Chapter One

Stark

Stark slowly opened his eyes which still burned from the cuts made on them to keep his spirit in the Otherworld, something that puzzled him as to how it was possible and found himself starring up into the kind worried eyes of Zoey. The worry that clouded her dark mocha orbs seemed to lift and relief took over her body.

He cleared his throut before begining to speak. Something that was hard to do with the burning of the cuts on his newly rinsed body. Zoey's use of the elements to soothe him had worked but he could still feel the fear of losing her in his gut. He knew she was no longer in the Otherworld but Stark still felt uneasy. He had almost failed her, almost let her slip away. "I'm fine." He lied and gave her a reassuring smile that seemed to satisfy her because she gently gripped onto his hand as if to lend him strength.

"You better be." Zoey replied softly as she searched his eyes for any glimpse of pain. She could be such a worrier.

Stark chuckled which caused his cuts to move and sting. He flinched slightly but gave her the cocky smile she loved so much. "Really." She nodded but didn't release her hold on his hand, not that he minded.

"Okay enough with the whole chiche Disney happily-ever-after ending. This isn't over." Her demanding and bossy voice butted in, shattering the small moment he and Zoey had shared. He glared over in her direction earning a hair flip and eye roll from the queen of all things hateful, Aphrodite. He knew she was Zoey's friend and all but that didn't mean he had to like her.

Stark felt Zoey tense up again as her gaze went over to Aphrodite who just stared back at her with a serious look in her cold blue eyes. She didn't seem like she was trying to start anything with Zoey, but wanted to remind her she was still in need to save the world from Kalona and Neferet. Darius chose this moment to step in and take charge of the situation at hand. "We still must decide how we're to defeat Kalona and Neferet."

"Kalona's still in the Otherworld." Zoey blurted out without a second of hesitation and Stark understood that this was another part of her soul-sharing with the Cherokee maiden A-ya. The one created to love him. The thought of them being connected in that way made him sick to his stomach. Heath was one thing, he was her Imprtinted human. Her now dead consort. But Kalona an evil ancient immortal that wanted nothing more than to possess her like she was nothing more than another trophy to add to his collection. But Stark knew Zoey would never give into him and his dark allure. She shared a soul with A-ya, yes but she was her own person. A-ya was just a past owner of her soul. Nothing more.

Darius nodded understandingly. "Even so Priestess we must be prepaired for when he does return." Aphrodite slipped into his embrace and he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her close to him.

"That's what I was trying to explain to Cinderella and Prince Charming over there." She said glancing over at the Warrior & his lady. "The world isn't exactly saved yet. Kalona has to be gone and I mean gone like my mother's mind. Not just banished."

Zoey sighed and I squeezed her hand in support. She had dark bags under her eyes and her skin was almost transparent. She needed sleep before anything. I mean she had just almost died- again. This thought made Stark's heart ache. He'd already almost lost her and he wasn't about to let it happen again. Never again. "Zoey needs sleep before she does anything." I told the blonde who just nodded.

"He is correct." Sgiach agreed and made her way to stand infront of the young queen. She nodded again turning to face Stark. "Take her up to your chamber."

Darius raised an eyebrow at the queen before him and look a quick look at Stark before returning his gaze back to her. "I don't know if he can move in this condition." The Warrior said obviously not sure of how the young fellow Warrior, or Guardian could move with the many cuts made along his body.

"Not now obviously but maybe if he fed." The queened replied with a smile on her strong features. My eyes widened slightly at the realization of what she meant.

"No!" Stark snapped trying to sit up on the stone table his body had layed on while in the Otherworld. The idea of not being present in his body made him shudder but he almost instantly began to argue again. He couldn't do that. Not now, not while the world needed Zoey so much. "Zoey needs strength more than I do. I'll heal on my own."

The older queen shook her head with a frown on her face. "No Guardian, your queen needs you to be well for what is to come. She can heal with sleep alone but you need blood for your wounds to heal properly." Stark sighed and pulled himself up to a sitting position letting his legs hang over the side of the table. The lacerations on his legs burned numbing out any other feeling his outer body might have felt otherwise.

Zoey broke in there with a voice so sure and powerful that he had to look up. She still looked drained but her voice was strong and steady. Even after all the shit she'd been put through in the past few weeks she looked like a powerful High Priestess who was ready to take on the world. "Stark, you have to do this. I'm about to run into a huge mess of goddess-knows-what with getting rid of Kalona and I can't focus on that while your hurt like this. I can't do it on my own."

Stark lowered his head to look down at the marble floors of the throne room instead of her nearly perfect face. He knew if he looked into her gentle eyes he would crack and allow himself to drink from her. If it hadn't been for her almost dying he would have jumped immediately at the chance to drink from her, but she was too weak right now. Stark felt his chin being lifted to look at her, the Cherokee beauty that was his High Priestess, his Queen, his Ace.

"Stark." She said seriously and he fought to look away, feeling himself about to break. Zoey realized this and smiled pulling his face closer to hers causing his heart to speed up like a rocket. He closed his eyes tightly trying to fight the urge when he started to question his refusual. Sgiach had said she would be perfectly fine with rest alone.

Stark let out a sigh of frustration but nodded causing Zoey to smile. He tried to return her bright smile but couldn't seem to make himself do it. Sure they'd experianced it before back in Nyx's Grove but that was only their spirits. Maybe it happening to their physical bodies would be better. He shivered remembering the pleasure they'd both felt back in the Otherworld. It was decided as of then that Stark would drink from Zoey and it was too late for him to change his mind.

Zoey

Stark and I were alone in our 'chamber' as Sgiach had called it. We had decided that we'd rather not have him fed and have our pleasure shown to everyone. The last thing we needed was for Aphrodite, Darius, Seoras, and Sgiach to sit there gawking at how intamate they would become as his bloodlust took over and the sex receptors in their brains turned on. That would just be awkward.

"Stark?" I called to my Gaurdian and Warrior who was currently laying next to me on the comfortable bed that was provided to us during our stay. We'd been up there for almost a half-hour but hadn't done anything. Did he not want her blood?

Stark chuckled as he laced his hand through mine and turned to look at me with his usual cocky smile. "Your kidding me right?" He asked obviously having used our bond to psychically eavesdrop on my thoughts. "I don't think theres anything more I'd rather do, but your too weak right now."

"No I'm not. Really why can't you just do it so I can stop worrying about you? You need my blood to recover properly, Sgiach even said so." I argued. My Gaurdian couldn't be hurt when I faced Kalona & Neferet again. I wasn't sure I could do it on my own. Sure Aphrodite had said that in a part of her split vision she had said something that had defeated Kalona causing him to fade away into nothing but I wasn't about to take any chances. I didn't only care that he wouldn't be able to protect and help me through this but I worried he wouldn't heal correctly.

He sighed and with alot of effort moved himself closer to me so that his face was only inches from mine. "I just- I can't. Your tired and being away from your body for almost 3 days couldn't be good for you. I couldn't take what little energy you have left."

I let out a sigh "I understand that your job as my Guardian, my Warrior is to protect me in anyway you believe you can but I'd feel alot better if you would get well. I'll be fine but your the real concern here. Please?"

"Zoey..." He tried to argue but I cut him off by running my fingernail across the skin on my neck. I felt his body tense up and I smiled moving closer to him. He tried to look away and fight the seductive smell of blood but failed. His usual warm brown eyes glowed a blood red and I directed his head toward the cut which he almost imeadiately latched onto.

I gasped in shock as his mouth latched onto my neck but soon the pain it caused had turned into pleasure and I let out a moan. I felt him smile against my skin and continued to drink from me. This was absolutely nothing like what I felt with Heath, it felt better and I had a feeling it had something to do with his Warrior's Oath. I let out another moan and pulled him closer so he had a better position on my neck. He continued for about 10 minutes and I was in complete bliss. Suddenly I felt the bounding of what could only be an Imprint form between us, causing the two of us to become one. Just as Heath and I had been.

Stark pulled back and stared at me, the blood red tint of his eyes already fading back to the soft brown ones I knew so well. He took in a deep breath and sat there staring off at the wall. Atleast he was strong enough to sit up on his own now. I bit down on my bottom lip and placed a hand on his shoulder which seemed to relax him. He glanced over at me with a worried and sad look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't-" He began before I cut him off by kissing him. He seemed shocked but soon returned the kiss. It wasn't like the groping and possessive ones I'd shared with Erik, this one was sweet and gentle.

I pulled back with a grin on my voliet-red lips. His expression was a mixture of confusion and what I assumed was pleasure. "It's fine." I told him in a soft voice. Stark sighed in relief and I moved closer to him. He pulled me onto his lap and I rested my head on his shoulder feeling his hands starting to brush through my hair making me feel relaxed and tired. Heath wasn't here anymore and I knew he'd want me to move on with my life. Even if I did meet him again someday I had a feeling that this new Imprint would change things. Heath and I would never be able to be more than friends again.

"It's okay to miss him you know." Stark whispered softly in my ear. He wasn't just saying it to make me think he wasn't bothered by me missing Heath. He honestly didn't even sound jealous. Using the bond between us to read my mind he answered the questions forming in my head. "Yes I was jealous of what you both shared together but I also thought he was a good guy. Reason I put up with him."

I remembered how Erik was so controlling and jealous all the time. He hated Heath for being a part of her life in a way he wasn't. Stark was different, he accepted that Heath had been in my life since I was in kindergarden. He didn't let jealousy control him. Tears started to well up in my dark orbs and I let out a whimper trying to fit the urge to cry.

"Shh..." He soothed me as he wrapped his arms around me securely. "You'll see him again someday."

I sniffled and looked up into his kind eyes. "How can you be so okay with that?" I asked watching his eyes sadden making him look much more mature than he usually was.

"I want you to be happy. Whether it's with me or not." He said honestly.

I leaned by head back on his chest and sighed happily. "But I am happy. When and if Heath comes back things'll never be like they were before." He kissed my head and sighed in contentment like what I had said lifted a huge weight off of his shoulders.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. But you really need to rest now. I'm better now but you need to work on getting yourself better." He told me. I began pulling myself from his arms but he held on moving himself up toward the pillows and leaning back so I was laying ontop of him. Stark's all-to-familiar cocky smile returned to his face. "I'm liking this position." He whispered sending shivers up my spine. I smiled down at him placing another kiss on his lips. He settled his hands on my hips and deepened it. I pulled back from the kiss and he leaned up and whispered in my ear. "Go to sleep. I'll protect you."

I rested my head on his chest closing my eyes with a smile on my face for the first real time since Heath was killed and allowed myself to fall into a peaceful sleep as he traced circled gently on my back.