by Lisa Daniels
“Oh! I apologize.” He quickly released her and began rubbing a hand on the back of his head, rumbling his beautiful hair. “Of course you aren’t comfortable with a man being so…physical. Just be a little more relaxed.”
Kerensa nodded again, noticing that she seemed to be having trouble with her breathing. Moving her hand around the bandages hiding her chest, she thought perhaps they were a little too tight. There is no time for that. I can fix it later – I need to be getting this right before he leaves, she reprimanded herself. Quickly she began dressing trying hard not to look at the beautiful stranger in her cabin.
The young woman did not look at him until she had finished redressing, her mind still on the feel of his skin against hers. The man seemed to have forgotten it entirely as he gave her a critical look, then stepped toward her. Even though she was focused, a small part of her mind could not ignore the way his muscles rippled as he began to tug and adjust a couple of places. “If you would put it on this way – oh, sorry. Do you mind if I…” He was looking at her, his hand resting on the top button of her shirt.
“Please go ahead, this has been most helpful.”
He undid most of the clothing, and then put on each piece of clothing with a few tips. She knew that she had rushed a little too much, that the unexpected contact had left her a little distracted, but she still found it difficult to put all of her attention on what the man was saying. The first time his hands brushed against her skin, Kerensa shivered.
“Are you cold? Perhaps we should stop here?” He looked at her with concern.
Kerensa felt embarrassed by her reaction, but he had given her the perfect out, “No it is fine. Just a slight chill. Please, I want to be able to dress properly because I need this trip to be a success. Here I will try to do better this time.” With that she stripped and began to redress, this time putting all of her attention on her actions instead of the past events.
There was a satisfied sound as she finished adding the last part of her clothing. “That was very well done.” A hand reach out and straightened a couple of parts of her shirt. “Just be careful of here and here.” He smoothed down the areas that he wanted to highlight. “I’ve seen full grown men do it with far less grace and accuracy. I think you will manage just fine when you dress. You are an incredibly fast learner. I can understand why you feel the need to change, and I have to admit that it is very admirable in a human.”
Kerensa looked into the mirror and saw the man looking at her with his stunning smile. Shyly she looked away, “You are a very good teacher. Usually, men are very condescending, but you know how to explain in a way that is clear and easy to follow. Thank you very much.” Something in her mind was trying to register something that he had said, but Kerensa’s mind was going off in several different directions, giving her no ability to analyze anything.
“Next we need to work on your gait. That one may take a little longer, but you already have a good basis for it. Judging by the way that you walk, it is easy to see how I was able to figure out who you were early on. Most ladies of your social standing move with a grace and elegance that borders on obscene. It’s not terribly practical, and if you walked as those ladies, I dare say most people would have already figured you out.”
Kerensa frowned a little as she listened to him. There was so much in his words that she didn’t quite understand, but the one thing that stood out was that the way she walked was a problem. That was something she already knew after all of the lessons with her mother, but to hear someone else point it out hurt. She refused to think that it was the person saying it that made the words seem harsh.
There was a knock at the door before she could ask the man anything. Kerensa strode over to the door and opened it. Beaming on the other side was Chadwick. “I thought you may want a hand with your luggage, so imagine my shock when I was told that you had already made it to your room.”
He took several steps into the room as he chatted and smiled at her. Suddenly, Chadwick froze, his eyes on the man standing at the mirror.
Kerensa’s eyes followed the assistance and she realized what he was probably thinking. “Chadwick, thank you for your concern, but it really was not necessary. This is …” For the first time, the young woman realized that she had no idea who the man was.
Without hesitating, the stranger reached out a hand to Chadwick, “I am Heath. It is a pleasure.”
A little stunned, Chadwick looked at Kerensa as he shook Heath’s hand. “Chadwick, sir. Thank you for helping-”
“Yes, I have not thanked you properly have I?” Kerensa interrupted afraid that Chadwick was about to say her real name with the door wide open. “I am Velius. Thank you very much for everything.” She held out her hand, and Heath took it with a radiant smile.
“I can assure you, the pleasure is all mine. Well, Velius, unfortunately, I have a few things that I need to take care of before we leave Berenice. How does this evening sound for another lesson?”
Kerensa had planned to be nose deep in books that evening, but if her walk was going to give her away, she figured that was a higher priority. “That is very kind of you. This evening will be fine. Thank you very much.” She gave him a slight curtsey before realizing that was wrong. Correcting herself before she finished, Kerensa stood up straight and leaned forward in a bow.
“I dare say you have the bow down if you will remember it before your body does what it has been taught to do.” The man was smiling at her.
“I should be able to bow. I had to watch my brothers learn, and after a while, I was showing them because they had no interest in that kind of teaching.”
The man tilted his head to the side, “They teach children to bow in Senses?”
“Oh, um, where I grew up yes.” The young woman immediately realized her mistake. Only the upper classes taught that. “Well, we lived somewhere rural and my father wanted to make sure his kids were able to make livings for themselves so…lessons.” The explanation sounded weak even to her ears, but it was all true. They did spend most of their time in rural areas, and it was to further their potential. The idea of outright lying to this man who was being so helpful seemed horrible.
“Oh, I see. That was very forward thinking of him. I hope that he is as supportive of the life you have chosen as well.” There was something in his beautiful eyes that Kerensa did not understand.
“He is very supportive of my chosen path. He is the best of fathers, so I am taking care not to do anything that will hurt his reputation. You have done much to help, and for that I am very grateful.”
The man smiled, “It is entirely my pleasure. It is good to see the continents are beginning to catch up to my home. There is still a long way to go, but I’m sure your people will get there eventually.” With that he bowed and moved toward the door.
“Thank you very much Heath.”
He turned before opening the door, “You are most welcome. One word of advice, if you will hear it.”
She nodded.
“Stick to your room as much as possible. With your current gait, I feel certain you will attract unnecessary attention.”
“Of course.” She smiled at him, “Thank you. I have no plans to leave my cabin again today.”
“Very good.” With that he left, closing the door behind him.
With a sigh, Kerensa looked at Chadwick, “Chadwick, I appreciate you coming, but we were not supposed to meet until much later. The researchers are not going to be discussing anything until after we are underway. It may seem a little strange to have us talking before there is anything to talk about.”
“Oh, you are so right. I am so sorry my la-
Immediately she began to shake her head, “No, you have to get used to calling me Velius. As long as we are on this ship, I am nobody’s lady. Please, be careful.”
Chadwick nodded, “I understand and will try to do a lot better. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, I am alright.”
It was clear that Chadwick wanted to sa
y something, but was looking for a way to say it. He headed to the door as he pondered how to bring up what was on his mind. Before he opened the door, he turned to look at her, “I hope that you are conducting yourself in a way that is appropriate so that you don't-”
“Chadwick,” Kerensa’s voice was a low warning as the man was about to discuss her father, the one subject he was not to bring up on the trip, “I appreciate your concern, but this has nothing to do with you or the experiment. If you have nothing else, I would like to get to work having just been inspired by a rather interesting lesson.”
Not having any idea how to react to that, Chadwick looked at her for a moment, then bowed and left.
Feeling like the trip had started out far better than expected, Kerensa closed the door and got to work.
Chapter 3
Another Type of Society, Same Problems
Kerensa felt guilty a little about Chadwick because he was only trying to look out for her. However, she knew that she was going to have to remain firm so that he did not do anything that would let anyone know who she was or how she had grown up. He was a great friend, but his hesitance to keep her secret had already caused her to distance herself from him over the last few months. If Chadwick continued to have trouble with their new dynamic, Kerensa would have to put more distance between them.
As soon as he was gone, she pulled open a book that her father had bought for the trip. While she wasn’t quite as enamored on dragons as she had been a few years ago, Kerensa still had a fascination for them, both as a researcher and as a human. Something with that much power could do pretty much whatever it wanted, but unlike people, dragons tended to prefer to live far away where they would not be disturbed. There was the occasional dragon attack, but as far as Kerensa could tell, they were far less frequent over the last 300 years in her country. In fact, the last time a dragon had attacked the capital, Ciampino, was nearly 500 years ago. There hadn’t been a dragon attack in Volsci for nearly a decade. Of course, the country had been at war for the majority of those 10 years, and Kerensa had a feeling that dragons were much smarter than people. When people were killing each other, there was no reason to give them a common cause.
Kerensa and her family lived in Marcellina, which was near the largest city in the country, Licenza. The young woman had seen dragons fly over on a few occasions, but they had never come very close, so they appeared as huge birds a long way off. Every few years, her father would get her a new book that the young woman would devour as she tried to learn more about the magnificent and dangerous creatures. This year a completely new book had come out written by the foremost scholar on dragons, and it was this book that she was reading now, even though it had nothing to do with her current research. Kerensa liked to think of herself as a dragon enthusiast, not that anyone would take her seriously. The only people who were ever considered qualified to discuss dragons were people who had encountered them. That was an incredibly small circle of people, and only dragon hunters had seen the creatures in their natural habitat. As Kerensa had already experienced, there were a host of problems with trying to talk to a dragon hunter about their primary prey. She had grown to hate people who killed dragons because all of the hunters she had met were crass, crude, and unkind. Of course, there was no question that they were necessary for dragons who enjoyed killing people, but the way some of them bragged about the final moments of the magnificent creatures made her feel sick. The young woman had heard that not all dragon hunters were that way, but the three she had met certainly were. They seemed to be in in it for the fame and fun. There had been a few dragon hunters who had passed through the city over the years, but most of them liked to keep to themselves, and as soon as they realized that people knew who they were, those dragon hunters left. It had certainly been the case several years ago when her father had told her about the female dragon hunter. The woman had left almost as soon as word got out that she was in town.
She had been lost in the book for a few hours when there was a knock on her door. Kerensa’s head turned toward the door but out of the corner of her eye there appeared to be some sort of distortion. Putting her glasses on, the young woman looked again, but there was nothing there. The knock was repeated, pulling her back to the reason she had stopped reading. Quickly rising from the bed, she headed toward the door.
As she passed by the mirror, Kerensa stopped and straightened her clothing, making them look just as they had when Heath had shown her what to do. It only took a moment, but the knock came again.
When she opened the door, Kerensa was surprised to see the captain standing outside of her door. “Good evening Velius. I was wondering if you would like to join me for a stroll around the deck. We are passing by the Liskamm Mountains, and I don’t think a young man of your intellect will fail to miss the beauty of it.
“Oh, thank you sir. I had not realized that we had taken off yet. Such is the magic of books. Let me grab my coat and I will be with you directly.” Kerensa stepped away from the door and pulled her coat off the chair near her bed. As she walked back to the captain, the young woman remembered Heath’s warning about her walk. Suddenly more conscious of her gait, Kerensa tried to remember what the men in her life looked like when they walked. Trying to emulate their swagger, she swung her arms a little more and tried to move her body a little less.
The captain led her toward the cabin where the other scholars and Chadwick were staying, and soon the six of them set off to walk the deck. The other researchers knew who she was, so they let the captain monopolize her ear as he discussed what they were seeing. Kerensa could not help but notice how well Chadwick was getting along with the researchers. His devotion and apparent lack of understanding of her purpose on the voyage made her uneasy, but seeing him with the other men, the young woman felt that there was not much need to worry. The man was completely at home with a crowd, something that she had always tried to avoid. Making a mental note of his apparent happiness, Kerensa felt that she could focus on the words and information that the captain offered her. While Kerensa did learn a good deal, she found that her focus was divided – she tried to listen, but her mind kept wondering to her gait. Just as much of the time was spent with her trying to move in a way that was more masculine.
After they had been walking for nearly an hour, one of the researchers asked the captain a question. While they talked one of the other researchers whispered to Kerensa, “Are you alright, my lady?”
Kerensa flashed him a look that indicated she was not pleased with the way he addressed her. “I was just fine until you decide to address me as a woman.”
“But you are-”
Cutting him off, the young woman announced to the others, “I am tired.” She bowed to the captain, “Thank you very much for the lovely scenery and explanations. I will make sure to add them to my journal. Good night gentlemen.” With that she turned and began walking to her cabin.
The young woman was heading past a few deck chairs for the few passengers when she heard a couple of sailors talking nearby. At first she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. As she drew nearer, one of them said just loud enough for her to hear, “Yep, that’s the boy. If the way he looked didn’t give him away, all you have to do is look at the way he walks, and you can tell that he is the lover of that wealthy foreigner bastard. You know how they are. Think that their money and brains mean they can do anything they want.”
Kerensa slowly turned to look at the two men, her mind trying to process the information. “Excuse me?”
The second moved a little closer, “I’ve never been with another man before, but I dare say you are pretty enough that given a few weeks out to sea, I might find you attractive enough to…” His eyes looked Kerensa up and down, a leer on his face.
The young woman had been harassed on a few occasions, but never had the men been so open about what they wanted. They had always said it in ways that were flowery and masked what they meant so that they could say that she had misunderstood what they mea
nt. This experience was completely new and not at all something she had expected. A look of loathing and fear crossed her face as she turned to run from them. Her foot caught on one of the chairs pitching her forward. As her knee smacked into the hardwood, the sailors howled with laugher.
Suddenly she felt cool hands under her arms and knees, lifting her up. A beautiful, melodic voice spoke as she was lifted off the ground, “Surely you two gentlemen have better things to do than to terrify a young man. Just as you are here to work, so is he.”
The sailors gave the man a look, then to her surprise, they bowed, “We are sorry sir. It will not happen again.”
“It is not me that you should be apologizing to.”
The sailors nodded at him, then looked at Kerensa. “We are sorry sir. We meant nothing by it.” With that the pair were gone.
As soon as they were out of sight, Kerensa buried her face in Heath’s chest.
The rumble of his voice was soothing as he asked, “Are you alright?”
“I’m alright, just a bit shaken up.” She pulled her face away, realizing that what she was doing was not going to quiet whatever rumors were circulating about her. “I should be alright to walk, so you can put me down. I don’t think it will do for either of us to be seen like this now.”
The man turned and moved toward her cabin, “I don’t think that I could do that. Based on the way you fell, I need to make sure nothing is sprained or broken.”
“I am fine really.”
His beautiful blue eyes looked down on her as the sun was setting. Kerensa could feel his heart beating through his chest, and it made her incredibly aware of just how handsome and alive the man was. The way the light played off of Heath’s hair was like his hair was on fire. It was beautiful as it swayed in the breeze like a dancing flame at night. He leaned forward so that his mouth was almost touching her ear. Kerensa felt her heart flutter as his breath gently pressed against her neck. “The more you argue, the more attention you are going to draw to us.” For a moment, her mind went blank and all she could manage was a slight nod and to look away from him.