xxi.
Up. Down. Up. Down.
He'd been watching her for hours now, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the way her dark hair fell haphazardly over her forehead, lazy tendrils curling over her cheeks, dark lashes playing over lightly tanned skin…
He'd been thinking again. Thinking…
About taking her with him.
Making her…
Eternal.
He couldn't, though. He couldn't
bear the thought of hurting her, couldn't take the responsibility for crushing
such a rare flower, draining the life out of her…
Only to force this upon her…
This…damnation.
But lashes fluttered, and with the tiniest glimmer of a murmur, she was sitting up, the precious porcelain doll awash in blankets, sleep still clinging to amber sunset features.
"A…is someone there?"
-*-
"The mistress of perception, always
at work…" With a snicker, he moved a few steps out of the shadows,
as not to bring worry, fear to her…
Always thinking about his princess
first…
She reminded him of one of those
– a princess he'd seen long ago, a girl so very far out of his reach, but
always in his fantasies…
When he'd had a pulse…when mortal
desires had mattered to him…when…
When he…
Too long ago.
It's only after a few moments he
moves again, inhumanly quick –
The kiss was electric, and he felt
as if they were going to burn in ecstasy, because there'd been no feeling
like this. Never had something been so all-consuming, so…
Perfect.
It was the only thing he knew about
Brianna…
She was perfect.
"We can't stay here…I can't…"
It was a whisper, the words he dreaded. His angel could, was…was
going to fly away from him.
Abandon.
He'd seen this coming, knew…
Told himself it wasn't right, wasn't
safe…wasn't possible.
But selfishness – had told him she
would stay. Desire…
-*-
He'd blocked it out, and was trying
to now.
He'd make her all the more real
to him, fill his senses, every dying nerve, every bit of him that screamed
to keep her close…
Mouth pressed over hers, so hard
he was sure it was hurting her…
He didn't care. Brianna…was his.
Under her chin, lingering there as she writhed under him, her arms snaking their way over his shoulders, around his neck…
And slowly…the kiss moved lower.
-*-
It was a hazy euphoria then, feeling everything and nothing at once. Being somewhere else, but knowing full well that he was in Brianna's apartment, and that she was lying under him, her voice nothing more than a soft purr in his ear…
Warm…
He…no. NO. NO!
Pulling back, he could still taste
her blood on his lips, and when his eyes locked on hers, he could see the
hazy confusion in citrine orbs.
He'd bit her.
No…
"I've…I'm so...oh, Brianna…princess…I…"
He didn't care, he needed out of
there. Out the door, down the stairs…into the street.
Far away. He didn't know if
he could get far enough.
He'd hurt her.
He'd promised…to protect her.
It seemed she wasn't even safe in his arms.