14 The Raven and the Girl (14)
Caeli felt drained of all she had after the incident in the sky. She could hardly focus on the creature in front of her, let alone understand what he was saying. Raven shifted her hair out of her face with one of his shadowy tendrils and lifted her chin to examine her closely. She was exhausted.
"Rest.", he said firmly.
Her head bobbed in some semblance of a nod as her eyes had already begun to shut.
He carried her to the far side of the pond. He reached out telepathically and gently probed her mind to ensure that she was deep in slumber. With a wave of a another shadowy limb a large black tent appeared from thin air. Inside, a down feather bed and pillows rested, with luxurious silk blankets.
As Raven moved closer to the tent, his body became wrapped in black mist. As he exited the mist, his body had changed. He no longer was the size of a dragon but the size of a very large man. Standing at almost 10 feet tall, his body entirely black, he retained the skull structure of his head but had the stature of a man. His feet and hands remained those of a beast. His feet curved and clawed like an animals but his hands were more human than before, now possessing an opposable thumb.
With another flick of a tendril summoning dark mist, his body became shrouded by a black, transparent fabric that fell to the ground.
He entered the tent with Caeli cradled in his right arm like a small child, her head resting against his shoulder, and pushed the flap of the tent to the side with his left hand.
Raven moved to the side of the bed and slowly laid her down upon it.
He covered her with the weightless silk sheets, perfect for the warm summer night, and, ever so tenderly as to not scratch her with his beastly claws, tucked her hair behind her ear.
She exuded warmth and scent of the night time earth. She was radiant. She was kind. She was passionate. And he was leaving her in the dark.
When Caeli had named him Raven all of his memories had returned in an instant. None of which changed how he felt about her, but it would surely change how she felt about him.
He had been so consumed with the joy of his revival, and the presence of Caeli, that he'd failed to tell her what the Naming had done.
He could not tell her, not yet. He still would have to tell the truth about why he was keeping her there with him, just the thought made his heart sink. He kept her here for his own selfish purposes and, what? Expected her to continue to allow him in her life? How would he ever convince her of his devotion once she learned the truth? How could he make her understand that this had been the only way? That his fear and pain had made him impulsive and desperate. That her existence had saved his.
Raven leaned forward and touched his snout to her forehead, his heart was bursting at the seams and his chest felt on the urge of exploding. If only they could stay like this, in the night, just the two of them, with all the time in the world to win her affection. Never having to unveil the dark truths of his past or present. Never having to address the worries that the future would bring.
Raven closed his eyes. For now, he would push those thoughts aside. This may very well be the last time he would be able to exist in her life, he would not squander it on things he could not change. For now they would simply be the raven and the girl, children of the night, living in their own world. The dawn will not come to shine searing light on the untruths of their meeting.
So long as he commanded it, the dawn would not come.
