Nova's Journey Pt. 03

"What?"

She opened her eyes, they were hazel, dark browns and greens mixed together creating a forest in her eyes. She smiled at me,

"I wasn't expecting that."

I laughed, turning back to the roof of the tent,

"Neither was I."

She shifted, moving off of me and sitting up on her elbows next to me.

"I can see the influence Skye has had on you," she said giving me a long stare, clearly she had learned that from Skye as well, the penetrating look. "You have a gentleness in your touch very similar to hers and many of your techniques are stolen." she said accusingly.

I felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, wondering if this would turn into a fight, but I began to realize what she was saying. She was not actually accusing me, she was stating a fact, and, if anything, I should be glad for the help.

"I know," I said simply, "I need more experience."

She smiled at me,

"You're finally starting to learn."

She stared at me intently,

"We should do this again sometime," she smiled and stood, dressing. I shifted, sitting up and putting my hands down so I could stand. She shoved me gently and I toppled back into the bedding.

"You're still not recovered yet, you need to rest more."

"But I want to get up," I whined.

"You need to rest," she said simply, "besides, you will need your energy for tonight, sleep." She finished putting on her boustier and tossed her veil over her before heading out the door. I wanted to get up, I really did, but I was so sleepy all of a sudden. My arm was hurting where she had pushed me and I lifted it up to find a small wooden dart embedded in my skin. Undoubtedly a sleeping dart.

"We all have skills." I heard her voice echo in my mind, as I slipped away into sleep.

Chapter 8

I must have slept for hours, when I finally awoke there was a chill to the air and the tent was dimming.

"Well, look who slept the day away."

I sat up quickly, covering myself with the blanket. It was a knee jerk response to having lived with my father for so many years, so when I stared at the feet of someone draped in blue, I was somewhat surprised until I gained my bearings again. She was unveiled and those familiar green eyes put me at ease.

"It seems Embry has been in to see you," she said, pointing to the dart still embedded in my arm. She laughed, stepping towards me and bent beside me to pull the dart. I cringed as she pulled the

dart from my arm. She held it up for me to see, it looked like the picks my father and the other men often used on their teeth, it had a single red band around the end of it. "She always did have a knack for poisons." Skye muttered, as she stood and walked to the doorway, flicking it out the door. A trickle of blood ran down my arm. I licked my hand and rubbed it. "How did you do with her?"

I was suddenly flushed, remembering what had occurred earlier and how I had lost myself in it. I felt somewhat embarrassed to give a full explanation to Skye. She must have noticed, she smiled and chuckled to herself.

"Did it go that well?" she asked, returning to my side and sitting comfortably next to me.

"Well...I..." I still couldn't find the words.

"If you're having trouble speaking then I assume it was good." She said leaning towards me and touching my chin gently, "You will have to show me later what she taught you." Her eyes pierced me to the heart.

"She hasn't taught me anything new yet," I said, having suddenly found my voice again.

"Oh?" Skye looked surprised, "I figured if she had to give you a sleeping dart then you must have worn her out."

I laughed nervously, I wasn't sure if she was right about that or not, she had seemed to escape pretty quickly after things had ended.

"Did she talk to you at all?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did she tell you about herself?"

"No," I hadn't thought too much of it, I assumed she probably wouldn't. She didn't know me very well and we hadn't spoken much yet.

Skye smiled and shook her head, staring at the ground,

"Perhaps, she will open up to you with time." her eyes turned back to me gently, she began to stand to leave.

"Wait," I said, scrambling to my feet, I thought for a moment about grabbing the blanket but abandoned the idea as it was difficult enough to stand. "That drink you gave me, what did it do to me?"

"Finding yourself feeling different?" she put her hand on her hip and grinned at me,

"Everything around me is different, as though it's new again." I said rubbing my still pounding head.

"The drink, although I can't tell you what's in it, is made to make you vulnerable. It has various ingredients that will bring out your senses."

I nodded,

"The colors are brighter, the sounds louder, the smells..." I shivered remembering Embry.

"And tastes?" she grinned, "So you figured out who that was."

I nodded, still feeling guilty.

"It's harder than you thought, isn't it?" Her expression was suddenly serious

I felt myself begin to sweat suddenly, I was nervous at what she might say next. That perhaps she might decide that this whole idea was too much for me, or her, or both of us.

"I feel really guilty doing these things with other people," I said uncomfortably, "It makes me feel disloyal."

She laughed and walked towards me, she wrapped her arms around me. It felt so good to be back in her arms.

"I have to admit," she said quietly, "I'm feeling jealous knowing that Embry gets to have you for the rest of the week." She released me but remained close with her arms around me, "There is no reason to feel guilty, I assigned you to learn from Embry, and all the others as well, they are going to teach you the skills you need to know. Learn as much as you can from them, they are here to help you."

I nodded, trying to look at things from her perspective.

She paused looking at me when I saw her eyes soften, "In the meantime, I'll be thinking of you." She smiled a devilish smile when I heard the tent flap swish and a voice from behind her.

"Hey!" it said accusingly, "She's mine, hands off!" Embry stood at the doorway to the tent, pointing towards me. Skye laughed and released me, she stepped away from me and Embry stepped forward. "At least for this week she is, no cheating!" she turned and tried to push Skye out the door. When Skye reached the door she turned back to me and winked, I had already missed whatever Embry was saying to me.

"Are you listening?" she looked at me critically

"I, uh,"

She stood with her arms crossed, but she couldn't keep a straight face looking at my expression, she chuckled,

"You're cute when you're flustered,"

This was my chance to turn on the charm, I took the last step in toward her and wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm sorry," I figured if anything, this would appeal to her.

"You're naked," she said flatly, "and you smell." She pushed me to get me away from her.

"I was asleep all day!" I argued, "No thanks to someone."

"Well then I guess you better bathe."

We both laughed, we were prodding each other at this point.

"Alright," I resigned, "I'll go bathe, I'm sure I need it." Skye was right, maybe I should invite her to open up to me, I could learn something. I held out my hand to her, "Join me?"

She looked down at my hand, questioning, then back up into my eyes. I was asking in earnest, but she seemed hesitant. She smiled -I hoped she was realizing that I wasn't deceiving her- and took my hand. Embry, like Skye, was very good at reading people, as I would soon learn.

"Let's get you some clothes before you go outside," Embry suggested, pulling me to one corner of the tent and digging out my clothes and boots before handing them to me. She released me and I quickly dressed, they had been nice enough to fold them at least. I sat and began to pull my boots onto my feet, Embry stood next to me. "What did Skye tell you?"

I paused, a little confused,

"About what? I asked her about the drink she gave me last night,"

"Did she tell you anything about any of us? About me?"

I shook my head,

"No," I stood and dusted myself.

She nodded,

"Shall we?" she asked, this time holding out her hand.

I smiled and took it, following her to the door where she paused to put on her veil and released me.

"I can't do anything with you outside," she said to me, looking disappointed before she disappeared beneath the veil. I followed her out of the tent and we began on our way, I didn't realize it until it came into sight, but she was leading me back to the spring I had visited with Skye.

"Have you been here before?" she asked me removing her veil casually, her hair was back up again, pulled into a tight ponytail. She, like Skye, had brought provisions for the trip, some water and a couple towels in a bag, she dropped it at her feet.

"Yes," I said simply, beginning to undress, "with Skye."

She chuckled,

"I should have known, she said, reaching behind her to undo her boustier. I moved behind her and undid the rest for her, "Thank you."

I nodded and continued removing the rest of my clothing until I was undressed. Embry still beat me to the punch and was casually strolling into the spring before I was, I scrambled after her, jumping to get my boots off my feet and stumbling over my pants. She glanced back at me, chuckling,

"Relax," she said, "there's no rush."

I finagled everything off finally and left it in a heap in the sand before walking to the spring. Embry was seated already, there was a section of sandstone that I could now identify in the light. She was relaxing in the warm water with her eyes closed, she opened them, hearing me shuffle in the water, and beckoned me with a single finger. I approached her and sat next to her in the warm water, the additional work she did showed in her physique, she wasn't as curvy or soft as Skye, she was skinnier, more muscular, her body was angular but her face remained soft, she did not have sharp features, her hazel eyes were lighter in the sunlight reflecting off the water.

"So," she began, glancing at me sideways, "where are you originally from?"

I assumed she wasn't as versed as Skye, or she was testing me, but most likely the first.

"I don't know," I said simply, "I only know what my father told me: that there was a plague in my village and he found me."

"A plague." she said solemnly, "You're very fortunate, it spreads like wildfire." It was unusual to hear her so solemn and serious about everything.

"That's what my father said, he said I was the last one he could find without it."

"So the plague killed your family?"

"I suppose so."

"You don't remember?"

"No."

she shook her head,

"the plague is a very unpleasant way to die."

I paused for a moment,

"Have you seen it before? You sound as though you lost someone to it."

She was silent for a moment, she ran a wet hand over her face and then her hazel eyes fell on me, they were intense.

"My father was a doctor, he spent years teaching me his trade. I worked with him, assisted him my whole life. Well..." she shook her head, "Until I left."

I felt nervous asking but I knew I should,

"Why did you leave?"

"He wanted me to become a doctor like him."

"Did you not want to?"

"I do want to." She spoke with such conviction I was taken aback, but I was confused, she must have sensed this, she continued her story.

"I didn't want to commit myself to a stationary life, living in a single place and taking care of many many people, without experiencing the world for myself. I wanted a chance to go out and be my own person."

"How did you find the Cerulean Order?"

"The caravan passed through my town a couple years ago and I ran into a few of these women, the men spoke of them widely. So I approached them myself, to find out why they were so alluring, so tempting, such a hot commodity." she laughed, "I had no idea I'd find myself telling my father that I was going to join them and leave with them."

"So was that your only motivation to join them? To get out?"

She shook her head,

"I was very unexposed, very much like you." Her eyes were softening as she spoke now, "I had no experience of any kind, outside of the medical, but I did have a lot of technical knowledge. I wanted to learn more, learn new things." she flushed and stared down into the water. "I wanted to make myself desirable."

"But, why wouldn't you be?" I asked earnestly

She chuckled bitterly and turned back to me,

"From my experience, the men prefer a woman who knows how to please them. That is, after all, why we stay in business."

I must have looked confused, I was, Embry was beautiful and smart, how could she be undesirable?

"You will see for yourself with time." she said simply, resigning herself from arguing with me, and decided simply to change the topic. "Skye decided that I'd be useful, since I knew medicines and have all the skills of a doctor. So she allowed me in, essentially to be a caretaker of the other women."

"So is that all you do?"

"Certainly not," she said, giving me a deviously sensual gaze, "I have other skills as well."

I felt myself perspire, even in the warm water. She was good at that, or I was particularly susceptible to it. I wasn't sure which was more accurate.

"What you did to me earlier was not medicine." I said, trying to get her gaze off me so I could resume breathing normally, it was as though she was constricting me with her gaze.

She laughed, her eyes easing,

"It certainly wasn't, I learned some poisons as well, my father taught me some medicines that could be used however the creator chose, as well as how to distill poisons. He told me that if we were to understand them, we needed to learn how to make them and identify them in order to do what we could to treat them."

"Can you treat them?"

"It depends on a lot of things, but I do my best to be prepared."

I nodded,

"What did you give me last night and why did it do..." I paused unsure of how to continue, "Why did it make me feel so strange?" She was the correct person to ask, her knowledge of medicine and poisons, her medical knowledge, she would be able to give me a straight answer.

"I had a feeling you would ask me that," she chuckled, again wiping her face. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?"

I stopped, puzzled,

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Sometimes, once you find out the workings of something, the magic behind it is lost."

I didn't understand what she was saying at the time. Even though we were so close in age, she was far wiser than I was, she understood things I had no grasp of, she was more worldly. I don't regret my choice, however, I feel content knowing the inner workings, even of the things many people around me considered magic.

"It's a simple salve, consisting of herbs that sharpen the senses, we mix each herb with a time delaying substance and it essentially works through your system in order, accentuating each sense as it hits."

"Makes sense," I said simply, "But what I'm more interested in is why I..." I paused, blushing remembering earlier, "I feel so differently today."

"It is based with a fermented drink, that could be why you feel differently."

I had been right about that, but even when I had drank it before, I hadn't felt the way I did today.

"I don't think that's it," I said simply, "It's never done that to me before. I've never felt the way I did today."

She smiled deviously,

"This 'feeling differently' wouldn't have anything to do with me, would it?" she asked, reaching over and raising my chin with a finger. Her hazel eyes were dark as they looked into mine, I could see something below the surface, I began to sweat. I wasn't going to let her best me. I took hold of her hand beneath my chin and stared at her dead-on.

"Maybe,"

"Oooh," She chuckled, cocking an eyebrow "I like it when you flirt back." she smiled, inching closer. That familiar minty scent wafted in below my nose as she breathed closer to me. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks, in my body; her lips grazed mine but she pulled away. She chuckled, she was teasing me and I knew it, I was aching for more and she was denying me. The finger on my chin had moved up over my lips.

"Now, now," she whispered to me, "not so fast."

I nibbled her fingertip gently and sighed, closing my eyes. Everything I felt was intensifying, I could feel it all building the longer she put it off, part of me hated it, but another part of me loved it. I felt her inching closer to me, our thighs touched, she was so close I could feel the heat coming off her body from the warm water. I felt one of her hands slip around my waist and pull me to her, the slickness of her skin, the sound of the water moving, and her breathing made it even better. Her fingertip had escaped me and slipped up the side of my face, her thumb grazed my bottom lip. When I looked at her again I could see the darkness in her eyes and the color in her cheeks.

"Do you always play with your food?" I whispered to her. She smiled, she was so beautiful when she smiled.

"Only the food I really like." Her lips were on mine, but they were gentle and slow. I was dying trying to hold myself back, attempting to quell the swarming ocean inside me that wanted to break free and take this beautiful woman. This woman whom I had so disliked at first, who had been so foreign, so closed away, had beauty that took time to appreciate. It wasn't that she wasn't physically attractive -she was- simply that she had much more to her: her mind, her intelligence, her depth; these were the most attractive things about her. Her harsh exterior had melted away as she let me in. Once I had become like her, she turned and instead became warm, soft, gentle, caring even. She exposed herself to me and in seeing past the simple cerulean of her robes, I saw the spectrum she contained in her soul. Her hands ran gently up my back and she held me against her, embracing me.

"Why are you so tense?" she whispered into my ear, nibbling it. I realized I was panting, all she had done was kiss me, but she had so completely worked me up I could hardly contain myself.

"What do you mean?" I asked between breaths, "I'm fine."

She chuckled gently,

"Bullshit," she whispered, "You need to relax."

"But I..."

"You're holding on to what you're feeling instead of just feeling it." she said, her fingers working gently into the muscles in my back, "Relax," she began to kiss my neck, "you're focusing on how badly you want me instead of being right here with me." her voice was so soft and gentle it almost killed me. She was right, as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was very much thinking about what I wanted to do to her. Since last night I had been aggressive, wanting. Someone would light the fire and I would engulf them, I had not been a very tolerant recipient, all considering. Could I do this? Would I be able to focus on what she was doing instead of my own wants and desires? I would try, I closed my eyes and focused on her fingertips, gently moving over my back. One moist hand escaped my back and slipped up the opposite side of my neck until it reached my face and turned me gently to face her, I was certain my expression was not lying at this moment. My face was burning so thoroughly, my breathing had slowed down, I was staring at her lips as she inched closer.

"You're too intent on being the predator," she paused kissing me softly and nibbling my bottom lip, "sometimes it's better to be the prey." I felt the warm exhale on me before our lips met again. I was focused now, feeling every touch, every gentle caress, she was very, very gentle. I wondered for a moment if Skye knew just how talented Embry was, but very shortly after, I had stopped thinking. There was no longer any room for outside thoughts. Each touch dominated my senses, radiating lightning into every nerve where her skin grazed mine, where her hands moved over me. I was no longer intent on a power struggle, on taking control and manipulating her into submission. I was enjoying her using me, taking me. Her hands settled on my hips, her lips still very intent on mine, when I felt her take advantage of the water and lift me with ease until I settled in her lap. She set to work on my chest while her hands explored the curves resting in her lap. It was becoming hard to breathe, but not for the same reason it had before. I had no desire to take her, to make her mine, but every desire -with every fiber of my being- to become hers, to let her do as she pleased to me.