Killian

by T. N. Tarrant

  Killian laughed. “I was going to tell you we weren’t looking for a surrogate right now, but I had a conversation with Gregorio and his father this morning and I just had this funny feeling.”

  Shiloh shook his head. “You know what they say, Deity works in mysterious ways.”

  “Well, I think Deity definitely had Gregorio in mind for her,” Kelia said softly, chuckling. “He’s exactly what she needs.”

  “How old is she?” Killian asked.

  “Chronologically, she’s nineteen. Developmentally, it is harder to pin down. I would suggest you have a complete assessment done. I already made arrangements for one. All you have to do is see that she keeps the appointment.” Kelia shook her head. “I think she would develop more with the right environment and care, but I’m not qualified to make that assessment. I don’t have that kind of training.”

  “Who am I dealing with for that?” Killian asked.

  “Michaela,” Kelia answered.

  “How much trouble is her mother going to be?” Killian asked. “Will I need to formally petition for custody of her?”

  “Given the woman thinks Rylie’s only useful as a brood mare, who knows? However, the woman is avaricious, so if she planned on selling Rylie as a surrogate… It could go either way.” Kelia answered. Her cell phone rang. “Speaking of.” She answered the phone. “Hello, Jackie.” Kelia put her finger to her lips and put the phone on speaker.

  “Have you introduced Rylie to Lady Larrestes and Lady Zahirris?” Jackie asked, without much in the way of courtesy.

  “As a matter of fact, I have,” Kelia replied blandly.

  “Good, tell them that the cost of her services is two hundred thousand per pregnancy and they pay her upkeep during pregnancy. I believe that’s quite fair.”

  “And if they decide to go elsewhere, Jackie?” Kelia asked.

  “Well I’m sure there are others around that will pay appropriately for her services. After all, that’s about all that works on her and she needs to do her part to earn her keep, same as everyone else in this family,” Jackie answered. “Bring her back here if they don’t want her.”

  “You just crossed the line, Jackie,” Kelia told the heartless woman with a pleased smile for Killian and Shiloh.

  “What do you mean, ‘crossed the line’?” Jackie asked. “I’m her mother. It’s my job to make sure she’s provided for. Since she’s incapable of making money in any other fashion, this will support her well, as well as help support us, since we’ve been paying for her for so many years. You think she’s cheap to look after?”

  “You are correct in that it is your job to provide for her until she can provide for herself, but given her condition, that may be the rest of her life,” Kelia said. “There’s no time limit on maternal duty, Jackie. You may not, however, sell her like a brood mare. Such a thing is specifically banned by the Council. I had hoped you wouldn’t do something like this but since you have, please present yourself to Council at the quarterly meeting after harvest. As Lady Larrestes has already offered Rylie a home on his estate for as long as she wishes, I am assigning guardianship of Rylie to him until Council decides her placement.”

  “You can’t do that!” Jackie sputtered.

  “Yes, I can,” Kelia retorted. “I will be contacting your Artris and I will tell her what I’ve done and why. Since Rylie is not capable of looking after herself at the present time, any Artris may act on her behalf. I do not believe that returning Rylie to you serves her best interests. You may make your arguments to Council.”

  “And if Council sides with me?”

  “Then Rylie will return to you with her Miisen,” Kelia said.

  “Miisen?” Jackie asked, a puzzled tone to her voice. “She doesn’t have a Miisen.”

  “She does now. They have just met, and it is the reason Lady Larrestes offered her a home if she wished. Rylie had not yet made a decision, but that is now out of her hands. Good day, Jackie.” Kelia hung up and sighed heavily.

  Killian rose to pour three small glasses of brandy, handing one to Kelia and one to Shiloh, sipping his as he sat back down beside his husband. Kelia sipped hers, and tipped her head back, rolling her neck to relax the muscles. “Stupid bitch.”

  “Now, my Lady,” Shiloh said, “that’s an insult to the real bitches—she’s not smart enough to be one.”

  Kelia chuckled. “You’re right, little one.” She winked at Killian. “You’ve got quite a smart male there.”

  “Am I supposed to do anything but agree with that?” Killian asked as Shiloh elbowed him. “Are you trying to get me in trouble, lady?”

  They all shared a laugh. Killian offered Kelia a room for the night and she accepted. “I’ll take you back to Morgaine House in the morning, Shiloh.”

  Shiloh’s jaw dropped. “You can do that?”

  “Yup, but don’t discuss it,” Kelia replied. “Very few know I’m that strong already. The theory is that since one of my lifemates is capable of it, my mind caught on to the trick sooner.”

  Killian and Shiloh both were surprised, but they just nodded. Sennrojai, being so powerful and developing such scary abilities as they grew older, tended to keep low profiles. It wasn’t unheard of for a group of scared people to get together and try to kill a Sennrojai. Such a thing was mostly attempted when the Sennrojai was quite young and as vulnerable as anyone else was.

  Killian offered Kelia his study so she could make the appropriate calls about Rylie. He and Shiloh went out to check the day’s progress and spend a little time alone.

  § § § §

  Killian closed the bedroom door behind him, smiling as he watched Shiloh. They went to bed early after Kelia assured them she didn’t need to be entertained and that they should go on. She understood they were newly married and rarely saw each other.

  Shiloh sat on the bed cross-legged, brushing his hair. Killian climbed up behind him and took the brush, slowly brushing out Shiloh’s hair, savoring the feel of the heavy black silk. He had noticed when they woke up in the morning that their long hair, flung out above their heads, often piled up on the pillows so that you couldn’t tell his from Shiloh’s. Somehow, it never tangled together, though, which Killian found interesting.

  When he was done with Shiloh’s hair, Shiloh took the brush and started in on Killian’s. Killian hummed in pleasure. He loved this time of night. They were slowly developing intimate routines for themselves, things like brushing each other’s hair before bed. Shiloh laid the brush aside and began to knead Killian’s shoulders, leaning forward and pressing a kiss on the nape of Killian’s neck.

  Shiloh’s hands slipped under Killian’s shirt, sliding forward to tease Killian’s nipples. Killian leaned back against his husband, letting him play.

  “Too many clothes, love,” Shiloh whispered as he kissed Killian’s throat.

  They slowly undressed, and Killian gently pushed Shiloh onto his back. Kissing his way over Shiloh’s body, he hummed against Shiloh’s skin, knowing he loved the way it felt. Shiloh sighed, relaxing underneath him. They moved slowly, languidly touching.

  Killian drew Shiloh up on his knees and then turned him, drawing Shiloh’s back to his chest, encouraging Shiloh to rest his weight on him. He played with the delicate little gold hoops that decorated Shiloh’s nipples, smiling as Shiloh moaned for him, enjoying the echo of pleasure in his own nipples. Shiloh felt so perfect in his arms and he moaned as Killian continued to play and tease, gently biting the nape of Shiloh’s neck.

  Then he slowly pushed Shiloh forward, licking his spine, kissing it, until Shiloh was on all fours. He followed Shiloh’s spine, down into his crease, licking and nuzzling, until he reached that tight little hole. He licked at it, smiling as Shiloh cried out softly. His husband tasted tangy, a little sweaty, good. He feasted as it relaxed, then began to press his fingers in. Shiloh managed to reach for the lube on the nightstand and passed it back to Killian, who kissed his hole in thanks, giving it another lick. Shiloh shivered and moaned, making Killian sm
ile more. They shared the pleasure they were both experiencing back and forth, but instead of igniting a blaze that consumed them before they could think, it was a slow burn where every touch was heightened. Killian took his time stretching Shiloh, kissing and biting the round cheeks in front of him, playing with Shiloh’s balls gently.

  Finally, he sank into Shiloh, using his hold in Shiloh’s hair to gently pull his husband back to sit on his thighs, impaling him. Shiloh’s breath caught as Killian bit his neck again, sucking up a deep mark, one that would be there for days. They began to move in tandem, Shiloh’s head resting on Killian’s shoulder as Killian fucked him, slowly beginning to move faster. He played with those delicate hoops again, then slid his hand down Shiloh’s stomach to grasp that beautiful prick, gently brushing Shiloh’s hand away. He stroked in rhythm with his thrusts, still playing with Shiloh’s nipples with his other hand, wanting nothing more than to drive Shiloh out of his mind with pleasure. Shiloh’s soft moans became mewling cries as one of Shiloh’s hands reached up to sink into Killian’s hair, holding his head to Shiloh’s neck as the other gripped Killian’s hip. They moved together, coming together as Shiloh’s body threw itself over the cliff, flying, drawing Killian after him.

  They knelt, still connected, breathing heavily, ecstasy echoing through their minds as Killian wrapped his arms around Shiloh, tears slipping down his cheeks as he buried his face in Shiloh’s hair. Shiloh’s hand stayed in his hair as the other arm held Killian’s arms tight to his chest, not wanting to be loosed any more than Killian wanted to let him go. Killian carefully laid them on their sides, somehow managing to stay inside Shiloh, drawing the blanket over them. They spoke of their love as they fell asleep. Throughout the night, they woke up and made love again and again.

  Chapter28

  A week later, Killian was tired as he walked home from visiting William and his family. Carys was recovering well, but Shiloh had called it when he said she wouldn’t take being bedridden well. The two doted on little Tia, who had everyone wrapped around her fingers. Gregorio and Rylie both moved in with the couple and it turned out that Rylie was a natural nanny; Killian kept that in mind. Right now, childcare on the estate was shared between those males old enough to be responsible and the fathers, depending on their duties on the estate. He wondered if it would be less stressful for his families if he set up a little daycare. Nobody seemed to mind sharing the babysitting—in fact, he himself often helped, either going over to the tenants’ homes or they dropped the children off with him, depending on needs. However, if he had a tenant naturally inclined to babysitting, then it might be a good way to allow her to feel useful without overburdening her. Michaela was coming to assess Rylie next week. He would wait and see how that turned out, maybe he would discuss it with Michaela. The whole estate was planning to throw a party, not only to celebrate little Lucretia’s arrival and Carys’ well-being, but the harvest, and Killian’s marriage as well. Since there was so much to celebrate this year, they were planning to have a blowout party, with the whole village and neighboring estates invited.

  Killian had laughed when he called to tell Natalya that apparently it was his “turn” this year. It was a fact of life in their little enclave that every year, one estate or another threw a huge shindig, inviting everybody, yet not one of the estate owners ever said, “Let’s have a party.” The estate owners and managers all suspected a conspiracy among the tenants, but they just looked the other way and paid for the party. It was fun, and their people enjoyed the opportunity to mix and mingle in ways they didn’t normally have time for. There was often a rash of Hunts after the harvest parties, since they gave the young, unmarried members of their community a chance to hang out under the watchful eyes of their elders, without quite so many restrictions.

  This year was going to be a masquerade, and all of his tenants were quite excited about it. Killian decided he needed to go to the village tomorrow to see what there was to find for costumes. It would be fun to tell Shiloh about the masquerade tonight when he called his husband.

  Killian absently fingered the slowly fading love bite on his throat, just at the collar of his shirt. Shiloh had left that one the morning he’d returned home. He grinned as he thought of their lovemaking in the shower that morning. They had been shocked when they finally made it downstairs and found Kelia had cooked breakfast. She’d laughed at them and said that just because she was a female, it didn’t mean she couldn’t cook.

  He walked inside and sighed. It was so lonely in the house these days, and he missed having his siblings with him and Shiloh next to him every night. The first week away from Shiloh was always the hardest. At least Araminta was coming home for a few months in two weeks’ time. And at the end of next summer, Jaden and Jimmy would be spending a year with him on his estate, so he would have them underfoot and Shiloh would be the one suffering with an empty house.

  Killian sighed; it wasn’t what he or Shiloh wanted, but it was the best solution they could devise. They just kept reminding each other it wasn’t forever. That brought his thoughts back around to Rylie and Gregorio as he went upstairs.

  Lady Vallamei had called, asking to visit and meet with him about Rylie. It had been a pleasant enough visit yesterday; Rylie had been happy to see her grand aunt, who had always treated her kindly, if very much as a child. Rylie didn’t seem to mind but Gregorio had become upset.

  Gregorio had informed Lady Vallamei that if she’d bothered to spend a little more time with Rylie, she’d realize Rylie wasn’t a child, regardless of her injuries. Apparently, Lady Vallamei had been told that because of her injuries, Rylie would forever be at the mental capacity of about a six- or seven-year-old. Killian spoke up at that point, telling her that in the limited time he’d spent with Rylie, he’d place her at about ten years of age. Lady Vallamei had been very surprised and asked if Killian would forward a copy of Rylie’s assessment to her. Happy that someone in her family cared, he’d agreed to authorize Michaela to also make reports to Lady Vallamei. Upon finding out Gregorio would reach fourteen in four months, Lady Vallamei suggested that it might be best to give Gregorio custody of Rylie in the long run. Killian smiled to himself as he recalled the stunned look on Gregorio’s face at her comment. It was really nice to know that Rylie and Gregorio would have Lady Vallamei’s support.

  Killian walked into the bathroom, stripping, then turning on the water. A good hot shower, call Shiloh, then sleep for a while. He and Shiloh both slept very little when they were separated, waking up searching for each other in the bed several times a night. The searches often led to oddly timed phone calls. The exciting life of an Artris didn’t help, he thought with a rueful smile. Stepping into the water, he sighed as the hot water began to ease the tension in his shoulders. He washed quickly, then reached down within himself and touched Shiloh while stroking his erection, grinning as Shiloh responded in kind. Whatever his gorgeous husband was doing, he must be alone. He quickly stroked himself, not needing much to bring himself off when he could feel Shiloh doing the same thing and sharing between them how good it felt. Memories of Shiloh’s mouth on him, sucking and licking, sent him over the edge. He came hard, calling Shiloh’s name, then slid down the wall of the shower, breathing hard.

  He felt Shiloh’s tender touch and smiled to himself, sending Shiloh back his intention to call in a few minutes. He rinsed off and climbed out of the shower, drying off. He thought about putting his sleep pants on, but decided not to bother and wrapped a towel around his hips instead. If this call was like most made between them at night, phone sex was happening and he’d need another shower anyway.

  Humming to himself, he walked back to his bedroom. Killian had just bent down to retrieve his cell phone from his pants when he heard an odd sound. Turning, he flinched back instinctively, mentally shouting “ANAN!” in horror as he saw a bat swinging at his head.

  Chapter 29

  When Killian came to, he was freezing cold, and naked. His wrists were bound and attached to some kind of hook in
the ceiling. His feet were chained tightly to the floor. Looking around as much as he could, he concluded that he seemed to be in some kind of dungeon. There were chains on the walls and there was an odd, fusty scent in the room.

  Laughter sounded behind him.

  “Oh good, you’re finally awake,” a horribly familiar voice said. Killian struggled not to flinch as Anan ran her hand over his back, pinching his bare ass. She walked around to face him.

  “I didn’t think you were suicidal, Anan,” he said calmly. He couldn’t panic or think about what Anan might have seen in the shower, since she’d apparently been lying in wait for him. “You know the penalty for ignoring the ban is death.” He had to stay calm or he wouldn’t survive. The lack of clothes made it a little more difficult, though.

  Anan smirked. “Only if I’m caught, and since no one even knows you’re gone… Well, I have plenty of time to teach you a lesson or two before I kill you.” She smiled as she slapped his face, hard. “They might eventually find your body, but they’ll never know what happened.” This time she punched him in the stomach.

  He wanted to throw up when he saw her pick up a flogging whip. “Your first lesson will be how it feels to be whipped. You know, you really should lock your doors. Of course, for you it’s a moot point, but still. It was so easy for me to slip in during the day and just wait.” She struck at his legs with the whip. It was all he could do not to scream as it bit into his skin. Then she ran the handle of the whip down his chest and stomach, brushing it over his groin. “I watched you in the shower… you’re actually quite something when you touch yourself.” Anan walked around him as she gloated. “Maybe if you do it for me in a little while, I’ll just cut your throat instead whipping you bloody and leaving you to hang there until you die. Although, bleeding to death might take you a couple of days, even if it is hastened by dehydration.” Anan struck him again, this time squarely on his back. Blood begin to trickle down his spine, but he didn’t cry out.