Winter Legacy -27-

Claus ducked Jaylee's high kick then stood for a moment in disbelief, "Oh my god! Did...you saw that right?"     He could never duck Jaylee's blows before, by the end of their sparring matches Claus was usually bruised and battered. Jaylee never held back, she always told Claus that an enemy would stop at nothing to kill him.

Jaylee blinked at Claus' excitement, "I need to teach you how to be calm. What you're doing now is letting your guard down. Into the kitchen!"

Jaylee told Claus to sit on the tiles and she adjusted his seating, forcing his legs into a pretzel-like fold. "Be careful!" He hollered grabbing between his legs. "You'll tear it."

Jaylee stopped what she was doing to grin wickedly at Claus. "What'll I tear Claus.?" His reply was a glower that only made Jaylee smile wider. 

Once she got Claus fixed, Jaylee took a seat in front of him and folded her own legs. "Now, close your eyes and breathe deeply." Jaylee took a deep breath. "Release your breath and everything in your mind as well. Release the tension, the anxiety." 

"Jaylee." Claus said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Mmmhmm?" She asked but she knew what he meant, she felt it too. There was a strong connection between them, Claus struggled against it, he had never explored anybody's mind before. Jaylee embraced it, she had never felt such a strong connection but she was not afraid to explore it either. 

In a matter of minutes there were no secrets between them, Jaylee was as connected to Claus as her soul was to her body. Claus released a long breath, a strange peacefulness settled over him, one born from understanding. Finally he knew understood Jaylee, what she was, what she'd experienced and why she'd left home. 

He opened his eyes and was not at all bothered by the eerie green glow surrounding them. Slowly, the pair drifted back to the floor. 

"What just happened?" Claus asked, still on a high from everything he had just felt.

Jaylee grinned widely and stood up, Claus stood as well. 

They reached for each other without even thinking. Their kiss was like none they'd ever shared. It was more passionate than before, more intense, deeper than they could even imagine. 

For a moment Jaylee had been confused, what was this thing that she was feeling for Claus? This new understanding? This desire to be near him? And then she understood, this was what Jamie felt for Erik, what so many of her kind felt for their significant other. Claus was her soul mate, he had chosen her as wholly as she had chosen him. They now felt a bond that even human couples who were together for decades would never feel. They were connected on a level that was unimaginable, unable to even comprehend.