Roswell Fanatics

Okay, my computer is acting funky, and I blame it on the messed up phone lines screwing up my internet connection.

Bleh.

Good thing I had this chapter handwritten, though it's very rough and unbeta'd, and the final part I was going to post has disappeared under mysterious circumstances and I can't find it. Grr....


So it is up to me to type this in....I miss my whole copy/paste the chapters, *sigh*.

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Chapter 19

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Any alien or hybrid of any status or ability to sense power knew when King Zan made his re-emegence. Zan had always been powerful, and the past few weeks it had only grown, but now it was wild and undeniably alien, there was no holding back or dampening it to respective levels. The first power surge alone was enough to make even the weakest hybrid to snap, crackle, and pop.

Lights flickered and the taint of ozone littered the air while the music masked the chime of broken glass and filament.

The aliens the humans came with hurried their friends to the dubious saftety of the outdoors as the bouncers discreetely warped the humans to leave while making sure this memory was nothing but a hazy dream. No one wanted to be caught in the tsunami that the stillness foretold.

Liz jerked her mouth away from Dakota's during the panic, sloughing off the bouncers' 'suggestion' like it wasn't there, and turning her gaze in the direction of an oh-so-familiar power.

"This can not be good," Dakota commented, frowning. He had been so close with...

"Liz?"

The compelling brunette was still in his arms, but a slight trembling betrayed her. She appeared to be waiting for something...or someone. Dakota began to get a bad feeling, but he wasn't going to leave his newest acquisition behind to whatever fate was in store for those who stayed.

"Liz," he repeated, shaking her slightly, but she was already pulling away, both literally and figuratively.

~~~~

What an unusual feeling, Liz thought, as her body responded to a Call that she had no control over. It was like she was aware of her body and all around her, but had no control.

Someone was Calling to her, someone that touched something similiar deep within her, a part that she had been denying for a very long time.

That something wasn't content to be bound anymore.

~~~~

"We have to leave now Elizabeth," Dakota urged desperately.

He could feel the swell of power approaching, and knew his pawn had failed. So close!

"Elizabeth!"

He held back any sign of surprise as she turned gold touched eyes narrowed upon him in anger. Even now he could see the black dialating to fill her eyes. She was closer to fully Changing than anticipated.

"No," he shook his head, knowing she wanted to wait.

"Sadalau. (Let go,)" she stated carefully.

This times Dakota's eyes widened just a tiny bit. She was speaking in Antarian, a feat in itself for a former human not quite Changed. But it wasn't your everday marketplace Antarian. Her dialect and speech pattern was that of the Royals, though she had the barest trace of the accent the soldiers had adopted.

"Not now, you must come with me," he tried again, but she was unmoving.

Desperate to not lose what he had just found, Dakota reached to that passive bond he'd forged with Liz, commanding her obedience.

"Tor ri el'tanarau estoy! (Do not manipulate me!)" her eyes were completely swallowed by the black and her skin seemed to glitter with the stirring of her own power as lust gave way to anger.

"Elizabeth-"

"Hasau! (Angel!)"

Dakota and Liz both looked up at the sharp call.

"Zan," Liz purred on a sigh.

~~~~

~~~

Chapter 20

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Zan’s eyes lit with a pleased but feral smile as he met Liz’s heated gaze.

“Hasau, (Angel)” he acknowledged in a husky purr to match hers. That warm gaze frosted as he sighted the unmated male still holding onto his mate.

“Don’t touch her,” he snarled just before he released the energy coursing in his fingers to send Cole into the nearest wall with satisfactory crunch.

He came down the stairs, his movements more predatory and graceful. A dangerous mix of seduction and violence roiled into a smooth play of muscle under skin.

Liz was enraptured and Zan preened slightly under her regard, but a certain issue had to be addressed before he went about the business of making her his own.

“You come into my business, abuse my hospitality by mind warping my family into leaving my Angel unguarded, and try to seduce her away from me,” Zan growled, eyes narrowing on the proud man standing before him.

“Zan’Ridd’ick,” Dakota bit the name off as he recognized exactly who he was dealing with.

“Dak’ota’Cole,” Zan answered in kind, the mark of the King pulsing softly upon his brow. He knew the blast was coming, he just hadn’t expected it soon and so close, but his shield sent the ball of energy away from him and Liz.

Dakota used the distraction to get away from the wall, and found himself circling the two warily, but he did not leave. He caught a glance of Liz twisting her head in interest to keep him in sight before Zan sent another blast of bronzed focused energy his way. He raised an arm to defend himself and just barely managed to keep the deadly blast from touching him but it was so close he could feel the heat of the opposing energies singe his skin.

He’s stronger than a hybrid has any right to be, Dak thought in surprise. If he himself hadn’t been full blooded, he wouldn’t have held that last attack back.

“Elizabeth, let us leave shall we? Away from this very upset man?” he asked, keeping Zan in focus.

“Really?” Liz cocked her head, eyeing Dakota with hungry eyes, her heat once again pushing for her to find a mate and finish what it started. He saw the darkening of Zan’Ridd’ick’s eyes as the black pupil completely swallowed any other color and he was preparing for another attack.

“Sure thang, Elizabeth.” Zan sneered. “Leave wit da alien dat’s been messin’ wit ya mind an’ taking advantage of ya’s heat when ya’s vulnerable to suggestion.”

“What?” Liz, the Liz that was Liz and not thinking about jumping either of these men, managed to break though. And she was indignant, echoed by the alien side. She, Liz, chose her mate, not being forced through someone else’s will.

“And how is letting her have a choice in the matter taking advantage of her?” Dakota countered, trading a few more blasts with Zan and sending a telekinetic push at some tables and chairs that had Zan batting them right back at him, forcing himself to shield once again.

He’d known that the New York duplicates had been more in tune with their natural ‘alien’ sides, but this was ridiculous as he winced while fighting off another attack. Zan’Ridd’ick wasn’t even putting up a sweat and there was no way he should be this strong. Not for being half human, not even for being just less than half human.

“Really?” Zan cocked an eyebrow and the corner of his lip curled upward in a smile. He kept one eye on his rival and the other on his girl. “So your definition of giving her a choice is using ya man to boost ya powers by tapping inta Ava’s had nothin’ ta do wit it? Or da fact that when she wanted to stay ya tried to force her to leave wit ya.”

Bingo.

If there was one thing he’d learned in the weeks living with Liz was that she was in no uncertain terms against being forced to do something she didn’t want to. What with what Ava’s dupe did to her friend Alex and her other friends, she had a special hatred for that particular power. He could see and feel Liz break the weak connection between her and the stupid Crown Prince and level the royal twit with a glare that would have turned a lesser man to dust.

She looked pissed as she growled out softly, “Ya been mind warping me?”

The only warning Dakota received was the sudden glazing of Liz’s eyes from the gold of arousal to the black of fury and she attacked. Pale greenish white bolts like electricity flashed from her fingers and sought him, hissing and crackling over his shield in an attempt to get to him.

Yelping as he now had to defend himself on two fronts, he inhaled the ozone charged air, and debated how he was going to get out of this one. Elizabeth was now pissed and Zan’Ridd’ick wasn’t going to let him get away with having partially bonded with his intended katelau.

In an act of desperation, Dakota sent a powerful blast at Liz, breaking the ball of energy into a spreading wave just before it reached her to throw her off. He hadn’t meant to try and hurt her, but he was more interested in surviving, and Liz had proven that she had had some sort of training with Zan’Ridd’ick’s general.

Liz yipped in pain and anger, the weakened blast still singing and scoring her, throwing her into the DJ controls, setting off sparks and mini explosions that hurt worse than Dakota’s attack.

“Ya dead!” Zan’Ridd’ick howled in fury, his mate’s pain and shrieks filling his mind and ears. The seal of the King on his forehead changed from soft blue to a fiery red, and his whole body was bronzed, almost leathery looking like a reptiles.

Power like Dakota had never felt sizzled through the air and suddenly he couldn’t breathe, it felt like his lungs were on fire, melting, and he opened his mouth to scream but invisible flame shot out instead. The pain was intense and he managed one garbled choking sound before his body burst into flame.

~~~

Zan’Ridd’ick stared coldly down at the charred remains, the flames reflecting dully on the black iris that still swallowed the entire eye, and he bared his teeth in a silent snarl.

His attention did not rest long on the fallen enemy but shifted to where his mate lay twitching on the floor. Immediately he was by her side, gently probing with hand and mind alike, careful not to agitate her further.

“Angel? Liz?” he prompted, hand caressing her face but lingering just that fraction away to keep from touching.

She hissed weakly in pain, the surge of electricity having caught her back unawares, burning into her unprotected back, and the shield that had held the damaging alien blast at bay also hindered her escape from the live wires. Blood trailed from the corners of her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Her hair was frizzed and there were blisters along her back.

“Zan,” she forced her mouth to work, and he could see how much it cost her to get that much.

“Shh,” he crooned. Murmuring words of comfort and love, Zan reached deep within their connection and numbed her to the pain, gently reaching down to cradle her against his chest.

“Kill them. Kill them all,” he commanded, and then he and his precious cargo disappeared in a pulse of bronze light.

“As my king commands,” Rathard answered, golden eyes glinting dully as they shifted to matte black, turning their darkened gaze on the prisoners quivering with fear.

Vilandra and Avarina stood guard, Kayleb and the other two who had formed a foursquare of power that had trapped them all in the warp that their now dead master had initiated.

“Da Man said ta kill ‘em, but dat don’t mean we’s can’t have a bit of fun, does it?” Avarina asked with a nasty glare in Kayleb’s direction. She took great delight in seeing his already pale face whiten further.

“As long as they die tonight we shall have no problems. In fact,” Vilandra paused, allowing a wicked smile that didn’t reach her eyes cross her lips. “In fact, I believe my brother King would approve.”

Kayleb couldn’t even moan – his punishment from the siblings and the princess had robbed him of any speech – and he suddenly knew he would not last the night. His only thought before he passed out was at least he couldn’t feel the pain any more.

~~~


Author’s Note:

Okay, it’s been entirely too long since I updated, and I apologize. Things at work have been getting hectic and my eldest brother is getting married and I’m a bridesmaid! So a lot of spare time is geared toward that, lol.

Just so you know, this chapter kinda wrote itself, I hadn’t intended for Dakota to die – not then and not in that way, lol – but….* shrugs * well there you go. I’ve been sneaking in little blurbs of this on receipt paper when I’m at work, working on this, so it took a while to find and put together all the little scenes I’d written, lol.

Anyway, the usual disclaimer, if you can recognize it, it’s not mine. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully we’ll start wrapping this up. About another four or five chapters and then we’re finished I believe. Thanks for sticking with me so far!

A/N: okay, sorry I missed the update deadline I set, but some unexpected things for the wedding arose and I didn’t get to type it out. Then when I did sit down to type, this chapter just kept coming and coming and I was like, eleven pages on word, have to stop! But it kept coming, I couldn’t find a good place to stop, lol.

So please, enjoy this extra long chapter.

Oh! Before I forget, this chapter is definately Mature so you been warned. Disclaimer, you'll have to see first post.



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Chapter 21

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A burst of metallic bronzed light and Zan appeared in his room, a special cargo in his arms.

“Shh…it’s gonna be okay, Angel,” he soothed the injured female in his embrace. One free hand waved to dim the lights to a more acceptable level, the King aware that she would probably not be able to handle anything too bright.

“Hurts,” Liz winced, trying not to inhale the remnants of blood back in her nose. Bad enough she could still taste it…but to have to smell it just brought back a whole range of memories she had not intention of reliving.

“I knows, baby, we’s gonna fix ya up.”

Gently, Zan set his precious bundle belly down on his bed while running his hands and eyes on over the damage on her back. Despite the pain, Liz was curious, having never been in Zan’s bedroom despite a mere door separating their respective rooms. Besides, looking around kept her mind off the pain, and coincidently, the warm hands and feelings associated with those hands running over her most tender parts.

An aggressive red and black motif was the theme for Zan’s room, the walls a startling scarlet while the plush carpet was a deep black making the little color in the room stand out that much further. The dressers were a shiny lacquered black while the red satin comforter she rested upon had either Japanese or Chinese characters embroidered in black or gold thread.

In the far left corner was a changing screen, the wood stained a lighter black than the carpet, and the screen itself was an interesting display of cranes, lions, tigers, and tigers as a border surrounding a large red and gold Eastern Oriental Dragon whose length spanned all three of the partitions set against a black background that made the bright greens, reds, oranges, whites, gold, and royal blues stood out all the more.

Liz could sense another room through the wall behind her, and sure enough, like her own room the large bathroom held a walk in closet and a whirlpool tub, plus a shower big enough for two. There were two nightstands on either side of the huge, king sized bed that matched the single dresser in the main room, each a single unit sporting three good sized drawers and a touch lamp on top.

Looking closely, Liz tried not to laugh as the twin Oriental dragons threw their heads back in a grimace while the light bulb was held in their jaws, with a miniature paper lamp used as a cover. The entire statue/lamp glowed from the bulb within, the light casting shadows on the paper.

The main lighting was built into ceiling and an entertainment system in black marble held a big screen TV, stereo, CD, and DVD player. The glass doors revealed CDs and DVDs both, plus what looked like a gaming console that might have been the latest X-box™ or Game Cube™ or whatever.

Personally, Liz had really quit paying attention after regular Nintendo™ and the Super Nintendo™ consoles became obsolete. Though she did dabble in the Play Stations, she missed the simplicity of the games and controllers of the original incarnations.

All in all, it was a very masculine room yet exciting and the bamboo, calla and cana lily plants strategically placed gave it a dash of the exotic.

“Ow!” Liz yipped; her attention to the finer details derailed as Zan touched a sensitive area. Just like that, the pain came rushing back.

She could feel her skin start to blister and peel and there was a constant burning sensation, as if the electricity were still sparking her.

“Sorry,” Zan murmured and Liz closed her eyes to the nauseous feeling that threatened to make her hurl all over Zan’s very nice bedspread.

It was a really nice bedspread.

“Iz gonna have ta takes ya clothes off ta heal ya’s,” Zan went on, his deep voice cracking with pent up emotions tickling the back of her neck and Liz shuddered, but this time it wasn’t from her injuries.

“Bull, you’re just trying to cop a feel,” Liz teased, unable to help the smile on her face or the sugar in her voice.

“Ya knows it, Angel,” Zan’s low chuckle, so close to her ear, sent chills of pleasure amidst her pain and down her spine to rest in a tingling ball at her lower center.

“Dis is prolly gonna hurt,” he warned just before he used his powers to fade her clothes, boots, and accessories away.

She was bared completely to him and with the link they still shared it was more than just physically.

“Easy,” Zan murmured, his touch light, but still she shivered. He swore in fluent English and Antarian, as well as spates of Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. Enormous welts and blisters covered her back, rear, and thighs almost to the back of her knees from the electrical discharge.

“Iz so sorry, Angel baby,” he crooned gently, searching deep within and finding that Other half of his soul. Calling up the power was no hardship; it seemed to leap from the center of his being straight to his hands and out his fingertips into the waiting Liz.

Right before his eyes, the welts, bruises, and blisters faded away as the softly pulsing light healed her body. But Zan didn’t stop at the cosmetics, he worked carefully and slowly, making sure even the nerves, muscles, bones, and ligaments got their fair share of attention. Once he covered her backside, he carefully lifted her off her stomach and turned her around so she faced him on her back to check if her front might have been hit as well.

Liz knew she should feel embarrassed that she was so exposed and vulnerable to this man, but oddly enough, she felt only calm and pleasantly relaxed as Zan’s hands worked their magic to heal her.

She gave a soft sigh, eyes closed, enjoying the feel of warm, calloused hands running along the sides of her hips and legs She couldn’t help the startled, yet pleased, yip as his hands brushed against her waist and ribs. Being extremely ticklish and extra sensitive in those areas, her eyes snapped open to meet Zan’s startled ones, as her body unconsciously arched into his touch.

She couldn’t stop the smile that darted across her lips at his expression, almost panicked, his face so close and yet so far away quite all of a sudden.

She’d have to do something about that.

Slowly, purposefully, she reached a hand to lightly brush across the stubble on his cheek, giving him time to stop her or say no, should he wish to.

A combination of sigh, growl, and choked moan crossed his lips bearing her name, “Liz,” as he turned to lay a barely-there-kiss upon her palm. A thrill of awareness spiraled through her, feelings she’d tried desperately to repress, but unable to thwart.

“I’d thought Iz almost lost ya,” the King whispered against her palm.

His warm breath and words sent tingles courtesy of her wicked appendage, but not for anything was she moving it either. The pain and weariness in his voice at the double edged meaning were her undoing.

“Never,” she vehemently denied, suddenly touched that this tough-ass man could be so affected by the thought of her not in his life anymore.

Zan gave a sudden shudder and his head dipped along her arm even as his body sagged against her and the bed, pressing her deeper onto the coverlet.

“I was so afraid,” he murmured against her skin, nuzzling a trail down her arm and over her shoulder, inhaling her scent, and placing feather light kisses along the way.

Instinctively, Liz wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her legs to allow him to settle in between, legs arched and supporting both their weights, seeking the intimacy of comfort both given and received.

“Shh…I’m better, you see? You saved me,” she soothed, running her fingers through the gloriously long spikes of his hair, not caring that she was messing up nearly a half an hour’s worth of work to tame the strands without the aid of alien mojo. She was pleasantly surprised and fascinated to discover they were so soft to the touch…she’d figured the gel or mousse would have made them stiff to the touch.

Zan’s breath caught in his throat – his neck and hair were always his special spots – and Liz was suddenly amused to hear the deep noise vibrating his whole body pressed against her front.

“Are you purring?” she laughed, continuing her massage in his hair.

“Hmm…” he replied noncommittally, moving his head to the crook of her neck.

“Zan,” Liz reprimand, the smile on her voice having eased itself into her eyes and voice as well.

“What?”

Zan raised his head, her clever fingers sliding through his hair, and his nose brushing past her lips made Liz suddenly aware of their close positions, as she came face to face with a pair of startling amber orbs.

She parted her lips but words seemed to fail her, and she couldn’t even think of what to say even if she could. She just gazed at him and took a deep, shuddering breath as the tops of her breasts came into contact with the softened leather of his jerkin. The foreign sensation left her in a muddled haze.

Zan’s eyes met hers and they lightened considerably, focusing in on those lips, still slightly parted and it was too much. Just shifted forward barely even a few millimeters and then sweet contact.

The barest brushing of lips, but her mouth opened further and needing no further invitation, Zan applied more pressure, giving a real kiss. It was incredibly gentle yet conveyed a need. A need that fell upon the both of them with great urgency as reaction set in to the events of the day, and Liz’s heat burst forth.

Hands that had rested upon his neck now slid up into his hair, grabbing fistfuls of the spikes and clutched him closer, while his own traveled up her ribs to gently cup one side of her face while the other braced and held his weight just over her head.

Zan groaned as he pulled back enough for much needed air before descending again, this time his tongue flicking out to tease that damned bottom lip, which to his delight parted for him and he eagerly slipped it inside to mate with her own. She made a pleased sounding noise, and he could feel/hear her shocked surprise as she came in contact with metal of his tongue ring and he grinned wickedly against her mouth.

Liz breathed in a deep lungful of air as Zan once again pulled away and she gave a little shriek of frustration that turned to pleasure as he grasped her head in his hands, holding her still while he turned his head and rubbed the blunt edge of his chin spike up and down the sensitive curve where her neck and the underside of her jaw met. Her hands spasmed almost against her will, clutching onto his shoulders, while the scratchy burn of the stubble on his jaw joined the blunt spike. It was an enjoyable torment, her eyes lolling backwards in pure ecstasy and her soft mews a testament to his prowess.

“Likes dat, don’tcha,” he smirked, the tip of his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth, popping his ring out to play.

“Oh, yes,” Liz’s eyes widened, fascinated, and knowing where her attention was at, with a movement of his tongue he sent the tiger eyed ball rolling across his lips.

Since Zan still held her head steady, she moved her left hand to tangle in his hair and used the other to balance as she urged his own head down while raising her upper body slightly to meet his. Getting the hint, Zan loosened his hold enough to rejoin his exploration of the delicate mouth underneath his.

But Liz was after something, and she wouldn’t be denied, growling into his mouth and seeking his tongue out first, drawing it into her own where she purposely bit down and soothed it with languorous strokes while she played with the bar and ball on his ring.

Zan nearly choked as she did this, but not because it hurt, but because he was so turned on. He knew that she now craved the taste and feel of the metal in his mouth and reluctantly he pulled away again.

“Zan!” she mewed, stretching his name out in a plea.

“Patience, baby,” he grinned, lifting his upper body off her own. He smiled as she growled but laid back, her hands never leaving his shoulders.

Moving slowly, watching her watch him, Zan smirked as his hand rose to undo the laces on his leather jerkin, the movement causing his knuckle to brush slightly against her rib and her to shudder.

“Soon, Angel,” he promised, working to remove the garment until his chest was as bare as hers. He let her take in her fill, watching her eyes track over muscle and ink, and carefully, her right hand left his shoulder to reach for his nipple ring. He hissed in pleasure pain as her thumb grazed over the half circle hoop that resembled the Greek symbol Omega, playing with the heavy silver beads on either side.

“Huh,” she murmured, her gaze never straying from the small piece of pewter that held her attention. Purposefully, she flicked it again; a pleased, feminine smile curving her lips as he once again hissed and unintentionally thrust his hips forward in response.

So she wanted to play dirty huh?

He was more than happy to show her that she was dealing with da Man.

Liz’s only warning was the suddenly flare of gold in those amber eyes before he attacked. She shrieked as he grabbed her both her wrists and wrenched them above her head, being careful not to be too rough. Yet at the same time, she could feel the power and strength in those muscles as they easily held her arms above her.

Zan made sure he hovered just above her, not quite touching chest to chest, but enough that she could feel the heat of his body as he pressed against hers.

“Ya wants ta play, hmm? Ya dealing wit Da Man now, Angel,” he laughed, clearly enjoying this.

“What man?” she scoffed, eyes twinkling even as Zan’s suddenly darkened.

“Dis man,” he grinned wickedly and then his head descended. Liz gasped and tried to move as Zan’s mouth closed over her right breast, but he held her firmly, as his mouth and tongue bit and suckled her for all she was worth.

Her legs tightened around him even as she strained to move, but Zan merely hummed, the vibrations nearly sending her over the edge as it was. Liz didn’t even know she had closed her eyes until the sudden cold hit her wet body part but that didn’t last as Zan gave the other breast equal attention.

She couldn’t believe she had been reduced to a whimpering and pleading figure, completely and utterly helpless to the whim of the man holding her down so easily. There was literally nothing she could do to force him to let her go, or that he’d even listen. The thing that grated her inner feminist the most was that she was actually quite content with that.

“Zan!” she panted when she could.

“Who’s da Man?” Zan canted his head to the side, eyeing the flush face of the woman beneath him, a blush that he was pleased to know he put there.

Liz growled and lifted her chin slightly in challenge and Zan’s heart soared. He didn’t need a link to know that Elizabeth Parker was not going to go down without a fight. He tightened his hold as she flexed her wrists and arms, testing him even as her legs started to move on either side of him.

“Who’s da Man?” he repeated, eyes narrowing in anticipation of the struggle to come.

“Hmm…no one I know,” she teased, pretending ignorance. Her right leg came to twine with his, and she slowly ran it up and down his calves and thigh, bringing her leg up as far as it could go before uncurling in a sensual stretch down his leg. Her left leg anchored her by curving over his, and pressing against his front.

“Damn,” Zan arched his back and twitched at the sensations. He narrowed his eyes at her pleased look. Releasing one hand to hold her wrists, he used his other to halt her leg’s movement.

“Iz only gonna ask ya once again. Who’s da Man?”

“You’ll have to show me,” Liz taunted, looking up at him with defiance and Zan chuckled nastily. He leaned down, never releasing either holds on her, and made sure every piece of skin he could touch did.

“Dat is what I intends ta do,” he promised in her ear and she shuddered. “But first, Iz got ta teaches ya about doing what I say.”

“Really?” Liz drawled out and Zan hid a smile.

“Rule Number One: no talking unless I tells ya otherwise.”

“What if I need to scream your name?” she asked innocently and he groaned as her hips rose and rubbed her naked center against his leather clad one.

“Damn, vixen,” he snarled. With another rough movement, he released her leg and grabbed something from the pillows behind them. Liz didn’t realize the danger until it was too late, and by then, Zan had already shackled her to the headboard.

“What the...?”

Liz twisted around and stared with her mouth dropped in an ‘o’ sat the honest to God shackles holding her captive. The mound of pillows and the black paint blending it into the rest of the headboard had done their job of camouflaging the chains. No amount of twisting or tugging or currents of power was unlatching them. Liz found herself thankful they were slightly padded, her wrists were rubbed enough.

Amusement and laughter from Zan’s presence in her mind had her twisting back to glare at the man in question, who was casually leaning on one elbow looking down at her with a smirk.

“Now then…” he grinned, stroking his free hand down her sides in a mocking caress. “Where were we?”

“You were going to release me,” Liz eyes spat ire but Zan shook his head.

“Later,” he promised with a suggestive huskiness. Liz had a feeling he wasn’t talking about taking unshackling her wrists either. “Ah, yes. Rule number one.”

Liz opened her mouth to speak but Zan’s hand was suddenly upon her mouth, and he was leaning over her until their noses almost touched.

“Ya had a freebie once; not again,” he warned in a voice suddenly harsh and unyielding.

Liz fought the rush of excitement and adrenaline flowing through her at that dangerous voice. One part of her was anxious to test just how serious Zan was, but another, baser half of her warned her to follow along.

“Rule Number One: No talking. Unless I tells ya dat ya cans.” Zan waited to see if Liz was going to protest further but she merely watched him with wary and excited eyes.

This could be fun.

“Rule Number Two…” he drawled out as he slowly took his hand away from her mouth. A slight imprint was upon her lower jaw from where he’d slapped his hand over it to silence her before she could protest.

“Number two is ya do what I says, when I says, no arguin’. Break these two rules and I’ll have to punish ya, capishe?”

Liz nodded, drawing in a deep breath and biting her lower lip, but otherwise silent and holding his gaze. She was watchful but ready; he could smell her arousal over the tang of her fear and uncertainty. Yet she was determined and willing to face that unknown.

“Ha’su,” he murmured his nickname for her in Antarian and her eyes darkened, starburst iris’ briefly flashing.

“Iz gonna touch ya’s now,” he informed her, hands gliding over smooth, toned skin and feeling his own excitement rising in time with the scent of her heat. “Gotta feel how’s wet ya’s are.”

Liz arched her back as his searching fingers brushed against her tight curls and teased her inner thighs with light caresses. Because he was still between her legs she couldn’t close them, not that she would have. Zan’s warning to her still fresh in her mind, she could only endure this amazing death by erotica.

“Da-amn,” Zan growled, pleased to feel the sopping wetness of her center, thrilled with male pride he was the one to bring her to this point. “Someone’s excited to see me,” he smirked.

Liz growled but was otherwise silent, until one digit plunged into her, and she couldn’t hold back the shriek, or the bucking of her hips as she found his rhythm. Her arms bowed as they strained against their shackles, but she didn’t notice, as the pain mingled with the intense pleasure she was experiencing.

“Easy, easy, there ya go,” he coached, smirking at her response and happy with how quickly she was catching on. Gradually, he worked two and then three digits in her, pumping her, teasing her, bringing her almost to that wonderful edge and then suddenly pulling and easing back just before she took that plunge.

~Zan!~ she startled him by connecting with their minds. His eyes snapped up to hers quickly, but her eyes were closed, and he could see her struggling not to cry out. She probably didn’t even know she was calling to him.

Figuring she was wet enough, he slowed down, and then gently pulled out, licking the musky slickness off his fingers and savoring the taste.

~That’s kind of gross~ her mental comment had him chuckling, and he turned to see her eyes upon him and her nose crinkled adorably as she watched him bathe his finger. Or more accurately, she watched his tongue, and sighed as she caught sight of his tongue ring.

“So ya has a thing fer my tongue piercin’ huh?” he sniggered, finding the whole thing very amusing.

Unsure if he wanted her to answer verbally or not, Liz just nodded in response. Zan’s smile grew wider and he shifted so he was lower between her legs and her eyes tracked his curiously, wondering what he was about to do.

“Let’s introduce ya ta heavy metal,” he grinned and then ducked his head.

“Oh!” Liz nearly leapt off the bed, only Zan’s hands on her stomach and the shackles holding her in place. She groaned again as Zan’s tongue once again met her center and she cried out as the feeling of metal and muscle took their turns.

She couldn’t help her legs flexing, alternately tightening and loosening around the male body between her and her hips found the rhythm again, lifting in time to meet the thrusts of his tongue deep in her core.

Knowing that she was getting close, Zan decided that she had been a good enough girl, and soon his fingers once again came into play, this time joining his tongue. His thumb found the sweet spot and Liz screamed as she came for the first time. Zan chuckled even as he ate every last bit of her down.

It was a huge self satisfied smile on his face as he raised his head and rested it in the juncture of her thighs, hands idly stroking her sides as Liz came down from the high he sent her in.

“Oh,” she moaned.

“Ya ain’t seen nothing yet,” he vowed.

He sat back on his haunches and waited until Liz’s eyes had cleared enough and her body wasn’t shuddering from the aftermath so much before he did anything. He’d wanted to draw this out, but being near her exposed center and smelling her heat had taken over and he couldn’t put this off any longer. He had to be inside her and he had to be there now.

“Look at me, Lizziebeth,” he commanded softly.

Blinking rapidly, Liz raised her head off the pillows and met his gaze. Slowly, making sure she watched his every move, his hands came to the laces holding up his leather britches and started to loosen them over the straining bulge. He rolled his hips so he stood on the bed and kicked his boots off, just as he finally undid the laces. Grasping the open ends, he pulled them off his thighs, down his legs, and tossed them over the side of the bed.

Liz’s eyes tracked everything and her heart hammered as Zan stood before her proud and unheeding of his nakedness. He gracefully crouched down and approached her like a giant cat, the muscles of his stomach and abs drawing her attention as he slunk back up her body where she quivered in anticipation.

His large hands touched her legs and she parted them, not knowing when she had brought them together and he settled back between them. Both sighed as they finally touched with no interruptions.

Zan positioned himself just above her, and his hands reached up toward her wrists. She didn’t even notice when he unclasped the shackles, she only felt his hands linking and curling with hers. His head was just above her and his eyes were full of tenderness and passion.

“Van-tor sha’ka’ri ha’su (My heaven’s angel),” he whispered before his lips met hers.

Liz couldn’t tell you when Zan slipped inside her, all she was aware of was him, his mouth and that sweet tongue and piercing keeping her occupied. She was rocking and grinding on her own, so she couldn’t have told you if there was a sting or anything as Zan slipped through her barrier until he held her steady and she was suddenly aware of being filled.

The two just stared at each other for a long moment, and then Liz submitted, her eyes flicking away and her neck stretching back to bare her throat. Zan smiled softly and lightly nipped her throat as he started to move in and out. Never once did his grip twined with her fingers fail, as he thrust slowly, making sure that she was enjoying this as much as he did.

When she began to falter, the friction and pleasure almost too much for her, he freed one hand to grip her hip, holding her steady as he continued. Liz’s eyes melted from amber to black and he knew his own mirrored hers, as he could feel his power building up, glowing from the inside as hers did as well.

Zan reached down and flicked her soft nub so as they climaxed at the same time, their individual glows brightening like a supernova before merging into one another. Pain and pleasure mixed as Liz screamed into Zan’s mouth, their kiss joining their bodies as their mind and hearts aligned.

Zan waved a tired hand and cleaned them both of their lovemaking, Liz already drifting off, as he picked her up and lifted the covers. She hissed at the first touch of cool sheets but curled up against his warmth as soon as he settled in beside her. Only when he had covered them both and saw that his mate, his katelau, sleep did he finally relax and seek his rest.

~~~

A/N: Okay, I’m back with an update! * stands back with open arms and smile at the cheers and applause *

I hope you all enjoy this little bit here, just a warning, this chapter is mature to adult, so if you aren’t old enough, go away! This is also going to be the last chapter I'll post on this for a little while yet, since I have to update my other stories, and I'm trying to focus on them. Please don't be mad!

The good news to that means that instead of the only five -or less- chapters to go before I finish this, there will be a few more than that so, there!

As always, Roswell does not belong to me but to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, and a whole lot of other people who do not include me amongst their ranks.

Damn.


~~~
Chapter 22
~~~

Zan awoke as soon as his body registered the absence of the living warmth that had been curled about him for most of the night. The sheets were already cooling, giving testament to the fact that his bed partner had fled, but that didn’t stop his searching hand from basking in that fading heat.

Stretching and tangling his hands in the chains on the headboard, Zan arched his back, reveling in the all the aches and pains and soreness of his body. The aches didn’t take away from the deep satisfied feel in either his body or his spirit. Muscles tightened and lengthened, twisted and moved back into place as Zan finished his stretches, and he lay back against the pillows and headboard, stroking the imprint his lover had left upon his sheets, knowing a deeper imprint of her was branded on his soul.

He listened intently to the sound of a shower, but it wasn’t his shower running, it was Liz’s and Liz was no where to be found in his bedroom. A little fact that had his brow crease in a frown as he concentrated.

Liz’s mental barriers were up once more, yet despite not being able to ‘hear’ the actual thought, he was able to get impressions and feelings of those thoughts. The pulses of those thoughts were agitated and fearful, guilty and almost afraid, panicked.

Zan shot straight up in bed, covers bunching around his waist, and his frown was now a scowl.

“Back ta square one agains,” he sighed, running one hand through his tangled locks and the other rubbing the sleep out of his eye.

Zan’s fingers hit a particular snarl in his hair, and Zan had a sudden visual of just how it got tangled and snarled in the first place. Liz had been fascinated with his tresses, or better yet, she had been fascinated with his reaction as she ran her soft fingers through, gently massaging the scalp underneath, tickling and playing with the fine hairs at the nape of his neck.

Shuddering, Zan shook his head to clear his mind of the vision, but his body that ached for its mate had been aroused and it was now painfully obvious to Zan that he couldn’t just go back to how things had been. Not if he was going to be in a state of arousal just by remembering what they had done last night and early that morning.

“Damn it, Iz not gonna let’s her hide. Iz didn’t do anything wrong.”

Mind made up, Zan clenched his jaw firmly and tossed the covers off. He strode through the doorway into the adjoining room – Liz’s room – and marched purposefully through to open the bathroom door.

A wave of steam billowed out and Zan took a deep breath. Despite the heady humidity he could scent Liz’s taste in the air and his stomach clenched in desire. The ‘ice cubed’ glass blocks at end of the room that separated the shower from the rest of the bathroom blurred her form slightly, which left it up to his imagination to fill in what he already knew was there.

He had to close his eyes and count very slowly in his head to calm himself and pray to whatever deity looked after hybrid punks for the strength and will to do what needed to be done.

Bolstered and resolved, Zan stepped around the glass and laid eyes on his mate, his katelau, for the first time that morning.

~~~

When Liz had first awakened, she had come to with a smile on her face and a feeling of such contentment, such peace. Never had she had such peaceful slumber in so long…and then she had started to ache softly, but persistently, and her sleep addled mind had struggled to recall why exactly she felt so satisfied and pleased with the aching and soreness. She felt as if she had taken an extended gym class and been worked over by a Mack truck.

Then the arm around her waist had tightened and the body spooning against her back rubbed his nose along the curve of her spine and snuggled into her hair. That same arm had a hand that spanned across her stomach –her naked stomach – and trailed further down her body –her naked body. And speaking of naked bodies…that body spooning her that was connected to the arm that was connected to the hand stroking her naked body was in fact, naked as well.

What scared her was the fact that she wasn’t scared and wanted to stay where she was.

Without turning around, she knew whose body, knew whose hand was around her. She didn’t even have to see the ink on his wrists or the feel of hard metal of his piercing pressing into her back to know that it was Zan who held her so tenderly, so protectively, so intimately.

Her heart beating faster, carefully she inched her way around so that she wasn’t pressed against him so hard. Even in sleep he was reluctant to part with her, but holding her breath and being patient, Liz worked her hair and her body out of his grasp and nearly gasped when Zan shifted.

Stilling her tripping heart, she waited breathlessly as he settled down and her eyes widened again as she carefully sat up, staring at the sight before her. Zan’s bronzed figure was a stark contrast to the red and black pillows, his long hair mussed and in such disarray that her fingers were already reaching out and almost touched them in a soft caress before Liz caught herself.

He looked so cute lying there on his back, hair mussed, and his head tilted to one side. The covers bunched at his waist, leaving his chest behr to her searching eyes, drinking in their fill. There was no ounce of fat on his form, a lean and supple tone that came from nights of no food in his belly and fights both physical and mental to stay alive. Liz’s eyes were drawn to the nearest dull sparkle of the omega shaped metal piercing that had held her so captivated last night and she blushed in remembrance.

His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm and his tattoos only accentuated the curve of muscle. She couldn’t see the Seal of the King on his forehead anymore, yet somehow she knew it was there, she could feel it was still there, hidden, waiting. All she had to do was reach over and with the hand that hovered still over his locks, she passed it over his face.

A brilliant golden light flashed as the Seal flared to life by her own power and Liz did squeak then. She’d felt the pull of power and knew that she herself had Called up the Seal. Memories, images, thoughts and knowledge flashed through her mind’s eye too quick to follow and with a soundless cry she shut down the connection as she seemed to plunge back into her own skin.

Quickly she passed her hand over him again and the light faded, as did the rush of power, but the fear and adrenaline of discovery had her scrambling for the familiar safety of her room. Running on that fear she had jumped for the shower, not bothering to grab any clothes, just needing to feel safe.

So here she stood now, the almost searing hot water pulsing around her, and still could she taste her heartbeat in her throat, pounding out a drumbeat to the fear that wouldn’t
fade.

Already she had shampooed and conditioned her hair, but still didn’t feel alright. She just stared at her open bottle of body wash and jumped at the husky voice breathing on her neck, “Ya left me.”

~~~

Liz jumped and spun around, the bottle held out in front of her, and only Zan’s arms shooting out to grasp her around her waist kept her from crashing in a wet heap on the floor.

Liz found herself pressed securely against a firm chest only slightly cooler than her own, the bottle squeezed between their bodies, as Zan steadied them. Even when he was sure that her feet were once again steady, he didn’t release his grip on her waist. Idly, his fingers started to wander, gently kneading and massaging the silken skin underneath.

Liz shuddered again, this time not in fear, but in desire, and she kept her place, staring up at Zan in some shock.

Zan’s eyes were concerned as he saw that Liz was not just shocked at his presence but she seemed spooked about something. Instinctively he knew it wasn’t him she was scared of per se, but perhaps something similar in thought.

“Hey,” he whispered, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers, bracing her against the cool tile on the opposing side to the glass and Liz relaxed at the contact.

“Hey,” she whispered hoarsely in a voice she didn’t recognize. Immediately her mental barriers seemed to not so much collapse as recognize and allow him access.

She still held part of herself in check but Zan wasn’t worried about that, as the rest of his soul felt it was finally whole, and allowed her essence to mingle with and merge with his own. He just held her there against him and the wall as they both sighed at the feeling of completion.

“Missed ya,” he finally broke the silence, looking into her dark eyes that had started to lose their panicked look.

“You did?” Surprise and pleasure flitted across her face and across their bond before she schooled her features –and her mind- into feigned neutrality.

A wicked curving of his lips slunk into his eyes in time with his smile and Zan shifted his hold, so more of him was pressed more fully against her own.

“You doubt?” he ground his hips slightly into hers, purposefully leaving his link to her open and projecting his thoughts and feelings into it.

“N-n no,” Liz’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in a small ‘o’ as she realized that he did in fact miss her. There was physical proof to go along with that amazing feeling of ‘Zan’ in her brain. Zan was sure she was blushing and it wasn’t just steam from the water and shower that made her cheeks flush red.

Zan chuckled at her answer and Liz flushed harder. She used her hands, still gripping the bottle of body wash, to try and push him away, but he wasn’t budging. He lifted his head off hers and fixed her with a tender but purely too pleased with himself look as his hands started to get bolder on her waist and hips.

“Zan,” she protested. “I’m trying to take a shower.”

“Really?” the studded eyebrow quirked upward and his eyes took on a dangerous, hungered look.

“Really,” she stuttered, mouth suddenly dry as she fixed her eyes upon the steadily darkening ones holding her captive.

Zan leaned forward again, and nothing Liz could do was stopping him, and she was pinned against the wall anyway. His chest filled her line of vision and she blinked water out of her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see the wet metal taunting her.

“I wanna help,” she could barely hear him purr over the rush of water before he nibbled her earlobe and his tongue flicked out to lick at some of the moisture directly underneath.

Liz’s shriek wasn’t from fright this time and Zan laughed, pulling away suddenly leaving her blinking at the sudden breathing space as well as the lack of his clever fingers upon her waist.

“Wha-?” she blurted before his hands plucked the bottle out of her own.

Staring stupidly at her now empty hands, she looked up to watch Zan soak a washrag in the still hot spray and then pour some of strawberry vanilla scented wash onto it. She could only stand mute as he made a rich lather and then came toward her again purposefully.

“C’mere,” he tugged her away from the wall and into the spray, her body shuddering as it was hit with warmth instead of the cooler temperature she’d become used to. When Zan was satisfied she was slick enough he brought her out of direct water and started to wash her.

No protesting, love, Zan’s sinfully wicked voice slithered through her consciousness as she was about to do just that and Liz groaned. It was bad enough to hear him speak aloud, but did she have to ‘hear’ him in her mind like that too?

“Only when ya’s won’t listen otherwise,” Zan answered her unspoken question, smirking down at the woman in his arms. Tenderly, he used his washcloth to gently scrub her down, taking his time and just enjoying having an excuse to touch every part of her. It helped and it didn’t that Liz had gradually relaxed into his ministrations and the way she was purring as he swiped the slightly roughened cloth over her skin had him heating up in a way that had nothing to do with the hot water.

Liz was standing with her back against Zan’s chest, her head lolled back onto his shoulder so he could have better access to her front. One of his strong hands gripped her hip in a firm grasp while the other went about cleaning his mate. The hand holding the washcloth dipped lower across her stomach and Liz couldn’t stop the hiss and moan of pleasure that ripped from her mouth as Zan just barely touched her down there.

Her hips jerked of their own accord and Zan’s grip on her hips brought her body back to grind her rear against his front, eliciting a gasp from Zan’s self at the contact. Both stilled, hearts beating fast in time to each other, and Liz tilted her head just that much and Zan’s lips were just as suddenly there.

Both of his hands had stopped and just pressed her against him tighter. His right hand released its grip on her hip to travel upward, caressing her breast on the way so eventually it was cupped in the curve of his forearm while he gripped her chin and just held her there while his mouth plundered what she freely offered.

“Zan,” she breathed his name out as her own arm reached up to grip the back of his head and encourage him closer, deepening the kiss.

“Liz,” he growled, hissing as she arched against him, and he couldn’t stop the quick thrust of his hips in response.

Reluctantly, he pulled away, smiling at her pleading mewls, and he shook his head.

“Shower first, play later,” he admonished and then stepped back into the spray, dragging her along with him to rinse her off.

Satisfied with his work, Zan raised a hand and flicked his wrist in the general direction of the knobs, and the water shut off at once. Liz giggled and Zan turned her around fully in his arms and kissed her as he had wanted to do the moment he woke up.

His tongue licked and suckled permission into her mouth and then plunged inward to meet and tangle with Liz’s own.

Groaning, Liz fairly melted into Zan’s chest, and yipped into his mouth when he suddenly picked her up, never breaking the kiss and started moving them out. She felt the tingling warmth as he used his powers to dry her hair but snagged a spare towel on their way out.

“You dry my hair with alien magic but use a towel on the rest?” Liz tilted her head in askance when she could finally breathe, barely registering as they passed from the bathroom into the bedroom proper.

“Iz has my reasons,” he grinned and she couldn’t ask any more questions, because she felt him suddenly tense and then they were airborne. She gasped and squealed as she felt her mattress at her back and realized that Zan landed on her bed, still made up from the previous morning.

“What on Earth?” she looked up at him with wide eyes and he laughed, head ducking and his tongue flicking out to lick and suck the moisture beaded upon her skin.

“Hmmm…” he purred against her skin and Liz’s eyes nearly rolled back into her head.

“Zan…” she gasped and then he was there seeking her out once more, and then the tang of hot metal, Tabasco, and Zan filled her mouth and she was in heaven.

~~~

TBC……….