by Bonnie Lamer
“Do we have to start tonight?” she asks through a yawn. It is obvious she is exhausted. I will blame that for the fact that she is behaving so recklessly.
Quinn nods. “The King has already pushed back the discussions. Time is of the essence in this situation.” He can tell this whole situation is pissing me off because he gives me a smug look.
I am not going to let him browbeat Xandra, though. “Xandra has had little rest. In the interest of giving her all to arbitration, a good night’s sleep will go far,” I state evenly.
My steely tone does not go unnoticed. “I am tired,” Xandra agrees more firmly than before.
After a moment, Quinn nods once. “Forgive my impatience. Of course you should have the opportunity to rest. If you will be ready at sunrise, I will send an escort for you.”
“I will be escorting Xandra,” I say, leaving no room for argument.
Quinn cocks his head and the smallest smile touches his lips. “You are protective of your cousin.”
“Oh, he’s not my cousin,” Xandra says quickly.
Now, Quinn looks honestly confused. “Your father is his uncle. In our tribes, that would make him your cousin.”
“True, but we’re not blood related. His aunt is married to Dagda.” I want to stop her from speaking. None of this is Quinn’s business.
“I see. Then his protectiveness is of a more personal nature?”
“We’re left hand-fasted,” she explains and I am growing ever more impatient with her.
Quinn laughs. “So, you have not made up your mind as to whether he is the one to spend your life with.”
This seems like the perfect time to do as I told Dagda in my message. Xandra senses my anger and hurries to say, “We are only left hand-fasted because my parents feel I’m too young to be right hand-fasted. As soon as they say okay, we go ahead with it.” If this conversation does not end soon, the magic I have drawn is going to be used. I am quickly losing control over it.
Quinn’s face sobers some. “I see.” With another small bow, he says, “Until sunrise.” Then he turns and walks away.
Chapter 14
As Quinn goes, the other Giants continue to glare at us. I hardly notice. I could not care less about any of them. They are no match for me. Grabbing Xandra’s hand, I pull her in the direction of Dagda’s house before I say or do something I will regret.
When we have left the Giants behind, Xandra pulls her hand from mine and stops. “What’s your problem?” she asks, glaring at me.
I cross my arms over my chest. “I have no idea what you are talking about. But, I would like to get at least a few hours of rest before you begin arbitration with the Giants.”
She sighs heavily. “I didn’t mean to become a part of that. I’m sorry.”
I know she is. She was tricked into this, she did not intend for it to happen. I need to remember this is all new territory for her. I take a deep breath and try to let go of my anger. “I know,” I say wearily.
“Then why are you acting like this?” she asks.
“Because I am worried for you.”
“Why?”
“You have seen how strong the Giants are. You successfully took on one, but you will be among many. You will be in danger.” Not to mention Quinn is plotting something and she is somehow at the center of that plot. I am convinced of it.
She gives me a suspicious look but she changes the subject. “Are we close to Dagda’s?”
I nod. “It is about a mile in that direction,” I say, pointing north.
“Are there a lot of trees?”
What does that matter? “No.”
“Good,” she says. She takes my hand and closes her eyes.
In a blink, we are looking at Dagda’s large stone mansion. My tired body appreciates it. Putting my hands on her cheeks, I lean down and kiss her. “Thank you,” I murmur against her lips. Leaning my forehead against hers, I add, “I am ready to drop and am happy to have avoided that walk.”
She smiles. “Me, too.”
“You know I love you, right?” I ask, hoping she has not been too offended by my annoyance with the discussion with the Giants and her teleporting away earlier.
Her brows knit together. “Yes. Do you think I have doubts?”
I stand up grinning. “Well, if you did, I could have a lot of fun convincing you.”
She snakes her arms around my neck. “It never hurts to have affirmation.” She stands on tiptoes to kiss me. Not a soft, gentle kiss this time. This is a kiss that assures me that she feels the same for me as I do for her.
After a moment, I drag my lips from hers and groan. “I want to be lying next to you in a warm bed as I was not that long ago. Though, I do find that I am not nearly as tired as I was a moment ago.”
She grins. “Me, either.”
Stepping back, I lace her fingers with mine. “Then I suggest we hurry inside.” The faster the better.
The door to the mansion is huge; tall enough for a Giant. The knocker is well out of Xandra’s reach. After banging it against the heavy door, it does not take long for the door to open, and we are greeted by an ancient looking Giant. It has been a long time but I know him to be the father of Dagda’s long time housekeeper. Time has not been kind to the hunched Giant who looks too frail to still be moving about.
“Dad, you know you are not supposed to answer the door,” a very harassed looking, stocky Giant woman says from behind him. “You go on back to bed. I will see to the door.” The old man grumbles something under his breath but he shuffles off slowly.
As for us, the woman looks us up and down. She has bright red hair and piercing blue eyes that have not dulled as she edges past middle age. I am told she was beautiful in her youth and she is still quite pretty. Time has been much kind to her than her father. “Kallen, you have grown since the last time you were here,” she says with a smile. She ignores Xandra.
“Hello, Breena. I am assuming you received my communication.”
She narrows her eyes. “Yes, and it is still ringing in my ears.” I smile sheepishly in apology.
Xandra holds her hand out to her. “Hi, I’m Xandra,” she says.
Breena takes her hand indifferently. “I am pleased to meet you, Princess.” There is forced sincerity in her words. Odd, I wonder why she would take an immediate dislike to Xandra. On the other hand, Xandra does get that reaction more than most.
“If you tell us where our room is, we’ll get out of your hair,” Xandra says, considering the late hour.
She blinks a few times. “As in a room that you will be sharing?”
My lips press together tightly and Xandra blushes deeply. “We’re left hand-fasted,” she explains.
“Huh.” Breena turns around and starts walking away. Giants have a hard time with left hand-fasting rites. I have to admit, I never thought I would be on this side of their disdain.
Closing the door, we hurry to catch up to her. It is easier with my long legs. Xandra has to practically jog. Breena leads us through the large foyer, decorated in brown veined marble, to the broad staircase leading to the second floor. When we reach the top, she turns left and walks to the end of the hall.
We pass by several family portraits lining the walls and Xandra’s curiosity gets the better of her. She stops in front of a picture of Dagda and his wife. I put my hand at the small of her back to gently move her along. She can stare at the portrait tomorrow when we are better rested.
Breena opens the white double doors at the end of the hall and stands to the side. “The Princess suite has been prepared for you and your…husband.” Xandra gulps loudly at the word husband. How flattering.
Grabbing her hand and squeezing it, hoping to keep her from saying something to the contrary, I say, “Thank you, Breena.” She nods curtly and walks away in obvious disapproval.
Watching her, Xandra grumbles, “I’m the queen of first impressions, I guess.”
I laugh. “I would not worry about Breena. I do not believe she likes anyone except m
y uncle, if that gives you a clue to her persona.”
Xandra’s turn to laugh. “So, she’s not the best judge of character?”
I put a finger to my lips. “You should be careful what you say here about him. Her loyalty is fierce.”
It takes a moment for her to realize I am serious. With a curious look down the hall Breena just exited, she asks, “What happens if I get on her bad side?”
I shake my head. “Your time here would not be enjoyable, trust me.”
“Great, more stress.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her close. “I know an excellent cure for stress.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Do you now?”
I nod solemnly. “I do.” I begin backing her into the room.
“Care to explain this cure?” she asks coyly.
I kick the door closed after us with my foot. “I believe some things are best explained by example.”
I continue to back her farther into the room as she snakes her arms around my neck. “I don’t know, I’m awfully tired.”
She squeals as I swoop her up into my arms to carry her the last few feet to the bed. “Sleep is overrated.” I press my mouth to hers and her lips part for me. Her mouth is warm and inviting. Arriving at the bed, I lay her down gently on the canopied bed. The only light is the moonlight coming through the window shining on her black silky hair. She is breathtaking. .
From her reaction to my kisses, I am confident she is no longer craving sleep. Joining her on the bed, I cover her body with mine. “I love you,” I murmur against her neck, kissing a trail to the spot behind her ear that drives her crazy.
She gasps. “I love you, too,” comes out as a moan of pleasure.
My hands begin to roam over her sloping curves. I follow the line of her hip up under her sweater to find the softness of her silky skin. I feel a trail of goose bumps form from my caresses. A growl rises in my throat. She has way too much clothing on for me to truly explore her sexy body. A silky red camisole and matching sleep shorts replace her jeans and sweater.
“Not fair,” she murmurs against my lips. Taking matters into her own hands, she attempts to pare down my clothing as well. We are both surprised when I am rendered completely naked.
I chuckle. “Flattered that I am you have put me in this state; I believe it may be safer if I have something on.” Her cheeks are flaming, but her eyes are smoldering. It is with deep regret that I clothe myself in boxers.
I am going insane. Truly insane. Every touch, every caress makes me want to do things I know we must not. Eventually, I drag my lips from hers and prop myself up on my elbows. I stroke her cheeks with my thumbs. Opening her eyes, her disappointment that I pulled away is shining in them. “I love you,” I say yet again.
She smiles. “I love you, too.”
“I want you so badly, Xandra. Every time I kiss you or touch you, I want to keep going until our bodies are intertwined and we are lost in each other. I want to make love to you so badly; it pains me each time we have to stop.” She starts to say something but I put a finger to her lips. “I am not trying to convince you of anything tonight, I am simply telling you how I feel.” I guess Dagda’s words affected me more than I thought. She is so innocent and I do not want to push for anything she is not ready for. I am not that selfish.
Her response is to wrap her legs around me and pull my body back to hers. She is definitely trying to kill me I think as I groan deeply. “You do not play fair,” I manage with a raspy voice. Her smile only broadens.
Trying to get back to my point, I find the strength to pull my body back a fraction. “I want to be your true husband someday,” I tell her softly. “Someday soon.”
Her eyes grow round as a bush baby’s. “Kallen…” she starts to say but I interrupt her again.
“Xandra, I am not saying we should become right hand-fasted tomorrow. I am simply trying to ask you if you feel the same way about me.” God, I have never sounded so needy.
She releases the breath she was holding and a smile spreads across her face again. “Kallen, I wouldn’t be left hand-fasted with you if that wasn’t what I wanted, too.” She brings a hand to my cheek. “I wish it could be like in my realm, where we could make love and a bunch of alarms and whistles wouldn’t go off announcing it to the world.”
My turn to smile. “Alarms and whistles do not go off, but our rings would shine.”
She looks at me for a long time. Long enough for me to be sure that my love for her is mirrored in her eyes. She does want me as much as I want her. “Soon,” she says in a voice that is husky with love and desire. She lifts her lips to mine again and any insecurities I have melt away as we continue to push the boundaries of our hand-fasting. Eventually, pure exhaustion takes hold of us and we manage to drift off to sleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter 15
In that gentle way Giants have, Breena enters our room intent on breaking both of the white doors as she slams them open. She strides to the window and whips the red velvet curtains apart, letting in the barest amount of light from the distant horizon where the sun is going to rise soon. “Breakfast is ready. Sunrise is in half an hour and you have an appointment to keep.”
Xandra finds her voice first after our rude awakening. “Oh, okay. Thank you, Breena.” Breena does not respond. She just walks back out the doors, leaving them wide open.
Xandra gives me a questioning look and I shrug. “I am assuming she disapproves of us sharing a bed,” I say through a yawn. “The Giants do not have a relationship that is equivalent to left hand-fasting. I believe we are insulting her sensibilities.”
“Great,” she mutters, pushing the covers off and stretching her beautiful body. If only I could pull her back to me and finish what we started last night. My body is definitely ready. Xandra stands up and takes a look around, sizing up the room. The walls are whitewashed a pale pink, almost white. The canopy on the bed is a little darker pink and has delicate, embroidered red roses on it. They are tied back to each bedpost. There is a dressing table with mirrors and a large oak dresser. A door opposite the bed leads to the bathroom. She heads in there to freshen up. I, on the other hand, fall back to sleep.
I receive my second rude awakening when Xandra decides to tickle me awake. , Her actions deserve retaliation and I tickle her in return, pulling her down on the bed again. We are both laughing so hard, neither of us hear Breena enter the room.
“Your escort is here,” she says loudly.
That brings an end to our fun. “Escort?” Xandra asks.
“Yes, Chief Quinn has sent an escort for your safe travel. He expected you to be ready at sunrise.”
Well, that was a subtle jab. With a nod, I rise and dress both Xandra and myself for the day. I put her in something similar to the Cowan clothes I have seen her wear, a flowered skirt and a white shirt. Her smile tells me she is pleased.
“I could really use a brush,” she says and I make her one. I know it is frustrating for her to not be able to perform such simple magic, but I have to admit, I like doing these little things that make her happy.
“Curious. I did not realize the King’s daughter does not possess magic,” Breena says. I almost forgot she is still in the room. She sounds almost happy about the idea of Xandra being powerless. I am positive it will not take long for stories of just how much magic Xandra does have to reach her ears, so I feel no pressure to correct her. But Xandra does not feel the same.
She glowers at Breena for a moment, then her face almost softens. Sweetly, she says, “Oh, I have magic. It’s just too powerful to use for mundane things like clothes and brushes. But, I didn’t have any trouble taking down one of Quinn’s men last night. The really, really big blonde one. I don’t know his name.” Breena’s smugness is quickly wiped from her face. I try not to chuckle at her surprised expression.
Trying to avoid a war in the room, I say firmly, “We will be right down, Breena. Thank you.” She leaves in a huff.
Turning to Xandra, I say, “There is
still time to change your mind about this. We can send his man back with a message that says they will have to wait for Dagda.”
She is tempted but finally says, “I don’t think that would send a good message about sincerity to their cause if I break my word. I said I would do this, so I have to do it.”
Damn her sense of morality. I do not like this but how can I argue with her sound logic. After a minute, I nod and hold out my hand. She grasps it and laces her fingers with mine and we set off. I do not like this at all.
