Just an Old Legend Ch. 07

He was a bit uncertain about some of what he'd heard and asked, "You think that you need me, Elena? What could you need me for?'

"We need each other, Ion. Can you give me a good reason why we don't? We have each other as friends. If you don't kill yourself, you need me to help you have some kind of better life. If I don't kill myself, I need you for the same reason, don't I? In me, you have somebody who can accept you like this. Most people would crap themselves to see you. I'm already pretty used to you. Even if you were a regular guy, I'd want to know you better. You're the first man who has ever made me feel this way again. It feels pretty good to me the way that you look at me, and I love holding you."

She looked at him, "That was a hint."

Ion chuckled as he quickly put his arms around her and she shivered as she felt his breath against her ear and found that she couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her when he kissed the side of her neck.

"You are safer now, I guess," he said quietly, "but you never knew the danger of letting me come close with my teeth before."

Helen smiled from the pleasant feelings of what he was doing. "Why am I safer now? I just had a thought that maybe I might be in even more danger now from you wanting to bite me."

"You are, in a way," he admitted, "I feel that, but I can be happy like this with you, and it is not so important to bite you now." He thought about it, "I do not even know why this is, Elena. I just know it."

"I think I might know why," she said, "but you have to promise me that if I tell you, you won't get those feelings about what you think a man and a woman should and shouldn't talk about between them. I told you, things are different now. People should talk between themselves, especially for this, and more especially for us. It saves a lot of mistakes, and I think we've both made our share of those."

There was a silence as he kissed her for a minute, "Please tell me then."

He saw her smile and then watched as it turned serious, "I meant what I said. You have to promise not to get all weird on me. I'm pretty sure that we're weird enough just as we are, and you need to learn to feel comfortable talking about anything with me."

He nodded, "Then I promise."

"I thought a lot about you while I was away. I'm a human being. You used to be one, and I believe that you still are someplace in there. But you can be three things, and as I said, there are things that are common between them. What you told me about Danaya gave me a couple of thoughts too. You stop me if you get lost in this, ok?"

He nodded, and she continued, "In any creature, there are basic things that are important - food and water, shelter, warmth goes with that for mammals, and the desire to mate. For some animals, that means a steady mate is preferable to raise offspring, for joint protection, and to love. All the forms that you have want this, the wolf, the man, and the one in the middle, correct so far?"

"Yes." He nodded again.

"So all of them would like a steady mate. You've shown me that you recognize me in any of the forms, so this combination that you are, you see me as your friend, and we probably both see each other as that potential mate."

His mouth opened in silence for a moment, "You do?"

She ran her hand over his chest lightly, "Yes. If this was a normal meeting of two people here who are friends and hopeful of more, neither of them would talk like this, but I think that we need to be more open because of our differences, like how you were raised the way that you were. I know that Danaya had changed and wanted your babies. You probably didn't want any, if they were going to be like her, right?"

"It frightened me," he said. "I don't know what to do about this."

"Well, listen carefully," Helen said, "and tell me if what I'll say makes sense to you. That bone that I was talking about this morning, the one that you DON'T have" she pointed and continued before he could blush, "That's important for wolves or dogs. It's to lock them together to assure that the female gets the seed. It wouldn't work on me if you had it - nothing to lock against. I'm not built that way. So you're still a man there, not a wolf. Good so far?"

"Yes," he replied with a fair bit of caution.

"If this condition of yours could to be spread by having sex, you wouldn't feel the need to bite anyone to put your saliva into their blood. You'd be a serial rapist instead. Last night, I felt you against me a whole lot, so your middle form still has the whole mating thing, I think, even still. And the human form that I'm falling for so hard here, that obviously still has that old mating desire." She chuckled, "And I'm thankful for that. So aside from the way that you seem to deliver your semen, everything kind of tells me that you're human down there. That means a couple of things if we get romantic sometime. For now though, it means one big important thing."

He waited as she worked her way out of his arms and stepped to the refrigerator.

He thought that he liked what she'd said so far, but was now confused, since she'd walked away. "What is this big important thing?"

Finding what she was looking for, she tossed a plastic-wrapped package onto the counter with a flourish, It landed there with a thump.

"We're having steak for dinner," she grinned at him.

"I am lost now," he said, "What has this got to do with - "

"Well, not all that much," Helen laughed, "I just remembered that I bought them for us, and I'd better get started marinating them. These two are huge. I think that I'll only want a little of mine, and you can have the rest, big boy, and tonight, we're not eating dinner off the floor, unless you really like to eat like the wolf, and then you'd better be really careful if I have to hang onto them so you can tear chunks off. You bite my hand even once, and you can go sleep in the barn like you said last night."

She walked back to him and pulled his head down to her. After a kiss that left him breathless, she winked, "I'll eat with you any way you want, Ion. As long as you're comfortable, I'm happy. After that, we can talk some more upstairs, ok? Now I need to prepare the marinade, and you need to wash the mushrooms in the fridge for a start."

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Helen had finished her meal a few minutes before Ion, but she covertly watched him eat a little and listened to the crackling of the woodstove. She didn't want him to notice that she observed him. She also didn't want him to stop because of her. Besides admiring him, doing this told her a couple of things about him. Though he had perfect table manners, which was a good thing, she thought, it was obvious that he hadn't used eating utensils for a long time. He looked a little embarrassed as he struggled. She reached her hand across and touched his forearm.

"Hey, it's ok, Ion. I just want you to enjoy the meal. That's what's important here. Stop worrying about me. I can see that you're having some trouble getting back to eating this way. I ate all that I can possibly hold. I know that you're a lot bigger and you need more than I do and that takes more time. I'm going to make some tea, so that way you can eat without feeling self-conscious."

She stood up and walked to the kitchen, "Hey, when you get a second, tell me if it's enough for you. I don't know how much you normally eat."

He paused as he worked on his baked potato, "It is more than enough. I have not had food like this..." He shook his head, "Long time, anyway, and never this good."

Helen smiled as she took a load of folded laundry upstairs. Ion had finished by the time that she came back. She reached for the kettle, but he told her that he'd made the tea and invited her to sit.

Watching her sip her tea, he leaned forward and she noticed it with raised eyebrows.

"You said before that we are friends and I like this. You also said that maybe we could be more, and I think it can be also. But I see now that there is something that is wrong, maybe. It is in your eyes. Tell me, please."

He knew that she'd shake her head, and just said, "No," before she'd even gotten started.

"You said to me that we must tell everything between us. I see now that there is something and I want to know now."

Helen was surprised at his intuitiveness but she was hesitant, "I don't really know how to say it. I was thinking about you and I and then I thought of something that I guess I wanted to forget about," she sighed heavily, "but I can't".

He sensed that whatever was bothering her, it was about to cause her to be upset, and now wished that he hadn't brought it up.

"Is it trouble for you, or me, or us?"

Helen set down her cup and her shoulders slumped, "Probably all three. There's another reason why I guess I never found anyone else. It might not bother some people, but it has always made me feel,... like I wasn't worth the effort."

Ion stood up, and his face looked a little unreadable to her as he walked around the table. He said nothing as he walked to the stove and tossed in another log, before stepping quickly to the couch. Before she could ask, he'd moved the cushions to the floor, and stepped back to take their cups away, "Last night, we were here, Elena. We talked plainly, and you said to me that we were two people, and we could just talk. I liked this so much. Please come here. I want to talk like this again."

She stood hesitantly and came to him, "I don't know, I - "

He held up his hand to stop her, "You helped me then. You helped me last night, this morning, and all day. I think you need help now, maybe. We are still two people, yes or no?"

She nodded, "But - "

He took her hand, "Then come sit and we talk." He picked her up and the next thing she knew she sat on his lap. He was sitting on a cushion with his arm around her shoulder holding her against his chest.

"I don't know how to say it," she began.

"Just tell it. If there is trouble, it is better to know."

She nodded with some resignation, "When I was married, we wanted to have children."

He heard the subtle shift in her voice and put his head over hers and wrapped his free arm around to stroke her head as her tears began.

"I was pregnant, and then I got really sick. I almost died and I lost the baby."

Ion held her and stroked her gently as she wept. She didn't say anything for a long while, she just cried softly. After a time, she slowly looked up, "I can't have children, Ion. I guess you should know this."

Her tears began again, and he kissed her face until she slowed to look at him again. "I understand. You think I will not want you because of this? Maybe you should listen to the words you said to me last night. You said you wanted to know me. You said you accept me. I have been alone so long, and I have such a beautiful girl here now who tells me she loves me. Do you love me, Elena?"

Helen sniffled and nodded slowly, "Yes."

He held her to him, "I understand why you cry if it is for yourself. Please do not cry for this because of me. I hate it if you cry. I do not want children, Elena. What can I do for my children? Would they be like me? Like you? How can I be a good father like I am? I love you. Maybe we should not be together, but if you want me like this, I want you as you are. This does not make me want you less. If it is big problem for you, I want you as you are - children or not." He sighed with a sudden thought, "Does this make you feel like you are not a woman or something? There is more to a woman that that. Even I know this. Can you take child who needs parents? I do not know this word."

She looked up and pulled his head to her, "No, Ion. Stop. I wanted you to know because I just remembered it and I thought it might be important to you. I agree with you, I don't know what we would do with children. But I had this thought, it was more of a daydream, really, that if we could, they'd be great kids. It made me sad and afraid that I didn't tell you. I still feel bad that I lied about the red shells."

He smiled, "For me this is a problem only because it makes you cry. Danaya couldn't have children. I was used to this long time ago. I love you for you, not a wish to have children."

Their conversation drifted off as they held each other. Over the next hours, the lights were turned off and Helen lit an oil lamp again. There was no argument over who would sleep where this time. It wasn't important. Helen marveled at how gentle Ion could be for such a powerful man. He sensed that it was what she needed then, and did his best to love her in ways that were focused on her. His hands and mouth left her a quivering mess and she finally pushed him onto his back and spent some time with her hands. By then, her efforts were welcomed by him, but after the first spurts, she knew that there were more in the wings based on what had happened that morning. She kept up her motions, but when he neared the second release, she laid her head on him to take him into her mouth and did her best to swallow everything that he produced. By that time, he was too far gone to protest. She was able to get quite a bit more before he softened.

They didn't speak for some time. Ion was a bit overwhelmed and surprised by what she'd done for him.

He wasn't as surprised as Helen, since it really hadn't been her plan to do that. She'd just gone with what she'd felt was right and it wasn't until now that the thought came to her that she no longer cared about the clinical definition of what she'd swallowed. She loved him and frankly, that was good enough for her now.

"Was that alright?" she smiled as he regarded her weakly.

He nodded, "I have never felt anything like that."

"Then you're welcome," she grinned, "I would have done it the whole way like that, but I didn't want to get a sore jaw and numb lips."

Helen had an idea and wondered about it. "Hey, is there a difference inside your head between the shapes?"

"Yes," he nodded as he stroked her hair, "As wolf I cannot speak. I can in the middle shape, but I only began two days ago because of trying to say 'soup bones' after I hear you say it. I practice after that. I think clearly in any shape, but best as man, worst as wolf. The wolfman as you say, I think almost the same as like now, but, ..." He thought for a few seconds, "There is more need to act as reflex in wolf, not so much in the middle, but it is still there."

"So you're more of a beast when you're not a man?"

"Not a lot, but yes," he said, "something like that. Why?"

She rose on her arms and moved up a little to straddle him. She moved herself around a little, "I just thought of it," she said with a sigh as she felt him begin to react under her, "I might not always want such tenderness from you every time, that's all. I can see myself wanting this a little bit rougher once in a while, but not too much. Women are strange creatures, Ion. We want to be safe when we love, but we're drawn to a little danger sometimes." Feeling what she wanted now, she adjusted and slid herself slowly down onto him with a groan.

She began to rock gently, "I guess I'm asking if it's possible for you to be like that and not lose your mind and bite me."

"I think so," he said, pushing his head back with a sigh, "but from behind, you are in the greatest danger. I might want to hold your shoulder and neck with my teeth near the end. I don't know if I could stop myself then."

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Helen woke to find herself alone on the couch. She didn't think she'd been asleep that long, the way that she felt. The oil lamp had been put out, and the only light in the room came from the half-moon outside. She was about to call out to Ion when she saw the eyes regarding her from beyond the end of the couch.

"There you are," she said relieved, "I was beginning to - "

She stopped as she noticed the yellow gleam in them and how they seemed to rise up to tower over her. Uncertain now, she reached to pull up the comforter, but he tore it from her grasp to continue staring at her. In the thin moonlight, he looked every bit as large and menacing as he had the night before in the rain.

Helen didn't know what to think, and had less of an idea about what to do now. She was about to speak his name, but that turned to a startled scream when his clawed hand clamped around her ankle. She felt herself being dragged slowly to the other end of the couch.

She tried to kick at him with her free foot, but cried out as he caught that one too, and kept pulling her toward him. He began to pant heavily as he began to lift her up by the ankles. She fought as hard as she could and managed to break free.

Falling in a bit of a heap, she spun instantly to her hands and knees to try to scramble away, but felt his arm slide roughly around her thighs. The other one clamped onto her waist, and she was once again being drawn toward him. She felt such thrills of fear flash up into her chest and grew light-headed with the adrenaline. She began to realize the foolishness of what she'd done to try for his friendship.

She was being lifted bottom-first toward those jaws. The worst part was the tickling of his whiskers as he drew her scent to his nose. She felt cool air moving there when he sniffed, but when he exhaled it felt like the hiss of a steam iron to her. For a moment, she thought that she might cry. Helen realized that for perhaps the last time in her life, she'd done the wrong thing again and tried to get her legs together but it wasn't possible with his head there, and anything that she tried in her struggles made no difference to the outcome whatsoever. He could obviously do whatever he liked with her now. His hot tongue lashed out and she gasped.

Full of fear now, she didn't want that thrill. But he did it again and grunted. The third time, his tongue penetrated her deeply and she moaned in spite of herself. He did it again, and before she could think, his tongue was everywhere down there, all at once, or close to it. She bucked and groaned, still trying to break free, but he held her fast. She was just a toy now or a late night snack or something, she thought. The sensations began to get to her and she writhed helplessly.

Though she wasn't aware of it, Helen cried out every time that his heated tongue penetrated her like a wet and flexible poker. She began to feel like two women, one fighting for her life and the other wanting to struggle backward to feel more of that hot tongue.

Helen suddenly thought of where his thighs were, and then had a thought to grab his genitals and hurt him somehow to get him to stop. But she found herself crying out in pleasure when she felt his huge jaws open fully against her. She wasn't a big woman, but she wasn't a tiny thing either, yet his upper canine teeth were pressed lightly into the backside of her hips, and to her amazement, his lower ones touched her far above where the thin stripe of her pubic hair ended below her navel. He was breathing through his mouth from his exertion and lust and to Helen, it felt like heated blasts from a furnace when he exhaled against her most intimate parts. These were the most frightening, terrifying, wonderfully lustful sensations that she'd ever felt, but...

His tongue rammed into her again and he flexed it wider while it was deep within her passage. Helen screamed in terror and joy together and she bucked against him in her exertion as she tried to get away and push herself right back onto that tongue all the while.

The rest of his teeth felt as though they were all in contact with her flesh - and then he closed them to gently squeeze her over and over as his tongue pressed against her mound. She realized that he might be trying to gnaw on her for her juice as though he were eating a large and juicy peach. Whether she wanted it or not, she knew that she was dripping – or she would have been but his tongue took it away surely as fast as she could produce it.