Chapter Nine - EJ's POV
Most of my family had dispersed to somewhere else in the house, herded off to start planning by my father. Mei went with them, knowing that I wanted to have some alone time with Ciel. She was obviously worried, but I couldn't uncover the reason - like she was hiding something from me. I wasn't too nervous; whatever the problem was, she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long.
I gestured for Ciel to follow me, and we went out the front door towards the direction of the cabin. It was quiet as we meandered at human pace, and the moon was already shining. The silver light turned the world into a different shade of color, and somehow I was tempted to lead her off the path and to my special place.
Speeding up, we ran past my home and towards the cliffs. Once there, a sharp push moved a boulder aside to reveal a narrow pass winding through the mountain upwards. Without speaking a word, I took Ciel's hand and pulled her in, closing the entrance behind us. We walked for a couple of minutes before the gentle roar of water pounding overhead began to sound.
"What is this?" she asked hesitantly, cautiously climbing over the debris and rubble that crowded the passage way.
I tugged her further until we reached the cave. "It's my place."
Her quickly indrawn breath made me grin. The large chamber was shaped like a sphere, one half filled with bioluminescent water. Bluish green waves lapped the rocky shore where we were standing, and the light made all the colors take on an aquamarine hue. Finally letting go of her hand, I walked to a weathered rock that acted as a sort of naturally formed chair.
Ciel remained where she stood, fidgeting slightly as I sat down and trained my gaze on her. The water's incandescence made her irises swirls of blue and green and violet. Those unearthly eyes met mine, wide with apprehension. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Do you know how I found this place?" I asked her instead of answering her question.
Her lips tightened in annoyance for a moment until sheepishness replaced irritation. Looking away out across the water, she quietly said, "Yes, I know."
Stretching out further, I looked up at the crystalline stalactites and replied, "Then you know my life hasn't always been easy. And though I've never had to experience the misfortune that you went through, I have known what it's like to feel that you're all alone."
The musical lilt diminished as her tone grew hard. "You can't know what it feels like to lose your entire family."
"And I hope I never have to." Ciel flinched as I rose to my feet. Walking towards her, I continued in a soft tone, "You understand everything about me, about dhampyres. So you must know how I feel - and why I feel this way."
"I do."
I paused, momentarily startled. "So tell me."
"I won't."
My teeth ground together as I continued to stalk towards her. She stood her ground, but her gaze slid to the rock beneath her feet. "Why won't you? I need to understand it."
"No, you don't," Ciel said harshly, shaking slightly as I came to a stop directly in front of her. "It's better if you just move on. I know you have other girls pining after you."
I moved my hands so that they gently settled on her waist, whispering, "But I can't forget. And there aren't any other girls."
She tossed back her hair and met my eyes, lips pursed. "Oh, really? And what about Reelie?"
"What about her?" I asked with a grin, slowly sliding one palm up her back.
Shuddering slightly, Ciel put her hands on my chest and tried to push me away, but I wouldn't budge. "She's nice, gorgeous, and most of all, safe. She doesn't carry the danger that I do - plus, she is very much attracted to you. And I know you were also in admiration of her, petite feuille."
I scoffed, running my other hand up her side to cup her cheek, marvelling at the smoothness of her warm skin. It got warmer as I drew my fingers down, and I smiled at her and replied, "That nickname's kinda growing on me."
Ciel frowned, but it was fear that made her bottom lip tremble as one thumb softly stroked it. "I don't want this, EJ. I don't care about being dwamnien or being in rayen or being with you!"
"What are you talking about? 'Dwamnien'? 'Rayen'? Those don't sound like French words."
"They're not French and they're not the point!" Ciel shouted in frustration, shoving me hard enough to propel herself from my grasp. Caught off guard, she stumbled closer to the ledge of the pool before regaining her balance. Baring her teeth at me, she hissed, "Just stay away from me. You don't understand anything about the Volturi or about me."
I crept closer, ignoring the low warning growl she gave. "So help me to understand. You already know all there is to know about me and my history; let me know yours."
"You are such an idiot!" Ciel turned away from me to stare into the water, and I leaned over her shoulder to peer at our reflection. The ripples did not disguise how her rigidness softened as I wrapped an arm around her waist. "You don't know anything about me except what the Volturi did to my family. Have you even considered the fact that this whole time I've been saying that I'm the dangerous one? Have you even considered the fact that I never told you why I came to Forks?"
My grip tightened as I put my other arm around her as well. "I have, and I've come to the conclusion that you'll tell me when you're ready."
Her eyes closed as she finally gave in. "I don't know how to convince you to stay away," she murmured, voice tinged with despair as she laced her right hand with one of mine. "I don't know what to do to keep you safe."
Burrowing my nose into her thick black curls, I inhaled the sweet aroma of grass right after it rained. "You don't have to keep me safe," I told her. "Just keep me."
"EJ," she groaned, breathing heavier as my lips trailed from her hair to her neck. "You can't be with me."
"I can, and I will," I muttered while rubbing my lips along her heated flesh, coaxing Ciel to lean back further. "You can't deny that you want this, too."
"I do want this," she admitted softly, and titled her head so that our eyes could meet. Hers were hypnotic, sucking me into the whirlpool of thundering emotions I'd never felt until that moment in the forest. "But - "
"That was all I needed to hear." Before she could protest, my lips were on hers, and the sparks sizzling between us burst into flame. The desire swamped me as before, but this time I was prepared; my shield remained up to keep Mei from the experience, and I retained a somewhat faulty control. But all my focus was on Ciel: tangling my hands into her wavy raven mane, tasting the savory nectar of her soft full lips, tilting forward to press her warm lush body against mine -
Suddenly, the world was tilting, and I felt the cold shock of water against my skin. Opening my eyes in surprise, I realized my eagerness had pushed us over the edge of the pool, and now we were sinking into the depths of the water. Ciel's expression showed awe as she looked around us, and I noticed that the luminescence changed the underwater world into a mystical and awesome place.
With my enhanced vision I could see the tiny creatures that created this marvel swimming about, undisturbed by our abrupt entrance. I turned to look at the girl by my side, and those bewitching eyes were already on me, wide and trusting and just a little afraid.
So I took her hand and pulled Ciel in to kiss her once more while we floated, suspended in the light.
* * *
I reclined on my rock chair with Ciel nestled in between my legs, her back cushioned by my chest as she stretched. Kissing her cheek, I pulled her closer to me and kept fiddling with the damp ends of her hair. She batted my hand away and complained, "Don't mess with my hair; you'll make it worse than it already is."
Frowning, I began to use my free fingers, and caught hers when she tried to interrupt me again. "Why not? I like playing with it."
With a brush of her lips Ciel removed my pout. "It gets all frizzy when wet, and the time it takes to work all the knots out is lengthy and brutal."
"If you let me comb through it now, then it won't have a chance to get tangled," I argued persuasively, tugging my hands out of her hold and running them through the water-slick curls. "See? How does that feel?"
"Just like how my mom used to do it." When I paused in my movements, she whispered, "Keep going." And so I did.
"Will you tell me about her?" I asked softly, and she let loose a short laugh.
"I already did."
I nuzzled her shoulder and replied, "Not about how she died, but how she lived."
Ciel stiffened, but the combing seemed to relax her. She sighed before saying, "Her name was Marie Bonnet DesRosiers LeBeau Belaire. Marie Bonnet was her first name, roughly meaning beloved and good, which suited her perfectly. Mère was warm to all she met, the first to offer her help to another. She hadn't had a good childhood, and grew up working all her life to banish the bleak memories, which lead to her gift forming and her middle name, DesRosiers - 'of the rose bushes' - fitting her well. LeBeau was her maiden name, and Belaire was obviously my father's surname."
"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman, no doubt," I said softly, and she squeezed my free hand tightly. "What's your full name?"
"Ciel Céleste Belaire." Grinning up at me, she added, "Not as long, but also not as beautiful."
"I doubt that." Leaning down, I held my lips scant inches away from hers. "Your name loosely means 'heavenly', right?"
"Yes," she breathed, filling my nostrils with the scent of flowers.
I cupped her face in my palms, pulling back slightly to better study Ciel. Her skin was flushed, a smooth copper shade that was radiant in the partial gloom. Dusky rose lips were parted slightly, showing a tiny peek of straight white teeth. Her nose was arched but small enough so that it didn't draw attention, but I kissed it anyway. But the most glorious feature were her eyes, big and wide and slightly tilted, and the color so resplendent that they rivaled the fairest sapphires.
My fingers tangled in her hair, the dark strands curling around my fingers, and my voice was rough with emotion when I said, "You are more than beautiful. You embody your name - you are heavenly, dark, enchanting, hypnotizing - mon ange." (Trans: my angel)
"A nickname for me, as well?" Ciel smiled, and my heart nearly stopped at its brilliance. Arms encircled my waist as she twisted so that we were fully facing each other. "It's lovely and beautiful and will you just kiss me already."
"Of course," I said slyly, touching my lips to her cheek, her forehead, her neck. I could hear her pulse beating harder as I lingered on the length of her collarbone, working my way back up to her chin but bypassing her lips once more.
"That's, not what, I meant," she managed to say in between gasps.
"Oh really?" I failed at keeping the amusement out of my voice, and so Ciel dug her long nails into my sides. "Ouch, ouch, I got it!"
She grinned in triumph, and so I retaliated by sharply nipping her bottom lip. Reeling back, she glowered at me and cried, "You jerk!"
I tried to pull her back, but she resisted. "Aw, come on, mon ange..."
"That nickname won't work," Ciel sniffed, but I was still able to draw her back so that I could lightly kiss her mouth.
"I'm sorry," I said against her lips, winding my fingers tighter into her hair and tilting her head so that I could deepen our kiss. "Forgive me?"
"Toujours et toujours," she answered as I traced my tongue along the seam of her lips. "Forever and always."
My thoughts turned hazy as we melted together, desire swamping my entire mind as we twisted our tongues around each other. Her taste never failed to undo me, warm and sweet and lovely. Her body draped across me as I trailed one palm along her spine, marking her as mine. Ciel shuddered in my grasp, murmuring random endearments in French as our kisses got hotter. Her hands shifted, roaming under my shirt to trace patterns on my torso. I raised my arms instinctively, and our mouths unlocked long enough for her pull off both layers so that I was naked from the waist up.
Kissing me harder, she ran her hands along my sides before delving her long fingers into my hair, pressing closer so that her body was flush against mine. Ciel's still slightly damp T-shirt cooled my overheated body, and I finally had to push her back so that I could regain my breath. Undaunted, she kissed her way down my chest, teeth scraping and tongue flickering. Her nails drew a hiss from me as she dragged them down my back, and I felt the lips against my navel stretch in a smile.
"Wench," I groaned, tugging her head back up.
Her eyes met mine, darkened to a stark violet shade and drawing the air from my lungs better than her lips did. Mischief and warmth shone in the violaceous depths as she smirked in reply. "Now you can truly be forgiven."
"I'm starting to rethink that nickname," I mused aloud.
Ciel merely laughed and kissed me again and again and again.
~~~~~
Soo, here it finally is! Tell me what you guys think of EJ and Ciel - cute couple or destined for doom? It also seems like Ciel is still hiding some important details - should EJ be more concerned like his sister? And there's still Reelie to be considered...what will happen when she discovers Sunset's newest couple?
Tell me your thoughts - love the comments that I get, so don't be shy and speak up! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and the next will be out as soon as I can manage. (:)