Chapter3

                                               �I don�t remember!� Panic strained delicate vocals as she backed against
                                                the far wall, hues widening until white showed all around the pupil, which
                                                had become a deep, slate black. The shadows seemed to warp around her,
                                                baring a flash or flicker of brilliant white here or there as the beings that
                                                were within shifted. The grating sound of steel being drawn elicited an
                                                automatic response from the femme, who ducked with liquid grace and
                                                threw herself into the dark void, hoping for an exit..

     �Adraste!�
     Boiling shards of ardent indigo�s gleam erupted from beneath heavily lashed lids as she jerked to a seated position, ink pinions unfurling in either direction with a violent whip-lash sound of accompaniment. Her breathing was irregular, heart pounding so loudly that she could swear all the world could hear. She didn�t realize what she was clinging to, until she felt the protective embrace of the male tighten, drawing her into the solace of his arms.
     �Calm down.. it was only a dream..� Alec�s voice was a quiet murmur in her ear, warm breath falling to her neck and sending a giddy tremor through an already hyper-alert form. The tremors didn�t ease, however, and she didn�t protest as he shifted her to the crook of his arm, cradling her against him as those vibrant azure hues fell to meet her own.
    His eyes aren�t really blue.. I never noticed that before.. She mused, lost in the pin-wheeled shades of silver and amethyst, as well as scatterings of gold and jade that swirled in camaraderie within the male�s gaze. The back of her head rested comfortably against his shoulder, and the slight dip of his chin brought his lips mere centimeters from her own, gaze alight with some ironic amusement to which she was not privy.
     A dizzy shudder of a different sort crept through her as he smiled, although his lips had moved onward, voice now quietly accentuated in her ear.
     �We have practice to get to, Princess. Wouldn�t want to keep me waiting, mn?�
     She could feel the rush of cold air as he vacated her side, digits curling in the thick blanket beneath as she followed the male�s predatory motions toward the door. He moved like a big cat - fluid and soundless. He paused at the archway, brow raised slightly toward the dirty blond hairline as his gaze captured her own briefly. �See you at the archery range, Adraste.� A telling smirk was writ across captivating features before the male vanished through the door, leaving the femme to gather what wits remained, and get dressed.