A/N: Again the words in brackets [ ] are the music tracks I listened to while writing if anyone is interested. Just a reminder, I will update my profile with the date of the next post once I have an estimate, so it's a good place to check, but you're welcome to private message me too if you want to know.

Soaring Hawk- thanks for the encouragement with work. Only one more month of serious crazy and then it'll all level out. This story is seriously helping me get through it. I'm glad the wait was worth it.

maggie56- I love bookworms, being one myself. Thank you so much for the heads up about the spelling of Lucian. My stupid computer was trying to correct me and I was foolish to listen without checking into it. All previous chapters have been corrected and re-posted and all future chapters should reflect the change. I'm glad you love the detail. I revise a lot to make sure I haven't left out something important. I'm just having so much fun telling this story.

Chapter 5: Caught Wet-Handed

[Strictly Physical, Blood & Chocolate Score]

Aleeria nodded, slowly stepping off the bench, feeling half drunk on want and need. She'd been close to something, she could feel it. She wasn't certain what it was, but she wanted it desperately and she was certain that she could imagine a few ways she could reach it . . . if Sabas weren't chained to the floor and ceiling. She fumbled through putting her hair back into place, eliciting a small whine from Sabas. She was about to ask him what was upsetting him, when the key began to turn in the lock.

Lucian stepped into the room scenting the arousal of both occupants like an overwhelming wave. He glanced around at them, curious, but they both seemed to look more or less as they should be. Aleeria certainly didn't look as though she'd just thrown her dress back on, though her hair seemed a bit more untidy. Then he noticed something that gave it all away.

"Aleeria, Sabas," Lucian greeted pleasantly. "Lunch is served. I'll just put this on the table." He looked Sabas over critically. "Well Sabas you certainly don't look too the worse for wear. I suppose Aleeria's torturing has only just begun.

"So it would seem," Sabas replied smoothly. "Be sure to tell the others not to worry about my welfare."

Lucian nodded, understanding the underlying message: Sabas was laying a claim on her. He wondered if Aleeria knew. He suspected not. "I'll just leave you two to your food then. Aleeria, you might want to be careful about getting your dress wet. It might raise questions with others." He headed out of the room without another word or so much as a backward glance.

When he was gone, Aleeria turned to Sabas, confusion and panic in her eyes. "What was he talking about?"

Sabas was visibly holding back laughter, the chains quivering with the effort. "I see what he means. We'll have to be more careful. Look at your dress Aleeria. We seem to have been caught wet-handed."

Aleeria glanced down and saw an unmistakable, large, wet handprint over her right breast. Mortified, she blushed down to the roots of her hair and went to the fireplace to dry herself, while Sabas chuckled.

"Lucian knows now. What if he heard us too?" Aleeria hissed. "This is just the sort of thing I was worried about."

"You make quite adorable sounds. If there were cats around here, he'd just think there was a particularly happy one in here." Sabas commented thoughtfully. And like any good dog, he'd love to chase this particular kitty.

Aleeria blushed further. "I see. I'll try to keep my cat noises to a minimum in the future."

"It's much better torture if you don't." Sabas argued, teasing. "Lucian won't betray us. If he was going to, he wouldn't have mentioned your dress." His tone reassured her, like a balm on her nerves.

Aleeria considered, the initial embarrassment and panic easing. "You're right. Besides, he's our friend. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thought such things." She moved back to Sabas, her dress dry.

Sabas wished once again that he could touch her, to soothe her. "Don't be. You're just being careful. That's kept you alive a long time." Then his stomach rumbled, interrupting them.

Aleeria grinned. "Well your top half is all clean, trimmed, and shaved. Time for some food before we start on the bottom half," She suggested moving towards the food. "You're going to need to keep your energy up," she teased. Aleeria scanned the table and back as Sabas, realizing that she would have to feed him. "I'll be right back."

Before he could ask where she was going or tease her back, she was halfway out the door and down the hall. Sabas shook his head, for someone innocent of body; she certainly was becoming quite skilled at innuendo-saturated banter. She was so shy about it when she'd first come in and now she'd settled into an entirely different comfort level. Even better, she'd made it clear enough that she was not usually, what were her words? 'So bold.' It made her repartee with him all the more seductive, knowing she didn't speak like this with every male she spoke to at length. Though from what Aleeria said about Sabine's isolation of her, it was likely she rarely spoke to any male at length. That too pleased him. It was one of the many things that he was finding to be utterly enchanting about her; the way she made him feel like there was this hidden side to her that she was revealing inch by inch for him and him alone. It was a sort of mental and emotional seduction and by the gods it was working, weaving a spell around his thoughts like a sensuous haze.

Aleeria headed down the hallway towards the entrance where Lucian guarded them. "Lucian," Aleeria whispered when she reached the halfway point. "I need your help for just a moment. Please."

Lucian shadowed the entranceway and began to make his way towards her. "How can I be of service?"

"I need to move the table closer, so it's easier for me to feed him," She explained as he reached her. "And I wanted to thank you for your warning."

Lucian nodded. "Of course. Just be careful for both your sakes. Sabine will punish him far worse than you if she finds out that you've been in any way compromising her wishes."

Aleeria nodded, shuddering. "I never want to see him punished again, Lucian. Once was more than enough."

"Good." Lucian held open the door for her and Aleeria walked in and pointed to the table in question.

"If you could just move the table close enough that I won't spill when I feed him that would be perfect." Aleeria directed.

Lucian nodded. "You certainly are suffering today Sabas. Being bathed and fed by a beautiful woman. I wonder if every day is like this for a Blood."

Sabas grinned. "I certainly could get used to it."

"I'm sure you could." Lucian replied, tugging the table into place, careful not to disturb the contents of the tray he'd brought in. "I'll be keeping watch until nightfall. Just be careful not to attract unwanted attention. I'll do what I can to help."

Sabas exchanged a meaningful look with Lucian. "Thank you. If we can ever return the favor, we will."

Aleeria nodded. "Of course Lucian. Anytime." She enjoyed the way Sabas spoke for her, seeming to know her thoughts on the matter. It was another subtle gesture that seemed to join them.

Lucian nodded and headed towards the door. "Enjoy your food. Let me know when you want to food taken away."

Aleeria wanted to ask him how he could allude to whatever was happening between Sabas and herself so casually, but she felt it wasn't the right time to ask. It wasn't just that she didn't want Sabas to misunderstand her question and think she felt in any way shamed by their explorations. It was also that she was afraid if Lucian lingered too long, he would disrupt the moment that seemed to be building in the room, weaving a spell around them. She'd speak with Lucian later. There was probably something in her Mistress's house that needed his attention. If not, perhaps she'd ask her Mistress if she could have a dagger made for her for protection. It seemed like the sort of thing that Sabine would suggest soon enough anyway.

Aleeria moved herself over to the food, refocusing her attention and began to cut one of the steaks into small bites. There were potato patties with herbs as well and fresh bread. She speared a bite of meat and brought it to Sabas's mouth. He took it from the fork with surprising delicacy and began to chew, closing his eyes, and savoring it. Aleeria took a bite herself while he chewed. She took turns between feeding him and eating herself and drinking water from a wooden goblet.

Aleeria was stalling for time, focusing on feeding him. She knew it and was quite certain from the inquisitive looks he kept slanting at her that he knew it too. She was grateful that he was being patient and letting he work out the words in her head. "Sabas, I wanted to ask you something." Aleeria, began, her voice shivering with nerves.

"Anything," Sabas encouraged, invitingly.

"What we were talking about before Lucian came back," She faltered. "I just want to be sure you do not mind . . ." she couldn't finish it. She didn't know what to say. She was too shy to tell him how she felt about him, but she didn't want him to think that he was just convenient either.

Sabas grinned at her shyness, knowing what she was getting at. "Aleeria, as I said, I have no issue with you satisfying your curiosity with me or experimenting so you know how to please your future mate. After all, I have a certain stake in the results. Perhaps the mate you will be pleasing with these skills you seek to hone will be me."

"Perhaps," she replied, keeping the hopeful tone from her voice. She didn't want to seem desperate. "Still, I don't want you to feel I am taking advantage of you."

Sabas laughed so hard, his chains rattled violently. He stopped only when he could see that she was still troubled. "I'm sorry. You have to admit the idea of a human girl taking advantage of a Lycan does seem rather funny, given your Mistress's concerns."

Aleeria laughed along. "Yes, I suppose that does sound rather silly, but you are chained up securely, so you are relatively harmless to me for now. It's not as though you could stop me while you're shackled like that."

He frowned a bit. "I have no interest in stopping you even if I could. Aleeria, I promise you I am a willing victim of your tortures. If you're still unconvinced, I'll tell you how to you could satisfy your uncertainty."

Aleeria eyed him curiously. "How?"

Sabas glanced at her smiling slyly. "Unlike females, males have a more obvious display of interest. I'm sure you've noticed," he explained calmly, his voice low, suggestive.

Indeed she had, it was all she could think about at the moment. Aleeria was innocent in many ways, but she'd lived in the castle long enough to know of the goings on between men and women. Besides, she did know horses and she knew how the stallions became when a mare was in heat. Still, the idea that Sabas could be having such a reaction because of her was powerful, intoxicating.

"If you're curious," he continued. "You could feel my 'interest' out."

Sabas readjusted his stance and Aleeria's gaze was once more drawn down. She noticed that his pants did seem tighter. She looked more closely and could see an outline of his length under the leather and blushed.

Aleeria's eyes focused sharply on his. "I see. Does your 'interest' like to be touched?" She asked, her tone coy, though her gaze remained intense.

"Very much, but only do so if you wish to," Sabas replied, trying to keep his voice even, surprised once more by her apparent eagerness.

Aleeria grinned, delighted by the idea. She placed her hand over his heart softly, but firmly and slid it down his body until it rested over him. She felt a dark thrill course up her arm through her hand as she made contact. In her excitement, a rather naughty joke began to form. He was part wolf after all. "Is your 'interest' anything like a tail?" She asked beginning to trace his outline and watching fascinated as the outline seemed to grow in size and definition.

Sabas caught a glint of something mischievous in her eyes and quirked his mouth in response. "Perhaps, it certainly likes to be stroked like a tail and it can be a good indicator of my mood."

Aleeria bit back a giggle, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I see. So, I should stroke your 'tail' with the fur then? From base to tip?" She mimicked the motion with her fingers, petting him through the leather.

Sabas's eyes went darker in an instant, his breath ragged. "Not exactly," he replied, focusing his thoughts growing more difficult. His body had felt electrified when she made contact, but as she continued, he felt the sizzle of it slowly liquefy his mind. "As it is not my actual tail, alternating directions is not at all uncomfortable; the complete opposite as a matter of fact. It enjoys a certain amount of friction, unlike my furred tail."

Aleeria did giggle this time. "I'm sorry, but there's something about the idea of you having an actual tail."

"Something funny?" Sabas asked his tone incrementally less playful, his sensitivity about being turned into a Lycan rising to the surface.

Aleeria leaned to his ear to whisper, "Not funny, no. It makes me feel excited thinking about you having a furry tail too. Is that strange?"

He felt the momentarily ruffled feelings melt away, soothed and aroused by her sentiments. "If it is, I love strange," Sabas replied, rumbling low in his throat and nuzzling his head gently against hers while she was so close. He was rewarded with a started "Oh," followed by a reciprocal purr of pleasure.

Aleeria began to pet his 'furless tail' back and forth lightly, testing and was likewise rewarded with another low rumble of pleasure near her ear. "Like this?" She asked softly.

"Yes," Sabas hissed. "There is more I would tell you, but it will have to wait until I am not longer in confinement." He adjusted both his stance and shook his shackled wrists, to make sure she understood that he referred to both the chains and his increasingly tight leather pants.

After a few more moments, she reluctantly pulled away. "Then I suppose we'll both just have to be patient," Aleeria replied, smiling quietly at him. "We should finish our lunch before it gets cold." She reasoned.

Sabas only nodded, closing his eyes and trying to regain some measure of control while she turned to get the food. He'd slipped before speaking for both of them to Lucian as if they were already one. He wasn't sure what was happening in this room, but he found himself using words and phrases that wove a bond between them or maybe it just reinforced the one that seemed to always be there. Words like "yet," "trust," "us," "both," and phrases like "next time" or "someday" took on new tremulous importance. It was strange. He had only interacted with her once before today and though he'd watched her grow up and it had filled him with a sense of knowing her, he hadn't actually been in her world before today. So it was strange that he should feel such a strong bond with her.

Sabas did notice that she too referred to them without thinking as if there was a preexisting knowing of each other before today, but he wasn't sure if she did so of her own accord or because he initiated it unconsciously. She was still young and likely still vulnerable to having her thoughts influenced by those around her. She also seemed kind and therefore unlikely to correct him if she thought he spoke out of turn. Whatever was happening, he could feel it taking root in him, increasing his awareness of her, providing a sense of underlying intimacy, a depth of knowing and as it grew, so did his attachment to it, his need for it.

He knew what he sensed was likely entirely a fabrication of his lonely mind, 'too long without a woman,' as Aleeria put it, but his feelings for her were real enough. They'd always been real enough. Even when he saw her only as a child he wanted to look after and then later when she was a woman he wanted to possess as well as protect. Only his Angel of the Night filled his thoughts as often as she had over the years, since she first came to the castle after her family had been murdered; murdered by his kind. No, by William's kind, he corrected himself. He shouldn't blame himself for something he could never have done a thing about. She certainly didn't, he sighed, and that only made her heart more attractive to him.

Sabas had been considering all these things, since he'd lost his temper with her a short while ago, accusing her of spying for the Bloods. The way she had forgiven him so quickly and then not only allowed him to touch her once more, but had sought his permission to touch him, his assurance that he was comfortable with the idea showed a level of respect and consideration that made him feel even more guilty and ashamed of his accusations.

Aleeria noticed that something seemed to be gnawing at Sabas, not unlike her won concerns had gnawed at her earlier. She, likewise waited as he had for him to be ready to speak of it to her, resolved to find a way to soothe his concerns as he had soothed hers.

"Aleeria," he began at last, faltering much as she had. "I want to apologize again for before. I know I am rather rough around the edges. I say things without thinking and I'm not used to trusting anyone or looking out for anyone but myself."

Aleeria thought to contradict him, to remind him that he had looked out for her before but she didn't want to interrupt his momentum. She'd seen the emotions play through his stormy eyes while she'd fed him silently and she knew he'd been struggling mightily with something. She also knew that his preemptive attempts to assuage her concerns had not had the intended effect of making her concerns easier to get out into the open.

"I just want assure you," he continued haltingly, "that I will try to do better by you and that I hope you will help me and try to be patient with me. I would like to be a friend to you, someone you could talk to . . ." His voice trailed off. The words weren't coming out right at all. He cursed inwardly at the decades between the last time he'd said words from his heart and began to wonder if he's ever spoken quite like this before. It certainly had never felt so important before to be heard, to be understood, to be accepted. But here, now with Aleeria, those needs were paramount to his spirit.

Aleeria brushed his cheek with her hand breaking him out of his inner berating, "You haven't had a chance to be better before. I will help you any way I can. I mean that, but I don't mind a few rough edges. They tend to create interesting friction in my limited experience."

Sabas quirked a smile at her. "I could digress into all the possible meaning of that phrase, but I don't want to take away from you intended meaning."

Aleeria leaned to his ear. "I believe that I will be the one to give greater meaning to the phrase interesting friction shortly, my prisoner. Prepare yourself."

Sabas was surprised at how much of his blood was still left to rush down past his ears at her words so sensuously delivered.

Aleeria didn't say much of anything more, she merely suggested they leave the loaf of bread for later and finished feeding them both their lunch. Sabas ate the rest without comment, temporarily too far gone into his daydreams about the reminder of their day together to exchange further banter. Then Aleeria set the tray aside and got out some more of the tools Sabine had left and prepared to clean Sabas's teeth. She had a small brush and a paste made from spearmint leaves, anise seeds, salt, and baking soda.

Aleeria smiled at him. "Now remember, good dogs don't bite the hand that feeds it or the hand that cleans its teeth. Especially if you want to be petted some more afterwards," she added as a teasing warning.

Sabas grinned toothily at her. "I promise not to bite you. Yet. Though, with that in mind, be sure you don't cut your fingers on my teeth. Your Mistress would be most displeased if you were turned accidentally."

Aleeria nodded and began methodically cleaning his teeth. While she brushed away, Aleeria began to eye the buckles along the sides of Sabas's pants speculatively. His clothes were certainly not the sort that would be torn off in an instant, but rather those that encouraged a more lengthy seduction. She had sudden memories of overhearing an older girl in her village speaking about foot washing and wondered if they meant what she was planning. She also found that there was a certain intimacy involved in cleaning the inside of Sabas's mouth.

When Sabas's teeth were clean, Aleeria looked at the floor shyly. "Well we've eaten and you are about as clean as I can get you from the waist up. I guess there's nothing left to do but start taking off your pants."

"I was beginning to think that this moment might never come," he replied, letting out a sound somewhere between a groan and an impatient sigh.

I know I'm a bit mean stopping here, but otherwise you'd be waiting awhile longer as I figure out the next bits and polished them. More soon. I hope you enjoyed this latest installment. Please read and review.