Chapter 3
They ran for the open meadows full speed ahead for a friendly spar. Kathleen and Shaddix placed themselves twenty feet apart, Western duel style. They drew their weapons, and smirked each other. Shaddix chose an inlaid iron sword, fashioned for the royalty of England. Kathleen chose her favorite blade, a Japanese katana fashioned by one of her father's friends; the blade was thin and had a design worked into it so when the enemy's blood smeared the blade, it would flow down it in the engraved pattern. They both chose daggers as their secondary weapons and slipped them into their boots.
"We will play for blood. The first one to three blood wins." Shaddix challenged.
"That is fine by me, I'll be treat your wounds afterwards" Kathleen boasted.
"We'll see, kitten. Now stop bragging, and lets get to fighting." he answered.
They both began by side-stepping in circles measuring each other up. Shaddix was the first to lunge, he was met equally by Kathleen. The colliding swords resounded sharply, and scraped on retreat. Kathleen jumped to Shaddix's left and placed herself behind him. She drew her dagger instantaneously and marked his cheek.
"First blood, my rival." she snickered.
Shaddix also reacted as quickly as her, he whirled around dagger in hand, and sliced her hand.
"One for one." he countered.
They both leaped back, evil gleams in their eyes. Their dance began again, circling, stepping forward, shining weapons lightly kissing the ground. Kathleen made the first move in the second round. She feinted to the left, then threw her momentum to the right, slid into Shaddix and cut his upper thigh. He looked at her surprised.
"Getting a little close there, don't you think , darlin'?" he reacted.
"Just a little," she mocked as she sprang back up, and spun into position behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, and put her dagger to his neck. She drew a drop of blood, and let him go.
"Three blood. I win." she mused.
"You cheated! Those were both cheap shots!" he said incredulously.
"Did not. All is fair in love and war. You should know this by now." she answered as she re-sheathed her weapons. He did the same and remained looking away.
Shaddix mumbled while she laughed at him. He turned around to look at her; she stood there hands on her hips, grinning. Then she stepped forward and licked his cheek. He looked at her funny,
"What?" she said
"You licked me?" he asked confounded
"Yes. Your blood tastes good." she chucked
"Why?" he questioned
"I don't know, I love the taste. Don't question me, woman!" she said
"Did you just call me 'woman'?" he exclaimed
"So what if I did?" she challenged
"That is just not right. Clearly, I am not of your gender!" he retorted
"Well, you sure act like one." she said and walked away smugly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he shouted after her.
"Quiet down! I am not deaf! It means what it means." she yelled back and continued walking towards the castle.
This drove Shaddix nuts. He could take humiliation, and everything else, but he despised not knowing things. Especially when it came to things a certain someone said. It left him puzzled. He followed her lead. It was a peculiar feeling for him. He wasn't ever this open and informal with anyone. He felt like a child. It seemed he had much to learn.
He jogged to catch up with Kathleen. He evened his steps with her, and studied her face.
She caught his glance and said, "Do I have something on my face again? You're looking at me funny."
"No, I was just wondering if you would like something that I had in mind." he said
"Oh. Well, what is it?" she asked
"It's a surprise." he smiled
"You know, I hate surprises. Last time YOU surprised me, you were trying to kill me. And the last time I was surprised by anyone else, I got pegged in the face with a ball." she grumbled.
"Well now, if I promise not to hit you in the face with random objects, will you consider letting me surprise you?" he bargained.
"Ok then, it's a deal. But I swear, if you injure me in any way I will punch you in the face." she threatened.
"You're forgetting, it would not be the first time today that you would have wounded my face." he mused.
"Alright, that is a fair point. So what will I need to go on this surprise excursion?" she questioned.
"You will need nothing. I will take care of all the preparations, while you wait in the library." he stated.
"ok, whatever you say, dude." she said.
They approached the entrance of the castle. The sun was beaming in through the windows casting the main corridor alight with shimmering facets of stone. It was a breathtaking sight. Kathleen paused at the door, then headed toward the library she's seen on her way to the kitchen. Shaddix made his way towards his bedchamber to retrieve the necessary things.
He walked into his closet, pulled out many towels, a picnic blanket, bathing suits, and sandals. He stuffed those items into a bag and made his way into the kitchen. There he made sandwiches and packed fruit, chips, soda, and napkins into a basket. In his opinion, simpler was better in this case. He was glad that he had a staff that took care of the castle and kept it stocked for him. The castle was his favorite and forgotten runaway spot. He dropped several chocolates into the basket and popped one in his mouth, they were his favorite treat. He felt like he was set to go. He hoped it would be an interesting afternoon, and knew they both needed a day off. He made his way to the library to meet Kathleen, grinning like an idiot.
Kathleen busied herself by inspecting the reading material. There were countless books aligning the bookshelf from floor to ceiling. She paced and ran her finger along the spines of the books reading their titles. She finally chose one The Art of Demon Fighting. It was beneficial to her safety to know partly what she was up against. She sat down on a leather chair and began reading.
Shaddix found Kathleen immersed in a book. He rapped softly at the door.
"You ready?" he asked.
She looked up startled and said, "Yeah, sorry, this book was just interesting. Let's go!"
"Ah wait, one condition." he said
"What?" she inquired
"You will be blindfolded the whole trip." he chuckled.
"What! Why? That is evil!" she exclaimed.
"Just trust me." he said
"But I don't!" she yelled feeling panicked.
"Oh, come on. Get a move on. I wont kill you, we already established this." he soothed.
"Agh! Just for the record, I totally hate you right now." she grumbled in distaste.
"That is fine. Hop on my back and hold on. The trip will be much faster this way, since I can imagine you falling and tripping all over the place." he joked.
"You know I don't like being carried. I will take my chances with falling on my face. Just lead me." she said.
"As you wish." he laughed.
He took her hand in his, and turned her around, he placed a black blindfold over her eyes. They walked out of the room. He looked over at Kat, she looked scared. He chuckled at her worrisome expression. He led her out and towards the forest behind the castle. He was a little worried of her breaking her ankle on the roots of the giant trees. She followed effortlessly.
After an half an hour of walking, they had reached their destination. Infront of him lay a magnificent clearing, and in the middle of it was a sparkling blue-green pond. The sunlight managed to filter through the canopy above, and warmed the earth all around them. Flowers bloomed in the surroundings of the small lake. There were even lilac water lilies bedded on the far side of the water. It was Shaddix's magical place, the one his grandfather showed him when he was young. There was the light scent of damp earth, grass, and flowers. It was relaxing.
He drew them closer to the water, then eagerly went to uncover Kathleen sight. Her eyes fluttered, then widened in amazement at what he was showing her. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, then she took in a complete view of the field. She glanced at Shaddix, wonder filling her green eyes, then approached him shyly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest.
She whispered, "Thank you."
He blushed profusely. This was not the reaction he expected, although it was a lovely one. He half expected for her to run around freely and holler, the typical rambunctious-ness she usually displayed. He held her for a moment.
"So what do you want to do, go for a swim, and then eat? Or eat, then swim?" he asked shyly, a reaction to hers.
"Let's eat first. Then we have the rest of the day to swim. I bet I can kick your butt in a cannonball contest." she beamed.
They sat down at the edge of the water and set up their picnic. They enjoyed their lunch in silence listening to the light bird calls around them. When they finished they eagerly ran behind different trees to change out of their battle outfits. Kathleen came out in a black two piece that showed off all her sexy curves, accentuated by some battle scars. She also had a series of scratches decorating her left upper arm that were clearly not from fighting. Shaddix marveled over her figure, flawed but perfect. He was dressed in black trunks, which contrasted with his pale skin, making the shadows of his contour more pronounced, deadly. He too had similar scars to hers. It gave Kathleen a thrill to see him so exposed, it did not hurt that he was ripped.
They looked at each other, both getting a challenging gleam in their eyes once more as they walked nearer. Kathleen sprinted the last few feet and jumped on Shaddix. As she was on top of him she said, "First one to the pond wins!"
She jumped off him and dashed for the pond. He lay there for a quarter of a second hypnotized by her curves in motion, and then leaped after her, she already had a ten foot lead on him. He smirked, and teleported himself to the middle of the pond and cannonball-ed into the water. When he came up, he shook his head dramatically. He watched her expression get confused as she skidded to a halt. He chuckled.
"Hey! That's not fair!" she yelled from shore.
"Yes it is. You didn't specify any rules." he said smugly, it was now Kathleen's turn to be the sore loser.
"Whatever." she said.
"Come on in! The water's great!" he grinned.
She strode to the edge of the water, and waded in slowly. She walked until the water met the middle of her torso, and swam to meet Shaddix in the middle. She felt the magick beneath her, and she glided through the water joyously. Once she reached him, she splashed him in the face.
"Jerk," she said as she stuck her tongue out.
"That is not very ladylike, Kathleen. If you're not careful, your face will stay that way." he joked.
"Well, then it would have been all your fault and the guilt would stay with you for however long my face is frozen this way." she said.
"Not true, I was not the one being immature." he said
"Whatever, Shaddix" she said and stuck out her tongue again.
They played Marco, Polo in the pond for some time, but they were both so swift at the game, they tired of it easily. They decided to explore the waters below them. They swam amidst the different colored leaves, and watched tadpoles swim away along with several different silver fish. They resurfaced laughing. Kathleen spotted some ducks across the pond and decided to give them a scare. She dove under and Shaddix followed suit stealthily. They swam for several yards before spotting the shadow of the birds on the surface. They bounded for the air reaching for the duck's feet. The ducks felt their feet pulled and squawked. They let them go in a flurry of flustered feathers. They snickered merrily at their own mischievousness, bubbles floated to the surface from their expelled laughter.
They both swam to the other side of the pond onto a small dock used for fishing. They jumped up onto the edge and sat there for a moment. There was a small cottage within view, so they dripped their way over. Shaddix opened the door using a demon charm. It opened to reveal wooden flooring. When they stepped inside Kathleen realized the whole cabin was made of wood and assorted stones, it surprised her to see such an outdated building style. The room they were in was a sitting room, on the side opposite to them, a thin carpet decorated the spot near the fireplace. There were two rocking chairs at either side of the rug, and a small coffee table in the center made in a rustic fashion. Above the fireplace sat two black vases in which were several dried out roses, from the looks of the coloring, they had once been a dark red. Above the fireplace hung a painting of the open meadow they were in with several unicorns grazing there. The fireplace itself was made of a slate-grey stone and several brick colored stones. The mantle was made of peculiar white stone. Inside the fireplace there were only ashes, the last remainders of whoever had once resided there. Next the them were several dust covered bookshelves that contained old books written in runes. They were all leather-bound and the pages were parchment.
The place looked as if it had been untouched for a hundred years, except it must have been cleaned by someone since there was no trace of dust. They continued their walk into the dining area of the cabin, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind. The table was squared, made of a dark oak, the chairs were sturdy and watched the table. There was an antique iron oven in the right corner, with wood still nestled into the firing compartment waiting for its mistress to return. On its adjoining wall was an doorway leading to a hall. There was a makeshift window on the left wall letting streaks of sunshine filter through. The debris in the air shimmered, making the cottage feel homely despite its vacancy. They explored further into the hallway taking a left and paused before a door. Kathleen took the lead and pushed the door open, leading Shaddix in. There was a bed in the center of the room. The bed was covered by an antique quilt, it appeared a soft, faded yellow. At the end of the bed was locked chest. They looked at each other and smiled. Shaddix took Kathleen's hand and picked her up in his arms. He walked over to the bed and lay her down gently. He towered above her resembling a god, his onyx hair falling over his pale face and drops of water fell onto her chest. His eyes looked troubled. Her eyes roamed over his features, she saw the clouds form in his eyes.
"What is wrong, Shaddix?" she asked worriedly
"Why?" he asked her.
"Why? What?" she said
He traced the marks on her arms, and looked at her pained, "Why?"
"I deserve it." she whispered.
"Why?" he whispered as he leaned closer to her
"I, I just do" she said softly, tears beginning to form in her green tinted eyes, she felt the worry and pain her statement had caused him, his mind was a flurry of emotions.
"No you do not, Kathleen," he said his eyes also beginning to gleam," Please stop."
"I cannot, Shaddix, you cannot read my mind, you have not seen what I have, you do not understand at all. You have no clue what my mind could show you. I need this more than you know, its not just a torture device. Do not worry, my own blade shall not kill me, my father enveloped it in protective magick for that same reason." she said as she looked away.
"You can teach me to understand. I do not wish to see you leave this world the way that my own mother did, she surprised a guard one night as she put me to bed and used his sword to slit her own throat. I remember crying for her from my crib and watching her eyes glaze over as she covered us all in blood and collapsed." he said his heart wrenching inside of him.
"You were not responsible for your mother's death, unlike me, I killed my own father." she cried quietly. He lay next to her and took her trembling form in his arms.
She continued crying, "It was five years ago, I was eleven. Father was sent upon a mission to dispatch some of the demons that were murdering people several towns over. He told me to stay behind, but I, I didn't I stowed away in his car without him noticing. I thought I was capable to help him, since Seth went with him. Seth ended up going on a different mission from father, a safer one. I followed him to the outskirts of town where those demons were residing, there were only twenty of them housed in the forest the commander had said, a slightly more difficult job. I had my sword by my side trailing his movements. The mission had been a set-up. Father was being ambushed by over fifty shadow warriors. He could have taken them all easily, had he not realized that I was there. I was doomed against the skilled warriors. Father ran to save me disregarding his enemies. He touched my sword and charmed it, then sent me home, but not before I saw the shadow warriors plunge their swords into his chest. He fell before me and before I could touch him, I was already back home. I did not want to be home. I wanted to die by my daddy. I wanted to take all those demons and kill them all. I wanted to take daddy's sword and plunge it into my heart. I died next to my daddy that day, I killed him, I, I, I did not mean to Shaddix, I swear, I loved my daddy with all my heart, I would not have gone if I had known, I would have listened. I loved my daddy! I loved my daddy! Shaddix, I loved him! You do believe me, don't you? It was my fault, I should have died, not him. Not him!"
Her frail frame was rocked with convulsions as she relived the events she did not want to remember. Her eyes were streaming tears full of anguish and guilt. She clung to his chest trying to save herself from the void that threatened to swallow her whole. She felt the infinite cold settle into her body and freeze her veins, she was feeling her vision fading to black once more, she could hear nothing but the sound of her father's ripping flesh, and the splash of his blood showering the floor. She was terrified and wishing death. Her body kept shaking as she drifted into oblivion, she could not bear the weight of her broken heart. She let her life force destroy itself, she commanded it do so. She was finally brave enough to let it go, now that she had told someone of her crime.
Shaddix held her close, whispered to her, trying to save her from herself. He did not blame her for anything that happened, he was sure her father did not either. It was not her fault! He felt her body temperature drop until she was freezing, he felt her body shutting itself down, her grip on him got weaker. He could see her life force drifting away, the iridescent silver aura surrounding her getting dimmer as she released her own reality, her own life. She is killing herself! He began to feel panic. He pulled her closer to him, frantic, asking her to come back to him. He was terrified. She was not responding, her body was calling the escort of souls, the Ankou, to lead her to the next life. The black light of death began to surround the fading silver. He was desperate. He was going to do the unthinkable, he hoped he could forgive himself for it. He had to save her. He would not watch her die, watch her kill herself.
He kissed her slowly and deeply, parting her lips slightly with his tongue, and bit into her lower lip with his fangs, blood oozed slowly out and he drank some of it, he then bit his own lip and placed his hot mouth against her freezing lips. Their blood began to fuse. He continued to kiss her, testing to see her reaction to his blood, to make sure it did not burn her. When he noticed her body was not rejecting him, he continued. He bit her neck and drank deeply. Her blood was like fire, a siren song running through his veins. He broke from her, his once violet orbs turned crimson. He then took his knife and slit his left wrist open. He carried her body and held it against his own, then tilted her chin. He pressed his wrist to her mouth and forced his life into her. He chanted in his own demonic language, his oath and union to her, begging the shadows of fate to grant her to him, to save her life. He felt the fates song play within his veins, pulsating and thrumming inside him - saw as her life force turned from a silvery black to a shimmering red, bonding her to him forever and saving her from the Black Angel's arms. On her collarbone was now inscribed his symbol in silver, and their unique union mark given to them by the fates. His collarbone bore her symbol, and their union mark. He held her feeling her life come back, but he had corrupted her life's force. The only regret he had was that he had tainted her angelic lineage with his demonic blood when making her his lifemate.
The day had turned to night as he held her. His heart beat one with hers. He was remorseful that their first kiss was the one that will taint her forever. He had intended for things to go much differently than they had. He wanted her to escape, but not into the arms of the Ankou. He should not have asked her about her pain, he almost killed her. He shuddered at the thought. He loved her, he was sure that she was his life mate from years before, lives before. Then they had been different, he had not been able to save her. This life she lived.
He felt her stir, she pulled closer to him and whimpered.
"It is all right, Kathleen, my darling. You are safe, you are with me." he murmured to her.
"Daddy? Am I with you at last?" she whispered, dazed.
"No, Kathleen, you are not dead, my love. You're in my arms, I am Shaddix remember?" he whispered as he pulled her closer and stroked her hair.
"Shaddix? I should be dead. Why am I not dead?" she cried softly. She looked up at him frightened and pulled away from him.
"I did not want you to die, Kathleen. Please do not leave me." he said full of sorrow.
"I do, I do not understand." she said softly, bewildered.
"I saved you, I hope you can forgive me and my selfishness. I, I had to. You are now bound to me, and my life-force as my life mate." he said softly, averting her eyes.
"Why Shaddix? You knew that I wanted to die, why did you not let me? It hurts too much… do you hate me so much that you won't give me the reprieve of death? Isn't that what you wanted?" she cried and recoiled from him.
"I know, sweetheart, I know you wanted to die. But you are mine now, and I am here to make sure that all your sorrow fades, and smiles return to your lovely face. I do not hate you or wish to harm you, not anymore. I thought I had proved that to you. Will you not come to me, Kathleen?" he asked, anguished.
"Shaddix, I, I can't, do you not remember what I am?" she said
"I do remember, yet I cannot help but love you. Please, stay with me. Trust me, don't fear me. Have faith in me…" he pleaded.
She looked around her, and then finally at her hands, she saw herself glowing red.
"Wh-what have you done to me, Shaddix?" she stammered, her voice shook and broke.
"You have demon blood coursing through you, I tainted you… I am sorry. It was the only way to save you, I did not intend for things to play out like this. I do not know if it will wear off with time , but it binds your soul to me. You are bound to me by the shadows of fate, as I am to you until death. See this silver mark? You bear a similar one. It is my oath to you, and one you bear is the acceptance from your soul, and the fates." he said sorrowfully.
He crossed the distance she had put between them and knelt before her, taking her hands in his. "I promise to you, Kathleen, that I shall let no one harm you, and I will love you even if you decide to leave me. But for now I am begging you to please accept my bond to you and stay with me, at least for tonight. You can do as you wish in the morning, I just want to watch over you tonight. Please, say you will stay." he pleaded, vulnerable as he had not ever been. His soul was open to her. It was up to her to have or reject him.
"For tonight, Shaddix. Just for tonight…" she whispered terrified, shaking.
He stood and embraced her slight body. He gently brushed her cheekbone and pressed his lips unto hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck his hands found their way into her tresses and the small of her back. She deepened his kiss by pulling him closer. She felt his warmth against her, warmth that she desperately needed. She wanted his tenderness, she wanted his love more than anything. She would break without his strength. She would have died without him.
He took her in her arms with care and settled her onto the bed once more.
He spoke, "Let me lavish you with my love, my sweetest Kathleen. Will you let me become one with you tonight?"
"Please, Shaddix, I am freezing, lend me your fire. I died in your arms tonight." she whispered through hazy eyes.
"Anything you wish, my love. I will always bring you back to life. " he whispered.
He was on top of her and kissing her in moments. He parted her lips, tasted her tenderness, he nibbled at her lower lip. She melded into him kissing him back, reaching out to him from within herself.
He pulled away and undid her top, he slid off her bottoms and his, leaving their bodies exposed to each other. He placed himself between her legs, but did not enter her. He resumed his lavishing. He started at her neck, lightly kissing and nibbling while his left hand came upon her breast. His thumb gently stroked her nipple, and it became erect at his touch. He trailed his way to her other breast, taking it into his mouth and suckling, he traced circles with his tongue. She gasped and bit her lip. He moved to tend to the breast he had been fondling. His fingers roamed upon her silken skin, he lightly clawed at her ribcage and down her back, then grabbing her hips and rubbing circles where her pelvic bones were. She moaned lightly. She reached out to touch him as he was touching her. She wanted to feel his length in her hand. Extending her hand toward him she felt him extremely hard and long, she stoked him then wrapped her hand around his shaft. She applied pressure to his member while her thumb caressed his tip, making him shiver.
He took her hand and placed it above her head, "Tonight is for you to enjoy, my kitten, not for me." he said removing her hand.
He kissed between her breasts then nipped her gently, he continued down her stomach, ribs, hips, leaving traced of his kisses on every spot of her body. She felt a fire flare between her legs, her arousal was increasing into an ache. She wanted him desperately as he was driving her into a slow burn frenzy, she felt herself get wet with need. He moved his head between her thighs, making it a point to bite and lick his way down each leg. Kathleen writhed and moaned at his caresses. His fingers met the flesh where her thighs met. He rubbed her warm wetness into her velvet folds. She gasped and shivered at his touch, opening herself wider to him, giving him access to her most intimate parts. His thumb began to massage her pleasure bud as he delved his fingers into her. She moaned as she felt him feel inside her. She met his hand eagerly as he delved into her again and again. Suddenly, he removed his hand, she whimpered at the emptiness she now felt between her legs. He placed his mouth between her legs, pushing his tongue where his fingers had been. His thick tongue danced inside her, filling her with new sensations and evoking an even greater fire with her, she yearned for him and called out his name. She clawed at his shoulders.
"Shaddix," she moaned her breathing quicker, "I need you inside me now, please."
"Is that truly what you want, Kathleen?" he asked, his voice husky with desire.
"Yes, my love, take me now. Make me yours." she whimpered with lust.
He grasped her hips once more, she took him into her hand and led him inside of her. He thrust into her as he crushed his lips against her, silencing her moan. He felt her warmth around his shaft, and her ardor. It caused him to moan against her lips. He plunged into her as she clawed at his back and wrapped her legs around him wanting him deeper inside of her. She met his movements fervently feeling herself get tighter around him. He made sure she felt every inch of him inside her, hitting her all spots, loving her desperately. He saw her begin to shiver, her nipples hardened, she arched her body to him as she pulsated around him. She began to moan in ecstasy and cry out his name. It was the most glorious, carnal sound in the world. He continued thrusting inside her delicate body feeling his own release become one with hers. They collapsed trembling in each others arms. Their primal love overcoming them.
He held her for the rest of the night, loving the exquisite girl in his arms.