Sitting in the library, knowing Rowan would seek her there first, Darla waited for her lover to return from Gerard's manor. She had risen at midday as always, and so the heavy drapes were pulled over the ceiling-high windows so as to protect her from the sun. She wanted time with Rowan, to see how she was in mind and body, and to see if Gerard was all Rowan had expected. Afterall, it had been the wolf's suggestion that she could connect with him on some levels.


Besides...she had missed her, though she would never admit that to anybody but Rowan or herself.

Rowan padded through the estate, going straight for the library. She had been glad to learn that Darla woke early, for it meant they would have time together after all.

She found Darla, and embraced her, kissing her cheek. She took in the scent of her mistress, her lover. "There's so much to tell you..."

She paused. "Have you fed yet?" she asked.

The moment Rowan set foot on the grounds of the Estate Darla sensed it and a smile curved her lips as she stood and waited for her, knowing it would take mere moments to reach the library at Rowan's walking speed. She was rewarded soon after with the sight of her and as they embraced she relaxed totally for the first time since sending Rowan to Gerard. Although not nervous about leaving her with Gerard, knowing that he would keep her safe as was his word, she had felt the loss of Rowan's presence in the house keenly. The vibration of wolf energy had vanished and left the estate feeling almost empty.

"I would expect nothing less Rowan, you always have something of interest to say...no I have not for I thought you would wish to resume your second role with me. If you are weakened from Gerard then I shall of course use another.."

Rowan sighed. "If I were weakened, your kiss could only strengthen me." She smiled. "It's so good to be home." She'd spent the entire night fearing that she would not be able to see Darla for two weeks. To feel her so close was like a rain in the dessert.

"Would you like me to tell you about last night first, or afterwards?"

Raising her right hand as Rowan spoke, Darla cupped her cheek in her hand and stroked slightly, touching just for the sake of it. She seemed to of picked up Rowan's love of constant physical contact. Smiling as Rowan called the estate home, she leaned down and whispered against Rowan's lips.

"Well we musn't leave you weakened..."

Moving into a deep kiss, exploring Rowan's mouth and shivering happily at the taste of her, Darla pulled away a short while later, her thumb moving away from Rowan's cheek to stroke the softness of her lips in light touches.

"I shall leave you to choose my love, for it is your tale and your body that you offer."

Rowan smiled a wide, giddy smile. She had meant the vampire's kiss, as opposed to the kiss of a lover. But certainly they both strengthened her, when bestowed upon her by Darla. "Save the best for last, something to cheer you up should my tale upset you..." Her smile faltered a bit during her last words. Rowan intended to tell Darla everything. Part of her was still shaken from last night. Would it anger Darla to know the truth? Would she forgive Rowan?

The fear was sneaking into her again, though Darla might assume it was only the memories. "I'm not sure where to begin," she whispered.

Retuning the smile, Darla had known exactly which kiss Rowan had meant but she had wanted a normal kiss, a taste of Rowan that was not the sweetness of her blood but the sweetness of her mouth. A slow blink and a frown creased her features as Rowan's smile faltered and her words turned from enjoyment to hesitant. Rather than making some small sentiment of saying that Rowan's presence was enough to cheer her as usual, Darla's tone turned to one of firm concern and the hand on Rowan's cheek became slightly cooler against the heat of the wolf's skin.

"Rowan what is wrong?"

Rowan took a deep breath. "I will tell you everything. Everything as I saw it, as I felt it." She paused, formulating her thoughts.

"I got to the manor, and I was taken to a room of my own. The servants dressed me in green, which seemed to be the theme of the manor last night. Then he was in the doorway, and he gave me a necklace. When he touched my skin, I almost froze. His eyes are the same color as yours, but what lies beneath them is so different. When I was reminded of you, he could feel my despair and was insulted. He wants me to enjoy my stay there, and I promised him I'd make an effort.

"He took me to the library and showed me an original copy of The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. He'd known Chaucer personally. I asked him how old he was then, and again he was insulted. Instead, he told me to ask questions about History and see if he'd been present or not. It was an entertaining game, and I think he's been alive since the fall of the Roman Empire.

"At that point, I started to feel strange. Some sort of fire was kindling in my skin and it made me want him terribly. I think he released the ardeur upon me. I felt like I needed to touch him, but if I approached him, would he be insulted again? So I offered my blood and he accepted. The ardeur was burning through me, and I wanted him to take me in any way he could. Suddenly, I was off the ground, clinging to him.

"But he stopped me. He gave me a chance to think it over. He didn't take advantage of my weakness. I felt horrible. It was my love for you that stopped me, once it had the chance to shine through the ardeur. His power went away, and I was free. I slept for a few hours and returned home at dawn."

She was trembling by the time she'd finished. She loved Darla in a way she'd never felt for anyone else, and it had saved her body, but destroyed her self-trust.

"There. That's my story." She looked into Darla's eyes, showing that three was nothing else to tell, and that she loved her.

Staring back down into Rowan's eyes, Darla's own were slightly blank as she thought through the story she had just been told. She could feel the trembling of the skin against her hand and she stayed silent but the hand started to stroke slowly, moving through to Rowan's hair to brush it with her fingers as an attempt to comfort her. It was also meant as a distraction so that Rowan wouldn't see the brief flash of anger that rolled over her eyes, followed by a slight sadness then her usual expression of dreamy but intense awareness slid back into place after a matter of seconds. The emotions coming from Rowan were calling to her power, making it pulse slightly beneath her control, and it was slightly distracting.

"Rowan...what you have told me is not a reason to fear my reaction, so first I ask you to relax. Now, I know that to insult Gerard takes a great act, but to do something that most would think he should find offensive were he normal would be much easier for both him and yourself. Have you perhaps given thought to the fact that he was offended because deep down you thought he should be despite your obvious forwardness? As for the matter of his ardeur, had he exposed you to the full extent of it then I would know, and you would still be burning with it even in my presence. I would of known the moment he did so, so do not fear that I will be angered and think you weak or worthless to me. True he only exposed you to a brush of the full ardeur and you still clung to him willingly, but that is something I can forgive. If you desire him already then the tiniest segment of the ardeur will build on that and inflame it. I do not pretend to be an expert on the ardeur, even Belle herself cannot claim to know each dark corner of it, but what I do know is enough. There is only one matter in which I am dissapointed in you enough to wish to rectify your mistakes....you were forward enough with him in his home and on his terms to 'insult' him then you show a lack of knowledge of the way one such as you should conduct yourself in matters of vampire society. I regret that is my fault for I should of given you instruction before now, but we can rectify that soon enough."

The hand paused in Rowan's hair as Darla continued to stare at her and she kissed her mouth lightly, a chaste kiss but not any less loving lest Rowan take it the wrong way and think her upset. That had been one of the longest talks she had ever had with Rowan and she had done all the talking. It was her turn once more.

Rowan felt a tear slip down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry...I don't know what happened..."

She leaned in against Darla, wrapping her arms around the other woman. "Please help me. I must know what to do next time." She buried her lips in the hollow of Darla's neck.

She was scared. Her weakness could be the undoing of everything. She knew Gerard was the type who could twist emotions with his words, and confuse thoughts until she couldn't trust herself. The reason she did not want to return was simply that she did want to.

She clung to Darla, the last tie to sanity she had.

Moving her hand to the back of Rowan's head, stroking the soft and sweetly scented hair slowly, Darla stood perfectly still otherwise as Rowan clung to her. Despite power over emotions and love for Rowan, such emotionaly physical displays were still not something she was fully used to.

"I shall teach you, I give you my word."

Moving slightly within Rowan's arms, Darla kissed the tear from her face then moved them both so that Rowan's hands were on her hips and Darla had one hand entwined in warm hair and the other on the soft curve of Rowan's hips. She could of waited to feed, did not feel the full force of the need yet, but she wanted to relax Rowan and knew that holding each other the way they had on the first night they had met would relax her and bring her back to pleasure at their reunion. She was not normally one for a string of names, but she felt that she needed to remind Rowan that she was loved reguardless of her mistakes.

"Now relax my dove, my white pulsation within the dark, my love..."

And with those whispered words, she sank her fangs slowly into Rowan's throat, drawing it out to bring Rowan greater happiness and comfort as she started to feed.

Darla had given her word, and Rowan knew she would keep it. Her love for Darla seemed to keep her grounded and drove her insane simultaneously. She felt so needy sometimes, but would die before becoming a burden. She clung to the powerful woman, feeling so much like a leech.

Her fears were mollified when Darla held her closer, whispering in her ear. Her breathing slowed and she relaxed into Darla's arms, sighing as fangs sank into her neck. She felt the delicious ache of her life force flowing into the other woman. Her white wolf laid down within her, calm, enjoying the sensations. Rowan smiled, forgetting the world outside Darla's arms.

Feeling Rowan relax and feeling the muscles in her throat working so that she knew she was smiling, Darla continued swallowing softly, her mind totally focused on the taste and feel of the woman she held. She could taste the foods she had been given whilst with Gerard, their richness adding to her blood. From her position she could see the very edges of the healing fang marks from Gerard, could smell the remnants of the scents of his manor and himself. It was slightly disconcerting, but at the same time strangely relaxing. Having finally remembered that she had met Gerard as a child whilst with him at his manor before Rowan left, she had realised why his scent felt so familiar and called to her inner human, or what was left of her.

Pulling away after a while, she licked first her lips then Rowan's throat, cleaning away any remaining droplets before leaning back to simply look at Rowan as she held her in her arms. She could see her wolf lying down within her and smiled further at their relaxed state.

"Now Rowan, do you wish to bathe, or eat or sleep perhaps?"

When Darla finished, Rowan sighed again and leaned against her shoulder, feeling safe and warm. She smiled at Darla's offers. "I've been sleeping since my return, my love. " She let the unspoken words hang in the air...though I would not mind returning to your bed...

"A bath sounds lovely, Mistress..." The last word was spoken through a mischievous smile.

Tilting her head at Rowan's mischievous smile, Darla showed the tips of her fangs as she returned it.

"Ohh? Is there a plan in those beautiful eyes of yours that I do detect?"

Rowan smiled lethargically, a sort of drunken giggle escaping her throat.

"Oh nothing much...just a bath and a bed...really nothing elaborate..."

She nuzzled into the hollow of Darla's neck.

Still keeping her head tilted, Darla softened her grip on Rowan as she giggled, letting her start to fall back against her. Using that movement she picked the wolf up into her arms and carried her upstairs, sitting her on the edge of their bed before summoning a servant to prepare a bath with the scents reserved for Rowan that she had picked herself.

Turning back to Rowan, Darla bent down for a swift kiss on her cheek then stood back.

"Well my love, if you desire naught but a bath and sleep, then do so. I shall attend to some business downstairs. I shall see you later."

Rowan's eyes narrowed, jokingly, grabbing Darla on the wrist before she could get any further away. She knelt on the bed and slipped her arms under the other womans, hugging her close. "You know what I meant, Darla." She pouted at the pale beauty. "Can't your business wait until sunset?" Her false pout faded into a smile again.

Rowan wasn't sure whether or not Darla had been serious, but she hoped not. She would never truly put herself before things that needed to be taken care of. But Rowan didn't want to think of sunset right now. She didn't want to think of returning to Gerard. She wanted Darla to stay with her, and to pretend they had all the time in the world.

With a fleeting smirk at the feel of Rowan's warm flesh sealing around her wrist, Darla erased it before turning back to look at Rowan with a fake bemused expression. Her tone was playful and her inner smile reached her eyes if not her face and movements, teasing Rowan further.

"Ohh but my dearest, I thought you wished to be alone and to rest, something you shall not obtain with me present. If you tell me you desire it then I shall of course leave the matter until after you have left."

Rowan smiled like a child who was being spoiled by her grandparents. She slid a hand into Darla's dark hair and stretched herself as tall as she could get while kneeling on the bed.

With her lips an inch from Darla's, Rowan whispered, "Please..." She placed a light kiss on Darla's lips. "Stay..."

Returning the light kiss with a brush of lips over Rowan's jawline, her hand moving along her cheek to cup Rowan's face in her palm, Darla shivered against the hand in her hair and smiled with a hint of fang, leaning back to look at Rowan with their noses almost touching, staring at her quietly.

"As you wish Rowan. Now then, divulge the secrets of that most interesting plan I saw behind your eyes downstairs...."

Rowan giggled, leaning into Darla again for a kiss.

(ooc: continued in Mature Forum)