I saw his crumpled body again, a mass of pain on the floor, felt the agony of Ruby's story, his mother's lifeless body brought to him as a threat or punishment by those that he must claim allegiance to. He stayed through that. For me.
It was quiet for a long while as we both sat, motionless. The torrent of emotion washed through me while my mind tried to re-sort itself once more. When Ruby finally moved, it was to glance up at Chevelle, who'd been standing near the doorway, watching us. I couldn't say how long he'd been there but I was sure by his expression he'd not been aware of our conversation. And as soon as my thoughts went back to Ruby's words, I found myself standing and walking to him. Maybe it was simply that my mind was overwhelmed, maybe it was that I'd been wanting to for so long now, but when I reached him, my arms slid beneath his and around his chest in an embrace that shocked him. He was probably wondering if I had regained her, the old Elfreda, but I didn't speak a word, only held him as his arms finally relaxed around me in return.
My eyes were closed but I heard Ruby slip by us and close the door behind her.
Chevelle's arms lowered to my waist as he asked in a uneven voice, "What is it, Freya?"
I raised my head from his chest to look into his eyes and had to stop myself from thinking of how blue. I leaned forward and pressed my lips lightly to his throat. He pulled me closer and I automatically lifted to my toes to find his lips for a soft, slow kiss. And though our kiss deepened, he was reserved, unsure. But I could feel that he wanted me, so I pressed harder against him, urging him to respond.
I knew the moment his restraint broke. My body was overcome with such force that I lost track of my surroundings, aware of only him. Tremors washed through me and I could not seem to get close enough to him, a deep, compelling need and pleasure at each touch, each thought, each breath besieged me.
The coupling was indescribable, so intense and consuming I'd no idea if it had been moments or hours or days.
I lay sleepily in his arms as he placed gentle kisses on my cheek, my neck, my ear...
It must have been the kiss, which brought my full and complete concentration to the place his lips were touching, that caused my dreams to slip back to the deepest depths of my memories. My ears, rounded as those of my father's, figured prominently as several of my childhood memories played out in my dreams. They were not unpleasant, though that, too, could have been influenced by my mood as I'd drifted to sleep. Even those of Asher were calm and lacked any form of fear. I recalled him at the battle, his mouth moving silently as he stood passively by, watching. And he was other places, too, whispering chants, focused on the fallen, focused on me. He seemed to grow bigger in each new setting and I nearly laughed at the vision. And then the dreams progressed to include Chevelle and, even in my unconscious state, I was interested in seeing the "new" details that had been previously unknown to me.
So, I was irritated when Ruby's sharp voice woke me, stealing the images away. "Wake up, Freya," she urged as she jerked the blankets down.
I sat up suddenly, mortified at what she'd see. But I was dressed. I looked beside me, Chevelle was gone.
Ruby was oblivious to my horror. "The boys are meeting downstairs," she said casually, "with any luck, we'll be leaving shortly after."
She smiled, delighted. She had no idea. I relaxed and released my breath. Chevelle must have prepared things before his meeting, thank decency.
I watched Ruby choose clothes from my wardrobe, cheerily packing in the case that we would finally depart as she'd been hoping. I was still overwhelmed with contented satisfaction from the previous night and couldn't help but feel grateful that she'd shared the story of our past with me. I didn't exactly owe her, but I wanted to help her somehow, help her reach the joy I had.
"Ruby?" I asked, tentatively.
She turned to me smiling. I hesitated and she stepped closer, stopping near the edge of the bed.
I started to flush but steeled myself. "Don't you want to... be with Grey?"
She looked startled for one moment and then laughed a loud, barking laugh at me. I didn't see what was funny. "You were so serious, Frey. I thought you had some significant dilemma."
"Is it not significant?" I replied, defensive.
She was still smiling as she sat lithely on the bed. "Do you mean is Grey significant? Of course."
I waited.
"Frey," she explained in a light, carefree tone, "we have been together for ages."
"But not together," I remarked.
She nodded. "There are many reasons for that, none of which are so solemn as you imply." She could see that I intended to ask so she stopped me. "I do enjoy his company, and have nearly always. But I do not enter into a union lightly."
"But Ruby, what happened to you before..." I was still uneasy talking of her poisoning her own mother. "It won't happen now. You know how to prevent it."
She shook her head. "Silly Freya. I know that. He is as safe from my venom as my whip."