Nights in Rodan Ch. 04

"What about Kieran?" she wanted to know this one especially.

"He's very good at conjuring, moving objects around. Ask him to show you sometime, it is very impressive." he smiled.

"And the King?" this one she really wanted to know.

"He's best at divination." Riley seemed to know a lot about this, but all the information was making her head spin. Attendants brought food to them for lunch and they ate and talked some more about how they were going to try and teach Leni to control her magic and the manifestation of it but they'd have to be careful. The day went by quickly, they were still talking when Kieran stopped by to take her to their room. Mary told him where to find her he said.

Ramsey rose and went to another table to get some parchment, "I think you should have this," he handed a stiff piece of parchment to her with a drawing on it. She studied it for a moment, with Kieran looking over her shoulder at it. She read the inscription on the bottom.

"My mother..." her voice cracked and she stood to hug Ramsey, "thank you. I've never seen her face before." Leni noticed the birthmark in the portrait and instinctively touched the spot where her shoulder joined her neck where hers was located.

Ramsey held his hands out to her, "May I see?" he asked kindly.

"Of course." She set the drawing down and pulled her hair to the side, the cut of the dress exposed the mark to the light.

The three men looked at it carefully, "Thank you." Ramsey told her as he clasped her hands in his. She smiled.

"Walk with me?" Kieran offered his arm and she nodded.

They bid the others good evening and headed towards their quarters. Leni became more and more nervous as they approached the rooms. She hadn't shared a bed with another man since she lost Colin almost 2 years ago. How would Kieran act, what was he expecting? He must have felt her tensing up because he put his free hand over hers and looked at her meaningfully,

"It's alright, relax."

They ate dinner in relative silence. She was pensive, thinking about all the things Riley had told her today. Kieran broke her train of thought,

"Are you alright?" he was concerned. She sighed in response and tried to relax.

"Riley tells me you're quite adept at conjuring, "she tried to change the subject. As if to confirm the information the apple on the tray floated up in between them, as her eyes followed it she saw Kieran grinning wickedly. He snatched the apple out of the air and bit into it before leaning back in his chair.

"Comes in handy when a woman needs to get out a corset in a hurry," He wagged his eyebrows suggestively, making her laugh, "don't worry, I wouldn't do that to you unless you asked." He took another bite of the apple.

"I appreciate that, "she was still grinning. He really knew how to put her mind at ease.

Mary cleared the tray and Kieran asked Leni if she was tired.

"Not yet, if you are though we can lie down," she offered.

"Do what you wish; I am not a man who orders his woman around. I was considering a bath." He winked at her and she smiled. Maybe this arrangement would work out alright for them, they did get along well.

She heard the water running in the bathing room; she slipped off her shoes and curled her legs under her. She reached for the book Ramsey had given her and opened it. The portrait of her mother stared back at her. She was beautiful; her head was turned slightly away, giving the artist a better look at the birthmark. Leni recognized her mother's ears as her own and smiled. She remembered from Iny's stories that her mother had very dark hair and grey eyes. She tried to picture her mother laughing and smiling but she couldn't hear her voice, which wasn't surprising considering Leni had never known her. She closed the book, her mind already had too much information in it, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to retain any more if she started reading this late. She brushed her hair and dressed for bed. As she passed the bath she could see Kieran lounging in the large sunken pit, his head was resting on the white stone and the steam rose slowly from the water. His lean athletic body was something. He was about a head shorter than Rayn but still taller than Leni by a few inches. His eyes were closed and he seemed very content.

Leni propped herself up with a pillow in bed and continued staring at her mother's portrait. She thought of her own son and it made her weepy, she missed him so much she thought her heart might break. Maybe it was time to send Iona a message. She would have to trust Kieran with the information; she wouldn't be able to hide it from him anymore especially since he was to be her husband. She blushed when he exited the bath wearing nothing but a dressing robe. He dropped it over a chair and climbed into bed next to her without a second thought. She forced herself not to oogle him, he was her friend and she had something very important to tell him. She put the drawing on the bedside table and looked down at him.

"Lay with me," Kieran said, it was half question and half command.

She did as he asked, slowly. She couldn't tell if he was up to something or not but she trusted him. As she settled in on her back, she gazed into his bright blue eyes. She felt him take her hand in his,"I want you to know that I will never force you to do something you are not comfortable with, but the King expects certain things from us, "he was whispering to her in the low light.

"I trust you, Kieran and I need to confess something to you before you say anything else and you have to promise me you will not tell a soul." Her voice wavered.

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her, "I'll keep your secret," he assured her. She looked away and then back at him for one very long moment.

"I have a son." She finally said it out loud. He blinked a few times, trying to absorb the information.

"From your late husband I take it?" his brow furrowed.

"Yes. Colin is, I mean was, his father. I was pregnant with Lukas when he died." She felt her emotions coming on strongly, she missed her baby. Kieran saw them too and put his arm over her, hugging her tightly.

"I will keep your secret, "he repeated, "I will help you keep him safe." He buried his face into her hair as she hugged his neck.

She sighed and cried happy tears, "Thank you." His fresh scent and damp skin assaulted her senses. She felt so relieved; she kissed his lightly stubbled cheek gently in gratitude. He leaned back and smiled down at her.

"Your mind is too busy my beautiful friend; would you like me to help you relax?" She couldn't tell if he was serious or trying to rile her.

"I'm not sure what you mean." She looked up at him quizzically.

"Well I meant what I said before, the King is expecting us to behave a certain way," He raised an eyebrow, "we could practice." He felt her stiffen in response and added, "or I could just use magic and practice on you all by myself?" he grinned and earned himself a pinch on the soft underside of his bicep. "Ow!"

"Jerk." She accused playfully.

"Tease." He retorted.

"You'll get used to it." She was sarcastic.

"You're going to sass me now?" He pounced on her, kissing her neck upwards towards to her temple. It was awkward at first but she admitted to herself that she was enjoying it and allowed him to continue. She felt his lean body relaxing into her, he kissed her on her forehead and looked down at her face; he took in her stormy blue eyes, high cheekbones and full lips. She was a stunning woman, even though he preferred blondes he had to admit she was a beauty.

She noticed his lightly tanned skin was glowing in the torchlight. She stroked her hands through his short blonde hair and he sighed and nuzzled into her neck again. She felt her body heating up at his touch, he was very gentle. As he kissed her neck and pulled her nightshirt aside to kiss her shoulder the guilt and her nervousness began to rise up in her stomach. She pushed it out but couldn't make it go away; it almost made her feel sick. How could she do this? Her inner voice answered, because you have to survive.

Kieran continued exploring her neck and shoulder, taking his time and she felt his body harden against her. She stroked his short hair and closed her eyes. Colin's face came to her mind.

No.

She tried to replace his face with Kieran's and couldn't so she opened her eyes again, her breath quickened.

Kieran moaned deeply against her neck and raised his head. He pressed his forehead against hers and dipped his mouth down to her perfect lips, he kissed her once quickly and his ocean blue eyes searched her face for signs of distress. There were none, so he kissed her again slower, exploring her soft full lips with his. She responded tentatively at first, and he pushed her a little farther. They may not have asked for this but they could make the best of it. He moved between her legs and ran his hand up her thigh, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. His fingers continued lightly over her hips and she shuddered. She dug her nails into his shoulder as his hands explored higher.

Eleanor was breathing deeply and trying to stay calm but her nerves were on edge.

"Kieran please, please stop." She felt suffocated and started panicking. He stopped in his tracks thankfully. He pulled back and looked into her eyes; he saw a mixture of fear, desire, and uneasiness.

"I'm sorry." He sighed.

"I just need some time." she said, he rolled off of her but held her closely and ran his hands gently over her back, trying to re assure her.

"You can have anything you need; I won't force anything on you," he whispered.

She was honest about feeling guilty, it made her so upset to think of Colin. The whole thing just spilled out of her, she couldn't stop talking. He tried to reassure her. She even revealed what had happened with the raiders that had captured her, and it made his blood boil thinking of them hurting her for no reason other than a good time.

"I don't want to let them win by being fearful," she confided.

"You lived and got away, you have already won," he told her as he stroked her back.

She considered what he said carefully as he slowly fell asleep. She was awake and thinking for awhile before she started kissing him. He pulled her closer to his chest and she continued softly kissing his mouth, shoulders, and neck. He finally opened his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he smiled at her.

"I'm not letting my fear hold me back," she assured him.

"Are you sure you want to?"

She kissed him hard in response making his chest rumble. He covered her body with his and continued kissing her at her pace. She was good, and it wasn't very long at all until he was ready for her. Hopefully this time she was ready for him.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up to him into a seated position, his cock hardening between them; he kept his eyes locked on hers and was pleasantly surprised to see them filled with desire. He slipped her gown over her head, he watched her slowly shake her tresses free which also made her breasts sway enticingly. He laid her down and met her mouth with his as her head hit the pillow. He felt her body responding to his, her hips rising to meet him, as he pressed his hard cock against her.

He was driving her body wild but her mind was still struggling. She finally talked herself out of being guilty. She needed the physical release now, she was too far gone. She felt the silky smooth swollen tip of him press against her soft wetness. He growled in pleasure and slowly rubbed himself against her. She gasped softly and he almost lost control. She felt his chiseled muscles tense as he tried to hold back. She reached up for him and brought her lips against his again, more confidently now. He slid a hand into her hair and she tipped her head back, giving him access to her neck. He left a blazing trail of kisses down the middle of her chest. He noted her perfectly pink nipples were completely erect and he longed to suck them.

"Gods woman, what are you doing to me?" he growled into her soft fleshy breast, nipping at the sensitive skin. She jumped back at the unexpected sharpness of his teeth.

"Probably the same thing you're doing to me." She barely got the words out.

"Good." He rumbled.

She felt the tip of him teasing her and she almost pulled his hips against her. She was going out of her mind with the sensations. He wasn't too thick but she could tell he was long.

"Kieran please, you're going to kill me if you make me wait any longer." Her breath caught in her throat. He raised his head to hers and kissed her hard

"Then I won't make you wait any longer." He groaned as he slipped into her. Her head fell back and she moaned aloud. The sound of her moaning and the feel of her tightness wrapped around his shaft made him want to come so badly, he thrusted slowly at first, watching her full breasts rise and fall, and listened to her short shallow breathing. She was magnificent. Her late husband had been a lucky man. His thrusts became quicker and shorter; she wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing him deeper access to her. He watched, mesmerized by her breasts bouncing in time to his thrusts before catching a nipple in his mouth and making her cry out softly.

She was out of her mind! She couldn't believe she was having sex with Kieran. She tried to turn off her mind and enjoy the pleasure he was bringing her but she only mostly succeeded. She was propped on her elbows with her legs wrapped around his hips and he was thrusting into her hard. She lowered herself to the bed and pulled him down. He groaned raggedly and she gasped as he thrusted particularly deeply. She was about to lose herself completely. She willed herself to let go and enjoy it. Her body was shuddering against his; he was thrusting wildly into her now. She bit his shoulder gently to keep from crying out and he growled as she spasmed and climaxed around him, she held onto him tightly. One, two, three more hard thrusts and she felt him swell and explode inside her. His body melted into hers and she finally relaxed completely, nothing was on her mind but how good it felt to release all of her pent up anxieties. He pulled out of her slowly, still hard.

Kieran groaned and rose above her, "This might be the best arranged marriage ever." he said, causing her to laugh. He kissed her shoulder softly and rolled over, "Are you relaxed now?"

"How could I not be?" she asked, playfully exasperated. "I am burning up."

"Let me take care of that, "he said as a light breeze wafted over her body, making her shiver.

"You can control the air?" she asked

"Just direction and speed milady."

Suddenly she noticed something strange, "Kieran, what is going on?" she was alarmed.

"What?" he looked at her concerned as she held up her hands.

It was the most remarkable thing; the tips of her fingers were glowing.

"Release the power, it will make you sick if you try to hold it in," he assured her.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her hands. She felt a surge of power and heard a crackle.

"Easy, killer!" Kieran warned her. Her eyes flew open, there were scorch marks on the stone ceiling but her fingers were normal again.

"Well that was interesting." She said to the ceiling.

Kieran sighed and put his hands behind his head, "I have that effect on lots of women." he said haughtily. She pinched him again.

"Ow!" he rubbed his ribs where she'd gotten him.

"Go to sleep, trouble." She commanded.

"Not a problem," He pulled the blankets up around them," come here and lay against me." She rolled to his side and pressed herself against him. She decided she could live with this, but her subconscious had other ideas.

Rayn invaded her mind, it was the fire dream again. She ran to him, screamed for him and he couldn't save her from the fire. She never got close enough to touch him. The panic overtook her body and she convulsed, it filled her with power, bright and burning strong. She felt like her skin would peel off but it didn't.

She woke up underneath Kieran's solid body, his arms were around her holding her down. She panicked when she opened her eyes and he was repelled away from her and landed on the stone floor on the other side of the bed. He gasped in pain and groaned as he tried to sit up.

Oh Gods!

"You're trying to kill me," he said, clearly in pain.

"I'm so sorry Kieran, what happened?" she desperately hoped she hadn't been saying Rayn's name in her sleep. She got out of bed and pulled the sheet with her. She tried to help him stand but he refused her hand and got up on his own before collapsing on the bed again.

"You were thrashing in your sleep and screaming about a fire. I thought if I held you down you might relax. Clearly I was mistaken." He took several deep breaths and tried to get up again, but he reached for his hip and stopped. "I think you're going to have to call the healer. Tell Mary to find him."

Kieran was as good as new by the time they met Ramsey and Riley out in the courtyard where the army practiced. He and Riley were both wearing armor, just in case. Leni thanked them sarcastically for their votes of confidence.

"You shouldn't be able to do too much damage out here," Kieran gestured to the wide green lawn strewn with wooden targets. It was surrounded on all sides by three story viewing platforms. Riley explained it was how they taught the new men complicated tactical maneuvers and served as a gallery when they played war games to demonstrate their military prowess to the public.

The King had closed the viewing areas for safety reasons but he watched from the top of a platform with one of his advisors. They bowed to him when they entered and he acknowledged them with a nod of his head. The sky was grey and cloudy, winter was almost upon them.

"So how are we going to do this?" Leni asked, looking down at herself. She was wearing a padded vest over her linen shirt and her riding pants were tucked into her clean boots.

"Well since you react most strongly when you are in emotional distress we thought we might hit you over the head until you attempt to kill one of us." Kieran shrugged.

"You're so brilliant." she rolled her eyes at him.

Ramsey stood behind her and coached her, he asked her to think about different situations and how they made her feel to see if she tapped into any sort of power. She remembered the dream, so they started there.

"Close your eyes and focus, put yourself back in the dream." Ramsey's voice was soothing and it lulled her into a relaxing state. She remembered both dreams vividly and recounted them over and over in her head. When she couldn't reach Colin she became frustrated and angry.

"Let the power wash over you, "Ramsey's voice broke through the fire. In her mind she whispered and asked Colin to help her but he couldn't hear her. She said it louder, and he still didn't react, so she screamed at him. The guilt followed soon after, she was screaming at her dead husband. She remembered making love to Kieran and she thought how Rayn would feel if he found out, he would be angry and hurt, she felt intense sadness. Almost the same sadness she felt when her father died.

"Concentrate, "she heard a different voice. The power within her body intensified. The bottom of her feet tingled in anticipation. She imagined herself as a little girl, running to her father's dead body and shaking him, begging him to come back to her. He wouldn't wake up and she didn't understand why. She screamed and then was pulled away. She felt the tears streaming down her face and the sticky blood on her dress. She opened her mind to the pain, willing it to overtake her body.

"Focus," the deep voice said.

She opened her eyes and looked around; she felt the raw power surging through her. Kieran and Riley stood in defensive positions several paces away from her. Her hands felt different, she looked down and saw her fingertips glowing. She pointed her hands at a wooden target almost 40 paces away and felt something break within her; bolts of light shot out from her hands making the air crackle around her. It struck the the target and turned it to ash almost instantly. The magic stopped by itself and she looked up at the King. He nodded solemnly in approval.