#ebb day

He let out a shuddering breath. “Ari,” he croaked. “I made a…stupid mistake. Need help, please.”

“I’m already on my way, it shouldn’t be much longer now.”

He blinked trying to offer help. “Clara…something.”

“Heartfield, I know. I promise I’m coming for you, honey. Just hold on a little longer.”

Heartfield—that was the name he had been trying to remember. Dr. Heartfield, a man he had made to drown himself in his own bathtub, lured by a siren song.

The door slammed open and Rafayel staggered back, tripping over the desk chair.

“What the hell?” Clara demanded. “How did you get out of bed?”

Rafayel could hear Ariadne’s worried voice on the phone and Clara’s eyes snapped over to it. She stormed over and picked up the phone, smashing it against the wall,

Rafayel hauled himself to his feet and lurched for the door.

Clara grabbed him around the waist and hauled him back. She was small, but he was so weak right now, he could barely fight against her. They both fell, his shoulder striking the desk painfully. Rafayel curled on the ground, gasping for breath. Any exertion made it even harder to breathe right now. Blackness danced at the corners of his vision.

“You think you can run back to her? No, I caught you fair and square. You will be mine, Rafayel. My Lemurian husband. I’m not missing this chance.”

His lips parted and he attempted to use the only defense he had, his song. But he was no better than human right now, and the attempt instantly flayed his throat.

He choked, doubling over with a cough as flecks of blood dotted his palm.

Clara darted across the room, dumping the contents of a bag out and grabbing a small spray bottle.

“I didn’t want to have to use this,” she said. “But you’re forcing me to drastic measures.”

Rafayel pushed himself up just in time to see her lift a small spray bottle, spritzing whatever was in it and—

His world suddenly narrowed to helpless terror. As soon as the scent hit his nose, his eyes dilated almost painfully, vision blurring, heartbeat picking up as he became intoxicatingly light-headed.

“N-no, please don’t,” he rasped, trying to crawl for the door.

She grabbed the waistband of his pants and hauled him back. He collapsed, smashing his chin on the ground. The scent became more overwhelming the closer she got to him. He remembered when Ariadne had accidently put some of it on, how someone had obviously been attempting to set a trap, weaken him. But it was ten times as strong now when he was already so vulnerable.

He could barely think. She hauled him back onto the bed, restraints tightening around both his wrists and ankles this time, barely able to move.

The heat that always simmered in his lower belly during Ebb Day came to a boil, an almost painful arousal that made his whole body sensitive to even a wisp of air. He was barely conscious, writhing against the restraints, feeling like he might go up into flames. Too much, it was too much. He couldn’t control his body’s reaction.

“You poor thing, I told you I didn’t want to have to do that to you.”

He barely paid attention to the voice, a whimper escaping his throat.

Rafayel could feel someone’s touch approaching his face, and instinctively leaned into it, desperate.

But the instant it connected it was so wrong. This wasn’t who he needed. His bond mark burned in protest, his whole body in agony. He tried to pull away but he couldn’t. he was trapped as unwanted hands slid down his body.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help,” a voice said, an attempt to soothe that only made him want to flee. “I’ll make you feel better.”

“N-no, don’t,” Rafayel begged as he felt hands unbuttoning his pants. As he tried to fight, another strong whiff of the abhorrent scent hit him, stealing all his faculties again until everything was just sensation.

A tear of frustrated desperation slid down his cheek. I’m sorry, Ari, I’m sorry.

In a last-ditch effort, he tried to use his song again, even if it destroyed his throat for good, but a hand covered his mouth and a cloth was shoved between his teeth, making him choke.

“Be a good boy and I’ll help you through this.” Her fingers stroked his cheek, mockingly kind, as her other hand slid down his body. “You’ll learn to love me. I promise.”

Darkness closed in again as if his body were attempting to protect him from the coming trauma. Part of him wanted to keep fighting, but another part of him recognized the futility. This was the constant fate of his people, forever at the mercy of humans. Perhaps nothing would ever change that. It was like being caught in a riptide and having nothing else to do besides let it take you.

***

The call ended abruptly with a ‘phone out of service’ warning. Ariadne swore as she tossed her phone onto the passenger seat and pressed her foot harder into the gas pedal.

The GPS read five more miles. It wouldn’t be long.

“Hold on, Raf, please just hold on a little longer,” she begged under her breath.

As soon as she pulled into the driveway of the rather large estate, she could feel a subconscious tug. She remembered Rafayel saying once that because of their bond he would always know where she was. She hadn’t realized it worked both ways, but she just automatically knew that she was sensing Rafayel.

She approached the house, peeking into the windows. She couldn’t see anyone directly and used a device to spoof the lock code to open the door.

She stepped in and was instantly drawn toward the back of the house. A door sat ajar, sounds of distress and shushes came from inside. Ari drew her gun and pushed the door open. The scene before her caused her to freeze.

Rafayel was bound to the bed and a young woman with blue streaks in her hair loomed over him, attempting to undress him as Rafayel did his best to fight her weakly. Protective fury instantly boiled up in Ariadne and she raised her gun.

“Get away from him.”

Clara froze, head whipping up, genuine surprise on her face. Rafayel’s head lolled to the side, eyes blinking before going wide as he saw her.

“He needs my help,” the girl said firmly.

Ari cocked the gun. “Touch him again and I will shoot you.”

Her hands finally left Rafayel’s body and he shuddered with an exhale of relief. Ari rushed around the bed, pulling cuffs from her belt. “Turn around.”

“He wants this, this is all a misunderstanding—”

Ariadne grabbed her shoulder and spun her, slamming her face-first against the wall. Clara cried out, reaching for her nose before Ari yanked her hand back down.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, you know you assaulted him.” A vaguely familiar scent caught her attention and she leaned closer to Clara, sniffing her clothes.

“You used that on him too?” she asked, low, dangerous.

“He wouldn’t obey me. He said he was bound to you.”

“He is,” Ari said firmly. “And he can trust me not to use that bond against him.”

She locked Clara’s hands together and forced her to sit against the wall.

“The police are already on their way.”

“You don’t understand! He’s mine, I caught him fair and square! That’s how the stories work!”

Ariadne really had to fight the urge to kick her. Instead she ignored the woman and turned to Rafayel, pulling out her knife to cut him free. She pulled the gag from his mouth before fixing his clothes, buttoning his pants and shirt back up. He shuddered, flinching slightly every time her fingers grazed his skin.

“Raf,” she whispered as she worked, throat closing up at the look in his eyes as he reached for her weakly. She pulled him into her arms, feeling him shiver, breath rasping against her neck. He breathed in her scent with a relieved shudder.

“God, you’re burning up,” she said worriedly. “We’re gonna get you out of here. Let me help you to the car, we just have to wait until the police show up.”

“Please don’t take him from me!” Clara shouted. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this!”

Ariadne and Rafayel both ignored her. Rafayel clung to her as Ari attempted to get him off the bed. His legs completely gave out and she simply turned around and, with some coaxing, heaved him up onto her back. Rafayel moaned a little in protest, but rested his head against her shoulder, seeming to acknowledge that he wasn’t getting out of there without help.

She carried him out to her car, getting him settled into the passenger seat just as the police sirens sounded and the cop cars pulled up in the driveway.

Ari reluctantly left Rafayel to go talk to them, showing her Hunter’s ID and explaining the situation. The detective wanted to interview Rafayel but one look at him made the man decide to wait.

“Let us know when Mr. Rafayel is feeling well enough to give a statement.”

Ari handed him Thomas’s card. “You can contact his manager. He’ll let you know.”

The detective nodded. Another cop came up with a suitcase.

“Miss Celest, this is Mr. Rafayel’s. We found it in the back of the rental car. It’s been cleared so you can take that with you.”

Ari nodded in thanks and loaded it into her own car.

The other cops were hauling Clara out of the house as she continued to protest that she did nothing wrong. Rafayel shrank further into the seat and Ari closed the door, turning to the detective.

“I need to get him medical care. We’ll be in contact when he’s well enough to speak.”

The detective nodded and Ariadne got into the car, starting it up as Clara screamed in frustration, trying to fight against the cops forcing her into the back of one of the patrol vehicles.

As soon as Ariadne pulled out of the driveway, Rafayel slumped against the window with a long exhale. Ari reached over to squeeze his hand briefly. He barely squeezed back with a weak twitch of his fingers. His breathing sounded labored, like each breath took a lot of effort.

He wasn’t going to make it back to Linkon, so she made the executive decision to get a hotel room in town.

Luckily it was easy to find a hotel as soon as they drove into the city. As soon as she got the room, she went to fetch Rafayel, having to piggy-back him again. She was sure that as soon as he felt better he would ask her never to mention this again, but he was so out of it there was no other way she would be getting him to the room. It was still more dignified than loading him onto a luggage cart.

Luckily there weren’t that many people around right now and she got him into the room without any odd stares, instantly calling in a shopping order for some things they would need.

“Bath,” Rafayel rasped and Ari nodded, practically carrying him into the bathroom. She started the tub and carefully undressed him to his underwear before sitting him down.

Rafayel gasped in relief as the water hit his skin. He seemed to breathe better the longer he soaked.

Ariadne knelt by the too-small tub, using a cloth to soothe where the water couldn’t reach. He was still burning up, but the fever seemed to have gone down by a couple degrees. The first thing she did was gently wash off any of that scent that clung to his skin, opening one of the packets of complimentary hotel coffee for him to smell. That had seemed to calm him down a little.

She checked him over, soothing the bruises and scrapes. There was a scab on his neck where it looked like one of his scales had been ripped out. Ari gently dabbed over the area, feeling Rafayel shudder. She didn’t want to ask right now, but she wished she had punched that bitch in the face now.

She was slightly worried about the fact he’d pretty much gone non-verbal—even tired, Rafayel usually wasn’t this quiet. But when he coughed with a wince, rubbing his throat, she coaxed him to open his mouth had saw how raw it was.

“What the hell did she do to you?” Ari demanded, cradling his head in her hands.

His eyes pinched. “Was stupid…shoulda known I…couldn’t sing right now.”

The breathy rasp took her a moment to decipher but once she understood what he meant Ariadne had to bite back her fury yet again. Rafayel had felt so backed into a corner that he’d tried to use his voice as his only weapon.

“Don’t try to talk too much. I’ll make you some tea when you get out of the tub.”

He nodded and closed his eyes again, head tilted slightly away from her, resting against the cool tiles of the wall.

Ari left him there for a few minutes to ready the bed, putting the kettle on to brew some tea. The grocery order was delivered and she called down to the front desk to ask for honey and milk.

Finally, she took a moment to call Thomas and update him on the situation.

“We’re at a hotel right now—he needed rest and I didn’t want to stress him out with the drive back to Linkon until he’s feeling better.”

“Understandable, I trust you to do what’s best for him,” Thomas said, relief in his voice.

“The local police will likely be calling within a day or two to set up an interview with him. Don’t set anything in stone yet until you let me know. He’s…lost his voice too so we want to make sure he can even talk.”

“Of course, don’t worry, I’ll handle all that,” Thomas promised. “And I’ll call Talia, but I can’t promise she won’t call you herself. I didn’t give her all the details, but I think she knew I was leaving something out.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure Rafayel won’t mind too much,” Ariadne said as she ended the call. A knock on the door heralded the room service arriving with the honey and milk. Ari thanked the hotel worker and made sure to lock the door after him.

She turned down the covers and plumped the pillows, making sure everything was ready. It wasn’t going to be comfortable like Rafayel’s room, but it would have to do.

Checking her phone, she saw they would be approaching the highest point of the tide in about an hour. She wanted to get Rafayel tucked into bed in an attempt to sleep through it.

Heading back into the bathroom, she smiled at the listless figure in the tub, retrieving a towel.

“Are you ready to get out?”

Rafayel nodded and shakily tried to push himself up. Ari helped lift him out of the tub and dabbed him dry. She wrapped the towel around his waist before carefully helping him remove the wet underwear. Normally neither of them would be shy, but considering the recent events, she wanted him to be comfortable even when it was just them.

“I’ll get you something dry to wear in just a second. Is there anything else you need?”

As she turned to go fetch his clothes, she felt his arms snake around her shoulders, pulling her back. Rafayel’s weight pressed against her back, damp, fevered skin seeping through her shirt.

“Rafayel?”

“You,” he murmured against her shoulders. “Just need you…near me.”

Her heart ached and she reached up to rub his arm gently as he nuzzled his face into her neck, inhaling her scent.

“I’m not going anywhere Rafayel,” she replied, a little choked up despite herself. “Let’s go lay down.”

She pulled his arms from around her with a kiss on one wrist, then wrapped her arm around his waist to help him out to the bed.

She helped him into new boxer briefs and offered pajamas too but Rafayel shook his head.

“Too much,” he croaked. “The rubbing is uncomfortable.”

Ari nodded in understanding, knowing he was overly sensitive and probably overstimulated already.

She helped him into bed, propping him against the pillows as she made him a cup of tea with a ton of honey and lemon in it.

Rafayel sipped it gratefully, shutting his eyes briefly in relief.

It was only after she was about to jump into bed with him when she realized she was still in her filthy hunter’s gear.

“Honey, will you be okay if I take a shower really quick?” she asked.

Rafayel looked up, lips parting as his eyes wavered, but Ari quickly reassured him.

“Just enough time to rinse off. I’ll leave the door open if you need anything.”

He nodded reluctantly and she hurried to clean up as quickly as possible.

Once she was out of sight, the emotions she had been fighting to contain finally exploded. She gave herself a few minutes to cry silently under the shower, letting out all the fury and horror at what had been done to Rafayel when he was at his weakest. She would see Clara put away for a long time if she had anything to do with it. Rafayel was supposed to have been with her, getting all the best care like he deserved. Instead he had been taken advantage of, kidnapped, tied up, and molested by someone he shouldn’t have had to expect to be a threat.

Once again, Ariadne’s ability to care for Rafayel on Ebb Day had been taken away from her. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t deeply hurt and angry about it. But more so, she regretted that Rafayel had to be put through something like that, especially when he was emotionally and physically at his most vulnerable.

She wiped her tears and forced her emotions down as she turned the water off. Regardless of what had happened, she would do everything she could for Rafayel during the rest of it.

Ari hadn’t packed anything for herself considering her urgency to leave Linkon, but she’d snagged an oversized hoodie from Rafayel’s suitcase and put that on.

She saw Rafayel’s eyes soften as he saw her in it and smiled. She reached out to touch his forehead, feeling how warm he was. He moaned a little.

“I have medicine for the fever,” she said. “I know it probably won’t do much but it will be better than nothing, right?”

He acquiesced to taking the medicine and Ari took the mostly empty mug from him before finally slipping into bed.

Rafayel was on her immediately, clinging to her with all four limbs. She couldn’t help but huff a laugh, reaching up to pet his hair.

“You’re like an octopus,” she said fondly.

He nuzzled further, pressing his nose into her neck as he breathed her in. He seemed to relax almost instantly, some of the tension easing from his body. She traced her fingers gently down his back, careful not to overstimulate his overly sensitive skin. He shivered a little, but only leaned into her touch.

“I’m sorry,” he finally whispered, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

Ari frowned and reached down to tilt his chin up. “What do you mean?”

“Sorry I was too weak. Sorry I couldn’t stop her. You know I’m yours only, and I’m sorry I let her touch me—”

Ari had heard enough. She simply caught Rafayel’s lips with her own, swallowing his words. He still tasted of honey from the tea, inhaling sharply from the sudden kiss.

When she pulled back, Ariadne took his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.

“Rafayel, don’t you dare apologize,” she said firmly. “It was that…that bitch who took advantage of you when you were at your weakest. Don’t apologize for her actions.” The tears pricked in her eyes again. “I’m sorry because I wasn’t there. I will never leave you during Ebb Day again. I don’t care if the world decides to fall apart and Wanderers destroy Linkon, I will be by your side, no matter what. She knew exactly how to hurt you and I will never forgive her. I’ll make sure she’s locked up for a long time.”

Rafayel’s eyes dilated a little, his scales shimmering more prominently. Ari gently stroked his cheek, brushing her thumb across the slightly raised scales. “I love you, Rafayel. And I am so sorry this happened.”

He pulled her closer, his lips finding her cheek, kissing a tear away.

“I don’t blame you,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “But I will hold you to that…for next year.”

He winced a little, and Ari frowned. “Are you okay?”

He moaned softly, nuzzling his face down against her shoulder. “Head hurts…”

She kissed his eyelid gently and pulled him closer to her. “Just try to sleep through the worst of it, honey. I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Rafayel hummed and wrapped his arms tighter around her, pulling her flush against him. He was almost too hot, but Ari wasn’t about the push him away.

He seemed to fall asleep quickly enough though Ariadne stayed awake for a long time after, stroking his hair, listening to his breathing, grateful he was with her. She didn’t want to think about how much worse it could have gotten. She was just thankful he was safe and sound in her arms and that was all that she could ask for.

***

Rafayel woke late the next morning, almost at noon. Ariadne had expected that and had asked for a late check out when she got the room.

“Good morning.” She laced her fingers through his hair, checking his temperature, and was happy to see the fever had indeed dissipated. “How are you feeling?”

“Mmm, tired, a little sore, but…mostly just my throat hurts.”

“How bad is it?” Ari asked.

Rafayel shrugged. “It will heal. Using my song always takes a toll, but it’s not permanent. Just like…a really bad sore throat.”

Ari frowned at how rough his voice sounded, but finally pulled away. “If you’re feeling up to it, we can drive back to Linkon. If not, I can ask for another night here.”

Rafayel shook his head and sat up slowly. “I want to go home.”

She nodded. She couldn’t disagree with that sentiment.

They had a quick breakfast in the room, then drove back to Linkon. By the time they got back to Rafayel’s house in Whitesand Bay, he was exhausted again and collapsed on the couch as soon as they got inside.

“Are you sure you don’t want to lay in your bed?” Ari asked him.

“Later,” Rafayel replied tiredly, arm over his eyes to shield them from the afternoon light. “Just wanna stay here for now.”

“Can I get you anything.”

He reached out and snagged her sleeve, pulling her toward him until she was lying on top of him.

“This is good,” he murmured into her hair.

Ariadne resigned herself to napping with him for the rest of the afternoon and had to admit that it wasn’t a bad idea at all.

***

The next day, Thomas coaxed Rafayel to do the interview with the police and the detective Ari had seen briefly at Clara’s place that day, came to Rafayel’s studio and spoke to him about the incident.

Ari sat there at Rafayel’s side, listening to him tell the story, slowly and quietly. She let him hold her hand when he was having trouble getting the words out, but the detective was patient and didn’t push him more than he needed to for clarification. She was more on edge hearing about the details than Rafayel was telling them.

Before the detective wrapped up the interview, he asked, “Mr. Rafayel, Miss Heartfield has continuously insisted that you’re part of the Lemurian race and that gave her the right to ‘capture’ you in some sort of forced marriage. Do you have any idea why she would think that?”

Ariadne stayed silent, hoping she wasn’t showing any tells, but Rafayel stayed completely calm, shrugging, as his brows drew together in confusion. “I was just as confused as you are detective. I only know a little about Lemuria from the news and all that. I guess she thought my artistic ability made me something I’m not. I just feel inspired by the sea, so I paint it a lot.”

The detective nodded and closed his notebook, standing up. “Thank you, Mr. Rafayel. As of now, that is all. The fact you pressed charges is really all we need. The girl appears to be clinically insane.”

“I hope she’ll be able to get the help she needs,” Rafayel said quietly, shaking the detective’s hand before showing him out.

As soon as he left, Rafayel collapsed into Ari’s lap on the couch, seeming completely drained.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

He nodded against her stomach, nuzzling closer. Ari petted his hair. “Do you want to talk about it at all?”

“No,” he replied. “I don’t want to think about it again.”

“Then let’s not,” Ari said decisively as she shifted on the couch to a more comfortable position, letting Rafayel settle against her. She reached for a book on the coffee table. “Let me read to you. We can just take it easy today.”

Before she knew it, she had dozed off. Rafayel’s warm weight on top of her was like instant comfort. She woke late in the afternoon, chilled and without her Lemurian body pillow.

She yawned and looked around for him.

“Rafayel?”

She sat up, figuring she would start getting something ready for dinner. He had to be hungry.

Her phone rang and she sat up, hurriedly answering it. It was the detective from earlier, letting her know that Clara had officially been sentenced and had pled insanity. Ari didn’t feel the best about that. She would have rather had the woman behind bars than in a psychiatric hospital, but she supposed it was better than nothing.

She thanked the detective, then went to search the dimly lit house for Rafayel.

She finally found him in his bedroom. The light from the setting sun cast a firelike glow through the room. Rafayel sat on the floor next to a wooden chest that looked like it had seen better days. He was turned away from her, bent over something in his lap.

“Rafayel?”

Ari stepped quietly over to him and knelt at his side, sliding a comforting hand down his back.

Rafayel didn’t look up. He seemed fixed on a small book that sat in his lap, flipping through the worn pages. She could recognize his flowery handwriting on the pages. Some of the entries had been struck out, while others remained untouched.

“What are you looking at, honey?”

“I kept a record of all of them,” Rafayel said quietly, pausing on one page. His finger slid over a name that was crossed out but Ari could still make out “Christopher Heartfield” underneath it. She couldn’t help the shiver that went through her body at the sight.

“You kept a hit list,” she said carefully.

He huffed wryly. “Yeah. I did. It started out that way, anyway. But…it was just something for me to obsess over. I don’t like who I was back then and I don’t want to go back to that. I was just…drifting. Consumed by revenge.”

She remained silent, letting him sift through his thoughts as he flipped to the back of the book where there was a new list.

“And then I found my anchor.” He smiled briefly up at her. “And she made me see all the brilliant colors in this world again, not just red. So I stopped writing down the people I wanted to kill and started writing down the ones I wanted to remember.”

Ari bent over his shoulder, reading through the names that were accompanied by little descriptions, or surviving family members.

“These are all Lemurians?” she asked.

He nodded. “Everyone we lost to EVER. It’s more important that they’re remembered than our enemies who deserve to be forgotten.” He slid his long fingers lovingly over a duo of names, before he closed the book. “I don’t regret what I did and I never will, but I don’t want that to be my people’s legacy.”

Ari wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder. “It won’t be. All the Lemurian’s I’ve ever met don’t seem to let that define them. They always seem to live life to the fullest.”

Rafayel smiled softly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.”

“But they wouldn’t be able to without what you’ve done for them,” she continued. She leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I will never think less of you for doing whatever you had to to protect your people, Rafayel. Never stop being you.”

He let out a shuddering breath and turned around enough to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her into his lap. She was slightly surprised when he burrowed his face in her neck, hugging her close until she could almost not breathe.

“Rafayel?” she asked softly.

“Thank you…for loving every color of me.”

"It was tiring, but good, I need a nap," Rafayel fell into your embrace quite happily. He did seem more tired than usual, which made you chuckle softly. You felt Rafayel nuzzle your neck and take a deep breath in, then you felt him exhale softly when you ran your fingers through his purple hair to fix his displaced glasses.

"Good job today," you cooed soothingly.

It was only when you brushed the side of his forehead did you realise he was burning up.

"Wha-?! Rafayel-!!" You jumped back almost immediately, cupping his warm cheeks with your cool hands.

With his secret discovered, Rafayel groaned, his heated hands wrapping around yours, keeping them on his hot flush.

"Oh, Cutie," Rafayel gasped. Through his glasses, his half lidded gaze kept you locked in place. He wasn't meeting your eyes, but staring intently at your lips. You watched as he licked his own, tongue slowly sliding out and leaving a glistening trail behind.

"I just... need a nap," he whispered. His eyes fluttered closed and he forced a small smile despite his exhaustion.

"Wait, what day is it today?" Your eyes widened with realisation. You pulled your hands away, leaving Rafayel whining at the loss of your soothing hands on him. Ducking away, you crossed to the kitchen.

"Hey... don't leave me," Rafayel murmured weakly, his hand reaching out and missing yours. You felt bad, but you had to gather the supplies quickly to nurse him through his heat.

"Why did you still teach if you knew it was Ebb day?" You chided, pulling out an ice compress from the fridge and some chilled water.

"Cutie, put those down," Rafayel's voice was rough. When you turned to look at him, you could see that even the tips of his ears were red. His chest rose and fell, "please," he whispered.

"We need to sit you down. How bad is it right now? You really need to cool down," you blabbered, kicking yourself for forgetting the date. Rafayel always tracked your periods with accuracy, yet you let his only vulnerable day of the year slip past you.

Pressing the cool water bottle against his cheek, you told him to hold it there as your hands started to shimmy his coat off. "This isn't good, we need-"

Rafayel cut you off when he pressed his lips against yours. The plastic bottle in his hand dropped to the floor and rolled away as Rafayel pushed his body close to yours. He pressed himself against you, his knee sliding discreetly between your legs and parting them. The small gesture sent a gentle pulse throughout your lower belly. When your hands froze from shock, he enveloped them with his own and urged your hands to undress him faster.

"It's too late to cool me down," Rafayel said, "I only need one thing right now." He was panting as he pulled away. There was a second where your heated gazes locked before another needy kiss was initiated.

The kiss was full of heat and desire. Rafayel pushed his tongue out, teasing yours. Your hot breaths mingled as he devoured you, capturing your lips again and again. Your bodies were tangled in a tight knot, and you felt his hands spread wide across your back, tracing the curve of your spine.

He was hot. Almost scalding against you, but you found yourself wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him closer. His tongue snaked into your mouth to explore. You felt the sharp, yet delicate scales on his cheek graze you, chaffing your skin but you pressed closer still.

Rafayel groaned and pulled away for air, and you opened your eyes just in time to see him reach up and swipe his glasses off before meeting you desperately again.

You moaned into him, exhaling through your nose as your stomach tingled. His desire was quickly filling you up and your body responded delightfully to it.

"Raf-" Between the messy lip locking and the wet noises, you tried to call him, but each time he cut you off with another kiss. It was like he was drowning and you were his oxygen.

Your demanding professor hooked his arm under your legs and lifted you onto the kitchen counter.

"Rafayel-" you called again, hands coming up.

"No, please don't push me away right now," Rafayel begged when he felt your hands on his chest. "I need you."

You opened your mouth to disagree, but Rafayel shook his head, "I don't need to cool down; I need you," he repeated, his chest heaving as he spoke. His half open eyes were pleading with you as he closed the gap and began to rain kisses upon you again.

His pleading eyes and desperate words were enough to convince you, but you still didn't miss the way his jaw was clenched and his knuckles were white and quivering.

"It's okay," your hands were in his hair again. "You can have me," you rubbed his blushing ears with a gentle smile.

Despite your words, his body remained tense until you leaned in and kissed him first. The uncertainty in Rafayel's eyes faded almost immediately as he closed them.

You kissed until your lips were plump and swollen, and you were forced to pull away for air. Rafayel didn't stop. His lips slowly travelled south, tongue tasting your neck and collarbones as he descended. His hands were busy with the hem of your shirt, impatiently undressing you.

"It might be hard for you to walk tomorrow." Rafayel uttered into your skin which was now just as flushed as his.

"But you'll understand, won't you?" His fingers brushed against your ticklish inner thighs, making you gasp. "Since today is Ebb day." Rafayel sunk his teeth into your neck, making his first mark of the night.

You cried out, drawing Rafayel's body closer to yours, letting him settle flush in the gap between your legs. You nodded your response to him, understanding that at this point, his feverish state could only be quelled with your body, not a bottle of water.

"You can do whatever you want with me," you affirmed.

Your reply vanquished any thread of self control remaining in Rafayel. Loosening his tie, you helped him remove the layers until you were skin on skin.

He sought another greedy kiss, before lifting you up and heading to your shared bedroom. As the evening air slowly grew cold, the two of you remained hotly entwined, the embers of your passion nursed gently by Ebb day's intimate guidance.

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