Author Note: DISCLAIMER! This chapter contains a fade-to-black sex scene. To anymore who wants to see more, I will write other Tales of Arcadia stories in the future, and one might be rated M, but I can't guarantee that. I'm a romantic but don't write books like Twilight, Fitly Shades of Grey, After, and 365 Days. These authors have no idea how to write romance, and I feel bad for them.

I wake up from an ear-piercing scream and sit up, panting for air, covering my neck, and shaking in terror. I carefully grab my dressing gown, quietly get out of bed, and try to calm myself down, wrapping the gown around me. I hug myself and pace around the room, but the sound of a baby crying won't go away.

"Claire,"

I almost jump out of my skin and turn around to see my boyfriend getting out of bed.

"Why are you up? It's late?" He asks worryingly, walking up to me.

"Jim, did I wake you up?" I ask, tensing up.

"To be honest, yes. You do this every night." He replies with concern, making me feel guilty.

I feel a rising butterfly sensation, warming my cheeks as I observe his body. God damn! Jim looks so hot without a shirt on. The wailing noise rings in my ear, and I turn around, shaking my head. I look out at the rock and beautiful gemstones. I take deep breaths, trying to soothe myself. I need something to temporarily block this mission's fear, stress, and pain. I hear the voices of Bellroc, Skrael, and the Half-troll hissing in my ear. I tremble and close my eyes, begging for them to stop. I shiver as I feel Jim's hands on my waist.

"What's wrong, Mi Amor? Did you have another nightmare?" He whispers in my ear.

I turn around and sigh. "Yes. I had another nightmare. I'm just worried about what might happen tomorrow. I can't seem to relax because I'm afraid something bad will happen if I do." I reply.

Jim sighs and holds me tightly. "Shhh! It's ok, Claire. I felt the same when I became the Trollhunter and saw the stakes growing higher." He says softly and caresses my cheek. "It's ok to be scared, but don't let that shut you down. You have more power than you realize."

"Where did that come from?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Jim chuckles. "You." He whispers and leans down to kiss me on the forehead.

I have something else to know. "Jim."

"Yes."

I bite my lip. "If you were to... find out something about me or I change, would you turn away from me?" I ask nervously.

Jim is a bit taken aback and frowns. "Claire, do you mean something like when I became a Half-Troll, and I was afraid you didn't want to date me anymore?" He wonders. I lower my head but nod. Jim shakes his head. "No! No! No! Claire, why would you even think that? I would never ever do that to you. I love you no matter what."

I sigh and look down. "It's just..." I pause, trembling, and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I try to speak, but my words are stuck in my throat.

"What is it, Claire?" Jim asks, brushing my hair out of my face.

"I'm always worried that something on this journey will change me, making you and our friends hate me," I say softly. I bite my lip, trying to keep the tears in my eyes.

Jim shakes his head, looking at me seriously. "Claire, I will never, ever, ever turn my back on you. You did that same thing for me when I became a Half-Troll. You travel with me for thousands of miles across the country, putting yourself in life-threatening danger. You mean so much to me. My heart belongs to the girl in my arms, and I will never give up on you and us. I promise." He declares calmly before our rings appear again and shine bright.

I stare at him with wide eyes. He really does mean it. I see it in his eyes, how he looks at me, gently holds me, and what he says. Maybe that's what our rings are. A metaphor for our undying love for each other. But will it last?

Jim leans in, and our foreheads touch. "But let's not worry about this right now. Ok?" He whispers. I nod my head, and he covers my lips with his.

Warning: Lemon

I hesitate but eventually give in, wrapping my arms around my boyfriend's neck and threading my fingers in his soft brown hair. We break our kiss and stare into each other's eyes. I feel on edge. I clutch Jim's hair and glance down, biting my lip, trying to keep myself together. Heat and fear rise through my chest, making me tremble.

"Claire-"

Before Jim could finish, I closed the space between us, slamming my lips on his. I push against him, pushing away my thoughts. It didn't take Jim long to lean in and tighten his grip around my waist. Our kisses quickly become deeper after every second. I feel a rising, burning sensation flowing through me. We break away for air but always return to claim another kiss. I lose track of the kisses after a couple more. He bites my lip, and I gasp, opening my mouth for his tongue to enter. I feel Jim push against me, but his mint-vanilla taste makes my senses become a blur. I feel my back hit the wall, making me gasp and break our passionate kiss. We stare at each other, 'trading breaths.' Unable to speak, I read Jim's eyes and what they say. He is hungry, longing for something. It's me he wants, and I'm begging for him. Jim places his hand on my face, pulls me into another kiss, and pushes his body against me. Jim's hands grab my wrists, pressing them over my head. Jim leaned in closer, making me feel something hard in his pants. Soon, I break our kiss, breathing heavily. I look into Jim's eyes as our foreheads and hands come together. "Jim..." I say before biting my lip. I don't know how to ask without embarrassing myself. "Do you still have those condoms?" I mumble, drawing Jim off guard.

"Yes..." He replies, making us both blush.

I take off my dressing gown, showing off my bare shoulders and cleavage from my nightgown. "I want you to make love to me tonight," I whisper seductively in my boyfriend's ear, sliding my hand down his chest.

"Are you sure?" He asks nervously.

"Yes," I reply and lay my lips on his again. Jim leads us to our bed and gently lies me down. He gets on top of me as our lips battle each other. We break away, and Jim travels to my neck. I moan in pleasure as he sucks on my skin, loving his lips on my neck. I want him to kiss me everywhere on my body and make me feel good. Then, I gasped when I felt Jim gently bite my collarbone. "Jim..." I moan, making him stop and pull away to stare into each other's eyes, interweaving our hands. I briefly look down at our fingers before looking back at my boyfriend. "Put your hands on me, Jim."

Jim stares at me blankly, so I lay his hand on one of my breasts. I shiver, and Jim blushes from his touch but lays his lips on mine. Quickly, our kisses became messer, deeper, rougher, and more passionate, making us lose track. I moan as I feel Jim's hand slide down my body to my leg and under my nightgown, loving the feeling of my boyfriend's touch against my bare skin. I get back at Jim by touching his bare chest and trace my fingers along the lines on his torso, abs, and near the line of his boxes. We break for air, but Jim goes down to my neck. I moan in pleasure, leaning my head to the side, feeling Jim's lips gently exploring every inch of my neck but gradually getting rougher. The sensation in my body rises more and becomes hotter. He stops and lays his lips back on mine. Jim sucks my bottom lip to open my mouth for his tongue to enter. As our passion grows, I shiver and feel Jim's hand lightly yet lustily glides on my leg.

"Oh, Jim!" I gasp, breaking our kiss, feeling his hand on my panties.

"You like that?" Jim purrs, rubbing his hand over my panties, making me pleasurefully moan.

"Oh god, yes, Jim!" I moan, and a moment later, he stops, making me wet between my legs. We breathlessly stare into each other eyes. Jim looks down at my cleavage and blushes. I look where he is, making me chuckle. "You want to take it off, don't you?" I ask, playful and dirty, raising my eyebrow.

"Claire, are you sure about this?" Jim asks nervously.

I roll my eyes and nod my head. "Yes! I want you. I want you to see me," I say seductively, leaning near Jim's ear. "All of me," I whisper. I want to challenge my boyfriend and forget to be a gentleman for at least one night.

Jim sighs and smiles. "Then I'm all yours tonight." He replies, and we kiss.

Author Note: Phew, is it getting hot in here? I really hope you enjoy this chapter and will like the next one. The drama is just beginning. Please review.