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Sacred Dawn Ch. 01

By: Lailineral



Chapter 1

Without a sound Sarah Gorden drew her knife from its sheath. She slowly brought the blade out from beneath the fur she had been sleeping under. Eyes still closed she hushed her breath, straining her ears to hear anything out of place, but the only sound that she could hear was the pounding of her heart. Opening one eye, then the other, she peered out at the forest before her. Last time she had been woken from sleep while in the wilderness a wolf had attacked her in hopes of an easy meal. 

Giving the grounds a quick glance over she sighed with relief. There was no hostile movement coming from the shadows. With a grunt she stood up, it was better to be safe then sorry. Mid stretch, she froze, there was a lump laying on the ground at the edge of her camp. 

She dropped into a defensive stance and edged towards the figure in front of her, her knife still clutched in her hand. A corpse of an animal meant she would have a sleepless night, predators would not be far behind.

She reached the form on the ground and felt her heart give a lurch. A human body lay sprawled on the ground. A cloud shifted and a sliver of light from the moon illuminated the body in front of her. 

She inhaled sharply and blinked. 

Strapping and exquisite, this guy would of been something for other men to envy, with his intense masculine splendor, rippling muscles and carved edges. At the moment though he looked like he had just come off worse in a fight with a ravenous mountain lion. An irate gash, as long as her hand, caught her eye amongst a plethora of bruises and smaller cuts. 

Sarah dropped to one to one knee to get a closer look. Men did not just appear from out of the wilderness, especially in the state this one was in. It was strange to actually meet someone in the forest, let alone appear at her campsite in the middle of the night, horribly wounded. 

There was nothing but forest around them, and the closest village would take days to reach. A lone hunter might appear, but rarely so late in the year, when the nights were freezing and the animals scarce. The first snows of winter had fallen earlier that week, signaling everyone to find shelter. There was not permanent snow on the ground yet, but that would change in a week, maybe sooner.

Her free hand felt for the man's neck, pressing two fingers lightly on the artery, she held her breath. Faintly she felt the throb of a pulse signaling that he was alive, even if barely. Her nose and brow wrinkled as she felt the pulse for a few more seconds, contemplating her next course of action. Removing her hand from his neck she used it to lightly tap the man on the cheeks, hoping to rouse some sort of response. She waited, but he gave no physical or verbal signs of consciousness. Cursing herself, she quickly sheathed her knife and repositioned herself so that she was near his head. Placing her hands under his arms she gave a grunt as she lifted his shoulders and began dragging him back towards her camp. 

Grinding her teeth in frustration from dragging the dead weight Sarah slowly dragged him closer to the camp fire. As they got closer to the fire's light she let out a small gasp when she became aware of the dark trail of blood that followed them. She did not know bodies could contain so much blood. She slowly and methodically laid the man down next to the fire and unsheathed her knife. Carefully cutting away his clothes, beneath them she found crimson makeshift bandages that must of been from a cloak the stranger had been wearing. She put her knife beneath the crimson bandages and started to cut them away from his skin. Too far gone to struggle, the man simply groaned in pain as she stripped the bandages away. 

Glancing over the body she saw large gashes that left little doubt he had been on the wrong side of a really blunt sword or dagger. The skin around the cuts were purple and inflamed with infection, and dirt and grime had stuck to the areas with dried blood. Glancing at his face she found that his eyes were open and staring at her, bright with fever. It took several seconds for her to register that the man was conscious. Once the realization dawned on her, she took the chance to see if she could get the man to speak. "I need to know, when were you injured?" 

His mouth opened but no sound came out. Opening his mouth again he murmured, "Two... days? It's hazy." 

She sat still a moment, stunned that the man had been out in the woods for two days. Usually someone with these kinds of wounds would not make it past a single night. He was extremely lucky that he had not been attacked by the wolves that frequent the area, of dehydration, or by blood loss. Had he not found her that night he would of been dead by morning. He might not make it still. 

"You need water and I need to clean those wounds. Stay here." As if he was going to be moving anywhere any time soon. Forcing herself into action, she stood and walked over to her supplies and rummaged through them. She grabbed a small iron bowl, quickly filled it with water and placed it over the fire to heat. 

She returned to her supplies for the water skin before returning to the man. She leaned down and raised his head, hoping that he would still be able ingest water without choking. "Open your mouth." His mouth opened and she slowly poured some water into his mouth. He coughed sporadically a few seconds later and weakly turned his head away from the water. Worried, she sat the water skin down and continued to hold his head up. 

While waiting for the bowl of water to warm up, she studied the man, hoping to figure out something she could do to help him. Despite knowing that it would be futile she placed her hand on the strangers forehead and tried to clear her mind. Nothing. No energy, no thoughts. To think that at one time she could touch someone and learn how they were doing and what they were thinking. Now nothing, it was just a void. 

"Who did this to you?" 

"I don't remember." 

She let a moment of silence pass. "More water?" 

"Please." 

There was another moment of silence as she offered him another drink from the water skin. After he turned his head away, she laid his head down on the ground and stood up. "I need to clean your wounds. It will hurt." 

She gathered her supplies from her bags and hurried back to his side. His lips were blue in the firelight and his body shuddered every few seconds. The small cuts covering his body were not something to be happy about, but the worst news were the gashes from the sword. She cleaned the gashes first, wincing each time she peeled dried blood, grime, hair and dirt from him. "Gentle Spirit?" 

His labored voice was only able to make a whisper of a sound. He had a slight accent, a hint of something from the south. His brow was lined with pain, his eyes were slits. 

She smiled as best she could, while concentrating at the task at hand. "Sorry, no Spirits here. My name's Sarah." She worked fast, taking advantage of his distraction. 

"My name is... by the Maker... It's Alex." He winced and squirmed as she bathed the wounds with hot water and a healing herb she carried with her. Lining his wounds with herbs she tied bandages around them and looked down at him. His breaths came in shallow wheezes, blood still oozed slowly from his wounds, his forehead still felt like fire. Frustrated, she ran her fingers through his hair. She had done all that she could, now it was up to fate. 

"More water?" 

He gave a slight nod and raised his head. 

"Spirit. Am I going to die?" he gasped. 

She was not someone who often lied. "I don't know." 

"I don't... want to die." His eyes were becoming less focused, his breathing more ragged. 

"I will do everything I can to help you." 

"Gentle... Spirit... protect me." 

Despite everything she had done she honestly had no idea if Alex would live through the next hour. Not for the first time she wished she had retained her powers. Being able to heal and connect with everything she touched had once been as natural to her as blinking. During her childhood she had helped countless people and animals. But now, now she was helpless. 

She had promised him she would do everything she could. It would not hurt to try. Again. 

Her hands trembling, she laid them on his chest, closed her eyes and willed for... something. Anything. 

Nothing. 

There was no energy flowing through her, no spark or connection. 

Nothing. 

Spirits, if you're paying attention, please help me out. I'm helping... I'm not hurting anything. Let me please... help...

Something slammed into her body, she felt like she was suddenly thrown into the sunlight after being in the dark for her entire life. The world faded from around her and Alex was the only thing she was aware of. Instinctively she felt pulses of energy, of life, flow through her and into him. In her mind she saw his wounds, she saw the infection slowly fade away, the puss and grime disappearing. 

Going deeper she shot energy through his body, repairing torn muscles and tendons. Fusing the flesh together, repairing the bones. He writhed in agony, but she knew it would pass. He was going to be alright. 

In just one moment, it was done. For a moment her eyes saw everything around her illuminated, everything was giving off light. Then the world exploded and all she knew was pain. 

Doubling over she cried out to the darkness that descended upon her. His pain was now hers nine-fold. The pain in her body threatened to steal consciousness from her, her mind rebelled and she collapsed in agony. 

It hurt. It hurt like hell. She had forgotten this part. The pain of healing. Whimpering she curled up on her side willing herself to breathe. 

Breathe...

There was something else there besides the pain. Something new, different, pleasurable. Her body was in agony, but she was tingling from head to toe in raw undiluted pleasure. Breathe...

It was a mantra going through her mind. She laid there, unable to think of anything else. When she could open her eyes she looked out at the forest. The fire had almost died out and she was soaked in a cold sweat. There was still a lingering sensation pulsing through her body. In the past it had been painful, a shadow of the pain she had felt. This time it was the shadow of the mysterious new pleasure she had felt, no pain at all. Her heart was beating faster and her breath came in ragged gasps. 

Moving on instinct she put a few logs onto the fire, her limbs resisting each movement. She removed the bandages she had worked so hard on and was glad to see that the wounds had virtually disappeared. She washed Alex's bloody body one last time before drying him. 

"So... cold." Alex murmured, barely conscious. His body beginning to convulse in shivers. She moved her bedding closer to the fire, they would need the warmth tonight. She rolled Alex onto the bedding and threw one of the furs over him. 

Stripping off her wet clothes she stared a moment at the nearly naked stranger in her bedding. There was not anything to do but get in there with him. They needed the heat and if she stood there she would collapse on the ground from exhaustion. 

Quickly sliding under the furs herself she let their collective body heat warm her. But Alex's shudders were not disappearing, they seemed to be getting worse. Worried she tentatively moved closer to him. 

"You're... warm. Need you." He grunted out in between chattering teeth. He threw his arm around her, pulling her closer to him, his head buried in nape of her neck, his hot breaths brushed against her skin. His leg intertwined with hers, pinning her to the ground. His right hand against the side of her stomach, pulling her to him. 

She gasped as he pulled their naked bodies together, his large hand coming to rest under the curve of her breast, the other was entwined in her hair. As his flesh meshed into hers she felt the shudders slowly subside and she could almost feel him falling into oblivion, his muscles completely relaxed. 

His body was heavy, and growing warmer. The heat felt good against her skin but she really was in a very compromising position. She shifted but stopped when she felt his skin scrape against her nipple. He was at least a foot taller and built with heavy muscle and doubted she could escape even if she wanted to. She gave up on trying to move and just accepted his warm body against hers. She must be extremely tired since she noticed how his strong, muscular flesh felt against her body. 

She should move away, sleep with her dagger, and keep an eye on him. He could be some sort of criminal. Sarah yawned loudly instead of reaching for her knife. She needed to just lay there for a minute, then she would grab her knife and sleep away from him. 

She craned her neck back to look at the stranger's face. When random men appeared out of the wilderness, they didn't do so half-heatedly. This was a man that people dreamed about. Beneath his bruises and cuts she saw a perfectly formed face, with dark dreamy eyes and full sensuous lips. 

He had the skin of the south; all smooth, sandy brown. It was unusual to see one this far north. The climate was not welcoming, the people even less so when it came to strangers. Her gaze traced down his body, down his tan throat to what she could see beneath that. She felt a small twinge of guilt for eying someone so close to death while he slept. But the twinge got swept away in a greater feeling of awe. His shoulder's were broad, his stomach a flat piece of iron. A small sprinkling of his black hair covered his chest, narrowing to a line that disappeared from her line of sight. His hands still held her tight around his body. No matter how much she wanted to, she could not deny that it felt good. 

With her mind numb from fatigue, she was not able to stop the impulse to reach over and stroke back the dark lock of hair that was hanging over his eyes. She let her finger linger, exploring the bristly and wavy strange. 

His eyes popped open and caught her eyes for a moment. "Sorry," she whispered, blushing furiously. She lowered his hand and felt him tighten his grip and pull her towards him. He let out a satisfied sigh when she relaxed against him. 

She let the heat radiate between them, keeping them both warm. Sleep was starting to come to her, fast. She tried to fight it, she should get her knife. She couldn't just snuggle against a random guy she found in the forest, half dead. 

She could not trust him, she did not know anything about him. It would not hurt to sleep for a bit. He was more tired then she was and in worse condition. There was no way he could hurt her. She needed five minutes of sleep. After that she would be good. 

Exhausted, she gave a mental shrug, and let her eyelids close. Sleep came instantly to her, her last conscious thought was the slightly disconcerting realization that she hadn't slept in the same bed with someone in years. This was definitely a step forward. 

Chapter Two: 

Being dead was not so bad. He could not really feel much of anything around him, but it was not bad. 

Evidently when you were dead you lost the use of eyes, because he certainly could not open them. 

No, that was not right, he realized. His eyes moved but his eyelids would not open. Maybe someone had put coins over his eyes so he could pay the ferry toll. He tried to raise his hands and take off the coins, but his hands would not budge. 

His body just was not working for him. He had to be dead. No one could sustain the multitude of injuries he had and survive though never in his life did he imagine that death consisted of an unmoving eternity. He had probably been eaten by wolves in that forsaken forest, that was why he could not use his body properly. At least there had been a gentle Spirit there at the end of his life. A gentle Spirit whose warmth had melted away the pain from the previous hellish days. Shit... his body still ached. 

Damn it! He would not be hurting or cursing if he was in heaven. 

As he lay there he became aware that every breath caused pain. Not terrible pain, but a deep throbbing that made him ache. But he was breathing. 

Could he of ended up in one of the nine Hells? No... not likely. He was comfortable. In pain, but comfortable. If he was in hell he would be in agony. There was heat, yes, but not an all consuming fire that sundered your soul. It was a comfortable warmth, one that seemed to radiate all around him. 

Knowing that he could not move his eyes he tried to move his fingers. Move, he willed his finger, causing a slight twitch into something soft. Good, he still had a bit of movement. Maybe he wasn't dead. He willed his hand to move and he felt it brush against something large and supple. 

He twitched his fingers again in the softness and froze. He did not need to feel it again to know that his hand was cupping a breast. All men may love breasts, but Alex especially loved breasts. Gods, this breast was gorgeous. He did not need to see it, his hands could just tell. It was large and velvety, with a long perky nipple rubbing against his hand. 

When there is a breast in your hand, there is usually a woman to go along with it. Knowing this he willed his eyes to open. 

The sun was shining in through the tree branches, creeping into the clearing he was in. Alex turned his heard and gave a slight gasp. A spirit had indeed saved him. 

She had soft and round face, her chin had a sweet curve. Her lips were perfectly rounded and luscious, her skin a still pond radiating in the sunlight. Her eyes a vibrant green, capped with long flawless black lashes. 

Her eyes... yes her eyes were open, staring at him. They held that gaze for awhile, no one daring to move a muscle. 

When he felt he would burst from the tension he tried to relax and croaked out, "Am I... Dead?" 

"No. Not yet at least." 

His ears absorbed her luscious voice like a parched person receiving their first glass of water in days. She had a slight accent, a soft one that dragged out what she was saying. It reminded him of a cool summer breeze blowing by him as he lounged around in the shade. When the words actually sunk in he wanted to shout in joy but even the thought of movement hurt his body. 

"Move your hand." 

He stared at her blankly for a moment before the realization dawned on him. He quickly snatched his hand off of her breast. "Sorr... sorry," he stammered. The sudden movement away from the warmth of her breast left his hand feeling cold and oddly empty. The empty feeling lasted only a moment before his entire side exploded with pain as he gasped and fell onto his back. The simple act of moving his arm away from her hurt like hell. He hadn't felt this bad since he'd been... stabbed... He had been stabbed, sliced open. He furrowed his brow which only caused more pain to explode through his body. 

A soft hand slid behind his neck, propping his head up. Cold liquid fell on his lips, trickling down his chin. Opening up his mouth he started to drink, the water a sweet relief to his arid throat. Eventually the water let up and he was gently lowered back to the ground. 

Sleep beckoned at him again, but he tried to fight it. He watched as she slowly slid out of the furs, her body glowing in the light. Her long brown hair swung around her shoulders, strands dangling in front of her eyes, too wild to be controlled. His breath choked in his throat. This woman was certainly a spirit sent to take care of him as he died. Her beauty was heavenly. His hand tingled, it had been holding her and it wanted to hold her again. He wanted to feel her nipple and the velvety texture of her flesh. Her hips were wide with full thighs. He could see her belly curve and he felt a sudden desire to nuzzle it, lick it... He blinked and tried to look away but couldn't. Her ass was luscious and would overflow in his hands as he grabbed it. Her neck was long and smooth, he wanted to reach up and kiss it. Despite his injuries he felt his cock twitch where it had lay soft against his thigh. This response, this human response, proved to him more then anything else that he had to be alive. 


Sacred Dawn Ch. 01



"You're... beautiful." He managed to croak out. She looked at him with wide startled eyes. He felt his brain realize something, he was safe. He could rest. 

As he drifted off to sleep again his body felt something besides the pain that plagued him, a burning desire to take care of the woman, to make her his. Things were going to be all right. He just hoped he was well soon, he couldn't let this woman get away. 



Sarah placed the owl she had been carving on her lap, and stretched. Her muscles spasmed lightly under her skin as she raised her arms over her head, trying to ease her body to relax after having it in the slouching position she usually took. Whittling was not what she wanted to be doing right then, but it was something to pass the time. At least it would keep her hands busy. She looked over at Alex to see if he had moved since she had last checked. She looked over at Alex to see if he had moved since she had last checked. All that had changed was his hands now laid upon his chest. 

The way they rose and fell with his breathing was hypnotizing, her mind wondering back to when his hand had gingerly squeezed her breast. Her hand flexed at the memory, forcing her fingers against the rough surface of the carving. With the new sensation she immediately snapped out her daze, her cheeks growing warm at the realization of what she was doing. Frowning at herself she bit her lip and forced her head to look down at her lap. She felt her innards start to turn as if they were being made into knots as the memory continued to play in her mind. If she had been thinking right at the time, the second he started to move she should of moved away from him 

She shrugged and stared off into the distance. It was not like she had started it, or even enjoyed it for that matter. It had just happened and was nothing for her to get worked up about.

What she needed at the moment was information. Information about him and what had happened. Then she may be able to figure out what may happen later. At the moment, all she knew was that beneath all his wounds was an overwhelmingly handsome man. 

Each time she looked at him, besides the beauty that lay hidden beneath his wounds, she had to smile. She had healed him. She had gotten her powers back and was able to save him. She felt like she was living for the first time in years instead of just letting life pass her by. 

When Sarah had been young she would go around and try and innocently touch as many people as she could, mesmerized by the emotions and the feelings coming through. Her mother had taught her how to use her power more precisely, specifically in healing. By the time she reached her early teens she could heal most small wounds with a slight touch to someone. She would inject life force into the persons body, healing them at enhanced speeds. 

She had to be discreet about it, people were mistrusting. Her situation had been an ironic one. On the one hand, she could heal people. On the other, they feared her mother and her. They called them witches, and cursed their names. 

Shrugging, Sarah looked up at the sky. She had only received the healing powers back, a gift from whom or what ever had bestowed it upon her in the first place. It used to be that she could see people in a different light. They would shimmer with energy and color. She had learned to be able to decipher the colors and learn what they meant. Just from looking at someone she had been able to tell if they had bad intentions or were lying. Now the only light she could see from Alex was the light from the sun. 

Even with her powers back she could not discern anything about Alex. She could not tell his personality or his his intentions. All she could do was sit here and whittle away at this stick. Even when he woke up she would have to choose to believe his story or not, which seemed like a dangerous idea, especially for her, someone who had trust issues already. 

Sarah was worried, she had never tried to heal anyone as far gone before. Her powers had been gone for at least four years. What if instead of helping him she had sentenced him to death? Or screwed him up permanently? What if the universe was out to screw her again? His body hadn't stirred since this morning, and even then he didn't seem particularly conscious. Every now and then he would groan and she would give him some water, but that was the extent of any signs of life he showed. 

The only thing keeping her hopes up was the fact that the wounds did seem to be mending. But until he woke up she would have to sit here. She clutched her knife and cut into the wood. She was afraid that she would fall asleep and wake with a berserk criminal strangling her. 

Her eyes lingered on the clouds above her, the dark looming clouds threatened snow. They had to get moving soon. Normally it wouldn't be an issue. She could survive in the wilderness long enough to get to safety. 'Normally' didn't entail having a man near death with her. She had enough food to last them awhile, but if they did not move soon the weather would be the death of them both. 

Even if she had a horse to put the man on, she didn't know if he would be able to stay on it. Horses moved slowly in this terrain, but still faster then not moving at all. She had searched the grounds around them but had found no signs of the man having a horse or even any supplies. 

Sarah let out a harsh sigh. At this point she didn't even know if this man was being hunted down. Maybe the person or person's who had done this would come after him. She had no wish to die for a stranger. 

With how bad his wounds were she would of been surprised if he had wandered for more then a mile. She hoped that who ever had hurt Alex just left him for dead. Ignoring the wounds, being left out here with no supplies was almost certainly a death sentence. However the person could still be nearby, waiting to kill them both. 

Standing up she began to pace and look around her, straining to see anything out of the ordinary. The knot in her stomach tightened even more. Damn it. Damn this man. She had her own life and this man had invaded it. Someone had come into her own private world. Again. 

Sarah let out a long forlorn breath and steadied her breathing. She despised the helplessness she felt, a feeling she had not felt in so many years. 

She heard a moan that snapped all her attention to the still lifeless body. But he had only moved little, still asleep. Lucky guy. She wished she had gotten a better night of sleep the night before, but it could not be helped. 

She wanted Alex to wake up, they needed to have a chat and to get a move on. So far she couldn't put together what had happened. All he had talked about was her... her beauty and something about being a gentle spirit. 

She snorted. Not that she didn't have low self esteem, but she was realistic. When she had lived in a city she realized that she was handicapped when it came to men. When they heard about her and her mother, about what powers they had, most people never wanted to talk to her again. She had not been brought up in a traditional manner. She could read and write, and she liked to think she was smart, the thing that shocked people the most was the simple act of speaking her mind. She preferred to be outdoors, not in the middle of a city. Men didn't like this, she was not what they wanted. 

When she had moved away, she had experienced her first taste of life without a web of suspicion and fear. Her self confidence had a grown, She'd even had a few boyfriends. Two had turned into lovers, only one worth remembering. A pleasant, ordinary man named John. Their relationship had lasted even after she had to move back home. It had slowly fizzled out and they had parted good friends. Sarah still considered John one of her best friends, though they lived far away from each other. She still visited him every now and then, when the mood struck her. He was puzzled by her refusal to move back into a city, especially since her mother had died two years ago. 

Sarah shook her head, clearing her head of thoughts of the past and concentrated on the Alex and the present situation. This man had been forged to tempt good women into deviance. With his sandy skin, the rippling muscles and full lips that just tempted her to bend down and nibble... 

The pleasurable sensation she had felt while healing him was new. Confusing and weird. Normally she only felt pain after a healing. She had not expected to feel pleasure and excitement. It had felt good. Really good. 

She shook her head again and glanced away. Bad Sarah. But it proved her point, he tempted beyond rational limits. Which meant that he was definitely not going fall in lust at her at first site. Men who looked like he did were habitually attracted to their equally stunning blonde counterparts. She was not that. Though her wanderings kept her healthy she was not a shining example of beauty. Her hands were calloused and her face windswept. She was not quick to warm to people and usually sported a stoic face. People would often call her cold. 

Glancing over at her naked companion she carried her dagger with her, setting it down as she ruffled through her supplies for food. She felt a lot more comfortable with her knife by her side, it gave her a feeling of having control of the situation. 

Picking up the Owl again she leaned forward and cut into the wood. 

Chapter Three: 

Alex woke slowly to the heavenly smells of burning wood, sizzling meat and the lingering scent of a woman. 

Shit, he hurt. The kind of hurt that ached down to the bone. Oddly enough, he felt heaps better than he had the last time had been sliced open. How long had he been unconscious? Last time he had drifted in oblivion for weeks before he woke up feeling like this. 

He pulled the soft materials closer to him, not wanting to open his eyes. He wanted to hang on to the feeling of being saved by Spirit. The way she had put him at ease had made the whole world seem right. He didn't remember exactly what had happened, but he knew that it was something special. 

Slowly opening his eyes he stared up at the tree canopy above him, damp gray light drifting through the bare branches. He breathed in deeply, relishing the cool refreshing outdoor air. 

Propping himself up he looked around. He was in a large forest glade with only a single woman. A large grin spread over his face. The woman was the same Spirit from last night and the same one he had woken up to. It was her luscious breast his hand had felt. Scarcely believing his luck he sat and stared at her. 

She was sitting facing him, cooking something he had not smelled before, the firelight dancing on her face. Watching her he felt his pulse accelerate. He hadn't realized just how amazing her body was. Her perfectly rounded curves were highlighted by her knitted sweater. Her hair hung loose and reached her mid back, swinging slowly as she moved with purposeful movements, cooking what ever smelled so foreign and enticing. 

His cock pulsed, giving him a reminder that it was there. No Alex. That's not the way to act here. Though he was extremely grateful for the sign of life. If he could be turned on this quickly he couldn't be wounded too badly. He let out a content sigh. 

She twitched and glanced over to him, the pan clattered down onto the fire, all but forgotten. Her eyes gave the impression of a spring field, sparkling with an intensity not on her face. 

Entranced by her beauty, he was surprised when he spotted a dagger appear in her hand. 

So his Spirit was armed? Just by glancing at her face he could tell she knew what she was doing, the dagger was held ready to attack him if he so much as moved. 

Damn. Everything about her was hot. 

He smiled, despite every muscle in his face stinging and aching when he moved. "Hi." His voice came out in a rasp, instead of the seductive tone he had hoped for. He realized his mouth was dry, as if it was full of cotton. "Could I have water?" 

She stared at him, her eyes not moving from him, slowly moving to the side she picked up the water skin with her free hand. Slowly walking towards him she held the water skin before her. Once in arms reach she placed it down, backed up and waited. 

He tried to move his arms to reach for it, but his arms were not obeying him. He loosened his muscles, trying to make himself appear non-menacing. Laid out, weak as he was, he didn't know how he could be perceived as a threat. 

The way she was watching him gave him shivers up and down his spine. Slowly she approached him again, sheathed her knife and knelt down in front of him. Gently she picked up his head and grasped the water skin in the other. 

The moment the water hit his parched mouth he eagerly swallowed, feeling the cool feeling spread through his body. If he could, he was sure he would be purring in pleasure. Her ample chest was close enough to his face for him to simply raise his head and rest it against her supple breasts. He didn't want her to reach for her blade and leave him, so he laid there, content with the water. 

She slowly lowered his head until it rested comfortably on the ground, grasped her knife and stood back up. The knife remained a fixture in her hand. 

He felt his cock throb. He hadn't known that tough women turned him on so much. 

"Hello." His voice came out clearly and deeply this time. 

She licked her lower lip. "Hello. How are you feeling?" 

Like someone who had been dropped off a cliff and landed on sharp jagged rocks before a horse landed on him to make sure he was dead. "Not terrible." 

"Oh?" She said in an unreadable tone of voice. 

He tried to smile but his smile turned into more of a scowl, his muscles were too weak to work. 

The woman continued to look at him, her look turning to a glare. "Close your eyes." 

Typically, Alex was not one to take orders well. Especially orders he did not understand. This time his instinct told him it would be unwise to not comply. He closed his eyes which felt as if a giant strain had been lifted from his head. 

The next moment his head started to feel warm. Heat spread from his head through his entire body, leaving a pleasant tingling feeling. He felt energy surge through his tired body. The ache disappeared and his head seemed to clear instantly. Confused, he opened a eyes only to watch her hand drop from his his head to steady herself as she almost fell. She looked pale and worn out. 

"Are you okay?" His voice was stronger, he felt loads better then he had even less then a minute ago. He didn't know if he could get up steadily just yet, but his entire body no longer ached. 

"Feeling better?" She spat out in between ragged breaths in a pained voice. 

He could hear her breathing slow in a controlled manner. Trying to breathe through the pain, something he had done enough of. Letting out a single large breath, her breathing stabalized. 

"Yes." He decided not to question her just then about her condition. 

She looked at him again and, in the same stony voice as before, said, "I hope so." She glanced up at the sky. "It is going to snow soon. If we are not in shelter soon we will both die out here. Can you walk?" 

His mind still felt muddled, it was felt like dozen of thoughts tried to spring out of it at once. Silencing them he concentrated on what she had asked. "I think so." 

"We will eat first, but after that, we need to leave immediately." Her voice softening a touch. 

His stomach rumbled at the mention of food and he realized just how hungry he was. "Food would be amazing." 

She took the pan that she had been cooking in and forked a large piece of meat onto a steal plate. She glanced hesitantly at him before rummaged through her bag, removed a knife and handed it to him. "It's not much, but it should do." 

Too hungry to ask questions he wolfed down the piece of meat. It was the best thing he had ever tasted. Warm, tender, a bit seasoned. He figured to the starving man anything could taste delicious, but he had the inkling that this was still decent food. 

Finished, he put his plate and knife down which was promptly snatched up. She had begun to pack while he ate. 

"We need to get going." The voice was cold again. "But first you need to get covered up." He saw her glance down at his body before averting her eyes. 

Only then did head realize he was completely naked. His ears turned beat red. "Where are my clothes?" 

"I had to cut them off of you to bandage you correctly. Could you wrap the furs around you for now?" 

He nodded. It would be better then trumping around a near freezing forest naked. 

Gathering his strength he slowly managed to push himself up, staggering to his feet. Slowly picking up the furs he draped himself in them. It was good enough, they kept him warm. 

"We are not too far from my cabin," she said walking away.

"What's your name?" He asked once he caught up. 

She paused for a moment before she kept walking. "Sarah." 

He smiled. It suited her, both soft and alluring. "Sarah. I'm Alex Toren." 

"You said that the first night." Her voice still hard as stone. "Don't worry about trying to remember it, you were out pretty bad." 

"I imagine I was. Where are we?" 

"Still in the Opacom Forest." 

He looked around the seemingly endless and deserted woods. "Where is your home?" 

"Closer to the mountains." She pointed towards the ever looming mountains. 

He knew these woods were huge, miles and miles of almost unexplored and wild country. More than a couple of people at the village had warned him from entering it. According to the villagers, a few people had gotten cursed by some demon. And this woman lived here. Seemingly alone. "Any idea how I got here?" 

"You should tell me, not the other way around." Her voice now had daggers in it that made his spine tingle. 

"I honestly have no idea." 

He waited for a moment but she made no reply. "What day is it?" 

"Friday." At least her voice no longer had daggers. It was back to the stony tone. 

"How long was I out? A week?" 

"I healed you last night." 

Last night? He checked himself to make sure he was alive. Last time he had received a single wound that bad he had been out for quite some time. How was he even walking? "I don't... how am I able to move around already? What did you do to save my life?" 

"Nothing special. Just cleaned your wounds, bandaged you, and put on some herbs. When were you hurt?" 

It was possible he hadn't been cut up as badly as he'd first thought. Or those herbs she used worked miracles. Or maybe it was her touch that had revitalized him. "Late Wednesday. I was riding my horses when I saw what looked to be a stranded coach. I stopped to offer them my help." 

"That was... nice of you." Her voice had a hint of surprise in it. 

He smiled inwardly but did not let it show. He didn't help people to score pretty women. But he liked that it sounded like she approved. "I don't remember much. I remember seeing someone and stopping. I think I was clubbed in the back of the head because because of the lump that is still there." 

Her gaze drifted to the back of his head. 

"When I finally came to, it was night. All that I could comprehend was that it was cold and I needed to go somewhere. I crawled into the woods, the rest is just fog." He remembered a bit more then that, but the details weren't worth remembering. He didn't know exactly how he had managed to have the energy to keep moving the next day, but he had found it. He had all but given up hope when later that night he had spotted the smoke and glimpses of the fire. All while combating horrible drowsiness, random fits of unconsciousness, as well as the enduring feeling of hopelessness. 

"You have no idea who did this to you?" 

"There has been a lot of talk about bandits and poachers in this area. That's my guess. I imagine they wanted to rob me for money." He felt no need to mention the uneasy feeling he got for awhile after he had came to, as if the people had come back and were watching him. It was probably just the injuries and lost loss of blood playing tricks on his mind. His job, since he had moved out to Middle of Nowhere consisted of nothing more then being a figurehead. Lots of talking and idle pacing. "I can't wait to hunt those bastards down and get my hands on them." 




Sacred Dawn Ch. 01



"That may be awhile." 

He glanced at her and waited for her to go on. 

"It is going to snow soon. From the looks of it its going be a heavy one." 

"Snow already? When I left it was still mild temperatures." 

"The seasons change fast up here. You're lucky, if this had happened a day or two later the snow would of killed you." 

His mind jumped to mother and sister. They would probably be receiving word in the next day or two that he was missing. His absence would be noted, they had probably already dispatched a messenger. "Is there any way I can contact people?" 

"Not really. Once the snow starts we will be forced to stay indoors till it finishes. Traveling in a blizzard is suicide. If it wasn't so late in the season I would of brought you directly to the town. Don't worry though, my cabin is well stocked." 

If he had been found by anyone else, he would have been dead. He did not know the reason for his certainty, but he was. She had been able to save him when most healers would of failed. He had seen lesser injuries be deemed impossible. "My mother is going to be worried sick when she hears." 

For the first time he could see her hand relax a bit on the knife. Her voice was softer then ever before, though her face still held him in a stony gaze. "I'm truly sorry about that. If we were closer to town we could risk it, but I am afraid that you will be stuck with me for a few days, at the very least." 

Not a terrible prospect, really. If he did not know that his mother was probably going to be crying her eyes out, he would not mind the vacation with this stunning woman at all. He did not remember much after the first night wandering around the forest, but he knew that she had been there for him. If it wasn't for her he would be dead. "Well, at least the scenery is nice." She looked around at the bare trees, then towards the mountains, then blinked. "Are you flirting with me?" 

He grinned. He loved a woman who was direct. "Yes. Is there someone I should watch out for?" She smiled back, catching his arm and helped him walk easier. 

His tongue got caught in his throat. Being close to him he could feel the soft heat radiating from her hands, warming him up. 

"There is no one to worry about." 

"Good. I mean, I'm not attached either. No girlfriend or anything. Not that I haven't had any before or..." He clammed his mouth shut. He was not the smoothest person on the planet, that was for sure. But usually he did not babble as if he was a thirteen-year-old trying to talk to the girl he liked. 

She stared at him. "That's... good." 

"Sorry, I'm rambling. I am still groggy about everything." 

"It's fine." 

They walked in silence lost in their own thoughts. Slowly the ground getting steadily steeper. "So where are you from and what brings you up here?" 

This time she was the one that broke the silence. Her face was smoother then it he had seen it before, even her voice was softer and comforting. She still had an air of suspicion about her, but it seemed to be lessening. 

"I live here." 

If he had not been practically staring at her, taking her in, he would of missed the sudden stiffening that effected her entire body. Any warmth she had was instantly replaced by the previous stony gaze. 

"I have never seen you before. Its a small area. Besides, you don't have the accent." 

"Camilla, I lived there up until four months ago." 

Her stony glare had changed again, there was alarm in her eyes. "You have not heard... of me before?" 

"Can't say I have heard about any woman as beautiful as you in these parts." 

"You must live further west then, in Renet." 

He knew that town, it was much further to the west then they were. "Nope, I live in Klail." 

She let go of his arm and sped up her pace, not looking back at him. "You have certainly not lived around here for a long time or I am sure you would of heard rumors about me." 

He could not figure out her angle. Was she afraid of him? Angry? "So people just know about you far and wide? You must be known for something amazing." 

She snorted. "I don't think anyone here would call it that." 

"Really, I'm actually surprised and and kind of angry that no one ever mentioned you living so far out here on you own. It's a bit far for us to guard, but it's in our vicinity." 

"For you to guard?" 

He shook her head even though her head wasn't facing him. "We really need to introduce ourselves properly. What's your last name?" 

"Gordon." 

"Sarah Gordon, I am Alex Toren, the new Captain of the Warden Guards in this area." 

Her response was the exact opposite of what he expected. He saw her hand grip her knife even tighter. Her pace quickened and her stride became rigid. He may as well told her he had killed her family. He tried to catch up and put his arm on her shoulder in concern, but his body hurt too much. 

"What's wrong?" 

She slowed her pace a bit. "Old Victor retired?" Her voice was casual, but her rigid stance and odd behavior revealed something else. 

"He died. Caught something that was going around." Alex paused, when he noticed her almost slipping on a rock. "It was months ago. The council needed someone sent up here and I got picked for the job. I think they just wanted someone new." He eyed her up and down. "The previous captain and you had a bit of a fight?" 

Once again proving that she was apt to do the unexpected she laughed, a cool, hard laugh. "We are here at my cabbin. You go in and lay down, you probably have a fever again and must be very tired. I need to get some wood and other supplies." She turned and looked at him, her face cold and hard, no warmth was showing in her gaze. 

He much preferred her when her eyes were warm, and her voice sweet. Though what he wanted was her face flushed and her moaning, writhing beneath him. But it looked like that wouldn't happen any time soon. 

As he entered the cabin he saw a snowflake appear on the ground. It had started snowing. 

Somehow, even though he had been saved from certain death, things were not going well for him. 

Chapter Four: 

Shit, the new Captain of the Warden Guards. 

She saved the life of a Warden. Worse yet, a Warden Captain . Somehow she had convinced herself that Alex had to live somewhere in the south. After all no one chose to move up here. It was in the middle of nowhere. Nothing ever happened. A few people left, but no one moved in. Ever. Granted, even if someone was going to move in, it wasn't like she was going to hear about it right away. Living far from town did have its drawbacks. 

Sarah felt like punching something. Her brain had somehow disillusioned itself with the idea that by saving Alex's life, she claimed a bit of him. But now he was tainted with not only living in Klail, but as well as being a Warden. 

Not just any Warden, but the Captain of the Warden's. Her fear and hatred of Wardens was a bit over blown, but it was not without reason. Wardens hated evil, they sought to eradicate it as much as possible. Luckily for them real cases of magic were never really proven. The problem lay in the face that most people viewed Sarah s power as an evil power, she was branded a witch by most of the towns people. Not only that, but Alex was a man of power. Men of power and influence in combination with small towns almost always equaled disaster. 

She should of left him to die. The thought jumped into her head for but a moment before she shoved it out as forcibly as she could. No, that wasn't true. She was grateful for her part in saving Alex, despite what he was. 

At the moment though she needed to try and recover any control of the situation that she could. She couldn't let this get out of hand. If word got back to Klail that she wasn't the blood thirsty witch they thought, soon enough they would be here with pitchforks and torches. Her reputation was how she protected herself, and she would not let saving the life of one man be the cause of her death. 

While she gathered some firewood, she tried to figure out what just to do with Alex. It was a bit reassuring that had just moved in, the people around here weren't a trusting lot. People would still look down at others just for the fact that they were not born in the area. Also with his brown skin he would never fit in fully with the local population, hopefully keeping him out of the corrupt workings of the locals. But even though he was not yet entangled in a web of fraud didn't mean she could trust him, could she? 

She'd managed to fill the box full of firewood before entering her cabin. Alex had crashed on the bed, huddled beneath a few layers of furs. He looked worse then he had when she had healed him, but he still had color in his cheeks. "You had a bad relationship with another Warden?" 

"What?" 

"Trying to figure out why you hate Wardens." 

Her reaction had been pretty easy to read. She should have realized that he would of noticed, despite the state he was in. "I wouldn't say I hate Wardens..." 

"I don't know, your grip on your knife changed when I mentioned my job." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Earlier you were weary of me, when you heard about my occupation your hand switched a grip ready to strike and kill me with no hesitation." 

"I was ready to do that before." 

She had been lighting a fire in the fireplace, which was now crackling, quickly heating the room. 

"Before it was a stab me if I moved a muscle wrong, it changed to stab him out of anger." 

She couldn't deny it to herself, felt angry, but not necessarily at him. "Your head must still not be feeling right, holding a knife with is the same no matter what. And I don't hate Wardens, just some of them." Only those who use and abuse the system for their own person gain. 

"You can explain yourself to me." 

She glared at him. "Stop." 

"Was a family member killed by a Warden?" 

She noisily sat the kettle down on the fire and poured water in it. "You need rest." 

She liked him when he was resting and unconscious. She had even been so charmed by him that she had snuggled up against him and fell asleep. 

"You should join me." He flashed a smile. 

She was sorely tempted. His body would certainly warm her up fast like it had done the previous night. She tried to ignore that. They both needed food, it was really starting to snow outside and there was still some work to be done before she could rest. The water was heated, she threw in some oats and gently stirred. "You should eat then then go to bed." 

"Food sounds good. What you making?" 

"Oats. Its nothing much, but its good for you." 

She brought out a few bowls and poured in the heated oats and handed him a bowl. They ate in silence, she was trying to ignore him as best she could until she knew exactly what to do. When his bowl thudded onto the floor, she looked at him in surprise and alarm. He had sunk into the bed, his skin extremely pale. His eyes were closed and his breathing came out in ragged gasps. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Tired. Very tired." His voice was barely audible over the crackle of the fire. 

"Of course you're tired. Get some sleep." She felt a faint bit of remorse for acting so cold when he needed the most warmth. Just a bit. 

She watched him carefully, his face slowly grew more serene, his breathing slowed and his muscles relaxed. "So far you have been one difficult guest." She was talking to the walls and she knew it. Not of her own bidding, her mind imagined an erotic fantasy about a rugged man who had stumbled into her porch. How they would need each others body heat and have crazy animalistic sex right then. 

Alex sighed contently and rolled onto his side. 

She grinned despite everything. Reality was complicated. 

She carefully studied him, the bandages needed to be changed, some had a drops of flaky blood. She shook her head and started to remove the bandages. Each bandage was a mar on what was otherwise becoming an idealistic landscape for her. His face was still peaceful and his breathing slow. It would be easier to deal with healing him when he wasn't away, easier to touch him as well. The furs had dropped to his waste as he had eaten, revealing more cuts and bruises then she had thought were possible. 

Pressing her hands onto his chest she let the energy flow threw her, charging into his body. This time her perception didn't waver, she was still in her own head. The cuts were healing before her eyes, the bruises slowly disappearing. 

Satisfied that she had done enough she let out a deep breath and removed her hands. The familiar pain hit again, not as bad this time since it was only a small heal, but she inhaled a sharp breath none the less. The new sensation of pleasure mixed in with the pain still confused her. She had never felt anything like that before. It felt good though. Her mind used this as an excuse to return to her earlier fantasy about finding a stranger in the woods... 

She grinned at him with a satisfied smile. After losing her power for so long she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. She wanted to scream to the world I did that! Yes me, me, me! The feeling of accomplishment and the lingering effects of the pleasure left her in a semi euphoric state. Her head still close to him she noticed he had a somewhat rancid smell to him. She grabbed a soft cloth and another bucket of water. She dipped the cloth in the water and began to slowly rinse his body. She kept her motions specific and soft. What she really wanted to do was scrub his chest and curl her fingers in his hair. 

As she cleaned his body she noticed more and more scars. She knew where the new ones were from but had no clue where the other ones were from. She knew it wasn't any of her business, but as she cleaned each one her mind jumped to its own confusion. 

Even though they had slept, naked, together, somehow this felt more intimate. It was because he now had a name, a face, an occupation... He had talked to her and had looked at her with those eyes that just sucked her in. Sarah sighed. 

"What's wrong?" 

His voice made her jump. She realized she had stopped cleaning him and had been simply running a finger over his skin. His voice was louder, but still sounded pretty weak. She dropped the towel in the bucket and handed him a water skin. 

He readily took it and drank. Finished with the skin he laid his back down on the bed. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing. I was just cleaning you and changing your bandages. I doubt you want to smell sweaty." 

"Thanks, you can clean me more if want." 

His town was low and unbidden brought fourth all sort of erotic thoughts. "You're welcome." She felt her face flush in embarrassment. 

They sat in silence for a bit. "Anyway, I'm done. Let me bandage you back up." She looked up at his face to see it had change to a confused frown as he looked at his wounds. Shit. 

"What the fuck? Where are my wounds? I should have huge gaping holes in my right now." 

She just sat there not knowing what to say. Her mind was racing to try and come up with anything reasonable to say that he may believe, but she was just drawing blanks. 

"I was cut just three days ago. I should still be able to see the open wound." His voice was rising in anger. "What the fuck did you do to me?" 

"I saved your life," She snarled at him. "Now you're the one yelling at me. And they call women crazy." 

She watched as he visibly tried to reign in his temper. "I's sorry I yelled at you. I just want to understand how my wounds just disappeared overnight." 

Once she told him he could go back to town and tell people about what she could do. Then those who dared would come up here, but soon enough a scared angry person would show up one night... "I just used some herbs." 

"No herbs could do this. I have been injured before, and the Warden healers are very skilled and I have never seen or heard... I want to know what you did." 

"What else could I of done besides use medicine?" She said matter of factly. 

"There are rumors that some people can still use magic... Most people believe it has all died out, but I don't know. Maybe you have healing powers. 

She imagined the torches and the pitchforks that would be showing up at her place. "Magic hasn't been seen for over a hundred years. Do you know how crazy you sound right now?" 

"Through my job I have seen some crazy stuff. Some maybe only explained about magic. And I remember... feelings, from after you found me, about my my body feeling like it was on fire-" 

"You were on fire, you had a terrible fever." 

He looked at her with stubborn eyes. "I have been hurt before, it wasn't even as bad as this time. There is no way I could feel be feeling this good unless you did something. I am barely in any pain." 

Sarah glanced at his face and gently put her hand on a bandage. She pressed down with just the right intensity and heard him inhale sharply. 

"Shi-stop. Okay. I get the point." 

"Oh?" She was still applying pressure. 

His face contorted into a grimace. "I'm not healed yet. Stop." 

She smiled to herself and let go of the wound. She started to roll fresh bandages over the wounds not realizing just how close to him she was until she felt his soft breath on her neck. Her face immediately turned red, but she finished bandaging him before standing back up, embarrassed. "Um, you thirsty?" 

"Yes, but first..." 

"First?" She continued when he trailed off. 

"I need to use the bathroom." 

"Oh." She blinked at him a few times before she reached down beneath her bed and pulled out a chamber pot. "Use this. I need to go out and get some more supplied anyway." 

His face turned beat red. "I can't go to the bathroom while in your bed. I can go outside just fine." 

"You're not getting out of bed yet." 

"Oh? You can stop me?" 

She put her hands on his chest. "Lets see if I can." 

He smiled at her. "I didn't think I would ever be telling you to get off me." 

It was clear that he did not like the test, but she knew it would be better if he stayed in bed for at least another day. It would also be better if he viewed her gifts as evil and something to be afraid of. That way people may still be too afraid to show up at her door. 

She closed her eyes for a moment and felt her hand throb. She found all the energy she had given him earlier and easily recalled it, feeling energy and strength drain from his body. 

When he did push up against her he instantly laid back down, wincing in pain. His face was once again flush and sickly and his breathing was extremely ragged. His entire body had a light sheen of sweat on it. "What the..." His voice trailed off to weak to say much more. 

She let her hands pulse again and let a fraction of the energy back in. His face took on a much healthier glow though his breathing was still heavy. Her head pulsed in pain making her stagger a little. She had not relished the act one bit. 

"What exactly are you?" His anger was expected. What she had not expected was the fear in his voice. It completely blindsided her. 

She slowly regained her composure, slowed down her breathing and tried to concentrate. What. What is all that mattered. Not who. Damn him. It wasn't this was how she wanted to live, by herself, in fear. Damn him, damn him an all Wardens for making her this way. 

Not him, technically, her reason tried to surface. Either way, this is what you wanted. 

She put on a mask of indifference and looked at him. "I'm just a little girl who pinned you to the bed with one hand. Now use the chamber pot." She had let anger slip into her voice accidentally. 

"Sarah..." 

She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to hear his voice. She didn't like that she liked how he said her name. 

"I imagine you want your privacy, have fun." She walked casually towards the door. 

"Wait... Sarah." 




Sacred Dawn Ch. 01



"See ya later." 

"Sarah... Damn it. List-" 

The door cut him off. A sardonic smile crossed her face as she imagined the tirade he was no doubt going on. 

She scoffed. What was she. Indeed. 

Chapter Five: 

Sarah walked through the door fully expecting a barrage of insults and hatred coming from her house guest. Instead she found Alex sleeping soundly. He didn't even stir when she picked up the chamber pot and left again to empty it. 

He had to be pretending to be asleep. She was still peeved and she knew he had to be as well. Most of her outrage had ebbed when she had went outside. The snow had really started to fall, an inch of two had layered the ground and there was no sign of it letting up. 

Doubt had started to gnaw at her. Maybe she had been to harsh on him. She had meant for him to to hate her, but maybe she had gone to far. He would be wary of her. She remembered the scared tone in his voice and felt a distinct sense of melancholy. There would be no idle banter and flirtation. No more touches that lasted a second to long, no more illusions of her being happy. 

She didn't mind. She kept repeating that over and over to herself. Trying to make herself believe it. After this was all over she could go back to how life had been before. She had been happy then... Right? 

She tossed the contents of the chamber pot away and headed back towards her cottage. 

It getting late in the day already. The sky was growing dark fast and she could feel the temperature steadily dropping. By the time she had arrived back at her cabin the world was almost engulfed in darkness. She took one last look at the world around her before entering the cabin. 

She quickly shed her coat and threw another log on the fire before she glanced over at her bed ridden guest. He was sitting up and was looking at her. He must of just woken up when she walked in, his gaze was still a bit blurry. Short strands of his hair stuck and there was stubble on his jaw. He looked like he just crawled out of bed. He should of looked manic to her, not sexy. She waited for his gaze to turn to horror or try and escape. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. "Did I fall asleep for long?" 

"A few hours at least." She stood there waiting for the violent outburst. 

"I didn't mean to, but I guess I needed it. Is it still snowing?" 

She glanced out the window, the sky was pitch black, the falling snow nearly invisible in the darkness. "It has just begun I'm afraid." 

She continued to look out the window. She was waiting for him to make the first inevitable move. Maybe he had convinced himself that it hadn't happened. That it was all just a dream. She had seen it happen before, people had an amazing tendency to lie to themselves. She didn't know how to feel. If he had convinced himself it was a lie the issue would probably just lie on them like a heavy burden, never being resolved, but at least things would be easier. But a part of her wished he did believe, that he knew that it was she who saved him. 

"Sarah..." 

She stiffened. "What?" 

"Forgive me." 

She was glad she was facing the window. Her face must of been a scene of utter shock. He was apologizing... "For what?" 

She composed herself and turned around to face him. He was watching her intently, his expression sincere. She felt a hint of suspicion. 

"I was an ass. I shouldn't of yelled at your or said what I did. It was unjust of me, and I apologize. Please forgive me?" 

He seemed completely sincere. "What's the catch?" 

He genuinely looked surprised. "None. I mean it." 

She shrugged. "Okay." 

"Honestly. You saved me. And I treated you like shit, like I was scared of you." "You are." She said matter of factly. 

"No. I was confused. Confusion leads to being scared. But since that I have thought about and realized I have no reason to be scared. If I had been honest with myself I would of known you were an exceptional person. But now I have had some time to get everything straight." 

He had to be messing with her. "You do understand that I took practically all you strength from you? I could of killed you if I wanted. Do you understand that?" 

"But first you gave me the strength, right?" 

It had been the only way to weaken him without seriously hurting both of them. If she had weakened his own energy she would of been a world more pain, and he may be dead. "Being scared is the right reaction. I am not some gentle peaceful woman. Keep that in mind." 

"You may say all that, but you won't hurt me." 

"Oh? Why are yo so sure?" 

"I trust you." 

"Alex Toren, you are a fool!" Her voice was rising. "Don't you understand what I am?" 

He sighed. "I'm sorry about that comment as well. That doesn't matter. What's important is who you are. And I want to get to know you." 

"You are one stubborn fool. Why would you want to do that?" 

"There is..." His voice trailed off searching for words. "I don't know exactly. But there is a connection between us. You have to feel it too." 

Hell yeah she did. "You're basing your trust off of a feeling?" 

"Yes." 

"You do know others see me as a witch? Hell your own order probably views me as a practitioner of the dark arts or something." 

"I'm not naive. I'm from the south, down there we have more legends and are more accepting of them then these people up here. My order may not like it, but we tolerate it. Personally I have only heard of Magic before, never seen it first hand. That's why you freaked me out so much." 

"Fine. Does it scare you to know, that yes, I saved your life. But if I wanted to..." She reached out and grabbed a wrist of his. "I could take all your life energy right now and kill you?" 

He studied her. "I'm willing to bet that while you could, you won't." 

"Bad bet to make. You don't know what I have done." 

His voice came out really gentle, as he were trying to soothe a child. "I know you're a healer. If you weren't I would be dead by now. If you want to drain my energy again, feel free. I trust you." His face was still studying her intently. "But you don't trust me." 

She let go of his wrist and looked down at the floor. 

"I'm just interested. My culture really does have a different view on all this. As a kid I was told countless stories about the good of magic, specifically healing magic. I have long suspected that both my grandma and an aunt were healers. Until now I didn't have any proof except the stories." 

Her interest rose. She had never met anyone besides her mother with real powers. "Really?" 

"Yes. They worked as the local medicine man, sage, or what ever you want to call it. They still live down south, continuing their work. Though I think you are stronger then any of them, they certainly have never don't anything like you did." 

She looked him in the eyes and saw admiration, not fear. she was speechless, no one had ever accepted her and her power before. In her own town she had been a freak... then a no one when she moved away. It was better then being a freak, but no one had accepted her for her, with her power. 

"So if you feel you need to, do it." 

"What?" 

"Drain my energy again." 

"Why?" 

"Because I don't fear you or your power. I won't hurt you, you saved my life. I am ready to swear on anything you desire to never hurt you. So if you feel nervous or anything around me, and I can tell you often are, you can drain my energy." 

She stared at him, words failing her yet again. The simple fact that he was willing to lay there and let her take his strength and be completely at her mercy astounded her. His reason, to make her feel safe, someone he had just basically jet met, it was unbelievable. 

Her hand jerked to reach out and touch him. She was going to see if he was being truthful, but she stopped herself. For the firs time in her life she wondered if she could trust someone without reading them first. "You're serious aren't you?" 

"Yes, I would of died without you." 

"You really are one of the largest fools I have ever met." She laughed. "Yet maybe the wisest." 

"So you really did do something?" His voice was quivering in palpable anticipation. 

She nodded.

"You're amazing. Have you ever done anything like that before?" 

"Not to the degree that you were in, no. Plus my abilities have been gone for a few years." "You could be an amazing heal-" 

"No." She silenced him. "Do not go down that path. People with pitchforks would make quick work of me." 

He stared at her for a moment before nodding. "You're right." 

"I need you to promise something." 

"Anything." 

"I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone about me. You can tell them any evil thing you want, but you can not tell them that I heal. Just saying I took you in would..." She took a deep breath and decided to be truthful. "Well it would put me at risk. Right now the reason people leave me alone is they think I am a witch with evil powers that will kill them on sight. If people know I am helping strangers and... well, lets just say there are many who would come out here and try and hurt me." 

His face darkened. "They wouldn't dare." 

"Oh they would. The best way to make sure I am safe is for you to keep quiet about me. I don't care what you tell people about how stayed alive, maybe you were nursed back to health by bears. Doesn't matter. Just please, I implore you, don't mention me." 

"Okay, I wont." 

"Thanks. It means a lot to me." 

"I would like to ask you not to go outside if you can avoid it. Especially if I am weak like I was before. Whoever did this to me could still be there." 

She opened her eyes in surprise. "You think they would track you down? I thought you said it was probably just some bandits." 

"And whats to stop some bandits from coming here?" 

Her reputation... but if they didn't know about it, that was useless. Fuck. "I will try and stay in here as much as possible. We have a large stock of firewood and food in my cellar." 

She stared at him. She should of jumped at the opportunity to make him weak. He'd be alive, but still healing. Best of all he would be no threat at all to her. Eventually she could give him energy when the snows melted and lead him to the road. Then she would be on her own, everything would be peaceful again. 

She couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to make him so lifeless. No matter how many misgivings she had, she couldn't do it. 

As she stared at his, she realized something. He was completely serious. He wasn't trying to pull any strings, he was being completely honest, which mean he trust her... Enough to put himself completely at her mercy. Perhaps she should try trusting him in return? 

She couldn't bring herself to trust anyone in over three years. It truly was a wonderful feeling. He had promised not to rat her out. He said he wouldn't hurt her. And she believed what he was saying. It felt good. She liked the lack of worry her life suddenly had. She liked everything that she was feeling at the moment. Though it was a bit overwhelming. 

She looked back at the floor for a moment regaining her composure yet again. She then glanced back at him with a genuine smile, "Are you hungry?" 

He returned the smile, "Very." 

Chapter Six 

"Are you still punishing me?" 

She looked at him questioningly. 

He just smiled back at her, his eyes glinting in the firelight. "Well earlier you just made me oats, and now all I get is broth?" 

She took her chunk of meat and playfully pointed it at him. "Is this what you wanted to eat?" "Maybe..." 

"If you eat all your broth then you may have some solid food." 

He nodded. "Fair enough." 

"And yes, I am punishing you." She said playfully. "I am punishing you for being the wisest fool I have ever met." It had been awhile since she had heard herself laugh and almost didn't know what it was. 

"You still think I am a fool for trusting you?" 

"Yes, but I can see I wont change you mind. So eat up." 

He sat up using his own strength and took the bowl from her. "Thanks." 

"Don't mention it." 

She ate sitting close to the fire, letting it keep her warm. Neither of them spoke much, Alex seemed to sense her contemplative mood. When he had finished she took his bowl and washed it along with the rest of the bowls they had used that day. 

She had two buckets for the sole purpose of washing dishes. One filled with soap, and one of clean water. She would try and do dishes once a day and kept refilling the buckets when needed. "Can you communicate psychically?" 

She was startled by how he asked the question. To him the question seemed to be no different then asking whether or not she could speak another language. "No. Why?" 

"I was just thinking if we could get any word to my family, but it doesn't seem like we could. 

Her usual stony demure melted in a moment. "Will she worry?" Her voice was soft. 

"She will probably cry her eyes out. All she has left is my sister and I. My dad died when I was young. She raised us herself. When I told her I was moving... Well that was hard enough for her. This news may break her poor heart." 

"My mom raised me alone too." She hadn't meant to say that. 

He paused. "Your dad die too?" 

"I don't know, I never knew him and my Mom wouldn't talk of him." She put the last dish down and turned around. "I wish there was some way for us to notify someone you were alive." "Nothing we can do about it right? I've probably hit my luck quota for my entire life. You know, being saved by some mystical gorgeous woman." 

She blushed at his warm voice and clear sexual interest in his tone. She tried to hide it by turning around and rummaging through her cupboards till she found a blanket. 

"What are you doing?" 

"I need to sleep on something." He caught her gaze and further blushed. She saw a glint in his eyes that reminded her how they had first slept together. To her relief he kept his mouth shut, though he did smile at her. 

"Where are you going to sleep?" 

"On the floor by the fire, its comfortable enough." 

"Are you tired?" 

She shook her head. "Not really, I thought you may want to sleep. So I thought I would read." "Could you read to me? Its so eerily quiet out here, I think I may go nuts if I have to lie here in this silence." 

"You're a Warden, but you're not used to the quiet?" She personally love the silence and solitude up here. At least most of the time. 

"I have lived in cities most of my life." 

She shrugged. "Sure. I don't have many books, what I do have are mainly my mothers. She mainly had gaudy romances. I hope you don't mind." 

"Not at all. I like romances most of the time. Though I do often wonder why its usually the virgins that appeal to the rich lord." 

She laughed, the second time in one night. "I think that question will never be answered." She looked over the old leather bound books and chose the one with the least explicit title. The last thing she needed to do to Alex was read him something extremely erotic and sexy. 

Sarah threw on another log onto the fire before sitting next to him. She opened the book and began to read, but had a bit of difficulty concentrating on the words in front of her. The firelight danced over his muscular chest forcibly reminding her of his nakedness. 

Get over it. She told herself. Concentrating on the book. The room was silent other then her voice and the rhythmic crackle of the fire. 

The warmth from the fire and the flow of reading soon put her in a very relaxed mood. Everything faded out until she was absorbed in the story. The only time she had ever read out loud was to her mother, and that wasn't often at all. She liked it. 

The fire gave a particularly loud groan, causing her to jump, breaking her trance. She had read a surprising amount chapters, her voice was hoarse, and the firelight was starting to grow dim. She glanced over at Alex, expecting to see him asleep. 

Instead he was staring at her with apt attention. "Getting tired?" 

"My voice is growing hoarse, and I am thirsty." 

"We should probably stop for now then." 

That statement implied there would be more of this. She liked that thought. She closed the book and grabbed some water for both of them. 

"You have an amazing voice." 

She choked on her water. His voice had sounded extremely intimate and caring. As if he had gone from kissing her neck to nibbling between her legs with just one statement. "Thanks." 

She handed him his water and let him drink from it. When he was done she took and set it down by the door so she would remember to refill it. 

She took her blanket and threw it down by the fire. 

"Why don't you sleep up here? It would be much more comfortable." 

Her mind pulled up memories of that first night. His body wrapped around hers, their body heats keeping each other war. She felt her cheeks turn red. "I don't think we should." 

"I promise, no funny business. Not that I even could right now, right?" 

She gave a nervous laugh. 

"And believe me, if I was my normal self, just listening to you talk would of gotten me hard." Her eyes jumped down towards his lap, no erection. She then stared at him, unsure of what to say. 

"I'm... Making an ass of myself aren't I? I know I'm not the smoothest of people, so let me be honest here. I am extremely attracted to you, and I would like nothing more at this moment then for you to sleep next to me. I won't pounce, I promise. I'm not into force, and even if I was, you could just take my energy away from me." 

Damn he was direct. It was refreshing change for her, not having to second guess everything being said. "It's not that I think you would jump me, or that I couldn't fight you off even if I didn't want you..." She let her voice trail off trying to think of a reason not to. She was scared that if she was confronted by a horny, loving Alex who desired her touch, she didn't know if she could say no. "I... Need space to think." 

Her reason felt hallow in her ears. But he didn't question her. He simply nodded. "Sleep well then." 

"You too." 

She walked into the side room where she kept her clothes and changed into a very long, thick, concealing sleeping gown. She kept it around mainly for the cold nights but had recently considered getting rid of it because it was so old. She was glad she hadn't. 

Sarah lay down by the fire but every inch of her screamed for her to jump onto the bed and... What was up with her? Yes, they had physical chemistry... But what made her worry was the emotional connection they also seemed to share. 

They had been thrown together in a very... intimate situation. She needed to keep her distance, stay level headed and smart about all this, since he certainly wasn't filling that roll. His flirtatious, easy going personality damn attractive though. 

She usually had no trouble falling asleep on the floor. But the tossed and turned for hours, each time reminding herself that she had to be the level headed one. But the back of her mind kept reminding her she had a warm, comfortable, hot bed to go sleep in. The fire was starting to die out and she didn't want to put on another log, it was bright enough as it was. 

There was also a warm naked body just waiting for her to curl up next to. A body that felt so good against her skin... 

Sighing she sat up and looked out the window. The snow was still falling, slowly covering her window. Looking back at the bed she saw Alex sleeping soundly, his face at rest. She could just pick up her blanket and go lay down next to him. He probably wouldn't even wake up. 

Taking one last look out the window she gathered her blanket and crawled up onto the bed, slowly laying down next to Alex. 

He gave a contented sigh and reached an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. She decided it had to be an instinctive movement, his breathing was still slow and measured. 




Sacred Dawn Ch. 01



She was glad she had on an old thick gown. 

Sleep came soon enough for her. 



She woke up drenched in sweat. It wasn't from the heat, her skin was cool. She sat up and opened her eyes and looked around the room. Everything was where it was supposed to be. She had had a bad dream, that was all. 

"What's wrong?" Alex said, putting his hand on her shoulder, concern in his voice. "Just a bad dream." 

"What was it about?" 

"A... hunter." 

"A hunter?" Alex's voice was cold. 

"Yes. I was out in the woods, looking for something but could not find it. I was so angry. But the snow was to much. I had to turn back." 

A shadow crossed Alex's face. "Have your dreams ever... come true?" "No." She thought a moment. "Yes." 

"Were you close to your house?" His voice was full of urgency and worry. "I... don't think so." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Pretty sure, either way, he turned back right?" 

Alex gave out a sigh of relief. "Promise me if you have another dream like this again, wake me and tell me about it. If you even dream that something is near this house let me know. I have heard about people who can see dreams that are true. I don't know if your dream was one of those, but I don't want to take the chance." 

"Do you have experience with these kind of dreams?." 

"I don't, but my... Sister." He paused looked at her then seemed to make a decision. "You deserve to know the truth." 

She looked at him, a bit confused but attentive. His warm hand clenched her shoulder. 

"Back home I was partnered with another Warden. It's how it works down there, you always need more then one to fix anything. My sister... She doesn't have healing powers like you, but I think she could do a bit. She came to me one morning looking like she hadn't slept a bit. She sat me down and said, 'Alex, take the next few days off. Make your partner sit out as well.' Confused as ever I demanded to know why. Her response was she had dreamt that something bad would happen to us. At the time I didn't believe in anything of the sort and scoffed at it." 

He stopped talking and stared into the fire. The fire danced in his eyes, giving Sarah the impression that he was reliving the memories as he spoke. 

"The next day... we were in a particularly nasty situation. My partner was killed and I was gravely wounded." His voice had gone soft, she could barely hear it over the dull crackle of the fire. "My sister had been right. I could of saved him." 

"It's not your fault." 

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. It doesn't matter that much, the past is the past. I can't let that happen again. So please, promise me you will pay attention to any dreams you have." His voice was almost pleading. 

"I promise." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it for now. We are safe here." 

He sighed and let go of her shoulder. "Will you be able to get back to sleep?" 

Its not the dream that would keep me up, but the thought of your body against mine. "I should be able to." 

Being so close to him she could feel waves of sadness and grief radiating off of him, though she did not need a special power for that, anyone with an ounce of empathy would of been able to see it. 

It was easy for her to forget her dream, wrapped in his arms. She lay with her back to him, at first she tried to keep his flesh from touching hers, but that became an exorcize in futility. 

They lay there for a while, rigid, the firelight dancing over the ceiling. With a low sigh he tried to shift his weight but winced in pain. Reaching out his hand he groped for hers, taking it he whispered, "Can you scoot in a little closer, please?" 

Sarah should of refused. But she didn't bother. There was a tone in his voice that was her undoing. She scooted closer to his warmth, letting it envelop her. He wrapped an arm around her and hugged her even closer, so that their two bodies were practically touching. 

She lay there and wished that he would jump her. She could handle that. But this cuddling opened up a hole in her that she had long forgotten existed. She was surprised, the idea of sex didn't alarm or scare her at all. At this point she had accepted it, like an inevitable outcome of their time together. Especially since they were sleeping this close. 

She closed her eyes and let the steady beat of his heart lull her to sleep. 

Chapter Sevin 

While waking up the lingering scent of a woman had been heaven in and of itself, waking up the to feel of a woman beneath his flesh was beyond paradise. In their sleep they had moved even closer together, their bodies pressed up against each other. Not much had changed since they had fell asleep. She had shifted in the night, her gown had ridden up so it was above her waste, leaving her rear exposed. 

Except she was nearer to him. And his cock was hard. 

He froze. Damn it, he was hard. And that's why he knew her ass was naked. His penis engorged in typical morning splendor. Though he was sure that was only half the cause, the other half laying in front of him, cushioning him. 

Sarah shifted in her sleep, rubbing her butt unwittingly against his engorged head, causing him to almost whimper in frustration. He firmly restrained himself from letting go and grinding up against her. 

He wasn't lying last night. His intentions for wanting him to sleep with him was not so that he could have sex with her. Selfish yes, but not for sex. After being disconnected from other humans for so long, he needed the touch and feel of someone. It just so happened that the someone he found was a walking fantasy. He restrained himself though, gaining Sarah's trust was more important then sex. 

Even though the sex would probably be the best he had ever had. Damn it. 

He needed to gain her trust. She had been hurt, and he wanted to help her. Even though she had slept in the bed with him, he could tell that she did not yet trust him completely. But it was certainly a start. 

Maybe she would be able to help him too. 

He quickly let that thought go, she already had helped him enough. He didn't need to burden her any more then she already was. 

She was not the only one who had had a nightmare last night. He had dreamt about the past, how he sat and watched his partner get murdered. That is why he woke up when he did. He had not had dreams about that for awhile, but it was not uncommon. Sometimes while in battle he would freeze for a moment and relive that past. He had tried to move on, but for some reason part of him still lingered on that moment in the past. 

But that wasn't anything new, it had happened and continued to happen. He still led a normal life, had a good job... No, the person who needed help the most was Sarah. 

Without him realizing it, his hand spread out gently on the curve of her ass and he slightly squeezed the flesh, reveling in the way it yielded to his probing fingers. 

His mind seemed to scream at him. He quickly released her ass and slid his hand over to her stomach, accidentally causing her flesh to rub against his hardened cock. For a brief moment he felt himself lose control and his hips thrust slightly forward, relishing in the feel of her resilient skin yielding to his cock. 

Immediately Alex slowly slid onto his back, removing his aching cock from her warm skin. He couldn't gain her trust by waking her by sliding his cock into her, causing her moan. He would slowly kiss her neck and he fondled her breasts, waking her in a slow, pleasurable way... 

He shook his head. That would not be happening... At least not this morning. He had never had a one night stand, they never appealed to him. Casual sex just wasn't his thing. And despite her tough attitude he didn't think Sarah was someone who did either. 

But there was a connection between them. There was no use denying that. That first morning, when their eyes had met for the first time there had a been a spark between them. He was insanely attracted to her, and not just because she was the one that saved him. Though there was a large deal of physical lust there too, he was sure there was some sort of mental connection between them. 

Since it wasn't like he could be leaving any time soon, if he did get the chance to fuck her, that probably meant that... he would have to stay around. You mean get to fuck her some more. He turned his head towards her and looked at her face. It would take him a lifetime, maybe more to ever get tired of seeing it. He wanted to hold her close to him and whisper in her ear, "You're a special person. And not just because of your power. There is just something wonderful about you." 

She sprawled out next to him, throwing the furs off of her skin. The sun trickled down and illuminated her perfect breasts. He wanted to reach out and grab them, but his hands had already done quite enough grabbing. Instead he reached down and pulled the furs up, enclosing her in their warmth. 

She turned her head and gave slowly nestled it into his side. Her soft hair danced upon his skin, sending shivers throughout his body. He could definitely get used to waking up this way. 

"Morning." His voice was raspy and dry. 

"Good morning." She was obviously still out of it, scooting herself a bit closer to him. "Sleep well?" 

"Mmmm." 

Suddenly she lurched away from him, consciousness fully returned to her. She yanked her gown down faster then he had thought was possible. "Err, how are you feeling?" 

He was glad she had woken up with him on his side, if she hadn't he was sure her face would of burst into flames. "Better." 

And he was feeling surprisingly better. His body ached a lot less and he could move around a bit without feeling pain shoot through his body. Last time he had been injured it had taken him weeks to get to this point. 

She reached over and handed him some water which he drank gratefully. It was surprising how much water he needed to drink even though he was doing nothing. His stomach gave a low rumble. 

"Hungry?" She asked. 

"A bit." 

"Let me go get changed and I will throw on some breakfast." She left the room, and he tried to regain control of his raging cock. By the time she had changed he was thinking of his teachings, he could talk now without fear of embarrassing himself. 

When she returned, dressed in a plain white tunic and faded pants, he had his cock under control. Thankfully, since she immediately handed him the chamber pot. "I can walk outside today." "That may be true. But you won't be walking around yet." 

He sighed. "Please?" 

She stared at him. "You wont be up and moving around for two days. And if you keep complaining I will make sure you wont move for three." 

"I should warn you, I don't take orders in bed well." He smiled. 

She blushed furiously, "So it seems... For now." 

His smile turned into a large grin. He wasn't the only one flirting any more. "You're right, I'm usually the one giving orders... from on top." 

"So crude." Her smile turned into a determined look in a blink of an eye. "Chamber pot for now though. I will go gather the stuff I need for soup in the back room." 

He grumbled but complied and took care of his needs once she had lad left the room. 

When that was over they enjoyed a quiet breakfast. He enjoyed watching her ;lick her lips after nearly every spoonful of warm soup. Each time he wanted to groan a little bit. Gods he wished he was filling better. 

As she cleaned up after breakfast, he sat up and tried to find a comfortable position, but no matter where he turned his wounds either hurt or itched. 

"Stop that. You will hurt yourself." 

He rubbed his bandage. "These damn things itch like crazy." 

"Don't touch those." 

"Can we do something to distract me then?" 

She looked at him searchingly, "Like what?" 

Something involving both of us being naked. "What do you normally do up here during the winter?" 

"There is always more to be done on the cabin." 

"That's work, what do you do for fun?" 

She blushed furiously, "Normally I err, whittle things." 

He wondered why she was blushing so furiously at the thought of whittling sticks... "Anything else?" 

"I read too... and draw. I also spend a lot of time outside, even in the winter. Its not that bad." All he activities were solitary acts, nothing including other people. It sounded so lonely to him. Alex was accustomed to being around others. "Could you read some more to me?" 

She smiled. "Sure." She picked up the book and crawled back onto the bed, propping herself down next to him. He put his arm around her to see how she would react. As soon as he touched her, she tensed up a moment but relaxed and leaned back against him. Electricity shot through his arm, if he didn't know better he would of sworn she was using magic on him. But he was pretty sure it was just a pure old fashioned physical reaction. 

"You remember where we were?" 

He gave her a smile "Yup. I didn't fall asleep while you were reading." 

She sighed, "I really should be working, not reading in the middle of the day." 

He smiled. He was sure she would of said the same thing if he suddenly propositioned for sex in the middle of the day. 

She wouldn't keep that point of view for long. 

"There will be plenty of time later. Right now I need to not itch these bandages. 

She crossed her legs and opened the book up. He liked how she looked, his arm around her, her pants stretched around her thighs and butt. Mmm that ample, soft butt which his hand had... Shit. 

"Are you okay? You are gritting your teeth." 

I'm trying to keep my dick from poking out and saying hi. "I'm fine, its the itch." 

She blinked before looking back down at the book. "Just a few chapters, you will need a nap later." 

Alex tried to unclench his mouth, but it was hard. It would be even harder to actually pay attention with her delicate pastoral scent beckoning at his nose. 

Chapter Eight: 

"Isn't there anything else to do besides having you read to me? I'm getting restless." 

Sarah finished washing the dishes they had used earlier that day for breakfast. They'd had a fun day reading yesterday, only taking breaks for meals and chores she had invented to make him sleep. Usually she hated distractions while reading, but the romance books they had read had created a very charged atmosphere between them where they seemingly couldn't help but stop and playfully banter with each other. By the beginning of the second book she had been curled up again him, his head on her shoulder, it all just seemed natural. 

It was like the outside world had ceased to exist for the. She could almost forget that she was a witch and he wasn't really the Captain of the Warden Guards. That's not how things were. 

She hadn't even bothered about trying to sleep on the floor. Though they did exchange sexual banter and he may touch her with body with familiarity, he was always careful about where and what he touched. He had kept everything platonic, which she was glad for, she didn't know if she could tell him to stop if he did otherwise. She had woken in the night with Alex wrapped around her, his arm warmly fastened around her. 

She shook herself out of the daydream when he repeated himself, "Is there anything else to do today?" 

She smiled at him. He was definitely feeling better. They had both enjoyed the book marathon yesterday, but such a strapping man was not used to or suited to lying around in bed all day. "You need to rest more." 

"That's all you ever say I should do. Did you always live alone up here?" 

"No, my mother lived here for awhile too." 

"Well what did you do with her?" 

"Talk mainly and play games." 

"What kind of games?" 

"Card games, a few board games that we made." 

"That works for me, you should go get them." 

"You assume I have nothing else to do." "Please? If I don't do something I am going to go stir crazy here. Plus its not like you can even go outside, the weather seems like it is just getting worse." 

She looked outside. He was right. The snow had just kept piling up for the past two days. It was easily up to her waste, if not a bit higher. Every few hours she had gone outside and cleared a bit of a path for them to use so they could leave the cabin later. When she was outside it was like her cabin had sunk underground and she was making a way to get down to the door. 

She looked at him and stamped her foot with a smile on her face. Damn, that man was just too hard to say no to, for his own good... Actually for her own good more then likely. She brought a deck of cards from the back room where it had gone unused for many years. 

He was already sprawled out, leaning up against the bed. His eyes were aglow with anticipation. Despite his demure appearance Sarah guessed Alex was extremely competitive. He glanced up with a wicked grin that almost made her melt. "Care to make this more... interesting." 

She had called it, very competitive. "Just how interesting are we talking about?" 

She could feel his eyes as they roamed her body from head to tow, making her squirm a bit. "Clothes." 

"Sure. I won, what's next?" 

"Savor your victory, it's your fault I'm naked anyway. You know with the you cutting off all my clothes then not giving me any more. Admit it, you just like looking at my chest." 

She raised an eyebrow and made an effort to control her increased breathing. "You want to wear some woman's clothes then?" 

He spluttered, "Err no, that's not what I meant." 

"Sure, I believe you." 

"Well, since I lost the first round anyway, I should get to choose what we play for then. I say we play for questions. We both have them I imagine and this will be a fun way to ask them." 

"Questions?" 

"Yes, I am sure you want to know more about me, and I certainly want to know more about you. When I win a game I will ask you a question, and when you win the same thing happens." Sarah paused for a moment. She did want to learn more about him, but there were things she was not going to to talk about him about. "What if there is something we wont answer?" 

"You will have to pay a forfeit." He grinned hungrily at her. "A simple kiss will do." 

"You're on." She didn't mind that forfeit, hell she may have to forfeit some questions for fun. "So what game?" 

"Poker." 

She grinned, she was good enough at that. Just a couple minutes later they revealed their cards. She had three kings while he had only a pair of aces. "That was easy." 

"Beginners luck." 

"You think I am a beginner at this? If you had clothes on I am sure I could beat you without even removing my shirt." 

He grinned up at her. "Someday I may just have to take you up on that offer." 

She blushed, she had not thought about what she had said before she had spoken. "I err..." 

"So the question?" 

"Right the question." She paused for a moment, thinking. She meant to ask him a question about his family, or history but she blurted out, "What do you do to let someone that you are interested in know that you like them?" 

"A personal question, awesome. I assume you mean like, but not in a typical friendly manner?" She stilled her beating heart. She should laugh and ask another question. "Of course." 

"Well apparently it involves getting cut up and wandering around a forest nearly dead." 

"Come on, be serious. We can gamble with colored stones or something." 

"I am being serious." 

"No, you're just flirting with me like you have done since you gained consciousness." 

"And why do you think I have been doing that? I am not someone who likes to sleep around, one night stands just aren't my thing. I have never had many girlfriends. I'm being serious. And I guess I am also very direct when trying to tell someone that I am interested... You don't believe me, do you?" 

She rolled her eyes at him. "We both know I am not anything special, especially for a person who looks as good... who looks like you."