[centre]
// - R e i s a n 
[I have lived one thousand lies.] [/centre]

The bed beside Reisan was cold. Jerking himself into a sitting position, his gaze tore around the room, detecting wafts of steam sliding out from underneath the bathroom door. //Sierra must be taking a shower.// Reisan thought to himself. Blinking his obsidian orbs slowly, Reisan tried to ignore the images flowing through his mind; of warm water sliding over Sierra’s tanned skin, the slight sound of movement and indeed, drops of water hitting her soft skin had his jaw tightening and his muscles bunching. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Reisan ran a hand over the scratchy bed linen, which some time years ago had been new and white, but now lay a hue somewhere between faint brown and grey. Lying back, the fallen tried to get some more sleep, closing his eyes and ignoring the sound of Sierra shuffling around in the bathroom. 

A soft scent hit Reisan’s nose as he smelt Sierra before his eyes even fell to gaze upon the petite vampire. Sunshine, coconut, mango, lavender and the slight tang of salty ocean water. A heady perfume that Reisan had already committed to memory and associated with Sierra. Swallowing quietly, Reisan lay immobile as she moved around the room, padding lightly across the floor, shuffling around in cupboards and in the fridge. The simple act of being able to lay quiet while another moved around, was a big thing for the tough Fallen; while he lay unguarded, Everans too far out of reach if she were to even think of being as silly as to attack him. Not that he would use the blade against Sierra. Well, not unless he had to. There were many ways he could immobilise her and then use restraints to try and calm her, if it even came to that. Surely the girl had more sense than to pick a fight with such an ancient warrior. 

Paper rustled. Sierra had found something and was reading it. Opening his eyes into slits, their obsidian depths hidden by a fringe of black lashes focussed on the small woman as her face light with excitement. Dear Gods, he hoped she wasn’t interested in whatever lay on the paper. He just wasn’t in the mood for relaxing. He had to protect her, even if that meant making an enemy out of himself and denying her the ability to even leave his side for but a moment. Flame licked beneath his skin as images of what had happened to her at the hands of one who he had called his ‘brother’ played over and over. The snap of bone, the dark purple bruises blossoming over pale skin, the vacant expression in her usually vibrant eyes, he just couldn’t take the assault of feeling that he had towards the event. He shouldn’t care anything for her. And yet he did. The immovable, emotionally lacking Fallen felt a quickening of his heartbeat and tightening in his body every time he lay eyes upon Sierra. 

//Sierra.// He spoke the word aloud in his mind, allowing himself the taste the very essence of her as the name rolled around his mind. Ore flames gathered beneath his skin as she continued to move around, coming closer and closer to the bed. Reisan swallowed and closed his eyes tightly, trying to appear asleep. Springs groaned and the bed creaked as she dived under the blankets, startling Reisan, fire licking from his fingertips to set the bed spread alight. Shoving she small woman out, Reisan laughed loudly, the sound startled, as flames danced and writhed, rebelling against his call to withdraw back into his skin, burning marks into the grey bed spread, filling the room with a slight smoke. Thank Gods the fire detectors didn’t even work.

“Shit.” Reisan growled in a low voice, ripping off his shirt and walking over to the scratched, stainless steel sink, jerking the tap on full ball as water splashed everywhere, turning to steam as it came into contact with his skin. Swinging around, he strode over to the bed, water running in rivets down his forearms, sizzling softly. Extinguishing the flames with the soaked material, Reisan frowned at the mess he had made of the bed. Sheets blackened and charred from where the flames had eaten away at the cotton. “Uh, sorry about that, you startled me.” Chuckling humorlessly, Reisan looked at Sierra, a wolfish half-smile gracing his lips. “Next time, don’t startle me so much, I could have hurt you.” A frown creased Reisan’s brow as his features turned serious. Getting slightly aggravated at the fact Sierra would probably never believe what he was doing was for her own good; that he was actually far from the bad guy.

The shirt in Reisan’s hands was starting to drip water into the floor, giving the Fallen something, other than Sierra, to focus on. Clearing his throat, the Fallen caught sight of a piece of paper laying atop the pile of clothes he had created for himself before he had gone to bed. Standing barefoot and wearing only a pair of loose, low-slung military pants, Reisan strode over to investigate the piece of paper. Balling the shirt in his hands, he murmured the bold, colourful words as his eyes scanned along. Sighing, he balled up his shirt and threw it into the bathroom where it landed on the while tiles with a splat. Keeping his back to her made Reisan uncomfortable, it made him feel as though she was judging him because of his scars, the deepest of which lay upon his back in vertical lines, scarring deep gouges into his otherwise tanned skin. Picking up his bundle of clothes he turned to eye Sierra, the party invitation crumpling in his hand when he moved. “If we go. And that’s a big, IF, my dear. You will not defy me in any way, you will not leave my side. Even to feed. And I’m guessing that is the reason you are wanting to go, yes?” Pausing for her answer, he scrubbed a hand over his face, gaze settling upon her small form once more. The beat within him stirred when he noticed just how good she looked in the clothes he had summoned for her. The fact that she had brought forth these feelings in him had him confused, yet oddly satisfied that he had been able to care for her.

“I’m going for a shower, Angel, stay here. The room is warded so no-one can get in or out through any passage.” Shock flitted through Reisan when he noticed he had given her an affectionate name. //Angel. Angel? Where the fuck did you get that from, Reisan. She isn’t yours and nor should she ever want to be. You’re damaged. Broken.// The beast taunted him from within, knowing just how deeply the fallen had started to care for this woman. Grunting, he moved into the shower, tossing his clothes onto the floor, far enough out of the shower’s reach to ensure they wouldn’t get wet. Unbuckling the belt at the front of his pants and undoing the button, Reisan realized he had forgotten to shut the door. Chuckling to himself, he moved to do so.

Stripping himself naked, the tall fallen stepped into the shower and shut the glass door afterwards. With a turn of his head, Reisan caught the metal shower head on his brow, the unexpected pain had flames licking up his arms. He took a breath to calm himself, adjusting the shower head to compensate for his height and stepping under the hot jet of water, he groaned and massaged his temples, grateful for the luxurious heat. There had been many times in his life that Reisan had not had the luxury of bathing, and when he did, it was mainly cold water un a tub or out in a river or stream. The shower and hot water systems were something Reisan could actually thank the human race for inventing. Lathering his skin with a bar of soap, he rinsed off before reaching over to the small shelf and selecting a bottle of coconut and mango shampoo. Opening the bottle, the pungent perfume hit his nostrils, one scent that had him longing to bury his face into the fall of bronze curls that belonged to Sierra, nuzzle is face against the curve of her neck and simply hold her in an embrace while he deciphered the complex perfume that was Sierra. 

Shutting off the shower, he stepped out and grabbed one of the towels hanging on the rack to his left, towelling himself off. The soft, fluffy white towels looked near to new, probably the only new things this hotel had seen in years. Pulling on the pair of black military pants he had summoned, Reisan threaded his belt through the top of his pants before bending down to grab his shirt. Opening the door, Reisan ran a hand through his blonde locks, tasseling the strands to air them before slipping on the black tee that stuck to his chest like a second skin, defining his heavy muscles. Buttoning his pants and bucking his belt, Reisan strode over to the bed, sitting down to pull on some heavy socks, following them with his combat boots. His whole attire screamed sexy but killer. Emphasis on the killer. Looking over to Sierra, his heart beat slightly harder as he smiled at her. Slightly surprised by the fact he was smiling, Reisan stood and walked over to the smaller woman, touching her cheek lightly with the knuckles of his left hand. His smile was genuine. Possibly the first one he had managed since falling.

“Come on Angel. If you wish to attend this party I will take you. But do not run from me. I’m not the enemy. As hard as that may be to comprehend, you’re the first person I have felt this at ease with. Do not make me regret placing my trust in you, little one.” The scent of mangoes and coconut clung to her, invading his senses, overriding them and giving him the urge to once more bury his face into the sweet curve where her neck flowed into her shoulder. His left hand slid to one of her copper curls, bringing it to his nose and inhaling deeply, the scent a drug that seemed to calm the beast within him. “You look stunning.” Sighing as he straightened, Reisan ran a hand through his hair again, before turning to the door, opening it to reveal the world outside. Stepping back like a gentleman, Reisan bowed and gallantly swept a hand in gesture towards the door. “After you, Angel.”