Salvation (PG-17)

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 14th May 2006

Characters: Traelyn, U'kaiah, B'ram
Description: Traelyn and U'kaiah find an uninvited guest waiting for her back at her weyr...
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 11, day 21 of Turn 3
Notes: Follows "Exploration Parts 1 and 2"
Rating: PG-17

B'ram

"Are you sure you don't mind me staying for dinner?" the bronzerider asked as he slipped off Kalamath's neck and onto the stone ledge of the Weyrwoman's weyr. "If you're tired or have other plans, I can just as easily get something to eat at Dragonsfall."

Traelyn shook her head and grinned at him, hanging her helmet on the peg.
"I want you to stay. Now don't be stubborn about it. Come on." She gestured for him to come over to her.

"If you're _sure_ you've had no better offers..." he grinned as he walked towards her, pulling off his riding gear.

"I'm positive." Kicking off her heavy boots, she set them near the opening to her weyr, and sighed as the cool stone bit into her sore heels.
Then she looked up--and made a face at him when she saw his expression. "What?"

"Um... on second thought... I think I'd better go back to Dragonsfall after all." U'kaiah gave her a knowing wink and a grin as he pulled his jacket back on over his arms. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise for you, after all. I'll catch you another restday, ok?"

Giving him a funny look, she planted her hands on her hips. "What are you sharding talking about, U'kaiah?"

"Isn't he here for you?" the bronzerider asked, pointing to a man emerging from her bathing chamber completely naked, rubbing a towel through his fiery red hair.

Traelyn whirled around--and froze. Then their eyes met, gray to green, and her upper lip curled back in a silent snarl. What was _he_ sharding doing here?

"Traelyn, I borrowed one of your towels. I figured it would be better than drip drying on your... Oh, I'm sorry..." B'ram smiled at the bronzerider. "I really didn't expect she'd be bringing home company."

"Oh, well, I am visiting rather unexpectedly," U'kaiah said apologetically. "I'm an old friend from Dragonsfall. And I think I probably should be getting back there."

"Oh, please," B'ram said cordially, holding the towel around his hips as he walked over to wrap an arm around the goldrider's stiff waist. "Don't leave on my account. Stay! We can all have a drink together, right, Traelyn?"

Her body went from stiff to completely rigid. Contemptable bastard. "If U'kaiah doesn't have anything better to do..." It was hard, but she made her tone as light and as friendly as she could possibly make it--though her cheeks were a dull, angry red, and the smile she gave B'ram was more feral than not.

"No, truly," U'kaiah smiled. "I don't want to disrupt your evening, and to tell the truth, the time difference going back is a killer. It would be best for me to get back soon. But thank you anyway..." Neither one seemed exactly free with the man's name, but Trae didn't seem opposed to the man's staying. "Well, Trae, it was a lovely day. I hope we can do it again soon."

"So do I," she murmured, wishing she could reach for him. B'ram's touch held her rooted to the spot. "But next time, it'll be my turn to kidnap you."

"I look forward to it." He slipped his helmet back over his head and gave the stranger a polite nod. "Enjoy your evening."

"Thank you, bronzerider. You too," B'ram said with a friendly wave goodbye.

As soon as Kalamath had launched himself from her weyr, Traelyn sprang out of B'ram's grasp, her dark eyes gleaming with temper. "Just what do you think you're doing!"

"You know, you always did have a thing for bronzeriders, didn't you," the brownrider said with a shake of his head. "This one seems like a nice guy though. Definitely not your type."

The words hurt. Shards, they hurt. Snarling, she pointed at the towel wrapped firmly around his hips. "Get your clothes on, and get out before I sharding _throw_ you out!"

B'ram pulled the towel off and dangled it from a finger as he walked towards her, anger and desire, and a hint of triumph begining to burn in his eyes. "You don't want me to go, Traelyn. Not really. If you truly didn't want me here, you wouldn't have hesitated to kick me out in front of your friend. And you know why you want me here? Because you know I have what you need, and it's something that bronzerider can't give you."

She gave a derisive snort, backing away. "You arrogant ass. You have _nothing_ I need! Do you hear me? Nothing!" But as the backs of her knees bumped into the table, she knew it was a lie. And she knew he did too.

"You don't want that kind of a man, Traelyn. Nice guys are the kind you make love to, and neither one of us are good at making love anymore." He dropped the towel on the floor and closed the distance between them. "You don't want to make love to him. You want to screw me. And do you know why?" His fingers wrapped around her hips and he pulled her closer so he could whisper in her ear. "Because making love hurts. Making love is dangerous. Making love means giving a part of yourself away, and linking your soul to another. And making love doesn't last. You and I both know that. But you can hate me, and you can screw me, and you don't have to be afraid. You can just feel. And screwing just feels so sharding good."

She recoiled inwardly from his touch even as her hips pushed against his--and she could feel just how much he wanted to screw her, hurt her, strip her of everything and leave her naked and vulnerable. Snarling her hurt, her anger, she shoved at him, hands pushing against his chest. He was right, damn him. He was _right_. The thing that throbbed between them damned them both, but there was a kind of aching relief in that. Her dark eyes blazed up into his as she suddenly wrapped a lean leg around one of his, jerking him closer. "I hate you."

"Good," he growled as his hand slipped under her tunic to touch her the way he had learned she would respond to. "I don't want you to have feelings for me, Traelyn. I just want you to feel _this_."

She moaned, her head falling back to expose the line of her neck. And as he touched her, roughly caressing her, kissing her, arousing her, she never hated him more than she did in that moment.

He wanted her to hate him. As he lifted the tunic above her head and threw it to the floor violently, followed quickly by her brazier, he knew he hated himself too. And that was all right. Because hating and being hated was a much more comforting feeling than those that lied beneath. Everything he had accused her of, he knew he was speaking to himself as well. He caught the skin of her neck between his teeth as his fingers tore vehemently at her belt and trouser fastenings. Their last encounter had turned soft, tender, and deeply frightening. For the briefest moment, his heart had _felt_ something. It might not have been for her, but she caused it, and he would punish her, and himself, for the infraction.

This was it. _This_ was the B'ram she knew. He would take her hard, and take her fast. He would take her where she stood. He would erase every single _scorching_ thing that had passed between them during that last encounter. Snarling, she ground her hips against his, rubbing harshly against him, wanting that bit of sense she glimpsed in his eyes to sharding disappear. And she would help him erase everything, she would make him forget everything but _this_.

B'ram was counting on her ability to make her forget. Sharding Traelyn, did she even _know_ the power she held over him, he wondered as he lifted her up, her legs wrapped around him, and carried her towards her sleeping chamber. This woman, despite their mutual loathing, had somehow awakened things in him, brought fresh to his mind memories he had pushed down deep inside, touched feelings he had convinced himself he no longer had. She could make him remember it all, but he was counting on her ability to make him forget. Her hate and fury was the only thing he knew could save him.

Last updated on the May 14th 2006

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Salvation (PG-17)