AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello beautiful people! So here it is, a new chapter...this was a hard one, but I hope you like it. As always, thank you very much for your support and for reading. Love you! Enjoy!

CHAPTER XLIX (Piper's POV)

Those days were extremely difficult to cope with. I had clung blindly to her promise that everything would end soon and go back to normal. It was the only thing that allowed me to stay uncomplaining, just as she had asked me…to be patient. However, it turned out hard to believe that she was going to fulfill her promise because she soon broke her other words, that she would be more attentive to me. There was always some excuse that made her arrive later than expected, or when I was already in bed, or a setback that kept her away from me all night. One time I even spent two days without knowing of her whereabouts. I did not even bother to invoke her anymore; if she wanted to see me, she must come without me having to ask her. She had become obsessed with hunting those creatures, to the point that I wished with all my might that they would all end up dying soon, even though at the beginning I was completely against exterminating them. Above all things, I remained enduring her abrupt mood changes; I remained understanding even though she never explained any reason to me properly; I remained silent, agreeing wordlessly to any of her decisions without internally approving her erratic behavior…and waited patiently for everything to return to normality…

However, after the death of the last creature, nothing was again like before. Three days had already passed since that dreadful episode finally ended and there I was…alone in our room, getting ready to go to bed after a long time of waiting for her. I was sitting in the small cushioned bench in front of the dressing table, combing my hair while I looked through the mirror my own face of displeasure, containing the bitter tears that made my eyes burn. I felt stupid for believing in her empty words right until the end. She was not the same, something had changed in her and I was terrified to think that I had lost her, my Alex…as if she had slipped from my grasp; the thought caused in me an exceptional fretfulness…Give her some time…Give her some time…I repeated to myself over and over. Maybe she needed time to go back to what she was before. I thought while brushing my hair absentmindedly. A shadow behind me made me jump out of surprise causing me to release the firm grip I had on the comb…

"Alex…" I sighed when I took her reflection in "You scared me…"

"I see…" She had an amused smile plastered on her face, but it did not reach her eyes "Sorry…it was not my intention…" She said softly, approaching towards me until her front was barely pressed against my back. I ignored her and leaned forward to take the comb off the floor and continued fixing my hair completely oblivious to her presence "You are mad…" She acknowledged after infinite seconds of silence

"Where have you been, Alex?" I asked methodically without meeting the mirrored image of her eyes whilst placing the comb on the table with extreme delicacy, as if it were made of thin glass…

"I figured I'd get in trouble for being late these past days…" The taunting in her voice made me lock my eyes with the mirrored image of hers; I was shocked by her lightness when she knew pretty well how angry I was. Not even my angered glare made her reconsidered the buoyancy of her tone "But as a matter of fact…I've been working on something pretty special…" She smiled wider only irritating me even more

"I don't even want to know about it" I spitted out of hatred and got up quickly to get away from her, but as I got up, she caught me firmly from behind, snaking my waist with her arms that felt like iron chains to stop me from going anywhere, and kicked the small bench to one side to get it out of our way, allowing our bodies to be even closer. It bothered me that she made use of her advantageous strength to hold me in place "Alex…Let go…" I warned her seriously "I'm mad at you…don't you see it?" I persisted before her roguish face, as if she was not aware of my anger towards her…

"Yes, I know…" She recognized tightening her hold around me, an sinking her chin on my right shoulder "And I'm trying to placate your anger…although I must admit, it turns out to be quite appealing"

"Alright that's enough!" I said cuttingly using all my strength to get out of her imposed embrace; nevertheless, she freed me just enough to allow me to turn around to face her "I'm not joking Alex…" I said to her face

"I'm not either…" Finally her funny face turned serious "I really want to apologize and…make up for all you've done for me this last month" And then, she began to enthrall me with her soft raspy voice and her penetrating gaze that left me defenseless "You've been so indulgent and enduring…even though I did not deserve that from you…" I stopped resisting her grip

"Where have you been, Alex?" I repeated the question calmly, giving her again an opportunity to truly make up for her mistakes…

"I told you already…" Her cheeks rose as her lips stretched out in a wonderful smile "I've been working on something pretty special" She said again enigmatically, making me roll my eyes in annoyance "Bear with me, alright?" I took a deep breath to appease my irritation and nodded with a clenched jaw "I'm going to need you to turn around towards the mirror and close your eyes…" She requested tentatively with a pleading lift of her eyebrows. I released a puff of air, agreeing to meet her wishes, and I did what she asked. I was bothered by my own weakness; she could break down my barriers with a simple look, and that made me mad at myself. She got closer to me from behind, pushing me to take a couple of steps forward to the dressing table and to the mirror. I stopped when I felt the edge of the table against my upper thighs "Alright" She said right next to my right ear "Now, don't open your eyes until I tell you otherwise…"

"Whatever…" I made a poor attempt to sound disinterested, but I was actually wishing to find out what was all that about. She laughed quietly near my ear, and the cold air of her breath made me shudder nicely. She moved her body slightly away from me and collected my loose hair with one hand to collect it over my left shoulder. For a moment, I did not feel her touch anymore and I was only aware of the coldness of the metal around my neck…a necklace…I thought instantly as she completed the task of fastening the piece from behind…

"Don't open your eyes yet" She warned me humorously and scattered my hair loosely around both shoulders and my back to free it from the grip of the necklace that was fairly heavy. I wondered what it was made of as she finished the task "Perfect…" She breathed in awe, hugging me from behind "Now you can open them…" I did as she instructed me.

My gaze fell directly on the pendant at the end of the chain. A large heart-shaped stone the size of a nut, as black as a crow's plumage and that shone with the force of the sun as sparkled all kinds of lights caused by the beam of the candles. The chain to which it was attached, it was a delicate string of silver with small stones inlaid that I could only assume were little diamonds for the so spotless and pure brightness, like water drops, that conformed to the shape of my neck and collarbones to perfection. It was an extraordinary piece of jewelry, and although I had never seen anything like that black stone, I knew enough about jewelry to know that it was a precious stone. My right hand went to catch the rock to examine it closer…

"What is it?" I wondered mesmerized by its exquisiteness, looking for her eyes on the mirror's reflection…

"It's a black diamond" I raised my eyebrows in surprise; I had never heard of it "It's the rarest gemstone in the entire world, since it can only be found in the Shadow Lands…this one" She reached the stone with her right hand to hold it delicately between her fingers "It is the largest one found to date…I've had it saved cagily for decades, and I finally knew what to do with it…" She continued explaining while I listened attentively to her words "A few days ago I sent someone for a very reputable jeweler to work the rock…I have spent a lot of time supervising his work, nagging him about every little detail…" I laughed softly shaking my head in disapproval only imagining her controlling even the smallest detail; I felt sorry for the poor man who did the work "I wanted it to be just right for you…" She argued defensively "So…you like it?" She asked me shortly after with a shy smile, waiting for my final verdict…

"I…I love it…" I said simply, observing the necklace once more through the mirror. I really did not have words to express how precious the gift was…

"I thought it would be a perfect representation of myself, so that you can carry me with you all the time…" She spoke sweetly, and I swear I could sense the hint of diffidence behind her self-assured façade "It is darkcold and hard…and above all, it belongs to you, just like my heart" Those words only praised the weight of the gift. It was not just a simple piece of jewelry, but she was avowing with it that her heart belonged to me, as well as all of her, as well as I belonged to her utterly and irrevocably. My insides melted with tenderness and all my rancor and anger towards her dissipated instantly as I spoke…

"You are forgetting the most important trait" She frowned in doubt, not knowing what I was referring to. I turned towards her, inside the circle of her arms around me, to see directly into her eyes and said with unfathomed love "It's beautiful" She smiled very pleased with my appreciation of the gift she had just given me, but her smile soon vanished to be replaced by a face of atonement…

"I'm very sorry Pipes…for my thoughtlessness" She apologized "I know I've been very difficult to bear with lately and you didn't deserve that…I never meant to hurt you in any way" Of course I knew she would have never hurt me on purpose. She had behaved out of herself and her apathy had been painful for me because I knew it was not like her to treat me that way…

"I know…" I said sympathetic, not liking her afflicted gesture. I was still trying to understand that maybe all the hunting incident had been harder for her than what I would have imagined "It's alright Alex…it is fine…we are fine" I wanted so badly to appease her contrite face

"Are we?" She uttered in a weak manner that stirred my insides. I nodded in silent agreement "Does that mean that you forgive me?" Again she spoke revealing her vulnerable side, only exposed to me

"Yes…" I breathed out snaring my fingers on the back of her head

"You are wonderful…" She gave me a smile full with respect, but she changed instantly the serious tone of the conversation, knowing herself forgiven "Actually…I was kind of hoping for you to make it harder for me…" She tightened the grip she had around my waist and said impishly to my face "I would have done anything to gain your forgiveness…just so you know" She winked at me in the end and my heart skipped a beat

"On second thought…I should not make it so easy for you after all…" I replied feeling mischievous by her sudden playfulness and pulled her from her neck to bring her closer to me…

"That's a challenge I would happily take on…" She said very softly once our lips barely touched, however I did not give her time to continue the banter.

I had not been aware of how much I needed her, how much I had missed her until my lips began to move avidly against hers on their own accord, in a desperate attempt to taste her, as if at any second the moment could simply fade away. It had been days, almost two weeks, since the last time we had been involved in some intimate exchange. She had been away most of the day, and if she got home, I was already too tired of waiting for her and too angry to even accept a kiss of hers…The lack of her cares had also affected me, not only physically but emotionally. I had been wondering for days if maybe she no longer found me appealing or if she had grown tired of me, an idea that terrified me deeply. But her response to my kiss dissipated those insecurities as fast as she spun me around so that I was facing the mirror again; when I saw her reflection, eyes darkened by desire and lips parted and drew into a devil smirk, I had the certainty that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I was ready to fight against her firm grip to turn around and find again the comfort of her lips, but soon my resolve was crumbled when her hands traveled up my body to rest on my breasts and began to massage them over the soft silk of my dressing gown. The feeling of her strong hands and its contrast with the caress of the smooth thin fabric against my skin, the only thing that stood between us, was overpowering, to the point that I felt myself about to faint…

"I've missed you so much…" She growled deeply on my ear, sending shivers along my spine…

"I've missed you too, Alex…" I reached for the back of her head with my right hand, and buried my fingers in her indomitable black mane while my left hand clung tightly to the back of hers, bounded stubbornly to my left breast. Little by little she began to remove my gown from my shoulders, leaving my skin completely at the mercy of her lips, already attached wonderfully to the curve between my right shoulder and neck…

"I want that necklace to be the only thing on your body…" She spoke with a lustful cadence, and as soon as she finished saying it, she ended up taking off my robe in a swift motion, leaving me in front of my half-naked reflection, since I was still wearing my underpants. The whole affair in front of the mirror made me feel exposed like never before. It was extremely thrilling to observe her hands loitering on my naked torso, caressing every little bit of skin but always avoiding my perky mounds "You are so heavenly gorgeous" She said with praise absorbing my body on the mirror with her intense gaze; her fingers leaving traces of feathery touches all over my abdomen and in the flatness between my breasts. My hands were edgily clutched around her forearms, trying without success to sidetrack her caresses towards my chest that I kept raising every time her hands came closer to my small mounds, aching to feel the cold of her hands over them. Always attentive to my needs, it did not take her much longer to comply with my wishes. She captured my nipples deliciously between her fingers to begin a wonderful round of ministrations on them. I threw my head back, supporting it on her left shoulder, as a heavy moan escaped from my depths and closed my eyes, surrendering to the feeling "Uh uh...don't you dare close your eyes" She uttered in disapproval "I want you to see yourself Pipes…" She breathed out harshly "I want you to see how I touch you…" And I wanted to see that too, though it would be really hard to keep my eyes on the image before me. I took a deep breath and straightened myself to open my eyes again; but instead of watching my own body, I locked my eyes with her wild look "Now…I want you to show me how wet are you…" She instructed carefully while watching me absorbedly; before I could even register what she was referring to, I felt her cold fingers curling around my wrist to direct my right hand down my abdomen, encouraging me to slide it under my breeches. She raised her eyebrows animatedly and smiled whit approval when my fingers lingered on the waistband of my undergarments, but I was too dumbfounded to continue with the task. However, her hand was already there over mine to accompany me in the quest to reach my own core. My breath hitched around a moan of pleasure when my middle finger intruded into my privacy with her assistance, soaking up immediately. I gasped for air as my hand moved up and down instinctively against my centre, desperate to alleviate the urgency that for so many days had been forging inside me; to my great disappointment, she forced me to stop my movements and withdrew my hand out from beneath my undergarments, and in a very deliberate motion, she brought my fingers coated with my arousal to her mouth, to lick them and suck them clean shamelessly. I felt dizzy from the sudden lack of air; I had forgotten how to breathe enthralled by what was surely the most erotic moment ever witnessed by me; it was a lot to say considering that each of those moments of mine belonged only to her "Mmmm…delicious…" She gloated with my taste giving my fingers a final lick "Cat got your tongue?" Her playful voice took me out of my subdued state; still I was not able to deliver a single word, so I just shook my head "Gods forbid something bad to happen to your tongue…I plan to give it many uses once I'm over with you" She finished with a naughty wink and licked her lips moistening them. Just when I was about to beg for her to attend to my burning need between my legs, her hands were already tugging my breeches down to expose my heated core to the chilly air of the night and to her cold touch. She bent down to roll my underwear down to my ankles insufferably slow, her cold breath hitting my rear momentarily. I took my feet out of the tugged garment and kicked it away in a swift movement of my right foot and stood stoically waiting further instructions "Spread your legs…" She said ruthlessly as a command, returning to her earlier position, standing behind me; her voice contrasted abysmally with the gentle touch of her hands, and the tender kisses that she planted in every inch of skin within the reach of her mouth…

"Alex…" I pleaded into a gasping sound and my feeble hands sought to touch her behind me, clinging to pieces of her clothes…

"Put your hands on the table…" She suggested, softening her previous tone and pulling my hands away from her body caringly "You'll need to lean on something…" She further explained, even when I never questioned her actions in those matters. I did what she asked me, and placed my open hands in front of me on the table, gaining stability…so maybe she has a point, I pondered from my new position. Her pale long fingers shaped the contour of my hip bones in a solid grip, to pull from the center of my being ever so slightly into her front, forcing me to angle my upper body forward, holding my weight partially with my hands… "Just like that…" She approved huskily, and went on to please me how my body required her the most. I was not expecting her right hand to reach me from behind, until I felt the cold enveloping my blazing core and saw the tip of her fingers peeking from between my legs in the reflection on the mirror. All my limbs wavered at the satisfying contact; the only thing that kept me from falling was her left arm holding me firmly by my waist and her right hand cupping my middle…it was agonizing how much I needed her. I had almost come to forget the delicious feeling of her hand on my innermost. My eyes were fixed between my legs and I felt badly behaved, as if I was seeing something that should not be seen; it was utterly absurd feeling that way, even so, I looked away and up, and my eyes fell on hers. Her gaze was stuck in my face. Her feral features along the simple touch of her hand pushed me to the edge effortlessly, so there was little that she had to do to make me come undone. Her middle finger came to play with my little bud, caressing it in an unbearable circular motion. I swung my hips back and forth, encouraging her to increase the strokes, never breaking the contact of our eyes. Her smile grew wider as my body grew fraught "That's right Pipes…come for me…" My pleasure obeyed her words, as if it did not belong to me, as if it had a mind on its own and was completely under her orders. The world came to a halt and everything ceased to exist, except for her and me and the wonderful sensation that seized me the instant that the peak hit me abruptly "I got you…It's alright…I got you…" I could barely make out her voice over my uncontrollable whimpers and moans. I did not understand the words until after a long moment I opened my eyes to see myself bended forward over the table, with my arms loose. I realized that my body seemed detached from my mind. My extremities had finally faltered, irresponsive to my commands to move; thankfully, she held me into a secure embrace that prevented me from falling to the ground. She leaned over my body to bring her lips to my right shoulder and kiss me there, depositing open mouthed kisses full with fondness, tracing the curve of my neck to reach my ear and whisper sweet words of comfort while I recovered my breath and senses. My entire body began to shake with a soft laugh that emanated from my insides once I had filled my lungs with air repeatedly…it was a laugh of relief, of pure bliss after so many days of annoyance and sadness…"What's so funny?" She wondered puzzled as I straightened myself, testing the stability of my legs…

"Nothing…" A broad smile lit my face, which made her look at me with a deeper frown, as if I had lost my mind. I could only laugh more animatedly in response. I turned to her, eager to kiss her "You just made me extremely happy…" I sighed and shortened the space between our lips wrapping my arms around her ample shoulders…

"If it pleases you…I can do it again…" She moaned the words into the kiss and in a sudden movement she hooked my legs from behind my knees with her hands, perching me effortlessly on the dressing table and bringing my legs to wrap them around her hips "And again…and again…and again…and again" She said as she peppered my neck, my collarbones, my face with kindhearted kisses drawing giggles out of me…

"Then do and don't tell…" I said in laughter. She came to a sudden halt and came to face me with a severe pretense

"You asked for it…" She purred menacingly and caught me off guard, sliding her hands under my buttocks and lifting me up to take me to bed with ease. When her legs came up against the edge of the bed, she spun us around swiftly and let herself fall onto the mattress, dragging me with her so that I landed breathlessly on top, straddling her. Her hands kept themselves busy with my butt cheeks as I devoured her lips as much as I could in my disheveled state.

"How is it that you still have all your clothes on?" I asked her taking a break from her lips to breathe a little

"And whose fault is it?" She smirked with challenging tone. I bit my lip to suppress a smile and sat up on her to put my hands to work without more time to lose. My shaky hands came to unbutton the front of her shirt as her eyes roamed my body in awe from below "You do look wonderful with that necklace" Her raspy voice and her intense glare over my nakedness only made the task of removing her clothes more complicated, as my fingers got stuck with nervousness and anxiety at each button "Having trouble?" She remarked my obvious clumsiness, flashing at me a toothy grin of amusement…

"Shut up…" I admonished her as I obstinately ended up losing patience with the piece of clothes, tearing it open without caring to damage the garment, freeing her ample and beautiful breast to my fairy view. I smiled elatedly at the sight underneath me…

"That was rude…" She exclaimed complaining taking me aback, and sat down abruptly, almost clashing our naked fronts. I looked at her expectantly as she spoke "I really liked that shirt" And despite her gravity, I could see the subtle hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth

"Too bad I ruined it…" I said without a pinch of remorse, sliding my hands under the collar of the open piece of clothing to clutch her tightly from the base of her neck and began to massage the area purposefully.

I had already discovered a night in the bath, that she had a soft spot for massages. She closed her eyes clearly delighted with my cares and released a low rumble that made my belly stirred in a funny way. I smiled fondly at her face of bliss and I thought again how much I had missed that part of her that I had not seen for weeks. I rose on my knees and leaned a little to bury my nose in the black hair of the crown of her head, and inhaled her fragrance gladly as my hands crawled up her neck until tangling my fingers in the hair of her nape, tugging her so that her lips touched my chest. It took her a mere second to register my intentions, since her lips were already fastened around my left nipple, sucking it ever so neatly; her deep moans kept sending shivers all the way down and into my core. How much I enjoyed her lips in that specific area of my body…

"Oh you are so perfect…" I heard her saying while turning her attention towards my other breast. I hummed in enjoyment when the cold humidity of her mouth enveloped my throbbing peak. She released it with a loud popping sound that got lost into my louder whimper "You should wear no clothes more often…nudity suits you to perfection" She looked up searching for my eyes, and I saw her wicked smile from above "I should impose it as a rule…thou shalt not wear any clothes" I laughed vigorously at her ridiculousness, sitting on her thighs to be back at her eyes' height

"But then…everyone would see me naked" I went along with her silly proposal "I wouldn't want that…I want you to be the only one to see me…"

"That would not be a problem…" She shrugged it off nonchalantly, as if actually considering the idea and then her eyes became a couple of shades darker and her voice turned out cold and distant to speak "I could simply tear out everyone's eyes so they cannot see you walking naked around the castle…only my eyes would be left to see you" She was joking, clearly, the whole subject had started as a joke, right? But something in the way she had spoken gave me chills…

"That's…" I began saying around an awkward laugh "A little disturbing" I half joked, snorting foolishly, but she did not join me and her face remained serious. She was watching me absorbedly with indecipherable eyes that I did not recognize as hers "Something wrong?" I dared to speak after a moment of unease, not knowing what had happened that changed her cheerful behavior from just a minute ago…

"Nothing is wrong…" She assured me after some seconds of silence; her face had finally softened and her eyes shone again with its unique jade vividness "I was only thinking that you are too beautiful to be real…and that I've missed you so much" She uttered smoothly, leaving me troubled by how quickly her gestures seemed to shift in a matter of seconds.

And even when she began to act good-naturedly again, there was something off, I perceived, as a bad feeling I had never experienced while being with her. She started kissing me again, oblivious to my sudden distress. I decided to let it go, whatever that weird sensation was, and focused again solely on her, on how her hands roamed my back with fervor, on how her lips molded to mine to perfection, on how her wet cold tongue traced the edges of my mouth with so much acquaintance and intruded into it with such voracity. Soon, there was not a single trace of thought in my mind, since my entire system had been invaded by the sensations that she evoked in me. She was all I could feel for the moment; it was not hard to let myself get carried away at her whim. I had been so engrossed in her, that only when I opened my eyes again, I came to the realization that our positions had been completely altered. I was lying fully on the mattress with her body satisfactorily pressed on mine and the black wildness of her hair splattered all over my face. I searched her gaze in the darkness created by the curtain of her plentiful mane, that I pulled away with both hands to clear her eyes from the thick locks of hair…

"Beautiful…" I muttered involuntarily, admiring her features and tucking the raven strands behind her ears.

She smiled softly, barely showing her teeth behind her rosy lips that were superbly puffy, from all the effort exerted by them, and maybe a little because of my constant nibbles on them. I brought her to me by pulling from the edges of her open shirt to consume my cravings for the sweetened taste of her tongue. She stuck her left leg between my thighs, as a not so subtle hint for me to open up my legs. I groaned shamelessly into her mouth when once again she pushed herself against me. She was still wearing her clothes, so the rough fabric of her pants felt scrumptiously against the delicate skin on the inside of my upper legs and my exposed core. She broke the kiss allowing me to release my inevitable moans freely…

"You've ruined my shirt and now…" She said harshly "Now you've ruined my pants…they are drenched beyond repair" She continued scolding me severely, although I well knew that she did not give a damn about her clothes "What am I supposed to do with you?" I opened my eyes with great effort, fighting against the weight of my heavy eyelids and look at her with defiance, feeling extremely intrepid…

"Do what you have to do…" I dared to say, as a brash thing to do and waited for the heavenly consequences…

"Mhmmm…feisty…" She murmured with enjoyment before capturing my lips devotedly

I did not have to plead her to touch me; her left hand traveled down my body without stopping, without distractions, to submerge itself in the warm dampness of my other lips, as she once had called them. The bliss of her fingers was maddening and she had me begging for more…

"Inside…" I managed to gasp with her tongue inside my mouth. I had not finished saying the word and I was already weighed down by the stretching sensation her fingers caused within me. I cried her name with joy at the welcomed intrusion, nailing my fingers deeply into her scalp unintentionally…she growled a reverberation of pure elation; at least I came to think it was a sound of pleasure, never considering that it was possible for me to hurt her, no matter how rough I could be…

"Piper!" She snarled biting my lips and increasing the force of her thrusting into me, waking up a raging fire inside me…I rejoiced in her impetuosity that seemed to be on the rise, perhaps stimulated by my parade of verbal manifestations of satisfaction; nevertheless, soon it was too much, and the nice soreness became one of painful discomfort. I was forced to tell her to slow down…

"Alex…" I said softly trying to disengage our lips "Alex…" I repeated more firmly with a hint of warning pushing her away from me by her chest. She came to a halt and looked at me with a distorted gaze of incomprehension that made my hair stand on end for some unknown reason "Slow down a bit…" I told her gently looking into her dangerous look. Her eyes were gloomy as I had never seen them before…it did not seem like her usual darkened gaze of yearn, but cloudy and unfocussed, devoid of its characteristic sparkle and oddly foreign "Alright?" I asked her to confirm that she had understood, since she looked like she was processing my words, grasping the meaning of them…

"I'm…I'm sorry" She mumbled furrowing her brows and blinked repeatedly; the strange dullness of her eyes vanished, unveiling the familiar look that made my heart come to a stop…

"It's alright…" I released a soft laugh of fondness; suddenly she looked so vulnerable with her features of concern "Just…go easy" I said around a smile, to appease her manifest distress and pulled her down towards me to seal her lips with a searing kiss. Knowing her, she was probably going to start to ramble on apologizing again and again for having been so harsh with me. Into the kiss, she went back to resume the drive of her left hand into me but at a tremendously guarded pace, just like her lips, which then began to move sluggishly against my keen ones, lacking her initial passion. I tried to hint her to enhance her tempo with my hands and my mouth, in vain. I made a sound that resembled a grunt of protest after several attempts, suddenly annoyed by her excessive mildness…

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked in diffidence, sensing my nuisance and again, coming to a halt…

"No Alex…" I breathed out in frustration "There's nothing wrong" What happened to her? I wondered. She had never been so hesitant in bed. She had never had problems deciphering my body language…we always seemed harmonized without needing words "It's just…" I softened my tone before her lost gaze; she truly thought she was doing something wrong "When I said go easy…I did not mean you had to be soooo…" I looked for an appropriate word, so as not to offend her abilities "Careful…" I finished with a questioning inflection. Her shaky laughter proved that my words had not offended her…

"I see…" She grinned with affection

"Forget what I said and just fff…" I began proposing and my words stumbled when she raised her eyebrows suggestively in the middle of my sentence, hinting what I was going to say "…fuck me like you have always done…" I ended up delivering despite my feral blushing

"And how is that?" She dropped her voice low down to wonder in delight

"Astoundingly…" I propped my body up to reach for her lips above me and continued committed to her mouth without intentions to keep talking.

Our brief interruption served for her to return to show her previous enthusiasm, although I could say she was somewhat more restrained with her thrusting motions and she kept diverting her attention to my face as if looking for some signal of discomfort in me. I did not think that was necessary at all, since my noises could only be interpreted as a good sign, still, she was watchful of each one of my gestures. Little it took me to feel the incipience of my climax…I clung to her neck as if my life depended on it, auguring a forceful burst…

"Piper…" She hissed huskily at the entrance of my ear, boosting her momentum as undying seconds passed by…

"Alex…" I whined vociferously before my body was hit by the wave of pleasure that drowned me in an ocean made of her…because she was the only thing that my poor worn out mind could be aware of…well, that and of the sudden twinge of pain that came from the side of my neck, sharp and piercing. My cry of pleasure became one of hurt "Alex!" The pain intensified excruciatingly "Stop!"

I used all of my strength to push her violently away from me. I was surprised that it worked. It was as if her body had been blown away from above me; in less than a second I stopped feeling her weight on my body. I sat up hastily processing what had just happened and brought my trembling hands to the throbbing pain on my neck…my fingers felt the warm sticky fluid that I knew was blood, but even so, I moved my hands in front of my eyes to observe them coated with red. My stomach became unsettled and my dinner threatened to leave my body. I was aghast; my mind was too slow to grasp itself around the fact of what Alex had done to me. I looked for her with my sight to find her a couple of meters in front of the bed, lying on the floor and struggling to get on her four; the air came in and out of her lungs in a low howl that resembled that of a wounded creature.

My heart ached for her, above my own pain and fear, but I was smart enough to keep my distance…my survival instinct kicked in and made me stay still on the bed, trying to go unnoticed by her, and then it hit me…the nightmare…I thought, realizing that the situation was strangely familiar to that of a dream I had had exactly over a month ago, the night after the attack of the beast in the woods. In my dream, she had also attacked me, but that had been a dream, where I had not been able to feel the pain of betrayal as vividly as it was then stuck in my chest, making it almost impossible for me to breathe or move, although fear was also responsible for that. The only thing I could do was to bring my left had and cup the wound of my neck with it, while I watched her guardedly as she stood up hunched forward and raised her face to nail me in place with her knife-like glare, as if I was not already utterly paralyzed with terror. Her beautiful face was contorted into a thousand gestures I was unable to read and her lips were crimsoned, with my blood. She seemed estranged from herself and from me, assessing me with the strangest face of struggle. Her eyes moved ever so slightly away from my eyes to fall on my neck and her features transformed into mask of shock; I thought she had just come to understand what she had done. She stepped backwards uneasily as she wiped my blood from her mouth with the back of her hands, looking back at them with disgust and abhorrence. She continued stepping away from me until her back hit one of the walls. When she turned her gaze towards me again, I could discern her own self being into her face of endless grief…

"Piper?" She asked with the voice of a frightened girl that could barely be heard above the fierce beating of my heart. Before I was able to find my own voice to respond or be able to move, she mouthed a silent Sorry in the distance and disappeared before me leaving behind a wisp of dark fog that vanished in the few seconds it took me to start crying chaotically…

After recovering a little from the violent sobs that took over my body, the first thing I did was going to the bathroom to assess and clean the wound in front of the mirror. I discovered behind the thick coat of dried blood, the shape of her teeth embedded into my flesh, surrounded by a purplish shadow that warned to get darker the next day. I was still naked, too affected to feel the cold air of the night. The only thing I kept on me was the necklace she had just given me. I observed the heart-shaped diamond with sadness as a new wave of tears caught me off guard…

"Alex…" I voiced out loud but thought of her other name in an attempt to invoke her; however, she did not come.

Later that night, I went in search of Nicky, unable to wait until the next morning and desperate to talk with someone and ask for help. She was asleep, but got alert as soon as she registered my face illuminated by the chandelier that I held in my hands. I told her what had happened and her contrite gestures were a reflection of my own anguish. It bugged me however how she seemed to be thinking deeply about something; I would have expected a reaction of shock after all, but she was immerse in deep concentration…

"I don't know what to say Piper…" She said completely lost at words "I'm so sorry, I just…" She struggled to find the right words, even when there were no right words to say "I don't know what to say…" She repeated in defeat

"It was not her Nicky…" She looked at me warily waiting for me to explain further "There was…something about her eyes…" I had noticed that night…there had been a moment when I had seen into her eyes and I had felt a chill traveling along my body as a bad omen "It was not her…" I simply echoed the words, not knowing exactly what it was as to put a finger on it

"I know…" She said kindly placing a hand on my shoulder to give me a sympathetic stroke, but her acknowledgement made me wonder…

"You know?" I inquired, suspecting she knew something I didn't

"I mean…I know she's been acting…weird…lately" She began saying

"So you've noticed too…"

"I think it would have been hard not to notice…" Her words were not supposed to calm me down, but for some reason they did, because at least I knew I was not crazy…that the changes in Alex were not a product of my imagination…

"Nicky…" I said carefully "Do you know something that I should know?" She was Alex's best friend after all…

"Look…if there is something you should know…I'm not the person you should ask" Her cryptic answer only confirmed my suspicions; she did know something…but I did not insist on asking because I knew that Nicky would never betray Alex's trust "Whatever it is…you'll get through it" I clung to her words desperately "Let's hope she'll be back home soon and then we'll think what we can do about it…"

"I've been calling her for hours…" I said hopelessly…

"Piper…that's not going to work…" She spoke softly "She must be terribly sorry and ashamed for what she did to you…believe me, she needs space and time…" Of course I knew that too, but it was hard to wait with crossed arms "She'll be back only when she is ready to face you…" She finished saying…

Despite her words, I called her at all times the following days, desperate to let her know that I needed her with me; that whatever it was we could talk about it and overcome it, as Nicky had told me. But the solution was definitely not to stay away from me for days and leave me in doubt and anxious to know about her wellbeing. Four days had already passed, and with them my anxiety only grew bigger; nevertheless, I made the effort to call her less frequently, to give her space. I locked myself in our room, not in the mood for anything else, not wanting to chat with people…It was already late afternoon and I waited for someone to bring me a tray of food that I would leave untouched, but that Red insisted on sending to my room. I heard the lazy whine of the big door as someone opened it…

"Please tell Red to stop sending food…" I began saying with bored tone looking out the window absentmindedly and turned around waiting to face one of the girls from the service staff with a tray on her hands, only to find someone I was not expecting at all… "Tiffany…" I greeted her greatly puzzled "What are you doing here?" I questioned her, especially because she was not carrying any tray…

"I need to speak to you, ma'am…" She came into the room uninvited and closed the door behind her. I did not say anything because I noticed certain urgency in her words

"Alright…but you know you can't be in here…" I said, fearing that Alex would choose that precise moment to come back and punish her for breaking the rules "If Al…" I stopped and corrected myself "If Lady Vause finds out you've been here…you could get yourself in trouble…" I could only imagine her wrath against the poor girl

"But she ain't coming back…she's been missing for days…" She pointed out approaching towards me

"Tiffany, are you alright?" I shortened the space between us, concerned by the tears that were beginning to leave her eyes suddenly

"I'm fine ma'am" She sniffed and wiped her tears away with a sleeve

"Then why are you crying?" I asked her softly placing a hand amicably on her shoulder

"Because…I'm about to do something that I don't want to do…" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion

"What is it?"

"I've come here to free you ma'am" She explained with determination

"Free me? From what?" It made no sense…what is she talking about?

"From her…" She said dropping her voice not to be heard "She is evil…" She was talking about Alex, obviously "You are just too good to be under her dominance…I can't allow it" She shook her head as if horrified with the thought, but I just laughed softly to ease her worries

"Tiffany…I'm free…I'm not under her dominance…" I assured her with lightness "I'm free to leave this place at any time…if I'm here it is only because I want to…"

"You don't get it!" She exclaimed heatedly making me take a step back in surprise "It's what evil does…it possesses you and it makes you a slave" She started walking unyielding towards me, forcing me to step back to keep some distance between us "But don't worry…your soul can still be saved…" She said at last as a sweet pledge and looked behind her back with her right hand to draw swiftly a short blade, but long enough to cause real harm. My blood froze grasping the danger before me…

"Tiffany…" I said her name in conciliatory tone as I continued walking backwards, bringing my hands to the front in calm down gesticulation "What are you doing?"

"I told you already…I'm freeing you from her" She simply said

"Tiffany…I don't think you truly understand my situation…I'm not a slave" I tried to explain her again, to put some reason into her mind "I…I love her…and I want to be with her"

"But it's an abomination!" She screamed swinging the blade with one hand ready to pounce on me…I came across the wall, which left me without space to evade her…

"Don't do it Tiffany" I warned her but it sounded more like a plea…

"I'm sorry…" However her eyes showed nothing but resolve "I'm really sorry" She repeated truly disturbed and gave me the first stab throwing herself on me. Fortunately, I had had enough ability to dodge the blade with the back of my forearm…

"Wardeeeeeen!" I screamed at the top of my lungs overwhelmed by the instant pain in my arm and embracing myself for the second blow…