3 comments/ 11064 views/ 5 favorites Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 01 By: musecues Dear Readers, Here is the continuation from the series "The Guardians". Do read that series first in order for you to understand this series. I apologize greatly for the extremely long wait for some of you. I hope you enjoy this story and follow the characters through =) M.C The electrocardiogram showed a slow but steady heart rate denoted by a bright green line; an even amplitude that measured slightly less than 60 beats per hour. The nurse in charge of the patient took down the readings on the monitor and replaced a new saline bag for him. She was tall for her age; standing at 5.6feet, Heidi Lang towered over the other nurses. It was only a month after graduation from being a student nurse and Heidi was eager to learn, eager to do her best. She was the first in her family to go to college and after much tears and persuasion, her Ma and Pa allowed her to travel to England to fulfill her scholarship. Looking at the clock on the wall, she noted the time: 2.06am. She was supposed to administer his dosage of painkillers as well. Looking down at the man resting peacefully in front of her, Heidi wondered what sort of misfortune had befallen him. His hair was blond, like hers and framed his beautiful face. She wondered what colour would his eyes reflect when they open. He had been in coma for almost a week now; no visitors. She felt sorry for him... Checking that no one was around, she smoothed the hair from his face and placed her palm on his cheek. He was so cold, and so alone too, she thought. She felt pity for the handsome man. "I don't think that's part of your job scope. You can go now." Heidi turned, startled by the icy voice that just spoke to her. The light in the room was dim and she was half frightened at the looming figure standing at the door. If it wasn't for his white lab coat, she would have panic; telling him that visiting hours were over. "Yes... yes sir," she stammered as she walked out of the room, looking down on the ground. Closing the door behind her, Adrian, sighed to himself. It had taken so much trouble to pull strings from the University Medical Centre at Princeton Surgical Centre to have him transferred to the University College London Hospital. If it wasn't for Aqurico swaying the board's decision to let him go, he didn't think he could have done it alone. "Abben... wake up soon my brother. I... feel so lost... without you." There was still Ella to think about, but he didn't want to mention it yet. He just needed Abben to wake up. He couldn't sense Ella; couldn't tell where she was or how she was feeling... and it made him feel useless, as a guardian. The midnight shift was always the hardest. Coffee was only available in the form of instant powder in the pantry or dispensed from the vending machine. Heidi didn't like either. She liked her coffee, French pressed, thick and full bodied. It was another 6 hours at least until the Starbucks opposite the hospital would be opened for business. In the meantime, she stifled a yawn and tried to reorganize some of the files that were propped up on her desk at the nurses' station. It was really quiet, except for the beeping sounds from the monitors and the occasional click of some nurse's heels. Leaning back on her chair, she swivelled around to find an unfamiliar face staring at her from across the nurses' station. His eyes were so black and held her gaze in a sharp and steady look. She noticed that he was wearing a white coat and relaxed a little. "He's a staff silly... don't get spooked!" she chided to herself under her breath. Turning her chair back slowly, Heidi tried to ignore the man's penetrating gaze. It felt as if his gaze was burning a hole in her back. And suddenly, as intense as it was, it disappeared. When she turned around again, he was gone. Adrian was wary. It wasn't like him to be suspicious of women... but the circumstances called for such paranoia. Olybrius could employ just anyone to do his bidding for him... and should he have this woman as a spy for him... Adrian didn't want to think about it. As he dissolved into his spirit form, a soft gentle huff from Mélas could be heared echoing softly down the hallway. *** "Hi, I know you're all kinda busy at the moment. But can you point me the way to Doctor Martin's office? Oh? Oh I see. Yes I know he's working right now. But... ah, never mind..." Aurora gave up attempting to stroll into his new office to surprise him. A minute later, in her spirit form, she was irritating him by blowing in his ear while he was speaking to a patient. As soon as his patient left, Aurora materialized and sat on his table facing him. Adrian gave her a bored look and got ready to press the call button for the next patient. "I'm busy," he snapped "And cranky too," added Aurora chirpily. She started walking about in his office, examining this and that. "I'm not here on a holiday, Mon Cherri. I'm here to keep an eye on Abben," he sighed, giving in to her. "Tell me, about Raphael and Aqurico. Are they well?" Smiling, broadly, Aurora nodded and resumed her sitting position on his desk. "Aqurico is keeping Raphael company. They are still trying to find some clues as to where Olybrius might have taken Ella. That old man is really an intelligent scholar. Well... almost on par with Abben when he was at his age." Suddenly, the door flew open and in came a nurse, carrying a folder. Her expression was shocked and changed immediately to one that was flustered. "Ah, ah... I'm sorry... I thought you were not taking in anymore patients... I thought you had left. Oh I'm so sorry. I'll uh come back..." "What's your name?" Adrian asked curtly. "Heidi..." stammered the young nurse. "Put the folder on the table, Heidi and leave us." "Yes, sir..." When the door was closed behind her, Aurora raised her eyebrow at Adrian. He raised his hand to silence her even before she could open her mouth. "Still! That was so rude Adrian!" she yelled in her head. She knew he could hear her thoughts even as they stood glaring silently at each other. "Walk out the door Aurora and I'll see you later," was all he said as he punched the call button for the next patient. Aurora was unsure what to do next. Abben was always around to tell her what to do. She just felt so lost without him and without Ella. For centuries, her duty was always to protect the guarded woman and now, she felt oddly liberated from her shackles and it disturbed her greatly. Were they going to become mortals one by one? Will that be enough to remove Olybrius's curse and make him mortal just like them? When he had made the deal with the devil, Olybrius had signed his soul as well as theirs into eternal slavery- they were the price he paid to gain the powers of immortality from the devil. And for them, their price was the eternal guardianship of the key to the entrance to the afterlife. That key, was born every 30 years or so and lasted up to a century at least. Aurora thought about it for awhile and decided to make the long trip back to Princeton to see what her brother and Raphael have come up with. Her purpose of coming to England was to assess the danger that both her brothers were in. Adrian, being the healer among them would not be able to detect anything other than internal balance inside a person. As for her, her ability was to take life; she would know instantly should there be any other being that was immortal as them or a potential threat to their lives. She didn't need to tell her brother that, for his ego would not have allowed his baby sister to worry over them. For as long as she was the pesky little sister to him, Adrian would remain his stoic self. ***** "Nurse Lang, can I see you for a minute?" said the Matron in charge for the shift that day. Heidi looked up at the face of her senior nurse and felt a rush of adrenaline. Did she do something wrong? Oh she was such a klutz! "Yes Ma'am?" "I will be having you transferred to Paediatrics from next week onwards. We are having a shortage of staff there right now. So, I would like you to complete as much paper work as you can by tonight and put it on my desk." Heidi stared at the Matron; her mouth slightly agape. No nurse was transferred on such short notice! She felt her blood start to boil. Surely there was some mistake! "Heidi? Is there something you want to say?" "Uh, no Ma'am..." Heidi watched her Matron walk away, her heels clicking softly against the tiled floor. Clenching her fist tightly, Heidi started walking down the hallway. Knocking only once, she opened the door and glared at the man behind the desk. He was silent even as he gauged her appearance and facial expression. His black eyes were unreadable, covered slightly by his fringe. "Did you request for me to be transferred?" came the accusation. Heidi's hands immediately came up to cover her mouth as she realised that she had spoken her thoughts out loud. So much for wanting to ask nicely. "Yes I did," came the reply. His face retained its nonchalance and his eyes betrayed no emotions as he gazed at her. Heidi suddenly felt as if she had made the greatest mistake in her career and felt like fainting. "You should sit down. I do not wish to carry you out if you keel over," he instructed. Standing up, he went to his coffee maker and poured her a cup of coffee. "Sit." Adrian stared at the woman sitting in front of his desk. She was shivering a little and her face was paler than usual. She had been working too hard, he assessed. He could see all the colours in her body and they were greatly imbalanced. "Tell me what you know about the patient in room 206," he asked. "What? What... oh..." recognition filled her face. "John Doe, mid thirties, no family, no visitors. His medical history unknown." "And you have been assigned to this patient as soon as he was admitted?" "Uh... no, Sir... I just started work officially about a week ago... he's just one of the patients in the intensive care unit that I was responsible for." "And do you always touch those you are responsible for in such a loving, familial manner?" Heidi could hear the ice in his voice. She placed her cup of coffee down, being careful not to spill it; her hands were shaky. "He looked so lonely Sir... no one came to visit him... and I felt the same. I am alone here and no one visits me because it is expensive to travel from home here. I didn't mean anything Sir... he is just a patient to me..." Adrian didn't need to tell her that either of his siblings could visit Abben in their spirit form as they wished. And his brother was not alone as she said he was. He had to keep Abben's identity a secret for he did not want Olybrius to have access to Abben's medical database. Furthermore, a man that lived for centuries, would clearly cause much complications. The only reason why Adrian had allowed for Abben to be admitted into a hospital was because his brother was now a mortal. His own magical powers could not do much to revive his brother. "Have you ever been in love, Heidi?" Adrian asked. "I... I suppose so, Sir..." "If I told you that that man would be willing to die for love, will you believe me?" "Ah... I... we are speaking non-medically aren't we Sir?" "Yes. Answer me." "Umm... he has sustained a really deep wound so close to his coronary artery... I suppose if he did that for someone, he must love her very much." "He must have. Well, I suppose you should leave now. I'll walk you to the door." When she left, Adrian sat back on his chair and thought about what she had said. He was not one to be swayed by emotions. Once, Abben had been like that too: strong, emotionless, unaffected by the things that would have torn others apart... until Ella. He had admired his brother so much. And then his brother fell in love and it made him so weak. He hated the smell of mortality! But that mortality... Abben had sacrificed his life for the one he loved. Just like their parents. Closing his eyes, Adrian tried not to think about it too much. Perhaps he had been too harsh in requesting for the nurse to be transferred. She had smelled like Abben... that sacrificial smell was just as strong. She said she was lonely. Adrian realised, that he too, was lonely after all. Punching the button for the nurse station telephone, he called her in. ***** "I don't usually do this. Don't get me wrong," Adrian said as they sat across each other at the Starbucks opposite the hospital. "Don't worry about it. I still need to eat," she replied, smiling. In fact, she had been almost shocked when he had called her in earlier. She didn't think he would be making moves on her but a girl could only be wary. "My treat okay?" Adrian offered as he tried to assess her state of emotional being. At times he wished he had Aqurico's gift of manipulating emotions and seeing into people... like right about now. Laughing as she slapped his hand away, Heidi got up and started walking to the counter. "I'll get you whatever I'm getting... okay?" Adrian didn't bother to tell her he won't be needing anything to drink. An immortal like him could hardly taste anything they consume. Should they have to eat or drink, it was to merely satisfy the existing part of their being that was human- that is their physicality. Other than that, they needed nothing more than to fulfil their duty to serve and guard the protected one. Adrian watched her from the back, noticing how she kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she waited in queue. She had a lithe frame and moved with such grace, otherwise impossible on her tall stature. Ella had been well curved and was the kind of voluptuous woman Abben would have preferred, but for him... yes, lithe and grace would be... Shaking his head, Adrian shifted his gaze somewhere else. Did his mind just wander to a point of mortal desires? Disgusted with himself, he stared out the window, not noticing that Heidi was now being chatted up by a fellow colleague. Still in the queue, Heidi was deciding between a mocha latte or chai when the man behind her tapped her shoulder. "Are you new here?" he asked. "Yes, yes I am. I officially started about a month ago. Do you... do you know me sir?" she asked back meekly. "I recognize the uniform yes and I would definitely recognize a pretty face like you anywhere. I'm Doctor Barker; Phileas that is," he smiled charmingly at her. Heidi considered him for a moment and decided to trust him. He was exceedingly handsome with pale brown hair and soft green eyes. He had a good facial structure and Heidi found herself staring at him more than intended. "See anything you like dear?" he teased. Blushing, Heidi turned back to face the front of the line and tried to ignore him. However, being the subordinate, she couldn't fend him off for long especially when he started talking about his speciality. He was a cardiothoracic surgeon and a fairly experienced one as well. He has been with the hospital for nearly 8 years. "Tell you what, honey. Why don't you work under my department? Where are you assigned to right now?" "Neurosurgery... but I..." "Yeah. Oh. I see. You're with that bloke over there? Surely you're not saying you don't want to work under me?" he asked. Busying herself with paying for her purchase, Heidi ignored him. Sure, she wanted to learn more but not by gaining favours or getting exploited like this! "I'll uh, go back to my table now," she replied. "Wait," he said as he grabbed her wrist. "I'll be there in a while. Wait for me honey." With her two mugs of coffee in hand, Heidi walked back to where Adrian was sitting. "Hey," she said softly, rousing him from his daydream. "I wasn't sure if you wanted a bagel or anything so I didn't get us anything to eat." "Don't worry. Drink up," Adrian replied, trying to force a smile to his face. "Ad my man... just the person I was looking for!" came the greeting from the back. Adrian didn't even bother to turn back. He was annoyed as it is. "Ah, Doctor Barker..." muttered Heidi. "I'm not disturbing aren't I? I hope not. Well, I'm sorry to break your little party Adrian, but you see, this missy here and I have some serious business to talk about," "Sure. Please do. I'm leaving anyway," said Adrian stoically, getting up and walking to the door; coffee untouched. Heidi looked up at Phileas, whose face bore the same shocked expression as that as hers. Turning her head slightly, she managed to catch the tail of Adrian's coat before he disappeared. "Well, now that we're alone... why don't you and I get to know each other a little better?" ***** *Knock knock* "Come in." "Doctor? I'm sorry to disturb you especially since you just started your shift... but ah...you forgot your coffee..." "Huh?" "You left without taking a sip this morning remember? I had it reheated and thought you might want to have it now... I'll... I'll leave now... I'm really sorry..." came the apology. Heidi placed the disposable cup at the cupboard near the door and pulled the door slowly to a close. "Heidi..." "Yes Doctor?" "Why didn't you just leave the coffee on the table or drink it for yourself?" "Oh. I..." she stammered. "Close the door," he instructed. "Now answer me." "I... well... That was my last twenty for the week... and I didn't want to see it wasted on undrunk coffee... and... and... I couldn't drink it Doctor... it was meant for you," she replied, almost in a whisper. Her honesty made Adrian sat back in his chair in awe. She had refused his offer for a treat even when she was on her last twenty? Was this human impossibly foolish? Ah... that sacrificial scent again. It was starting to annoy him. Mélas, guard the door for a while please. In a blink of an eye, the horse spirit parted from its human form and stood at the door, unseen by Heidi. His eyes almost in a mock laughter seeing the frustrations on his master's face. Don't tell me about it. Getting up from his seat, Adrian stood in front of her. Even with her height, she was a few inches shorter than him. She didn't move. He could hear her heartbeat accelerating beyond 120 beats per minute. Was that nerves or excitement? He wished he could tell. He didn't mean to freeze her; immobilizing all her motor muscles but his subconscious mind was nervous and reacted on its own. He traced a finger down her throat, admiring the smooth skin, so tender to his touch. Was this what she felt when she held Abben's face in her palm? No... perhaps not. This is... curiosity... His fingers continued its trail upwards... his fingers rubbing casually over her lower lip. Her heart rate was accelerating even higher. As if woken by the sudden alarm of her rising heartbeat and blood pressure, he shook himself out of his trance. In his moment of confusion, her lips fell suddenly, unexpectedly on his. His eyes flared open and then softened as the heat from their contact warmed something in him. Heidi was in full consciousness and never seemed to noticed the frozen moment a while ago. "Kiss me back," she whispered. I don't know how.... His heart replied. Almost as soon as it started, it ended, as he stepped back and walked back to his desk. He didn't need Aqurico's powers to tell that she was angry at him. She had that same look that Aurora had when she didn't get her way. Staring at him for the last time, Heidi stormed out of his office, the heat in her face still apparent. **** The next week's schedule showed no Nurse Lang scheduled under Neurosurgery. Upon enquiry, she had been transferred to Paediatrics as originally requested by Adrian. He was surprised that she had turned down Barker's invitation to work under him. Adrian knew that Doctor Barker was being groomed for Head of Surgery and gaining favours from him was certainly what most people would have wanted. Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 01 Trying not to be swayed by his emotions, Adrian walked towards Abben's ward. His brother's condition had not changed much since the day he was admitted. Not wanting to be caught physically on camera, Adrian changed to his spirit form and entered Abben's ward. Watching his brother's chest expand and contract made him have hope that Abben would wake up soon. He didn't understand how a wound could knock a mortal into such deep coma. Pondering, he went closer to examine Abben's wound. He didn't need to open up the dressing to see the thrombin hard at work on the surface trying to clot to heal the wound. Had Olybrius use some sort of sword that was not meant for a mortal? Was that why it shocked him so much to see Abben bleed instead of die? The cut was clean and even after close to two months, the wound under the clot was still fresh; as though it would never heal. The only reason why Abben was still alive was because his coronary artery was not severed. "Called for me?" came the sudden voice of Aurora, startling him out of his thoughts. "I did not..." "Mélas did. And that also counts as you. Anything new?" she asked. "Nothing.... Though... I wonder... what weapon did Olybrius use to injure Abben? You see... his wound is not healing. It's like the cut is renewed everyday... and it puzzles me." "He had locked Abben and Ella in, behind that door... Argh! I wish I had witnessed something! I feel so useless...." "No... wait... do you think... you could see into his mind, Aurora? I know you're not as strong as Abben.... But you do have a third of each of our powers..." "Abben has a very strong mind. He never lets anything penetrate it." "He is mortal now with no defensive barriers..." Considering her brother, Aurora gave a sigh and nodded her head. "Okay. Hold my hand..." "Why?" "Because I'm scared?" Adrian looked at his sister and closed his palm over hers. He couldn't afford to lose another sibling. Whatever she might see inside Abben's head might harm her as well. "Okay, I'm ready." With one hand firmly in Adrian's grasp, she placed the other directly above Abben's head... and her screams rang throughout the hospital as a fire alarm, its vibrations shaking the ground momentarily. Panicked, Adrian tried to pull his sister away from Abben but her hand was stuck to his forehead and her eyes had turned to the deepest shade of emerald. She was in a lot of pain and her grip on his hand was so tight he could feel every ounce of her tortured mind. "Aurora! Aurora! Please, please!," he pleaded. It was then that the room door flung open and Heidi came with a few other nurses to try and move Abben to a stretcher. "We have to evacuate fast! There's no time for his saline bags! There are still a few more patients!" ordered one of them. "Yes, yes. I know. Get the others first, I'll settle this one. Go!" she yelled back. "Alright mister. I know you're something special to Doctor Martin, so I'm not going to make him any more pissed off than he already is at me, so you better behave," she warned as she gathered his drugs and saline and detached them from their hooks. That did it. The force of the release flung Aurora backwards, crashing on the floor next to Heidi. Adrian on the other hand was flung towards the bed. "Damn well, he'd better behave," snapped Aurora. "Oww Oww Oww... Adrian... Adrian..." It was then he saw his sister, materializing slowly right beside Heidi. Still on the floor, she was still unnoticed by her but Adrian could tell by the rate of her transformation that he would not get her out in time. "No Aurora. Hold it back a while longer... you'll kill her..." "I can't... I'm... hurt... Adrian..." Torn between tending to his sister or saving Heidi from Aurora's deathly presence, Adrian's confused mind reeled that split second into the same standstill as he had done earlier. Heidi's movements stopped midair. He didn't bother to try and understand what happened but quickly plunged his spirit half into his sister to try and part her horse from her physical self. The horse was not injured but her rider was. "Carry her out!" he cried out and snapped back to the moment before the prolonged second happened. He knew that Heidi and the others knew what they were doing with Abben. He simply took the bag that held Abben's belongings and disappeared to tend to his sister. Khlōrós thánatos had taken her master to their favourite grasslands up on the hill facing Ella's grandmother's villa. Adrian agreed that perhaps the wide open space was what they all needed. Aurora was bleeding but the blood was not hers. Her body bore the same cut as Adrian but it was like a hologram on top of her, like a curse she could not remove. Her body had not suffered any physical damage but she had absorbed some of Abben's pain. Adrian could not bear to see his baby sister that way. He felt even more useless and lost. He couldn't heal what he couldn't see. "He's killing me... over and over and over again!!" she groaned, clutching the area near her heart. "My baby sister, please... let me help... let me take away your pain... give it to me, let me take your place!" he pleaded. Aurora's eyes were flickering; a smouldering serpentine tinge. She grabbed handfuls of soil in her hand and clenched them tight. Adrian watched as the lands around them turned barren and dry and void of all life except the two of them and their horses. "That's enough Aurora!" he yelled, trying to stop her uncontrollable powers. "Must.... let... it... all... go..." she cried. He could see the tears streaming from her eyes as death spread far and wide. At last... calm... but she had already done so much damage... "Aurora... I... don't sense any life... Khlōrós thánatos, Mélas... would you two... please see till how far... is the damage...?" Adrian whispered under his breath. "He's killing him... over and over... I had to, Adrian... I'm sorry... I had to let it go... I cannot take the pain... The lands... they will heal... won't they?" she whimpered as she cried onto her brother's shoulder. In that moment, he realised how much he loved his sister so dearly... such that he had willingly offered to take her place and bear her pain... "We will save him... I promise...." **** Adrian knew that putting Aurora in her human form without her horse spirit inside her would be like welcoming death to all in the hospital. It wasn't that she was uncontrollable with her powers; she was unpredictable. Injured, she might cause more damage than the sudden draught she had caused over the grasslands back in Florence. That wasn't all that was on his mind. He needed to find Heidi. He wanted to know just how she, a mere mortal, could have such an instructive force over Abben that his subconscious mind had obeyed her when neither he nor Aurora could do anything. Does she have anything to do with Olybrius? Adrian slammed his fist onto the wall. He didn't want to believe that she was... but... Sighing to himself, Adrian closed his door and prepared to make the journey back to Princeton to check on Aquirco and Raphael. They needed to know about Aurora... and Heidi. ***** The woman in question was checking the charts of toddlers in her ward when she heard his voice calling out to her from behind. She didn't need to turn to know who it was. "Doctor," she greeted, smiling warily. "Ah, Heidi... I was having the feeling that you were trying to avoid me..." he replied. The other nurses present started whispering among themselves. Heidi felt really uncomfortable. "Let's talk outside. I don't want to disturb the children." Once they reached the nurses' station, she leaned against the counter, folded her arms and inclined her head slightly to meet his. "Heidi... surely you are not telling me that you're not attracted to me?" "It's not like that, Doctor.." "Well then! That's settled! Have dinner with me tonight, after you shift ends. I'll come and pick you up at your dormitory say... about 7pm?" Heidi didn't even get the chance to reply for he was already running towards the lift to return to his department. It gave her the creeps that he actually went to find out which dormitory she was residing at. Sulking a little, she returned back to work; dreading the end of shift at 5pm. 3 hours later... Heidi sat on her bed undecided of what to wear. She didn't want to appear too anxious to dress up for the doctor but she didn't also want to appear too uninterested. Taking a black shift dress that fell below her knee, Heidi felt it was more than appropriate. It wasn't too severe and it was modest. Next to it was a long blue satin tube dress. Heidi took it off the hanger and posed with it in front of the mirror. Something like this would be nice, she thought to herself. With her blond hair swept up; long diamond earrings, a pair of heels... some of that Chanel perfume sprayed at pulse near her neck... Humming to herself, she imagined resting her head on his shoulders, her face buried in his shoulder length black hair. They were the colour of midnight and looked incredibly sexy on him. She imagined his hand on her waist, guiding them slowly through the waltz.... Ding Dong! The sound of the bell snapped her out of her daydreaming. Looking at the clock, she realised that it was already seven o'clock and she was still not dressed! Cursing to herself, she jogged to the door and opened it. Phileas was already standing there, flowers in hand, his sandy hair brushed neatly backwards and smiling widely at her. Rolling her eyes when he wasn't looking, she closed the door and told him to wait for her. Heidi locked her room door and proceeded to get dressed. She didn't even bother to put on any make up. That shift dress and her boring persona should give him a reason to give up on her. When she got out of her room, he was admiring the photos in her frames. "Your family?" he asked. "Yes that's right." "Cool. Shall we go?" Nodding to him, Heidi tried to smile as they left her house. They had an extravagant dinner of lobsters and foie gras. Heidi watched her wine intake and only took a few sips. She didn't trust herself to get drunk in front of Doctor Barker. In fact, she didn't trust him at all. He was drinking to his heart's content. He was currently at his 6th glass. At $68 per pour, she was having doubts if he could afford to pay should he pass out right after dinner. Thankfully, he did not. Not daring to take a ride home from him, she coaxed him into taking a cab. Rather drunk, he nodded and got them both in a cab waiting for them at the restaurant. "Umm... University College London Hospital please," Heidi said to the cab driver. She didn't know where he lived and most certainly did not want him passing out in her dormitory. "Bandage?" he asked sleepily. Heidi didn't even bother to reply him. When they reached the hospital, she dug into his pocket for his wallet and took out some bills to pay the driver. She got for him one of those wheelchairs they had at the entrance on standby and wheeled him in. Taking the back route to avoid bumping into most of the staff, she wheeled him straight to their staff entrance. "I wanna go pee pee!" he suddenly screamed. Heidi rolled her eyes. This was the worst date in her life. He smiled at her and pressed the button to the second basement. "No! We're going to the 10th floor. That's where your office is. You can pee there for all you want," shrieked Heidi as she slapped his hand away. However, he had already pressed the button and the lift was making its way down. It wasn't that Heidi didn't mind going to the basement but she still has the creeps about going there. That's where the mortuary is. As a student nurse she had had to wash corpses and watch doctors perform autopsies but it was her least favourite thing to do. Once the lift door opened, Phileas got up from the wheelchair and was running straight ahead, his hands cupping his crotch. Heidi didn't know whether to be amused or disgusted. At least he knew where the toilet was. Wheeling the empty wheelchair out, she parked it beside the lift and walked towards the toilet to wait for him. At least they're in the hospital building. She could call for help should anything happen. About 10 minutes later, Phileas came out of the toilet, his necktie loose and his face and hair wet. "I'm sorry, Heidi..." he apologized. She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "How many fingers?" she asked, showing him three of her fingers. "Three?" "Right. The middle one's for you," she snapped and turned her heel to walk towards the lift. **** The next morning, Heidi had two personal request for her attendance; different doctors, different department but at the same time. She looked at the two names and felt extremely pissed off. She expected that Doctor Barker was going to apologize for last night and Doctor Martin was going to question her upside down why she refused to transfer back to Neurosurgery despite his request. Men! Seething quietly, she didn't notice her matron in charge walking towards her. "Men problem I see. Oh, it happens, sweetie. Back in my days when I was a hot legged... ah, never mind... Let me see that," she said. "Ah, same time huh. I'd say go and see Doctor Barker first. He's higher up by rank and I'd say he actually has real work for you to do today instead of chasing your skirt... don't give me that look missy. I know everything that goes around in here. Uhuh. Now off you go." Chuckling to herself, Heidi went straight up to Doctor Barker's department on the 10th floor. He was still in the operating theatre when she inquired. "He requested for you to go in though," said the nurse in charge at the desk. After putting on her scrubs, she entered the operating theatre. She saw that most of the staff there were clearing up the place and Doctor Barker was in the middle with the patient. But a quick look at the heart beat meter told her that the patient on the table had died and he had probably called the time of death, that's why everyone's cleaning up. She walked over quietly to his side and when he noticed her, he smiled. "Alright, clear up everyone. Nurse Lang, please prepare the deceased to be moved to basement two." Heidi gasps. He is such an ass! "Don't worry sweetie. I'll come with you. I have something for you... as a token of my apology," he whispered into her ear. They pushed the body in silence all the way to second basement. It was only when they were in the mortuary that he spoke. After greeting some of the staff from the pathology department who took over the responsibility from her, he held her wrist and led her to a small room at the back of the mortuary. "Heidi... I really didn't expect to get drunk last night. My bad. Really... I was hoping to get you home... maybe get cozy you know? You're a real beauty Heidi and I want to get to know you," he said. Heidi just looked at him with no expression on her face. The next thing she knew, he was crushing her lips with his. Slanting his lips on her and darting his tongue into her mouth. Repulsed, Heidi pushed him with all her might and wiped her lips with her sleeves. When she tried to run for the door, he slammed his weight onto her and pinned her against the side wall. "I want you damn it! Can't you see? Why are you resisting me? Am I not handsome and powerful Heidi? I can give you everything you want!" with that, he pressed his lips against hers again and started to unbutton her uniform. Heidi was so taken over by fear that she could not speak but her mind was screaming: Please, please... Please help me... A.. dri...an... Tears were flowing out of her eyes as his lips were now on her neck. He had pulled her top down and had exposed her breast by unhooking her bra. Suddenly, Phileas was choking and holding his chest as if having a heart attack. Heidi, still in shock became even more mute as she watched him suddenly crumble beneath her. He was grabbing the hem of her skirt but she had frozen in fear and could not move at all. Tears were still flowing from her eyes and she shut her eyes real tight as if willing herself to wake up from a really bad dream. Still with her eyes held tight, she felt herself being lifted up but she could not open her eyes. They were still shut tight. "Bastard," she heard someone say. 4 hours later.... Adrian was sitting at his desk. His eyes have been focused on his guest lying at the sofa in his office for the past four hours. He had been keeping her consciousness at the minimum level so that she could sleep and believe it had all been a bad dream. The fear and shock had injured the part of her brain responsible for her vocal abilities. It had taken a lot of his energy just keeping her in her sleep; he would have to look at her frontal and temporal lobes later on. He could hear Mélas complaining so loudly in his head. Slumping back in his chair, he finally closed his eyes, massaging his temples. She will rouse to consciousness soon and not remember anything. But she won't be able to talk yet. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. She might want to scream at him. When her eyes opened, Heidi was staring at a strange ceiling. It did not look like the one in her dorm at all. When she tried to sit up, he head hurt so much. Looking to her right, she saw Adrian sitting on his chair; his head tilted backwards, his eyes closed. Looking at him, she felt a warm tug in her heart. He looked so frail and tired... something she was not used to seeing. Walking towards him, she peered at his face and wondered if he was sleeping. She touched his cheek and watched his eyes slowly open and then widened in shock. "Oh, you're awake now," he whispered. She smiled at him and covered her lips with his. Her kiss was so gentle, so sweet... and lingered for a few seconds before she pulled away. Smiling once more to him, she nodded and started for the door. "Heidi... stay here for a while... I, uh, need you for something," he blurted. He didn't want her to realise that she couldn't speak yet but he was still too weak to heal her. It was less than 24 hours ago that he had battled with Aurora's life and now Heidi's. He really needed some restoration. "I..." he stammered and gave up trying to find the right words and kissed her. Her eyes flared open in surprise and then she smiled through her kiss. Locking his door, he inched her towards the sofa which she had laid down on, a while ago. He didn't know why he was kissing her but he knew that they wouldn't have to talk if he did. Heidi felt so giddy. She always thought of this moment but she didn't really understand why it was happening. He never made any move on her, never indicated any interest... and yet, it felt so right to be kissing him this way. She parted her lips to let his tongue explore the recesses of her mouth. He was such a gentle kisser, she thought. She weaved her fingers through his thick black hair and pulled him closer to her. His hands were trembling slightly as he held her waist; almost afraid that he'd hurt them both. Freeing her hands from his hair, she unbuttoned his shirt a button at a time. She could feel his broad chest under her fingers and was eager to see them under the light. When she had finally unbuttoned his last button and pushed his shirt off his arms, Heidi stood back in awe, admiring the curves of his tight chest and abdominal muscles. Moving closer, she kissed his chest, trailing wet kisses down his stomach and down towards his navel. She heard him suck in his breath and trembled a little but she continued her assault. She was nuzzling her nose at the tuff of hair right above the waistband of his pants when he pulled her up and started to kiss her lips again. Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 01 His hands moved to her uniform and began unbuttoning them hurriedly. She could feel his hardness pressing onto her stomach. Impatient, he simply tugged at her uniform and pushed it down to her waist. He had seen her breast and had buttoned her shirt nicely for her earlier on without feeling an ounce of desire... but now, seeing her globes confined in her sexy red laced bra made him feel as animalistic as Phileas had been a while ago. Mélas was rearing and neighing out loud; his blood pounding hard and fast in Adrian's veins. Feeling his impatience rising, he pushed Heidi's bra up and focused his lips on her right nipple. His sudden move made her moan out loud and she clutched his head and pulled him closer. He pushed the rest of her uniform down to her ankles, not wanting the clothes to get in the way. She wore matching red laced panties. Just looking at them made his cock throb wanting to burry itself so deep in her. Adrian wasn't thinking anymore. He didn't want to think about anything. For once, he was letting his inner beast guide him. Undoing the hook of her bra and removing the sexy piece of lingerie, he cupped his hands over her mounds. They were not too big, not too small, sexy... and his for the taking. Using his thumb and forefinger, he rubbed her nipples gently between his fingers, making her moan louder. Kissing her breast for one last time, he trailed his kisses down her stomach and to her navel just as she had done earlier. She had a slim waist that flared slightly to reveal her hips. He could see the bottom of her panty soaked with her wetness; her plump pussy lips waiting for him to devour them. He had never gone down on a woman before and the feeling made his heart beat faster. Pulling her lace panties down, he took in a sharp breath upon seeing her pussy, wet and ready for him. Seeing him unsure, Heidi sat up and pulled him by his waist to face her. Unbuckling his belt for him, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, letting it pool at the floor. What faced her made her stare in amazement. He was hard and aroused, his cock pointing upwards and throbbing with desire. Touching the shaft gently, she brought it closer to her mouth and licked its head. When he moaned and trembled, she looked up, almost afraid that she had done something wrong. "No, please don't stop... put it in your mouth Heidi..." Doing as she was told, Heidi opened her mouth wide to accommodate his thick cock. It wasn't that she didn't see much of the male organs but most of the patients' penises were flaccid when she saw them. She felt Adrian's hips moving forward and backwards slowly, pushing his cock in and out of her mouth. It felt so warm in her mouth that Adrian was on the verge of losing it. He wanted her... he needed her... now... Pushing her on her back, he stepped out of his pants and raised her legs and let them rest on his shoulders "I'm going in you now Heidi... stop me, if it hurts," he whispered gently. He could see her hymen untouched and knew that it would be painful for her. But he could also see that she was already wet and waiting for him and thus, ready for their first virginal experience. Parting her pussy lips slowly with the head of his cock, Adrian pushed himself in her. Watching her smile, he inched himself in a little more until he met with that layer of resistance. Be mine. He pushed his hips in further, impaling his cock deep into her pussy. He could see the hymen tear and the blood trickling out slowly but he was consumed with the pleasure of her warm and tight cunt that he could not think anymore. Heidi was biting back her screams, bucking her hips upwards to meet each of his downward stroke. "Adrian..." she whispered as she framed his face with her palms and kissed his lips slowly. Her voice caught him off guard and he stopped suddenly. Adrian had been so focused on his first sexual experience that he had not noticed her mind healing itself. The wonders of the human body, he mused. Still, he had caused her some physical pain. Pulling himself out of her, he stood up and kneeled down beside her. "How do you feel?" "Like a virgin..." she mused. "Do you want me... to take away your pain Heidi?" he whispered softly to her. The fresh colour of blood was starting to stain his sofa. He can't make the bleeding stop but he could numb her pain receptors for the moment. "The pain will remind me of my first time with you..." "Did you like it?" "I think you need to fuck me a little more for me to give you an answer," she replied, laughing a little as she touched his cock once again. Her words gave him an instant hard on and the desire to do as she instructed was taking over him. However, he wanted her pain to ebb a little first before they continued. Holding on to her hand which was slowly stroking him, he placed them on his shoulders and carried her to the bed at the side of his office. "I'm going to clean you up," he said. "I don't like it when you're grouchy," she replied. Adrian cocked his eyebrow at her and started to wipe the blood dripping down her thighs with some cotton wool soaked in water. Despite her wanting to feel the pain of her innocence lost, Adrian placed his hands at the top of her inner thigh and numbed a few of her pain receptors. That way, she would feel only minimal amounts of pain when they did it again. He knew he wanted her again; this time without restraint. Trying to distract her from the task at hand, he decided to talk to her. "Do you know why you're in my office Heidi?" he asked. "Oh. I kinda forgot about that. Why am I here Doctor?" she asked him back. "I think... in such circumstances, you can call me Adrian. Well... as you could tell, you passed out in my office." "I'm terribly sorry Doc... I mean Adrian... I really can't remember what happened." "Temporary amnesia is common Heidi. I think you should leave it that way." Considering his words, she sat up on the bed and looked at him, standing naked in his office tending to his nurse. It was really an amusing sight. "Was it your first time too?" she asked. "You could tell huh," he laughed. He wondered why and how he had managed over the centuries, as a virgin. Truly, his desire for knowledge had outweighed his carnal desires. "That's the first time I've heard you laugh... you look very handsome when you laugh you know..." she commented. Adrian was taken aback by her observation and realised that no other woman had made him laugh, besides his sister. "Heidi... you will be on one week medical leave starting today. Don't worry. I'll cover the paperwork for you. Do you trust me Heidi?" he asked, imploring into her eyes. "Yes, yes I do," she replied. She didn't quite understand why she needed to take leave but somehow she knew that she needed to follow Adrian's instruction. "Then, it will be done," he said. Brother, I need your help. By the end of the day, there was no question asked about her absence; Aqurico had done the appropriate requests and diplomatic arrangements and managed to clear them both for leave. Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 02 "She likes you," said Aqurico softly to Adrian as they sat opposite each other in the latter's office. "So, it seems brother. But I suspect there is more to her than meets the eye." When Aqurico remained silent, Adrian continued. "I don't know if she is in collaborations with Olybrius or if he had manipulated her mind somehow to carry out his deeds..." "Yet you don't think so." "No I don't. Just the other day, she commanded Abben, in his comatose state to behave and it broke the enchantment bonding him and Aurora. She is a mere mortal Aqurico and no mortals could have done that!" "Isabella can." "That's different! Argh. Forget it. I'm stuck to this woman. No matter how many times I turn her away she's there somehow. She's supposed to fit into this equation. Fit her for me," said Adrian, almost exasperated. "You are intrigued by her," Aqurico said matter-of-factly. He didn't bother to hide his amusement at his brother's inner turmoil but simply took his hand and held Adrian's hand to calm his brother down. "Enough. I will not sit here discussing about my emotions when our brother and sister are in danger," said Adrian, back to his stoic self. "Very well then. Get the first flight out to Rome. I and Raphael will meet you there. As the circumstances call for it, I cannot afford to leave him alone. We are short of manpower and brain power now." With that, Aqurico disappeared from his office. **** Adrian was not used to visiting women nor was he used to travelling with one. Heidi had packed modestly and was mostly excited about travelling. She had not asked him where they were going or why must she follow him. It made Adrian feel that he might have healed her too extensively until her personality was altered. Being the perfectionist, he had not stopped staring at her every once in a while to check on her health, making sure he had not made mistakes in his healing. "Stop staring at me like that. You're making me feel as if you've seen me naked," she said as they passed through the security checks. "Technically..." he said and they both started laughing. Looking up at him with her eyes still reflecting her laughter, she clasped his hand in hers and smiled. For a second, Adrian almost wanted to pull his hand away. No one but Aurora had held his hand like that, in such a playful way. He could hear her heart beat and feel her heat from that touch alone... reminding him of her warmth when he had buried himself in her hours before. "I want you again, Heidi," he whispered into her ear, causing her eyes to widen in shock. "Uh, here and now?" she asked as her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. "I am a patient man," was all her replied as they started moving towards the taxi stand at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Adrian breathed in the air, having missed the smell of Rome since their move to America where Raphael raised Ella. "You do know where you're going right?" whispered Heidi as they got into the line at the taxi stand. "Depends. Do you want to have a view or don't mind blank walls?" "Huh?" she replied, puzzled. "Ah, well. I'll choose then," he said as he opened the door of the taxi for her. "Regina Hotel Baglioni please." The plain off white façade of the exterior was nothing compared to the interior of the hotel. Heidi's mouth hung wide open as she stepped into the marble-floored lobby of the Regina Hotel Baglioni. Murano glass chandeliers hung at every prominent place and silk tapestry decorated the walls and clothed the various sofas on that level. If this was the view that Adrian was referring to, Heidi wasn't sure if she would be comfortable in it. She was not brought up in riches and certainly did not have the opportunity to stay at such luxurious accommodations. Inching closer to Adrian who was leaning against the counter, she tried to hide her awe and focus on him instead. He was speaking fluently to the receptionist at the counter, in what must be Italian. She had no idea that he was Italian or knew how to speak it. She wondered if he spoke German. She would try and test him later. She tried to pretend that she understood what he was saying, smiling and nodding as Adrian carried out his conversation with the lady. "You see, my wife here, she does not understand much Italian, but we're on a honeymoon and so I was hoping you could give me one of your suites? Yes, a junior suite would be fine. We will be here for about one week or so but I will extend my reservations should the need arise." Adrian ended his transaction with a smile and gently smiled at Heidi who smiled back, obviously unaware of what had just happened. "First thing when you get past the door, don't stop to stare but please get to the bed," he said. "Oh? Wait a minute. Are you telling me we're staying in one room?" she asked, exasperated. "Yes we are," he replied her matter-of-factly. "But we're not... I mean..." "Right now, you are my wife and we are having a honeymoon. So you've got to play your part Heidi," he said. She didn't get to reply him as he had opened the door, revealing the intricate décor of their room. "Oh... my... Am I dreaming? This is so beautiful..." she gasps the moment she stepped into the suite. "On the bed Heidi," he warned. "No, please... I need to absorb this beautiful place... I..." Not letting her complete her sentence, he lifted her off her feet and hauled her on his left shoulder as he pulled their luggage in with the other. "Oh! Oh! Doctor Martin, let me down this instance!" she yelled, kicking her feet in the air. Throwing her on the bed, he began to unbutton his shirt. "There, I've let you down," he said. Taking off his shirt, he started working on the belt on his trousers. Heidi sat up on the bed and watched in fascination as the man before her started to undress. Their first sexual experience had been abrupt and a little painful for her and she wasn't sure if she wanted another one like that. Still clothed in her plain skirt and blouse, she simply watched him. Already down to his boxers, Adrian moved towards her, pinning her down under him. He buried his face at her neck and started kissing her there, eliciting sighs from her. Tiny shivers washed over her as she felt him take tiny bites on her neck and sucking on the tender skin. She could feel his hard cock pressing against her thigh. She didn't need to touch it to know how big it was and how hungry it was for its meal. Adrian unzipped her skirt and pulled it off her hips in one quick move. His fingers toyed with her panties; slipping one finger at a time down the waistband, teasing her. Her breathing started becoming heavier and heavier and he knew that she was trying to fight her rising desires. "Tell me what you want me to do Heidi," he asked her, even as his fingers traced the shape of her plump pussy lips from outside her panties. "Uh... uh... yes, like that..." she moaned as his fingers pushed in a little into her wetness from outside her panty. "You're not answering the question Heidi," he said sternly and instantly withdrew his fingers and started to get up. Staring at him and at his eyes which had the look of a dare on it, she smiled. Pulling her blouse off slowly up her head she made sure he was watching her as she unclasped her bra, letting free her firm round breasts from its confines. Standing up to face him, she tiptoed to give a fleeting kiss on his lips. Adrian growled as a reply. Making sure he was still watching her, Heidi walked back towards the bed, turned around and pushed down her soaked panty to her ankles. Stepping out of them, she bent at the waist, giving Adrian a good show of her wet, dripping pussy. With her fingers, she gently caressed the outer lips and inserted a finger at a time into her wet pussy. She started moaning as two fingers now entered her pussy, buried deep inside her. Adrian watched; his cock hardening as she fingered herself to an orgasm, shaking violently as she came- her juices flowing down her thighs. Unable to hold back anymore, he grabbed her hips and brought his lips to her pussy. Licking at the folds, he removed her fingers and replaced them with his fingers. Heidi gasped as she felt the thickness of his fingers penetrating her. Her two fingers were nothing compared to his fingers. They were bigger and were stretching her pussy, making her feel so filled up. The combination of his tongue, now licking vigorously at her clitoris and his fingers drilling itself inside her, made her unable to control her second orgasm. Feeling the rush of hot liquid from her pussy, Adrian removed his fingers and got up. Heidi was still shaking from her orgasm and Adrian was certain that she would be more than ready this time for him. Taking his cock, he stroked it hard again and positioned himself behind her. Pushing her down to face the bed, he took her from behind, thrusting his cock deep into her pussy. From that position, his cock felt even bigger than from the front and Heidi was moaning aloud as she felt her pussy stretch wider to accommodate his girth. Even his fingers were no match for the hard cock that was now pounding into her- like a beast in heat. And that was exactly how he felt. He wanted to brand her; wanted to have all of her. His thrusts became faster and harder and soon he was breathing out hard as he felt his own climax reaching. Slowing down to catch his breath, he withdrew and lay on the bed beside her. "Get on top of me, Heidi," he said gently. He could see the flush on her face from the heat from her previous orgasms. Looking at him, unsure, Heidi placed her thighs at either side of his body and sat on his stomach. Holding her hips, he guided her pussy to meet his cock. The sudden contact of his cock in her warm pussy made him moan. Spurred on by his encouraging reaction, Heidi started to move her hips slowly, in circles. Adrian was moaning, trying to hold back his rising climax but Heidi was gaining rhythm, grinding her pussy on his cock, impaling him deeper and deeper into her. "Yes, fuck me more Heidi... more... yes, yes!" he moaned. All of a sudden, he felt the cool air on his cock and opened his eyes to search for Heidi. She had already turned her body around and placed her pussy directly in line with his mouth, while her lips kissed his cock softly. When she enveloped his cock with her warm mouth, Adrian moaned and started licking at her pussy, lapping at the wetness that was now dripping into his mouth. He was greedily licking and sucking at her pussy lips, moaning now and then when she tightened her lips over his cock. He could feel her tongue swirling around the head of his cock before bringing it back into her mouth again. To return her the favour, he inserted a finger into her pussy and pushed it in and out as he sucked on her clitoris. Within moments, she was cumming again all over his face. This time, her juices spurted out like a leaking pipe and Adrian greedily licked them all up. "Heidi... I want you now baby..." he whimpered. When she sat up on the bed and looked at him, Adrian felt a strange tug in his chest. He was glad that his eyes, dark as coal did not reveal much emotions to her. Pushing her back down to face him, he raised her legs, placed them on his shoulders and positioned his cock at her pussy lips. Rubbing the head of his cock at the entrance of her pussy, teasing her, he whispered, "Tell me what you want Heidi..." Squirming under him, she tried to push her hips upwards but Adrian was strong and held her down, still teasing her by rubbing her pussy lips with his cock. "Fuck me Doctor, Fuck me hard and fast and deep!Oh my god.... Please!" she begged as the teasing became too much to bear. "You asked for it, Nurse Lang..." he growled as he gave a deep thrust into her pussy, burying his cock so deep inside of her. She could feel him hardening even more inside of her, growing bigger and stretching her so much. Already in throes of pleasure, Heidi moaned and humped her hips upwards in an attempt to grip more of his cock inside of her. "Greedy aren't we?" he teased. Leaning onto her till her ankles were in line with her face, Adrian pressed his cock till it reached the hilt of her pussy. He could feel her pussy muscles clenching hard, pushing him to the edge. His hips started pounding her relentlessly, faster and faster and harder until he could no longer hold back anymore. "Oh god, Heidi..." he moaned as he kissed her. He felt for the first time, his cum rising to his cock and emptying itself into her hot pussy. Jet after jet of cum came gushing out of his cock into her pussy, filling her up. She was milking him, clenching her pussy muscles as if to squeeze every single drop out of him. Later on, limbs still tangled on the bed, Heidi looked up to see Adrian fast asleep. They had fallen asleep in that position- him above her; almost crushing her lungs if she had not struggled to roll him to her side. Now that she could get a closer look at his body, Heidi was impressed at how lean he was- it was not muscles obtained from long hours at the gym. He had strong thighs- she traced them visually with her eyes from his glutes down to his calves and ankles. They were firm and well defined- very much like hers. Did he ride horses too? Her eyes travelled up his legs until it rested on the male organ that had just ploughed her mercilessly a while ago. A warm blush crept up her face and Heidi chided herself. Shifting her gaze away from his softened member, she focused instead on his face. She knew Adrian had coal for eyes. His black eyebrows framed his eyes perfectly in this sleeping state. Or else, they always looked as if they had a permanent frown on it. Chuckling softly, she got up to search for her toiletries so she could take a bath. It was then that she realised that she had brought her toothbrush but not her toothpaste. She was always so clumsy and forgetful! Not wanting to have bad breath in case Adrian decided to kiss her again, she rummaged through his luggage, hoping to find a tube of toothpaste. He didn't bring much clothes, she noted. A pair of jeans- was that an Armani? Yes... and a similar designer pants with two pairs of plain white shirt. This man smells of money and she wasn't sure if she liked it. Continuing to search his luggage, she found a small pouch. "This must be his toiletries," she said. Pulling at the string holding the pouch, she placed her hand in to feel for a tube-like object. She did feel something long but it was hard, almost like wood. Pulling it out, out of curiosity, Heidi saw a beautiful piece of carved bracelet. It looked really old but had a special look to it. She wondered if it belonged to someone special to Adrian. Perhaps she should put it back. But... curiosity took the better of her and she turned it over to examine the intricate details of the bracelet. It was then she noticed some small letterings carved at the back of the bracelet. Oh? It's in German. Guardian Horse Rider of Margaret? Was this some kind of amulet perhaps for Adrian? Putting the pouch and its contents back in the luggage bag, Heidi went to the bathroom and was surprised to see how well equipped it was. Bars of scented soap, facial towels, bath robes and.... even toothpaste was all provided for. Laughing at herself, she filled the bath tub with warm water and prepared to enjoy a hot soak in the bath. Her loins had a tender ache and she hoped that the warm water would calm the tremors away. ***** Later that evening, Adrian told Heidi that they were going to meet his brother and a family friend for dinner. "Where will we be going for dinner then?" she asked. "It does not matter where we go, Heidi, but how we go there." "What do you mean 'how'?" she asked, sounding puzzled. She soon found her answer when he dragged her along Via Tornabuoni into a Gucci boutique. Heidi's mouth was slightly agape as she stepped into the boutique, not sure exactly what to do or expect. Adrian was swift in his explanation to the lady who attended to them. Heidi almost felt a headache coming through as she listened to them converse so rapidly in Italian. "Heidi... everything will be alright. Just breathe," said Adrian, holding her wrist. He had felt that slight twinge of headache approaching her and he didn't want it to spoil their mood for the night. "I won't make it hard on you. Choose what you like and wear it." "Oh, sure, that makes things easier for me," said Heidi under her breath as she was ushered into the changing room. She wasn't sure what the lady was trying to tell her because she was muttering away in Italian. So being polite, she merely smiled and nodded to everything that she said. Somehow the lady looked exasperated and even annoyed because she soon left Heidi alone. Unsure what to do next, Heidi stared at the various clothes hanging in front of her and sat on the plush cushion facing them. She was a simple girl- who grew up with overalls and muddied boots. Was Gucci something she would wear? Sighing, she took one of the skinny pants and proceeded to wear it. Standing in front of the mirror in her skinny pants and only her bra on, Heidi gauged herself. "Skinny wash board you are!" she laughed as she posed, albeit like a model. "That's sexy. Aren't you going to be cold?" a male voice interrupted her from her musings. "Adrian! You aren't allowed in here!" "Well, the lady gave up trying to talk to you. So I'll do the talking... unless you want me to do something else besides talking?" Heidi would have caught his humour if she wasn't busy trying to salvage some modesty by holding up her clothes to her chest. "I've seen everything Heidi," he said, as though reading her mind. "Why don't you try that stripped shirt over there? And those suede boots?" Slanting her eyes at him, she grabbed the shirt and put it on. The black and silver combination looked very elegant to her- almost like she was dressed as a doctor, not a nurse. "Very nice... Let's see... How about that long cashmere coat over there? Take that, and come out okay Heidi. I'll let you choose your bag to hide those uh... clothes of yours." Sticking out her tongue as he walked out, she proceeded to fold her used clothes neatly and walked... or wobbled rather on those 4 inched heels out of the changing room. 30 minutes later, Heidi was still feeling self conscious of herself as they got out of the taxi and walked to the restaurant where they were having dinner. She was clad from head to toe in what totalled to almost $8000! She didn't dare to walk near the grass for fear she'd stain the shoes or clutch her bag too tightly less she would put a scratch on her new leather handbag. "Ah... Adrian... how lovely of you to join us... with..." trailed Raphael, inviting an introduction from Adrian. "This is Heidi Lang. She's our guest for tonight. Heidi, this is Raphael, an old family friend of ours. And this, is my brother, Aqurico." Heidi nodded and smiled at the two men as she was introduced. Once dinner was served, Heidi ate in silence, observing, as the men began their conversations: "So, what is our first course of action brother?" Adrian asked Aqurico. "It seems, that we have no other place to start searching. I had suggested we return to the Chiesa di Santa Margherita de' Cerchi to ask the priest. I cannot sit around in libraries reading Adrian... my heart is breaking," Raphael answered instead. "I know Raphael. He has been tracking the internet, I am sure of that. Aurora had mentioned that he had geographical locators for high frequency searches related to him," said Aqurico. Heidi watched the men speak to each other and smiled but kept mostly to herself. They were confusing her with their mixture of English and Italian and she was starting to wonder why she had agreed to follow Adrian in the first place. It was as if she just woke up from a dream but couldn't remember what it was about. It hurt to think about it and as she closed her eyes, she felt herself going giddy. As she stood up to excuse herself to go to the ladies, Adrian held onto her wrist rather tightly then let her go. Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 02 "Her memory's starting to heal itself," muttered Adrian as he watched her walk off in search of the ladies. He had numbed the headache but he knew it would resurface again soon. "Why did you bring her here Adrian? Don't you fear she might be related to Olybrius or anything? She might be working for him! How can you put more of us at risk here?" seethed Raphael. "She cannot be, Raphael. I did a background check on her. Besides, I am intrigued as to why she was able to make Abben, in his comatose state listen to her commands. I need to know her connection to this, Raphael. It is not a matter of personal interest, I assure you," he replied cooly. When Heidi came back, the men were all looking at her expectantly. She assured them that she was fine and that the headache was gone. "Heidi, I need you to do something for me," Adrian suddenly said. Taking out the bracelet from his pocket, he passed it to her. Her eyes widened. Did he found out that she had been through his things? "How may I help you?" she replied meekly. Raphael's eyes had widened in shock and anger and Aqurico was simply dumbstruck. "Tell me what you know about this bracelet." "I'm sorry you found out..." she began. Raphael slapped his hand on the table. "This is outrageous Adrian!" "Let her speak, Raphael!" he retorted. "Please, men... please... I'm sorry... I was curious, I swear I was. It had some scribbling and I just read it... Please don't quarrel..." her voice was almost unheard above the din that Raphael and Adrian were making. It was lucky that Adrian had reserved a separate corner in the restaurant, closed off from the rest of the patrons. Aqurico was having a hard time trying to calm both Raphael's and Adrian's anger at the same time and was feeling the strain already. "Silence!!!" screamed Heidi. What happened next shocked Aqurico and Adrian profoundly. For just a split second, her words had caused a split between Adrian and Mélas, such that Mélas was thrown to the end of the room, far behind where Heidi was standing up. Her fierce blue eyes had darkened to the colour of sapphires but Aqurico did not sense any anger in her. She was just a little nervous but not angry. He recalled a similar incident with Ella and Abben and wondered if it was related in any way. "Raphael, why don't we take a walk outside for some fresh air?" suggested Aqurico, taking the elderly man's hand lest he protested. **** The next morning, Adrian had woken Heidi up early to prepare her for their trip to the Chiesa di Santa Margherita de' Cerchi. He had just gotten out of the showers when he woke her up. "We're going to the Chiesa di Santa Margherita de' Cerchi today. It's a sacred church. Raphael's wife is buried there. So I want you to be extra careful when around him today. He's a bit emotional since his daughter went missing." "Missing? Was she kidnapped?" "Well, something like that. But I think she's safe." "Do the police know about this?" "Uh, no... we didn't want to involve them," replied Adrian, not entirely sure how to explain things to her without divulging too much. "Oh dear... Raphael is some Italian mafia isn't he... and that's why he doesn't want the police involved... Oh dear... oh dear..." "What... no! Don't be silly. He's an English professor, Heidi." Still staring at him with sceptical eyes, she reached for her towel and walked to the bathroom. "I'm coming with you." "Where? Ohh... Adrian!" Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 03 The priest was surprised to see Raphael that morning. What was surprising was that he brought another woman with him- a pale blond lady that did not look at all like the Isabella who had came for her Affirmation not too long ago. They church of the Virgin Margaret did not often see strangers that were outside of the family tree and his curiosity was piqued. "Raphael, what brings you... and your guest here today?" the priest asked kindly. Raphael had not been happy that he had to be with Heidi alone for Adrian and Aqurico were accompanying them in their spirit form; unseen. The church had a very strong power that separates man from horse; body from soul. As an undead over a millennium, the guardians were never allowed to enter unless they were stripped down to their barest form. "Isabella, is in trouble, Father... and my heart is growing restless each day. This... lady here tells me that there are some words written at the back of this bracelet. It seems that Ella had gotten this from the late Anabella. I was hoping you would know something about it, Father," said Raphael. Taking the wooden bracelet from him, the priest turned it over. His fingers traced the minute carvings etched skilfully behind the bracelet. He could not make out the words and he did not know what they meant. "Tell me child, do you know what are these words?" he asked Heidi. Translating for him word for word and then as a sentence, Heidi tried to explain to him that it didn't make sense. Translated literally, it means to 'protect. rider.' "Who is to protect who? And who is being protected?" she asked. The priest had a look of surprise on his face but after a while regained his composure. "My child, you see... I am not supposed to reveal any secrets to anyone who are not part of this Church. Perhaps, I should know what has happened? Raphael?" Raphael looked at Heidi, his eyes still full of mistrust. Looking back at the priest, he launched into a full recount of what was told to him by the remaining three guardians about Isabella's disappearance and Abben's state of comatose- in Italian. Heidi tried to pick out certain words to try to form some understanding but it was of no use. She did not know anything besides 'Isabella' and 'Abben'. "Your girl is quite something brother," commented Aqurico, watching Heidi from a far. "She's not my girl," Adrian replied. "She's here in Saint Margaret's church and you dare say she's not?" questioned Aqurico. He was impressed with Heidi's tolerance of Raphael's mistrust and hatred for her. "She is a mortal... that... makes me curious. But I have not yet turned mortal and my powers are still strong... so she is not my girl... yet." "As you wish Adrian... your baby sister would have much more to say if she was here, but I will choose to keep quiet and watch instead. Perhaps we should follow them now... I wonder where the priest is bringing them..." They were all gathered in an open space; sun shone brightly in the spring sky and warmed Heidi's cheeks. However, in front of her, in all its gloom, were tombstones of marbles and granites. Speaking in English for the sake of Heidi, the priest spoke: "As a young pastor I was always told that the women buried in this church had a secret but I was never told what. My job was to protect them from the gaze of the public and to allow their secret to continue. But today, we might have a piece of the puzzle in helping us understand a part of their secret. The answers... or perhaps, the next clue should be here. But you must seek it for yourselves." Raphael stared at the priest. Surely the Father must be joking. They couldn't possibly look at all the tombstones, one by one! But Heidi was already on the move. She didn't know what was it that she was suppose to look for but she kept walking anyway. The names all sounded strange and alien to her but she made a small prayer for each one of the tombs that she passed. "If the two of you are here, you might as well help out," snapped Raphael. He had already spotted the tombstone that he wanted to visit first and was walking towards it. Kneeling down in front of Anabella's tombstone, he whispered a prayer and plea. "Please forgive me my love... please forgive your old and helpless husband... I will do all that I can to find our baby... I promise... but I need you to lend me your strength to help me find her..." He raised his eyes, searching for Heidi. She was kneeling in front of another tombstone too, just as he was. Curiosity filled his mind. Did she recognize someone here? Getting up, he walked towards her. She was paying respects to the late Lady Margaret, his mother. "I think this lady is important." "Why?" "I would, but you will have to treat me nicely." Her reply surprised him for Raphael stepped back and considered his options. If this woman knew anything at all to help his baby girl, he would have to play nice. "Alright Heidi. I will put in more effort. Please tell me..." he pleaded. "Margaret's name was etched along the width of the bracelet. At first I had thought that this bracelet was a property of someone called Margaret... but since you said it was your daughter's, it got me thinking that perhaps this is the first place we should look." "Margaret? Wait... let me look at that bracelet again... oh my... I wonder..." "What is it?" "This first part... is German... but the second part... is Latin... it says Sacrum Romanum Imperium ... and I do not think that my mother is the kind to carve her own name on a heirloom. We're looking at the wrong Margaret, Heidi. Look for the Saint Margaret Antioch- the one whom this church is built for!" An hour later.... They were puzzled as to why the martyr's tomb could not be located. They had passed by so many others but nothing was special about them. After finding the priest again, they asked him about her tomb. "She is here, buried with her most faithful. This church is built in her honour my children... it does not need a tomb for her followers to pay respect to." After he left, Heidi and Raphael felt very upset. They were tired and sweaty from their search. "What do you think he meant by 'her most faithful?'" asked Heidi. "Someone who was steadfast in prayer I suppose... I don't know... arghhhh!!!" groaned Raphael. "May I say something Raphael? I know it will sound silly... but I've heard of Saint Margaret before in one of my childhood stories but I don't know if it's the same one..." Heidi said kindly. The old man was looking so worn out and she wanted to keep him calm. When he nodded, she continued: "When I was a little girl, my father would tell me these fairytales... He would tell me about many Saints who did many heroic acts, but my favourite one of all was about Saint Margaret. She was swallowed by a dragon but she fought her way through and emerged, alive. My father always told me that I must be strong as Saint Margaret for the dragon is like the world; it's hard and cruel and we must persevere to emerge victorious." "That's very kind of you Heidi... yes we all need to be strong right now... But you see... a German folktale cannot have had any connection with the Roman empire and its Italian descendants. You see... all these Italian names here- Anicii, Donati, Portinari... Portinari... oh god... that's right... come on!" exclaimed Raphael suddenly, pulling Heidi up and walking briskly. "What are we finding?" "Beatrice Portinari. She should help give us some clues. If anything, Beatrice died a virgin too... Are you familiar with Dante the poet?" "No, I am not..." "Beatrice had prayed to Saint Margaret at this very church for Dante to be purged of his sins. He had written the Divine Comedy after that happened. I know it's just a piece of literature but I have no doubt that she was a faithful devotee." "It says nothing much here..." said Heidi when they had reached Beatrice's tombstone. It read: Fore here I lie To rest or to die "Wait... fore here I lie? Heidi, look behind or around, whatever! I think she's saying that the front is just a façade." "Are these... I don't know what... what's this?" Heidi asked. She had found carvings behind the tomb, right at the base, hidden partially by the weeds. "I might need some help here. My Latin isn't that good," Raphael said out loud. He knew the brothers were around somewhere. "Let's write it down. We can ask the boys later on. They are fluent in Latin as well." **** They decided to meet back in Adrian and Heidi's hotel room. They needed privacy and somewhere not far from the church. Adrian and Aqurico had already materialised in their human form and were pacing about the main room of the suite. Raphael was excitedly giving ideas as to what Beatrice had possibly meant by her short couplet: Adjoined as virgins in an aisle, Tales of past to enchant and beguile "What tales do you think she's referring to?" Adrian asked. He was starting to have an ominous feeling about their discovery that day. "Dante's travels of course!" exclaimed Raphael. "Perhaps we should make our way back to Princeton now so I can retrieve my book. I have read it a couple of times and annotated it." "Then what of the 'virgins in an aisle'?" asked Adrian. "The priest told us that Saint Margaret was buried with her most faithful... and this could mean that they were buried side by side," said Heidi. She really didn't want the two men to start quarrelling again. "I don't think he meant that literally... Saint Margaret was put to death in AD 304 but the church was built sometime in the year 1032. Surely her physical body would have dissolved to dust by then!" chimed Aqurico. "Then why were they adjoined in an aisle?" asked Adrian, slightly annoyed. "Uh... well... as I was in the church, I noticed that there was an effigy of a woman, whom I assume is Saint Margaret at the altar," said Heidi. "And I would assume too that in an aisle would refer to her being in front of Saint Margaret? As in a line?" added Raphael. "I would think so... as would any other devotee in their prayers right?" replied Heidi. Silence filled the room for a few seconds and then she spoke again. "Didn't you mention something about Beatrice praying to Saint Margaret for Dante's sake? She must have loved him a lot to ask for something so unselfish." "Ah, yes, yes my child... you are absolutely right. But now we are stuck. How will this help us find my daughter..." sighed Raphael. "Would you like to take a look at that book I was telling you about?" Heidi replied, trying to be helpful. "If anything, Italian descendants cannot be a part of your German history, Heidi," said Adrian. Heidi looked up at him, surprised. She remembered only sharing the information with Raphael and he certainly did not leave her side in the past hour to have had the chance to tell that to Adrian. "Give her the benefit of the doubt Adrian. Oral history precedes written history and we should not rule out any possibility!" said Raphael heatedly. "If only Abben was around. He'd know these things. Well... I will discuss this further with Adrian and Aurora. Raphael, please stay here with Ella. We'll be back soon." With that, Aqurico left, with Adrian in his tow. **** Aurora was sitting on the newly grown grass outside of Lady Margaret's house. She had seek refuge there to regain back her strength. It surprised and pleased her when her brothers came to visit, bringing news of progress. Listening intently to them, she began to think about what had been discovered and eventually spoke: "Don't you find it strange, that there is a church for Saint Margaret but no one from the public really comes to worship her? If anything, that church is a place just for the rituals. Who exactly is this Margaret? What is her history?" "It is confusing us as well Sister. But that aside... are you feeling stronger now?" asked Adrian. His voice had become softer and kinder and he was looking at her with genuine love. "I think I am stronger now... but you should know better Adrian!" "You're still not throttling him yet that's why he's concerned," laughed Aqurico. He knew that his sister was a feisty one. "Well, I am merely conjuring up the perfect plan. In time brother, in time..." she said, smiling at her two brothers. "Aurora... I need you to do for me a favour..." said Adrian softly. The smile faded from Aurora's lips as she listened to his request. "I will try... but... I cannot guarantee anything," she replied. "Hold both our hands this time. It should give you a bit more strength," said Aqurico as he held his sister close. Aurora closed her eyes and tried to locate Ella's presence. Was she still in this world or the next? "Isabella... Ella...can you hear me?" DadupDadupDadupDadup... "It is me, Aurora... Ella...?" Opening her eyes, Aurora spoke. "I can hear her heartbeat... but nothing else... I can't read her mind or hear her..." said Aurora. With only a third of her brother's abilities and in her weakened state, that was the best she could do. "Try harder little sister," said Adrian. He gave her a smile to encourage her and gripped her hand tighter. Closing her eyes again, Aurora let her consciousness roam free as she tried to search for Ella's stream of consciousness. After 10 minutes of silence, Adrian started to panic and gave Aurora's arm a little shake. She was still silent. A feel of her pulse showed that it was barely there. "Adrian, let Mélas hold her steady or else we'll lose her!" instructed Aqurico. He too had separated himself from Purrós. A few minutes later, Aurora opened her eyes. They were pale, almost translucent shade of green. Adrian looked at her and felt his tears threaten to fall. She was so frail and weakened by that search alone. "I heard them... there are two heartbeats... I cannot hear her thoughts still but there are definitely two heartbeats... and they are strong. I... I must rest now brothers..." "I will stay here with you," replied Adrian, adamantly. "No... please, you must find Ella... Take Heidi's suggestion and go find who is Saint Margaret. Aqurico... take him away... please..." she pleaded. It took a lot of Aqurico's strength to pull Adrian to his feet for his brother was stubborn as he was concerned for their sister. He simply silenced Adrian by removing his emotion for hurt and they disappeared to return to the hotel. Back at the hotel... Raphael was studying Heidi carefully. He wondered what role she played in their quest to find his daughter. Sensing how tense she was becoming, he decided to calm her down by striking up a conversation. "Tell me about your family, Heidi," he asked kindly. He had guessed that Heidi was about Ella's age and it helped him feel less saddened by his daughter's disappearance when she smiled at him. "Oh? My family? We're just farmers really... nothing special at all!" she began. Raphael smiled and encouraged her to continue. "We've been living in Germany for a long time. Before that, my great great great great grandfather was living in England and he later moved to Germany with his family." "Oh? Why is that so? Was he a fugitive?" "What? No, no of course not! It was during the 100years war between England and France and he decided that it was best to move to quieter regions to raise his family. I do not know much about him except that he used to be a scribe for the court but fled soon after the war started." Raphael leaned forward, obviously interested in her story. "My great-great-great-great Grandfather, William, opened up the farm in which we now stay at with the money he had saved. I think he initially wrote children stories for a living but after a while dedicated his time to being a farmer. My father still reads his stories to me when I was younger. He still kept all the drafts and scripts that William had when he first came to Germany. I think Father has them in his library." "What about that book you were telling me about the saints?" "Oh. Father keeps it in his library too. I have not read it for years... I guess I grew up and forgot about all the stories. Do you like stories Raphael?" "Of course! I study them for a living," he replied, smiling. "Perhaps we could ask the boys if we could make a trip down to see those books before going back to America. I might have some use for them for scholarly purposes, of course." Heidi was about to refuse when the door to their hotel room was suddenly opened and in strode Adrian and Aqurico. "Raphael we have to go for now. Adrian and I have decided to leave tonight." "To where Aqurico?" asked Raphael, puzzled. "Heidi, where's your hometown?" "Allgäu... may I know why you ask?" "Pack your things Heidi. It's time to make a short trip back home. Raphael and I will get our tickets. We'll meet you two at the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport at 7pm," said Aqurico, walking out the door as he spoke. Heidi was left with her mouth hanging wide. Back home? Surely Aqurico was joking! "You might as well start packing Heidi. We do not have much time," said Adrian stoically. He had been silent the whole time and his sudden comment made her jump slightly. Looking up at him, Heidi noticed that his eyes were clouded with unease. He seemed lost in his thoughts and didn't even look at her when she started to change out of her clothes. She packed her things in silence and dared a glance at him again. He still remained passive, staring out the window, oblivious of her. She looked at his shirts and jeans neatly hung in the cupboards and went to fetch them for him. Folding them nicely, she tucked them into his small luggage bag and went to fetch their toiletries. When she came out, he was lying on the bed, facing the ceiling. "Adrian? Is something on your mind?" she asked softly. She walked towards the bed and sat by his side. Suddenly, he looked at her and searched for her hand. Holding it firmly, he rolled over to his side and rested his head on her thigh. Her first instinct was to smooth the hair that was starting to cover his face. She liked his raven hair. It was almost touching his shoulders but never made him look less masculine than he was. It was soft and smelled of morning dew on grass. "Heidi... do you miss your family?" he croaked; his voice unstable. "Yes I do. I think about them every time. Why do you ask?" "I miss mine..." "You have your brother with you now don't you?" "But I still have another brother and sister... and I failed to take care of them... when I am the healer..." he replied, in between sobs that threatened to surface. Heidi thought it was strange that he thought of himself as a 'healer' when he was a doctor. That was such an... ancient word. And it was then that she realised that she never asked him before about his family. Perhaps it was because of his cold disposition that made her fear to ask him. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, instead. "No... I... I just feel like a failure..." Heidi didn't know what to say, because she didn't understand the context of his worries. Rubbing his cheeks tenderly with her knuckles, she tried to coax him to calm down. Bending slightly forward, she kissed his forehead. He held her face and brought her lips down to meet his. The kiss was soft, needy and gentle. Pulling herself away from him, she laid his head down on the pillow and settled herself beside him, such that their faces were facing each other. She cared for this man, somehow, and wanted to protect him; take away his sadness. He was looking at her, searching her eyes, wanting to kiss her again. Closing the gap between them, Heidi kissed him again. She let herself get lost in the feeling of his warm lips against hers. Adrian's hands were rubbing her shoulders gently, as he deepened his kiss. Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 03 Rolling her over on her back, he pulled his lips away only to press them against her neck. His kisses were making her tingle all over. Adrian's fingers were slowly unbuttoning the sleeveless blouse she was wearing to expose her tightened nipples. A sudden rage burned in him. She had gone without undergarments in front of the other men? This was his and his alone! Grabbing her tits roughly, he focused his lips on her left nipple, sucking it hard and nipping it between his teeth. "Turn around," he ordered. On her knees, Heidi was unable to see what was going on behind her. But she felt Adrian's fingers playing with her g-string under her skirt. "Why do you wear such things Heidi?" he growled as he wound her g-string with his fingers. Pushing them to the side, he slipped his tongue in between her pussy lips and started licking her wetness, making her lose her focus on what she wanted to say. "I asked a question Heidi," he repeated. "I had only..." she started to say but began moaning instead when he suddenly pushed in two fingers into her warm pussy and fucked her mercilessly. "I uh... I... Adrian... Adrian..." she moaned into the pillow. She was moaning as he used his fingers to rub her clit in circles; his other hand massaging her breasts and tugging gently at her nipples. His fingers were now pumping her pussy; but her hands were the ones guiding it in and out. "Oh, Adrian... it feels so good... oh yes... harder... "she wailed out her pleasure as he buried his fingers hilt deep into her pussy. Adrian couldn't hold back himself anymore. She was one little hot vixen that wanted to be fucked so badly. Turning her around, it took only a soft tap at her hips to get her to wrap her legs around his waist. Kissing her, Adrian guided his hardened cock to her moist pussy. Her scream of pleasure sliced through the silence in the room. Pulling her mouth away, she buried her face in the crook of his neck and bit the tender flesh there. Ignoring the pain, Adrian continued to plunge his hard cock deeper and faster into her pussy. Heidi had never felt such intense pleasure in her whole life. She was moaning and whining so loud that she was sure her voice would escape the room. She humped her hips up each time he would thrust his hips down. The result was a sensuous moan from the both of them at the impact of their thrust. "I'm going to cum..." he roared. He could hear the beast in him bleating with furious energy. "Cum all over me," moaned Heidi. Adrian had taken out his cock and was shooting ropes of sticky white cum all over her chest. Exhausted, he lay beside her, his breathing heavy and erratic. "We should continue packing soon..." Heidi said with a soft whisper as she scooped up some of his cum and sucked it off her finger. * PS: Dear readers, don't forget to rate and comment if you like the story =) xoxoxox- MC Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 04 Dear Readers, for those of you who have sent me emails and comments, thank you so much for your patience! Only one more chapter left after this, so I hope you all enjoy reading as much as I have enjoyed writing! Leave your comments and don't forget to vote! Upon arrival in Munich, Heidi informed them that it would be best to catch a train ride to Memmingen in Allgäu. The one hour ride gave the trio of men a breath taking view of the Allgäu Alps- the lush forests and occasionally, a glimpse of wild horses running against the wind. The beast inside whimpered loudly, his heart beat straining against its rider's- lustful for a run in the wilderness. Adrian could literally smell the fresh air of spring, with remnants of the frosty winter in the atmosphere. It felt like time slowed down for them. And if he let himself, Adrian felt himself drifting off into a sweet sleep. "We're here everyone," exclaimed Heidi. Despite her initial protests about their trip to her hometown, her facial expression showed otherwise. Adrian watched the way her blue eyes shimmered, reflecting the colour of the sky and the snow on top of the alps. Even her hair became shades lighter in the cool air. "So how will we be going to your house from here?" asked Raphael as they alighted from the train. He too was excited. He had never been to Germany, much less the Alps and he was hoping to have tales to write and tell about for years to come. "My uncle lives here, in this town. I will ask if he would lend us his automobile to ride down south to Füssen." Her uncle happened to be the owner of the car rental shop in town and was thrilled when Adrian paid him, in excess, in American dollars. "Show off..." mumbled Heidi to herself. "Wait till you get to our farm... all your Armani and Gucci will suffer such horrendous fates!" **** "Butterkäse!" was the welcoming word when Heidi stepped out of the car. "Father," she replied, trying to conceal her embarrassment. Her father had been calling her by that name ever since he found her nibbling on Butterkäse cheese secretly in the barn when she was four. Her father did not look a day older than the day she left him to study in England. But boy was his belly getting rounder! "Ah, I see you brought guests! Tis means feasting! Anna! Where is that woman of mine!" he yelled in German, towards their house. The guests turned towards the house he was referring to and saw a plump woman with a rolling pin in her hand coming out, yelling back in German. Heidi was laughing but neither of them understood the joke. Her family loved guests and were most pleased when they were told that they would be playing host to the three men for a few days. Her mother, especially was thrilled to have such charming and handsome men in her house. Heidi knew that she would be making her own moves on them soon on behalf of her daughters... While the men rested, Anna busied herself in the kitchen in preparation for dinner. By the time they were all seated at the table, it was heaped with glorious amounts of food- from Beef Sauerbrauten to potato dumplings to a lovely blackforest cake. Raphael was looking appreciatively of the food, his stomach rumbling in anticipation. However, the two brothers simply started at the food, then smiled politely to Anna while seating themselves. Adrian wished that Heidi's mother had not taken such pains to cook for them... for he and Aqurico could not taste anything. They did not need to eat for they were not really human. But it was the polite thing to do and so Adrian accepted Anna's heaping of food on his plate. It smelled wonderful, he thought and cut a slice of the beef and placed it in his mouth. At once, the burst of flavours shocked his senses. He ended up coughing as though he had choked on something. "Adrian!" exclaimed Heidi, positioning herself behind him in the event that he had really choked and required her to press his stomach. "No... no... I'm fine," he croaked. "Mrs. Lang... I have not tasted... something this delicious for a very very very long time... thank you..." Aqurico was looking at his brother for a long time and eventually smiled. Later that night, Anna took her guests to their rooms upstairs. "You two may sleep together in this room. This one belongs to my brother- ah yes you've met him today? He doesn't live here anymore but his bed is big enough for two of you yes?" she said, ushering Aqurico and Raphael into the room. After that, she led Adrian down the hallway to a smaller room. "Tis is our guest room. Unfortunately there's no queen bed here my dear. Heidi's room is just beside yours," she said with a twinkle in her smile. "I've always told her that her bed is just too big for just one person." With a cheeky laugh, she left Adrian standing at his door. He was laughing to himself as he entered the guest room. The room was right at the end of the hallway; which means that he had two windows instead of one. From where he was sitting, he could vaguely see Mélas, Purrós and Khlōrós thánatos wandering around in the pasture where the cows were kept. He knew his baby sister couldn't resist not coming along. She had secretly followed them in her spirit form and must have used her mental blocking abilities to prevent him from noticing her. He knew that the three horses were taking care of her. Maybe he should go down and see her for himself... to make sure she's alright. He worried for her. Changing his form, Adrian left the house, unseen by his hosts. Only when he reached the pasture did he turn back into his human form. Mélas had neighed his happiness and caused quite a stir among the cows. Ushering the horses towards the stables, he whispered, "Hush Mélas... You'd wake the whole house!" Once they were in the stables, he approached Aurora's pale green horse and said,"Don't hide behind your horse, Aurora. Come, let me see you." Khlōrós thánatos stared at him with her jade coloured eyes and rubbed her nose at his cheek. "I'll be fine this way, Adrian..." he heard her say in his mind. Rubbing down the horse's back, he smoothed its hair and sat down beside it, resting his head on her back. "You came because you're curious didn't you?" "Who me? Curious? Of course not." "As if." "Heh. Anyway, this stable is sure warm and comfy. Want to join me?" "Is Aqurico sleeping with you?" "Yes I am..." came the reply. "You don't expect me to sleep with another man do you? Especially not one that kicks in his sleep!" "Good of you to join us brother," said Adrian, rubbing Purrós's nose. He was wondering why his siblings refused to materialise in their human form but chose to stay within their horse's body. "It'll be warmer and safer this way. You'd never know when anyone of them would come by and see us. In her horse form, Aurora is least dangerous. You know that," said Aqurico. Kneeling down, Purrós sat close to Aurora and cuddled in her warmth. Suddenly, they heard some rustling. "Who's there?" a soft voice asked nervously. Adrian contemplated changing his form but it was too late for Heidi came into view and shocked him. She was in her nightgown, a soft cotton material that was too thin to be worn in such a cold weather. He could see her nipples straining against the material. "It's me," he said quickly as he started walking towards her to turn her around to go back to the house. "What were you doing there? I thought I heard people talking..." "No, it's just me... I was looking at your horses. I love them very much." "Oh. You're a horse rider aren't you? I could tell..." she replied. Adrian had one hand around her waist as he walked her back. He could feel the cold wind from the mountains but she didn't seem to mind the cold. He could even see that she wasn't wearing any undergarments. Good god! "Heidi... aren't you cold?" "Oh? No I'm not. I'm wearing slippers you see?" "No I mean... you're not wearing any undergarments!" "Oh. I'm sorry... I heard noises and rushed down to see what was going on..." "We should get back to our beds... uh, I mean our individual beds," stammered Adrian. He wondered why this mortal always made him feel silly. But something inside him stirred that made the cold fade away. "Or would you rather come to bed with me Adrian?" she asked slowly, not looking at him. Simply gripping his hand tight, she led him into the house and up the stairs. When they were outside her room, she let his hand go to open her room door. Still in darkness, she called out to him. Adrian stepped inside and closed her door quietly. He reached out for her and drew her close. "I want you..." she whispered. "I want you too..." He pulled up the flimsy nightgown off her body and tossed it carelessly aside. His hands found her breast and fondled them gently as he trailed soft kisses down her neck. Heidi started moaning softly and tugged at his pants. "Take it off..." she moaned. Letting go of his hands, Adrian swiftly peeled off his clothes and pulled her close. Even in the dark, Heidi could see the hardness of his cock, ready for her. Daring herself, she held it in her palms. His sharp intake of breath startled her for she looked up at him, confused. "No... don't stop..." Still stroking his cock, she got closer and planted her lips to his. Adrian kissed her back with a feverish desire that took both their breaths away for a moment. He found it hard to concentrate with her hands softly stroking his cock. Unable to take it anymore, he lifted her up and turned her upside down and began to lick at her pussy. Heidi stifled her cry of surprise as he did so. In this position she was literally at his mercy. His cock loomed in front of her mouth and she did the only natural thing to do- she sucked it. Her warm mouth sucked and lick as much cock as she could and soon Adrian was fucking her mouth even as he tongue fucked her pussy. She kept cumming and cumming and yet Adrian stayed in that position, pleasuring her pussy, ignoring her pleas to fuck. Finally, he turned her around, only to impale her without warning on his hard cock. "Adrian!!! Oh my god..." she screamed. Adrian had to quieten her down by kissing her screams away. She was so tight and even when he tried to stop her from screaming, Adrian felt like screaming himself. He kept thrusting up even as her body fell naturally impaling her pussy on his cock. "Oh Adrian, Adrian, Adrian... more more more please!" "More?" his voice was now almost roaring. Adrian could hear the beast inside of him bleating in ecstasy. The blood pumping through him was now making him wild. He got her off his cock and instructed her to get on all fours. He could feel Mélas neighing out loud in his head and their hearts pounded together. Grabbing her by the ass, he plunged his cock in in one stroke. Heidi yelped as she felt the monstrous cock, now seemingly thicker plunge into her wet pussy. She instantaneously came, squirting her clear liquid all over both of them. "Oh baby..." she purred. Her orgasm only served to turn him on even more. Now reaching forward, he grabbed her tits and plunged deeply into her once again. This time, both of them could not hold on to their screams. His hips hammered into her and their slapping sounds echoed throughout the room. "Oh God Heidi, you're so fucking tight..." yelled Adrian as he gave his last thrust and came inside her pussy. With that he collapsed onto the floor beside her. "You're a bad bad doctor..." Heidi said. Adrian's cock was still hard even after coming once. Taking it in her hand, she climbed on top of him and impaled herself on his cock. Adrian groaned but he was too exhausted to move. Watching her ride his cock up and down like a sexy cowgirl turned him on. He felt her pussy muscles clench tight, squeezing his cock, making him moan. He'd never seen Heidi this passionate before. As he watch her blonde hair flap around, he realised that he was attracted to this woman... "Let's get on the bed Heidi... I want to make love to you..." he said gently. Heidi lay on her back and waited for Adrian. He stared at her blue eyes as his cock pushed its way slowly into her pussy. He could feel her muscles stretching to accommodate him; he pushed on till almost all his cock was buried in her. Grabbing her thighs, he slowly thrust his hips up and down, making sure he hit her g spot, making her cum. After a few squirting orgasms, Adrian knew it was time to cum again. Pulling out his cock, he stroked it a few times and sprayed his cum all over her tits. "Let me suck you clean..." said Heidi. Adrian groaned as she milked him of every drop of his cum. Cuddling up beside him, Heidi closed her eyes. She felt at peace. *** The next morning, Adrian woke up with an excruciating pain down his spine. It had been so long since he had felt any pain at all that he was unsure what it was in the first place. Stilling himself, he tried to kill the pain with his mind but found that the harder he tried to concentrate, the more it gnawed at him. "Adrian? Are you alright?" said Heidi, who had just opened her eyes. The blanket barely covered her bare breast and the sight of her made his loins ache again. Turning his gaze away from her, Adrian tried to focus once more. The pain only intensified. Feeling frustrated, he got up, wore his boxers and started picking up his clothes. "Get dressed. We've got things to do today." When he left the room, Heidi was stunned and hurt at the same time. She didn't know what she had done to make him so upset. She must have been a lousy partner in bed that it disgusted him. Feeling upset, she simply curled in her bed a little longer until the pain numbed and then got to the shower to get ready for breakfast. In his own room, Adrian was pacing. He tried his best to think of an explanation for his decrease in ability. His brothers and sister needed him... Ella needed him. He cannot afford to lose his healing powers at this moment. If any of them were to be wounded in battle... he could not bear to think of it. He knew what he had to do... He had to stay away from Heidi until it was all over. He had remembered how Abben has turned mortal and how it had disgusted him so much. Yet now he was being the same thing he despised so much. "Aurora... I know you're there." "Well... I felt your power waning so I had to come and see... Well... I didn't mean to intrude on you both but..." "What? You mean you were watching???" "Of course not brother... but Mélas was making so much noise that all the horses in the stable were upset. I simply came up when... things quieten down. I saw her in your arms and I guessed." "We need to leave her here... I cannot..." "We do not know what she is worth yet in this quest, brother... but if I sense your powers degenerating further, I will not hesitate to kill her." "No!" "Then what do you suggest I do?" "I don't know... I'm hungry. Damn it! These mortal needs are annoying!" snarled Adrian. After breakfast, Raphael asked Heidi to show him the Caxton library that she mentioned earlier. "Oh, yes. It's in our study. Please come." She talked animatedly to Raphael and Aqurico but tried her best to ignore Adrian. However, the more she ignored him, the more she was aware of his presence. "Here we are. It's just a small collection of books... but please do take a look at whatever you want. My father always says that something good will come out of these books, but I never knew what." "It's alright my child. Perhaps you could get me some tea? Reading this would take me some time. My German is a little rusty." "I'll help you with it," she said, smiling to him. When she left, Raphael spoke sternly to Adrian. "You hurt her didn't you?" "What?" "Just look at that poor girl's face! You are truly a beast with no heart." Adrian stared at the old man and then simply turned away. Raphael was soon busying himself with the books and didn't speak until an hour later. "Boys... do either of you happen to have a tattoo of a dragon on you?" he said. "A what?" "A tattoo... you know those permanent ink stuff you inject into your skin?" "I know what a tattoo is, old man... but what's the significance?" asked Adrian. "It's the dragon..." "The what? I don't get you at all..." "Abben has one," chirped Aurora. "Yeah... on his ankle I think. He says it's a birth mark but I swear it's a tattoo..." Heidi who had been quiet all the while, suddenly snapped her head up upon hearing Aurora's voice. "Did you hear that?" she asked. Adrian was swearing at his sister loudly in his head. At least he could still muster that, he mused. "No, we didn't hear anything," the three men said unanimously. Still looking confused, Heidi went nearer to Raphael and peeked over his shoulder. "Oh? You're reading the Golden Legend? It's supposed to be a myth you know..." "Even if it is, it's worth reading. Have you seen this sign before?" Raphael asked, pointing to a picture of a dragon. "Oh... you mean... oh my goodness..." she stammered and then dashed out of the room. "Now see what you've done old man..." said Adrian, half laughing. "I see you've gained a sense of humour now Adrian. It suits you," chuckled Raphael. "So tell us what is it inside that book?" asked Aqurico. "Well... it seems that this compilation of stories is a translation... It says here specifically of Saint Margaret of Antioch... and the dragon that swallowed her. I was just putting two and two together. If the devil had granted Olybrius immortality then it would make them one and the same wouldn't it?" "And so you're saying that?" "Saint Margaret had used the dragon to fight against the devil in this book... and I wonder if this symbol here has any significant meaning at all?" he said, pointing to a drawing of a dragon tattoo in the book. It was then that Heidi entered with her father. Raphael was surprised to see their host looking fearfully at him. "Is this what you are seeking?" he asked, showing to them all the mark he had on his right ankle. "Goodness! What is that?" remarked Raphael. Drawing close, he could see an imprint of a white dragon on the man's skin. "I have it too..." muttered Heidi. Adrian had turned to her sharply, but she chose not to look at him. He did not even remember seeing that tattoo on her! "I do not know why we all seem to have had it. As you can see, it's really small so it was at first dismissed as a birthmark or mole... but when I saw that Heidi had it too... I figured it must be inherited only by the first born. I see that you have been reading my great great grandfather Caxton's book..." "Yes... so it seems. Do you know what your dragon means?" asked Raphael slowly. "Yes..." he replied. "Heidi will show you..." "Turn... to the back of the book... it is in Latin... and you will understand..." she stammered. When the three men turned to the back to see the inscriptions, all stood silent, the breaths hard but controlled. "We need to go back." Adrian said. Healing Rites of Passage Ch. 05 "We must hurry. Heidi, what is the fastest way out of here?" asked Aqurico. "The train will leave only tomorrow morning to Munich... I'm sorry..." she stammered. "Damn. Argh! This leaves us no choice," grumbled Adrian. He turned to his brother and started speaking in Latin. "Surely you must be kidding Adrian... Spirit travel could kill them," warned Aqurico. It was rare of him to see his brother so tensed. Adrian only spoke in their native tongue in rare circumstances. "No no no! We've been wasting our time travelling here and there and the answer was right in front of me brother. It was right in front of me!" "We'll take the risk. But the old man... he cannot follow us. If he dies, Ella will be devastated," replied Aqurico. Turning to the others in the room, he began assessing their emotions. Heidi's father was reluctant to let his daughter go. Raphael was anxious to go but Heidi was shattered and afraid. Sighing to himself, he tweaked their emotional levels a little and started speaking. "My fellow company... my brother and I have discussed... and we all agree that it is of great importance that we return to London as soon as possible. We will need your daughter for a few days Sir... but I assure you that we will take care of her to our best abilities. As for you Raphael... you will agree to travel by yourself to London because you have to." No arguments were made about the arrangements. Before they left, Adrian took Raphael aside and gave him instructions. "You will need to bring her back to this house and put her to bed. She's going to be in deep sleep and I need you to help her convince her father she'll be fine." After saying their goodbyles,the two brothers stood silently with Heidi in the stables. "Heidi... you know what we are... but what you're about to see might frighten you but I hope you will not fear us," said Aqurico gently to her. She was shivering on the inside. He could see her mind and her fear. Putting a hand on her arm, he continued, "We will be travelling at light speed from here to London. It is a risky journey but I need you to say that you are willing to do this." Heidi looked at Adrian and slowly nodded her head. "It is something I must do isn't it?" "Well my dear... you can choose to say no... but we do not know how long more our brother and friend can survive..." "Alright... I'll... I'll do it." Smiling at her, Aqurico gestured at the air in front of them and soon materialized the third guardian in her human form. Adrian started to hold on to Heidi's hand real tight; his face in pure concentration. Heidi was starting to feel like the air in her lungs were being sucked out... Adrian had to keep holding her to stabilize her heartbeat and brain functions while Aqurico numbed her so she won't feel the pain of her body's separation from her soul. "Focus Aurora... a bit more..." said Adrian when he saw his sister looking doubtful. She knew death was hard but she had to do it... The moment Heidi's spirit soul was detached from her body, the siblings evaporated into the air. They felt the weather changing from the sweet fresh air of the Alps to the coldness of London in a matter of seconds. Finally they landed... tumbling onto the floor of Adrian's office. Adrian still had to hold onto Heidi's spirit soul because it was so much lighter that he was afraid she might just slip away. "Okay... I'm going to give her soul to Mélas now," said Adrian. His body was becoming more human that it felt so painful to just split his body from his horse. He had to stop halfway, tears in his eyes. "Adrian... stop. I'll give her mine," Aurora offered. It pained her to see her brother's half mortal form causing a toll on him. "Mélas, stop! Get back and heal him. He's in too much pain." Grabbing Heidi's arm, Aurora merged her horse's spirit with Heidi's to stabilize her. Slowly Heidi started to materialize in flesh in front of them. "Hurry, we must go to Abben. Heidi... you will know what to do when you see him," said Aqurico. Holding her gently at the wrists, he led her out of Adrian's office. Adrian was already way ahead of them, half running towards the ward where Abben was currently lying in a coma. When she entered his room, she felt a strange pull towards the patient she had onced had to take care of. Back then she did not understand the attraction she felt towards him. It wasn't lust- it was a raw kind of desperation which she now understood. His body needed hers to wake up and that's what she was here for... She gently touched the white dragon tattoo at his ankle and braced herself for what was about to come. "I will leave my host and enter his body now," she said. In a blink of an eye, Aurora's horse stood at the spot where Heidi had stood but she was gone. The three siblings did not have time to panic for a cough could be heard coming from the comatose patient. "I... I don't believe it... his vitals are rising... I think, yes he's gaining consciousness!" said Adrian with his hands over his heart. "But Heidi..." Aqurico tried to calm his brother who was now speaking incoherently in Latin. But Adrian was beyond control. "Adrian..." called Abben who was still lying on his bed. "Don't worry about me... I'll be fine..." Adrian stopped his muttering and came to Abben's bed. "Co-existent souls?" he asked. Abben merely nodded. "Heal me Adrian... It seems your powers are able to work now that I'm awake and the spell is broken." "I don't know if I can... I'm slowly gaining my mortality..." "Hold Aurora's hand. She has a third of all our abilities. She can help." *** Travelling at their full power of four, the siblings rushed over to the (name of the place) where Ella was held captive. "Can you hear her Abben?" asked Aqurico. "Yes, faintly...she asks us to find the door" he replied, inching closer to the middle of the room. "This is as near as I can hear her... She must be somewhere here but possible on another dimension. Aqurico, can you find her?" Previously when Abben had been a full mortal, their powers were reduced but now, Aqurico could see clearly the auras within the room. His own siblings had their distinctive auras- Abben was white; clear and strong. Adrian's was as dark as night while Aurora's was pale green as that of death. "Here... She's not very healthy... it's a... pale green aura..." he replied. Not wasting much time, Aqurico wielded his sword and slice into the air. "Hurry!" he instructed. All of them jumped through the narrow gap that was now beginning to draw to a close. The room was magnificently decorated, albeit a replica of the exact room that (Juliana?) once had. Ella was lying on the bed, her face turned away; her dress showing a distinct curve of what was her pregnancy. In two strides, Abben reached the side of the bed and scooped her up. She smiled at him faintly, then buried her face at the crook of his neck and wept. "I'm here now my love... I'm here..." At that moment, the wooden door of the room opened and in walked Olybrius, carrying food for Ella to eat. His eyes which were initially filled with what looked like love, suddenly opened wide with shock. "How dare you! How... how did you manage to..." he said, gritting his teeth. He had dropped the tray of food and was now reaching at his back for his sword. "You lose, Olybrius," Abben said cooly. He had eased Ella off him and had left her to be healed by Adrian and Aurora. "I see you've awaken Abben. You fool! Do you wish to really die this time?" laughed Olybrius as he got ready to attack. Abben's first arrow was so swift that a naked eye could not even see him pulling the bow. It hit Olybrius squarely at his chest, creating a wide hole. Olybrius merely laughed as the hole began to heal within seconds. He slashed the air with his sword; the air vibrations alone sent Abben reeling backwards. "Abben, this duel could go on forever now that you're immortal. We must end this now," whispered Heidi in his mind. "I need more power... or else I cannot transform." Easing back towards the wall, Abben placed a temporary dimensional barrier between Olybrius and himself. It would buy them some time for it would take Olybrius some time to find the right 'door' to slice it open. "Brothers and sister... I think the time has come... will you be willing to give up your immortality and power to me?" he asked. "We've been waiting so long for this moment Abben... Here... is mine..." said Aqurico as he placed his palm on Abben's forehead. The body that once held three different entities was split; leaving only man and horse standing. "And here is mine..." said Aurora, smiling at her brother. "Adrian?" said Abben. The other two turned to face him as well. "If... I give up this power... will... will it kill both of you?" he asked. "Adrian... I do not know my love... but I will do my best to survive for your sake..." came Heidi's voice through Abben's mouth. Nodding, Adrian placed his palm on Abben's forehead and felt that searing pain that was forcefully tearing him into pieces. The second Adrian's palm left Abben's skin, Abben himself felt the same pain of mortality once again. He knew that Heidi did not want to use him as a host anymore now that she was strong enough. Out of the blinding pain that was ripping his own body emerged a gigantic fire dragon. She was almost invisible except for her fiery mouth. "Stay here!" she roared and pierced through the barrier that was slowly weakening. At the other side, Olybrius was beyond shocked to find the dragon facing him, instead of Abben. "Who... who... what are you?" he stammered. "The one who ends it all" she roared. The dragon, with its mouth open wide, swallowed Olybrius into the depths of hell that was brewing in her mouth. The fire began to burn, slowly at first, then larger and larger until it engulfed even the dragon itself. From behind the barrier, Adrian was trying to jump across the portal but had to be physically restrained by his brothers. Eventually the fire died and the room disappeared; leaving the four of them and a recovering Ella lying on an open field. Adrian had his hands on his face. "Don't cry, my brave one..." came a gentle voice in the wind. "You have all done well... You are released from your spell now... may you all live happy as mortals..." When the air stilled, they saw a body of a woman lying limp on the grass a few metres away. Adrian rushed towards the body; his tears now falling uncontrollably as his eyes met Heidi's eyes. She smiled sheepishly at him. "See... I told you so..." she gave a weak laugh and hugged him tight. ***** The End NB: This is the last of the series. Thank you for all your support. Don't forget to vote! Also, if you have any ideas or plot suggestions for my next few stories, do drop me an email. If I like it, I might write it =)