19 comments/ 45461 views/ 40 favorites Zoe By: Ladytiger199 In Zoe's life, nothing ever happened to her. In her eighteen years of life, she had lived a mundane yet dark, secretive life. She had just graduated high school and was looking forward to going to one of the colleges she was accepted to and get far away from her life. Yet Zoe has learned that things do not always go as they plan. ****** At eight o-clock in the morning, Zoe groaned and rolled out of her warm bed. The air was not cold since it was the first week of summer, but she still missed the comfort the warmth brought her. She yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, suffering from another night of dreaming. Ever since she turned fifteen, she had been having the strangest dreams of what she could never tell. All she could remember was a pair of bright storm blue eyes. These dreams often kept her from true sleep and more often than not, she woke up tired. She grabbed a clean towel out of the closet next to the bathroom, and decided to take a quick shower before her mother woke up. She already knew that her stepfather would not be home until at least noon. She pulled off the sweat pants and t-shirt she used as her PJ's then turned on the water in the shower, making sure it was the right temperature before taking off her panties and slipping into the warm water. Zoe had always enjoyed the warmth and feel of the water on her skin. It made her feel clean and alive. She always took a few minutes to just stand there and let the water cascade over her five foot five body, watching it flow past her ample breasts, skipping her flat stomach, and trailing down her lush hips and firm legs. She sighed then closed her brown eyes to let the water hit her short black hair, and stream down her face. She then grabbed her shampoo, after squirting some onto her hand she thoroughly washed her hair, and then rinsed it. A sound caught her ear and she quickly opened her eyes, which were instantly stung by the soap. "Damn it," She cursed closing her now burning eyes as she opened the stall and searched blindly for the towel. "Stupid towel," She growled, and then something soft was pressed into her hands. "Ah. There you are," She sighed and rubbed her face with it. "You're welcome," said a rough, and deep voice. Zoe froze and clung to the towel as she lowered it. Her bloodshot eyes grew wide as she stared at a tall young man about 6' with thick brown curly hair that lay against his neck, and piercing blue eyes. The man just smiled at her with a clean shaven face as her eyes traveled down his naked muscular chest, then lower where a towel was wrapped around his broad waist. "Mind if I join you?" he asked with a grin, as he reached for the knot that kept the towel up. Zoe screamed then, and jumped from the shower, quickly wrapping the towel around her small naked body. She stood there frozen for a moment then let the three years of karate kick in and punched him hard in the stomach then kicked him in the side. The man groaned loudly at the punches he was obviously not expecting, and fell to the ground. Zoe ran out of the bathroom and saw her mother looking at her like she had three heads. "Mom!" she cried, running to her mother, soap still in her hair and dripping wet. "There is a man in our bathroom! Naked!" she quickly added. Just then, the man left the bathroom with the towel still tied around his waist. "You could have informed us that you were arriving, my Lord," Zoe's mother said, bowing her head to the strange man, while Zoe looked at her in confusion. "Come now Fran, that would not have been very fun," he said with a wide grin. "Mother what is going on? Who is this man?" Zoe demanded, her eyes darting between her mother and the man. "Fran you did not tell her?" the man asked with disappointment. "She should have known for some time of her destiny." Zoe's mother stood there her eyes glued to the floor. The man sighed. "My name is Azriel. I am the sworn protector of your town, and the price of this service was the one thousandth girl that was born would be mine. That girl is you, Zoe," Zoe stood there stunned, unable to even breathe. After a few moments, she realized that she was not breathing, and took in a large breath, and looked up at Azriel with unbelieving eyes. "Your eyes have always been your best feature," he said softly, moving slowly toward her, until he was with in arms reach. "I remember holding you the day you were born, and you looked up at me with those amazing eyes. I wanted to take you that day, but I had to wait until you were out of high school," He smiled gently and extended his hand until it touched her cheek softly, "It has been a long eighteen years Zoe," All Zoe could do was look up into those crystal blue eyes in silence. She wanted to scream, kick, something, anything. Yet she could not, she was lost in his eyes. Azriel leaned forward, and let his lips touch hers lightly. Zoe has never been kissed before; therefore, she stood there like a stone as his lips moved over hers. Then something snapped in her mind, and she used all her force, and pushed Azriel away from her. "Wait a second there buddy. Don't I get a say in this? What if I do not want to go with you?" Azriel looked at her for a moment. "Well Zoe, this town falls into darkness, and everyone you know and love will die," Zoe's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. "Now Zoe you will be very well taken care of. Everything you could want will be given to you. All I ask is your companionship, and in time friendship. Now does that sound all that bad?" he asked with a simple smile. Zoe bit her bottom lip lightly, and was about to answer when her mother spoke up. "Tell her the rest. She has a right to know everything." her mother said firmly. "That is a lot coming from a woman who did not tell her anything," Azriel shot back. "Tell me what?" Zoe asked, looking between them. Azriel sighed. "You are to be my mate Zoe. Bare my children," he said in a quiet tone, not really being able to look at her as he did. Zoe shook her head, and pushed past him, and into her room, locking it behind her. She flung herself onto the bed and started to cry hard. She did not like the idea of being used, and bargained away as if she was nothing, bargained away to be used as something's vessel for baring offspring. ****** Hours ticked by before Zoe felt she was calm enough to come out of her room and face the world as a reasonable person again. She walked into the living room where her mother and Azriel, who had changed into a black dress shirt, and dress pants, were sitting talking quietly over a cup of something warm. Azriel was the first one to notice her, his bright eyes pierced into hers, and she was forced to look away, lest she be caught in them. Her mother turned around and tried to give her a convincing smile, which did not comfort Zoe, and since her stepfather was not present she assumed he was asleep. "Come, please join us," Azriel said gesturing to an empty seat between him and her mother. Zoe smiled politely and sat down. She took a breath; it took her a long time to come up with an answer to this situation. "Even though Mr. Azriel impolitely came into the bathroom while I was taking a shower, I know he assumed that I knew who he was, but I would still like an apology," she said, looking at Azriel firmly, careful to avoid his eyes. Something about them was so familiar; she just could not put her finger on it. Azriel smiled he was impressed with her calm, and her guts, not many stood up to him. Of course, she did not know what he was. "I am sorry Zoe," "Thank you. Now before I agree or disagree to anything, I want to know what you are, and why this town needs your protection," Azriel sighed and folded his hands, lacing his long fingers. "Two hundred years ago, an evil sorcerer held this town in his grip because of the magical lines that run through the town. I am a demon, a very powerful demon, that the sorcerer conjured up for some foolish reason. I was too powerful for him to handle, so I killed him. The townspeople were very grateful for what I did, but fearful that another magical craving lunatic would come and ruin their lives once more. So they contracted me to protect them, and I only asked for one thing," Zoe sat there transfixed by his story to the very end. "So why ask for the thousandth girl, why did you not take one then?" "Well Zoe, I was not mature enough to take a mate then. I figured that a thousand girls would take a lot of time to be born, in a small town. I did not believe that it would take this long. Not that I am sad with the outcome. You are everything that I could ever want in a mate Zoe, bright, fearless, beautiful, funny, fun loving, and patient. I have watched you your whole life Zoe. I have spent the last eighteen years preparing for you," Zoe could not help but to smile slightly. He seemed so honest, and warm. "Then I shall honor the contract. I will go with you Azriel," Azriel's face lit up happily, but Zoe quickly put up her finger, stopping his reaction completely. "On the condition you give me time before umm..." She hesitated turning a bright red. "Mating with you" Azriel offered all Zoe could do was nod. "Deal, we will leave when you are ready," Zoe nodded and stood up. She did not even look at her mother she just walked away. ****** Within a few hours, Zoe had packed a few bags, and was ready to go. She now stood in the living room with her mom and Azriel. "Ready?" Azriel asked looking at her; Zoe nodded not trusting her voice. She did not know what lay before her, and was uncertain of the future. Azriel nodded then waved his hand creating a large, glowing purple, swirling portal in mid-air. Zoe licked her lips and looked uncertainty at it. Azriel smiled at her with encouraging eyes. "After you my dear," he said, gesturing to the portal. "I guess this is good-bye, mother," Zoe said, looking over at her mother who was barely holding herself together. "Don't cry for me now mother. You never did, why start now? I love you," Zoe said, smiling, and then carried her bags and herself through the portal. Zoe walked through it as she would a doorway, and found herself in a large, well lit, foyer, with a deep red-carpeted stairway lying before her. There was a door to her right, and two doors to her left, between them was a dark blue vase holding red roses. Zoe was so entranced by the flowers that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her shoulder lightly. She turned to see Azriel smiling childishly at her. "Welcome to your new home. Come let me show you to your room," he said, taking her bags and led her up the stairs. He took her to the end of the hallway, and opened the second to last door. "This is your room," he said, walking into a lilac colored room, with a large bed covered in a dark purple comforter. There was a small vanity table in a corner, next to a book shelf which was empty but clean. There were two doors on the opposite side, separated by a small table with a CD player on it. Azriel walked over to the one on the right, and opened it, to reveal a bathroom complete with a shower. Then without a word, he moved and opened the other, which was a closet full of clothes. "You are welcome to make any changes you wish," he said softly as he watched Zoe move around the room slowly, then her eyes caught the site of a purple rose in a white vase on a nightstand next to the bed. She moved over to it and touched it lightly, then looked at him with emotional eyes. "Did you know they are my favorite flower?" Azriel nodded. "Same with the color of the room?" He nodded one more. "I wanted to make you happy," he said softly. Zoe smiled at him then moved over to him carefully, until they were only a few inches apart. She was not used to showing her emotions, it made her very uncomfortable. "Ummm... Look I am not very good with emotions, and I really do not know how to thank you other than words," she said truthfully, as she played with her fingers. "Well I will settle for words, but if you want to give more, there is always a kiss on the cheek," She smiled, and stood on her toes, and lightly touched her lips to his smooth skin. "Thank you Azriel," Azriel smiled, but was confused of why she did not know how to express herself. Something was wrong and he was going to find out what. "Zoe, why are you not in touch with expressing your emotions?" he asked, reaching out and touching her skin softly. Zoe could not look at him. "For a man who has claimed to see my entire life that is a really stupid question," she said in a sharp tone. "I can only see you when you are in the town. There was that few weeks in the summer for a few years your family went on a vacation. Did something happen, Zoe?" Zoe pulled away from him and turned from him crossing her arms over her chest. "I do not like to talk about it, and I am not close enough to you to even think about talking about it. So please just leave it alone." she said firmly. Azriel let out a loud sigh. "Alright Zoe, I will send someone for you when it is time for dinner. Until then please make yourself at home," He bowed his head to her then left the room. Zoe sighed softly and sunk down into the bed. It was much softer and comfortable than the one she had at home, and the room was everything she had ever wanted. For once in her life she almost felt like she was wanted. ******* Zoe did not know how long she laid there before getting up and slowly unpacking her clothes putting them away in the closet. She placed a few poetry books she had brought with her, on the empty bookshelf, and then pulled out a ragged looking floppy stuffed black Labrador dog. Just then there was a loud knock on the door. Zoe put the dog on the bed. "Come in," She said as she turned toward the door. A thin average sized man in a tux opened the door. "My lady," he said in a silky voice, as he bowed his head to her. "The Master has sent me to get you." Then he looked up at her with dull grey eyes. "Oh dear you are not even dressed," he exclaimed, as he rushed over to the closet and pulled out a very small, very showy dress. Zoe looked at the dress in horror. "No," she said firmly. "I am NOT wearing that," "But the Master will like it," "I do not care; I will not wear that," The man sighed and pulled out a dark green sundress. "Better," she said, taking the dress and walked into the bathroom to get dressed. It only took her a few moments to slip on the dress, and look at herself in the mirror. The dress tied behind her neck, and was very simple, but outlined her curves, and presented her breast in a decent, but still sexy manor. When she walked out of the bathroom, the man handed her a pair of brown short heal sandals. "Thank you," She said as she slipped them on. "Come now, the Master is waiting," the man stated firmly, then turned around and proceeded to walk out of the room. Zoe quickly followed him. The man led her down the stairs and through one of the two doors, which led to a beautiful dining room lit with hundreds of candles that smelled of lilac, and one large chandelier handing over a table where Azriel sat. He smiled when he saw her, and stood up. He had changed into a black dress suit with a light blue tie that made his eyes glow. Zoe stood there transfixed as he walked over and took her hand in his. "Green is a good color on you," he said, then softly kissed her hand. Zoe smiled and felt herself blush lightly. "Thank you." "Come, you must be hungry. You really have not eaten all day. Of course, that is my fault," he apologized, as he led her to an empty seat. Zoe smiled politely, and sat down. Azriel then quickly took his seat. "What is for dinner?" Zoe asked in a soft tone. "Garlic chicken over rice, and chocolate cake for dessert," "Sounds wonderful," she replied with a full smile. Servants came in and placed plates in front of them. Zoe muttered a soft thank you, before she grabbed her fork and began to eat. The meal for the most part was a quiet one. Though there were thousands of different questions burning inside of Zoe's mind, she did not find the courage to ask until dessert was served. "So..," she said as she took a forkful of cake, "what kind of powers do you have?" "Well I can do many things with my mind; move things, control people if I really wish too" "Control?" Zoe asked, with a slightly tight voice, looking at Azriel with trifling fear in her eyes. "Oh Zoe, I would never do that to you, and more so, I can't. I can only completely control someone I hate. The most I can do with you is control your body chemistry," "Okay well that is good to know," she said with a sigh of relief. "So when you say body chemistry, what do you mean?" "I can make you fearful; give you an adrenal rush, make you laugh, make you sexually excited," "You can make me sexually excited?" Zoe asked with an unbelieving voice. "You can make me want to have intercourse?" "Yes, not that I would do that to you," he said with a trusting smile. "Well I have never had such a desire, so I doubt that you could make me," "You never wanted a guy? Or felt the need for sex?" Azriel asked, intrigued. Zoe shook her head. "Not really. People sort of stayed away from me. I had few friends, but no guys really looked at me twice, and it really did not bother me because I did not feel any drive to be with them," "What about me?"Azriel asked, leaning forward. Zoe turned a bright red. "Well I just meet you Azriel...And like I said I am not in touch with my emotions. But I have always been odd so maybe I lack the hormones or whatever," she said with a shrug, and then took another bite of her cake. "It would be interesting to see what would happen," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully," "Go for it," Zoe said after she finished the last bit of her cake. "Are you sure? It will have consequences," he said in a serious tone. "Yeah, I am curious," she replied, with a smile. Azriel smiled back at her looking deep into her eyes. Zoe found herself lost in them once more. Two pools of crystal blue, glowing perfection. She licked her lips lightly, and shifted lightly in her chair. Her breathing quickened slightly, and her stomach had butterflies. Soon warmth acuminated in her private region, and turned in a low throbbing quickly after. Zoe squeezed, and shifted her legs trying to make it stop, but it only made it worse. Her body felt hot, as if it would combust into fire. Azriel could smell her arousal, it was heaven to him. Had he been a younger demon, he probably would rape her. Instead, he closed his eyes, breaking his control. Not too many people knew that he had to keep eye contact to do many of his body manipulations. He only opened his eyes again when he heard Zoe's soft voice pleading. "Make it stop," she whimpered, as she bit her lip and dug her nails into the fabric of the dress. "I can't do it with magic. The hormones have to run their course. I told you that it had consequences," he said, as he watched her fidget. Every move was agony to him. "Now you have three choices. You could wait until the hormones to subside." Zoe shook her head; it was too much to bear. "Okay, you could masturbate." Zoe shook her head again. "I do not know how," she whispered, turning a slightly red. "Then you will have to trust me to help you," He said in a soft voice. Zoe looked up at him then nodded her head. "Okay," she said softly. Azriel could have jumped to the moon with happiness. He stood up and moved over to her. He pulled her chair out and gathered her up in his strong arms. Zoe automatically clung to him wrapping her arms around his neck. Zoe He smiled down at her, and then proceeded to carry her out of the room, then up the stairs. Zoe snuggled into him comfortably. This was the first time since they met that she was this close to him. If it was not for the burning between her legs, she would have enjoyed his slightly sweet scent, almost like a flower. His body was soft, warm, and comforting. She sighed happily and nuzzled him lightly. Azriel's heart nearly leapt out of his chest when she did that. He never dreamed that she would be this comfortable with him so early. Zoe did not lift her head until she heard a door open, and then smiled when she saw the familiar color of her room. Azriel moved over to the bed, and gently placed her in it. He then took off his shoes, and then carefully pulled hers off as well. Zoe moaned lightly as he touched her feet, and then curled into a ball hoping it would help with the throbbing which seemed to have gotten worse. She did not move until she felt the bed dip, and a warm body move next to her, her breathing quickened out of fear. "Shhh..," Soothed Azriel, as he lightly rubbed her arm, which quickly calmed her. "What are you going to do?" Zoe asked, as she watched his hand move to her side. "Give you pleasure," he whispered huskily in her ear, just before he sucked it into his mouth sucking on it lightly. Zoe gasped, and closed her eyes. The throbbing had increased,, making her whimper, as she rubbed her legs together. "Relax, breathe," Azriel told her softly, as his hand moved to her hip, and slowly started to pull the fabric of her dress up. "Trust me Zoe, I would never hurt you. You are my heart." Zoe let out a breath, and let herself relax in to his body. Azriel smiled, rewarding her comfort with a small kiss on the neck, making Zoe let out a small moan. "Good," he whispered against her neck. His fingers had now reached the end of her dress, and he moved his hand onto her bare skin. He moved his hand slowly enjoying the smoothness of her skin. Zoe moved her leg to give him access to more of her skin. She liked the feel of his hand; it sent delicious shivers down her spine. She could feel moisture gather in her panties. "I need to rip your underwear is that alright?" Azriel asked as his finger hooked underneath the fabric. "Yes," She replied breathlessly, Azriel growled lightly and easily ripped the fabric, then moved to the other side, ripping it as well; he pulled the destroyed underwear, throwing it over the side. Zoe shifted as she felt air against her wet slit. "Zoe, I am going to have to touch your pussy is that alright?" he asked, wanting everything to be on her terms, so that she could enjoy this experience. "Anything to make it stop," she said, closing her eyes again. Azriel licked his lips as his finger moved across the dark forest of smooth, silky, hair, until he found the slit. He moved his finger slowly down, shivering lightly when he found how wet she was. He moved back up again, slowly, until he reached her clit, and then rubbed the small button slowly, enjoying Zoe's eyes as they shot open, full of want and relief. Shivers ran down Zoe's spine as a pulse coursed through her veins. She breathed in sharply, and then arched her body into Azriel's. His finger was like magic, as it filled her with a fire different than what she experienced before. This one was pleasure, not the pain of waning pleasure. Zoe let out soft moans, and whimpers, as her fingers dug into the soft material of the bed. To Azriel the sounds were music to his ears, it made him purr with want. He moaned lightly with her as he gently kissed and sucked her neck. The feeling of his lips against her skin spurred on more fuel aiding to the burning in her lower belly. She breathed rapidly, gasping for breath, and felt like she could not take it anymore. "Azriel..," she moaned lightly. The sound of his name from her lips awakened the demon inside of him. His eyes grew dark, and he growled loudly, and then bit down on her neck, not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to leave a mark. His teeth sinking lightly into her skin sent a shiver of pleasure down Zoe's spine, to the fire in her body, making it explode. Zoe let out a loud gasp, as the world blacked out, and for a moment she could not breathe. Then her body went limp, and she fell into Azriel's body. Azriel watched as her first orgasm washed through her. It was like the grand finale of a great masterpiece. The best part being when she let her body relax into his. He smiled at her, moving her hair from her face. She looked up at him with exhausted eyes, smiled a thank you, and then closed her eyes. He kissed her temple, and then lay there with the biggest hard on of his life, just holding her, completely happy. ***** Zoe moaned lightly and stretched as she opened her eyes. She laid there for a moment trying to figure out where she was, and why it did not look like her room. That was when something moved beside her, placing a hand lightly on her stomach. Zoe jumped a little then turned her head to see a sleeping Azriel. Her memory came flooding back to her as she stared at him. She never had a chance before, to really look at him, and wanted to take advantage of it. His skin looked smooth, but slightly pale, like he did not get out in the sun too often. His hair was thick, with a slight curl to it. Under his eyes where light circles, which somehow enhanced his features. Her eyes moved down, and noticed that he had taken off his shirt, and tie. There was little hair of his chest that she could see, but the blanket was covering most of him. Zoe smiled slightly, and just took in this peaceful sight. He was very handsome she could not deny that since she was attracted to his looks, but he was also kind, considerate, sweet, and truly did care for her. She could tell by the way he looked at her. For a normal person it would be easy to fall for him, and hard. Not her.... No she did not know how to love, she barely knew what it felt like. 'It's not fair', she thought to herself. 'Here is someone that will care for me, love me, and I can't love him back! Why does God have to be so cruel?' She did not realize she was crying, until a hand brushed away the tears from her eyes. She blinked, and looked at Azriel who gazed at her with concern "You are not crying because of me, are you?" He asked in a gentle tone. "No and yes," Zoe replied softly. "Would you like to talk about it?" he whispered. "Not really," she said in a slightly bitter tone. Azriel sighed lightly then sat up. "Zoe you have a lot of pain inside of you. I saw it in your eyes the first night you came here. You cannot keep it bottled up inside of you; if you do you will never be able to live your life. Then you will be letting whoever did this to you win." Zoe sighed, she knew he was right, but she was not used to just talking to people. She sniffed, and looked around for her stuffed dog, finally finding him on the floor next to the bed. She pulled him into her arm, and hugged him tightly. This always made her feel better. "Who is your friend?" Azriel asked with a big smile. "Seth," she answered in a small voice. "I suppose you think I am a big baby for having him?" she continued glancing over at him. "No," he said shaking his head. "Happy that you still have him, and that he comforts you." Zoe looked at him completely confused. "I gave him to you the day you were born," he explained. "I used to have more." Zoe said in a blank voice. "Until my step dad threw them out on my fifteenth birthday. I came home and they were gone. He said I was too old for them. I was so depressed until I found Seth hiding under my bed. I do not know how he got there though." "I put him there." Zoe looked at him waiting for him to explain. "Well you see, when I saw your step dad had thrown out your stuffed animals, I was furious with him. So furious in fact I went to him, and told him that if he ever hurt you again, I would rip him limb from limb. Then I secretly put Seth back. I would have put them all back, but I am not suppose to mettle in the lives of the townspeople, not even yours." "So they are gone," she stated in an empty voice. "Come with me," Azriel said, as he slid out of the bed, pulling her with him. Zoe let out a huff of air, but let him pull her out of the bed, onto her feet, then out the door. Azriel pulled her down the hallway, to the last door, and smiled brightly as he pulled it open. It was magical the way Zoe's dim eyes filled with light, as she walked into a room filled with stuff animals. Tears ran down her eyes as she picked up a stuffed donkey she made herself. She turned to Azriel, and then rushed at him, pulling him into the tightest hug she could give. "Thank you...," she choked out, and then looked up at him with red rimmed eyes. "Thank you so much." "Anything for you," he replied as he wiped the tears from her eyes. She smiled, at him then stretched to kiss him lightly on the cheek. She pulled away slowly, looking him in the eyes. He was so open, and warm looking, that she could not help but be pulled back, but this time to his lips. They were soft against hers, fitting perfectly. He tasted sweet, and tangy, making her want more, but not knowing what to do she pulled back blushing as she did. Azriel's heart skipped a beat when she kissed him. A tingle swept through his body, and he could not help, but smile when she pulled away from him blushing. "You do not need to be embarrassed," he said softly, as he ran the palm of his hand over her hair. "I do not know how to kiss really. In fact that was my second one...," she said softly. Azriel's demon was pleased his mate knew no one before him. He chuckled a little, and smiled softly at her. "It's alright Zoe, you will learn." Zoe looked up at him with a 'yea right' look. "Oh, and how will I do that?" He grinned at her, "kissing is one of those things that you learn by doing" Zoe rolled her eyes, and gave him a playful shove. "Such a charmer," she said in a teasing tone. He chuckled lightly and bent down to kiss her cheek but she turned her head the last second, and captured his lips with hers. Zoe just wanted to feel his lips against her once more. She felt wanted, and loved, when he kissed her, and she just needed to feel that again. The kiss was so wonderful that it sent a delicious shiver down her spine. It was in that moment she realized that she was not wearing any underwear, and pulled away unwillingly; she was too embarrassed to continue. Azriel never suspected her to do something like that. 'She knows more then she realizes,' he thought to himself as she broke the kiss, He could not understand why she looked embarrassed, until the scent of her arousal hit his nose, and he remembered she did not have anything under that dress. He groaned lightly at the thought. "Why don't you take a shower and change clothes?" he said, fighting his demon who wanted to take her. Zoe smiled, and kissed him on the lips lightly. "I think I shall." "Do you need someone to wash your back?" he asked with a goofy grin. Zoe rolled her eyes, gave him a playful hit on the shoulder then walked out of the room. Her skin felt like pins and needles, and she felt as light as air. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. In the darkness, an evil laugh cackled. "Yes, fill her heart; make her strong...soon, soon."