by Nicole René
“Leawyn?”
Leawyn swiped her fingers across her cheeks quickly to rid the evidence of the few tears that managed to escape before she looked over at Asten behind her.
He was frowning down at her, concern in his eyes. “Are you alright?”
On instinct, Leawyn started to nod, but then she really thought about the question. The image of her father’s head on a spike, surrounded by the decaying bodies of her village flashed before her eyes, and her eyes instantly flooded with tears again. She shook her head.
“No,” she answered softly, her voice clogged with emotion. “I don’t think I’ll ever be all right again, Asten.”
Asten’s face transformed with his compassion, and he instantly went to her, wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders and pulling her in close. His hand cupped Leawyn’s cheek, and he held her against his chest as the sobs she tried so desperately to hold in broke free.
“They’re gone,” she gasped, her body shuddering with the force of her sorrow being released. “They’re all gone. Brees...my father…I’ll never see them again.”
Asten held Leawyn tighter at her words, but offered no words of comfort. Instead, he let her discharge her grief in the way she needed as she clutched his tunic in a tight fist and her tears soaked it through.
“How could anyone do this? Why would anyone do this?” Leawyn pulled away slightly to look up at Asten.
His eyes darkened with an emotion she didn’t quite understand, but before she could comment on it, it disappeared. She thought maybe she imagined it.
The pad of Asten’s callused thumbs met her cheeks as they wiped away her tears. His thumbs went on to caress her cheekbone, before moving down her jaw and—Leawyn’s breath hitched—her lips.
Lust flared in his gaze as he watched his thumb swipe back and forth on the bottom of her lip. The top of his nail briefly dipped into her mouth as he pressed down, testing the plumpness there.
“Leawyn...” Asten inhaled through his nose sharply, his eyes never leaving her lips as he continued to play with them. “I want to kiss you.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, her mouth dropping open.
His eyes shot up to hers at the sound. His breathing was irregular as he said, “I know it’s wrong. You’re hurting, and you saw something you had no business seeing, but...”
Asten looked down to her lips again, and the heat Leawyn was still so unused to seeing in his eyes flared again.
“But even though what happened was horrible, I can’t help but think about how it brought you back to me.”
Asten brought his hand up to be buried in Leawyn’s hair. Holding her steady, he moved closer, and his eyes bored into hers. She could feel the heat of his breath with each word he spoke. “I’m going to taste those lips again. I have to.”
Then his lips crashed onto hers...
Leawyn woke with a startled jerk when a hand slammed onto her lips, muffling her scream as she was pulled up by her hair and spun around.
“None of tha’ now,” a baritone voice said in her ear when she struggled against her captor. She froze immediately when she felt the cool steel of a blade being pressed against her throat.
“Now, you an’ I are jus gonna wait here quietly ‘till yer husband comes home. Aren’t we, lovie?”
Leawyn gave a short, jerky nod. “Atta girl,” he murmured against her ear. “Won’t be long now. You’ve been sleeping for a long time. Poor dearie missed the start of the feast.”
She closed her eyes, her breathing erratic against his hand still pressed to her lips as he held her. Though it was impossible for her to be able to get a look at the man by the way he was holding her in front of him, she could guess, even though he had to bend down to her ear when he talked, he wasn’t as tall as her husband. He had a hard chest, and since he wasn’t in armor, it meant the firmness she felt was made of solid muscle.
Leawyn flicked her eyes downwards. His wrist guards were made up of some type of leather she wasn’t familiar with. It was dark brown in color, with small, jagged slits that held spikes from his wrist down. They looked as if they were made from animal bones that were filed to razor sharp points. Almost like talons. They held no notable tribe markings, which meant he was from them. Part of the army bent on destroying them.
The army that destroyed her village.
Filled with fury, Leawyn renewed her struggles with more vigor.
“You were doin’ so good, lovie, why you’d have to ruin it, eh?” She heard him tut in exasperation in her ear, seemingly not at all phased with her fight. Leawyn screamed in frustration against his hand, which came out muffled, and she jerked her body wildly. She even went as far as to drop all her weight, hoping to unbalance him.
It didn’t work.
All she managed to do was make him chuckle huskily in amusement as he lifted her higher in his arms.
“Nice try, sweetens. But tha’ not gonna work with me. I was warned about yer spirit.” Leawyn tensed with fear at his words. He was told she had spirit?
“Lucky ferya, I like me girls with some fight in them.”
“Leawyn!”
They both stilled at her husband’s cry.
“Ah, finally.” The hand against her mouth pressed more firmly around her as he adjusted the grip he had on the dagger. He pulled her in closer so her ear was adjacent to his lips just as the door to the hut door burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.
“Leawyn where are you—”
She watched her husband freeze in shock as he assessed the picture they presented. Anger quickly ignited his eyes as he saw the dagger pressed into her skin. Along with something else.
Worry.
“Leawyn!”
She couldn’t help it; her eyes instantly watered with tears as she met Xavier’s furious gaze. His features smoothed to an expressionless mask that told Leawyn his warrior training was taking over.
“Chief Xavier, how nice of ya to come. We’ve been waitin’ for ya.”
Xavier’s dark eyes locked on the person behind her, his face a picture of terrifying fury. “Let her go. Now,” he growled lowly. The threatening tone made Leawyn shiver in both fear and relief.
“Why would I wanna do tha’?” Leawyn felt him chuckle against her back. “Me and Beauty here were just getting to know each other. Weren’t we, Beauty?”
She flinched away when her kidnapper brushed his lips against her temple, tears of fear spilling over her cheeks. Xavier’s eyes zeroed in on her tears, and if possible, he looked even more furious.
“Let her go now, and I might still let you keep your head.” Xavier’s growl was almost inhuman, it was so deep and guttural.
He kept his gaze on Leawyn’s kidnapper, his insides feeling as if they were going to explode with his rage. Every fiber of his being wanted to charge at the bastard who dared to kiss his wife. His Leawyn.
Xavier almost lost it when he saw the tear slide down her cheek. A red haze was slowly clouding his vision, making him irrational, which was something he couldn’t let happen. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions cloud his judgment. He needed to be the warrior he was known to be. Leawyn needed him to be the warrior he was known to be.
Cold.
Calculating.
Ruthless.
He needed to not be the man who was seized with an ungodly fear for his wife’s safety.
Trouble was, Xavier needed this man alive. He needed answers.
“Who are you?” Xavier growled out, slowly starting to circle his prey. His eyes never wavered from the man who held Leawyn as he mimicked his movements, dragging her along with him each step of the way.
“Me names’ nay important, but—for courtesy’s sake—you can call me Hiinex.” Hiinex grinned back at Xavier. Xavier studied him silently.
Hiinex couldn't have been much older than Tristan and Tyronian. He was lean with solid muscles. His hair was an interesting mix between copper brown and black, with a shadow of stubble along his angular jaw.
Though his face looked young, and had lines from laughter, Xavier saw the calculation in his multicolored eyes that was a glimpse of the warrior within. That look alone put Xavier’s guard up. Hiinex was a seasoned warrior, and that meant he wasn’t just some foot soldier sent for the suicide mission of testing the waters.
He held importance, and a mission.
“Why are you here?” Xavier barked out, his voice noticeably more demanding as he stopped his slow prowl, which in turn made Hiinex stop as well.
Xavier positioned them so Leawyn was closest to the hut’s door while Hiinex and himself were parallel to each other and the fire pit that dominated the middle of the room. His hope was Hiinex would throw Leawyn aside, directly beside the door, before he attacked him.
In Xavier’s mind, Hiinex hadn’t hurt Leawyn thus far, which made him believe the man wouldn’t condemn her to the pain of flames eating her flesh and would instead choose to throw her to the safer option: the door.
It would give Leawyn just enough time to escape and for Xavier to disarm Hiinex. Judging by the look in Hiinex’s eyes and the slow grin tugging the corner of his lips, he knew exactly what Xavier had planned.
It also proved Xavier’s hunch. Hiinex was a seasoned warrior.
“This is gon’ be fun, I can tell.” Hiinex chuckled, his knowing eyes bright with amusement.
“Last chance,” Xavier said over Hiinex’s humor. “Why are you here?”
“All in good time,” Hiinex replied. Dipping his head, he whispered to Leawyn. “You really are a beauty, sweets. Excuse me poor form, but I canna resist any longer.”
It was the only warning she got.
Hiinex dropped his hand an inch from her mouth, tilted her jaw to him, and smashed his lips onto hers—tongue and all—before Xavier’s enraged roar shattered the moment.
Tearing his mouth from hers just in time, Hiinex gave Leawyn a hard push away from him as Xavier crashed into his body, lifting him clean off his feet and slamming him down on the ground.
“You dare kiss my wife!” Xavier bellowed in fury as he pinned him to the ground and immediately brought his enclosed fist down onto Hiinex’s face with a quick, hard, jab.
Blood instantly burst from Hiinex’s nose and covered Xavier’s hand as he broke the bone. Xavier pushed aside the arm Hiinex threw up to block his punch effortlessly, and landed another hard blow into the soft flesh of Hiinex’s cheek.
The assailant’s head snapped to the side from the force, but he quickly recovered. Grabbing Xavier’s shoulders, Hiinex yanked him down toward his face and slammed his forehead upwards in a hard head-butt.
The blow disoriented Xavier just enough for Hiinex to throw Xavier over his head with his leg. Once Xavier was thrown off, Hiinex catapulted his body up and onto his feet so he was once again standing upright.
Xavier pushed himself up quickly, bracing his body when Hiinex’s shoulders slammed into his stomach, throwing him back against the table, which instantly broke under his weight. Xavier landed with a short grunt, his elbow flying up to block the right hook Hiinex sent his way.
“Xavier!” Leawyn screamed out in warning. Xavier snapped his head up, looking toward Leawyn at her scream. “Look out!” She pointed at the flash of metal in Hiinex’s hand as he brought the dagger straight for Xavier’s stomach.
“No!”
It happened in seconds.
Hiinex thrust the blade forward, but Xavier hollowed himself out, ducking his head as he did so, and blocked the knife using the back of both his arms. One hand hooked around Hiinex's elbow, and Xavier used his grip to pull Hiinex toward his chest. The attacker fell forward, his only free arm slamming on the ground to try and catch his balance. He let out a pained scream when Xavier stomped on his hand with a heavy boot. In quick succession, Xavier jerked his knee up into Hiinex’s temple, knocking him out.
The knife clanged to the floor when Xavier dropped Hiinex and stepped back, wiping the blood out from under his nose with the back of his hand as he did. After kicking the knife away, Xavier looked up and caught his wife’s eyes. Leawyn sobbed once.
It took three long strides.
The first step, he was in front of her. The second, he had his hands on her cheeks in a tight grip, keeping her captive.
By the third, he had her pushed against the wall, his lips slanted against her own in a searing kiss.
Leawyn whimpered into his mouth desperately, throwing her hands around his neck and clutching him closer to her as her tongue dueled with his. The kiss spoke volumes. Pouring everything they were feeling into the contact.
Fear.
Anger.
Relief.
Need.
The kiss said it all. It was the words they were unable to speak, both to themselves...and each other.
Leawyn gasped for breath when Xavier broke the kiss, pulling away from her slightly to look down at her. “Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice laced with quiet urgency.
Her nails bit into his shoulders as his hands tightened on her cheeks. He forced her head back and away from his lips as his eyes roamed over her form. “Answer me!” Xavier shook her chin, catching her eyes when they flew up to his.
“Did he hurt you?” Xavier gritted out beneath clenched teeth. His body was wound tight with anger and worry for her.
“No,” Leawyn whispered huskily, her voice thick with tears and fear. “No, he didn’t hurt me. I just...he had a knife,” she said shakily. “Oh Gods,” she gasped out, her eyes growing wide as the shock slowly wore off and realization hit. She looked from the knife on the floor, then back up to Xavier’s face, as if noticing for the first time how swollen and bloody he was.
“He had a knife! He could have—” Her eyes filled with tears and she cried once, running her hands down Xavier’s sides. Feeling for blood.
“I’m fine,” he said shortly, soothing her in his gruff way. “But he could wake up any minute. I need you to listen to me, okay?” He ducked down, making sure he held her eyes and that they were clear and not dilated with shock.
Xavier nodded his head in approval when Leawyn’s blue eyes locked onto his with her undivided attention.
“You’re going to go outside, find Tyronian or Tristan—whoever you see first—and you bring them here. You do not tell them what happened in front of anyone else, and you do not go anywhere else. You find them, and you bring them straight here,” Xavier ordered sternly. She gulped at the vehemence in his tone.
“Do you understand me, Leawyn?”
She gave a quick jerk of her head to show that she understood. Xavier gave another nod of approval to her and dropped his hands from her shoulders, stepping back so Leawyn could go.
She shot a nervous look down to where Hiinex was as she stepped around Xavier and toward the door.
“Leawyn.” He snagged her wrist as she went to slide past him. He stared at her for a long moment. She looked up at him, eyes unblinking, plump lips set in a grim and determined line.
“Be careful,” Xavier said gruffly.
Leawyn’s shoulders dropped some of their tension as her face smoothed over, the hard lines of fear and worry softening. Without any hesitation, she took the two steps needed to get close to him. Reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek, she pulled his head down as she went up on her tiptoes and placed her lips on his in a soft, tender kiss.
“You too,” she whispered.
Xavier gave a subtle nod and Leawyn smiled softly, her fingertips trailing down his chin once before she turned away and hurried out of their hut.
He watched her go until a low groan brought his attention back to the body on the floor. Hiinex was waking up. Good.
Using his toe, Xavier kicked Hiinex onto his back. He felt his lips pull back in a sinister grin.
He had some questions that needed answering.
Leawyn tried not to show her urgency by running, but she did not think she succeeded. The pace of her fast walk was just a step away from a jog, as if she were a horse who wanted to sprint, straining a
gainst the bit, but its master controlled its pace.
In that moment, she vowed to herself the next time Deydrey wanted to run, she wasn’t going to hold her mare back.
Finally, she was amongst the crowd of her village and the visiting warriors who were already well on their way to being inebriated. Pushing her way through, she strained on her tiptoes to try and see over the shoulders that blocked her, but between her short structure, and the height Samaritan men seemed to be blessed with by the Gods, it was a futile attempt.
At least it was until she caught a flash of blond hair from the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she spotted Tyronian. He was talking to Namoriee in what looked like an intimate discussion. His arm was braced above her head against the wall of the hut Namoriee was leaning against as she stared up at him. Tyronian’s lips were pulled down in a slight frown, and his brows were furrowed as he dipped his head lower towards her eyes. She saw Namoriee’s lips move, and whatever she said caused Tyronian’s face to harden, and his jaw clenched as the muscle there jumped.
He looked like a wolf who was about to eat its prey, and poor Namoriee was the meal.
“Tyronian!” Leawyn called out to him as she hurriedly pushed her way through the crowd.
Tyronian snapped his head around at the sound of Leawyn’s call, his eyes scanning the crowd until they found hers. He frowned when he saw the distressed look on her face.
Tyronian met her halfway, placing his hands atop her shoulders as he looked down at her. “Leawyn?” he asked, concerned. “Are you alright?”
Leawyn felt her eyes fill with tears before she stubbornly pushed them away. “Something happened. I... I’m not to tell you here,” she said, glancing at the crowd around them nervously. “Xavier needs you. I am to get you and Tristan and return with you both to our hut right away. You need to come immediately.”
Tyronian’s face twisted in worry, but he nodded to Leawyn, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close in a one-armed hug.
“I will, don’t worry. I’m not sure where Tristan went, but last I saw him he was over by his hut,” Tyronian said, nodding his chin in that direction.