"Look, Lina, a town," Xaina stated as she pointed to the buildings
slowly appearing in sight. She gave a quick glance to the red haired woman
whom she floated next to and smiled. "No more sleeping outside.
"Finally. I was beginning to think we'd never get to this place," Lina grumbled.
"That's Dragons Peak?"
"Yep."
"I thought Dragons Peak would be a mountain, not a town."
"It is a mountain," Amelia broke in. "This is just the town right before it. The woods that lead up to Dragons Peak are behind the village." The princess pointed up behind the village to a mountain that was coming in to view through the haze from the clouds over the sky. "That is dragons peak."
"Oh."
Filia sped up her pace so she was even with the red head. Her face was flushed a darker red then it had been the day before. She was sweating slightly as well. Lina wanted to ask her about it but knew the dragon had far too much pride to talk about it unless she was truly hurt or needed a rest.
"And you're certain that there are dragons still living there?"
"Of course there are," Xellos replied before anyone else could. "Would I lie to you?"
Filia glared at the trickster walking just behind her. "Yes."
"You don't trust me?"
"No. I thought that was obvious."
Xellos mock pouted in the hopes of teasing her, but she ignored him. Xaina giggled. "Your not very convincing, Xellos."
"Really? Well, then I guess I'll have to work harder if I want a good meal."
The blonde woman whirled around, mace in hand and sneered at him. "Don't you even dare, nomagomi!"
"Ah, such tasty negative emotions," he teased. He smiled at her innocently as her angry grew. Much to his disappointment, she forced herself to stay calm and turned back around. She continued stiffly walking towards the village. 'Awe, I'm losing my touch. She didn't even try to hit me, let alone destroy anything.'
"I can't wait to take a bath," Lina sighed in a dreamy tone. "Get all this travel dirt off. It feels like forever since I was last clean."
"A bath before I go up there would be nice," Filia agreed. "A quick one, anyway."
"Awe, come on, Filia. Relax. You sound like you plan on getting their today."
"I do."
"But it'll be past dark before we even get to town," Amelia protested.
Filia made herself stand as straight as possible while she walked. She turned her eyes up and away from them, not wanting or willing to look at them. "I am planning to get there today. I need to go as soon as possible."
"One more day wont kill you... It wont, will it?" the sorceress inquired hesitantly.
"No, but... but... but it should be taken care of soon."
Lina and Amelia exchanged disapproving glances at the blonde woman's hesitation. She wasn't telling them something. "Still, you should take a night to get rested and rejuvenated."
"She would be wise to continue her journey from the town alone," Destiny stated in her usual cold tone.
A shiver ran up Lina's body at the sound of the woman's voice. Her very voice seemed to chill the air all around them. After what the older Xaina had said about Destiny taking her child, Lina had been too afraid of the woman to go anywhere near her alone.
"Oh, I quite agree," Xellos said with a large grin. "Night is the perfect time to arrive since it is when males and females spend the most time 'together'."
A rather bright blush spread across the women and Zelgadiss' face. Gourry watched them in confusion, blissfully unaware of what Xellos had been implying. Destiny didn't seem to care either way. Xaina, on the other hand, was completely baffled about what they were talking about, and like any good child, her curiosity got the better of her.
"Why?" the child inquired. This earned her several embarrassed and concerned looks from most of the adults.
Xellos grinned like the Cheshire cat (I was playing Kingdom Hearts, so sue me) as he peered over at her through his partially open eyes. "Why?"
"Yes, why? I spend time with boys and girls during the day. Why's it different at night?"
"Well, you see, Xaina..."
"Xellos!!!" Lina, Filia, Amelia, and Zelgadiss all shouted at once. Xaina folded her ears back and zipped behind Gourry in fear.
"What? I was merely trying to teach my student a few facts about life."
"You pervert!" Filia snapped. "Ignore him, Xaina. He's nothing but a perverted piece of rotten filth that should have been disposed of after the war of the monsters."
Xellos puffed. (Now you know he's mad.) "Oh, really? Is that so? You mean like how you golds disposed of the ancients?"
A low growl escaped Filia. "Th-that is different!"
"Why, because your raising the last ancient and you happen to be fond of him?" Filia didn't waste a second in pulling her mace back out and charging him. Xellos dodged but the unfortunate rock behind him was unable to do so and was smashed. "How very dragon of you, Filia; attacking someone just because they point out one of your MANY flaws." She swung again, but completely missed.
"Not again," Zelgadiss groaned.
~*~*~
He smiled so innocently that she couldn't help but smile herself. His ear was pressed to her stomach while his arms encircled her protectively. It was amazing how something so small could make him so happy.
"I can hear the baby's heart," he stated in wonderment.
"It kicks too, when it's awake," Lina replied while she brushed her hair. Alright, so having Gourry kneeling in front of her with his ear pressed to her belly didn't make staying sitting or brushing her hair easy, but it made him happy. She had been a little moody lately and yelled, hit, and plain out abused him a lot and now she was feeling rather guilty about it. Good thing for her, Gourry was always easy to please.
"The baby kicks?" Lina nodded with a rather proud smile. The blond pulled back and stared at her stomach for a long moment. "You really shouldn't kick your mother. It's not very nice and Lina might get mad."
Lina couldn't help but giggle. She rubbed one hand through Gourry's hair affectionately. "The baby's kicking is a good thing. It means it's healthy. If it stopped kicking regularly, I'd be worried."
"Oh. How come the baby's not kicking now?"
"It's asleep... I think. It'll start again, though. Just wait 'till one or two in the morning. It's really lively then. Likes to keep me up too."
"Oh. You can wake me up too..."
"Wake you up? What kind of a person do you think I am? Just because I'm up, you think I should disturb the sleep of others around me?"
"You've tried, haven't you?
"I've met dead people who'er easier to rouse then you."
"I'm a heavy sleeper," he teased with a smile.
"That's putting in nicely," she teased back. Gourry lifted himself up a little and gave her a gentle kiss. When he pulled back slightly, she nuzzled against him. "Your warm..."
~*~*~
The chimera sighed as he took a sip of his drink. He knew he shouldn't drink coffee this late, but somehow, he always found it soothed his nerves. It didn't really matter if it kept him up late since he planned on working on the prophecy that night anyway. Being alert for that would be helpful.
"You really shouldn't drink coffee this late at night, Mr. Zelgadiss," the princess' familiar voice stated as she approached the table to sit with him. "It'll keep you up."
'Damn,' he mentally cursed. 'I was hoping she wouldn't show up.' "I'm going to be working late on the prophecy, so it doesn't matter," he remarked without bothering to look at her, hoping she might leave. Instead, she sat. "Aren't you up a little late? I thought you were going to take a bath and go off to bed"
"I was. I couldn't sleep though. I thought I might be able to get some warm milk to help, but then I saw you and you looked lonely..."
"So you thought you'd keep me company," he finished in a rather cold tone. "Thanks, but I'm fine. I prefer being alone." She looked sightly hurt by his words. Jerk, he scolded himself.
'It has to be done,' he tried to reason. 'We can't keep going on completely afraid of looking each other in the eye. She's got to know that.'
'You just want to look her in the eye,' the first side grunted. 'And none of that means you have to be a jerk to her.'
"Oh," she sighed disheartedly. Slowly, as if her body had become lead, she stood. As he glanced over at her, he saw her face was clouded with doubt. Now Zelgadiss really felt like a jerk. "Well, have a good night..."
"Is something the matter, Amelia?" the chimera inquired as it dawned on him she had really come looking for someone to talk to and not to actually keep him company.
She glanced at him for a moment, then looked away. "No." Zel could see right through her words. She was a terrible liar.
"Are you sure?" She wouldn't look at him. It was something to do with him, he was sure of that now. "Sit." She obeyed without hesitation. He signaled for the woman still working at the bar. She hurried over. "Can you get her some warm milk." The woman nodded and left. When she was gone, he turned his full attention back to Amelia. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"Are you going to keep me company or just sit there?"
A small smile crept up on her lips and he couldn't help but smile a little himself. Zel quickly took a sip of his coffee to hide it.
"Mr. Zelgadiss, I... I want to apologize for the other night." He gave her a confused look. "When we met Dragon, Monster, Outcast, and Prince in their other forms. I didn't mean to grab you or... or panic..."
"You don't have to apologize," he interrupted. "If I'd been in your position, I would of probably done the same thing. Especially knowing what he did."
There was a long, uneasy silence that filled the air as the woman brought out the glass of heated milk and left. The princess took a sip, savoring the taste in her mouth and mentally following it as it warmed her throat and belly inside. Zelgadiss sipped his coffee, not bothering to taste it, merely hoping the caffeine would surge in to his system quickly.
"Do you think they could really be..."
"I don't know," Zel interjected. "Frankly, I'm not sure I want to know."
"Because of Posmose?" He didn't answer. "If he is from... then, he could..."
"He could NOTHING, Amelia," he interrupted again, but much harsher this time. Amelia flinched away from him. His heart twisted painfully as he saw the fear in her movements. "Sorry."
"It's alright."
"I'd rather not talk about them, right now."
"Alright."
Again, there was silence between them. The candle on the table sizzled slightly as it burned. The room was almost empty, except for a few drunks and the bar maid cleaning up for the night. It was warm in the room, but not uncomfortably so. Amelia kept her hands on her now half empty glass as she watched a drunk man attempt to flirt with the bar maid. She sneered at him but didn't try and force him to stop. Zelgadiss sipped his coffee with his eyes closed.
"Hey Zel!" Xellos chirped as he appeared right next to the chimera, half asleep Xaina in hand. "Just the person I was looking for. You did such a great job babysitting last time..."
"Oh no!"
"...that I thought I'd ask you to so again. I was told Xaina wasn't old enough to see some of the things I need to take care of real quick..."
"No way, Xellos! I don't like kids!"
"...so I need someone to watch her." He shoved the child in the chimeras grasp and him a cocky grin. "Now be good." The trickster then disappeared.
Zelgadiss glared at the exhausted child in his arms. "Not again," he groaned.
"Yer tellin' me," Xaina yawned.
~*~*~
'So hot,' she mentally moaned. 'It's getting worse.' She glanced down at her bare human hands. The palms had turned a faint pink color though the top had remained a pale peach. She dreaded to think how red her scales were now. 'It's spreading to quickly. I shouldn't be showing sings in this form yet.' Her hand traced down to her bare belly. It too was as red, though it was brighter than her palms. The color spread all the way up to her throat and down to the insides of her calves. She had no doubt that the bottoms of her feet were also turning color.
A light breeze carried in through the open window and she eagerly breathed it in. For a moment, it cooled her lungs, but the pleasant cold quickly faded back to the sour heat. Her tail waged back and forth with the spade facing her as she attempted to fan herself. 'And this isn't even the worst of it,' she grumbled. 'Add this to the dreams...' A gnawing sensation crawled up her body as the images from her dreams surface. A man holding her so tight and protectively, whispering loving words in her ear, tasting her skin... Oh Ceiphied, how she wanted to answer that sensation, obey that instinct, but she couldn't; not until she had a mate. She shivered as the instinct grew louder. She concentrated for a moment, attempting to force the instinct back down where it had come from. It worked and the sensation subsided a bit... for now, anyway. It was only a matter of time before it would refuse to be ignored.
'Just continue focusing on Dragon's Peak. Nothing else matters at the moment. You... you can explain to Lina and the others latter... when everything is over. She'll understand.' Her eyes turned up to the moon as it shone through the thin clouds above. The moonlight bounced off the clouds directly around the sphere in the sky and made it appear as if there was a glowing ring around it. 'Maybe I... he might agree to. Then again, he might not. He just better be nice to Val.'
*****
Xellos couldn't help but admire her. She was so beautiful sitting there in front of the window wearing nothing but her undergarments. Her flaxen hair swayed ever so slightly as a light breeze passed through the air. Moonlight accented her face, softening every line and making her skin seem to glow. Her front was a light shade of pink while the underside of her tail was a brilliant vermilion. 'It's spreading,' he concluded. 'Her temperature must be rising too. Explains why she has yet to notice me. This should make things easier though.'
"You do make a lovely picture, Filia." She whirled around in her chair with her arms wrapped around her body in some attempt to preserve her modesty. "My my, if I didn't know better I'd think you were expecting me."
"If I were expecting you, I wouldn't be dressed like this!" she spat. Her eyes darted to her mace on the night stand which the monster priest happily stood next to. He happily picked up the mace and pretended to examine it. "Put that down!"
Through his closed eyes, he watched her every move carefully. "Why? You wont be needing it tonight."
"Put down my mace!"
He smirked at her playfully. "Make me." For a moment, she looked ready to do just that. A second later, she took a hesitant step back towards the window. He peered open one eye curiously. What had started as frustration had suddenly turned in to fear. That wasn't what he had been hoping for.
"Just go away, Xellos," she said with a steady voice he could tell she was forcing. "I... I have a big day tomorrow and I need to rest for it. I can't stay up playing games right now."
She was lying. She hated lying most of the time, even if it was to him. But she had to make him leave. Something about the way he was looking at her with one dark eye open worried her. He was up to something and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what... or did she? She couldn't tell anymore. The hormones in her body were making it hard to think right.
"Games?" he inquired. "What games? Who said I was here to play, though we could play if you like." The second violet eye peeked open and stared at her, looking the young blonde up and down very carefully. He gave her a suggestive smile and she blushed. "You do look very lovely when you blush, Filia, and with the moonlight from the window, you are the very image of a perfect angle."
Her blush got deeper and her eyes turned away. The fear had grown slightly, but not to the point where she was panicking yet, he noted. 'Time to test me luck,' he thought. He took a step closer. She backed in to the window sill with her back entire against the open window. He willed the mace to the other side of the room, having it rest silently on the floor out of direct sight. Then, he took another step closer. She still refused to look at him. Her blush grew and now covered her entire face. Had there been more room, he was sure she would have backed up more. He took several more tentative steps. Her arms tightened around her upper body and her finger nails dug in to the bare skin on her arms. The sapphire eyes squinted shut as if she were attempting to block him out of her mind by not seeing him.
Filia gave a slight shiver when he came to stand right in front of her. Neither of them moved after that. She could feel his eyes on her. The fever in her blood grew, and it felt as if it raised her temperature even further. A small voice inside her cheered the fact that she was so close to a male... even if he was a monster. The rest told her to run, move away, keep away from him. His hand reached out and brushed some hair out of her face. Warm... His hand was so warm... yet so comforting... All thoughts of retreat were abandoned.
"Filia," he whispered. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name. "What do you want?"
Her voice seemed to have forgotten how to work. She wanted him. She hated him. She wanted to be rid of this fever now. She wanted to have a proper mate. She wanted to answer him, to yell as many contradicting statements as she could think of. She wanted... she didn't know. It was so confusing.
"Go away," she finally managed to breath out.
"Are you sure?" The trickster leaned in close to her so the breath he used to speak tickled her ear. Another shiver ran through her body. "I know why they call it the blood fever. It starts just along the stomach..." His hand traced up her belly to emphasize his point. She didn't try and slap it away, a fact that would have shocked her had she not been so focused on how his gentle hand traced up her skin. "...Then it moves up to the chest, through the heart, through the blood veins, and up to the mind..." His fingers came to rest on the side of her temple and she leaned in to them slightly. "...where it robs her of all her senses rendering her unable to properly care for herself until she either mates or it works out of her system. Your temperature is starting to rise. As I recall, that means the worst of it starting to set in and you don't have much longer." The trickster's fingers slid back down her check and under her chin. Delicately, he lifted her face so she was looking at him. She hesitated in opening her own eyes, but when she did, she found herself staring directly in to his violet irises. "I can end it here and now... if you want."
His lips brushed over hers. Her eyes slipped closed again and he pressed in deeper, fully kissing her, as his own eyes slid closed. She made no moves to either deepen or break free from the kiss. Her hands remained clamped on her arms. Her emotions suddenly became blank to him and he was certain her mind currently matched her emotions. It wasn't good, he knew, but it wasn't bad either. He pulled back hesitantly, not really wanting to break the kiss but not really sure he should prolong it. The violet eyes peered open again at her face, searching for any sort of a reaction.
__________________________________________________________
Yes, I know. I'm evil.
Last time, I said I had writers block. I did, but not the kind where I didn't know what was going to happen. The problem was, even though I had a very good idea about what was going to happen, I couldn't seem to put it in words. I hate that. Makes me crazier then anything else. Currently having that problem with my second novel. Grrr. Where did Writer's Block go? I feel like pounding him to a pulp again.
Well, my slayers page is almost ready to go up (almost there after working on it sparingly in my free time and learning html). All that I'm really looking for right now are pictures, fan pictures to be precise. If you have slayers fan art of any kind (that can go on a PG13 page) and wouldn't mind sharing a copy with me, I'd love to add it to my little gallery. If you have fan art from my series (someone mentioned wanting to do a picture of Xaina a while ago) that would be greatly appreciated too.
Alright, I'm off to write the next chapter and start getting my second fic up (since I finally finished putting Monster Blood up on my soon to be released to the public page). As always, please read and review.
"Finally. I was beginning to think we'd never get to this place," Lina grumbled.
"That's Dragons Peak?"
"Yep."
"I thought Dragons Peak would be a mountain, not a town."
"It is a mountain," Amelia broke in. "This is just the town right before it. The woods that lead up to Dragons Peak are behind the village." The princess pointed up behind the village to a mountain that was coming in to view through the haze from the clouds over the sky. "That is dragons peak."
"Oh."
Filia sped up her pace so she was even with the red head. Her face was flushed a darker red then it had been the day before. She was sweating slightly as well. Lina wanted to ask her about it but knew the dragon had far too much pride to talk about it unless she was truly hurt or needed a rest.
"And you're certain that there are dragons still living there?"
"Of course there are," Xellos replied before anyone else could. "Would I lie to you?"
Filia glared at the trickster walking just behind her. "Yes."
"You don't trust me?"
"No. I thought that was obvious."
Xellos mock pouted in the hopes of teasing her, but she ignored him. Xaina giggled. "Your not very convincing, Xellos."
"Really? Well, then I guess I'll have to work harder if I want a good meal."
The blonde woman whirled around, mace in hand and sneered at him. "Don't you even dare, nomagomi!"
"Ah, such tasty negative emotions," he teased. He smiled at her innocently as her angry grew. Much to his disappointment, she forced herself to stay calm and turned back around. She continued stiffly walking towards the village. 'Awe, I'm losing my touch. She didn't even try to hit me, let alone destroy anything.'
"I can't wait to take a bath," Lina sighed in a dreamy tone. "Get all this travel dirt off. It feels like forever since I was last clean."
"A bath before I go up there would be nice," Filia agreed. "A quick one, anyway."
"Awe, come on, Filia. Relax. You sound like you plan on getting their today."
"I do."
"But it'll be past dark before we even get to town," Amelia protested.
Filia made herself stand as straight as possible while she walked. She turned her eyes up and away from them, not wanting or willing to look at them. "I am planning to get there today. I need to go as soon as possible."
"One more day wont kill you... It wont, will it?" the sorceress inquired hesitantly.
"No, but... but... but it should be taken care of soon."
Lina and Amelia exchanged disapproving glances at the blonde woman's hesitation. She wasn't telling them something. "Still, you should take a night to get rested and rejuvenated."
"She would be wise to continue her journey from the town alone," Destiny stated in her usual cold tone.
A shiver ran up Lina's body at the sound of the woman's voice. Her very voice seemed to chill the air all around them. After what the older Xaina had said about Destiny taking her child, Lina had been too afraid of the woman to go anywhere near her alone.
"Oh, I quite agree," Xellos said with a large grin. "Night is the perfect time to arrive since it is when males and females spend the most time 'together'."
A rather bright blush spread across the women and Zelgadiss' face. Gourry watched them in confusion, blissfully unaware of what Xellos had been implying. Destiny didn't seem to care either way. Xaina, on the other hand, was completely baffled about what they were talking about, and like any good child, her curiosity got the better of her.
"Why?" the child inquired. This earned her several embarrassed and concerned looks from most of the adults.
Xellos grinned like the Cheshire cat (I was playing Kingdom Hearts, so sue me) as he peered over at her through his partially open eyes. "Why?"
"Yes, why? I spend time with boys and girls during the day. Why's it different at night?"
"Well, you see, Xaina..."
"Xellos!!!" Lina, Filia, Amelia, and Zelgadiss all shouted at once. Xaina folded her ears back and zipped behind Gourry in fear.
"What? I was merely trying to teach my student a few facts about life."
"You pervert!" Filia snapped. "Ignore him, Xaina. He's nothing but a perverted piece of rotten filth that should have been disposed of after the war of the monsters."
Xellos puffed. (Now you know he's mad.) "Oh, really? Is that so? You mean like how you golds disposed of the ancients?"
A low growl escaped Filia. "Th-that is different!"
"Why, because your raising the last ancient and you happen to be fond of him?" Filia didn't waste a second in pulling her mace back out and charging him. Xellos dodged but the unfortunate rock behind him was unable to do so and was smashed. "How very dragon of you, Filia; attacking someone just because they point out one of your MANY flaws." She swung again, but completely missed.
"Not again," Zelgadiss groaned.
~*~*~
He smiled so innocently that she couldn't help but smile herself. His ear was pressed to her stomach while his arms encircled her protectively. It was amazing how something so small could make him so happy.
"I can hear the baby's heart," he stated in wonderment.
"It kicks too, when it's awake," Lina replied while she brushed her hair. Alright, so having Gourry kneeling in front of her with his ear pressed to her belly didn't make staying sitting or brushing her hair easy, but it made him happy. She had been a little moody lately and yelled, hit, and plain out abused him a lot and now she was feeling rather guilty about it. Good thing for her, Gourry was always easy to please.
"The baby kicks?" Lina nodded with a rather proud smile. The blond pulled back and stared at her stomach for a long moment. "You really shouldn't kick your mother. It's not very nice and Lina might get mad."
Lina couldn't help but giggle. She rubbed one hand through Gourry's hair affectionately. "The baby's kicking is a good thing. It means it's healthy. If it stopped kicking regularly, I'd be worried."
"Oh. How come the baby's not kicking now?"
"It's asleep... I think. It'll start again, though. Just wait 'till one or two in the morning. It's really lively then. Likes to keep me up too."
"Oh. You can wake me up too..."
"Wake you up? What kind of a person do you think I am? Just because I'm up, you think I should disturb the sleep of others around me?"
"You've tried, haven't you?
"I've met dead people who'er easier to rouse then you."
"I'm a heavy sleeper," he teased with a smile.
"That's putting in nicely," she teased back. Gourry lifted himself up a little and gave her a gentle kiss. When he pulled back slightly, she nuzzled against him. "Your warm..."
~*~*~
The chimera sighed as he took a sip of his drink. He knew he shouldn't drink coffee this late, but somehow, he always found it soothed his nerves. It didn't really matter if it kept him up late since he planned on working on the prophecy that night anyway. Being alert for that would be helpful.
"You really shouldn't drink coffee this late at night, Mr. Zelgadiss," the princess' familiar voice stated as she approached the table to sit with him. "It'll keep you up."
'Damn,' he mentally cursed. 'I was hoping she wouldn't show up.' "I'm going to be working late on the prophecy, so it doesn't matter," he remarked without bothering to look at her, hoping she might leave. Instead, she sat. "Aren't you up a little late? I thought you were going to take a bath and go off to bed"
"I was. I couldn't sleep though. I thought I might be able to get some warm milk to help, but then I saw you and you looked lonely..."
"So you thought you'd keep me company," he finished in a rather cold tone. "Thanks, but I'm fine. I prefer being alone." She looked sightly hurt by his words. Jerk, he scolded himself.
'It has to be done,' he tried to reason. 'We can't keep going on completely afraid of looking each other in the eye. She's got to know that.'
'You just want to look her in the eye,' the first side grunted. 'And none of that means you have to be a jerk to her.'
"Oh," she sighed disheartedly. Slowly, as if her body had become lead, she stood. As he glanced over at her, he saw her face was clouded with doubt. Now Zelgadiss really felt like a jerk. "Well, have a good night..."
"Is something the matter, Amelia?" the chimera inquired as it dawned on him she had really come looking for someone to talk to and not to actually keep him company.
She glanced at him for a moment, then looked away. "No." Zel could see right through her words. She was a terrible liar.
"Are you sure?" She wouldn't look at him. It was something to do with him, he was sure of that now. "Sit." She obeyed without hesitation. He signaled for the woman still working at the bar. She hurried over. "Can you get her some warm milk." The woman nodded and left. When she was gone, he turned his full attention back to Amelia. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"Are you going to keep me company or just sit there?"
A small smile crept up on her lips and he couldn't help but smile a little himself. Zel quickly took a sip of his coffee to hide it.
"Mr. Zelgadiss, I... I want to apologize for the other night." He gave her a confused look. "When we met Dragon, Monster, Outcast, and Prince in their other forms. I didn't mean to grab you or... or panic..."
"You don't have to apologize," he interrupted. "If I'd been in your position, I would of probably done the same thing. Especially knowing what he did."
There was a long, uneasy silence that filled the air as the woman brought out the glass of heated milk and left. The princess took a sip, savoring the taste in her mouth and mentally following it as it warmed her throat and belly inside. Zelgadiss sipped his coffee, not bothering to taste it, merely hoping the caffeine would surge in to his system quickly.
"Do you think they could really be..."
"I don't know," Zel interjected. "Frankly, I'm not sure I want to know."
"Because of Posmose?" He didn't answer. "If he is from... then, he could..."
"He could NOTHING, Amelia," he interrupted again, but much harsher this time. Amelia flinched away from him. His heart twisted painfully as he saw the fear in her movements. "Sorry."
"It's alright."
"I'd rather not talk about them, right now."
"Alright."
Again, there was silence between them. The candle on the table sizzled slightly as it burned. The room was almost empty, except for a few drunks and the bar maid cleaning up for the night. It was warm in the room, but not uncomfortably so. Amelia kept her hands on her now half empty glass as she watched a drunk man attempt to flirt with the bar maid. She sneered at him but didn't try and force him to stop. Zelgadiss sipped his coffee with his eyes closed.
"Hey Zel!" Xellos chirped as he appeared right next to the chimera, half asleep Xaina in hand. "Just the person I was looking for. You did such a great job babysitting last time..."
"Oh no!"
"...that I thought I'd ask you to so again. I was told Xaina wasn't old enough to see some of the things I need to take care of real quick..."
"No way, Xellos! I don't like kids!"
"...so I need someone to watch her." He shoved the child in the chimeras grasp and him a cocky grin. "Now be good." The trickster then disappeared.
Zelgadiss glared at the exhausted child in his arms. "Not again," he groaned.
"Yer tellin' me," Xaina yawned.
~*~*~
'So hot,' she mentally moaned. 'It's getting worse.' She glanced down at her bare human hands. The palms had turned a faint pink color though the top had remained a pale peach. She dreaded to think how red her scales were now. 'It's spreading to quickly. I shouldn't be showing sings in this form yet.' Her hand traced down to her bare belly. It too was as red, though it was brighter than her palms. The color spread all the way up to her throat and down to the insides of her calves. She had no doubt that the bottoms of her feet were also turning color.
A light breeze carried in through the open window and she eagerly breathed it in. For a moment, it cooled her lungs, but the pleasant cold quickly faded back to the sour heat. Her tail waged back and forth with the spade facing her as she attempted to fan herself. 'And this isn't even the worst of it,' she grumbled. 'Add this to the dreams...' A gnawing sensation crawled up her body as the images from her dreams surface. A man holding her so tight and protectively, whispering loving words in her ear, tasting her skin... Oh Ceiphied, how she wanted to answer that sensation, obey that instinct, but she couldn't; not until she had a mate. She shivered as the instinct grew louder. She concentrated for a moment, attempting to force the instinct back down where it had come from. It worked and the sensation subsided a bit... for now, anyway. It was only a matter of time before it would refuse to be ignored.
'Just continue focusing on Dragon's Peak. Nothing else matters at the moment. You... you can explain to Lina and the others latter... when everything is over. She'll understand.' Her eyes turned up to the moon as it shone through the thin clouds above. The moonlight bounced off the clouds directly around the sphere in the sky and made it appear as if there was a glowing ring around it. 'Maybe I... he might agree to. Then again, he might not. He just better be nice to Val.'
*****
Xellos couldn't help but admire her. She was so beautiful sitting there in front of the window wearing nothing but her undergarments. Her flaxen hair swayed ever so slightly as a light breeze passed through the air. Moonlight accented her face, softening every line and making her skin seem to glow. Her front was a light shade of pink while the underside of her tail was a brilliant vermilion. 'It's spreading,' he concluded. 'Her temperature must be rising too. Explains why she has yet to notice me. This should make things easier though.'
"You do make a lovely picture, Filia." She whirled around in her chair with her arms wrapped around her body in some attempt to preserve her modesty. "My my, if I didn't know better I'd think you were expecting me."
"If I were expecting you, I wouldn't be dressed like this!" she spat. Her eyes darted to her mace on the night stand which the monster priest happily stood next to. He happily picked up the mace and pretended to examine it. "Put that down!"
Through his closed eyes, he watched her every move carefully. "Why? You wont be needing it tonight."
"Put down my mace!"
He smirked at her playfully. "Make me." For a moment, she looked ready to do just that. A second later, she took a hesitant step back towards the window. He peered open one eye curiously. What had started as frustration had suddenly turned in to fear. That wasn't what he had been hoping for.
"Just go away, Xellos," she said with a steady voice he could tell she was forcing. "I... I have a big day tomorrow and I need to rest for it. I can't stay up playing games right now."
She was lying. She hated lying most of the time, even if it was to him. But she had to make him leave. Something about the way he was looking at her with one dark eye open worried her. He was up to something and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what... or did she? She couldn't tell anymore. The hormones in her body were making it hard to think right.
"Games?" he inquired. "What games? Who said I was here to play, though we could play if you like." The second violet eye peeked open and stared at her, looking the young blonde up and down very carefully. He gave her a suggestive smile and she blushed. "You do look very lovely when you blush, Filia, and with the moonlight from the window, you are the very image of a perfect angle."
Her blush got deeper and her eyes turned away. The fear had grown slightly, but not to the point where she was panicking yet, he noted. 'Time to test me luck,' he thought. He took a step closer. She backed in to the window sill with her back entire against the open window. He willed the mace to the other side of the room, having it rest silently on the floor out of direct sight. Then, he took another step closer. She still refused to look at him. Her blush grew and now covered her entire face. Had there been more room, he was sure she would have backed up more. He took several more tentative steps. Her arms tightened around her upper body and her finger nails dug in to the bare skin on her arms. The sapphire eyes squinted shut as if she were attempting to block him out of her mind by not seeing him.
Filia gave a slight shiver when he came to stand right in front of her. Neither of them moved after that. She could feel his eyes on her. The fever in her blood grew, and it felt as if it raised her temperature even further. A small voice inside her cheered the fact that she was so close to a male... even if he was a monster. The rest told her to run, move away, keep away from him. His hand reached out and brushed some hair out of her face. Warm... His hand was so warm... yet so comforting... All thoughts of retreat were abandoned.
"Filia," he whispered. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name. "What do you want?"
Her voice seemed to have forgotten how to work. She wanted him. She hated him. She wanted to be rid of this fever now. She wanted to have a proper mate. She wanted to answer him, to yell as many contradicting statements as she could think of. She wanted... she didn't know. It was so confusing.
"Go away," she finally managed to breath out.
"Are you sure?" The trickster leaned in close to her so the breath he used to speak tickled her ear. Another shiver ran through her body. "I know why they call it the blood fever. It starts just along the stomach..." His hand traced up her belly to emphasize his point. She didn't try and slap it away, a fact that would have shocked her had she not been so focused on how his gentle hand traced up her skin. "...Then it moves up to the chest, through the heart, through the blood veins, and up to the mind..." His fingers came to rest on the side of her temple and she leaned in to them slightly. "...where it robs her of all her senses rendering her unable to properly care for herself until she either mates or it works out of her system. Your temperature is starting to rise. As I recall, that means the worst of it starting to set in and you don't have much longer." The trickster's fingers slid back down her check and under her chin. Delicately, he lifted her face so she was looking at him. She hesitated in opening her own eyes, but when she did, she found herself staring directly in to his violet irises. "I can end it here and now... if you want."
His lips brushed over hers. Her eyes slipped closed again and he pressed in deeper, fully kissing her, as his own eyes slid closed. She made no moves to either deepen or break free from the kiss. Her hands remained clamped on her arms. Her emotions suddenly became blank to him and he was certain her mind currently matched her emotions. It wasn't good, he knew, but it wasn't bad either. He pulled back hesitantly, not really wanting to break the kiss but not really sure he should prolong it. The violet eyes peered open again at her face, searching for any sort of a reaction.
__________________________________________________________
Yes, I know. I'm evil.
Last time, I said I had writers block. I did, but not the kind where I didn't know what was going to happen. The problem was, even though I had a very good idea about what was going to happen, I couldn't seem to put it in words. I hate that. Makes me crazier then anything else. Currently having that problem with my second novel. Grrr. Where did Writer's Block go? I feel like pounding him to a pulp again.
Well, my slayers page is almost ready to go up (almost there after working on it sparingly in my free time and learning html). All that I'm really looking for right now are pictures, fan pictures to be precise. If you have slayers fan art of any kind (that can go on a PG13 page) and wouldn't mind sharing a copy with me, I'd love to add it to my little gallery. If you have fan art from my series (someone mentioned wanting to do a picture of Xaina a while ago) that would be greatly appreciated too.
Alright, I'm off to write the next chapter and start getting my second fic up (since I finally finished putting Monster Blood up on my soon to be released to the public page). As always, please read and review.