The Delightful Pain 3

Luan was back in his own body, reeling on his feet in the field with a small glass still in his hand. Evangeline looked at him in horror and she dashed the glass from his hand. It fell tinkling at their feet, splashing her hand with liquid.

"What are you doing, Mr. Winterlight?" Evangeline asked breathlessly.

Luan who noticed the emerald green fluid on her skin, he licked it from hers and he ignored the fact that she was glaring at him for all the while. He backed away and he could feel a pleasant warmth spreading in his chest.

Evangeline turned to look at the Faerie beside them. Her red lips quirked up. "What did you give to him?"

The Faerie lady shrugged. "It's just a cranberry drink." She said. "It's not like the cranberry juice could make him cranky."

Evangeline frowned, looking at the blonde lady. "You can't be more serious than this?"

The Faerie lady smiled crookedly. "It's called humour, Princess."

Evangeline sighed. "That's actually sound worse rather than funny."

"Rest assure." The Faerie Lady said. "It won't bring him any harm."

Evangeline looked puzzled. "I thought taking anything that the Faerie gives will bound us to your kind. There is no way out."

"It is." The Faerie said. "But not this one."

"Did you have enough fun?" Evangeline asked.

"Enough fun?" Her red lips laughing. "Not until I finish this one."

Evangeline stared as The Faerie pulled the green ribbon from one of the dancers' ankle. She saw how her ankle was horribly scared, as if her ankle had been severed with a sharp dagger furiously.

"It won't over till you dance together." The Faerie said and looped the ribbon around Luan's and Evangeline's wrists, binding them together.

Luan looked at the Faerie angrily. "We've had enough dancing."

"Enjoy my last gift for you, Prince Charming." She grinned at Luan.

Evangeline gasped, stumbling back. She pulled Luan after her. The ribbon connecting them and stretching like rubber. It was not breaking and fraying.

Luan caught up to her, seizing Evangeline's hand in his. His fingers threaded through hers. He drew her after him, faster but gentle. They pushed between the dancers until the grass under them was no longer trampled and the music was faint in their ears.

There was an Eshton Copse of tree not far from them and Luan veered to the side, slipping under the branches. He held the low hanging branches aside to let Evangeline in after him. He released them when Evangeline had ducked underneath, closing them both into a dirt floored space between the trees. He sat down and raised his head when she stood still beside him. "Do you have any knife with you?"

Evangeline shook her head. "I don't bring any with me."

Luan exhaled a sigh. "Come here." He said and when Evangeline showed no sign of moving, he pulled her down and she sat beside him reluctantly. He took her hand and slashed the ribbon apart with a broken pieces of small glass from before.

Evangeline watched how the burnt sensation from her wrist faded and Luan let her hand go. The ribbon came free, changing into grotesque grey and fell to the ground. Evangeline caught his fingers kept on slipping. It was probably because of the drink, still in his system. She thought. Evangeline glanced over at Luan. His blue eyes shadowed.

"Mr. Winterlight," Evangeline said and Luan perked up at the sound of his name. "I'm sorry. we shouldn't have come here. If we didn't come here, you won't drink the juice that The Faerie gave."

"It's okay." Luan said unexpectedly. "It's not your fault. I wanted something to cool me down too."

"No." Evangeline said. "You don't understand. Receiving anything from the Faerie is like you're marrying to their kind. There is no way out and that could be worse."

"The drink is an exceptional drink, my lady." Luan said and the formality was back, slipping from his rectangular lips. "You heard it yourself.”

Evangeline licked her dry lips. "I did, but-" She looked at Luan clutching at his white shirt. Sweats dripped from his temple down to his neck. "What’s wrong?”

The heat in his chest had turned into a strange pinching feeling, a hot pressure that increased when Luan looked at her. "My body." He took a deep breath and gasped. "It feels hot. It's burning." He said.

"The drink." Evangeline said breathlessly. "It's an enchanted drink, isn't it?"

Luan shook his head. "I don't know." Sweat was cooling on his body, his shirt sticking to him and he wondered not idly, if the drink could drive him mad. His mind spun frantically as he looked at her.

"It is." Evangeline's voice hitched. "I'll find Melian and bring her to you." She said and Evangeline could feel her heart rate jumped frantically when she looked at him.

"Don't." Luan barely said. "Stay here."

Evangeline put her hands on either side of his face, her palms in the hollow of his cheeks. "You're burning, Luan." Evangeline felt a spear of terror go through her, worse than the sight of the bones sprawling on the ground.

"I'll be fine in no time." He said. "This is nothing compare to yours."

Evangeline's eyebrows drawn together. "You don't make any sense. What do you mean by this is nothing?"

Luan was shaking his head weakly. "I'll be fine. You know just the thought of you caring and crying for someone like me it's more than enough."

"Louie, this is not the time to be joking around and I'm not crying."

Luan caught her hand in his. "Say it again." He had never thought about his name much before, but when she said it, it was as if he was hearing it for the first time - the hard L, the caress of each syllable of his name, the way it seemed to end on a breath.

"What?" Evangeline shot him a quizzical look. "That I'm not crying?"

"My name." Luan’s voice sounded low and throaty to his own ears.

Evangeline gave him a narrow look. "Luan?"

"Louie."

For a moment Evangeline was startled but she regained her composure. "You're not in your right mind." She said as if it was a matter of fact. Evangeline drew her hand out of his, aware as she did that, he was watching her through half-lidded eyes.

"I'm going to find that Faerie Lady." She said angrily. Evangeline rose to her knees, but Luan pulled her wrist and she went to sit on the ground beside him again.

"Evangeline, I told you to stay." His voice came out rougher than he intended. As he realized his tenseness, Luan let out a small apology. "I'm sorry."

Luan felt breathless and his whole body burnt. He found him gasping for air and Evangeline tensed beside him. Luan remembered Evangeline's face from the vision that he got earlier. She was white face when she saw someone ripped Drazhan's life away from her. Luan could see worry reflected in her hazel eyes.

He leaned into her, pulling her against his body. His hand burying itself in her hair. "Evangeline." He said. "You did well," He paused. "you did well of staying strong."

Luan stroked Evangeline's head and he could feel her shoulders relaxed. She gripped the back of his shirt. "Luan..." Her voice dipped in and out of a whisper. "You're burning."

He stayed still in her arms and Evangeline felt her heart leaped frantically. "Louie?" She called his name. "Luan?" Her voice raised an octave. She pulled away from him, but he only pulled her back, earning a groan from her.

Luan pinned Evangeline between the ground and his own body. Evangeline sucked in a startled breath. He was on top of her, his legs straddled her hips. She could feel his lean, muscled body pressed against hers.

"I'm fine," he said. "Let me stay here like this for a second." He bent closer to her, collapsing against her body. Evangeline could feel Luan’s breath brushing against her ear.

"This heat is draining me." He sounded muffled as he rested his face against the crook of her neck.

Evangeline lay still, breathing hard and her face flushed in crimson red. Not that anyone will notice it, but the thought of the pressure of Luan's body on hers was making her head spinning.

"Luan?" She said.

Evangeline called his name but there was no response in return. Only the sound of his breathing brushed against her ear. She stroked his hair in a gentle manner. What did you get yourself into, Evangeline? She asked herself. Her eyes darted to the sunlight streaking through the branches.