Chapter XII

Darkness surrounded Ellean; looking around, she could not find a place to hide. Heart pounding, she tried moving, but it felt like she was tied down again.

She hated the feeling of being unable to move. Ellean opened her eyes wide in the darkness, but still, she could see nothing. Then, just as she was about to give up, Ellean felt a light touch on her hand. Looking over, all she could see was a shadow, but for some unknown reason, it gave her comfort.

Ellean slowed her breathing and looked around again. Then, finally, it dawned on her it was nothing but a nightmare. One that would've kept her trapped had it not been for Xavier's light touch to her hand. Struggling to open her eyes, Ellean sees Xavier sitting beside her bed, his head nodding as he dozes. Ellean's big grey eyes observe him. She didn't trust the giant man. But so far, he hadn't hurt her. Swallowing, Ellean struggles to sit up; she feels so thirsty.

Xavier hears a movement, jerks his head up sees Ellean struggling to sit up. Then, touching her hand lightly to make Ellean look at him, ask quietly.

"Are you ok? Do you need something?"

Ellean nods, pointing to the glass of water by the bedside looks at Xavier pleadingly.

Xavier smiles, grabs the glass of water, holds Ellean head up, lets her take a sip.

"Don't drink too much; it won't be good for your stomach."

Ellean licks her lips after drinking a sip. It felt wonderful to be able to drink water. She watches Xavier fuss over her for a moment as she eyes him warily. Ellean felt helpless, but somehow she knew that Xavier wouldn't hurt her. But she wasn't going to trust him that easily.

Xavier smiles at Ellean before going back to his laptop; he knows that it would take Ellean a long time to trust him. But Xavier had all the time in the world. So they would take their time and get to know each other.

Ellean falls back asleep as Xavier works quietly on his laptop. Then, when he hears a soft knock, he gets up to answer it—smiles when the Queen stands there.

"Mother, what brings you here today?"

The Queen smiles up at Xavier, her voice soft "I haven't seen you since you brought your mate home. I was making sure all is well."

Xavier nods happily, "Yes, everything is fine, she has a lot to overcome, but I think we will be ok."

He runs a hand through his hair as he sighs, "Although Ellean has a lot of scars that I have no idea how to heal."

Queen Darla lays a hand on Xavier's arm. "You will be ok. Your Father and I are here for you. We won't let you walk through this alone. But I was thinking. If you gave her blood directly from yourself and took a bit of hers, you could communicate with each other without having to use sign Langauge or her reading your lips."

Xavier thinks for a moment. "I would hate doing that to her, but I also understand that we need to communicate as well."

He was sighing. Xavier heads back into the room after bidding his Mother goodbye. Walking over to Ellean, he stares down at her before picking up her wrist. He wouldn't bite her neck because that was where mates marked each other. Bending his head, Xavier sank his fangs gently into Ellean's pale skin. He felt as though he could drink forever from her. Drinking only enough to establish a bond, Xavier pulls away from Ellean's wrist after swiping the wound gently with his tongue.

Xavier sinks his fangs into his wrist; blood seeps out. Then, holding his wrist over Ellean's parted lips rubs her throat so that the blood would slide down her throat.

He felt the bond snap into place, Xavier groans when screaming echoes in his mind. Breathing deeply, he tried to sort out all the memories bombarding his brain. He couldn't believe how Ellean lived with this running around in her mind. Reaching over, Xavier grips her tiny hand in his large one, care not to cause Ellean any pain. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he watched all the pain and suffering the clan had put Ellean through.

Xavier was bending over to whispers in Ellean's ear. "I swear I will avenge you. I know you can't hear me, but I swear it on my life that I will bring peace to you."

Xavier decided to lay down for a nap; having Ellean's screams echoing in his mind was enough to give him a headache. Nevertheless, he hoped that they could get over this hurdle and learn to work together.

Lying beside Ellean, Xavier pulls her towards his board chest gently. He wanted her to be able to sleep for another few hours. Breathing Ellean's scent deep into his lungs, Xavier smiled as he slipped into sleep.