As the hunt was about to begin, Quinn deeply felt Valor's absence.

He had always been her hunting companion, and had known his role so perfectly that any word from her had become superfluous. Her mind unconsciously searched for him, expecting to be flown over by his large shadow. It hurt as much as the phantom pain from a missing limb.

Quinn hoped with all her heart that Valor was safe and sound at her parents' home in Uwendale. Her father had a soft spot for the eagle, and usually offered him treats in secret, even when Quinn had told him many times that it was too much for the bird's health. The thought soothed her a little. For once, she wished Valor was well spoiled.

When Quinn's thoughts started focusing on the present again, Talon wasn't by her side anymore.

Her eyes roamed her surroundings, and she found him. The Noxian assassin was prowling around the stag, carefully positioning himself against the wind. Wordlessly, she started imitating him on the opposite side. Her fingers lingered on her bow's string, ready to draw it at any moment.

Talon had almost completely disappeared behind thick saplings. They were now a few meters apart, but Quinn found her lover's eyes immediately when she started searching for them. He briefly studied her, then looked at their prey again.

They were both cutting the stag off from each side. If one of them missed, there would be more chances for the other to hit. Talon was more advanced than her, so she observed him carefully to decide when to strike. When she saw his silhouette straighten, she knew it was time to draw her own bow.

Suddenly, her old fear of missing her shot started clutching at her again.

Quinn trembled at the thought of Talon seeing her fail at the task she was supposed to be the best at. Tremors started running in her fingers, but she shut her mind and focused on the stag. Only on the stag.

The animal was still grazing obliviously as the two predators were lurking near him.

The silence was then broken by the familiar whistling sound of an arrow tearing the air. A reflex ran through Quinn like electricity, and without further thinking, she let go of the string and shot her own arrow.

The stag bellowed in pain: the first arrow was planted in its thigh, and the second one in its throat. It started running off in a panicked attempt to preserve its life. If Valor had been here, he would have tracked the animal down, revealing its exact position and finishing it off.

But Talon and Quinn were both humans, so they followed its trail at a brisk pace. Quinn was saddened by the loss of her crossbow. Using this bow meant that the animal would slowly bleed to death, it could take hours. She hoped it wouldn't take long for the poor animal.

She walked side by side with Talon. They regularly made short breaks to examine their surroundings and search for traces of the wounded stag. It had retreated into the thicker part of the forest, but none of its elements would be enough to conceal it from the sharp pairs of eyes that were on his trail. Quinn saw blood stains mixed with pine needles on roots protruding from the ground, and Talon noticed broken twigs on an unlikely path. Their common expertise made the finding of their prey easier than Quinn had expected.

Talon's silent presence near her brought her back to the happy times when she hunted with Caleb. Instead of bringing tears to her eyes, a long forgotten feeling of joy invaded her chest. She discreetly peaked at her man, and her heart felt filled with warmth. Her man.

"There." Whispered Talon.

Finding the stag hadn't taken long. The animal's quivering body was lying on the ground in a small clearing. Quinn had witnessed that scene more times than she could count, but its effect on her never changed. Pride and pity both downed on her as she slowly approached the terrified beast. Blood pooled on the ground and stained the bright green grass.

While Quinn contemplated the beast, Talon took out a blade from the back of his belt. Quinn didn't know when he had taken it with him, and she imagined Vianna probably didn't know either. It was an old blunt dagger that held traces of a recent sharpening, Quinn deduced it must have been Talon's doing.

She watched him kneel near the beast with caution. It didn't have the strength to thrash and fight with its limbs, but the Noxian was still wary of a potential last stand.

Talon firmly held the blade like it was an extension of his own arm, and placed his other hand on the stag's flank. Quinn heart swelled with love and surprise when she understood what he was about to do.

She wouldn't have imagined Talon to have enough compassion for the animal to end its suffering fast. But that was exactly what he was about to do.

Talon was calm and in perfect control of his gestures. He steadily held the stag's elbow so it didn't cover the spot he aimed for. He positioned the tip of the blade there, right between two ribs. The stag's massive ribcage heaved rapidly.

There was no hesitation when he plunged the blade right into its heart. The body jerked once, then when limp immediately. Quinn let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The stag was dead.

Though it was an animal, it was the first time she saw Talon take a life.

Their eyes crossed when Talon stood back up. Quinn bit her lip and wanted her mind to shut up: the moment was wrong, her feelings felt wrong, but she wanted this man. Again and again.

"Is there... Something on my face?" Talon asked.

Quinn instantly felt heat creep up her cheeks. She probably was as red as the blood spilled on the ground.

"N... No!" She stuttered.

Still, Talon touched his cheek. Quinn thought it was probably a habit of his, to check if any part of his body was stained with the blood from his murders.

"Come on, let's take what we can before it gets dark." Talon deeply asked.

Quinn wanted to slap herself for being so easily distracted. Today, she had discovered a whole new side of Talon. He had filled the gaping hole in her heart that her brother and Valor had left. Each day she spent by his side, she found him even more attractive... And even more made for her.

She dizzily nodded, and imitated him when he kneeled again by the body.

By the time they finished skinning and quartering the carcass, dusk had fallen upon the forest. Quinn had mostly taken upon the task herself, doing it in the Uwendalian tradition. She had sometimes explained to Talon why some parts had to be cut a specific way, and Talon had religiously listened.

They hadn't been able to take everything, and had left a generous amount of meat on the carcass. Quinn thought the wolf they had encountered earlier would be glad to find such a treasure. He was probably already waiting for them to leave to feast on his own.

They carried the meat in two burlap bags Vianna had given them before they had left. Talon had insisted to carry the most part, and despite Quinn trying everything to take more, it had been impossible to negociate with Talon.

Quinn started discovering a chivalrous side of him, and she thought with amusement that he would never admit it. She said nothing about it as they made their way back to the cottage.

"My children it's so late! Where the hell have you been? I was dying from worry!" Vianna scolded them when they got back.

Talon dropped the heavy sack of meat from his shoulder. He was panting from exhaustion, but a discreet expression of triumph could be read on his face.

"We did what you asked, woman."

But Vianna didn't even look at the meat.

"I didn't ask you to go up to Noxus to find something to hunt, did I?"

Vianna had her arms crossed and a deep frown creasing her forehead. But Talon was smirking, Quinn wondered why.

"Drop the act, I know you're happy to see us." Talon taunted.

Vianna remained grumpy, but Talon had put her in great difficulty. She was clearly trying to stop the corners of her mouth to lift into a smile, but it was of no use. Finally, she put her palm on her forehead, and openly smiled.

"Fine, you got me young man." She sighed. "I'm happy to see you... But don't ever do that again!"

Talon's eyes crossed Quinn's: they were saying otherwise.

Quinn had a slight feeling that Talon was pleased to see Vianna. In his own way, he had grown to appreciate the older woman, and Quinn wondered if he was aware of Vianna's wariness of him. Talon seemed to be attached to very few people, and she truly hoped he wouldn't ever know what their host thought of him.

"My, my, I've never seen that much meat from one animal!" Vianna marveled when she opened the bag. "I'll have to dry most of that. Well, I'd better be starting to cook now."

Talon carried the heavy bags to the kitchen side for her, and as the older woman started taking care of the meat, he went out to join Quinn.

The Demacian woman had stayed outside, sitting on a stump in the garden. Her eyes were plunged in the night sky clear from any clouds. Talon walked near her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Quinn looked up at him, her heart bouncing in joy at seeing him right there above her.

"Do you know of any place where I can clean myself, love?" He asked.

Quinn's heart began pounding as she examined his face. His sharp features were underlined by traces of sweat and forest dirt, and strangely made him even more alluring. The light of the moon was enough to make his eyes gleam when he looked at her, Quinn was about to faint.

"Y... Yes. I know where we can go." She had trouble aligning words, now. Great.

"We?" Talon was amused.

"I didn't mean... You can go alone if you wish!" Quinn was burning now.

"I like it better if you come, little bird." His voice had deepened.

Talon's hand that was on Quinn's shoulder slid up to her neck, gently caressing her there and taking her chin between his fingers. Quinn let herself be handled that way with an unbearable amount of guilty pleasure. Her head laid against his thighs, and she had to make a tremendous effort to push herself and stand up.

She took his hand and bit her lip again when she saw his heated gaze. She had a feeling they wouldn't remain clean for long.

"Follow me." She whispered.

The hot spring was even more magical at night than the last time Quinn had seen it in broad daylight. The shimmering surface of the pond reflected the pale light of the moon, and swirls of steam evaporated from it. The dark shapes of the trees surrounded the hot spring like a large wall shielding it from the rest of the world.

Quinn stopped on a large rock right above the water, and sat on it. At this point, it became hard for her to calmy stand on her legs: her body betrayed her need for Talon too much, she was literally trembling from it.

She thought again of how expertly he had planted the blade right into the stag's heart, taking its life on the spot. She wanted to cry at how bad she was aroused by his art of killing. She rubbed her thighs together to soothe the growing discomfort between her legs.

Meanwhile, Talon was taking his shirt off, revealing his taut and muscular torso. The scars were still easily noticeable, but they slowly healed.

Talon had completely bared himself. His fingers grazed Quinn's nape in a slow caress before he walked into the water, immersing himself to the waist, then completely disappearing under the surface. He emerged a second later, his hair dripping and falling on his head and shoulders in dark curtains.

He hummed.

"That feels good..."

Quinn couldn't take her eyes off him like that. Droplets of water were running down his chest and chiseled abs, and she realized she had never given enough attention to how much the muscles of his arms were developed. Talon originally seemed to have a slender figure, but his years of of service as an assassin had shaped him into a powerful man.

"Are you coming?"

His deep voice awakened Quinn from her enraptured contemplation. She nodded and started unbuttoning her shirt. Talon was leaning back against the bank, his chest out of the water, watching her with a dark craving look.

She bared her chest, then her hips, and threw her clothes over Talon's in a messy pile. The light of the moon was bright enough to reveal the paleness of her skin and to highlight the curves of her body. Talon clenched his jaw when he saw her, but he contained his urge and simply stared at her possessively.

Their day had been so tiring that Quinn's muscles were immediately soothed by the water's warmth. She let out a moan of contentment that didn't go unnoticed by Talon.

He came by her side, and put a loving hand in her neck. He gently pulled her against him as she crossed her arms around his own neck, and their lips met in a hungry kiss. Quinn's hips found their way in Talon's lap, and her legs enclosed themselves around his back. Their most private parts brushed underwater, causing Quinn an involuntary jerk of her hips.

"It seems like lately you want me really bad, little bird." Talon growled after breaking the kiss, their mouths only an inch apart.

Quinn was breathing heavily, her body a heated uncontrolable mess.

"I do..." She admitted weakly.

"What have I done to you?" Talon huskily said while passing his hand in her wet hair.

"I... I can't help it..."

She went back in for a deep kiss, sliding her tongue in and out of Talon's mouth. The water made their bodies slippery, and Talon took hold of one of her breasts. He gently squeezed it, and ran his thumb over her wet nipple. She moaned in his mouth and bit his lower lip in the process, tearing his resolve to not be hasty bit by bit.

The small movements she was making and her soft slick skin grazing against his hard member was too much for him to bear. At once, he stood up, and took Quinn by the hips. She let him turn her around, and supported herself with straightened arms on a rock above the surface. Her thighs were halfway immersed in the water, giving Talon a perfect view on her backside.

Her womanhood was hot and ready, and it was an absolute torture for Quinn to feel it stay untouched like this. Talon's hands rested on her cheeks, and he lowered his mouth...

"This time I won't make you wait..." He murmured darkly.

Quinn was immediately overcome with pleasure when she felt Talon's tongue leave a long and hot streak on her eager slit. She cried out her love for him and arched her back, giving him an even better access at her most private part.

"Please!" She cried.

He sucked at her silky skin there and plunged his tongue inside a few times before penetrating her with three of his fingers at once. The slickness there allowed him to slowly slide them in and out with ease. She realized with a mix of shame and pleasure that she had never been so wet, and that had nothing to do with them being half immersed in the water.

"My woman..." Talon lovingly said.

Hearing this low voice talk to her like that made Quinn want to come on the spot. That's what she almost did when Talon pressed the tip of his burning length against her, and with a nudge of her own hips, slid in her velvety insides.

Quinn cried. This had never happened to her before, but muffled sobs of pleasure escaped her throat as Talon completely filled her. She never wanted this feeling to stop. She put all of her weight on one arm, she was so desperate that she used her other hand to pinch one of her nipples by herself.

"Aah..."

She didn't even remember if she wanted to say something before. That did not matter. All she could do was whimper powerlessly while her man was in full charge of both her pain and pleasure.

Talon was frozen too: his eyes were shut in a feverish frown, and he was biting his lip in a manner that betrayed the torture he was going through. His own lower back was arched against the beautiful woman below him, and he couldn't stop hotly staring at her body and its curves.

All that was needed for him to start moving was a twitch from Quinn's insides. Talon engaged in deep, slow thrusts that deliciously stretched Quinn's tender skin. She accompanied his movements as well as her lack of control upon her own body allowed her to, leading him into her deepest parts.

They needed more. Much, much more. Talon rammed into Quinn and held her firmly, spreading her lower cheeks with his hands. Her breasts brushed against the water at the rhythm of their lovemaking, and Quinn regretted not being able to touch them, needing to hold herself in place with both of her arms.

The nature around them was absolutely silent, all that could be heard was the clapping of their wet bodies together and the lapping of the disturbed water.

All of Quinn was on fire. A slight touch on any part of her body would be enough to make her come by now.

"Tal... Aah..." She weakly moaned.

She was a mess. She didn't belong to herself anymore. She was Talon's woman, and that felt good.

"I love you, Quinn." Talon said in a panting voice.

He lightly pulled the sensitive skin around her busy entrance with his fingers. It was almost nothing, but that was it.

Waves of pleasure were released in all of her, she could feel them crash in her breasts, in her chest, stomach and lower part. She desperately pushed her pulsating slit against Talon's pelvis, begging to be ravaged deeper than what was possible.

Suddenly, Talon stopped moving. His own length was throbbing with the painful need of release, but he didn't give in. When her movements became too much, he hastily pulled out, and spilled his seed on her backside, haunched over her and trembling from the force of his own release.

Quinn collapsed in the water, her body still sensitive from every part. Talon was leaning back too, closing his eyes and panting heavily. Quinn slowly regained her spirits, and blew out:

"Wow, that was..."

She couldn't finish her sentence, needing to catch her breath.

"Why didn't you... You know..." She started, a bit ashamed to ask that.

Talon opened his eyes, he was clearly embarrassed too. If she had seen him in daylight, Quinn would have had proof that his cheeks had reddened.

"Come in you? I... I thought you might be, hmm..." He searched for his words and spoke deeply. Quinn had never seen him be so uncomfortable before. "... In a time where it's best to avoid... Doing such things."

Saying this had cost him a lot, and he was avoiding Quinn's eyes. When she understood what he implied, she felt like she had been struck by lightning. Of course. She felt even more ashamed of how she had behaved around him, losing absolute control over herself.

"I'm so sorry..." She mumbled in shame. "I'm so dumb. I didn't even think of... That."

Quinn crossed her arms and looked away. A surge of self-hate and disgust was rising in her. But Talon came to her side, and embraced her lovingly.

"I must admit... Seeing you want me like that... It felt good." He kissed her cheek. "But we must be careful, my love. Especially now."

His words soothed her, as they always did. She relaxed her body and tried to chase away the ugly thoughts swarming her mind. She only just realized how thoughtful Talon was, and how deep his love for her went. She had heard before that men usually didn't care about that aspect of their romantic life, and that made it one of the reasons why she had always been hesitant to engage in it.

But Talon had thought about her, about the pain and problems it could cause her. Quinn tightly embraced him. She swore to herself that they would be more careful from now on, but she didn't feel as threatened by the future than she had been right after escaping the dungeon. Talon was there, and he cared.

They stayed lounging for a good part of the night, taking the time to clean their bodies and empty their minds. Quinn was glad to share this peaceful time with the most important person to her in the world.

When they finally got back from the hot spring, they found a warm pot with two empty bowls on the table. It contained a deliciously smelling stew made with the meat of the stag they had hunted.

They went to sleep with a full belly and in a tight loving embrace.

[ANNOUNCEMENT: I *accidentally* started another fanfiction called Tears of the Shadow. It's a ZedxAkali story, and maybe you'd want to give it a try. I shouldn't be doing that but if I don't the stories keep me from sleeping and I end up sleep-deprived for days haHAHA]

[A/N: I took a lot of time to write this chapter, I wanted it to feel special in the evolution of Quinn and Talon's relationship. Did you sense everything I tried to convey? For this one especially, it would matter a lot if you took the time to tell me how you found it. Love you all. x]