by Ava Walsh
But he just shrugged his shoulders, ready to stand by his decision to trust her just as unconditionally as she trusted him. “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t,” he said.
She watched him, apprehensive yet full of the desire to learn. In the end, her curiosity won. “So you are not born shape-shifters?” she asked, and he shook his head.
“How we discovered the process of Joining, no one knows for certain. There are religious texts that speak of prophecies and mystical revelations, but who knows how accurate they are. In any case, the benefits of a successful Joining are such that they make the risk of entering the beasts’ territory worth it, and though the beasts aren’t very fruitful, there are always more beastlings than there are pilgrims, so a few always remain to keep the cycle going.”
“But not all Joinings are successful?” she asked, in a strained voice.
“No,” he told her. “We don’t know why it happens, but the beast sometimes overpowers the host and they lose all control over it. They can commit horrendous acts of destruction in such a state, and must be put down.”
She looked so sad in that moment, her gaze returning to the volcano, now barely visible in the night.
“But, wait.” She livened again as she remembered more questions. “Why do you think the Elders might let me try for a Joining? I’m not Kinai.”
“Anyone can try for a Joining,” he replied, “There have been cases in the past of a joining with Firuzians and Garn, but very few. We simply make the most out of being the closest nation to their only territory on Elamaren.” He let go of her, put his hands on her shoulders and made her turn around to face him. “This is our most guarded secret, Teresa. The beasts would defend the Rookery, but a good enough thief with a good enough navigator on a good enough boat could sneak in through the Ridge and steal the beastlings. Skatians have always fantasized of Kinai slaves, trained to carry them around and burn their enemies to the ground – the kind of money they would pay for just one beastling would be worth the risk to anyone brazen enough. The Joinings keep the number of the beasts low enough that they are not the kind of danger to Elamaren they could be if they were left to multiply freely, and we take good care to limit any damage from an unsuccessful Joining to our lands alone. Perhaps we are selfish and insular, but we nevertheless do a great service to this planet, whether the other nations are aware of it or not.” Kenner cupped Teresa’s chin and looked deep into her eyes. “No matter what, this information cannot leave Kinai islands. Do you understand?”
“I do,” she replied solemnly. “I truly do.” And Kenner believed her.
However, the conversation had made the atmosphere between them heavy, which was the exact opposite of the effect he was trying to create, so he took her by the hand once again, and smiled softly. “Come now... I want to show you why I brought you here.”
She followed him down the hill to the ponds of warm mineral water, which were milky white from the sediment and beautiful to behold. They seemed stacked atop each other like a misshapen honeycomb, water trickling from the springs above the upper pools to fill them all to overflowing. “This is where our newlyweds spend the first five weeks of their marriage,” he explained, as they reached the first set of stone stairs leading into the ponds. “Though, when unoccupied, the ponds are mostly full of couples with children and old people tend to come by during the day... and lovers by night.”
“And which category do you and I fall into?” Teresa asked, a wicked grin on her face, all of the strain from their earlier conversation lifted off her heart.
This was it, Kenner realized. Either he took his chance now, or he could say goodbye to the dream of having Teresa for himself, because even though she teased him, he knew she would accept it without protest if he claimed he had brought her here as a trusted friend.
But he had made her a promise, all those nights ago in Wallaria, and if it happened, it had to be her choice.
“I don’t know,” he grinned back at her, as he undid the buckles of his uniform. “You tell me.”
A minute later, and he was naked before her, waiting for her reaction.
He didn’t have to wait too long.
Teresa walked over to him and laid her palms on his massive chest. Her touch made his heart race, and he could feel himself begin to harden in response as she slowly ran her fingertips up, burying them in his hair, and gently pulled him in for a kiss.
She tasted of fruit wine, and her lips were soft, warm and full. She did not torment him with a playful introduction, but opened up for him fully right away, and he replied in kind, their tongues dancing together, playing their mating game.
With a low growl, Kenner tugged at the stays on her garments, the silky ribbons melting away under his fingers and the clothes slipping off Teresa’s body, revealing her in all her glory to his eyes. He had spent more nights dreaming of this moment than a grown man really ought to admit to, yet his fantasies came nowhere close to the beauty she possessed.
Breaking the kiss and taking a step back, he drank her in with his eyes, molten hot from desire, loving the little uncontrolled responses of her body to the attention it received – the rosy flush of her skin, the shiver in her breath, the way her nipples puckered up into little pearls he could not wait to run his tongue over.
And, even more, he enjoyed the way her eyes darted across his body, from the planes of his powerful shoulders to the slopes of his hard stomach, and lower, to his now fully erect member, throbbing with the need to be inside of her.
Biting her lower lip, Teresa stepped closer again and, unbidden, lowered herself to her knees. He gasped loudly when she wrapped a hand around his shaft and began to run it up and down at a maddeningly slow pace. Her eyes were firmly on his face, and he could tell what a rush of power she felt at this proof that she controlled his pleasure. It made Kenner’s lust for her burn stronger, brighter.
And then she brought him into her hot, wet mouth, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his head falling back and his knees growing weak. He laid his hands on her head, holding on without force, letting her take him where she wanted and grateful for every suckle, every flick of her tongue across the bulging head.
Not satisfied with driving him half to madness, she stopped after a few glorious minutes and, licking her lips as she stared him in the eyes, walked past him and into the closest pond.
Chapter Seven
The water only reached as far as her chest, the ripples she made as she moved through it fondling her breasts, and Teresa loved the teasing feeling of it, like being licked by a dozen warm, smooth tongues.
She turned around to face Kenner, who watched her, rapt in his hunger for her, as she dipped below the surface and dived out a moment later. There was a mineral taste to the water, very refreshing, and little bubbles floating about, catching on her skin, adding to the pleasure of the bath.
“Well?” she called out to Kenner, issuing her challenge. “I’m waiting.”
As if those words were all he was waiting for, he dove into the pond, his enormous, rock-hard body hitting the surface and making a splash that made her giggle. In the poorly illuminated space, she could not see exactly where he was... but then she felt his hands, so rough yet so tender, fondle the back of her legs from heel to thigh... and his mouth on her sex.
Her entire body trembled as he played with her, licking and suckling her most tender flesh before he slowly rose, kissing up her belly, to catch some air. He did not stop there, though. He kissed his way to her neck before claiming her lips again, as his hands cupped her breasts and massaged her with such care and skill that she could swear her body was melting. Moving forward without stopping either action, he guided her to the edge of the pond, and then lowered his lips, kissing her clavicles and between her breasts before he reached for one of the nipples and sucked it into his mouth.
Teresa mewled loudly, grabbing onto his shoulders, while Kenner continued to lap at the nipple in his mouth, his fingers still kneading her breasts. The way he took
his time to please her well and the attention he paid to such fine details made her feel as if he was worshiping her... and, honestly, what woman could ask for more than such complete devotion?
Suddenly, he stopped everything and lifted her up without warning, making her gasp and then giggle. “You are the only man I’ve ever known to make me feel dainty,” she told him, though it was such a silly thing to say. The smile on his lips was positively predatory, and his eyes, shining brightly in the dark, looked at her as if she was the most delicious meal ever made, and he a man who’d lived on bread and water his entire life. It was almost as if his dragon had come out to play, and the thought made her shiver with desire.
Carrying her in his muscular arms, he took them to the pond’s stairs. Sitting down, he positioned her so that she was sitting astride his lap, her feet resting comfortably on the pond’s smooth floor, and the water reaching to just above her hips.
“Do you know how you make me feel?” Kenner whispered in a hoarse voice between kisses he planted wherever he could reach – her mouth, her neck, her shoulders and always, always her breasts. “Like with you, I can be who I am. Not the Darkwing Commander, not the future Elder... just me. Sometimes impulsive and not always wise, but still a good man.” He kissed her lips again, deeply, slowly, before parting with her with a long, heavy sigh. “With everyone else, I must be mindful of my position, and careful to show only those traits that would inspire respect,” he said. “But with you, I can relax and admit I have flaws too, because you care for me... all of me.”
Teresa smiled and cupped Kenner’s chin in her hands. “Yes,” she told him. “I do.” And she kissed him once more, her arms enveloping him into a soft embrace. Kissing her back, he slipped his hand between them, and the next thing she knew he was inside her, filling her up to delicious capacity, making her utter shaky gasps for air as she slowly settled around his mighty rod. To his credit, he let her take her time and did not move until she started to glide over his thighs, desperate to feel more of him within her.
Already so close, she held onto him tight as she rode him, her pace slow but steadily picking up the rhythm, her breathing growing faster, louder. With his hands on her hips, Kenner helped her drive them both towards climax and kept kissing her until he too felt short of breath and began to gasp and grunt.
Closer and closer to the sweet finish, Teresa moaned, riding Kenner hard, wanting as much of him in her as fast and hard as she could get him – and then cried out as her body began to quiver, the force of her orgasm hitting her like a tsunami. Her release triggered his own, and he pumped into her with such force that, when it passed, they were both completely spent and pliant, barely managing to remain above water.
“Lovers and newlyweds, huh?” she asked, teasing, between gulps of breath, and somehow Kenner found the energy to chuckle.
“Tonight, lovers,” he murmured, placing a gentle kiss on her brow. “And next time... who knows?”
Happy with the answer, Teresa snuggled up to her lover and enjoyed the feeling of belonging to someone she actually wanted to belong to.
Chapter Eight
They had only three days of lovers’ bliss before the fateful day that Arul and Mara flew back from their recon flight much too early, fear and panic clear on their faces.
“What happened?” Kenner asked, terrified of their answer, and Mara hissed at him angrily.
“That bitch you brought here told the Skatians about the Rookery!” she replied, loudly enough to attract attention from passersby.
Deciding she was too unstable to give him a coherent answer, Kenner turned to Arul, but his friend’s words brought him no peace. “We saw a pair of kayaks trying to reach the Rookery from the Ridge-side,” he reported, breathless from the exertion the rushed flight had put upon him. “Mara stayed to fight them off, and I flew forward to see if there were more waiting in hiding. And it was there, Kenner. A Skatian ship, with symbols of Lady Esplyn’s House woven into the main sail.”
Kenner frowned darkly. This was terrible news, indeed, and for more reasons than one. “I don’t know how they found out about the Rookery, but I would bet my life Teresa had nothing to do with it,” he told Arul.
“And I want to believe that, for your sake,” his second replied. “But who else would’ve told them?”
“That’s preposterous!” Elder Fanag exclaimed, as she made her way through the rapidly gathering crowd. “She doesn’t even know the Rookery exists. I never once mentioned it to her!”
“Kenner did!” Mara revealed, her voice thick with venom. The crowd fell silent in shock, but Mara continued without pause. “He took her to the Isle of Ponds three nights ago and told her everything!”
There was a pregnant pause, and then another member of the Squadron, the youngest of the men, stepped forward. “It’s true,” he said, obviously uncomfortable with airing his dirty laundry out in public, but determined to soldier on for the greater good. “Mara and I were... um… taking a private moment in the woods when we saw Kenner land on the perches – and he brought his woman with her. We heard everything. He even told her about how one could navigate through the Ridge to reach the Rookery.” He looked at Kenner with guilt and pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Commander... but Mara’s right. The foreigner is the only one who could’ve done it.”
Then all hell broke loose. On one side, Mara was rallying her supporters to gather a mob and find Teresa to ‘burn her like the witch she is’; on the other, Elder Fanag was trying – and, unfortunately, failing – to defuse the situation. And, in the middle, was Kenner, who found himself with no idea what to do for the first time in his life. He knew in his heart Teresa wasn’t the traitor, but he had no way to prove it, and no way to protect her.
This was all his fault, he thought, hating himself in that moment. If he hadn’t had broken the rules just to give them both a bit of joy that evening, if he hadn’t been stupid and told her things he knew she had to find out in her own time, no one would be able to cast doubt in her direction.
But he did break the rules, and he was stupid, and now Teresa might die for it.
Unless he reached her first, he decided, and took to the sky to the utter surprise of everyone around him.
As quick in action as she was to throw accusations around, Mara shapeshifted and went after him, but Kenner used his advantage well and created enough space between them to lose her halfway to his destination. He also had the added advantage of knowing exactly where he was going – Teresa was helping one of the local farmers gather her fruit crops today on one of the Eastern isles.
He didn’t waste time explaining why he was there or extracting her safely.
He just swooped down and snatched her from the ground, careful not to hurt her, and then flew, far away and as fast as he could, out of Kinai territory and onto a small, uninhabited atoll that marked the first third of the distance away from the Firuzian Kingdom. He first put Teresa down, who was terrified and demanding answers, and then came down as well, changing forms as he landed because of the lack of space.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Teresa yelled at him, “You have no right to grab me like I’m some dumb farm animal on a grazing field!”
Kenner let her vent and spoke up only when it seemed she’d exhausted herself screaming. “Skatians were spotted trying to sneak into the Rookery today,” he told her. “And Mara convinced everyone that you were the one who told them about it and taught them what to do.”
Teresa’s face paled instantly. “But... but I didn’t,” she stuttered. “You know I didn’t. I spent every moment I wasn’t working for the past three days in bed with you. I couldn’t have told them even if I’d wanted to!”
She began to shake uncontrollably, and Kenner pulled Teresa into a long, tight hug. “I know you didn’t,” he assured her. “We had the bad luck of not being the only lovers on the Isle of Ponds the other night – Mara and one of the men from the Squadron were there as well, tucked away in the woods. They saw and heard
the entire conversation we had before we went down to the ponds, and she’s using that as proof against you.”
“That bitch,” Teresa murmured into his chest. “What does she have against me, anyway? She’s never even talked to me, but she hated me from the moment she saw me.”
Kenner sighed. “I’m afraid that’s my fault,” he admitted, though he would’ve preferred not to speak of it. “She and I were an item at one point, but we quickly parted ways – she was a little too unhinged in her passions for me, and I was not ambitious enough for her liking. But it seems I was the only one who took the ending of our relationship seriously.” He closed his eyes, feeling like a fool. “Arul tried to warn me, but I kept brushing it off. She is one of the two best fliers in the Squadron, and I didn’t want to believe she could be such a liability because I didn’t want to be forced to send her away.”
Teresa just sighed and, after letting herself soak up his strength for a few minutes more, broke their embrace, ready to face the horror now.
“So what do we do next?” she asked, “We can’t leave things the way they are. If they thought I was guilty before, they must be fully convinced of it after the way you stopped them from getting to me.” Unfortunately, she was likely to be completely right about that.
“The only thing that could save you now is if we find the real culprit,” he said, and she nodded.
“All right... but how do we do that? What do we know so far that could help point us in the right direction?” She kept asking questions, her past as an investigator surfacing to help her resolve this problem, and he told her everything he knew.
She thought on all the information he had given her for a while, pacing the small berth of the atoll, and he gave her the space she needed to work things out in her head. Meanwhile, he sat down in the shade of a small palm close to the beach and tried to think about what they could do if the worst came to the worst and they never found the real traitor. At the moment, they had nothing but the clothes on their back, and that limited their options severely. Even if they had the money, where could they go? Back to Skatia? He’d never do that to Teresa. Running to the Makish and the Firuzians was likewise not possible, because the Kinai did trade with both nations, and they would not be able to hide there for long. The only other solution was to try and find some lonely mountain in the Garn territory, or another island, bigger and better equipped than this one, but both of those options sounded much easier said than done.