Love between the lines and leashes

Midnight in my small garden was the perfect time to think, warm nights like this one with the curling scent of flowers left over from the day. Halodante’s weight pressed against my leg, her soft humming voice, sightless eyes staring off into darkness none of us would ever see. I ran my hand through her fine white hair, it was getting long. Strands of silk run though my fingers, it caught the scab healing in my palm. Another scar, another mark of loyalty, another blood promise to someone else.

There are few times in my life it seems I get a moment of peace, small sparks of breathing room between twisting plots, demons and magic. Tonight was one of those moments, three days ago was another.

Iloam had been the first person I contacted after Ythgar had freed me of my addiction, The rogue had come to my home shared in my joy of being healed.....and told me he loved me.

It seemed like for half my lifetime Iloam and I had been entwined in a strange relationship that stemmed on violence and pain...somehow I had come to the terms I was in love with him, but never had I expected to hear those words back.

It eased something in me, some hollow place full of pressure and the realization that I was always second. He and I....we would never have the simple relationship so many yearn for, there would never be marriage, there would never be children, save the white priest sitting beside me we had both twisted into something darker then us both. But he and I, we would be he and I... but now there lay the understanding that we could be that together.

Three days ago I had been whole, complete laying in the arms of my rogue.... I should have told him then when he handed me the last piece of the puzzle that would fix my soul. The soul stone of fragmented pieces of he and I that Drakys had kept. I should have told him then who had fixed my soul.... but three days ago.. I didn’t want his anger, not then... not just yet, it was a quite moment, one that faded everything but us two...I couldn’t ruin it... lords I should have ruined it.

I returned to Ythgar the next day, looking forward to our odd dances between eachother we called breakfast.  But instead of the friendly chat I had been expecting I found my regret spilled out from his silver tongue. Iloam had found out about my ties to Ythgar, told by his gnat of a wife.... sticking her nose where it never belonged...and my bloody impulsive rogue, after an attack that will ill planned, ill suited and based entirely on jealousy failed, he was in the hands of someone far to capable of making men into worms.

I found then I wasn’t the warlock I had once been, once long ago I would have made the same mistake Iloam did, I would have tried to kill Ythgar... but I had loyalty carved through my skin, wrought deep into my being, seeded there by Blackmarrow. He had taken an impulsive girl with a temper that rivaled any red head, and gave me control....sometimes I wonder if it kept me alive, or just made me suffer longer.

Now, with my instilled senses of loyalty, I found myself between something far worse then a rock and a hard place. On one side was my promise, my debt I owed to the Lord Wolf, on the other was Iloam, my rogue, my soul.... lords he loved me. So I did as I had never done.... I offered myself in exchange for another.

Contract on top of contract now, bound by the blood of our palms and a human promise. I Ixinane Stromcren, last lord of the Stormcren line, binded myself to the Marquis Ythgar Vinguld... My lord wolf.... I was his warlock, but never his property. He held a leash but not a collar, and luckily enough we enjoyed the other silent games we played, so he had no want to alter it for a harpy on a leash, he did not want to break me, I in turn would hate to have to fight him for my freedom. Instead... I protect him now, mostly from Iloam, I told the lord wolf I would keep the rogue from him, it was a promise I made in full trust. After all if Iloam went after the Marquis or those under his protection once Iloam was put into my care... it would be my skin it was taken out of. Even for Iloam... I wasn’t willing to take that risk.

So the Marquis took me to Iloam, our contract agreed upon and promises made. I had the pleasure of meeting Iloam’s future self had I not made the promise I did. Velion, Ythgar’s blood elf parasitic pet, in a way it made me think of Halodante... in a way I saw Ythgar and I were far to similar.

Iloam was contained in a room to himself, bruised, bloodied and broken the rogue still had enough left in him to spit as much venom at me as possible. Tell me you love me one day call me a trollop to Vinguld the next. He rode my temper to the point I nearly let Ythgar have him... but I couldn’t watch Iloam sit at Ythgar’s feet, not because the rogue made a promise to the man that he would not touch me.... lords.... did no one understand that decision would only be half Ythgar’s... I did have a say in it to..lords forbid not every female in the world didn’t crawl at the Marquis’ feet. And if I was the only one who didn’t....well all the better. Besides... I told Iloam once that if any would break him.. if any would kill him... it would be me, Iloam had been mine far longer then either of us would ever admit.

Iloam raged against the decision I had made, his hope of keeping me from Ythgar had failed by my own hands... irony is never lost on me. His words bit deep, reopening every wound he had healed the day before. I felt myself grow cold, I felt... more myself, I had been to long being sick....Iloam's rage was just the push I needed.... I had been frightening once, I had been a threat.... the petals of some grotesque flower within me pulled open.. I was named Harpy for a reason.. and no one could bring those traits out of me quite like Iloam.

  The rogue walked out of that manor without one look at Ythgar, his attention was all from my succubus, his fear of demons had him pulling on his chains..screaming, pleading with me not to let my demon near him...I purred at him, smiled... and blantantly enjoyed his fear.... Its nice that my demon has some use once in a while. As I lead him away I felt a part of myself restored, something that had been faded into the background...Iloam would hate me for this though. I felt the warmth in Ythgar’s smile as I left, the spark in his eyes was hard to ignore... he approved of the way I handled this all..... far to similar indeed.

I treated Iloam well while I let him alone a day in the cells beneath my home in Feralas. I let him have the time to cool and I the time not to just bleed all the pain he spat at me back out of him. I faced him the following day, and was met with the same venom, laced now with desperation as I sank my own venom into him... mine was laced with guilt. I told him my pact with the Marquis, how I had given my service to him to fix the rogue’s mistake. It broke my heart... the screaming angry desperation that spilled from Iloam. He really had accepted to be a pet to Ythgar to save me.... he trades himself for me.. and I for him.... I'm not sure if I am proud of the fact I won. In the end, he saw my point... as well as he could anyway, he left my home a free man, plus one. I trust him... I do... but with my life on the line as much as his own... well my trust only goes so far. I had my imp follow him...discreetly of course... I really had no choice.

No choice...it seems I have run into that a lot lately... this is why I enjoy my garden with my priest. My choices here are my own, for my own benefit and for hers. I had the love of a rogue, a contract with a death knight, and so many loose ends.... this whole situation was far from over. More webs, more twisted lines so entangled I'm not sure where one begins and one ends. And as before.... I find myself in the middle of it. I would be lying if I said what I did would’t put shadows of regrets in my mind. Iloam and I.. on this subject, we're still a raw open wound, bandages only last so long. I was now contracted to the man I was inexplicably fascinated with, his sharp mind sharpened my own, but his cruelty spawned mine.... to long around the Marquis and I wondered just how deep my own monster would go.

All these lines had my name written within them, parts of them my fault, parts of them the fault of others because of me... one elf had managed to upset the balance of many.  I have been in between my share of plots, even the cause of them... but never so grstly intwined..Iloam was now under my watch because of his jealousy spawned from us, I was now bound to Ythgar because of my love for Iloam.. Ythgar agreed to my terms.... because we openly admitted to enjoying eachother company... he had stated if only I were a human.... funny thing to realize to one man so bent on hating elves I was his one redeeming factor..... to many bloody lines.

I still needed to find Liore... I needed to keep my promise to him to fix his soul... then shove his thick head full of corruption for putting himself in the sight of the Marquis.... if I have to save another lover from my lord wolf... I will start lighting things on fire.

Control harpy... control.... this situation could be worse.... but there were still so many ways it could go... for now... I need to stop thinking... my priest, my pale little blood splattered priest is singing, her voice carries well on quiet nights. My love for her was the only one that did not complicate things.... don’t think... let the song carry you. I see the Lord Wolf again soon... Iloam has gone back to his wife... Liore is waiting for me... no thinking required... not just yet... enjoy the night Harpy.