I sang.
I hummed the melody of her song, our song, into her hair. Her body relaxed at the sound, her breath escaping in a warm rush against the skin of my chest. I smiled as I sang, and she calmed and breathed against me. I could still feel the stutter in her breath, the small half beat of her heart, but for one small moment I didn’t hear that, I couldn’t feel the tightness on her back, the tension in her joints. She was just Joclyn, in my arms once again.
She didn’t know it now, but she was stronger than the demons that had filled her soul. I could feel it in the way she relaxed, in the steady strum of her heart. She could overcome this. She could become bigger then it. I just needed to help her find that path. To help her figure out how to put it behind her, to prove her own strength to her. I would help her find herself again.
I sang as I watched the sky lighten through the large arches of my room, the stars fading as the light of dawn took them. Minutes turned into hours but still we lay, her body against mine, my song providing the calming security she so desperately needed.
I moved away from her slowly, surprised when she jerked as if the movement had been a lightning strike. I didn’t dare go too far, only far enough to be able to look at her, to see her beautiful eyes stare into me. I had missed them, and in the morning light, they seemed to shine, the light of her soul sparkling through them and into me.
My hold on Joclyn loosened as I lifted my hand, the sun catching on the angry red burn that covered my palm and the inside of my fingers. The skin was red and raw, the moist flesh raised as if it had been partially eaten and cast aside.
It had taken centuries for the burns on my chest to heal, and the burn on my arm was still angry and red. This burn seemed much deeper than the others. The pain was definitely stronger and uncontrollable. I could already tell it would take much longer for this burn to heal, if it healed at all.
The connection that had been triggered by the touch of the Black Water had left me, leaving me feeling strangely empty. Even with the magic of a bonding, such intimate connections weren’t possible. To feel her heart, her body, within me, that wasn’t something that had ever happened.
I just wished I knew what that connection meant. With all my training, with all the knowledge that had been demanded of me, the Drak’s choice to keep this information hidden was one that would affect us in ways I didn’t think I could ever understand.
Without analyzing the thought, I pressed my scarred hand against her cheek, a gasp escaping my lips as the connection restored itself. With one touch, my awareness of her increased. Her heartbeat was strong within me, and I could feel the steady thrum of her soul moving through me.
I couldn’t help it. Even though I knew I shouldn’t and my brain begged me not to, I let my finger trail down her neck and onto the raised skin of her mark. As my finger connected, the jolt that I had always felt shot through me, supercharging my magic in a surge of energy. It buzzed through me like the most addictive medicine.
I was surprised when I felt her heart seize as her own jolt shot through her, the shock of our joining magic strong in her body as well as my own. Before she could panic, before her heart rate could increase much further, she controlled it. She forced the fear down, forced the beat of her heart to keep a steady beat, even without my help.
She was amazing.
I couldn’t keep the look of pure joy out of my eyes as I looked at her. She would never cease to amaze me. Everything that would be thrown at her she would overcome. I could tell that now. I was beyond honored to be the one to keep her safe, to be allowed to love her.
Her eyes looked into mine. Confusion and happiness intermingled with each other before she gasped and moved into me; her hot breath against my chest sent waves of energy shooting over my skin.
I pulled her into me, my hold tight against her. I wanted so much to stay like this, our arms locked in each other’s embrace, but it could not be. It was not right to dwell in a joy that was not yours, and sadly, that was just what I was doing.
“I’m going to go get you some Black Water. I’ll be right back,” I whispered in her ear before I pulled away, my muscles aching at the loss of her warmth.
Joclyn curled herself into a ball as I left, the loss of contact already affecting her. I needed to hurry. Clear my head and come right back.
I moved swiftly out the door, careful to close it silently so as not to trigger any more of her panic attacks. The last thing I wanted was for her to panic without anyone there to calm her.
My magic surged through her as I raced to Dramin’s room, grateful for his foresight in placing his chambers so close to my own.