He ran as far as he could, blindly, in whatever direction he thought She might be. As far as he could wasn't very far, and soon he was crouched, gasping and clutching his sides while his heart beat wildly, in the shadow of a building. His heedless path hadn't brought him to Her, not yet, but at least it had brought him away from Sentio.

Nothing's changed, really.

You're still as much Hers as you always were.

It's too bad, I bet She won't know our names.

I don't want to go back....

Speak for yourself, I'm looking forward to seeing Her again.

You would.

Who wouldn't?? She's never had him like that before.

With a moan he levered himself to his feet again, taking another step, another, swaying and catching himself against a stone wall. She'd left him alone with his shadows again. It was night, in more ways than one, but it was not a night that he wanted anymore. Not after that day. But even now, even now, She was gone, She'd left him alone again. She'd left him....

I'm waiting....

He jerked his head up, staring into the dimness, the not-quite-dark that was night in the enclosed dome of the city. Somewhere, too far away, he heard Her again, or the echo of Her. Even if it was only an echo, it was enough, and he staggered into motion again, ignoring his shaking legs and painful feet.

Everywhere around him were the shadow-murmurings of dragons in dreams. Every building had a dragon, two dragons, a dozen; they were everywhere. The air was full of their scent and their magic. He coughed, trying to force their air out of him and failing when his next breath drew more in. Again he expelled it, expelled them, again they wormed their way back in. Acceptance and rejection and acceptance again, over and over, endless and inescapable. Inescapable, while he was in their city, forced to breathe their air, forced to be apart from Her.

So get out of the city.

Find different air to breathe.

Find Her again.

Trying to follow the glimmer of Her in the too-far distance, he wound through barren streets, shrouded in darkness and shying back from the lamps that glowed even in the dark of night. No matter what he tried, which way he turned, he could find no escape from the city and its dragons, no path to clean air and Her. Running without thought had gotten him hopelessly lost within unfamiliar streets; he only knew how to find one place in or out of Sanctuary, and that was the bonding complex. He didn't even know how to find that, from where he was.

Trembling with weariness he slumped down again in the shadow of another building, feeling and smelling blood from where a cut here and there, seared and sealed by hot water when he could still resist Her, had broken open again. A dreaming dragon behind the wall shifted in her sleep at the scent. His breath came raggedly, for even walking so far and so long was more than he ever did, but he had nothing else he could do, nothing else he could think of, but to walk and walk and hope She would find him, if he could not find Her.

Stupid.

The sire's spells can't reach out this far.

And there are shadows everywhere.

Stop encouraging him, I just want to be back at home, asleep, not wandering around in the middle of the night.

Oh, we'll go home.

Home is where She is.

But where was She? With nothing in his mind but Her eyes, Her smile, Her hands and hair and black, black skin, he stepped sideways into shadow and let it carry him where it would. He stepped out here, found a huge door, closed against the night. The shadows of a pair of guardian dragons rumbled in the magical light, and they twitched at the tingle of his magic, but he was gone again before they could decide if they'd dreamed it. He stepped out there, found a cobbled path leading away from the city. A few buildings still sprawled here, one of them familiar in the distance, but he was gone again before he could remember why. He stepped out once more, found a ground softened by fallen leaves in brown, red, and orange, all made gray by the sliver of moon shining down between half-naked branches.

Come to me, my pet.

Louder, this time. Closer. Close enough that he could feel the memory of her Hands and tongue and mouth in Her voice. He staggered towards it, half blind with hope even as he looked around wildly, searching every shadow, every fall of darkness, behind every tree.

There?

Here?

Over there?

Where?

Somewhere!

Nowhere?

No....

.... Everywhere.

She was there, suddenly, just a step away, mouth curved into a smile and hand held out to him. "You found me."

Frozen, he stood and stared at Her. She was more beautiful and terrible than ever, more stunning and frightening than even he remembered. She stood there, waiting for him, expecting him, what he had run and walked and wandered in search of. He couldn't take that last step. The memories of countless days of torment and nights of fear warred with the much more recent memory of Her touch. Neither was more powerful than the other.

This is what you wanted!

What are you hesitating for now?

Claws and teeth, boy, snap out of it!

Don't tell me you put us through that whole nightmarish trip just to give up now.

"You came all this way, my pet... do you not want your prize?"

It didn't even sound like himself when he said, "My name... my name is Cacopheny."

Her eyes narrowed faintly; he didn't know why. He wanted to reach out and touch Her mouth, erase that frown, let Her bite and claw and do whatever She wanted just for a smile. But he still couldn't move. "No," was all She said. He had already forgotten what She was saying no to.

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

He couldn't move, but She could, and She closed that last distance between them, when he didn't. Yes. You will be very sorry, Her shadow promised as She reached up, catching his face between Her hands. His breath caught at the touch, at the claws just pressing the skin, at the look in Her eyes.

Finally....

After so long.

Where we belong.

Where you belong.

... where we always tried to keep you safe from.

Then She smiled again, and he shivered, forgetting shadows and letting Her draw him into deeper darkness, away from even moonlight. "But first you will be mine again."