In Lost Dreams the Four Were Bound

28 - Davnian - Slipping Into Insight

Lying on his back, Davnian felt Neris nuzzling his chest, the cold air of the outdoors teasing his exposed skin. His body ached in every way possible, his mind reeling from exhaustion and endorphins pumping through every cell of his being. Neris had finished what she started, but in several of their many struggles, he had been unable to resist the temptation to exert control. He enjoyed being doted on, but seizing was just as pleasant as being forced.

[I love you, Neris.] The simple words played in his head as Neris fell asleep in his arms. Despite not hearing them, she acknowledged him as she curled about his beleaguered body. It seemed right to match her sentiment, to give her that little bit back.

[Not feeling much, are you?] Gravel shifted in his mind as the other awoke from its long slumber.

[I feel great, but thanks for asking.]

[That's not what I meant, young one.]

The fire-breather in his mind struck a nerve, though it did little more than humor him. The thing was right, Davnian couldn't articulate what he felt for the sleeping woman. He enjoyed her company, he enjoyed her body, and he enjoyed the way she flirted and schemed. The rest was somewhat trivial, though the way she had become so hesitant and sentimental was almost overwhelming. The emotions just added to the haze that surrounded him, as if that was the only thing that clung to his mind.

[At least the air is clearer up here,] he replied.

Davnian had not mentioned the strange aura and mist that clung invisibly to the trunk of the great tree, nor had he wanted to sour the mood any further than it had been. At the start of their climb, he had been shaken by it, the fetid air chipping away at his energy. He wondered if it had the same effect on Neris and the other inhabitants of the giant tree. Or perhaps he was being singled out. He felt residual traces, the eerie ether glowing and fuming in small clouds that bubbled in and out of existence near the room's doorframe.

[Perhaps it's your very presence that's triggered its appearance.]

[Doubtful,] Davnian replied, thinking about the shade that had gripped the little girl in the infirmary earlier. [Or maybe it's more like the shadow stuff from that dream—no, memory—of Ohran.]

[Another possibility. Let's hope it's not the latter, or the mess is a coincidence in nature.]

[Perhaps,] Davnian replied, running his demon hand through Neris's long black hair.

Though his human hand felt more natural, his claw was just as sensitive, if not more so. He caressed the sleeping Delvori woman, and through the limb, he felt deep inside her. It was as if their feelings and beings connected on and off. Spikes of thought and emotion joined in spurts, sending waves of pleasure and sentiment through him. It had become something of a gimmick as they ravished each other. He caught glimpses of how he felt inside her nad the pumping of her blood through his skull. He experienced the intensity as she climaxed dancing like an electric current across his every nerve. Reality seemed to exist in a static haze, the fields of their two beings distinct yet overlapping as they pushed each other again and again.

[I see you're recovering some of your capabilities,] the other said, his stone-cold voice echoing throughout the recesses of Davnian's mind.

[My lovemaking skills still leave much to be desired, I'm afraid,] Davnian joked.

[If you're resilient enough to be mocking, then maybe you're in a stern enough mood to try your hand at something. Who knows? It may even be worth the trouble.]

[I'll be honest; I was wondering if the feelings flowed both ways.]

[Remind me to interrupt you incessantly the next time you're plowing some tart who catches your eye.] Smoke and coals burned in Davnian's mind alongside the words. [Let me be clear: what I propose has its risks.]