by Nicole René
Leawyn settled back down against him.
"Brat," Asten said affectionately, but nevertheless continued with his tale.
"And so, the great war horse Izayges, who was once a man, did his duty to the Goddess whom he crossed roaming the rolling hills and beach. Days passed and turned into months, then into years, and soon the hero Saviero had been became a distant memory.
“There was one, however, who never forgot the man she gave herself to, who loved, nurtured and eventually gave birth to his seed.
“Times were peaceful, until the terrible army that threatened the people years ago came back with their own great warrior that only held vengeance for one man: Saviero. Thinking the people were hiding the great warrior from him, the warrior held the townspeople hostage, and each day Saviero did not come, a life was taken in his place. From afar, the black war horse watched the execution of the people he loved, unable to save them.
“It was on the second week that he could no longer stand idle, because there before him was the woman he loved.
“Izayges charged down the hill, letting out a piercing whinny that had the man whipping around. Izayges raised up on his legs and kicked the sword out of his hand, knocking him down.
"’Kill it!’" the man roared at his men, who quickly snapped out of their stupor and charged at the raging war horse, letting out arrows and stabbing with their swords.
“Izayges fought the best he could in his horse form, kicking out with his legs and ramming them with his body.
“Though the townspeople, who were inspired by the war horse’s courage, fought back, Izayges was just a horse, and, in turn, no match for a man. He was stabbed by the leader, his sword going straight into Izayges' chest.
“'No!' his love cried, and in her anger and despair, she picked up a fallen sword and stabbed the leader in the back, her aim strong and true as it pierced his heart.
“She ran to the horse’s side, crying at the sight of the blood covering his black coat and its short, painful breaths.
The horse was dying.
“'Thank you,’ she whispered through her tears, running her hand through its soft mane.
“With great effort, the horse lifted its head so that its nose could brush against her lips, black eyes meeting hers. The woman gasped at the emotion she saw reflecting from them. There was only one other person, besides her child, who had looked at her like that.
“'Saviero?' she gasped around a sob, as ever so slightly the horse bowed its head.
“'Oh Saviero!' she sobbed, staring down as the great war horse’s breaths grew more ragged as it fought to stay alive.
“'I'm sorry; I'm so sorry…" she whispered, brushing his mane away from his eyes. 'Thank you for saving me; I love you.' The war horse blinked its dark eyes as they grew heavier, but as his love uttered those three words, the dark penetrating eyes of the war horse kept hers until his last breath.
“So—"
Leawyn’s sniffle caused Asten to tilt his chin down to look at her. "Are you crying?" he asked incredulously.
"No," Leawyn said stubbornly, followed by another sniffle.
Asten blinked at her, before he chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "You've heard this story before."
"So?! Doesn't mean it's not still sad," Leawyn pouted, wiping her eyes.
"Oh, Lea," Asten sighed with a grin, pulling her closer to him. "I'll just speed this along then."
"The woman he loved continued to cry over the body of her man-turned-horse, until something...peculiar happened. Ianna, the jealous Goddess appeared, looking down at the woman.
“'You have broken the spell,' Ianna said, 'and for that, I applaud you, for not many have conquered my riddles.'
“Izayges’ love stared up at Ianna, both amazed and furious. 'You are the Goddess Ianna, the one who turned Saviero into what he is now,' she stated with narrowed eyes, even as tears continued to spill down her cheeks.
“Ianna nodded her head, a slight smile quirking her lips. 'I am,’ she agreed. ‘I am also the Goddess who will bless you with a gift. I gave Saviero my own horses to save your village, and then I cursed him to become one cause he made a promise he could not keep.’
“Ianna looked down at the massive black horse Izayges. 'Saviero signed his future away for the love of this village, and he has laid his life down for the same reason, as Izayges.'
“Ianna lifted her gaze to the woman whom Izayges loved. 'He died because your life was more important than his own. He has a strong heart, and that is something I cannot ignore.'
“'I don't understand,’ the woman replied.
“'I do not expect you to understand, but understand this: from this day forth any who possess the heart, courage, and strength that Saviero showed me, will be reborn as a great war horse to protect the land, and any who deserve it. That is my gift to you.'
“With nothing else to say, Ianna leaned down over Izayges and kissed both his closed eyes, then disappeared as quickly as she came, leaving the body of not only Izayges, but of Saviero, whose village gave him a burial fit for a king.
“And thus began the Samaritan people, who divided and took the names of the war horses that saved them, and whose warriors were protected by their fallen kin....as war horses,” Asten finished, glancing down to Leawyn, whose eyes were closed.
"Thank you for telling me,” she whispered sleepily.
Asten brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "You're welcome, Lea. Go to sleep now," he whispered before he moved his hands so that one was under her knees and the other under her head. He stood cradling her against his chest and started to walk.
"Asten?" Leawyn asked, her voice muffled by both his chest and sleep.
"Yes, Lea?"
She tilted her head up to meet Asten’s hazel gaze. She was always so fascinated with them and how they did not hold just one color in the iris. Sometimes they were a bluish-green, and other times they were a dewy green, with specks of amber. She took in his face, and the slight beard that started to grow there. He was turning into a man. His eyes bore into hers, and she felt her heartbeat pick up. Asten was her best friend, her closest confident, but lately, Leawyn found that her heart did weird things in her chest when he smiled at her. Or when she heard his laugh. It scared her a bit because she knew those reactions were not just in a friendly manner.
* * *
She was afraid feelings of friendship were turning into feelings of her very first crush. Asten raised an eyebrow at her silence, which prompted her to finish her sentence.
“I think you’ll be a great war horse.”
Leawyn’s heart skipped again when he smiled down at her gently. His eyes grew serious, and he dipped his head down towards her.
“You know I’ll do anything for you, Lea, don’t you?”
She furrowed her brow, puzzled. “Yes...?” She wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“I’ll always protect you. I’d give my life for yours,” Asten said, his voice solemn. “There’s nothing I won’t do for you, because you’re mine, and I’m yours. Right?”
Leawyn nodded slowly. Was this his way of saying he was starting to feel the same way she did? Her breath hitched when he pulled her closer, their lips mere inches apart. Was he going to kiss her?
“You’re the most important person in my life, Lea. You’re all I have left,” he whispered, a strange expression on his face. “Nothing can take you away from me. You’re mine, always mine.”
He wasn’t making any sense.
“What do you mean?” Leawyn whispered back. She watched as the weird expression disappear as his face smoothed out, the mischievous sparkle back in his eyes as he smiled down at her.
“Go to sleep, Lea,” he dismissed. His hand urged her head to rest against his chest again. “I’ll wake you when we’re back at your village.”
Having no choice but to comply, Leawyn closed her eyes and tried her best to let the gentle sway of his arms as he carried her back to her village lull her to sleep.
&
nbsp; If only her heartbeat would slow down.
Leawyn woke inside her own hut. She blinked her eyes furiously to try and clear the haze of her deep sleep. She winced when she was greeted with a splitting headache and pain all throughout her body.
“Here, drink this.”
Xavier appeared, holding out a cup of bitter-smelling liquid. He held the back of her head gently to support her as he helped her sip the medicine. Leawyn gagged at the horrible taste. When she was done, she lay back down against the pillows with a sigh.
He reached behind him and placed the now empty cup on the ground before turning back around to face her. It was silent as they stared at each other. The quiet was broken when she cupped her face with her hands and cried. She turned her face into the strong chest of her husband as he silently slipped into bed with her, and wrapped his arms around her. He held her until her sobs turned into silent tears.
“They hurt me,” Leawyn whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “They hurt me because I wouldn’t tell them where I came from.” She lifted her head, looking up at the stony-faced Xavier, who was staring down at her. “They hurt me because I wouldn’t tell them about you.”
He stiffened.
“Each question they asked that I did not answer, they would beat me. It wasn’t until he was about to rape me that I realized something.”
Xavier whipped his head down, fury reflecting in his dark orbs. “What was it?”
Leawyn stared into his eyes, not answering right away. “I should be used to my body being taken,” she finally whispered, tilting her head away from his to stare blankly at the fire that was lit inside their tent to keep them warm from the winter. “You do it all the time.”
He flinched.
“I realized today—” Her voice hitched. “I realized I didn’t want anyone else inside me…I only wanted you.” Leawyn turned her head to look at him. She sat up so she was level with his eyes. “Why?” she asked, a frenzied look on her face. “Why do I want you to be the only one inside me? To hurt me?”
She choked around a sob, even as she brought her face closer to his. Her lips brushed across his. Once, twice, three times, before Xavier grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him, breathing heavily.
“Leawyn—” he started, his tone harsh as he scrambled for control.
“Please!” Leawyn cried, moving forward again to catch his lips again. “Please, Xavier, make me forget,” she said against his lips, continuing with her attack. “I can feel him. I feel his body on top of mine,” she groaned in despair. “I want you. Please, just make me feel something other than this. Make me forget.”
Xavier’s eyes clenched shut. His fingers dug into her shoulders as his arms shook with his restraint.
“You don’t know what you’re asking,” he warned her harshly.
“Yes, I do,” she whimpered. “I need you.”
His control snapped.
He pulled her in for a rough kiss, his tongue pushing into her mouth forcefully as he yanked her up his body and pushed her dress up with one hand. Leawyn met his kiss just as hungrily as she bit his bottom lip with enough force to draw blood. He groaned low in his throat at the pain.
He sat up, his hands under her bottom as he tugged her to him. Her nails bit into the skin on his shoulders when he surged upwards, and with a quick thrust he was inside her, filling her to the brim. Leawyn cried out against his lips at the sudden fullness, but she met his thrusts with her own.
Her body jerked as Xavier continued to slam into her. The sounds of their skin slapping together rapidly echoed throughout the room, making her shiver in pleasure. Leawyn moaned, gripping a fist full of his long hair and holding it tightly. He leaned forward and took her breast into his mouth, suckling softly. She groaned low in her throat when his teeth clamped down on the soft flesh. The painful pleasure of the action was shocking.
She used her grip on his hair to yank his mouth up to hers. She then pushed him onto his back, braced her hands on his chest, and started to lift herself above him. She knew her movements were inexperienced, fast, and clumsy with her need to fill the hole inside of her soul he created.
Xavier sat up and spun them around so he was on top of her. He used his grip on one of her thighs to pull her leg up and over his shoulder.
“Xavier!” Leawyn yelped and clawed his back, trying to bring him closer to her.
He faltered slightly with a grunt when she squeezed herself around him and bit sharply into the juncture of his neck and shoulder.
“Mine,” Xavier growled roughly, nipping her ear. “You’re mine, Leawyn.”
She couldn’t breathe. She was dying. There was a volcano inside of her that was ready to erupt, but unable to do so. He was thrusting into her at a teeth-clattering pace; the pleasure/pain of his lovemaking brought on a burning need within her that had her writhing beneath him in desperation.
It wasn’t enough. She needed more.
“Xavier!” Leawyn sobbed, holding onto him tightly. “Please!”
“Say you’re mine, Leawyn,” Xavier growled huskily into her ear, his tone thick with pleasure and need. “Tell me you’re mine. Admit it!”
“I’m yours!” she gasped, tears pooled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. “I’ve always been yours.”
Hearing the words come out of her mouth made something inside him snap, and with wild abandon he lost himself. Her sharp cries spurred on something primal within him. The groans that slipped out of his mouth were almost an inhuman growl. Xavier let out a hoarse shout when his release rippled through him. He held onto her just as tightly as she was clinging to him as she shattered around him.
He shuddered, unable to control the spasms of his body as he rested his head in the crook of her slender shoulders. Leawyn lay shaking in his arms, her nails still holding him to her tightly.
Their breathing was still ragged when Xavier lifted his head and looked down into her crystal-blue eyes. With a shaking hand, Leawyn pushed his sweaty mane away from his face, her fingers light against his cheek as she leaned up and caught his lips with hers in a soft kiss.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Xavier swallowed against the lump that suddenly found itself in his throat. He managed to nod as he caught a tear with his thumb and wiped it away.
He braced his hands above her head to slide off her, but glanced down in surprise when Leawyn clamped her thighs around him and tightened the hold she had on his shoulders.
“Stay,” she commanded sleepily. “Don’t run. Please, just stay with me.” She peeked open an eye and looked at him, telling him everything he needed to know.
He nodded, his voice escaping him. He relaxed his shoulders and moved his body so his full weight wasn’t resting on her. His wife snuggled into his chest, throwing a leg over him and intertwining it with his own.
She drifted off to sleep quickly, but not before she whispered one last order.
“No more running.”
He didn’t know if the command was for herself, or for him.
Either way, she was his, and he had no plans on ever letting her leave him.
The loud crack of lightning followed by the boom of thunder startled Leawyn awake.
She shivered, pulling the thick furs closer against her naked chest as she sat up. Her gold curls tumbled over her shoulders and down her back as she pushed the tousled strands away from her face.
She looked around her hut for her husband, frowning when she found he wasn’t there. Wincing slightly at the soreness in her thighs as she stood, Leawyn reached over and grabbed the soft material of her robe and wrapped it around herself quickly.
Crossing the room, she pooled her hands before dipping them into the now cold water and splashed it against her face, gasping slightly at the temperature—it was colder than she expected.
Another boom of thunder made her jump.
“The storm must be getting worse,” Leawyn murmured.
As if to prove her point, the small window across from her decided to
burst open, letting in huge gusts of wind and rain. She shrieked and raced across the room to try to slam it shut.
“Damn!” she cursed when it wouldn’t budge. No matter how hard she forced it closed, the wind kept blowing it back.
Suddenly a tan, muscled arm shot out over her shoulder, and with Xavier’s help she managed to close it. Leawyn quickly latched it shut again, sighing in relief when it did so easily.
She wiped the water off her face, shaking her hands out as she looked down at herself. She was soaking wet, her robe clinging to her figure, the wet strands of her hair stuck to her lips and cheek. She glanced up at her husband, noticing he too was wet, and though he still looked formidable, she had never seen him look so...normal.
A soft giggle escaped her lips.
Xavier glanced down at Leawyn.
“Sorry,” she mumbled, biting her lip to stifle her laughter.
When he merely raised a scarred eyebrow at her, Leawyn let another giggle slip. Soon it was full-blown peals of laughter.
“I’m sorry!” she gasped around her laughter. “It’s just…you look so,” she waved her dainty hand, vaguely encompassing his person, “so drowned!”
Xavier’s lip twitched, fighting a smirk. “You don’t look much better.”
She looked down at herself, laughing as she shook her head. “No, I suppose not.”
Leawyn was still giggling quietly, but sobered when Xavier’s fingers gently took one of her wet strands and pushed it over her shoulder.
She caught his hand, pausing at its soft stroke of her cheek. Bravely, she stepped away from him. Keeping her hold on his hand, she slowly moved them backwards, stopping when she reached their bed.
With a slightly shaking hand, she caressed his hard abdominals for a moment before putting more pressure on them until he sat down. Xavier stared up at her warily, unused to this new Leawyn. His eyes darkened when she took a deep breath and untied the knot to her robe, lowering her arms so the fabric pooled to the floor at her feet, leaving her bare to him. Keeping eye contact, she straddled his lap, resting her hands on his shoulders and dipping her head so her lips were level with his.