First off – Over 300 reviews and I've surpassed 200 pages of content! (celebratory dance insues)

Secondly - Never Leave Jorowyn Alone, the ficlet written by my good friend Ginsan that follows Jorowyn's POV from this story, has been updated with a new chapter. If you're interested, head on over and give it a look, and be sure to leave a review!

Lastly - I'm submitting this with full knowledge that more than likely the content of this chapter will upset some readers. In the interest of not giving away the complete plot of the chapter before you read it, that's all I'll say on the subject for now, though I will have a more detailed explanation at the end of the chapter for those who are interested.

Oh, and one last reminder. If I remove anything from a chapter due to content, I will always alert you in the chapter itself telling you that it's been done and how to go about getting the missing portions. If there is no reminder, then it's a standard 'fade-to-black' scenario, and nothing is actually missing.

:: Chapter Twenty-Five ::

Heat of Surrender

Raye lounged in the large commons area of the palace, half-curled into a deeply cushioned divan, her arms crossed over the back and her chin propped on them as she stared listlessly at nothing in particular. The young Queen was dressed in typical garb for a woman of her standing—a filmy, intricate, ruby red set of silk robes, feet bare, the delicate gold chains and discs wound around her brow denoting her status as the Queen of her planet. A small gaggle of servant girls tittered this way and that around her; some with huge feathered fans meant to help chase away the stifling desert heat, some holding trays of assorted foods and refreshments, others still simply standing at attention waiting until any random desire happened to flit through her mind. Unfortunately the only desire she could think of at the moment was quite unobtainable. Well, certainly impossible for the servants to attend to.

As if to taunt her, Raye tensed as she suddenly heard the deep, roiling sound of his laughter—shivering across her skin like heated velvet. The formerly supine girl jerked straight, her head turning in the direction of the sound and causing her long fall of ink-black hair to pool the cushions in front of her with a faint rustle. Her breath caught, watching and waiting, having gone very still. She didn't have to wait long.

Jadeite loped into the commons, head currently downcast—so that he didn't see her sitting there—and still laughing at whatever it was that had originally amused him. The powerful monarch was dressed in the garb of her people; a billowing white tunic made of the softest silk half tamed by a tighter-fitting, scarlet red vest, over a pair of loose black lawn trousers tucked into calf-high black boots. The ceremonial dagger of his station was hanging from one hip, his short-cropped hair gleaming like spun gold in the bright sunlight that shined in from the terrace windows beyond.

Raye almost called out to him. It would be so easy. All she had to do was reach out with her mind, just the barest brush against his. That's all it would take to alert him to her presence, let him know of her interest. Her longing. And yet, somehow, to do so seemed impossible at the very same time. How could she bridge that gap? How could she mend that rift? How did Raye tell a man that she'd accused of raping her not six months ago that she'd suddenly had a drastic change of heart?

It had been a week since her reoccurring nightmare. A week since he'd left her alone in her cold and lonely room. A week that she'd been moping and brooding about the palace, fighting with herself, her fears and her own stubborn pride. In that time Jadeite had done an even more impressive job of avoiding her. Not only did he still refuse to react to anything she said or did, but now he went out of his way to try not to be anywhere near her at all unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

Raye kept perfectly silent now, terrified that he would retreat again when he discovered she was here. But then she tensed again when someone else followed him inside, and the reason for his mirth became apparent.

The beautiful red-haired Earthling woman laughed herself as she sauntered up to his side. "You've got to be kidding," she protested, her voice a sultry purr. "You can't convince me that there's a female in this star system willing to bed down with the Phaetonian. At least not one who's not drugged and completely conscious."

Jadeite laughed harder, shaking his head as they neared the terrace—across the room from Raye, whom they still hadn't noticed. "I'm telling you, Lena, this is straight from Z's lips. Nobody knows who it is exactly, but he's definitely seeing someone."

"Well, there ya go," Galena spouted airily. "Until someone sees physical proof of this mythical creature, I still say he's enjoying a little too much one-on-one action."

Jadeite turned to her with one golden brow arched high over his blue, blue eyes, handsome face pulled into an easy, heart-wrenching grin. "As if you've got any room to complain on that score," he teased huskily. "I don't think I've seen you with any other man since we were together last." Galena just grinned wide and flirtatious, leaning closer and batting her long-lashed green eyes up at him.

"I keep holding out hope that a certain blonde General will stop playing hard to get and come crawling back to me."

Raye felt as though a shard of glass was cutting through her chest as the voluptuous female warrior swayed closer to Jadeite, her expression playful but her face nonetheless tilting up as if inviting a kiss. Raye didn't wait to see if her husband would take the Earthling whore up on her shamelessly blatant offer.

Her wounded heart was too terrified that the truth would be the one she simply couldn't face.

"I suppose it would be too much ask for two Earthlings to conduct themselves with even a fraction of something that passes for decorum." Her voice—spoken aloud for the benefit of the non-telepath in her midst—was sharp and venomous, fueled by the jealousy twisting painfully in her gut.

At the sound of it Jadeite jerked straight and wrenched in her direction, expression torn between guilty surprise and pained resignation. Galena merely sighed somewhat heavily, rolling her eyes heavenward before twisting slightly to face her. Not in the least bit ashamed by her behavior, which only served to infuriate the Queen more.

"Raye," her husband mumbled, somewhat inanely. "I . . . I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were there."

"Obviously," she snapped. "Though I suppose it's not too terribly surprising. Earthlings aren't exactly known for their stellar intelligence, are they."

The servants around her erupted into a firestorm of tittering and half-concealed giggles at that. Jadeite's expression went blank, his fists tightening almost imperceptivity at his sides. But he didn't respond. He never did. Why bother with her? There was no need to, not when he had someone like his precious First to amuse himself with.

"Oh I don't know," the female General suddenly murmured, her purring voice deceptively pleasant even while her green eyes glared in Raye's direction. "We Earthlings were smart enough to discover a way to defeat the Negaverse, even when you and your precious Alliance were unable to do so. But then I suppose it's possible you've not even noticed." Galena gave her a perfectly false, sympathetic laugh. "I mean, those lounging afternoon naps of yours really cut into the day, don't they."

Raye's jaw clenched, her volatile temper igniting like flame to dry tinder. Her violet eyes narrowed to slits, and almost instinctually she released a pulse of psychic power in Galena's direction. One that was ultimately wasted, as her husband deflected and neutralized it easily with barely a wince of strain. His expression darkened slightly. "Raye," he murmured in warning. She scowled at him, seething.

"You are going to allow her to insult me like that?" she demanded hotly. Jadeite merely sighed, almost pained.

"Well actually, to my accounting, you actually insulted her first—."

"I want her removed. Now."

Now his expression became clearly exasperated. "Raye, I'm not going to dismiss one of my best warriors and longest-standing friends."

Not over you.

He didn't actually say it. But then, he didn't have to. Raye heard it all the same, and the realization almost killed her. Jadeite didn't love her. Hell, he probably didn't even like her. She was—and had always been—just a means to an end.

The hurt and anger boiled inside of Raye's heart like a raging volcano. Her fists clenched—and though no one noticed it at the time—the braziers around the room suddenly seemed to flare brighter, the flames dancing higher for a split instant before sputtering back to normal range again. Yet it was a credit to her control that not an ounce of it showed on her face. Her expression became impassive instead, cool . . . even bored.

"Enough of this. Despite what some might think, I do have duties to attend." She turned slightly to the gaggle of serving girls behind her. "Have someone prepare my mount." She glanced back at the two Earthlings, a calculating gleam in her amethyst eyes. "Perhaps your precious General would deign to accompany me on my journey."

Jadeite blinked, then opened his mouth—no doubt to protest from the look on his face. Raye spoke again before he was able to.

"She is one of your best, is she not? The Dunes can be a savage place. Surely you would want the best protection for your wife, would you not?" Raye finished, somehow managing not to choke on the sarcasm in her tone.

Jadeite's brow was furrowed now, blue eyes sharp. "What in Stars' name do you need to go into the Dunes for?"

Though he had only been on Mars for a month or so now, even he was aware of how dangerous the restless scarlet wastes could become. Raye sneered.

"I haven't made it a habit to explain myself to you before now, have I Earthling?" she snapped. "What makes you think I'd start now?"

Jadeite tensed, but Galena suddenly stepped forward. Her expression was carefully shuttered, though her green eyes were sharp and accessing. "No, Jade," she murmured. "It's fine. If the Queen needs an escort, I'll be happy to oblige."

The only male in the room glanced back and forth between the two women who were practically hissing at one another, knowing that this could only end badly but not having a clue as to how he could diffuse the situation. Then Jadeite nearly threw his hands up in surrender. Maybe it would do the both of them some good to duke it out amongst themselves. If he was a smart man, he'd stay the hell out of it. And Jadeite liked to think that he was a fairly intelligent sort—Jorowyn's opinion on the matter notwithstanding.

"Fine," he agreed, turning on his heel to leave the room. "Just don't kill each other," he threw somewhat flippantly over his shoulder.

Having utterly no idea how ironic that warning would become.

Doing her best not to smirk in victory, Raye turned on her heel and led the way out of the commons. Somewhere in the back of her mind, her rational self was trying desperately to argue why her sudden plan was an awful, horrible idea. Her temper had taken rein for the moment, however. Thus the volatile Martian Queen stalked out into the courtyard and up to the snow white nefta that was waiting for her, already saddled and bridled.

When her husband had first been introduced to nefta, he'd laughed and said they reminded him of a cross between something he called a horse and something called a camel. Raye was unfamiliar with these Earthling creatures. She had been raised among nefta, however, which were amazingly sturdy and deceptively fleet of foot, bred to flourish in the harsh landscape of the Martian deserts.

Raye mounted her nefta—a female she'd named Vespa—with an ease that belied her familiarity with the creatures and the action. Galena was slower to do so, and Raye gloated somewhat spitefully until the General finally managed to find her seat on the grayish male that she'd been given. Unable to develop a soothing mental connection with the beast, she had a much more difficult time in settling him as well, so that the nefta pranced uneasily and nearly unseated her once. Yet the fire-haired female managed to stay in the saddle, adapting to the challenge with annoying swiftness.

Raye turned away soon after, and a mental nudge to Vespa's mind had the white nefta taking off in a swift gallop. Galena was right behind her. The two women rode through the gates of the massive palace, out into the bustling bazaar beyond. Normally Raye loved to meander through the tents and stalls, taking in the richness of her culture and visiting with her people. Today, however, she had a purpose. Recognizing her distinctive garb, the people clogging the streets immediately hastened out of Raye's path. It wasn't long at all before she was exiting the city itself, and heading out into the vast wasteland beyond. The red dunes of Mars were ever-shifting, a constantly moving landscape. One that held many wonders, as well as many deadly dangers.

And today she rashly directed Vespa toward one of the deadliest.

Raye! Do not do this!

Scowling, Raye determinedly shut her mind off from her mother's desperate warnings. Galena would answer for her actions. One way or another.

Unaware of the danger, the Earthling General followed along silently, never once asking where they were going or why they were going there. Probably because the woman had no doubt guessed that Raye had no real business out in the Dunes—at least none beyond the confrontation that was coming. Raye finally reined Vespa in on the edge of the last portion of semi-solid ground, before the patchwork of stone and rock gave way to an endless sea of scarlet sand beyond it. Here she dismounted, then slowly turned to face the other woman—who had dismounted as well.

"So," the Earthling sneered, crossing her arms. "Is this where you have some assassins jump out from behind some rocks and have me killed?"

Raye scowled at the woman's continued flippancy. Her fists clenched. "You are in love with my husband," she spat the truth, at last.

Galena didn't deny it.

What did surprise Raye, however, was that there was no gloating pleasure on her face. No laughter. No knowing, superior look. Just a wary resignation. And . . . a sadness, which confused her. Something of that confusion must have shown on her face, because Galena suddenly let out a somewhat bitter chuckle, shaking her head.

"You two make a helluva pair, I tell you. Jade is so damned in love with you he's completely blind to everything else. And you're so in love with him that you've apparently become just as dense."

All the wind was ripped right out of her sails at that. Raye blinked, stunned. "What? I-I'm not . . . I mean . . . ." The beautiful warrior-woman lifted a skeptical eyebrow, forcing Raye to sputter to a halt. She stood for a long, uncomfortable moment, and then her shoulders visibly drooped. "Well he certainly is not in love with me," she muttered, pained. All of her anger had gone, leaving an aching hurt in its wake.

"No, not at all," Galena seemed to agree, then she suddenly let out a scoffing bark of laugher. "He only loves you enough to risk becoming the system's biggest fool just to make you happy," she suddenly spat, tone accusing and more than a touch bitter. "Jade lets you say whatever the hell you want, do whatever the hell you want. Even though doing so makes him look like a weakling and a coward in the eyes of your people in the process. He's lost almost every single shred of respect he built for himself during the war, become a complete laughingstock among the soldiers. All because of you." Galena glared, and the Martian Queen was somewhat stunned at the moisture that was suddenly rimming the other woman's eyes. "Yes, I love him. I always have. But I'm also woman enough to know that I'm not what he wants, or needs. Stars only know why, for some reason he wants you. He has from the moment he first laid eyes on you. The only question left is, are you woman enough to be what he needs?"

Raye just stared at her, somewhat stunned. Jadeite wanted her? She hadn't actually killed what spark of affection he had held for her so many months ago, on their wedding night? Could it really be that simple?

A sudden roar of bestial fury shook the ground around them, causing the two nefta to rear in terror and then bolt back the way they'd come. Raye felt her belly sink into her toes with her own fear and dread.

"Oh no!" she gasped. Eyes wide, Galena drew her sword and whirled this way and that, looking for the threat.

"What in the hell was that?" the warrior demanded in a fearful hiss, as the ground continued to roil and buck beneath their feet.

With her jealous fury gone, Raye could recognize what an awful thought she'd had to abandon Galena to this creature—known as the Beast of the Dunes. A primal thing, powerful beyond reckoning. The fiercest predator her planet had, it usually took a team of at least ten to fifteen warriors to bring one down. The young Queen wasn't sure what sort of skills the female General possessed, but she knew for a fact that she herself was no match for it.

Still, she had to try.

There was no time to warn Galena of what was coming. Seconds after her question was uttered, the sands before them erupted outward and a massive red-scaled beast burst forth. As terrible as any Youma of the Negaverse, the Beast of the Dunes was at least thirty feet long, covered in thick, sand-roughened scales that glinted dully in the sunlight. It's gaping maw opened wide with another furious roar—revealing the rows of jagged, yellowed teeth within that were nearly as big as her arm. A long, spike-tipped tail whipped back and forth menacingly and small, vestigial leathery wings flapped half-heartedly in the arid wind. Eons ago perhaps the beast had been an airborne creature, but it had long since adapted to swimming through the vast sands instead.

Inwardly she was faint with terror, though her sheer determination had shoved such feelings aside for the moment. Enough so that Raye marched forward toward the creature, ignoring Galena's hoarse shouts of warning behind her. Instead she focused all of her attention—all of her will—on the Beast, reaching out with her mind and trying to force a link with it like she had with her nefta.

Immediately Raye was buffeted with chaotic thoughts, a barely formed consciousness soaked with primal rage and fury. It threatened to drown her away, but the Queen held fast. A grimace of pain twisted her features as the Beast reared back and roared again. So focused was she on attempting to form a link with it, Raye didn't even flinch when one if it's massive paws came hurtling in her direction.

Instead, Galena pounced in from behind her, deflecting the deadly claws from her with a fierce swipe of her sword. Unfortunately she paid the price for the maneuver, yelling out as one of those claws caught her in the thigh, ripping open the flesh and muscle near to the bone. The warrior stumbled, blood pouring down her leg.

Heed me! Raye called out again to the Beast, putting every ounce of willpower she yet possessed behind the attempt. She wasn't ready to die. She had far too much left in this world that she wanted to do, to experience. It would not end like this. Face knit with concentration, Raye projected waves of calm, soothing thoughts, trying to force away the primal fury that filled the Beast's mind. Amazingly the huge beast stumbled slightly, blinking it's yellow, lamp-like eyes in her direction. She had managed to slow it down, at least, if not completely stop it.

Galena saw the advantage, and the warrior in her immediately moved to capitalize on it. Despite her deep wound, she lifted her sword again and ran forward. Yet her blade was easily deflected by the Beast's thick armor of scales, and the action swiftly broke what small link Raye had been able to form. With a furious scream the creature batted Galena aside with a negligent swipe of its paw—tossing her aside like a doll. Then it whirled toward Raye, yellow eyes almost glowing with fury. It lifted up, and Raye had only an instant to prepare herself, to realize what was coming. And she only had one thought.

I'm so sorry . . . .

And then a column of yellow-white flame burst from the Beast's throat, roaring out and completely enveloping the young Martian Queen before it.

In the next moment, every man, woman and child on Mars heard the sound of Jadeite's psychic scream of rage and fear.

An instant later he touched down near-by in a shower of red sand thrown aside from the impact of his landing. Jadeite had set out after them soon after they left, after Delphi had warned him that Raye was up to something. But he'd been too late. Too late.

The powerful warrior stalked forward fearlessly, ruthlessly wresting control of the massive beast in front of him with his own mind—which was a font of his own rage and fury at the moment. The creature reared back and away from Jadeite immediately, letting out a screech of fear. It tried to struggle somewhat futilely for a few moments, then finally turned around and dove back into the sands from whence it had come, fleeing in terror. Jadeite stared at the indention in the sand for several heartbeats, fists clenched, trying to work himself up to turning around and facing her body. He knew what he would find, and his stomach heaved at the thought of it. Mere flesh couldn't withstand that kind of punishing heat unscathed. She would be charred and blackened, a twisted husk of her former self, and it was going to kill him to have to face it. To accept that he had failed, that he had lost her.

"Jadeite?"

His entire body jerked as that trembling, husky voice sounded. And for a moment he almost refused to turn, terrified his mind was playing tricks on him. It couldn't possibly be . . . .

And yet, when he finally spun around, he was utterly stunned to find his wife standing where she had been—completely unharmed. Her skin was a shade too pale, a small trickle of blood oozing from one of her nostrils from the psychic strain she'd caused herself, but otherwise she was untouched. She was alive. She was okay. He had utterly no clue as to how she had managed it, but the Beast's fire breath hadn't touched her at all.

Slowly, the bone-chilling terror that had enveloped him from the moment of Delphi's warning, the terror he'd felt at coming so close to losing her, turned to rage.

Raye was still reeling from what had happened—unable to explain how or why the fire hadn't harmed her—when she was suddenly faced with an all new danger. The young Queen gulped in nervous apprehension as Jadeite's tanned face slowly darkened with such a look of fury it caused a tremor of fear to snake down her spine. She had never seen her husband lose his temper, before now. Suddenly the Beast of the Dunes didn't seem near so threatening as the man before her now.

"What in the hell were you doing out here?" he demanded in a low roar, and Raye flinched.

"Ease up, Jade," Galena suddenly called, and Raye turned slightly to see the warrior limping in their direction. Her face was pained, but her gaze was steady and determined. "I wasn't paying attention to where we were going, and I'd forgotten about the reports of those dragon-things."

Raye gaped, stunned. After everything that she had done, all the horrible things she had said, Galena was trying to cover for her. It would be easy enough to hold her silence, to let the Earthling take the blame for this. But Raye's heart was already filled to the brim with shame and regret, she didn't think she could take any more of it. Instead she stepped forward, head bowed slightly.

"It was my fault," she announced softly. "In my anger and spite, I thought to punish your friend. I brought her out here on purpose, hoping the Beast would appear. I . . . I planned on abandoning her here," she admitted hoarsely, head hanging even lower, stunning both of them. "It was an awful, horrible thing to do—to even think about—and I am deeply ashamed of myself for doing so." Raye swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her now-dry throat. "I . . . I submit myself to whatever punishment my husband deems necessary."

In front of her, Jadeite was forced to breathe deeply several times, trying to get a handle on his temper. She had finally forced his hand, it seemed. So be it.

"Return to the palace," he snapped out harshly, even as her nefta suddenly loped back into view—having been called back by his telepathic call. "Make yourself ready in the Grand Hall in one hour."

Raye visibly trembled at that, her belly clenching with fear. It seemed she had finally pushed her even-tempered husband too far. He finally meant to punish her in the way of her people—and publically, what's worse. Raye didn't protest his declaration, however. She merely nodded acceptance before turning on her heel and doing as she'd been told. Raye rode back to the palace alone, moving determinedly to her room in order to prepare for what was coming, resigned to her fate and to the pain it would cause. She had flouted her husband too publically, for too long. And now her childish temper had nearly caused someone to be killed. Raye knew she deserved the punishment, and she was determined to meet it with dignity.

Still, despite her resolve, her hands still shook wildly as she entered the Grand Hall an hour later. The proud Queen was dressed in a plain white, backless robe meant for this very purpose, her hair bound in a loose braid and pulled over one narrow shoulder. Her knees felt like jelly, but Raye lifted her chin and forced herself to move forward anyhow. Toward where Jadeite stood waiting for her at the end of the corridor, the black reed crop clenched in one fist and hanging at his side. Raye did her best to ignore the sea of faces that had turned out to see the shrewish girl finally get her due, or Galena's sympathetic stare—which somehow made her feel even worse, if such were possible. Her parents were thankfully, blessedly absent. Raye wasn't entirely sure she would be able to endure this shame if her mother were here.

The room was hushed as the young Queen came to a stop on the marble steps, slowly kneeling down in front of the simple alter of sorts that jutted out from them. A burly servant approached and Raye obediently put her hands on the stone, allowing him to strap her wrists with the leather bindings meant to keep her still and immobile. Then he stepped back, and Jadeite finally approached her. Raye didn't meet his gaze, staring down hard at the floor instead. Her cold and clammy fists clenched, tensing up despite her determination that this was the right thing to do when her husband moved to stand behind her kneeling form.

There was a long, agonizing moment of hesitation. And then the edges of her vision seemed to ripple, an instant before the reed came down across her bare back with a whistling thwack! Raye's entire body jerked with the sting, though she managed not to cry out. By the fifth one, a strained whimper found its way past her clenched teeth. On the tenth lash she was shaking, and couldn't hold back the tortured cry that ripped out of her throat.

A second after that, the crop was thrown to the ground in front of her. The leather straps holding her down suddenly ripped free from an unseen force, and Raye found herself scooped up off the floor like a babe. Shaking somewhat from the fire across her back, Raye clung to Jadeite as best she could, burying her head beneath his chin as he strode quickly and purposefully from the chamber. No one followed them.

And then, as soon as they left the hall, Raye instantly felt better. She lifted up slightly, confused, as she no longer felt any pain at all. Was he suppressing it somehow? Not entirely sure what was going on, Raye kept silent as Jadeite carried her through the palace until he entered the royal suite. The door slammed shut behind him from the force of his mind. Only then did he finally put her down on her own feet again. Then he took her by the shoulders and turned her until she stood facing him, forced to face the smoldering hot coals of his still-furious blue eyes.

"If you ever make me do something like that again, I swear to the Stars in heaven I really will beat you!"

Raye just blinked up at him for several moments, confused and out of sorts. What did he mean, he would beat her? Hadn't he already done? And then she suddenly remembered that strange, rippling sensation in her vision just before his first lash struck, and Raye realized then what he'd done. Jadeite had cloaked the entire hall in an illusion. Making everyone—including her—think that he'd actually punished her, when he hadn't. Raye didn't need a mirror to know that her back was as smooth and unblemished as it had been that morning, not a welt or bruise in sight.

For a moment she just stood there, stunned speechless. Rather in awe of his ability, not only to control the Beast of the Dunes so effortlessly, but at how easily he had just manipulated the minds of over a hundred people. It had felt so real . . . . How did one man possess so much power and not be moved to abuse it all the time?

Her throat worked for a moment, then she managed in a faintly trembling voice, "why . . . why would you do that?"

Jadeite let out another growl at that, still clearly angry and more than a little frustrated. "You think I want to beat you, Raye?" he snarled. "What, do you think I'd actually enjoy the thought of hurting you, or any other woman for that matter? Do you really care so little for the kind of man that I am, that you honestly believe me capable of something like that? Do you—," He suddenly cut himself off, turning away from her with another frustrated noise. "Forget it," he snapped, suddenly sounding bone-tired, and strangely defeated. "Just forget it. I'm tired of trying to explain myself." Raye bit her lip, warring with herself for the barest of moments before she made a decision.

Show me then.

She dropped down every ounce of mental defenses that she had, leaving herself completely open to a merge with him. Jadeite turned back toward her at that, brow furrowed slightly in confusion, and maybe even a touch of suspicion as well. Raye hesitated only a little before she took a step closer to him, eyes pleading. "Show me, Jadeite," she whispered aloud. "Please. I . . . I need to see. Please."

Jadeite just stared down at her for several agonizing heartbeats, his expression shuttered. Raye felt her heart drop, but before she could turn away in defeat his expression suddenly hardened again, and then his mind thrust into hers with the same ruthless determination she remembered all those months ago.

Raye gasped, both from the suddenness of the maneuver as well as from the thoughts and emotions that were suddenly pouring through her mind. It wasn't a complete merge, though. He was sharing himself but refusing to allow her inside of him, for whatever reason. Though for the moment, Raye was too preoccupied with what he was showing her, and it caused her wide eyes to water with equal parts awe and shame.

He loved her. He loved her more than he loved himself, in many ways. And she had repaid that with spite and anger, but he'd refused to react to it. Even despite the ridicule and disrespect it garnered from her people—which she now saw with horrible crystal clarity from his own eyes. Yet still he had never blamed her, never grew to hate her. Patiently waiting for the day where she could finally come to accept him. But that day had never come.

Jadeite stood perfectly still before her now, expression almost defiant—as if waiting for her to throw the knowledge he'd just given her back in his face. And that realization pained her far more than his illusionary lashes had. Raye stepped forward until they were nearly touching, lifting her hands and carefully cradling his broad jaw in her fingers. Until his stern and shuttered expression slowly melted into a confused and uncertain one.

You know very little of me as well, my King, she whispered softly into his mind, using his title for the first time and meaning it, but the fault of that is mine alone to bear. What say you we try and remedy that a little, hm-m? She continued to leave herself open, inviting Jadeite to merge fully with her. Yet still, he hesitated, expression uncertain. Raye pleaded up at him with her eyes, her slender fingers caressing his jaw and burying into his thick, curly hair. Let me in. Feel me, Jade, she coaxed, her mind-voice soft and soothing. Please . . . .

Finally Jadeite dropped the last few barriers between them, and the merge completed with a soothing rush. Raye shivered a little at the feel of it, silently marveling at how she had ever thought it a bad thing. Merging with him didn't make her vulnerable or weak, as she had childishly claimed before. Rather the rush of strength, the exhilaration, the deeply intimate connection with another being was simply indescribable. And a small smile slowly curved her lips as his blue eyes began to widen from the thoughts and emotions he gleaned from her mind.

The young Queen's breath quickened in wicked anticipation when those muscled arms curled tight around her then, pulling her up flush against his harder frame. Her own arms lifted, curling eagerly around his neck in return. Jadeite suddenly grinned, boyish and adorable.

Hell, if I knew I'd get these kind of results, I would have beaten you weeks ago. Maybe I should beat you more often? he teased, blue eyes twinkling. Then he laughed as her violet eyes narrowed dangerously.

If you ever even attempt to come near me with a crop when I am undeserving of the punishment, I'll make your very existence a test in living hell—!

Her seething mental tirade stuttered to a halt when he suddenly bent, kissing her deeply. Raye arched into it with a whimper of eagerness, clinging to him somewhat desperately, her grip almost strangling. She had ached and longed for this for so long, Raye was terrified that she would wake up and that this would all be just another dream.

A wave of soothing warmth swept over her at that, even as Jadeite continued to kiss her thoroughly. Easy, little ember, he whispered in her mind. I'm not going anywhere. Except maybe to the bed, he amended wickedly even as he started to slowly back her up toward the piece of furniture in question, still not lifting up from where he was apparently trying to devour her lips. Not that she was complaining, not even a little. Raye made no move to protest as she found herself suddenly tumbled back onto the bed behind her. Surrendering her mind, her body—and even more incredibly—her very heart to the powerful warrior above her. There was no weakness in that surrender, however. No vulnerability.

With him, she was strong.

Author's Note 2 :

It can be a very, very hard thing to do, to write the hero of a story doing something 'mean' to the heroine, and still maintain the reader's like of him. I myself have been turned away from stories for just such a reason, so I can well sympathize with the feeling. However, I'm sure that what will be even more difficult for some readers to reconcile will not be Jadeite's punishment of Raye, but rather her acceptance of said punishment. Please keep in mind that in this fic I'm specifically trying to make each culture different and distinct from one another. And that means some of the cultures are going to have belief systems and laws that you personally might find disagreeable or even mildly offensive.

In short, all I ask is that you try to keep an open mind.

But please, do not use the review function to inform me how much you hate this chapter or what happens in it. If you find it too offensive to enjoy, then just hit the back button and do not continue to read the fic. I say it a lot, but it really is that simple.

Finally, to all the Raye and Jadeite fans out there, keep in mind that Raye/Jade are my second-favorite couple of the entire genre, and I am in no way purposefully picking on them or trying to make their relationship the 'worst' of the story. Rest assured, I love them as much as you do. And probably for that very reason, I've given them a more dynamic—some might say controversial—plot than some of the others. Hopefully it's at least entertaining. If not, then I am sorry, but this is the way the story wants to be written. And I, at times, am as much a slave to it's whims as you are.

-Lynnwood