Enchantress

Chapter IX

Thelus and I took her home. She did not speak; she did not banter with me. She had been defeated by whatever she and Ceres had discussed. So defeated she slept all through the ride back to the ice lands.
As soon as we arrived at the castle we were greeted by Shelby and Ava, Thelus' pregnant wife along with a few others.
Ava hurried toward Thelus as he hopped off his horse hitting the ground with a thud before running toward her. He scooped her up in his arms and she wept with joy at having him back.

Shelby's eyes settled on Aurora and I noted the hint of jealousy in their depths. I narrowed my eyes on her in warning. Aurora must have felt her gaze because she stirred in my arms. Glancing down at her, I find her staring back at Shelby with green glowing eyes. "Don't mind her," I whispered.
Aurora peered back at me and then settled back against me "I'll kill her." She scuffed the threat before closing her eyes once again.
I pushed through the crowd as they peered down at their Queen. Those who were seeing her for the first time oohed and awed.

I was glad for their excitement, but I grew wary of them trying to touch her. So I mysted us to our room where I settled her into our bed. She immediately shifted herself into a sitting position.
"I'm going to stay here for a while."
"You won't try to run away again." I asked raising my eyebrow.
"Next time I leave this place, I'll be stepping over your corpse, Vampire." She snared.
"Until then sweet Enchantress, let me treat your wounds."
"Stop calling me sweet. What are you going to do? Lick them?"
"But you are the sweetest thing I've tasted in all my life."
I moved closer to her and whispered, "I want to taste you again, not your wounds but your lips and your breasts." She flushed and turned her head away from me.
"You're a pervert." She murmured.

Mysting, I went in search of a medical kit. Coming back with one in hand. I take in her appearance. Her cheeks have gotten some color now, but she still had that fragile air around her. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I moved closer, placing the kit on the bed beside her.

Aurora's POV

He didn't just say that to me. My breath came out in ragged puffs. He did that on purpose to make me uneasy. Truth be told I liked his kiss. I liked the way the caress of his lips commanded me to submit. I liked how he wrapped me in his embrace. He tasted good too. I was supposed to be repulsed instead; I had felt tingles in my tummy.

He came back with a medical kit which he placed on the bed beside me. Gently,
he lifted my leg and inspected my wounds.
"What convinced you to torture yourself like this?" He grumbled as he barely ran his finger against the scratches and bruises.

I winced as I said, "When you desire freedom you must bear the pain of escape."

As he dressed my wounds he said, "You are not a captive here, though you think you are. You will never understand how I have waited for you. Dreamed of the day i would be able to hold you to my chest and feel pride in the fact that I have claimed you as my own. I do not want to hold you captive Enchantress, I want to cherish you. "

"I am not to be claimed vampire, nor am I your own. I did not ask you to wait, and I did not ask to be cherished."
"But you will be." He did not say anything further. As he worked on bandaging my feet I studied him, his forehead, his nose, his jaw, his beard, his broad shoulders, thick biceps. My body ached. I despise vampires with a fierceness that no one quite understood but this one, their king made my soul ache to be held by him. When I felt him there behind me. I wanted to run to his arms and cry. I fight that urge even now.

"Now your arm." He stood then sat so very close to me on the bed, his every breath tickled my neck, my heart pounded against my chest and an unfamiliar heat pooled in my stomach.
I wasn't breathing and my body clenched and unclenched in the oddest places. He shifted closer, to get a better look at my arm I told myself, but deep down I knew he sensed what was happening to me and did it on purpose to torture me.
I hadn't even realized he had finished until he turned me to face him.

He cupped my cheek in his huge palm which I found surprisingly warm. He caressed my cheek before placing a band aid over the small scratch. His red eyes searched my own as he titled my head slightly. He leaned in slowly, a clear warning of what he was going to do. I did not pull away. I waited for his lips to claim mine. I needed it despite myself. I was desperate for it. I groaned as his tongue ran across my sealed lips; he coaxed me into opening my mouth. Though inwardly I scolded myself for succumbing to the enemy I did not stop his antics. I enjoyed them, relished the feeling of his warm tongue lashing at my own, floated on air when he pulled me closer so I could feel the heat radiating from his body. His beard should have bothered me, but its roughness enticed me, lit my soul a fire. He ended our kiss with soft presses and sips, stroking his thumb over my skin and finally kissing my forehead.

"Xi.?" I was so out of it I almost called his name, but I stopped myself just in time.
"You need to sleep more."
Apart of me wanted to demand another kiss, to berate him for treating me as though I were a mere child. Apart of me ached for more than just a kiss. But I held my tongue and fell back onto the bed, curled into a ball, and closed my eyes.

Xion pulled the sheets over me, pressing his lips to my cheek and whispering words that I swore held promise of more.