A/N: When I refer to Conan I refer to the new remake starring Jason Momoa. I am sorry but he embodies Conan more than Arnold Schwarzenagger did. That is my opinion. Plus there are many original characters so please do not be alarmed by that. I am really attempting to NOT make them Mary Sues. Conan does not belong to me. He belongs to his respectful creator. Please no flaming. Constructive criticism is welcome. Thank you.

Chapter 10: Past Secrets Exposed

Two months passed. Not a scrap of news from Jake. He had yet to return from the UK which began to worry not only Leon but everyone else as well. On the other hand Leon, Romey, and Lotte were rather pleased to see that Lore started crumbling down some of her walls around Conan. Conan himself was adapting quite nicely to this new world even finding time with Lore to spar, not only with swords but in hand to hand. Their wrestling matches usually ended up with Lore having multiple bruises but she would shrug them off as no big deal. Their combat matches left her sore but revitalized and more confident in herself. Each day she grew stronger and she had seemed much happier since Conan's arrival. Her nightmares of the past had begun to wane but they had not completely disappeared.

One evening it was storming exceedingly hard. Thunder boomed, lightning flashed, and rain pelted against the windows fiercely. The magnitude of the sound did not bother Conan so much as the flashing lightning. He stared up at the ceiling as he lay on the couch, thoughts rumbling through his mind. He still hadn't asked Lore about the brand on her shoulder, but he had thought it could have been because she was enslaved. At this thought he growled a bit. A woman of her caliber deserved more respect than that. His thoughts were interrupted by hearing the shuffling of feet and the sound of running water. He heard a small voice from the kitchen.

"Dammit…" it whispered.

Lore's voice. What was she doing awake? Perhaps the storm had awoken her from her slumber. He shifted to get to his feet however he winced when a bright light suddenly came on.

"Conan…"

He shook his head out of his stupor glancing up to Lore. She wore a pair of gray baggy sweatpants and a loose black shirt. She didn't need any prompting to go to him. Just the sight of him sitting, shirtless on the couch was enough to call her to sit beside him. She set the glass of water on the table and sighed as she leaned against him. He draped an arm around her shoulder to hug her to him. Her head rest against his shoulder.

"Nasty storm eh." He spoke quietly. She nodded slowly.

"Yeah…can't sleep because of it can you?" She glanced up to him and he just shrugged.

"Doesn't bother me much." He replied.

"Then why did you happen to be awake at the time I came out to get a glass of water?"

A small smirk crossed her lips. He just pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Thoughts keeping me awake."

"What kind of thoughts?"

Her grey eyes blinked up a bit at him. He reached over to caress her cheek lightly.

"You."

She flushed a bit more.

"What about me?" She asked.

"What bastard had the balls to hurt you in the way that he did."

How could Conan have known that? Had he seen the scar on her shoulder? If so when had he caught a glimpse at it? Lore turned her face away from him in shame a hand traveling to the brand on her shoulder.

"It was an ex-boyfriend." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "But he's locked away now…he can't hurt me anymore."

"You don't sound convincing."

She took a deep quivering breath; he pulled her close in a reassuring embrace needing her to know that she was safe with him.

"Conan…what he did to me…was inexcusable and brutal…" Her voice quavered as she spoke.

She must have been tortured. Conan forced himself to bite back a growl that had threatened to emerge. She continued.

"He wasn't all bad at first…he was actually a nice guy…but then he started to get more possessive and asked me where I went all the time, texted me nonstop, called my phone every five minutes if I wasn't in his sight…he began to get paranoid…so paranoid that he would start to hit me…it started off as slaps…but then it became punches….and then to what seemed like hours of punching…kicking and biting…"

Her words angered him. Conan nearly saw red as she explained this; his hold tightened on her slightly but not to the degree to where he was wounding her.

"He hurt you…" He growled.

"Very much so…he never raped me…but he almost beat me to death…"

Silence. Pure silence filled the room save for the sound of rain outside. Conan's blood began to boil and the mere thought of someone torturing her. Who in their right mind would have the audacity to harm on of the earth's most beautiful creatures.

"I was in the hospital for six weeks after wards from the damage…in therapy for at least eight months after that…"

Lore sighed, not even meeting his eyes; afraid of what she might see there. He, on the other hand, just held her close to him his hand stroking her back gingerly.

"I'm so sorry Lore…"

"You have nothing to apologize for Conan." She replied, wrapping her arms around the bigger man as she heaved a deep, trembling breath.

"You didn't deserve that."

"I know…" she swallowed hard, "he branded me…that's why the scar is there…"

"Why?"

"He wanted to let people know that I was his property that no one else could have me or touch me."

He took a deep breath to calm himself in order to refrain from breaking anything. She seemed so free spirited and outspoken. Why would anyone want to hinder that? He wouldn't dare bring himself to treat a woman in the way she had been treated. Not in a lifetime.

"That's just wrong Lore. It's wrong."

"I know…But he's locked away now…he's on death row because of what he did to me."

"And he deserves it. No woman should ever have to put up with what you did."

"I still put up with him…" she sighed again trying to keep her welling tears at bay, "the mere memory of him haunts me…I don't sleep sometimes because I still have nightmares about it…"

Lore gripped onto him taking a deep breath but when she felt his protective arms clasp her close to him; she softly began to weep against this chest.

"Gods Conan…"

"Shhh…It's alright Lore…let it out." He whispered.

For about an hour he sat there holding her close to his chest allowing her to weep against him. The fact that Conan allowed her to cry on his chest caused even more tears to flow; tears that had been held back for far too long. She continued to sob against his muscled chest her arms clinging to him as if he was a life raft in the middle of the ocean. He just stroked her hair as well as her back to help soothe her and placed a kiss to the top of her head. His heart broke for the woman. She had endured some of the worst suffering known to man. Lore had been so strong and kept up a tough front up until now but here she was, crumbling in his arms. She looked helpless as she wept. The sight of it nearly made him weep; however he needed to be strong. He wanted to be her rock that she could lean on and she needed him now. It was surprising really. Three and a half months ago she wanted nothing to do with him and now here she was in his arms, vulnerable. It was a sign that she did trust him. No one else other than her friends had known what she went through, the pain she suffered, the emotional toll and the mental disorder that was still apparent. Eventually her sobs died down as she continued to cling to him. He nuzzled her head reclining on the couch still holding her. Lore didn't mind though. She didn't pull away nor try to stop him. For some reason there was a sense of safety when he would hug her or even hold her. It was if he had the ability to frighten her fears and nightmares away. What was it about him? What skill did he posses and why did she always feel protected when she was with him? Lore closed her eyes pondering these thoughts as she lay against Conan, nestling herself into his strong embrace. He stroked her soft hair lightly kissing her head. The storm outside had begun to calm as the two drifted into slumber on the couch.

When Lore awoke that next morning she had wondered why there was such a strong muscled frame beneath her, but the she remembered she had gotten up to retrieve some water to calm herself after a nightmare and spoke with Conan. She had sensed the anger he felt when she had revealed that she was a victim of domestic violence; however she felt exhausted due to sobbing against him. It wasn't quite light outside so she snuggled up to him once more. His skin felt warm, not a feverish warm but a comforting sort of warm. Her fingers traced a scar across his chest lightly then danced over to the ones on his shoulder; they must have been from some of his skirmishes on his journeys.

"Enjoying yourself there woman?"

Lore smile upon hearing his voice and glanced up to find him half-awake, preening under the attention.

"Proud of these are you?" She shifted so she could kiss his cheek.

"Most of them yes." He replied pressing his lips to her forehead as his fingers stroked her spine lightly. She smiled at the attention.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"For?"

"Allowing me to be vulnerable around you last night. It wasn't easy for me to admit what I had been through…"

He nuzzled the top of her head as both arms enclosed her slender frame in them.

"Of course it wasn't. I am glad you allowed me to know what demons you faced."

Lore sighed in content enjoying feeling the body heat radiate off of him. They lay there in silence, Conan running his fingers through her curly tresses while she breathed in his scent. It was the scent of pure man, pure muscled man and the smell never calmed her as much as it did now. It was only because the scent of man was Conan's. He in turn enjoyed the floral aroma from her hair. Sweet and delicate just like a woman should smell. What made the scent even more precious to him was it wasn't just any woman. The fragrance belonged to Lore. The scent of a woman never smelled so perfect to him in his life; because it was hers.