Fate's Deceit
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Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
4
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1,440
Reviews:
3
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Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
4
Views:
1,440
Reviews:
3
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
chapter four
Fate’s Deceit
by Dark Seraph
A story set in the Realms of Temptation universe.
Summary: A wounded angel seeks to find the one who healed him, but is she willing to sacrifice the very gift that saved him for the price of her heart? M/F.
Disclaimer: All of the characters and storyline contained within are copyrighted by Dark Seraph.
A/N: Many thanks to everyone for reading my story, and especially to those who have reviewed. A bit more angst in this chapter, but things will heat up in the next one.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Chapter 4~
“Mmmm,” Calandra murmured sleepily, shifting closer to the hot muscular body that she was pressed against. Large white wings were wrapped around her slender frame, tenderly enfolding her in their protective embrace. Her splayed hand moved over Talian’s well-defined chest up to his shoulder as she held him tighter, her head resting over his heart.
A smile adorned Talian’s handsome face, his hand resting possessively at the small of her back as the fingers of his other hand gently threaded through her wealth of silky tresses. It felt so right, so soothing, holding the beautiful angel in his arms. He wished that he never had to let her go. He thought back to the night before, how frightened she must have been. Even in her time of anguish, her heart had still gone out to her attacker, demonstrating the utmost form of compassion to another.
Talian was just glad that he had arrived in time before any irreparable damage had been wrought upon her pure soul. The warrior angel suppressed the thought, his body tensing. He might have been driven to kill the demon with his bare hands if the demon had succeeded in violating her, throwing away the code of honor and justice that he strove to uphold and live by.
“Talian, what’s wrong?” Calandra asked softly, her big blue eyes opening and gazing at him worriedly.
Talian smiled disarmingly. She must have felt his body tense up when his internal thoughts of strife had been plaguing his mind. He relaxed slightly, although his hands never left her body. “Nothing. How are you feeling?” he asked gently.
“Better, now that I’m here with you,” she replied truthfully. She felt so safe with him. Her body was healing itself as well, the bruises fading and the cut on her face becoming less noticeable. “Thank you.”
“I’m just glad that you’re safe. I never want anything to happen to you, ever again. I intend to make sure of that.” His voice was laced with determination as his intense green eyes fixed on her, his hand coming to rest on hers.
“Thank you.” Calandra smiled faintly at the handsome warrior as she pulled away, biting her lower lip. She had no doubt that he would uphold his impassioned vow at the cost of his own life, if need be. However, she could not bear to lead him on only to have to inevitably break his heart in the end. The sun was high in the sky, and she had to get back before she was missed and the other angels began to worry about her.
She had always been able to keep her distance before from those who she had healed, but for some reason, she could not get Talian out of her thoughts, or her heart. “I must go now,” she whispered reluctantly. She stood and looked to the sky, the feathers of her wings sparkling like diamonds where the sunbeams kissed them.
Talian’s arms came around her and he held her to him, his chest pressing against her back, his voice commanding. “I can’t let you go, Calandra. Why do you run from what we could have together?”
“You don’t understand. It’s not that easy. We cannot be together. My fate is not the only one that matters.” Tears filled her eyes at her confession.
Her cryptic answer did not deter Talian. “Your fate is the only one that matters to me,” he replied heatedly. “I don’t want to lose you now that I’ve finally found you.” He spun her around to face him, crushing his lips to hers. The kiss was desperate, hungry, passionate, pouring all of his unbridled frustration as well as the undercurrents of his heart’s longing into it.
Calandra gasped at its intensity, her lips inadvertently parting beneath his as his arms came around her waist, holding her against him.
Talian continued to kiss her, his tongue creating a fiery, erotic rhythm as it plunged into the heated depths of her mouth. He poured his very heart and soul into the kiss, claiming her mouth with an incongruent combination of possessiveness and tenderness that both thrilled and saddened her.
A single tear trickled down her cheek at experiencing a kiss so thoroughly soul-searching and complete, knowing that it would be the last one that she would ever receive from him. Calandra’s arms came up to rest on Talian’s broad shoulders to steady herself, before she gripped him and then firmly pushed him away, breaking the kiss.
“No; don’t make this harder than it is for me. I have not deceived you. I made it clear from the beginning that nothing could come of seeing you again. I am eternally grateful to you for saving me, but you cannot keep tempting me. I’m only so strong.” Calandra bit her trembling lower lip, lowering her long lashes over her eyes. She knew that every time he kissed her, her defenses were weakening, and her resolve was rapidly waning. The handsome angel was everything she had secretly longed for personified in the body of a noble warrior. However, she had never allowed herself to hope for a life shared with anyone before, and she was deathly afraid of losing her identity among her people. Where would she find a place among them if her gift of healing diminished? It was not worth the risk. In time, Talian would find another and therein discover his own happiness. She would not stand in the way. She would find a way to silence her heart. The pain would fade, but the scars would remain. Just like the memory of him.
“I don’t understand.” Talian gently placed his hand underneath her chin, tilting her face up so that he could look into the depths of her endless blue eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
At being assailed with the intensity of his captivating emerald eyes, her lower lip trembled, but she remained steadfastly silent, willing herself not to look away.
The warrior angel leaned down, his lips a hairsbreadth away from hers, as he kept the full force of his gaze focused upon her. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t feel it, too. Every time I’m near you, every time I kiss you, I feel something that I have never felt with anyone before, for anyone before. To deny it would be to deny the feelings in my heart. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ll be with you every step of the way. We can make this work. You just have to trust me.” Like I trust you.
The words hung unspoken between them, but Calandra could feel the faint tinge of pain that his confession had cost him. If it was only that easy. No matter what, someone would end up hurt, suffering. It was a double-edged sword. Indulge herself in the fantasy before having to give it up entirely, or live with never knowing what it meant to be truly loved. Could she afford to tempt fate? Would she be strong enough to give him up before she took this pretense too far? Would she even want to? The unknown answers swirled just out of her reach. His thumb came up to gently brush away a tear that had fallen unnoticed in her bout of indecision. She closed her eyes, a well of tears threatening to spill over as she knew that her next choice of words would seal both of their fates. “Talian…” she began.
“Calandra!” A familiar voice caused her eyes to fly open in alarm tinged with guilt. Her mentor was slowly making her way down the path toward them, a mixture of relief and outrage warring in her gray eyes. As she approached the pair, she took in the tattered cloak that hung loosely on the angel’s slender frame, the fading bruises that surrounded her wrists, and the faint smudges of dirt that adorned her tearstained cheeks. The angel standing beside her had similar bruises on his body, as if from a recent struggle with an enemy.
“Calandra, what has happened to you? Who has done this?” Her gaze came to rest on Talian, her concerned features turning to dismay at recognizing the handsome warrior angel. This would make her next words all the more difficult to say.
She faced her charge. “Please, come with me. Let’s get you home and taken care of. We will be in need of you in a few hours. Another battle has broken out, and we are expecting many wounded. You must get some rest so that you will not wear yourself out when you are called upon to help heal them.”
She turned reprimandingly to Talian, frowning at the protective way that he held the healer angel to him, the look of reverence that his eyes shone with when he looked at her. “I have told you not to pursue her further, warrior. Her duty to you is done. She is needed elsewhere. She cannot afford to expend unnecessary energy traipsing about in the woods unprotected, or be distracted with thoughts of you. She has healed you. Please leave it at that, and do not ask of her what she cannot give.”
Talian turned to look at her, his deep green eyes meeting her gray ones. “I don’t understand any of this.” He left no room for anything but the truth as he refused to relinquish his hold upon the fair beauty, pinning the older angel in place with his gaze.
Just then, a cry for help rang out in the silent forest. The superior healer pursed her lips and looked directly at Calandra. “Say your goodbyes. We have a long night ahead of us. The soldiers have arrived earlier than anticipated.” She turned around and made her way slowly up the path, stopping just around the bend to give them some privacy.
“I-I must go,” Calandra murmured, lowering her eyes in resignation.
Talian held her hand in his strong one, not willing to let her go just yet. “Tonight,” he whispered, flames of green fire dancing in his eyes.
Her head snapped up abruptly and she looked at him questioningly. She could not help but notice the compelling, husky tone that had entered his voice. Her gaze darted nervously to where her mentor waited, but she could not leave just yet. “What?” she asked, intrigued and confused considering the circumstances under which she was departing.
“Tonight, I will come for you. Be waiting.” Before she could question him further, Talian let her go, the warmth of his hand leaving hers as he spread his majestic white wings to their fullest. Calandra turned and hurried down the path after her superior. At the bend in the road, she turned and looked back wistfully, her heart pounding against her chest as his mesmerizing emerald eyes met hers with a look of erotic promise so powerful, it took her breath away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~TBC~
by Dark Seraph
A story set in the Realms of Temptation universe.
Summary: A wounded angel seeks to find the one who healed him, but is she willing to sacrifice the very gift that saved him for the price of her heart? M/F.
Disclaimer: All of the characters and storyline contained within are copyrighted by Dark Seraph.
A/N: Many thanks to everyone for reading my story, and especially to those who have reviewed. A bit more angst in this chapter, but things will heat up in the next one.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~Chapter 4~
“Mmmm,” Calandra murmured sleepily, shifting closer to the hot muscular body that she was pressed against. Large white wings were wrapped around her slender frame, tenderly enfolding her in their protective embrace. Her splayed hand moved over Talian’s well-defined chest up to his shoulder as she held him tighter, her head resting over his heart.
A smile adorned Talian’s handsome face, his hand resting possessively at the small of her back as the fingers of his other hand gently threaded through her wealth of silky tresses. It felt so right, so soothing, holding the beautiful angel in his arms. He wished that he never had to let her go. He thought back to the night before, how frightened she must have been. Even in her time of anguish, her heart had still gone out to her attacker, demonstrating the utmost form of compassion to another.
Talian was just glad that he had arrived in time before any irreparable damage had been wrought upon her pure soul. The warrior angel suppressed the thought, his body tensing. He might have been driven to kill the demon with his bare hands if the demon had succeeded in violating her, throwing away the code of honor and justice that he strove to uphold and live by.
“Talian, what’s wrong?” Calandra asked softly, her big blue eyes opening and gazing at him worriedly.
Talian smiled disarmingly. She must have felt his body tense up when his internal thoughts of strife had been plaguing his mind. He relaxed slightly, although his hands never left her body. “Nothing. How are you feeling?” he asked gently.
“Better, now that I’m here with you,” she replied truthfully. She felt so safe with him. Her body was healing itself as well, the bruises fading and the cut on her face becoming less noticeable. “Thank you.”
“I’m just glad that you’re safe. I never want anything to happen to you, ever again. I intend to make sure of that.” His voice was laced with determination as his intense green eyes fixed on her, his hand coming to rest on hers.
“Thank you.” Calandra smiled faintly at the handsome warrior as she pulled away, biting her lower lip. She had no doubt that he would uphold his impassioned vow at the cost of his own life, if need be. However, she could not bear to lead him on only to have to inevitably break his heart in the end. The sun was high in the sky, and she had to get back before she was missed and the other angels began to worry about her.
She had always been able to keep her distance before from those who she had healed, but for some reason, she could not get Talian out of her thoughts, or her heart. “I must go now,” she whispered reluctantly. She stood and looked to the sky, the feathers of her wings sparkling like diamonds where the sunbeams kissed them.
Talian’s arms came around her and he held her to him, his chest pressing against her back, his voice commanding. “I can’t let you go, Calandra. Why do you run from what we could have together?”
“You don’t understand. It’s not that easy. We cannot be together. My fate is not the only one that matters.” Tears filled her eyes at her confession.
Her cryptic answer did not deter Talian. “Your fate is the only one that matters to me,” he replied heatedly. “I don’t want to lose you now that I’ve finally found you.” He spun her around to face him, crushing his lips to hers. The kiss was desperate, hungry, passionate, pouring all of his unbridled frustration as well as the undercurrents of his heart’s longing into it.
Calandra gasped at its intensity, her lips inadvertently parting beneath his as his arms came around her waist, holding her against him.
Talian continued to kiss her, his tongue creating a fiery, erotic rhythm as it plunged into the heated depths of her mouth. He poured his very heart and soul into the kiss, claiming her mouth with an incongruent combination of possessiveness and tenderness that both thrilled and saddened her.
A single tear trickled down her cheek at experiencing a kiss so thoroughly soul-searching and complete, knowing that it would be the last one that she would ever receive from him. Calandra’s arms came up to rest on Talian’s broad shoulders to steady herself, before she gripped him and then firmly pushed him away, breaking the kiss.
“No; don’t make this harder than it is for me. I have not deceived you. I made it clear from the beginning that nothing could come of seeing you again. I am eternally grateful to you for saving me, but you cannot keep tempting me. I’m only so strong.” Calandra bit her trembling lower lip, lowering her long lashes over her eyes. She knew that every time he kissed her, her defenses were weakening, and her resolve was rapidly waning. The handsome angel was everything she had secretly longed for personified in the body of a noble warrior. However, she had never allowed herself to hope for a life shared with anyone before, and she was deathly afraid of losing her identity among her people. Where would she find a place among them if her gift of healing diminished? It was not worth the risk. In time, Talian would find another and therein discover his own happiness. She would not stand in the way. She would find a way to silence her heart. The pain would fade, but the scars would remain. Just like the memory of him.
“I don’t understand.” Talian gently placed his hand underneath her chin, tilting her face up so that he could look into the depths of her endless blue eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
At being assailed with the intensity of his captivating emerald eyes, her lower lip trembled, but she remained steadfastly silent, willing herself not to look away.
The warrior angel leaned down, his lips a hairsbreadth away from hers, as he kept the full force of his gaze focused upon her. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t feel it, too. Every time I’m near you, every time I kiss you, I feel something that I have never felt with anyone before, for anyone before. To deny it would be to deny the feelings in my heart. You don’t have to be afraid. I’ll be with you every step of the way. We can make this work. You just have to trust me.” Like I trust you.
The words hung unspoken between them, but Calandra could feel the faint tinge of pain that his confession had cost him. If it was only that easy. No matter what, someone would end up hurt, suffering. It was a double-edged sword. Indulge herself in the fantasy before having to give it up entirely, or live with never knowing what it meant to be truly loved. Could she afford to tempt fate? Would she be strong enough to give him up before she took this pretense too far? Would she even want to? The unknown answers swirled just out of her reach. His thumb came up to gently brush away a tear that had fallen unnoticed in her bout of indecision. She closed her eyes, a well of tears threatening to spill over as she knew that her next choice of words would seal both of their fates. “Talian…” she began.
“Calandra!” A familiar voice caused her eyes to fly open in alarm tinged with guilt. Her mentor was slowly making her way down the path toward them, a mixture of relief and outrage warring in her gray eyes. As she approached the pair, she took in the tattered cloak that hung loosely on the angel’s slender frame, the fading bruises that surrounded her wrists, and the faint smudges of dirt that adorned her tearstained cheeks. The angel standing beside her had similar bruises on his body, as if from a recent struggle with an enemy.
“Calandra, what has happened to you? Who has done this?” Her gaze came to rest on Talian, her concerned features turning to dismay at recognizing the handsome warrior angel. This would make her next words all the more difficult to say.
She faced her charge. “Please, come with me. Let’s get you home and taken care of. We will be in need of you in a few hours. Another battle has broken out, and we are expecting many wounded. You must get some rest so that you will not wear yourself out when you are called upon to help heal them.”
She turned reprimandingly to Talian, frowning at the protective way that he held the healer angel to him, the look of reverence that his eyes shone with when he looked at her. “I have told you not to pursue her further, warrior. Her duty to you is done. She is needed elsewhere. She cannot afford to expend unnecessary energy traipsing about in the woods unprotected, or be distracted with thoughts of you. She has healed you. Please leave it at that, and do not ask of her what she cannot give.”
Talian turned to look at her, his deep green eyes meeting her gray ones. “I don’t understand any of this.” He left no room for anything but the truth as he refused to relinquish his hold upon the fair beauty, pinning the older angel in place with his gaze.
Just then, a cry for help rang out in the silent forest. The superior healer pursed her lips and looked directly at Calandra. “Say your goodbyes. We have a long night ahead of us. The soldiers have arrived earlier than anticipated.” She turned around and made her way slowly up the path, stopping just around the bend to give them some privacy.
“I-I must go,” Calandra murmured, lowering her eyes in resignation.
Talian held her hand in his strong one, not willing to let her go just yet. “Tonight,” he whispered, flames of green fire dancing in his eyes.
Her head snapped up abruptly and she looked at him questioningly. She could not help but notice the compelling, husky tone that had entered his voice. Her gaze darted nervously to where her mentor waited, but she could not leave just yet. “What?” she asked, intrigued and confused considering the circumstances under which she was departing.
“Tonight, I will come for you. Be waiting.” Before she could question him further, Talian let her go, the warmth of his hand leaving hers as he spread his majestic white wings to their fullest. Calandra turned and hurried down the path after her superior. At the bend in the road, she turned and looked back wistfully, her heart pounding against her chest as his mesmerizing emerald eyes met hers with a look of erotic promise so powerful, it took her breath away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~TBC~