He stalked through the halls of his Shiro, still not completely calmed from the incident with the maid, but when he felt his mate's small hand tug on the sleeve of his kimono, begging his attention with a wordless request, the memories of how she would do so when a child brought a smile to his face.

"Yes, Rin?" He looked at her, noticing the slightly exasperated tone of her voice, "How much longer are you going to be in this mood?"

He smirked, "That depends on you. Will you allow me to simply remove that wench's hand from her wrist, as she deserves? That would make this Sesshoumaru quite pleased indeed." Rin rolled her eyes, "No, maru. You cannot dismember yet another member of the staff... Don't you remember how long it took to find a decent gardener after what you did to the last one?"

Sesshoumaru huffed, indignant. "He should not have been looking at you, while smelling like that."

Rin shook her head.

The poor kid had had a crush. A stupid, senseless crush on an unattainable woman… Unfortunately for him, it had been Sesshoumaru's woman. The silly little gardener boy had had a crush on Rin. Sesshoumaru had not taken kindly to that boy's... feelings, unrequited though they may have been.

"You are such a brute sometimes, you know that?" Sesshoumaru nodded, non-plussed.

"Wait until we get to our rooms, and we shall see if you are still complaining about my "brutish" ways..." Rin looked down, shaking her head and fighting yet another rolling of her eyes. "I've said it before, but it bears repeating... Sesshoumaru-sama's idea of what is "Romantic" is really quite... twisted." And yet, the words were said with a small smile on her face.

Deep down, Rin knew that she would have him no other way.

Jealous, short tempered, arrogant and violent bastard that he was... She wasn't blind to those things, but to her, he would forever be the savior of her dreams, the answer to her childhood pleas to the Gods to escape the life of an outcast, beaten orphan, to finally have somewhere to belong. Even if he was... overbearing... at times… Rin figured that to be obsessed over and jealously guarded was far better than the plight of most noble wives, who were usually all but ignored in favor of harems. Wives were usually political tools, but mates, in the demon world… Mates were loved.

If she were in the human world, even if she had been able to climb up from peasant status someday, and marry a Lord, she would never be as thoroughly adored as she was by Sesshoumaru.

Rin had absolutely no doubts that Sesshoumaru most certainly felt as though she belonged to him... Still, his recent words in the bathhouse echoed in her mind, "I also... belong to you."

Inumochi…eh? Master of a powerful Inugami... eh? Rin looked at the fall of silver hair and the confident stride of her mate and contemplated that idea... it seemed so ridiculous to her, the idea that she was his 'master' in any sense of the word, or had more than the slightest amount of sway over his actions, but… He had just spared the maid from his violence at her request.

No other person could have stemmed the tide of his anger the way she did, and Rin had to admit that where Sesshoumaru was concerned, only she had ever held the slightest authority where his intended actions were concerned, and calmed his violent hand on a consistent basis.

"You have possession of a very powerful weapon, when you hold the heart of my son. I trust you will not misuse him?"

Haha-ue's words too, came into her mind. Rin could only hope that she had it within herself to use whatever "power" over her deadly mate she might weild, wisely.

She hated to watch him kill, but she knew, sometimes, it was necessary. Still, she had done the right thing in defending that silly little maid, right?

Then why...?

Why was there a small corner of her mind that felt… uneasy?

Something whispered in her the back of her head that perhaps she should have let him do as he'd pleased... He had so much more experience with keeping discipline among the servants of this shiro.

But then again, surely, what harm could a stupid maid do? Still... Rin shivered, and her mate, ever trained on even the minutest details of her physical state, looked back showing concern in his eyes that only she would have recognized.

"Rin?"

Rin tried to shake away that gnawing feeling in the back of her mind, and instead focus on the happy thought that after weeks of being extremely busy with a newborn, they finally had a babysitter for the entire morning, and they were finally going to get to have some quality time alone again.

Rin gave a soft smile, "It's nothing. Come on, we're almost to our rooms."

He gave that little quirk of his lips that passed for a smile on his usually stoic features, teasing, "Is my Rin a bit eager?"

Rin scoffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about..." And with that, she promptly forgot all decorum, hiked up her post-bath Yukata, and took off down the halls in a sprint. Not that she could ever have outrun him... But then again, she wasn't really trying to escape.

She wanted to be caught.

Sesshoumaru looked on with amusement as Rin sprinted down the hall in a most unladylike way... Giving her enough of a head start to keep it interesting, he in turn went after her, hunter going after a most delicious prey.

The servants, hearing Rin's heavy human footfalls far in advance kept out of her way as she angled through the vast network of corridors and sliding walls, making her way to hers and her mate's large chambers.

Lavishly decorated with painted silk screen shoji, a huge futon set in the center of the room and raised on a platform, with four pillars at each corner, and silks draped around for utmost privacy, the canopy created a romantic, intimate atmosphere. The lush cushions and pillows kept them comfortable and provided other uses as well… keeping her hips propped up at a certain angle during love-making, for instance.

The four posters at the corners and long strips of silk attached to each were also rather… useful… and Rin could sometimes feel her face heat just looking at those long, lush, strips of silken material.

Right as she opened the final set of doors to the inner sanctuary of the shiro, where she and her mate resided, Rin felt her legs give out under her, as she was scooped up from behind in the warm embrace of her mate.

"Trying to run away from me?" He purred softly into her ear, but, as always, there was a slightly threatening undertone to his words that made Rin's heart beat slightly faster, and prickled her skin. As much as she trusted he would never hurt her, punishments were not outside the realm of possibility.

"Se… Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin gasped, still recovering from being taken off her feet so suddenly.

"Do you know, Rin… What measures this Sesshoumaru would take – what lengths he would go to – to ensure that he is never without his mate?"

"… Wha… What…?" Rin was a little afraid to known the answer to that question.

Without saying a word, he strode to their large futon, setting her down gently, and then lowering his towering frame above her small body, so she was caged in, trapped between his body and the mattress of the futon.

She saw his long arm elegantly reach for one of the silk ties secured to the post at the corner of the bed, fingering it with his long, tapered digits, his deceptively delicate looking hands handling the silk sensually, as he pinned her with a heated, intense gaze.

Casually, he leaned up, taking her hand with his other, still free one, and bringing it to his lips for a chaste kiss, relaxing Rin into making not a sound of protest as he wrapped the fine silk around her wrist, then secured it with a tight knot, effectively making sure that Rin couldn't move her arm whatsoever.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!?" Rin gasped, as he quickly went to work securing her other wrist, leaving her completely unable to move either of her arms.

"If she were threatened, I would kill those who threatened her…" He whispered against her lips, punctuating the word 'kill' with a quick nip to her lower lip, "… And, if she were to try and leave on her own…" He tested the knots, making certain they were tight enough to bind, but not enough to cut off circulation to her hands, "I would tether her…" He sat up, admiring how helpless she looked, bound to their bed, chest heaving against the thin yukata, breasts straining against the material.

A single claw fell across her lips when Rin tried to speak and then, slowly, he dragged it downward, over her chin, dipping down to her neck, and then still further to the V-shaped part in the top of her robe. Still further his clawed fingertip traveled, parting her robes as he went, until finally, he came to her simple obi and slid his claw right through it.

Rin bit her lower lip, hard, as his hand traveled lower still, his finger tip swirling in her belly button, making her stomach tremble and her thighs shake as his hand came possessively down on her sex, cupping it.

His long silver hair curtained around them as he nibbled on her ear, "And if perchance she were to escape… I would mark her so thoroughly that no other would dare to touch what belongs to this Sesshoumaru…"

The honey-eyed demon used his first and third finger to gently part her lower lips, slipping his second finger along her damp split, forcing choked sounds of pleasure from his mate's throat.

"Tell me, little one…" He purred possessively, "Who do you belong to?"

Rin's tongue was thick and her mind hazy with pleasure, but on instinct she responded to his question, "You!"

"Say it again…" He demanded, slightly more harsh in both his handling of her wet sex and his tone of voice.

"You…" Rin gasped, "I belong to you… To Sesshoumaru-sama."

Laying fully beside his bound mate, Sesshoumaru leaned down to search out the sensitive areas of her neck with his teeth, and using a growling whisper to praise, "Good girrrrl, Rin."

Panting and gasping, her body hot and twitching, Rin could feel the tight clamp of her channel, and she ached for thickness to fill her there, "Please, Sesshoumaru-sama… Unnnng… Maru please!"

"Tell me what you want," Sesshoumaru teased lightly, waiting for her response before doing anything more than tracing maddeningly light circles to the tip of her pleasure bud, keeping her on edge and wanton.

"You… Inside. Rin wants Sesshoumaru-sama inside…"

He slipped his finger between her folds and into the tight, wet recesses beyond. His cock hardened fully at the feel of her, and he too wanted oh-so-badly to fill his sweet little mate… But, to take his time and tease her was ultimately even more rewarding.

He heard the sigh of relief, and felt her hips strain and buck against his loving invasion, seeking more stimulation. He curled his finger to massage her g-spot and Rin whimpered. "More… Please… More…"

"Another finger?" He questioned, and Rin shook her head emphatically back and forward in the negative. "You… Please… You…"

He chuckled lightly, removing his hand entirely, watching her body shake with want as he rose to straddle her hips, letting loose the tie of his obi and removing his robe to reveal his erection straining toward his belly button. He used a hand to grip himself, thumbing down his cock, and stroking himself lightly a few times as Rin's eyes drifted open to watch the show.

Unconsciously, Rin licked her lips, wishing she was not bound and could lean up to lick the bead of pre-come glistening on his tip.

"You want this?"

Rin closed her eyes, bit her lip, and despite the burning in her cheeks, nodded the affirmative.

His own desire weighed heavily on his decision not to press her further, instead, repositioning himself between her widely parted legs, and nudging himself between her slick outer and inner folds, and pressing forward into the hot, wet, tight and quivering channel of his beloved mate.

He felt her pulse, and the deep sigh of her exhale as finally, he filled her beneath the sheets. Her eyes already closed, she started slightly when he moved to kiss her, distracting her from noticing that he had retrieved his obi with one hand… The other, he used to weave his fingers through the black silk of her hair, lifting her head slightly, both to meet his kiss and to give him the opportunity to…

Rin's world darkened as she felt the silk slip over her eyes, and Sesshoumaru-sama tying it with a secure knot behind her head. He had blindfolded her.

"Se…" Rin trembled slightly. He had bound her before, and she did trust him, however this was the first time that along with her mobility, he'd also taken her sight from her during their lovemaking.

He stroked the top of her head, "Yoshi Yoshi…" He soothed her as one would a frightened child, "I have heard, that when deprived of one sense, the others become heightened… Let us test that, ne?"

"Demo…" He cut off her protests with yet another searing kiss, and swirled his hips in a circular motion, swallowing her gasp as his tongue swirled in her mouth, roughly in time with lower body's movements against her. When finally, they broke apart, Rin could only moan in response to his whispered words against her ear…

"Just feel me, little one."

"Ha… i…" And with that, Rin was lost to myriad sensations. His hands travelling the length of her thighs, his tongue finding her lightly tanned nipples, back and forth, each one was worshipped with equal measure, as her Demon Lord lover worked them with not only hot, sinewy muscle, but with teeth and fang, until each was rose red and standing at attention, and both were leaking tiny droplets of milk each time wrapped his lips around those tiny buds and sucked.

The rumble of his chest as he growled deeply his satisfaction in Rin's responsive body, and the slide of his sweat-slick skin against her own. His long silky hair occasionally swept along the sensitive skin of her flanks, and the sides of her breasts, his bangs tickling at her collar bones as he used his hands to press her breasts together, and licked her cleavage, bit and nipped, massaged and squeezed, and pinched and pulled with long fingers, until her chest was tingling, each nipple as swollen and engorged as her clit.

"Unnnngggg… Ahhhh…" Low groans and high pitched sighs emanating from deep in her throat escaped his none-too-gentle handling, but little else… Rin was beyond words, at this moment.

The beat of his hips against her own was most impressive, as he speared into her again and again, his thickness filling and stretching the tightness between her thighs over and over. Just when Rin thought he was going to allow her to fall over the edge of bliss, he would change his pounding rhythm, to swivel instead in circles that ground his body against her pleasure bud at the same time the head of his thick cock was rubbing with slick friction against her internal pleasure center. Rin really thought that she could die at any moment… She just had to…

"Ah! Please… Maru… Please, please, please…" Rin was close to tears, now.

All she got in response was a feral growl, and two words… "Not yet."

Rin let out a frustrated sob, and suddenly she felt two large hands grip her hips as Sesshoumaru pulled back from her, sitting on his knees now, but without breaking their intimate connection. Two soft pillows slid under her hips, forcing Rin to bow her back at a sharp angle.

Now, with each thrust forward, he pulled her hips down to his own, spearing into his mate at an upward angle… the perfect way to ram his mushroom tip hard against her g-spot, with each time he thrust forward. Her breasts bounced freely, and each hard slam of his sex into hers sent a shockwave through Rin's core, making her tighten up, more and more, with each brutal invasion.

Rin was fairly sure that she was screaming, but was powerless to stop herself. "Oh… Gods… Ma… Ru… So…Hard… So… Fast… Deep… It's so… Deep…" Rin could barely get out a single word before again her breath would be stolen by the pleasure rippling through her body as he pounded into her again and again, seemingly without end. He buttcheeks slapping against his thighs, her breasts bouncing wildly, her whole body lurching over and over with his rough treatment, a brutally loving assault. Even the cool breeze on her wet and aching clit was driving her insane.

Finally though, Rin felt her inner muscles clench down hard, and she spread her thighs as far apart as she could, when she felt his thumb sneak down to strum her clit, and his other large hand slide from her hip to grip her asscheek, his longest finger sneaking down to circle at tease the sensitive nerve endings at her rear opening.

"Rrrriiinnn…" He half-growled, half-roared, and Rin could only respond with a harsh sob of pure frustration, "Please, Maru… Rin needs to… has to… Ah…" Panting harshly and pushed beyond shame, Rin finally just openly begged, "Please… Rin needs to come!"

Rin wasn't sure if the next sound she heard was feral or if he was actually trying to say, "Hai", but it mattered not, as her body could no longer hold back, and the rippling contractions of her orgasm tore through her viciously, warm, hot, gushes of liquid pouring from between her thighs, all over his lap.

Rin heard a throaty snarl, and just as she was coming down from her high, his hands came to the backs of her knees, and he tore the pillow out from under her hips, forcing her to curl her body in the complete opposite direction. Now, her knees were on either side of her head, her ass up in the air, and she felt him above her, ploughing deeper than ever before… Something wet dripped down on her forehead above the blindfold, and Rin wasn't sure if it was his sweat or if he was actually… drooling. Either way, she didn't care. He was building her up to a second climax before she'd even had a chance to come down from the first.

"Ma… Ru… Rin… Can..'t… Ah…No… Ah…" Panting breaths and huge gulps of air crossed dry lips as Rin again felt a hot wave emanating from her core, rippling around his cock, and throughout her entire body.

Mercifully, this time, along with her contractions came the hot throb signaling his imminent release and sure enough, more deep growling, snarling, and gnashing of teeth, was followed immediately by the expansion of the head of his member, and deep inside, the scorching heat of his liquid release filling her. The heat of his come worked to sooth her strained internal muscles as finally, slowly, she felt him lower her legs back down. His knot tied inside her, still he did not break their intimate union. Instead, he merely laid his head on her chest, taking a single nipple between his lips and suckling softly like a puppy, as his breathing returned to normal.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" Rin ventured, and he made some noise in the back of his throat to indicate his acknowledgement, "Rin's shoulders are starting to hurt."

With a deep sigh, his hand came up slice through the silk, first on one side and then the other, so Rin's hands were free. Immediately, she removed the blindfold, blinking at the harshness of the light, even in their dim chambers, then wrapped her arms around him, and allowed him to simply lay on her, still half-heartedly suckling on her nipple like a spoiled pup.

"Satisfied now?" Rin asked with a giggle.

He lifted his head up to look at her, and deadpanned, "Never."

Rin laughed again, "Good."

He snuggled back down into her chest, eyes narrowed slightly at the scent coming from just down the hall…

That damned maid…

He wondered how long it would take Rin to notice if whatever-her-name-was simply… disappeared. He smiled as he thought of how satisfying it would be to very slowly rip her limbs from their sockets, and hear her screams of pain.

He knew Rin meant well, but she was naive. The wench had not touched him on accident. When she looked at him, she scented of desire, and when she looked at Rin, she scented of disdain. He held back a growl that would have alerted Rin to something amiss with his train of thought, and kept his face hidden against her chest, because she would somehow know he was troubled. She always knew, no matter how he tried to hide his emotions, Rin would always know.

Still, he had to talk to Rin about this… Situation. In the demon world, Rin had basically put a sign on her back that said 'Kill me and take my mate; I'm weak.'

Of course, everyone knew he would not taken, and any who dared lay a hand on her would suffer like no other had suffered before… No sane demon would do it. But then, the wench out there trying spy on them was clearly not sane.

He sighed. He'd get rid of the maid himself. There was really no reason to involve Rin. He would protect her, as he always did. He would kill the maid at the first opportunity, and for now, he could really not care less which servants did or did not bare witness to his sexual activities. The scent filled the halls anyway and if the wench wished to torture herself with the scent of the man she could never have with his mate that she hated and envied, then what did he care? She was a servant, barely more than living furniture, to his mind.

His knot was finally starting to untie itself, and he had other things on his mind… He hoped the girl didn't plan on getting any actual rest, because he wasn't sure he could let her.

Lately, his libido was out of control… He wasn't sure what the reason was, but even looking at Rin could drive him to desire. So far, she'd bared with the situation without complaint, but he wondered how long her fragile human body could withstand his constant demands… He did not wish to burden her but it was damned hard to control himself where she was concerned.

He, who was a master of control, especially of himself, had problems where Rin was concerned. It wasn't a new situation, he knew. Where she was concerned his emotions ran wild and he acted without logically considering the consequences. That had always been the case. He had willingly lept into hell, thinking he had no chance of escape, intent apparently on trapping himself for all eternity with her silent, cold, very dead body…

Just the thought of it made him shiver slightly, and Rin wrapped her arms around him just a bit tighter. "Maru?"

He growled softly, and instead of responding, he allowed his member to slide from between her thighs, and began a southward journey. He stopped only when his shoulders were between her knees, and finally he looked up at her with a wicked smirk. "Do you taste as good as you smell?"

Rin's cheeks flamed, and she shook her head, "I… wouldn't know…"

"Let me find out, and I will inform you of the answer for future reference." And with that his silver head dipped between her thighs and his long, dexterous tongue snaked out to lap gently at her outer lips, then slip between her seam, as his thumbs came up to gently part her femininity. He flicked his tongue lightly over her pleasure center and felt Rin's small hands reach for his hair, her fingernails scraping his scalp as her hips raised to allow for better access.

He worked her slowly to a gentle climax, and she came with a sigh, not a scream. He licked his chops and lifted her leg over his shoulder, sliding up beside his mate, and turning her on her side, facing him.

"Ummmm… Thank you…" She whispered, and his hand came up to cup her cheek, "Any time," he purred in response.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is so good to Rin." The girl responded dreamily, gazing softly into his eyes, her own filled with deep, affectionate, heartfelt and soul deep love.

In response, he kissed her, deep and slow. Swirling his tongue in her mouth and meeting her own dancing tongue again and again in a sensual slide that had him hard and ready for another round in mere moments.

He really could not get enough of her as of late!

His hand slid down her side, and over her hip, down to squeeze at her thick rear, before following her wonderful curves down to grip the back of her thigh and guide her leg over his hip.

With only a small adjustment in angle, his cock slid inside her once more, and Rin groaned as he gently rocked back and forth, this time taking his time, and loving her gently, but thoroughly.

"Aishiteru, Rin." He whispered and Rin gasped in shock.

"Wh… what… did you say?" Rin's eyes welled up with tears, happy tears.

"Aishiteru… Aishiteru… Aishiteru… Aishiteru…" He repeated again and again and again holding her close and tucking her head into his chest as his hips drove them both toward climax once again.

Rin wanted to ask him why… Why now… After all this time… Had he finally told her those words? But she was afraid. Afraid to press him for anything more, because right now, in this moment, he seemed… vulnerable. He clung to her as though she might disappear from within his arms at any moment.

"Sesshoumaru-sama… Atashi mo na… Rin wa Sesshoumaru ni aishiteru. Itsumo aishiteru yo."

"Wakatta, Rin. Wakarimashita."

And with that, he slowly rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she sat astride, riding him cock. One hand on her hips, encouraging her movements, the other hand sneaking down to use his thumb to strum at her pleasure pearl. Twice in a single day, he had felt the overwhelming urge to have her on top.

He bent his knees, planting his feet for better leverage and thrust his hips up into her soft, accepting warmth over and over, building his pleasure, but in this position, he could not climax. He could only allow her to use him for her own.

But still, watching the way she bit her lip, the way her breasts bounced… It was the most erotic and rewarding sight he could have ever imagined. And when he felt the clench of Rin's core that heralded her orgasm, he couldn't help but to sit up and hug her close, letting her shiver in his arms as her center pulsed around him.

"Would you like another?" He offered.

Rin, panting, and now exhausted, shook her head with a cheeky smile. "Not right this moment… Give me some time to recover. I'm only human!"

He hid his disappointment with a soft, understanding nod.

Rin suddenly remembered what he had said before, in the bath house… He hadn't come yet. He couldn't, laying on his back like that.

"Wait… I take that back."

"Oh?" His eyebrows shot up, truly surprised. He could tell how tired she was.

"One more… But this time…" Rin crawled off of his lap and assumed a wide-spread stance on all fours, ass in the air, "... like this; Rin wants it like this."

"I see." He knew what she was doing, and that it was for his benefit, but he wouldn't turn down such a brazen offer, especially when just looking at her like that made his blood boil and his cock throb painfully.

He got to his knees and prepared to mount her, and at that moment, he felt his eyes go red… his body was trying to transform! His mind was protesting, but like an itch that had to be scratched, he could feel the transformation coming on.

"Rin…" He growled out a warning, and she looked back in question.

What she saw was his face, now more muzzle than human, white with jagged streaks and red eyes, fangs dripping and pink mists swirling round and round on a phantom breeze.

Rin's response was to raise her ass higher, and lower her chest completely down to the futon, "It's okay. Rin isn't afraid."

That wasn't the complete truth, but for her mate, Rin was willing to trust that she would survive. She had been fine last time, if a little sore.

Sesshoumaru shook his head, trying desperately to calm himself and failing utterly. Be gentle… He reminded himself, before the entire world went crimson for a moment, and when he came to, he was in his full dog-demon form.

This time, the beast approached more slowly, sniffing at her rear end and giving a few appreciately licks to her core, and all the way up the split of her rear. Rin moaned and shoved her ass toward him as much as she could, and finally she felt him come to stand over her crouched body.

With a swift thrust his blunt cock was inside her, and he was rutting away, humping… But he was not nearly as rough as the last time, and every now and then he would lap at her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck and whining softly.

"It's… good…" Rin encouraged, and she meant it. It was good. She wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with her that she was enjoying this so much but damned if the shape of him in this form didn't reach every spot she had so perfectly it brought tears to her eyes and made her already exhausted inner muscles stretch and squeeze with exquisite pain and pleasure, all rolled into one. "Um… yes… come, Sesshoumaru-sama… Please… Soon… Rin needs it to be soon!"

The dog demon above her lapped at Rin's cheek, huffing as he continued with the rut, faster and slightly harder, but still… Nowhere near the brutal assault she'd endured the last time, that had led to her losing consciousness and waking with a worried and even slightly guilty looking humanoid demon Lord keeping vigil.

It wasn't long before she felt his knot expand, bigger this time, and the pressure to her inner walls triggered a final, hard-won climax from Rin, just before she felt the hot gush of semen fill her belly once again.

"I… can't…" Rin fell forward, and he came with her, pulled down by the fact they were so thoroughly knotted together.

He quickly used his front legs to try and wrap around her middle and move to their sides. He sniffed rapidly, searching for signs of pain or injury, but finding only fatigue.

He so very much wished he could talk to her in this form… So many things he would say… "I love you. Thank you. Are you okay? Did I hurt you? … I'm… sorry."

At that moment, he realized… This hunger that had been building in him for almost a year, reaching the recent fever pitch where he could not get enough of her, and felt the need to constantly couple with her… The way he couldn't hold back his baser instincts… That feeling was gone.

He was finally calmed; sated, if only for the moment.

Once he'd had a taste of her in this form, he had wanted more. He'd been holding back for her sake, afraid of injuring her, frightening her, or worse, making her feel disgusted with him… and yet… Rin had accepted him. The true Sesshoumaru. Not the façade of a beautiful human male, evolved over millennia to ease hunting for human prey…

Certainly, that appearance had been meant to attract humans, but it was not what he truly was. Rin had taken him for not the beautiful illusion, but instead had welcomed the monstrous demon dog within…his true form, and she had accepted it in the most intimate of ways.

And now, his precious, exhausted human girl was reaching up over her shoulder to scratch lightly behind his ear, and he… Sesshoumaru, deadly assassin, was leaning into her touch panting slightly in pure delight. It felt so nice to be petted… It had been so long since any had dared to get close enough to his demon form to pet him.

"Ummm… You're such a good boy… Rin loves you so much…"

Rin was dozing off into her dreams, probably unaware of her praising him in such a manner, and in that unguarded moment, she was treating him as what he was… Her dog. Her guard dog, her attack dog, but above all… Her pet dog.

Her Inugami.

She alone had tamed him, and could make him docile and obedient and concerned for her safety. She had domesticated the cruelest of creatures with her kindness, earned his loyalty with her patience, and his obedience and wish to please her by her refusal to treat him as anything but a good dog.

He leaned down and licked her face, then nuzzled into her neck, finally sated and calm enough to fall into sleep curled around his beloved human girl. His Inumochi. Oh yes, she had bewitched him all right… With that damnable smile, those accursed brown eyes, and those sweet, sinful curves she'd grown into so well.

And he… was grateful.

He could have chosen no better woman than Rin, to serve as her Inugami… This Sesshoumaru will protect you, always.

He didn't notice the bright white light, but he felt a strange sort of tingle throughout his body, almost like a starburst of power radiating from the center of his chest.

And down the hall, another woman, an angry, bitter, and jealous woman… wept.

She had smelled the sex, heard the whispered confessions of love spill from her Lord's lips, she had felt him change into his true form and then… more mating?

If the human girl allowed him to take her while in that form… Well, she had assumed that would be something she could have given him that Rin, the human, could or would not.

They were so close… And her Lord clearly loved her. Really, truly, loved that stupid, disgusting, ugly little human!

How dare Rin destroy her vision of her Lord, powerful, ruthless, and incapable of those weak emotions like 'love'!

It was disgraceful. Dishonorable. Diplorable. And she could not stand to witness it. She had to get out of this place…

Within the week, she would be gone. Within the month, she would have defected to Northern Wolf Tribe, and shared all of the things she had learned with them.

Surely Koga would be as disgusted as she was, right?

He would definitely put the Dog Lord down for his weakness… Right?

And then, he would be grateful to her. So very, very grateful… And then, maybe, she might still end up as a mate to a prince.

A sly smile spread across her plain face as the jealous mesuinu rose from her hiding spot, intent on making her way back to her living quarters. She needed to start packing anyone noticed she was planning to leave.