Okay everyone, I've decided to work on a few more chapters of 'Master of Darkness' which is my sequel to 'Slave to Darkness'. If you haven't already checked it out I'd really appreciate it if you did, and dropping a review wouldn't go amiss either ;)

A WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER!

Sort of, anyways. It contains some suggestive themes. And some sexual themes. I'm sorry. It's still classed as rating T because it's only suggested, not full blown literotica xD

Enjoy?

He'd darted about the Warren all day looking for Eleanor, but no matter where he went and looked, she wasn't there. Part of him hoped she was keeping to herself, but the Pooka new she would be tailing bomber planes and trying to help in disaster zones across Britain. He was looking over one of the rivers, through the long grass and bluebells when he saw her curled up into a tight foetal position, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

Aster gaped and jumped forwards onto the large stepping stones until he reached the soft grass and bound forward to Eleanor's side. He touched her shoulder gently, and when she didn't respond the rabbit simply gathered her up into his arms and held her close. He didn't know what could have left her in such a state, but he wanted to find out... he wanted to stop her crying.

"Darlin', what's wrong?" he asked gently, holding her in his arms as she grumbled and buried her face into the soft downy fur of his chest. "What happened?"

The brunette sniffled a little, pulling away and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand before sinking into his embrace, one of her arms lifting weakly so she could tangle her fingers in his fur

"The Nazi's blitzed Manchester," she huffed, ignoring how he stiffened.

"You're meant to be in the South," he muttered, knowing very well that she'd go to help as many people as she physically could, despite it being Summer on the Southern hemisphere.

As he suspected she ignored that comment and sighed at him, turning her head away to look out over the vast valley below them. Her golden-brown eyes scanned over the treetops and trailed over every river, stream and pond. He knew the sheer size of the Warren amazed her, it was like a whole world beneath the surface of Australia, but fashioned so no human could ever find it alone.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly but firmly, avoiding eye contact. Aster knew what she'd seen must have been horrible for her, horrible for anyone. If Manchester was blitzed she would have most likely seen death, and that which troubled her most was the death of children. It hurt them all, naturally. It was an absolute gut wrenching feeling waking up one morning and seeing a few hundred lights had vanished across Europe. Each of the Guardians felt useless in times of war like these, helpless to stop it and unable to do much besides continue as they had been doing – bring Easter and Christmas across the globe, restoring sweet dreams and happy memories, but there was only so much they could do.

"Come on sunflower," he coaxed gently, tilting her chin upwards a little to kiss her nose, and she turned the cutest shade of pink. Even after twelve years of being together she still blushed, and it made him incredibly happy that she did. He had been so close to losing her, so close to telling her it could never happen between them – because at first he hadn't been able to get over the fact that he'd watched her grow up, seen her develop from an ankle-biter and it had almost ruined everything. It wasn't even that he had known her as a child and watched her grow. It was more the fact that he was unable to see her for the woman she was now, the beaut she'd grown into. He had North to thank for their relationship. If the older Guardian hadn't told him to go for it – even if he had explained it so simplistically – Aster didn't reckon he'd be even half as happy as he was now.

Eleanor slipped quietly from his lap as he was thinking, and the Pooka suddenly felt very displeased at her moving, the fur on his back bristling slightly though he had no idea why it did and he tried his hardest to calm his nerves, but everything seemed hyper sensitive. They both stood up and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him and kissing her passionately on the lips. She sighed and melted into him, her arms snaking their way up and around his neck. He loved kissing her, having her so close. She had the strangest but most alluring smell, like burning lavender – warm and sweet – and her lips always tasted like blackcurrents.

The Pooka felt her break the kiss to breath deeply while he was busy musing and he growled a little, feeling suddenly possessive, his ears flattening against the back of his head and his emerald eyes narrowing into slits as he kept her held flush against him. She looked up at him wide shocked eyes, as it was very rare for him to become so possessive over her, especially when she had no idea why he would have to be. But she also felt her stomach flutter with butterflies and though breathless she let him capture her lips again in another fierce kiss. Her eyelids closed slowly but after what could have only been a second she felt him pull away from her, and she opened her eyes wide to look at him, confusion written plainly across her face. His arms dropped form her waist to his sides, and she saw he looked completely embarrassed, and slightly ashamed.

"Nora, I'm sorry," he said quickly, taking a small step away form her. He'd lost it, somehow she'd evoked some animal instinct within him and he'd just lost it. He'd managed to regain his senses, but he was having a hard time pushing that instinct down as she reached out and touched his arm. Even that innocent action caused him to shudder, and he realised he wanted her, but in a way he'd not before. In a way they hadn't even discussed before, and he felt horrified and disgusted with himself.

He went to move away but she grabbed hold of his arm and held on tightly, not letting him run away from her.

In all honesty, Eleanor felt a little shocked by his actions; the way he'd growled low in his throat when she'd moved away from him, how he'd held on to her tighter, how his eyes had darkened with some emotion she'd never seen before, because she'd never been close enough to a man for him to show that kind of... want.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked gently, but Aster couldn't answer her, he felt too badly about how he had acted and he wanted to just leave and calm himself down. He looked pleadingly into her golden-brown eyes, but there was confusion in those orbs and she wouldn't let him go until she new what it was that was making him act so oddly. Taking a breath, he gathered up what was left of his vocabulary.

"I'm sorry for how I just acted."

His voice seemed lower, huskier, and he cursed himself mentally as he tried to get away. He felt like he was caught in a trap, but it was one he'd made himself and he had no idea how to get out of it seeing as Eleanor lived here with him. She was his partner, and he shouldn't really keep secrets from her, but this feeling he suddenly had wasn't right, and he couldn't let her now about it.

But Eleanor was grinning at him coyly. The girl was ever intuitive, and she seemed to know when he was thinking something different and more often than not, what it was he was thinking. It wasn't as if he hadn't given her enough signs; he'd held her so close only moments before, and had reverted to base animalistic wants and needs for the briefest of moments. She knew what he wanted, but she also understood he would be conflicted about it. If there was something her Aster always seemed to be, it was conflicted.

"Talk to me," she said softly, her grip on his arm firm but gentle, so she knew he wouldn't run away. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing flower," he said, almost a little too quickly, and she noticed the glint in his eye as she took a step closer to him.

"Aster, you're not telling me something," she chuckled, hopping towards him and wrapping her arms around his torso before he had chance to jitter away. She knew outwardly she looked seventeen, but every year she was getting older. Save the ten years she'd basically not existed, she'd grown and experienced more, and thought about different things. Of course she'd thought about Aster in more ways than she'd ever let on. He was her partner, they would hold one another and kiss and cuddle, but that always seemed to be it. Of course she understood their anatomic differences, but she'd be damned if that was what pushed her and her Pooka apart now.

Aster stared at her, dumbfounded. What could he really say to her now, when she had already clued onto what was going on. With a groan he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her cheek with his nose.

"Just thinking about some stuff love, I don't mean to... be like this," he muttered, and she heaved a sigh as she untangled herself from his embrace and took his hand.

"I don't mind," she said gently, leading him slowly down the hillside to the heart of the Warren, leading him back to the nest he realised with a start, his heart skipping a beat. "I really don't mind," she reinforced, and he felt that base instinct rise in him again, and he moved forward quickly and grabbed her, picked her up and carried her bridal style the rest of the way, slipping down the rabbit hole and laying her down on the nest, hovering over her.

"You sure, sunflower?" he asked quietly, his hands trailing over her collar bone, making her shiver, and she nodded quietly at him, before she pulled him down and kissed him sweetly.

Eleanor was curled tightly into his side, her face buried in the crook of his neck and she was breathing gently as she dozed off slightly in his arms. He'd never seen anything so beautiful, in his opinion, and for the last twelve years he'd woken up with the young spirit by his side and every day he had fallen in love with her all over again. But this... this was different. Now she was his completely, and he was hers, and everything in his mind; every doubt he'd ever had, every second thought and second guess – they were all driven out by the sight of his love curled into him, so peaceful and so trusting.

He couldn't help but love her more and more, with every second she spent with him.

"Sunflower?" he whispered, and she mumbled a little before opening her sleepy eyes and gazing up at him, smiling slightly, and her golden-brown orbs twinkled in the minimal light there was.

"Yeah?" she asked, shifting slightly so she could get a better look at him.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked gently, his hand raising up and cupping her cheek. "Being... with me and all?"

She looked a bit shocked by his question, astounded that he would ask her if she was really sure about everything. Of course she was. She'd loved him her entire life, one way or another, and she couldn't see herself being with anyone else like she was with him now, safe in his arms, feeling loved and cherished. She only ever wanted to be with him.

"Of course I am," she replied, leaning in and pressing her nose to his, sending shivers down her spine as she connected with the cool skin. "I wouldn't want anything else."

"You sure?" he asked, his eyes sliding closed as he relished the moment.

"You can bet your Nelly on it," she chuckled, and he laughed along with her, pulled her close and hugging her into his chest.

"There's one thing," he started, the laugh ebbing from his voice and he became much more serious again. He could tell she was listening, the way her body went still over his, and how she seemed to hold her breath. "There's... Pooka, when they find a- a mate, they mark their mate. It's nothing really, nothing bad, it's just something we do so others know you're taken. It's like... you just-"

"Instinct?" she whispered, and he nodded, thankful she understood and he didn't have to keep floundering around for some explanation. He felt stupid already. She was shifting slightly on him so she could look at him again, and her expression was very gentle, very loving. He felt at ease already.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly, stroking her hair back from her eyes gently. She smiled at him and laid her head back down on his chest, and slowly the Pooka rested his chin upon her head, marking her with his scent. It only took a second, it would be nothing big to anyone else, but in himself, the mere fact that she let him to it was enough to put his whole world at ease.