Chapter 7: Hands Down
My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me.
So won't you kill me?
So I die happy.
-Dashboard Confessional
Everyone in the lab cracked a small smile, unable to restrain their amusement at Nyssa's infectious giggles. Michael waited a second before wiggling his fingers back and forth again on her sides, grinning as she laughed and tried to escape his hold. He kissed her neck softly before turning her around on the exam table so she faced him.
"You did wonderful, Nyssa," he told her as he reached for the neatly folded blue nightgown. It was late in the morning, but they had been up most of the night and day; he thought it best that she try to get some sleep. "What did you think, Amelia?" he asked over his shoulder.
"I think she's gained nearly fifteen pounds," she said coming up with a chart in hand. "There's also been a significant increase in her cognitive skills as well. Her test results have her in the higher end of her preferred statistical range."
"Perfect." Michael pulled the nightgown down, still grinning as her curls bounced up and down as the material slid over them. Adjusting her shoulders, the entire gown swished loosely; it was just about her size with a skirt hanging down to her ankles. When she yawned quietly, Michael picked up her into his arms, making a funny noise and getting a grin very much like his own. "Ready to get some sleep, princess?" He kissed her forehead and held her in a close embrace before turning to go. "I'll be down later to look over the rest of the results. I want her to take a nap before she stays up tonight." Nudging Nyssa gently with his shoulder, he asked, "Say goodbye?"
With a shy smile, she waved to Amelia with a very quiet "Bye-bye" on her lips. Amelia immediately returned the wave with a sweet smile. Satisfied, Michael continued out the lab doors. One of the Lycan nurses came over with another set of test results and sat down at the lab table.
"Do you think she'll ever be comfortable around us?"
"Us?"
"The Clan."
Amelia sighed as she returned to her own seat. "Its only been nine days. Most people take longer to get used to a new house. The fact that she's incredibly comfortable with her parents is a good sign for the rest of us. But its going to be a while before she feels safe enough to just walk around the house on her own."
"Yeah. I just wish there was some way we could just prove to her that we care about her."
"Well, unless something falls from the sky, we'll just have to wait."
When Michael rounded the corner into their corridor, he noticed the light coming in through another doorway. With a quick sniff, he knew exactly who was in there and decided to check it out later. Going into their room, he put another sweet kiss on Nyssa's head. "Time for bed, princess," he whispered, watching as her already sleep-bleary eyes fluttered opened briefly at the sound of his voice before she curled into his hold further.
Ever so carefully, he placed her in the center of the bed and watched for a few minutes. Nyssa adjusted herself once and settled right into the pillows, her tiny feet looking as if they stopped in mid-dance of a ballet recital as her foot flexed with her toes pointed toward the end of the bed. Her face seemed to glow as her dark curls surrounded and framed it out. It was in her cheeks and arms that the fifteen pounds were most noticeable; her belly still sunk in slightly, pulling the skin so taught over her ribs, Michael wondered if it was sometimes painful for her to breath.
He moved silently to the door and out into the hall. Shutting it only half way, he figured it would be best in case she woke up. Turning around, he looked at the other slightly opened door in the hall and sighed. The room was designated to become Nyssa's quarters when she was old enough to sleep alone. It was a few feet smaller than their room, but it was fully furnished with similar items like their room including a king sized bed, sofa, and full bathroom.
It was also where they moved the crib about three months after Nyssa's kidnapping.
Opening the door, he slipped in and shut it completely behind him. Just as he thought, there Selene was, sitting on the sofa silently and staring at something he couldn't see from the door. As he moved forward, she let a soft sigh out.
"How is she?" she asked, not moving her eyes.
"Sleeping right now. She's gained about fifteen pounds," he said with a hopeful tone as he walked further into the room, "and she's up on the high end of the range for cognitive abilities. Overall, she's making a fast recovery." She nodded, blinking a few times before looking up at him.
"I love her so much," she said, tears shimmering in her eyes. Michael quickly sat down next to her on the sofa and pulled her into his arms. Selene didn't sob or cry, just blinked out the tears quietly, pressing her face into his neck. "She's so perfect," she whispered.
"She is."
"She heals up completely and eats without problems. God, even her legs have gotten strong and she can walk on her own now."
"I know," he replied, trying to figure out what new set of worries brought on these emotions; by his reckoning, they had covered all the bases when it came to their parental fears so far.
But when she looked up at him, smiling softly through her tears and whispered again, "She's perfect," he realized it wasn't worry, but overwhelming relief. He leaned down and kissed her forehead with a squeeze of her shoulder. It was when he looked up that he realized that she was looking at the empty crib. A few cob webs had formed on it, but it was still as beautiful as the day he surprised her with it. When she was six months pregnant. Forever ago.
Selene turned her attention back as well, turning around so her back was to his chest and his arm wrapped about her shoulders. "Did you hear me? When I was in here?"
"Actually no. But I could...I could just feel that you were in pain. And when I came closer to the door, the feeling got stronger. And that was before the heat worked in here. That's when I brought in the blanket."
"And the pillow. I remember that much."
"Well, next time, don't fall asleep on the floor." He looked down to where the blanket and pillow sat folded up at the corner foot of the sofa; the last time her found her here was the day before they heard news of the car accident in Pennsylvania. Pressing his nose into her hair and taking a deep breath, he remembered all the times he would come in here, finding her sitting on the sofa or on the floor. Sometimes she would being sobbing, her chest heaving against her tears; other times, she was silent, just staring at the crib or the bed, touching the various things that she would soon discard because of them not being age-appropriate for their then missing daughter. It killed him every time, but he wouldn't disturb her. Selene needed to grieve, to cry, and she only did that around him when she thought he was sleeping.
"We'll have to clean everything up in here one day," she announced, breaking into his thoughts. "I know she loves blue and green, so we won't have to paint or anything like that."
"I'm hoping this isn't going to be anytime soon. I'm very happy where she is right now."
"No. I'm going to let her decide when she wants to move into her room." Selene laughed softly, "I like holding her when she sleeps." Tears were gone from her eyes when she looked into Michael's blue ones, reaching her hand up to touch his cheek lightly.
Leaning down, he gently brushed his lips against her own before kissing her. He stayed that way for a few moments, just touching lips before slowly opening her mouth and tasting her with long strokes of his tongue. Pulling her into his lap, he ran his one hand up and down her arm as they continued to kiss. Her left arm came around his neck as she brought her right hand up to rest on the skin atop his jugular vein, his increasing pulse sending a shiver down her spine.
Moving away from her lips, he leaned over her and began to kiss her neck. Sucking and licking at the incredibly soft skin, he would graze his fangs over the most sensitive areas, smiling as she loosed several deep shudders. His hand worked its way up under her arm, massaging the skin there as he ran his thumb along the curve of her breast. When he grabbed her up closer to kiss around her neck, Selene gently shook her head.
"She...might wake...up," she whispered hoarsely, her eyes rolling up as he placed his unoccupied hand on her ass and squeezed it hard.
"I left the door open," he explained, his voice muffled by her skin. "If she wakes, we'll hear her."
He thought she was going to protest further when she pushed him up from her. Already growing hard and dying to make love to her after nearly five years of never doing so, he tried to keep his disappointment hidden from his eyes. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she mouthed the word "Slowly" before pulling him back down into a passionate kiss.
Michael had no problem with that request.
Sucking his bottom lip between her teeth, she bit down just enough to draw out a drop or two of blood. The sweet coppery taste from those drops coated her tongue, riling all of her senses and causing her to moan low and deep against his lips. Traveling her hands down to his shoulders, she pulled herself up into him. Sliding his hand down her belly and between her legs, he pressed lightly and smiled into her kiss as her hips bucked forward into his grasp. But seeing as she wanted to go slow, his hand moved to her thigh and he rubbed the muscle there gently.
They stayed this way for several minutes, the rays of sunlight filtering into the room through drawn shades and creating the most perfect atmosphere for them. It was warm, comforting, and welcoming. Each kiss, each tiny movement of their fingers, and restrained breath that moved across exposed skin felt perfected. When they slid down onto the floor, Selene straddling Michael's knees as he knelt on the rug, it was as if the entire world outside didn't exist. Even with light blaring right into her closed eyes, Selene had no pains, or worries, or even fears.
Their daughter slept safely in their room and Michael wasn't going to stop until they were both satisfied. This was peace and perfection.
Arching her back, she breathed a bit heavier as he kissed her skin through her shirt, sucking her breasts through the material as his hands cupped them lovingly. As she leaned back into his arms, he lowered them, guiding her down, down, down to where her shoulders rested on the floor. As she went backward, he trailed his lips down her body, nudging the material that already slid up her skin to go further so he could taste her flesh fully. Dipping his tongue into her belly button, he lifted her legs from around his and rested them on the floor. As slowly as he possibly could, he unfastened the buttons on her pants, touching each exposed inch with his lips.
As he worked them down, he realized that her legs were shaking slightly. Once the pants were off and tossed away, moved up to her, running his hands all the way from her toes to her hips before resting against her and kissing her hard. Taking all the time he wanted to, he made the kiss linger a long while before moving to take her top off. He pulled the stretchy material of her tank with the tips of his fingers, coaxing it into his grasp before taking it up to her head.
The shirt was just to the point where it covered her eyes when he stopped, confusing Selene for a moment that very quickly passed. Groaning, her back ached from the curve she put it in as she gave Michael's wandering lips even better access to her bare breasts. With a swirl of his tongue, he bit down slightly and enjoyed the now prominent shaking of her body against his as she held onto his arms with a vice-like grip. Moving over both straining peaks then up the deep valley they created, he finally yanked her shirt off. Soon after, he removed his own shirt, preferring to less complicate things later.
With the exception of her panties, Selene was almost completely naked before him. And for her, that wouldn't do at all.
Leaning up to kiss him, she stopped short of his lips and merely breathed on them. Her hands moved from his shoulders down his torso, nails sliding through the sheen of sweat on his skin. When she reached the fastenings on his jeans, she couldn't help but smile. Popping the button open and carefully sliding the zipper down, she purposely grazed her fingertips over him, eliciting a grunt and groan from Michael. She sat up slightly, her face in his neck as she slid his pants down and he kicked them the rest of the way off, his boxers going with them. Selene's breath came out raggedly and she fell back to the floor as Michael ran his now extended nails down her sides and to her hips. Pinching the thin elastic band, he ripped her panties in half and tossed them aside as well.
Now, there was nothing between them.
Oh please God, don't let Nyssa wake up. Please, she begged inwardly.
Drawing her legs up, she gently pressed her knees into his sides and cradled him closely with her thighs. Not wanting to put his full weight on her, he only partially leaned against her, resting chest to chest and grinding his hips into hers. Touching his face, she pulled him into a kiss and rolled them over so she laid atop him. When she sat up, he moved his hands to her waist and raised her up slightly. In agonizingly slow motion, Selene let him guide her down onto him, biting her lip so hard she thought she would just take a piece off. When she slid down, body to body again, a gasping moan escaped her.
They both went completely still, eyes closed tightly, their breathing loud and echoing in the large room. The last time they were like this, Selene was five months pregnant; with her belly large and rounded, Michael couldn't get as close to her as he wanted. But now he could.
She laid back down, kissing him passionately as he wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. It was fulfillment that Selene knew she missed, just didn't know how much she did. Adjusting her legs slightly, she pulled her hips back and pushed forward again. A shiver passed through her when Michael unconsciously loosed a low, possessive growl.
Fuck going slow. Moving again and again, she set a slightly fast pace, moving as far back as possible before sliding forward again. Michael arched his back slightly as he placed his hands on her hips. He wasn't trying to change her movements; just wanted to hold onto her. At first, she laid against him, stealing kisses between heavy breaths and moaning into his mouth as he pushed up into her. But soon, she sat up again, linking fingers on one hand and letting the other move up and down his chest.
It was the first time she'd been on top with him. In her very few previous interactions with other immortals, she refused to lay submissive to her partner and always took control; none of them ever protested. But with Michael, she never felt as if it was submission. The way he made love to her, it was almost as if he worshiped her every time. He knew how to move, what to touch, even when to kiss her and brought her to an amazing ending every time. Even now, with him beneath her, his touches and kisses made her feel almost god-like.
Her breath came out in breathy panting, a soft moan in her throat escaping as the pressure built up within her belly. Everything seemed to wind up tighter and tighter, her ability to breath or even think becoming cloudier with each passing moment. Staring down at him, the reflection in his eyes showed her eyes changing from their normal brown to the vampiric blue that came about only when she fought, fed, and fucked.
"Oh god, Michael," she whispered, moaning again. Their pace quickened as both felt very near to completion. Selene didn't want to lean back down to him as this position provided her with many...advantages, but wanted to pull him closer, to hold him as they achieved satisfaction. It must have come through to him by the look in her eyes because he swiftly adjusted himself to a kneeling position, the movement causing her to gasp loudly and bury her face in his neck.
Now they ground against each other, each eliciting sounds of pleasure as they brought each other closer and closer. Dear god. Selene's head bobbed slightly, her mouth opening wide with a desperate whine. Her back arched in Michael's hold and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, inadvertently pulling his face into her neck.
With his hot breath spreading across her skin, hands holding her even as her body pulled back, and teeth just lightly pressing against her neck, Selene let go of whatever she held onto inside. Her voice raised up as her orgasm rocked her entire body. Her hips pressed down harder on his and she leaned forward, holding him so tightly their bodies seemed to meld together.
Michael couldn't hold back and growled loudly into her skin as he felt his own release. He thrust into her, the feeling of her body clenching down and fighting against his movements was phenomenal. In his arms, he felt her body go slightly limp, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Kissing her shoulder, he grinned as she ran her fingers through his now damp hair. He leaned his head back, touching her face and watching as the blue melted back into brown. She looked exhausted, her eyes staring back at him with a haze over them.
Carefully, they untangled themselves and went back to the floor. Curling up next to him, Selene slipped her leg over his and brought herself further into his embrace.
"I love you," she whispered, smiling at him.
He kissed her lips gently and smiled back. "I love you too." They laid there, falling asleep together as the sun just began its descent from the noon sky.
Rubbing her eyes, Nyssa didn't realize at first that she was alone. Looking around at the room from her bed, she saw that the front door was slightly open and no one else was here. Settling back into the pillows, she knew that her parents weren't far away; a couple of times she would wake from a nap and they would be off somewhere. It didn't matter that much because they always came back to the room, smiling and cuddling her.
Turning on her side, she smiled as a few snowflakes danced by the windows. Her father told her earlier that morning that there might be snow on the ground the next morning. Sitting up again, she watched as the wind tossed about the tiny specks of white.
For all that Nyssa didn't understand, she had begun to grasp the concepts of the world around her, specifically the Clan house and its inhabitants. She knew that her momma and daddy ruled over the house (and recognized early on that her mother seemed to have the most control). Without much interaction elsewhere, she based the way the Clan acted on her experiences with the Lycan nurses and the female vampire named Amelia. Through them, she figured that the Clan cared about her and wanted to help her as well.
A very different situation from where she came from.
Despite her extensive time in the Coven's keep, Nyssa only had a few vague memories of what happened. Most of her fears came from emotions or physical pains that had no specific memory attached to them, but resounded within her mind constantly. Like her wrists; its was when Kara, one of the nurses, asked her if something was wrong with them and pointed out that she would sometimes grab, itch, and rub her wrists that she realized she did that. In her dreams, she would feel a stinging pain in them and begin to claw at them. Waking up the one time, she actually made herself bleed badly and cried into her daddy's shoulder because of how much it scared her.
She knew she lacked knowledge in a lot of things and often felt ashamed of it. But her parents always encouraged her, telling her its fine and help her to understand. And although it had been less than two weeks ago that she came here, Nyssa couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
After a few minutes of watching the snow fall, she started to get out of the bed. On the bedside table lay a folded up pile of clothes that were her size and she wanted to try and dress herself again tonight; Selene let her do it with minimal help the night before. As her feet touched the warm carpet, she suddenly felt strange. It was a heavy, haunting feeling as if...as if she was being watched.
Looking up, she dropped down to the floor with a yelp. Standing on her parents' balcony was a woman clad in a white dress. Her eyes were the same electric blue Nyssa remembered the vampires had when they got angry with her. She smiled, revealing large fangs in a wicked grin. Nyssa started again as three other women appeared on the balcony ledge, all wearing white clothing of some sort.
Scrambling to her feet, she ran on shaky legs across the room and out into the hall. Looking both ways, she didn't notice the light come on from under the door of the other room nearby. Instead, she ran as fast as she could toward the window hallway. Making her way along the long line of glass, she came to a halt when one of the vampires actually stood not a yard from her...inside of the house. The door she came through was still open, letting the cold winter air flush away any heat in the hall.
The vampire stood for a moment before baring her fangs and lunging at her. Nyssa shrieked briefly, jumping forward and dodging the vampire. Instead of continuing into the house, she went out the door and into the now lightly snow-coated gardens. Stumbling along the dirt path, Nyssa went a good distance into the large courtyard before stopping to take a breath. The wind blew and she shivered in the cold, her night gown not providing much by way of protection from the elements.
A hiss caused her head to snap up and she found herself surrounded by the four women. They stalked in toward her, smiling wide with their fangs glowing in the soft light of the cloud-covered moon and glow of the house. One of them stepped forward and without a warning, back handed Nyssa to the ground. Catching herself with her hands, Nyssa stared at the snow for a second, not wanting to look at the women who she knew were going to hurt her.
Her eyes darted over when something dropped into the snow. It was dark and stained the pristine white surface. It fell again, making the spot larger. Reaching her hand up, she touched her lip and looked to see blood on her fingers.
Another set of hisses came from the women as they closed in on her. Each of them looked to the other, satisfied despite the lack of fight from their prey. But they all stopped moving when a low, dangerous growl reached their ears. They looked around, finding no one else in the gardens; not even the guards on the wall saw them get into the compound. And the growl came again.
With shock on their faces, they realized that it wasn't another vampire or a Lycan making the noise; it was the child. They had barely any time to react as Nyssa shot up from the ground, eyes pitch black and body changing as she attacked the one nearest her. Black claws extended from her tiny hands and she drove them into the woman's neck, ripping out her throat with a spray of blood.
Each of them took a position around her, hissing at Nyssa and starting slightly as she growled even louder, releasing the bloody flesh from her hands and charging toward them.
She wasn't going anywhere without a fight.
A/N: yes, another massive rewrite. The next chapter will hopefully not need as much done to it, but i seem to just be completely doing this thing over again as it is. who knows?
until next chapter,
anthestria