The Guardians of the Forest: Book Two by Kelly Napoli
CHAPTER 65
ESTABLISHED
A pattern was finally established.
A rhythm seemed to coincide to their days. After her little spat with Markii was resolved, she hurriedly made her way through the rest of her training. She could tell she had unnerved Navadar and Camella, though. They paid strict attention to every word she said, making sure to show complete consideration to her demonstrations. Their puppy-dog devotion made her feel guilty for her loss of control. She had wanted to get them to realize the danger, not make them feel like they had to address her with reverence.
She got through it as quickly as she could, though. She wanted to get them on a defensive mode, to be ready to use everything Kiethara had taught them in a blink of an eye. She established the positions they needed to hold to surprise the enemy—Camella in the tree tops, Navadar crouched in the thick of the bushes, and Markii hidden in a hallow of a tree.
For the next few weeks, everything went smoothly. None of them strayed far from their designated positions. They slept there, they ate there, and they trained there.
Kiethara did not have an appointed position, however, and she was free to roam as she pleased. It was a good thing, for it allowed her to keep her friends from going crazy. She rotated frequently, bringing along with her company food and water that they needed. She kept them well informed and provided communication, which was critical to any efficient plan. She checked on their weapons, refurbished their supplies, trained with them…all the while, she was dangling as bait for Gandador’s much anticipated attack.
One rather dreary day, Kiethara was making her way to Camella’s outpost. The sky was blanketed with a light gray, intermittent raindrops dropping from the canopy above, only a few managing to find their way down and splash upon her head.
“Kiethara!” Camella called exuberantly, somehow managing to bounce with energy even though she was crouched in a tree. Kiethara smirked. Her friend did not do too well alone.
With swift, practiced movements, she pulled herself into the tree and next to Camella.
“Good morning, princess.”
“Princess?” Camella exclaimed. “Princess? Do you want me to explain to you everything that’s wrong with that statement?”
Kiethara regarded her reaction warily. “I’m not sure.”
She did anyway. “First off, you have the run of the place. If I was in charge, I wouldn’t be assigned to a stinking tree.”
“I thought you volunteered for this position!”
“Well, yes, that’s because it was the best out of the three. At least I’m not inside a tree, like poor Markii.”
“He’s not—”
“Second,” Camella interrupted. “I would have a palace, not just a hammock in a clearing.”
Kiethara stuck her tongue out.
“And finally, you’re the one who has a Prince Charming,” she winked. Kiethara rolled her eyes.
“How is dear Navadar?”
“Good,” Kiethara said with a soft smile.
“What on earth does that look on your face mean?” Camella giggled. “Pray tell!”
“That’s the thing—I don’t know,” she sighed. “Tell me, how would we be if I lived in the kingdoms?”
“In Redawn?” she clarified. “Well, you would catch his eye, or at least something would. Your title, wealth, family…then he would court you. Escort you to all your daily activities. After at least a few weeks of this, he would propose publicly. You would say yes, a wedding would be set, and then you would marry.”
“That doesn’t sound as…romantic as it really happened,” Kiethara frowned.
“Oh, good heavens, no! Half of those types of marriages are arranged.”
“Arranged?”
“Predetermined, usually by the father of the daughter. Daughters never get a say in the matter.”
“That’s horrid!”
“Absolutely,” Camella agreed. “Which is why what you and Navadar have is so amazing! It’s so free. I’m jealous.”
“That’s exactly my point; I don’t know what we have! Do you think we will get married?”
Camella bit her lip. “I don’t know. Have you talked about it?”
“No.”
“Maybe you should.”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“I can’t do that…” she whispered. “What if he doesn’t want to?”
“Why on earth would he not?” she asked in surprise.
“I have a few reasons,” Kiethara sighed glumly. “I have no wealth, no title, and no family.”
“I’m sure that doesn’t matter to him,” Camella said quickly.
“Maybe, maybe not. Another thing…sometimes, I’m scared that I’m just here for his convenience. His wish for adventure fulfilled, with an added bonus,” she grimaced.
“That’s not true!”
“It could be.”
Camella raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think that?”
“No,” Kiethara admitted.
“Atta girl!” Camella praised cheerfully. “Enough with this self doubt! The harder you play nonchalance, the harder he’ll come panting after you. Heck, he might even propose.”
“Have you had some experience in this area or something?” she grinned.
“Not yet, dearie,” she sighed.
“You will.”
Camella smiled with brilliant teeth. “Oh, I know that. I was thinking about Markii, but after I watched you lay him on his backside like that, I’m not so sure.”
“Markii?” Kiethara asked in surprise.
Camella reddened slightly. “Sure, I mean, he is a man.”
“He’s a stone cold rock devoid of any warmth! The complete opposite of you.”
“I think there’s more to him than that,” she mused happily.
Kiethara regarded her friend doubtfully. “I’ve tried to get through to him on countless occasions. He’s so…empty, sometimes. It’s intimidating! And I’m never intimidated.”
It felt good to get that off her chest. It felt like she was admitting some humiliating weakness.
“I know what you mean,” Camella nodded. “But there’s something there…and every day he spends with us, it comes closer to the surface. One day, it will come. Something will force it out, and there will be no stopping it!”
“Are you planning on being that something?” Kiethara asked slyly.
“Maybe,” Camella grinned. “If I wasn’t stuck in a tree!”
Kiethara laughed and slid off the tree. “I’ll go convey your heartfelt request to him.”
“Oh, no you won’t!” Camella gasped.
“Don’t worry,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m headed to Navadar. I’m sure he’ll be much more interested in your heartfelt request than Markii will be.”
Camella grinned. “Make sure you give him my love. Of course, he’ll probably be too distracted by your lustrous body to pay any attention.”
“Shut up!” Kiethara threw an orange at her friend.
“What was that?!”
“Your breakfast!” she called over her shoulder.
“Wait! I have something else for you to tell Navadar!”
Kiethara turned suspiciously. “Oh?”
“Tell him ‘she wants a knee.’ Make sure you tell him I said it.”
“A knee? What does that mean?”
“Ask him!” Camella giggled, waving farewell to her.
Brow furrowing, Kiethara walked towards Navadar’s post. She took her time, too nervous to fly. Visiting him always sparked some butterflies in her stomach, but today there seemed to be many more. Camella’s advice as well as her message ran through her mind over and over. A knee…no conversation with Aaron, or experience in the kingdoms, enlightened her to the meaning of “a knee.”
Finally Kiethara curved her way to a bushy area north of her clearing. Her trained eye could barely make out Navadar’s form, clad in green and laying in the thick of the bushes.
Silently, she slunk down to her belly in
the tall grass. Stealthily, she crawled into the clump, maneuvering between the botany. She had to go very slowly to avoid unnecessary noise, but eventually she managed to wriggle her way to about two feet from Navadar’s right.
With a small smile to herself, she crossed her arms and rested her chin on them. She gazed upon her boy, his eyes glazed over as he stared at nothing. He was in his own world.
Kiethara counted to a hundred in her head. And again. She got bored with that, and instead studied his lovely features.
Then, finally, his eyes roamed in her direction. She gazed back at him evenly. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing—she watched his glazed eyes slowly focus in on her navy blues, his brow furrowing…
He gasped, and she smiled.
“How long have you been there?” he asked in a breathless voice.
She shrugged. “A while.”
He chuckled. “You never fail to amaze me.”
She smiled hugely in response to his favorite line.
“Anything new?”
“Nope,” she sighed. “Maybe he died.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have that type of luck,” he teased.
“And I thought you were the optimist!”
“It’s hard to see a bright side when all you can see is the inside of a bush.”
Kiethara rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t you start. Camella gave me the same thing.”
“For once I can’t help but agree with her.”
“Oh, she has a couple messages for you.”
“Does she?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Mm,” Kiethara mumbled, pursing her lips.
“You look worried,” he laughed. “They can’t be that bad, can they?”
“Not…necessarily,” she said slowly.
“What did she say?” he asked, still grinning. “Don’t worry, I won’t care either way.”
“It’s not that,” she said quickly. “The problem is that I don’t understand them.”
“Just tell me,” he urged.
“She wanted me to pass on her love,” she began.
“Is that what you’re worried about?” he asked. “Kiethara, she doesn’t mean that literally, she’s teasing—”
“No, no, I understand that part.” she interrupted. “It’s the second part.”
“What is it?” he asked, wary now.
“Okay,” Kiethara huffed. “She said, ‘she wants a knee.’”
Navadar was quiet for a moment. Kiethara looked up at him to catch his eyes regarding her. His gaze was so thoughtful, so deep…She could not look away. Her crystals glowed nervously.
“A knee?” he repeated softly.
“Yes,” she affirmed, watching his reaction. There was some underlying emotion brewing inside him, but she did not recognize it.
Navadar did not say anything for a long moment, his eyes appraising her. He was not smiling—his lips were pursed thoughtfully—but there seemed to be a deep joy in his features.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kiethara demanded, forehead creasing in worry.
A grin lit up his face, revealing a fiercer emotion than she had expected. “No reason.”
“What does it mean?” she stressed.
Navadar hesitated. “What exactly did she tell you?”
“Camella?” she asked in confusion. “She said exactly what I told you.”
“That’s it?”
“She said you would explain it to me,” she pointed out.
“How about I explain it to you after this mess with Gandador?” he suggested shrewdly.
“But what if I die?” she wined, and Navadar laughed at her contradicting tone and words.
“It gives you more incentive to stay alive,” he noted.
“But it could be a month until he comes!”
“I am not staying in this bush for a month.”
“Oh, really?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“It’s so dull,” he complained.
“What if I said I could make the bush a little more interesting?” she asked with a tiny smirk.
His eyes ran her up and down, a wicked spark in them. “Is that so?”
“Quite,” she teased, sliding out of the bush.
“Hey!” he called after her, sliding out as well. He caught her just as she made it to her knees.
Their lips met with a feeling of quiet elation. His hand took hold of her hair as the other slid down her back. Her own hands took hold of his shoulders and pulled him closer.
Again, Kiethara could not believe the feelings that ignited inside of her. A burning fire of desire raced through her veins, her stomach fluttering fiercely. She used her hands to push him back down into the bush. They broke apart—only because of the necessity to breathe—and she inhaled his musky scent.
Her hands explored his chest, his broad shoulders…His hands explored her body as well.
His hand took her thigh and hitched it onto his hip. Kiethara pressed herself to him with all of her might. All she wanted to do was somehow get closer, to mold herself into him. Not an inch separated them, but she still felt as though they were miles apart.
They broke apart once more, gasping. Before she could recover and find his lips again, the hands in her hair became restraints. She looked up at him, confused, breathing labored.
“You…” he gasped. “Are much too tempting.”
Her skin felt like it was on fire. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he huffed. The two of them relaxed their extreme positions, Kiethara laying her head on his chest.
He stroked her hair as their heart beats slowed in unison. She closed her eyes, content with falling asleep to the rhythm of his rising chest…
“After, when this mess is over,” he began, but then hesitated. She waited. “I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere.”
Kiethara’s breathing stopped in sync with her heart as her stomach flipped. These were the words that she had been waiting for…She raised her head slightly so she could look into his eyes.
He looked back and stroked her face. His expression was so tender her stomach panged.
“I love you,” he told her. “And because of that, I want to establish a life for us. Together.”
“I want that too,” she whispered, navy blue eyes wide.
“Good,” he smiled. “I promise, you won’t be disappointed.”
“Navadar, you’ve never disappointed me,” she said fiercely.
“That’s not true,” he said, shaking his head somberly. “When you came to Redawn…how you left…That wasn’t right.”
“That wasn’t…I mean, it wasn’t your fault,” she struggled, looking for the right words.
“Of course it was—”
Kiethara put her fingers to his lips, silencing his protests. “Hush, Navadar, you are guilty of nothing.”
He kissed her fingers lightly.
“I want you to be prepared, though, and not disappointed,” she said. “I can’t leave the forest. So if you do establish something with me, you’re establishing a life here.”
“Oh, I know that,” he assured her, his smile lopsided. “That’s what I want. I’ll still visit Redawn from time to time, for my father, but other than that, everything I need is here.”
“I’m not sure you fully comprehend what this entitles,” she frowned. “For example, this bush…you’ll be seeing a lot more of them.”
“I think the bush is growing on me, actually.”
There was something else Kiethara wanted to say, but she could not find the right words…How do you bring the idea of children up? But it was Navadar under her, and he alone truly understood…She took a deep breath.
“Also, in the future…when—I mean, if—we have children, we can only have one,” she explained. “One, destined to be the guardian forever.”
“One?”
“Aaron told me stories of guardians who h
ad more than one child. The other children get jealous, fueds broke out…turmoil is inevitable in that situation.”
Navadar nodded slowly. She let her words sink in. She considered briefly, so briefly that the thought had no time to fully form, about setting him free. Telling him to go start a family in Redawn, with someone who had a fortune, a name…But she was selfish. She needed Navadar.
Not to mention the thought of him and another woman made her crystals glow in tune with her anger.
“I understand, Kiethara,” he smiled. “I’m prepared.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, even though you manage to take me by surprise.”
Kiethara rolled her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position.
“Where are you going?” he protested.
“Markii,” she told him, pulling a leaf from her hair. “I must make my rounds. I’ll be back later, though.”
“You better.”
She waved her hand, and the ground burst to life. “Eat. I’ll be back.”
With that, she kicked off into the air.
The grass beneath her feet tickled as she landed at Markii’s outcropping.
“Markii?
Silently, he appeared out from a much mangled tree. She knew where he had come from—the massive roots created a man-sized gap that was the perfect hiding place.
“Good morning,” she told him. He stretched.
“Are you tired of your hole?” she asked, hoping to force a response out of him.
“I’ve been in worse,” he shrugged.
“That’s…comforting,” she said awkwardly. It sounded like a question.
“Any activity?” he asked.
“No,” she sighed.
“He’s still out there,” Markii said, beating her to the punch.
“Oh, I know,” she told him. “I feel it. Even if twenty years pass, I’ll still be on red alert.”
“As you should be.”
Kiethara bit back a fiery retort. She did not like being told what to do. She would have never made a good slave.
“Are you holding out?” she asked.
“I am fine.”
“Here,” she said, waving her hand again. “Eat. Keep up your strength.”
He nodded his thanks.
“I’ll be back,” she told him before taking off. It was a relief to be in the air. Kiethara was the only one who could tolerate Markii’s extreme behavior, but sometimes it was more than even she could handle.
ESTABLISHED
A pattern was finally established.
A rhythm seemed to coincide to their days. After her little spat with Markii was resolved, she hurriedly made her way through the rest of her training. She could tell she had unnerved Navadar and Camella, though. They paid strict attention to every word she said, making sure to show complete consideration to her demonstrations. Their puppy-dog devotion made her feel guilty for her loss of control. She had wanted to get them to realize the danger, not make them feel like they had to address her with reverence.
She got through it as quickly as she could, though. She wanted to get them on a defensive mode, to be ready to use everything Kiethara had taught them in a blink of an eye. She established the positions they needed to hold to surprise the enemy—Camella in the tree tops, Navadar crouched in the thick of the bushes, and Markii hidden in a hallow of a tree.
For the next few weeks, everything went smoothly. None of them strayed far from their designated positions. They slept there, they ate there, and they trained there.
Kiethara did not have an appointed position, however, and she was free to roam as she pleased. It was a good thing, for it allowed her to keep her friends from going crazy. She rotated frequently, bringing along with her company food and water that they needed. She kept them well informed and provided communication, which was critical to any efficient plan. She checked on their weapons, refurbished their supplies, trained with them…all the while, she was dangling as bait for Gandador’s much anticipated attack.
One rather dreary day, Kiethara was making her way to Camella’s outpost. The sky was blanketed with a light gray, intermittent raindrops dropping from the canopy above, only a few managing to find their way down and splash upon her head.
“Kiethara!” Camella called exuberantly, somehow managing to bounce with energy even though she was crouched in a tree. Kiethara smirked. Her friend did not do too well alone.
With swift, practiced movements, she pulled herself into the tree and next to Camella.
“Good morning, princess.”
“Princess?” Camella exclaimed. “Princess? Do you want me to explain to you everything that’s wrong with that statement?”
Kiethara regarded her reaction warily. “I’m not sure.”
She did anyway. “First off, you have the run of the place. If I was in charge, I wouldn’t be assigned to a stinking tree.”
“I thought you volunteered for this position!”
“Well, yes, that’s because it was the best out of the three. At least I’m not inside a tree, like poor Markii.”
“He’s not—”
“Second,” Camella interrupted. “I would have a palace, not just a hammock in a clearing.”
Kiethara stuck her tongue out.
“And finally, you’re the one who has a Prince Charming,” she winked. Kiethara rolled her eyes.
“How is dear Navadar?”
“Good,” Kiethara said with a soft smile.
“What on earth does that look on your face mean?” Camella giggled. “Pray tell!”
“That’s the thing—I don’t know,” she sighed. “Tell me, how would we be if I lived in the kingdoms?”
“In Redawn?” she clarified. “Well, you would catch his eye, or at least something would. Your title, wealth, family…then he would court you. Escort you to all your daily activities. After at least a few weeks of this, he would propose publicly. You would say yes, a wedding would be set, and then you would marry.”
“That doesn’t sound as…romantic as it really happened,” Kiethara frowned.
“Oh, good heavens, no! Half of those types of marriages are arranged.”
“Arranged?”
“Predetermined, usually by the father of the daughter. Daughters never get a say in the matter.”
“That’s horrid!”
“Absolutely,” Camella agreed. “Which is why what you and Navadar have is so amazing! It’s so free. I’m jealous.”
“That’s exactly my point; I don’t know what we have! Do you think we will get married?”
Camella bit her lip. “I don’t know. Have you talked about it?”
“No.”
“Maybe you should.”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“I can’t do that…” she whispered. “What if he doesn’t want to?”
“Why on earth would he not?” she asked in surprise.
“I have a few reasons,” Kiethara sighed glumly. “I have no wealth, no title, and no family.”
“I’m sure that doesn’t matter to him,” Camella said quickly.
“Maybe, maybe not. Another thing…sometimes, I’m scared that I’m just here for his convenience. His wish for adventure fulfilled, with an added bonus,” she grimaced.
“That’s not true!”
“It could be.”
Camella raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think that?”
“No,” Kiethara admitted.
“Atta girl!” Camella praised cheerfully. “Enough with this self doubt! The harder you play nonchalance, the harder he’ll come panting after you. Heck, he might even propose.”
“Have you had some experience in this area or something?” she grinned.
“Not yet, dearie,” she sighed.
“You will.”
Camella smiled with brilliant teeth. “Oh, I know that. I was thinking about Markii, but after I watched you lay him on his backside like that, I’m not so sure.”
“Markii?” Kiethara asked in surprise.
Camella reddened slightly. “Sure, I mean, he is a man.”
“He’s a stone cold rock devoid of any warmth! The complete opposite of you.”
“I think there’s more to him than that,” she mused happily.
Kiethara regarded her friend doubtfully. “I’ve tried to get through to him on countless occasions. He’s so…empty, sometimes. It’s intimidating! And I’m never intimidated.”
It felt good to get that off her chest. It felt like she was admitting some humiliating weakness.
“I know what you mean,” Camella nodded. “But there’s something there…and every day he spends with us, it comes closer to the surface. One day, it will come. Something will force it out, and there will be no stopping it!”
“Are you planning on being that something?” Kiethara asked slyly.
“Maybe,” Camella grinned. “If I wasn’t stuck in a tree!”
Kiethara laughed and slid off the tree. “I’ll go convey your heartfelt request to him.”
“Oh, no you won’t!” Camella gasped.
“Don’t worry,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’m headed to Navadar. I’m sure he’ll be much more interested in your heartfelt request than Markii will be.”
Camella grinned. “Make sure you give him my love. Of course, he’ll probably be too distracted by your lustrous body to pay any attention.”
“Shut up!” Kiethara threw an orange at her friend.
“What was that?!”
“Your breakfast!” she called over her shoulder.
“Wait! I have something else for you to tell Navadar!”
Kiethara turned suspiciously. “Oh?”
“Tell him ‘she wants a knee.’ Make sure you tell him I said it.”
“A knee? What does that mean?”
“Ask him!” Camella giggled, waving farewell to her.
Brow furrowing, Kiethara walked towards Navadar’s post. She took her time, too nervous to fly. Visiting him always sparked some butterflies in her stomach, but today there seemed to be many more. Camella’s advice as well as her message ran through her mind over and over. A knee…no conversation with Aaron, or experience in the kingdoms, enlightened her to the meaning of “a knee.”
Finally Kiethara curved her way to a bushy area north of her clearing. Her trained eye could barely make out Navadar’s form, clad in green and laying in the thick of the bushes.
Silently, she slunk down to her belly in
With a small smile to herself, she crossed her arms and rested her chin on them. She gazed upon her boy, his eyes glazed over as he stared at nothing. He was in his own world.
Kiethara counted to a hundred in her head. And again. She got bored with that, and instead studied his lovely features.
Then, finally, his eyes roamed in her direction. She gazed back at him evenly. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing—she watched his glazed eyes slowly focus in on her navy blues, his brow furrowing…
He gasped, and she smiled.
“How long have you been there?” he asked in a breathless voice.
She shrugged. “A while.”
He chuckled. “You never fail to amaze me.”
She smiled hugely in response to his favorite line.
“Anything new?”
“Nope,” she sighed. “Maybe he died.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have that type of luck,” he teased.
“And I thought you were the optimist!”
“It’s hard to see a bright side when all you can see is the inside of a bush.”
Kiethara rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t you start. Camella gave me the same thing.”
“For once I can’t help but agree with her.”
“Oh, she has a couple messages for you.”
“Does she?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Mm,” Kiethara mumbled, pursing her lips.
“You look worried,” he laughed. “They can’t be that bad, can they?”
“Not…necessarily,” she said slowly.
“What did she say?” he asked, still grinning. “Don’t worry, I won’t care either way.”
“It’s not that,” she said quickly. “The problem is that I don’t understand them.”
“Just tell me,” he urged.
“She wanted me to pass on her love,” she began.
“Is that what you’re worried about?” he asked. “Kiethara, she doesn’t mean that literally, she’s teasing—”
“No, no, I understand that part.” she interrupted. “It’s the second part.”
“What is it?” he asked, wary now.
“Okay,” Kiethara huffed. “She said, ‘she wants a knee.’”
Navadar was quiet for a moment. Kiethara looked up at him to catch his eyes regarding her. His gaze was so thoughtful, so deep…She could not look away. Her crystals glowed nervously.
“A knee?” he repeated softly.
“Yes,” she affirmed, watching his reaction. There was some underlying emotion brewing inside him, but she did not recognize it.
Navadar did not say anything for a long moment, his eyes appraising her. He was not smiling—his lips were pursed thoughtfully—but there seemed to be a deep joy in his features.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kiethara demanded, forehead creasing in worry.
A grin lit up his face, revealing a fiercer emotion than she had expected. “No reason.”
“What does it mean?” she stressed.
Navadar hesitated. “What exactly did she tell you?”
“Camella?” she asked in confusion. “She said exactly what I told you.”
“That’s it?”
“She said you would explain it to me,” she pointed out.
“How about I explain it to you after this mess with Gandador?” he suggested shrewdly.
“But what if I die?” she wined, and Navadar laughed at her contradicting tone and words.
“It gives you more incentive to stay alive,” he noted.
“But it could be a month until he comes!”
“I am not staying in this bush for a month.”
“Oh, really?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?”
“It’s so dull,” he complained.
“What if I said I could make the bush a little more interesting?” she asked with a tiny smirk.
His eyes ran her up and down, a wicked spark in them. “Is that so?”
“Quite,” she teased, sliding out of the bush.
“Hey!” he called after her, sliding out as well. He caught her just as she made it to her knees.
Their lips met with a feeling of quiet elation. His hand took hold of her hair as the other slid down her back. Her own hands took hold of his shoulders and pulled him closer.
Again, Kiethara could not believe the feelings that ignited inside of her. A burning fire of desire raced through her veins, her stomach fluttering fiercely. She used her hands to push him back down into the bush. They broke apart—only because of the necessity to breathe—and she inhaled his musky scent.
Her hands explored his chest, his broad shoulders…His hands explored her body as well.
His hand took her thigh and hitched it onto his hip. Kiethara pressed herself to him with all of her might. All she wanted to do was somehow get closer, to mold herself into him. Not an inch separated them, but she still felt as though they were miles apart.
They broke apart once more, gasping. Before she could recover and find his lips again, the hands in her hair became restraints. She looked up at him, confused, breathing labored.
“You…” he gasped. “Are much too tempting.”
Her skin felt like it was on fire. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he huffed. The two of them relaxed their extreme positions, Kiethara laying her head on his chest.
He stroked her hair as their heart beats slowed in unison. She closed her eyes, content with falling asleep to the rhythm of his rising chest…
“After, when this mess is over,” he began, but then hesitated. She waited. “I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere.”
Kiethara’s breathing stopped in sync with her heart as her stomach flipped. These were the words that she had been waiting for…She raised her head slightly so she could look into his eyes.
He looked back and stroked her face. His expression was so tender her stomach panged.
“I love you,” he told her. “And because of that, I want to establish a life for us. Together.”
“I want that too,” she whispered, navy blue eyes wide.
“Good,” he smiled. “I promise, you won’t be disappointed.”
“Navadar, you’ve never disappointed me,” she said fiercely.
“That’s not true,” he said, shaking his head somberly. “When you came to Redawn…how you left…That wasn’t right.”
“That wasn’t…I mean, it wasn’t your fault,” she struggled, looking for the right words.
“Of course it was—”
Kiethara put her fingers to his lips, silencing his protests. “Hush, Navadar, you are guilty of nothing.”
He kissed her fingers lightly.
“I want you to be prepared, though, and not disappointed,” she said. “I can’t leave the forest. So if you do establish something with me, you’re establishing a life here.”
“Oh, I know that,” he assured her, his smile lopsided. “That’s what I want. I’ll still visit Redawn from time to time, for my father, but other than that, everything I need is here.”
“I’m not sure you fully comprehend what this entitles,” she frowned. “For example, this bush…you’ll be seeing a lot more of them.”
“I think the bush is growing on me, actually.”
There was something else Kiethara wanted to say, but she could not find the right words…How do you bring the idea of children up? But it was Navadar under her, and he alone truly understood…She took a deep breath.
“Also, in the future…when—I mean, if—we have children, we can only have one,” she explained. “One, destined to be the guardian forever.”
“One?”
“Aaron told me stories of guardians who h
Navadar nodded slowly. She let her words sink in. She considered briefly, so briefly that the thought had no time to fully form, about setting him free. Telling him to go start a family in Redawn, with someone who had a fortune, a name…But she was selfish. She needed Navadar.
Not to mention the thought of him and another woman made her crystals glow in tune with her anger.
“I understand, Kiethara,” he smiled. “I’m prepared.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, even though you manage to take me by surprise.”
Kiethara rolled her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position.
“Where are you going?” he protested.
“Markii,” she told him, pulling a leaf from her hair. “I must make my rounds. I’ll be back later, though.”
“You better.”
She waved her hand, and the ground burst to life. “Eat. I’ll be back.”
With that, she kicked off into the air.
The grass beneath her feet tickled as she landed at Markii’s outcropping.
“Markii?
Silently, he appeared out from a much mangled tree. She knew where he had come from—the massive roots created a man-sized gap that was the perfect hiding place.
“Good morning,” she told him. He stretched.
“Are you tired of your hole?” she asked, hoping to force a response out of him.
“I’ve been in worse,” he shrugged.
“That’s…comforting,” she said awkwardly. It sounded like a question.
“Any activity?” he asked.
“No,” she sighed.
“He’s still out there,” Markii said, beating her to the punch.
“Oh, I know,” she told him. “I feel it. Even if twenty years pass, I’ll still be on red alert.”
“As you should be.”
Kiethara bit back a fiery retort. She did not like being told what to do. She would have never made a good slave.
“Are you holding out?” she asked.
“I am fine.”
“Here,” she said, waving her hand again. “Eat. Keep up your strength.”
He nodded his thanks.
“I’ll be back,” she told him before taking off. It was a relief to be in the air. Kiethara was the only one who could tolerate Markii’s extreme behavior, but sometimes it was more than even she could handle.