A Blood-Like Rain

— Kaden —

I took a careful step in her direction.

She didn’t try to stop me this time.

I took another step, then another.

I could see she was hesitant, so I walked cautiously, but I kept walking.

I think she only processed my proximity when I got within arm’s length. She put a foot back, I stopped. She extended her arms to give me back my bandana. I took it and in the process my skin touched hers.

It was like a lightning bolt of shivers. I didn’t take my hand away. I wasn’t sure I could. I heard her breath caught in her throat, her body sway lightly towards mine. I took one step closer. One long step that got our bodies nearly touching. My hand was still on hers, the bandana forgotten and lying on the grass now.

The moon was rising, it was a bright night tonight, but not bright enough to see within that hood. It was just shadows.

I wanted to ask her a million questions. Her name, to see her face, where did she live? But all those questions crumbled in my mind. It was like trying to hold water in your hands, constantly slipping away. I should use restrains but my body didn’t want to listen to me. I lowered my head barely catching myself in time, barely holding back. But in respond she bent hers back, and it was all the invitation I need.

I lowered my head further and pressed my lips on hers.

I’ve kissed a woman before, I’ve done plenty of things with a woman before, but it felt like, all these years, I had no idea what kissing could really be. There was, at this very moment, and entire universe opening before me.

The only way for me to release my hold on her hand was to wrap my arms around her waist.

She mewled and it was the sweetest little sound I’ve ever heard. I pressed her harder against me and her arms went up over my body to give her fingers access to my hair. Her grip was strong but not painful and she tugged at me to deepen the kiss. Which I willingly obliged.

We were taking short breaths in between caresses. Our lips never truly apart. Our breath intermingling. Our heartbeats deafening.

The intensity was such that it took me a little while to realize something was wrong.

— Elaeya —

My heart was becoming painful, my feet faltered. I was starting to think I was about to be sick. I opened my sense to decipher what was happening to me. That’s when a sound got me out of my head and back into reality.

Steps.

Someone was coming. Someone close.

And suddenly my malaise took a whole new dimension. Was someone doing this to me? Was someone hurting me? Attacking me?

my senses further do detect this

close by. Too close.

male. Definitively male. Broad shoulders. I would say more than a foot taller than me. He had dark clothes, dark hair. The faint dusk light gave

straight at me with purpose and the pain in my chest intensified.

step back in alarm and he

hardly see his expression, so I couldn’t guess at his intentions,

hand to tell him to back off. My

you doing to

tilted his head to one side in

sniff slowly the air then

to grab a small rock. I didn’t understand this gesture. I focused my eyes on him, opening my senses up, but my instincts said nothing. He wrapped the cloth around the pebble, showed it to me and threw it in a slow, wide

confused than ever, I

from touching it. I didn’t feel any magic, any energies stirring when he did this. I didn’t sense negative energy from

off him, but I turned my focus some. And I got a smell. A new smell. It

couldn’t stop myself from

understand right away what I was smelling, only that it changed

I got my eyes back on him. I couldn’t see his eyes, like he probably couldn’t see mine, but I know our gaze met. And there was knowledge there. He knew, and now so did I.

mates more than anything. Some could go to great lengths to find their mates. That rejections were rarely

for the first time after I was born. That it’s like the world tilts, the axis changes, and now gravity find a new source. Never did those words

closer until I could finally see his face properly. His eyes were dark and

I could barely move my feet. But he stopped moving. I could see he was worried. His expression was hard to read, it was guarded, but I could also see that he didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want

moment I could have been poisoned or cursed when I first laid eyes on him. Now I understood he was himself a poison far deadlier

give it back to him, but

was neglectful. I let our skin touch, never realizing the lethal potential something so simple could have.

not my own anymore, and neither was my mind, and as he grew closer—his

had lost my mind, but never

distantly feel a strength emanating from it, it should have been a warning. Something for me

been one to be so reckless, so impulsive. I knew restraint and control. But

out of control, the

to focus on it instead. Like someone drowning in rapids, trying to hold on to the rocks. I needed a rock for my mind. Something to keep my head out

know it was that of a sword. And next to it was

focused on that knowledge

and I knew dangerous.

I was just

to lower my right hand until it lay on his

We needed to gain back