Hey guys. I'm soooooooo sorry for not updating sooner. It's been ages. I've had so much going on it's not funny ae. This is only a short chap but the next one will be good. I've got something planned with Ed that will have Roy spitting sparks.

Thanks for the great reviews too. I haven't chosen a beta yet, but by the next chap I will have.

Once again, I'm really sorry about the slow update. Until next time :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of Christine Feehan's work. I'll never be that lucky.

Pain. That was the first thing resounding through Roy's head, as he reluctantly drifted away from the realm of slumber. A deep, stabbing pain seemed to echo throughout his entire body. With a grimace, he slowly uncurled himself from Ed's side and sat up. A quick glance to his Lifemate confirmed that it wasn't a dream. He had finally found his salvation, or damnation as the case may turn out to be. His blonde was a truly stubborn one. No matter. It just made the chase more thrilling.

Gingerly, he removed himself from the bed, re-lighting the candles with a sweep of his hand as he did so. He hadn't slept long at all. Maybe an hour at the most. He had held his injuries at bay too long. It was starting to become truly painful. He guessed it was his body's way of telling him to stop being such a wise guy. Roy didn't mind though. A certain part of his anatomy didn't seem to mind either. It was going to get a good deal out of the whole thing pretty damn soon. What was a little pain when heaven incarnate was in such close reach?

Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he reassessed his wounds. A deep chasm had made itself home on his chest. Blood had started trickling out, his movements tearing the clots his blood had made to stem the flow.

Right. He needed to go to ground now. No more putting it off. But . . . His Lifemate. He didn't want to leave his side. He glanced at Ed, glacial eyes softening at the sight of the boy. He felt so much love for him, he thought his heart might break. Roy knew he had to seek the healing embrace of the Earth if he was to heal, but the thought of not seeing his love for any amount of time hurt. Maybe Ed would stay asleep until he resurfaced. He would not be able to stop the boy if he awoke, and would be almost completely powerless to stop him from leaving. The sun's lethargic affects on his damaged body would have ended way before Ed should awaken, but he would need to stay in the ground until at least the middle of the night, to completely heal his injuries. Being underground made it hard to tell time, but his internal clock told him it was nearly afternoon. His body would become lethargic soon and he wouldn't be able to move as the sun reached its highest point.

With one last look at his Lifemate, he glided over to a patch of Earth near the spring. The nutrients in the soil were rich here, and would speed up his recovery. With a sweep of his hand the Earth parted, leaving a deep, grave-like hole in its wake. Roy floated down and landed lightly on his feet. With a thought his clothes disappeared as he lay down, the warm soil caressing his back. With another wave of his hand, the Earth surrounded and buried him beneath it. Feeling completely relaxed at the feel of being buried alive, he stopped his heart and lungs, and slept the deep sleep of his people.

Ed was dreaming again. Dreaming of that monster. No, not a monster. Carpathian. His face appeared in front of Ed. He just looked at him. This time though, it wasn't a nightmare. The Carpathian, Roy, his mind supplied, was a hard one to figure out. He was ruthless. Ed had seen that much, just before he'd passed out fighting that vampire. But Roy was also gentle. That didn't make any sense what so ever. Someone whose eyes looked so cold and unfeeling couldn't be like that. But when Roy looked at him through those charcoal eyes, just like he was doing now, he didn't see any ice. All he saw was warmth. God listen to him. He was sounding like a love sick school girl. He really needed to wake up. . . . but he couldn't. Why the hell couldn't he?! It was if a wall was blocking him, stopping him from waking.

Every time he tried, Roy's face would just smirk at him. How dare he mock him like that?! He'd show him. With a great mental shove, Ed broke through the barrier and emerged from Hypnos's realm.

Ooookay, he was getting a real bad sense of déjà vu. Hadn't this happened before? Hadn't he already woken up once? Mentally shrugging it off for now, he assessed the situation.

All he could see was rocks when he opened his eyes. Why the fuck was the ceiling made of rocks? Just where the hell was he?! And more importantly, where was that Carpathian?

Using his psychic abilities he scanned for the Carpathian. He wasn't anywhere near Ed, but he was still in the area.

Deeming it safe for the moment, Ed sat up, wincing slightly as he did so. His neck felt tingly. Not unpleasantly so, but it still felt weird. He rubbed the spot and looked at his hand. It wasn't bleeding so that was alright.

Looking around, he figured he was in some sort of cave. A very nice cave too, albeit a weird one. What sort of cave had a hot spring and a bed? He rubbed his hand across the satin sheets. Damn they were soft, and the bed was fucking HUGE! Who the hell slept in something this massive?! They must be a bloody giant!

"Damn tall people", he seethed.

After getting over his despising of tall people, he explored the well lit room. There wasn't much to see, but that hot spring was really tempting. No, he needed to get out of this place. Who knows when . . . Roy would come back. It was weird saying his name, but he found it rolled off his tongue quite nicely. . . Wait. . . . NO IT DIDN'T! What the hell was he thinking?! Something was definitely wrong with him. The sooner he got out of here the better. Spotting a set of rocky stairs, he headed for them, but didn't get far before he felt something in front of him, stopping him, but he couldn't see anything.

"You will not leave this place", a voice firmly declared through Ed's shocked mind. He knew that voice. The Carpathian. Gathering his resolve, he attempted to ignore it and move past the barrier, to no avail.

"Did you not hear me little one? You will not leave here. I command it."

"He didn't just call me small", Ed thought angrily.

"But you are small little one. Deliciously so in fact."

Ed sensed a smirk at these words, and saw red. Without thinking about it, he used their mental link to communicate.

"I AM NOT FUCKING SMALL YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!"

"Perverted? Yes. But only around you. Bastard? I'm afraid not. My parents were together when I was brought to this earth. In the human sense, they were married."

"That doesn't make you any less of a bastard!"

"That may be so, but it does not change the fact that you will not leave me, now that I have found you. You will stay by my side as my Lifemate."

"I don't know what rock you crawled out from under pal, but in this world it doesn't work like that. I'm leaving whether you like it or not."

"You have no say on this matter. It may be that way in the human world, but as you've seen, I am not human and am not subject to such rules."

"I don't care what the hell you think. You can't stop me."

Ed made to leave, pushing slightly at the barrier in front of him. For some reason, he knew that Roy was in the earth healing, and couldn't stop him from leaving, no matter how hard he tried. Maybe that was why he was so assertive all of sudden. Not too long ago he was scared shitless. He found he liked having this sort of control over the Carpathian. It made him feel powerful.

"You will not defy me, Edward. I am your Lifemate and I must protect you. You will stay here where it is safe."

"I can take care of myself! I have my entire life. That's not about to change. See ya later bastard."

With that, he gathered his strength for a mental punch that instantly shattered the barrier, and Roy's last attempt at keeping his Lifemate near. Ed ran up the stairs towards the surface, trying to ignore the commands that followed him. As he got nearer he found that it was getting harder to keep moving. His mind had no problems leaving, but he felt a pang in his heart that almost made him turn around, to satisfy Roy's commands for him to come back. What was wrong with him?

He clenched his eyes and jaw, put his head down, and ran. To the surface.

Roy's roar of rage followed him all the way to the exit.

Oooo Ed's been a bad boy ;) I'll have the next chap up soon. It'll definitely be longer too.

Sinful