She made him uncomfortable. It wasn't the way that she would stand so close to him with the deadly skin. No, that never frightened him; there were worse things in the world. It wasn't the fact that she felt free to touch him when she was skittish of everyone else. He couldn't and wouldn't deny her a flinch free contact.

It was the way she looked at him, eyes big and innocent. There was something in that gaze when it turned on him that made him tense. He left then, thinking the distance would rid him of the unease. The further he traveled the worse his guilt became at leaving her without a refuge among those frightened of her.

When he arrived back her scrutiny no longer bothered him in the same way. He noticed the need, now there like never before. Now when she touched him there was a new urgency. Her touch took on a new meaning; one that when he understood soothed his cravings.

He let her take her time to be comfortable with all the new sensations the contact brought. He had all the time in the world to let her discover what she needed from him.

~*~