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~In the chambers of the Black Dragon Emperor of the Diirlathe, a conversation is taking place between Callan and his brother.
The Keep is in danger, and Callan is blind ... the result of an altercation with Galain Alcarin...~
"And while I'm stumbling about, I'll tell you this. I have no idea how Nargus was reborn, but that body, the human form, was not his original body. He seems...I don't know." Callan paused and re-adjusted his direction marginally, narrowly missing the doorframe of the bathing chamber with his nose, but catching it square in the shoulder. After a muffled curse, Callan finished his sentence. "He seems more like a skinwalker somehow."
The emperor paused at this point, no knowing exactly how far it was to the edge of the pool.
"Akav...how far to the water? How many paces?"
"Allow me to show you," the voice was dangerously low, laced with venom. An'Thaya had come out of nowhere, slipping through a portal that Cully had opened for her. The Amazon's eyes shone bright with the power of the D'Riel Emerald and she moved quick as a cat, using the element of surprise to catch the Black Dragon Emperor off balance and push him forward, sending Callan catapulting into the pool.
The tiny Amazon rounded on Akavian next, "Get out! Callan and I have something to discuss! Don't let anyone in here." She was snarling, more angry and wild than she had been in a long time. "Out!" Yet, at the same time, the instant she had crossed the wards … her soul burned with the Black's presence.
It all happened too fast. Neither of them paying attention to things outside the moment. One second they were discussing tactics and baths and the next Akav didn't know whether he should leave or hog-tie the Amazon. From the looks of her it would not have been as hard right now either. Considering her entrance and venom though the fire was not gone entirely.
"Callan?" hearing the splash below, "Do I stay or go? Even so I will not be far."
For two seconds, Callan's arms flailed as he tried to regain his balance, then the black dragon felt the water close over his head. An'Thaya had timing almost as bad as his, he would decide later. Callan had been standing near the shallows...deep still for half-Elven forms, but shallow enough that his chin hit the bottom of the pool, and for an instant, Callan saw light again...lots and lots of light.
Snarling and shaking his head to clear it, Callan suddenly realized he had no idea which way was up...his equilibrium was completely off still...and dragon mass, even in two-legger form, did odd things in water.
It was several long minutes before he regained enough sense to put his feet down and kick off the bottom. Gasping for air and growling, Callan Blackthorn surfaced, but held his tongue...
He had no idea where the amazon had gone, but he could smell her...could feel her...
"I take it you are not pleased with me?"
An'Thaya opened her mouth to yell, then paused to glare at Akavian, "Out!" Tiny and furious she drove the large Dragon male towards the door and slammed it behind him. "What is with your brother?" Stalking back over she glared down at the Emperor. "THAT is the biggest understatement I've heard in days, and considering I've been in Galain's company, that is saying a lot! What the hell have you done? Do you realize the consequences of what you did? How dare you!" Her anger suddenly stopped cold, her expression shifting. "Oh my gods Callan… what happened to your eyes?"
"We'll be fine, Akavian...after all, she is bonded to me know...I think I can manage her..."
Callan's head came up, his blank stare focusing on where the sound of her voice had come from. He'd deliberately let his Speech be carried along the bond, letting her know exactly what he'd thought to his brother.
"Consequences?"
His fingers gripped the rough granite edge of the pool, and heavy shoulder muscles hauled him out of the water.
"I think I quit giving a damn about consequences several days ago, An'Thaya...and as for my eyes..." Callan shrugged as he rose to his feet, water running down his body and puddling on the floor, "Your brother assures me the D'Riel blood which binds me to your House will heal them...in time..."
Callan stepped three paces forward, listening to the sound of her breath, and making a mental note how far he was from the edge as he did so.
"Now...the question is...why are you here?"
"Manage!" The Amazon tensed, then backed up a few steps when the Black hauled himself out of the water. She was starting to realize this … was a mistake. Things had already shot way out of control in this room once before; and then … she hadn't been bonded to him. Emerald greens flickered to his bicep. The telltale mark was there, with a rose so red it was almost black, and a wreath of thorns.
"What … what does my brother have to do with any of this?" She was stuttering, caught off balance. What WAS she doing here? Anger flared in Tay's veins again and she shoved at his chest, "I'm here, to see what a complete idiot looks like! Gods Callan! You thought things were bad before? The two of you nearly killed one another! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? What it does to me? I won't stand by and watch two men that I love tear one another apart!"
"Idiot?" Callan's voice was laced with anger as he sought to control so many wild emotions at once, "Well then...I'll certainly remember your...sentiments..." Callan ground out as his felt the air pressure change, heard her step back, "The next time you are letting my daughter damn near kill herself to haul you back from that abyss of yours. And may I remind you, your husband crept in here like a thief while I was trying to work myself into exhaustion, TRYING to forget you..."
Bare feet carried him to close the distance he judged was between the two of them, stopping only when he felt the heat of her body inches away, "If I were you...I'd turn around, and leave like you came, An'Thaya Alcarin. Eyes that should have flared bright topaz remained dull, their ice blue pupils hazed and dim.
"You think it was a mistake coming here? Then go...or stay. I matters not to me..."
Callan paused his sentence, then straightened, on hand clenched into a fist at his thigh, the other going to his face, scrubbing at his eyes. The dragon's breath left him softly, yet his jaw remained set.
"Two men you love? I don't remember Adarin being here..."
His words were like a physical slap and Tay drew in a breath, trembling with what she hoped was rage. But it wasn't … it was shame. Mira had nearly given her life, and here she was … The Amazon had lost count of how many times she had broken into tears during the last few days. Her eyes burned with them and angry fingers did nothing to keep them from spilling down her cheeks.
"I'm grateful to Mira," she managed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound … oh Gods." Delicate fingers left her face, damp with tears as they touched his temple, "You ARE an idiot. Do you think I would lay with a man I didn't…" She stopped, "I'll go …I'm sorry."
"I know what you meant...and, no, I didn't think that. I do care if you leave...though, I can't stop you either." Callan caught An'Thaya by the hand as she turned, and took two more steps, crowding her between him and the wall near the door.
"So, I'll ask you again..." Callan's voice dropped to a gritty whisper as his fingers found their way to An'Thaya's jaw and tilted her head up, "Why are you here?"
How did she keep getting into these positions? Well that was simple; she had a snap temper and very little brain when it came to Callan Blackthorn. An arch of electricity shot through her as he touched her and their bondmarks flared in unison. A small whimper escaped the Amazon before she could stop it, and her emerald eyes met his blind gaze.
"I don't know," she whispered, "I … I had to know you were alright … I guess. I think… Callan … I'm still Galain's wife; that hasn't changed. I don't want to hurt you … gods; I don't want to hurt him either. But its too late for that…"
"I'm fine, or will be in time. But...are you?" Callan leaned dangerously close, drawing in her scent carefully, letting it linger in the air between them. "Still his wife? In your heart or your mind, Thaya? Because in your soul I sense little of him..."
Callan inhaled softly as the bond came to life, his eyes closing for a mere heartbeat, then slid open, "Do you regret my decision? Do you wish that ribbon of black to be gone?"
"No," the word came to her lips perhaps a little to quickly and she blushed. Not that it mattered, he couldn't see. "But I am his wife," she insisted, "He has been a part of me for thousands of years. How can I just let that go?" Her soul ached, with sorrow, and sweet agony. "Why would you even want me Callan? I have two husbands, and you don't strike me as the type to share."
Confusion was setting in, and his close proximity had her blood pounding. The bond stung her newly healed soul, yet soothed it at the same time. The emptiness she had known during the past few days … and perhaps longer, if she admitted it to herself, was gone. "Why?"
Callan's head tilted back for an instant, as he sought the ceiling he could not see, he throat moving as he swallowed...
"Why wouldn't I?" Callan's eyes sought An'Thaya, and his skin felt a rush of heat to her body, embarrassment? Or something else? It was difficult to tell...
"You've seen what I once was...don't tell me you never looked through Agaru's eyes at my soul..." The emperor leaned even closer, close enough to feel the heat of her cheeks, his voice dropping to a bare murmur, "I've felt you there before, only a glimmering, then nothing...but you've seen...you know me for what I once was, and what I have become."
A vision, a lost memory shown him the night of the ball slipped through his head...An'Thaya, but not the An'Thaya he now stood near...he'd known this woman before, though perhaps not her present incarnation...and then again, perhaps he'd never lay with her at all until that night... Messengers were odd creatures, playing pranks others failed to find the humor in. Shaking off the memory, Callan's blind sight drifted slowly across her face, appearing to see, yet not...
"And as for thousands of years...ancient cities crumble in heartbeats, worlds disappear in an eyeblink...indeed, what is a few thousand years of our lives, when we live as long as we see fit..."
He was too close, to damn close to her, he could smell the mixture of rage and longing, confusion and fear all mingling with the scent that marked her as Thaya...and now there was something else, his own iron-laced tang mixed with...
And where is my first soulmate? My Agaru?
Callan reached for both bonds, making the marks glow softly and writhe with pleasure, while one hand slipped to the small of her back, pulling her against him,
"She is still there...yet silent...why?"
How she could possibly still hear him with her heartbeat thundering in her ears was beyond An'Thaya. "I love him," the tone was unsteady, even unseeing the intensity of his eyes on her was disturbing. "I…"
Gods, why was he doing this to her? A few days ago he had sworn what had happened between them would never be again. Yet here he was, looming over her, overbearing … frightening, yet oddly tender, everything she desired in a male. His strength shook her to the core, both of body and of spirit. Yes, at one time he had been a ruthless killer, a scourge on the face of Aerdron … yes; she had seen glimpses of it herself. The Black frightened and excited her all at once, pleasure and pain, love and hate.
On first sight she had known, somewhere deep inside. Over time she had seen the true Callan. The Dragon, the ruthless killing machine, the loving Father and Soulmate, the adoring Grandsire, the faithful friend. True, he had messed that last one up a little, yet when the Web had shattered, he had proven his honor. He had stood by Derwin D'Riel until the end, had become a blood bound ally to their house.
He WAS Dragon, pure, fierce, and that in itself had doomed An'Thaya from the start. Her S'Hean blood was drawn to Draconic kind, the D'Riels were known as the Dragon clan. Whether it had to do with some mix of blood deep in the past, or merely an association of their strength and power … no one knew.
His next question startled her. Agaru? She had no clue, the Crimson had been oddly silent, though she could feel her more acutely then ever before. Emerald eyes glazed over as the Black tapped their bonds, her body falling into him as his hand guided her close. Tay trembled beneath a wave of pleasure, his unfair use of the bonds nearly bringing the redhead to her knees, and would have, were he not holding her up. "I … I don't know … Callan … please…" The Amazon could feel the rapid beat of Callan's heart through his skin and the scent of him made her head spin. Fire, smoke and something more… He was still wet and the water soaked through her shift, cool against the burning heat of her flesh.
Small hands came up to push half heartedly at his chest, slipping over his wet pectoral muscles. "What do you want from me? Do you just expect me to turn my back on everything for you? I can't have you AND them. How do I know you wouldn't tire of me as well? I wasn't enough for Galain, why should I be enough for you?" The words distracted her, keeping her mind off her own body and its response to the feel of Callan's half-Elven form. Every hard line of him imprinted against her skin and threatened to break her, she shook with the desire to just given in, to beg him to take her again.
Callan only half listened to her explain that she didn't know why Agaru held her silence, the feel of her shuddering body crushed against him made his head spin, almost made him forget that she was...not...his. A near-painful throbbing tightness had started in his body, distracting him from An'Thaya's words...until she'd mentioned making choices.
"I don't expect you to turn your back on anything for me. I expect you to choose to live your life for you...not for me, not for Galain, not for Adarin." Callan was still leaning close, one hand on the wall to hold him up, the fingers of the other sliding from An'Thaya's back, leaving her to stand on her own as they trailed across her abdomen, then upwards to her chin to tilt her head back, barring her throat.
A deep, resonating growl began within him, and his head dipped even closer. He'd taken one step to many.. and was completely ensnared once again. He'd seen something within her long ago, on one of his own forays into her soul through Agaru. Within her burned an unquenchable fire, and to his inner vision, her soul reminded him more of fire emeralds than of a true emerald...all green and glowing yet full of lethal scarlet heat and shimmering elegant sensuality...a fire that to him, was irresistible.
Callused fingers fanned out along her jaw as Callan held his nose and mouth a breath away from her skin, wanting so badly to have her again, to take her to the floor.
"How long has it been? How long since your blood burned as I feel it now?"
All the right words. They burned through her defenses … Dragon Fire … melting away fears and anxiety, leaving her soul exposed. Somehow, Callan seemed to lay claim on her, yet set her free all at once. An'Thaya remembered what it was like to belong to one person, to live and breathe for them, the fire that consumed and gave life at the same time. How could she make a choice when her heart no longer knew where it wanted to be?
Her thoughts unraveled, falling away beneath the soft tracing of his fingers over her skin. Emerald eyes slid shut, unresisting as the emperor tilted her head back. How long had it been? "Three days," she whispered … "and an eternity."
Callan's rumbling growl grew softer, dying away as he heard her words, felt her breath against his skin. For a moment, his mouth lingered dangerously close to her throat...he could part his lips, inhale and taste her on his tongue and it nearly drove him mad.
With agonizing slowness, Callan pulled himself away and lowered himself to one knee, sliding his hand down her arm to her delicate fingers.
"Touch me...Thaya...tell me what it looks like..." Callan swallowed as he closed his eyes and lifted his head, his hair then his nose brushing the damp fabric of her shift. Trembling, forge stained hands pressed her fingers to his bicep, where he could feel the mark burning like acid, yet it had a sweetness to it, a passionate edge that burned along his veins and made him want more of her. He knew not what the mark looked like...but knew it was placed over the ring of autumn leaves left from Task...a mark that still felt alive, but somehow deferred to An'Thaya's touch.
"You have to ask why I would not tire of you? God's Thayaru...you make my blood sing...and I am not Galain."
The world spun in dizzying circles and she nearly fell forward. Her breath caught in a startled gasp, small feet shifting to regain balance, fingertips using Callan's bicep to steady herself. Tay didn't need to look; she had seen it already. Eyes closed, the Amazon let the tips of her fingers trail over his warm skin, feeling the slightly smoother texture of the tattoo.
It is my dagger … my mark. The rose is here …deep red, nearly black. And … here, is a ring of black thorns. She opened the bond between them, eyelashes fluttering open, letting him see it through her eyes. "I know … I can feel you … and … no, you are not." He was so very different from Galain; they were like night and day. Trembling fingers cupped his face, traced his features. "You are … dark … and beautiful … I'm afraid of you," she whispered, "I could get lost in you … and never find my way free again. Because I wouldn't want to."
For a single, startling moment, Callan felt a tugging, drifting sensation, something close to vertigo, then saw himself through An'Thaya's eyes...and saw the mark he'd known he was branded with, but had not known for certain what it would look like. Autumn leaves swirled beneath the hilt of the dagger, the rose the color of his own blood and the wreath of thorns tangled around both the dagger and the leaves.
He saw his own eyes, the blue lost behind the fog, saw himself wince, then turned his vision elsewhere, seeking the strand of Crimson in the slowly whirling storm...Agaru.
"And where are you in all this?" Callan asked softly, feeling her there, winding around her, but sensing the line between she and An'Thaya blurred...had he truly lost his ability to differentiate between them?
Did it matter now?
Gently, Callan wound himself through and around An'Thaya's soul, wrapping tighter and caressing all that was her with his own essence, "Is it being lost that scares you...or being found?"
In the flesh, Callan's arm went around her waist and pulled her to him, his hands slipping under the hem of her shift, his fingers brushing the soft skin of her thighs then closed around her hips.
"Why not get lost together??"
Callan's whisper along their souls had grown rough, the reflection of too many emotions rolling through him...and her as well, as he slowly slipped the shift up, revealing hardened muscle and flowing curves, a fascinating combination to be 'seen' through his touch. Thumbs caressed her hipbones, rubbing them gently, and unable to resist, Callan leaned forward, growling softly and biting gently at her flesh along the juncture of hip and outer thigh.
With you … Agaru's voice whispered as if from a distance, As always … Dostei i'man Black… An'Thaya's eyes flickered, the Crimson one moment, the Amazon the next. Deep red eyelashes drifted down and the Amazon's head fell forward, a rain of fiery locks tumbling down to frame her face. Trembling fingers found his heavily muscled shoulders, clinging to Callan's strength as hers faded beneath his touch. Tay's spirit was still delicate and the movement of the Dragon's soul within hers was nearly painful … yet somehow, brought her peace.
A sharp intake of breath became a gasp as his teeth found delicate skin and bone and she arched into him, hands sliding up into the Black's hair. Had this been her intent in coming here? This inevitable moment, the point of no return… An'Thaya could not have said for sure, the past few days she had been operating on instinct alone, even now. Especially now.
Callan's head tilted back at the feel of An'Thaya's fingers tightening in his hair, and the dragon let his soul go still, simply laying alongside and around hers in a tender embrace.
"I can let you leave...if you like..." the emperor muttered, his soul soft as it echoed through their bond.
"Or I can ask you stay..."
Callan slid his arms around her hips, his fingers stroking the black dragon mark on the small of her back causing it to writhe slowly and teasingly, then traced the line of the tattooed claw marks with delicate precision.
Teeth and tongue grazed the flesh of her hip, then abdomen with careful suction, just enough to make her hungry, then moved lower as he pulled her to him.
"The choice is yours..."
Tay expelled a breath she hadn't realized was being held. If his words had simply been spoken, it was doubtful she would have heard. Blood rushed through her veins and her skin flushed, prickling beneath his touch. A soft whimper whispered past her lips as the tattoo shifted, Callan's hands bringing her body harder up against his mouth.
I think we both know … her voice drifted through his mind …that you have absolutely no intention of letting me go…and I don't want you to.
"I would have let you...had you not come back...I would not have searched you out..."
Callan lifted his head slowly, releasing her for a moment from the agony he was inducing, his fingers tightening against her flesh, "And I would have gone mad again in time...but you came to me, and dragons tend to not let go of what they regard as theirs..."
Cat-like, he slid his cheek and nose against the skin of her ribs, then slid slowly down, pressing her to him again and set out to make her knees be incapable of carrying her away from him again with teasing kisses that gradually became passionate tastings....
An'Thaya had spent an eternity worrying about how her actions would effect others, not wanting to inflict the pain on them that she lived with herself. She knew how it felt to be betrayed; to know the one you loved … loved another. It wasn't that long ago that she had hurt Galain by choosing to bond with Adarin, every moment afterwards had been agony. Now, she was hurting them both, and was somehow unable to stop herself.
Callan's words set her heart fluttering against her ribs like a trapped bird and a thrill trickled down her spine. Guilt was drowned out by something else, something that responded to Callan alone. To be considered his … Tay wasn't one that easily pushed pride aside, or allowed any man ownership of her being. Only Galain had ever been given that right … one that perhaps…he no longer deserved. What had been given, was not meant to be a trophy, fought over and possessed. It had been meant to be held in love, exclusive, not part of a set.
The path of Callan's mouth cut off any further thought, his contact with the ring that pierced her flesh setting off an explosion of lights in An'Thaya's inner vision. A slightly strangled cry ripped from her and fingers tightened in the Black's short-cropped hair until strength failed her. Tension released in a tangible rush before her body slid down through his hands, burning over his chest and leaving her helplessly clinging, for the moment … as blind as he.
The explosion of An'Thaya's body and soul rocked Callan to his core, setting off shudders of his own as the world seemed to spin and reel. An'Thaya's limp body wasn't allowed to slide to the floor however, strong arms held her close, and pulled her straddle his knee and slowly rocked her against him, letting the sensations linger on until they chose to drift away.
"Doste Iman...Thayaru..." Callan whispered, words just two days ago, he'd thought he'd never use.
She felt impossibly small in his arms, but not in a way that left her feeling threatened. There was the knowledge, that he had the power to tear her to pieces at any moment, blind or not. What he had once been … what he may have ended up once again … Startled, Tay realized she trusted him, with her life, with her soul and … with something much more important.
Doste Iman Callan… Pulling her head back she sought him out, brushing her mouth over his in a kiss that was soft and lingering. "Amin lava," she whispered, "Amin naa lle." Shifting within his embrace she rose, unsteady, to her feet and slid her tiny hand in his, "Tula yassen amin." Leading the massive emperor she guided him slowly from the bathing room, the early morning breeze tossing her mane of crimson curls into her face as they entered the bedchamber.
Amin lava - I yield
Amin naa lle - I am yours
Tula yassen amin - Come with me
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