I finally tracked Asher down. I'd been calling around to all the 
places he usually frequented for the past hour. No one had seen him 
tonight. That meant that in all likelihood, he'd never left his 
apartments this evening.  I knew I could've located him much faster, 
if I'd opened the marks. But I was extremely angry with him right at 
the moment, and I didn't want to give him any advantages in the 
upcoming confrontation. I kept my shields firmly in place. (I 
pictured them like armor of the finest steel ever forged.)  


I arrived at the entrance to Asher's lair. On the surface, the place 
looked like an abandoned migrant camp or road prison. It was in the 
hills and remnants of citrus groves about an hour's drive west of 
Orlando. You would think that the buildings hadn't been used in years.
I walked into one of the more decrepit looking ones. I went into the
grimy bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet, and flipped the toggle
switch hidden there. The wall next to the toilet slid aside to reveal 
a hidden hallway. A second toggle switch inside reset the false wall. 
Around a corner and down some stairs and I was inside the 
labyrinthine complex built under the surrounding hills.  There were 
several more safeguards to pass through to get to Asher's private 
quarters. He would know I was coming. That was okay, too. He would
also pick up on my mood.


"Asher!" I hollered once I was in his sitting room. I felt him trying
to reach me through the marks and pulled my shields tighter around
myself, shutting him out. I knew he was capable of blasting my 
shields away, but I was betting that he'd understand the message that 
I was mad at him.  "Asher!" I repeated, louder.  I heard a door open
and the sound of running water. "One moment, cherie," he called from 
the bathroom. The water quit running. Soft cloth movement sounds 
followed. I resisted the urge to pace impatiently.  Finally, he 
appeared in the bedroom doorway. He was wearing a brown and
gold silk robe, tied loosely at the waist, and he was toweling his
hair dry.


My body threatened to betray me, reacting to the sight of him. I held 
onto my anger out of sheer stubbornness.  Asher smiled and 
said, "Good evening, ma rose d'acier. To what do I owe this 
pleasure?" His voice was as soft and sexy as his robe looked. Again, I
felt him probing at my mind, testing my resistance. His smile grew 
sultry.  He stalked past me, tossing the damp towel in a chair. His 
golden hair, still heavy with water, looked almost honey brown and 
hung in an unruly mass down his back. His face was almost flushed, 
telling me that he'd already fed tonight.  He stopped by an end table 
and picked up a gold cigarette case. He flipped it open and removed a 
Sobranie (I recognized the black cigarette paper). 


After tamping the cigarette and lighting it with a rock crystal table 
lighter, Asher lounged in one of the antique arm chairs. His right 
arm draped limply over the back of the chair, and his right leg 
rested across the arm of the chair. His robe gaped wide, showing a 
*lot* of his inner thigh.  If he had *any* underwear on beneath the 
robe, they had to be bikini briefs or a thong (ouch).  "We need to 
have a talk," I stated. Good, I was still able to keep my mind on 
business.  He removed the cigarette from his mouth with that annoying 
underhand pinch that Europeans seem so fond of. He blew a thin line 
of smoke into the air, watching it languidly.


"How did you enjoy your trip?" he asked casually. Oh good, he was
making it a little easier to stay mad at him.  "No warning of what to 
expect. No explanation of what was going on.  How *dare* you!" I 
seethed.  Asher actually smiled at me. "How dare I what?" he asked 
with an amused tone.  "Don't you *ever* use me like that again!" I 
growled.  "You are mine," he stated, "to use any way I see fit." He 
stood in one fluid motion and stubbed out the cigarette in a 
convenient ashtray.


"You bastard!" I spat at him. "I am *not* just some *thing* for you to
use!"  In a flash he was right in front of me. With one hand, he 
pinned me to him. With the other hand, he cupped my chin, lifting my 
face. His smile was so condescending. My body began to tremble, not 
with desire but with barely contained rage. I think he mistook it for 
the first emotion. "Ma rose d'acier, you are *mine*...mind, body, and 
soul," he voice came like warm velvet brushing against bare skin. He 
moved to kiss me.  My rage burst over us like a tidal wave. "DON'T 
TOUCH ME!!" I screamed, directing all that energy at him.


Asher was blown back halfway across the room. The blast of power had
opened a slash on his cheek. He sat there, bleeding, with a look of 
complete surprise on his otherwise perfect face.  *Perfect* face?
I blinked.  My mind must've been playing tricks on me. I thought I'd 
caught a glimpse of Asher's face *whole* save for the wound I'd just 
given him. but that was impossible. The scars were there, just like 
always. Must've been the shock of what I'd just done to him.


"Asher?" My voice came out as barely a whisper, choked by fear and
shock. My anger was completely gone. My instinct was to go to him and 
see if he was all right. Fear held me in place. If what I'd done had 
pissed him off, I needed to put as much distance between us as 
possible. But I couldn't bring myself to run away, either.  I held a 
hand out towards him tentatively, an offer to help if he wanted
it.  He sat there with an unreadable expression on his face. Staring 
at me as though he'd only just seen me for the first time. I felt my 
face flush with heat. 


My eyes were brimming with tears. "Asher, please," my voice was
tremulous. Yes, I'd been angry with him, but I'd never meant to hurt 
him. My heart was thudding fit to burst, and my gut was in an icy 
knot.  "I held your mind, because I did not want you to fight the 
treaty process. Otherwise, it might have taken too long to complete," 
he told me.  "Did it ever occur to you to just *ask*? Or at lest warn 
me? I thought I was being attacked and was unable to defend myself. 
Because *you* were holding me," I accused him. The anger didn't 
return...just a painful sense of betrayal. "I was terrified, Asher. I 
thought I could *trust* you. The way that was handled was so very 
close to being rape, that I don't want to think about it."


"Forgive me, Tamara. I never considered that you would view it as
such," he sounded genuinely remorseful. "All I ask is that you let me 
know about stuff like that *before* the fact," I told him. "Unless 
I've got a good reason, I would never refuse you, mon cher."
His face relaxed into a soft smile, and he nodded. He extended one 
pale hand towards me. I stepped to him, grasped his hand and prepared 
to help him up. He gave a deft tug and tumbled me into his lap; his 
arms wrapped around me.


"Do you have a good reason to refuse me your *company* tonight?" he
smiled at me. When he said the word "company" his voice flowed over 
me like a lover's touch. I had only been to his bed once since taking 
the fourth mark. I'd been too wrapped up with all the legalities and 
preparations for Derik's release.  Asher had sent me some very 
*explicit* dreams during that time, however.  I realized right then, 
though, that I wanted more than just dreams. We'd just forgiven each 
other for wounds we'd inflicted. I could think of no better way to 
show that.


I smiled back up at him and caressed the scarred side of his face,
eliciting a growling moan from him. "Nope, I don't," I said.
He turned his face into my hand and kissed my palm, making little
circles with his tongue. I shuddered and gave a moan of my own.
Suddenly, I was rolled to the floor, my hands pinned level with my
shoulders. Asher loomed over me, his weight trapping my legs. His
hair, still somewhat damp, hung down and brushed my face, tickling. I 
growled and snapped at it playfully. Actually caught a strand in my 
mouth and gave a little tug before releasing it.


Asher leered down at me and gave that dirty little chuckle of his. The
one that screamed "SEX" and was so very...French. I giggled as he 
raised goosebumps on my flesh with that laugh. I'd a feeling I was in 
for a hell of a night.  He descended on me with a fierce kiss. I 
returned it with equal fervor.  After what seemed forever, he pulled 
back from the kiss. I was left gasping for breath. I saw that his 
robe had fallen open...and it *was* all he had on. The sight of him 
at the ready caused an involuntary spasm in my hips.  Once again he 
lowered his face to me. He drew a line of kisses from my mouth, down 
my throat, to the neck of my T-shirt. I felt him give a little
tug on the cloth with his teeth and heard a tearing, popping sound. He
released my wrists and ripped the shirt open from the small tear he'd 
made.


His tongue drew a hot, wet line from between my breasts at the top of 
my bra up to my collar bone and across to my shoulder.  I gasped as 
he drew blood down my collar bone on the return pass. He alternately 
licked and sucked gently at the shallow wound until it stopped
bleeding.  I reached up and undid the front clasps on my bra while he 
was at the wound. I pulled it open and moved my hands to his 
shoulders.  He worked his way down one breast to the nipple, rolling 
it with his tongue. I gave a shuddering sigh as he sucked hard enough 
to hurt but never breaking skin. There was an answering ache between 
my legs that I though would drive me mad. 


His drying hair brushing against me was a cool counterpoint to the 
heat of his mouth working on my body.  Just when I thought I couldn't 
take any more, he sat back, no longer pinning my legs. He grasped my 
foot and began removing my shoe. I sat up and shrugged out of the 
remains of my shirt then my bra. I had the button and zipper undone 
on my jeans and had started pushing them down by the time Asher got 
to my other shoe. Once it was off, he stopped my hands with his.
He held my like that for a few minutes, without continuing, and I
gave a small growling whine. I wanted him right *then*. I dropped my 
shields completely, opening to him, and let him see how badly I 
wanted him.


"Don't be so impatient, cherie," he said with a low laugh. "We should
savor every moment."  "I'm not a bottle of wine, Asher," I smiled.
"Au contrare, cherie," he purred. He leaned in and flicked his tongue
across my lips and proceeded to kiss his way down my throat and torso,
lingering briefly over each breast. He slowly slid my jeans and 
panties off my legs as he was kissing me. I was propped on my elbows 
watching him.  He sat back again and used his knees to separate my 
legs.  Feather-light, he trailed his fingertips down my body where 
his lips had been moments before. He kneaded down my thighs, gently 
lifting my legs to bend at the knees in the process, leaving me fully 
exposed. Starting at my knee, he licked a line up the inside of my 
leg towards my center. My pulse and breathing sped up in 
anticipation. 


Just before he reached more sensitive areas, he raised his face just 
a fraction to look up at me. His eyes were smoldering with an icy 
heat.  "Your body, your blood, your essence, your power are more 
potent and heady than the finest Burgundy, ma rose d'acier," he said 
in a throaty whisper. "And I want to drink deeply of you."  I cried 
out as he plunged his tongue deep into me. His fangs pressed against 
the outside of me just shy of piercing flesh. He began to work his
tongue around inside me. His hands gripped my butt, lifting me to him 
like a cup.


I flung my arms out to the sides, hands clutching in the carpet to 
brace myself against this onslaught. My head was thrown back and 
tossed from side to side. I gritted my teeth, biting back on the 
scream trying to tear from my throat. The sensations Asher was 
causing threatened to overwhelm me.  I couldn't hold it in any more. 
A strangled cry escaped me. My back arched as Asher brought me just 
to the brink but not over. He pulled back, leaving my body begging 
for release.  I lay there trembling. Asher moved to lay beside me. he 
propped up on one elbow and just gazed at me. His eyes traveled 
slowly over my form, a possessive look of pride crossing his face.


He brushed a strand of hair from my face, leaned down and kissed me
gently. He must've wiped his mouth at some point. His lips were soft 
and dry, and I only caught a faint trace of my scent on him. He 
trailed a finger down my arm, raising goosebumps in its wake.  "That 
was just the first sip, amante de moi. I'm not through with you
yet, tonight," he informed me.  In less time than it takes to blink,
Asher was standing with me in his arms. He started moving towards the 
bedroom. Something didn't feel right, though. I knew he was graceful, 
but even *he* had to MOVE to walk. I looked down and saw that we were 
hovering a few inches above the floor. His robe billowed out behind 
him like a cloak as we drifted into the bedroom.  


He tossed me onto the bed rather unceremoniously and stripped off the 
robe. Then he knelt on the edge of the bed in all his naked glory and 
began to crawl towards me...stalking like the beautiful but deadly 
predator that he was.  "Run," he commanded in a low whisper. When I 
didn't respond right away, he whispered it in my mind. 'Run.'
The door was behind me, away from him. I sprinted for it. Just as I
was about to reach the doorway, Asher was *there*, blocking me. 
Suddenly, my heart was racing. I hadn't seen him move. With all four 
marks, he shouldn't have been able to cloud my mind so easily. I 
turned for the bathroom. The bed was in the way. I scrambled over it, 
expecting him to grab my ankle at any moment. Instead, he just 
*appeared* in front of me as I was getting off the bed. I almost ran 
into him. I began backpedaling on the bed, trying to get out of 
reach. 


Once I felt I was far enough back from him, I turned to see where I 
was crawling.  There he lay on the bed in the direction I had been 
heading. He had one leg propped up, a hand behind his head, and the 
other hand extended to me in invitation.  I crouched where I was and 
shook my head. I couldn't speak past the fear constricting my throat. 
I felt like prey.  He smiled seductively. "Come to me, ma rose 
d'acier." His voice wrapped around me, drawing me to him like velvet 
ropes. I crawled towards him slowly and cautiously. He slid his other 
hand from behind his head, opening his arms to me...beckoning. I saw 
that he was fully erect, and I blushed. His chuckle was low and 
rolling, penetrating me in ways his body never could. I whimpered as 
I closed the last remaining distance between us.


He laid his hands tenderly on my shoulders and slid them ever so 
lightly down my back to grip my hips. Gently, he guided me onto him. 
I threw my head back, a soft moan escaping my lips as I felt him 
slide into me.  Asher set our pace, keeping his hands on my hips, 
forcing me to go exquisitely slow. Ever so gradually, he allowed me 
to speed up.  We reached the point that to continue much longer would 
make it painful.  And still I hadn't climaxed once. I was used to 
*multiples*. What was the problem with me *this* night?


Asher rolled us over and took the top position, working himself inside
of me. His eyes had frosted over. That's when I realized that *he* was
using the marks to keep me from coming. Denying me what my body was 
craving.  'Only *I* can offer you release tonight, cherie,' he 
whispered in my mind. He showered kisses on my face and breasts, then 
lingered at my throat.  His tongue tickled along the length of it, 
finding and caressing my pulse.  "Please, Asher, please!" I pled.
I screamed as his fangs sank home and the orgasm finally washed over 
me.  He drank deeply, and it was all things at once. Pain and 
pleasure; draining and energizing; terror and peace.


I was beginning to feel blissfully numb before he drew back from me.
When I saw him, I knew he'd drawn power from me as well as blood. His 
skin, where it was smooth, glowed like white marble in moonlight. The 
scars were a shadowy counterpoint. His eyes were a solid, crystal 
blue topaz. His hair was spun gold. I raised a hand to trace the 
scars.  "My beautiful angel of death," I whispered, my voice barely 
audible. My vision was starting to gray.  "Sleep now, ma rose 
d'acier," Asher told me as he folded me to him in his arms. The last 
thing I remembered was a tender kiss.