A Guardian's Possession. Amy Blankenship

a good job of heating the room. No doubt without it, the cave would have been very cold.

      Closing her eyes again and rubbing her temples she tried to think rationally. The Guardian Heart Crystal… She had shattered it to keep Hyakuhei from obtaining it. That was the last thing she remembered. Opening her eyes again, she could see clearer.

      Glancing down, she realized she was laying on fur the color of midnight. Kyoko groaned… Hyakuhei had her. She knew it. Why else would she be lying on what appeared to be a black fur robe deep within a hole in the earth... only Hyakuhei could be that demented.

      She wanted to cry but knew better, because if she did give in to the fear… she might never stop crying. Checking her body for injury to keep her mind off her fears, she realized she was unharmed and instantly felt better. If Hyakuhei were going to kill her… he would have already done so… right? She shivered at the lingering question.

      Looking all around, Kyoko felt better seeing that she was alone. If she were going to try to escape, now would be the time. She just hoped she had the energy it would take to flee the cave without Hyakuhei knowing.

      Crawling up on her hands and knees she steadied herself. It took all of her strength just to push herself into a standing position. She fought the wave of dizziness that swept over her. What had he done to her? Or was it the shattering of the crystal that had stolen her stamina. She felt like she was lost in a dream and only hoped it was true.

      She didn’t mean to be a baby but she would give anything right now for one of the guardians to come and save her. After being in a world full of demons as long as she had been… nothing much scared her, but right now… she was silently terrified.

      Kyoko turned her attention to the opening of the cave. While it was light within the cave, it looked awfully dark on the other side of the opening. She made her way closer to the exit almost scared of what she would find on the other side.

      She could feel the temperature difference as she reached the opening. She could even feel the cold trying to enter the warm room and it almost made her want the warmth of the black pelt she had been lying on. Glancing back over her shoulder, she contemplated returning to the warmth but quickly banished the thought.

      â€˜No,’ Kyoko thought stubbornly as she rubbed her arms to keep them warm. She had made it this far, she wasn’t about to turn around and go back for it. Besides… it was Hyakuhei’s and needing it seemed wrong. He was the enemy.

      She took another step, which brought her within the shadowy doorway, and she had been right. It was so dark. Kyoko raised her eyes to find a small stream of light coming from way above. From what she could tell, she was quite a ways from the surface. Staring at the light to avoid looking back at the darkness, she noted the fact that it must be morning now.

      With a quiet sigh, she wondered how long she had been out of it. She bit her bottom lip hoping that she hadn’t slept for days or something like that. The thought of being alone a mile under the earth was creeping her out and the thought of Hyakuhei being with her down here was more than just creepy.

      She nodded to herself thinking, ‘It’s definitely time to scram before the devil shows up to throw me in the fire.’ Inhaling deeply, she steadied her fright knowing she didn’t have an alternative… but how was she supposed to get back to the top?

      Kyoko took another step into the darkness, hoping to get a better view but what happened next took her breath away. She couldn’t even scream. There was no floor for her foot to touch. She instantly lost her balance and was falling. She wordlessly watched the small shaft of light above her getting farther away.

      Closing her eyes, Kyoko reached for the light as she waited on the impact. Out of the darkness warm arms came around her to slow her fall. She didn’t care who it was as long as she wasn’t falling any more. Her muffled cry echoed off the stone walls as she clung tightly to the muscular shoulders, her fear set in realizing she could have died.

      She could feel the warmth coming off the person whose strong arms held her safely against a broad chest. She could hear something that sounded like soft wings as they rose upward toward the entrance to the room she had just fallen from. Fighting the urge to press closer to the body that had saved her, she started concentrating on how much lighter the walls appeared.

      As the light came closer, Kyoko was almost too scared to look up, knowing already who had her, but morbid curiosity brought her emerald eyes to the face attached to her lifeline. Her fears where renewed. His perfect face turned toward her as his long dark hair hovered around them in waves. If evil had a name… that name would be seduction.

      "Hyakuhei," her voice was laced with alarm and gratitude at the same time. It was his fault she was here but also… he didn’t have to save her when she fell. Why had he done that? How could she fight such an enigma? A small breeze hit her back and she realized they were close to the small cave she had originally awoken in. Had she really fallen that far?

      She didn’t say a word as his feet landed on the floor without a sound and he carried her bridal style back to the fur pelt and sat her down. He then lowered his body to sit in front of her. Kyoko’s nerves were in a knot by the time he was settled. It wasn’t helping that he just stared at her as if he were deep in thought. She bit her bottom lip knowing it would be useless to run.

      She gazed right back at him as if sizing him up. If she didn’t already know how evil he was, she would have thought of him just as strikingly beautiful as Kyou… except where Kyou had light coloring, Hyakuhei had dark coloring. Both men were powerful and very dangerous with looks that could kill but she knew better than to get taken in by seductive beauty.

      She also knew not to show this traitorous guardian fear. So steadying her nerves, Kyoko raised her chin a notch and looked at him defiantly. "I don’t have the crystal so why did you bring me here?" She was glad her voice sounded stronger than she felt and drew courage from it.

      Hyakuhei ignored the priestess's question while he stared at her for a moment. This girl intrigued him on many levels. He knew she had great power but he also knew she had no idea how powerful she really was. She didn’t even realize her fall had slowed down before he had caught her in his arms. If he had let her fall, no doubt she would have landed softly on her feet.

      His power had grown since the last time they had come face to face. This time finding the Guardian Heart Crystal would be easier because she would help him locate the shattered fragments. His mistake before had been his obsession with only the crystal. This time he wanted both… her and the crystal.

      â€œWhy do you fear me so?” Hyakuhei whispered softly as he brought his hand up to touch her cheek and was surprised when she barely flinched. She was showing him that she was not scared of him, not realizing he could smell her fear rise when he reached out to touch her. She was right to be frightened but he would make her forget such fears.

      With the skin contact and her wide eyes staring into his, he entered her mind, giving her the feeling of comfort and safety. He had put spells on her before but she had always broken them. This time it would be a spell that left her feeling no danger and she would have no cause to break free of it even though she probably could if she tried hard enough. This was the thrall of a vampire demon he had recently taken into his soul.

      The corners of his sensual lips turned up in a hint of a smile as she curiously watched him and her scent of fear receded.

      Kyoko should have known better than to let him touch her but she was trying her best to show no fear. As her heart pounded in her ears she began to feel strange. He had yet to try to hurt her and for some reason… she understood that was not his intentions at all. She felt safe with him and she also felt sleepy. She turned her cheek into the palm of his hand and lowered her lashes.

      â€œHyakuhei,” She whispered, glad she was no longer alone within the cave.

      He felt her tire and crawled closer to gently lay her back on the soft midnight fur. Hovering above her he straddled her body and stared down at the vision he now had caged under him.