Kwin

by Trudie Collins

  Without waking her, Kwin managed to remove her from the carriage and carry her to her room. Drake had stayed up to await their return and opened the door for him.

  Kwin gently laid Luka on the bed then stepped back. He continued to look at her, unsure whether to undress her or not. She would be uncomfortable if she kept her dress on and he had held her naked body before as they slept, but would undressing her be going too far?

  Seeing his indecision, Drake smiled. “I’ll send Shelby in to undress her,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Kwin said, relieved that the decision had been taken out of his hands. “Can you also put a tankard of ale on the shelf please.”

  Drake didn’t need to ask which shelf, or why.

  Canis wandered into the room, choosing to walk through the wall instead of the open door.

  “I wish he wouldn’t do that,” Kwin mumbled to himself. No matter how many times he witnessed it, it still made him feel uneasy.

  The dog took one look at Luka, asleep on the bed, then walked over to Kwin and nudged him toward the door.

  “Alright. I was leaving anyway,” he said to Canis. “Shelby will take care of your mistress. Look after her while she sleeps.”

  “Mistress?” the dog’s voice sounded in his head. “She is not my mistress. She is my pack leader. And my friend.”

  ‘Mine too,’ Kwin thought to himself.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  When Luka woke the next morning, she felt a lump beside her in the bed. She had been dreaming about Gareth and was a little disappointed when she rolled over and saw that it was Canis.

  She had no memory of getting home or getting into bed. Someone must have carried her while she slept. Then she realised that she was naked. Who had undressed her? Her thoughts instantly went to Kwin, but he wouldn’t, would he? There was one way to find out.

  “Canis,” she called out quietly and the dog opened one eye to look at her. “Do you know who put me to bed?”

  “Kwin,” Canis said in her head then closed his eye again.

  “And did he undress me as well?”

  This time Canis kept his eye closed. “Yes.”

  Luka could hear the amusement in his voice. He was teasing her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t telling her the truth.

  “Who really undressed me?”

  Canis huffed. “Shelby. Now can I go back to sleep?”

  “No,” she said and ruffled his fur. “It’s time to get up.”

  Canis yawned and stretched, almost pushing her out of the bed.

  “You did that on purpose.”

  The look he gave her was so innocent that she burst out laughing.

  There was a knock at the door and once she covered herself up, she called out, “Enter.”

  Kwin walked in, carrying a tray.

  “Someone’s in a good mood this morning,” he said as he placed the tray on the bedside table. “I take it you slept well.”

  Luka debated telling him about her dreams, but decided it wasn’t something he needed to know.

  “I did, thank you. I presume it was you that put me to bed.”

  “Yes, but Shelby undressed you.” The emphasis he put on Shelby’s name told her how uncomfortable her not knowing this was making him feel. She almost told him that Canis had already told her, but stopped herself just in time. He still had no idea that her pet could talk to her the same way he did to him.

  “Seeing as we got back so late last night, Koal decided you needed breakfast in bed.”

  “Then please give him my thanks.” Luka didn’t believe him for one second. It would have been his suggestion, not Koal’s.

  When she was ready, he placed the tray on her lap then left her in peace. Before leaving the room, he whistled to get Canis’s attention. “Come on, out. There’s food for you in the kitchen.”

  Luka couldn’t help smiling as she watched the dog trot after him.

  Once she had eaten and gotten dressed, she went to look for Zole, the stable boy who was stung by the praker. His leg was healing well and she wanted to check it one last time before giving her approval for him to resume his full duties. He loved working with the horses and was eager to be able to ride them again.

  As she had been expecting, she found him in the stables. He was sweeping out some of the old hay and dropped his broom when she called out to him.

  “I wasn’t doing anything,” he said, kicking the broom out of sight.

  “Liar,” she said, the smile on her face telling him she wasn’t angry. It was a word that Kwin had taught her early on, saying it was a very useful word to know, but this was the first time she had used it. She hoped she had pronounced it correctly. The shade of red that Zole was going suggested she had. Either that or she had said something entirely different. She didn’t dare ask, just in case she had said something embarrassing.

  She indicated that the young man should roll up his trouser leg and she carefully inspected his scar. It wasn’t as bad as she had feared and would slowly fade until it would be almost unnoticeable, much to his disappointment. His father had told her that he had been hoping to use it to impress the girls.

  She then made him walk around. There was no sign of a limp so she asked him to run. He did so without showing any sign that he had ever been injured. She would speak to Drake about having him return to his duties, but she wanted it to be part time initially.

  She was returning to the house when she heard someone call her name and she swore quietly to herself. She had been so occupied with Zole that she hadn’t noticed a visitor had entered the estate.

  “Lord Trane,” she said as she turned to face him. “I wasn’t expecting a visit from you today.”

  “Canis,” she mentally called out. “Get Kwin.”

  “I was at a loose end,” Trane said, “so I thought I would drop by to see my favourite Lady and take her to lunch in the city.”

  “I’m so sorry, but I was about to go out,” she lied. “Maybe another time.”

  “Nonsense. I will come with you. We can eat once you have finished your business.”

  “My business is of a personal nature.”

  “Then I will wait in the carriage.”

  Luka breathed a sigh of relief when Kwin came into view. She could take care of Lord Trane herself, but she didn’t want to risk exposing her magical ability.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” She then turned to Kwin, who was approaching from behind Trane. “Ah there you are Kwin. Is everything ready?”

  Without missing a beat, he said, “Not quite, but it will be soon.”

  Upon hearing Kwin’s voice, the colour drained out of Trane so fast that it was almost like someone had turned on a tap and the colour was fluid flowing out of him.

  Without turning around to confirm that it was Kwin behind him, he said to Luka, so quietly that only she could hear, “Keep your new pet under control.”

  “He doesn’t do anything without my permission, I can assure you,” she whispered back.

  “Good,” Trane said and straightened his back, which had slumped when he heard Kwin speak.

  “However,” Luka added more loudly. “I should warn you that I have told him to defend this estate and all those who live here in any way he deems appropriate.”

  “I can see you are busy,” Trane said hastily. “I will leave you alone.”

  “Let me see you to your carriage,” Kwin said and took the Lord’s arm before he could protest. He was grinning broadly when he returned to Luka’s side.

  “What has you so amused?” she asked.

  “Nothing in particular.”

  Luka could tell he was lying. “Why did you take hold of Trane? I would have thought you wouldn’t want to get that close to him.” She answered her own question before he had chance to. “You needed physical contact to use your magic on him, didn’t you? What have you done?”

  “I may have put a delayed spell on him
,” Kwin said casually.

  “To do what?”

  “Next time he eats something his tongue is going to swell. It will be a few days before he is able to talk properly again.”

  Luka burst out laughing. She tried to reprimand him, but kept giggling every time she spoke. But she was not going to give up.

  She took a deep breath to get herself under control, then closed her eyes. She was not going to be able to do this if she was looking at him.

  “Kwin, what you did was wrong. It was not aimed at protecting me or your fellow countrymen. While amusing, it was a childish prank and I expected more from you.”

  She opened her eyes to see that he was grinning at her.

  “Stop smiling like that,” she said. “I’m serious.”

  “I know. That’s what makes it so entertaining.”

  Luka shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

  Kwin shrugged his shoulders. “You can start with thanking me for getting rid of Trane for you.”

  Luka threw her hands in the air. “I give up,” she said and turned her back on Kwin. She could hear him chuckling as she walked away.

  Later in the day, one of her friends contacted her. This woman loved to gossip and spent most of her time telling everyone everything she found out. By the time Luka had been brought up to date with everything, it was almost time for the evening meal. She found Kwin in the dining room, waiting for her.

  “You will be pleased to know that your spell worked,” she said as she took her seat.

  Kwin looked momentarily confused. “Ah. Trane. How do you know?”

  “A friend likes to inform me of all of the gossip. This one she found so funny she is telling everyone. The doctors think it’s an allergic reaction to something he ate, but his personal chef is insisting that he didn’t give him anything different.”

  Kwin looked concerned. “The chef won’t get into any trouble, will he?”

  Luka was pleased that Kwin had asked the question. From what she knew of him, she didn’t believe he would allow someone else to be punished for his actions.

  “No. The man has been with Trane for a long time. Trane will not blame him unless there is proof that he intentionally tried to do him harm.”

  The meal arrived and the conversation continued. The evening was spent playing cards in the kitchen. Kwin, Drake and Koal were teaching Luka a game which was popular in Tippet and she was getting quite good. They played late into the night, with Luka winning more rounds than she was losing, but she suspected that the others were letting her win.

  She had not been asleep long when the sound of her communicator roused her. She dragged herself out of bed, slipped on a thin robe and went over to her communication device.

  Luka pressed the button to connect the call, ready to yell at whoever had disturbed her, but the words died in her mouth when she saw Jona’s face. She had never seen him look so distraught.

  Tears flowed down his face as he tried to speak. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, so she told him to calm down, take a deep breath and slowly tell her what was wrong.

  “It’s Fain,” he finally managed to sob.

  Something cold settled in Luka’s stomach. She had been expecting him to say something about her mother, but hearing him say her sister’s name filled her with a sense of dread.

  “What about her?” she asked, though she did not want to know the answer.

  “Your mother caught us in bed together. She just completely lost it and lashed out at Fain.” Once Jona started to talk, the words flowed out of him. Luka prayed that he would stop, but he didn’t. “She dragged her out of bed by her hair and forced her to stand up. It all happened so fast, I couldn’t stop her before it was too late.”

  “Too late for what?” Luka asked coldly.

  “M...M...Moda,” Jona stammered, “hit Fain, causing her to fall. She struck her head on the corner of the table.”

  ‘Don’t say it,’ Luka silently prayed. ‘Please don’t say it.’ Her prayers were not answered.

  “Fain’s dead.”

  Jona’s words echoed around Luka’s head. She wasn’t aware that she had shut off the connection to him until his face disappeared. In a trance-like state she untied her robe, letting it fall to the floor, then returned to her bed. She quickly threw up an aural shield around her room, then started to scream.

  Chapter 30

  “Kwin! Wake up!”

  Kwin opened his eyes to find Canis standing over him, their noses almost touching. The room was dark, indicating it was still the middle of the night.

  Kwin groaned. “This had better be good.”

  “There’s something wrong with Luka.”

  Kwin didn’t need to hear any more. “Get out of the way,” he almost shouted.

  Canis leapt from the bed and bounded out of the room, not bothering to use the door. In his haste to find out what was wrong, Kwin didn’t put any clothes on. He got to Luka’s door in time to see Canis walk through the wall.

  Remembering Luka’s order to never enter her room without permission, he knocked on the door. Hearing no reply from within, he knocked again and called her name. When there was still no response, he opened the door. He would deal with the consequences later. Right then all he cared about was finding out what was wrong with Luka.

  She was curled up in a ball, sobbing her heart out. Canis was on the bed next to her, looking forlorn.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong,” he said in Kwin’s head. “Help her.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” he silently replied.

  He sat on the bed next to Luka and gently ran his hand along her hair. “Talk to me Luka,” he said softly. “What’s the matter?”

  She didn’t react. He wasn’t sure if she had even heard him.

  “Canis is very worried about you.”

  Still no reaction.

  He pulled back the covers behind her curled up body and slipped into the bed. He folded his body around hers and put his arm around her, pulling her back against him.

  “Shhhh,” he whispered in her ear. “Whatever’s happened, I’ll help you through it. Just talk to me.”

  Luka struggled out of his arms, turned over and buried her head in his chest. He held her tight as her body shook uncontrollably. Her tears were making him wet, but he didn’t care.

  He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair, whispering words of comfort. Her body felt cold against his, so he held her tighter, letting her absorb his body’s heat.

  “Take care of her,” he heard Canis say as the dog jumped off the bed.

  Kwin kissed the top of Luka’s head again. “Luka, everything is going to be alright. Whatever has happened, we can fix it, together.”

  “You can’t fix this,” she said quietly. “Nobody can.”

  He raised her head a little so he was looking in her eyes when he replied. “Everything can be fixed.”

  He kissed her forehead, then the bridge of her nose, then her cheek, which tasted salty from the tears which were still flowing. He moved on to her mouth and kissed her gently on the lips. She didn’t resist, so he kissed her again. He appeared to be calming her down, so he continued, moving from her mouth to her jaw then down her neck.

  He wasn’t thinking, just reacting, doing what felt right.

  Then he touched her, gently, tenderly. And she was touching him back, caressing his body with her fingertips. Neither of them spoke as they explored each other’s bodies. He went slowly, savouring the feel of her skin, touching her everywhere. He was caught up in the moment, not thinking of anything other than how good Luka felt.

  The next thing he knew, he was making love to her. He had made no conscious decision to do so, it just happened. And it felt right.

  Luka was encouraging him with her hands, letting him know she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. He kissed her and the way she kissed him back filled him with a passion he had never felt before. He didn’t just want this woman, he wanted to consume her.


  He rolled her over so she was on top and let her do anything to him that she wanted to, until he was so close to finishing that he had to take control once more.

  Afterward, they fell into an exhausted sleep, their arms around each other.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  When Kwin awoke, sunlight was streaming into the room and he was alone in the bed. He looked around for Luka, but she was not in the room. He needed to find her and get her to tell him what had upset her so much. Whoever had made her cry, he vowed to make them pay.

  Despite his urge to seek out Luka, he opted to shower first. He had, after all, built up a sweat during the night.

  Kwin found Luka in the dining room, where she was looking at her breakfast rather than eating it. Canis sat at her feet and gave Kwin a mournful look when he entered the room. Luka looked ill.

  “Get out,” she said without looking up. Her voice sounded dead.

  Kwin ignored her and took a seat at the table. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Tell me what I can do to help.”

  “I said, get out. Go and eat in the kitchen. The dining room isn’t for slaves.”

  If her words didn’t stun him, the venom with which she delivered them did

  “What?” was all he managed to say.

  “I have never owned a pleasure slave, I have never wanted a pleasure slave, but thanks to your actions last night, that is what you now are. If you want to act like a slave then I will treat you like one. Now get out.”

  Kwin could only assume that she was reacting to whatever had upset her and would later regret her words, so he remained calm.

  “Last night you were upset. All I cared about was giving you comfort. Did things go too far? Yes, probably. But I don’t regret it and I was hoping you wouldn’t either. When Canis told me something was wrong with you and I went into your room, I had no intention of doing anything other than helping you.”