Note: This chapter contains adult themes and situations, viewer discretion is advised.

...

While the Blackthorn mountainside was lined with a cool, frosty wind that dropped the temperatures low near the mouth of the winding riverhead, Maya was relieved to feel a new warmth on her face as she and Lance stepped inside the entrance of the secluded Salt Caves. Dragonite had safely flown them down from the peak of Riverhead Falls to the base of the mountain, where the entrance to the caves famously sat behind the lowest waterfall on the trail.

The deeper they trekked, the more drastically the skin of the caves began to change; Descending a great stone staircase, the Graveller-grey walls of the cavern began blanching whiter and whiter, before turning crystalline & sheen, with salty white-blue stalactites beginning to line the ceiling like the body of a rare and shiny Boldore.

When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Maya's eyes grew wide at the sight:

Before them was a serene & snowy-looking grotto, the crystalline floor & walls now frosted white with the leeching salts of Blackthorn's bones. Tall growing stalagmite crystals launched from every corner, glistening as pure as a Primarina's song, some reaching as tall as the Dragon Master himself as they walked further into the cave.

In the center sat a bubbling white spring, one of the famous Blackthorn salt ponds, so warm and calm and inviting. The spring stretched further into the cavern and lead to a narrow subterranean waterfall, surrounded by a series of ashen rocks & even more salty statue gems in a precious crystal garden of mirrors and stone.

Maya took a deep breath, tasting the soft, bitter bite of the salts in her lungs. She shared a short glance with the Dragon Master; it was positively tranquil.

Lance slowly approached the wall near the lip of the pond and began to disrobe. First went his famous cape, which unbuttoned at the platinum chain and softly fell off of his shoulders. He carefully hung it on a clever crystal hook growing from the wall, straightening the flowing fabric gently to ensure it wouldn't hit the ground.

Maya tried not to stare, though she had never seen him without the cape before. From behind at this angle, his shoulders looked even broader then she had imagined.

She too began to disrobe. She placed her sidebag down on a flat, table-like crystal formation near the entrance, the dusty minerals kicking up only a bit as she began to pile her clothes on top. Off came her jacket, then her shirt to reveal her cross-back sports bra, thankfully waterproof & white to match the cave's clean aura. Beneath her cargo pants was a pair of white elastic mini shorts, just long enough to cover the edging start of her narrow thighs.

Her shoes slipped off last; the hardened floor felt warm against her toes.

When she turned back around, she found Lance slowly removing the last arm of his coat, careful as not to pull at his aching ribs. There was nothing beneath the coat this time; just the warm tones of his skin & the rippling muscles that arced over the blades of his shoulders in tight, ocean-like waves.

Holding his breath for a moment, he reached over and cautiously began removing the large bandage patched over his wound, revealing the slashes to the salty air of the cavern. He ran his fingers over it for a moment, feeling the tough, maroon scabs that had formed over the last few days. It was still quite tender.

He then turned around to face her, subtly soaking in the sight of her own bare skin: her petite little body; the slant of her narrow hips, her lips; the lean exposed bones of her collar.

Maya tried not to be phased by the sight of him, by those perfect columns of tight abdominals, hiding her eager gaze with a tiny grin; He was now standing in a pair of black swim trunks and quite nothing else.

His body, Maya thought... it was as pristine as this white fountain spring that awaited them, yet as strong & sculpted as the Blackthorn Mountain itself. His bare chest and square shoulders, commanding and wide, contoured high and thick to form a great shapely bridge of muscle along the lines of his neck, rock hard & unbreakable after years of keeping his composure. His face upturned in a tiny grin as well.

She glanced down; there was a pokeball in his hand.

He took a step and launched it out toward the center of the pond, watching it give a tiny splash as it hit the salts of the water.

With a red blinding FLASH and a new great SPLASH, a tower of light began forming into a massive, snaking creature. As the light faded, the red of the beam settled into a shining crimson coat of scales, with a bright sparkle flashing onto the walls of the cave.

It was Lance's Red Gyarados! It towered above them both in the water, gazing wide-eyed at its master awaiting a command.

It then peered over to Maya, who had never seen the beast up close like this before. She took a few steps toward the edge of the pond, completely taken by the dragon's sharpened face, and its beautiful, unique coloring.

"Gyarados loves it here," Lance began, "We use to come here all the time, back when I first caught it. It loves the soft feel of the salts on its scales. Its very soothing."

The great snaking dragon certainly looked happy; it began diving gently into the water, creating its own soft current on the pond as it swam about in undulating waves.

Suddenly, from out of Maya's sidebag sprung another FLASH of red light.

"Kadabra!"

Kadabra emerged, sensing something from Maya's unspoken words calling its name. It turned about and soaked in the beauty of the cave, before spotting Gyarados in the water.

"Dabra! Dah-brah!"

In a FLASH, Kadabra teleported from its spot by the entrance right to the middle of the pond, floating just a foot above the water's surface. Gyarados dove deep, before emerging again from the salty shell of the water, towering high and menacing above them all with its daunting red aura. It peered down to Kadabra with a haunting growl.

Kadabra gazed eager-eyed at the dragon, before raising its spoon with a happy little grin.

"Dah-brah, KaDabra!"

Lance and Maya held their breath at the exchange; was Gyarados going to feel provoked?

The mighty red dragon leaned in close, inspecting the little psychic fox carefully. But across its scarlet face was a look of curiosity and calm; not an ounce of anger in sight. It let out a soft, quiet coo.

"Dabra! Dabra!"

Kadabra was thrilled. Gyarados slowly curled its way back into the water before beginning a soft little swim, in tight little circles around Kadabra's floating feet. Kadabra took its lotus pose, closing its eyes now as the dragon continued happily lapping around it.

"Wow," Lance hushed out genuinely, "I don't think I've ever seen Gyarados make a new friend so quickly before."

Maya grinned, her hands proudly on her hips.

"Kadabra use to train with my brother's Gyarados, back when it was still just an Abra," she said it with a smile, recalling the memories of the little silly Abra, "They'd swim in the ocean together, and play games all the time. So I had a feeling they'd get along."

"Your brother has a Gyarados?" Lance asked, still watching his own dragon happily pace about the pool. Maya nodded.

"Yea," she said with a little chuckle, "He caught a Magikarp with my Dad's Old Rod, and kept it in a fishtank in his room. When it finally evolved, it nearly took the roof off the house!"

The echo of her laugh... such a sweet little sound, Lance thought.

Gyarados had proved it; the water was refreshing.

Approaching the lip of the pond now, Lance sat down carefully at the edge and dipped his toes in slowly, before sinking in his feet, his ankles, his calves. It was warm.

Bracing his hands on either side, he lifted himself slowly, carefully, edging off the stone lip of the pool. His forearms gripped hard now, elbows bending, his eyes closing with the rising water as he slowly lowered his body into the ivory pond. His face began to crease with pain, with the sting of the mountain salts on the wound, but it was quickly replaced by a look of sweet relief as the water rose above them. With the waves now lapping at his chest, he kept his arms spread wide along the granite wall behind him, letting out a deep, cathartic sigh.

As Maya approached the pool, she could something strange vibrating beneath her bare feet. It was a slight bass-like rumble, emanating out from all around her, crisscrossing along the crystalline ground.

Reaching the edge, she kneeled down to the warm stone floor, gently swiping the water with her hand. It parted through a cloud of mineral dust, a white wave casting around the surface and sparkling like a misty terrain.

The closer she got to the ground, the stronger the vibrations felt, like a gentle knead along the soles of her feet.

She outstretched her body now, laying down on her stomach along the lip of the pool, close enough to keep grazing her fingers along the surface of the water. The tremors of the cavern continued echoing beneath her like a subtle little massage.

She peered over to Lance, who was staring right at her, his eyes soaking in the curves of her outstretched body. He quickly turned his gaze back to the water.

"The cave," Maya hushed out, "feels like it's shaking."

He nodded.

"This is the lowest cave in the Mountain," he said, peering around at the crystal walls, "The deepest cavern. All of the vibrations from the caves above us all lead right down to here."

Maya placed her hands firmly on the ground, gently feeling the low Blackthorn rumble.

They glanced back up to Kadabra and Gyarados. Kadabra was lost in its meditative doze now, eyes closed, perfectly relaxed. Maya smiled.

"When Abra and my brother's Gyarados use to swim together," Maya began, "They'd play this game, where Abra would try to ride on its back, and Gyarados would try to throw it off, like a mechanical Tauros. My brother would tell it to use Dragon Dance and it would go crazy, jumping and spinning around trying to shake it off, but Abra would just hang on tight."

Lance grinned at the thought, picturing the little Abra hanging on for dear life.

"Sometimes I wonder," Maya continued, "if that's how Kadabra got so fast. We did train for years on a speedy Teleport. But I wonder how much of those Dragon Dances rubbed off on it."

Lance pauses at this; an interesting thought. When his Dragonite performed the sacred dance, he could feel the growing strength brewing in his very bones, and his heart would always begin to race.

"Are you close with your brother?" Lance asked, peering back over to her.

"Yea," she nodded, "we talk every week. He moved to Alola a few years ago with his wife, to be closer to her family. My parents and I miss seeing him around all the time, but it's always nice to go visit him."

"Alola is gorgeous," Lance's voice trailed on, lost in the thought. "I'm sure your parents are happy you stayed local."

"Yeah," Maya rested her chin in her hands, "I visit them every few weeks, we try to work around my Dad's schedule."

"What does he do?"

"He runs a construction company," she replied, "He builds houses all around the suburbs of Viridian and Pewter. He works long days sometimes, but it gets easier around the rainy season. No one wants to build in the mud."

Lance nodded at this, turning with a pensive thought: Raised in a nice family, with a Father who built literal strong foundations for homes as his job. It sounded like the polar opposite of his own childhood.

He peered back over to her, watching now as she closed her eyes, the crystalline lights bouncing off the water and hitting her heart-shaped face.

Look what love and strong foundations produced, he thought. A wonderful, sweet girl, full of curiosity and understanding; unburdened by trauma, or pressure, or pain.

It was something worth protecting, Lance thought to himself. Something so very precious.

And so very beautiful.

Oh no...

A dark thought dawned over him:

Am I... going to ruin her?

Her righteous cerulean eyes slowly opened again, brilliant and bright, locking on to his own.

She's so serene.

How dare I drag her into this...

Something on his face must have given him away; her brow furrowed with a touch of worry, before peering back over to Kadabra & Gyarados in the water.

"I can't tell you how many times I've seen pictures of your Gyarados at work," she smiled with her own words, "It really is so beautiful, up close."

Their eyes met again, his silver steel gaze clashing with those cerulean blues. He felt it again; this tug in his chest, at the very sight of her little smile.

No, he thought... how could something that feels this right; something that feels this true... possibly be destined for heartache?

In this moment, he didn't care; he just wanted to enjoy the time they still had.

"Gyarados and I spent a lot of time here," He kept his eyes glued to her as he spoke, "It was in a very dark place, mentally, when I caught it. Its heart was full of anger. Sadness. Spite. For months it didn't want to listen; it barely wanted to eat. It just wanted to be angry."

She broke the gaze and peered back over to the rare red dragon.

"But something about the warmth of this place. Something about the routine of coming here, of soaking in the salts. Must have broken through," His eyes peered over now to the waterfall by the other side of the cave, watching the rapids cascade gracefully into the pool. "We'd spend hours just sitting, breathing, meditating. Trying to teach it to trust me, trying to unblock its chakra... it took a long, long time. But I would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm very proud of the dragon that it is today."

Maya peered over to his again.

"What do you mean, by chakra?"

...

Following Lance around the stone floor boarders of the pond, he slowly lead her back towards the ivory rushing of the cavern's waterfall, the final source of these holy salts. They soon found a trail of granite stepping stones near the side of the falls, surrounded by beautiful bouquets of bundled crystals as if arranged for a bride at the alter, the rushing of the water growing loud now as they approached. They followed the stepping stones back behind the falling waters, as Lance lead her behind the very core of the waterfall itself.

Behind the heart of the falls hid a serene little secret space, a sunken & carved circle in the granite floor, with the rushing waters ahead & a wall of crystals behind, the bouncing lights of the falls dancing & reflecting along their mirrored edges. The stone floor was marbled with generations of pressed white salt, and curved around for a gorgeous natural view of the sacred rains before them.

It was so inviting; it was so beautiful.

Lance slowly approached the center of the circle.

"This is my favorite spot on the Mountain," he began, "When I was training Gyarados, we'd come back here and meditate together. Gyarados would stand in the pond, and rest its head beneath the falls right here. And we'd stay here, for hours."

He silently kneeled down on the white stone floor to face the rushing water, resting on his knees. His silver eyes turned to Maya now, shining in the glistening lights of the falls. His voice fell to a whisper as he gestured to the space just in front of him on the ground.

"Sit with me."

His eyes; they were practically glowing.

At his command, Maya slowly walked over to the center of the circle & took a seat directly in front of him. She crossed her legs in lotus position, her cerulean eyes peering up now to the power of the waterfall before them.

Her hands reached down to feel the solid stone floor beside her; it was shaking quite a bit stronger than it had been on the outskirts of the pond, the tuning vibrations crawling subtly into Maya's thighs where they pressed into the ground. Behind her she could feel the heat of the Dragon Master's bare chest as he took in a deep, solid breath.

His voice fell low; he leaned in softly to hush into the curve of her ear.

"Can you feel them again?" he asked softly, "The tremors?"

The husky sound of his voice, breathing down her neck... she held in her shutter. She nodded slowly at his question.

"This is the magnetic center of the Mountain," he went on, "The vibrations are stronger in this spot than anywhere else. What you're feeling is the energy of all of Blackthorn, flowing down through the peak of the Mountain, down from Riverhead Falls. Down the other waterfalls that lead into the Dragon's Den. And the energy of all the pokémon that live here on the Mountain, from the Dratini jumping in the pools, to the Ladyba eating the leaves of the forest trees."

Maya closed her eyes at this poetry, feeling deeply the soft pulsing tremors as they continued to crawl over her skin as his voice encompassed her.

"The wind blows the branches of the trees, and shakes the roots that are tied to the mountain. The Dragonair swim up the riverhead, and the water starts to ripple with a never-ending current. All of this energy, of nature & Pokemon. It flows all the way down. And is released here."

Maya can picture it; the wind casting through the emerald trees, the river snaking on & the currents rippling out, flowing down over & over in a great cycle of life; in the essence of Blackthorn's cosmic energy.

Lance took in another slow breath, exhaling into a soft, beckoning whisper.

"May I touch you?"

Breathless at the question; Maya kept her eyes closed. She slowly nodded her head.

His calloused, strong hands rose up to hover over Maya's petite little shoulders, before softly settling near the nape of her neck. Her body tightened the slightest bit, with the tiny shock of this first bare touch; before relaxing deeply beneath the warmth of his fingers. She let out a tiny, unbroken sigh, feeling his hands gently part to caress overtop of her shoulders.

He could feel the tension give way in her bones now, bit by bit, the tiniest, greediest smile crossing over his face with her release.

His voice hushed into her ear once again.

"The Chakras of the body are very much like these waterfalls of Blackthorn. They are centers of energy, focal points of our spirit, and the spirits of our pokémon. When they become blocked, we fall out of balance."

He slowly raised his right hand to walk his fingers up the back of her neck, parting under the loose ponytail of her hair, until he found the crown of her head. His hand spread over it gently.

"The Crown Judgment Chakra," he hushed out, "the Chakra of the Normal type. It links us to all people and pokémon through the energy of enlightenment, and the understanding of one another."

His hand then slowly slid down from Maya's crown, landing to rest on the back of her head. His other hand reached around gently to her face, his fingers now grazing over her forehead lightly, just above her brows.

"The Psychic type Chakra," he whispered, "of the Third Eye. Psychic type trainers become experts in seeing the honest truth of the world, & the honesty of their own intuition."

Maya cracked a smiled at this, thinking of Kadabra. She kept her eyes closed, feeling the hand on the back of her head slide even lower now to the sensitive edges of her neck. His opposite hand moved down as well, his thumb reaching to graze softly over the delicate curving lines of her throat.

"The Electric type Chakra," he whispered, "in the throat. The electricity of our bodies and minds come together here, and are expelled when we speak to each other; when we communicate openly to one another."

Maya's breathing began to deepen; her heart beginning to race at the feel of his thumb caressing at these ridges of her neck. Her thighs were still ringing with the cosmic vibrations of the cave as the tremors attempted to subtly crawl further up her legs.

"It is no surprise that Champion Ash took the crown with his Pikachu. That they made for such a powerful team," he continued, their thoughts both turning to the final showdown of the Masters 8, "They are bonded; neck and neck, when it rides on his shoulders. The way they communicate with one another makes their electricity unmatched."

His hand began to move further down along her spine, stopping now at the dead center of her shoulders. The fingers of his other hand, still wrapped around at the front, began sliding down from her throat in a slow, tight line between her breasts, pausing to press just above them into her sternum.

"The Flying type Chakra," he hushed, "the Chakra of the heart. This is what was blocked in my Gyarados, that took years to fully heal. Gyarados felt alone in its pain; it did not want connection or friendship. But after showing it compassion and love, I received it in return."

Maya smiled at this; the Dragon Master had truly saved that soul.

With both hands moving to her back now, his fingers began sliding down her spine even further, stopping to align with the slimmest curves of her waist. His hands parted to gently grip onto either side.

"The Fire-type Chakra," he said with resolve, "In the stomach, where our energy swirls and builds with confidence. Fire type trainers & their pokemon are known to be bold & sure, and naturally take control of their life path."

Maya's eyes peered down for a moment as she held in a shaking sigh; the vibrations below seemed to be getting stronger, tickling at her thighs, reaching up between her knees now as she felt the Dragon Master's fingers slide lower still along her spine, down toward her narrow hips, before stopping at the beckoning edge of the thin, white elastic of her shorts. His two thumbs began massaging the area slowly; gently.

His voice hushed even quieter, his lips right to her ear,

"The Water-type Chakra," he whispered softly, "goes beyond just the freedom and the flow of the water. Beyond the key to our creativity. It channels all the pleasures we seek out of life."

His hands began to part now around towards her hips, his whisper turning into a tiny growl:

"Pleasures of all kinds."

Maya couldn't help it; a heavy, breathless sigh trembled out from her, shaking as it left her lungs. She tilted her head backwards, eyes shutting tighter with the primal passion of his whisper.

Lance drew closer to her, his breath steaming down her neck, nearly growling into her ear as her mouth slowly fell open with this new delicate shock: the vibrations below had begun reaching into a new place now; a hidden, sacred place.

His legs gently kicked out from beneath him & he wrapped them around her own, surrounding her in his lap, his fingers welded tightly to her quivering body. Her breathing grew deeper; slower; serrated as her eyes creased tighter in the fight against the pleasure down below.

His hands found either side of her hips as he slid them lower still around to the front, where they met with the top of her waiting thighs, which were now positively trembling as they rode the waves of strengthening tremors beneath the marbled floor.

His steely eyes sharpened in a sly, devious look, his breath now snarling down her collar as he inhaled her deep. He gazed down at her body as she struggled to hold in its writhe, drinking her in, committing to memory this moment of her body pressed so tightly to his own as it built up with the power of the Blackthorn quakes.

His voice suddenly fell quiet; his hands frozen on the peak of her thighs.

"And the Earth Chakra," he whispered, "The Chakra of Ground Types. Of Rock types. And the Chakra of the Dragon. To be bound to this earth..."

He leaned forward now, bracing his arms strong.

"To be grounded," he hushed, "in your body."

He suddenly pressed down FIRM on her thighs, bearing down TIGHT the seat of her body to the pulsing, vibrating floor.

She moaned out; she couldn't stop it, her little whimpers echoing into the crystalline cave above them, the vibrations now blasting beneath her, whispering inside of her, shaking the core of the most pleasurable parts of her.

Lance held down strong, pinning her to the floor, his devious smile now replaced with an expression of wide-eyed hunger as he watched her endure the hallowed calls of the Mountain. Her head tossed back into his shoulder, eyes slammed closed, chest heaving before him with the struggle.

Yes, he thought; that's right, my sweet girl... Ride it out, for me.

His grip still holding firm, he began sliding his fingers to the lower edges of her tight shorts. They both peered down to watch; his index finger slipped beneath the ivory fabric, slowly peeling it back.

Yes, she thought; that's right, my Champion... please, touch me...

But... in this moment,

He suddenly froze.

I'm going to ruin her.

She's perfect, and I'm going to break her.

He stopped.

His arms pulled off from the press, before pulling away entirely.

Maya caught herself, struggling to steady her breath as the vibrations instantly subsided. Her knees still trembled; she swallowed hard, clutching a hand to her chest as she felt him move further away.

She peered down for just a moment, but she didn't need to look; she could feel the dampness beneath her, soaking through her little white shorts in the tiniest teardrop shape.

The sound of the rush of the waterfall overtook the silence between them.

She turned to him; her cerulean eyes shining in the light of the cave, laced in worry.

But his silver eyes were steeped, in a deep, hollow shame.

She spun to fully face him now. His eyes were locked on the floor.

Her thoughts raced; did I do something wrong?

"If... we're moving too fast," Maya whispered, "We can slow down. If you want."

Lance's eager eyes peered up to her now; his doubts attempting to overtake him.

I have to tell her.

He slowly reached out with both hands to clasp over her own.

"It's not just that," he hushed out, "There's something I need to tell you."

Maya's eyes searched his own, eager to hear about whatever had pulled him away from her just now. Whatever it was, his eyes were now reflecting back a sullen, cloudy gray that she had never before seen, as they fearfully locked onto her own again.

This fear in his eyes; it was the same look he had on when they had embraced in the Seafoam cave.

She slowly nodded, waiting an eternity for him to speak again, fighting the pounding in her heart at whatever it could be.

He finally found his words, his voice low and husky as he thought them through.

"I told you before. That there were things about my Clan, that you needed to know. But when you learn of them, you may hate what you hear," His voice fell to a whisper in the dread, "And you may hate me, too."

She squeezed his hands tightly.

"I could never hate you." Her whisper was laced in resolve, her eyes wide & ready to hear more.

He took in a deep, new breath, looking over her beautiful face; her beautiful body. She did not deserve this, he thought.

She could sense his trepidation.

"I meant what I said," she whispered again, "That I want to know you. Every part of you. So whatever this is, if it's a part of your Clan, and a part of your life. Then I want to understand it."

He thought on her words, before nodding slowly.

He took in another deep breath.

"My Dragon Clan of Blackthorn," he began softly, "is different than other Dragon Clans of the world. My Clan has produced more Dragon Masters than any other on the planet. And we believe it's because my Clan, follows the sacred Code of the Dragon."

His eyes peered up to hers now; they shined back in their sweet, cerulean shade, beckoning him to continue.

The Code, she thought. The one Iris had warned her about.

"It is a book of ancient tenets," he went on slowly, "that's been passed down for generations. It helps us live our lives in honor of Dragon pokémon, in tribute to them. To help us train them, and understand them. My Grandfather followed these tenets, Clair does too. I credit the Code for my status as Champion; I don't think I would be where I am today, without it. I am bound to the rules of the Code, by honor alone."

He squeezed Maya's hands tightly now, paring through these next thoughts carefully.

"But the Code, is very strict," his voice grew quiet again, "And is especially strict, when it comes to... companionship."

Maya's thoughts began to race; Companionship? How strict could they possibly be?

"And we are not allowed to share the writings of the Code of the Dragon with any outsider," his eyes darted into hers again, sharply now, "But you need to know. I want you to know. I want you, to understand the paths that we have to choose from."

Her heart was pounding, her thoughts still racing; what does he mean, paths?

His eyes found the ivory floors again.

"So when we go back to Kanto. Back to the Estate," His eyes peered up to lock onto hers again, lined in a stoic, solemn call as he spoke, "I want you to go into my Study, and steal the book of the Code. I cannot give it to you; you must steal it."

Maya thinks on his words, before nodding softly.

His eyes; they were gazing into her with the darkest, gravest look.

"I will." She whispered out, squeezing his hands tight again, hoping to ease this pain behind his sweet, silver gaze.

His face found the floor again, defeated.

"Is there anything at all," Maya asked quietly, "That you could tell me now? I... just want to understand."

His eyes turned to find the great, powerful omega Blackthorn waterfall, its mighty rains storming down endlessly behind her.

His thoughts turned to the rage of the Seafoam storms; to the Dragon who had trapped itself inside.

"Remember that Dragonite we found," he hushed out, his eyes still on the falling waters, "on the island in Seafoam?"

She nodded, recalling the poor dragon's anger; its unruly rage.

"Please understand," he went on, "That what we saw that day, was an anomaly. That is not how the ritual is supposed to go."

His eyes found hers again now, locking on strong as his voice grew lower.

"When two Dragons come together. It's supposed to be the most beautiful thing. The happiest time in their lives, the most wonderful, amazing union. The anger we saw. The fury. Was a mistake. When the two come together, it's supposed to be bliss. It's supposed to be sacred."

His eyes sharpened; but they didn't dare look away from her own.

"Tell me that you understand."

The sadness; the fear. Those silver eyes were drowning in it.

But all she wanted to do, was listen.

All she wanted to do, was know him.

Every part of him.

No matter the cost.

"I understand."

...

...

Thank you all for reading! Tune in this Wednesday, July 19th for the next chapter, entitled: "The Steal". Here is a little sneak preview:

Sliding the journal aside, the book underneath this one grabbed her attention:

It was old, its black, leather-bound casing creased up and worn like the horns of a battle-ready Tauros. The binding was loose, and its thick stacks of pages were earmarked and pleated, but as Maya lifted it up, heavy in her hands, the shine of its gilded edges glowed bright beneath her cerulean eyes. She turned it over to reveal the golden-thread embroidery of the cover:

THE CODE OF THE DRAGON

Maya took in a new breath, filled with relief. This was it... she clutched it in her hands like her own little sacred trophy, gazing down to it, wondering why it seemed to be the key to her & Lance's future.