NOTE - Sorry this chapter has taken forever. Thankyou all for your wonderful comments and I hope you enjoy. Next chapter will be coming soon.

Chapter Ten

Blissful warmth surrounded her body as Kae stretched in her bed, the softness of her sheets cocooning her. She didn't want to open her eyes; memories of the day etched forever in her mind as Qhuinn had taken her again and again, marking her as his own.

Kae breathed in deeply. His bonding scent was all over her, saturating her and she revelled in the thrill of belonging to a male.

Slowly, she reached out beside her, searching for the warmth of his body. As her hand found empty air, a frown line formed between her brows and a sense of loss flooded her. She opened her eyes and waited as her sight adjusted to the gloom, her heart plummeting as she viewed the dark empty space where he had lain beside her.

With a sigh, Kae sat up, switched on the bedside lamp and pushed her hair away from her eyes. Beside the lamp was a carelessly folded piece of paper with her name on it in simple tidy handwriting.

Hope flared with subtle warmth deep inside her chest as she unfolded the letter and began to read.

Kae,

Forgive me for leaving while you slept but I had things to do with John and I didn't want to wake you. Besides, I think you needed your rest.

I'll see you at First Meal later.

Q

Kae frowned a little at the paper in her hands. No mention of their time together, no hint of affection, nothing except that he would see her later.

Baseless fears and doubts began to crowd her mind as she headed towards the bathroom for a much needed shower. She felt a dull delicious ache that had set up shop between her thighs and her body felt tight and well used.

Maybe Qhuinn was just not one for waxing lyrical about his feelings, she mused to herself as she stood under the shower's hot spray, letting the water sluice down the soft contours of her body. But her own nagging fears still eroded her resolve as she reached for the French milled soap and smoothed the scented bubbles over her skin.

Half an hour later, she was dressed and ready to eat; her hair was blow-dried and straightened to a smooth sleek finish today as she made herself as smart as possible for work.

'Focus on something else, stop worrying about last night,' she frowned as she fastened her dragon necklace and left her room. She was early today, she knew, but she hoped she could have a quick breakfast before the others came down. Oddly, she felt like being alone with her thoughts today. Maybe that was a good thing and maybe it wasn't but among other things, if she were in company, she would have to explain why Qhuinn's bonding scent was on her and those were questions she was not prepared to answer just yet, not until she knew things for herself.

Her soft soled trainers made a slight squeak on the polished floor as she crossed the hallway to the dining room and found Fritz just setting out the silverware.

He straightened in her presence and smiled warmly.

"Mistress Kaelina, good morning! You are early for First Meal I'm afraid."

Kae could smell the assorted scents of breakfast wafting through from the kitchen and her stomach turned sour. Despite a well rested sleep, she felt fatigued, presumably an effect from the previous night.

"Actually Fritz, I'll just have a piece of toast for now…." She pulled up an empty chair and sat down, suddenly dizzy. Perhaps she was coming down with something?

"Of course Mistress, I will fetch it directly…and perhaps some juice as well?"

Kae looked up. Fritz' eyes were soft with concern but in his usually fastidiously professional way, he asked no questions of her. Kae smiled as best she could.

"That would be perfect thank you Fritz."

A plate of hot buttered toast and a tall glass of cool juice was swiftly provided for her and Kae swallowed them down as quickly as she could. She could hear the house beginning to wake up and rather than risk running into anyone, she hurriedly gave her plate to Fritz and walked briskly from the dining room. Perhaps Safe Place would let her start her shift early today.

Tiredly, she combed her fingers through her hair and walked briskly through the lobby, for once not noticing the beautiful colours and splendour of the stately hall.

Coming out of the doors that lead to the training centre, Kae saw Qhuinn stop suddenly as he spotted her.

There was a sudden tension between them, some tightened cord that linked them to each other.

"Kae….I was just coming to see you" Qhuinn wiped the sweat from his face with a hand towel but made no move to touch her. Kae tried to shake the uncomfortable feeling that had been buzzing insistently around her since she had woken up that night.

"Where were you Qhuinn?"

Qhuinn frowned softly but motioned with his shoulder towards the training centre doors.

"I had some business early with John….weights session you know. I explained in my note, didn't you see it?"

"Yes I saw it…" Kae chewed her lip, "…I have to ask Qhuinn, what was last night about? I mean, I read your note and there was nothing in it that was warm…or personal. Not even 'love from Qhuinn' at the end, just Q."

Qhuinn coughed and shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"Sorry, I just….I mean, don't you think it's a little too soon to be throwing around words like love? We just slept together and we had a great time didn't we?"

Kae frowned, feeling as though something inside her had cracked wide open.

"If it was just sex, then why the hell do I smell like a men's fragrance counter today?"

She began to pace a little, feeling as though the world had moved ahead one heartbeat and she had missed it entirely.

"You know, I'll admit Qhuinn that I am last person on earth to admit I have any experience with males, but I do know that this scent does not come from nothing, there has to be something there…"

She paused and looked at him properly, noticing for the first time the fear in his mismatched eyes.

"Is there something there Qhuinn?"

Qhuinn squeezed the towel in his hand, his eyes burning as he stared at her.

"Kae….you see the thing is…" his deep voice trailed off and Kae felt the last of her patience snap.

Her stomach ached and her body felt hot and tight. Her head buzzed and now the confusion of Qhuinn's actions confirmed this as the worst she had ever felt in her life.

"You know what Qhuinn, forget it! You don't want me? You don't have to have me!"

Kae strode towards the stairs, anger and hurt blazing within her as tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

"Kae will you just wait and let me explain!" Qhuinn called after her, frustration in his voice.

"What's there to explain, I'm just the new girl you needed to fuck for your own amusement obviously. You know…" she whirled around, her anger making her tears fall harder and faster, "…I don't know how things are done around here, but I was raised to believed that males, even warriors, only bonded when there was true connection with the female they chose, when there was some feeling there. Do you really think I would bed someone if I felt nothing at all?"

She turned on her heel and strode up the stairs just as Qhuinn tried to reply.

"Kae…please…"

She silenced him with a wave of her hand, her thoughts only of getting to work and spending many hours not thinking about the silly predicament she found herself in.

"I'll….I'll see you later Qhuinn."

Leaving Qhuinn behind, she hurried up the stairs and on her way to her room, almost colliding with Bella outside her room.

"Kae! What in the world…?" Bella broke off in the face of Kae's obvious distress.

Kae, unable to face questions, threw herself into her room and slammed the door shut, locking it tight.

Bella knocked tentatively on the door.

"Kae, please open up, what's wrong?" Bella called through the thick wood. Something struck her attention and she took a deep sniff. Was that….Qhuinn's bonding scent?

"Bella please, just leave me be, I'll be fine, I just…..Please just go? I'll talk to you later…"

Her voice broke on a quiet sob and no more words would come.

Bella stepped away from the door. Qhuinn must have something to do with this, she was sure. And judging from the bonding scent that Bella caught coming from Kae, he was the only one who could ease the hurt on her face.