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"Brink"
anonymous

        "Miss Dakenos..."
        "Melina."
        "Melina." Nick held both her hands in his, and she could see he was
fighting the urge to smile. "I don't think this is a good idea."
        "But you owe me! You owe me something..." Melina curled her fingers
around his, watched as his expression became more hesitant, less certain.
"Look, until I'm certain I can sleep nights without bad dreams, you're
going to owe me. Let me try this---just to prove to myself that you're
an okay person. You say you don't want to hurt me, but how can I be sure?"
        Knight studied her a moment, a lookway halfway between incredulity
and guilt on his face. Then he seemed to calm, resolution washing away the
uncertainty. "Okay. But only because you ask---the second you tell me to
leave, I'm gone. Understood?"
        "Understood."

        They'd entered her house by the back stairs which led directly up
to the tower room. The Victorian-era house was situated in one of the older
parts of Toronto; huge oaks shaded the house during the daytime, keeping it
cool and sheltered.  Now, in the aftermath of the rainstorm, it stood
nearly alone on the block, the impression of solitude reinforced by the
darkness. The nearest houses were hidden by the trees, leaving the strong
impression of being alone in a forest.
        Melina opened the door and ushered her guest inside, shrugging off
her jacket and throwing it over the only chair in the room. "Nice, hunh?"
she asked as she crossed the room to the CD player. The room was octogonal,
with bay windows lining all eight walls; the sound of wind in the trees
came through clearly. She loved being up here during storms, watching the
lightening play across the sky, seeing the branches of the trees whipped
into a frenzy. It was her sanctuary.
        As she fiddled with the music, Mina was hyper-conscious of Knight's
presence. "I don't dare sleep up here, since I can't shutter the windows
properly. But I like being here anyway," she threw over her shoulder as she
fumbled with the CD cases. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. It had
seemed so perfect, revenge and reassurance and discovery all wrapped up in
one package, back at the Raven. Now, when the homicide detective was here,
in her house, it was beginning to look like a mistake. He wasn't the same
person who'd attacked her three nights before; but having anyone in her
private place still felt wrong. Scary. She lit one of the large candles she
kept in the bookcase, which gave them just enough light so that
night-vision was unnecessary. Sarah MacLachlan began to sing softly of
possession in the background.
        "I should go."
        "No!" Mina spun around, almost tripping over one of the pillows on
the floor. Aside from the one large plum chair, and the plush windowseats,
the only furniture was the glass case holding the CD player and candles,
and the throw pillows on the floor. "You can't. I'm... fine. Really."
        "How can you be fine?" The other vampire shook his head, bitterness
visible in his eyes in the uneven moonlight and candleglow. "I nearly
killed you. This isn't going to work---"
        "Please," Mina whispered, stepping closer. "I need... I need to be
sure you're not going to hurt me again. That I'm safe. If you leave, I
never will be. Okay?" She took his jacket from him, and threw it on the
chair with her own. Knight was wearing a blue silk shirt, almost the same
dark shade as his Levi's. "Nick? Promise me. Promise you won't leave until
I say it's okay." Everything she'd heard about his conscience seemed to be
true; the apology he'd offered at the Raven bore that out also.  She was
nearly entirely certain that she was safe. But there was still the element
of danger to him; and it fascinated her almost as much as the glimpse of
sweetness.
        He was quiet a moment, eyes troubled. Then Nick raised a hand to
touch her cheek, and she reflexively flinched. Closing his eyes in shame,
he dropped his hand and said softly, "Yes. I promise to stay."
        Melina let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.
"Thanks." She took a moment to collect herself, then moved over to one of
the windowseats, sitting down and patting the space next to her. After a
moment's hesitation, he joined her. Mina watched his face as she began to
explain. "We're going to play a game. A very special game. It's called
Brink." Nick raised one eyebrow in bemusement. "You've probably played it
at some time in the past, you just didn't know the game had a name. One of
us has to stay still, while the other one does everything they can think of
to get the other aroused. Kissing. Touching. Teasing. Then, right before
the person who's being teased looks ready to lose it, the other person
stops, and they switch roles." She looked out the window, toward the
distant lightening, and closed her eyes.
         "Usually the object is to do this until we get each other so hot
that we explode." She opened her eyes, found him watching her intently.
"Except tonight we'll play by my rules. I'm the one who was scared; I get
to be in control now. I'll say when you stop kissing me. I'll decide when
you have to be frozen while I touch you." She licked her lips and
swallowed, still a little frightened, but beginning to regain her
confidence. "Do you understand?"
        "Yes." Nick was smiling, regarding her with something like
tenderness. "You're in charge. What you say goes."
        "Great," Melina whispered softly. She leaned forward, her eyelids
drooping, not touching him, closer, closer... and gently kissed him on the
mouth. Very softly. He didn't move, not a muscle; emboldened, she said,
still quietly, "You're frozen now. You can't move. But you can respond,
talk. Tell me when you like something," she mumbled as her lips met his again.
        The kiss deepened; the only place they touched was on the lips,
tongue, teeth. She took his lower lip between her teeth and nibbled at it,
and he opened his mouth wider, turning suddenly to capture her tongue and
to suck on it. Warmth flooded her, surprising her; she pulled back to get
her bearings. Nick was breathing a little harder, but the close scrutiny he
was giving her was what made her blood race. His eyes weren't showing a
trace of gold; and his lack of response both reassured her and pricked her ego.
        "Nice," he said softly; something about the night air made them
both want to whisper.
        "Yes." Mina watched him a second, then slowly reached for the top
button on his shirt. Nick started to move, but suppressed the impulse when
she glared at him. Moving closer, she deliberately, carefullly unbuttoned
the top button and kissed the bit of skin exposed at the throat. She had
the satisfaction of hearing him gasp, but she didn't look up. Moving on to
the next button, she let her fingers trail down his chest, tracing the
swirls of fair hair with her nails. Then on to the next button, and the
next. Melina stopped to lick the edges of his nipples with her tongue, then
kiss them slowly, and she could hear his heartbeat accelerate, and his
breath grow more ragged. The last two buttons were nearly ripped off as she
finished removing his shirt.
        Very, very nice. Not _too_ muscled; he was broad-chested, with
enough sinew to be masculine, but not overly developed like a body builder.
Mina risked a glance at his face. The detective was definitely
uncomfortable; his eyes were half-lidded to conceal his expression.
"Melina, I think maybe---"
        "Sh-hhhh-hhh." She placed one finger against his lips, leaning in
closer. No scent, of course; vampires rarely smelled of anything, except
perhaps blood and desire. The scent of desire was beginning to be
noticeable in the room. Mina smiled mischievously. "You promised," she sang
softly. "No chickening out now."
        "No." He seemed to be steeling himself. "I'm not. But---"
        "No buts. My game, my rules." She ran her finger along the edge of
his jaw, down his neck, to the hollow of his throat. Leaning in, she lapped
at the edges of his collarbone as her hands played along his biceps, felt
his hands clench as he reacted to her assault. A slow, unstoppable kiss,
that moved from his neck, down his shoulders, and back; he had his eyes
closed now. Good. He'd been a little too confident, acting as if the _only_
reason he was doing this was because she'd asked. Time to knock some of
that restraint out of him. His skin tasted so soft, a little tang of salt
and blood-sweat; sweet, oh so sweet. She nibbled at the edges of his ear,
not drawing blood, not quite, while her hands danced down to his lap.
        Mina darted her tongue into his ear while one hand cupped his
groin. "Hey!" he gasped, half-laughing, half-shocked. Melina giggled into
his neck, then breathed lightly in his ear, startling a moan of pleasure
out of him while she slooowly squeezed the bulge in his jeans. "Hey," he
whispered, and she drew back a little to see his expression. Slack-jawed,
breathless, very involved in the proceedings. Perfect.
        "Okay, your turn."

        Nick blinked. His turn? What?
        Melina shook her head at him ruefully. "Now you have to do this to me."
        Oh, right. Some of his trepidation came back; not that he was
afraid of hurting her again---but if he lost control, Melina would get
scared again, and the whole exercise would be a waste. Well, maybe not a
waste, Nick admitted to himself. But this wasn't something he was doing for
fun; and he didn't want it to go so far that he'd feel guilty the next time
he saw Natalie.
        She was watching him again, daring him to cross the line with the
vulnerability in her eyes. No. He'd play by the rules. He'd promised. A
fleeting thought of how far this might go, before it stopped, stole through
Nick's mind; he dismissed it, certain that the other vampire would call it
off before the proceedings got that far. The lovely frozen girl in front of
him wouldn't want him to hurt her again, and wouldn't take that chance.
        Frozen. Smiling wickedly, Nick whispered, "Payback time" right
before he captured her mouth. A much, much longer kiss this this time;
Melina's arms reflexively came up to circle his neck, but he gently pushed
them back down to her sides, sliding his fingers up to her shoulders as he
did so. He tugged at her bottom lip with his lips tenderly, then leaned in
to run his tongue around the inside of her mouth, swirling around her
emerging fangs, sending shivers through both of them. Nick carefully pulled
the straps of her dress off her shoulders while he kissed her; a little
whimper escaped her as he pushed the dress down to her waist, and he pulled
back. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.
        Her pupils were dilated, and gold was beginning to creep in the
edges of her eyes. "Fine," she rasped, then shuddered. Nick rubbed his
hands over her chilled arms, studying the corselet she was wearing
underneath the dress. It was lavender satin, with lacings that pulled in to
cup her breasts. Carefully, watching her reaction, he untied the bow on the
corselet; she closed her eyes, a dreamy smile starting to form. An urge to
shock her made him lean in to kiss the cleft between her breasts, then give
swift little licks up to her neck.
         Her neck. Curved like a swan's; white and strong and cool. He
closed his eyes. Mina's heartbeat was accelerating; the temptation to sink
his fangs into her was strong, stronger than it should have been. Nick
placed a quick kiss at the hollow of her throat, then went back to the
lacings, loosening them bit by bit. He slipped his fingers under the satin,
to stroke the soft skin under her breasts. Another gasp from Melina; then
he removed the corselet, leaving her half-clad in her dress and underwear.
His hands skimmed her sides, then cupped her breasts as he watched her
face. No trace of fear; only pleasure like a cat's, all-encompassing and
sensual. So beautiful...
         Nick bent his head to kiss her jawline, soft little kisses that
ended behind her ear, then a long slow glide down to her neck again, his
fingers expertly stroking her breasts all the while. Feathery touches along
the warm, round globes, as he ran his teeth along her perfect skin.  A
humming noise from Melina distracted him as he returned to her neck. She
tasted of blood, and the sweetness of desire; he licked at the curve of her
jaw mindlessly, his breathing ragged. His lips felt like they were burning,
pulsing; the ache in his jaw as his fangs descended like the throbbing of
his groin. "No," he whispered aloud, exerting all of his control. "No."
        "Nick?"
        "Mmmmm."
        "Time to stop." Melina was shaking, but not with fear, Nick was
sure. The hazy gold in her eyes was unmistakably desire. "Now I get to
reward you," she whispered, her voice hoarse.
        The pounding in his veins was not alleviated one bit when she stood
up and let the dress drop to the ground, then removed the bikini panties
she'd been wearing. His teeth hurt. Clenching his jaw, Nick lay absolutely
still as Melina pushed him back on the cushioned window seat. "Time to get
you out of these jeans," she whispered, unzipping his pants. Closing his
eyes didn't help---it made the desire worse, as Melina removed the last of
his clothing, letting her fingers play over his prone body. "My my my," she
whispered, "I must have been a good girl in a previous life."
        "Very funny," he mumbled, then gasped as she firmly clasped his
erect cock with one hand. "What are you doing?" Nick asked through clenched
teeth.
        "Nothing," came the innocent answer. Lies, all lies... she was
opening and closing her hand in a rhythm that matched the pulse of her
blood, forcing Nick to hold onto the edge of the windowsill to keep from
moving, all muscles rigid with the effort. Melina sat alongside him, her
hair brushing his stomach as she bent down to kiss his chest, nibbling her
way downward, then maddeningly, slowly back towards his neck. Another wave
of desire hit Nick, leaving him weak, feeling like his control would snap
at any second. Wasn't she supposed to have stopped by now? The nails of her
free hand were tracing maddening patterns up his thigh, along his buttocks,
up his spine; then her lips were on his, and the full measure of his
frustration came loose as he responded.
        It was a scorching kiss, not tender, not kind; demanding, deep,
wet, devouring, the kind of kiss that asks, "You think you want me now?
You're going to want me even more when I'm through", and then goes on to
prove it.

         Melina broke the kiss, hissing, fangs extended, her body flaming
with need. Nick was groaning by now, all his self-control gone to keeping
himself still, and she found she was gasping out his name through the
mindless kisses which covered his face. He couldn't move, she could do
anything, anything she wanted to him. And he wanted her; that much was
very, very clear.
        She covered his body with her own, feeling his reaction as she
wriggled to get comfortable. How could he still be restraining himself? His
prick jerked in her hand, pulsing and hot. Nick's head was thrown back in
submission, his beautiful eyes closed as his face took on an expression of
ecstasy tempered with the painful constraint of playing the game.  Gasping,
she kissed him again. A mistake; the fiery warmth within her blazed up
again, sending small sparks down to her center, as he devoured her mouth,
that wicked tongue teasing her fangs, sucking on her tongue, then drawing
back, then darting forward... she broke away with a growl, unable to stand
any more.
        Mina plunged her fangs into his neck, up to the hilts, and closed
her eyes as the cool blood flooded her mouth. Ohhhh, yes. The sweetness
that was hinted at in his eyes; the power that controlled his desires; the
age and experience she'd guessed at; the tenderness of his touch... she
gulped greedily, sucking and nibbling, and with each swallow felt the fires
build, shooting from her fangs to her groin and back, until with one last
convulsive swallow she felt her body dissolve in a series of wracking,
wonderful shivers. Fire spread out from her center as she moaned, every
fiber of her body relaxing as the pleasure flooded her.

        Nick was still lying next to her, a little more relaxed now; but
just as aroused as before. She lazily traced the edge of his jaw, then bent
to lick the last of the blood on his neck.
        The series of images that invaded her mind, and the emotions that
accompanied them, were like an ice-bath. A woman, mortal, with large eyes
and unruly hair; a sense of blinding guilt; of pain, and overwhelming
longing; of the pleasure of the present being shadowed by the despair of
the past... Mina swallowed, and then said softly, "You're in love with her?"
        Nick nodded, his eyes closed. Melina turned his head towards her,
saying, "Look at me." Knight's eyes opened, haunted, driven, still
passionate; but she now knew that she wasn't who he'd really wanted, who
he'd thought of at that last moment. "Why are you doing this?"
        "I thought..." he sighed, closed his eyes again. "I thought you'd
change your mind. That you'd be reassured before this. And then..." his
voice broke, then regained its strength. "You're very desirable. And as I
said before, it's been a while."
        Melina was silent, looking at him, feeling small and lost. "Oh."
She drew away from him, confusion robbing her of any triumph at the
admission, the sensation that the game had suddenly gone all wrong. "I'm
sorry." She met his eyes, wanting to make everything right, to somehow
reassure _him_. The pain there stopped her from saying anything. "You can
move," Mina whispered. "If you want to."
        Nick sat up slowly, and reached for his clothes. "You don't have to
leave," the female vampire blurted out. "I don't mind." He turned back,
studying her face again, as he had at the Raven; but his sad, sweet smile
nearly broke her heart.
        "Yes, I do." He kissed her oh-so-gently on the forehead, then got
dressed. At the door he turned around. She still sat on the windowseat,
naked, watching him. "I'm sorry."
        "Don't be." Melina found a genuine smile somewhere within her, and
tilted her head. "I'm not scared of you anymore. That's all I asked of you.
Everything else... was just icing."
        The detective quirked a half-hearted grin at her, then opened the
door and disappeared into the night. Melina pulled her legs up and hugged
her knees, thinking of what she'd tasted in his blood; of the strength of
the emotions, and the tarnished honor that formed his soul. She didn't
regret any of it.
        But she cried a little, not from hurt, but for sympathy for someone
much more wounded than she had ever been.

FINE