Mature: Desert Moon

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at his statement and closed her eyes. Somehow, for some reason, she felt everything lift off her shoulders, every worry, until she felt so relaxed and so tired. She wanted to be strong enough to stay up with him, but neither one of them seemed to want to talk about what happened just yet. The wounds were too fresh. So, she settled against him despite how much it hurt to breath. She was that tired. That worn out.

"I love you," she whispered to him. She'd never forgive herself for this, for having made such a deal, and for letting him be taken from her. To see him hurt, wounded, weak because of her... Tenele clenched her eyes tight to keep the tears away.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad let his attention wander to the quiet beat of Tenele's pulse. The soft rhythm sucked him further and further into a calm he thought he'd never feel again. The sleep claimed him with a vengeance, finally giving rest to his tortured body.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele didn't last much longer than Vlad. She felt him fall a sleep by the loosening of his arms.

Talon and Atul found the kitchen after walking into several dark empty rooms. The man had a surprisingly large collection of foods. Atul moaned when he saw the steak. He and Tenele had lost several pounds on this journey by eating nothing but water boiled roots for the last week or more. Tonight, they would be eating very well.

"How bad was it?" Atul asked while he collected the ingredients needed to make their dinner.

Talon frowned, leaning against the wall. "Bad," he admitted. "I don't expect him to be himself for a little while. His thinking got very bad towards the end. I think he lost all faith."

While the food was cooking Atul went back to check on them. He found them sleeping very soundly, and with Tenele's shirt still gone he worried about he getting cold. He draped a warm dry fur across them and went back to cooking.

When the food was done he returned carrying a large tray laden with steak, potatoes, bread, and cake. It was a feast. It wasn't the finest meal in the world, but it was the best thing they'd eaten in almost a month.

Atul's warm hands brushed Tenele's cheek. "Tenele," he called softly. "Hey," he whispered, not wanting to wake Vlad when he seemed so content. He really hated to disturb either of them, but Tenele really needed a decent meal.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad hadn't slept deeply in weeks, and even the noise around him wasn't enough to drag him up from the abyss.

Unfortunately, the movement was. As soon as the muscles in his arms shifted when Tenele moved away, the fire reminded him where he was and what was happening. He was being tortured. Burned from the inside out, no way to stop it, just a matter of time before he learned whether his body or his mind would die first.

He sucked in air and wrestled backward against the couch.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele and Atul froze when Vlad began to struggle on the couch. It was very rare that she witnessed her husband have a nightmare, and the rarity of it made her forget how it could often be dangerous when trying to rouse him from it.

Tenele went back to him and sat on the edge of the couch. She put hand on his chest to try and steady him, as futile as that was to do against a creature more than twice her strength, and she cupped his face with her warm hand.

"Vlad, its okay," she urged. "You are safe. You are fine. I'm here. Wake up."

[Soran Nightblade]

The pressure against his chest made the vampire frantic. He'd forgotten he was tied down. How could he forget? If only he could move his arms and slash through those damned restraints. If he could just stop hurting, and think for 5 god-forsaken seconds.

The claws extended slowly on his hands, hurting him every inch of the way. He wasn't strong enough to use his abilities yet. But if he could just get free, if he could just think. It felt like there was something important.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele didn't notice his claws, too concerned with the fact he wasn't waking. She took his face in both her hands. She was afraid to jostle him awake, and hurt his damaged body. "Vlad," she called louder. "Wake up. Its only a dream."

[Soran Nightblade]

The voice got him. Vlad's eyes shot wide and stared at Tenele in front of him. First he was confused, and then it felt as if he was seeing her for the first time all over again. He took in where he was and the fact that Atul was there with him also. He swallowed. His throat felt rock-hard.

He made his best attempt at a casual smile and tried to play it off as nothing. "Is it morning already?" he asked.

[Emora Deen]

The worry creasing Tenele's features didn't leave. "No," she whispered. "We were only sleeping for a few minutes. Atul and I were about to eat..." She brushed her fingers through his hair. "Do you think a bath might help you feel better? After dinner I could help you with one. Then, we could find a comfortable place to sleep and go to bed early. Atul is going to work with Talon on finding us a faster route home."

[Soran Nightblade]

The word 'home' felt so alien that for a minute, Vlad didn't really compute it. "That sounds good." He wasn't sure what he'd done, but from the looks on their faces, it didn't seem to be good. He peered over Tenele's shoulder. "What's for dinner?"

[Emora Deen]

Atul glanced at the plates. "Maxwell had a lot of food in the pantry and cold room. Dinner is steak, potatoes, bread, and cake for desert. Much more substantial than the root stew we've been sipping on for a week since I food ran out. If Tenele drops anymore weight she'll float away on a strong breeze." Atul placed his hand on Tenele's head. "Come eat," he urged, drawing her slowly away from Vlad.

Her husband's distress made her forget her aching hunger, but now that he seemed to be calmed she could allow herself to acknowledge it. The smell of food also helped to bring back her ravenous desire for something more than liquid.

Tenele started off very slowly, but the more she tasted deliciousness, the faster she woofed it down. Atul had to remind her to take it slow, not to push her body after having so little for so long. Tenele ignored all warnings concerning her meal.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad stretched out on the cushions and watched them with undivided attention. Seeing Atul joking and overprotective, as always, was reassuringly familiar. Tenele's visible relief at having food in her belly was also a joy to watch. He felt like he wanted to watch them all night, like he needed to learn them over again. Everything that was the same, everything that had changed since he'd last held them. There were so many questions...

[Emora Deen]

Tenele cupped a hand around her aching side once she'd devoured her meal. She sat still, savouring the feeling of being full. She was also weary. But, a hot bath would probably do herself and her husband a world of good.

She stood up slowly, careful how she moved to keep from straining her tender areas. Tenele smiled at her husband and held down her hand. "Can you walk?" she asked him softly. "You can lean on me. I'll help. Let's get you washed up and tucked into bed. I'm sure there is a decent washroom around here."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad hesitated, looking at her hurt chest. "Perhaps Atul should help you," he pondered aloud. If he lost his balance, could she really support him without hurting herself in that condition? He didn't trust his body enough to put it to the test.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele opened her mouth to protest. Atul stood up. "I'll help you get him there," he offered, bending to help Vlad onto his feet.

Tenele pushed back her disappointment and the bitter reminder that she was only human. She clenched her eyes shut as they started to walk away, exhaled in a cool breath, and pushed those feelings away. She'd gotten her. She'd climbed mountains, fought off wolves, survived on water and root, and scaled an ice wall to get here. That had to say something. It didn't stop Atul's words from echoing in the back of her mind as she watched the man help her husband walk.

They eventually found the bathroom just off from what appeared to Maxwell's bedroom. His room was pristine, and the bed was made with a meticulous touch. It made Tenele want to jump up and down on it to ruin the perfection.

Atul set Vlad on a bench near the tub while Tenele began pumping hot water from the base of the house into the deep tub.

"Should I stay to help you into it, or can you manage?" Atul asked Vlad. He wanted to stay, but he also understood that the two of them needed space and time together. Atul's fingers curled under the hem of Vlad's shirt, his fingertips skimming the vampire's cool flesh. "Need help getting out of this?"