Rehn woke with a scream, the sheets of her bed slashed and torn to ribbons. She was drenched in sweat, her heart pounding as though it would burst, her eyes wide and terrified, her body was racked by frustrated sobs. Every night since the beating by the guardsmen, she'd had the same nightmare, or at least she thought they were the same. She couldn't never remember anything about the dreams, and it tormented her to no end. She slid out of bed and began to pace, the same stereotypical movements of a caged animal. She had begun the neurotic pacing the same time the dreams had started and had started to lose weight as well. The thought of Barryk tampering with her mind bothered her immensely as well. She was certain ..wasn't she?.... that her brother had not done it for the reasons Drakahn had insisted but that still left the question why had he done it at all. All she wanted was for the pain and confusion to go away.

She swore she could still feel Drakahn's touch, and his hot breath against neck. What disturbed her above all else was that she hadn't disliked it. He could be so gentle at times, when he wasn't trying to intimidate or frighten her and he looked at her in a way few had before. She'd caught some of the young male Rebels glancing at her from time to time, though she'd thought it was due solely to the fact that most had never seen a Thalcein before. She'd never dreamed that they were actually looking at her. When his hand had slid across the skin of her belly that morning, she'd felt her heart hammer, and she knew deep down it wasn't from fear. When he gave her that occasional soft glance with those bright green eyes, she felt something stir deep within her, completely on it's own. It had been a long while since she had seen a male of her species, besides her brother, and she was starting to become aware of things that she'd hidden and ignored for the last year. She'd occasionally become short tempered and feel hot as though she was running a fever but it never lasted more than a few days, so she had never told anyone about it and had attributed it to battle stress. Her tormented thought drifted to Drakahn for no apparent reason and she snorted, shaking her head. What's wrong with me?? He's the enemy for Adune's sake! She shivered and continued her pacing. She hated the control Drakahn had over her. He determined what and when she ate, when she would train, and what she wore. She was not used to being this tightly controlled, and it made her angry and resentful.

The door opened suddenly as though on cue and Drakahn stepped into the darkened room. Her ears flattened and she tossed her head threateningly. Drakahn had been told of Gade's nocturnal habits, but had hoped they were an exaggeration. Apparently they had not been. Rehn's black sleeveless shirt and mid-thigh shorts were soaked in perspiration. He approached her, but she backed away from him with a snarl. Drakahn drew the dark side to him, letting it's corrupted power fill him. He touched her with it, staying well away from her mental barricade, letting it sooth and ease her anger and resentment. He looked at her steadily but in a non-threatening manner, and slowly her anger dissipated. He held out his chestnut furred hand to her.

"Come to me." it was a command, not a request, and Rehn spitted him with a defiant, mismatched stare. Drakahn put the weight of the dark side behind his words "COME TO ME." She broke eye contact with him and looked away, not wanting to obey just to spite him, but her resistance did not last long. As much as she thought she hated him, she found she was beginning to crave his praise and attention. She approached reluctantly, her eyes smouldering and stood before him, boring a hole in the floor with her eyes. He lifted her chin with a crooked fingered, trying to make her to look at him. She snorted and pulled her face away, but her grabbed her chin in a gentle but firm grip. She finally looked him in the eye.

"You must stop this behaviour. It is not becoming a warrior."

"Get your hands off me." she snarled, though it lacked much vehemence. It took much control for Drakahn to resist the urge to slap her. She was beginning to stretch his patients to it's limits with her smart mouth.

"I am worried about you. You have not eaten all day, and this.. this neurotic pacing must stop. You were doing so well and then you start this. I am most displeased."

Displeased- The words stung, like being slapped in the face. She was crestfallen.

"I...I'm sorry..." she could hardly believe she had thought the words, let alone said them. Drakahn pounced on her feeling of regret, the disgrace she felt for disappointing him. He released her chin and she bowed her head contritely. He stroked her cheek gently, then ran his finger up her the back of her delicate ear and for the first time, she did not attempt to pull away.

"What troubles you, my beauty? You've not slept well in several nights." He ran his thumb along her jaw, and her skin twitched ticklishly. Rehn closed her eyes and found herself pressing her face into his touch.

"I.." a little voice in her mind screamed at her to remain silent and pull away from his touch. She ignored it completely. "I've been having nightmares." her voice was low, almost a whisper. She felt almost light headed and her heart raced. She felt his warm breath on her neck and he put his huge arms around her slowly. Something screamed at her that this was wrong, that he was the enemy and she should be trying to kill him and escape... but the voice as fading, as was her resistance.

"Tell me about these nightmares." his deep voice was hypnotic and his hand stroked her back. She found herself pressed against his powerful body and she rested her head on his chest. He nuzzled her neck and shoulder and she found it hard to speak.

"I can't remember. It's as though I'm not supposed to remember them." she replied, feeling the frustration rise again. Drakahn felt it to. This was not good. Something had triggered her mental barricade, and though her memory had not yet been unlocked into her consciousness, it was wreaking havoc in the subconscious part of her mind. If her memory was fully triggered all his work would be for nothing, and he would have to kill her. This would not do at all.

"Barryk's doing." Drakahn sounded angry, though she knew by his tone it was not directed at her. "He has done you a great wrong, Rehn." Her body shook slightly as she began to sob, though she tried to hold it back, her frustration and sense of betrayal growing worse and helped along in no small measure by the Messenger's influence in her mind. He was doing an intricate dance around her mental defences, and it took a lot of concentration, but with the dark side at his command, it was made relatively easy. He could see another Rehn within her, a Rehn eclipsed in darkness, a killer even more fierce and skilful than the one he now held in his arms. All he had to do was unlock, and control, that darkness within her. He could feel a sudden longing begin to bloom within the young warrior, and he became acutely aware of her firm, athletic body against his. He almost groaned with the effort to control his urge to grab the back of her neck in his teeth and force her to the floor. He released her from his embrace and stepped back a pace, needing to put distance between them. He noted the disappointment that flashed momentarily in her eyes as she opened them and looked at him as though she though she had somehow offended him. He stroked her cheek, reassuring her.

"I will stay with you tonight an keep your dreams away. It hurts me to see you so upset." he said, guiding her back to bed. He had more sheets brought in to replace the ones she'd torn and she fell asleep quickly, obviously exhausted, as Drakahn began the intricate process of keeping her traumatic flashbacks buried.

********

Drakahn postponed Rehn's training the next day to let her rest and sat in quiet meditation, driving away his fatigue. It had taken much concentration and control to stop her nightmares, as he had to dodge her ever present mental barricade and it had taxed his endurance to the limits. He sat on a large cushion near the head of her bed, his legs crossed, chin to his chest, breathing in deep, steady rhythms, immersing himself in the Dark Side. He felt Rage's presence before she even opened the door.

"Go away."

"My, my , aren't we touchy this morning." she said with a sly smile, her eyes narrowed conspiratorially. He had tried to ignore her for the last week, ever since she had decided to play 'Hide-the-Vibroblade' with the Guardsmen. He could not allow her to distract him. "I thought males where usually in a good mood after they get laid."

Drakahn bristled at the suggestion, knowing she knew the Emperor had forbidden him to touch Gade before she'd been trained, or mind wiped, but showed no outward sigh of his irritation. "You have your nocturnal habits confused with mine, Rage." His voice was still calm and steady-he would not allow her to get to him this time.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You aren't allowed to mount her yet." she replied, as though she'd forgotten "It must be horribly frustrating for you. Especially considering she now seems to want you to.."

"She will be mine soon enough." Drakahn growled. She was enjoying this too much, and it was starting to annoy him. "Don't like the way I do things? Take it up with my employer." he echoed her earlier words "What I do is none of your concern, human."