forum Where is… here? (Closed)

Started December 26, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

A clicking chirp escaped De’Tearion as Anna’s blush grew. It took considerable effort for him to avoid reacting. The sound of her blood was an intoxicating music, and with her blush being as deep as it was, her blood was so very close to the surface. A little nip. A little taste. A little kiss. All of which he needed to avoid, and he did so by turning away.

As they walked, De’Tearion took note of every hiss of pain she made. She was a city woman. And, he had destroyed her shoes, leaving her delicate feet to such agony. He honestly didn’t regret getting rid of those impractical things she had, but he didn’t want her in pain. He would have to make her some new shoes.

De’Tearion nearly retracted his hand when he startled Anna. He turned to look at her, to soothe her, but she instead smiled. He replied with a shy smile of his own, and kept his hand where it was.

De’Tearion smelled her relief at the flatter trail, than noticed her excitement when she saw the ponds. It brought a small grin to his lips.

The scent of her blood reached him again, and De’Tearion knew that he’d brought back her blush. Was he too forward with his words? Damn, he’d been isolated too long.

Then, her next words came and his eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t realized he was staring until that moment. He quickly looked down, his hair conveniently sliding to cover his face and obscure his view of her.

“Of course,”he replied with a surprisingly even voice.

He then turned away completely, moving to sit next to the small pond, his back to Anna. He brushed his hair back and eyed the fish within the pond. Though, for some reason, his senses were still tuned in to Anna. Why? Why couldn’t he focus on the task at hand?

After a moment, he took a quiet deep breath and reminded himself that Anna needed food. So, he shifted a bit, arching himself over the pond and morphing his hands to their insectile form. He waited patiently, watching the fish without moving. Then, he struck like a lightning bolt, catching a fish. He gave it a quick stab to the brain before setting it next to him and repositioning himself for the next catch.

Anna heard his chirp, but she had no idea what it meant. De’Tearion continued staring at her face for another few seconds before looking away. Anna grew very self-conscious and began to wipe at her face. She didn’t realize that he wasn’t looking at the dirt on her. He was looking… through it.

The poor woman was close to tears by the time they reached the pond. Her eyes were watering immensely from the pain, and it was all she could do to keep from literally crying. Though she’d been unconscious for most of it, she missed being carried by De’Tearion.

Though Anna savored the feel of his hand against her lower back. It was reassuring, comforting even. Just the simple touch put her at ease while they walked.

She watched his eyes widen at her request, and she was thankful when he turned away. For a second, she didn’t think he would.

When he stopped looking, Anna’s slightly trembling fingers removed her shirt and pants. She left on her bra and underwear, just in case. She didn’t want to be completely naked. Anna was very shy and very modest.

So she stepped into the water. Her heart raced a bit at the feel of it. Cool and refreshing. Startlingly chill. Anna shivered as she descended into it. Then, she submerged herself completely, her honey-colored hair fanned out around her under the water and splashed back up with a surprised laugh. It felt so good to wash herself. She’d feel less worried about her stench. Though she worried about her clothes. They would surely still stink.

A splash from the other pond alerted her, but Anna relaxed as she saw it was only De’Tearion fishing. She went under again, popping a bit more out of the water this time on her way up. It was waist-deep for her, so her upper body hit the air abruptly. Goosebumps broke out over her arms and the top of her breasts.

De’Tearion heard the anxieties in her heartbeat as he turned away, but he immediately turned back once he heard her start wiping off her face. She had misread him, and he hadn’t realized it until now. His eyes widened a bit with concern and a soft chirping coo echoed from his throat. He delicately took one of her hands to stop her.

“‘Tis not the dirt that holds my eyes. ‘Tis your blush,”he said softly, almost whispering.

He gently let go of her hand, looking away again with a shy gleam in his eyes.

With his ears still tuned to her heartbeat, he could tell how hard she was trying to hide her pain. It hurt him that she was in so much agony, and he was suppressing his own tears by the time they reached the meadow of the ponds. Unfortunately, he missed how comforted she was by his hand.

De’Tearion was unaware of Anna undressing, but he heard her step into the water. Her heartbeat sang in his ears as she did. He heard the water splashing as she came out of it the first time, and her laugh brought a smile to his lips.

After catching the first fish, he heard a bigger splash and his focus on the fish wavered once more. Though he stared down at the pond, he didn’t really see the fish. He only heard Anna’s heart and blood pumping through her. Such sweet, sweet music that he didn’t want to end.

De’Tearion blinked after a long moment and quickly refocused on his task. He tried to ignore his own racing heartbeat, but it was difficult. So much so that when he lunged at the next fish, he missed. De’Tearion paused, surprised by the miss. He then took a quick deep breath, aimed more properly, and snapped his claws at another fish, catching it.

After killing the fish and setting it aside, De’Tearion almost immediately caught another one. Then, he checked the fish he’d caught, quite pleased by how fat they looked. Though, now the dilemma of how to cook them. De’Tearion had never cooked before, didn’t need to. But, after the few years he’d spent living in a human city, he knew that Anna would need them cooked. It was just… How?

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna caught how quickly he looked back at her. Did she really look that awful that he needed to look at her again to see if she looked better after she wiped some of the dirt off of her face. She didn’t notice the concern in his eyes, but she heard the coo before he took her hand. Anna stopped with a mixture of humiliation, worry, and confusion in her gaze.

De’Tearion’s words stilled her completely. “Oh,” she whispered back. Her eyes widened as they met his and watched a little look pass through them before he turned away again.

The relief she felt when they reached the pond was unmeasurable.

The water was cool against her hot, flushed skin, and her blush died down after her first time going under the water. Anna dipped her hair back down again and stroked it so it would stay behind her. Then, she gathered water in her cupped hands and splashed it on her face. She was determined to look like a presentable woman by the time they encountered another place.

Anna vaguely heard De’Tearion’s splashing in the other pond, but she wanted to get done as quickly as possible. So she dipped her entire body under the water to scrub dirt off and made sure to get her undergarments clean too.

When Anna was mostly done, she stood halfway out of the water and looked over. Her eyes widened, not having realized how large the fish he caught would be. “Is that enough for you?” she asked, her voice soft and truly concerned. She hadn’t forgotten about his close encounter with death, Mercy, earlier all because of his hunger. Anna wanted to make sure he had enough to eat.

De’Tearion continued to listen to her splashing, then heard things go quiet for a bit. She was likely under the water washing some more. His thoughts were confirmed when he heard her emerge. Though, her words startled him.

He turned to look over his shoulder, but his eyes stared ahead instead of at Anna, so that he was still respectful. He started to speak, but paused, not sure how to respond to her concern.

“I… I was fishing mostly for you. I… had something earlier, and I am wary of rushing myself. It… will take time for me to regain any stable diet. Yet, be this enough for you?”he replied.

There was a brief pause, then De’Tearion recalled that he couldn’t cook.

“I must admit that I know not how to proceed with preparing the fish. I can easily skin them and… I believe ‘tis called ‘fillet’ or some such… easily as well, yet I have never cooked one,”he added.

Anna's heart raced as he turned toward her, but De'Tearion's gaze stayed trained on the trees and not her. She was partially grateful and partially… she didn't know what exactly she was feeling.

She frowned slightly. "Oh. I didn't realize," she replied quietly. When did he have time to eat? What would he have eaten? Her eyes flickered back to the large fish he had caught, and she nodded. "More than enough," Anna confirmed with a small smile.

As he continued speaking, Anna waded over to the edge of the small pond and nodded. "Yes, you must remove the scales first to get to the meat," she replied. "It's alright. I know how… maybe just not without a stovetop. We need a fire."

Anna pursed her lips thoughtfully. She didn't want to send De'Tearion off by himself, and she didn't want to be left alone in these woods. Not again. "I can help you look for firewood once I clean my clothes off," she offered.

De’Tearion heard her heartbeat again, recognizing that she was torn between… something. Though, he knew it had to do with his turn.

“I will explain more after you eat. The tale, along with the details of my diet, are… gruesome. I wish not to ruin your appetite,”De’Tearion remarked.

He smiled at her comment though. He was glad there was plenty for her.

The movement of the water told De’Tearion that she was moving toward the edge. The music of her heartbeat agreed with that. He then chirped at her words, not understanding half of it. What was a ‘stovetop’?

“I know to remove the scales. I have eaten fish before. I merely have cooked them not,”he replied, speaking gently so he didn’t sound forceful or chiding.

He considered her offer, a small smile growing on his lips. He knew she was afraid to be alone. He understood the feeling. And, it was nice to have help for once. He wanted to help her too. So…

“I can help clean your clothes, if you wish. ‘Tis something I am far more familiar with than cooking,”De’Tearion offered with a shy chuckle.

"Oh," Anna murmured. She couldn't help but wonder what he ate… and how he ate it. Maybe it had something to partially deal with how he'd saved her earlier from the forest beasts. But Anna didn't even want to think about those creatures right now. They'd surely haunt her nightmares later, along with the visions of Nikhail that never seemed to stop.

"Yes, right… of course," she replied, blushing shyly. She hadn't meant to assume. What if he thought she assumed he was stupid? Anna didn't think that. Obviously, De'Tearion was incredibly smart and strong.

Anna forced a small smile on her lips. "Well, I can help you with that, if you wish," she offered. "I don't know quite how to each fish without cooking it first… I'm sure I'd get sick otherwise." The last part was added absentmindedly under her breath. She'd never tried to consume raw fish before. She'd never needed to try.

As De'Tearion was offering, Anna was already moving across the little pond to where her clothes lay on the bank.

"I won't say no to the help," she replied, reaching for her soiled blouse. "You could even come in if you wanted. The water's fine."

Anna was joking, of course. She wouldn't actually expect De'Tearion to get in the water with her. Not if he didn't want to. And with how he continuously averted his gaze from her now – he hadn't really gotten a good glimpse of her body since she'd gotten undressed – she could only imagine his reaction to her form once he actually turned around to see her.

“Though, to start, I am a predator,”De’Tearion mentioned, just to give Anna some kind of context.

He chirped slightly at her words, then heard the blood rush to her cheeks. A couple clicks came from his throat instead of chirps.

“You have done no wrong or harm. You are new here, and ignorant to the ways, and creatures, of the Island. And, I have, thus far, been a horrible mentor,”De’Tearion said.

“I would be honored to learn how to cook,”he added.

He heard her mumble keenly, but decided to keep quiet. He knew humans couldn’t really eat raw meat, which was why he wanted to learn how to cook. He had never eaten cooked meat, but regardless, it would make things easier for the pair if they both knew how to cook.

De’Tearion rose an eyebrow in surprise at her acceptance of his offer, and especially her comment afterward. Then, he started to get up, morphing his claws back into hands. As an afterthought, he turned back to the three fish he’d caught. Softly chirping a spell, black mist formed around his fingers and De’Tearion touched each fish. A light layer of ice coated each one, which would keep them fresh for a bit while he helped Anna.

The mist faded and De’Tearion walked over to the big pond. He barely looked at Anna, only getting glimpses of her as he looked for her clothes. He still wanted to remain respectful of her, but he was also avoiding the whirlwind of feelings he felt for Anna. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to face that internal storm yet.

He gently grabbed Anna’s pants as she grabbed her blouse. Then, De’Tearion hesitantly made his way toward the water. He stepped into the refreshingly cool water, and briefly forgot about his shyness as the water crawled up his naturally sensitive legs. He moved into the deep part of the pond and lowered until his long feet were flat on the bottom, which made him shorter than Anna at the moment.

He rested the pants in the water, then washed his hands in the water. Then, he became inspired, and washed his face as well. Instead of submerging in the pond like Anna had, he simply grabbed handfuls of it and splashed himself with it, rubbing the dirt and grime off as he went. He did this to his hair as well, savoring the moment. His pale skin and jet black hair glistened brightly in the sunlight, and it even seemed like the water had rejuvenated him in other ways. His face was still haggard, but it wasn’t anywhere near as sunken as it had been.

Then, he turned his attention to her pants, starting with broad strokes along it to brush off any large debris like leaves and twigs. Then, he progressively went to smaller, more meticulous motions, even gently scrubbing spots of dirt off with his fingers.

Meanwhile, as he cleaned her pants, he was also washing his legs. It didn’t seem like it, but he was standing on one leg most of the time that he was washing the pants. His lifted leg was scrubbing the other one, wiping dirt off and plucking at rocks and debris caught in the armor plating of his legs. He then switched legs and repeated the process, completely balanced the whole time.

He even called to his second pair of arms, cleaning them as well and using them to wipe off his robe, which he still wore, as well as his chest and back.

The entire time, his focus never wavered from washing Anna’s pants.

Anna swallowed heavily, vividly remembering how De’Tearion had pinned her to the ground and nearly eaten her when they first met. “Yes, I guessed as much.”

She studied the noises he made. Did they mean something? Convey different types of emotions? Anna was curious. She wanted to know everything about him, but she didn’t want to push. He’d already closed up on her before. She didn’t want it to happen again.

“You’re not a horrible mentor,” Anna assured him. “We haven’t had much time for you to actually tell me anything.”

Her blush deepened, and she couldn’t control it. “I’d be honored to teach you.”

Anna didn’t catch his surprise since her back was to him as she moved toward her clothes. The water stirred around her, and she loved the feel of it. Swimming had always been a fun activity. But now… she hadn’t been able to go near pools for quite some time.

She didn’t even want to think about it. In her mind, she had to convince herself that the little pond wasn’t actually a pool, and she would be fine. That was a story for another time. Anna really didn’t want to have to talk about it now with De’Tearion. This moment now was so lovely, and she would hate to spoil it.

Her eyes drew back over to him as he froze the fish with his black mist. Anna’s eyes widened immediately. “Wow…” she breathed.

Then, before she knew it, De’Tearion was heading over to her little pond. She held her breath, even as he refused to look at her. Really look at her. Was it because he valued her modesty? Or did he just not want to look at her body? And why was she so concerned about it?

Anna swallowed heavily as De’Tearion actually made his way into the water with her. He did know she’d only been joking… didn’t he? He moved around her until he was at the deepest part. For the first time, Anna stood slightly taller than the large Goliathan.

And she was entranced by him. Just watching him as he washed himself with splashes of water somehow made Anna unable to break her stare. He was a stunning creature, as disheveled as he was. She wanted to help him fix that, but she wasn’t sure how. But still, he looked far better than earlier.

When his attention turned to cleaning her pants, Anna finally seemed to remember the blouse in her fingers. Quickly, she got to work cleaning it and rubbing the dirt out underneath the water. Every so often, she glanced up at him and watched his work. It was smooth and meticulous and perfect.

Anna felt embarrassed immediately for ogling at him and guilty about the swirling mix of emotions she was feeling. Half of them, she was scared to let herself feel again. But for De’Tearion…? No, she didn’t want to risk it. She wouldn’t risk it… would she?

She grew so focused on her blouse, that she missed how he washed his legs and that he called upon his second pair of arms.

De’Tearion chirped and sighed softly, remembering their meeting as well. Her foreignness had likely been the only thing that saved Anna from him. And, if she had not been foreign, he would still be wallowing in utter loneliness and despair. And, Anna… well… he didn’t want to think of what would’ve happened to her.

He didn’t know her thoughts, but he could sense her rising curiosity. It made him curious. What was piquing her interest?

Her words surprised him and he nearly glanced over at her. He caught himself before fully looking at her though. Then, he briefly stammered for words, trying to find a way to deny her. He wanted to say that there had been much more time than she was accounting for, but, truthfully, he couldn’t argue. A lot had happened in the past night, along with De’Tearion simply being too emotional to properly communicate any sort of teachings to her. So, he silenced. Her words were true, even if he didn’t want to believe them.

A small smile touched at his lips when he heard more blood moving to fuel her blush. He then gave off a cheerful chirp at her words, and the little smile grew. It had been a century, if not more, since he’d last learned a completely new skill.

De’Tearion heard Anna’s awed whisper as he froze the fish. He immediately started to wonder if she had ever seen magic. He had heard that some towns on the Island, that some humans, were fortunate enough to never encounter magic. But, those places were very secluded, and never really encountered Forestfolk. Was Anna from a place like that? A place with few Forestfolk and little magic?

De’Tearion heard the way her heart beat as he got closer, then entered the pond. Was she… anxious? Worried? Confused? He couldn’t tell. Clearly she had a lot on her mind. He just hoped he wasn’t intruding. He hadn’t exactly expected her offer to get into the pond, so…

But, he felt her eyes boring into him as he washed. He recognized that feeling. Water had a way of rejuvenating a Goliathan’s body from most stresses, and it clearly seemed to be doing that. De’Tearion had long been aware of his good looks. He could’ve had a harem while he had been Chancellor, a large one. The women would’ve killed each other for his approval if he’d asked. But, he hadn’t. Furthermore, his manners had been quite foul then, which ruined all of his chances at a traditional Goliathan romance. Like he much cared about his kin.

Did he even care about romance anymore? Especially after Mileena? He honestly didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. He was terrified to know. Or maybe he was just too lost to know what he wanted.

De’Tearion didn’t notice how Anna watched him clean her pants. He was too engrossed in his work, in the peaceful monotony of it. He was vaguely aware of her heartbeat, and that it was quite busy with various emotions, but that was it.

A few minutes later, he finished both washing the pants and himself. He lifted the pants out of the water, neatly folded them as small as he could get, then squeezed the water out of them. His gentle grip and sheer strength allowed him to get almost all of the water out of her pants. He then turned and moved back toward the edge of the pond, spreading the somewhat damp pants out on the dry dirt so it could finish drying.

Anna inhaled slowly and tried to distract herself by playfully swirling the water with her fingers. These woods, if there weren't so many other dangers lurking in them, might have been more beautiful. The pond certainly was.

She caught a flicker of motion out of the corner of her eye, and it took her a moment to realize it was only De'Tearion. He'd started looking over at her then stopped himself. "I'm not wrong," she added firmly. "It's neither of our faults. Merely the circumstances. I'll learn all you have to teach me later. We have a decently long journey to the city, yes? We can talk along the way." Her tone left no room for arguing. It was easy to see why she was such an efficient and trusted barrister.

His chirp caught her attention again. So she had been right. Different sounds meant different emotions. Anna didn't know if he'd look at her, but she smiled back anyway.

Anna couldn't help but stare. Surrounded by the water, dripping wet and washed clean, De'Tearion was surely a sight. Mileena had been a very lucky woman. Then without really knowing why, Anna felt a surge of jealousy toward the other woman she'd never met. But she shook her head. That was ridiculous. Besides, she was still trying to figure out what it was that she felt for De'Tearion. And if he even felt anything for her in return, which he probably didn't.

While De'Tearion was finishing up, Anna was nearly done washing her blouse as well. She wrung it out as De'Tearion had done with her pants before folding it and setting it on the bank of the pond. She turned back toward where the Goliathan stood and suddenly froze.

Out of nowhere, terror seized Anna, and she began trembling. It was the damn water. She had been continuously trying to convince herself it wasn't a damn pool. But the memory overwhelmed her anyway.

She wasn't in the woods. She wasn't with De'Tearion. She was outside an incredibly beautiful mansion, sitting beside the pool in an iron chair. But instead of relaxing, she was tied to the chair with tape over her mouth and a man's hand around her neck as he pressed a gun to her temple. Harry was there, and Daisy. Daisy was tied up too. And Nikhail… with a gun.

Just as quickly as she'd been sucked into the memory, Anna snapped out of it. She started taking deeper breaths to control herself and gripped her arms to keep from shaking. "Sorry," she whispered. "I don't know what came over me." Lies.

Her strong words caught him completely off guard. Where had that come from? Anna had seemed like such a timid woman since the moment they met, but clearly there was more to her than he’d thought. There was resolve hidden underneath her gentleness. De’Tearion couldn’t deny that he was immensely intrigued.

“I underestimated you. That rarely happens to me,”he commented.

“Agreed,”he added with a nod.

De’Tearion didn’t mind that Anna still stared at him. Though, he immediately took note of the spike of jealousy in her scent and heartbeat. What was she jealous about? Why? It bemused him, but he didn’t mention it.

De’Tearion saw out the corner of his eyes the way Anna followed him with her shirt. He kept an eye on where she was at, but otherwise didn’t mind it. Until he smelled her terror.

De’Tearion whipped around to face Anna, checking their surroundings, checking for possible wounds on her… quite attractive body, then looking at her face to see if her expression could give any clues. It was her eyes that gave it away. That distant, stricken gaze that could only belong to horrible memories.

He moved toward her and cradled her cheeks as she came out of the memory. Concern was in his eyes as he watched her.

“We both know that be true not,”De’Tearion breathed.

He tenderly kissed her forehead, then her lips. He didn’t even register what he was doing until he was doing it. His movements were led by instinct and impulse. But, as he kissed her on the lips, De’Tearion realized just how much he had missed it, how much he needed it. It wasn’t just food he was starved of, it was affection too.

It was only after she finished speaking, when her words hung assertively in the air between them, that Anna realized just how she'd spoken to him. For a moment, she worried that De'Tearion would be upset or angry that she'd spoken so boldly, but instead, her eyes widened at his comment.

"Oh…" she whispered. "I… I'm sorry?"

Anna was entirely unaware of anything happening around her while she panicked. It wasn't a pool. She wasn't in a pool! Still, the moment took hold of her mind and refused to let go until it had properly filled her with fear.

When she finally was aware of herself again, Anna was shocked to find De'Tearion in front of her, cupping her face and looking her over with deep worry behind his gaze. His concern stilled her immediately, and she searched his face intently.

Anna turned pink at his remark, and immediately, the blush deepened as he kissed her forehead. "De'Tearion," she began quietly. "I-"

But then, suddenly, his lips were pressed against her, stopping her from finishing her thought. Anna's eyes widened, and she abruptly gasped into his mouth. The moment had taken her entirely by surprise. Slowly, she started to kiss him back. Her eyes drifted shut, but she didn't know what to do with her hands. They hesitated in the space between the pair, unsure of where to touch him or even if he wanted to be touched.

De’Tearion, with his keen ears, heard her whisper clearly and couldn’t help a small smile.

“Worry not of it. It be a compliment,”he said.

De’Tearion watched and listened to Anna closely, recognizing every bit of what was happening to her. He couldn’t see her memories, but he had felt everything else, many times, countless times.

Though he was tempted to wrap her in a hug, De’Tearion didn’t. He simply waited, cradling her face still. When she came back, he saw it. The shock. The caution. No memory of his approach. As he had expected.

He noted her blush, but he ignored her words. De’Tearion was determined to comfort her, to make her feel safe. If there was one non-violent thing he was good at, it was soothing others. He had done it so long with his sister that it was instinct.

Her gasp made him realize that he was actually kissing her. When was the last time he had kissed someone like this? Mileena… Mercy have him, what was he doing? Had he truly lost his mind? He couldn’t do this! He didn’t want to hurt Anna like he had Mileena! He didn’t want to break her heart like Mileena! He didn’t want Anna to hate him for his failures, his mistakes! He… he…

De’Tearion barely noticed that Anna was kissing him back. His mind was a whirlwind, and his hands were starting to shake. He had to get away. He had to. And, he did. He pulled away, his hands retracting from her face.

“F… forgive me. I… I… F… forgive… It… I cannot…”he stammered out, his voice almost a whimper, terror in his eyes.

He backed away, almost tripping on his own unsteady feet, before he turned away and exited the pond. He headed toward the trees, his long strides carrying him with speed. He didn’t even register that he was still soaked in water. He just needed air. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t stay. He couldn’t hurt her. He… he just couldn’t!

Once he was out of sight of the meadow, De’Tearion leaned back against a tree and took a shaky, deep breath. His entire body shook, dizziness haunted him. He couldn’t move. He could barely breathe.

Quickly, De’Tearion closed his eyes, his hands reaching back to touch the tree he leaned against. He took several deep breaths, not stopping until he had calmed down somewhat. He then opened his eyes and slowly looking around, taking his time to trick his nerves into relaxing further.

A few minutes passed, and De’Tearion had mostly composed himself. He remembered that he had planned to get some firewood for Anna. He also remembered that she had wanted to come, but that seemed pointless now. So, he simply walked around, picking up twigs and fallen branches as he made a wide circle back toward the meadow.

Anna offered her own small smile in return. “Alright,” she murmured. She didn’t want to come across too bold or do anything that might scare De’Tearion off. He seemed to be quite unpredictable.

The memory had taken over her entire body, so when she came back into her right mind, Anna had to readjust. De’Tearion’s closeness was shocking… but not unwelcome.

And when he kissed her, yes it was also shocking, but again… not unwelcome. Anna began to kiss him back more eagerly, lifting her own hands to press gently against his chest. But then suddenly he was pulling away, stammering apologies.

Heartbreak shattered her mind immediately, and she tried not to look as upset as she felt that he’d ended the sweet moment and felt the need to ask her forgiveness for it. Anna parted her lips to reply, but then… then he was backing away. Leaving her.

“Wait!” she cried out, rushing to get out of the water. She was too late. He had vanished.

Terror seized Anna immediately when De’Tearion was out of sight. She was alone again, surrounded by unknown dangers that lurked in the forest. Creatures that could kill her in a heartbeat or capture her for their wicked desires.

She panted for breath, trembling with the sudden cold now that she was wet. Should she get back in the water? Would it deter anything that might find her while her companion was gone?

“De’Tearion?” she whimpered, looking around for him with vain hope that he might reappear.

De’Tearion was too focused on his thoughts to register her growing eagerness, or that her hands were pressing lightly on his chest. As he fled, he didn’t realize that he’d hurt Anna, and her cry fell on deaf ears.

Had he noticed her reaction, De’Tearion would’ve realized how much of a fool he was. He would’ve turned right back and held her close. He would’ve apologized for being a complete idiot. But, he didn’t notice, and he didn’t do all of those things. Instead, he was fighting his emotions while collecting wood.

---

He had been watching the kissing scene play out, curious as to who the Goliathan was, and to how a foreign woman had come to the Island. Though, he was also quite curious how long that woman would last after a few hours of good torture.

He teleported to stand in front of the woman, of Anna, and he grinned with bloody teeth, his golden eyes boring into her. He appeared human, but there was something off about him. His features were distorted slightly, and not exactly proportionate.

“Hello, Foreigner, what are you doing all the way out here? In the middle of the woods? Where danger always lurks?”he politely asked, his slightly high pitched voice holding a cruel tone.

A cackle burst from him and he snapped his fingers, a little exaggeration of the spell he just telepathically cast. He had immobilized her. She could still breathe and talk and move her head, but from the neck down, her body simply wouldn’t respond to her. Unless he allowed it.

Anna hugged herself worriedly. Her arms crossed over her chest, attempting to hide part of her breasts from view. She was still only wearing her undergarments, and who knew what could be looking at her…

As if in answer, another creature suddenly appeared in front of her. Anna’s eyes widened, and she scrambled backward to get away from it… but she couldn’t move.

She immediately began to panic. Trapped and unable to move while staring down a creature with blood on its teeth and eerily golden eyes staring at her as if it could examin her very soul.

“Wh-What are you?” she asked quietly, slightly surprised to find out she could still talk. Maybe she could scream loud enough for De’Tearion to come back and help her… that is, if he didn’t hate her for kissing him back. He hadn’t seemed to like it, and Anna worried he regretted even kissing her in the first place. “Wh-What do you want?”

The creature’s cackle made her blood go cold. This would not end well for her. Not unless, by some miracle of Mercy, De’Tearion came back soon.

The creature grinned evilly as she panicked. He then chuckled at her question, contemplating if he wanted to answer or not. He decided to do so, just because he could.

“I am what is commonly called a Vanisher. As evidenced…”he answered. He then disappeared briefly before reappearing in the exact same spot to demonstrate his ‘vanishing’ abilities.

“Your half-feral friend is a Goliathan. They are insectile warriors and assassins. And, the strongest creatures on the island. I would be careful around him. He might eat you alive, if he has not already tried,”he added.

“And, what I want… is to see how well your body would last when… subjected to various experiments of mine. I am an artist, and I have not had a proper canvas to work on in centuries. And, then you came along. Lovely body. Lovely hair. Nice eyes. Delicate skin. Fragile body. Breaking your bones will not take me long. Which is fortunate for you, because it will be less painful,”he explained quite jovially.

He then heard her thinking about screaming for De’Tearion and paused. ‘De’Tearion’? The De’Tearion? Well… how the mighty have fallen. He might enjoy his little torture session more than he had initially thought.

“Go ahead, Little Doll. Scream for him. I will not be mad, I promise. I want him here as badly as you do,”he said softly, almost gently. He then looked toward the trees, waiting patiently.

---

De’Tearion was oblivious to what was happening in the meadow. He had collected a good stack of firewood, though he wasn’t sure how much would be needed, so he just kept collecting more.

He tried to avoid thinking of Anna, but his thoughts kept drifting back to her. Back to their kiss. The need he’d initially felt was still there, lingering, brewing. He couldn’t leave her. No matter how much he wanted to. No matter how much he wanted to run. He couldn’t. They were tied together somehow, and De’Tearion was too lonely to let her go just yet. It would hurt him more to leave than to stay. And, that wasn’t including that she depended on him for survival.

De’Tearion sighed. He needed to get back soon. The forests were always watching, and she was a prime target.

Anna tried to force herself to remain calm when she noticed his wicked grin at her fear. His chuckle was downright terrifying. But she watched in awe and horror as he disappeared from sight, then reappeared before her eyes.

She swallowed heavily at his description of what De’Tearion was. But he’d already tried to eat her, and he had not done so. Would she still be safe?

Her heart began to race at his words, and a tear slipped down her cheek. Anna hated that she had taken her clothes off now. While with De’Tearion, she had felt safe and willing, but now, with this Vanisher creature, she felt vulnerable and on display. She despised this feeling.

Even as she was praised, the creature’s words were twisted. He was going to break her. Torture her. Claim it to be for ‘art.’ Anna blinked quickly, trying to keep her pure fear hidden.

Her eyes widened. He could hear her thoughts too? She kept her lips pressed tightly together, releasing barely a whimper. Anna would not scream. Not to lure De’Tearion into this waiting monster’s clutches.

“If you think you are safe around him, you are not. Some Goliathans like to ‘play with their food’. And, he still has some restraint. He’s only half-feral,”the Vanisher answered her thought aloud.

An evil grin grew as he watched the tear slide down her cheek. He stepped forward and delicately wiped it off, staring reverently at the moisture on his finger.

After a long moment, he looked back at her, grinning evilly again.

“You can’t hide your fear from me. So, scream, cry, let it out. No use in holding it in when I’m going to be aware of it anyway,”he cooed.

He then licked the finger he’d used to wipe the tear off.

---

De’Tearion picked up yet another twig, then decided that the huge stack in his arms would be plenty. He started walking back toward the meadow, his thoughts still whirling. The only thing he knew for certain was that he wouldn’t leave Anna.

It was a good thing too, as moments later, he sensed something was wrong. The scent of fear swarmed around him, almost choking him with its stench. It didn’t belong to him, and there wasn’t any creatures near enough to him to be the source. That meant…

Anna!

Anna would have shivered if she were in control of her body. Well, if she were in control of her body, then she would have run from the Vanisher the second he appeared before her. But his words made doubts surface in her mind, just like they were meant to.

Was De'Tearion only playing with her? Confusing her feelings and kissing her so that she would be more of an interest for him to kill? More tears pooled in her eyes at the thought.

A soft whimper escaped Anna as the Vanisher came closer and brushed his finger over her cheek. It took her a moment to realize that he had captured her tear on his fingertip. Why? What did he want with it?

She swallowed heavily at his coo. No, Anna still refused to scream. She would not call De'Tearion to the place where this creature waited only for him to be attacked. She refused. But she did break in another way.

Anna began sobbing quietly. Her heart was racing in her terror, and she needed the Vanisher to get away from her. More tears leaked from her eyes. "Please," she begged quietly. "Leave me alone."

The Vanisher’s grin grew bigger as she started to doubt De’Tearion. He watched her closely, pleased by her fearful reactions.

“What do I want with your tears? I just want them. I love tears quite dearly, you see. I love making folks cry,”he purred.

Her refusal to scream was a disappointment, but he immediately became fixated on her eyes as she started to cry. He pulled out a little vial from a hidden pocket and moved it up to her face.

“Stay still. This is the painless part,”he breathed, trying to catch her tears in the vial. He completely ignored her plea.

---

De’Tearion started to hurry back toward the meadow, but realized that running wouldn’t be fast enough. So, he teleported.

He appeared in a plume of black smoke near the fish pond, and immediately dropped his armload of firewood at seeing the Vanisher. He teleported again, disappearing in another cloud of smoke.

When he reappeared, he was directly behind the Vanisher. The creature was too focused on Anna to notice De’Tearion in time, giving him ample opportunity to snatch the creature by the hair and throw him across the meadow and into a tree.

The Vanisher yelped, crashing into the tree and landing in a heap on the ground. De’Tearion teleported again, standing on top of the Vanisher and viciously stomping on him. The Vanisher howled and vanished, teleporting back over to Anna and grabbing her in a chokehold.

“You want your little pet? Come and get her!”the Vanisher hissed.

De’Tearion stilled for a moment, his human hands becoming insectile claws, then he teleported again. The Vanisher whipped around, expecting De’Tearion to come up from behind. Instead, De’Tearion appeared in front of them, which was now behind, and rammed his fist straight through the Vanisher’s chest.

The Vanisher gasped and coughed, dropping Anna. His immobilization spell immediately dissipated. His body also started to flicker and blur, as if he was a dozen people standing in one space, but nothing else happened. The Vanisher’s eyes widened when nothing happened, because he was trying to teleport.

De’Tearion, who still had his arm sticking through the Vanisher, chuckled cruelly. He adjusted his arm so that his hand actually held onto the Vanisher, then rose to his full height, lifting the whimpering Vanisher off of the ground.

“This be why you should never fight me,”De’Tearion hissed in the Vanisher’s ear.

He then grabbed the back of the Vanisher’s wound with his other hand and proceeded to rip the Vanisher in half. A deafening eerie screech came from the Vanisher and a flash of light burst from his body, as if the flickering forms around it were being forcefully ripped out. He then went limp.

De’Tearion quickly threw the two halves of the corpse away from the ponds and Anna. It was a good thing too. The two halves started to corrode and distort, becoming eerily tall and gaunt with dark green flesh. Then, it melted into a puddle of acidic goo that ate the grass and soil around it, leaving a gross patch of earth in its wake.

De’Tearion watched the Vanisher die with a cruel gaze, then turned away to wash the iridescent blood off of his hands. Tension radiated off of him as he kneeled by the big pond, but he was silent. He had yet to look at Anna.

Anna whimpered a bit louder as his purr reached her ears. It wasn't just the words he spoke, but the sickening smoothness of them made her stomach twist.

"Stop," she pleaded. "Stop it!" His focus on her made her cry harder. Everything came crashing over her mind. The fact that she had mysteriously been transported here. How she'd feared for her life in these woods not once, not twice, but this was the fourth time now. The way she was slowly falling in love with De'Tearion, but he was consistently sending her mixed signals.

Her entire body was wracked with sobs, even though she couldn't move. It somehow made it worse as the tears slipped down her face and right into the Vanisher's vial.

Despite her anguish, Anna heard something clatter behind her. Was it another creature, having seen the scene playing out and wanting to join in? But as a puff of black smoke appeared behind the Vanisher, Anna's tearful eyes widened. Her lips parted to form his name, but that was when De'Tearion grabbed the Vanisher's hair and flung him away.

Still frozen in place, Anna couldn't see what was happening. She could only hear the sounds of fighting until the Vanisher returned to where she stood and seized her in his grip. A gasp escaped her as his arm wrapped around her neck and held her against his body. Her eyes met De'Tearion's as the Vanisher hissed in her ear.

Anna watched the Goliathan still for a moment and transform his hands into claws. She inhaled sharply and watched De'Tearion vanish. She was whipped around with the Vanisher's momentum, and the next thing she knew, the spell had been broken. Anna collapsed weakly to the ground, and she scrambled away from the fight.

When she was safe at the edge of the meadow, Anna looked back, just in time to see De'Tearion ripping the Vanisher in half. She flinched at the loud screech the Vanisher made, and her eyes squinted at the bright flash of light before widening in shock. Her jaw went slack as she suddenly realized that in the fight with the Barbarians, De'Tearion must have been the third creature she'd heard. The one who had shrieked loudly to startle the other two.

Anna watched as the body decomposed and destroyed the ground around it. Then, she turned her gaze back to De'Tearion. He was wholly ignoring her as he washed the Vanisher's blood from his hands, and she wasn't entirely sure what that meant.

With trembling limbs, Anna got to her feet and walked over. Wordlessly, she knelt beside him. Then, steeling herself for the cold sting of rejection, she reached over, cupped De'Tearion's face in her hands to bring him close, and kissed him.

De’Tearion’s focus during the fight was almost exclusively on the Vanisher, but he paid enough attention to Anna to know where she was at all times, and to know if she was in the path of danger. Thankfully, she moved away once the Vanisher’s spell had broken, allowing De’Tearion plenty of room to finish the bastard off.

As he washed his hands, morphing them back to human hands, he still remained aware of Anna. Though, now his senses were solely tuned to her. He could sense her uncertainty, her fear, and it ate at him. He couldn’t face her. He was too afraid to. Her actions and emotions only fueled his fear. How could he face her? Everything he had done thus far was get her nearly killed on multiple occasions, or he otherwise just hurt her. Everything he did was a mistake, and he didn’t know how to right them.

She knelt beside him and De’Tearion bowed his head, hiding his face behind his hair. Though, it was hard to hide when his hands visibly shook. De’Tearion closed his eyes, taking a subtle deep breath. Then, her hands were holding his face, turning him toward her.

His eyes shot open just as Anna kissed him and he froze, utterly stunned. Reflex kicked in before he could stop it and he pushed her away, holding her at arm’s length. He stared blankly at Anna, having no idea what to do.

“I… I thought… I…”he gasped, his mind whirling once again.

Why was she kissing him? Wasn’t she afraid of him? Wasn’t she afraid he’d hurt her? Leave her? Kill her? Did she even understand what she was getting into by staying with him? By… by kissing him?

The Vanisher’s words still lingered in Anna’s thoughts. Some Goliathans like to ‘play with their food’. She swallowed heavily. He’s only half-feral. But without the intense fear clouding her mind, Anna realized how wrong the Vanisher had been. De’Tearion truly had multiple chances to kills her. Likely more than she even realized. But not only had he kept her alive, he had very obviously protected and defended her.

As she knelt beside him, Anna immediately noticed his aversion to her. His hands shook, he bowed his head, and he closed his eyes. But damn her if she didn’t fix what had happened earlier when she’d gasped and startled him away.

Her heart sank in her chest, and her eyes flew open as he pushed her away. Anna’s eyes met his, already starting to fill with tears again.

Gently, she guided his hands away and grew close to him again. “You thought I wasn’t interested,” she murmured. “I thought the same of you. Let me see if my new guess is correct.”

With that, Anna boldly pressed her lips against his again. After a second, she broke away very briefly to whisper. “Please… please don’t push me away. I’ve fallen hopelessly in love with you, Ákle-Ikli, and I’m not sure what I’d do if you left me now.”

As De’Tearion stared at her, he saw the tears welling in her eyes and had to fight hard to contain his own tears. He didn’t want to hurt her, truly he didn’t. But, there was too much going on at once. Nothing made sense to him. He was utterly lost.

He didn’t fight her as she moved his hands away, waiting for the words. The rejection. The acknowledgment that he had already hurt her too many times. The demand that he leave and never come back. Instead, he got the exact opposite. Her reasoning was a drastic simplification of his thoughts, but he didn’t argue with it.

Then, she kissed him again. He froze again, his mind simply trying to process everything happening, but he didn’t push her away this time. He grew concerned when she pulled away, but her words, her plea, the way she said his name, shocked him to the core.

She loved him. She needed him. She didn’t want him to leave. She… she needed him as much as he needed her… And, not for the sake of survival.

“Mercy have me,”he gasped softly.

He then leaned forward and locked his lips with hers, kissing her with a passion and need that he hadn’t known in a long while. His hand moved to cradle her cheek, while the other tenderly gripped her waist.

Anna knew she was oversimplifying things, but she didn’t care. They’d already waited long enough and been dancing around the truth for far longer than they should have been. She wanted to make up for it now.

She almost hesitated when he didn’t react to her second kiss. Maybe she had been wrong… maybe he really didn’t feel the same for her. Her plea was one final push. If he denied her again, Anna would respect his wishes. She didn’t want to force herself on him. If he wanted her to leave… she would go.

Her expression softened at his gasp, but then a thought popped into her head. It flew from Anna’s lips before she could stop it. “Fuck Mercy,” she quipped back. “I have you.”

Then, De’Tearion was kissing her again, really kissing her with passion and desire and love that Anna moaned uncontrollably into his mouth. Blush warmed her face right as De’Tearion cupped her cheek, and she even gasped in delight as he gripped her waist. She returned the kiss passionately and slid her hands from his face down his neck and over his torso. She had waited far too long for this moment.

De’Tearion’s eyebrow immediately rose in surprise at her comment, then he burst into laughter. His laugh was a grating cacophony of clicks and chirps, but filled with genuine mirth nonetheless.

“I have heard not truer and more comforting words in many years,”he mused.

De’Tearion couldn’t help a pleased chirp at her moan. Another one burst from him when he felt her starting to blush. Listening to her heartbeat was already an aphrodisiac, but actually feeling the warmth of blood through her skin was absolutely intoxicating. Then, she gasped and kissed him back, which only made him chirp more.

Though, as her hands moved downward onto his neck and chest, a true moan finally escaped him. There was still a great deal of tension in his muscles, but it finally started to melt away at her touch. By Mercy, all he’d wanted for so long was just a loving touch and a warm embrace.

Anna jumped as De'Tearion started making a collection of sounds after her comment. She hesitated until she realized, with the look on his face, he was laughing. A small smile broke out on her own face as she listened. At his reply, Anna blushed deeply.

"I'm glad for that. This is the first time I've heard you laugh," she remarked.

His chirps were Anna's way of interpreting his thoughts. Each time she pleased him, De'Tearion chirped to seemingly prove to her that she was doing well. And when she returned his kiss with everything she felt for him, his chirps made her heart soar.

She had gotten so used to his chirps that when he moaned, a bolt of something went right down Anna's spine, and she shivered. It concerned her deeply how tense he was, but the more they kissed, she could feel it fading. Good. She didn't want him to be tense.

Anna finally drew back when she began to feel dizzy. She panted heavily, leaning more into De'Tearion as she settled herself again. Her eyes were closed and a hazy smile pulled at her lips. "Ákle-Ikli De'Tearion," she whispered. "You're a very good kisser."