Dron didn’t know what to do.

Was this just another ploy to trick him.

It didn’t make any sense.

No one on Thraqe did this. Not even the couples that actually cared for each other. Laying together wasn’t done. So the fact that Tempest was laid up against his side was shocking to say the least.

The weather outside was treacherous, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t been through before. In fact, Dron had marched through worse on many occassions.

He didn’t understand what the problem was, still with every tremble of Tempest’s body, he knew there definitely was one.

"Tempest, you need to talk to me. I don’t know what you need. I don’t know what’s wrong." Dron tried to peel her from his side but she stayed latched to him.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be in here, I know, but I’m... this is scary."

Dron looked around the room. He didn’t see anything that she should be scared of. "What is scary? Tell me and I’ll get rid of it immediately." He knew it was a ridiculous promise, but if it meant that she would stop shaking like this, he’d rip off his arm if it offended her.

"I don’t think you can, unless you are a god and I just don’t know it?" Tempest looked up at him with a slight smile on her face. She was trying to be brave, but Dron could see right through the expression.

Another loud boom roared through the house and her entire body jerked and tensed.

Is that what she was afraid of? The weather?

"Tempest, it’s just a storm. It can’t harm you." Dron tried to explain it to her. Though he felt very silly doing so. Even young children weren’t scared of the weather.

"Are you kidding me? Do you feel that? The ground is moving. How can you say that it’s not going to harm me. What if the ground cracks open? Also, did you not notice the flames falling out of the sky? It’s like hell opened up and spit out a plague."

Dron once again tried to move away from Tempest, this time she let him. "Flames? It’s not fire." Dron’s eyebrow furrowed.

"What do you mean it’s not flames? I watched it burning the trees."

"No, it’s cleansing them. Within a few days the plants and flowers that have been soaked in the moon’s essence will flourish more than they ever have."

Tempest shook her head but she didn’t say anything more. It was clear to Dron that she didn’t understand. He really kept forgetting that she wasn’t from here. She didn’t know anything of this planet. It was as if he had to start her education from the very beginning.

"Come, let me show you." Dron grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her out of the bed.

"No, what are you doing? We can’t go out there. It’s not safe." She tried to pull back to the bed, but Dron had a strong grip on her.

"Trust me. Please." He was talking about the weather, but more than that, he was talking about their life together. It seemed as if everyone were trying to get between them. Theory after theory was coming up, enemy after enemy.

He wanted to forget all of them. At least for a little while.

"Okay." Tempest whispered and followed him to the window. Dron let go of her hand for just a second so he could mess with the device on his wrist. He felt like a real cad for locking her in, but the last thing he needed was for her to be wandering outside during a storm.

He allowed the window to open, only one panel. The wind whipped inside. That’s what she should be afraid of, not the essence falling from the sky. Still she hid behind him as if the drops would cause her to melt.

Dron moved slowly. She was already skittish, he didn’t want to risk scaring her any more than she already was. He put his hand out into the downpour and let the glowing drops coat his skin. It sizzled, but it didn’t burn, it was just a change in temperature.

"See, it doesn’t hurt."

"Oh, really? That’s so cool. I have to do something...now that I know it’s safe." She looked up at me. The joy in her eyes disarmed Dron. He should have forced her to stay in the house. Forced her to back away from the window. But instead he indulged her.

"Only on the patio. Don’t go far. The wind is still intense."

"Got it." Tempest nodded and stepped in front of him for a second before with a burst of energy she ran out of the room and into the falling essence.

Within seconds her entire body was coated in the glowing blue drops. She laughed and twirled. Her happiness was intoxicating.

It flowed through Dron’s body.

That was until she stopped, her entire body stock still.

"Dron..." She whispered and then the scratching started.

"Tempest? What’s wrong?" He grabbed hold of her and yanked her back into the house and quickly closed the window that led outside.

"No, no, no...it hurts. Dron!" She squealed and she clawed at her skin. Tempest scratched so hard Dron watched as thick red welts lined her skin.

"Tempest. What’s wrong? What’s happening?" The panic flourished in his gut.

"You said it was safe. Get it off! Off! Off!" She screamed and started ripping at her clothes.

Dron had never seen anyone react to essence like this. Not even children.

Tempest wheezed hard and finally stopped scratching at her skin only to wrap her fingers around her own throat. "Dron...I can’t... breathe...I can’t..."

In a matter of seconds things had gone from light and happy to terrifying.

"Gods, no." Dron cursed. He rushed to grab her in his arms. A slight tinge of glowing blue still on her body. He rushed to the bathroom. And without thinking he ripped the clothes she had on off at the same time filling the tub as fast as he could with life nectar.

Tempest continued to wheeze and grip her throat. A completely helpless look on her face as he looked down at her.

His wrist buzzed incessantly.

Finally he flicked his hand to answer.

"Dron! What are you doing to her!" Gerax’s annoyed voice screeched through the small device.

"Nothing. I don’t know what’s wrong. I don’t know..." Dron’s voice trembled as he waited for the tub to fill up.

"Her blood work indicates she’s having an allergic reaction. Did she eat anything that was new? I don’t understand how the sensors couldn’t have picked up on an allergy." Gerax continued.

"No, she went out side. The essence, I think it might have burned her skin, she was scratching." Dron rocked Tempest in his arms. She was whimpering and continued to claw at herself.

"The storm? Seriously? I don’t think we have any markers for that in the—" Gerax continued, but Dron wasn’t paying him any mind.

"Gods, shut your mouth! Tell me how to fix it! How do I fix her?"

"Life nectar. That should do it. You’ll have to fully submerge her. Get every inch of her skin."

"Okay...okay..." Dron muttered as he continued to rip all of her clothes off. She was completely naked in his arms. He kicked off his own clothes in fear that he still might have some of the essence on his own skin that might transfer over to her.

He rushed to get them into the tub and then he knelt until both of them had only their heads above the water. Tempest struggled to stay afloat.

"We need to go under; you have to wash all of this off you. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry." Dron grabbed the back of her neck and tilted her until she was completely submerged. Dron dunked himself right along with her. He stared at her as she panicked under the water.

She was fighting to get free but Dron knew that she had to stay under. He only knew of one way to keep her down. He pressed his lips to hers. Her body went stiff for a second before she melted into him. He lifted his mouth slightly to suck in a bit of the life nectar into his mouth before pressing his lips to hers again. He used his tongue to force her lips open, where he let the liquid pour into her mouth. He didn’t know if she had inhaled any of the moon essence, but he wanted to make sure.

She wasn’t fighting anymore, but soon enough her body went limp in his arms.

He quickly yanked her out of the water. "No, Tempest, please. Don’t leave me." He was nearly in tears.

Dron shook her hard, and he nearly collapsed when she moaned and turned her head. She had somehow fallen asleep.

A garbled sound escaped from under the water. Gerax was still talking through his wrist.

"Dron... do you hear me? She’s getting better. Her blood work seems to be back in the optimal range. You did it."

"I nearly killed her." Dron whispered.

"No, you didn’t. There was no way that you could’ve known. No way that any of us could’ve known. We all assumed she was perfectly suited for this planet. That all she would need is a dose of the life nectar and she would fit in perfectly. This shouldn’t have happened."

Dron didn’t care about anything that Gerax had to say. All that mattered was the woman he was holding in his arms. He got up out of the tub and walked slowly with her sleeping form back to his room. He pulled the sheets back and deposited her onto his bed.

He’d never slept with anyone in his life, but having her body curled up next to his had never felt more right.

If he could, he’d go back in time and make it so that he’d just held her how she wanted the first time.

Held her all night until she was no longer scared of the storm.

Safe in his arms.