Curiosity

[Jen]

Nova groaned as she opened her eyes. Her head hurt as if she’d been hit with a huge stone block. She squeezed her eyes shut and lifted her arms, that felt like they were weighted by lead, to her face and rubbed her eyes. Her mouth felt dry and she wrinkled her nose. She smelled blood. Dried old blood, but it was blood.

Nova twisted her neck and grimaced. There was a distinct ache on her throat that was coming back like a distant memory. On a table near the bed was a glass of water and a pitcher of water. She reached for the glass as she leaned forward. Her head felt like death warmed over. With a groan she took hold of the glass, focusing on her arm to keep the shaking down to a minimum – and the water in the glass.

Greedily she drank the water as if it was something she had been denied for days. Casting a glance at her surroundings, Nova noticed she wasn’t tossed into a cell – that at least meant she hadn’t been found guilty of any wrong doing just yet. She noticed a person standing nearby as she sat up fully, putting her head between her knees. She was covered in blood. The woman that was standing waiting to be told where Nova intended to go, or what Nova intended to do, motioned to the foot of the bed.

Nova slid her legs over the side of the cot and fought the urge not to vomit. The world spun for a few brief, heart throbbing, moments before everything went back to where it belonged. She took some cloths left on the stand and poured the ice cold water into a basin. Using the rudimentary soldier’s basin to make herself presentable, Nova stripped down to nothing. There was nothing that the woman waiting for her hadn’t seen before – and nothing that anyone would report to Kraven should they see her. No one wanted to be caught eyeing a Werewolf now. Especially Nova.

It was a trying few minutes as Nova washed her body, staggering to her feet in order to get every scrap of blood off of her body. Once the blood was gone she began to feel better, the very act of having to take care of herself caused her strength and mental function to return as quickly as was possible. She dressed slowly, taking time to lace her boots and tuck in her shirt. She had discarded the piece of fabric that had bound her breasts because it was ruined. Kraven would just have to deal with her breasts unbound beneath her shirt. She doubted he’d really even care.

“Take me to Kraven.”

She was brought through a myriad of halls and levels in Kraven’s expansive estate. She was not surprised, but didn’t take the time to memorize every aspect of the levels she was shown through. She took time to simply note how to get to where Kraven wanted her, and how to return to the room which she was left.

“How much time has passed?”

“It will be dusk in twenty minutes, Miss.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Nova grimaced as she thought about being prone and incredibly vulnerable in what she now considered a hostile household. It was due largely to the fact that Anabel VonHagen would be displeased with the events that had taken place. Or, at least, that’s what Nova liked to think at least.

A door loomed before her and she was ushered inside. Nova cast a wary glance around the room, taking note of any potential threat to her person. The cut that she had received from Rakhaev’s knife was red and angry, but healing of its own accord.

“I seem to recall you advising me to join you in this room, Kraven.” All formalities were lost. This was not something that Nova had signed up for. If they wanted to see what it meant to watch a caged and cornered animal fight, then they were doing an excellent job of making Nova uncomfortable.

[Sage]

Kraven was bent over a large model of the continent of Kalmarden. It was littered with several different kinds of people, structures, and representation of flora and fauna off which everyone in Kalmarden thrived. There were Lycans, humans, Vampires, and even Kraven's own home. He had pushed aside several human figurines and stood staring at one statuette of himself, a generic-looking werewolf which could very well have been a bear standing on it's hind legs, and a lithe vampire which looked nothing at all like the person it represented. He spoke without looking at Nova, too ashamed of himself and his men to do so as he said what he had to say.

" I was able to get the necessary readings while everyone slept. It seems you were all thinking about what happened, and I can see why. " Kraven sighed, as he idly rubbed a speck of dust off his tiny twin.

" Sometimes we of the Guard confuse our duty to Kalmarden. My only concern is the safety of Anabel VonHagen, as well as her happiness. But this Guard was created for more than that. We are at the disposal of the humans, and the Lycans as well, and we have failed in our service.

Too long have we sat on our lofty perch, and some who loyally serve me have had their vision clouded by the sway that they hold over others, because of their favor in the eyes of the two great families that rule over this land. Rakhaev was one such lost child, and I have suppressed his memories until such a time as he can be brought before Anabel. After I hear her decision, I will allow you and a company of escorts to take him back to Master Van Buren.

I will only go if you wish, and once you arrive with Rakhaev, my escorts will wait while you tell your side of this to him. I will hear and carry out a fair sentence against Rakhaev Solaris based on the wishes of both Heads of Family. That being said, I want to make very clear the crimes he faces are. "

Kraven's face turned up to Nova, and there was a weariness in him that seemed more ancient than even Anabel herself. She was not to know that Rakhaev had begged for mercy, and that he pleaded with Kraven to be admonished. Kraven heard every side of the story, and he would do his best to see that Rakhaev was treated fairly, but he would not spare his Captain the executioner's axe, Kraven's own, for what he had become.

" As it stands, Rakhaev Solaris drew his weapon against a Van Buren. His intent was not to kill, but to threaten. This, however, is an offense punishable by death in even my eyes. But then, you Nova, challenged him to combat in my house. He may have been in the wrong, have had his mind in that lofty place where he thought he was something more than what he was. It is not our job to police active members of either Family, and he lost sight of his real duty, the job I trusted him to do with you and Blythe.

I am in charge of these men, for better or worse. I will see that he is killed if necessary for the wrong he has done you, but I will not see him charged for his final attack. " Kraven wanted to be very clear about this fact, his final favor to Rakhaev, and paused to allow his statement to sink in before he continued. " That being said, it is my opinion that neither you or Rinald have acted outside your rights, and both of you are free to go if it is your wish. As I said before, however, Blythe's sentence cannot be reassessed based on what she has endured here and it is still my intention to put her to death once she has lived out her usefulness. "

Kraven would simply hold up his hand if Nova attempted to interrupt, having only a small part of his formal statement to her left, though he took a short break to breathe in once calmly and take a sip of a clear beverage that was absent of the stench of alcohol. He did not know if she knew the protocol of the Guard, but the offer to release Rinald from his bonds to Kraven was a big deal, and there was a gravity involved there that she would have to sense.

" I would like to apology on behalf of myself and my men. There is no proper retribution I can think of, but if it is the Heads of Family wish that he be killed, I will hear your voice on the circumstances of that execution...

Is there anything you would like to say? "

[Jen]

Nova remained quiet as she listened to Kraven. Her eyes were set straight ahead and she stood with a soldier’s relaxed stance, arms behind her back, wrists held tightly. When Kraven was finished speaking she looked at him, her hair unbound and flowing down her back. Her body physically spent from her exertions.

“It is my wish that Rakhaev Solaris should not die. I am a healer and a fighter. What he did to me is beyond repair between us both. I healed him and kept his life intact because I believe he can do better than what he has shown me. I believe that you were not wrong in your choice of him as a captain of your men, for he has great strengths in his blood and in his heart.”

Nova took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her chest constricted with pain – but she didn’t show any of it on her face. Her eyes were distant as she looked at Kraven.

“I do not ask that Blythe be pardoned for the troubles that have occurred. She is here for a reason, and that is a transgression against Anabel VonHagen. She has come to terms with her captivity, but I do not think it is particularly right that she be handled so – when all she did was struggle for Rinald. Kill her, maim her, tear her to shreds – but she deserves some modicum of respect for her desire to see Rinald unharmed. She understands my position on her captivity and ultimately her death – and she believes it will further Anabel VonHagen’s life and is willing to comply. That is a sign of greatness, no matter how low a creature has to be before they get there.”

Nova turned her head and looked at a nearby wall. Her chest heaved with her speech, her eyes watered with the effort, but she took a deep breath and reclaimed her solid stance.

“I will remain to complete the job that was asked of me, by you. I will only work with Rinald. I trust him with my life.” Nova raised a shaky hand to her head as she pushed some of her blonde hair aside. “I will not stay in this house any longer. I will come and go as decorum requires me, but I will stay in the forest. It is safer there for me.”

Nova lifted her head with a frown, sniffing the air of the room.

“It’s dusk.” How she knew, well that had to do with lunar cycles and an advanced sense of smell.


Kraven? I trust the Wolves have been well tended?

The sultry voice was one that Kraven couldn’t deny. Anabel was awake and she was interested in what he was doing.

I’m coming to your home, Kraven. I’ll be there soon.

Her voice was like a Siren’s call to any mere mortal – it was something she knew Kraven was enthralled by. In short order, Ana was at Kraven’s doorstep with her guard flanking her. As she was let in the front door she smiled and glanced around herself.

“Where is Kraven?” She sniffed the air and smirked lightly “And the wolf. I smell blood and trouble on the air.”

[Sage]

Kraven grappled with Nova's opinions, but he did not speak. She thought Rinald a hero, Blythe a martyr, and she probably found Kraven to be untrustworthy now...with so many similarities to Rakhaev. She did not trust the safety of his home, despite the effort he had exerted all day to make it comfortable and safe, spending his afternoon catching an intruder in the woods who burned him badly; not to mention imprisoning his own Captain.

What more could there possibly be to happen to her? Kraven glanced down at his own waist. He carried a silver blade on his person at all times, just like all of his higher-ranked soldiers. Just like Rakhaev had. It was never meant to be a threat, to be intimidating. It was meant for extreme circumstances, the same as carrying a normal weapon for other races and training in photokineticism in case he had to destroy a vampire. And yet, after all that had happened, Nova did not wish death upon Rakhaev. He had assumed she had acted as a field medic would have, saving Rakhaev's body so that he might face a proper execution in turn for his crimes, but she genuinely did not want to see him die over her when there was good he could still do with her as his savior.

Kraven cringed as Anabel's voice rang in his head like a tinkling winter festival bell. It was the only time in his life he had been anything less than jubilant to have the Mistress awake and ask for him. There was a nervous quiver in the pit of his stomach as he braced himself, before nodding at the door and reaching behind him to a small crystal not unlike the one that had nearly destroyed Blythe. He empowered it with true sunlight, and in response there was a resounding simultaneous 'clank' that signaled the release of all the doors that were not directly connected to the prison block in Kraven's underground base.

Not exactly, Mistress.

Kraven marched upward and out of the dungeons below his home, opening the mental bond he could access with Anabel as he began to relay the events of the day. The wolves' arrival, their lunch with Rakhaev's outburst, and the mysterious intruder that had caused his absence. Then he began to run through a brief look at the scenario that had taken place in the labs, from each of the participant's point of view.

When he reached Anabel, his eyes conveyed his apology as he held out an object which was wrapped in delicate cloth, stained with the stench of death. Her trust in him to take care of things during the daylight hours had been as misplaced as his in Rakhaev. As his misery began leak into Anabel's mind, he quickly closed off the connection between them having given all the necessary information. They would still be able to converse, but she would lose her insight into his mind temporarily as he waited in shame for her word in the middle of the torchlit event hall towards the center of his home.

" I'm sorry, Mistress. I do not know what to say. What has happened is inexcusable. "

[Jen]

As the events processed in Ana’s head she frowned and then looked at Kraven. She was wearing a long black dress that was fitted to her form and she favored her side, the one that Blythe had mangled with her knife. Her eyes darted past Kraven to a form that had followed him quietly. She smelled like a dog, as did Kraven.

“I greet you with sympathy, young wolf.” Ana side stepped Kraven and held out her hands for the young blonde haired creature. She noticed the hesitation, but with the day’s events as they had been displayed, she was not offended.

“I am sorry that you had to endure such hardships under the roof of my most trusted advisors. Is it true that you do not wish death upon Rakhaev?” When the woman nodded Ana smiled and patted her cheek gently. “You are a marvel, young Nova. I admire your strength and your ability to preserve yourself and others. You are an amazing creature. I noticed through Kraven that you healed Blythe. You also know what Blythe has done to me.”

Ana didn’t have to make any movement to show that she was wounded beneath her dress. Nova could smell the wound and could see the way the most beautiful creature favored her side.

“I should not have antagonized him, My Lady. It was wrong of me to…”

“You were defending yourself and the treaty, and from what I gathered you were also defending Rinald.” Ana glanced at Kraven and motioned somewhat stiffly for him to step forward while she still held Nova’s hands. “I want to see Rinald. I can see from your analysis he is enamored with Blythe and I want to speak to him privately. Without your assistance or your probing into his mind. Our discussion will be relayed to you if he so desires it to transpire that way. Is that clear, Kraven?”

Ana was displeased and that was obvious. It was not so much that she was displeased with Rinald or Blythe’s infatuation – but that she was angered by the events that had very nearly severed a generations long treaty. She was angry with Rakhaev and simply displeased that anything could transpire so angrily in Kraven’s absence.

“I want to see Rakhaev as well. Alone. He would not dare touch me as he tried Blythe or Nova. He would not survive long as a human if he did.” Ana smiled at Nova briefly before letting her go.

Nova shuffled to the side and held her hands behind her back looking genuinely uncomfortable in the home.

“My lady…am I to be allowed to stay outside of this home?”

“Of course, child. I would not ask you to stay where you are not comfortable. If you are more comfortable in my home then you are free to come there. I have two unruly youth’s recently turned – however. I don’t know how they would react to a wolf in their presence. I don’t want you to feel ostracized. I also don’t want you to feel as if you have to defend yourself at every turn.”

“The woods offer a place of solace for me. I can make medicines and poultices if you life for your humans that may be in need of them.”

“That would be nice of you, especially after the day’s events. While we are on the subject I was wondering if you might be able to do for me what you did for Blythe’s burns? I understand that you are exhausted after using your power, but it might speed up the healing process for me. It is very aggravating being so old and out of fighting practice.” Ana laughed her soft tinkling laugh. It sounded almost like delicate wind chimes on a breezeless night. She was an expert hunter and no other Vampire would have been able to fight Blythe off. Part of that was the fact that she was the Mother of all Vampires.

“Oh, and while I think on it. How is Old Man Van Buren these days?” Ana spoke with a twinkle in her eye and a grin on her lips.

“He is well, My Lady. He sends you his regards and asks that you use me to your advantage for as long as you need me. He was worried about the state of your manor and the people within. He was unsure if I would be able to heal the Vampires, but thought that perhaps if any humans were injured that you would find me useful. It is a very happy thought, though, to know that I can help the Vampires, and yourself.”

Nova looked to Kraven and waited for permission to touch Anabel VonHagen. Even when the lady asked her to do so, she wasn’t comfortable enough to just reach out and touch her – especially in Kraven’s presence. In fact, as she thought on it more she looked at Ana and smiled.

“It would be my pleasure to help your wound heal faster, My Lady. I can’t say that I want to be alone with you for obvious reasons. Should anything happen to you while I heal you I would be very much to blame, even if you stood in my defense. Would it be against your wishes if I asked that Kraven stand in with us while I work with you?”

“No, of course not, young wolf. Kraven. Come stand with me while I see just what this Werewolf is capable of doing with her healing powers.” The smirk on her lips was undeniable. Ana would have to get almost completely naked in order for Nova to aide in healing her wound.

[Sage]

Kraven felt the sting of her words and actions, or rather the lack of them. It had been a long while since Kraven had been treated as simply a piece of furniture in the room. She had not greeted him as she normally did, and completely passed him up in order to see to Nova. This was just as likely to be unintentional as it was a beginning to his punishment.

He simply nodded in silence as she made her requests to speak with Rinald and Blythe, still facing away from her with his head down as he had been when she passed him. But at mention of even approaching Rakhaev, he felt a dark foreboding that he could not bear. He jerked his head, speaking over his shoulder in a hushed hiss.

" Mistress, you mustn't. Rakhaev cannot be trusted around your kind now, he has already threatened a vampire with his power once today, and now he is almost fully healed. "

It made him sick to his stomach to think of when he had made the trip to Rakhaev's cell, and healed him with the same light he had used on himself only a day earlier. Nova's body, much like the body of any other male or female's body besides Anabel's was of no great importance to Kraven. She might have noticed that during her stay, through all her near-nudity and now with her breasts flipping about unbound, Kraven wouldn't have given her any more attention than if she had been covered from the neck down by a hundred pounds of clothes.

The thought of getting to be near any part of Anabel's skin, especially that of it that was usually covered by garments was appealing. At the same time, he feared for her, and had to speak up; risking at the same time, an insult to Nova.

" Mistress, I must advise against this. We have only seen her heal a few times, and have not been able to study the full effects and consequences of her ability on humans or vampires either one. "

[Jen]

Ana waved her hand and pointed to a nearby door.

“In we go.” Ana lead the way, back into the war room. She pointed at each individual guard in the room that had followed her. “Out.” They left her with Kraven and Nova, knowing that Nova couldn’t harm her with Kraven anywhere near her.

Without missing a moment as the door audibly clicked shut, Ana slipped out of her gown, her back to Kraven. The only thing she was wearing were black silk underwear. The design of the gown didn’t allow for any sort of chest binding, and so Ana’s skin gleamed brightly in the light of the room.

“Do you think you can do anything about this?” Ana motioned to the angry red wound on her side. She was completely at ease in the presence of the healer werewolf and Kraven. Her nudity didn’t bother her in the least, and in fact she turned toward Kraven and smiled – her blonde hair falling straight down her back in a silky shower. She had an amazing body, all the better was the fact that beneath the pristine skin was the power to kill. Her body looked as if it had been sculpted from a rose stone, her skin having more hue to it than the average vampire. Anabel looked alive, with just a hint of alabaster in her complexion.

“I can try.” Nova swallowed past the lump in her throat at seeing the pristine body, unscarred except for a small slit along her right wrist. “If this works the way it did on Blythe then your body should be able to take over where I leave off and finish the job. It should not interrupt you in any way of being able to heal yourself while I also heal.”

Nova hesitated only momentarily as she laid her hands on the Mother of Vampires. She felt her hands tremble slightly as she encouraged her power to grow and blossom in her. As her hands began to glow bright blue, she felt Ana shiver. She looked up at the woman and saw her relax. The entire process lasted barely a minute as the wound had begun to heal while Ana slept.

“There. That should do it. Your body will take over where I cannot. If I were to practice longer I might be of greater use to your kind, but for now I do not know the intricacies of your genetics as I do mine.”

A bubble of laughter was all the response Nova received as Ana touched her wound. It was knitted together, with only an angry red scar – her body would see to it that the scar was demolished before the night was through. Ana turned to Kraven and skipped to him like a young girl. She picked up his hand and laid it on the scar which had been an angry gaping wound just moments before.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Granted, at about that moment, Ana would be incredibly close to Kraven. Her body pressed against him tightly as she pressed his hand against her cold skin. If he wasn’t careful, or if he even budged a scant inch, his hand would brush her bare breasts. It seemed that his Mistress had found just the perfect way to torture her willing servant.

Ana smiled and her eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Nova, be a dear and leave me alone to…punish the servants of my household.”

The only answer was Nova retreating into the hall, the door closing with that same audible click.

“Such a good werewolf…” Ana breathed as she kissed Kraven’s jaw.

[Sage]

Anabel had made a point to completely ignore Kraven's concern. His opinion that she was doing so as a way of punishment was beginning to gain ground over the notion that it was all in his mind. He turned, sullenly, and made his way into his war room as a hostage more than anything else. Of course he wasn't going to leave her alone with Nova, no matter how much she had proven herself or how confident Anabel was in her abilities.

He was expressionless save for a bit of unease tangible in his aura, until the door clicked and her dress fell off. He swallowed hard, rubbing an armored hand across the back of his neck to quell the heat there, only wishing he could do something about the uncomfortable pressure against the inside of his singed armor. He was being taunted with her, her very flesh. He could not imagine that she would mirror any intimacy on his part, or tolerate it after what had transpired this day.

And yet, before he knew it the healing was over, he had lost the time with his mind off in a faraway place. He would have given anything, made any excuse to take off his armor now as she pressed soft flesh against the metal covering him. It was everything he had ever desired, and he was unable to feel it. His mind screamed out violently as he tried to make sense of his emotions. There was nothing he could do to keep his thoughts to himself now. Anabel's mind would catch brief glimpses of Kraven's desire made real as images of passion were flung out from him.

It was only with the greatest act of will he managed to keep from moving as she kissed him so softly. He dared not budge his hands an inch, and this made him increasingly aware of beads of sweat that were beginning to form on his forehead, dripping infrequently but painfully into his eyes. He was a statue, a deer caught in lantern-light who neither had the options or desire for fight or flight. He spoke one side of his conscience, but his mind would scream another at her, having lost all self control in his own head; And it was spreading.

" M-mistress, I'm so confused. Are you angry with me or aren't you? "

[Jen]

Ana purred like a kitten as she touched Kraven’s neck with her hand. She moved away from him, perfection at its finest. The sinuous movement of her muscles beneath her skin were catlike, or serpentlike – either fit her personality and her style.

“It is not you that I am angry with. I am angry with Rakhaev. If you desire it I will see him in your presence and yours alone.” Ana turned to Kraven and closed the distance she created between them in the blink of an eye. She had her mouth on his with a heated kiss, his thoughts running rampant through her own mind. Her desire evident. She pulled away from him, feeling the pulse of his heart and smelling the desire on his skin. She could even taste it on her lips.

As Ana ran her tongue over her lips she looked at the pile of her dress on the floor. She was incredibly tempted by Kraven – moreso than any human had ever had a hold on her. She touched the skin on his arms, the wounds on his hands, the fear in him not of her – but of her displeasure with him.

“We are old, Kraven. We have been together for a very long time. You and I have seen a lot of things transpire, and never more than this moment have I wanted you.” Her eyes flickered to Kraven. She smiled, she showed him her sharp fangs and knew that he wasn’t scared. “Today you have shown me in my mind that I am capable of losing you. Rakhaev is weaker than you, but he was still brought to his knees by a sword fragment. Your humanity and mortality are precious to me.”

Ana raised her lips to Kraven, leaning against the metal of his armor which felt warm compared to her skin. His flesh felt hot against her skin and it enthralled her. His was a life that she would never take willingly and she feared that if they went too far she might harm him.

She wanted him though.

Images of her doubt would flash through Kraven’s mind. There were…quite a few naughty things there as well but the looming question was trust and capability. Still, she offered herself to him without hesitation.

“Kraven, I need you.”

[Sage]

If Anabel's slinky yet taught movements made her a serpent, then Kraven was a Leviathan. He had held back so much of himself for fear of shaming himself to his life's love. All she would have had to do was hesitate, even consider the word 'No', and he might have been able to retain control of himself. He had forgotten the complex series of words on which he needed to focus to activate the magic that bound his armor to him and transported it to and from a room in this very home.

Kraven hesitatingly pulled away from the Mother and stared at it with agitation for the briefest of seconds before his hands dug into the armor covering his chest, peeling through the many reinforced layers of magically protected metal and earth that imprisoned his flesh. His head rocked back as he pried at it in either direction after having dug out his foothold, and it ripped away from him with furious force, sending it crashing into opposite walls of the room. As the seal on the chest of the black armor tore, the rest of the suit would begin to dissolve, seemingly melting off of him and violently reappearing as the crashed into a mannequin in the armory beneath them.

Kraven snapped his leather belt like wet paper, causing several weapons to cascade off of him to the ground, many of which had been hidden completely by his armor. In total there were almost two dozen separate blades and instruments of general mayhem. He stood before her, bare chest glistening with sweat after having battled with an unruly chainmail shirt, and marred with recent additions to his already impressive collection of battle scars and burns. It looked as though he had been burned badly years ago, but in truth the marks were a result of today's attack and the subsequent half-assed healing job he had done on himself.

He wore a ragged pair of burlap pants which looked to be extremely uncomfortable and were tied with a simple piece of twine. They were a pair of training pants he had owned for countless years, and they had grown to be his favorite article of clothing in general. The entire process took mere seconds, and he had managed to free himself of his bracers while freeing his jet black locks at the same time. His eyes were hungry for Anabel VonHagen, and he did not take them off of her as he turned the massive model of Kalmarden off it's perch, a large stone tablet. His armor, the model, these were all possessions and had no place in his mind.

Anabel was everything, and he charged her, grasping at her buttocks with both hands as he sat her on the raised platform and had at her neck. The taste of her flesh was intoxicating and he worked desperately to have as much of his tense body make contact with her as he kissed. He made a valiant effort to pull his mouth away from her just as he worked toward her supple lips and spoke quickly, with heavy and labored breaths.

" I think you are the reason for my being ancient beyond my time. If you are the reason why, I can easily outmatch the likes of Death. "

[Jen]

A groan of protest escaped Ana’s lips as Kraven paused in his assault of her body and she pulled herself closer to Kraven. She wrapped her legs around him and held him fast in her iron-like grip. She was a strong woman, an immortal woman, a living legend.

“I hope so.” Ana breathed as she touched Kraven’s chest with her cold hands. She was intent on feeling his heat, following his every movement with her own as she explored his chest. She kissed his wounds, soothing his burns with her cold touch. Ana was no healer but she certainly knew the value of cold against hot. A smile pursed her lips as she kissed Kraven’s body.

“I love you.” It was out of her mouth before she knew it, and she didn’t regret it. Ana wrapped her arms around Kraven’s neck and pulled him into a hungry heated kiss. There was debris everywhere and distantly she heard a frantic knock on the door. She growled softly and pouted up at Kraven. She didn’t want to be interrupted. They might be on a hellbent slide into oblivion, but to hell with it. They were both damned and they had both endured so much together that they deserved their own twisted happiness.

“Kraven make them go away…” She didn’t have to use allure, her cold body was pressed tight against his now half naked body. She wore nothing but silk panties and he wore nothing but pants. It was incriminating, but somehow everyone would understand the need for these two to be together. It was fitting.

The knocking became more frantic with every moment. They were afraid that she was throwing Kraven about the room. Rather, it was Kraven destroying the room in his desire for his Mistress. She offered him her mouth once again and pleaded with him, her body slowly warming under the extreme heat of his skin. His arousal was a powerful thing for her, and the heat he gave off was intoxicating.

“Please…send them away. It’s bound to get louder before it gets any quieter.” Ana smirked playfully at Kraven and pressed closer to him, her body soft and pliable and remarkably…warm. At least where it had constant contact with Kraven’s body.

[Sage]

" I've always loved you. "

And he meant it. His earliest memory was of her, and his first feeling of adoration. He allowed her to see his fragmented memory of her from that day. The darkness was unreal, enveloping him, it seemed to be a living being pulling him to his death. His powers failed to illuminate his path, or show him anything of the force that drew upon him, upon his very essence. And she had come walking along a well-beaten path, a barefoot maiden all in black who shone like the sun, chasing away Kraven's demons.

He reached out for her once more when Anabel's distress and the sound of the hammering on his door stopped him cold, just short of her. He let out a long growling noise as he carefully peeled his lover off of his body and snatched a long, slender sword from the marble floor. He exploded through the heavy wooden door with it's metal 'clink' turning into a sound resembling four pounds of iron being thrust through twenty feet of oak.

The sounds from outside Kraven's strategy room were otherworldy. Kraven let out primal screams as humans could be heard running in every direction, scattering like mice from an overgrown and insane cat. His sword cut the air several times, singing out short rings as he chased those loyal to him like animals.

" Out, all of you! Off of this floor, up or down I don't care but so help you, stay there! "

Several long moments later, Kraven reentered the room and attempted to little avail to set the remains of the door back up in the doorway. It was unnecessary, as no one would dare enter the first basement floor of his home for years to come unless explicitly instructed otherwise. He attempted to calm himself, his chest heaved as he let the sword fall to the ground, clattering against what appeared to be the remains of a tiny farmhouse and completing it's annihilation. Kraven inhaled sharply, and concentrated as he made his attempt at words.

" I've been working on something, something for you. It wasn't of dire importance, so I wanted to wait--wait until I got it right, perfect. "

Kraven attempted to slow his breathing as he drew his hands toward his center, elbows bent, palms down. Normally, only people like Kraven who possessed a magical aura could see them, read them; but when he channeled his powers, or tapped into his illusory gifts, he could often be seen as being surrounded by white. It wasn't light, it wasn't anything. Wispy lines of the absence of dark. The room began to change, sway, and spin. Gradually, the domed ceiling of the room became sky, real sky.

Everything around them changed, the walls melted away and soft grass grew beneath them, the stone tablet changing into a very strategically-shaped natural stone at the edge of a forest, the place where Kraven had been found, the spot his home was built upon. And above them was the shining sun, radiant and beautiful, real warmth filling the air from it. But there would be no death, no pain, no suffering as per usual. It was all an illusion, a very good illusion carefully crafted and maintained by Kraven as a present. His posture slumped slightly, and he looked as though he were literally holding up the world around them on his shoulders, but he grew more accustomed to the feeling and made his way slowly to Anabel.

" Ngh...so, I caught a thought from you once that you wished you could see the sun with me... Will this do? "

[Jen]

Emotion filled Anabel’s eyes as she looked around herself with awe. It had been centuries upon centuries since she had last seen the sun without dire effects. Her eyes went wide as the illusion came to fruition before her and she smiled brilliantly.

“Its perfect. Oh Kraven, its more than I could ever dream!” Ana ran to Kraven and wrapped her arms around him in a sweet and yet passionate embrace. Her eyes sought his and she raised herself on her tip toes and kissed him. There was heat there still and desire, and then there was the sheer happiness bubbling forth from the First of Vampires.

Ana turned from him and looked around, holding out her arms so that the warm sunlight danced on her skin. It felt so real that she could barely contain her excitement. She pressed her bare back against Kraven’s bare chest and relaxed against him. Her body seemed a bundle of quivering energy in Kraven’s arms and she tilted her head back to look at him. Her eyes were a brilliant blue, her hair straight and silken as it caressed Kraven’s body. She was the epitome of deadly perfection, and she was Kraven’s.

“I wasn’t sure how you would take my love. I couldn’t contain it any more. I crave you like I crave blood, like I crave sustenance and protection. You are everything to me, and without you I would be nothing.” It was a bold statement, but it was true. Kraven was Anabel’s world, just as much as if she were his.

“Come with me…” Ana spoke as she pulled Kraven forward by his hands. She laid herself down on the warm grass, feeling it tickle her skin as she stretched and her body warmed to the idea of the illusion. Her sharp eyes watched Kraven’s movements. She was keenly aware of his presence and his rugged good looks. He was so much larger than she was. He was broader through the shoulders, as befit a man to be. He was at least a head taller than she was, which made him very attractive.

“The sunlight is beautiful on your skin, Kraven.” Ana watched Kraven move in awe of him. Here she was, all rose and alabaster laying in the light of an illusionary sun – and she was in awe of him. Her skin was aglow with the natural light and she was intensely aware of how appealing the sensation of warmth was on her skin. Something akin to goosebumps arose at the heat playing over her body.

Ana reached for Kraven, unwilling to let the moment pass.

[Sage]

Kraven relished in her reaction. It was more than he could have anticipated, better than he could have asked for. She was full of an almost childlike wonderment that radiated from her very core, and he knew the effort had been worth it. As he was able to steady his breathing, her enjoyment of the illusion made it all the easier for him to maintain it, and he almost completely let go of monitoring it as he held her tight to him.

The position of sun would reveal that the illusion had been set just after sunrise, and the edge of the field they occupied was bathed in a deep orange glow that set Anabel's unique skin on fire. As she crawled away from him, he smiled warmly. He was ecstatic that she was finally his to hold, caress, and that it wasn't necessary to capture and bind her. She willingly stayed with him, even asking him to shoo away his staff, and it set him on fire. He picked at the bit of twine around his waist and his pants fell in a heap on the dew-covered grass, leaving his muscular frame completely bare.

His body was far from immaculate. It was well-toned and hairless, but covered in many different-shaped red lines and blotches. Many of these marks were faded, won years ago, and the shine on him made all but his most recent burns nearly disappear. Despite having seen the sun unlike Ana's kind, and only ever exposing his face to it's rays, his body was all the same tone. He was pale, but not so much that he appeared unhealthy. It was another side effect of his powers, the pigments in his skin were completely immune to the sun's radiation, which prevented him from tanning.

Kraven laughed softly to himself, and she would be in on the joke with his mind so open to her. He found it amusing that her body reacted to the warmth of the sun in the way that his reacted to the opposite conditions. It was unnatural, to bathe in the sun, and went against a balance that she had adhered to for centuries, but she adapted quickly and he was impressed with her.

Anabel's guardian fell softly to his knees and crawled over her, holding himself just inches away from her supple flesh. She seemed so small, so fragile, and the fact that she happened to be one of the most durable creatures alive or dead did not staunch his ginger approach. He slid his face down to hers, his soft hair hanging around her face like a curtain, and lost himself in the taste of her mouth. She would be able to see nothing save for Kraven, who eclipsed his own illusory sun as he selfishly made her his. He kissed her quickly and hungrily, working her lips in his and briefly running the tip of his tongue across her dangerous fangs. As he did so, he suspended himself on one arm and brought his right arm to her left breast, massaging the soft tissue there. He loved the way it felt against his rough hand, hardened from years of hard labor and battle while gripping unforgiving tools and weapons.

[Jen]

Ana melted into Kraven as she kissed him. Her body was his and he deserved it for his years of undying loyalty – but most of all she deserved him. In each other they were finding happiness for the first time in millennia.

Ana ran her hands down Kraven’s strongly muscled back, feeling the intense heat that almost burned like fire. Her hands were beginning to warm the longer she touched his flesh. Her breath was caught in her throat and she broke the kiss to catch it hungrily. She didn’t have to breathe often, but it helped with keeping her aware of everything. Ana could only imagine what Kraven was feeling.

She definitely knew what he was thinking.

And she liked it.

Hours passed as the lovers kept to themselves, the whole floor theirs to play on without anyone ever bothering them. They wouldn’t leave their own haven created by Kraven, but the knowledge that they could was intoxicating. No one would begrudge them their time alone.

Finally when dawn was two hours away, Ana smiled and rolled onto her belly, her naked flesh exceptionally flushed after hours of love making. She leaned over and kissed Kraven passionately.

“Gods but you are insatiable. Its good that I am immortal.” Ana’s eyes twinkled and she kept her body close to Kraven’s. His warmth was so intense that it was laying next to a self contained sun.

“How are you feeling?” Ana spoke as she laid her head on Kraven’s chest, her eyes closing as she tapped her fingers on his thigh in rhythm with his heartbeat. She was proud of herself, she never once had the desire to take his life. She had been able to stave off her desire to bite him as well, and for that she was happy.