To Mend a Broken Heart

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Thirty seven hours wasn't exactly a party for her. It had come to the point where she preferred being in her wolf form even though she had little to no control over it. There was a male in the same room as her and he was close. Why wasn't she with him again? Shaking her head she growled softly as she paced the length of the crate she'd claimed as her own. Flicking her ears she watched from her perch as Aztrex disappeared into the metal room she'd placed him in over a day and a half ago. Was she really that bad? She certainly felt that bad.

She hadn't even felt like this with Tamar. She'd never wanted anyone like this. Whore. She whined loudly as the word echoed in her mind. Whore. Whore. Slut. Shaking her head she growled lightly and clawed at her head, trying to get the voices and memories and words out of his head. Whining lightly she shifted into her human form and threw on the first bit of clothes she could find. A t-shirt and some loose jeans. Her feet bare as she leaped off the crate with a soft thud. Her eyes wild.

Warily, she opened the metal door. Worried that what was on the other side wasn't Aztrex but his beast. But his heartbeat sounded normal to her. A bit sped up but otherwise normal. Stepping into the room she was silent save for a few growls and whines as she hit her head multiple times with the palm of her hand. She felt hot. The clothes she wore felt unbearably tight and constricting and she could feel her wolf banging on the inside. Wanting out at such a close proximity to Aztrex.

"Aztrex..." There was pain in her voice as she called his name. She wouldn't even give him a chance to react before she suddenly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his own. She was not in control of her actions. All she was aware of was there was a male and he felt so nice underneath her fingertips. WHORE! She broke the kiss with a jolt as she realized what she'd done and immediately she backed away from Aztrex. "I-I-I'm sorry." Now she was terrified of him. What he wanted. But not in the way he wanted.

All her life she'd been at the bidding of men. She wasn't allowed to service her needs without a man's permission. She'd be punished if she overstepped her boundaries or broke the rules. She broke them now. Even with Tamar. It had been a dark part of their relationship. The only time he ever hurt her but he'd always apologized afterwards and get her nice gifts. "I'm sorry." She whined again, her heart thundering a mile a minute as she bolted from the room but instead of heading up to her nest she left the cargo area. She didn't care if she was seen. Luckily, it was pitch black outside and raining lightly. The crew was asleep for the most part. The rain felt nice against her hot skin. Being up there, she shifted into her wolf form into found the smallest space she could fit into and crawled into it.

WHORE! SLUT! WHORE! Ryah couldn't get the voices out of her head and now another had joined them. Aztrex. It was his voice that hurt most of all and she didn't know why. She knew she cared for him but she hadn't realized how deeply her feelings for this quiet, scarred male was. She didn't just want him....she wanted more with him. What that more was she wasn't sure but it scared her. Terrified her.
 
He heard the loud groaning of the door being opened and he lifted his head which he had bowed toward his lap. His sharp gaze caught sight of Ryah and he stiffened and slowly got to his feet, warily. "Ryah..?" he questioned, confused. But he stopped when he noticed the wild look in her eyes. His widened and he had a bad feeling as she called out his name, pain laced in his voice. He saw no physical injuries on her, so he didn't know why she sounded so hurt. "What are you-" he question was abruptly cut off when the female lunged toward him.

He sensed no hostility towards him emanating off of her, so his reflexes didn't kick in. She swiftly closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his own. His eyes widened even more, surprised. He was so shocked he couldn't even react. His heart hammered beneath his ribcage and he raised a hand, about ready to pushed the female away. She wasn't in her right mind. But neither was he. With her so close, his head swam, his wolf snarling with need. His body reacting in ways he'd never experienced before.

Just as his fingertips grazed her shoulder, ready to break off the kiss, Ryah seemed to come to her senses and she jerked away from him, backing away quickly. The female stammered an apology and his brow furrowed. "Ryah, are you alright?" he asked softly, reaching toward her, perplexed as to what just happened. But she simply apologized again and bolted from the room. He blinked in surprise and stumbled backward, his back thumping against the wall gently.

She kissed him. Ryah had kissed him. Why? Well, duh. She was in heat, he knew that messed with a female's hormones. Made them do crazy things they wouldn't necessarily do when they were sane. But why had she acted so frightened afterwards? Like she thought he was going to punish her.. Why would he do that? ... Was he really that terrifying? For some reason, the thought of Ryah being afraid of him disappointed him. Made him a little sad, even.

He didn't want to dwell on what that meant. No, he didn't have to dwell on it. He knew perfectly well what that meant. He cared for her. Some where along the way, Aztrex had come to care for Ryah. The male growled at himself, a wave of guilt washing over him. There was no way he could come to care for another. Amnesia had been the only one for him. He didn't want to betray her memory. And certainly not with her best friend. And besides, he didn't want to hurt anyone else. He had harmed enough people in his life. He certainly wasn't prepared to harm another he cared for. Shaking his head, he pushed his thoughts away. He refused to think about it. No way. He decided he wouldn't even contemplate it later on, either. But, right now, he needed to go find Ryah, see if she's alright.

He quickly left his room and left the cargo hold altogether, using his nose and following her scent. Even if she hadn't been in heat, he still would've been able to track her down. After a few minutes, he finally found her, huddled up in a small space, hiding and looking utterly terrified. He sighed to himself and knelt down in front of the area she was hiding in, slowly, like he was approaching a frightened kitten. "Ryah, it's alright, i'm not going to hurt you. You did nothing wrong," he told her gently, voice soft, trying to coax her to come out. "I understand what you're going through and it's fine. I get that you feel... urges.. It's nothing to be ashamed of," he told her quietly, trying to stay calm, even if on the inside he was a nervous wreck and totally embarrassed talking about 'urges'.
 
He should've stayed downstairs, away from her. As he reached towards she shrank away from him, terrified of his touch. Terrified of what could come of it. Pain. Shaking her head at his words. She whined loudly, avoiding his gaze as she crawled away from him. Had she had a tail it'd be tucked in between her legs. Her ears were practically glued to her skull in fear. Like a wounded animal, she crawled away from him. She paused every few paces to shake out the rain that now drenched her fur. She was cold. But it was better then the heat of her heat.

As she crawled away from him she found her clothes, now drenched too, and shifted into her human form. Throwing on her clothes as she trembled violently both of fear and cold. "No. You don't understand." She knew he would hear her, even so far away and through the rain. She was amazed at his amazing sense of hearing. She certainly wouldn't have heard him. "I did everything wrong. This has nothing to do with urges." Why would he even call it that? Its like she was talking to a shy teenager. "I deserve it. I shouldn't have kissed you. I broke the rules. I stepped over boundaries. I deserve pain. Hurt. Pain. Punishment." Her voice had changed, tinged with fear and breaking. Her eyes wild as she sat back against the railing for the ship.

"WHORE!" She screamed against the rain and the wind. "I'M A WHORE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" It was the first time she'd yelled at him. Even if she wasn't in her right mind it was startling even to her to hear herself scream. She continued screaming until her voice was hoarse and she'd passed out on the floorboards of the ship. She hadn't been eating much since she'd come into heat. She was hungry but the need to find a male overpowered even the most basic of instincts. Not eating led to no energy and it had only been a matter of time before she passed out.
 
Watching as she crawled away from him, not meeting his gaze, he felt helpless. He didn't know how to help her and that's all he wanted to do at that very moment. She looked so broken, afraid, that it scared him. He didn't know why she was acting like this and it worried him. He didn't know what she was going to do. He didn't want her to hurt herself. He watched as she crawled away, stopping to shake the rain from her fur every so often as she made her way to her clothes. When she started shifting to her human form, he quickly diverted his gaze until she spoke to him.

He looked back at her as she told him that he didn't understand. She was standing quite the distance from her and even through the rain, he heard her clearly. What didn't he understand? Couldn't she explain it to him? He just wanted to help her and yet he could do nothing but stand there, useless. She told him that she did everything wrong, she shouldn't have kissed him. She broke the rules, crossed boundaries and the more she spoke, the more confused he became. What was she talking about? When she told him she deserved pain, punishment, he shook his head and took a tentative step toward her, "No, Ryah," he said, even though she couldn't hear him over the rain and distance.

When she started screaming, calling herself a whore and that he didn't understand, he winced and clapped his hands over his ears, the volume hurting him. He could only watch as she screamed herself hoarse and then passed out. Aztrex gasped in surprise and rushed to her side. "Ryah?" he questioned softly. When she didn't respond, he slipped a hand behind her knees and supported her back and picked her up with ease. He looked down at her, his brow furrowed. "You're no whore," he whispered gently, even though she wouldn't hear him. He looked around and then went back to the cargo hold.

He knew she hadn't been getting much sleep, nor eating properly, so he gently laid her down, rolling one of his hoodies into a makeshift pillow and lowered her head onto it slowly. He glanced at her drenched clothes and his breath hitched in his throat. She couldn't stay in wet clothes, but what the hell was he supposed to do? It was wrong to undress a woman, especially when she was unconscious. He bit his lip, trying to think and came up with an idea. He grabbed his one other hoodie, his larger one, and set it aside. He gently picked her up, leaning her back against his chest. He gripped the edge of her shirt and he looked over his shoulder as he peeled it off, making sure not to look.

His face felt hot, even his ears and he knew he was blushing. He was completely out of his element. Discarding her shirt to the side, he tentatively felt around her his hoodie, his breathing accelerating at the feeling of her skin against his bare chest. He finally grabbed his hoodie and he pulled it over her head as quickly as he could without looking. Once it was on, he gave a heavy sigh of relief and thread her arms through the sleeves. He glanced down at her wet jeans and hid face heated again and he groaned, running a hand down his face. "What the hell do I do now?" he grumbled.

He pulled his hoodie as far down her legs as it would go - just a little above her knees. He looked away and he grasped the hem of her jeans and pulled them off as quickly and gently as he could. He threw them to the side like they were some sort of venomous snake and he tugged his hoodie down again. He grabbed his shirt and draped it over her legs and then he fell backwards, sitting, glad that was over. He stood up again, glancing at Ryah. He grabbed the first thing of food he touched and put it near her, as well as a bottle of water and he straightened and rolled his shoulders. He walked to the exit of the cargo room and locked the door from the inside. That would create more time for him to stop her if she tried to bolt again.

They couldn't get caught now. He then went into his little room and practically collapsed against the wall, eyes wide, breathing accelerated and his face completely red. He couldn't believe he had just done that. Granted, he didn't touch anything nor saw anything, but it was still completely embarrassing for him.
 
This was not a dream Ryah wanted to have. Not right now. She'd pushed this memory the darkest and deepest recesses of her mind. She'd pushed all these violent memories as far back as she could but when she was asleep and so weak she couldn't control them and they drowned her like a dam bursting from its floodgates. Images of little six year old Ryah walking funny because master had needed assistance last night. She'd hurt for two whole days after that. It was a brutal childhood. Each master she'd gone to had been male and every one wanted the same thing out of her. Then one day she escaped but her torture wasn't over. Now images of Tamar filled her mind. Pain. He was too rough. It hurt too much. She begged him to stop but he didn't. The next morning he was gone and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for her on the table. His way of asking for forgiveness.

At the hands of a man she knew no kindness. She only knew pain and suffering. The hard bite of a whip the chains digging into her wrists when she did something wrong. Like she had tonight. Tonight she did something very wrong and yet she couldn't get Aztrex's words out of her head. "You're no whore." She may have been passed out but she'd still heard him. She didn't believe him though. She was very much a whore. A whore would present herself as she to him.

Jolting out of her sleep she glanced around her in a panic before she realized she was no longer in her wet clothes. She was dry and smelled like him. The scent soothed her and for a moment she let herself think that everything was alright between them. Her heat was still raging, with a vengeance now, but with Aztrex in a different room she was able to focus on eating the food he'd provided for her and drink some of the water. Standing from his...nest she took the water bottle and clutched it tightly to her as she walked to the metal room where she knew he'd be.

She didn't say anything as she leaned against the door, her body trembling from both exhaustion and fear. She wanted sleep but was terrified of what waited for her in the land of dreams. "Do you think its raining because the prince can't find his princess?" She murmured softly. There'd been no wind when she'd gone upstairs. It was sad. "Or...maybe the princess is the ocean too and the waves are her arms reaching for him but never being able to touch him." Stories calmed her down when she was at her worst, and this was certainly at her worst.

"Is it strange that most fables and bed time stories circle around lovers who could never be together?" She paused as she sat down next tot the door with a yawn. "I know what the ocean feels like." She murmured softly. "Reaching for something you know you'll never have because you're different and you're afraid of what a lover might think of you." She was speaking mostly about herself.

Suddenly, she changed the topic of conversation. "Why haven't you beat me yet?" She whimpered. "I broke the rules." She paused as she hugged her knees to her chest. "You haven't....called me a...whore? Or a slut." She seemed genuinely confused by this. Unused to a man treating her as his equal. "I...don't understand." Her heat had subsided slightly, ebbed by the chaste kiss they'd shared. She knew it'd be back with a vengeance later but for now she could stand him.
 
He soon calmed down and he shifted so he was leaning against the wall, head back on it for support and he closed his eyes for a few moments. He kept an ear out for if anyone was coming toward the cargo hold, but he heard nothing. Everyone was still sleeping and it was still raining. But he eventually heard Ryah wake and move around. He guessed she was eating. Good. She needed to eat. She'd been eating almost as little as he had been and he knew it was healthy for her. For him, well, he could survive on very little of nearly everything so not eating a lot didn't affect him like it affected Ryah.

He heard her walking around and he shifted again to cross his legs as he opened his blue eyes and stare at the dark ceiling. Te small overhead light swung from side to side, casting an almost eerie, moving light about the room. But then the door groaned as Ryah pushed against it, leaning on it. He cast the door a sidelong glance as she started to speak and he raised a brow, not saying a word. He remembered snippets of the story he told him when he had had his attack earlier and he figured that's what she was talking about.

He heard her sit down beyond the door and then she told him she knew how the ocean felt to be reaching for something she couldn't have and he figured she must be speaking about her dead mate, Tamar. He closed his eyes again, deciding to just let her talk. It seemed to calm her down, so he'd let her talk.

But the subject changed abruptly and his eyes flew open and he stared at the door, in the direction where she sat, his eyes wide with disbelief. Did she seriously just ask why he hadn't beat her yet? That he hadn't called her a whore or a slut, that she didn't understand. He slowly shook his head and stood up, walking slowly toward the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob.

"I would never purposely hurt you, Ryah," he said gently, not brave enough to open the door and actually face her just yet. "You're not a whore, or a slut.. You are none of those cruel words," he bit his lower lip, unsure as to whether he was going to scare her off again, "what ever life you used to have, you're not in it any longer.. Please don't think i'm going to hurt you.. All I want to do is help you. Protect you.." he trailed off and he leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against the cool metal. He didn't want to open the door. Didn't want to frighten her any more. If she wanted to see him, she could open it. But in her own time.
 
His words would confuse her even further. Unused to hearing such things come out of a mans mouth and not be filled with venom or sarcasm or false promise. He sounded....sincere. He even sounded a bit scared. Why? Narrowing her eyes in thought she chewed on her lip as she debated why a man would say such things to her and mean it. Standing from her perch she'd stare at the door for the longest time, the silence between them deafening before she even dared to open. Terrified that it was all a lie and he was simply playing with words.

It only took a few seconds for her to close the distance between them. Usually, she would give him his space but she needed the comfort. She was in such a dark place mentally that she was terrified. Ryah didn't kiss him though, not anymore. She'd broken enough rules. Instead, like a child, she would lay her head on his chest. She liked the warmth and the strength he offered her. She had feelings she didn't quite understand but his silent presence comforted her. Even if he didn't touch her. He was there.

"I'm sorry I kissed you." She broke the silence in a soft murmur. Her voice hoarse from her screaming fit from before. She wanted to say she hadn't been in her right mind but that was a lie. She'd been very aware of her actions and had simply used the confidence boost that came from being in heat to act out on what she wanted. Not just a friend but someone to comfort her and silence the demons in her mind. Tamar had never done that for her. He'd comforted but that was about it and it was only when it was convenient for him.

After a few more minutes she pulled away from him and left his room. "I'll leave you be now." She knew he liked his personal space and tonight she'd overstepped her boundaries more then once. She didn't know where this left their friendship or if they were even friends anymore. All she knew was that something had changed inside her after that kiss. She felt different concerning him but she couldn't quite put a finger on why that was. Not knowing was even worse then knowing.

Ryah left the room, closing the metal door behind her before making her way back to the highest crate in that room, back to her nest where all this had started. She still wore his hoodie and up there she slid it off her body and replaced it with her own clothes. He'd undressed her. The thought suddenly crossed her mind, making her freeze. But....she didn't feel any different. Had he touched her she would've known. She knew those kinds of things.

The fact that he hadn't touched her confused her even more. Not because she wanted to be touched but because her opinion of men seemed to be different with him. He wasn't some sex starved pig. Not once during her heat had he touched her. Then again, her heat wasn't over yet so he had time to change her opinion of him. A part of her wanted that. She wanted to think he was just another man after what she could offer them. At least if she thought about him like that it would keep the other feelings at bay.

But it was hard to think of him like that when he'd done nothing to harm. He'd been gentle with her. He'd rescued her he'd looked out for her. He'd come with her even though she knew he wanted nothing to do with her. Although she'd been loyal to Tamar he'd done nothing to make her love him. He'd been kind and sweet outside the bedroom. But with her past how she was treated in bed mattered to her just as much as when they weren't in bed together. Aztrex didn't want her that way though. She didn't know why she felt so heartbroken at the fact but she did.

Her mind was a jumbled mess as she fell into a troubled sleep with thoughts Aztrex in her mind. She had many dreams that night, all involving Az in some way or form but the dream that would stick with her more so then the naughty ones, was the one innocent dream she had. A dream of simply laying in his arms and feeling.....protected. Thats all she wanted.
 
The silence that passed between them almost made Aztrex turn around and walk back to the other side of the room, thinking she wanted nothing more to do with him. However, just as he took a step back, ready to turn away, the door groaned, creaking as Ryah opened it. He said nothing, worried that if he made any sudden noises or movements, she'd bolt again. Females were so confusing. Especially Ryah. But he wanted to understand her better. Get to know her, know what had happened to her to make her think he was going to hit her. He knew it wouldn't be pleasant and it made him uncomfortable with what it may have been.

But, instead, she approached him, closing the distance between them. His muscles tensed as she laid her head on his chest, but he forced himself to relax. It was Ryah. She wasn't going to do anything. He felt awkward just standing there, with Ryah resting her head against his chest and he tilted his head back slightly, staring at the ceiling. But a few minutes later, she apologized for kissing him earlier, her voice hoarse.

He shook his head slowly, "it's fine. Don't apologize," he told her gently and he lowered his gaze to look at the top of her head. She seemed so weak, broken. So scared of everything and he tried to squash the desire to protect her into the dirt, but it didn't work. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe, help her. And that, in turn, made him feel terrible. How could he move on from Amnesia? It was wrong. Amnesia had been his mate and he was determined to make sure he had no more. But he wasn't sure whether that would work. He certainly hoped they did, though.

He brought away from his thoughts when she stepped away from him, saying she'd leave him be now. He watched her silently, not uttering a word. When the door shut behind her, he gave a heavy sigh of defeat and slumped against the nearest wall, running a hand over his face. "Az, she's screwing with your head, man," he muttered almost inaudibly to himself.

Wandering to the back of the room, he sat down and leaned against the wall, his mind racing. So much had happened in the past few days, it was overwhelming for him. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would let him escape. Even for a couple hours.

But that didn't happen. Instead, he dreamed he was casually walking down the street, his hand interlaced with another, much smaller hand. They walked hand in hand, arms swinging lightly between them. He was smiling. He seemed happy. When was the last time he had truly been happy? He couldn't remember a time. They entered a cafe and he sat down in a booth. And the person he had been holding hands with sat opposite him. It was Ryah. She was smiling, happy. He reached over, his fingers grazing her cheek lightly and she leaned into his touch. Heat rushed up his fingers and arm and he watched, perplexed as Ryah leaned over the table and gripped his shirt gently and pulled him toward her, their lips meeting in a kiss. She pulled down with a sly grin and he fell back into his chair, dazed.

Aztrex woke with a start and he blinked in surprise. Why would he dream of Ryah? And in a situation like that? It puzzled him and he stood and pulled on a shirt before he paced the room, confused and scared at the same time. He flexed his hands absent mindedly and he glanced at the door that separated him and Ryah and he groaned softly. Hours passed and Az continued to pace, trying to sort out his thoughts and every time he paused and listened into the next room, Ryah's breathing was still steady, deep, so he knew she was still sleeping. Good. She needed rest.
 
Ryah slept for the rest of the ride and woke only when she felt the ship stop moving. Sitting up on the crate she'd been laying on she rubbed sleep from her eyes and flicked her gaze through the cargo hold. Her heat had subsided, only lasting four days as it usually does. She'd expected her feelings for Aztrex to dwindle in that timeframe but she found she felt the same way for him as she had when she'd been shamefully lusting after him. Shaking her head she cleaned up her nest and climbed down from the crates over to Az's bags where she packed everything up before she hesitantly made her way over to the steel room.

"Az?" She called through the door softly. "Its time to go." She let him come out on his own and was waiting for him, with two of his bags, at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the deck of the ship. Poking her head out she realized it was nightfall. Probably the only time they'd have to leave the ship undetected since starting in the morning they'd be unloading it. She waited for Aztrex before she climbed onto the deck and quickly yet silently walked up to the railing.

They were moored in a shipyard already with a gangplank connecting them to land and holding the ship in place. It was almost too easy. Ryah hurried down to the gangplank and onto solid land but she kept going. Not even bothering to wait for Aztrex. Something was calling to her, pulling her away from civilization. To one side of the shipyard, a few miles away there was a city and to the other side of the shipyard was farmland. She headed for the farmland. Home. She was going home.

Excitement filled her small frame as something continued pulling at her mind and her heart, as if she was being controlled by some unknown force. Her normally green and blue eyes shone a bright yellow entirely now. The closer she grew to her village the less of herself she became. Recklessly, she left Aztrex behind as she burst into a hard run that soon had her panting but she pushed herself past her limit. Home. She had to get home. It was there, she could feel it. She ran for what felt like miles and by the time she stopped her legs were trembling, threatening to buckle underneath her. She was unused to running such a distance in her human form.

She stood on what once had been a village. But the homes and huts were mere skeletons of themselves. Something horrible had happened here many years ago. The stench of blood was faint but it was there. Now home her eyes reverted back to their normal state and she gazed around the horror site. She knew this land. This was home. That hut over there....she knew that home. Slowly she'd make her way to a small house. The outside walls stained with dried blood telling of a battle that took place here many years ago.

There was a skeleton of a large dog like creature on the front lawn. A wicked looking knife lodged in its skull. The skeleton reminded her oddly of Aztrex's beast form. This was her father, murdered in his own beast form protecting his family. Screams echoed in her skull and within her minds eye the memories of a terrified toddler filled her. The roaring outside her bedroom window as she was grabbed by her mother and shoved in her hiding place beneath the floorboards.

Ryah had long since entered the house. Part of the living room floor had been ripped away. Her last memory of her home. The skeleton of a human lay not too far away, her mother. There was another skeleton, that of a child underneath what had once been a table. Her brother. She'd had an older brother at some point in her life though she couldn't remember his name. Walking past the bloody crime scene she entered what had been her bedroom.

Ryah stayed in that house for a long time and when she came out she had a framed picture in her hands. A picture of the family she'd lost to the hands of humans. A mother with a soft smile and a father with a stern but loving gaze. A seven year old brother gazing down with an annoyed expression at a two year old Ryah as she pulled on his shirt. They were so happy and smiling. Hugging the picture to her chest she followed the pull of the unknown up to an abandoned temple, hoping to find answers to herself here.

The temple was old and dusty, parts of its walls had begun crumbling inward. But it wasn't hard to see that there were murals painted on the walls. Many of the murals depicted a deity of some sort. It was what appeared to be a hybrid of a woman and a wolf. A woman with a wolf's head. She was beautiful. Her body decorated with strange and intricate markings. Those markings looked oddly familiar but Ryah didn't make it a habit to look at herself in her wolf form.
 
Aztrex had finally ceased his pacing approximately half hour ago and was laying on his back, arms spread and knees pointing toward the ceiling. He felt the ship move and he listened out, hearing Ryah now moving around in the nest room. Huffing softly, he rolled over an pushed himself to his feet as he walked over and shoved his things into the two bags he had taken into the room with him before shouldering them just as Ryah called out to him just beyond the door, telling him it was time to go. He rolled his shoulders and went to the door, opening it. He looked over at Ryah and followed her out of the cargo hold and them off the ship.

It was odd to be on land once again after being out on sea for so long. He stretched his legs, watching as Ryah went on ahead. There would be no one here for a time, so he knew she would be safe for now, so he saw no need to hurry after her. Stretching his arms above his head, he yawned, bored before he took after Ryah, but at a jog, following her scent. He was thankful she was no longer in heat and his head had cleared immensely and it was much easier to think.

He wasn't sure how long it took to catch up to Ryah, but when he did, he came to a place that made him pause. The place was deserted, houses wrecked and rotting where there was wood. Skeletons dotted the ground and he swallowed a lump in his throat. Was this her home town? He couldn't begin to imagine what had happened that day her world was destroyed. How it had happened, the details and though he wasn't going to ask Ryah such a personal question, curiosity burned in his chest. He wanted to know.

He walked tentatively through the village, studying every detail around him, trying to get a picture of what had happened. He glanced at Ryah as she walked out of a house, some sort of photo he couldn't see in her hand. He guessed that must have been her house. He said nothing and simply followed her as she walked to a temple that looked like it was about to fall down any minute now. He studied the murals on the walls, curious. He glanced across at Ryah. The markings looked strikingly similar to her wolf's markings. "Is this where you're supposed to get your answers?" he inquired, turning his attention back to the temple wall. He stepped toward it, running his fingers down a mural of the goddess gently. His fingers came away with a coat of dust.
 
Ryah listened to Az's words and gave him a simple nod. "I hope so." She murmured softly. She hadn't moved from the giant mural of the goddess. She felt connected to it in some strange way. A part of her recognized this image even though she was far too young when everything happened to even remember going to the temple. She walked away of Aztrex entering a long forgotten hallway. She had a feeling she wasn't supposed to be in this part of the temple but she was drawn to the door at the end of the hallway.

Ignoring her basic instincts that screamed at her to turn away she kept going and entered a dark room that smelled of decay and death. Suddenly, she heard the sound of scampering behind her. The voice of someone muttering something but before she had a chance to react her world went black and she crumbled to the ground.

----

Above her stood the form of an elderly man who looked more then a little insane as he cackled joyously for having captured the goddess. "I shall release you from your human bonds, mistress. We must rid you of this horrid, fleshy prison first though." He'd began muttering to himself as he dragged Ryah's unconscious body deeper into the temple until he arrived at what appeared to be an alter. It was room light with candles and smelled of incense and blood.

"Horrid, horrid." The old man kept muttering under his breath as he picked up Ryah and placed her in the middle of the alter. "Snee is devout. He honors his mistress's wishes. He will be rewarded yes? He's done good." Snee cackled once more as he grabbed bowls of animal parts and blood and incense and herbs and began drawing on Ryah's body. "Terrible, ugly fleshy prison." Once he was finished decorating Ryah's body he picked up a knife and began cutting into her skin along her arms, her legs, her forehead, her chest. "Ugly fleshy prison."

----

Suddenly, Snee froze as Ryah jerked awake. Her eyes a brilliant gold. Immediately, the elderly man fell to his knees and started to pray. Ryah, or whatever was inside Ryah, turned her gaze to the elderly man then to the cuts on her skin as blood fell on her nose from the cut on her forehead. "You have damaged my vessel for that you will pay." The booming voice that came from Ryah was not Ryah's. "I asked to have her die peacefully. Violence is not in my nature, Snee. Must I do everything myself?" She paused as she stood from the alter and walked to a pool of water, stripping herself of her clothing to bathe the blood off herself.

"Honestly, its like I'm working with infants. Enough blood has been spilled on the land of my people I will not add more innocents to it. She will die peacefully, in her sleep. Then I shall be free." She finished bathing and stepped out of the water. "Avert your gaze, Snee! You are not worthy to view my mortal beauty!" She roared at the elderly man who nodded fervently and scampered away.

"She has a mate anyway. Pity though that she won't live to realize it." As she spoke she would walk to where a line of jars and bowls were kept. Intent on selecting the right poison to stop her vessel's heart and free herself from this prison. Unaware that her vessel had brought along a visiter with her.
 
Aztrex paused as Ryah walked inside, staring at the murals of the goddess for a while longer before he finally followed the female inside. The deeper he walked, the sicker he felt, the more his gut told him something terrible was going to happen. His instincts had never been wrong, so he embraced the feeling, tensing his muscles, ready for anything.He staggered to the door that Ryah had entered a few minutes beforehand, feeling light headed and uneasy.

He braced himself against the door and inhaled a deep breath before he pushed open the door. Stepping into the room, door sliding shut behind him, Aztrex scanned the room. The smell of blood and incense overwhelmed him, but he shook his head and took another step forward. But then he froze when his gaze crossed over an altar, shelves of jars and bowls just off to the side. There, Ryah stood, an elderly man scampering around a corner. Something felt off. He walked toward her slowly, but when he got closer, he saw it.

The cuts on her body, the weird paint and the bright golden eyes. This wasn't Ryah, that much he knew. It may be Ryah's body, that he could tell by her scent, but it wasn't really Ryah. He watched as her handed glided over the jars and he turned his attention to them, not wanting to look at her any longer. After all, she wasn't exactly dressed and it was hard not to see things he shouldn't be.

But then he noticed what those jars were when he took a deep breath. Poison. He could only guess that what ever was in Ryah's body wanted her - or someone - dead. His eyes flashed back to the female, pupils dilating, fangs and claws extending, ears growing pointed and furred. He was still in control of himself, but his Beast wanted out. "What do you want with Ryah?!" he snarled at her. He wouldn't hurt her for what ever it was, they were in Ryah's body. He wasn't going to harm her.

He'd smash every one of those jars if he had to, or punch a wall. Maybe even go find that crazy old guy, but he'd never hurt Ryah whilsy he was still in control of his body. "Answer me!" he growled, blue eyes flashing.
 
Not Ryah turned to gaze at this male that had dared question her in such a tone. "Ryah is gone." She said simply as she turned back to her mask, mixing various poisons and powders together. "She was merely a vessel for my true form. Bound to this fleshy prison while she was just a babe." Not Ryah walked over to a row of robes hung on pegs and dawned one. Yes, she quite liked this material. "She lays asleep within this body. But she must die for my resurrection. It is an honorable and noble sacrifice, she has served me well all these years."

Not Ryah turned to gaze at the male through yellow eyes. Searching through Ryah's memories the being smiled in recognition but it was not an overjoyed smile. On its face was a smile similar to one a predator would give to a cornered prey. "You are Aztrex. Yes, she has grown rather fond of you. Oh! Where are my manners." The being paused and stood to her full height regally. "I am the goddess Arpahia. Mother of all, queen of many. I was brought onto this earth many years ago and I needed a vessel for my form to lay dormant until the time came to awaken. I know not how the baby was selected but this female, Ryah, she was the most suitable candidate."

She grew bored of talking to the male and walked over to the table of poisons and powders. "I must create a poison that will kill her soul but not her body. I rather like this body, I think I'll keep it for myself." Once she created a suitable mixture she brought it over to the alter. Only then did the being notice Aztrex's anger. "Oh? This does anger you? Why? You care nothing for her. From what I have seen through Ryah's eyes you prefer to be alone do you not? I am providing you a service ridding you of someone you find to be a pest."

Arpahia chuckled lightly and went back to the table of poisons, with the one she had created. "But I do so love games. I'll tell you what, you may pick the poison that I will drink. One is toxic to her soul and the rest are harmless concoctions." She paused. "But first, you must prove yourself worthy of this honor I am giving you." She paused and turned to gaze at the angry male. "And do not try to fool me or anger me Aztrex. I can just as easily stop her heartbeat and search for a new vessel."

With that warning given Arpahia took three jugs back to the alter. "One holds the poison." She placed the identical jugs side by side. "Now, in order to earn the right to pick a jug you must tell me, what does this vessel, this Ryah, mean to you that you are so passionately angry over my choosing to rid her body of her soul." The goddess leaned against the alter, gazing at Aztrex with a sly smile. "Choose your words wisely for they will either kill your....beloved or save her." Arpahia chose that word specifically to get a rise out of Aztrex. If she angered him enough she knew he'd do something stupid and she'd have a reason to kill Ryah regardless of his words.
 
"Ryah is gone" the.. being.. told him, but he refused to believe that. Ryah wasn't gone. He didn't give a crap about whether she was only chosen to be come 'vessel', he'd make sure he got her back. Alive. His brow creased further and further the more he listened to who ever was controlling Ryah. Telling him is was a noble and honourable sacrifice and he growled, "not when she hasn't chosen the fate herself," he glared at the person even harder when she spoke his name, telling him Ryah had grown fond of him. That made him pause. Really? He hadn't seen that one coming. But he shook the titbit of information away. He'd dwell on that another time.

The woman's predatory smile didn't faze him, didn't even make him blink. He'd seen a lot more terrifying things, her smile merely looked like a kitten's grin. It certainly wasn't anything that affected him. When she introduced herself, telling him she had come many years ago and Ryah had been chosen as her vessel, he gave her a blank stare. He didn't care about that. Couldn't give a rat's ass. This so called goddess could go shove it so far up her ass, she'd be tasting it for a week, for all he cared. He just wanted Ryah back

When she told him she had to find a poison to kill Ryah's soul, however, he bared his fangs at her with a growl, his pupils dilating, his Beast wanting out. Wanting to rip her to shreds. But he squashed it quickly, pupils contracting back to their original size. He couldn't hurt this stupid goddess without harming Ryah.

He opted for silence about his remark about him preferring to be alone. There was no use denying that as it was true. For the most part. Arpahia offered him a twisted little 'game' as she put it. That he could choose what she drank. He watched her carefully, scrutinizing everything she did. She told him to tell her why he was so angry about her wanting to kill Ryah's soul, but to choose his words carefully, or she'd kill his beloved. He growled at the word, digging his claws into his palms to try and calm himself. But like usual, the pain didn't register to him, so blood dripped uselessly onto the ground.

"Well you just answered it, didn't you?" He replied with a question, referring to the word she had used to call Ryah. He took a deep breath, retracting his claws and fangs, ears becoming normal. He unclenched his hands and stared at his wounded palms and multitude of tiny scars on them from him unknowingly hurting himself. "I care for Ryah.. I don't want to see her get hurt.. I want to protect her.." he looked up at Arpahia, "I want to protect her. She's so scared of the world, so broken. But she's so precious. She gets excited over little things, enjoys the small things in life. I want to hold on to that, protect it, allow her to live her life freely, away from harm. I don't know much about her, don't know much about her past, but I know it wasn't good. And whether you like to hear it or not, that's because of you. The hurt she's gone through. The pain. And I want to take that pain away from her.. And just care for her with all my being," he told her sincerely. He'd said it.. In a roundabout way, anyway.
 
Clearly the goddess was amused with Aztrex's answer. As the male spoke she would wake Ryah up so she was awake long enough to hear his words before Arpahia shoved her down so cruelly again. "So you love her." She said simply. "At least she's able to die now knowing there's kind men in this world." Of course, Arpahia had no intention of letting Ryah live just to please this male she could care less for. All three jugs held the poison so whatever Aztrex chose Ryah was going to die. Arpahia wasn't stupid, to let go of this vessel would be an act of suicide for her.

Going back on her word she took one of the jugs and downed it before Aztrex would have a chance to react. Immediately she would collapsed on the floor, retreating into Ryah's body and letting Ryah feel the pain of death instead of herself. Ryah was in such pain that she couldn't even speak but her eyes would flick to Aztrex's, back to their normal hues of green and lilac. She didn't have to speak, her eyes were practically screaming for help as she choked on her own saliva, unable to move. Her heartbeat would accelerate greatly before it suddenly stopped and she went limp.

But something was wrong. Nothing happened. The goddess was supposed to reanimate the body as soon as Ryah died but her body remained still. A few minutes would pass, minutes filled with silence and not even a heartbeat coming from Ryah. For all intents and purposes, she was very much dead. Ryah was dead for all of fifteen or so minutes before her heart fluttered back to life and an ear splitting scream erupted from her mouth as she doubled over on herself and began to dry heave before her body vomited the poison.

Even then she didn't stop screaming as her hands fluttered uselessly at the side of her head. Then she went quiet as she panted hard, her body trembling. A part of her wanted to run to Aztrex, the only safety she knew in this room but another part of her wanted to know another jug of poison. Clearly, two entities were fighting over her body. The goddess and Ryah.

Suddenly she would flinch as the elderly man erupted from the shadows with a yell, the knife in his hands as he aimed to kill the fleshy prison that held his goddess. Ryah still wasn't completely in control of her body. Normally she would bolt from danger like this but she obviously struggling now. Somehow she managed to crawl to the pool of water that she'd bathed in earlier. Letting Aztrex handle the elderly man where she couldn't.

Once in the water she was able to clear her head and shove the goddess down into the depths where she'd been slumbering before all this happened. "Aztrex.." She'd whimper out. "I...I can't move. H-Help me out. I'm cold. I'm so tired and I feel so sick." She paused as she drank some of the water in the pool. Trying to get the taste of poison and vomit out of her mouth.
 
He loved her? Well, he supposed. Maybe a little. He knew he cared for her, wanted to protect her from cruel hands. Maybe that did mean he loved her. But then Arpahia spoke again, saying atleast Ryah knew there were kind men out there before he died and his body jerked with realization that the woman wasn't going to let Ryah go. He jolted forward, reaching for her, but before he could grab her, she had downed a jug. He staggered forward, mouth parting as she fell to the ground. Her eyes had turned back to normal and he knew it was Ryah. He rushed to her side as she met his gaze, eyes pleading for him to help.

But before he even got to try and help, he heard her heartbeat stop. His eyes widened as he fell to his knees beside her. He reached over, his fingertips gently grazing her shoulder. "Ryah..?" he barely whispered. He knew she wouldn't hear him, but he didn't want to believe it. She couldn't be dead. Not again. He pushed himself to his feet, hesitant to touch her any more and he staggered backwards, tripping over his own feet and falling back, his back hitting the ground, smacking his head on the ground with a sharp crack. He didn't move. Just stared at the ceiling, eyes blank.

This happened to everyone he got close to. It was him. He was dangerous and somehow, one way or another, he was bound to get them killed. His eyes misted over, but he refused to cry. No. If he cried, it meant it was true. She'd truly be dead. He refused to cry. So, instead, he closed his eyes, draping an arm over his eyes, thinking of the very first day he had met Ryah. In front of Amnesia's grave. And he had ran. He had pushed her away many times, keeping her at arm's length, not wanting to get close. Refusing to bring anyone else into his messed up world. But even if he hadn't brought her into it, she was gone.

His thought spiralled into darker and darker thoughts when a scream suddenly pierced his ears. He yelped in surprise and pain, clapping his hands over his ears and he shifted slightly to sit up. His eyes widened when he saw Ryah, very much alive. She rolled to her side and dry heaved before vomiting. Once she was done and he started to stand, ready to run to her side, but she screamed again. A high pitched wailing and he cried out, slamming his hands over his ears once again. When she went quiet, panting, he slowly pulled his hands away from his ears. His palms came away sticky with blood and he touched his ears, confused. But it didn't take long to figure it out. her screaming had caused his extremely sensitive ears to bleed.

But he ignored it and his eyes flashed to the elderly man rushing toward Ryah, knife raised. His claws and fangs extended in a second and he lunged for the man, one hand crushing the bones in his wrist that held the knife, causing him to drop it, his other hand gripping the man's throat. "How dare you try and hurt her," he snarled to the man. He didn't care if he was old, senile, what have you. He broke his neck with a swift flick of his hand and dropped him to the ground with a growl.

But Ryah's voice quickly brought him down and he spun around, claws and fangs going back to normal. He stared at her momentarily before he rushed to her side. He knelt down and gently picked her up, not caring that she was wet and drenched his own clothes. He cradled her against his own body and he cast a glance back at the dead old man before he strode from the temple, wanting to leave it far behind. Once outside he gave a heavy sigh of relief and looked down at Ryah. "I thought.. No, You had died, Ryah. I had heard her heartbeat cease.. Don't you dare ever scare me like that again," he sighed as he walked away from the temple, trying to find somewhere safe an dry. He paused and knelt down, propping Ryah's body against his leg for a moment as he searched his bag and found a hoodie.

"Sorry. I don't want you staying wet. You'll get sick," he muttered to her as he turned his head away and gently pried the robe off her shoulders and quickly and gently pulled the hoodie over her head, helping her thread her arms through it. He pulled the hoodie down over the top part of her legs and then pulled the rest of the robe off and threw it to the side. Once finished, he looked back down at her with a weak, almost shy but scared smile and he picked her back up, keeping the edge of his hoodie between her leg and his arm to keep it closed for her. "Do you know anywhere near here we can go?" he asked gently, glancing down at her, blue eyes worried. He was scared this was just a dream, that in reality she was still dead. That thought terrified him. If it was a dream, he wanted to keep a hold of it.
 
She was touched by his concern. He did care. Once in his arms she felt safe. He was so warm and she was so tired. As tempted as she was to fall asleep they weren't out of the woods yet. When he commanded her never to scare him like that again she gave him a weak smile. "I'll try not to." She murmured. When he laid her on the floor she was curious as to what he was doing but soon relaxed when she realized he was just changing her into dry clothes. She found it adorable that he would look away when he did change her. He was so innocent. It was such a refreshing change for her.

Once she was all dry and changed she allowed herself to be carried once more as she pressed one hand to his neck. As if to reassure herself that he was very much there. She'd been without control over her body for so long that she was terrified she still was. While comatose she'd had dreams that she doubted would ever happened. There had been one dream, it'd sounded lightly muffled to her but she was sure it'd been Aztrex's voice. A dream where he told her that he did care for her, that he wanted to protect her and shelter her from all the pain she went through and any further pain. She'd been about to reply to his words before she'd been so cruelly shoved down and the dream ended.

Jolting herself from her mind she laid her head on his chest as she listened to her question and shook her head. "She's still inside me. I can feel her, she's angry. Beyond angry that I fought back." Thats why she was so tired and had survived what would kill a normal human being. "My heart..." She began. "It wasn't supposed to stop. The whole idea of the poison was that it would burn my soul out of my body but...but I had this dream..." She trailed off and shook her head. It'd probably just been a dream. "I did it. I stopped my heart because I would rather die then let someone else live my life. She was very angry with me for that and....and we fought." She was struggling to remember all the details, she'd been unconcious when all this happened. "We fought and I won and I let my heart beat again but....but....she's coming."

A soft whine escaped her. "I can't...I can't do it again a second time." She trailed off and opened her eyes to look at him. "She needs to be bound. I can't survive without her and she can't survive without me but only one of us can have control of my body." Normally, she would care less if she lost this battler. But this being, this goddess, did not like Aztrex at all and she was afraid that if she allowed herself to grow careless that she'd overcome her and harm Aztrex using her hands. No. She wouldn't be able to live with that.

"I know you don't want to but you have to leave me out here and go back in that temple. I can't go back in it, she grows stronger in the temple." She was struggling as it was to keep the goddess at bay and it was slowly sapping her energy. Soon she wouldn't have enough energy to move or breath....or keep her heart beating. She didn't dare tell Aztrex this though. "In the main room theres a statue of her and it has a necklace around its neck. It'd a Binding pendant, it'll keep her down as long as I wear it and..I'll be able to live normally again."

Ryah sighed tiredly and yawned. Even talking was sapping her energy. "When you return just place it around my neck. It'll do the rest of the work. Then....then theres a bed and breakfast...if I remember correctly. Its in the next town over. West. We'll.....safe...there." She'd begun to grow weaker to the end of her sentence, sleep was threatening to overtake her. "Hurry." Was the last thing she said before she closed her eyes. Her breathing shallow and her heart struggling to keep beating.
 
She told him that Arpahia was still there, inside her and extremely angry. If he hadn't been holding her, he would have added more scars to his palms. He wished he could just kill the stupid goddess imposter.. He couldn't truly think of her as a goddess, for, to Aztrex, a goddess was supposed to love and care for her own people. Not try and kill them. It pissed him off that she thought she had the right to do that. She thought she was better than them, better than Ryah, more deserving to inhabit Ryah's body. Go get her own god damn body instead of trying to kill someone else just to walk the Earth. Earth was a shitty place to lie anyway, he wasn't sure why someone would want to live here.

He was brought away from his thoughts when Ryah spoke again and he looked down at her as she spoke, explaining what had happened and what he needed to do. Go inside the temple and grab an amulet around a statue of the goddess. His upper lip twitched in distaste at leaving Ryah alone. He wanted to argue, take her with him, but he knew he couldn't Ryah was growing weaker, he could see that, hear it in her breathing, her heartbeat. He had to hurry.

She told him once he did that, there was a place West of here. He nodded solemnly, expression growing blank. He knelt down again and gently sat Ryah on the ground, leaning her against a a wall of a building that was strong enough to support her weight. "I'll be back soon," he told her as he took his bags off and placed them next to Ryah. As quickly as possible, he yanked off his boots and his shirt, undoing his belt and placing them on top of his bags. He wasn't stripping down any further in front of her, so he turned and bolted toward the temple, shifting mid stride into his Wolf form.

Despite the situation, he hadn't been a Wolf in almost 2 weeks and it felt good to stretch his muscles. He was a lot faster in his Wolf form and even though the large doors to the temple were shut, he didn't slow to open them. Instead, he slammed his body into them and they flew open. He vanished inside with a determined growl. He ran toward the main room. Pausing in the entrance, he looked around, his gaze landing upon the statue. It was quite large and he huffed. It was almost 3 times the height of his human form.

He shuffled back a few steps, giving a wolfish grin at the challenge. An easy challenge. It wasn't smooth stone, so gripping would be easy. He took a running start toward the statue and then leapt , his fore claws digging into the stone about half way up. He climbed up, muscles in his back legs working to push himself upward. His claws crated tiny gouges in the stone, but he didn't care. If this was supposed to be the goddess in Ryah's body, he was grateful he was ruining her statue.

Once he made it up onto her shoulders, he shifted back to his human form, his fingers deftly unclasping the amulet from around the statue's neck. He gently put it between his teeth and shifted back to his wolf form. He glanced up at the goddess's stone face and swiped his claws across her eyes and gave a satisfied huff before he slid down the statue, making sure to dig in his claws and create a path of gouges in the stone. Landing on the ground safely, he nodded, happy with his handiwork. 'Hope she didn't want it to stay perfect' he thought to himself, clearly amused. 'Too bad she never was.'

Turning, he bolted from the temple, slamming his body against the doors again to open them. He rushed to Ryah, almost skidding to a stop. He placed the amulet in her lap and nudged her shoulder gently, before he went to his bags and fought open the zipper as quickly as possible. He shoved his nose into it, taking out the clothes. He grabbed the first pair of jeans and shirt and he padded around the corner so Ryah wouldn't see him and he shifted, yanked on his clothes as quickly as possible. He then half jogged back to her, knelling next to her and putting the amulet around her neck, clasping the ends together. He then sat back with a heavy sigh, hoping he had done enough.
 
With Aztrex gone Ryah didn't feel the need to hide her pain any further and by the time he returned she was practically a husk, her heartbeat fluttering in its last throes. But as soon as the necklace was place around her neck her body tensed up to the point where she couldn't move. Her mouth moved as if she wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out and her eyes filled with pain and anger and frustration and evil. Clearly, the goddess was fighting with her once more but eventually Ryah relaxed and her eyes filled with just exhaustion.

Turning her gaze to Aztrex she smiled tiredly at him and waved him over. Closer. She would glare at him playfully until he was a suitable distance for her before she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his own in a soft kiss. It lasted longer then their first kiss. To her this kiss had more meaning. This time, she knew very well what she was doing. Neither she or he could blame it on her heat cause she wasn't in heat. "Thank you." She murmured softly as she broke the kiss and laid back down.

She wasn't sure if what she'd heard inside that temple had been real or if it had been simply a dream. But she had to let her own feelings for him known. She'd tried in that kiss. It was the only way she knew how since words weren't easy for her. Actions spoke louder then words, that was her motto.

Dying, coming back to life, then almost dying again had solidified a new phrase in her mind as well. You only live once. She got the chance to live twice but what would she have done if she hadn't been given that second chance? If she hadn't been strong enough to overcome the goddess? Well, she would've died keeping her feelings for this quite, broody, frustrating, stubborn, mysterious, adorable male a secret. That wouldn't do. Whether she was in love with him or not though, that would remain a mystery to her for now. She'd never felt love for another before in her life. Besides her family and that had been so long ago, plus she had a feeling it wasn't the same thing. So she had nothing to base her feelings off of.

Shortly after kissing him Ryah had fallen asleep. Her heart was strong and her breathing steady so it was just exhaustion overcoming her body. Vaguely in her sleep she couldn't help but notice the voices that hurt her so the first time she'd kissed him were oddly silent. No turmoil. She was unused to this but for now she would enjoy it.
 
Aztrex tensed when Ryah's muscles seemed to seize. Her eyes flashed a multitude of emotions and he sightly bit his lower lip, hoping she'd be fine. When her body eventually relaxed, he knew she was fine and he released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in. When she looked over at him and waved him toward her, he cocked his head to the side, confused. Did she want to tell him something? Was she too tired to speak normally? He shifted so he was kneeling instead of sitting and he leaned toward her, wondering what she had to say. She glared at him playfully and he raised a brow, now really confused.

But then she leaned toward him and he froze, her soft lips meeting his own in a gentle kiss. His eyes widened momentarily, taken off guard. It was the second time she had surprised him and kissed him. But he knew she wasn't in heat. She was thinking clearly. He didn't know what that meant exactly but he felt a flutter of hope in his chest, which surprised him even more. Ryah broke off the kiss a few moments later, muttering a thank you to him and he blinked, at a loss for words.

After a few moments he muttered, "uh, right.. No.. It was nothing," his face heating as he bowed his head to stare at the ground. Not long after, Ryah's eyes fluttered closed and he had a moment of panic, but her strong heartbeat came to his ears, so he quickly relaxed. She was just sleeping. He could handle that. Sighing, relieved that it seemed to be over, he stepped over to his bags where his clothes were still hanging out of and he shoved them back inside and closed it. Shouldering them, he turned back to Ryah, leaning down and picking her up gently.

He walked in the direction she had told him earlier. West. He walked as quickly as he could without jostling Ryah. He didn't want to wake her. As soon as they arrived at the bed and breakfast, he paused outside. One or two rooms? He didn't want to leave Ryah, but he didn't exactly want to sleep in the same bed as her. Oh! Couch. Right, yeah couch. Of course. Sighing in relief, he stepped inside and checked in for a single room. Taking the key awkwardly from the old man, he carried Ryah to the room and unlocked it, gently kicking the door open. He laid Ryah on the bed gently, pulling the blanket up to cover her and he he straightened and stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders. He glanced to the side, seeing the bathroom and he sighed softly before he grabbed the only pair of clean jeans he owned. All his shirts were dirty, so he'd have to get them washed.

Shutting the bathroom door behind him, he had a hot shower and washed his hair with the little travel bottle they had provided. Once clean, he stepped out and quickly dried himself off and pulled his jeans on. They were pretty loose and hung low over his hips, but they'd have to do for now. Besides, Ryah would be sleeping for a while. He hung to towel over his hair as he attempted to towel dry it and he stepped out of the bathroom and strode over the couch and sat down on it heavily with a groan. Today had been such a long day.
 
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