A/N: Thanks for the reviews :)
PS: Just to be clear ( an anonymous review) Colby and Alison didn't actually "do it". What happened in the last chapter wasn't, you know, all the way. They had their clothes on. Um. Anyway, I'm not planning to have anything in detail if/when they "do it", so no worries there. Also, usually, this stuff is in one paragraph or two tops, so you can skip it if you want.

ALISON ANDERSON

Benjamin, with a guard vampire that Amun had assigned to his side (apparently, after the last encounter with the Volturi they started re-expanding their coven to include more guards as well as human servants), drove me and Colby south-east, to Gebel Elba, which is a natural reserve/protected area - the biggest in Egypt, according to Benjamin. He said it was his favorite place to practice from time to time; last time he was there it was ten years ago. It was perfect for him, because it wasn't only beautiful and pure, but it got him to practice his restrain as there were bedouins there.

For some reason, he said, the elements there were especially magical. They were such a challenge to control - wild, untamed. He said there were levels of control you can pose on the elements depending on how much human interference they'd had. Humans made them milder, easier to control, while the untouched were harder to tame - to use. Of course, this only applied to earth, fire and water.

It was hard not to survive in Egypt without the right connections, whether as a human or a vampire, according to him, so he had his ways of getting into the reserve after tourist hours. It was around sunset, the weather was as hot as Alice had predicted, but because the humidity wasn't very high, it was bearable. Colby was very comfortable, seeing you could pour batter into his mouth and it would be a muffin before it hit the back of his throat. He said it reminded him of the time before he transformed into a wolf for the first time, where some stuff were actually hotter than his own body.

Though we had permission to enter, we had to park somewhere near the peak/mountain there and run our way up the path. For the sake of not slowing us down, I climbed on Colby's back as we made it on the way up. We stood on a huge sandy surface that is the top of the mountain, overlooking various lakes and the Red Sea.

He stood across from me, about a hundred feet away. "Before we start, I want you to feel your surroundings. Sense the difference."

I took a deep breath and called for his power, trying to move the water of the Red Sea near us. He was right - it wasn't as mild as the water from the pool earlier. It almost felt like I was pulling it, droplet by droplet, to move. I let it back down gently and turned to him with wide eyes. I loved this feeling of control - of being able to push through the difficult boundaries. "Now we're talking."

He grinned. "But I didn't get you here to play," he said, "For the next half an hour, I'm your enemy. I will resist, I will attack, I won't give up. I will use everything I can use and I expect you to do the same," he explained, "You have one goal: survive."

My heart raced in my chest, both in excitement and fear, and I nodded. Colby held my face in his giant hands and turned my head to face him. I've already discussed this with him before we came to Egypt, he said mentally, Relax, you're powerful. You're smart, he said and it only made me a tad more afraid, But I can't protect you today. You're on your own.

He let go of my face and was about to turn around when I spun him to face me again, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing his lips, pouring all my fear and excitement into it. He smiled against my lips. "Go," he whispered and unwrapped my arms from around him, running to stand away, next to Benjamin's guard.

I ripped the sides of my maxi skirt so I could run more efficiently and turned to Benjamin. Without warning, I tripped him by making a small fracture where his legs stood. I could feel him resisting but I kept chanting in my head - my power. Not his, mine. I'm not borrowing it, it's mine. I pulled it back into me and jumped, the wind supporting me, aiming for him when I must've lost my concentration because wind was knocked down from beneath me and I found myself landing hard, though on my legs and softer than how I would've fallen if Benjamin didn't soften the fall. I hissed at him instinctively, calling for his power again, my muscles aching as I did, like I was literally pulling it out of him and into my body.

He was so concentrated. After all, it was his turf and he knew exactly what I was capable of and how - but what if he got distracted? I turned around and ran, starting a fire wall between us, knowing it was his weakest point as a vampire. I ran to the edge and jumped to a lower part of the path of the mountain, his power draining from my system as the space between us continued to grow. He put down the fire and followed me on the path down, I looked behind me as I sprinted and made the stone beneath him crumble down. He fell and spun in the air, landing on his legs right beside the lake. Perfect.

I spinned the water around him, engulfing him in, providing enough distraction until I went down there myself, the water spitting him in my direction. I focused on his strength and I caught him without trouble, pinning him down, but as I absorbed his strength, his power faded away from me and he used the wind to literally blow me away. I rolled on the ground a couple of times before jumping to stand up again, getting a few scratches on the way - nothing that didn't heal immediately.

"You're holding back," he said, "Are you afraid?"

Maybe.

He sprinted towards me and I, defensively, created two balls of fire that rested just a couple of inches above my palms and threw one in his direction, levitating to get better aim using the wind, he dodged the ball and I threw the other one, swirling around him, splashing the water in the horizon to distract his senses. I knew he was at his weakest when he didn't have his power because today was the first day he actually had to deal and fight without it for the most part. I was smug and I couldn't hide it, moving around in the middle of the air holding two balls of fire like a fucking goddess. It was all so surreal and a shitload of fun at the same time. I felt the power within me, rising, burning.

For the first time, I felt like I was in complete control of his power. I didn't feel his pull on it or his attempts to claim it, though it looked like he was trying. It felt safe, in my palms. I put out the fire caused by the first ball and landed on the ground beside him, now unafraid of his attacks using anything but basic vampire strength. His eyes were pitch black, his stance defensive.

In a distance, I heard a piercing howl - Colby's. What was wrong? I needed to know, I needed to find him. But, at the same time, I couldn't let that distract me. I had his power, it was mine. I was not going to let it slip if I could help it. I rose and climbed my way to the middle of the path, where the power slipped back to Benjamin, seeing we were now too physically apart for any exchange of power between us but he didn't try to attack me. I sped my way up there and I found Colby standing in his human form, wearing his khaki shorts, barefoot, his shirt and sneakers tossed aside, his grin so wide and so beautiful it made my heart flutter rapidly. He had his arms open for me. "Half an hour has passed."

I ran to him and jumped, wrapping my arms and legs around him. His hands slipped under my skirt and supported my weight. "Did you see this? I was flying!"

He ran his hand through my hair, showing me how everything looked from his perspective mentally. I felt adrenaline shoot through my veins again as I watched the whole scene and everything that was around me at the time. He pulled me to him roughly, kissing me, biting my lower lip for a second, growling, before releasing me to stand beside him. I was dazed, almost high, and definitely ecstatic.

Benjamin stood in front of us, his eyes and stance now normal, taking my hand in his, kissing it softly. "Well done, jalaltek*." He let go of my hand. "Did you feel it? Did you pinpoint the moment where you stripped me of my power completely?"

I nodded. "When I wasn't afraid of using it."

He smiled. "You learn very quickly," he said, "We have one more session left," he added, "But it can't be until a week from today. You're welcome to stay at our residence for as long as you need."

Colby pulled me towards him, kissing the top of my head. "We'll stay tonight." It's offensive if we don't. "But we have a schedule ahead of us. Egypt's hard to miss."

The suite they had ready for us was breathtaking to say the least. It had one king-sized, wooden bed in the middle with dark red and off-white silk drapes over it, pulled to one side with a string. The carpets were the same color, obviously handmade. The cream walls were covered in some sort of Arabic calligraphy I could not understand in brown, red and dark orange. The wall was lit with fine strings of fiber optics, several candles of different sizes lit the room all the way to the huge balcony, where a mattress lay, beside a tray of warm food. He must've told them about our packing situation because the bed was lined up with at least a dozen outfits for both of us, along with a note that said, 'I'm sure you didn't come to Egypt to wear cosmopolitan fashion. Enjoy your stay.'

As soon as we shut the door behind us, Colby exhaled deeply, stepping out of his shoes, grabbing one of the pants that were on the bed, motioning for me to turn around so he could change. He took his shirt and shorts off, slipping on the pants that only clung below his waist, the rest oversized and, with my vision, explicitly transparent. Seeing he was wearing boxers, I didn't mind it all that much. Actually, I wouldn't have minded either if he wasn't wearing anything beneath them.

He smiled at me before he went to the balcony and sat on the mattress. "Change and come over here before I finish all the food."

I rolled my eyes. "Have some self control, you monster." I grabbed one of the abayas laid down - dark red, with golden thread work all over the middle. I took off my skirt and top, sliding it over the top of my head. God, that's soft. It fell on my shoulders, the open sleeves only reaching my elbows. Both sides were open except for the part from my waist to a little past my hips. I snapped my bra open beneath the abaya and slid it off, not really caring if he could see me through the side; for one, fuck it, taking the bra off after a long day in this weather was close to the best feeling in the world and for another, I didn't really mind. I un-braided my hair and ran my hand through it, freeing it.

"I'm the monster? You should've seen yourself today!"

"I did, ass," I said, sitting down beside him, barefoot as well. I crossed my legs and the silk fell between them, grabbing a sambosa off the tray, stuffing it into my mouth.

His eyes were fixed on mine, amused, as he basically grabbed a whole chicken thigh - complete with bones - and shoved it down his own throat, slipping out the bones, chewing it and swallowing it before I could even comprehend what he had just done, like he was raised by a pack of wolves. Well, he was, technically, but that didn't excuse his eating!

I cut a piece of the chicken breast and started chewing on it. "If you don't go easy on the food, I'll have to suck your blood for dinner."

He dipped a piece of bread in some red paste that had chunks of fried eggplant inside, eating it, smearing his lips in the process. "If it was anything like what you did earlier in the plane, that's a double bonus for me."

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling my cheeks darken. "It was just the heat of the moment."

He snorted. "I'm too hungry and too stuffed with all types of garlic to properly answer you right now." He proceeded to wipe out the rest of the tray.

I stood up and grabbed a bottle of animal blood from the bag, devouring it. It was nowhere as good as human blood, taste or thirst-wise, but it was good enough. I just didn't want to have the urge to murder someone every time I saw someone with a beating heart. I was still thirsty, so I drank another bottle before returning to the balcony. By the time I was done, Colby was as well. He lay down, one knee up, looking at the dark sky, licking his lips, burping a little. Not the most romantic setting, but amusing enough.

I sat down next to him and lay my head on his chest, feeling his abs with my hands - which was something I'd never get enough of, ever. "You should get more tattoos," I said, "It's sad seeing those abs go to waste."

He laughed. "What would you tattoo on me?"

I shrugged, sitting up, leaning over him to reach his other side, trailing my finger up. "Maybe something here," I said, moving my finger up towards his chest, feeling his muscles tense under my touch, "To here." I turned my head to him to find his eyes fixed on my very exposed side as I moved my arm. I did blush, but I couldn't help but feel a little smug, too. I intentionally moved my arm up, running my hand through my hair and he froze a little before averting his eyes to mine.

"Could you at least try to pretend to be concerned about this?" his voice was low, his eyes dark.

I lay on my side over his chest, facing him, moving my arm up again, now massaging my neck. "About what?"

"This." He waved his hands in frustration. "You being basically naked around me."

I frowned, sitting up again, moving so I was on top of him, legs on both sides of his stomach. I felt the muscles of his neck and shoulders, pressing my fingers in circles on them. "You're so tense, and too worried," I said, "Stop worrying. I don't mind if I'm basically naked around you - which, by the way, I'm not."

"Then how come every time you're around and we're alone," he said, licking his lips, breathing deeply as I massaged him more, "You're like this - you -"

I leaned down and kissed his jaw. "I want you," I whispered, "I don't have any regrets concerning you," I said, "I don't think about what I do around you, I'm just comfortable. I do what I feel like doing."

He brought my neck closer and started kissing me there. "You're testing my control."

I bit my lip. "I don't care about your control."

He growled. "You should."

I sighed, resting my body on his, knowing how soft I was without my bra on. He rested an arm on my back. "I need to tell you something," I breathed, feeling my heart pound so hard against my chest.

That's it.

I have to do it.

"What?"

I rolled down so I was next to him instead of on top of him. I turned his face to me, running my hand on it before I gathered my will, and his power, to show him exactly what I was thinking. I focused on the mental link and thought of the first time I saw him as a wolf - how confused and impressed I was. I flashed him images of how much I trusted him when I ran looking for him in the middle of the night, in the woods, with no clue about my whereabouts - how much I cared about and missed him when he went away for my own protection - how relieved I was when he got back, and how much I leaned on him.

I thought of the times he held and rocked me when I was going through my transformation, how I felt this impenetrable connection between us, how the way he held me made it all better. I thought of all the times he made me laugh, and the day I woke up a new person. I knew something was different that day, but I couldn't pinpoint it exactly. I focused on how safe I felt when he reacted to my wound, and how crushed I was without him - how much I drank in order to just go through fifteen minutes without the thought of him, or the pain of feeling like a burden to him.

I remembered how amazing it felt to kiss him for the first time and feel him all over my body, burning me, making me experience feelings I never thought existed within me, and how the next day, waking up next to him was the most blissful feeling of all time. I recalled the moment I woke up in the hospital and how he talked to me - how I knew I wanted to get better.

I thought of our time on the plane and our days in the cottage. I showed him how I felt when I ran to his arms after my latest training.

I showed him everything.

"I love you, Thomas."

*jalaltek: Your Highness.

A/N: :OO I KNOW! One of the most intense chapters. Lemme know what you thought of EVERYTHING please please please in a review vv