Soul Bonds

9. The First Bond

**Warning: This chapter, while not as mature as I thought it was going to get, has some kissing, skin to skin touching of non-sexual areas, and mentions of sex. I don't know where that falls in the rating scale, but if that is not your cup of tea, there will be a TS;DR (Too Spicy; Didn't Read) summary chapter following.**

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Sang writhed on the bed, her arms wrapped around her head as if trying to keep it in one piece. She cried, she begged for the pain to stop.

"Miss Sorenson."

"Not real. Not real" Sang sobbed to herself.

"Yes, Miss Sorenson, I promise I am real." He replied, laying a hand on her blanket covered shoulder. "Sang, I'm here."

For the first time since camp, Sang was enveloped in the scent of spring soap. She focused on the barely there scent of leather and cypress, but the spring soap smell didn't change. Her body froze, the pain instantly went still.

Sang took a deep shuddering breath. "You'd have to be real, there's no way my brain would dare hallucinate you saying my first name."

Owen gave her that millimeter smile and she burst into tears then threw herself into his arms. They both stopped breathing as his hand came to rest on her naked back.

Her eyes flew up to meet his. They both could feel their souls stretching, seeking the other. His hand smoothed up her back, and she sighed while resting her forehead against his chest. His breath came flooding in with a hitch as she looked up at him.

"You took the pain away," she whispered as one hand glided to his cheek and the other to his shoulder. "Thank you, thank you so much." Sang felt her shoulders relax and her mind felt clearer than it had in such a long time.

Owen slowly drew a finger down her temple, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair, and nearly groaned when she rested her cheek against his palm. She kept her elbows pressed to her sides, thankfully, maddeningly, keeping the blanket in place to preserve the last sliver of her modesty.

"Miss Sorenson," his voice was strangled as he desperately tried to hold onto the shreds of his control. "Sang. I need to know what you feel for me. For me. Not for my brothers, not for my team as a whole, but me. Just... me. Our... relationship may not have been developing at the same speed as yours with the others, but...." She stopped him with her fingers pressed against his lips.

"Mr. Blackbourne.. Owen, I love you. It would be impossible not to. You have always taken care of me, even when I didn't know what I needed or how to ask. You've supported my decisions, even when you've really not liked them, and," she gave a wry smile. "You've helped me avoid being trapped in North's protective bubble." Owen's eyes slid shut for a moment as she traced a finger across his bottom lip. "I love you, Owen Blackbourne."

Sang leaned forward to replace her finger with her lips. Their lips touched, and after a beat, he took control. His kiss was like the man himself, pure perfection. As Owen's hands glided across her back and arms, Sang could almost feel a part of herself that had been fractured when she woke up alone in the attic was piecing itself back together.

He leaned back, and they both tried to control their breathing. "Miss Sorenson.. Sang," he repeated, eliciting the ghost of a giggle from her, "I love you." Sang leaned forward and kissed him, and it was just as perfect.

As they kissed, each touch of skin to skin seem to grow the need for more. Owen's hands roamed her back, arms, neck and face, but Sang was quickly growing frustrated with the amount of skin available to her. She leaned back long enough to whine "Too... many... clothes....." before attacking his lips again. Without breaking the kiss, Owen quickly stripped off his shirt and tie. After a moment's hesitation, he broke the kiss long enough for his white undershirt to join his other clothing, giving her the access they both desperately wanted.