"My mother's been dead for twenty years."

Disappointment shot through her chest; yet another lead severed before it could bear fruits.

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

There was an inflection of defeat in his voice that sent a pang in her heart.

"Tōga…", she said, setting a hand over his arm. "I think there is some yōkai blood on your father's side. Probably diluted by time, but still… could it be possible ?"

His tall frame suddenly toppled over on the bed, landing squarely on the mattress with a wistful look. Arms outstretched, he seemed to be addressing a prayer to the heavens.

"I always wondered, yes," he said, then turned his attention back to her. "But when you're being told you're crazy, it doesn't give much ground to go forward other than intuition, right ?"

Gwen's chest tightened at his confession; they would have to speak of Izayoi's refusal to acknowledge his past life in depth. But not now. The discovery was too important to delve upon the past, especially his marriage. Crawling beside his form, Gwen felt his hand settle upon her waist; she wrapped her upper body over his chest with a satisfied hum.

His body was unyielding and welcoming at the same time, incredibly open to any of her cravings. She would never have expected Tōga to be such a cuddler, but Inu were pack creatures. She couldn't imagine how lonely his days had been in the past years. Her hand landed on his chest, right above his heart, and she concentrated on spotting the tendrils of Yoki that danced around him in a soothing wave.

Golden orbs watched her without blinking, unreadable. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of the General he had been, tall, proud and ready for battle; thank God Tōga would never be her enemy. Then his gaze softened, and warmth spread in her veins. He was magical in every possible way.

"That sensation she described is a dead giveaway," Gwen chanced. "Now, if your mother didn't have the sight, she couldn't have seen the Yōki. But given what she wrote, she felt it. She must have been pretty sensitive to energies and aura."

Tōga cocked his head aside in such a canine expression that she couldn't help but smile. The lines of his face were slightly tense, creating that lonely crease between his eyebrows. Fifty-two years old, and not a line upon his youthful face but this one.

"It might explain why you age slowly," Gwen mused, laying her head on his chest.

"And why the instincts are still here, nagging at me when I get angry. Or possessive."

Her hand rand alongside his ribs in a soothing gesture, the memory of a boxing match clear in her mind.

"You mean the way you rise to challenges ?"

He nodded, his hand covering hers.

"Yeah. I had to learn to control my aggressivity. My dad was raised with the legends of my country, and he compared me to an alpha wolf in my youth. Damn ōkami, I am no mangy wolf !"

Gwen laughed at his affronted look. The insult made no sense to her; wolves were considered more feral and noble than their dog counterparts in Europe. It didn't seem to be the case for yōkai. Swallowing her mirth, she ran her finger on his cheekbone, tracing the place where his markings used to be.

"I've done a lot of research about reincarnation," she said. "They say people are reborn in their line. It would make sense than an inuyōkai allowed you to return."

Tōga's gaze returned to the ceiling.

"To think Izayoi pushed me into therapy to get rid of the dreams."

Anger bubbled in her chest, but Gwen clamped the feeling down; she wasn't about to participate in his ex-wife's bashing, even though she was just starting to assess the damage she'd dealt. Izayoi didn't have the sight to guide her after all, and they had been tangled in a loop of loss and karma.

So, instead of cursing against the woman who had so thoroughly broken Tōga's heart, she decided to take another route.

"Did it help ?"

He groaned. "For PTSD, yes. But not for the dreams."

Well, now they knew why. No amount of therapy could ever erase an old soul after all.

"Can I ask, now ?"

Inquisitive eyes returned to her, neither denying nor granting her request. Gathering her courage, Gwen asked:

"How long were you married ?"

"Twelve years."

Twelve freaking years. And he'd said he had divorced ten years ago. Meaning he had got married in his thirties… when she was four. An infant.

"Do you regret it ?"

It. The divorce the marriage, those twelve years. The question was open enough for him to pick which to answer.

If she believed you, would you want her back ?

"I…"

Gwen watched him patiently, repressing the urge to kiss him when he licked his lips, searching for the right answer. Surely he knew that she would accept any of his answers, albeit her heart was beating wildly against her ribcage. Did he feel it too? The wild staccato of her fears, enhanced by the intense stare he was gracing her with. Then his arm tightened around her waist and she felt his strong fingers splay against her lower back.

His voice was rough when he answered.

"Not any more. We had this relationship to purge, and it is now done."

It was like a sword falling from the sky, except that instead of piercing her through the heart, it actually cut the last strings of fate that shackled him. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief, but refused to make her joy known out of respect for his past marriage. But the energy was there, giddy, calling them to each other. And Tōga being his instinctual self just couldn't ignore it.

He flipped them over, and hoovered over her form with that special glint that shone in his eyes before he usually wrecked her.

Desire.

"In the long run, I think I needed a different kind of woman," he murmured against her lips.

"What kind ?" she asked coyly.

His roguish smile twisted her insides. When he lowered his body against her, his breath brushing her ear, Gwen wondered if she was about to combust altogether.

"A fiercer one."

"Oh, InuKimi then ? I only have kitty claws," she quipped playfully.

He groaned, his tongue darting out to lick at her neck.

"You know, we really shouldn't be talking about my ex-wives in bed."

"They are an important part of your lives," she deadpanned.

"I'll tell you exactly what I need," he started, sitting on his haunches and grabbing the top of her dress. "You." He yanked the garment over her head, discarding the piece of cloth away.

"A woman with both compassion and backbone," he breathed against her collarbone, attacking the flesh anew. Gwen shuddered against him, her bare legs bracketing his hips. "The kind of woman that would throw herself in a fire to extract her wayward Captain because she fears for his life."

There was tenderness in his voice, and warmth in his golden eyes. No matter how terrified he'd been this day, her actions had cemented the bond between them. Gwen reached out to pull at his own t-shirt but he pulled away, putting his magnificent body teasingly out of her reach. Laughing at her predicament, Tōga divested himself of the burgundy top and paused. Her hands throbbed with the need to touch the hard planes of his muscles, and her mouth watered when his hands unbuttoned his pants.

She almost tackled him when her own fingers grabbed the waistband and pulled, revealing his long legs. The both fell backwards on the bed, his chuckle reverberating in her chest as she pulled him in for a hard kiss.

"Impatient ?" he chuckled, flinging past words back at her.

"Have you looked at you recently ? You are a walking treat."

Speaking of a treat.

Gwen pushed him on his back; Tōga complied with a lifted eyebrow, wondering what his little woman had in mind. The truth was that she didn't feel so confident, right now. Awe still stayed her hands, sometimes; Gwen was unsure about why, or how she had deserved to touch him. A part of her always expected to be rebuked when her hands traced his skin, basking in its sweet warmth. That line in the stand still haunted her, and even though it had been blown away when he had kissed her, its past existence was still seared in her mind.

It was the confidence of his hands, running alongside her ribs, that spurred her in action. Whether or not she deserved him didn't matter; Tōga craved her touch, and she would give him anything he desired.

And so, with a playful smile, Gwen straddled him and attacked his mouth, then licked his neck sensually. Little by little, she nuzzled, nipped, and kissed her way down, filling her nose with his natural scent. His large hands caressed her skin, leaving trails of fire in their wake, stroking the heat that now pooled in her lower belly with skillful strokes.

Fear fled her mind, replaced by barely repressed lust. The need to become one fuelled her entrails as she divested him of the last layer of offensive garments that kept him away from her eager touch. As usual, Tōga was already fully erect. Welcoming, and magnificent; his motivation was a direct compliment. A token of love and appreciation.

"Gwen," he growled when she kissed the corner of his hipbone, then suckled upon it. His body coiled around her, powerful thighs clenching in anticipation as her mouth tasted his skin. Her insistent suckling would no doubt leave a mark on the unmarred skin of his lower belly; all the better. After all, didn't yōkai mark their mates ?

Gwen took a deep breath before her attentions shifted to another part of his anatomy, noticing how his heart beat a little stronger. Pride infused her at seeing how her ministrations affected him; his trust was a present she cherished.

"I wish I could draw you," she rasped, watching his chest rise and fall, sweat layering his skin in a thin shiny coat. "You are a work of art."

Golden orbs ensnared her, intense, burning. Gwen struggled with all her might to free herself from their spell. He lifted a hand, trailing in her loose strands, cupping her cheek. She kissed his palm gently, feeling the rougher skin before her tongue flickered over it. A moan escaped his lips, needy.

Without warning, Gwen retreated and engulfed his manhood in the hot cavern of her mouth, plunging as deep as she could. His hands dove in her air as he gasped, hips bucking by instinct.

"Sorry, sorry," he stuttered.

She only smiled around his girth. He tasted salty, and masculine, and utterly addicting. Her tongue swirled around him.

Another groan reached her ears, the sound glided over her skin, hot and caressing. How glorious it was, to feel such a strong man at her mercy, to hold this power over him as his hands massaged her skull, coaxing and encouraging her. His body flexed and twitched under her tongue, sinful moans rumbling in his chest, control ebbing away the more she worked him.

"Kami, Gwen…", he shuddered. "You don't have to…"

Of course, she didn't have to. But it felt so good that she never wanted to stop. His desire throbbed almost painfully, calling for hers, causing her own loins to clench with need. Someday, perhaps she would be confident enough to allow him to taste her while she worked him. But not today. Today was about his pleasure, and she adored every second of it.

Tōga was lost in a world of love and ecstasy. He wanted to watch her, to witness how her dainty little mouth brought him to such heights, but he couldn't find the strength to sit on his elbows. His body burnt with desire, flames licking at his nerves, incapacitating him more than any pain ever had. His head fell backwards, back arching in her touch as her sinful lips caressed the most intimate part of him wish such devotion that his lungs constricted. What else could he do but surrender ?

A strangled cry was all the warning he was able to give when he practically lurched out of his skin, tugging at her hair so that she released him. The sound startled him just as much as the blazing inferno that crawled up his spine when she purposefully swallowed him, refusing to relinquish her prey. Hard muscles spasmed and released, once, twice, thrice, his vision blurring in ecstasy as he helplessly undulated in her hold.

When he returned to the land of the living, Gwen was sprawled over him with a smug smile. A low growl rumbled in his chest when he grabbed her nape and pulled her in his lap. Wide-eyed, Gwen gave him a startled look. She had no idea.

Tōga pounced, grabbing her and devouring her mouth, still reeling from the massive orgasm she'd just pulled him through.

"Nice hors d'oeuvre," he rumbled. "Now with the main dish."

Gwen squeaked when she felt his desire straining against her belly; there was no escape. His arms wound around her like an iron cage, trapping her in his wild yōki.

"I swear you're like a dog with two tails," she panted.

"Good," he growled, nipping at her chin. "My lady needs to be satisfied after all."

OK, I bet they are at it like rabbits Gwen discovers what yōkai stamina means, and she can't compete. Believe it or not, I've known a man like this.