Chapter Sixteen

The new body

Syaoran slowly opened his eyes. He was in his room, lying on the bed he shared with Sakura and surrounded by the dim light of candles on the dresser.

He blinked several times, trying to remember how he had gotten there. All the memories of the promise and the attack came to his mind and he sat up with a start, but he felt arms holding him.

"Relax, everything's all right."

Turning his face, he met Sakura's green eyes.

He breathed a sigh of relief, sensing something very strange that he didn't understand. He breathed in again and a scent of raspberries, sea breeze and chocolate invaded his nostrils, making him shiver with pleasure.

Without thinking, he pounced on Sakura and kissed her eagerly. He invaded her mouth and squeezed her in his arms, feeling the scent cloud his mind and keep him from thinking clearly.

Sakura gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss and letting herself be carried away by the desire Syaoran felt. He was kissing her like it was his last day on earth.

They both fell to the floor and he held her tighter, still nibbling on her lips, until he heard a groan from Sakura and that made him react.

He moved a few inches away from her, startled, and looked into her eyes with a frown.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, sounding incredulous.

"You are stronger than me now, Syaoran. You must learn to control your strength."

He stared at her in confusion and pulled away a little further.

"How can I be stronger than you? That's impossible."

Sakura propped herself up on her elbows, sitting up as she smiled. She raised a hand, tracing the curve of his jaw with her fingers.

"Don't you remember what happened yesterday?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yesterday? How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost a whole day."

Syaoran opened his eyes wide, panting.

"What happened with the attack? They were from the pack that killed my father, Sakura... the ones who came after me are the same ones who killed him."

She narrowed her eyes in hatred.

"One of them managed to escape. I hope the other four are burning in hell."

"Is someone hurt? What about Tomoyo's mother?"

"We lost some of our people, but we managed to win. They won't dare attack us again, I assure you," she replied, anger trembling in her voice.

Syaoran frowned again. She hadn't answered everything.

"Sonomi is fine, though if it weren't for you, there might be one more dead among us," Sakura added, placing her hands on his chest.

He sighed and looked towards the window. The sun had just set and it was already dark. She ran her fingers over his shirt, leaving a small caress, and Syaoran looked back up at her.

He could see her skin in much more detail now, the different shades of green in her irises, each of the highlights in her hair... he continued to watch her curiously a little longer, trying not to take a deep breath so he wouldn't lose his mind again.

"What's happened to me? I feel different," he murmured, still confused.

"You almost died, Syaoran... if I hadn't done it, we'd both be dead now."

"Do what?" he asked in a trembling voice, fearing the answer.

"I had to turn you into a werewolf, I couldn't let you die."

Syaoran stopped breathing and crawled a few feet away from Sakura until his back hit the stone wall, very nervous. She stared at him with concern and slowly approached him again.

"I'm really sorry. I tried to save you, but you'd lost so much blood and had so many wounds that your human body wasn't going to be able to recover... I couldn't help it," she whispered, watching for his reaction.

"So... Am I a werewolf?"

"I'm afraid so. I'll teach you to control your strength and your urges. I promise you'll manage to live the same life you did when you were human, Syaoran. And I always keep my promises."

Syaoran sighed and stood up, walking over to the mirror to look at his reflection.

He was surprised to see that his body was now much more muscular and his amber eyes were very bright, as if they had a light of their own. He had small scars on his face and down his arms, along with some larger ones on his legs.

"They'll keep getting better. You won't have any scars left in a couple of days, except for your mark. And those are the eyes you'll have when you turn into a wolf. In a week, they'll look human again when you're in this form," Sakura explained, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"I've become my worst nightmare," Syaoran muttered, still staring at himself in the mirror.

"Do you hate us that much?" she asked, her voice hurt.

"No, I haven't thought that way for a long time. But wolves have been in my nightmares ever since my father died."

"And are they still?"

He shook his head.

"The nightmares ended the day I met you."

Sakura smiled and Syaoran closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Why do you smell different now?" he asked as he opened them, clenching his jaw.

"Is my smell really different?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow and wrapping her arms around his waist as she looked into his eyes.

Syaoran breathed in again and her scent hit him hard. It was actually the same smell, but much more intense. He could now notice all the nuances of her scent.

He clenched his fists in an attempt not to pounce on her again.

"You smell more... more..."

"I know," she whispered, grinning.

"Is that what I smelled like to you from the beginning?"

Sakura nodded.

"And how could you resist kissing me?" he asked in surprise.

"Using all my self-control," Sakura replied, chuckling softly.

Syaoran couldn't control himself anymore and hugged her again, kissing her intensely, even violently. The two of them crashed into the wall, knocking some stones over, and gasped as they devoured each other.

He ripped her pyjamas and lifted her up, lying her on a table.

She sighed and dug her nails into his back, tearing his shirt as she wrapped her legs around him and attacked his lower lip with her teeth.

Syaoran felt himself losing control completely. He pushed her down until he was lying on top of her, still kissing her nonstop. He started to move down her throat, kissing her hard, and suddenly he noticed his fangs lengthening.

He tried to pull away, but his whole being was screaming for him to bite Sakura.

"Don't try to hold back, Syaoran. Do it, mark me," she whispered, sighing.

He couldn't hold back any longer and bit her, digging his fangs deep into her neck. Sakura gasped as she felt it and closed her eyes, enjoying the strange sensation. It wasn't pain, it was almost pleasurable.

A few seconds later, Syaoran pulled his fangs out and he felt a shiver run through his body. Suddenly he could feel everything Sakura felt for him, and it drove him completely insane.

He growled and lifted her off the table, slamming her down on the bed with so much force that he broke it in half. Syaoran heard Sakura's laughter, but he didn't stop. He finished tearing apart what little clothing they had left on as he relentlessly devoured her lips. She rolled over on top of him and Syaoran could see that her green eyes were shining.

"Now I don't have to be gentle with you."

Sakura lowered her head, biting his chest, and Syaoran gasped. He continued to wrestle with her for control of the situation, trying to hold her arms.

He smirked as he saw that he was indeed stronger and that she couldn't resist, no matter how hard she tried. He positioned himself on top of her and crushed his body against hers, causing both of them to let out a moan of pleasure.

"This is too much," he murmured, licking her neck to taste her skin.

He felt a surge of desire run through her body and he pulled back a little, watching her. He had just licked her new mark. Syaoran grinned and kissed her there again, listening to her moans and feeling her whole body squirm.

"It's your turn to suffer."

He moved down her body, kissing and biting everything in his path, while Sakura tried not to make too much noise. She gasped and tugged at a few strands of his chocolate-coloured hair with one hand.

"Syaoran... calm down a bit," she whispered, ecstatic.

"No," he growled, moving back up to her neck, his lips still on her skin.

He lifted her up in his arms, carrying her to the wall as he licked her mark again.

Sakura grunted and let her wild side take over completely. She held his head with both hands so she could kiss him with too much passion and spun around, slamming him against the wall.

Syaoran wrapped his arms around her waist and spun again. They heard the sound of various things breaking around them, but they didn't care at all.

He grabbed her hands, pulling them up over her head. Syaoran broke the kiss so he could look at her for a moment. She was completely flushed, breathing heavily, and her eyes were shining as bright as ever.

Syaoran glanced up at her hands and, as soon as he saw the ring on Sakura's finger, he lost control again.

He smashed her further against the wall and they both gasped from the blow. She soon lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hip, claiming his lips. Syaoran thrust into her without letting go of her hands, he needed to have Sakura totally dominated.