The Fires Burn at Midnight (closed)

Fires at Midnight (closed)

His eyelids slid open as if by their own will. The sun was not up yet, but he just knew when to awaken. It was only a strange feeling the more he thought about it. Over the last few months this development and several others had started to become the new normal. For all his years of training and study, there was nothing that could really have prepared Cole for the Rite of the Keeper.

With a groggy sigh he sat up and held his face in his hands a moment. He turned to his left and sat cross-legged on his bed of furs in front of a small stack of stones, 5 in all, one on top of the other. The spirit he had called agreed to watch over him all night and alert him to any dangers in exchange for food. A simple enough ritual and a simple enough price. Most Keepers invoked such a ritual every night or near enough. "Thank you." The small offering of bread and smoked rabbit was already gone and the stack of stones collapsed to the ground, toppled by some unseen push.

Cole stood up and began his morning grooming routine. It had been drilled into him since he started growing facial hair so at this point he could practically sleepwalk through it. He rinsed himself at the basin, gently washing away the sweat and grime of the previous day. The equinox was only three days away. He toweled himself off though his chest hair stubbornly remained damp. The two of them would be meeting today. They would be meeting for the first time since he left to undergo the Rite of the Keeper. He carefully trimmed and sculpted his beard and washed his face and hair. They were risking a lot by seeing each other. He looked at himself in the mirror. Right in the reflection of his own dark eyes. But they had to try.

The morning was cool and the omens pointed to good weather in the coming days. Cole smiled to himself as he watched his village bustling with preparations for tonight. The Festival of Flames. The hills would be alight with bonfires every night for three nights to welcome the equinox and the coming of fall. People were moving quickly. Once the sun went down all work would stop and the festivities would begin. Every village was participating, and visiting relatives from neighboring villages were common. How fortunate it would also make it easier for her to blend in.

His eye caught the sight of another green-cloaked Keeper and he turned to see Kamren approaching him. Kamren had been present for the latter years of Cole's training and their relationship was... complicated. "Cole!" Kamren barked in greeting with a shit-eating grin on his face. "You're in a good mood. Looking to get lucky tonight?"

Cole flushed slightly and demurred, "Aren't we all?"

"So you are on the hunt," Kamren smirked back. "Should be interesting. I don't think I've ever seen you with a woman. Or a man." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Anybody I know?"

Cole hesitated trying to think of how to answer that. There was a very good reason that Kamren had never seen him with her. The laws on unsanctioned magic were very clear.

Kamren chuckled and patted Cole on the shoulder. "Relax. I'm giving you shit. Just keep your wits about you." Kamren's aspect darkened and Cole knew what was going on in his head. For all his experience, discipline and skill, Kamren was a troubled man. "Such festivals always attract spirits. We must be on our guard."

Cole nodded and quietly went on his way.

That afternoon he sat on the hill where his own bonfire was. He was to light it after sunset, which was only a few hours away. He had told his love by raven to meet him here before sunset. Cole stared out at the horizon and waited.

Nora carefully guided her mount along the trail through the forest. The path was narrower and less traveled than the main road, which was currently busy with travelers for the Festivals of Flames. She, like her mother before her, was a hedge witch who practiced in secrecy due to the laws of the Keepers. Therefor it was understandable that she valued her privacy and had preferred to make most of the journey from her village alone. She would make a turn shortly though and rejoin the main road so that she would be able to blend in with the rest of the visitors when she entered the village where the festival was to be held… and to meet up with her lover.

A smile spread across her lips at the thought of Cole. As a new Keeper he was required to remain in his own home village until the next turn of the season and it had now been almost a full year since they’d last seen one another. They had both been understandably wary of her coming to visit him in his village before, and even now under the guise of the festival it was still a risk, but it was a risk that she was willing to take if it meant finally getting to look upon his face again.

It was then that an unseasonably cold breeze brushed across her face, causing her to shiver. Strange, she thought, for this early in the season. The odd breeze blew again, rustling the leaves on the forest floor around her.

“Noooraaaa…”

Nora froze. It had been soft, but she could have sworn that carried upon the wind she had heard someone’s voice calling out to her.

“Nooooraaaaaaaa…”

There it was again, this time a little louder!

“Who’s there?!” she called out, looking about her and trying to determine which direction the call had come from.

It was then that she spotted her.

Off to the side of the trail, on another path that Nora had somehow not noticed before, a little ways off stood a woman. She was old and frightful in her appearance with withered and sagging skin, a large hooked nose, and one eye glazed over white. What remained of her hair hung in limp white strands falling around her face from underneath the black hood that she wore, and when she opened her mouth to speak again Nora could see that what remained of the woman’s teeth were dark and rotting.

“Nora… come…” the woman called to her and then turned, proceeding to turn and walk down the trail in the opposite direction from her.

Compelled by some force that she did not understand, Nora slid from her horse and began to follow the woman upon the trail, moving deeper into the wood. As she walked the light around her slowly dimmed, the trees and their canopy growing so dense that it kept the sun from shining upon them. Despite the denseness of the trees however she suddenly realized that she could not hear any birds singing above her, the wood having turned eerily silent. It was this sudden realization that seemed to break her from her trance, her steps slowing.

“Who are you?... How do you know my name?” she asked the old woman.

“Come, my dear… come,” was the only reply.

“No,” Nora insisted, stopping completely now, “Tell me who you are and where you are leading me.”

“COME!!” the woman shouted, turning at a speed that seemed unnaturally quick for her age and lunging at her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nora awoke with a start, her eyes bolting open and her back rising up off of the pallet she’d made for herself beside her campfire the night before. Her eyes frantically looked around her, but all they found was her own grey mare whom she’d tethered nearby so that the beast might rest and graze.

“It was only a dream,” she breathed with relief to herself, her heart still beating frantically within her chest.

Another nightmare… She had never been prone to them before but as of late they had been relentless, plaguing her almost every time she closed her eyes now. Always with the same old woman as well, stalking her and calling her deep into the woods. Perhaps it was just a result of her anxiousness about attending the festival, but she wasn’t certain. This last dream had seemed more real than the ones before, more clear.

Rising from her pallet, she went and quickly washed herself at a nearby spring before returning and rubbing out the protective runes she’d drawn in the dirt around her camp the night before and gathered up her bedding. Loading her things back onto her mare, she easily climbed atop her mount and was on her way.

“Let’s not dally, Luna,” she joked to the mare, “I’m suddenly very eager to rejoin the main road.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was nearing sunset when she finally arrived at the village. Taking her mare to one of the stables that had been established for the surplus of visitors due to the festival, she left her mount there and then went out in search of Cole. He was not hard to find, his instructions that he had sent to her via raven on where she should meet up with him and when having been very clear. She climbed the hill that he’d said would be his and smiled as she spotted him sitting near the bonfire, waiting for her.

“Good evening stranger,” she called over to him in a teasing tone, the smile still shining on her lovely face, “Mind if I join you?”

Cole was looking off into the distance. The warm, pastel colors of the early evening bathed the hills and woods in magic and splendor. It was sublime moments like this when he felt he could relax. He smiled as he saw the village below lighting the first fires of the evening.

The glow of dusk had nearly given way to evening when he heard Nora's voice. He turned to her with lovelorn smile and rose immediately. Without a word, he closed the distance between them and wrapped her in a strong embrace with a passionate kiss. He held onto her as if afraid she turn to mist or be revealed as nothing more than a dream.

When they broke for air, Cole simply started peppering her face and neck with kisses. "Nora... I've missed you, my love." He would have to light the bonfire in a minute, but until then he just wanted to feel her in his arms again.

He took her into his arms and just like that all of her fears and worries from earlier that day were gone, melting away into the all encompassing feel of being wrapped in his embrace as his lips claimed her own. Her arms wrapped around him in return, savoring the feel of him after such a long time of their being apart.

"Nora... I've missed you, my love."

She laughed happily as he covered her face and neck in kisses, the sound of it a bit breathy as she recovered from the passionate kiss they had just shared.

"So I see," she teased him with a smile, then in a more serious tone she added, "I have missed you too, my love... so desperately."

She brought a hand up to caress the side of his beloved face, her bright blue eyes finding his darker ones and gazing into them lovingly.

"This last separation was far too long."

Cole leaned his face into her hand with a soft smile. They just stood there a moment in their embrace, savoring the warmth and closeness. Cole saw from the corner of his eye the first bonfires of the night light up. With reluctance, he stepped back from Nora and took out his flint and steel.

A few strikes later and he began stoking the fire until it started to consume the large logs of fuel and was roaring along with the others that dotted the hills. Music from the village below drifted up to their ears and Cole took Nora's hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked with a smile.

As much as she wanted to keep him beside her, Nora relented as Cole stepped back from her and towards the bonfire, she too having noted the others beginning to be lit. She watched as he struck the flint and steel together, drawing sparks and igniting the kindling and the coaxing the flames higher until they illuminated both of them with their flickering glow. She looked off, smiling at the other bonfires twinkling at them from their own hills in the dimming twilight.

It was magical... Just when she thought it couldn't get any better, music began to drift up to them from the village and Cole took her hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Her smile grew and she nodded in response as she dipped down into a small curtsy, "But of course, my love."

Cole took Nora's hands into his own and the two of them began an old folk step. It was slow, swaying, and had a sense of intimacy. He had spent months thinking about this moment. For the last several weeks when he was certain he was alone, he had rehearsed asking Nora to dance. It was worth it to see how her eyes shined in the firelight when he finally did. "There were mornings I would reach for you upon waking. I always wrote a love letter to you afterward, but I never sent them. Too risky." His lips curled into a little smile. "I... did keep them though."

Cole produced a leather envelope from inside his vest. "They're all here. And now I can finally give them to you." Seeing her face by firelight recalled memories of that first night a few years back when they first met. He wasn't even looking for witches that night. He was out for a stroll, getting to know the woods. When he saw the light of her campfire, he assumed it was a local hunter. When he emerged from the shadows, they both got a good look at each other it was obvious to both of them that an apprentice Keeper had stumbled on a witch.

For a while, they just stared at each other. She was sitting naked in front of the fire with painted runes on her face and body. Cole was afraid but also struck by her beauty. She must have eventually noticed that he was looking at more than her eyes because she flushed almost as red as her hair. That was the first thing that snapped Cole out of it. The second was the look of fear and embarrassment in her eyes, absent of malice. And it was finally then he realized the ritual she was performing was a simple ward for the night. Having a shot at avoiding a fight, he took a risk. He unsheathed the dagger at his side and dropped it to the ground.

In the end, he departed her camp and kept her secret along with an agreement to meet her again the following evening. Two years later, and Cole stood in the hills with Nora in his arms.

"I'm not expected back in the village until almost midday. How long has it been since we last made love under the stars, wrapped in furs?"

Nora reached up with a hand and trailed her fingers lightly over the leather of the envelope containing Cole's love letters to her. She was tempted to ask to see them now, to read some of the lines that he had written to her during their long year apart from one another, but she decided against it. Soon, after the festival was over, they would have to part ways until their next secret rendezvous. She would save them for then. For now she just wanted to remain here in the present with him, cherishing every precious moment that they had while he was still with her.

"I'm not expected back in the village until almost midday. How long has it been since we last made love under the stars, wrapped in furs?"

Nora smiled at the question even as roses blossomed within her cheeks. She lifted herself up onto her toes, her hand comping to rest against the side of his face again as she brought her lips to his in a slow and lingering kiss until she finally pulled back slightly, her lips still brushing against his a bit when she finally spoke her reply.

"Too long," she breathed.

A short distance from the bonfire, Cole had set up a bed of furs. Holding Nora's hands in his own, he led her over to them and they both laid back, enjoying the warmth and softness. Cole leaned over and pressed his lips to Nora's before pulling her body flush against his. He broke the kiss to leave a trail of them down her neck while his hands roamed her familiar curves.

The Keepers all foresaw clear nights for the festival so there was little worry about being out in the open. The possibility anyone would disturb them was remote at best. The two of them could be alone. Ancestors, how he had missed her. He continued kissing her neck as his hands sought the laces of her dress.

Nora's breath hitched in her throat for a moment, then released with a sigh as Cole began to kiss down her neck and his hands moves over her curves. The warmth and softness of the furs were nice but it was nothing in comparison to the warmth of her lover's body pressed against hers or the feel of his hands as they touched her now.

"Oh, Cole." she murmured, breathing out his name as she let her head tilt to the side, granting his lips free reign of her neck as her arms wrapped around him.

She had no reservations about being with him out in the open. The skies were clear, there was no scent of rain, they were alone here upon the hill, and further more and most importantly... she trusted Cole's judgment. She knew that he would not have planned it if there was any risk to her.

Cole had unlaced her dress but instead of immediately baring her breasts he guided Nora's hand to his belt. He showed her how to open the knot and once his belt was slipped off he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off over his head. The firelight left a mix of warm light and deep shadows playing across his body and face.

Cole cupped her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes while his own shone with adoration and lust. He kissed her passionately once more and pulled her dress down to her hips. His hands went immediately to her breasts, kneading and massaging them. His voice came out in a smoky whisper between kisses. "You're so beautiful."

Down lower the bulge of his cock against his breeches was straining desperately to get out. He ground it against her hip but that did little more than make the strain more... savory.

Nora had smiled as her lover had removed his shirt before her, loving the way that the firelight shone on his form as well as the way that it lit up the depths of his eyes as they looked into her own. Her heart swelled at the pure love and desire that she saw within their gaze, knowing that her own would be reflecting back the same to him as he looked down at her.

Happily she had let him strip her down to her waist, shifting herself so that he would be able to pull the fabric down and off of her arms. Her hands free again, they instantly moved to touch him as they kissed, the need to touch him and feel his skin against hers strong even as she gasped in response to the feel of his own hands upon her breasts. They moved across his chest and down his sides, trailing slowly over his rib-cage and then lower to the edge of his breeches.

"I've missed you so much, my heart," she breathed with a soft moan between kisses as she felt the grind of his bulge against her hip, shifting against him in response.

She slipped her hands around to the front of his breeches, her fingers pulling at their ties.

((Last couple days got busy. Posting will be a little slow this week.))

Cole groaned with desire as he felt Nora's hands going for the drawstring in his breeches. The last year had occupied his mind with plans for how they might be together without these long periods of separation. He knew better than to expect the other Keepers to be even remotely understanding of the circumstances. Dissent within the ranks was quiet and seldom acted on. Even those sympathetic to the lovers would be a liability. No, Cole and Nora were truly on their own.

One hand slid down under Nora's dress at the waist and reached for nethers. Cole's lips began to slide down her neck once more on a route ever lower. He had reached her collar when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. An unnatural chill ran down his spine. For a moment he forgot to breathe and was completely still. It all mixed in that one moment into a feeling of dread unlike anything Cole had ever experienced before.

He sat straight up like a shot, separating from Nora and scanning the are quickly like a deer that caught the scent of a predator on the wind. In the deep shadows cast by the bonfire it was difficult to discern anything. And yet just at the edge of the light he saw a shadowy figure, like a person but bent and subtly... wrong. Cole saw it for less than a second. But in that moment he felt an intense terror wrapping its icy claws around his heart.

And then it was gone.

Cole stared at the spot that he had seen the figure disappear from. Several beads of cold sweat ran down his face, which wore a haunted aspect. He sat there as if in shock. What was going on?

Nora's eyes had drifted shut as she'd savored the feel of Cole's kisses traveling down her neck. One moment his lips had been upon her throat, his hand slipping down into her dress and making her tremble with anticipation, then suddenly... he had stopped.

She opened her eyes in confusion as she felt him separate himself from her, watching as he scanned the area around them and noting with concern the look of fear on his face as his gaze seemed to focus on something.

"Cole?..."

She sat up as well, one of her arms wrapping over the front of her chest to conceal her exposed bosom, not sure what or whom he may have spotted and uncertain if they were still alone. She cast her eyes in the direction that he was staring at but saw nothing, only darkness. A shiver ran down her spine and she turned back to look at him, a sense of dread filling her also as she took in the haunted look on his face and the beads of sweat upon his brow.

"What did you see?"

There was a long pause before Cole answered her. "...I'm not sure." His eyes remained fixed on the spot where he had seen the strange shadow disappear. Kamren's words from earlier echoed in his head. Such festivals always attract spirits. We must be on our guard. Cole was no stranger to the appearance of dark magics and spirits during these sacred days. He had encountered more than one disturbance in the course of his training. But he had never reacted as he did now.

Finally, he looked back to Nora, the fear in his eyes mixing with concern. "I don't think it's safe out here anymore. I have a cottage just outside the village. It's heavily warded." They quickly dressed again and lit a torch from the bonfire before heading off. Cole took her hand, but it was not a gesture of affection. Now they were two creatures that had to assume they were being hunted.

"I'm not sure what I saw back there," Cole repeated as they descended the hill toward the hedge where the cabin and safety lay. "Like... like a person, but ill-formed and ugly. I don't know why, but just that one glimpse made my blood run cold." Normally, the forest was as much a home to him as any building. Right now however it felt like every shadow was watching them, hiding something mean... and hungry.

Cole's sudden haste to return to his cottage worried Nora. Never had she seen him with such a look of fear on his face before. She too had always felt at home in the forest, but a sense of unease filled her now as they descended the hill and drew closer to the hedge, and she held tightly to Cole's hand. She eyed the treeline warily, unable to shake the sensation that there was something watching and stalking them from within its shadows. It was a sensation that felt uncomfortably familiar...

A sense of foreboding fell upon her as Cole began to describe what he'd seen, chilling her to the bone.

"Like... like a person, but ill-formed and ugly. I don't know why, but just that one glimpse made my blood run cold.

"Like an old woman perhaps?," she asked him, her voice shaking slightly as she thought of the one that had been repeatedly haunting her nightmares as of late, "One that has become bent and disfigured with age."

Nora's words had a chilling effect on Cole. His pace slowed, then stopped. Somehow he knew that she too had seen what he had. He turned to look at her with eyes wide. "Yes... How...?" Before he could finish, a cold wind blew past them, and on it was carried a hideous whispering.

Noooraaa

Cole's first instinct was to freeze and he instinctively embraced Nora to him. He could tell from the look in her face that she had heard it too. There was a look of recognition in her eyes as well. And a surmounting horror. That was what it took to break the paralysis of fear.

Taking Nora's hand in his own with a grip like oak, Cole charged off in the direction of his cottage. He felt eyes upon the two of them and knew that something was following behind. He didn't dare look back. He just had to get Nora to the circle of stones surrounding the cottage. Then, once he had the two of them behind a closed door they would be safe.

The cottage and the ring of stones became visible in the light of Cole's torch even as it flickered violently in the wind. They were so close.

Noooooroaaaa

They crossed the ring of stones, but even as they dashed to the door of the cottage they still heard that voice in the wind, now more insistent.

Come with meee...

Cole threw the torch aside into a fire pit beside the cottage and burst through the door, practically throwing Nora inside before slamming the door shut. For a moment there was silence. A soft wind blew outside, but the voice was gone.

In the silence that followed as their hearts slowed down, a fire began to light itself in the hearth. Cole looked visibly relieved as the firelight filled and warmed the air. He put a brace on the door and turned to Nora, enveloping her in his embrace. He held onto her as if afraid she would vanish if he didn't. "There is dark magic at work. Tell me all you know, my love. We will see this through." He needed to say it as much for himself as for her. This was unlike anything Cole's training could have prepared him for and it shook him to the core.

Nora had known by the way Cole's gate slowed even before he had spoken a word to her that her fears had been correct and that the figure he had seen watching them from the shadows had been the same one that she had already glimpsed stalking her in her nightmares. He turned to her, barely making out two words before a cold wind just like the one in her dream the night before blew past them and chilled her to the bone.

Noooraaa

She froze like startled prey and her eyes went wide as she heard the familiar voice whispering upon the wind and calling to her again, horror rising up within her as Cole gripped her tightly to him and she realized he had heard it as well. This was no mere dream brought on by anxiousness and nerves, no silly act of her imagination that could be dismissed come morning light... this was real.

Had it not been for Cole's strong hand clamping tight around her own and charging off with her she may have very well remained rooted to the spot in fear, but luckily it was enough to shake her free of her frozen state and she quickly raced beside him, her free hand lifting up the skirt of her dress so that she could run as fast as she was able to try and match his pace. She too felt the sensation of being pursued but didn't pause to look back, not even when he voice called to her again, her eyes fixed on the safety of the cottage as it came into view and they hurried towards it. As they finally approached the door she heard the voice a third time...

Come with meee...

It was more insistent now and, just as in her dream, at the command for her to come she suddenly felt a force that she did not understand coming over her and compelling her to obey. She paused just outside the door as Cole opened it and began to turn her head to look behind them at their pursuer, though before she could his hands were upon her, shoving her into the cottage before slamming the door shut behind them.

She blinked in the darkness of the cottage, her head instantly clearing and the urge leaving her. She listened fearfully to the wind as she stared at the closed door, worried that the voice would call out to her again, but all she heard was her and Cole's breathing and the pulsing of her own hammering heartbeat within her ears as the fire lit itself and began to illuminate the room. She continued to stare at the closed door, frozen in her fear again until he drew her into his arms and she wrapped hers around him in return to grip him tightly.

"There is dark magic at work. Tell me all you know, my love. We will see this through."

She felt her body begin to tremble as he held her and she buried her face against his chest. Now that the immediate danger had passed and the realization of what had happened was sinking in she could feel herself beginning unravel, and she struggled hard to hold herself together. Silence followed for a moment before she finally spoke.

"I... I've heard that voice before... in a dream," she began, a noticeable tremor in her voice, "I've been having nightmares... of an old woman."

Fearful tears began to gather in her eyes and roll down her cheeks as she continued, "She... she keeps following me... calls to me to come with her deep into the woods..."

Cole listened in a plaintive silence. Old stories of dark spirits and hauntings danced through his head. The Butcher of Crimson Hill. The Green Man. The River Queen. A lot of stories... The lost village of Carco. The silence of Westgate Village. The skinwalkers. The Runecaster. It took some time before his brain settled on the tales of old crones who stole young maidens away to some ghastly unknown fate. His heart beat harder in his chest. His mind was boiling with a thousand questions....

He could feel Nora trembling and sobbing in his arms and it cut through his own fear like a hot knife. Cole picked up his beloved bridal style and carried her to the bed. He laid on top of her and cupped her cheek. "Nora... Look at me. I have only guesses about what we are up against, but tonight we are safe here. In the morning sun, we will have the strength to fight."

He leaned in and placed a soft, lingering kiss upon her lips. It was as much a gesture of romance as to give himself the warmth he needed to keep himself together. When the kiss broke Cole stared deep into her eyes, passion and warmth smoldering behind his gaze. He wanted her to sleep tonight knowing that he would be with her no matter what. "Be with me tonight."

Nora's shaking eased slightly as Cole picked her up into his arms, her own arms instinctively wrapping themselves around his neck as he carried her over to his bed before gently setting her down and laying with her.

"Nora... Look at me.

Feeling the reassuring touch of his hand upon her cheek, she looked up into his loving eyes and listened as he assured her that they were safe there for the night and would find a way to fight whatever it was that was pursuing her come morning. Then he placed his lips upon hers with a soft kiss and her tears and trembling finally stopped completely. When he looked down into her eyes again the warmth in his stare helped relieve the chill of dread that had seeped into her bones and the fear in her own eyes eased, love and trust shining in their depths instead as she looked back at him.

"Be with me tonight."

She nodded in response to his request, her hand rising to lovingly trail her fingertips through the hair at his temple.

"Are you certain we will be safe here for the night?" she asked, just to be sure, "What if I have another dream?"

After all, she had cast a circle of protection around herself the nights before and yet her dreams had still been invaded.

The question brought a sigh from Cole's lips. He had no way of guaranteeing that. There were few wards to protect one's dreams and such magic was not well-known to begin with. Cole felt a brief chill as a wash of emotions fought for his mind. Fear. Paranoia. Regret that he could not protect Nora as she slept. Shame for his failure. He calmed his mind and kissed her once more.

"I don't know," he admitted after the kiss broke. "But come what may, you will be in my arms when you awaken. That I can promise you."

The sigh that followed from Cole's lips in response to her question was far from reassuring. She almost regretted asking it at all, especially after she saw the struggle within his eyes as various emotions pushed for control. She was grateful when he kissed her again, the warming feel of his lips against her own comforting her mind just as much as it did his own.

As he spoke again though she felt her heart swell in response to his words, reassured despite her fears by his promise to stay with her through this regardless of what may try to come for her.

"Then I will hold that promise before me," she told him, finally managing a small smile as she gazed up at him, "And use it as my torchlight to lead me through whatever dark the night may bring."

Cole returned Nora's smile. There was tenderness as well as passion in his eyes and he leaned down once more to kiss her. When the kiss broke he sat up to remove his shirt and open his belt and trousers. "Be with me tonight," he repeated.

He cupped her face in both of his hands and kissed her passionately. He didn't want to think of spells, hexes, witches, dreams, curses... He just wanted to spend the night with Nora, the woman he loved. He wanted her to be happy and safe. He ground his erection against her hip as his lips moved to her neck.

Nora eagerly allowed Cole's passionate kiss to push all other worries and thoughts from her mind until there was nothing left but him and herself and this moment between them. She released a soft whimper like moan of need as his lips left hers and moved to her neck, shifting restlessly beneath him as she felt his erection grinding against her hip.

"Yes," she breathed as her hands roamed and caressed over his now bare torso, delighting in the feel of his bare skin beneath her palms, "Be with me, Cole."

It took the two of them only another minute to discard the last of their clothes. Cole had Nora wrapped up in his arms as he slowly pushed his cock into her. It had been too long. His body shivered as he fully sheathed himself inside of her. A warmth he hadn't realized their earlier terror had cooled returned with a feeling like the morning sun on bare skin. He rolled his hips in a slow rhythm and his eyes drifted closed in pleasure.

Cole leaned into Nora and whispered in her ear, "I love you. I will always love you."