Chapter Twelve

Eternally Yours

Endymion tenderly handed Thane into Rei's waiting arms. He barely spared her a glance as she tried to quite the upset child.

"Mama!" Thane called again, bringing Serenity crawling forth to the door of the cage. Her black eyes narrowed on Rei and she bared her fangs in warning. Jadeite stepped closer to his wife in protection, not all that certain that they cage would hold Serenity if she began to rage. His time with Endymion during the first of the change had taught him much. First you stayed out of reaching distance.

"Chains…lots of them," Endymion instructed to the guards at his left. They rushed to do is bidding, a terrified look shared amongst them. He firmly tried to quench the rolling of his stomach, at what he would need to do in order to remove her from the cage and into a holding cell. The woman he loved was in there somewhere, but at the moment the darkness had taken over, and for now he would have to deal with a raging animal.

The moonlight around his feet tugged him closer to the cage, demanding that he look at the woman he loved with unhindered eyes. He knew at that moment he had the moon goddess to thank for the supernatural gifts that he had kept despite the return of his humanity. Serenity cocked her head to the side and hissed as he stalked her, recognizing the threat that he presented.

Thane whimpered in distress and Serenity rattled the cage door in response, bending the iron in her hands. In the background he heard Rei try to comfort the child, after all it was more than obvious the more upset Thane became the more violent his mother acted.

Luna was suddenly beside him, her gnarled hand stopping his as he reached for the cage.

For Serenity.

"I woke a fortnight ago to the moon goddess, Selene, in the middle of camp with Thane in her arms." Luna closed her eyes and turned from the cage, it hurt to see the child she had raised reduced to this, "Serenity had taken Thane to meet the moon goddess and be blessed. She was ambushed by a master vampire. We arrived in time to take her from them, but by then she had already been turned."

And that left him. While the wise woman didn't say it, it was painfully clear in her ending tone.

"Why didn't see protect herself?"

"She hasn't been able to call on the moon since we left here, since she left you."

Again, that was his fault. He gave an abrupt nod of his head and turned back to studying Serenity.

She hissed at him, and slammed her body in to the iron doors. Next to him the solider dropped a few thick chains at his feet. He understood what she was going through better than anyone else. He knew the overwhelming feeling have drowning in the darkness, of the emptiness that swallowed your soul and left nothing in return. It had taken him seven years to find some shard of humanity left in him, and she had given him that much. She didn't have the kind of time and for the sake of their child neither did he.

"Endymion?" Malachite questioned next to him. Clearly as at a loss of how to deal with the situation.

"Can Mina still read her?" he asked. Malachite waved his wife closer, but remained tightly by her side. Endymion did not once turn his gaze from Serenity, and yet beside him he could feel the emotions that drifted off Mina in thick waves.

"I sense her…but everything is buried so deep. Other emotions cover the woman we all knew. I feel shame, hurt, anger…but there is love," Mina finished.

Endymion looked up sharply, hearing the rattling of the cage, he caught the weakening of the bars a split second before the iron snapped and Serenity lurched out in to the night. Malachite pulled Mina out of the way, and Luna backpedaled quickly, but there was no need she was coming for him.

He grunted as her body impacted in to his, absorbing the force he landed hard on his back with her on straddling on top. Any other time and this might have been fun. He neatly dogged the punch and her efforts to hold him to the ground. She was starving for blood, and the wisdom in his body decided to give him exactly was she wanted. Flipping her over he pinned her body to the soft grass, and barely hissed when she sank her lengthening fangs in to his thick wrist. He felt the pulls on his vein and watched closely as the darkness receded into the background with the satisfaction of being fed.

And then it didn't matter, he wasn't looking in to the black eyes of an evil, but in to her silver eyes. They brimmed with tears and she unlatched her mouth from his arm, leaving two prominent bite marks and a trickle of blood. Through the darkness she had found her way, even if it was just for mere moments.

"Endy…pl…please help me," she whispered in a hoarse voice seconds before she fainted.

- - - - - - -

Ethan pushed himself back into the shadows of the night and banished the light away. In the corner of marble walls of the castle he watched intently as Endymion strolled by with Serenity in his arms. But that wasn't the Serenity he knew, it wasn't the woman who had saved him, who had held him when he was scared. In her place was a darkness that growled and hissed and lashed out. Desperately he wanted to sooth the hurt in her soul, just the way she had taken the pain from him.

"Ethan…Ethan?" he heard the soft whisper to the side of him, coming up the hall was Mara, blanket in tow and with a bed ragged appearance. "Ethan what are you doing?" she asked, toddling up to him.

He smiled softly and grabbed for the hand she held out. Mina said they were meant to be together, and he'd like to think so. "What are you doing up?" he asked. She slept in the nursery with her sister and Marcus, but for the last year she had been sneaking in to his bed across the hall.

Her bottom lip stuck out, "I had a nightmare." Ethan frowned and hugged her tightly in comfort.

"What are you doing?"

"Do you remember Serenity?"

Mara nodded.

"She's back and hurt, I just wanted to see her for myself."

Mara grabbed for his hand again and tugged him down the hall. Closing the door to his room he watched his mother take a child in to the nursery. Lifting Mara on to his bed he climbed in after her and wrapped the blanket around both of them. With Mara firmly snuggled close to him he kissed her on the top of the head.

"I love you Ethan," Mara said in to the quite of the room, listening to his even breathing. And she had from the moment she had landed in a muddy lump at the bottom of his feet.

At three years old she was absolutely certain she would love him for the rest of her life. After all that's what soul mates did.

- - - - - - -

It tore at his soul to have to chain her to the wall. Lifting a wash cloth from the basin at his feet he washed the dirt off her face and body. Then changed the infested clothing she had had to wear for the last fortnight. Cots, blankets, pillows and other effects were brought in to the contained room. Anything to bring out the humanity, to bring back the woman he loved, closing his eyes he recognized the truth. She had loved him through the darkness, he would do the same…he simply didn't want to live that way.

When he finished cleaning her, he laid her on the cot carefully and sat himself in the chair across the room. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

- - -- - ----

Seiya slammed his hand down on the table. He had had her! Trapped inside the stone walls of his castle he could do nothing but wait for the night. Wait for a time were he could stalk the tribe that had taken Serenity from him. Destroying her would destroy Endymion, and then when she was nothing he would rebuild her. Make her in to the prefect woman, loyal completely to him, submissive, and a whore in bed. He smirked and licked his lips, dogging the lengthening fangs that had grown at the thought of having such an adapt whore underneath him.

Growling he tore from his room and stalked down the hall, just thinking of taking the little witch was enough to boil his blood. He turned the corner sharply and grabbed a minion, women who had sold their souls to him. Sending the tray she was carrying flying, he pushed her to the wall and bit hard in to her neck. In took less time to tear the clothing from her body and pump in to her hard. Taking her in a brutal display of anger, power, and hunger, he tore at her body and made her nothing but a sex object. When he had finished he dropped her hard to the ground, allowing her to clean herself up.

- - - ----- - - - -

Endymion jerked awake in the chair he had fallen asleep in, and stretched in an effort to wake up his body. It was another night, just like the one before. Another night preceded by another day that again was unchanging. His days were exhausting, and yet there was nothing he could do to change them. Every morning he spent with Thane and the family. In the early morning it was a delight to watch the children laugh and play, to hear his son call him 'papa' in excited squeals. In the afternoon he dealt with affairs of state that the generals needed his help on. Just before dusk he slept, and in the night he spent time with Serenity, desperately trying to bring her back to him.

Rubbing his ragged face he got up and made his way down to her room. In almost two months there had really been no progress. Still the darkness raged in her eyes, and she was too untrustworthy for him to allow Thane a visit or two. And the months with out his mother had hurt the child…it had hurt him.

Passing the guards, he pressed open the door and into the room. She was sprawled out on the cot, sleeping soundly. He hadn't really expected any less; usually he was forced to wake her at dusk to continue their time together. Crossing the room he touched her arm softly and shook her.

Her eyes opened and framed in long silver lashed was the pretties light blue eyes he had ever seen.

- - - - - - - -

Serenity screamed in the darkness of her dreams, raged against the twist of fate that had taken everything from her. Trapped in the night, in the soulless evil that had taken over her body she lashed out, clawed her way to freedom and stood trembling in the single flame that burned in her sight. She twisted and ran, slamming in to every door, finding nothing open she screamed, and screamed. Only to hear it echo in the resounding silence. Tears sprang to her eyes as she tore her hands through her hair in frustration.

"NO! NO!" she screamed into the night, "I'M NOT EVIL! I'M NOT!" Her voice cracked, "I know who I am…I'm a mother, a daughter, a warrior…a lover…a wife!" she gasped for air, and crumbled to the ground.

"I can survive this…I can be stronger!"

"I know you can my daughter," Serenity looked up through her clouded eyes to find the moon goddess hovering about her. Reaching for her mother, she stopped when her finger tips passed through the heavenly body. "I know you can be stronger, but you have to let go of the anger, you have to let go of the pain that is still in your heart. He is here for you; he is here to love you, only if you'll let him." Selene's transparent figures brushed lightly against her face.

Serenity turned away, "If only he could have seen that I loved him despite the curse, despite what he thought of himself. If he had loved me back just a little this never would have happened, we would have been happy!"

"He always loved you, and you know that. You knew that even when you left. I understand your anger, but my daughter must remember forgiveness, and find it in your heart," Selene responded, disappearing in to night of the dream.

Serenity knelt quietly into the night and fought to remember compassion, love, and forgiveness through the darkness. She fought for the light that she wanted to see again so badly. She fought for the image of her soul mate.

- - - - - - - -

Endymion brought his lips down on hers, before his rational mind could declare that just as quickly as the light had coming flooding back into his lover, so could the darkness. But nothing mattered when she moaned back in to his mouth, and brought her tongue in to play with his. He pulled her to her knees, and yanked her tightly against him, molding her soft body to his. He ran his hands all over her body, mimicking her actions.

Serenity moaned, as his month licked and sucked the side of her neck. Her head was spinning, senses flooded and overloading by his touch.

"I missed you so much," Endymion groaned into the nape of her neck. He tugged the clothing from her body, and just as quickly helped her tear the same items from him. Running his hands over her bare skin, he took in the sight of her. Something he was sure he would never see again. Bending over her he pushed her body on the cot and mounted her. Pressing his erection in to her wet slit, he hissed from the heat.

"I love you. I missed you," he pumped harder into her, responding to the claws that scorned the flesh of his back, and moaning that urged him on, "I need you in my life, I need our son. I will do anything to repair this, to save you," he vowed, his lips brushing hers as he spoke.

"Endymion!" she cried his name, shaking and convulsing in his arms as her climax racked her body. He was not far behind, his body trembling at the force of his orgasm when he spilled his seed her womb. Together their breathing became even, and carefully he flipped them on the narrow bed, showing trust as she draped across his heavy frame.

Serenity sighed in gratitude, and cuddled into his chest, content to lay across him. He was certainly broad enough to lay across comfortably.

"I love you," she spoke raggedly, "I missed you, and when I discovered that I was going to have your child, part of my heart healed, and yet I was hurt knowing that we weren't going to be a family."

His finger brought her chin, losing himself in her soft blue eyes, "We're a family now. I'll save you; together we'll wash the darkness from your body. We'll find our happiness together, no matter what the odds."

Serenity nodded.

Later that night Endymion fed her from his body, relishing at the soft, gentle pulls she took from his body. Her soft lips sucked gently on his neck as he returned the trust she had once shown him. Cuddled together he held her tightly against him, terrified he would lose her again, but knowing the truth that the light that glowing in her eyes was only a temporary respite from the darkness. As strong as she was, she simply didn't have the experience he had in dealing with the darkness, with the evil.

Closing his eyes he prayed for a dream, for an answer, for a miracle to save him.

Near dawn before the darkness could take her from him again he asked, "Marry me?"

"Yes."

HELLO MY READERS: I can't tell you how much it meant to me that so many people reviewed my last chapter. So I know I promised a turn and I figure in the next chapter you'll be getting another one, and then maybe it will be the end of my story. I figured the prefect way to end.

Now I've been thinking about ideas from another story after this one is finished. And well I want people's input. Things that this story needs to be complete in a wonderful fashion. I don't want to start a new story with out this one being properly finished.

Oh and I'm thinking maybe a western for my next story. Cowboys, gambling, bar fights and good old liquor.

What do ya'll think….Tell me I really want to know.

Love, Danielle