Rebirth Ch. 04

Mine.

Such a simple word yet her heart answered it was an exulting cry and in that moment she knew she loved him. Her heart, body and soul belonged to him and she knew she would never come close to ever feeling this strongly for another in this lifetime or the next. And so she gave him the surrender he craved. "Yours."

Like the words cut the invisible threads that kept his control from unraveling, he lost it. The cloak that hid his rough edges was shed until nothing but untamable wildness remained. Stripped of the mask of civility, she saw him as he was. A conqueror with no rules but his own. A man who needed a woman strong enough to handle his hardness, to sooth his battle-scarred soul and match his fervor.

She was that woman.

For as long as she could stay in his arms she would remain and forever would not be long enough. The mortality she viewed as a treasure no more than a few minutes ago suddenly felt like an unwanted barrier.

Letting go of her hands, he braced her legs over his shoulders and used his weight to keep her pinned and spread for his relentless passion. Her butt lifted off the mattress, she could do not but received his rough loving. She reveled in his lusty hunger, gladly receiving his forceful strokes, her nerves exploding in rapture.

The approach of his orgasm crested with the force of a tidal wave as he pushed harder and harder into her, his tight buttocks flexing deeper and deeper, faster and faster. He swelled and stuffed her to extremities. That first spurt of come hit her walls as he shuddered in her arms. His head came down on her chest as he groaned and grunted his pleasure, her own cries rising in volume. He clutched her tight to him. "By Ra, I love you, Mac."

Her hands swept his back, her nails sure to leave her mark on him as she followed him once more into that bottomless ocean.

****

Long into the night their bodies lay intertwined, hands knowingly caressing, mouth tasting and savoring. But mostly they talked, their low voices cocooning them in a loving circle made more apparent by the howl of the wind outside, the snowfall starting up again.

Just before the break of dawn, Aiden's head lay over Mac's belly. Time ticked away and the heaviness of his limbs confirmed they only had mere minutes left. His time had come but for once he looked forward to the next millennium of his life. He now had a reason to.

He caressed the flat surface and imagined it round with child. She had so much love to give, so much goodness packed into her tiny body. She tried to downplay her heartbreak at being unable to conceive but he felt it almost like it was his own.

The world was full of inequality but he had always felt separate from it all, a loner who could only watch. This was the first time he felt connected to another and he could not bear the injustice. The flaming tear was forced from his eyes, sliding down his cheek, hanging precariously for a moment. Their eyes met and the drop fell onto her stomach. Like a match falling onto a sea of oil, it burst and spread. She gasped but he knew she felt no pain. It died as quickly as it began, her skin absorbing the healing liquid. "What did you do?"

He did not answer her. Instead he laid a kiss over her belly button, holding her gaze prisoner. She swallowed as electricity raced beneath his mouth. Getting to his knees, he pulled her across his knees, her feet locking at his back. Slow and easy, he penetrated her slickened rose, her tightness hurting so good. She sighed and their lips met in a slow expression of want and need that was more than sexual. They pushed and glided against each other in a rhythm older than time, the sweet friction filling the air.

He kept his touch light, wanting her know how much he appreciated this gift she bestowed upon him, how much he appreciated her. With a deep set desperation he needed to show her that this was forever. He crossed in legs in an Indian stance and inclined her over his arms. Her legs were sprawled around his waist. He buried his face in her cleavage and resumed his strokes. They both shuddered at the increased depth and sensation. Her fingers cradled his head to her and she kissed his neck and shoulders as he sucked a hard berry into his mouth.

He felt that first clenching of muscles that signaled her impending release. Time was displaced as he looked into her eyes, seeing his reflection in the glazed brown circles. Her nails scorched his back as she touched her lips to his. They breathed each other in and his climax built, sending fire racing up and down his back and legs as a chill at his nape made his hair stand on end.

Her pussy clamped down on him with a vise grip of wet, warm silk and they melted into one another as the supernova of pure pleasure settled them into an infinite afterglow of happiness. Nothing compared to the serenity that engulfed him. He looked down at her and reverence at her magnificence stunned him.

After they lay together, her back to his chest. Her eyelashes fanned over her cheek and he watched her sleep, burning her memory into his brain. His lips uttered a soft chant and the internally gears shifted as he planted a tiny part of himself in her, making her body stronger and able to heal faster that a normal human's. The ancient magick also ensured that he would always be able to find her no matter the distance or time between them.

Brushing her lips with his for the last time, he got out of the bed. He took one last look at her before turning away.

****

Mackenzie awoke from her slumber and straightaway knew Aiden was no longer next to her but still she reached for him. She found only cool sheets. Sitting up she looked around and a bright yellow glow came through the window. Hastily she got out of bed and throwing the blanket around her, she bolted down the stairs. Running for the door, she only took the time to don her boots. All she knew was the urgency to get to him. "Aiden!"

The snow made the trek difficult but she fought her way to where he stood, emitting light like a small sun. Naked and looking to the heavens, a shroud of lonely strength surrounded him. Their eyes met across the space and what she knew in her heart was confirmed. He was leaving.

The transformation from man to bird halted her progress as she gaped in awe. Flaming wings arched from his back as feathers covered him until Aiden was no more and the phoenix took his place. He was easily three times his normal size, powerful claws digging into the white carpet. His eagle's body glittered like gold. A tail of fire like that of a peacock's stretched out behind him. Eyes shinier than any diamond stared at her.

The need to be closer to him pushed her to eliminate the gap until no more than a foot separated them. His head bended until his feathery cheek lay against hers. Heat radiated off him like a furnace but it drew her closer to him, brushing her soul.

"Don't leave. Please," she whispered as her eyes burned with unshed tears, knowing no good would come of her plea.

His beak did not move but his words rang clearly. Don't cry, my love. Just like the bird, his voice had an eerie tranquility. I will be reborn and I will come for you. No matter where you are I will find you. Wait for me.

"I will. I promise." She clutched at him, her fingers bunching in downs as soft as silk, and closed her eyes.

Like sand in a wind storm he melted away until she was left grappling at nothing but air.

"I love you, Aiden," she said, wishing she'd told him before he left. She could only hope that her actions showed what she was too afraid to say, vowing that she'd tell him every day for the rest of forever when he returned, having absolute faith that he would.

I love you too.

The words echoed around her, just as the sun's first rays burst from below the horizon. Despite the weight that settled in her heart, she smiled. Yes, he would return and she'd be waiting because a life without him was unimaginable. "Come back to me."

Soon, my love.

****

Aiden open his eyes to the bland expanse of the endless unremarkable terrain in his mind. The air was stagnant. "Come to me," he commanded, instantly feeling the atmosphere's displacement. The darkness came from afar, quickly eating up the land and closed in tighter than ever until nothing but the walls that kept his other half imprisoned were visible.

Aiden did not blink but there he was, the one he came to defeat. The two stared at each other from across the distance before Evil Aiden let out a gurgle of bleak amusement. "I have to say I'm surprised, Aiden. You've never sought me out before. Never thought you had the balls. What's the special occasion?"

"It's time we end this. Only one of us walks out of here the victor." To show the seriousness of his words, Aiden released his flames and like a shield, the orange plumes surrounded him.

Evil Aiden's smile was slow and full of satisfaction. Doing the same, darkly red flames surrounded his foe, the release of power shaking the unstable world, showing how close he was to breaking free. "I have been waiting for this for a long time, Aiden. To show you who's the master of this power."

A shiver of something too reminiscent of fear ran down Aiden's back. How was he to defeat himself, his own evil desires? "Why don't you stop happing and let's finish this."

Evil Aiden cocked his head to the side. "Why are you in such a hurry to lose? You know that's the only outcome."

Preying on the creature's vanity, Aiden said, "That seems unlikely when you're just a shadow of me. I bet it kills you to know that's what you'll ever be."

That made the smile drop from the dark eyed being's face and with a burst of supernatural speed Evil Aiden rushed at him. Expecting a full frontal attack, Aiden's flames immediately erected a barrier in front of him only to have Evil Aiden disappear, the blow coming from above instead. The two flames met, the resulting pressure release materializing to form a mushroom cloud like that of a nuclear explosion.

Their surroundings shook harder, the crack of wall audible. With a show of strength Aiden forced his adversary to retreat. With a smirk, Evil Aiden disappeared. A search of the darkness revealed nothing. The fact did not seat well with Aiden. This was his mind. Evil Aiden should not be able to hide from him. The phenomena would not have occurred unless Evil Aiden conquered even more of his subconscious.

A shift in the air was his only warning. Taking the opportunity, Aiden lashed out, the blow catching Evil Aiden's sneak attack. Unfortunately Aiden was not the only one who landed a blow, the force of the hits pushing them part.

Aiden wiped the line of blood away from his jaw and Evil Aiden mimicked him. "I'd same we're off to a great start. Wouldn't you, oh mighty phoenix?"

No, he wouldn't.