A small crack of pity opened in Kain’s heart. His mother had been young and vulnerable and her love had been true. It was Orionkael who let her down.
“But how did Orionkael know he had a son?” Kain asked.
“When you were born, Father again ventured into the mountains and returned with a sack of gold. He said it was the final payment for Orionkael’s indiscretion, and that the elves never wanted to see or hear from any of us again. If you had been born dead or lost during the pregnancy, there would have been no more gold.”
Kain’s gut shriveled with shame. “Where did Father come in?”
Again Astelle took a deep breath. “You must not blame him, Kain. He has been a good man to me and to you. He did not have to rescue my honor.”
“What happened, Mother?”
She pursed her lips. “Soon after my pregnancy became obvious, Guile and I were betrothed. My father arranged it. Guile was an apprentice to my father, almost finished his study.”
The voice of Guile Jazara floated from the doorway. “I had long admired your mother,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it when Master Ambon came to me and offered her hand in marriage. He promised a large dowry and all I had to do was accept another man’s child.” Guile looked at Astelle, love shining in his eyes. “I didn’t need the gold. I was already in love with this wonderful girl and didn’t care if she was already with child. We all make mistakes, you see.”
“Right,” Kain said. “That would be me, the mistake.”
Guile shook his head. “I’ve never once regretted the day I married your mother, and I’ve never regretted calling you son. Any man would be proud to have you.”
“But not Orionkael,” Kain said.
“There is no need for shame, my son,” Guile said, stepping further into the room and coming to stand beside Astelle’s chair. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “You are as much mine as any of the others.”
Kain surged to his feet. “That’s hardly the point, Father!” He stumbled over the last word. What if he could never be comfortable saying that again? “I’m half elven. I have no place in this society. I have no place in any society. When the King finds out—”
“There is no reason for him to know, Kain,” Guile said.
“I can’t hide this,” Kain snapped. “I was targeted because of who I am. The elves were looking for me, hoping to draw me out. They succeeded. The only reason I’m free now is because of Gwaethe.”
Astelle stood. “I must meet her.”
“No!” Guile faced his wife, and it was the first time Kain had ever seen fear in his eyes. “I forbid it.”
Astelle gripped his elbows. “What harm can it do, Guile? Orionkael is dead. All these years I wondered how he could cast me aside. Perhaps now I can understand.”
“Does my love mean nothing?” Guile said.
“You know what?” Kain asked. “I’m going to leave you to this discussion, because I need to be alone.”
He had their attention now. “Don’t go, Kain,” Guile said. “Let us explain.”
Kain shook his head. “Perhaps later.”
“At least tell us more of your ordeal,” Astelle said.
“Mother, you’ve kept this secret from me for decades. I just can’t stay in this room with the two of you any longer. I’m sorry.” He turned and bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Kain was through the shop and out the door in seconds, heading for the nearest tavern.
Chapter 10
“I didn’t know who else to tell, my lady,” Sergeant Grif Tyne said as he led Alique up to the barracks, a sprawling building that lay just outside the palace walls. “He’s had a skin full of ale, wouldn’t let me call his folks. I brought him here and then fetched you.”
“You did just the right thing, sergeant,” Alique said. “Show me his room, and then you must wait outside.”
“He isn’t expecting you, lady,” Grif said.
Alique drew in a sharp breath. So he hadn’t called upon her for help. For some reason it deflated her. She had sent a maid earlier with the package for Kain, and the girl had returned with her parcel, saying she could not locate the general. Now Alique knew why. His urgency to speak to his parents had been so great that he had gone straight there and must have forgotten the clothing for the elven women. Alique had the parcel with her. Perhaps something might be salvaged from this debacle.
Grif led her through a warren of passages to a door at the end of a corridor. He knocked. “General, it’s Grif.” He cracked the door and looked in. Alique heard snoring.
She entered the room behind the sergeant. Kain’s quarters were a large open room with a fireplace at either end. A bed stood near one fire while a desk and chairs were arranged before the other. Kain lay on the bed, fully clothed, though he appeared to have changed from the filthy clothing he had worn during their ordeal.
Alique strode across the room and poured a tankard of water for Kain.
“General,” she said, shaking his shoulder, “Sergeant Tyne has brought me to tend to you.”
“Go away,” Kain said without opening his eyes. “Did we not see enough of each other to last you a lifetime?”
Alique’s stomach clenched at the alcohol on his breath. “Oh, so you remember our adventure?”
“I’m not in the mood for talking,” Kain said.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Alique said, pulling a chair to the edge of the bed and taking a seat. She turned to find Grif looking at them with a frown. “You may wait outside, sergeant. I will be quite safe here.”
He nodded and left.
A wave of exhaustion swept over Alique. No wonder Kain was in this state if he felt anything like she did.
“I assume this means you have spoken to your mother and confirmed your elven heritage?” she asked.
“It would seem so,” Kain mumbled, rolling over so he faced away from her.
“And now you are feeling sorry for yourself?” Alique said.
Kain spun back and groaned, seizing his head. “Can this wait?”
“No,” she said. “You were supposed to deliver these clothes.” Alique held up the bundle. “What will your sister think when you do not arrive? What if she comes looking for you and falls foul of the guard, or worse.”
“Look, lady, I’m doing the best I can.”
“It’s not good enough!”
“I’ll get the clothes to Gwaethe tomorrow. She’ll understand.”
Alique sighed. “What happened?”
“Everything up to now is a lie,” Kain said. “My mother was in love with Orionkael when she was seventeen and became pregnant. Seems he didn’t want to know about the child and paid my mother and her family to make the problem go away. My father – my stepfather I mean – agreed to marry my mother and raise me. Guile Jazara settled for someone else’s woman. He was bought and I was sold, just like a piece of property.”
Alique reached for his shoulder and found it rock hard with tension. “Nothing I can say will make this better for you.”
“Then say nothing. I’m not your concern.”
“I thought perhaps we might have meant more to each other than that after what we endured.” Alique knew she should not have been hurt by his words but it cut her that he was shutting her out.
“Didn’t you hear what I said, Alique? I’m half elf, and not only that, my father was an elven king. I don’t know what ramifications that will have, but I’m sure it means you should stay well away from me.”
Alique swallowed hard. “As your friend, I cannot just walk away. You need help. You at least need someone to talk to about this.”
“It’s fine. I got drunk. I’ll sleep it off and then I’ll get up in the morning, dust myself off and get back to work, and that includes finding your father. You don’t have to concern yourself with me.”
Just like that, he had shut her out. Alique stood. “If that’s how you feel … I can see you are dealing with your news the best way you can. Let me know if you need anything else for Gw
aethe. I wish you well, Kain.”
Alique turned and strode toward the door. Perhaps she could escape before the facade of composure she had wrapped around her shattered. She reached for the handle of the door but Kain was there before her.
“Alique, wait.”
She looked up into his eyes, the pain she saw there enough to break her heart. “I should not have come.” She stared at his chest, fighting tears. Why could he not just have allowed her to leave?
Kain was silent and she eventually looked back up at his face. He warred with some emotion. Fear, or uncertainty?
“What is it?” Alique asked.
“The truth is,” he said, cupping her cheek with his palm, “I would love to talk this over with you, but I don’t wish to hurt you. The past days have shown me the extraordinary woman you are, and I don’t want to pull you down.”
Alique swallowed the lump in her throat. “Can I be the judge of what will hurt me if I am so extraordinary?” She pressed herself to his body, her hands sliding up his chest and around his neck. “I want to be here to support you, even just to take your mind from your troubles.” She wove her fingers through the longer hair at the base of his skull and stared up into his eyes.
Patience, that was what was needed here. He needed time to work through his troubles but Alique instinctively knew that Kain’s cautious nature would hold him back from her. She waited, hardly daring to breathe, and witnessed his struggle. His body drove him toward her, but his honor and independence held him rigid. Perhaps the drink in his body was enough to tip the balance, for finally his lips descended upon hers. There was nothing gentle in his caress this time. As Alique sighed into his mouth, Kain pushed his tongue past her lips, molding her tight to his body.
A fever seemed to have overcome him. He said nothing, but swept Alique into his arms and strode across the room, laying her on the rug in front of the fireplace. He stood over her, his breathing ragged and pupils dilated, his hands bunched into fists. “Is this truly what you want, Alique?” he asked, his voice harsh to her ears.
Alique did not have to think twice. She nodded.
Kain fell to his knees and kissed her with an abandon he had not shown before. He showered kisses on her face then moved on to her neck, nibbling the delicate skin below her ears. Alique shivered and arched her hips to meet him. He undid the fastening of her cloak and growled as her nightgown was revealed. His hands wandered over her breasts, tracing their outline, and Alique was glad she hadn’t dressed for her trip to the barracks.
She undid the buttons of her bodice one by one, Kain’s eyes riveted to her fingers. When she had finished, he slipped his hand inside, finding her breast, while his other hand slid up her leg, bringing the skirt of her nightgown with it.
“You’re beautiful,” he breathed against her throat. Alique’s stomach clenched with desire. He kissed her, savoring her lips, then slid his mouth down her throat to her chest and across to first one breast, then the other, sucking and tonguing her nipples. Meanwhile his other hand reached the apex of her thighs and his fingers explored folds slick with moisture.
“Please, Kain,” she said. He flicked his tongue against her nipple and plunged two fingers inside her. Alique was gone in moments, her body racked with a pleasure so intense that she forgot herself and cried out. “Yes, oh yes!”
Kain chuckled, smothering her cries with his mouth, her body shuddering under his ministrations until she lay limp beneath him. He gave her one last lingering kiss then rose to undress, discarding his garments one by one, until he stood naked before her. “It’s not too late to say no, my lady.”
Alique raised her knees and pulled her skirts to her waist, allowing him a clear view of her gleaming flesh. “Is that answer enough for you, general?”
Kain fell to his knees and plunged himself into her, his eyes growing wide as her tightness engulfed him. Alique thrust up to meet him, feeling another climax mounting as he drove into her. She gripped his thighs and locked her legs around him, achieving a closeness she had never dreamed of. As their bodies rocked together and Kain plunged deeper and deeper, Alique’s whole body tightened and she went soaring to another peak, this one so intense she lost all sense of where she was. Kain followed soon after, but she was vaguely aware of him pulling out from her body at the very end.
As she regained her senses, Kain rolled away and cleaned himself up with his discarded shirt. He hadn’t looked in her direction.
“That was earth-shattering, Kain,” she said, gazing up at him.
He flicked a glance at her, his jaw clenched. “Cover yourself,” he said before looking away.
“Why?” she asked, “I know you like what you see. Come back and we shall see what else we can get up to.”
He turned to her. “You told me you had lain with a man! Now I find you lied!”
“You would not have looked twice at me if you knew I was a virgin,” Alique said. “Now I am no longer one, we can do as we like.”
He shook his head. “You should have told me.”
“I chose to give myself to you, Kain. I do not regret it.”
“Well, I do,” he said, pulling on his breeches. “I think you should leave now.”
Alique stared. Slowly she lowered her skirts and did up her buttons. She stood, still unable to believe his reaction. “Did you not enjoy yourself?”
Kain gripped her forearms and pulled her against him. “Lady, I enjoyed bedding you very much indeed, but can’t you see how wrong it was? I could have left you with child.”
“You pulled out, general. Besides, I have a tea I can take to ensure no pregnancy.” Alique’s dream of lying with Kain was fast turning into nightmare. “Do not fear I will be a stone around your neck.”
Kain closed his eyes. “I fear only for you. We were unwise, and you a virgin to boot.” He looked sadder than ever. “You should go.”
“I was trying to leave when this happened,” Alique said, marching to the mirror and attempting to tidy her hair and clothes. She turned to him. “I do not regret any of this, Kain, and if you do, you’re a fool.” For the second time that evening, Alique strode to the door, fighting back tears. This time, Kain did not try to stop her.
Chapter 11
Kain faced his opponent, one of his sergeants, with the practice sword. The sun was just creeping over the horizon, making vision difficult. That was how he liked to train, with the conditions as challenging as possible. His men hated him for it but it kept them alive. As he swung the sword against his weaker opponent, he struggled to focus on the task at hand.
Gwaethe and Isiloe were in residence at an inn near his parents’ home. He had organized that much, but since then he had stayed far away from the elven women and his family. Some force prevented him from taking the step that would bring them all together.
The meeting with the King had gone better than expected. King Beniel had seemed content with the vague answers Kain had been able to supply regarding his kidnap. The monarch was distracted by the news that previous elven skirmishes signified a much larger threat to Thorius than previously thought. However, Kain suspected he hadn’t heard the last from Beniel and if the Queen became involved, he doubted she would be content with the answers he had supplied thus far. At least his position was safe for the moment.
He hadn’t seen Alique. He lamented the weakness that had led to their encounter and even more that she had offered him her most precious gift. He knew his reaction in the aftermath of their love-making had hurt her, and guilt simmered in his gut. Alique would be a willing and exciting partner in the bedroom and in life. But she was too young and too noble. The union would never work, and besides, Alique didn’t want him as a permanent fixture in her life. Kain shook his head before the thought could take hold. There could be no thoughts of permanency.
This was not like him! He did not moon over women. He didn’t allow them to get under his skin, creating unwelcome distractions that could endanger him and his men. You’re getting soft, man! Surely it was the rec
ent experience and revelations that had brought this on? Anyone would be shaken to find that all they believed was a lie. Once he sorted through his feelings and settled into his new reality, life would return to normal.
His opponent’s practice sword scraped Kain’s shoulder and he rallied to bring the fight back under his control. In real life that could have been a killing stroke. He brought all his concentration to bear and launched a blistering attack that had the sergeant on his back, Kain’s sword against his throat, in seconds.
Kain took a deep breath and stepped back to allow his subordinate up. He couldn’t continue to do this. Becoming distracted at the wrong moment could kill him, or someone else. He placed the practice sword in the rack and stalked out of the yard to find Nikolas Cosara leaning against a rain barrel.
“Niko,” Kain said, grabbing his friend in a bear hug. “You’ve returned sooner than I expected!”
Nikolas pushed back from him. “Not a moment too soon, if my eyes and ears don’t deceive me.” The huge blond man studied his friend. “I’d like to hear the story.”
A cloud descended on Kain. “Bad business.”
“Is Alique unharmed?” Nikolas asked. “I heard she was taken too. What did they want?”
“Lady Alique is well,” Kain said. “The plan was to lure me out into the country.”
“They wanted inside information?”
“Seems so.” Kain didn’t like keeping anything from Nik, but better that than saying the wrong thing. “I couldn’t tell them anything they didn’t know already, and eventually we were able to escape.”
“Walk with me, Kain.”
The two men fell into step and headed out of the army compound and into the city. It was only a short distance to an inn which was a favorite haunt of the army and naval officers. Several men saluted as Nikolas and Kain entered and took a seat in the corner of the room.
They ordered breakfast and then Nikolas leaned back against the wall, again studying Kain.
“There’s something you’re keeping from me, isn’t there?” Nikolas said.
The Elf King’s Lady: Wildecoast Saga Book 2 Page 12
