She felt a momentary pang of regret for deceiving Kirby, but quickly put it behind her. He just did not understand her need to be on her own. The protectors thought these forays mischievous pranks, but each of the descendents of the Savitars felt different. To them, it was a few hours of peaceful anonymity. A rare opportunity to just be children for a change instead of prodigy shifters or royals in waiting.
Spotting the children and Dracas below her running swiftly toward Lake Tear just west of the Sandori Sands, she shook her thoughts away and descended to the ground in front of them at a run. Her companions were not far behind, and their laughter warned her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an enormous stream of water shoot toward her in a torrent meant to knock her from her feet. She only just managed to take to the air in time to avoid a soaking.
Reilly Radek!
With a wolfish grin, she spun toward the five children below her and watched them stop in their tracks, realizing their mistake in getting so close to her. This was a game they played often, and one in which she always won. But, the children were becoming more powerful and it was increasingly difficult to defeat them all at the same time.
With a commanding spin of her hand, she unleashed her magic at Reilly and turned his own water stream back on him, pinning him to the ground.
Next, she went for the strongest of the group, Kellan, but she was not fast enough. He thrust out his hands and disappeared under a protective dome of earth. At the same time, Kane multiplied and she watched five images of her younger brother sprint off in different directions. Which one was the real Kane? She could no longer tell. She growled in frustration.
The whine of a shifted fireball caused her to turn toward the hurtling glow, but she easily snuffed it out with air and sent Jala reeling back. Little Izzy had already summoned a Grayan wolf to her side and was climbing onto its back to make her escape, but Kenley swept them both aside with a wind funnel. Once the wolf regained its feet, it took one look at the Draca Cats and sprinted back into the forest. Izzy let him go.
That left her two brothers.
Zooming in close to Kellan’s dome, she peppered it hard with air until it disintegrated. He erupted out of the ground and frantically called forth a coat of earthen armor. She watched the dirt and stones on the ground roll up and over his body. Realizing at the last second that she was floating too close to him, she only just managed to avoid one of his powerful swings.
Laughing, she cast her arm out and sent him flying.
There was only Kane left now, and he was the tricky one. She had always been able to pick out her brother from his replicas, but she could no longer do so. In the past few months, her brother had grown exponentially more adept in his magic and his illusions were incredibly realistic.
Still, she started to pick off the Kane images and one by one, they vanished in a puff of smoke. She felt proud when she defeated the first three and searched wildly for the last two. She flinched when she saw Kane standing directly below her with a satisfied smirk on his face. She landed on the ground, ran at him and spun, launching a kick meant to take him off his feet.
To her surprise, her foot sailed through nothing but air, and she fought to keep her balance. A tap on her shoulder twisted her around awkwardly. The real Kane! He grabbed her around the neck and slammed her to the ground.
She winced, but smiled up at her brother in admiration. With golden eyes glowing even in the afternoon sun, he reached out his hand to help her to her feet. He was too polite to gloat, but Kellan did not have any problem in that regard.
“Now, that is a first! Well done, Kane! It seems our sister is getting a little slow in her old age.”
She grabbed Kane’s outstretched hand and got to her feet. “Not too slow to blow your measly defenses apart,” she shot back.
The Radeks and Izzy laughed when they joined them, and the Draca Cats watched all of the activity in a bored fashion, but Kenley knew that green, blue and golden eyes missed nothing.
“Come on,” said Reilly. “Let’s enjoy our last few hours of freedom before the long trip back to Bardot.”
As they walked toward the lake, Kenley asked the others if any of them had seen the old woman standing on the dock in Northfort.
None had.
Kenley shrugged, still unnerved about the encounter, although she could not say why. Maybe it was the woman’s critical gaze and the way she seemed to be judging Kenley in some way. Far more likely, it was the woman’s eerie, all white eyes.
CHAPTER 3
A PROPOSAL
The casual laughter around the table in the palace kitchens cut off abruptly when the doors banged open. Kirby Nash’s face was crimson with fury.
Eyes grew wide in fright and utensils clanged to the floor as the cook and servants dropped what they were doing to dart into one of the back rooms.
Kirby’s eyes locked directly on Kenley.
“Out!” he thundered to the children as he strode angrily to their table.
“But—”
“Out, I said! Now!”
Chairs scraped back as the children complied with his order.
Kellan bent down and whispered in Kenley’s ear, “Good luck, sister.”
Kenley nodded and sat calmly, waiting for the storm she had been expecting for three days. Her face a mask of serenity, she set down her teacup and looked up at the Captain planted in front of her in his red and black uniform and shiny saber hanging low on his hip. If she thought to escape, there was no chance of that now.
Baya peeked up at the commotion from her place by the back door, but then closed her eyes again, obviously holding true to her word not to interfere with Kirby’s wrath.
Kenley rose to her feet in the modest space offered between the wall of Kirby’s chest and her chair. “Captain.”
“Do I ask for that much, Kenley? Do I?”
“No, not really…”
“Why then? Why must you continue to torment me?”
“Do I torment you?” she asked innocently.
He turned away from her and ran a hand through his hair. “You know you do,” he whispered.
“It’s late, Captain. I think he should continue this conversation in my chambers. I do not wish to be overheard.”
He simply nodded.
Baya?
The cat barked out a snort that told Kenley she was on her own and made no move to rise.
With a glint of victory in her eyes, Kenley made her way along the palace corridors and up the stairs to the third floor, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. She had never seen Kirby this angry before. As he strode silently behind, she could almost feel the heat rolling off him in waves against her back, but she did not dare turn around.
When they reached her suite of rooms, he stalked ahead and opened the door. After she passed through, he entered and kicked the door shut.
“Kir—
She let out a surprised yelp when he swung her up into his arms and lurched toward the side table. With one brutal swipe, he sent the wine decanter and glasses crashing to the floor and flung her on top. A husky growl escaped his throat as he leaned into her and covered her mouth with his. With a self-satisfied moan, she laced her hands through his blonde curls and hungrily returned the kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist.
Kirby’s hands explored her body roughly as though trying to excite and punish her at the same time.
“The bedroom,” she murmured breathlessly and with a wordless snarl, he lifted her and strode out of the sitting room, his lips never leaving hers.
At the foot of the bed, he set her on the floor and ran his hands over the silken folds of her red gown. In one swift motion, he gathered the material at her hips, drew it over her head and tossed it aside. He took a step back to admire her naked body brazenly before gently pushing her back onto the bed. She absorbed his gaze unabashedly. She had loved this man heart and soul for as long as she could remember. Her body was his for the taking.
“Do you realize what
you do to me, Kenley Atlan?”
Her mouth crept up at the edges. “If it is anything near what you do to me, Captain, then stop talking and show me instead.”
With a roguish grin, he removed his sword belt and undressed. Even though they had been lovers for over a year now, the sight of his muscled chest gleaming in the candlelight still caused her heart to race. His handsome face, so strong and serious all of the time, took on a loving, intimate cast as he edged his way up her body and hovered over her.
When he finally lowered his body and began to move against her, slowly at first and then more urgently, she gave herself over completely to his demands. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind still capable of thought, she wondered how in the Highworld Kirby could ever refer to this as torment.
* * * * *
“Oh, Beck, look!” Kiernan’s eyes lit up at the sight of the dolphins swimming playfully alongside The Wanderer. Standing on the tips of her toes on a plank wedged in the bow, she leaned over to get a better look.
“Careful,” Beck said, standing directly behind her, his strong arm snaking around her waist in a tight grip.
She let him pull her back upright and leaned back against his chest, letting the sun’s rays beat down on her upturned face. “This is heavenly,” she murmured.
Beck nibbled on her neck. “Me or the sun?”
“Both. I just love to sail, Beck. All my worries just seem to fade away on the sea.”
“Including the crow?”
“Including the crow, you brute!” She breathed out a content sigh. “Out here, I can relax and just be myself. Not Princess Kiernan Atlan. Not Savitar Kiernan. Just Kiernan.” She closed her eyes and grinned at the sky. “I feel so free.”
He laughed. “You sound like Kenley.”
She smiled when she realized he was right. Kenley took to the skies whenever she wanted to be free of her protectors, and Kiernan took to the water whenever she wanted to be free of her duty. It appeared she and her daughter were more alike than she realized.
“Perhaps,” she admitted.
He hugged her tight again. “You were only two years younger than Kenley when I fell in love with you twenty years ago. And, truth be told, you still look exactly like that girl of eighteen.”
“I think it’s time you were fitted with spectacles, my love.”
“My eyesight is just fine, and you know it’s true. Everyone speaks of your beauty.”
Her emerald eyes twinkled. “If that is true, then I can only attribute it to being madly in love.”
They remained locked in each other’s arms as The Wanderer sliced through the ocean, the spray misting pleasantly on their faces. After several moments of comfortable silence, Beck said, “I wonder if Kenley will ever find the kind of love that we share. Don’t you think it’s about time for her to be thinking of that?”
Now, it was Kiernan’s turn to laugh.
“What?” he asked. “Why are you laughing?”
“For a Mage, my dear husband, you really can be quite unperceptive when it comes to matters of love.”
He pushed her away and held her at arm’s length. “What does that mean?”
“Your daughter has been in love since the age of twelve—if not before.”
“What?”
“Yes, Beck, your little girl is in love and has been for a very long time. It is time you knew.”
“With who?”
“Kirby Nash.”
Beck’s mouth fell open. “Kirby Nash? He is her protector! She cannot possibly be in love with him. He has his duty.” He shook his head. “No, Kirby would never let that happen.”
“He loves her, too.”
Beck threw his hands up. “And, how do you know all this?”
“All you have to do is look at the two of them to recognize how they feel about each other. Not all men are as slow to realize these things.”
“I was not slow to realize.” He stopped. “Was I?”
“About two years too slow. But, I forgave you for that a long time ago.”
Beck ran a hand over his chin. “Kirby Nash? Really? If I can put aside the fact that he should have been protecting her instead of…of…oh, I don’t even want to think about that. But, if I seriously consider him, I really cannot think of a better man for our daughter.”
Kiernan shrugged. “I agree.”
“But, he is at least seventeen years older than she is.”
“I don’t think it matters to Kenley, so it shouldn’t matter to us.”
“Allow me to reserve final judgment until we return. Oh, yes, the Saber Captain and I will be having a very lengthy chat when I return to Massa.”
* * * * *
Kenley stretched languidly, content to be waking up with Kirby next to her in the bed. She turned on her side and snuggled against. “Mmm…I should get you angry more often.”
He lifted one eyelid. “I don’t think it is possible to get me any more angry than you already do.”
“Do you want me to tell you I’m sorry when I’m not?” she asked him honestly.
He let out a deep breath and turned toward her. “No. You should know by now that you can always tell me the truth. In fact, I demand it.” He leaned in to kiss her gently. “Can you just try to make my life a bit easier in the process?”
She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “I don’t know. After last night—”
“Kenley!”
“All right! I promise to try,” she said and felt the tension visibly leave him.
He propped himself up on an elbow to gaze down at her. “So, tell me, when are you going to marry me and make an honest man of me?”
Her body stiffened. “Marry you?”
“Yes, marriage. Isn’t that what you want?”
She was suddenly at a loss for words. Kirby Nash was all she ever wanted her whole life, but marriage? She was very content with the way things were. Marriage would inevitably lead to children, and in her mind both had always represented just more ties to hold her down. She was an airshifter. She was born to fly!
When she did not immediately answer, he continued. “We should at least tell your parents about us before they find out from another source.”
Grateful for not having to answer, she said, “Oh, my mother already knows.”
He shot up into a sitting position. “What?”
She shook her head and got out of bed with a mumbled, “Men.”
“You told her?” he asked, watching as she retrieved her dress from the floor and stepped into it.
“No, but I can tell that she knows. She is a very perceptive woman, you know.”
“I do know. I was her guard for many years.”
“In any event, you are right. We should tell them both before long. My father will be very angry if he is the last to know.”
Kirby winced. “That, I am not looking forward to.”
“Why not?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on her slippers.
“A line was crossed, Kenley! He is going to be very upset about that.”
“A line was not crossed, Kirby. As far as I am concerned, there never was a line. You are the only man I have ever, and will ever, love. Besides, my father cares for you just as much as I do, and I know that he will be happy for us. Just wait and see.”
She started to stand, but he threw her back onto the bed and she squealed. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saying that you love me. I feel the same way, Kenley, I…I guess I always have. Especially, since you left me very little choice in the matter. You are a very determined young woman when you have your mind set.”
She smirked. “I take that as a compliment.”
His expression sobered. “You are my life, Kenley Atlan. Protector or husband, I vow to shield you and love you and place your needs above mine for all time.”
The outer door to the sitting room opened, saving her from a reply a second time.
Baya’s growled announcement sounded in her mind. A Sab
er is here to see Captain Nash.
What does he want?
Do you really expect me to ask him?
She smiled. Sorry. I will be right out.
“One of the Sabers is here,” she told Kirby, and he quickly dressed and together they walked out of the bedroom.
“Captain Nash.” The young guard greeted his superior with fist to chest. “We have just had word from up north.”
“What is it, Saber?”
“You asked to be notified of any incoming ships while the royals are traveling, Captain”
“Yes, that’s right. Go on.”
“A ship can be seen approaching Northfort. Although, still too far off shore to view their pennant, it appears to be the same type of ship that brought the Ellvinians a week ago.
“The Ellvinians? Why would they be coming back here to Massa?” Kenley puzzled out loud. “The Savitar representatives and the wormwood plants they requested are on their way to Ellvin.”
“It is odd,” Kirby commented.
“I’ll go see what they want,” Kenley said. “Flying, I can be there in no time.”
“No.”
She looked questioning at Kirby. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” he said, pulling her close. “I just want to be with you, and I can’t do that if you fly.”
She kissed the tip of his nose. “Fine. We’ll take horses.”
Baya rose from her place on the floor and gave an approving snort. Shall we go?
Kenley glared at her. You used to be a lot more fun, Baya.
We all have to grow up sometime, Kenley Atlan.
CHAPTER 4
GROWLS IN THE NIGHT
One by one, they came. Flashes of white in and around the trees scattered the shadowy mist that hung low to the ground. Satisfaction surged in Nazar’s chest as he watched the Draca Cats slink into the rainforest clearing. Although he felt their appearance tonight a good sign, the question remained. Were they here to join him or oppose him?
Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children Page 3