Elle had been contemplating the first thing she wanted to do as soon as they made it to Caius' apartment, but as soon as they made it through his door, she wasn't given a chance to do any of them. She was shocked when she found herself pushed up against it with him pressed against her. Though, her shock didn't last long.
It was several heated minutes later before either of them pulled back enough to speak, even though neither of them wanted to. Caius sighed as he reluctantly stepped back far enough for her to catch her breath. He smirked down at her.
"I have wanted to do that many times today."
Elle chuckled as she squeezed his sides. "You aren't the only one. I suppose focused willpower training is good for something."
He leaned down and kissed her once more, but it was brief and soft before he stepped back and took her hand. "As much as I would like to carry you to the other room and continue, we do have things to discuss."
Elle sighed as she allowed him to pull her across the room. They had only gone a few steps before her eyes lit up, and she pulled on his hand. "Wait. Why don't we talk while we bathe?"
He turned to her with a raised brow. "I can heat some water, but it will take time. I usually use the public bathhouse instead."
She rolled her eyes at him. "You need more imagination."
At her taunt, he pulled on her arm until he held her close once more. He then leaned in, and his voice dropped into a seductive murmur. "Have you not already had a taste of my imagination? I would be glad to demonstrate it again."
Elle felt a rush of heat flash over her that made her knees weak. She somehow managed to answer. "That wasn't what I was talking about, but I'd be happy to see it again."
He chuckled as he pulled her even closer before he ran his tongue across the shell of her ear. She shivered when his breath crossed it as he whispered. "Remind me later."
She wasn't sure if she wanted to curse him or jump him when he then released her and stepped back again. She did neither when he gestured toward the bathing room. "I assume you had something in mind then?"
It took Elle a few moments to pull her senses back in, but once she did, she gave him a glare. He only smirked at her. She realized he was teasing her at that point, and her eyes flashed as she smirked back. Two could play at that game. She let her fingers trail across his stomach as she walked past him and into the other room. "Why don't you come and watch. It should be interesting."
Caius realized his mistake as he saw the flash in her eyes when she looked back over her shoulder. It didn't help that she was watching his while she paused in the doorway and started undoing her hair before running her fingers through the loose strands. Perhaps it was a mistake to tease her. Or to tell her he appreciated her hair in the first place. Either way, he was following without thought as she started toward the bathing room once her hair was down.
Elle had to bite her lip to hide her smirk as he followed her, though she couldn't stop her squeal when he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck as soon as they were in the other room. His voice was husky. "If we are to get any talking done, then we must both agree to a temporary truce. Otherwise, I am afraid we will not get far at all."
She wanted to chuckle at his words, but his mouth was already doing amazing things to the spot where her neck and shoulder joined. She was glad his arms were around her because she wasn't confident her legs would hold her at the moment. Somehow, she still found her voice. "You say that bu- ugh." Her words were cut off as his teeth scraped over her pulse point.
Elle knew she was already a quivering mess, but she was satisfied to hear his voice was just as ragged near her ear. "It may be too late."
Despite how badly she wanted him to pick her up and toss her on his tiny bed, Elle somehow found the strength to turn in his embrace. Part of it was the fact that she was still a little sore from the previous night, and a hot bath was just what she needed before they proceeded to do it all over. She reached up and cupped his face. "I need a bath first. Though I won't complain if I have company. I think we should both fit."
Caius took a deep breath to calm his blood and managed to pull back enough to nod. "Why don't you show me this interesting thing you mentioned?"
Elle wanted to groan as she pulled away, but she still managed. She then padded into the bathing room and turned on the water. She quickly undressed while the tub filled. Caius did groan when he came in to see her bent over the side of the tub with nothing on. He had to close his eyes to keep his hands to himself. That didn't mean he remained silent. "While that is a lovely sight and will probably haunt my dreams for days to come, I somehow doubt that was what you were talking about."
Elle looked over her shoulder with a frown. It wasn't until she saw him leaning against the door with his eyes closed that she realized what he was talking about. Her cheeks heated slightly as a rush of desire ran through her. Part of her was a little disappointed that he hadn't acted on whatever he had obviously been thinking when he walked in, but she pushed that thought aside. She had asked him to wait after all.
She still called out to him. "I'm heating the water. It should be done in just a minute."
Caius opened his eyes in surprise. His curiosity temporarily overrode his desire, and he made his way to see what she was doing. When he looked over her shoulder, he saw she had both hands in the water and was swirling them around. He could see a visible glow around them both. His eyes widened when he realized she was using her power to warm the water. He looked down with a smirk. "That is quite inventive. I would not have considered it."
She turned her head to look up at him. "Haven't you ever heard that necessity is the mother of all invention?"
He frowned slightly. "No, but that does make sense."
It was only a few minutes later that she stood, and he could see steam rising from the water. She gestured back at the tub. "It might be best if you get in first."
He climbed in at her insistence and descended with a slight hiss. The water was slightly warmer than he would have chosen, but once he was settled, he could almost instantly feel his muscles relaxing. He looked up at Elle to see her looking down with trepidation. He bent his knees up and gave her a smirk. "This was your suggestion, after all."
She nodded slowly. "Yeah, but that tub looked a whole lot bigger before you got in it."
He chuckled and held up his hand. "You are tiny. There is more than enough room."
He chuckled again when she glared at him, but she took his hand anyway. She was glad to see he had been correct. Once she was seated, there was still just enough room for her to sit comfortably between his legs. She leaned back against him with a sigh and let the water work its miracles for just a little bit.
Caius was hard-pressed to keep his body from responding to the feel of her pressed against him, but he refused to keep his hands to himself. He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned back. Her eyes were closed, but she still smiled at the actions and placed her hands over his on her stomach. They sat there like that for several minutes before she finally spoke up.
"I suppose now is as good a time as any to talk about what this is. Or, more importantly, what this means."
He took a deep breath and laid his head back against the wall. No matter how right this felt, he still had no answers to that question. Outside of the moment, what could they be? When he did not respond, Elle finally spoke up again. "Look, I know that we both have obligations that make this a tenuous proposition."
She turned around at that point and knelt so she could face him. Her face reflected her seriousness, though it was not blank. Nor was it sad. Caius realized she was being as open with him as she could, and he sat up further to show he understood. She took one of his hands as she continued. "Caius, I don't know what the future holds for me. I don't know if my job will be done in a year, a month, or a week. I can't make promises. I know you have obligations too, and I would never ask you to lose that focus. Ever. That doesn't mean we have to walk away from this. Not if you feel like I do. I have never wanted to open up to anyone else. Not like this."
Caius felt his breath freeze at her words. He wasn't sure exactly what she was confessing, but he held no doubt that she was saying he was special to her. Moreso than any other male had been. He knew he had not been the first male in her life, which did not surprise him, but he wasn't sure what to think of this information. Was this more than a fulfillment of lust for him? Could it be? She had been correct that he had obligations he could not set aside. There were no laws against Guardians forming lasting attachments, but it was frowned upon nonetheless.
He could tell his continued silence was not what she needed. It was like watching a light go out as her openness slowly transformed back into the blank mask she wore so often. He suddenly found he did not want to see that happen. Not again. He could not face seeing that mask after having seen her light. He reached out and cupped her cheek as he spoke. "You are correct. We both have obligations, but this is something I would choose to cherish while I can. Whether it is a day or a thousand days."
It was like the sun had suddenly come out after the rain. Elle's eyes lit up, and she leaned forward into him. Caius suddenly felt like every nerve in his body was on fire as her wet body pressed against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up into his eyes. "If that's the case, then I suggest we make the most of it while we can."
He hadn't thought it was possible, but he somehow managed to pull her closer as his lips found hers. When he finally released her, his breath ghosted over her mouth as he answered. "Indeed."
The rest of the festival week flew by much faster than either Caius or Elle wished it to. Nothing was said to either of them about her absence at the compound each night. Yeul even went so far as to reassure her that it was expected with the season, and intimated that with the traders incoming and the extra workload it might happen more often even after the first week was finished. When that had happened, Elle wondered if it had been on purpose, but didn't dare ask. She still wasn't about to give up the opportunity either.
The downside to the whole thing was the fact that both she and Caius were required to go back out on patrols after the festival was over. Not that it was too different than what they had been doing before, but it was extremely frustrating to have to sleep feet away from each other instead of wrapped up together on the few nights they did end up sleeping outside the city in camp. Neither of them felt that most of their team would condemn them, but it would still make things awkward, so they kept their distance.
They also kept their professionalism in the field. They both had enough experience to know that being distracted with monsters around would only lead to injuries, so that was not an acceptable state of mind. Neither of them lacked focus when they were outside of the city.
The same could not be said when they were in the city. It wasn't that they acted inappropriately in public, as they were both aware of their positions, but there were many times that they caught each other smiling for no reason, or the brush of a hand caused a smirk as they passed each other.
Given their discussion, they had decided that it would be best to keep things quiet. Not that they felt it was wrong or bad, but they were both aware of how the public could react. Neither of them wanted the public involved in their relationship at all. For the most part, they were successful, though there were a few that did not miss the signs that things had changed between them.
Laer was one of those people. He had suspected for some time that it would be a possibility. Before either of them even, but the first time he saw them on a hunt after the festival, he almost walked away. He felt like a knife had been plunged into his gut when he caught Elle smiling up to Caius with sparkling eyes. She practically glowed, and it was stunning, and the most painful thing he had ever seen.
Still, he could not hold it against the man. He sighed and turned away from the sight. He knew he should say something to them. Warn them of the possibilities of the troubles that they could face, but that would have to wait. He could accept this, he could even wish them well, but he could not do so with them in his face. Not yet.
After that hunt, he made sure he was never on their team again. He knew it would be upsetting for Elle, as they were close friends, but he needed time and space. Instead, he transferred to Mirus' team. Thankfully, the older Ballad twin no longer seemed to be so focused on the Apprentice and his charge. It was easier to forget his worries when everyone around him wasn't worried about it either.
Things were hectic for the next several weeks while the autumn trading season finished, but to Elle, they couldn't have been better. She spent nearly every night with Caius. Whether it was in his bed or out in the fields, they were hardly separated. She had dated in the past, but she had never felt like this before. She was hesitant to put words to what she felt. The thought of it scared the hell out of her, especially since she knew she would most likely eventually have to leave, but she couldn't deny that for the moment, she was the happiest she had been since she was a girl and her mother was still alive.
No matter how much she wanted to freeze time, life did not always agree, and that fact was made more than clear one day near the end of the final week of the trading month as the last of the traders were packing up to leave. Caius and Elle were in the largest of the city squares. Elle had been laughing at Caius' hatred of the cold as she splashed the slightly chilly water on him, but their attention was jerked to the side when they both heard a loud voice call out. "Paddra Sol-Caius!"
Praes had stalked into the square, and everyone in front of him had scattered. Elle froze with her heart in her throat at the look he was giving Caius. Whatever was going on, it was obviously something important, as her lover had stood to his full height and faced his mentor with a frown.
Neither man moved right away, though the people that had been in the square all scattered to the edges to leave the area between them clear. The silence that had descended was eerie and had Elle's skin crawling. She suddenly had a horrible feeling that she knew what this was and wanted to pull Caius back. Before she could act on that feeling, her attention was drawn when she caught sight of Yeul stepping in front of Praes. Had it not been so silent, she might not have been able to hear the girl, but as it was, her voice carried across the square.
"Do not do this, Praes."
"Is that an order?"
Yeul did not speak right away. When she said nothing, the Guardian looked down at his charge almost apologetically, but the look quickly changed back to the scowl he had been wearing. "It is my duty to ensure that you are looked after. That includes making sure I pick the person I believe will be able to one day best me and take my place. I thought I had found that person, but I can see that is no longer the case. I cannot allow this to continue."
Yeul did not budge. "You do not know that he is not still dedicated to me. He may still beat you. Do not. Please."
Praes laid a hand on her shoulder, and his gaze softened once more. "If the Goddess sees fit to grant him the strength to beat me, then so be it. Perhaps then he will have his priorities straight. This is one thing in which I cannot follow your wishes." Yeul lowered her head as her long time guardian stepped past her to face the one man she had known her whole life. The man that had been like a brother, and one she had cared for more than most people ever knew. She raised a prayer to the Goddess that this path was the correct one, no matter the outcome, though she could not turn to watch it.
A/N: We all knew something had to happen, right? . Don't kill me yet, please. Things may get rough for a while, but I did start this to make things up to Caius, after all, so don't worry that it'll be bad. Things will definitely be interesting from here on out, so I hope you all enjoy. Thanks for reading!