Chronicles of the West

Chapter Forty Four

Stillness hung heavily over the clearing. They hardly dared breathe. Ryu growled softly as he looked them over one by one. It was as though he was locked in some internal struggle, forcing his beast to see them, to know them, to care for them.

There was one that called out to his beast in the sound of scent. A female that was bathed in his scent and he wanted to know her condition. Silvana pushed herself up on her arms, more prone than upright. Her chest and middle bleeding from the fangs of her fallen foe.

Ryu leapt into the air to land in a crouched position near her. She blinked at him, Toga's words rolling over in her mind. 'He's turned. He's full demon'. Red eyes bored into her own, as he sniffed the air around her. Her blood filled his senses and he growled at her.

She held still as though made of stone. No one dared move to get her away from him. They'd all be killed if his beast decided it should be so. Her eyes filled with tears as he drew closer to her. She loved him, she didn’t fear him, but his inu was as yet unknown to her. Would it recognize her as pack, possession?

His nose brushed against the line of hair at her brow, snuffling softly. Moving slowly down towards her ear. His cheek slid against hers and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting, tense. Ryu smelled her tears and as his cheek pressed against hers, he spoke softly. Still in the voice of his demon, "Won't hurt you".

She sucked in a shaky breath. "Ryu?" she breathed, daring to try. He growled in answer and she fell silent. "Take them back to camp" he rumbled to Toga. His brother stared at him, a red eyed Ryu snapped at him, "Hurry it up. The blood.. I can't…".

Toga understood and he and Shippo gathered the others and headed back towards the site. White ears flicked back and forth taking in the sounds of their movements. He'd all but caged Silvana where she was. He loomed over her, keeping his nose close to her.

Her heart thundered in her chest, loud to his ears in the falling stillness. His breath caressed her ear. "Mine?" asked the hanyou turned full demon. Silvana blinked at his words, his growl was increasing at her silence. "Yes" she said at last and pulled her face back from his.

He allowed the small movement, meeting her eyes. She could see his struggle now, the red clashed with gold, swirling, fighting for dominance. His head lifted slightly and she slowly tucked her face beneath his chin. He rumbled softly, apparently content with her actions.

His arms came around her. "Ryu" she whispered to him, "Come back". His arms tightened fractionally. "Mine" he muttered. She nodded against him, "Ryu's. Always Ryu's" she whispered back. She was tired her energy depleted, she was bleeding. He sensed all of this.

Slowly he lowered her to the ground. She stared up at him with wide eyes. "Won't hurt you" he repeated. Needing on some primal level for her to know that he, the hanyou, the beast, the man, cared for her. She was his.

She swallowed hard and let him lower her head to the grass. Clawed hands slid the tatters of her bodice away, pushing away the frayed shirt. Revealing her wounds. Silvana seemed to sense what he was doing and relaxed against the grass.

Ryu's head lowered to her bleeding flesh. Silvana mused that he always seemed to be cleaning her up this way. Then she felt it, the tender tracing of his tongue over the bites and gashes. He worked slowly and methodically, cleaning the wounds and sealing them.

Her blood tingled on his tongue, clinging to his palate, awakening long denied desires. His beast however would not take her wounded as she was. She needed help. Even the most primal part of him understood that. His gentle laps cleaned the blood from her pale flesh.

Occasionally he would pause and prod the edges of her wounds. When she hissed in pain, he soothed the flesh with a softer teasing movement of his tongue. He worked his way upwards, methodically covering each cut, each bruise.

Ryu was slowly coming back to himself, he was aware that his inner inu was tending to Silvana's wounds. Even though he remained a conscious entity in the battle, his inu surged forward seizing control of the body they were housed it.

Satisfied that the danger had passed and the female would live, his blood rescinded it's hold over his limbs. His growls ceased and Silvana blinked at the leaves high above. "Ryu?" she called softly. He raised himself to look at her, golden eyes filled with concern.

Tears trickled down her cheeks when she saw him. "What is it?" he asked softly, was there a wound he'd not found a pain he'd missed? She took a ragged breath, "I thought I'd lost you" she whispered in a pained voice. He stroked her hair from her temple, "I'm here. It's fine now. Let me just get you fixed up" he said in a soft sad voice. She nodded, "I didn't mean it" she whispered, referring to the words that had passed between them earlier.

Ryu rumbled against her, "Keh, I know. I'm not good with words Silvana. I just wanted to be different from Toga in every way" he murmured before lapping at a deep gash on the underside of her breast. She stroked his hair, "But Ryu" she pointed out, "You always were". He nodded against her, his breath feathering out over her delicate skin.

He looked up at her, "I know that, and I know that I have been going about this the wrong way" he admitted. "Kurama said I should be honest with you, so I will. When I finish closing you up". She nodded and let him go back to his task.

Her breasts were covered with a pattern of bites and slashes. Ryu bent his head and tried to remain indifferent as he took care of her. His mouth was doing far more than heal her at present. Silvana tried hard not to react but her scent spiked even so and he groaned against her.

"I'm sorry" she whispered to him. He shook his head, "Don't be. It has to be done and there is no reason not to enjoy it if you can. At least I'm not hurting you" he said softly. She nodded and he continued, his tongue running around her breasts, and as he followed a cut up and across her nipple she gave a soft moan.

"Woman" he groaned, "I am trying very hard to behave myself". She chuckled and let him finish his chore. It took only a few minutes more to tend to the tattered flesh. "You should be healed completely by tomorrow, except this small wound here. I think being in such a delicate area it may take a while longer" he told her, brushing a kiss over her torn nipple.

Lifting a mischievous golden gaze to her own blue one, he grinned, "I think this one will need regular care". She blushed and smiled softly as he moved to look at her fully. "Does that mean that you understand that I want you regardless of what anyone else thinks?" she asked.

He nodded, "Does this mean you understand that you are mine, always and I will not make you my mate and mark you until I know that you'll keep those powers of yours?" he asked. She nodded in turn and noticed his wounds. "Ryu, you're hurt".

He shrugged, "It's nothing" he said but she clapped his wrist in an iron grip, "No, you aren't and you will hold still and let me help you" she said firmly. He let her expose his wounds, fighting his desire to press her down beneath him as her mouth moved over his own injuries.

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"Think they're ok?" Shippo asked softly, Daishi was tending to his wounds in the near silence. Kurama nodded, "I'm sure they will be fine. They have a great many things to work out and I think that his inu's instinct will help a great deal, where his intellect has so far led him astray" he said.

Toga could feel those light golden eyes settle on him, as he held a chilled Ippiku against Aislin's head. "Don't start Kurama. She has never been a toy to me and you know that" he growled. Kurama sighed and went back to staring at Shippo who was wrapping his leg. "Now we know that he is here and ready to fight" Toga muttered. "Well it's a hell of a homecoming" the red kitsune grumbled.