Tristan's Peace - Chapter 20
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that you may recognize from King Arthur. Nor do I own any that you may recognize from the Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I am merely playing with them for a time. So please don't sue me, I have no money. Nada, zippo, zilch.
WARNING! Some sexual content ahead. If any of this squicks you, please do not read!
The Swedish Fish have made a comeback!
June Birdie - Hope you like this one. More possessiveness.
KnightMaiden - Don't worry about them. They will be happy. Remember; Death is not a permanent thing in this story. Twists and turns, that's me.
Cardeia - Shay. Not sure I have the time to make that man happy. Would love to though as I am addicted to the whole Were thing. Especially in these books.
Ash IS a bit saddened as the prospect of losing her. She IS kin after all. Thank you for liking the others. I've tried to give them individuality. Each one different. And Spurius? I've got wonderful plans for him.
I'm trying to tie everything together. Am I succeeding? Am I forgetting anything?
And oh - TAG YOU'RE IT!
op - I hope there's fighting soon. But not in this chapter. Sorry.
C.J. - I've changed things a bit since you read the preview. Hope it's okay.
blu-waffle - I don't know what to say. Your review had me smiling for hours. I so very much happy that you liked it as much as you did and continue to do so.
Melosine - They will be happy. Have faith. This is a major angst peice. But with a happy ending. I hope you like this chappie. Not as hot as yours as I've tried to intice the imagination.
2005
"Jac?" Carrick had moved behind Joachim, following him into the kitchen. Her steps sluggish as she moved on the tiled floor.
Joachim turned around, pulling Carrick to him. He pooled all his warmth, pushing it into Carrick's shivering body. She was so cold, her teeth were chattering.
"What's happening?"
Jac put his lips into her hair, briefly taking in her scent of roses and sandalwood.
"It's okay." His whispered. "It won't last long." And it wouldn't. The last time Teagan had re-invoked the protective spell on the house was when she was first remembering her past. It was the time Acheron had first brought her here.
Joachim shivered himself at that thought. And it wasn't from the cold. It had been scary for his young mind. No one had been able to leave the house or come in for about a week.
He had only been around eight when Acheron brought her here. She had been wild. Virtually uncontrollable. She had been thrashing in Ash's arms, her own arms hitting the Atlantean in the head. Teagan had been screaming words in such an ancient Latin that Joachim couldn't understand until after the fact.
Quite a few years later.
Her hair had been knotted and dirty. You couldn't tell the color. Her face a mass of bruises. And her arms. Bloody from what looked like self induced cuts. Her eyes had been such a red that he still saw them in his nightmares. She had looked like a wild demon rent from some Hollywood horror film.
It had taken Ash and Rosie over twenty four hours to get her settled to where Teagan was at last sleeping. He remembered watching her sleep, fitful as it was.
Joachim had crept up to the room where she was sleeping. Rosie and Ash were in the kitchen talking heatedly, so had not seen him as he slowly opened her door.
Ash hadn't really wanted to bring her here, saying that she needed to be with her family. That she needed to go home.
Rosie was telling Acheron that Teagan was home. That this could become her home. And that going back would only be making things worse. Especially since things had changed so drastically.
Curious, Joachim had decided to see this woman that Ash had taken such a liking to. He had never done such a thing. Mostly bringing humans to Rosie who had needed help after dealing with one on his Dark Hunters. Usually Rosie got them after something had gone wrong. When a problem needed solving.
She looked like a fallen angel. She had been wearing a white nightgown with all that flaming red hair around her. Her wrists and arms were bandaged. Her remembered watching her as she woke up, her tired eyes focusing on him as he stood rooted at her door, unable to move. She was looking right at him. Her eyes were like twin pools of swirling silver.
Jac mentally shivered. No, she wasn't looking at him. She had been looking THROUGH him.
And sometime after that, before Teagan could realize who he was, Acheron had sent Joachim back to his home in Whales. To await for her to discover him properly.
"But what is it?" Carrick's soft voice brought him out of his memories.
"Teagan's put a protection on the house."
Carrick pulled away from Jac, feeling warmer. She still held the afghan around her tightly. "Why would she do that?"
"She feels threatened. And when that happens, she does what she can to protect her loved ones."
"Really?" Carrick knew that Teagan was a healer. Not quite like the Dark Hunters that she hung around with. With the exception of watching Teagan's calm with the others or at times being a diplomat, Carrick really didn't know what she was.
Now she could feel the magic in the house, surrounding her, penetrating her. At first it was scary, now it felt like a calming presence.
Joachim held his hand out to her. "Walk with me?"
Carrick nodded, placing her hand in his and smiling when he tightened his grasp.
0o0o0o
Tristan quickly drove through the city of Rochester, barely paying attention to the traffic signs. At first, it had been odd, driving on the wrong side of the road. But, it had gotten easier after he nearly missed the first ten vehicles he passed. Not to mention the crowd of people that had stood outside that place, Nick Tahoe's.
He didn't ask Teagan which way to go. He remembered. It wasn't often that her forgot anything. One drawback of having his senses, his memory...
Tristan remembered the very first day he had seen her in the practice field at Hadrian's wall. It had been right after they had returned from a particularly long mission. She had just pulled of a shot that he, himself had often found hard to do. She had looked so confident in her abilities. Almost like she didn't even need to try to know she would make that shot.
No, she wasn't showing off, he knew that. Teagan hadn't even realized he and Gawain were there until Gawain thought to applaud her. She had turned to them then, fire and ice all at once.
Those eyes of hers the very blue of the sky from his home. They way he wanted to remember it. Her hair the colors of the brightest fire. The golds, the auburn, the reds.
She had made his blood turn to fire on that day.
He couldn't forget the very first time he had kissed her. Felt her soft lips against his rougher ones. The energy he had felt in that kiss. She had molded herself into him completely. He had just wanted to sink himself into her. To feel her warmth.
Tristan's heart clenched as he remembered the first night he had ever made love to this woman. They were supposed to have received their papers that day, liberating them from Rome's control. He had loved her that night. Giving himself to her completely.
He hadn't understood at the time why he had needed her so badly. Except that she truly wanted to be with him. Understanding what was always lurking just underneath the surface. Taking him on when the violence came. Never condemning.
He had ever looked forward to seeing her upon his return after missions. Committing every time he saw her to memory.
Tristan remembered the night she bore his children into the world. Two of them. A boy and a girl. Crying, ready to take on the world. She had never looked so beautiful as she had that night. Holding a baby in each of her arms.
He couldn't stop tears from flowing that night. Watching her as she slept, a contented smile playing on her lips.
He couldn't forget the sight of Teagan as she was tortured and murdered that night. Couldn't forget the sight of her as she turned blue from the lack of oxygen in her blood. Couldn't forget the way she looked at him as she died.
Her eyes were so full of regret.
That one particular memory stayed with him every single fracking day of his unnatural life.
And it was very similar to the way she was looking at him now.
0o0o0o
Joachim led Carrick through the rooms of the house, finally stopping in the library. Releasing her hand, he bent low, lighting a long match. He straightened after he tossed the match into the fireplace, the almost instant blaze warming his face.
Jac turned slowly around, taking in all the books and pictures that were on the wall. He would always swear that he has never seen more books in the library. And more would arrive almost daily. He wondered if Teagan had read them all.
Knowing her, she probably had.
"This house has been so full of magic for centuries. Old magic." He plucked an old book from it's shelf and blew off the non-existent dust. Replacing it back to where it came from, Jac ran his hand along the spins of others as he wandered around the room. "It was part of the reason that Teagan stayed in this house. That and this room."
"Do you believe in magic?"
"I didn't. I do now."
It was Carrick's turn to wander around the library, coming to stop in front of the fireplace. "I remember coming into this room when I was younger." She pointed to one of the large red, leather chairs. "Teagan was sitting there, crying." She pointed up. "Holding that."
0o0o0o
At first, Teagan didn't look at Tristan's face. She wasn't sure that she wanted to see the hurt in his face. Or the anger that she knew was there.
She could feel it. It emanated from him in waves. Waves that felt like hot flames to her skin. She wanted desperately to reach out to him. To sooth the pain away.
Regrets flooded her mind. Regrets of what his life would have been had she not met him.
Teagan kept her hands folded into her lap, her cheek against the cool canvas of the jeep's seat.
If she hadn't decided to go to Hadrian's wall, she never would have met him. Or any of the knights. She wouldn't have become friends with any of them. Nor would they become her family. If she had just stayed in Isca...
And if she hadn't, Tristan never would have met her. Nor fell in love with her. He wouldn't have been fated for this existence. Maybe he would have survived that battle with all those Saxons, maybe he wouldn't have. But, if she had never been involved with him, Merlin wouldn't have brought him back. He would have died and gone to the Otherworld with the rest of the warrior brave. His family.
Or, she should have died when those barbarians captured her. Then, only she would be here now.
Not Tristan. Doomed to this immortal existence.
He didn't deserve this.
Trying to bury her rising emotions, she looked anywhere but at his face. The movement of his legs as he drove captured her attention. She watched as he shifted the gears of the Jeep, his right leg lifting slightly as the left pressed the clutch. The muscles visible under his dark pants as he shifted gears.
The transmission grinded a tiny bit as he misjudged the timing. A mumbled "shit" came from his lips causing her to finally look into his face.
Tristan looked at her, his expression unreadable. His eyes so dark. Another pang went through her as she realized that he no longer had those deep brown orbs that she could often look into. The only part of him that could not hide what he was feeling.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as unshed tears hung along her eyelashes.
"Don't."
"This never should have happened to you." She turned her head away from Tristan, looking out the passenger side window. "I never should have brought you into this." Blinking, she felt the tears fall, unable to stop them.
Suddenly, the Jeep stopped. And Teagan had to hold her arm out straight to prevent herself from going through the front window. As it was, she hit the dashboard hard, jarring her arm into her elbow. It didn't hurt much as her body immediately fixed itself.
She turned her head to say something to Tristan but only saw and empty driver's seat, the door wide open. Just as quickly, she couldn't move. Tristan had moved to her side and opened the door in no more than a blink. He had his hands holding her arms roughly to her sides. His face, no longer indecipherable, was so full of anger and hurt that Teagan again felt regret.
Which Tristan could see in her.
"Don't you ever say that." He growled as he stared at her.
Teagan's own anger started to rise. Mostly in herself as her eyes instantly changed colors. "And why not?" She was having a harder time than usual controlling them.
"Because you didn't force me into anything."
Teagan swallowed, blinking. When she opened them, they were blue again. "If you hadn't met me, you would have been free."
Tristan growled, pulling her out of the seat. His fingers bit into the flesh on her arms as pushed her against the side of the jeep. Her back hitting with a small thud. Her breath leaving her lungs in a loud sigh.
Tristan brought his face very close to hers, his breath hot. The sensations sending shivers down her spine. The look in his eyes was completely male. Feral.
"I was free."
She turned her face away only to have Tristan's move closer to hers, making her keep eye contact with him.
"It was you who gave me that freedom."
For a moment, Teagan's eyes flashed a muted red, her skin becoming hot to Tristan's touch. He didn't let her go though, for fear that she would run. It was plain to him that she didn't believe him.
"I was a slave to Rome. I was a slave to the thirst I hold deep within me." Tristan paused here, taking in a shuddering breath, his grip loosening on Teagan's arms. "I was a slave to the violent urges my mind brings me to."
Teagan's eyes narrowed. She gave a growl herself. "Now you are a slave to Artemis." She gathered her strength, pushing him away so he staggered back just a bit.
"You are a slave to Artemis. Going where she wants you to. Doing her bidding." She straightened her back, giving him an almost defiant look. "For fifteen hundred years, she has kept you doing her will. You are still a slave."
Quickly, he took the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it over his head so he was bared from the waist up. Dropping the shirt to the ground, he again moved close to Teagan.
In a movement that wouldn't have been seen by the normal eye, he bent his head low, taking Teagan's lips with his own. His hunger for this woman forcing his body to crush against her. He felt Teagan's hands come up, one hand resting on the mat of hair that was on his chest the other coming to rest on his side, right above his belt.
Tristan's tongue forced hers open roughly. His heart thrilled when her tongue met his, her hand pulling him closer into her.
Teagan moaned as she felt Tristan's hardness against her belly, his heat pouring into her. His lips left hers and caused a fiery path across her jaw, down her neck. She arched her neck as his fangs found that spot where her blood ran thickest.
He let out a groan himself, his teeth pressing into the soft flesh of her neck. His senses taking in her intoxicating smell. Her soft moans encouraging him to take her.
"Tristan, please."
He paused, right above her neck...
Checking himself, he moved his lips down further on her neck, to her shoulders. His hand finding it's way under her shirt, leaving shivers as he moved upward, cupping a breast.
Teagan moaned again, her body arching into his, her head thrown back. The hand that had been on his chest had moved to the back of his neck, pulling him closer while the fingernails of the other was now creating deep crescents on his lower back.
Tristan's lips moved up again, kissing her neck just as she swallowed hard. His knees forced her legs farther apart.
His hands moved lower...
0o0o0o
Joachim took in a deep breath, hoping that what he would say next would not scare Carrick away. He was thinking that he was in love with this small woman. And had been for a very long time. Maybe since he first saw her. She was the smartest person he had ever known. Her strength of will was amazing. And she had this knack for not letting the opinions of others cloud her views.
Innocence and experience all bundled into one woman.
He stood up from the chair, unbuttoning the denim shirt he had on. "I want to show you something."
Curiosity about Jac brought Carrick closer. She brought her face closer, looking at the strange mark on his chest.
There on his chest, right above his heart was a tattoo. It looked like a yellow sun, pierced by three white lightning bolts. And in it's very center, there was some white lettering in a language that Carrick couldn't even begin to understand.
Carrick ran her fingers lightly over the tattoo. Sending shivers of desire through Jac. He had never thought of a woman like this. He had always mentally covered his mark whenever he was intimate with a woman.
"Are you one of them?" She was thinking of the Dark Hunters.
"No." Not exactly.
"Does Teagan have that on her too?" She was his Aunt after all.
"Yes. But her's is very faint. It only comes out when her powers are needed or she feels threatened." Which would be right about now, Joachim thought.
It wouldn't take Tristan long to find the mark. If he was looking.
"Will you tell me what it means?" Her fingers lingered on his chest, tracing the outline of the sun.
Joachim shrugged. "It's simple really. Acheron put these on us to protect us."
"Protect you? I mean, besides all those ugly things out there." Carrick let her finger trail further down his chest, smiling shyly when he shivered. The muscles twitching ever so slightly.
Joachim grabbed her wrist, holding it gently away from him. His smile telling Carrick not to be worried, but that her touch was doing things to him.
"We are blood related to Acheron. In essence, royalty. We are protected from Artemis and her magic." Carrick lips made a slight O, her face becoming warmer as Joachim pulled her closer. "She is more protected than I, for I have yet to cross over."
"You're going to be like her?" It came out no more than a whisper as she was suddenly having a hard time breathing.
Jac pulled her close to him, his free hand coming to rest behind her head. "When I die." He pulled her closer, he head lowering. "I will take her place." He said against her lips.
Carrick sighed...
0o0o0o
Tristan's fingers made their way to the front of Teagan's pants. As he unbuttoned each button, his hand moved lower, underneath her panties. At the pop of the last button, Tristan moved his hand around her hip, forcing her pants down as he cupped her bottom.
He pulled his face away just enough so he could see her eyes before he kissed her again. They were dark. Dark blue of a summer thunderstorm. Her now very human eyes, were filled with desire.
Swiftly, he picked her up, pulling her pants off the rest of the way. With a heated glance down, he brought himself hard against her open legs, wanting desperately to be within her.
Teagan's lips sought out Tristan's, her own hands finding the button of his jeans. She was rewarded when he pulled away just enough to let her pull down his pants with a well placed toe. When they were down to his knees, that leg wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer...
0o0o0o
After kissing Carrick, Joachim again took to wandering around the library. Feeling the magic that surrounded them slowly settling. It didn't dissipate in any way, just leveled out. Almost like a wave as it moved over the ocean.
"You won't die will you?" She was standing right where he left her. Her fingers touching her lips.
There was genuine worry in Carrick's voice. Enough worry that he moved quickly to her bringing her into his arms.
0o0o0o
Panting, Tristan pulled away from her, immediately feeling the coldness. His fingers cupped her chin, bringing her eyes to his. They were the brilliant blue of the Sarmatian sky.
"It was you who gave me my humanity back. You, who made me want life, not just a good death." His head dipped again, kissing her softly.
Teagan reached a hand up, caressing his heated face. Her eyes searching his for something. She wanted to say something, anything, but found that words would not come.
So Tristan did for her.
He kissed her palm. "It was for you that I chose this life." Then, in an overwhelming feeling of emotions, he pulled her closer, holding her tight. He didn't want to let her go. He tightened his hold on her, his hands softly caressing her skin. Committing it again to memory.
As he did, he paused just under her left shoulder blade, feeling something that had not been there before.
"What's this?" It felt odd. A raising of the skin, almost like a branding. He didn't bother looking at it, but let his fingers trace the pattern.
He was more interested in the way she smelled at the moment, the way she felt in his arms. He could look at her skin another time.
Teagan shrugged. "It's my mark. Like yours."
Tristan's mind went immediately to the bloodstone amulet that was tucked safely in the pocket of his jeans. That most precious part of her. The part of her he wanted desperately to give back to her.
But, he knew he would be unable to kill her to replace her soul.
Tristan gave her a small smile, kissing her on the forehead. He bent and pulled up his jeans, leaving the top button undone. Without looking at her again, he went about finding the discarded clothing. Trying to nonchalantly check his pockets.
He was nearly undone again as he watched her. Teagan wasn't moving, nor was she speaking. It was just the sight of her at that moment. She was sitting on the edge of the jeep's passenger side seat, wearing nothing but her opened shirt. Her tank had been pulled down, but she had absolutely not one stitch of clothing on past her waist.
Teagan was sitting calm as can be, with her legs crossed and her hands folded on her knees. Her hair was a disheveled mess, lips swollen and red.
She looked like she had been well and proper... Loved.
Gathering his will, he helped her dress again. He felt a bit odd, pulling up her pants while she stood there with her hands on his shoulders for balance. Re-buttoning her jeans was the most erotic thing he had done in a very long time. Along with watching her as she pulled on her thick leather boots. Twisting her ankle, making the chain tinkle.
Tristan swallowed hard. "We really should be getting you back to the house."
Teagan let out a peal of laughter, startling Tristan so he dropped his shirt.
"Do you want me to drive?"
A/N: Well? Was this one okay. Another that I've done a bit of agonizing over. I keep putting of the blood and gore stuff. Sorry. But will be for a while yet. I don't write that stuff well.Baby steps.