The energy throughout the Archangel felt off over the past two days as the ship sailed across the stars. Eventually, some of the crew began to notice Morrigan’s prolonged absence and rumors started to spread with idle or cautious curiosity.

  Nora impetuously rattled the dense hand cuff that connected her to medical bed she sat in. She huffed at the letter that sat in her lap, the only word she had received from her love as she waited to be released from the wretched doctor’s care.

  “You really should learn some patience,” Dr. Tamina said as she moved images from her data-slate to a monitor on the wall. Despite ignoring the woman, Nora could see out of the corner of her eye images of her skeleton.

  “Left radius is completely fused, chipped left pelvic crest, compressed C7, T5, L1, and a deformed L4, self mended fractures… everywhere… and most recently a cracked scapula. How are you not in constant misery?” Dr. Tamina asked Nora in astonishment as she studied the images closely.

  Nora shrugged, a dull pain throbbing in her right shoulder at the mention of the injury sustained when Xol threw her into the drop ship.

  “I don’t know. I guess that’s the trick; sometimes you just have to tell the pain no,” Nora stated indignantly as she rattled the dense metal wrapped around her left wrist. She tried to coalesce her mage abilities to form a blade of ice or to encase the handcuff in a layer of frost however, any time she thought too hard about it, it failed. One of the doctors, on Tamina’s order, had given her something that muddled her mind just enough to keep her from breaking the hand cuff and kept her energy low enough to effectively resist any sort of treatment yet kept her lucid enough to retain cognition.

  Dr. Tamina shook her head, “It doesn’t work that way… but, most of this seems to not affect you though it is treatable if you desire…” she turned to see Nora shaking her head. With a sigh towards the stubborn woman she said, “However, we have to do something about the damage to your shoulder. Knowing you, you’ll only make it shatter and that's something even you wouldn't be able ignore.”

  Nora ground her teeth and yanked on the cuff only to feel the sharp pain from the metal attempting to bite into her skin before letting out a huff. “Have you seen Mori? Why hasn't she come to see me again? Something is going on…” she said with a confused look. Nora knew that Morrigan had visited her otherwise the note in front of her wouldn't be there however, it was odd that no one has said anything to her nor had Morrigan returned to visit.

  “That girl avoids me like the plague, so it’s rare for me to even see her but, from what I’ve heard…” Dr. Tamina was interrupted by the frustrated grunt of Admiral Shepard shoving aside a guard that stood outside the door as she forcibly pushing her way into the room, ignoring the “no visitors” directive.

  “Admiral…” Tamina stated only for Shepard to snap back.

  “Don’t you admiral me! I need her released, now,” Shepard demanded pointing towards Nora.

  Nora looked up in addled curiosity as she tried to figure out why Shepard would be so adamant about getting her released. Perhaps Morrigan had bugged the admiral enough to have her let go but then again, she knew Morrigan held the most authority aboard the ship so that didn’t make a lot of sense the more she considered it.

  Tamina crossed her arms defiantly as she turned to the shorter, older woman, “I can’t just release her. It turns out Nora’s injuries went beyond a simple concussion and…”

  “I’ll bring her back, damn it!” Shepard roared, “We are down our Inquisitor and…”

  “What does that matter? You’ve run this ship before, but you see this,” Dr. Tamina pointed towards the image specific to the wide crack within Nora’s shoulder blade, “This has to be fixed. If she breaks this, she…”

  “Hey!” Nora said loud enough to grasp both women’s attention, “What’s going on- what happened to Mori?” Nora asked. Though her tone didn't change, both women could hear the panic that lined her words as Shepard gave an inquiring look to the leading doctor.

  Tamina sighed, “I gave her a behavioral inhibitor so she would stop trying to assault my staff during her examinations.”

  To prove the point, Nora shook the cuff attached to her wrist. Shepard puffed up as if she were on the verge of exploding, “Mori has locked herself in her room and refuses to speak with anyone. Even Sister refuses to open the door…”

  “I apologize, Admiral Shepard, however, in her current state Lord Inquisitor Clarke does not pose a threat to the well being of the ship, therefore your jurisdiction is below that of the Lord Inquisitor, as is protocol,” Sister interjected over the speakers within the room.

  Nora looked up having forgotten the existence of the ship’s A.I. in the brain fog she experienced. “Sister? Is Mori, okay?”

  “As expected, Mori’s physical health is in perfect condition. However, I do not have the necessary data to assess psychological health but cross referencing her behavior since taking command of the Archangel, if I had to guess, I would say her mental health is less than optimal.” Sister stated truthfully.

  “Oh. That’s not good. Doc, you have to let me go,” Nora stated looking to Dr. Tamina.

  Tamina remained adamant as she shook her head, “No, I cannot risk you injuring yourself even further until we repair what’s been done to you.”

  Nora huffed in what could only be described as dulled annoyance, “Then send Sigurd, he and I are the only two she’ll talk to if she’s in her head.”

  Shepard furrowed her brow before it dawned on her that Nora didn’t know. “You didn’t tell her?” Shepard asked Dr. Tamina in disbelief.

  “I figured she knew. I mean, she was down there when…”

  “Get out. That’s an order,” Shepard bit out angrily, giving the doctor no chance to finish. Tamina threw her arms up as if she were being treated unfairly before turning and stepping out of the room leaving Shepard and Nora alone.

  Nora watched the old woman intently as she took a seat at the foot of her bed with a solemn look on her face.

  “Sigurd is gone, Nora,” Shepard stated.

  Shepard watched as Nora quickly processed exactly what Shepard meant, her eyes shifting side to side as she recalled the string of events of that day. A single tear rolled down her cheek before she wiped it away with her free wrist and sniffed. “What an asshole… it's not nice to lie,” Nora said as she let out a long breath before looking directly at Shepard, “Then I need to see Mori, she doesn't do sad very well.”

  Shepard huffed as she nodded, “Nor many other emotions, but as much as I hate it, I can't overrule Dr. Tamina’s orders…sorry, but it’s one of very few things that are above an admiral’s authority…”

  Nora scoffed as she lazily slapped her hands into her lap with dejection, “Then… we need to think of something else because… has Xol tried? Or Yekku?” Nora asked reminding herself of just how unstable Morrigan could become as memories of Castile V surfaced in her mind.

  Shepard nodded, killing her rising hope until something dawned on her, “Wait, Taylor? The dude from Havoc that’s banging my sister. Have you told Taylor to try?”

  The fact that Nora said that with an impossibly straight face due to the behavioral inhibitors made the entire sentence far more unbelievable as Shepard’s brow furrowed deeply, running a roster through her mind.

  A soft smile spread across Nora’s lips as she watched Shepard think about it. “I don't know if it would help but she and him dated for a few years back on Earth, if I recall correctly… she at least obsessed over him for the longest time.”

  “Until you came along, that is,” Shepard mused knowingly which brought a slightly brighter smile to Nora’s face as she shrugged.

  “What can I say? Anyways, if I’m stuck here then he’s probably the only one capable of breaking through to her… at least, I think. This could also backfire and she could kill him, so keep that in mind,” Nora said with drug-induced aloofness. Then again, it was still on par for the slightly unhinged woman.

  Shepard took a deep breath and considered her only option. Seeing as no one could hack their way into the sealed bedroom, Shepard had very little choice but to try and see if the young man would help.

  “I hope you know what you’re talking about. The last thing we need is another funeral…” Shepard sighed before reaching for her comm bead in her ear.

  “Oh, I have no idea what I’m talking about, but better to try now than wait for the bitch queen to do as she pleases,” Nora stated, confusing Shepard for a moment before realizing that she referred to Dr. Tamina, to which she concurred.

  “Taylor, this is Admiral Shepard. Please make your way to the med bay on deck 12, room 62. That’s an order,” she stated with the full weight of her authority.

  As both women waited, Nora and Shepard spoke about Morrigan’s fragile emotional state; Shepard describing what she witnessed during Sigurd’s funeral while Nora recounted what she experienced down in the depths of the mining colony. The conversation was enlightening for Shepard, and worrying for Nora at the details of Morrigan’s breakdown. Especially in comparison to her outburst at Mars.

  Eventually, their topic shifted to that of the late Sigurd. “He promised, you know,” Nora said with a hint of sadness.

  “Promised what?” Shepard asked giving the mellowed-out woman a glance.

  With a soft snort, Nora attempted to mimic Sigurd, “No worries lass, we’ll be back to drinking with the ol’ wind bag soon…”

  Shepard managed to chuckle at the comment before realizing Nora’s monotone expression actually held a layer of guilt.

  “She probably blames herself… but I was the one who set him loose. Mori couldn't, you know… I didn't want her to bear that weight if the drugs killed him; but… but I told that idiot that he had to come back to us, that he was ours but… I didn't even see it. I focused on keeping Mori safe until she freaked out and before I knew it, Xol was dragging me back to the ship kicking and screaming.”

  Shepard nodded understandingly, “You did right by Mori, and by extension, by Sigurd as well. From what I was told, he wanted to use his full abilities to keep Mori safe as well as all of you. No one can account for every possible situation and for him to do what he did against the odds? You let him serve his purpose in life and gave him a warrior’s death, which I’m sure he appreciates.”

  “You really think so?” Nora asked sheepishly. Shepard nodded giving Nora a bit of peace of mind. “That's good, at least. It just sucks, you know? I honestly don't remember much else except that I was staring at Xol and then the next thing I knew I was here,” she said gesturing to the room. “I didn't even get to go and see him off… not that I enjoy funerals but I could have at least been there for Mori… I wonder who it was that knocked me out in one blow- that's actually pretty hard to do.”

  “That… was your sister,” Taylor stated as he stepped into the room, looking from Shepard to Nora in curiosity as to why he had been summoned.

  “Oh.” Nora blurted, saying nothing more as she looked into her lap.

  Before Taylor could consider her sudden sullen demeanor, Shepard interjected, “We need you to try and speak with Morrigan.”

  Taylor looked at the admiral in surprise, not having expected a request like that. Taylor knew Morrigan had not been seen recently however, aside from the ship wide curiosity of the nature of Morrigan and Sigurd’s relationship he was unaware that anything was wrong.

  “What do you mean? What’s going on with her?” he asked.

  “She has… locked herself in her room, and refuses to speak with anyone,” Shepard explained, uncertain how much detail to get into. However, Taylor sighed with an understanding expressing as he scratched the side of his head.

  Taylor knew how bad Morrigan’s depression could get and just how far into her head she could dive. He remembered back when they first started dating how she would stare off into nothingness, completely unaware of her surroundings until someone managed to break her focus, which would lead to her breaking down in tears of anger and often a destructive tirade.

  What seemed odd though was that he was being asked to talk to her rather than Nora. “Why me though? Why don't you talk to her?” He asked looking at Nora.

  Nora snapped out of it as the question registered in her mind and simply held up the hand that was shackled to the bed, “I’m a prisoner of the medical staff.”

  Taylor looked at Shepard but before he could ask anything else, she stated, “We are aware of your previous relationship with the Lord Inquisitor on Earth, I understand that you two are estranged but the hope is you, understanding her perhaps far more than any of us, can get her to come out of whatever stupor she is in.”

  “Yeah, but…” Taylor started only to be interrupted by a near monotone Nora.

  “Dude, do you really think I want to ask the guy whose slipping it to my sister to talk to my girlfriend? No. But, I'm chained to a bed and the only other person likely to get her to talk is… dead.”

  Taylor let out a long indignant sigh as he nodded to her point. It had been a long time since he had to comfort Morrigan, and with her aversion to being touched by most people, it only made the idea harder to deem a good idea however, if her depression was as bad as he had experienced in the past, then he knew he had to at least try.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  He looked at both women, his face telling them that he had no desire to put himself in the line of fire, “Alright, fine. Her room, you said?”

  Both women nodded. He ran a hand through his beard, “Fucking hell… alright, wish me luck,” he said as he turned and stepped out of the room.

  Taylor let out a deep breath as he traveled to Morrigan’s room, contemplating on how he was expected to handle the situation; what ever the situation truly turned out to be.

  He recalled her sporadic emotions, how she could shift moods at the drop of a hat depending on what was said if nothing happened externally to cause it, which for him, was always a dangerous situation to skirt around though he had never earned her ire before. That was years ago, the last instance he recalled was Morrigan shattering the teeth of a high-school bully before they were forced apart to different ends of the galaxy.

  Now, things have changed. Taylor was an ex-Federation soldier meant to die in battles the Federation didn’t wish to expend “real troops” on, where as Morrigan was the leader of not only a relatively large warship, but for the time being, she was the defacto-leader of an entire organization dedicated to not only fighting the Federation, but policing the galaxy.

  That wasn’t even touching the subject that their love no longer held them together as it had before, having diverted their hearts to two different women; who, in some sick cosmic joke, happened to be sisters. If anything, it made Taylor wonder if the gap between them that they filled with other people removed the safety net for him, the net that was Morrigan’s love for him that had always protected him from her volatile temperament.

  Before Taylor could let his thoughts convince him against the plan, he found himself in front of Morrigan’s quarters, standing in front of the door nervously as he listened for any sign of life.

  Another thought he considered was that Morrigan had been closed off in her room for just over 48 hours which began to seed worry for her within Taylor, which was what sold him to push forward into the room.

  Taylor looked around to see the open living room empty of life. The alien Xol was no where in sight, which was strange to begin with, but Taylor could not spot the giant dog Skoll either.

  Taylor moved to the only closed door in the room guessing it was her bedroom, stepping past the giant case he spied before knocking on the door. “Mori? It’s Taylor.”

  “I do apologize Mr. Briggs however; the Lord Inquisitor is still not seeing anyone at this time…” Sister stated immediately.

  However, Taylor noticed something odd that the system said, or did not say actually. Taylor heard the ship’s A.I. pause at the end of the sentence.

  “Uh, Sister? Is everything okay with Mori?” Taylor asked curiously.

  “Morrigan just wishes time to herself…” Sister said with another pause.

  Taylor listened carefully, listening for either sound behind the door or some kind of indicator in the tone Sister spoke in. With a sigh, Taylor stepped away from the door and into the small kitchen attached to the living room.

  There was nothing out on the counters nor any dirty dishes which meant Morrigan had not made herself food however, there was a half full bottle sitting in the corner of the counter.

  Grabbing the bottle, he shrugged to himself and pulled out the cork before taking a deep whiff of high-end whiskey. As he was about to take a drink, Sister interrupted him, “I do believe Ms. Flannigan would resort to hostile retaliation if you drink from that bottle, Mr. Briggs.”

  The A.I.’s voice came through a small speaker built into the wall underneath the cabinets built out from the wall, Sister’s words being far more precise and clearer than before which made him realize he was right.

  “Okay Sister, what's really going on?” he asked with a whisper as he leaned against the counter with a smirk, getting closer to the speaker.

  “I will not pretend I understand human emotions however, it is clear to even an artificial being such as I that Mori is not doing well. She has been sitting on the edge of her bed staring at the wall for precisely 17 hours. She has not consumed any vital necessities for human survival, much less moved from the bed itself and I… am uncertain.” Getting a real explanation of the situation allowed Taylor to see the level of complexity behind Sister’s personality, but it also gave insight to the situation itself.

  “Listen, you’re going to need to unlock that door…” Taylor said before trailing off in thought. The more he thought about Sister’s explanation, the more he realized even he had never seen Morrigan this bad. Perhaps after the night she killed the police officer but Taylor didn’t meet her till several months later. If he could get ahold of Helen, he could get answers, however there was no saying how long it would be until Morrigan pulled out of the depression she was in and switched to the unbridled fury everyone knew of.

  “I can’t do that. Morrigan has used her Inquisitorial code designed to override any and all Inquisition protocols. Without that code, I no longer have access to the door controls.” Sister stated.

  Taylor groaned in quietly in frustration as he ran his hand through his beard. It dawned on him that, if anything, a code should always be hackable. At least, that’s what Ebony always used to say whenever she came across increasingly frustrating systems during their missions.

  “We can always ask Ebony to try and break the code? Or you, I mean, you're a better hacker than she is.”

  Sister waited no time to respond to that. “That would not be possible. Miss Salah, as experienced as she is, would not be able to break such a complicated code and it is against my programming to attempt without dire circumstances.”

  Taylor was ready to give up until Sister’s words hit him, “Wait, without dire circumstances? Sister, you do realize the longer Mori is by herself the more dire this situation will get, right?”

  “I do not see how. The Inquisitor has done nothing in a quite literal sense,” Sister pointed out.

  “But for how long? You’ve had Mori aboard for quite a while. Even you must know how dangerous she can get when she gets into her emotions… think about Mars, or the most recent mission, or any conflict she has been a part of! Depression is a very dangerous emotion for humans, especially Mori, and the longer we wait the higher the chances of something very bad happening… either to the ship and it’s crew, or Mori herself. If the safety of the crew or the Inquisitor isn’t considered dire, then I don’t know what would,” Taylor rattled out with hopeful frustration, hoping the A.I. would see his point.

  Sister remained silent for a moment which Taylor hoped meant the system was processing the logic behind what he said.

  “Psychological trauma with unquantifiable collateral that risks personnel and leadership. That does qualify as dire circumstances given the subject profile… I will now attempt to counteract the Inquisitorial override. Good luck, Taylor.” Sister explained before wishing him well.

  Taylor wasted no time moving across the room to wait by the bedroom door while Sister spent the next several minutes working on opening the door.

  It took nearly 20 minutes before Taylor heard the sound of a heavy lock clunk, a lock that sounded heavier than what should have been built in the door however, pushing the access button to the left of the door made the door slide open with a pneumatic hiss.

  To Taylor’s surprise, aside from Inquisitorial armor thrown about and an over turned dresser that blocked the left side towards the bed, the room was intact despite all the time Morrigan had to throw a tantrum and wreck the room. Yet, Morrigan was as Sister said, sitting along the edge of the bed staring at the wall.

  “Get out,” came her voice without looking, a voice unfilled that still held a dangerous amount of malice.

  Morrigan knew someone was still standing in her room as the door closed by the rank feeling of worry and hesitation. Morrigan felt everything amongst the ship; happiness, curiosity, love, last, anger, jealousy, sadness and everything in between, all emotions she couldn't feel herself as the hollow hole in her heart only seemed to grow with time. She had no desire to deal with anyone, or any thing either, and why would she? All she did was bring pain and misery that ended in death.

  It was a constant question she asked herself that never seemed to be answerable. She incited a war with the largest and most powerful faction in the galaxy, something she did without truly considering the ramifications. How many would she lead to their deaths if she dragged them all to war? How many would suffer because of her? What would happen if she failed, if she didn’t succeed in bringing down the Federation, what then?

  “Mori?” came the question from a voice she hadn’t truly heard in years. The concern the held her up for years before her life went to complete shit.

  “I told you to get out,” she said with a bit more bite as her fingers curled into fists against her bare thighs.

  There was movement she heard, similar to nervous shuffling before Taylor responded, “Not until you talk to me. I know you're in your head… I know you need to be heard, Mori.”

  A growl rolled out of Morrigan’s throat as irritation began to grow, the first thing she felt in what seemed like forever. She didn't want to feel irritated; she didn't want to be angry- she was so tired of being angry.

  “What is there to talk about?” she snapped, Taylor watching the muscles in her shoulders tighten underneath the tight undershirt she wore, her fists tightening against her legs as she looked further away.

  Taylor knew he had to choose his next words carefully, “Well... listen, do you remember that time we went swimming in the spring… in the mountains?”

  The question confused Morrigan as her mind recalled the time he mentioned, a time back when they were only a year into their relationship and her trial put on hold for the first attempt at psychiatric evaluation.

  “You watched a hawk land on a frog that was by the water’s edge and as you saw eat it, you started crying,” Taylor brought up only to be interrupted.

  “What’s your point, Taylor?” she asked harshly as the memory began to surface clearer.

  Taylor let out a breath as he considered taking a step closer, but deciding against it, “Do you remember why you cried? What you said?”

  Morrigan’s breathing hitched before becoming harsher and more ragged, anxiety creeping up her spine as her words echoed in her mind.

  She tried to shake the memory from her mind not realizing Taylor would mistake the motion.

  “You said that nature had a balance, a unique give and take that caused life itself to reciprocate one another. From plants to animals there was a harmony, even between predators and prey… but for people, we broke that nature and made our own rules that created a cruel unbalance between one another… you were so full of admiration of nature and so heart broken by what we did to each other… you were…”

  Taylor was interrupt by a flash of speed he couldn’t prepare for as Morrigan slammed him into her bedroom door with enough force to knock the wind out of him.

  “I am not that girl anymore!” Morrigan growled as her deep red eyes looked up to find him gasping for breath.

  “That's… not true,” Taylor forced out.

  “It is! I am a war monger! All I do is bring death to everyone… to those who don't deserve it… I am nothing, nothing but… terrible,” Morrigan shouted as sadness seeped into her voice, a look of heartbreak in her eyes as she finally said how she felt out loud with a weakening grip.

  Morrigan released Taylor’s throat and turned around in shame as she shrank into herself, wrapping her arms around sides for any amount of comfort, “I’ve done so many horrible things…so many have died because of me… my father, Sigurd…” her voice cracked as the unbearable sadness and self loathing returned.

  Catching his breath, Taylor leaned against the door as much as he could realizing how dangerously close he was, her half naked body standing less than a foot away, “Then uh, why don't you walk away from all of this? You can…”

  Morrigan spun on him with a crackle of crimson energy as she pinned him to the door once again, “I can’t! I started this war, you stupid asshole! If I walk away, millions, billions will die because of me! All because I was too… proud…angry, I can’t walk away… I don’t want to walk away… the Federation needs to die…and…”

  Taylor looked down to see red tears stream down her cheeks as she tried to finish what she wanted to say, frozen still by the proximity as her lips formlessly mouthed the words she couldn’t find. It wasn't until her forehead touched his chest that he felt safe enough to release the breath he was holding as Morrigan began sobbing harder. With hesitation, Taylor risked touching her by placing his hands upon her shaking shoulders only to have the devastating discharge of energy never come. Instead, Morrigan leaned into him as she cried harder, feeling a torrent of self hatred, dread and exhaustive sadness.

  Taking it as a sign, Taylor allowed his arms to wrap around her in a hug, holding her tightly as he had so long ago to let Morrigan know she was not alone.

  There was a familiar comfort in the hug that Morrigan recognized, something small that battered against the storm of emotions that threatened to pull her apart. It wasn’t enough though. She needed something more to keep from losing herself once again, something to overshadow the warring feelings she had about what her actions have led to.

  Morrigan’s sobs softened as she tried to let the comfort Taylor offered sink in. It was subtle and nostalgic to be held by Taylor once again after so many years however, it wasn’t enough. Morrigan needed more as she looked up past the large bushy beard of the boy she once knew. He wasn’t the same man from high-school anymore, not the loyal, courteous and generously caring boy she had fallen in love with. No, that time had passed, much like everything else in her life and yet, there was something she could feel within him, something that reminded her that no matter what, Taylor had always been there for her and made sure she was okay above all else when it was possible. He never looked at her as if she was a freak or a delinquent, and always did his best to make her smile like the dopey, love-stricken boy he had been. But she needed to feel more than a ghost of a memory, she needed anything strong enough to pierce what it was she had felt for the past two days.

  Without warning, Morrigan pulled Taylor down into a deep kiss, a kiss that took him by surprise. He knew he should pull away. Taylor knew how wrong it was for her to kiss him and for him to let her however, something inside him called to him as he tried to resist against her incredible strength, something familiar that he hadn’t felt in quite some time.

  Against the rationale that screamed within, Taylor eased into her kiss, feeling her lips tighten against his as her breath hitched before a soft moan slipped from her lungs. As Taylor pulled her closer, Morrigan’s lips became more hungry, more ravenous as her fingernails dug into the back of his scalp before she grabbed ahold of him, enticing a shocked breath from him.

  Before his muddled brain could form a protest, Morrigan shifted them both as she forcibly moved Taylor her before, with ever surprising strength, shoving him onto her bed. Taylor didn’t see her slip her underwear, nor could he see past the deep red eyes that came closer as she leaned down for another kiss, his mind fuzzy by her determination that sparked the embers of his feelings for her he thought had died out.

  Morrigan paid no attention to Taylor’s hesitation as her desire addled mind told her what to do. She undid his belt, undoing his pants to find the dense flesh that would make her feel anything but pain; that was all she wanted, to feel again.

  The sensation of electricity radiated through her body as the heat of her core became molten, Taylor’s hindered moan amplifying the dull physical pain as she forced him into her. Underneath the pain was a soaking electric sensation that sent her nerves alive as she bottomed herself out, unable to fit anymore within as a strained, sharp moan escaped her lips, Morrigan catching herself on his shoulders.

  Slowly, Morrigan forced her nerves back to life as she shifted her hips against him. Her gaze cast down towards the dazed look on Taylor’s face before he hesitantly placed his rough hands on her hips and assisted her movement, rocking her back and forth slowly as she let out a soft moan as more and more sensation filled her body.

  The faster she moved and the harder she rode, the more she could feel as her heavy breaths escaped her with Taylor’s own labored moans, the more she felt; her nerves coming truly alive as her emotions faded to a dull pool of desire for more of what pushed the dark emotions deeper inside.

  Morrigan lost herself in the sensation as each push against him caused her nerves to threaten to alight, her mind reaching the crescendo of silence she so desired that she couldn’t hear Taylor’s warning to her.

  It wasn’t until she felt heat arise in her hazy arousal, a new heat to flood her core, that she realized just how much she had messed up. With a heavy gasp, she looked down to see an equally shocked look upon Taylor’s face, before both of their gazes traced down to where their hips met, the warm sensation resonating between both of them.

  Morrigan looked up as the realization what the warmth truly was dawned on her, a new wave of guilt and anger overcame her.

  “Shit…” she breathed as her nails raked across her face to the back of her head, panicked setting in.

  “Mori… I…” Taylor tried to start until her wide-eyed crimson gaze fell on him.

  “You need to leave,” she stated before moving off him, only to have the wet, sticky fluid drip from her tender skin, officiating her selfish mistake that caused a wave of nausea to hit her.

  Taylor let out a heavy breath as she watched a look of guilt and confusion cast over his face before sitting up and moving to the side away from her to stand. Returning his clothes to the way they should have been, Taylor looked back to find Morrigan staring into the spot he had laid, tentatively touching the tip of her finger to her pelvis in wide eyed shock, as if afraid to check.

  “Mori… I, we…” he tried to find the words he needed but she quickly threw up a hand raising a finger that crackled with destructive energy.

  “No. This never happened… I’m… I’m sorry. You need to leave, now,” she said, her tone still disbelieving.

  Taylor felt defeated, and more so, he felt guilty beyond belief at his inability to keep what transpired from happening. However, there was nothing he could do to validate what had happened and without another word, he left her room in shame.

  “God damn it!” Morrigan shouted, gripping the sides of her head in absolute anger and disgust with herself, “What the fuck is wrong with me?”