Chapter 13: When you can't let go



She'll be right here in my arms/ So in love/ She'll be right here in these arms/ She can't let go... HIM

Jarlaxle rolled to his side and wrapped his arm around Isaldora. He stared at his dark hand on her pale skin and smiled, feeling surprisingly happy. He had got what he had wanted, Isaldora, but he realized that he hadn't slept with her simply for pleasure of having her. As he ran his finger down her spine, he could only think about how beautiful she had been, how their bodies had become one. He grinned at the cliche, but nevertheless, it had been different from what he had expected.



He hadn't ever slept with an elf before. Dark elves, yes, but that was different. Among the drow pleasure was important, but in Jarlaxle's opinion it was more about power. Women were above men, and they wanted to make sure that men remembered that. Whips, knives, bites and scratches. Sometimes delighting, Jarlaxle admitted that, but in the long run pain became so normal that you didn't even think about it.



He didn't believe that any drow had slept with a surface elf for a long time. When the drow attacked elven camps, they didn't rape their victims like human bandits did. They simply killed them. The rape would have hurt the elves even more, they might have faced the problem of carrying drow bastards, and they would have been forced to decide whether to follow their ideas about respecting life, or killing the babies. But the drow found their delight in murder. And in this Jarlaxle was like Drizzt Do'Urden. He didn't enjoy killing, he didn't even like it. He killed if he had to, only for a good reason.



Jarlaxle's thought were disturbed when Isaldora moved in her sleep. The drow wondered why he had started to think such dark thoughts when he was laying next to such a beautiful woman. Such a beautiful elf, he added, caressing her hair and touching her ear. He wondered whether the things had turned out like this if Isaldora wasn't an elf. Then again, it didn't matter. Jarlaxle rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, still holding Isaldora. At that moment, it was all he needed.



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When Isaldora woke up, the first thing she felt was an arm around her, and a body pressed against her back. She smiled, trying to curl up as close as possible. "So you're awake," Jarlaxle whispered, his lips touching her earlobe. She shivered, and then turned on her back.



"Didn't I say that it feels creepy that you watch me when I sleep?" Isaldora asked. "How do you get any sleep at all yourself?"



"I manage," Jarlaxle answered, rolling on top of her and kissing her. "Have you had enough rest?"



"No, we can't," Isaldora said, pushing Jarlaxle away. The drow moved to lay on his side, staring at her. "Why not?" he asked, his hands moving on her body.



"Because," Isaldora started, although his touch sent warm waves all over her body, "I need to go and see what is going on in this place. I don't even know what time it is!"



"Afternoon," Jarlaxle said, staring at Isaldora's body when the woman got out from the bed, starting to look for clothes. "How do you know?" she asked, opening her closet. A pile of shirts she had forced in there after looking for something to wear with last night fell on her, and she heard Jarlaxle's laughter from behind her back.



"Oh, this is funny?" she asked, turning around. "How funny is it when you don't have clothes at all?" she continued, snatching Jarlaxle's clothes that were in a pile on the floor.



"Give them back," Jarlaxle said getting up. "I'm warning you!" Isaldora laughed, backing to the wall. "You're warning me? What are you going to do then?" she asked. Jarlaxle rushed up to her and grabbed hold of her waist, pulling her close for a long, passionate kiss. Isaldora dropped the clothes and wrapped her arms around him, letting him pull her back to the bed.



"You can wait for the morning, can't you?" Jarlaxle whispered, kissing her neck.



"That worked once, you can't expect it to work again," Isaldora gasped, although she wished she could forget all other things and concentrate only on Jarlaxle. "I want to, but I have to..."



"I'm not letting you go," Jarlaxle said smiling. "I'm staying with you right here. So please, don't leave me."



"You're so annoying," Isaldora chuckled. "I have responsibilities, I'm expected to be there if something happens and..."



"Something already happened," Jarlaxle said. "It's too late to stop it, and I'm sure that if you are really needed, Aran will send for you. But when we wait for that to happen..."



"Maybe your in league with the attackers," Isaldora said, planting small kisses on Jarlaxle's chest. "For all I know everyone in the guild can be killed, and you're keeping me here for some strange reasons."



"Don't try to become a writer," Jarlaxle said. "That's not a good plot. I have to admit that I try to keep you here for completely selfish reasons. I can't get enough of you," he whispered, pushing Isaldora on her back. "But I would feel much better if you would also stay here for selfish reasons. Forget the guild for now. You want to, I know you do, so do it. Stay here with me."



"If I stay, would you promise to grow some hair?" Isaldora asked with a sparkle in her eye. "I don't know if I can get used to being with a bold man. I'm a person who loves long hair. Although this is nice too. In some strange way," she laughed, caressing Jarlaxle's head.



"Sorry, if growing hair is the only way to keep you here, I'm letting you go. Too bad," Jarlaxle sighed, letting go of Isaldora's waist, "I had some nice plans."



"No hair then," Isaldora sighed. "But promise me something," she said, pulling Jarlaxle's arms back on her waist. "Make sure that I won't regret staying here."



"I promise that you won't have any regrets," Jarlaxle muttered, kissing her. "And I also promise that net morning we can go and talk to Aran. Before that, you're all mine. And I'm all yours."



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Hark: I hope I got the quote right... I don't have the lyrics written down so I had to rely on my memory. I have a bad memory, but the lyrics fit so perfectly that I had to put them here. If there are any fans of His Infernal Majesty, please tell me if there's some kind of a mistake.