen mentioned sadly, stroking her hair. It felt nice. Better than nice even. Warm. Safe. And this time she made no move to push him away.

Hours ago she had lying awake in bed thinking of Drogan, thinking of the temple. Desperately trying to remember what it felt like to be at peace and now she finally was.

Elhana let her eyelids slowly envelop her in darkness. But, this time, the darkness was not so scary.

Licks of heat, not unlike the sun's rays, kissed her arms, her neck and warmed her face; she could almost imagine that she were sitting on the marble steps of the temple basking underneath the sun…

The budding sensation blossomed in her chest, surging to her fingertips. Elhana braced her palms against Valen's skin, feeling his hard muscles rippling underneath as he continued to massage her skull. Bright healing energy illuminated between them; it was pure, beautiful and stronger than it had been since she'd been forced into the Underdark.

"My lady…" Valen's voice was rough, questioning and she looked up at him and smiled, tears all but forgotten.

Azure eyes gazed down at her but what she saw in them stunned her. Hunger, possession…it made Elhana's knees weak.

"You're warm." She whispered as an explanation; maybe it was and she simply hadn't convinced herself of it yet.

The hand on her waist pulled her tighter and Valen's full, suddenly very soft-looking lips quirked into a genuine smile.

"Tiefling. My body temperature is higher than most." His smile fell as his thumb passed over the dried tears on her cheek. "You did not deserve my anger or…my accusations and, for that, I am sorry. When I saw you alone on the cliff…if something happened to you the Seer would devastated."

The Seer, she thought sadly. It was always the Seer.

Valen must have seen the disappointment on her face because his fingers trailed down, brushing tenderly over her lips. "As would I."

Elhana could do nothing but stare as the Tiefling before her systematically rendered every limb and muscle in her body, including her brain, absolutely helpless.

"Well," she whispered, finally finding her voice. "You are forgiven."

Thank the gods Deekin was having nice kobold dreams in his bed else she would have a difficult time convincing him to keep this quiet let alone out of print.

The corners of his lips rose in a soft smile. "So quickly? Should I not plead for forgiveness?" Loose strands of scarlet tickled at her neck, giving her the shivers.

He chuckled warmly. "Are you sure you are a woman?"

"Oh, I would certainly hope so." She quivered, feeling his tail coil around her waist as if he were not only embracing her but trying to possess her. Elhana looked down to see the tip gently playing over her ribs; like innocent teasing meant to make her linger on his touch and all she could think of was how he wouldn't be so eager if he saw what lay hidden underneath the purple cotton.

"Valen," She whispered, her throat dry and it felt like her tongue was two sizes too large.

Get a hold on yourself. The Seer is counting on you to stop the Valsharess not fondle her General.

"Let you go?" Surprised she met his beautiful blue eyes and saw…disappointment? Sadness?

Valen sighed and his tail slipped from her waist. "Perhaps that is best."

Still he reached out and swept a black wave out of her eye and tucked it behind her ear. "May I walk a lady back to her room?"

With a steadying breath, she nodded and latched her hand on his offered arm. "Come, lovely."

Madam rose, watching her mistress and the horned man share a final glance before starting down the mountain.

Wisps of crimson weaved through her pale fingers like the finest silk, soft and inviting under her touch…

"Boss?"

Elhana jolted in her seat, drawn from her innermost thoughts of the rather…vivid…and most certainly unwanted dream she had been graced with the night before. With a shy glance she realized Deekin staring at her waiting for an answer to a question she hadn't heard a word of.

"I apologize." She said ducking her head in the pretense of skewering a piece of dried fruit on her plate all the while hiding her tinting cheeks from prying kobold eyes. "Sleep didn't come easy to me last night."

The Seer chuckled lightly. "Indeed."

Elhana's blush deepened even as her stomach fluttered. Unfortunately that was happening a lot lately. The meager hours of sleep the god's had blessed her with had also been a curse. Dreams of blood-red hair splayed carelessly across her bare chest, of searing kisses leaving hot trails over her neck and perfectly pale, muscled skin twitching beneath her fingertips…

She shivered.

"My lady, are you well?"

Every nerve in her body woke to the sound of his voice and she lifted her gaze to look upon the concerned expression of the Tiefling who haunted her dreams and nodded.

Valen cocked a disbelieving brow but returned her nod and went back to picking randomly at his meal. Just like her, he'd hardly eaten anything off his plate when Deekin was already on serving number two and chewing happily on some kind mushroom.

He looked irritated and tired. Was he mad at her for last night? She couldn't blame him if he was but he'd seemed fine when he'd bid her goodnight and left her to her dreams.

A film of sweat covering his chest, making his porcelain skin glisten in the moonlight…

Bad. Bad. Dreams.

"Yet you are flushed my dear," The Seer spoke gently, reaching across the table and draping her elegant fingers over Elhana's wrist, making her jump. "And your skin is rough with bumps. Are you chilled?"

Suddenly her sweet kobold was all ears.

"Boss be sick? No. Boss never be sick. Ever." He mumbled through a mouthful of food.

As politely as she could Elhana drew her arm away from the beautiful Drow and into her chest. "A bit tired is all." She took in the disbelieving looks of all at the table except for poor Deekin whose scaly forehead was wrinkled with concern.

"It's the Underdark." She said if only to sooth their nerves. "Adjusting to the darkness is proving to be challenging but it's nothing to worry over. I'm fine."

The Seer's face softened into a gentle and knowing smile. "Imloth?" the Commander instantly came to attention at the mere sound of his name on her lips. "It is early yet. Perhaps General Shadowbreath would like to see how the troops are faring in his absence? If you are finished eating that is."

Despite her own issues, Elhana couldn't help but feel a strand of happiness at how the Commander's eyes lit up as they settled on the graceful Drow leader and hoped she knew just how fortunate she was to have his unconditional loyalty and love.

Commander Imloth and Valen nodded, standing.

"And I believe our heroic kobold would love to join you, yes?" She added gently.

The two men winced but Deekin's scaly face lit up. "Oh yes! Me likes to see more of Drow city."

The Seer clasped her hands together. "Lovely. Off you go then." She smiled and her eyes twinkled mischievously. "I'm sure Elhana and I can find something to amuse ourselves while our men are away."

If she'd had anything in her mouth she would have choked on it then. Elhana watched Valen's face tint pink before he frowned and looked away. For some reason his reaction made her throat feel tight. It was a strange feeling, she'd been having a lot of those as of late but this one she definitely did not enjoy.

The Seer chuckled and continued. "Yes I think us females can manage a few moments without our Commander and kobold."

Elhana dare not look at Valen but Imloth's face was just as bad, barely holding back laughter. Never in her life had she considered herself racist, there were good and bad people of every race but at this moment she was starting to dislike Drow.

Imloth gave Valen a nudge. "Come then. The troops haven't been properly terrified since you left. Time to whip them back into shape." He lowered his voice and continued. "And if yelling doesn't do the job, we can always have the kobold sing them a song."

Deekin beamed, oblivious. "Me can do that."

"Moral is bad enough, little kobold." Imloth chuckled then turned to the Seer and bowed with a wink. "Ladies."

Elhana didn't watch them leave, her mind racing with a million reasons to excuse herself up to her quarters where she could die from mortification in peace.

Alas it was not to be.

"You are troubled."

"I'm well enough to carry on." Elhana answered simply.

The Seer frowned. "That is not what I meant. My care lay not only with the Drow in this camp but also with you, tell me what bothers you, child." Elhana said nothing but picked at the fruit with her nails.

"I sense an illness in you but it is not one that can be healed so easily, not unless you allow it to be." She continued softly.

"Some things cannot be healed, Seer." She whispered barely loud enough to be heard. "Can you take away the darkness? I feel unnatural, on edge." I slapped Valen last night, she added silently. Then dreamed of lying with him. That was unnatural.

The Drow gave her a calming smile. "It is perfectly natural to feel this way." She said. "Sometimes we are placed in situations we would rather not be in but then when we come out better for it. These places, events and…people," she spoke the last one with intent. "Are placed in our path to enrich our lives and give us purpose. You are a healer, surely you understand this?"

"I have a greater purpose." She argued.

"To help others is a noble and worthwhile goal but there should be a light at the end you are striving to reach." The Seer took Elhana's pale hand in hers. "I was born here in this darkness and my life was set for me before I ever emerged from by mother's womb. As the eldest, it was my duty to overthrow my mother and take her place as a Matron and I grew to adulthood knowing no better and then…" A wistful smile took over her face. "One day I happened to wander too far into a cave I would go to for peace, got lost and ended up on the surface. Your world. At first I was scared but when I looked up and saw the magnificent splendor of the shining moon above me it awoke a part of me that had been dormant."

Elhana smiled.

"Never had I seen such beauty and it was then that I dedicated myself to Elistree, the lady of the moon, and she chose to lay her favor upon me for which I am truly honored. I came back only to show my fellow Drow that there is another way as I wish someone had done for me. We as a race are hated for our cruelty and, sadly, it is a justified hatred. My purpose is to do my part to change that, to change us so that we are no longer the skulking assassins in the shadows but simply the dark-skinned elves of the moonlight. I understand your need to feel the wind blowing your hair, the heat of the sun on your skin; this is not your world as it is no longer mine."

"What is your light at the end?" Elhana asked. "What is it that you are striving for?"

The Seer's eyes glazed over as if in a dream and she spoke lightly. "To live not under stone but under sky with Imloth on my arm and a child upon my knee. I wish to regale my grandchildren with tales of how we overcame the Valsharess, I wish to have a real family not the political family of a Drow."

"Sounds lovely." Elhana said weakly.

The Seer's white brow rose. "And you? Tell me, if there was nothing standing in your way what would you wish for yourself? Keep in mind dear we are speaking quite selfishly here." She chuckled.

Valen. Her mind answered quickly and without hesitation.

"A clinic of my own, a home where I can come and go as I please I suppose." It was true enough, she drifted from temple to temple so often that she'd never thought of a home for herself. She could almost picture it; sitting in a rocking chair reading a book in front of a lively stone hearth where Madam lazed happily snoring. It would be quiet…

Deekin would be traveling the world, singing in taverns across the land and amassing stories for his next book so, yes, it would be quiet. When the patients were all treated and gone, in the late hours of the night when Madam was all but dead to the world…she would be alone. Every night she would pat Madam Goodnight and retire to her bed, a bed made not from straw but real wool and cotton that she could nestle down in alone and not feel so cold.

"Come to bed with me," That dark purr in her ear made her weak at the knees with unspoken promises even as his hot breath left a searing trail across her neck. "My Lady."

Elhana shot up from her seat so fast a fork clanged to the floor when she clipped her knee on the edge of the table.

"Forgive me, Lady Seer…" She stammered, gently touching the back of her hand to her forehead. "Since we will be departing later today I should rest."

"Elhana."

She froze under an archway of morbidly twisted black marble and forced herself to turn. The beautiful Drow seated before her wore an unreadable expression as she rose and walked toward her with all the inherent grace of lioness.

Now, staring into the amethyst jeweled eyes of the Seer she felt her fluttering heart relax. All the loving, nurturing energy that surrounded the Drow priestess enveloped her in a blanket of calm.

"There can be peace and balance even here in the darkness." She said gently. "One need only find their source. I have great faith that you will find yours as I have mine."

Elhana looked past the Drow, taking in the chilling spider motif that was a constant reminder of how cruel and unforgiving the Underdark could be. The air was stifling, stale with the smell of incense, sweat, wine and meat. There were no windows in this room as there were none anywhere else. And why would there be? There was nothing to see but stone, no wind outside to freshen up the room.

"May I ask…?" She began, once again losing herself in the female Drow's hypnotic eyes. "How are you so calm, so alive under miles and miles of rock? Without the moonlight?"

A smile formed on the Seer's lips. "Without Imloth I do believe I would have torn my hair out years ago." Then she chuckled. "Do not expect me to share though. In that, my dear healer, I am quite selfish."

Elhana couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Seer." She said with her head bowed in respect.

Then as she started to walk off, she felt a gentle hand land on her shoulder.

"Everything can be healed, Elhana." She heard. "Even if it is not apparent on the surface."