The Prize Ch. 07

In a flash of motion she stepped near and pulled back holding his hunting knife and his sword, one in each hand, the front of his shirt bearing two slashes. As their eyes met he knew it was by design and not by accident that she hadn't cut a little closer and drawn blood.

Teel saw the look of wariness creep into his eyes and knew it was light years away from the agony she wanted to see there.

"Yours will be a long, slow, painful death." She laughed then, an evil laugh better fit for the soulless, as she circled around him.

"Is something funny?"

Teel glanced swiftly towards the door quickly calculating the threat the newcomer posed to her current plans. The man who claimed to be her lover, although how she could deny that after the previous night she didn't know, and yet she continued to do so.

"Not unless you are amused by vengeance," she replied, not sparing him a second glance.

"I see you've managed to arm her in the short time you were here father," Rogue greeted, slightly amused, more so annoyed that she was before her father naked than that she appeared ready to kill him. "Is there something you would like to tell me father?"

Tazian could not be bothered to answer his son's question. He doubted if Rogue could see the feral look in her eyes from his vantage point.

"Teel?" Rogue was determined that one of them would explain the situation before one of them wound up hurt, and it was looking increasingly like that someone might be his father.

She flicked him another quick glance before answering. "This man killed my father so he could turn my mother into his whore." She became restless with violence again just voicing the cause of her disgruntlement. She moved closer to Tazian determined to take him down before his son got close enough to stop her.

"I did not kill your father," Tazian immediately denied. He wasn't aware that she was harboring such ridiculous thoughts. They all knew her father had been dead long before Rogue had arrived at her village.

Teel attacked him then, pushed to her limit. "You liar!"

Tazian held himself perfectly still, kept his cool, and watched her progress. She was aiming directly for his heart and thankfully was made careless by passion and slashed his arm as he moved at the last second, swinging around swiftly enough to catch her off balance and knock her to the floor.

Rogue rushed over to disarm her and it took the two of them to hold her down while they waited for a physician. Teel fought the entire time yelling at the top of her lungs, "Liar!" The physician arrived quickly and pressed down sharply behind her left ear. Teel immediately fell unconscious leaving them in peace to talk about what could only be described as the loss of her mind.

While the physician treated Tazian's arm, Rogue began by apologizing for his father's injury.

"It's not your fault," Tazian excused.

"It is." Rogue was adamant on this point. If he had listened instead of judging her he would have realized what was wrong and been able to do something other than ignore the problem.

******************

Rogue drifted his hand over the curve of Teel's hip. She was still unconscious, but her breathing had returned to a normal more acceptable rate and the physician had assured him she would wake up shortly feeling no ill effects and having limited memory of the events leading up to her unconsciousness. The last thing he wanted was for Teel to continue to think his father had murdered hers.

He pressed gentle kisses into the back of her neck and smoothed a hand over her belly possessively pressing the smooth globes of her bottom against the growing sign of his desire for her. He gave a low groan as he slid between her thighs, not entering her, but just hovering on the edge of her waiting warmth. Teel murmured something unintelligible and snuggled deeper into his arms.

"Teel," he called softly. When she didn't answer he figured she was still asleep. It pleased him that she responded to him even while she was resting. Almost against his will, Rogue slid into her warm, tight folds, pushing gently so as not to wake her. He cupped her breast rolling the nipple between his thumb and forefinger just for the pleasure of touching her silky skin. He groaned into the curve of her neck as her welcoming warmth answered his deep thrusts with clenching muscles as though even in sleep she didn't want to let him go.

"Mmm..." The low moan penetrated the fog of pleasure that had engulfed Rogue. He rolled Teel onto her back gazing down into her green eyes as he continued to push into her.

"I'm glad you're awake," he told her as he plunged harder now that he didn't have to worry about waking her up.

He watched her eyes darken as he pleasured her. She submitted to his passion, but did not reciprocate with tender strokes, whispered praise, or heartfelt pleas for more. He brought them both to a quick end, knowing they needed to talk.

Holding Teel tightly in his arms lest she make another one of her senseless bids for escape, Rogue smoothed a hand over the damp curls framing her face.

"Teel look at me."

She turned her head slowly towards him not really wanting to look at him. She remembered him possessing her body the previous evening and leaving her confined to his quarters for the remainder of the day. But before that, nothing. After that, nothing. She was terrified of why her body responded so strongly to his, of what she couldn't remember. Why she felt a connection and familiarity with him she didn't know, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"You know we are lovers," he began, making sure she was in no doubt as to their relationship. She shifted in discomfort at his words, but said nothing in reply, only continued to look at him with her liquid green eyes. "Do you remember the time we spent together?"

"No." She looked so vulnerable in his arms he immediately pulled her closer trying to infuse her with his strength.

"Tell me what you remember."

Teel searched her mind for memories and could only call forth a swirling mass of black. She shook her head trying to clear it. "I remember my parents-" Teel stopped midsentence blushing profusely. "I walked in on my parents having sex in the forest and I ran away to give them some privacy. That afternoon we had a tournament of skill that I won over my father. I remember the look in his eyes when he hugged me." She smiled in fond remembrance, her eyes fixed on a point he couldn't see. "He was so proud of me." She fell silent. "And then nothing."

"It has been several years since that memory," he told her, his hand massaging her neck in comfort as he continued on. "Your father died that same year. Do you remember?"

Teel shook her head, unshed tears glimmering in her eyes.

Rogue continued, knowing the most important thing he could do at that point was tell her the truth. "Three or so weeks ago I crushed your village and took you and your people captive." Teel immediately tensed against him, her hand pressed against his chest rejecting his person as well as his words. His hands on her neck tightened further warning her not to press the issue because he wouldn't be releasing her until he desired to do so. "You have lain in my arms and worshipped me with your body for over two weeks. That is why you are powerless to resist my simplest touch."

He could see clearly by looking at her face that she rejected every word he spoke. Her sharp teeth drew blood on her already bruised lip as she bit down in her anxiety. Her eyes gleamed with the sort of murderous intent that he remembered from times gone by and he tightened his grip on her lest she pull another of her sudden attacks as she was wont to do.

"A little over a week ago you helped your people escape and after the fact you stood before all my people and defied them and I, daring us to take you to task for it. Do you remember any of this?"

"No." This no was laden with cold purpose. She didn't remember it, but her tone said if she had it to go back and do over again she wouldn't change a thing.

"We can't go on this way Teel. You can't keep defying me. You can't keep attacking me. You can't keep trying to escape."

Her defiant eyes telegraphed their silent challenge back at him, can't I?