Darius knew the bond, the one between Guardian and Keeper, was getting stronger as waves of agony washed through him. There was only one source that that could have come from- Alexus. As everyone watched the two on the bed, they didn't know anything was amiss. However, Darius knew something wasn't right, but he was helpless to do anything about it. There was nothing for him to fight. He couldn't defend her against an invisible enemy that held no substance; he couldn't protect her from this. It tore at him, the need to keep his Keeper safe from harm. It was what was bred into ever fiber of his being, the reason for his race, to protect and defend her. He stood in agitated silence and waited.

Well aware that he was being watched by Gabel, who he've yet to deal with, he made sure not to make any rash movements. He didn't know how it'd happened that Alexus became Gabel's Keeper as well. Much of their history had been forgotten ages ago. Though he knew he should have stopped the fighting sooner, he was slightly curious to see Alexus in action. Now he wondered if that was what made their connection form. He didn't really know how it all worked. The only consolation was the grin he got from seeing Alexus best him. Not many had ever won a match against Gabel, and he now knew how he'd be letting off some of his pent up frustration, later. Right now his Keeper needed him; Gabel would be dealt with after - it was his Keeper he was fighting with after all.

His thoughts were cut short as he zoned in on Levi. He couldn't believe what he'd just felt. He knew without a doubt that they'd kissed. He'd been told of stories of what it would be like to become a Guardian, but nothing could had prepared him for the reality of when it'd actually happened to him. He lived and breathed only for his Keeper; she was what kept him going, his light in the darkness of his spirit. Levi was lucky he was already passed out on the bed. If he wasn't, he would of been shortly after he beaten the hell out of him, that was how strong his need to protect was: it over rode all other senses.

He felt the exact moment she had returned to her body and quickly made his way beside her before she woke. He saw her eyes open, staring blankly around as if there was recognition to what was around her. He watched as she attempted to get up, weak and unstable, and caught her when he knew she would fall. He cradled her in his arms, daring anyone to object. And as he did so Gabel stepped forward, before taking in Darius' eyes; he was on the killing edge, his Keeper was hurt and nothing would calm him until she awake.

That's right. Know your place.

He'd already knew which room was hers, as he'd abundant free time in his stay here, and carried her to it. The moment he came to her room he felt her presence in it; he could smell her scent all around. It reminded him of wild flowers and fresh water, and peace started to settle over him.

He looked down at his bundle. She was small in his arms, barely weighed a thing. Damn the Sisters and their need to live on the bare minimal! But she was here, safe in his arms, and nothing else mattered. He began to slowly back down from the killing edge as he made his way to her bed, laying her down. Seeing her safe and sleeping made the remainder of his anger and frustration leave him.

"You are going to be the end of me," he said, speaking his thoughts out loud as he saw how fragile and delicate she looked.

He watched her turn her head towards him, at the sound of his voice, as he continued to stand by the bed looking over her as she slept, wondering where her origins lay and why she was kept here. He'd seen how the Sisters and Brothers of Light watched her. It was like she was a prize that they envied. He didn't like it at all. The sooner they left, the better it would be. He didn't trust any of the people here.

What is the mystery about you? Why do they all stare when you walk into a room? Why do they keep you hidden from the world?

Spotting an old weathered chair on the other side of the room, he went and sat down, making himself as comfortable as he could. He was not about to let anyone interrupt her slumber. He stayed there with his eyes locked on the bed - on her. The light casting from the window eventually went from shades of dark blue to hues of glowing pink as dawn slowly approached. He listened to the crickets twirp only to have it replaced by the bird's chirps of morning.

He witnessed Alexus in the different lighting - each phase seemed to bring out some new aspect of her; a softness, strength. Her long, dark, burgundy hair sprayed out on her pillow looked exotic in the dark. And soft full lips, slightly parted, appeared soft and pink in the gentle light of morning's dawn; innocent and alluring, like forbidden fruit. He'd never imagined after the things he been through that he would find himself attracted to another being, however, he realized he wanted to kiss those lips, to feel if they were as soft as they looked. He bet they tasted as good as she smelled.

That thought pulled him back to when he was a sex slave and a shudder rippled through his body. It was a degraded and humbled experience. He never knew what he was capable of - what he could endure- until his body and soul had been tested to their limits and beyond. It was the point of realization, of finding who you really were.

He was the most sought out slave. The most prized toy to be had. Women wanted him; they wanted the sense of danger, the unspeakable promises held within his eyes, the lips that quirked up at the sides holding the hint of desire. He was very skilled at what he did, and they all wanted a chance to play with him. Females of the Courts had fought over him at their own risk as rumor had it he could kill you with desire alone. He smirk at that thought. It was true not many lived to see the next day. He worked them up then strike before they knew what had happened. He'd spent many a night being tortured by the Courts for that, though that didn't deter them from continuing to seek him out day after day.

He heard footsteps approaching, growing louder as they reached the door, and straighten in the chair. Gabel was there, leaning into the room, and motioned for him to step out. He went to see what he wanted.

Gabel was grinning from ear to ear.

"You won't believe it! Levi's wounds are gone. There isn't even a single scar! Ethen is finally relieved. I'd left after seeing both of them eating. We need to talk about what we'll do next." He gave a pointed look at Alexus. "They won't let us stay here for much longer now."

Darius glanced from Gabel to Alexus and back. He didn't want to leave her in her vulnerable state. He gave a slight nod to Gabel, acknowledging he heard what he had said. He wondered how Alexus was going take to leaving the temple. He ran his hand through his hair as he thought about what he would say to her. How do you tell someone that they now shared a life-bond, that his main purpose was now to protect her? He didn't have a clue. Glancing over, he caught a glint in Gabel's eye as he stared at Alexus. Gabel faced him, and they locked eyes with each other.

"If you want, I can stay here and have someone else fill me in later," Gabel said, a boyish smirk appeared across his face.

Darius glared at him. He knew Gabel was trying to get to him. He took a deep breath then expelled it, slowly, with a slight shake to his head.

"No, we all need to be there. What we decide effects us all."

Both walked back to Levi's room in companionable silence. Their strides matched each other as they went. Darius and Gabel were closer to one another than were brothers. They'd been through hell and back together, saving each others lives more than they'd care to count. They'd played off of each others weaknesses and strengths to get through the tough times.

The other three men in their group had recently joined them. He didn't know if he could trust them or not. Ethen had been bent on rescuing his brother, who had been taken five years ago, and came to them for help. The story went that he was watching his brother when he'd sneaked off on him. In that time, he was captured. Everyone went to seek help from told him that it was a loss cause and he should give up his search of his brother. But he wasn't about to give up on the only living family member he had left. He kept searching, kept inquiring, and that was when he'd gotten word of Darius and Gabel.

He heard tales of their skills and capabilities. If you wanted a job done they were the men to do it. They were ruthless and held no fear of the Courts. Ethen found them and pleaded for their help. Both had agreed to joined him in his search. After a few months had passed they were finally able to find his brother, Levi. A Lady in waiting to the Queen of the third Court had him. She was rather vicious, as was the norm for the Courts, and used him on whatever whim had suited her, even gave him to her warriors to use as they saw fit; a ragged doll to be tossed around - beaten and tormented both physically and mentally.

Ethen was in blood rage at seeing his brother so mistreated and injured. The fight had turned into one blur and somehow among the chaos another man, who was captured as well, had managed to get free in the confusion. Jarren found a sword and was fast to came to their aid. He'd kept with them ever since.

Darius looked around the room as he entered, saw the empty bowls and plates sitting on the table as everyone had finished, and took note of Levi. He was awake and talking to his brother. Jarren, he noticed as usual, stood off by himself. He'd always had the tendency to keep to himself, hardly saying a word. The men looked at him as he entered. They nodded their hellos, and he gave a friendly smile to Levi.

"Nice to see you awake and well. That is some brother you got. You should be proud," he stated with meaningfully. "He never gave up on you."

The boy nodded, with an unspoken thanks.

.....................

Alexus awoken, aware that it was night, as moonlight filtered into her room. She wondered how long she'd been asleep. Maybe it'd only been a few hours? It was still light when she'd gone to heal him, but she didn't recall getting back to her room. She briefly wondered how indeed she'd made it back to her bed, but shrugged it off. Right at the moment she was more worried about how the man was doing and wanted to go check on him. There was something about him that was different - he was different.

She went to get out of bed. Upon standing, however, her legs wobbled as the room spun around her. The floor came rushing at her, causing her to drop to her hands and knees. She gritted her teeth at the impact. Once the room steadied around her, she stood up, thankful that nobody was around to see her fall. She walked out of her room and into the hall.

No one was about walking the corridors. She guessed it must be late at night and the reason for the stillness was that everyone was asleep. The halls were dimly lit, the fires on the torches had died down, causing the shadows to dance and waver on the walls to descend to the floors, spreading into pools of blackness. An eerie silence had settled over the grounds and loomed through the city; not a chirp, buzz, hoot, or a bark of night life could be heard.

Her skin prickled to awareness. She looked around her surroundings, fully alert. Something was wrong; it hung heavy in the air, an electric current, unstable as if anything could tip the balance, causing a storm to manifest. She imagined it'd be one she'd not wish to see. She could practically inhale the energy in the atmosphere as she padded silently through the long halls, making her way to the guest wing. The temple felt massive and unoccupied with no one around. Foreboding dread kept growing deeper and deeper within her.

Stopping, she craned her neck. She thought she heard a noise. Yes, there it was again! She walked closer to it as she begun to hear faint panting followed by some whimpering and grunting. A sick feeling found its way into the pit of her stomach. She made a couple of turns and found light filtering out of a room into the hall.

She slowly crept her way over, making sure to step lightly on the balls of her feet to prevent being heard. She had her hands pressed against the cool stone wall as she inched closer. Reaching the door, Alexus leaned her head forward, peeking into the room. She gasped at what she saw and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, hoping she hadn't been heard.

Sister Sara stood with her back against the wall, her gown bunched up around her waist. One leg was draped around the man in front of her and her head was tilted forward, resting on the man's shoulder; his pants laid pooled around his feet as he kept thrusting forward into her. He was grunting with pleasure.

Alexus began to carefully ease away, only to freeze still when Sister Sara opened her eyes, staring straight at Alexus and smiled. Alexus caught something gleaming in her hand, reflected from the light of fire, as she brought it around with her raised hand. In that split second she saw what it was as the sword flew at the man in one fluid motion.