Rainee opened her eyes and the first sight to greet her was the empty bed and the rumpled covers beside her. And then she made the mistake of moving and the first sensation to greet her was the burning, fiery pain radiating outward from between her thighs, bringing a miserable sounding groan up out of her.

Oh god. She had been mortally wounded. She had allowed Elias Stone to...oh god. The things she'd let him do to her! And now she was gravely injured. Frankly, she felt as if she wasn't going to live long enough to carry out her responsibility to humanity.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Rainee sat up and put her feet on the floor, somehow startled to find that she was still stark naked. She took hold of her quilt and pulled it off the bed, wrapping it around her as she stood, and subsequently felt her legs go weak beneath her as pain shot through her lower half.

Damn! What on earth had Elias Stone done to her?

With that question wafting about her mind, her gaze was drawn to the bed, where the evidence of her girlhood being stripped away was staining the light blue sheet. Seeing that brought a rush of heat up into her cheeks and had her heartbeat speeding up inside her chest. A sinking sort of feeling hit her as the reality of those few moments fell in on her. Elias had really done those things to her. He had really been inside her. He had really stripped her innocence away.

Looking down at the evidence of what had happened, she felt a little line of fear zip through her. Not only was she now a woman, and a mate to Elias Stone, but there was a strong possibility that she could soon be carrying his child. She didn't quite know how to deal with all those facts coming at her at once, so she decided not to deal with any of them at the moment and instead, she decided to do what she was comfortable dealing with, and that was the work at hand.

She got herself over to the closet and pulled out a grey cotton tank dress that she'd had for a few years, thinking that would be easier to tolerate than pants or shorts at the moment. She dropped the quilt and pulled the ankle length dress on, forgoing undergarments, for reasons obvious, and stepped into a pair of flipflops. Once dressed, she went to the dresser to run a brush through her hair and put it back in a pony tail—she tried not to think about the fact that she looked...different...at least to herself—and got down to the business of removing the soiled sheet from the mattress and making the bed with fresh linens. She tidied the room, picked up the clothes scattered about the floor, hers as well as Elias'. Somehow, picking up his jeans and boxer shorts, seemed almost as intimate an act as having sex with him. She actually felt herself flushing as she carried the pile of clothes and sheets back over to the closet and piled them in the floor there, to be washed later.

With her new room tidied up and ready for her to sleep that night, which would probably be difficult considering that she felt...incredibly rested and wide awake, she headed out of the room in search of something to drink and a bite of food because her stomach was rumbling. She actually felt as if she hadn't eaten in days and days.

The house was silent as she made her way down the stairs, passing by Elias' room that was clean and neat and had both his enormous duffle bags on the bed, and through the house to the kitchen. The room was empty, but the scent of smoke was wafting in through the open back door and through the large window over the kitchen sink she could see Elias tossing rubbish on to the pyre, sending sparks high into the air. Seeing him there in the sunshine, his sandy hair turned to burnished gold, the muscles of his naked torso rippling and coiling as he worked, his tanned skin gleaming in the bright noonday light, caught her breath in her throat. He was beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. And even though she didn't know him at all, the things he had done to her, the fact that she had allowed him to share her body, caused her to be struck by soft feelings as she watched him work. And it was nice. For so many long weeks, she had worried that she would be paired with a mate she would feel absolutely nothing for, at best, and at worst, possibly a mate she would hate outright. But, she'd been given a partner that she actually felt...connected to, and in a thrilling and heady and benevolent way. At least, for now. And since now was all anybody had, she would go with those feelings.

Rainee turned away from the vision of Elias, shirtless and toiling away, and headed for the pantry across the kitchen. The perfectly square room that was lined with shelves from floor to ceiling was stocked piled with several cases of MREs, flats of bottled water, cases of canned goods, bags of dried beans and rice, a couple of shelves of colorful home-canned vegetables that had come from her mom's pantry, dried pole beans, corn, and a multitude of other vegetables in boxes on the floor, along with various and sundry other items that had all been neatly placed to allow her to see what she had in stock at all times. Seeing that amount of supplies in her kitchen gave her a bit of comfort. If she managed her pantry wisely, she and her mate would be able to eat very well through the uncertain winter months when supply drop-offs were often delayed and nothing was being grown in the community gardens.

And come next spring, she would have her own garden growing in her own backyard, which would supply not only her pantry, but the pantries of the others in The Sanctuary as well. A jar for the person raising the food and a jar for the community at large. That was how things worked in their compound. You not only looked out for yourself, but you also looked out for your neighbor, that way, no one went hungry.

Deciding she would forego an MRE since she'd already suffered through one the day before, she went instead for a can of peaches. It wasn't a complete or very nutritious meal, but she thought it was deserved because she still felt as if she had been grievously wounded in a very sensitive area of her body and she wanted the peaches, so she meant to have them. And maybe even the chocolate bar she'd squirreled away from her meal the day before.

Taking the can from the neat stack that was high and deep, Rainee turned and left the pantry, stepping out to find Elias entering the kitchen through the open back door. As they saw one another, their gazes locked, and Rainee felt a sharp, pleasant jolt go through her, but that pleasant jolt was followed very closely by a wave of embarrassment that instantly set her cheeks to throbbing.

Oh god. The things she'd allowed him to do to her!

Rainee took a step backward and started to turn and go back into the pantry, only she realized she'd be trapped in there with no way out, so instead, she dropped her gaze and pointed herself toward the kitchen door. She could not look Elias Stone in the face. Not after...oh god, the places he'd had touched her, the places...he'd had his mouth!

"Rainee, wait," Elias called to her, quickly catching up to her and placing a hand on her arm, preventing her from making her escape. "Please, wait. You don't have to be like this."

Actually, she did have to be like this. Had he forgotten exactly what he had done to her, the places on her body that he had seen and...tasted?

"Rainee, it's alright," Elias urged, stepping in front of her so that she had no choice but to look up at him. "You don't have to be ashamed. I'm not."

Well, of course he wasn't ashamed! He was a man! He was probably proud of doing all those things to his newly deflowered mate! The only thing missing for him was sitting around, swapping stories with his friends!

Elias took hold of her other arm and carefully pulled her forward until she was pressed up against the length of him. As soon as she felt the bare flesh of his chest fairly burning her through the thin fabric of her dress, a wave of heaviness undulated through her, landing square in the center of her body and bringing a gush of heated moisture collecting there. That was all it took. Just feeling his body touching her, just looking up into his ruggedly handsome face bearing his mark...and she would have allowed him to do all those things to her all over again.

"You're blushing," Elias whispered and slowly leaned over her, pressing his mouth to hers, brushing his lips gently back and forth, but keeping the contact as light as the brush of butterfly's wing. "Are you thinking about what I did to you last night?"

Those murmured words sent a shiver down her spine. How could she not think about what he'd done to her? What he'd done to her had been so...staggering.

"I haven't been able to think about anything else," he confessed, sliding the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, his large eyes burning into hers. "I've never felt anything like that, Rainee. The way you felt, those noises you made when you came...I want to have you again so bad I can taste it."

She could feel how badly he wanted to have her again. His need was throbbing against her stomach.

"I want to take you right here," he stated past his clenched teeth, his hands tightening on her arms.

If that's what he wanted, she wouldn't stop him. She wanted to feel what he'd done to her before. She wanted to feel her body breaking into a thousand pieces, she wanted to feel weightless afterwards.

"I want to take you, but I can't," he went on, his brows drawing together. "You need to time to heal. It was probably bad enough for you the first time. If I bother you again so soon, it might be even worse."

That statement had her stomach clenching. The memory of the fiery agony she'd endured for those few incredibly long moments was horrendous and she did not want a repeat performance if she could possibly avoid it.

"I'm sorry I had to hurt you," Elias apologized, guilt washing his features. "And I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to wait until you were really ready. Do you hate me for it?"

Rainee gave her head a shake. "I-I don't hate you." How could she hate someone who'd done those things to her?

"Are you sure? I'd probably hate me if I were you," he told her, again running his tongue across her lower lip. "I'd probably hate the brute who waited a whole day and a half to talk me into giving my innocence away."

"You didn't talk me into anything," she told him, wishing she had the nerve to run her tongue across his lip the way he was doing, but she didn't. "It's what we were brought here to do."

"I know. But, I thought I'd be a better man than that and give you time. I'm sorry I was weak." His hands were moving slowly up her arms, leaving ribbons of gooseflesh in their wake.

"Don't be sorry," she told him, suddenly breathless. "It's...it's what we're supposed to do. We're partners now."

Elias nodded, something akin to...possessiveness...flickering in the depths of his sparkling green eyes. "Right. We're partners now. You're my mate, my wife, for all intents and purposes."

Rainee jolted. His wife? No. No, she wasn't his wife. She was his partner. Big difference. Big difference! The institution of marriage had long since fallen by the wayside. There were no husbands and wives anymore. Only people that stayed with one another until they decided not to stay with one another and then they walked away, free and clear, and never looked back.

"I don't have a ring for you, but I do have a little token," Elias told her, stepping back from her and reaching around to remove something from his back pocket. "I made these when I was brought into The Sanctuary, and I engraved them this morning while you were sleeping."

Elias held up two lengths of braided leather cord, each cord tipped with a small silver disk about the size of a quarter. Each flattened disk had been painstakingly etched with an initial, an E and an R, and around each initial had been scribed an array of delicate little swirls and loops and in among those dainty lines lay several tiny crosses, sprinkled about so that they looked like flower petals raining down.

"Oh my god. They're beautiful," Rainee whispered, wondering just how on earth someone with hands that large could do work that delicate. Those disks looked like something she would have been able to buy from a fine jewelry store...before the world fell apart.

"I wanted to give you something to bind us together, something to let people know that we belonged to one another," Elias said, almost shyly, as he moved around behind her and draped one of the leather cords around her neck, tying it into place so that it was barely snug against her throat. It clearly wasn't meant to be removed.

"Thank you," Rainee said, touching the silver disk that was now laying in the hollow of her neck, feeling the lines of the E with her fingertip. "It's beautiful, but you didn't have to go to the trouble."

He had obviously put a lot of thought and effort into making those trinkets, but he needn't have. The things he had done to her had pretty much bound them together in her eyes.

"I wanted to," Elias stated firmly, appearing in front of her as he was tying a cord around his own neck. "I think a husband should give his new wife some sort of symbol that he's committed to her."

She didn't want to ruin the very sweet sentiment that Elias was trying to convey, but symbol or not, people were forced into The Sanctuary, where they were forced to stay together and produce offspring. That was about as committed as people could get. And Elias Stone wasn't her husband. He was her partner. But, she didn't want to hurt or insult him by stating that fact.

Once his necklace was firmly in place, Elias leaned down and touched his mouth gently to hers. "I'll do my best to be good to you, Rainee. You have my word."

She nodded in answer. She had no reason not to believe him.  Yet.  But, time would tell just how much she could actually rely on the mate she'd been given. For now, though, she could hold out hope that things would be good for them.

"Well, I have to get back out to the fire before I burn the neighborhood down," Elias stated, stepping back from her. "You should have some food. You didn't have a chance to eat supper yesterday."

Rainee looked up at him, confused. "I-I ate supper with you in my room—"

"No. That was day before yesterday," Elias cut in with a smile, reaching out to run his thumb down her cheek, which had stopped throbbing until that very second. "You've been asleep since...well, since I laid you down yesterday afternoon."

A jolt of disbelief made Rainee go stiff. "Wh-what? No, I-I haven't been asleep that long!"

"You have," responded Elias. "You barely turned over last night. And you didn't talk in your sleep even once.  And now its lunch time again."

Rainee couldn't believe her ears. She had been sleep for nearly an entire day! What the hell! Better yet, why the hell! She'd had sex. She hadn't been struck over the head and knocked into a coma!

"Don't look so worried," Elias smiled down at her. "You just needed to get off more than you thought. And it's not surprising, considering you've never been laid before."

The way Elias talked to her about sex, the language he used, was slightly shocking and made her cheeks pulsate uncomfortably. Her friends back in the barracks talked about sex all the time—heck, all they ever did was sneak around and hook up with one another—but, having her friends talk about it and having Elias Stone talking about it, after he had done it to her, were too very different things.

"I'm gonna get back outside," he said with a soft little smile. "Give me a yell if you need anything."

Rainee nodded, watching him turn and saunter from the room. Did the man ever just walk? Probably not. If she was a guy, and she looked like that, she wouldn't simply walk, either.

Once Elias had disappeared out the back door, she allowed her clenched muscles to relax and her lungs to draw in a full breath. Really, with Elias Stone looming over her, all naked and chiseled, it was nearly impossible to remember that her lungs could actually function. 

Suddenly aware that she still had a can of peaches clutched in her hand and an empty belly grumbling away inside her, she moved across the kitchen to search for a can opener. Her hormones and her grievously wounded womanly bits notwithstanding, there was a lot of work to be done around her new home, and they were under a time crunch because after last night...she could soon be carrying Elias Stone's child. And that child, the first of a new wave of humans who were so desperately important, would need a safe and comfortable home to be raised in. And it was her responsibility to make sure that happened, so she needed to get down to it.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Rainee jumped as the strange, grating hum reverberated through the house, shattering the silence around her and causing confusion and disbelief to wash through her. Wondering what in the world was happening, and thinking that maybe she was actually hearing things, she stopped scrubbing the wood floor of the living room, which she had been doing for hours, and got to her feet, dropping her scrub brush into the bucket of water and wiping her hands on the towel she had tied around her waist.

As she started forward toward the living room doorway, she heard a loud whoop burst forth, a deep sound that she knew had come out of Elias, but she couldn't tell if it was a good sound or if he was making that noise because he'd done something unfortunate, like catching half the house on fire while burning rubbish. With dread snaking through her belly, Rainee hurried out of the living room and down the hallway leading into the kitchen, her heart pounding in her stomach. If Elias had caught their house, or any of the other houses nearby, on fire, they were in trouble. There were no fire trucks to rush in and save the day. And what in hell was that noise! Was there some military vehicle someplace out in the neighborhood that was having engine trouble?

Rushing into the kitchen, she paused in the doorway, quickly glancing around to find Elias standing in the middle of the room, his arms lifted above his head in a triumphant, touch down sort of way.

"What's happened? What's wrong?" she asked, noting that she didn't see flames engulfing the kitchen, nor raging out of control in the back yard. "And what's that noise? Is...is that coming from in here someplace?" The humming was louder here, but she couldn't place exactly where it was coming from or what it was.

"That noise is the sound of victory," Elias stated, looking at her with a wide grin on his face.

"Victory?" Rainee repeated, confused, but relaxing slightly now that she knew her mate hadn't set The Sanctuary on fire trying to burn the old furniture they'd dragged out of the house.

"Yes. Victory," Elias beamed, his eyes gleaming. "After three days of work, I finally did it! I finally got my little project up and running and now..." he dropped his arms and sauntered over to the refrigerator, pulling open the dirty smudged stainless steel door...and the inside light came on, "we have power!"

Rainee stared at the illuminated interior of the fridge, feeling her heart suddenly thudding hard against her ribcage. "Oh my god. It...there's light. It's...it's working?"

"It's working!" Elias proclaimed, waving his hand at the cavernous space, which had obviously been swept clean of all the rotted food that had been in there, but was still in desperate need of a good scrubbing. "We have a working refrigerator. And a working freezer!" He pulled open the top door of the fridge, which allowed the sound of the motor humming to spill out into the kitchen.

"Oh my god! How did you do this!" she gasped, her mind in total shock.

A couple of people she knew out in the city had rigged up ways to run their own refrigerators and toaster ovens, but those people were science minded individuals who'd been forward thinking enough to come into the compound with their own equipment. Some parts of the compound actually harnessed power from a few solar panels and wind turbines, which was used to keep the alarm systems around the city going and to keep a few utilities up and running, such as a the speaker system that The General used to make announcements.  There was even a central power hub in each sector that allowed for the infirmaries to remain functioning in order to offer a few rudimentary essentials for the people housed there. But, she'd never actually seen an ordinary citizen who was able to rig up a way to make electricity.

"I used the motor from an old dryer in the basement to rig up a wind turbine generator," Elias explained proudly.

Rainee stared at him, dumbfounded. Not to mention completely mesmerized by the sound of the refrigerator humming away. That sound could mean so many things. Cold water. Cold water! Ice cubes! And...oh god. If...if he could get the fridge running...what if he could get the oven running! She could have a real working oven! She could use pots and pans and she could...make casseroles using her canned goods! She could make casseroles and freeze them in her freezer for later!

"Rainee? Are you okay?" Elias asked, sounding concerned. "You look a little pale."

Pale? Of course she was pale! She was facing the prospect of living in an entirely new world! A world where she could bake casseroles in her oven and then freeze them in the freezer! In her very own freezer! They had no ovens back in The Barracks! The General didn't want his soldiers and their families to have any amenities that the civilians in the compound didn't have, but here...here it could be different!

"H-how did you do this?" she repeated the question, wanting to walk over to the fridge, but kind of afraid that if she touched it, that glorious hum would cease and that might kill her.

"Eh, it was nothing," Elias shrugged nonchalantly. "I just used some PVC pipe I found in the basement to construct some blades for the turbine.  Then I used some parts from a washing machine as the engine for the turbine and wired that into a couple of batteries I found and then ran that into the outlet over the sink—"

Rainee lost track of what he was saying, but there was something about voltage and output and wind speed...but, really all she wanted him to tell her was how many things they could actually plug into his new power generator... 

 Oh god. Her hair straightener! What if she could plug in her hair straightener! 

And yes...yes, there were far, far, far more important issues...but the mere thought had her heart soaring and her knees going weak. It had been so long, so very long, since she'd had silky straight hair...so long since she hadn't looked like someone had dumped a tangled, frizzy bird's nest on top her head. She had found that rogue hair tool years ago and had held onto it all this time, just in case she ever had a chance to use it. And here...all of a sudden and without warning...she was possibly getting that chance!

"Of course, I'm not sure if the refrigerator still has enough Freon to make it useable," Elias was saying as she again tried to focus on his voice.

"What? It...it might not work? But, I-I hear it running!" she said, horror washing over her. Surely, Elias Stone wouldn't be so cruel as to offer her the promise of a working refrigerator and then snatch it away from her!

"Well, the motor obviously works, but it might be out of coolant because its been sitting here for so long," explained Elias and Rainee thought she might just burst into tears.

"How do we get Freon? Where do we find it!" she demanded, prepared to search every single inch of the compound if she had to because she'd be damned if she'd give up her refrigerator now that it had been dangled right in front of her face!

"We can't find it," Elias stated and his words were like a knife to her heart. "Only professionals could get their hands on it...before. There's no way to get hold of it now."

She was going to cry. There was no way she wasn't going to cry.

"But, even if the fridge doesn't get cold, I can still get the stove going and if I can scrounge around the neighborhood and find some more batteries, I can have us living like kings. I maybe even be able to rig us up some lights. I mean, if there are any working light bulbs left around."

Lights? Real, honest to goodness lights and not glow sticks? "I-I..." was all she could say to him.

How had this happened to her? She'd been worried that she'd be paired up with a thirteen year old boy who still needed his backside powdered and here she'd gotten a grown man who could give her lights. And a stove! A working stove!  Which meant gone were the days of cooking on a single butane burner!

"Well, it'll take a while to see if the fridge starts to cool down, but in the meantime, I can generate enough wattage to run a couple of small things. Do you have something—"

"My straightener!" she stated before he could even finish, hope springing forth inside her chest.

Elias' brows drew together and he closed both doors on the fridge. "What...in hell is a straightener?"

Rainee stared at him, wondering if he was serious, but he seemed completely stoned faced. "Can I use it now?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean, if it doesn't pull too much juice," he said and she spun on her heel and headed from the room.

She wanted to use her hair straightener now, just in case something happened to Elias' magickal power generator. Even if she only used it once, at least she'd have that one time. At least she'd know what it was to have smooth, straight hair again, even if only just for a little while. And yes, she knew exactly how vain her thoughts were, especially considering the circumstances of not only her, but a good portion of humanity at large. However, she was a girl and she really, really just wanted to straighten her hair again and anyone with stubborn, frizzy, unmanageable hair would feel exactly the same!

Her coveted and long out of use beauty tool was hidden in her dresser drawer and she snatched it out from beneath her panties and hurried back out of the room and into the hallway, pausing only long enough to take a small, oval gilt framed mirror off the wall, carting it along with her. Back down in the kitchen, she found Elias patiently waiting by the sink, a look of inquisitiveness on his face.

"What are you gonna do with this?" he asked as she made it over to him and he took the beauty tool from her hands to inspect it, unwrapping the cord from around it and clacking the porcelain plates together a few times.

Rainee didn't answer as she leaned the oval mirror against the backsplash next to the sink, allowing her to see her reflection with ease. "Can I plug it in?" she asked, feeling oddly nervous.

Elias nodded and moved to plug it into the outlet by the sink, which already held the orange extension cord that was running across the room and over to the fridge, which was still humming merrily away. Taking her tool from his hands, she pushed the button on the side...and the tiny red light flickered on. She felt her heart skip a beat. It had been so long, she'd never thought she'd have this chance again...this chance to feel normal!

"Uh...why does that thing smell like...burnt hair?" Elias questioned, making an unpleasant face.

"Because its used to fry hair," she told him, pulling her hair out of its pony tail. And those were the days, flattening her hair until it sizzled and smoked.

"Its what!" Elias demanded, appalled.

She decided to show him rather than stand there talking about it, so she turned to the mirror, waited for the green light to flicker on, and then went about straightening her hair! She was actually straightening her hair! And surprisingly, she was still very adept at wielding the thing! 

Within short order, the straightening iron had done its thing and her hair was a smooth, flowing curtain of raven colored silk...and not a tangled bird's nest of wayward curls. That done, she unplugged the tool and surveyed herself in the mirror, thinking she looked kind of exotic, with her long hair, the leather choker around her throat, and the small cross emblazoned between her brows.  She didn't even mind her freckles just then...

"So, you burn your hair until it's straight?" Elias wondered, shaking his head at her.

Rainee let out a long sigh, feeling completely sublime just then. "Yup. I've been waiting years to do that."

"You've waited years to scorch your hair? Why?"

"Because," she stated, setting her iron aside to cool off.

She felt like a new person all of a sudden, someone filled with light and hope. She had actually forgotten until that moment exactly what a good hair day could do to life a girl's spirits.

"Well, I've been waiting to do something, too," Elias said, turning and striding purposefully from the kitchen.

Left alone, Rainee allowed herself to stroll over to the fridge and pull the top freezer door open, listening to the motor purring away. And was it just her imagination, or was the air coming from inside the freezer feeling cooler than the air in the rest of the room? Perhaps it was simply wishful thinking, but it certainly wasn't her imagination that a very pungent aroma was coming from the appliance. The thing was sorely in need of a good scrubbing and an airing out. Years of food sitting in there, rotting away, had left its mark.

She heard heavy footsteps coming through the house and Rainee closed the freezer door, turning to see Elias entering the room, carrying a CD player and a large leather case that she assumed was filled with his favorite CDs.

"I've been dying to listen to some of my music," he said, crossing the room and placing the CD player and leather case on the countertop by the outlet.

"You've missed listening to your music?" she wondered, walking over to join him.

"Hell yes!" came the fervent reply.  "I'm always too afraid to waste batteries on a CD player.  You know, when we get batteries at all."

Elias, plugged in his device, the grating sound of the CD tray turning and shifting filling the quiet room.  He unzipped his leather case and pulled a shiny CD from inside, hitting a button that brought the tray sliding outward. He quickly popped the disk into the tray and it retracted and a few seconds later, the first strains of piercing violin music filtered out into the space. 

 And Rainee suddenly felt as if she'd never heard music before.

...Carry on my wayward son. There'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Don't you cry no more...

As the deep, tinny voice sang out, Elias turned to her, holding his hand out and giving her a soft, crooked smile. Suddenly flushing with heat, she took hold of the large hand extended toward her and found herself pulled up against his chest with his strong arms wrapped around her.

... Once I rose above the noise and confusion. Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion. I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high...

Though the lyrics of the song weren't exactly slow enough to warrant it, and neither was the suddenly raging guitar chords, Elias began gently swaying her from side to side and the way he was gazing down at her had her cheeks beginning to throb painfully.

"Am I doing a good job of taking care of you so far, Rainee?" he asked seriously.

He'd given her a possibly working fridge and perfectly straight hair. So, yeah. He was doing a fine job. "You're doing a perfect job."

Fridge and flat iron aside, he was making sure the house was as secure as a fort at night. He was breaking his back helping her get the place up to livable standards. He was constantly worried whether she was eating and drinking enough and whether she was getting enough rest. In her eyes, he was doing the job he'd been given and doing it better than she could have ever asked for.

"I've been trying to leave you alone," he said, leaning down and gently pressing his mouth against hers, sending a little shockwave rocketing through her. It had been three days since he'd kissed her and it felt as if he'd never done it before. "It's been killing me, thinking about how it felt to be inside you."

... Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man. Though my mind could think I still was a mad man. I hear the voices when I'm dreaming. I can hear them say...

She'd been thinking about it, too. A lot. She woke up thinking about it, despite the pain that she had endured the first time. But, Elias hadn't so much as offered to lay a finger on her, so she'd kept those thoughts to herself.

...Carry on my wayward son. There'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Don't you cry no more...

"I don't want to hurt you, but I don't know how much longer I can wait," Elias whispered to her, his voice thick and coarse.

Just hearing those words caused a heaviness to creep into her center, making it difficult to draw in a full breath. "W-we...don't have to wait," she told him, feeling the heat pounding in her cheeks, but she wanted to say the words, to let him know that she was feeling the same way.

Elias' brows raised and the set of his jaw hardened...along with something else, which was pressing into her belly. "Are you sure? I don't want to push you again."

"You're not pushing me," she answered, feeling her hands sliding up his shirtfront. She had been walking around for a couple of days with her womanly bits pulsating like an aggravating migraine that she couldn't shake and she wanted it to stop.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked her, but the tone of his voice let her know that whether she was ready or not probably wasn't going to do much to sway him.

"I-I'm ready," she said, but her words were so breathless she wasn't sure Elias had heard them.

He obviously had though, because the next second, she found herself lifted up off her feet and thunked down onto the center island and Elias was tangling his hands into her hair, pulling her head back just enough to open her up to him.

"How do you want it, Rainee?" he rasped, his eyes darkening dangerously. "Do you want it slow and soft, like before? Or do you want it another way?"

She would have given him an answer if she'd had one, but she'd only...had it...that one way, so her preference on the matter was limited. "You can do it the way you want," she told him, a little thrill shooting through her bones. Somehow, she just knew this time was going to be far different than the first time.

"I want it another way," he told her and the air around them shifted, sparking and rippling like shimmering heat waves coming off the asphalt in the middle of summer. "But, I won't hurt you, Rainee. I promise, I won't hurt you."

Rainee nodded, unable to form words. Heat was already skittering over her flesh and moisture was already pooling between her thighs. He hadn't even touched her yet, and she was ready for him. And she was only a little afraid of the pain.

"I won't hurt you," Elias repeated, bringing his mouth down to the side of her neck and running his tongue down the length of the vein pulsating there. "But, I want you to know how it can be when you need something not so soft. And if you need that, all you have to do is tell me and I'll give it to you."

His warm breath was in her ear, covering her body in gooseflesh. She really didn't know exactly what he meant, but whatever he was offering her...she wanted to take it.

Without another word spoken, Elias grabbed hold of her t-shirt and whisked it over her head, tossing it aside before again tangling his hands into her hair and crushing his mouth against hers in a kiss that shook Rainee completely through. There was no pause, no slow and pleading ministrations to try and get her to open up to him. He instead forced his tongue past her lips and into her mouth, probing, delving into that space in a harsh exploration that left her dizzy and disoriented. And he never gave her a chance to recover.

He was kissing her and tasting her, trying to absorb her it seemed, and all the while his hands were on her, in her hair, roaming over her back and hips and otherwise setting her flesh on fire.  Within seconds, it seemed, she'd been stripped of her clothes and was on her feet, her back to Elias and her upper body laying against the cold countertop of the island.  And with a feral growl, he was pushing himself into her, ramming his body into hers so fast and so hard...all she could do was close her eyes and allow herself to be swept away into the nothingness.  

There was no pain this time.  No time to feel the pain, if there had been.  There was only Elias hammering into her and within moments, she shattered and was lost in the bone melting waves that were coursing over and through her.

There was no pain this time.  There was only...Elias...