by Bonnie Lamer
Breena opens the white double doors and stands to the side. “The Princess suite has been prepared for you and your…husband.”
What? Husband? I’m about to say I don’t have a husband when Kallen grabs my hand and squeezes it. “Thank you, Breena.” She nods curtly and walks away in obvious disapproval.
Watching her walk away, I grumble, “I’m the queen of first impressions, I guess.”
Kallen chuckles. “I would not worry about Breena. I do not believe she likes anyone except my uncle, if that gives you a clue to her persona.”
My turn to laugh. “So, she’s not the best judge of character?”
He puts a finger to his lips. “You should be careful what you say here about him. Her loyalty is fierce.”
I think he’s kidding for a moment. Until he doesn’t laugh. Wow, he’s serious. “What happens if I get on her bad side?”
He shakes his head. “Your time here would not be enjoyable, trust me.”
“Great, more stress.”
Wrapping his arms around me, Kallen pulls me close. “I know an excellent cure for stress.”
Both of my eyebrows ride up my forehead. “Do you now?”
He nods solemnly. “I do.” He’s backing me into the room now.
“Care to explain this cure?”
He kicks the door closed with his foot. “I believe some things are best explained by example.”
He’s backing me farther into the room now as I snake my arms back around his neck. “I don’t know, I’m awfully tired.”
Swooping me up into his arms, he says, “Sleep is overrated.” Then his lips are on mine as he walks across the dark room that I haven’t even had a chance to really look at, and he sets me down gently on the canopied bed. The only light is the moonlight coming through the window. Kallen’s lips never really leave mine as he stretches out next to me. Suddenly, I’m not tired at all.
Kallen shifts me over on the bed so that I’m closer to the middle and then he covers my body with his. “I love you,” he murmurs against my neck as he kisses a trail to the spot behind my ear that drives me crazy.
I gasp as he finds the right spot. “I love you, too,” comes out as a moan of pleasure.
His hand slides under my sweater and traces my curves. A trail of goose bumps follow his fingers as I revel in his touch. I am just thinking about how frustrated I am that we have so many clothes in the way, when I’m suddenly wearing what I was earlier in the carriage. A silky red camisole and matching sleep shorts.
“Not fair,” I murmur against his lips that have found mine again. I use my magic to return him to the same state he was before as I slide my hand down his bare back. I expect to reach the waistband of his boxers, but my hand only finds skin.
Kallen chuckles. “Flattered that I am you have put me in this state; I believe it may be safer if I have something on.” My cheeks are flaming, but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m embarrassed I removed all of his clothes, or because I’m disappointed he’s not going to stay that way. Either way, he’s now wearing boxers and his lips are back on mine.
After a few minutes, he stops kissing me and pushes up on his elbows. His thumbs are stroking my cheeks. Opening my eyes in confusion, I stare up into his. He is so beautiful. His hair is mussed from my fingers running through it and his eyes are filled with a passion that heats my entire body and soul. “I love you,” he says again.
I smile. “I love you, too.”
“I want you so badly, Xandra. Every time I kiss you or touch you, I want to keep going until our bodies are intertwined and we are lost in each other. I want to make love to you so badly; it pains me each time we have to stop.” I try to say something, but he puts a finger over my lips. “I am not trying to convince you of anything tonight, I am simply telling you how I feel.”
Since he won’t let me say anything, I wrap my legs around his and pull him close, eliciting a moan from deep in his throat. “You do not play fair,” he says, his voice sounding a little strangled. My smile broadens.
Trying to get back on track to whatever his point is, he pulls his body back a fraction. “I want to be your true husband someday,” he says. “Someday soon.”
I try to keep my eyes from getting bigger. Married. Really married. “Kallen…” I start to say, but he interrupts me again.
“Xandra, I am not saying we should become right hand-fasted tomorrow. I am simply trying to ask you if you feel the same way about me.”
I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. A slow smile spreads across my face again. “Kallen, I wouldn’t be left hand-fasted with you if that wasn’t what I wanted, too.” I bring my hand to his cheek, enjoying the bit of stubble on his jaw. “I wish it could be like in my realm, where we could make love and a bunch of alarms and whistles wouldn’t go off announcing it to the world.”
He smiles. “Alarms and whistles do not go off, but our rings would shine.”
Looking at the love in his eyes for me, it would be so easy at this moment to say yes. To join our bodies the way we’ve joined our minds. But, there’s still that little voice in the back of my mind that is telling me that I’m way too young to be married. And it’s a convincing little voice. Even though yes is on the tip of my tongue, I am somehow able to slip another word past it without letting yes escape.
“Soon,” I say. My voice is husky with love and desire. I lift my lips to his and for the next glorious half hour, we push the boundaries of our agreement, but never cross the line that has been drawn in the sand for us. Eventually, we drift off to sleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter 12
Do you know what Giants can do really well? They can slam doors near the volume of a sonic boom. I went from deep sleep to wide awake at the speed of about mach 10. I’m not really sure how fast that is, but Zac tells me that’s the fastest an existing aircraft in our realm can go.
Breena has come into the room and both of the white doors hit the stone walls. I can’t believe they didn’t splinter into little pieces. Must be the fact that they’re about six inches thick that saved them. She strides to the window and whips the red velvet curtains open, letting in the barest amount of light from the distant horizon where the sun is still just thinking about surfacing. “Breakfast is done. Sunrise is in half an hour and you have an appointment to keep.”
How did she know about that? “Oh, okay. Thank you, Breena.”
She doesn’t say anything. She just walks back out the doors, leaving them wide open. I don’t think she even looked in my direction. How rude. I frown at Kallen and he shrugs.
“I am assuming she disapproves of us sharing a bed,” he says through a yawn. “The Giants do not have a relationship that is equivalent to left hand-fasting. I believe we are insulting her sensibilities.”
“Great,” I mutter as I push back the covers and stretch. I feel like I went to sleep five minutes ago. But, at least I didn’t have the strange Mom and Dad dream, and no one sleepwalked into the room pretending to be them.
Standing up, I take my first good look at the room. It’s strange that the walls are made of stone, but maybe that’s just how a Giant home has to be made. Considering how Breena opens doors, durability is probably a must in Giant construction. The walls are whitewashed a pale pink, almost white. The canopy on the bed is a little darker pink and has delicate, embroidered red roses on it. They are tied back to each bedpost. The rest of the room is set up similar to my room at Isla’s. There’s a dressing table with mirrors and a large oak dresser. There is a door in the wall opposite the bed that I assume leads to the bathroom. That’s where I’m headed.
After freshening up, I come back out and Kallen has fallen back to sleep. That’s so not fair. Crawling carefully back onto the bed, I tickle him awake. He wakes with a start, and after glaring at me, he tickles me in return. I’m giggling so loudly, I don’t hear Breena at first.
“Your escort is here,” she says loudly. I don’t think it’s the first time she’s said it.
; Kallen and I instantly sober as we turn to her. “Escort?” I say.
“Yes, Chief Quinn has sent an escort for your safe travel. He expected you to be ready to go at sunrise.”
In other words, quit fooling around and get ready. I look down at my clothes and then at Kallen. Suddenly, I’m dressed in a flowing, multi-colored peasant skirt that resembles one I have in my suitcase and a white blouse. I smile up at him. “I could really use a brush.” One appears in my hand.
“Curious. I did not realize the King’s daughter does not possess magic,” Breena says. She sounds almost happy about it. She’s really annoying me.
I put on my best ‘I’m going to smile at you even if you’re rude and nasty’ face, and say sweetly, “Oh, I have magic. It’s just too powerful to use for mundane things like clothes and brushes. But, I didn’t have any trouble taking down one of Quinn’s men last night. The really, really big blonde one. I don’t know his name.”
Wow, her face gives new definition to the word sour. It’s like a lemon and a lime Sour Patch© candies had a genetically mutated, extra sour baby. I, personally, continue to smile sweetly.
Kallen rises from the bed, now clothed in khaki’s and a white button down shirt. Mm, he looks really good. “We’ll be right down, Breena. Thank you.” The tone of his voice reminds her that she is the person who works here, not us. Normally, I’d be annoyed at Kallen being so haughty, he never talks to Tabitha like that, but I really don’t like Breena, so it’s okay.
After she huffs out of the room, Kallen turns his attention back to me. “There is still time to change your mind about this. We can send his man back with a message that says they will have to wait for Dagda.”
Oh, so tempting. But, I can’t. “I don’t think that would send a good message about sincerity to their cause if I break my word. I said I would do this, so I have to do it.”
I can tell he doesn’t like it. That’s why I used the ‘I gave my word’ argument. Honor means a lot to him. After a minute, he nods his head curtly, and holding out his hand, I slip mine in his. We walk back down the hall we walked a few hours ago, and then down the steps, to the Giant waiting by the door.
Guess who it is? If you want to really annoy someone, you send the person who recently tried to kill the other person to pick them up. The only ray of sunshine is that he looks even less pleased to see me than I am to see him. I think I’ll harass him a little bit. “I remember you,” I say sweetly, “but I never did catch your name. Mine is Xandra.” Kallen is giving me a warning look. I ignore him.
Blondie doesn’t answer me. He also doesn’t shake the hand I hold out to him. He nods his head in Breena’s direction, because she is lurking in the foyer, then he turns around and walks out the door, assuming we’ll follow. Which we do, since we don’t really have a choice. He’s the only one of the three of us who knows where to find Quinn.
At least the sunrise is pretty as we walk towards the Giants’ village. The sky is vivid in orange, red and yellow as the sun hits the sand. If nothing else, I am seeing some beautiful sights on this trip. Well, this one beautiful sight. I think I’m going to take Kallen up on his offer to show me more of this realm when this is over. If my life is ever sane enough to do something like that.
I thought it was hard to keep up with Kallen when he’s upset. It’s almost impossible to keep up with a giant who’s being a jerk. I’m really tempted to use my magic against him and make him trip. That probably wouldn’t start the peace talks off on the best note, though. So, I suck it up and walk faster. I’m practically jogging now.
At this pace, it only takes about ten minutes to get back to the big red rock. We don’t stop there, we keep walking. After another five minutes or so, we start to see buildings. Most are houses. Really big houses. Even the smallest ones are three times as tall as the house I grew up in in my realm. Every once in a while, we pass some sort of store or shop. The strange thing is, it’s barely sunrise and people are bustling about like it’s the middle of the day.
I’ll admit, it’s really disconcerting looking at the world through the eyes of a toddler. At five feet six inches, I literally only come up to a lot of the Giants’ waists. Kallen fairs a little better, he comes up to some of their chests. Looking up at him, he looks strong and confident. I’m pretty sure I look small and worried.
Okay, I have to shake it off. I don’t know anything about what I’m supposed to be doing here, but I’m pretty sure it should start with me looking more like Kallen is right now. Squaring my shoulders, I walk taller. I keep my eyes straight forward, not looking down, and I ignore the strange, and sometimes mocking, looks and whispers I’m getting from the Giants. The Giants who have no problem walking right in front of me, causing me to stop or run into them, as we walk down what I assume is the busiest street in their village.
A Giant’s knee to my chest is the last straw for me feeling small and weak. Especially since the grin on his face tells me that he did it on purpose. Fine. I can play this game. With a whoosh of magic, I send a wall of air at him that makes him fall flat on his face. Next, I use my magic to create a perimeter around me and Kallen. When the rather large, dark haired Giant gets back to his feet, I stand in front of him. “That was rude,” I say, craning my neck to look up at his face. My head has to be almost perpendicular to my back to see that far up.
Instead of saying anything, he goes to grab me. And ends up crashing his knuckles against my invisible wall of magic. Angry, he hauls back his fist and tries to smash the wall. Wow, I think my first suggestion is going to be mandatory anger management classes for all Giants. But, angry as he is, I’m angrier, and my wall doesn’t budge a millimeter, no matter how hard he hits it. He is making quite a spectacle of himself now. It’s not me and Kallen the other Giants are laughing at anymore. It’s him. Beating what must seem like an imaginary wall. A big crowd has gathered around to watch. I even catch Blondie cracking a little smile.
With my arms crossed over my chest and my best disinterested look on my face, I say, “Are you done yet? I’m bored.” Of course, that just makes him madder. He’s using his feet now, kicking hard at my magic. I yawn. The crowd laughs more. I don’t look at Kallen because I know he’s not amused that I’m taunting the Giants.
After about five minutes, the crowd parts and Quinn walks towards us. He stands and watches for a moment without saying a word. I think he’s waiting to see what happens.
“Xandra, perhaps it is time to put an end to this?” Kallen says quietly, yet firmly. Then adds, “Your typical fashion I believe would be best.”
I almost laugh. My typical fashion? What does that mean, knock him on his butt? Probably. Pulling more magic, the first thing I do is take away the Giants voice because the small children gathering around shouldn’t hear those words. I say small children, but I only see one or two smaller than me. Next, as he’s freaking out and holding his throat, trying to figure out why he can’t talk, I say, “If you don’t stop, I’m going to have to stop you.” Quinn’s eyes are riveted on me now. He’s definitely interested in the outcome.
The voiceless Giant has no trouble hearing, and he’s even angrier now. He starts kicking and hitting the invisible wall again. I guess I have to show him that I may be small, but I’m tough. Pulling even more magic, I wrap the invisible wall around him like I did with Radella and my bedroom door. Then, when he loses his balance and falls down, I start rolling him towards Quinn. When he’s close enough, Quinn puts his foot out and stops him. The crowd of Giants isn’t laughing anymore. They’re looking at me, then at Mr. Voiceless, then at Quinn. They’re also backing out of the way as Kallen and I start walking again. We stop just behind the Giant roll.
I am about to make some cutting remark that I’m sure would be brilliant, but Quinn speaks first. “I see Orwick has delivered you as requested.” It takes me a minute to figure out that Blondie must be Orwick.
“We ran into a minor delay, but it was easily overcome,” I say with a smile.
Quinn looks down a
t the struggling Giant and then back up at me. “So I see.” Looking back down at the Giant in front of him again, he says, “I see you have met the Princess. Impressive, is she not?” The rolled up Giant presses his lips together. I don’t think he dares to mouth what’s on his mind to his tribal Chief.
Bringing his eyes back to me, Quinn gestures with his arm through the crowd and the Giants step out of the way, creating a path back towards where he had come from. “Shall we? I believe we have quite a bit to discuss.”
Kallen takes my hand and we walk around the Giant on the ground. He tries to kick at me as we walk by. I zap him in the foot with magic and he silently shouts what I am assuming are profanities. I think I’ll wait to undo my magic until we’re quite a ways away from him. His need for revenge is being broadcast loudly through his murky brown eyes.