The Rising

by Kristen Ashley

  Slowly, Macrinus turned his gaze Hera’s way.

  “There is no more honorable death for a soldier than to die protecting the one you love,” Hera said softly.

  “You have lost as much as me this day, how do you—?” Macrinus began.

  “We will lie in each other’s arms tonight and remember them. I will weep and you will absorb my tears. That is how. But this cannot happen until we ready their things. So please, Mac, come away. I need you.”

  Serena saw that instantly captured him.

  He twisted his arm to catch Hera’s hand

  Hera closed her fingers around his.

  And without a glance at Serena, connected in grief, they moved away.

  “We will guard them,” Gal called, coming out of the shadows of the forest beyond, moving with Brix toward Serena.

  “I have promised,” Serena told them, then bid, “Find somewhere and rest.”

  “We spent our day infiltrating enemy tents, disabling ammunition and cataloguing the names of treacherous gentry,” Brix stated, coming to a halt and crossing his arms on his chest. “You spent your day in more onerous pursuits. You need sleep. Tomorrow will be busy.”

  “I have promised,” Serena returned. “I will find rest when it is time to find it.”

  Her gnome friends were silent for some time before Gal broke it by saying cautiously, “You don’t have to make up for the reputation you earned all in one day, my warrior.”

  “I know how I would feel if it was you lying there, Gal,” she retorted, indicating Jasmine’s shrouded form with her hand. “And I’ve known you but weeks. My sister lost her true sister this day. And I will guard her.”

  “There is naught around to harm her,” Brix said gently.

  “She is a lieutenant to the queen, fallen in battle. She receives this honor in her death, Brix. Now go. Find Cassius. Report what you learned this day. And then find somewhere to sleep.”

  “We’ve already reported,” Gal told her.

  “Right, then, just find somewhere to sleep.”

  Her friends studied her in an entirely different manner than Hera had done.

  They eventually looked to each other before they made their decision.

  Gal came forward and touched her hand before he moved away.

  “You’ll be all right,” Brix said, then he followed his friend.

  Serena watched them go before she assumed a stance of parade rest, standing guard over her queen’s fallen sisters.

  And although she found it difficult, she did not move a muscle when she saw his shadowy form approach, his visage blackened by the fires burning beyond him in a field covered in tents that had earlier been covered in bodies.

  His features came into focus by the light of the moon when he got close to her and stopped.

  “Little mouse,” he said tenderly.

  “Trusted,” she returned neutrally.

  She watched his face absorb the word she used to refer to him, and how much he did not like it.

  And she also watched him move beyond that.

  “The enemy is in full retreat,” he shared.

  “I know this,” she replied.

  He looked to the ground then to her.

  “Nadirii custom when the queen’s lieutenant has fallen,” she explained. “She has a guard until she joins the veil.”

  “Ah,” he murmured then shifted. “I will keep you company.”

  “I rather you did not.”

  She watched his frame string tight.

  “Serena—”

  “You need to see to your king.”

  “I need to see to you.”

  “I have no need for that.”

  “You do not speak truth.”

  You would know all about that, she thought.

  “I am seeing to my duty and it is the duty of a Nadirii,” she said instead. “You are not welcome to join it, Trusted.”

  “It would seem your sister and you have made amends,” he noted.

  That is none of your business, she thought.

  “We are at war,” she pointed out.

  “It was more than you in battle I witnessed before I made it to you.”

  She shrugged.

  He moved closer.

  Her hand shifted to her dagger.

  He did not miss her movement, thus he stopped.

  “I am a Nadirii guard to Nadirii fallen, Trusted,” she said low. “Respect that.”

  “We must talk. Not in the now. Later. When your duty is done.”

  “There’s naught to say.”

  “There’s much to say,” he disagreed.

  “It has been said.”

  “I was disappointed, my princess,” he whispered. “I spoke rashly and acted the same.”

  “I was not referring to what you said,” she retorted.

  His head twitched before he asked, “And to what were you referring?”

  “This is not respect, speaking of this over my fallen sisters.”

  “I understand that. Though I cannot imagine, if they were breathing, they would want their deaths to stand between two lovers.”

  “We were never lovers.”

  His head tilted to the side. “I’m sorry. Are you a different Serena than the one who moaned under me as we joined?”

  “You fucked me, and you played with me, and apparently, you did both of those at the same time in various ways.”

  “Fuck,” he whispered, coming swiftly to understand her meaning.

  “Yes,” she agreed.

  He shifted as if to get closer, his hand rising as if to touch her, murmuring, “Serena—”

  Her fingers curled around her dagger. “I swear to the goddess, Trusted, if you touch me, I’ll take your hand and gladly accept whatever punishment my queen and your king choose to dole on me after doing it. We are done. As you said, we’ve had our end. You didn’t allow me to reply in that time, so I shall do it now.” She paused and finished, “Agreed.”

  “You must know,” he said softly, “it started one way and became another.”

  “I know only two things. I got what I deserved, and my lesson was learned.”

  Chu took a step back, looked to the bodies, then to her.

  “I will give you the night,” he decreed. “We’ll talk on the morrow.”

  “I will be at my queen’s disposal tomorrow.”

  “And I have faith she will be disposed to make you speak with me.”

  “You would be wrong,” she retorted. “She was much relieved you’d found yourself rid of me. She was not supportive of her man’s scheme, even if she enjoys its success. Then again, that is my sister. Her first thought is always to heal, not harm.”

  “Then she will surely feel differently when she understands what grew between us,” he returned.

  “A seed needs fertile soil to grow, Trusted. You are most wise. Don’t be foolish now. I will admit, that seed was planted. But without nurture, in the wasteland of me, it withered to nothing.”

  Chu shook his head. “I don’t believe that. And I also do not like to hear you speak of yourself in that manner.”

  “And I’ll repeat, don’t be foolish now. You know better.”

  “I know today you fought like a sister protecting her sister, and I do not refer to the Nadirii.”

  “The earth can do without me. It cannot do without Elena.”

  “That is a sister speaking about her sister,” Chu said gently.

  “That is a woman who knows her place in this world, and her value to it. You taught me that.”

  His entire frame jerked at her words.

  “Serena—” he growled.

  “Please go.”

  “Little mouse,” he murmured.

  “You do more harm than good, remaining here, Trusted.”

  They locked eyes.

  In the end, it was unsurprising when he dipped his chin to her and took a step back before he turned and began to walk away.

  “Trusted,” she called.

  She heard the an
noyed rumble come from his chest through his mouth when she called him thus again, this as he turned back to her.

  “You were right,” she told him.

  “About what?” he asked.

  “She was alive.”

  “Sorry?” he queried.

  “The lady of the chalk. She was alive, falling through nothing, holding her dead lover.”

  With her hand, Serena indicated the bodies lying at her side and then she swept her hand out to indicate wherever Macrinus and Hera were.

  But she stopped herself before she indicated him.

  “A life of yearning, and then heartbreak,” she finished. “And forever, they will hold them in their arms and have nothing.”

  “I was wrong,” he returned.

  “Look at them,” she retorted, again indicating her fallen sisters. “You were right.”

  “I was wrong for I said those words to you, having never been falling in love before.”

  Serena felt her body turn to stone.

  “Now I have,” he went on. “And they have. And they will get past their despair and not one time for the rest of their lives will they consider what they shared with their lovers nothing.”

  And as usual, Chu got in the last word.

  Before he walked away.

  124

  The Grieving

  Queen Elena

  Base of the Night Heights Mountain Range

  AIREN

  I slapped back the flap, and for once, felt no succor upon entering Cass’s spartan tent.

  It held a wide but thin pallet that sat atop a frame that was but half a foot off the ground, that frame covered in black hides to insulate the bed from the cold earth, the mattress covered in the same hides and nothing else. Not even a single, slender pillow.

  Two trunks, one his, one filled with supplies.

  And a small, folding table, now unfolded and fixed, covered in parchments, where Cassius was standing right then, reading one of the parchments.

  No, this no-frills accommodation that was so very Cass (before me), and thus always settled me upon entering, did not lighten the load borne by my heart.

  His eyes came to me, and I felt no succor from the gentleness of his gaze either.

  But I moved direct to him.

  “Ellie,” he whispered, dropping the parchment on the table.

  And no relief from his deep voice saying my name.

  I rounded him, to the front.

  His hands came up, but before they could touch me, I pushed him.

  Hard.

  He stepped back on a foot.

  I pushed him again.

  Harder.

  He stepped back again, and I followed him.

  “Darling,” he murmured.

  I pushed him again and again, following him, until I got him where I wanted, standing at the foot of the bed.

  “Elena.”

  Holding his gaze, remaining silent, I went for the buttons on his trousers.

  He lifted his hands and cupped my jaw in both.

  “My love,” he said.

  That was right.

  I was his love.

  He loved me.

  This beautiful man…

  This loving father…

  This loyal friend…

  This fearsome warrior…

  He loved me.

  He loved me, loved me, loved me.

  I reached into his leathers and pulled out his cock.

  He grunted and the pads of his fingers dug into my skin, but he did not move away.

  I stared into his eyes as I stroked him until he was hard, and only then did I let him go. I did this in order to plant my hands in his wide chest again and shove.

  He went down on his arse on the pallet.

  He was barely settled there, knees high, when I climbed on.

  Still gazing deep into his eyes, I reached between my legs, shoved aside the body stocking, grasped his shaft in my other hand, positioned him, and bore down.

  He growled, his fingers curling around the cheeks of my arse.

  I whimpered, gripped his neck in both hands…

  And I rode.

  I took him, and retreated, took him, and retreated, bounding on his cock, gazing into his eyes, not caressing, not kissing, not speaking.

  And he let me.

  Let me handle him.

  Let me take him.

  Let me use him.

  On these thoughts, the tears came.

  “Ellie,” he whispered, his tone ragged, his hands gliding up my spine.

  I moved one of mine away so I could shove my face in his neck.

  There, I said, “I need you to climax.”

  One of his hands instantly changed direction, but as it came around the front, I caught it by the wrist and put it back to my arse.

  “No.” I lifted my head to look at him. “You. Just you.”

  “I can’t.”

  He couldn’t.

  Goddess, I knew he couldn’t.

  He couldn’t take from me without giving.

  “Please,” I begged, squeezing him with the walls of my sex, watching him bare his teeth at the feel, the sight of that making me automatically squeeze again, moving faster atop him.

  His voice was thick when he replied, “I’ll try.”

  I clasped his jaw in my hands and rode him, my face close, our noses brushing, our breaths mingling, our gazes locked.

  “Darling,” he gritted, his fingers digging into my arse.

  “Yes, Cass,” I breathed.

  “Elena,” he groaned, taking over, both hands moving to my hips, slamming me into his cock.

  His grunt drove up inside of me as he released my arse to grasp my throat and hold me where I was as his neck arched back, and he jetted inside me.

  I watched it move over his handsome face, feeling his powerful body spasm under mine, and when his head fell forward, his forehead resting on my shoulder, I pressed my face again into his neck.

  And my body bucked with my sob.

  Both his arms closed tight around me.

  “Lamb,” he whispered, making as if to move.

  But I clamped tight on him with everything I had and cried, “No!” into his skin.

  “All right, my love. All right,” he soothed, settling in but doing it tightening his hold on me.

  I wept into his neck for some time before the words bubbled out of me.

  “It’s like she’s been gone for years, and I’ve been grieving her every second that has passed.”

  “I know.”

  “The last time I saw her, we were charging down the mountain. I turned my head, feeling her attention, and she grinned at me.”

  This, “My love,” was guttural.

  “How do I tell Dora?”

  His arms grew ever tighter around me as he fell to his back, keeping us connected, but doing it letting me rest my weight into him.

  “You will find a way. We will find a way,” he assured.

  “I’m angry.”

  “As am I.”

  “I feel….my insides feel…”

  I did not know how to finish.

  Cass did.

  “Raw.”

  I started to lose him between my legs, and thus my head jerked up, and I said urgently, “You must remain hard. I need you inside me.”

  With brushing strokes, he pulled the hair out of my face and continued to do it even when it was away, murmuring, “I would wish this for you, my princess, but I’m afraid my anatomy doesn’t work that way.”

  “I need to be connected to you, Cass.”

  “You are, Elena.”

  “I need you a part of me.”

  “I am, Elena.”

  I closed my mouth at the deep rumble of his words.

  And I stared into his eyes, understanding instantly how very much he meant them.

  “I have sent birds,” he went on. “Your sister’s gnomes reported beyond what we learned from the prisoners. With that, I have a firm grasp on who stood against us this day and
caused your loss. I’ve demanded every being evacuate the holds of the traitors. The dragons will fly in but two weeks and whoever is left behind will be no more. In the meantime, Mac is intent on getting Jasmine back home as soon as possible. This is a promise he made her. I will try to communicate with Sky and Star. They somehow transported Mars and True here. I will request they transport us to The Enchantments so your fallen can enter the veil there and do it without delay.”

  He said much in all that, the last of it I agreed with wholeheartedly.

  The first of it, I didn’t.

  “You-you’re going to incinerate the holds of the traitors?”

  “Tone, Jasmine and Rose are dead amongst too many bloody others. Fuck yes, I’m going to incinerate the holds of the traitors.”

  I began to push up, but Cass again wound his arms about me and held me where I was.

  “And I will hear no words against it,” he growled.

  I stared into his eyes turned black.

  Pitch.

  Not the iris.

  The entire eye.

  Oh dear.

  “Sweetheart,” I whispered.

  “You have to tell Theodora that Jasmine and Rose are lost. I have to tell Aelia Antonius is lost. They killed Otho too. My daughter will lose no more. Dora will lose no more. And by the fucking gods, you will lose no more.”

  On his “you” he squeezed the breath out of me.

  I pushed my hand from between us so I could pet his beard in a soothing manner, muttering, “We will discuss this when our losses are not so fresh.”

  “We will not, Elena.”

  I stilled for I had never heard that tone from him before.

  Unyielding.

  Completely.

  “I could have lost you. You could have lost me. Our daughters, parentless. All our friends, gone. For what?” he demanded.

  I could not answer that.

  “Right,” he grunted.

  “Cass—”

  “You will not feel pain.”

  I stilled again, for the black of his eyes, which had been receding, snapped back, and it appeared the night in his gaze was stormy.

  “And if you do, if someone causes that pain, it will be avenged.”

  “All right, my prince,” I whispered.

  “All right,” he grumbled, the storm in his eyes retreating.

  “Perhaps I shouldn’t have led our evening as I did when I walked into this tent,” I muttered.