"Come lets head to the pond," said Lucian abruptly. Slipping his hand into my own he turned to tug me away with him. I guess we still had that talk to get to and now was better than later. Especially when later could very well be never. It certainly has before and could well be again.

I trudged after him. Moving as fast as I could to keep up but his ambling walk was quick even for me. His long elegant loping strides ate up the distance drawing me stumbling after him through his sheer magnetism alone. That and the firm hand of reality of course. I winced at the unintentionally tight grip of his hand on mine. As always he never intend hurts but they just happened anyway.

But I didn't blame him. We were both like that bumbling through life making as many errors as life allows us before death settles in taking us into her inviting embrace.

We were still a good deal away as to go to the pond on foot was looking at least a couple of hours of travel. That is travel at my pace. But it was as if Lucian had read my mind. With a stiffled oath he spun around to wrench me up into his arms and then we were off. Drifting through the great plains and the barely dense foilage at blinding speeds. I kept my eyes closed and my teeth gritted tight against the wind speeds but then we were there.

The deafening speeds eased from my ears and the shallow onrush of sounds of life around us was slow to catch up. Lucian's lips were moving as he spoke something to me. I frowned up at him unable to hear. Then my eyes widened in genuine fear. Had I really gone deaf?

But Lucian was settling me back onto my unsteady feet. His hands gripped my shoulders literally holding me up and holding me steady.

"Are you okay?"

I read the words formed by his lips as clearly as if he'd spoken them and breathed out a response, "My ears. I can't hear."

Wrapping his arms about me he held me close till my thudding heart was esconded against his. Looking down at me he said, "Give it time. Your ears will be fine soon."

I guessed it was a little like going on a flight. The air pressure sometimes gets to me. I nodded my head and then rested against his shoulders. I felt warm and fuzzy in his embrace. A love like I have never felt before welled up in me for him.

Looking up into his beautiful face I saw that he was not sharing the sentiment. His face was haunting in its worry. I didn't think it was just about the ear block either. I lifted my hand up to cup his face drawing his gaze back to mine. I smiled up at him reassuringly. It was all I could do. Offer him comfort where he had none.

But it was not comfort that he sought from me. In a vicious cry that ordinarily would have my blood curdled in my vains he slipped his hands up roughly into my hair. Holding my head still for his plundering mouth to come. I recognised the gleam of determination in his darkened eyes and my mouth swept open in a cry of denial for what he intended.

His lips hit mine in an unusually soft meshing of our lips. His very gentleness a stark contrast that served only to bring have my cry change to that of startlement. Then he was there plundering my depths like a mad man possessed by his own need to be possessed. So I gave him what he wanted. I gave him back the kiss that enslaved me to him. And I felt the onrush of his excitement surge to another level. Heat filled my mouth and then the faint metalic taste of blood.

His blood.

I moaned and then groaned.

Not again.

I hated it when he did that. Turning the most hottest moment of my life into a lets feed Kira some blood session. Or more specifically, let's feed Kira vampire blood to heal her bloody injury. And heal it did.

Like replacing a busted speaker sounds around and about us intensified and then amplified before settling into a steady if rapid beat.

The beat I later realised was that of my own heart. My heart that lived within the cavities of my chest but bled only for him.

" I love you, " I muttered feebly against his still ravaging lips. But somehow he understood. His own lips parted from the clinging reaches of mine to hover tightly above my own. It was at that moment that I realised we were no longer standing on our feet but lying prone with me on my back and Lucian on me.

" I have and always will love you."

Then his lips came crashing back down on my own and once again I was swept away from the realities of the physical world. Lost in his arms and his essence.

The talk I guess would have to wait.