Closed Steam Makes All the Difference (Chemar)

[Kovac]

"Now it's your turn. No games. No dodging. Why have you really taken me away from my home. Start now, tell me the truth, you can do it. Is it just sex, I would think that there would be a line of willing participants, with better survival skills. This is where the unraveling begins, so surprise me, be yourself, because I will know if you're not."

It had taken nearly the entire day for Chemar to give voice to her true question. The dreamwalker was a challenging woman, taking the liberty of the intimacy they shared both in the physical and the dreamworld to press into personal things. Kovac had long ago shed the fear and intimidation that Chemar once inspired, having come to terms with the fact that she essentially stared into his soul. The hunter had learned that there were shared affections, ties, between them, and that she could be vulnerable as well. What made the Avora marvel was why the dreamwalker chose to befriend him in spite of what she saw, and what she knew.

Kovac was glad, in fact, for the candor she requested, because it revealed as much about her as his answer would about him. Chemar no longer ridiculed him for his promiscuity only in his dreams, but openly taunted him now regarding his presumed cadre of potential sexual partners. It was a rub that he himself could not deny her. Of any woman that he may find himself with, and there were fewer than she imagined, Chemar's relationship was already deeper and more complex. He knew it, and so did she. And that lead to the answer to her question.

His reply was interrupted by Tisserand's sudden stop. His own heart seemed to palpitate harder, and he perceived it was Chemar who's heart triggered the shared sensation. At first Kovac thought she was fatigued. Descending the stair was hard on the legs of one unused to the constant stepping, though she had not been panting or appeared out of breath.

Kovac moved to her side, a hand resting lightly on Chemar's shoulder. "Are you alright? We can stop, take a break if you need, we are in no hurry." Though she tried to negate his concern with some humor, her smile was without mirth, and distress tainted her pretty face.

It was a bad idea. She was right, he had no right to drag her out there. The Unforgiving was just that. It was a dangerous place, even for someone trained like Kovac. His pride and selfishness lead him to lure her out her, to have her alone to himself in a place she would have no choice by to rely upon him. Not even halfway down the road and Chemar was suffering.

The petite girl showed resolution, urging Kovac on himself as she insisted he answer her question. Truly concerned now for Chemar's well being, the Avora did as she asked, and spoke with honesty.

"There is more than one reason, I suppose." He stated with a slight shrug, all tinge of guile or sarcasm gone. "It has nothing to do with simply wanting to have sex with someone in the woods. I admit, I want to have sex with you in the woods." He released a small laugh. " I want to be alone with you, to finish what we started last night. I know that could have happened anywhere in Wind Reach really. But there was more to it. " Kovac glanced over at Chemar, to gauge her condition. She was not herself, and it compelled the Avora to speak with sincerity. "You are under my skin Chemar. You tease me about rabbits. You are not a rabbit to me, but I need to find out what you are. I don't have to tell you how I am... you know. I just wanted to get away from all the distraction, to find out who you really are, and what we are."

There it was. It was both relieving and distressing to say it, what he really felt. Vulnerability was not something Kovac cherished, but Chemar seemed to create it within him. It made it easier, in a twisted way though, that Chemar was suffering her own physical vulnerability at the moment. Looking down, Kovac caught a glimpse of the roof of the shelter that marked their halfway point. Once they crossed the road again, they would take it to the covered landing, large enough to hold three wagons. There would be plenty of room there for the night. Then Kovac would determine whether they continued on. His pride had brought her out here, was she ready for what really lay ahead?

[Chemar Tisserand]

In a life that depended on taking note of the moods and reactions of the people around her, Chemar had found her challenge; her senses had been deadened by her current state but she was doing her best to get through it. Kovac had made it a little easier by choosing that moment to answer her question. Listening to the sound of his voice has become soothing to her, the only thing she really knew in this unfamiliar place. The voice was known to her, but the words, rather the content of his message was as foreign as if he had spoken in another tongue.

Chemar found herself spending more time looking at her companion than at the unknown route before her. She was taken aback by his candor, but she was so disrupted by other forces, he would not know. He addressed their intimacy, as she knew he would, at least that much was certain between the two of them. A familiar chill traveled up her spine to manifest as a sly smile. It was what followed that really sent her into even more turmoil.

By his actions he had forced her to excise whatever it was that they'd started from her mind and heart. She had all but eliminated the memory of him before his return. There were remnants only because she lacked a great enough gift from Nysel to change the memories she held, and now this halfblood sought to explore that which she had tried so hard to kill.

You are under my skin Chemar.

Once again he called her by that name and she found herself growing to like how it sounded coming from him, especially when it was wrapped up in his vulnerability. It offered her some sense that they stood on equal footing, finally, but in the moment he needed to be the stronger of the two of them, as she began to see what was happening to her. That, and she could not greet his honest offering with a slap of sarcasm or cynicism.

"I see." She did her best not to offer any weakness in her voice, not raising it above her typically subdued tone. "Thank you for not dragging me to this place without really accompanying me." Whether she meant her words literally, or in the matter of her unknown heart, she did not distinguish. On the tail of her spoken word, her pace slowed and she leaned toward him, placing the softest, most tender kiss upon his lips, and allowing it to linger until their mouths were warmed by one another. Then she moved off, but remained close, with her hand resting on his shoulder. "Your effort has not gone unnoticed. I hope all your questions are answered." She kept the teasing torment out of her response this one time, feeling the need to be revealed . "Tell me what happens if you find yourself more wrapped up in this than you wish to be? Do you run again? I hope you are not looking for answers that you don't want to find." She paused, looking into his green eyes. "Do take care, I will be honest with you and say...I will not abide the same result as last time." The words were not meant to deter, but as he had done, she felt spurred on to be equally honest. That said, she moved on.

"So, this is our romantic get away?" The dreamwalker smirked a bit as she looked at the shelter even as a slight pallor had begun to settle on already pale cheeks. "You'd better be really good in the furs to make this seem more than it is." With a sidelong glance, she grinned then picked up her pace toward the shelter. "I expect that since this trip was your idea, you will be providing me with food, rubbing my aching muscles... and ...washing my hair if I so choose it done. Yes?" The last was added just to offer him some sass. Not that she did not relish the idea of the hunter taking the reigns in her personal grooming, after all, she spent her life tending to others, it would be refreshing to have him as her beckon call man.

The relief when they entered their stopping place was like a rush of cool water. Hers seemed not to be a physical need to stop as much as a mental need not to go any further until she could work through what was happening.
She walked around the shelter, taking it all in. It could not be mistaken for luxurious, but she could imagine all manner of things that would make it exceptional in her memories. Most of those things involved her current companion. She did not turn, but spoke to him in a tone that had recovered some of it's allure simply by the fact that they were no longer in motion.

"As well, I hope that I live up to your...expectations." Commenting on her own prowess, she grinned, somewhere inside knowing that of all the areas they were to discover over then following days, that would be the least of their troubles. With her back still toward the Avora, she glanced at her hands and curled them into soft fists to mask the tremors that had begun. She took a long breath and spun on her heel.

"Well Kovac, I am all yours."

[Kovac]

The kiss was tender, the variety they had not shared often, the more wanton kind seeming to be their usual fare. It was as emotionally pleasant as the ardent kisses were arousing, and it softened the directness of Chemar's following words.

"Tell me what happens if you find yourself more wrapped up in this than you wish to be? Do you run again? I hope you are not looking for answers that you don't want to find. Do take care, I will be honest with you and say...I will not abide the same result as last time."

Kovac took his eye's off of the steep steps to look at Chemar. One of the traits that set Chemar apart, Kovac decided, was her candor in expectations. It revealed something the self-absorbed Avora would surely have overlooked had they been among the distracting cacophony of Wind Reach. Chemar was not making demands, as the Endal had. It was as if the Dreamwalker was hesitant herself, and Kovac was only beginning to see how vulnerable this trip, and he himself, had rendered her.

"You are outside of Wind Reach, nothing out here is predictable. If you didn't want answers too, wondering for yourself, you wouldn't have come. Things have changed, and I don't want to hurt you again. But I will not spend this trip trying to craft what will be. This is for us to have now, to discover step by step. That is the joy of this," Kovac's arm spread out over the valley below, but his words were not restricted solely to the physical trek, "...discovery." The Avora gave the crimson-haired beauty an smile that he hoped reassured her, and turned his focus again on reaching the shelter.

Once the Dreamwalker caught a glimpse of their home for the evening, her own snarky flare returned.

"So, this is our romantic get away? You'd better be really good in the furs to make this seem more than it is. I expect that since this trip was your idea, you will be providing me with food, rubbing my aching muscles... and ...washing my hair if I so choose it done. Yes?"

Kovac gave her a wide smile and open laugh. "Maybe a mud pack and a nail balance as well? Don't worry, this is just for one night. The rest will be in more...exotic settings." A wink assured her he had some special things in mind.

Chemar still did not look well, and it was more in relief for her than himself that Kovac strolled into the shelter. The structure, little more than a stone floor and wooden roof built against the cliff, was just off the road that clung to the same mountainside. The mountain itself provided much of the protection from the weather. Large enough for traders and their wagons to rest for the night, it was almost too spacious for Kovac. Setting the heavy pack against a corner, he immediately began to build a fire in the firepit, using wood and dried dung left in a stone box by recent visitors in the practice of paying the favor forward. He pointed to the pack. "Why don't you unroll those blankets. I am afraid tonight we may not get good sleep...with the hard floor and all." A wry grin flashed her way.

He had packed food for that night, unable to hunt or gather on the way down. A precious piece of smoked venison, at the cost of playing a child's birthday party, was the main fare for the evening, and Kovac set it on a small flat piece of metal to heat over the growing fire. He handed Chemar a bundle of cloth, inside which she would find a loaf of bread and two small star-shaped fruit. The couple worked in relative silence as they set up the camp, finally sitting down on one of the blankets to enjoy their meal. Once they had had their fill, Kovac pulled over one of the waterskins, taking a long swig of its contents. Then, leaning towards Chemar, grin engaged, emerald eyes finding her gold gilded gaze, the Avora pressed a kiss to her mouth. It was not the tender kind, and soon Chemar would taste on his lips, and the tip of his tongue, the contents of the water skin...red wine.

The hunter smiled. The sun had disappeared, the firelight all that illuminated the sparse shelter. Kovac found himself savoring the absence of distraction, embracing the fact that there was no need to rush, no need to look over their shoulder, and all the time he wanted to enjoy Chemar. His eyes betrayed his thoughts as they wandered over the Inartan, a look she was accustomed to by now, one of appreciation and more.

Warmed by the fire next to them, Kovac removed his katinu."You mentioned you needed some...attention after our long walk. I have fed you, next we will deal with those aching muscles. But first, I think you need a relaxing drink." Kovac offered the skin to Chemar. his tone suggestive, but cast with a sincerity that smacked of compassion.

[Chemar Tisserand]

The act of setting up camp was a welcome distraction for the dreamwalker, and this once she did as she was told, carefully unfurling the blankets and laying them out for later use. As time passed, simpler tasks were requiring more effort and concentration, removing the verbal sparring from Chemar's actions for the time being.

With the camp set, and the meal Kovac provided before them, the two companions sat in comfortable silence. Chemar tried to keep her ever trembling hands from view, busying them with the smoky venison and crusted bread. When she did not eat, her hands rested in her lap. She was about to reach for a nearby water skin when Kovac beat her to it and before she knew it, passed a sip from his lips to hers. The warm tang of the wine was unmistakable and took her by surprise almost as much as the hungered pressure of the kiss. There was nothing in the way of finishing what they had started.

He's not playing now.

Hands still in her lap, she licked her lips when he broke the kiss to brush away the last of the wine. Wine. A small wave of relief let her breath with some ease. The wine would delay things; it would retard the inevitable until she'd had at least a few hours to enjoy this unexpected adventure. The brief stay of execution allowed her the freedom to acknowledge the eyes with which Kovac now viewed her. There was no mask for his appreciation, no mistaking his current mood. Even considering the gauntlet she was now prepared to suffer, Kovac's unabashed admiration was captivating. And though there was a pang of guilt in her when she acknowledged his absolute ignorance as to what lay ahead, she could not resist the allure of the moment.

But first, I think you need a relaxing drink. With no small amount of exuberance she grabbed the water skin from his hands and downed a healthy draw, absently letting a small stream trickle down her chin to disappear between her breasts. Her swift movement paired with the wandering stream of wine succeeded in distracting him from the shaking of her hands. She could feel the cool crimson as it dripped between her ribs nearly to her belly button. As she watched Kovac, she could feel her heartbeat begin to quicken; His eyes focused on the rise and fall of her breath and spurred on their united thrumming.

"You were right. Just what I needed." She shrugged out of her katinu, using it as another layer of padding between her back and the ground, as it fell off her shoulders; she followed its descent as though tugged by the weight of it. With Kovac still acutely attentive she straightened her legs, creating a smooth hollow across her stomach. With one arm crooked above her head and resting lazily on the floor she drew a long breath, as with the other hand she lifted the skin of wine and began to pour it into that delicate hollow. Mindless of her unsteady hand, she created a shallow pool the radiated out from her navel, a reservoir from which the halfblood could drink.

"Wine?"

With her thumb she forced the stopper back into the water skin before letting it fall to the floor. The wine began to warm from the heat of her skin and she could smell it's sweetness as it wafted into the air. She smiled, knowing that she'd offered him the perfect surface to enjoy the taste of it, reveling in the fact that her warmth would make it taste even better.

"Or perhaps you'd like to let it breath for a bit." Her eyes slipped shut and her heart pounded as she assured him the easiest access by lifting her other arm above her head to let it rest with it's match on a blanket of long auburn hair. Trying to remain still proved to be a test of her will as she waited for Kovac to accept her offering. What was he waiting for? A stolen glance from a half opened eye revealed a shockingly predatory look on her companion's face, and it sent a charge of energy across her skin that embodied the same effect of a flint sparking flame. She clamped her lip between a trap of her teeth and sucked a long breath through the thin line left open, involuntarily causing a slight hiss to sound.

"Don't tell me you've lost your taste for wine?"

[Kovac]

The Inartan and half-Vanthan were dichotomous creatures when it came to their undefinable relationship, and the intensity of each aspect of their dual nature was equal in measure. They struggled with the emotions, each a victim, he of past relationships, she of the almost supernatural nature of her gift and its employ. Verbal sparring on the subject was often sharp and the emotions high, only belying the feelings the unlikely pair shared for one another. But the other aspect of their friendship was an obvious compatibility in things of the sensual nature. They seemed to feed on one another, stoking fires without effort, the falling into a carnal rhythm as easily as a fish takes to water.

Yet even with that dymanic between them, Chemar manages to surprise the Avora. Never having seen her drink, the young woman took the wineskin from Kovac with some fervor, downing a generous gulp of the red liquid with such enthusiasm that a crimson trickle escaped. The drop of wine's travel became the focal of great interest for Kovac. It took an enviable journey down her slender neck, descending to disappear in the valley of her cleavage, only to re-emerge from beneath her vinati to trickle down her smooth skin, where it hovered above her navel. Such a mundane thing, but it caused the Avora's breath to come a little bit faster, a flutter to tickle his stomach that had nothing to do with dinner or wine.

What Chemar did next brought Kovac to a whole new appreciation for the dreamwalker's creativity. She knew he watched her with increasingly amorous eyes, and the fluid shedding of the heavy coat, the gentle flow to the supine position, lured Kovac's attention like bait on a hook. Then his lips parted, his mouth slightly agape as Chemar poured a measure of wine in the hollow of her belly. So disarmed was Kovac that he did not see the tremor of the hands holding the skin. His world had narrowed to the puddle of fragrant liquid riding the subtle rise and fall of her slim abdomen. Emerald eyes darted to the gold-rimmed gaze, flashing a grin that expressed hunger and anticipation. He spent a chime simply watching the dark pool languish on her inviting skin, the beautiful dreamwalker stretched out like some god's graven drinking vessel.

Her seductive taunts urge him on and , moving closer, Kovac leaned down, his face hovering over the pool of wine, his breath sending ripples over its surface. He puckered his lips, and with another glance up to the girl, sucked the wine from her skin, savoring the fruity taste of the wine and its bouquet mingled with the scent of Chemar's skin. A drop slipped away and ran down her side, leaving a dark trail on her flesh. A crimson stained tongued tracked down the errant wine and cleaned up behind it. A small amount of the drink remained in Chemar's navel, and with a dip of his tongue and a slurp of his lips, Kovac consumed the remainder of his special treat.

Kovac crawled towards Chemar's head, his eyes exploring her, catching her gilded gaze again. One hand slipped to her slender arms stretched above her head, his hand drawing her wrists together and holding them with light firmness. He leaned in to kiss her again, his mouth flavored with her wine. "I have to say... just when I think I couldn't enjoy wine more." He whispered. He pressed his mouth to hers again, this time, his stained lips parted and the tip of his tongue traced the plush contour of Chemar's mouth, tasting the wine they shared anew, then he took the liberty of parting her lips for her, so he could take a few chimes to explore and taste her more.

The Avora's restraining hand slid up her arm as he broke the kiss, his thumb brushing across the fullness of her bottom lip. "I believe I promised you relief for your aching muscles too, didn't I? Roll over."

[Chemar Tisserand]

Just as she'd hoped, the sensation of Kovac's breath, followed closely by his lips on her belly were enough to obscure any of Chemar's current anxieties. At least for the moment. Her fingers absently twisted a long strand of hair as his tongue slipped along the contour of her stomach, darting playfully into her navel to steal the last of the wine and making her remember how the softest touch can disarm.

True to form Kovac made the simple act of seeking her lips an event; sliding along her body like a snake just to gain a kiss. The warm weight of him sent a tremor across her skin, and the kiss turned quake to fire, leaving a trail of warmth in the wake if his touch. There was no hesitation in his kiss, it was filled with the intimacy their connection afforded it, and as he explored her Chemar was in danger of being devoured, to the point that she felt a loss as he broke. She had found a release; At least for one night, Kovac, his expressive mouth, agile body and experienced hands would act as a obstacle to the inevitable. She would fill the growing need with the halfblood, regardless of the consequences, and have this moment.

When Kovac spurred them on to other things, Chemar was not ready. She found the water skin and lifted it to her mouth, pulling the cork with her teeth before downing another full drink.

"Just a little more wine." Carelessly dropping the skin, she curled her fingers around Kovac's vest and lifted herself off the ground to take a kiss. The way she held him, using her own weight, forced them together so that not a whisper of air could pass between them. Her kiss offered Kovac a glimpse of the freedom he'd given her by taking her from her home, and exactly what she was prepared to embody with him. With a languid movement, she slid her leg along his hip, simply to feel another connection as the wine and the whole of Kovac began to satiate her growing cravings. A gentle tug shook them both as she tried to get him closer, to draw him further into her hungered kiss. At the threshold from which there would be no return, a stabbing pain in both back and shoulders gripped the dreamwalker and forced her the release her grip and break the kiss, dragging Kovac's lip through her teeth with a small snap. A regretful wince was paired with her own lip caught between clenched teeth as the actual need for what Kovac offered became apparent.

The delay brought on by Chemar's limitations did not affect the taste she'd gotten of the halfblood, and as usual her recovery was quick. with golden rings commanding the gaze of Kovac, Chemar took the vial from around her neck and slipped it's string over his head. "Use it sparingly, you know it's strength." Still pinned beneath the weight of her companion, Chemar felt the pull of distraction, but the aches of her body would not submit. Her growing cravings had relegated the attention her unsteady hands received to a passing note at best, and with Kovac captivated she clumsily worked the two buttons closing her vinati until they were freed."I'll make it easy for you Kovac." She savored the sound of his name as she spoke, adding a fog of mystery as to what she made easier, but as soon as the last syllable dripped off her full lips she turned beneath him, only spinning out of her shirt when he had her back.

"I'm yours." She thought she might have heard a response from Kovac, but all things considered, it may have been a mistake, or even wishful thinking. The vinati was tossed aside carelessly with one hand as the other gathered her long hair and drew it to the side. "Work your magic."

[Kovac]

As Chemar laid hold of Kovac's open vest and hoisted herself up to crush her wine-stained lips to his, the smoldering want that had laid simmering since the night before flared into an open flame. There was a wantonness to the kiss that seemed almost uncharacteristic for the dreamwalker, and the apparent release of her inhibition only drove the mongrel's anticipation. With a strong yank she pulled Kovac even closer, the kiss they shared now opening in hunger. But the oral embrace broke apart with a delicious tug on his bottom lip, and Kovac grunted audibly at the saucy bite as the Inartan lowered herself back to the ground. Chemar winced as she settled on the ground, and Kovac believed her body truly did need some attention. He was more than willing to oblige.

Amber-gilded eyes caught Kovac's swimming gaze, as they were wont to do, and the half-blood was content to stare into their intense depths. Then the beautiful Tisserand revealed the coveted vial, its content well remembered from the night before. Unaware of the curious affliction that had taken Chemar's body, Kovac attributed the quaking hands that slung the vial chain around his neck to the excitement of the encounter.

With unabashed eyes, Kovac watched Chemar fumble with the buttons of her vinati, his smile slight as she spoke his name in a rich, promising voice. Rising a bit as she turned to allow her ease of movement, it was with some disappointment that the redhead had waited to remove the garment until she lay on her stomach. Anticipation, it was a delicious torture that the pair employed with great skill.

Still straddling Chemar's waist, Kovac opened the vial around his neck, the air surrounding them instantly filled with the exotic aroma of cinnamon. Use sparingly. Yes, he would, for their were things he wanted to do with the erotic oil. Allowing several drops to fall into his palm, Kovac closed the vial and rubbed the substance between his hands. Then, he splayed them over Chemar's shoulders. Firm but measured pressure was applied in a rolling motion against the muscles that stretched from her neck to the curve of her shoulders. Rolling action, from heel of hand to finger tips, was executed with a leisurely pace, Kovac allowing himself to enjoy the silky slip of his hands over smooth milky skin. Thumbs found knotted muscles, driving the stress from them with direct pressure.

His ministrations continued, strong hands smearing the hot-cold oil across the girl's back, fingers and thumbs tracing the lines of her muscles along the sides of her spine from the base of her neck to the small of her back. A small amount of the oil was added to the archer's hands, and Kovac resumed his massage. Curious hands slid down the sides of her torso, brushing over the sides of her breasts that spilled out and down the subtle ridges of her ribcage. Kovac found the tactile exploration of Chemar's skin tantalizing, setting nerves to tingle and his desire demanding an expansion of his territory.

Slick hands massaged the slim length of her neck, and Kovac, taken with a moment of need, leaned down to kiss the tender flesh that thinly covered Chemar's carotid artery. The steady beat of Chemar's pulse thrummed against his lips, and the Avora knew his own heart throbbed to the same rhythm. Sitting back again, the mongrel's mouth began to burn an icy hot, the oil he had spread over her neck now a residue on his lips. The sensation was exquisite and he wished he were in the position to use his mouth to apply the sensual oil to other parts of the Inartan's body. Time would tell. His efforts continued, each lean arm was given attention, the muscles kneaded down their length, until each finger had been rolled between his own.

Kovac swung his leg over, so he was kneeling next to the supine Inartan. There was a small amount of the oil still glistening on his palms, and he laid them on her low back, pointing towards her feet. with gentle pressure, the Avora slid his hands down the small of Chemar's back until the tips of his fingers slipped under the waist of her bryda. Calloused hands slid under the fabric of her garment to splay across the globes of her bottom, caressing the tender skin, fingers pressing into the firm flesh beneath. Greedy hands slid over the side of each round cheek to rest on her hips, and then eased upwards until they withdrew again from her clothing.

Taking up the wineskin, Kovac took another hearty gulp of the stringent red liquid. Setting it aside again, the mongrel leaned down towards Chemar's head, her crimson mane pulled aside to reveal the feminine shell of her ear. His mouth hovered over it, warm breath causing stray locks to flutter. "Turn over, Chemar." Her name lifted from his red lips with the same smooth heat as the oil he had caressed into her skin.

[Chemar Tisserand]

Magic indeed.

Slowing realizing exactly how much the trek to the shelter had taxed her body, Chemar was eager to receive the attention Kovac seemed to ready to administer. Her wait was not long, it's end signaled by the smoky aroma of cinnamon as Kovac opened the vial. Without words, he spoke his intentions. Using the pressure of his fingertips and palms to communicate the exact measure of focus he was prepared to devote to her on this 'adventure'. If hands were volumes, she read into his touch that she was his only concern, his only desire, and the thought made her throat tighten.

Fingertips grazed her ribs and strayed over skin that was still new and unfamiliar in their history and it sent a chill along the valley of her back. Had the moment not stolen her ability to speak, she might have offered a quip to break the mood and prolong the experience, but as it was, her mouth was dry and throat so tight that no words could pass. The unexpected pressure of Kovac's lips on her throat took her by surprise, and added breathlessness to her array of responses.

As quickly as they lit on her skin, his lips were withdrawn, as if to linger would end the exquisite torture too soon. She may have groaned softly, but her head was swimming, between the wine and Kovec she felt clouded. Not to miss a spot, the halfblood worked to uncurl fingers tightly clenched into palms, massaging each to the very tip until they lay limp above Chemar's head.

More wine. Though not aloud, her body called for it, and for a moment she was distracted, but when Kovac's weight was removed, and his hands pressed her hips into the ground, her attention was captured once more. She glanced over her shoulder as he explored her, hands disappearing beneath fabric and when he grasped her, it was as though he brushed her eyes shut in tandem, and her hands once more curled into fists.

More wine. Her subconscious was insistent.

Kovac withdrew his hands, and replaced them with his breath on her neck, an even more arousing sensation. Her heart was drumming against her chest now, fueled by the actions of the Avora, he had no idea as the the scope of her need. No idea what she could unleash upon him...

Turn over, Chemar.

She'd introduced a trace of doubt into her own mind, and her weakness grabbed hold like an attacking dog. She knew she could get what she needed from the halfblood, she was certain. He could get her through this night, along with the wine, the first signs could pass unseen, and she deserved to take all she could from him, to leech the strength out of him so she could have this one night. He deserved to be used.

Her response was not natural, she knew. But to stop it would be tantamount to holding off the snows of winter, she had been in the mountain too long not to be affected by it's withdrawal.

Turn over, Chemar.

And so she did, spinning quickly to catch him off guard. Bearing down on the halfblood until she had backed him away by a foot, her knees resting on either side of his and one arm sashed across her body. She reached for the wineskin while staring him down. The lack of light, combined with the influence of the moment had dilated her pupils to such extreme, that the emerald green was nearly gone from her eyes, leaving only the glowing gold rings surrounding a circle of black. The cork was torn out by her clenched teeth and she lifted the neck to her lips, drinking until she had to stop for air.

The oil on her back had moved through cool and hot, settling back into cool as she sat there topless in front of Kovac. The chill did nothing to relieve what was happening inside the dreamwalker, only closing the distance to Kovac would do that. She rose to her knees and leaned over him, still withholding a full view of her undress. When she spoke, the wine clung to her words, making them drip lazily off her tongue and onto Kovac's. She whispered within inches of his mouth.

"Do you want me Kovac?" Her words had never been so brash. But there were things at play that drove the dreamer to abandon herself, to abandon the Chemar that held people spellbound with her detachment. "You need to convince me..." Tones usually coated in honey, had begun to growl at the Avora, reaching inside him to drag out the truth of his desires, making him bare his need to her. She licked her lips, absently brushing her tongue across his mouth. Her growl grew quiet, demanding his focus to hear her. "You are not prepared for me..." She caught his lower lip in her teeth and bit down, still locked on his eyes with the eerie golden rings. With a slow deliberate movement, she pulled his lip through her teeth, all the while, softly brushing it with her tongue. When he was freed, she stopped, motionless she stared into him, no breath leaving or entering her body. You have no idea what I am.

She fell back onto her folded legs, forced away from him by a realization, then pushed herself off the ground and took a few steps toward the darkness. She pulled in a long breath and stood with her back to Kovac.

[Kovac]

Foolish Kovac. He had honestly believed when he told Chemar to roll over that he had taken charge of the encounter. But the dynamic between the archer and dreamwalker had always been a tumultuous venture, and when one assumed they had the upper hand, the other would ambush them and the paradigm would shift. Such was the case again. The Inartan moved, but instead of acquiescing and rolling to her back, Chemar put a foot in Kovac's chest and pounced him. A flash of shock swept his features as he suddenly found himself on his back, Chemar straddling over him, her slim arm barely containing her ample breasts as she concealed them. Like a thirsty traveler, the woman lifted the wineskin to her lips again, drinking deeply of the intoxicating liquid.

The Avora was, for the first time, truly without recourse with Chemar. Her demeanor was so aggressive, he found himself at a loss as she leaned over him, her eyes now as golden as a mountain cat, and just as intense. Drops of the sweet wine splashed between his parted lips, dripped from her crimson stained tongue as she spoke in a voice he had never heard.

"Do you want me Kovac?...you need to convince me..."

Gods...her tone was so insistent, primal, that Kovac all but melted beneath her glowering stare. What had she become? Her tongue brushed his lips, as if she knew the man was now fully ensnared by her seduction, toying with him like a feline and a rodent.

"You are not prepared for me..."

Maybe Kovac wasn't...not for this Chemar. But the prospect of proving his desires to this fiery Tisserand only heated his arousal. Had she reached down between his legs, she would know for certain that he wanted her. But Kovac understood she needed more than an involuntary physical reaction to prove his desire. He would accept the challenge...once he found the will to move. His heavy-lidded emerald eyes were trapped in the woman's predatory gaze, and as she took his bottom lip between her teeth, dragging them over the tender flesh as her tongue followed, the length of Kovac's body shivered with the sensation.

Kovac's lip snapped back, tingling from the bite. Chemar held him captive with only the gravity of her gaze, and neither of them seemed to breathe for a span. Then, without warning, she stretched to he feet, turning away from him and taking several steps. The half-blood's breath returned, a shallow pant driven by the exhilarated rising level of emotional and physical stimulation as he watched the woman, vexed.

Rising to his feet as well, Kovac drew up behind Chemar. He knew the dreamwalker well, she was complex, pensive, a woman who could exhibit profound perception, extravagant passion and cold distance. Now he has seen a new side of Chemar...and it intrigued him deeply. Kovac hands slipped around her waist, laying flat against the plane of her stomach. He pressed himself against her, from hips to chest, his skin absorbing the lingering oil from her back at the subtle friction between them and bringing a heat to his torso. Again, the unmistakable prominence that settled against her bottom would testify to his want.

The half-breed leveled his head near the side of her head, his breath passing through the lush mane of auburn hair, his thick tone reaching her ear in a heady, passionate voice.

"Chemar..." The name slid from his lips as if the very pronunciation of it tasted like fine wine, "...the desire I have for you surpasses any I have known. We already share the most intimate connection, our hearts act as one. But that is not enough for me. We have walked the depths of my subconscious together in the intimacy of my dreams, but that is not enough. We had created life together, but that is not enough. Chemar, you confound me, entangle me, excite me and undo me. You know me, how I am. You demand that the rabbit hunter prove that he can desire deeper, want harder, endure to have what he craves." Kovac's hands had begun to caress her abdomen as he spoke, splayed fingers brushing the soft flesh, as if to confirm his husky words. "I will prove that to you, dreamwalker."

A hand lifted to brush the long mane aside, and Kovac pressed a warm kiss to Chemar's neck, just below her ear. "I can handle what you are..whatever it is."

[Chemar Tisserand]

There was little time to catch a breath before Kovac was behind her, tossing fuel on the fire. He eclipsed any distance, literal or figurative, by acting like a second skin and uttering words that bit by bit ripped her open, exposing a raw heart. Hot hands against her stomach moved her, without force, to melt into him. This was not what she'd expected, this was Kovac, what was he doing?

I will prove that to you, dreamwalker. I can handle what you are..whatever it is. His mouth was too close, his hands too warm, she couldn't breath.

I can handle what you are..whatever it is.

His every word inspired a trill in her stomach and the most powerful urge to force his hand. To prove to him that she was beyond what he wanted, needed or expected. Chemar was the embodiment of conflict, like a blade wrapped in velvet her desires were split; wanting all at once to give into to Kovac without hesitation and to withdraw into isolation to spare him from the gathering storm. The wine had removed a thread of clarity from the weave of her thinking and she responded in the only way that her current needs would allow. Her hands slid over her stomach to creep onto Kovac's like clinging shadows, then, with all her force, she drove them toward her heart until his fingers dug into her skin, his nails made to press crescents into the flesh of her breasts. Then, like a whirlwind she released her grip and spun in his arms, knocking him off balance. Her arm snapped around his neck like a whip, locking her elbow like a vice that pulled them together until their lips were mashed into breathtaking kiss. "You can handle me... " She growled the words into his mouth and they soaked into him like a sweet poison. A cold trembling hand pressed across his heart, fingers splayed, as the nails began to graze his skin she withdrew enough to speak, an invisible strand of energy as real as the woman in his arms, now tethering the two of them together "What know you of real need Kovac?" Her question was a challenge. Her hand slowly began to pull down his chest, leaving a pale quartet of reddening streaks in it's path. Her lips, stained with wine were against his, but her words staved off a kiss like watchful sentry. The hand paused briefly on his muscled stomach, before pressing over the fabric of his bryda. Her fingers clutched him through the fabric, a firm grip gaining any attention she did not already possess. "You are a willing slave to this need." She finally allowed her lips to play against his, teasingly tormenting him, but leaving no freedom for his response. "A slave." She released her grip on him and caught his wrist in her hand, interlacing their fingers as her mouth still plied him with her taste. The tremors in her hands were such that she could not hold his hand still in hers, her plan was not working, the wine was not enough to replace a lifetime of addiction to the mountains drugs. Distracted by her growing need, she looked down at their interwoven hands, her breath shallow and heart pounding as though beating it's last beats.

Thoughts that were usually controlled by a sharp mind and strong will had degraded into fragments that were at best chaotic in nature. One moment had nothing to to with the next, and as she stared at the embrace of their hands she felt utterly lost. Kovac. He was the person who would guide her through this? Drawn back to his emerald gaze she felt a unreasonable fear and an almost painful sorrow. "I'm sorry. You really have no idea..." He had offered her a truth that was unprecedented in their history. Did she owe him the same?

As though a different person, she loosened her hold on him, letting her arm go slack. The stain of the wine against her paling skin made Chemar look ghostly, and paired with the absence of the vibrant green in her eyes, she appeared even more otherworldly. A long breath blew past full lips and she swallowed a dry lump in her throat.

"I..." She looked for the words, trying to pick those that would open her up as he had opened himself. She could not catch her breath, a lungful of air seemed the most appealing elixar, but she could not pull enough air through her lips to make that a reality. Tell him Chemar, do not leave him unawares.

No words were forthcoming.

"I'm sorry." He would not resist her...and she could not confide. For the moment, her release would have to be enough for him, her truth would have to wait. "Kiss me, please."