It is silly of me to think Evangeline anything like Tamira; she is too strong willed and self-motivated. Both things make me wonder how such a creature came into existence. But as I watch the fear curl her lips and crease the soft skin between her eyes, I cannot help but feel as though I must soothe her. Nightmares from the past have come to plague her waking thoughts but instead of mere unconscious believing, I know all too well of the terrors she speaks of. I nod slowly, my eyes never leaving her as if I am simply unable to peel myself away. Her flesh trembles and shifts across finely sculpted muscle and though I am tempted to reach for it, run a velveteen muzzle along her length, I refrain. “Then there will be light, don’t worry,” I murmured quietly.

I felt somehow responsible for her unease and though no amount of coddling could calm her restless heart, I felt it my duty to try. However, with the return of Tallis, I was suddenly nervous. I watched distractedly as he meddled with a few misshapen sticks until he was able to light them with flame. As the fire came to life and cast an orange glow along the thawing soil, I looked up into Evangeline’s emerald gaze.

When had we gotten here?

Though silence had once again pervaded our company, Eva picked up the conversation where I’d abandoned it some time ago in favor of admiring her flawless beauty. But of course, she was as stubborn and hard-headed as ever before. Her prodding served to stir my resolve where it had frozen somewhere in the depths of my heart. “I plan… to recover. You’re right; I can’t run from it, whatever it is. But you know what it’s like Eva, after all you’re dealing with that fear as well. Tell me… what is your plan?” I sought her eyes and her answer with a vigor I hadn’t felt in what felt quite some time. I wanted to meld into her thoughts and find, with certainty, all that she chose to hide from me.

The earth had finally started to unfreeze around us and vivid color flooded my senses. “I don’t want to use my strength to fight. I want to make a difference and by the grace of the good Gods, I’ll do it. I used to stand for something and now everything I know has grown stagnant and grey. I’m tired of standing still when all I want to do is run and feel again,” I urged more seriously.

Be mine, dammit. Give me the chance to breathe again.

With my face at her back now, her withers fit snugly beneath my throat, I tried to imagine a time I’d felt so uninhibited. She had given me so much in such a short amount of time- her friendship, her loyalty, and her confidence. I reached up to tug softly at her flaxen locks as they drifted down along her shoulder. I felt as though I had fallen into a drunken stupor, so tired and relaxed now that my adrenaline had faded and gone. My body was heavy and slack and though I tried to shuffle in order to rest back onto my haunches, it was difficult to maneuver comfortably astride The Pure. “When was the last time you truly felt Evangeline?”


Lifting my face up and away from the elegant dip that swayed back into her hips, I instantly regretted the loss of her warmth. But I wanted to read her expression and watch as the emotions raged and toiled within a sea of green. I wanted to see her feel something, see her defenses come down around her. I wanted her and all of her natural rawness.