All I want for Christmas is a VAMPIRE (Lamenting_Quill and Alexis Sapphire)

As Kiara sat there abed with wide eyes, watching the mist swirl atop the floor. She watched the masked Adrian turn from her and wander out onto the balcony, she couldn't stop herself from tossing her legs over the side of the bed and standing.
As she felt silken material caress her legs, Kiara looked down and found herself wearing a form fitting white silk night gown. Ultra thin straps held the delicate number up over her chest, the silk hugging her breasts, but not too tightly; Just the right amount of cleavage was visible to make the gown seductive but also with a perfect hint of innocence. The hem of the nightgown fell elegantly to her toes in feminine folds of shimmering white silk.

As she passed by the vanity at the far side of the room, she saw that her long hip length auburn haired was styled like an old fashion Hollywood starlet. Her cheeks bore just a tiny hint of a rosy rouge and her lips were stained a dark rose red.
She could almost feel her heart trying to hammer out of her chest as she turned from the mirror and ventured out onto the balcony.

She gasped audibly as she found herself on the upper balcony of a ship, the graceful sail fluttering only a few feet away. The stars above were sparkling and inviting, the moon full and glowing; it was a scene set for romance.
Her eyes sought out Adrian and found him by the far side of the railing, he looked so sexy and enchanting in the full garb of the Phantom. Her subconscious definitely had the sexy Adrian on the brain and if he dreams saw fit to gift her with this little bit of harmless indulgence, then why turn it down.

Kiara walked forward towards Adrian and stopped when she stood barely a few footsteps away “You look so handsome, the clothes suit you”

In the the comfort of the now-silent living room area, the flickering light would randomly illuminate the still sat figure in the chair. Adrian's eyes seemed fixed on a spot of the wall that was constantly brightening and darkening each second because of how the light of the fireplace swayed.

In reality however... the immortal currently spanned worlds. His mind was somewhere entirely different, fabricating and maintaining an illusion that dreams were... well... literally made of. In the manipulation of Kiara's subconscious, Adrian might as well have been a God.

He had after all created the earth, sea, sky and beyond that she now lived in. For a short time, that was heaven a world he'd consider flawless because it was not tainted by the decisions or existence of anyone else. It was a world he created, he manipulated and a world that was perfected to his own image, brought to life in the mind of the only woman he cared to share the world with this night.

On his balcony, the appearance of the silk-sporting Kiara did nothing but enhance every element of her appeal. He couldn't have fashioned it better himself. Her auburn hair provided an even greater contrast than the dress she had worn less than a half hour ago. He could only nod thankfully in acknowledgement of her remark.

"My dear... I must say that you are absolutely stunning."

He took the liberty of closing the gap for the few steps that remained. His stance remained poised, though did not go still in front of her. Instead he stepped to the side... then slowly began to pace around her. He seemed to study her attire in such a way that he would remember this image for quite some time to come.

"Exquisite." He uttered as he completed circling her.

As Adrian stepped forward to close the distance between, Kiara thought for a moment that at long last she would finally feel what it would be like to have Adrian wrap his arms around her and kiss her; Even if only just in a dream.
Kiara blushed as he complimented her and gazed down at the floor of the balcony with a little smile “I doubt, Adrian, that we are here to simply to talk about how nice I look. I'm quite curious to know if your mouth is as soft and delectable as it looks”

Normally Kiara would have died from pure embaressment from saying such a thing to such an attractive man, but this was a dream, none of it was real; No consequences and no embaressing next mornings to worry about, she was going to enjoy this dream as she knew it was unwise to enjoy something like this with Adrian in reality.
Kiara turned around to face him where he stood and moved into his arms “I've wanted you so badly, do you want me too”

Never before had she ever behaved so freely like this, it was thrilling and exciting, especially with Adrian.
“Kiss me?” Kiara purred softly, leaning up slightly to reach his lips, brushing hers against his in the barest whisper of a kiss “Before I wake up, I want to kiss you at least once”
It was the truth too, she wanted more than anything right now to kiss Adrian, to know what his lips upon hers might feel like in reality. She craved just a little taste of what she knew she really shouldn't want.
Because of the rocking motion of the boat, Kiara steadied herself by lifting her arms and wrapping them loosely around Adrian's waist.

Adrian's lips could only twitch into the slightest grin at the purring sound of Kiara's request. There was a confidence in the desire that came across as almost playful.

"Oh is that so-?" he playfully questioned sharing her tone.

"What is it you think we're here for?"

His eyes fluttered shut within the time it took to tilt his head accordingly to meet her lips with his own.

He let his lips begin by closing on her lower lip at first, giving it a small suckle, then opening tenderly again to give the upper lip a similar suckle. The small rushes of air that came between each individual kiss only seemed to enhance Kiara's taste all the more.

It was not much of a surprise when Adrian found himself liking the taste. His lips pressed against hers with a little more pressure the 3rd time, letting his tongue trace out along the edges of her lips and engaging in a more passionate experience.

His hands found themselves flattening against her arms between her elbows and shoulders but didn't remain for long. They soon slid slowly up along the smooth surface of her flawless skin until they fluttered over her shoulders. They edged inwards, fingertips gently grazing the delicate and extremely thin fabric that held the bulk of her silk nightgown in place.

His fingertips rested gently around the sides of her neck as they seemed incapable of remaining idle in this scenario. They seemed almost poised to keep her face angled comfortably for a kiss which he found himself enjoying far too much to release at the moment.

With Adrian's lips tossing her into a whirlwind of desire and seduction and his hand caressing her into complete submission, she felt she had died and found herself in a sensual heaven.
His lips really were like the softest velvet, she felt his tongue snake out and caress her bottom lip as if to seek invitation.
She parted her lips ever so slightly as he kissed her ever so thoroughly, she could almost already feel his warm tongue tangling hers in that age old dance of desire.
This was everything she'd been dreaming about ever since laying eyes on the all too sexy Adrian, since she'd heard him speaking words more intelligent than she'd ever heard most men speak.

She melted into his embrace, her arms wrapping tighter around his body until she could feel each and every muscle of his body against her own more slender feminine body.
“Oh Adrian” Kiara moaned softly into his kiss, she wished for this moment to go on forever.
Though she time came for her to awaken, this would definitely be a great dream to remember for a while, a little something for her to hold onto.
A slow warmth was filling her lower stomach and she began to wonder, was this what it felt like to feel true arousal? To be truly and completely attracted to someone?
The feeling was delicious but it also made her ache and yearn for more, who wouldn't in the arms of such a sensual god of desires.

“You are too damn sexy” Kiara panted softly against his lips “I've never felt anything quite like this before, it is... something else... I like it. I want you so much”
Thank god this was all just a dream, because she'd really be putting herself in worse spot than she would ever know if she was saying such things to the real Adrian...
“Tell me” Kiara murmured sensually as she pressed a kiss to his lips “How much do you want me?”

Adrian's kisses continued as his lips reverberated with each moan she released into his mouth. The tender breaks came in small enough doses that she could speak partial sentences but it all came in random bursts due to the emotional embrace being shared.

Her commentary about the new sensations made him wonder about whether or not she had ever felt the joy of such a relationship before. Maybe she was talking about this level of sensuality with him specifically... or maybe she was new to the acting upon sexual tension. There was absolutely nothing in the early stage that seemed to give a final answer.

Adrian's head dipped down slightly as she began speaking a little more often. His lips traced a series of kisses down along her neck where he could utter a response to her lingering question.

"You're just going to have to find out-..."

He let his tone issue an underlying hint as his fingers slid back down from her neck, down over her shoulders, but this time passed under her arms, caressing her body over the silk gown which provided barely any barrier whatsoever. The gown seemed to move and fold about as his hands slid along her sides.

His hands continued this for a brief time as he planted yet another kiss on her luscious lips. He let his knees crouch ever so slightly as his palms slid lower towards her hips than they had even seconds prior. With a systemic straightening of his legs, as though it were little more than a squatting exercise, he turned his caressing palms into carrier palms. As he stood, his palms remained firmly fixed on Kiara's hips and lifted her into the air.

Her silk gown was now more exposed to the vivid winds of the illusion and the silk fabric seemed to flutter against his chest and stomach. Near the upper body, her dress was beautifully form-fitting. Down along her leg area, the dress moved a little more freely and when lifted, it moved even more freely.

Holding her up so that her legs were at around his waist area, he now had to glance upwards for a kiss where she'd have the high ground looking down at him. By this point, the moist air of the waving lake had begun to dampen his own suite, there was less of an affect however than it had on her white silken gown.

Walking backwards, he carried her slowly, back in the direction of the flailing red curtain. A surprise awaited inside however, it would be slightly different than the room she had left just moments ago.

Kiara felt a rush of excitement as Adrian hoisted her up with little effort and encouraged her legs to wrap around his waist for support, as he looked up at her with those sexy brown eyes, she leaned her head down to press passionately against his.
Her silken nightgown was slightly heavy from the misty spray of the water and clung to her like a second skin, which enabled her to better feel the every bit of the body that held her. One thing was for absolute certain, if Adrian was as well endowed in reality as he was in her dream... the man was totally gifted. It was enough to make her whimper against his mouth.

She felt him moving them backwards back inside, only there were curtains now on the balcony that had not been there before. A passionate crimson red in color.
The room was dimly lit by candles atop elegant Gothic candelabras scattered here and there throughout the room to give off the perfect sensual glow fit for romance.
Though she was mostly preoccupied with Adrian's mouth, she noticed that the room like the curtain was now decorated in passionate crimson with accents of jet black. The bed that adorned the center of the room was a grand four poster canopy bed draped in red and black silks.

Kiara's hands caressed Adrian's neck and shoulder blades as they ravished each other;s lips, she wanted more and more of him. To be perfectly honest, this was her dream and no one else, especially Adrian, ever had to know about it, so there was no harm in ravishing this dream Adrian and being ravished by him.
“Adrian” Kiara moaned, feeling him move again but not sure in what direction exactly it was “I want you, I want you so, so much!”
His proud manhood pressed so tightly against her lower regions was driving her absolutely mad with desire, this was completely foreign to her, but it felt just so absolutely perfect. She couldn't possibly explain it, but it felt like her body had been specially crafted to fit Adrian's own frame. It sounded cheesy, but they just fit together like a dream come true

Adrian's own lips curled in the excitement of of the moment. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, there was something in the feeling of accomplishment in being able to generate such an arousal out of Kiara in just the opening act.

He let out a grin-stifled moan himself as his body seemed to tighten in the flexing motion of supporting her weight. His lips would vibrate with every sigh trapped between their meeting mouths.

As Adrian casually walked backwards, Kiara would be in a prime held position to see the lightly flickering room. It would have been relatively smaller than she'd remember, the dark swirling mist like an aggressive smoke swerved and moved with greater fluidity than before. It was as though the entire room were subject to waves of this dense fog that felt mist-like in comparison. It was as though they were mere fractions of rain droplets that did little more than dampen the room as they provided a light show.

With a small motion and final kiss, Adrian turned after entering the room just less than half-way. His palms playfully released their support of his nightingale in the nightgown. There could have been a free-fall panic, but that was just the type of toying result Adrian was looking for. A gasp... a snarl... a faint inhale of panic, maybe even a shocked screech that she couldn't prevent.

A hardened fall however wouldn't come. There was no dull thud, but rather a muffling landing into the dampening dark mist. She would have landed on a soft pillow infested soft fabric bed. The foam body of the mattress would have given slightly to accommodate the brief addition of weight, and the fine fur pillows that seemed to litter the bed would have edged about somewhat.

Adrian's hands however were not without task for any amount of time. No sooner had she been released from his grip, had his fingers gone to work undoing the buttons from his suit shirt. The black suite jacket was the first to go... the vest immediately after it, both items of clothing clustered into his hands as he gave them a careless toss to the side.

This left his black dress pants and his white collar shirt. The shirt had 6 buttons along the centre seam which he would have to undo. Rather than move quite as quickly with this final piece of fabric however, he flashed Kiara a grin and methodically moved to slowly and smoothly undo each button with torturous meticulousness designed to drive her waiting into a frenzy.

Each button that came undone in time presented just a little more of his chest as the wind still fluttering through the room caused the (now loose) centre of the shirt to shift to and from. The dark smoke seemed to all but part the room leaving a surrounding series of firmly secured scented candles.

The final ounce of smoke seemed to be out of place only when enough of the room was visible to the eye that the smoke was no longer the main factor of the dream. One by one, the candles seemed to spark to life. The light slowly grew in the room from random directions as flickering candle-light casually began to compete with the moonlight through the balcony window for primary light into the area.

As each few candles lit... Adrian moved onto the next button, the shirt now flailing somewhat wildly as the breeze moved through. It almost threatened to remove the candle-light but as though it were impossible, the light simply flickered wildly to accommodate the breeze without actually going out.

From Where Kiara lounged upon the bed that seemed to memorize each and every curve of her form, she watched Adrian as she nibbled on her bottom lip anxiously in anticipation. A sigh of relief could be heard from her when he finally discarded the fabric that obscured her vision of his chest.

The smoke in the room swirled along with floor slowly, curling up and the down again sensually, as if mocking a motion soon to enacted by the pair.
The excited wind blew eagerly across the bed, toying with the edge of Kiara’s damn silk nightgown that was spread elegantly across her ankles, the straps were now laying lazily on her shoulders from Adrian’s eager caressing of her arms.

Never before had any made ever made her feel like this before, she felt sexy and beautiful, she felt desired.
“Adrian…” She purred softly with that little smile meant to entice, her arms held out to him in invitation “I’m waiting for you… Not nice to keep a lady waiting…”

She knew she effected him just as much as he did to her, she could tell from the expressions on his face every time he touched her skin or pulled back from a kiss; He wanted this as badly as she did, craved it.
It thrilled her to know that someone as handsome and sensual as Adrian could feel that way about her, especially with the way he made her feel. Kiara never wanted this dream to end.

Dreams were a funny thing. They consistently shifted in very general tones and tendencies. While a dreamer could have an amazing experience of visual excitement (-... or horror), conversation was generally rare in dreams. It is generally why most psychiatrists end up viewing almost everything in a dream analysis through 'figurative' means.

In this differentiation of reality to the subconscious however, Adrian could manipulate it to seem that much more real. He could engage her in conversation a little more, he could conduct an interaction. That was the difference between a dream-based fantasy and the reality after all. The bold nature, the nervousness that abounded, the actual sense that could be ten times more potent than any illusion.

Adrian...

Her voice had called to him as though, in this world, she were as much of a mystery to him as he was to her. She was the one element he couldn't control in this dream world. He could control the conditions of her illusion, he could control her world, but her reaction was only limited by her own imagination.

I’m waiting for you… Not nice to keep a lady waiting…

Her imagination was bold, her anticipation and ambition of the moment was absolutely fumigating, freshening the room in such a way that her mere words brought chills to his spine rivalling the cooling flow of air that constantly swirled the room due to the open window.

Adrian's lips stretched into a partial smile as they pressed together, his tongue not needed to moisten them before, but still tracing out, casually tasting them. He could still savour the taste that kissing Kiara left on his lips, and deciding not to remove his pants yet, took a step towards the bed as he twirled the white collar shirt he had just removed.

He fanned it in a helicopter motion playfully as the breeze flowing through the room seemed to have its way with the loose fabric in Adrian's hand more than he did.

"Granted, my fair lady..." He allowed his tone to reciprocate her own teasing modulation. His knees folded onto the edge of the bed as his palms pressed down into the engulfing texture of the mattress.

His belt firmly fastened his pants to the appropriate waistline. His stomach however was visible, his well cared for structure seemed to glisten and gleam with each movement that he enacted.

His muscles seemed to morph slightly with each modified placement of his arms. His knees were loosely comforted on the edge of the bed, his body arched over like some predatory lion as his palms rested, one at a time, on the mattress before him.

Each in turn, his hands lifted, his arms bringing his body forward. His knees followed in tow bringing him just past the edge of the bed near the centre where Kiara's outstretched arms seemed to toy with him as much as he intended to toy with her.

"But don't they also say that anticipation heightens the pleasure?"

His lower lip finally sank in between his teeth for a flickering moment before he let his palms gently flatten over her feet seeping out from beneath her garment.

It was all he could do, in this heaven he had created... to avoid reaching out himself, interlocking hands with Kiara and pouncing (-... for lack of a better word). Always one to take great pride in what he could do however, Adrian had great experience in manipulating every situation he was in. It didn't mean he was never taken in the passion of the moment to do things rashly or quickly... but he always linked great discipline to taking more time to think. Time to appreciate.

This discipline lead him to gently caress the feet they had just latched onto. His fingertips squeezed lightly, then released, squeezed, then released. The motion was timid, but designed to jolt the sides of the feet and if Kiara was any kind of ticklish, there would be some kind of instinctive reaction.

Adrian could always appreciate the smallest of instinctive reactions when toying with another's body. The slightest of quivers or recoiling from the touch could be just as arousing as anything else. Especially when they couldn't achieve the immediate instinctive objective of getting away or escaping the tickling sensation.

Within seconds, his knees moved again, bringing his body balance closer to her outstretched hands, his lion-like crawl still methodical and deliberate. His palms, without releasing her feet at anytime, slid towards her ankles where the fabric of her night gown now tickled his wrists as well. The never ending breeze caused it to flutter and flail like so many miniature flags whenever the flow was right, but now, the lower rim of her night gown threatened to give way to the hands that roamed slowly, but firmly along her ankles.

His firm, yet fluid motion was not only a testament to the perfect tone of his upper body, but it also represented the threat that at anytime, he might might give her ankles a firm pull and slide her closer to his centre of gravity.

It wouldn't be long before the white silk nightgown, that seemed to decorate her with utter elegance, would become no more to him than wrapping paper that concealed a gift beneath.

While his manipulative motions continued, he followed up his prior remark with another well known saying.

"-... Or that good things come to those who wait."

Ah dreamworlds. Sometimes the avid charm but enticing challenge of maintaining them is that in order to converse with the dreamer, you interacted using lines that were very well known. Lines that they would have heard countless times or found very familiar if they heard it again. Most conversations in a dream are never remembered anyway, any that are, often mirror a conversation or statements that the dreamer would have recognized from another context or having been exposed to it in some significant manner.

At his comfortable fire-place chair, Adrian's eyes drifted closed, now totally immersed in the world he would live in for the evening.

As Adrian toyed with her ankles, staring at her with those eyes of a sensual predator, Kiara felt that warmth growing in her lower stomach start to grow into a substantial flame.
She groaned softly as she nibbled her bottom lip once again in a desperate attempt to not lose her control “You are either very patient or very cruel”
Kiara said this with a slow, sexy smile as to clear up any misunderstanding of insult, no she was simply teasing him and she could tell that he liked it.

Biting her bottom lip for a few seconds in deep thought, Kiara made her firm decision and leaned up, sliding her legs beneath her bottom as she grasped his belt and pulled him to her until she could grasp his shoulders. She wasted no time at all in recapturing Adrian luscious lips with her own, she held back no passion. This was her dream and by God, she was going to enjoy it!
When she woke up in the morning and left, she would at least be able to tell herself that she'd had that irresistible taste of Adrian, if even in just a dream.
Eagerly, her feminine palms caressing his back as she made sure to memorize each and every muscle there. Every single line of his back.

No one had ever driven her this crazy with passion and desire, but then again this was a dream, there was no guarantee that the real Adrian would do the same to her. She had to remember that to make sure did nothing stupid when she woke up from this magnificent dream.
She allowed her hands to caress down the sides of his back to caress his fabric covered thighs, they felt thick and strong like a true man's thighs should. She shivered as she thought about the power in those thighs and what that could do to a woman as feverish with passion as she was.
“Adrian, you are a woman's fantasy” Kiara sighed against his mouth in between passionate kisses, her right hand slid across Adrian's front to cup her thickening erection in her palm.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she realized just how much a virile man Adrian was, the guy was definitely not lacking in the masculinity department.
“Take me, Adrian” Kiara purred into a kiss “I want you to, I want to feel you everywhere”

Unfortunately, instead of a response from the half naked Adrian, Kiara was completely startled to reality when she rolled off her bed and awoke with a loud thud.
She gave a sleepy groan and growled “Damn it! I wanted to finish that freakin dream!”

Adrian's lips sketched a grin of submission as he was drawn forward by Kiara's impulsive action. It was the right time, the perfect time to create a night she wouldn't forget. A night that never happened. A night that dreams were made of.

As she tugged him forward, gracing his lips with her own for another passionate kiss that seemed to put the first few to shame, he allowed his tongue to engage in all manner of actions taking full advantage of any sigh, gasp or moan he could capture.

His left palm instinctively slid around her back as he was pulled all but over her and no sooner had his bulging lower region been taken by Kiara's palm, had he looked to tighten his hold long her back deepening the kiss to a degree that would have been absolutely intoxicating.

It never came however, his eyes fluttered shut in the sheer ecstasy of the moment only to find a violent hissing motion engulf the room. At first, it sounded like little more than an elevated breeze, but there was an immediate free-fall motion. The bed... the candle-light, the entire scenery seemed to waver and whirl dissipating into the same thin dark mist that had created this dream world in the first place.

Kiara didn't dissipate however, no... it was different. In Kiara's subconscious, she was still very much alive, it was Adrian's existence in this world that was the magical fabrication. The manipulation of her subconscious is what allowed him to reside in her dream world, but with that element removed, his arms, hands, legs... they all began to scatter into dark mist just like the items of the dream room.

In the exact same manner in which Adrian could appear and disappear through a type of dark mist teleportation, this was a forced breakdown and evaporation of his body as though he didn't exist. His vision blurred, Kiara's image becoming more and more vague until the insides of his eyelids were all he could 'see'.

Said eyelids however silently split as his eyes, with an intense red ring in the centre of his brown orbs glared at the still active fireplace. The red ring slowly began to disperse and soon, the only fluttering brightness in his eyes came from the direct reflection of the flames in front of him.

Standing from the chair, he made his way briefly moving towards the table and glancing at his phone. Unless he was mistaken, the last number on this phone to be called was...

He was right.

The phone had been presented to Kiara merely hours earlier and it had been used to phone her parents house. Unfortunately, there was no response, but most fortunately, their number still remained in the phone's data log.

Adrian placed the phone back down having familiarized himself somewhat with the number. He approached the window, the rain had stopped by now, the moonlight still reflected off of moist blades of grass and damp forest trees in the distance. Still in proper attire, he selected a jacket to his liking and put on his shoes. The door creaked open for a brief second before sliding shut again. In the darkness of night, Adrian bolted in the direction of where he assumed he'd find Kiara's car.

The world seemed to pass by him with sickening speed as though he were sitting in a car that was moving quickly. The eyes of someone travelling at that speed had an instinctive tendency to find a focal point and stick to it for a few seconds before you had moved past it. Sometimes, in a car, you can notice this if you are not the driver. Your eyes stick to a certain tree, or rock, or you watch the painted lines on the road zoom in and out of your field of vision.

For Adrian, moving swiftly required focus on an end target and maintaining a careful concentration not to trip or stumble along the way. It took nearly a minute of zigzagging about beyond the view of the house but finally, he found the car that had been abandoned by Kiara.

He circled it slowly, the keys had been taken from the inside before the door was shut.

Smart woman.

Whatever problems she might have, it wasn't going to be a stolen car; that was for sure. He crouched by the side of the car glancing at the damage done to it as branches surrounded it and leaves from trees, still falling due to the wind decorated the overall scene.

With a brief sigh, he shook his head. This little damage to the car wouldn't be enough to prevent her from leaving. Sure it would take about a half-hour to fix things up, but that wasn't the time-frame Adrian had in mind.

With little more than a wince, his right arm curled, his fingers balled into a fist, then released and relaxed before tensing into another fist, then stretching outward again. Small crackles could barely be heard as though he had just cracked his knuckles. With a brief thud, Adrian thrust his outstretched fingertips into the tires, puncturing them vividly. With the cleanest of strokes, the single swiping motion of his wrist slashed the tire with such a slicing, that it would appear to have been mangled by a crow bar or vicious animal in the area.

Adrian took the time to do this to 3 of her 4 tires. In the event that she had access to a spare tire, having more than one wheel this badly destroyed was horrible luck.

Horrible luck indeed.

Adrian took his time returning to the house. Images of the dream world he had concocted phased in and out of his imagination. One thing was for sure, this woman was the embodiment of passion. Yes, maybe it came from the recklessness of a consequence-free dream, but whether or not she would admit it to herself in reality, Kiara wanted him.

That thought alone was enough to embolden Adrian to take her. Whether she wanted it or not, Adrian had found a new figure to amuse him. Kiara was truly a treasure that he would enjoy exploring and exploiting.

What's more, if she decided that she wanted to fight it in reality, she was the type of girl who could only be viewed as all the more desirable for it. Kiara's beauty, her fiery passion... it was bound to open a world of pleasure to her that she could not imagine if she would accept it... or, should she fight it, she would meet a world of frustration unlike any she could possibly imagine.

After that passionate dream, Kiara had not been able to bring herself to go back to sleep; She was too moved by how real it felt, as if Adrian was had truly been about to make love to her.
Kiara stood beside the window facing out towards the Bayou, the storm had calmed and was passing. With luck, she would be able to be at her parents home by nightfall; She would be relieved to them after all of this.
There wasn't much sunlight to be seen however, the Bayou seemed to be forever under a cloud of shadow.

“How bizzare” Kiara murmured to herself as she gazed out the window, she brought up a hand to rub her forehead in exhaustion “I never had a dream before that felt so real, so passionate. Did my own mind really conjure all of that up? I never realized I had THAT much of an attraction to Adrian”
She shook the strange thoughts from her mind and turned from the window, she ventured over to the wardrobe and opened it's door.
Kiara selected a skirt similar to the one before but instead of cream, it was an icy white. The blouse she chose was a soft baby pink in hue, it was sheer but not trashy.

Thoughts of the mansions handsome master crept into her mind and she couldn't help but wonder if he would think she looked pretty, though she knew it shouldn't matter if he did or not.
“I am leaving” Kiara told herself firmly as she walked toward her bedroom door, she would seek out Bertrand and ask to use the phone again. The lines were surely in working order now, especially now that the harsh wind wasn't in play.
“I will not allow myself to be seduced by a dream, a literal figment of my imagination” She told herself. She could only imagine what Adrian would think if he knew she was thinking of him like that based on a sensual dream she'd had.

Once she had reached the bottom of the staircase, she made her way towards the kitchen; Someone there ought to be able to direct her.
Poking her head inside, she caught sight of the French chef and stepped inside fully “Excuse me sir, I need to find a phone. Is Bertrand or your master around?”

Adrian was truly a night owl in almost every aspect of the word. He could count on one hand the number of times during a month that he would get legitimately tired and require a restful sleep. During the early hours of morning, prior to the first explosive beams of sunlight that would illuminate the structure of his mansion, he would have showered and changed his clothing to something a little more casual.

Today, he would have a somewhat relaxed day to himself. He could always bring himself to flop down into his bed for a good twenty minutes or so to give the appearance of waking up from a firm night's sleep; but that was generally to avoid the conversations that arose about sleepless nights. No doubt, Geoffrey would constantly call him out on it anyway.

This morning in particular, Adrian found himself enjoying a scolding shower. It wasn't a warm sprinkling shower of any kind, it was nothing less than a steam-heavy blast of water that caused his skin to shiver at the sensation. A high tolerance for pain meant that Adrian could enjoy the intense heat of extremely hot showers. It was almost soothing. He could let it flood into his fine mass of hair trickling down the sides of his scalp as it warmed his cheeks, chin and neck.

An all encompassing warmth just moved with the heavy flow of water and it was almost as good as spending a half hour in a luxurious jaccuzi. There was nothing more serene than the tentative sting of the boiling water striking, and then the lucrative spreading warmth and heat as it trailed down along the body.

For some, spending a half hour to an hour in a hot bath or steaming shower was an outrageous luxury, but to Adrian, it was absolute heaven. That was to say, he never had to worry about skin darkening or any consequences of exposure to extreme heat due to any quick regeneration or fast healing he often experienced.

Time had passed, the vibrant hissing of the showerhead ceased as Adrian reached for his towel and ruffled his hair for a good 20 seconds. Getting dressed after took relatively little time. Dark pants were always the norm with him, but rather than have a shirt, vest, jacket and overcoat, he was simply satisfied with a nicely breathing black collar shirt. Except for the undone upper 3 buttons and a white neck collar, Adrian could have passed for some kind of pastor's apprentice.

-------------------

Down the stairs however, Bertrand was in the process of completing the breakfast preparations. He was always on the go, his french radio station playing all manner of music and talk shows. He constantly multi-tasked in his kingdom which was the kitchen.

At first, his motions to Kiara's question didn't seem to change much. He simply grabbed some syrup and began to artistically guide streaking lines along the stacked pancakes which were 2 on each of the 3 plates before him.

His eyes then glanced up as Kiara's voice was different than the maids of the house which brought his attention to the guest. He twirled the hand-towel that was flung over his shoulder and intermingled the fabric among and between his fingers as though to clear it of any stray syrup.

"Oh-... I'm certain the master is around here somewhere." his thick french accent was absolutely uplifting given how care-free and light-hearted he moved about and presented himself.

"He comes and goes alot... one moment he's here, the next he's gone, the next he's back again so..."

He gave an amicable shrug and a small rolling of the eyes.

"But-... there is a phone in the charger to your left if you would like to use it."

He ran the fabric under some running tap-water giving it a flushing cleanse before squeezing practically every ounce out of it and turning the cloth into some kind of cylinder rag until he gave it a few waves causing it to ripple back open.

"It's used most often to call restaurants for orders or even other rooms in the house here, but I'd say you can get a good connection to almost anywhere."

Unfortunately, the sad truth was that there would be no available connection due to the passing storm. It would take awhile for the isolated mansion to be serviceable again.

Kiara smiled beautifully at the French chef and headed towards the phone “Merci beaucoup , Bertrand. I appreciate your helpfulness”
She meant it too, the chef seemed playful and fun so long as you didn't ruffle his French feathers the wrong way; It was a pity she wouldn't have the chance to get to know him better...
She reached for the phone and plucked it from the charger, she pressed the talk button and began to dial her parents number, but unfortunately there was no dial tone. It went straight to voice message, well that was progress at least if the answering machine was working.

“Mom, Dad” Kiara began her message “I ended up lost in the storm, but don't worry I found help and soon as the lines are working again, we can arrange to meet up. Until then don't worry, Adrian the man whom helped me is most kind and offered to let me wait here for as long as I needed to. He is very nice, you will want to meet him I am sure. Alright well, I love you both and I will see you soon. Bye for now”
With that, Kiara ended the message and set the phone down, she turned around and looked back to the chef “The lines are only half working, it will only go to voice mail. The line connecting the phones themselves must still be down”

She shrugged and then turned her attention down to what Bertrand was doing and took a good whiff “Bravo, Bertrand. That smells divine. I love to cook, but I doubt I am anywhere near as fabulous as you are at the art. Um, anyway, is there any coffee? I didn't sleep well and I've got such a headache”

Bertrand's eyes thinned at Kiara's message. His work didn't stop, though that was primarily because by now he was so used to it that it was a second nature. This wasn't exactly the rarest thing in the world to happen in this mansion.

Before he knew it, she was speaking to him... in french. It wasn't in a conceited or mocking manner that he could tell and as usual, it caused him to respond in french.

"Bien sure, Madame James. Ce matin, nous servons des crepes et pomme-frites dense."
(Of course Ms. James. This morning we're serving pancakes and thickened fries.)

Though when it came to coffee in the morning, his terminology turned back to his thick english pronunciation. He took several steps to his right, reaching to an overhead cupboard and bringing down a mug. Almost on instinct, he rinsed out the item before giving it a brief shake back over the sink and picking up his kettle. Letting the coffee seep into it filling 3/4ths of the mug, he then placed it on the counter near Kiara before shutting the cupboard door again.

Taking 2 of the 3 plates into his hands, he began to exit the kitchen, though his starting conversation with Kiara could be interpreted as a cue to follow him.

She was nice... this girl seemed to be truly genuinely nice. It was most probable that she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. The message that she left for them wasn't exactly the worst she could have done, but she still left out something rather odd.

As he lead her into the dining hall where he placed the plates on the table, then turned back to the kitchen while speaking again.

"Ms, James, maybe you'd be interested in leaving an-..."

"- impression."

The voice was unmistakable. Bertrand, who had been right in mid-sentence had seemingly been awe-struck given just how quickly his voice had left him. His eyes cringed shut taking advantage of the fact that Kiara was still behind him and unable to see them.

He wasn't the only one to hear Kiara's message after all. Casual footsteps of the house Master entered the kitchen from the staircase that came down from the above floor.

Bertrand froze on the spot before turning around, his head leaning forward to bow in acknowledgement of Adrian's arrival.

"Good morning sir."

"And to you Bertand..." Adrian responded with a coy smile as he inhaled and let an obvious whiff of approval through his nose.

"Smells spectacular this morning."

Bertrand could only nod and nod back to Kiara since he had turned anyway to acknowledge Adrian. No later than that, he had turned again, back in the direction of the kitchen.

As Adrian approached the table, he let his eyes meet Kiara's.

"Well, you're an early riser." he let his tone change the subject momentarily. It was clear that for, at least several hours, Kiara wouldn't be able to leave. She could try to walk to her parents...

Yeah, that was an option.

She could try to phone a taxi, but they so rarely came out this way. It would take them a good hour of driving up... then back, then finding a way to her parents... it would be quite costly.

Most likely, she'd meet up with her parents somewhere when her vehicle was operational. Unfortunately, her vehicle was far... far from operational.

It was the ideal day to invite Kiara for a horse ride through the country side, but to do so this early would be rather suspicious. She had given every indication in the book that she had to leave this morning. For him to offer an activity that contrasted with what she told him could be viewed as cold, insensitive or just selfish.

While Adrian couldn't always deny being cold, insensitive or selfish, sometimes being selfish meant he had to be sensitive. When you wanted someone, truly wanted them, mind body and soul, you had to treat it like a hunt. They say, after all... you catch more bears with honey. When Kiara would find her car entirely gashed by the storm, her day plans would change. She'd have no choice but to return to his house to call a mechanic or any number of alternatives.

Manipulation and timing was everything now.

"Did you sleep well?" he feigned ignorance to her earlier remarks. He was also somewhat curious to see how she'd been affected by his dream manipulation.

"Did you sleep well?"

Adrian looked completely innocent as he asked this with those angelic golden waves and those curious rich brown eyes.
If she told him the truth she would be blushing deeper than a Catholic school girl reading her first play girl magazine, so that left one alternative.

Lie.

"Well" Kiara replied, doing her best to school her features to appear casual "I had a few odd dreams, but nothing too out of the ordinary. I slept fairly alright"
She slid a glance over to Bertrand that clearly told him to please keep his mouth shut about what she'd told him about her headache and not sleeping well.

This was not going to be a fun couple of days if she couldn't leave this afternoon, how could you face a guy each day with a straight face after having such a sensual dream about him.
"Um, I was wondering Adrian if you might be able to accompany me on a hike to find my car. I'm hoping it's not too badly damaged by the storm. Would you mind?"

She couldn't help it though when her eyes raked over his body once and made her just about whimper from the mere memory of Adrian succulent body in the dream, everything looked pretty similar from where she was standing. She would just die if he really was so deliciously built in all the right places.

Damn her stupid hormones, this was going to be one hell of an adventure.

Adrian's tongue could only sink into his right cheek as Kiara had asked him personally to escort her on a trip to her car. It was almost too perfect given the type of day he was planning to have anyway. The snow had come, off and on for the last week or so, but nowhere near enough had stuck around to paint the scene in dazzling white.

"I think I could find the time..." He stated as he took a seat and allowed himself to begin dinning on the pancakes.

"Have you ever gone riding Kiara?" He allotted himself the privilege of referring to her by her first name rather than the customary 'Ms James'.

Kiara...

It just seemed to roll off the tongue.

"After breakfast I'm headed out for one, we could find your vehicle along the way."

Horses...
The idea was quite appealing to Kiara, she honestly loved the majestic creatures, they were so beautiful and so elegant. True natural beauty.
She remembered in her youth, when her father had owned a few horses, Kiara recalled a lovely palomino named Painter. She had loved that horse.

"After breakfast I'm headed out for one, we could find your vehicle along the way."

Kiara smiled brightly and nodded eagerly "Thank you so much, Adrian. I really appreciate all of your help and kindness. I sincerely hope we'll be friends long after this is all over"
Despite how looking at him made her insides so embarrassingly warm, he was truly kind and she couldn't let some hot sexy dream destroy what friendship she could have with him.

She sat down at the table and smiled beautifully at Bertrand as the French chef placed a plate in front of her "Merci, Bertrand. This looks simply fabulous, Adrian is always singing your praises"
Digging into the delightfully fluffy pancakes, Kiara sighed happily; She had not had such wonderful breakfast since her mother used to cook for her.

"Many thanks, Ms James." Bertrand's reply was swift but courteous. Adrian himself could only nod in agreement. He could tell what Bertrand's original statement to Kiara would have been.

"Ms, James, maybe you'd be interested in leaving an-..."

Adress.

'Adress' was the word that Bertrand had been going for before Adrian had cut in with the word 'impression'. Far too often, many a girl that sparked Adrian's interest would have been in a safer position if only they had bothered to inform someone of the adress they'd be staying at.

That was in the past for now however, and it was only a brief matter of time now for Bertrand to think about it and agonize over the thought that maybe, just maybe, the master of the house might be disappointed in him.

It was, between the 2 men at any rate, a clear message to the enthusiastic and appreciated chef. There were wheels now in motion that the man was not to interfere with. He should continue to be courteous and respectful, but any type of indication that Kiara would find it difficult to leave in the near future was to be done away with.

"Well it's done then. We'll have a fantastic ride. I don't see why we wouldn't be friends after this?"

He paused at the laughable implication. Had she been mingling her dream world activity with reality consequences? In reality, she had simply arrived, shared a meal, sang with him and slept over. There was absolutely nothing to cause any form of tension or lack of friendship. In fact, if Adrian had no interest in her, she could have been allowed to go and they'd probably never see each other again.

It just so happened that she was in a big time of need, and Adrian was able to help. During this process, he had developped an attraction that he had decided to act on. Very soon, she'd not be worried about maintaining a friendship, she'd simply be worried about how she might find a way out of this mansion, buried deep in the Bayou.

"Well it's done then. We'll have a fantastic ride. I don't see why we wouldn't be friends after this?"

“Absolutely” Kiara replied warmly, smiling genuinely.
She had been so completely foolish to let that dream bother her, Adrian was a wonderful guy and would surely be a friend for life. She doubted the two of them would ever actually be intimate in reality...
“You will totally have to meet my parents, they will want to personally thank you for helping me me out” She said after swallowing another bite on pancake “I'm thinking of inviting Hayden down to my parents place for Christmas, he'll be really grateful too. You really are one in a million, I envy the woman you marry”

She meant it too, Adrian was all the things a woman hoped for in a man. He was compassionate, reliable, sweet, funny and so very intelligent. Not to mention the man had a fantastic taste in clothes, both mens and womens; Kiara absolutely loved the clothes stocked in her wardrobe.
“Anyway, tell me about your horses” Kiara added with a genuinely interested expression “What kinds do you have and what are their names? Also, please do tell me if any of them have their name for a special reason, I always love to know that. If someone has a special name, it should be given the proper respect it deserves, I think”

Kiara glanced on occasion at Bertrand, his eyes seemed to want to tell her something important; He seemed as though he concerned about her, like she was in danger. At least that's what his eyes told her. Though her being in danger within Adrian's residence was silly, wasn't it?
“Bertrand” Kiara inquired, her left brow quirked in concern “Are you alright? Did you burn yourself on the pan? You look like somethings bothering you”

Adrian's eyes turned to Bertrand in the direction of the kitchen in turn. He hadn't yet reached the doorway.

"Oh-... Yeah. Are you feeling okay Bertrand?" his voice feigned some kind of ignorance as to the man's dilemma.

He had a great guess at Bertrand's issue but wasn't exactly sure how Bertrand would react to being pushed about it. The only thing he could do was keep his voice prevalent in Bertrand's ears so that anytime Kiara's voice might urge him to speak out his thoughts on the matter, Adrian's voice would provide an even more compelling counter-balance.

"Kiara's right... if you've got a burn or something, maybe you'd like to take the day off?"

He let a chuckle escape his lips, mixing in a warning with a well known phrase.

"I have to say, I couldn't do what you do all day. Playing with fire. You're a master at it, that's for sure."

Her robins egg blue eyes drifted back and forth between Bertrand and Adrian, the scene struck her as rather odd and fishy, but she dismissed it. Instead she decided to distract Adrian as to spare Bertrand any discomfort.
"So, those horses... can we go and see them right now?"

Kiara backed her chair out and stood up, she gave Adrian a pretty inviting smile and came around to table to stand beside him.
She felt bad for drawing attention to Bertrand like that, if she had made him look bad or unprofessional... she'd never be able to stop apologizing to the man.

"I am sure Bertrand won't mind if we run along now" Kiara said, smiling over at Bertrand "He probably would like to have a rest before the next meal is served, so we should get out his way. His is quite a busy man"
Kiara leaned down and grabbed hold of Adrian's hand, pulling gently to encourage him to stand up.

"I love horses very much" Kiara said, turning her attention back to Adrian "They are such beautiful and majestic animals, truly one of natures greatest beauties"

Adrian lead Kiara out of the kitchen along the adjacent hall which lead to a room that could only be viewed as a library. There was also a fireplace in this room though it had a large wall-linked television and a series of books that were neatly stacked along the walls themselves. They were all facing side-in so you needed only find the title that appealed to you, while it would be impossible to judge the book by its cover.

Passing directly through this room however, there was a small staircase that lead to another porch. The door opened to reveal the vision of the mansion's outer terrain. Along this line of sight, there were hilly regions which made it difficult to see further out. One could make out the top of a stable building. It was very simplistic, and upon approaching it, would be difficult to picture the entire thing. Passing through the point of entry along the fenced position, the modest stable could be viewed fully.

There was the sound of raking and shoveling as hay and grass was constantly being managed.

"I enjoy owning horses, but not necessarily breeding them. Samuel here is a professional breeder who enjoys the quiet country side."

Entering the stable, there was a bit of a change in the immediate scent and aura. It was a little rougher and the over bearing scent of pine was clearly meant to drown out any instances of the less pleasant odors that could occur while housing a stable of steeds.

Adrian made his way towards an isolated closure and began 'tchking' his tongue against his teeth behind partially closed lips. It gave a small smacking sound of the lips which was met by hoarse ruffling breaths of a pitch black horse which moved to respond to the sound.

Adrian held his right hand out, towards the horse, gently petting up along its nozzle above the nostril. His hand didn't have to move much after that as the horse dipped its head forward rubbing against Adrian's unmoving hand. This caused Adrian's hand to rub upwards and rest on the poll between the horses ears. Once there, the horse gave a twitch and another huffing breath. It was more than enough indication that it wanted to be petted down by its familiar rider.

Adrian let his fingertips close together atop the poll (top of the head between the horses ears), then spred outward as his palm flattened onto the surface of the poll, causing his fingers to be extended. The next time they curled inward, the horse received a small raking sensation though, Adrian could only ever guess at how the creature liked the treatment.

Stepping inward, he let his other hand flatten against the side neck of the dark beast. He flattened his palm immediately rubbing down towards its shoulder-withars, then back up towards its upper neck. The hand rubbed back and forth along this long neck of the horse until it returned to where it started. He stepped in front of the animal, letting his left hand slide down from its upper nose to its right cheek, while Adrian's right hand flattened and rubbed the horses left cheek.

The horse angled its head consistently, right, left, down, up... it twitched and withered with satisfactory huffs of breath each time.

"This is Ares..." he stated giving the smooth fur of the cheek a playful ruffle shaking the horses head left and right in order to get the horse to snap back at him, trying to move his hands in turn where the horse would rather be looking.

He stepped around it and ran his fingertips along the side of the professionally combed. The fingernails left a ruffled trail of otherwise perfectly tilted short horse hair.

"I've had this beauty for as long as I can remember..."

Kiara stepped forward and stroked the beautiful beast behind it's right ear, a beautiful smile touching her lips as the horse leaned his face towards her hand "Ares... the Greek god of war... even Ares was a lover of women, as you seem to be too, my handsome friend"

The horse neighed softly as it tossed it head proudly at her praise, it was clear Ares was an intelligent stallion and her praise earned his approval of her.
"He is truly a beauty to be marveled" Kiara said, running the snout of Ares as she turned her face to smile at Adrian "You are so lucky to have him. I remember my palomino, her name was Diamond Dust.... she got sick after our old neighbors fed her... something strange"
She looked a little sad "I never knew why they were feuding with my father, but I do not understand why they had to involve my precious mare... we could never prove it in court though... they got away with it"

She looked back to Ares whom must have sensed her sorrow and nudged at her hand as if trying to cheer her up "I will be alright, handsome Ares. Never you fear"
Kiara leaned in and kissed Ares ever so gently on his warm velvety snout "You are truly blessed, Adrian. Many dream about living the way you do"

"Well... I'd be lying if I said I'd have it any other way." he nodded giving the beast a final few petting strokes as he moved down near the side of the enclosure. His fingers gripped a soothing dark saddle. He slid it into place as he gripped the reigns and mounted the mare in a swift motion.

He gestured across the stable to 3 other horses each different in their own way, brown and white fur. All brown, even an all white as though it would mingle perfectly with snow-fall. It was a perfect opposition to Adrian's Ares.

Then, his glance turned down to Kiara...

"Or we could share the ride." He chose not to impact her decision by holding out his hand until he had heard an answer.

Kiara looked up to where Adrian sat so proud, handsome and refined atop his grand steed and could not stop herself from raising her hand to take his.
He nearly took her breath away when he lifted her effortlessly atop the horse in front of him.

She felt her heard quicken in its pace as she felt his strong arms wrap gently but firmly around her middle, his chin rested softly against the side of her head even though he was able to see plenty as Kiara a fair amount shorter than him.
It filled her with a strange white hot heat in her stomach to have him so near to her, it was as sweet as the forbidden apple in the garden on Eden.

"A-alright now" Kiara teased shyly "I am trusting you now"
She felt ashamed of herself as she thought of Hayden, but then again it wasn't as if she was going to bed with Adrian. It was simply a horse ride, no matter if it was a bit romantic; There was no betrayal yet that she could see.
"I think there may be snow" Kiara murmured, leaning back into Adrian's chest for warmth "The air is quite chilled"

Adrian's arm tensed at the pulling of muscles lifting the fair lady into a seated position before him. His fingers methodically retook the reigns between his palms though, for the casual portion of the ride, Adrian could easily handle Ares with a single firm grip on the fabric.

His chest felt a resounding warmth as her auburn hair and upper body leaned against him with only the white silken fabric of his collar shirt to separate them.

His body gave a small jolt as his heels provided a small kick to the steed from either side, with a ruffling harsh breath, it began to move forward. Its hooves moving methodically for the opening of the stable doors.

"I've always enjoyed the cold..." Adrian offered in a moment of foreshadowing.

"... Some things are just that much more beautiful in the chill..." he stated as the horse moved into the opening. A brief movement of his palms, and the reign was given a quick rippling lash causing the horse to neigh and pick up a pace in excitement. This caused the ride to be a little more active, but not quite as active as the immediate goal.

Rather than riding for the opening in the fence, Ares picked up speed moving for the barred fencing at its lowest point. Adrian's lips twitched into a grin as the momentary anticipation spiked. He would try something he hadn't tried with Ares in several weeks, but that the track record left him feeling comfortable about.

"I'm glad you trust me..."

With an abrupt change in momentum and pace, Ares brought his hind legs to bear and lifted his front hooves bounding forward. His galloping stride had paused just long enough to give it more height than the fence and he passed over it as though he were a show-horse bounding over a hurdle.

The action gave Adrian a confident story to release one his hands from the restricting reigns and flatten his palm against Kiara's stomach, he secured her against his chest in a manner that wasn't overly restricting that she couldn't feel the pulsing thrill of the leap, but that wasn't overly loose to the point that her head would move around like a bobble-head doll.

It was a good dozen seconds after the landing past the fence that Ares seemed to return to his casual gallop, almost resisting the urge to continue at a fierce pace.

He was after all, Adrian's fiercest possession.

Kiara yelped softly as they jumped the fence and gasped her small elegant feminine hands to the arm that held her waist, she relaxed when the ride slowed down to a comfortable pace.
"You devil!" Kiara laughed merrily, elbowing him playfully "You did not warn me"

Kiara looked up the the sky where small flakes were cascading down lazily upon them from the gray sky, they sparkled like tiny diamonds on they way down to kiss Kiara's long auburn hair.
"So bitter and chilled the winter season is, but... you are right, there is also a great deal of sparkling beauty in this frozen scene. The snow looks like heaps of tiny diamonds and the branches glitter like crystal fingers reaching out to us"

This poetic side of her was seen off stage by only the lucky few that Kiara viewed as worth talking to for longer than a simple greeting, Adrian in her opinion was well worth her time for a decent conversation. He demonstrated to her left and right a wealth of intelligence, something that was always high on Kiara's list.
"So beautiful" Kiara murmured, extending a hand out to catch a snowflake "These glittering crystals... so deceiving with their lethal cold... Beauty and death often walk hand in hand I think... You see it everywhere. Nature, animals and even the ocean in it's serene beauty, it can easily become a destructive tempest that swallows all in it's wake"

"So sorry my dear..." Adrian couldn't help but respond in the devilishly playful tone Kiara had instigated.

"I would have thought the rapidly approaching fence might have been somewhat of a warning." he construed as though it were not to be quite as teasingly insulting as it might be received.

Adrian's attention was turned to Kiara's thought-invoking remarks. How right she was, beauty and death walking hand in hand. It was impossible for her to ever truly know just to what extent she was right.

As the snowflakes landed on his dark leather gloves, they were quickly disippated and assimilated into the dark fabric.

"Indeed... snowflakes are one of winter's greatest gems." He nodded in agreement. Another that always interested him was air. Simply put, breath. More specifically explained however; the warm air being released into the chill with each breath taken.

"Another is the smoke-like texture of vapour when you breath into the chill of night." He allowed himself the instinct of presenting it.

Right now, through her laughing, gasping, chuckling or even calling him out on his lack of preparation for the jump, her very breath could be seen providing steam into the chilled air around them as though her face were a furnace.

He could see his own breath as well.

"Granted, nowhere near as much as a star-lit dark evening where the breath can be seen in a frosty white vapour, but it's still quite something."

He would have allowed his teeth to close, causing thin lines of vapour to steam out of his open lips in several directions, but without the darkness of night to emphasize the white vapour and with the fact that they were moving about quite a bit, there would be no effect to such a specific act.

Instead, he let his lips curl behind her, angling his gaze down to her neck and with a silent chill of his own, he let his breath seep forward caressing the back of her neck and rippling out around it immediately. The action would result in a brief warming that would sooth, but as with all vapours that are warm in cold weather, it would be immediately at the mercy of the outdoor chill and that warm breath would have moistened and clung to her skin without any feeling whatsoever outside of the fact that the warmth attracted a deeper cold by emphasizing it.

"I love winter..."