Chapter 14!

Enjoy ;P

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The group settled around the fire outside Miroku's hut talking while he put his children to bed. Inuyasha had returned home to look after his daughter since Kikyo was visiting another village to help with a sickness. Sango was leading a group of Taji to exterminate a group of rouge youkai and wasn't expected back for a few days. After talking for awhile Rin excused herself to go home to her mate, leaving Shippo, Lillian, and Sesshomaru. Shippo laid on the ground next to Lillian asleep as she stroked his hair. The day had been emotionally exhausting for him and he had passed out shortly after she started petting him. She and Sesshomaru stared into the fire thinking about the day and sneaking glances at each other. She hadn't planned on teasing him but as her youkai traits and instincts became more prominent she hadn't;t been able to resist, it just felt like the right thing to do.

So while she tortured Inuyasha, Cass had whispered to nip him and she obeyed a secret thrill running through her when he hadn't reacted negatively. She had licked the back of his neck without any prompting. He had grabbed her but she was positively shivering inside at his approving growl and she'd wanted nothing more than to lick him again. She licked her lips and glanced at him again. She felt she should be embarrassed by her thoughts but Cass assured her that that was her human mentality and she had to agree when she thought about how much she'd liked the taste of him...smoky and salty. Her heart started beating faster at the turn her thoughts were taking and she felt his eyes on her. Feeling warm she glanced at him and excused herself before walking around Miroku's hut and continuing into the cool darkness of the trees.

As she went deeper into the trees thinking again about the taste of Sesshomaru she noticed the spicy-sweet scent of lilacs and realized it was the smell of her own arousal. Well, that was just great considering her track record with golden-eyed inus. The heartbreak she suffered had done lasting damage and despite how her body was reacting she wasn't sure if she was ready to go there. Or if Sesshomaru would want to. Yes, he had thawed a bit over the years but he could still be very unapproachable. Then there was her own heart. She knew that her friends' happiness wasn't the only reason she had agreed so easily to the demands of the Shikon jewel but to seize the escape it offered to avoid seeing the happy life she craved slip through her fingers and into another's. It was just another form of suicide and hated herself for being such a coward. It was the first and only piece of darkness in her heart that she buried deep hiding the feeling and thoughts even from Cass. Years of Naraku trying to corrupt her heart and she did it herself. The irony.

She shook off her morose thoughts and turned back to the taste of Sesshomaru and when he had chased her into submission. At the time it had been scary but now the thought of his actions made her blood boil in excitement and the smell of lilacs trailed after her as she walked under the moonlit branches. A sudden noise behind her had her whirling around to see the object of her musings approaching. She realized she could still smell her excitement in the air around her and took a step back before his growl stopped her. His steps were slow and he was sniffing the air, eyes narrowed.

"Vixen." Was it just her or was his voice deeper than normal? The closer he got she could see the almost feral glint in his eyes as he sniffed again, making her shiver and heart pound. His eyes widened and he growled long and low almost within arms reach. She knew she was supposed to do something but wasn't sure.

"Run." Came Cass's voice through the haze in her head and she did. She ran as she had before but this time with no trace of fear. Instead, she was practically shaking with anticipation, wondering what would happen if he caught her and if she wanted him to. She could smell lilacs again and he growled loudly behind her as he picked up speed. She came out of the trees and to the banks of a river and jumped it, making a dash for the trees again. She knew she made a mistake seconds before he grabbed the back of her neck and trapped her between his body and a tree the bark pressing into her back. He buried his face in her neck and breathed deep before licking from the base to her ear making her gasp.

"Why did you run Vixen?" She was quiet for a moment and he licked her again growling and this time it was a moan that escaped her throat.

"To...to make you chase me." His eyes flashed red and he seemed to press harder against her as he fought to maintain control and growled again in her throat leaving her breathless.

"You tempt me more than I would like to admit and your scent calls to my beast. You should be more careful of this in the future." He started to pull away and she went with her instinct and nipped him on the side of the chin. In an instant, she was again pinned against the tree again, his mouth covering hers in a bruising kiss. His fangs scraped her lip drawing blood and she moaned into his mouth, hands fisting in his hair. His lips trailed down her neck leaving scorching path before he bit her just barely breaking the skin, lapping and sucking at the wound.

She was drowning in sensation as she breathed his name. "Sess...Sesshomaru." At the sound of her voice, he froze before suddenly releasing her and disappearing into the trees leaving her dazed. The feeling of rejection crashed through her and she wondered if she hadn't just made a big mistake by following her instincts. She remained slumped against the base of the tree a thin trickle of blood from already healed bite the only proof of what happened. She stared off into the dark, sinking into the memories of the pain gold eyes bring.

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Bright eyes watched from across the river at what unfolded. The dragon had thanked his lucky stars when he finally found the fox in the woods. He didn't recognize her at first but the witch had whispered through the stone that it was the same fox but she had been changed. So he watched her and silently praised the witch's magic when the dog hadn't noticed him before following the pair to the river. He told the witch what he saw, it was always good to know your enemies weakness and the fox was one of his judging by his loss of control. The witch was more interested in the fox and instructed him to move closer once the inuyoukai lord had left her so she could read her with her magic. She didn't share what she discovered, something good from her tone, only telling him to stay close why she cast a spell on the kitsune. He watched as she stared off deep in thought until the witch's whispered voice came again from the stone. He didn't know what she said but her words made his soul shiver at the darkness they contained. The words formed a black ribbon that floated over the fox before settling over her form and sinking into her heart, but she didn't seem to feel it. For a moment he felt sorry for the female, no doubt the spell would be worse than the quick death he had planned.

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A little steam for ya. The plot thickens dun dun duh! Please review!