Fae

by Jennifer Bene

  “At least I’m still standing, Glowworm. You want to rejoin the fight, or should I just bring you a sleeping bag until morning?”

  She wasn’t going to lose today. Readjusting her grip on the sword hilt she stood up and lifted her blade. She didn’t give him a chance to breathe, immediately spinning and delivering a hard strike to his right side, and sure enough it took Kiernan a half second longer than normal to get his sword up. The hit to the muscles on his sword side obviously hurt and it was slowing him down.

  Time to press it.

  She blocked his returned strike and spun away to attempt a blow at his back. He still blocked it. Again and again they went for any weak spot they found in the other, but each attack was stopped time and again. She was a little more agile, but he had more reach and more weight to put behind his strikes. When he delivered a two-handed downward strike at her shoulder she could feel her teeth vibrate when she blocked it. Ouch. An hour passed like that - strikes and blocks, kicks and punches, footwork and taunts.

  After a forward block, they ended up almost nose to nose, their swords caught between them. They were both breathing heavily, and Kiernan’s brown hair was matted to his forehead and there was a flush in his cheeks, but he still grinned at her like a maniac. This close to him she could see the shadow of facial hair that had come through during the day and she wanted to touch his cheek, wanted to run her fingers through his hair like he always did, wanted to -

  “Fae?” When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble in his chest between trying to catch his breath, and hearing her name out of his mouth instead of the annoying nickname he’d chosen made her heartbeat do funny things. “Think you’re done kicking my ass today?”

  “I can be, as long as you’re admitting I won.” She smiled at him, catching her own breath. With a groan he stepped back and rolled his eyes, letting their swords slide apart until he could rest the tip on the floor. Fae turned around and slid her sword back into the scabbard, hopping onto the couch to return the sword to its place. Kiernan didn’t bother and leaned his blade against the wall before dropping onto the couch, still breathing hard. Fae stepped back to the floor and watched as his chest rose and fell, her eyes following the lean lines of muscle that made up his chest and stomach.

  He had dropped his head back and his eyes were barely open, his long lashes fanning out over his cheek bones. Strands of his hair were still matted to his forehead, and his lips were parted just a little as his breathing started to slow.

  Maybe it was the adrenaline rush from the fight, his kindness over the last three weeks, the fact that he didn’t treat her like she was fragile when they fought, or just the fact that he looked really incredible without a shirt on – but she took a step towards him, and then another. And then she found herself on his lap, and he snapped to attention as her knees landed on either side of him. She sat back on his thighs, and tried to catch her breath but her lungs wouldn’t work right.

  His dark eyes were wide open but he hadn’t said a word, and hadn’t moved a muscle since she’d touched him. If she thought her pulse had raced while they were fighting, it was nothing compared to this. He had to be able to hear her heart pounding against her ribs, had to hear the way her breath hitched with the choice she’d just made. She’d already come this far so she wasn’t going to back down now. Fae leaned forward and laid her hand against his cheek, the stubble was rough against her palm and she heard him hold his breath just before her lips met his. His skin was hot from the exertion of the fight, but his lips were surprisingly soft against hers. He didn’t move to touch her, but he did lean into the kiss, and his eyes fell closed so she closed hers too.

  It was sweet and chaste and gentle, and then it was over.

  She sat back and the look of surprise and shock on his face made her smile. She let her hand move to his forehead and she pushed his hair back, her fingertips running through his dark hair like silk. He made a low sound in his chest as her hand found the back of his neck. She’d wanted to do that for weeks. Her fingers wound themselves in his hair, and the groan he released was like a big animal’s purr.

  Fae couldn’t resist leaning forward to kiss him again, and this time there was heat. Like a spark had landed and the wood was catching, with the promise of fire on the horizon. His lips parted, head tilting back as she leaned over him to deepen the kiss. The fabric of her shirt brushed his chest but there was still an inch or so of space between them. His hands were tucked above him on the couch, and when she opened her eyes she noticed his fists were clenched into the fabric to keep them there. When Fae paused to take a breath he turned his head away and she could see the muscles in his jaw tighten as he clenched his teeth.

  “You don’t have to do this, Fae. You don’t.” His voice was low and rumbling and his knuckles were turning white in his death grip on the cushions. “You can stay here as long as you want, no matter what. You don’t have to -” His dark eyes met hers and they were full of concern. He was still trying to protect her, even though she could feel hard ridge of his erection through his jeans, which made it clear what his body thought about the situation.

  “I know I don’t have to, Kiernan.” Fae ran her hand down the front of his chest and she felt his muscles jump under her touch, then she leaned forward again and placed a light kiss against his lips. “But I’ve wanted to do this for over a week.” Her lips curved up in a playful grin as she watched relief flood his face.

  “Oh thank the gods.” Kiernan sat up straighter, releasing his grip on the cushions and bringing her closer to him with a hand in the small of her back. As he pressed her into his hard chest she ran her hands down his back, feeling his muscles shift under his skin as he held her to him. He looked over her face like he wasn’t sure she was real, and then that cocky, mischievous grin split his face and his right hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb tracing her cheekbone.

  This time when their lips met there was wildfire. The kiss ripped the air from her lungs and she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Kiernan’s hands slid from her face, over her neck and then down her back. His palms were tracing the curve of her waist and the hollow of her back as he pulled her against him. Lifting up so she was slightly above him, he let his head drop back a little and she leaned down so the kiss continued. For a moment she felt like she was in a position of power, until Kiernan hooked his hands behind her knees and tugged her against him hard. Her hips rocked against his and the low growl in his chest made her smile against his lips – she still had power. Then his hands tightened on her hips, pulling her down against him as his movements matched hers.

  A liquid heat flooded her, a delicious thrumming under her skin that was better than any drug on the planet. She was incredibly grateful for the thin fabrics separating them as they rocked against each other, his hard cock rubbing against her clit in a pattern that was setting her on fire from the inside out. Fae moaned against his mouth and he returned with his own, his fingers marking her hips with the intensity of his grip. She rubbed herself against him, desperate for the orgasm coiling up her spine, and he encouraged her.

  He drove himself against her, and her skin tingled, her pulse pounded, and then her whole world came apart in his arms. With a cry she shuddered, muttering something unintelligible as her body tensed against his with each wave of pleasure and static joy. Tightening her arms around his neck, she kissed him hard, and he moaned against her lips. There wasn’t a sliver of space between them when the kiss broke, and they both gasped for air.

  “Wow.” Fae whispered against his mouth and he chuckled low, that cocky grin spreading across his kiss-swollen lips.

  “That’s a good word for it.” He reached up behind her and undid the bun on top of her head so her auburn hair surrounded them both in a curtain. His fingers twirled it before he pushed his hands through it and growled a little as he pulled her down for another kiss.

  She nipped his lower lip and he grinned against her mouth, which made her smile too. Slipping his fingertips under
the bottom of her shirt he brushed the skin of her back.

  “Tell me if you want me to stop.” He whispered into her ear and then kissed her neck just below it. In small movements he trailed the kisses back to her lips while his palms moved up her back inside her shirt.

  “Trust me, I’m good. If I’m not you’ll know it.” She made a small sound when he laughed against her neck. With a groan he suddenly hugged her tightly against him. Fae replied with a kiss, but he took it over and sent her head spinning.

  Who needed to breathe when you could do this?

  She started to think of everything he’d done for her over the past few weeks, but then his hands tightened against her hips and he pulled her close again and she forgot what she was thinking. He nipped her bottom lip back and she shoved her hands into his hair to hold his face to hers, to continue the kiss that was boiling her blood again, taunting the still sparkling energy thrumming in her blood. Fae cut off the kiss suddenly and grabbed the bottom of her shirt to rip it over her head. He sat back against the couch again, leaning back from her so he could see her. The black sports bra was a stark contrast against her pale skin, and she held her arms over her head for a second as she watched him react.

  His eyes were glued to her skin, tracing every revealed inch with the intensity of an academic. He slid his hands up her arms and took the green shirt from her, dropping it to the couch beside them, then he slowly moved his hands down her arms, across her shoulders and then down her sides. His touch was light, and reverent, and sent goose bumps across her skin. The fire inside her slowed to a steady burn and her rapid breathing calmed as he began kissing across her shoulders, his fingertips tracing behind her and down her spine. He rested his hands at her hips, just above where her pants began. Fae realized she was biting her lip, amazed by how he looked at her as if she was someone precious, important, and deserving.

  “I’m not dreaming this, right?” he whispered it and then reached up with his thumb to pull her lower lip from between her teeth. His question made Fae blush, and he gave her a small smile. It was a sweeter smile than his normal mischievous one and made her stomach do a flip. Kiernan’s thumb was resting against her lip and his eyes were focused at her mouth. He seemed frozen in the moment until she lightly nipped his thumb and he groaned. Then the sweet look melted away, his lips parted and formed into a grin that was clearly offering a lot more fun than they’d just had. Hopefully with a lot less clothing.

  “It’s not a dream, Kiernan.” She shifted her hips, rubbing against his still hard cock, and he groaned again and she grinned. If he couldn’t read that as an open invitation, she’d ask him to get checked for a head injury that Gormahn’s power hadn’t corrected. When he didn’t move forward, her lips landed on his and whatever restraint he had been using collapsed as she pressed herself against him.

  His hands moved over her skin, and she ran hers across the ridges of his stomach before trailing her nails lightly down his sides. Breaths came in gasps between their lips and the tension between them kept rising. Fae lifted herself up again and Kiernan took the opportunity to leave a trail of fire down her neck and across her collarbone.

  When she ran her hands through his hair and made him look up at her, she traced her fingers across his lips and he kissed her fingertips. He tugged at her hips to return her to his lap and when she didn’t sit back down he laughed low in his chest.

  Fae was enjoying having the upper hand when he grabbed her and stood up and she had to lock her legs around his waist to keep from falling. In this position Kiernan’s head was slightly above hers, and his cock was firmly pressed against her core, but his hands were trapped holding her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, and then she felt a wall against her back. He pressed her hard against it, grinding himself between her thighs, his teeth tracing across her shoulder as he dipped his head down.

  She couldn’t catch her breath, between each roll of his hips that lifted her higher and higher - and then there were stars bursting behind her eyes again. She gasped and his lips were on hers again, his hands cradling her face as another orgasm shook her and left her desperate to have him inside her.

  “Please, Kiernan…” She reached behind him and hooked her thumbs into the waist of his pants, but he gently grabbed her wrists and pulled them to his chest.

  He was still for a moment, his head bent to rest against her shoulder. When she rolled her hips against him he groaned and lifted her by her waist, stepping back to make her unwrap her legs from him. Confusion washed over her, pushing back the warm glow that the pleasure had left inside her. She opened her mouth to talk but he quieted her with a soft kiss. Now that she was standing she had to look up at him. His eyes were dark and his cheeks were flushed from their efforts, and then the edge of his mouth lifted in a half-smile.

  “I want -” Kiernan’s voice choked and he cleared his throat, taking her hands in his and intertwining his fingers with hers before he continued, “I want to do this right.”

  “You are doing it right. Trust me.” Fae said it quietly, but couldn’t keep the humor out of her voice. He laughed and leaned down to put his forehead against hers.

  “You’re incredible, Fae.” Kiernan mumbled, and she almost spoke but he placed the tiniest kiss on the tip of her nose, and the sweet nature of it surprised her so much she stopped. “And it’s because you’re so fucking incredible that I want to do this the right way. I want to bring you flowers, I want to take you to dinner, I want to take you on a real date, and – I want to earn the right to be with you.”

  Her heart was fluttering in her chest like an insane bird trapped in a cage. Fae slid her hands around his neck and raised herself to her tiptoes so she could kiss him. He kissed her back, and it was sweet and gentle again, but the strength in his arms when they moved around her and pulled her against him promised that the fire was just calm for now.

  “Okay.” Her mouth had gone dry, and she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Okay?” He leaned back from her, his face looking a little confused.

  “If you insist on wooing me, you can.” She smirked and he grinned back at her before scooping her off the floor into his arms.

  “Oh, my lady, if you want to be wooed, I shall woo the hell out of you.” He leaned down and kissed her, his cocky grin returning as he carried her down the hall to his room. His bed was a wreck as usual, a giant knot of sheet and comforter but he sat her down on the edge and proceeded to try and even it back out. He paused as he was about to hand her the sheet, freezing in place, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – I mean, you don’t have to sleep in here, I just -”

  “Hush and come here.” She took the sheet from him and he smiled as he sat down on the bed next to her. Fae shifted over and Kiernan reached to the side and clicked the lamp off. He didn’t touch her at first, but she shifted in the bed and pressed her back against his chest.

  The pillow she had been sleeping on for the last few weeks had always smelled amazing, that heady mixture of spice and earth that she had connected with him. His bed was even better, the same scent on overdrive, and she turned her face into the pillow and took a deep breath. Kiernan’s arm slid around her waist and he pulled her tighter against him.

  “Thank you…” His voice was such a quiet whisper into her hair that she wasn’t sure she had heard it right. She waited on him to keep talking, but it was clear he wasn’t going to. He was taking steady breaths as they both tried to calm down. To relax and get some mental space from everything that had just passed between them.

  Fae started to count her heartbeats, an old trick that had always worked when she was too wound up to sleep, and fuck was she wound up. For once being wrapped in the warm heat of another person didn’t feel claustrophobic; it felt soothing.

  Just before sleep came over her she realized that the bands had never activated. In all the intensity he’d never claimed her, never even thought about it because their ghostly tingle had never shown up. If she hadn’t felt com
pletely safe in Kiernan’s apartment before, tonight had made the last question in her mind fade away.

  She was finally safe.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Seattle, Washington

  Kiernan’s bed was a warm cocoon and he really didn’t want to get up yet, but the light coming through the blinds was too bright to stay asleep. He stretched and his hand bumped into something and his eyes snapped open onto golden light. Fae was curled up in a ball next to him and the sheets were gathered down around her waist.

  Her porcelain skin was glowing bright enough to have woken him up from a dead sleep. In all the weeks she’d been there he’d never seen so much of her skin exposed when Eltera’s power came to her. His eyes moved over her face and he was surprised once again by how beautiful she was, and she was in his bed.

  Propping himself up on his elbow he looked down at her and lightly traced a finger down her arm through the light. He could feel the faintest tingling sensation like her skin was humming. Fae’s lips parted and she took a deep breath and Kiernan noticed that the air smelled like rain, clean and earthy. A few strands of her auburn hair had fallen into her face so he reached forward to tuck them behind her ear. Her eyes opened and she gasped, grabbing his wrist and jerking back from him. He watched as her face shifted from surprise, to a brief flash of anger, before relaxing as she recognized him.

  “Kiernan?” She sounded so sleepy and confused, and that little wrinkle had appeared between her eyebrows again. He wanted to touch her again, but knew it had to happen on her time. Fae’s fingers were tight around his wrist, and although he didn’t try and move his arm away she noticed and released him. “Sorry, I didn’t know – I mean, I didn’t remember I was here.”

  “It’s okay. You surprised me too to be honest.” He smiled at her and she smiled back, releasing the tension in her shoulders as she let her head relax back onto the pillow. Fae was staring up at him and he was still in shock that it was real, that the night before had not been some wonderful dream. Now that she was relaxed he grinned down at her and traced his finger between her eyebrows to smooth the little wrinkle away. She crossed her eyes to look at his finger and then she took his hand to place a kiss on his palm.