Of Fire And Shadow [completed]

Chapter 6

Lydia woke up to the bright warm sun streaming in through the windows of a room that had become almost as familiar to her as her own, but her usual partner was nowhere to be found. She looked over at the time displayed on the alarm clock. It was 12:15pm. She had slept through the entire morning!

Just then, Lydia's stomach began to growl. She got out of bed, feeling almost entirely back to normal after her long rest. Only the bandage on her neck reminded her of last night's events.

She opened the bedroom door and walked down the hall to see Parrish curled up on the couch in the living room, still sleeping soundly. Always the perfect gentleman, he must've let her have the bed to herself, although she sort of wished he had joined her.

She walked over to him quietly, careful not to wake him, and took in the view. The sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating his face and encasing him in its glowing rays. He looked so peaceful, like nothing could ever bother him, but unfortunately the reality was much harsher.

Eventually they would have to discuss what had happened last night in more detail, but for now Lydia was happy to push the thoughts from her mind. Her stomach growled again so she went to rummage in the kitchen, looking for something to eat. She decided to cook some eggs and bacon for her and Parrish, and as she faced the stove, she felt two warm hands wrap around her waist. She leaned back into the muscular chest of her boyfriend and looked up into his calming green eyes.

"I didn't even hear you get up," Lydia said.

"Well, who could resist the smell of bacon cooked by their favorite person in the world?" Parrish asked, cracking a large smile.

Lydia turned and smiled back at him, raising her hands to his face and bringing him into a kiss. Parrish pulled away a moment later, a little too soon for Lydia's taste, and looked down at the floor. He still felt guilty for what had happened last night, and was wary of letting his guard down around her in case he lost control again.

Lydia frowned, but understood his hesitation. As she turned back to the stove to finish making breakfast, she thought about what Thanatos had said. "Fear will be his enemy." Lydia needed to help him get over his fear of losing control, and of hurting her.

They ate breakfast in comfortable silence, neither one inclined to mention the events of the previous evening. As they were cleaning up afterward though, Lydia had an idea.

"Come with me," she said, taking Parrish's hand and leading him to sit at the table.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she sifted through a couple of drawers. After finding what she was looking for, Lydia went to sit across from Parrish at the table. In her hand was a small red lighter.

"Oh no, not this again," he told her, moving to stand up. Lydia grabbed his hand and made him stay seated.

"We're going back to basics," Lydia said with a smile. Parrish still looked uncertain, so Lydia squeezed his hand reassuringly. She positioned his hand so it was held palm-down in the air between them, and then flicked the lighter on.

"Remember, don't think about the flame," she said as she moved the lighter closer to his hand until the flame was directly underneath it. Parrish stared straight ahead and tried to clear his mind, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the previous night. He felt the heat of the flame on his palm and struggled with the urge to pull away, closing his eyes for a minute.

"Just breathe and clear your head, Jordan," Lydia said in a calm voice, but she sounded far away. He began to breathe more heavily as he fought to control himself. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He didn't want the hellhound to take over. He didn't want to hurt her.