The Game

Chapter 2:
Challenges

Kalina walked slowly down one of the corridors of the palace she had been in for the past three days. It was all she could think of doing. Not once had she been allowed to see Dorian, nor had she been allowed to go outside. Her condition was too unstable was one explanation she had been given. Whether he meant physical or emotional, she wasn’t sure, but she was sure that it was bhit.hit.

Another reason was that her latest set of guardians refused to believe that she would become stronger if she could move around. She didn’t believe it herself, but she figured that the idea might be worth considering.

With every few steps, Kalina’s legs quivered, almost collapsing beneath her. She hissed painfully as she hit her foot on a raised stone, and looked down to see that the nail of her big toe had broke.

“Fucking marble shit,” she spat disgustedly.

“Didn’t I warn you about your tongue being so loose?” whispered a soft voice as Kalina felt a presence she missed so dearly. The black and blonde haired girl slowly turned, and sped as fast as she could to him, wrapping his arms around his chest.

“I thought you were going through-“

“The trials are over for the day, and I was allowed to roam the palace, as long as I remained away from the queen’s chambers. Never did I know the queen would do the same thing,” he joked lightly as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “But I have to agree with the doctors that I spoke with. You shouldn’t be up and about. It’s a wonder that you are as far along in the healing process as you are.”

Kalina smiled wearily as she leaned against him, her head coming to rest above his heart. “I’ve missed you,” she admitted softly as she felt herself being lulled to sleep by the sound of Dorian’s heartbeat, and the steady rhythm of his breathing. She felt his arms wrap around her, encompassing her in his warmth, filling her with a sense of safety that she had long been missing. “How much longer are these people expecting us to go without seeing each other? I need to see you; I don’t care what anyone says.”

“I know, Kalina, but they have their reasons. The same reasons which I used to believe in, if you recall,” he told her as he rested her chin on his head, lightly kissing the top of her head. “There are only four more tests which I must go through, and after that, everything will be determined.”

“I don’t want you to go through anymore tests. I don’t want you to have to go through the last test. I don’t want to go through with the last test. I can’t fight you, and I won’t fight you,” she stated adamantly as tears fell from her eyes.

“I’m afraid that we don’t have any choice in the matter,” he said quietly as he felt his shirt soak in the tears she cried. “Kalina, don’t worry. Everything will be fine, I swear to you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just so sick of all these damn rules, and I just want to go back to being a normal girl who has to fight every now and then.”

Dorian sighed softly as he gently stroked her hair. Never had he realized how much she meant to him. In each of the fights and tests that he had been through, all he had been able to think about was possibly losing her, the only person who he had ever allowed himself to care about. He made sure to take this time to memorize as much about her as he could, because he knew that at any moment he could fail, and that he would never be able to see her again.

“Dorian, do you think that when this is all over, you’ll be allowed to stay? I mean, I know that if you aren’t Drea’s king, and he is later found, it will be a decision between us, but-“

“I cannot tell you, for as you said, he will also play a part in the decision, but I honestly do not know,” he said dejectedly. He hated the look that entered her eyes at that moment. They were filled with dying hope, and a dimness overtook them, blotting out their normal light.

Kalina was sure that if Dorian weren’t her king, he would not be allowed to remain in her kingdom, as a punishment for both him and herself. She just had to make sure that in their fight, whenever it may be, he would win. That would be the only way, because she knew that according to legend, Drea had only been defeated by her king, as a sign that he was worthy.

“Dorian, can we just get out of here? For a little while anyways? Just go back to Malchik and forget about this?” she asked as she clutched to him, holding onto his shirt with her fists so tight that her knuckles whitened.

“If only we could,” he said. “But only-“

“I command you, as your queen. I realize how cheap that is, but I just need to get out of here,” she said as she looked up into his eyes.

He smiled softly before lowering his head, and pressing a feather-soft kiss to her lips. “As you wish, Kalina.”

Faintly tinted eyes regained some of their luster as she rested her head back on his chest. Moments later, Kalina felt a rush of energy pass over her, before seeing that they were now in her old bedroom in the apartment they had once shared.

“Why…” she started before Dorian’s lips lightly brushed over hers before.

A moment later, she heard him say, “It’s time to wake up, Queen Drea.”

“What?” she replied, her face taking on a look of confusion.

“It’s time to wake up, my queen,” she head another voice say as it escaped Dorian’s lips.

“No, I don’t want to,” she said as she clung to Dorian who was quickly fading away. As the world began to take on a whole new form, she whimpered pitifully, “Why? Why can’t I just be allowed to stay in my dreams?”

“Because you are just that unlucky, Lourince,” she heard Malcolm reply as she saw his face looming above her.

“Fu- Back off, Malcolm,” she snapped, being careful of anyone else in the room. She turned her head to the source of the first voice which ripped her from the world of dreams, “Why did you have to wake me up?”

“Because you have been asleep for four days, and it is not healthy to sleep so much,” Malcolm said.

“And just how do you justify those words, Mr. Slept-five-days-in-a-row, only getting up to go to the bathroom,” she retorted.

“Because you haven’t woken up, period,” the dark haired teen stated solemnly. “You haven’t moved since the day a traitor drugged you with almost enough sedative that would kill a normal person. The real doctor was found and by the time your body began to shut down. You almost died, Kali.”

Kalina felt fear race through her at his words, but instead of admitting to them in front og Malcolm and a stranger, she simply choked them back and said, “Wait, you mean that day that Dorian had been going through the tests, that doctor who was with me when I woke up was a traitor. Why?”

“Because there are those out there who were loyal to Verus, and wish to see you dead for killing him,” the doctor, a tall man with deep chocolate colored eyes stood beside the bed, with a clipboard in his hand.

“If that doctor was a traitor, then how do I know that you aren’t the same way?” Kalina questioned.

“Because I have lived in the castle all of my life. I was at one time to become a guardian, but my proficiency in medicine became more prominent as time went on, so I ended up becoming a doctor instead,” he replied. “My life was tied to the idea that one day I may be able to help save the queen in a different way than the guardianship.”

“That still doesn’t make much of a difference,” the blonde replied. “The guardians don’t have much of a reason to like me either since they are going to be disbanded once I am queen.”

“But I am not a guardian. I was supposed to become one. That doesn’t mean I wanted to be one. My father was a guardian, as was my older brother.”

“Vincent was your brother, wasn’t he?” Kalina questioned softly.

“No, he was my father. However, before you say anything, know that what little I know about him comes from what my mother has told me over the course of my life. He was away all day training new guardians, and I never saw him except on the most holy of days,” the doctor explained. “I felt nothing for him, not even respect.”

“Still, my apologies. He was just too much of a threat, and I did what I thought I had to do,” she said.

Malcolm placed a hand on her arm. “He knows, Kali. Don’t worry about it right now.”

“All right. Anyways, if you said that the amount of sedative the person who tried to kill me gave me was enough to kill a normal person, and I was really weak as it was, how am I still alive right now?” she questioned.

“Your body temperature was still high enough to burn away much of the sedative as well as the fact that you have not been a normal human for all of your life according to a blood test,” the doctor replied.

“What?!” she exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you not know? You are of Spirilite heritage. In fact, you are a hybrid of human Spirilite breeding,” he explained.

Kalina grabbed hold of the clipboard the doctor was writing on, and pulled it down to look into his eyes. “Hold it! Will you stop treating me like I am some sort screwed up science experiment? And are you serious? I’m only half human?”

“Actually, you are one-quarter human, three-quarters Spirilite. You are an amazement,” he told her.

“Look, Dr. Um… What is your ?”
?”

“Chad Marcus.”

“Look, Dr. Marcus, I am not an amazement. I am a teenager who has been forced into this lifet I t I don’t want. The only reason I am probably part Spirilite is because I have been fighting using Drea’s powers and my body forced itself to take on her attributes.”

“No actually, you have always been a Spirilite,” Dr. Marcus replied.

“And how do you figure?” she retorted.

“Your hair,” he stated simply. “It is black is it not?”

“But my eyes are purple if you haven’t noticed,” Kalina said. “That is almost-“

“Every one in three million Spirilites has a shade other than a variation of brown when concerning eye color. That and since you are part human, that most likely increased your chances,” he said.

“Great…” Kalina sighed. “Can I go see Dorian now?”

“Lourince, you know that you can’t do that. He is a prisoner of the state, and until final judgment is agreed upon, you will not be allowed to see him,” Malcolm stated.

“Bite me,” she replied as she sat up and tried to move off of the bed only to have a sudden wave of vertigo pass over her. “Whoa…”

“That would be the sedative still running through your system,” Dr. Marcus told her.

“Whatever…” she mumbled as she waited for the feeling to pass and rose to her feet.

“Lourince, maybe you should just rest a little while longer. Regain some of your strength…” Malcolm told her. “I mean at this rate, you are never going to get well.”

Kalina sighed softly. “Mal, you don’t understand… I need to see him. Please…” she pleaded. “What if you were told that you couldn’t be with the person who you gave your heart to?”

“I don’t know, Lourince, but I’m sor-“

“Then as your queen, I am commanding you to let me see him. First I was asking you as a friend, but since that doesn’t seem to be working, I am telling you to let me see him,” she told him as the room began to quake with the intensity of her anger. “Is that clear?!”

“All right, Lourince. Just calm down,” Malcolm said. “That and get some real clothes on… Don’t want you walking around in nothing more than a paper thin sheet.”

“Thank you,” she said as he helped her walk out of the room and lead her towards her quarters. He waited outside her door as a female servant, who had fussed over Kalina like a little child, was shooed out of the room by the teenage monarch. A few minutes later, Kalina walked out wearing a tight pair of black leather pants, and a baggy long-sleeved pale blue shirt with an intricate weaving pattern going around the neck. On her feet was a pair of no backed sandals.

“Ready?” Malcolm asked.

“Do you have to ask?” she replied in a tone that was both somber and playful. Her face looked as though she was trying to be serious, but her eyes once again held a joy that Malcolm had rarely seen in all the years he had known her.

“I guess not,” Malcolm replied as he led the way to the chamber in which Dorian was being held. He opened the door and smiled to Dorian before allowing Kalina to enter. Both gasped at the sight of each other.

“You can leave now, Malcolm,” she said quietly her eyes leaving Dorian’s face only for a moment as she allowed them to roam over his bare upper body. “I’ll let you know when I am ready to go.” The dark haired young man nodded and walked silently out of the room.

Kalina saw how Dorian’s face had developed a haunted look, his eyes reflecting the lack of sleep he was suffering from. His hair had grown to a shaggy length which hung partially in his eyes, but his face only bore a bit of stubble showing that he had been given the chance to shave. As her eyes traveled down his body, she saw a wound that trailed down the side of his lower torso to just above his waistline. His skin was paler than she could ever remember, but never had he looked so handsome.

Dorian was shocked by how different Kalina looked from when he last saw her. Her body was showing signs of the abuse she had gone through in both the fight and the lack of use over the past few days. She leaned heavily on the doorframe, as though her legs were barely strong enough to support her. The life which had always shined through her eyes had faded, but was once again growing bright.

Kalina slowly pushed herself away from the wall and walked over to him. He wrapped her in
his arms, resting his head on hers, feeling her warm breath on his skin as well as her arms around him.

“I’ve missed you so much…” she said softly. Her voice was scratchy as though it hadn’t been used much in the past few days. “I’ve needed you so much, Dorian. So much has gone wrong that I know wouldn’t have happened had you been there.”

“What are you talking about, Kalina?” he questioned as he felt tears fall from her eyes and trail down his chest.

The young woman felt the fear that she had been hiding rise to the surface and finally break through the mask she had been wearing for Malcolm and the doctor.

“I woke up a few days ago, and the person said that you told her to drug me whenever I was moving around. I ended up falling asleep and the next thing I know is Malcolm and another doctor waking me up and telling me that I had almost died…” she explained as she wept. “I thought that I was finally safe from those who followed Verus, but now I am just so scared because I don’t know who to trust anymore except for you, and I can’t even be with you unless I give a royal command. I just want things the way they used to be.”

She sobbed brokenly against his chest as he gently stroked her hair with one hand, the other holding her to him. He whispered softly into her ear soothing words that he could only hope would calm her.

When she had stopped crying, Dorian looked down at Kalina, whose head was resting just above his heart, and kissed the top of her head.

“I love you so much,” she whispered softly. “I can’t lose you. Not now… Not after I just found you again.”

Again? Dorian thought as he looked into Kalina’s eyes to see that the look in their depths had changed. Before he could say anything however, she pulled his head down and kissed his lips softly.

Dorian’s eyes widened as he felt Kalina’s lips upon his, her hands tangling themselves in his hair. A sudden sense of longing mixed with possessiveness filled him as he pulled her body closer. His tongue swept along her bottom lip, a silent plea for permission. She opened her lips, letting his tongue to delve into her mouth, exploring her, tasting her.

The young woman moaned as she feis lis lips depart from her own to kiss a trail along her neck and collarbone. Her head fell back allowing him greater access as he nipped and suckled upon the skin. She whimpered softly when his lips left her skin, but felt, a moment later, his hands slide along her skin, slowly pushing her shirt up over her head before throwing it aside. His hands slid along her body until they came to her chest, where they kneaded her breasts and lightly pinched the nipples which had been hardened by both the touch and the cold air around them.

Dorian heard a moan escape her throat as he kissed down her collarbone and chest to take one of the hardened buds into his mouth, sucking on it, running his tongue over the rosy flesh before repeating the action upon the other. Kalina’s eyes were closed as she relished in the feel of Dorian’s hands and mouth upon her skin. His erection pressed against her abdomen, and she felt it throb und underneath the denim material of his pants. All of the sensations were sending liquid fire through her to finally pool between her legs. He lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist a moment later. He could feel her heat and involuntarily ground his hips against her own.

Kalina bit her lip to fight back the cry which rose in her throat as his hands and lips worked their magic upon her skin. Slowly, almosrturrturously so, his lips trailed back up her chest and neck before once more being pressed against her own. His tongue once again entered the cavern that was her mouth, all the while her right hand gliding down his chest and abs, lingering momentarily at the wound before sliding down to his waistband and unfastening the button and zipper. Her hand slipped under the material of his underwear. Her fingers lightly stroked his member as her nails caused bolts of electricity to shoot through his body.

Dorian lightly grabbed her wrist, using what remaining control he had left to try and stop her. He red hed her hand before carefully unwrapping her legs from around his waist, and placing her once more on her feet. She looked at him with hurt eyes, silently asking, “Why?”

“We must stop… If we were- If anyone should find us, we could both-“

“I don’t care. I need you. I don’t care what anyone says, you are the one whom I want to be by my side. You are the one who I want to be with… You are the person I love. I don’t care what anyone says… Please…” she said as her free hand rested against his chest, just above his erratically beating heart. She looked up at him once more with the eyes of someone lost and pleaded softly, “I need you.”

Dorian looked into her eyes and felt his control fade away before he swept her off her feet and carried her to the small bed. His lips were on hers as he laid her out on the hard surface. Slowly, he kissed along her neck and collarbone, down the cleft between her breasts, and over her abdomen until he reached the waist band of the pants she was wearing. He slipped two of his fingers under the band and pulled down both the pants and her underwear as the pads of his remaining fingers trailed over her skin sending shivers racing through her.

Once her pants and underwear were removed, Dorian removed what clothing he was wearing, tossing it aside. Softly he kissed her ankle before leaving a trail of opened mouth kisses along right leg before going back down and repea the the actions on her left until he reached her welcoming heat. His tongue flicked out, allowing him to taste her. His tongue ran along her opening, eliciting moans from the young woman as her hands went down to tangle themselves in his hair. Kalina instinctively spread her legs wider, giving him better access to her. She felt his tongue plunge deeper, curling against her inner walls, sending waves of pleasure crashing over hend jnd just as she thought she was going to reach her peak, he moved over her, pressing his lips to hers.

Dorian smiled to himself at the sounds of her soft whimpers filling his ears. He knew she was close, but he wanted to relearn everything about her body. He wanted to hear her moans as he rocked against her, and her cries as he finally sent her over the edge.

Slowly he slid into her, relishing in the tightness of her around his member. He looked at her face as he rocked against her, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed as he felt his own release coming near. He kissed her passionately as she finally reached her peak, muffling her cries, as well as his own as the sensation of her inner walls clenching around him finally sent him over the edge. He carefully slid out of her before lying on his side next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her against him.

They lay that way for an hour before Dorian heard a soft knon hin his cell door.