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CharlotteCarrendar, Fortress around your heart, House October 17, LadyBelz, love, lyrics, music, relationships, River marked, role play., romance, Shane, sting, wriing
“I can’t give you the sunset, but I can give you the night.”
~ Erin McCarthy
As the sun sank lower and lower into the night, Carmen’s eyes snapped open. She took in unfamiliar surroundings and wondered for a moment where she was. She was facing a heavily shuttered window and didn’t recognize it. There was a strange warmth at her back and then a slight grunt as something moved behind her. Startled, she rolled over and fell off the bed, banging her elbows in the process. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling.
“Ow!” she groaned.
The odd thunk of Carmen falling on the floor, had Shane stir, and his hand patted around for Carmen, but of course, she was no longer on the bed. Her loud exclamation of “Ow!” had him open one eye, and then yawn and stretch as he tried to get the tiredness to leave his body. The realization that Carmen had actually fallen out of bed, had him edge over and then peek over the side of the bed.
“Much more…comfortable up here, you know?” He said, patting the mattress, and then offering his hand to her so that she can get up. “I guess you don’t remember me putting you to bed in the first place.” Shane’s eyes still looking tired and red, but he would feel better after he got up and moved around.
“The trio are probably still here, not sure about Mary…or that other couple; Booker and Dyna.” Shane figured that they were going to be talking about that next.
<3>
“Much more…comfortable up here, you know?” he told her, holding his hand down to her to help her up. She didn’t take it at first, drinking in his features and wondering what would happen next. She reluctantly took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. She sat down on the bed beside him, not touching him, not sure if she should or would be allowed to. “I guess you don’t remember me putting you to bed in the first place.”
“No. I don’t remember much after I went to my own room this morning.” she admitted.
“The trio are probably still here, not sure about Mary…or that other couple; Booker and Dyna.”
She looked down at her hands. “I sent them home after…” she took a breath, “…you walked away.” her voice ended in a whisper, her insecurities coming to bear once again. She’d screwed up…as usual. She was prepared to walk away from him, as much as it would kill her to do so. She knew how this worked, having experienced it several times. “I apologize for Booker…he’s not the most…levelheaded…when it comes to Dyna and me.”
She couldn’t look at him. She was scared to.
She couldn’t stand it anymore and got to her feet, moving to the now open windows and staring up at the stars that were slowly winking into existence. “Do you want me to leave?” she dared to ask, wrapping her arms around herself in a fit of nervous anxiety.
“You did?” Shane replied, as the memories of the night before started to filter back into his mind. Oh that was right. And now Carmen’s insecurities were rising to the fore again. No, this wouldn’t do at all. “Carmen, I only needed a moment to contain myself. I mean, the guy was….you know, and then you…*he did a zapping movement with his hands*….and the guy was calling you Alpha, and…I’m..I’m the male in this relationship.”
Maybe it was all coming out wrong, but then again Shane was still waking up. He watched her get to her feet, and looking out the door towards the stairs. His head flicked back to see that look on her face, and he immediately sprang out of bed, and with a liquid speed of movement, he got in front of her.
“No..no, get that out of your head, Love. I know what your thinking, and no. Ugh.” He ran a hand back through his golden locks and let out a sigh as he stared at her intently. “So we had one bad experience meeting your friends. This is going to happen, till people accept us. It’s not going to be easy, and I knew that. Just thought the guy might see reason.”
That said, he placed his hands on her shoulders, so she had to look at him.
“I don’t want you to leave, Love. Ever.”
<3>
“Yes.” she nodded, still not looking at him. “I wasn’t going to let him treat you like he scraped you from the bottom of his shoes.”
“Carmen, I only needed a moment to contain myself. I mean, the guy was….you know, and then you…” She turned to see him waving his fingers and recalled she had blasted Booker across the yard. “….and the guy was calling you Alpha, and…I’m..I’m the male in this relationship.” he finished lamely. She really wanted to laugh but didn’t have the nerve to.
“He’s always seen me as his Alpha. I think it’s because of the way I treat him when he’s doing something stupid, as you saw.” she explained. “But, Shane…” She finally looked at him, her eyes filled with the love she felt for him, hoping he could see it, “…I wasn’t trying to be your Alpha. You are my sire, my lover, my mate. I submit to your will and your will alone. No one else has that kind of power over me. I’m sorry if you thought I was trying to take control. I was simply doing what instinct demanded of me in protecting my mate. I did give you my vow, if you recall.” It was the most she’d spoken since she awoke, but she was firm in her resolve. “But I will leave if you wish me to.” She looked down at her hands again.
He swept in front of her with that speed of his and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.
“I don’t want you to leave, Love. Ever.”
She couldn’t help herself. She melted into his arms, wrapping her own around his waist as she inhaled the scent of him. It would have killed her to be away from him. “I love you.” she breathed against his naked skin.
Shane knew in his heart that she was speaking the truth. Only she knew Booker as well as she did and what he was capable of. She was acting out of instinct. He would have done exactly the same thing, and has in effect. The true bond between them was a fierce one, though her insecurities often reared their ugly head after this sort of event. Shane continued to hold her tight in his arms, placing his head down to rest between the nape of her neck and shoulder, making a soft sound, which was so unlike him. He had built up walls of this bold exterior of confidence, but in truth that wall could easily crumble to dust now that he had Carmen in his life, and showed a true and very real fear of losing her. It was so early in their relationship, even though the war between them had gone on much longer. They fell in love on the battle fields, amongst the mines that they themselves had laid. Now together to face an uncertain future due to the alliances they had during their bloody war.
Fortress Around Your Heart
Under the ruins of a walled city
Crumbling towers in beams of yellow light
No flags of truce, no cries of pity
The siege guns had been pounding through the night
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the fields I’d known
I recognised the walls that I once made
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I’d laid
And if I’ve built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
Then I went off to fight some battle
That I’d invented inside my head
Away so long for years and years
You probably thought, or even wished that I was dead
While the armies all are sleeping
Beneath the tattered flag we’d made
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I’d laid
And if I’ve built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
This prison has now become your home
A sentence you seem prepared to pay
It took a day to build the city
We walked through its streets in the afternoon
As I returned across the lands I’d known
I recognised the fields where I’d once played
I had to stop in my tracks for fear
Of walking on the mines I’d laid
And if I’ve built this fortress around your heart
Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire
Then let me build a bridge
For I cannot fill the chasm
And let me set the battlements on fire
(Lyrics by Sting)
Carmen’s surrender, and her admissions of words of love, were his reward. But in order to keep her, he was going to have to change, and change a lot. Being mindful of her insecurities, and fight to win the respect of her friends. She deserves that much at least. Raising his head, he looked at her, the warmth in his eyes evident of his depth of feeling.
“I’m sorry, I spoilt the evening. I’ll make it up to you and to them. It’s never too late to have another dinner sometime, and perhaps have more people, or less. You decide. You are the lady of the house after all.”
He reached for her hand, and brought it up to his lips, kissing it tenderly, before winking. “We really need to stop being nudists.” Shane joked, about their constant state of undress. “All those Italian suits going to waste…I don’t know.” The vampire was trying to get her to show a smile, laugh…feel at ease again.
“Why don’t you wash up, and I’ll fix you a nice dinner.”
<3>
She looked at him, her own eyes warm with love and trust.
“Don’t.” she murmured. “You don’t have to apologize. They were kind of sprung on you at the last moment and I blame myself for that. Next time we meet, we do it somewhere public.”
She gave him a tender smile as he kissed her hand. He offset the seriousness of the moment by giving her a wink.
“We really need to stop being nudists.” he joked. “All those Italian suits going to waste…I don’t know.”
She couldn’t help but smile at him. “Well you do look very sexy in and out of them. I find you irresistable either way. Shame about that.” she grinned, reaching behind him to pinch his ass. Her heart felt lighter now that they’d had a chance to talk.
“Why don’t you wash up, and I’ll fix you a nice dinner.”
She nodded in agreement. “Shane…I really think you should talk to Amelia…about us. You work with her after all, and you saw what happened with Booker. It’s not so far-fetched that she would react the same way.” Carmen suggested. “Think about it, at least.” She kissed him lightly before she turned and strode from his room.