Chapter 15

Lara was woken by the sound of her own heart pounding through her head. The dizziness she felt made her sick, and kept her from moving. Upon opening her eyes, the room she saw spun and seemed darker than normal.

She found herself in a motel room, lying on one of the two badly worn beds which sat awkward to the floor. The ceiling above her was stained, and the air conditioner beside her let out a horrid screeching noise every few seconds.

Pushing the pain aside, she slowly lifted herself up and rested her back against the headboard behind her.

Pain seared through her stomach and she looked down. The agony was distracted when she noticed a bandage carefully wrapped around her forearm. As she touched it, she instantly remembered the chamber in Annaba and recalled the blade traps that had sliced her to pieces, and nearly taken her life. Lara then noticed that she was adorned with two more of the wrappings, one wrapped around her left thigh, the other around her torso. The bandage on her upper leg was wrapped so tightly that the flesh below it was slightly tinted blue. Staring at her leg she then realized that her holsters were removed.

A sudden movement drew her attention to the opposite corner of the room, and she stared.

She saw him, the figure who was no doubt responsible for her current condition, living.

He sat turned away from her, studying something on the small table in front of him. The muscle and tone of his bare back caused Lara, against her will, to bite her lower lip. Her eyes strayed lower and she noticed the blood stained bandage poorly wrapped around his waist. The blood looked fresh, and Lara knew that Kurtis was being stupid and didn't care. She couldn't understand him. It was almost like he didn't want to get better.

She forced herself off of the bed, and slowly stood so the dizziness would subside, then walked across the room, and stood behind him. She stared at him in silence before caringly placing her hand upon his bandage.

The chair burst out from under him and Kurtis was on his feet, facing her in an instant. He held his prototype gun at Lara's chest. He stared deeply in her eyes, and Lara, startled, did the same to him. She kept at his eyes, the blue was hypnotizing. The way he stared at her without emotion scared and enticed her.

The moment was instantly lost as Kurtis's eyes began to flickered and he lost his balance. Lara quickly grabbed after his form and steadied him onto the bed. She informed him of the current condition of his wound, and tried to keep him conscious.

She helped Kurtis slowly lye down, and quickly removed the bloodied gauze. His injury seemed to be healing, but all the moisture in the cavern had caused its own damage.

"Thanks by the way," Lara awkwardly began, and then paused "for these." she referred to the bandages placed on her newly received cuts. "It seems you put more effort into fixing my scrapes and bruises than your own."

"Couldn't help myself" Kuris replied with a smile. It faded, replaced by a grimace of pain. "The artery in your leg was nearly cut. You're lucky to be alive."

"Lucky you were around."

An awkward silence fell over the room, as the two stared at one another in thought. Lara quickly began putting a new bandage around Kurtis as the feeling became to much. She stared at his wound, forcing herself not to look in his eyes. She knew that the eyes were-

A yell suddenly burst from Kurtis's mouth and Lara shot back in surprise.

"What's wrong!" She quickly shouted, worried she had hurt him.

Kurtis slowly settled himself, returning to the stare. "Your hands are cold."

Lara quickly exhaled at the words and looked at him with anger and disbelief; Kurtis simply grinned at her, which she couldn't help but return.

Despite his joking protest, Lara continued her task. Though she wouldn't admit it, she was enjoying herself. She found herself purposely touching him more than she needed, and taking a lot more time than necessary.

Kurtis intently watched her, enjoying his current position despite the pain he was in. "Who wouldn't be?" he thought, she was practically lying on top of him. She seemed different however, more nervous and less open with her feelings. This was his opportunity. He needed to pull her in, he needed to take advantage of her vulnerability.

Now finished, Lara studied the ancient tattoo on Kurtis's chest, slightly surprised that he hadn't covered it up like before.

"Is it really all that bad," Lara asked as her eyes remained fixated on the marking, "being part of the Lux Veritatis? I mean, think of all you can do. The powers you have, the strengths, it's amazing."

Kurtis looked up at her with a confused and sarcastic face at the words. He slowly sat himself up, and stared at her. "And yet, you want no part of it."

Lara instantly stood up and left his side as the statement was processed. She grabbed her backpack from the floor and frantically searched through it for the map, trying to avoid answering him.

It wasn't there, the map wasn't there. She worriedly searched again, desperately searching for the artifact, praying that she hadn't lost it in-

Her eyes spotted the ancient scroll on the table were Kurtis had sat. She quickly turned back to him with inset eyes.

"You think my pack is public property?" Lara started, furious that he had went through her backpack without permission.

"Wasn't expecting you to wake up so early." He answered, annoyed.

"Well, if you'd have left me be, then-"

"If I'd left you be, you'd be dead!"

Silence fell.

Kurtis quickly stood, and repositioned himself back in front of the map on the table, knowing that Lara couldn't resist learning about the ancient scripture. He laughed in his mind as she got up and began studying it beside him. He knew that her anger had been a distraction, a distraction to keep herself from opening up to him.

Lara studied the map against her will, despite her anger. She saw that the animal skin was worn, but still readable. The map marked five specific locations, but none or them showed any information as to where they may be located in real life. Four of them symbols were marked close to one another, two of them seeming to be directly on top of themselves. One of the location however, stood far away from the rest. "Must be something important."

The cardinal directions where indicated, but nothing more. Written Latin marked the upper part of the brown skin.

"What about all this?" she asked, pointing to the map "Have you figured it out yet?"

Kurtis stared at her again, and then back to the map "I thought you wanted no part in that either."

"I don't!" Lara shouted so angrily that Kurtis jumped back. "But if your clumsy ass dies, I'm gonna be in an awful situation. I just want to make sure you know what you're doing before I take off."

"That's just it." he continued in an aggravated voice. "The map leads to the Vial of Kindred Shadows, but I have no idea where to start. Other than the basic directions, there are no signs or symbols of any significance on it anywhere."

"Well what about this?" Lara asked, pointing at the writing at the top of the map.

"That's just the scripture that was in the book in the cavern." he answered. "The one about the 'last does not always mean the end' bullshit"

"Well that has to be of some significance. They wouldn't repeat themselves for nothing." she argued. "What I don't understand, is why all the traps and puzzles? Sure, the Veritatis wanted to protect the Vial, but they're also keeping it from you."

Kurtis smiled. "I guess the person worthy enough to be the last, would be strong and smart enough to get it."

"Apparently not." Lara answered in a sarcastic tone.

Kurtis shook his head. "Every second that goes by I regret meeting you." He spoke with dead cold eyes at her sarcastic words, forgetting all the things he did like about her. He expected Lara to turn away, but she simply smiled and opened her mouth.

"Good." she spoke, returning his coldness. "Let me think. What did the scripture say?"

"Thine's final step does not always lead to an ending." Kurtis answered without having to read. "For the origins of the chosen can lead us back to salvation, and start the process of discovery and rebirth."

"Alright." Lara told herself "The origins."

"That's what I don't understand." Kurtis began, cutting Lara's thoughts off. "Our origin was the cavern. That's were Sir Augustine created and taught the first of us. If they wanted me to start there, the place wouldn't have destroyed itself."

"Then they didn't want us to start their." she simply returned, slightly shaking her head.

Kurtis looked at her curiously as his mind focused on her previous words. "Us?"

Lara was embarrassed by her accidental statement, but didn't state another. She ignored his comment. "Maybe by origins, they don't mean the Lux Veritatis."

"But the-" Kurtis was stopped by Lara's hand pressed against his mouth.

"Maybe they meant yours." Lara finished before she could be interrupted again. She took her hand away from Kurtis's mouth.

"That's impossible." he protested. "They couldn't have know who the last would be that long ago."

"Well right know, that's all we-" Lara corrected herself as she sighed with frustration. "That's all you have to go on. So you better be thinking of all the possibilities. Now where were you born?"

"Utah."

"Then that's where you'll start" she said, emphasizing you'll . A smile suddenly covered her face. She was positive that she was right about the location.

Kurtis saw her smiling with triumph. "What?" he asked "Pleased with yourself?"

"Well it's more than you've done!" Lara shouted, getting into his face, "So far, I have gotten the map, and I have found out where it starts."

"Great!" he shouted in return, surprised at her annoyance with him. "Now you have no reason to be here!"

"Your right!" Lara shouted with a sarcastic smile. "So I better be leaving know."

Kurtis regretted his uncontrollable temper, as he watched Lara grab her bag and head for the door. She stopped in front of him and smiled, as if to say fuck you then kept walking.

Lara felt great. She had done it, she had helped mankind and hadn't fallen into Kurtis Trent's trap. She triumphantly walked to the door, and reached for the handle.

As she stepped for the sidewalk she felt a hand suddenly grasp her elbow, spinning her around. Lara looked up at Kurtis's eyes, with an angered expression. It disappeared.

His features were completely different know, no longer taken by anger and rage, but replaced with sensitivity and regret, as if their little dispute had never happened. The sight calmed Lara. He was staring at her again with no expression, just like before, like on the train when her mind had been thrown mixed messages of love and sensuality. She felt her muscles tense as he slowly moved closer. Lara new his intentions.

She saw him at the Louvre in her mind. She felt the same presence as she did when she had first encountered him at the French museum. His hand softly ran down her arm, slowly caressing her slightly exposed waist. She shivered as if freezing, and he brought himself closer to her. His head was beside hers, as if he were about to whisper some sensual thought in her ear, but didn't. She could smell the manly presence of aftershave and sweat as she deeply breathed, her mind confused and exhilarated at the same time. His cheek brushed against her own, and she could feel the stubble of his unshaved beard against her skin. She felt nervous; her heart was pounding loudly, so loudly that she herself could almost hear it.

She wondered why she felt this way. She had been in this situation many times before, but this seemed different, he was different. She exhaled loudly as she felt his waist slide across her own, his hands slowly waning down her sides, hoping to meet her hips, and then her thighs.

Kurtis had made up his mind. She new he wanted this from her, and she felt as though she could do nothing about it. Her eyes quickly opened with realization. Maybe he was the reason she felt so strange. Maybe he was controlling her.

"Why would he do that?" she thought, than realized thathe wouldn't. It was entirely her own fault she was acting this way. Her eyes closed once again, her mind too anxious to keep them open. Kurtis was right, she was scared, not of him, but of herself. Scared that he could be the one, and that this might actual lead to something more.

As if awakening from a dream, Lara suddenly jumped and quickly backed away from him as she loudly sighed. She said nothing as she shook her head, trying not to look at him. She clumsily walked passed him, returning to the room, and nearly tripping over a chair as she grabbed her forehead. She grasped the wall and hugged it to the other side of the room, catching her balance before she hurriedly opened the door to the bathroom and left him alone to ponder her strange feelings.

Kurtis cursed himself and then her. This was the woman. He could feel it. His feeling had recently changed however, he wasn't worried about renewing the Lux Veritatis anymore, but he was worried about her, the way she felt about things, the way she felt about him. He cared about the way she joked with sarcasm and the way she looked at every situation with a smile. He cared about her. He had to act fast. If she didn't leave tonight, she would leave tomorrow morning. After that, he would never see her again. He wondered if anyone had ever gotten her to open up. He hated her stubbornness. If only she could realize that being alone wouldn't fix her problems. He exhaled with disappointment, and quickly sat down on the small sofa in the corner of the room, thinking.

Lara was angry, angry at Kurtis, angry at herself. She hated him. "For what?" she cut herself off. "Being attractive and completely irresistible?" She bit her lip, which she did a lot more now the Mr. Trent accompanied her. This action made her angry and she punched the wall. She was tired of herself, trying to be excluded just to prove a point. She was professional. There was no way that her relationship with Kurtis would go any further than intimacy. Why deny herself?

She knew he enjoyed her company in more than a friendly way, but how did she feel? There was no question about physical attraction. Who wouldn't be tempted by a tall, built, rugged man with the most amazing blue eyes she'd ever-

Lara stopped her thoughts. That was fine; he'd broken her physically, but what about mentally? That's what she had to watch out for. Serious relationships, engagements, marriages, were all based on a couple's mental state. Did she have feelings for Kurtis? Feelings for more than his body?

"Absolutely not." she muttered to herself. She tried to remind herself of all the things he did that made her hate him so. The way he treated her like his own personal toy, playing with her emotions and making her feel sorry for him, how he was so selfish and overconfident. Her bestial thoughts continued as she sorted out the man named Kurtis Trent..

She stopped herself. Was she insane? Why would she want to be with someone that disgusted her so, mentally or physically? She shouldn't of had those thoughts for him in the first place.

Lara sighed with anger as she purposely banged her head into the wall. She wasn't fooling herself, or anyone else. She did have feelings for Kurtis Trent. She couldn't keep it in any longer.

Kurtis continued speculating. He couldn't figure this woman out. She clearly felt something for him, or else she wouldn't be helping him. What was she thinking? She was so sensitive and bundled up emotionally, he knew that he would never get inside of her head. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the door on the opposite side of the room opened.

Lara burst through the nearly broken door and quickly walked up to him, the look of anger in her eyes.

Kurtis flinched back as she approached, worried she was furious about the way he had come onto her again. She stood tall, directly in front of him, with hatred filled emotions. The way she breathed, the way her limbs didn't move, how her teeth were clenched at him, had Kurtis slightly terrified. He slid himself to the edge of the sofa, hoping she would sit down rather than kill him. She didn't take up his offer however, but repositioned herself back directly in front of him. He wondered what she was doing. Was she going to hurt him or not?

Lara shut her eyes and breathed deeply before she leaned down and kissed him.

Kurtis, though shocked by this sudden, unexpected action, didn't complain. He quickly stood, and felt Lara jump up and wrap her legs around his waist. He could feel her against him. The warmth of her skin and the delicateness of her lips was overwhelming. He quickly forced her backwards onto the bed, and found himself lying on top of her.

She continued to kiss him as he lifted her shirt over her head. Lara could feel his body pressed forcefully against hers; the hardness of his muscles and the strength in his arms, holding her down. She ignored the pain in her injured thigh as his hand pressed firmly against it. She locked her fingers in his hair, and around the broadness of his shoulders, as she felt his waist against her hips.

Kurtis shut his eyes and was forced to look away as he felt Lara's knee fray against his leg, slowly rising up its length, teasing his desires. Lara bit her lip and grabbed his chin, as she forcefully brought his lips back upon hers.

Kurtis smiled to himself, and they continued throughout the rest of the night.

A/N: A waited for chapter I'm sure, but not as graphic as some, but hey I prefer it that way. We don't need to much detail, just enough to know what happened hehe. ;)