stay very still and remain locked around me?”
His minty breath chuckled out a small sigh. “Yes, if that’s what you need.”
I needed him last night. “It will always be what I need, but I could use a shower and some lunch.”
He inclined his head, “Is that an invitation?”
“Oh, Ian. Don’t tempt me,” my voice purred out a sigh. He teased, but I wasn’t sure sometimes if I was anymore. I was ready to be married to this man. In every way. How I doubted his affinity to me by comparing it to Sarah and Bane was just plain irrational.
“Take a shower my love,” he kissed the top of my head and slipped on his shirt. “I’ll make them save a plate for you and meet you for a private lunch in the garden.”
Ohhhh! Even better. I didn’t stop the smile from erupting into an explosion of giggles.
Chapter Six
reconnaissance - n. usually military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features; preliminary surveying or research
The funeral was well...a funeral. I wasn’t prepared for what would happen yet I’d never been to a human funeral either. It went as expected for one who had never seen a fire built tower with a death bed on top. It was not inspiring, only sad. I held Sarah for the time it took to enter the courtyard where everything was set up, the smoke coiling into billowy clouds of black enveloping the sadness. When she was with her family, I took my place beside Ian and watched and listened. When it was over, I mimicked Kin’s words from the day before to Ian, “She didn’t deserve to die, but I’m glad that she didn’t suffer. If anymore of my friends die for no real reason, I will go all ballistic and destroy something.”
I just needed the release of anger built up in my heart.
I hadn’t intended it to be taken as humor, but Ian lifted the corner of his mouth in a small smile for me. The moment was broken when Pike looked at me with the most pain I’d ever seen him display and walked away.
***
“Altheon, I need to ask you something I forgot about before.”
“Yes, my queen.” He bowed then lit the fire in the pit. I hated it, but he always insisted on the bow since the proposal was made and binded.
I looked around, then sniffed the air to be sure we were alone.
“I want to know why Kin told me my hands no longer burned because of the prophecy or whatever caused it?” I brushed my hands over the warmth of the embers flaming up as if mimicking what was associated with Kin. It seemed to ease the dark knot that had formed in my chest at what the answer might be. More riddles most likely, but I wanted to know.
I looked up reminding myself to acknowledge the skies ever changing mood to diminish my summer air. The clouds had dropped lower and lower. As if brushing the tips of my fingers where I held them above the fire, it seemed the fog of wet air was meeting up with the warm heat of the flames.
“Your hands burned?”
He didn’t know and that terrified me. “How is it you don’t know?”
“Tell me about it.” And then he made me sit and tell him everything from every time it happened even though it was much the same every time he came near. I told him Kin said the prophecy was wrong and that it was changed now that he would not force himself on me, but wait for me to ask for him. He didn’t seem as shock faced as I was at that revelation.
“Yes, this is news to me. No, it is not a surprise. There is another prophecy that tells of the burn but has never come to light. At least not to everyone but you and Kin. If he figured this out on his own, I’m impressed with his cleverness. He has his father’s tenaciousness.”
“And
His minty breath chuckled out a small sigh. “Yes, if that’s what you need.”
I needed him last night. “It will always be what I need, but I could use a shower and some lunch.”
He inclined his head, “Is that an invitation?”
“Oh, Ian. Don’t tempt me,” my voice purred out a sigh. He teased, but I wasn’t sure sometimes if I was anymore. I was ready to be married to this man. In every way. How I doubted his affinity to me by comparing it to Sarah and Bane was just plain irrational.
“Take a shower my love,” he kissed the top of my head and slipped on his shirt. “I’ll make them save a plate for you and meet you for a private lunch in the garden.”
Ohhhh! Even better. I didn’t stop the smile from erupting into an explosion of giggles.
Chapter Six
reconnaissance - n. usually military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features; preliminary surveying or research
The funeral was well...a funeral. I wasn’t prepared for what would happen yet I’d never been to a human funeral either. It went as expected for one who had never seen a fire built tower with a death bed on top. It was not inspiring, only sad. I held Sarah for the time it took to enter the courtyard where everything was set up, the smoke coiling into billowy clouds of black enveloping the sadness. When she was with her family, I took my place beside Ian and watched and listened. When it was over, I mimicked Kin’s words from the day before to Ian, “She didn’t deserve to die, but I’m glad that she didn’t suffer. If anymore of my friends die for no real reason, I will go all ballistic and destroy something.”
I just needed the release of anger built up in my heart.
I hadn’t intended it to be taken as humor, but Ian lifted the corner of his mouth in a small smile for me. The moment was broken when Pike looked at me with the most pain I’d ever seen him display and walked away.
***
“Altheon, I need to ask you something I forgot about before.”
“Yes, my queen.” He bowed then lit the fire in the pit. I hated it, but he always insisted on the bow since the proposal was made and binded.
I looked around, then sniffed the air to be sure we were alone.
“I want to know why Kin told me my hands no longer burned because of the prophecy or whatever caused it?” I brushed my hands over the warmth of the embers flaming up as if mimicking what was associated with Kin. It seemed to ease the dark knot that had formed in my chest at what the answer might be. More riddles most likely, but I wanted to know.
I looked up reminding myself to acknowledge the skies ever changing mood to diminish my summer air. The clouds had dropped lower and lower. As if brushing the tips of my fingers where I held them above the fire, it seemed the fog of wet air was meeting up with the warm heat of the flames.
“Your hands burned?”
He didn’t know and that terrified me. “How is it you don’t know?”
“Tell me about it.” And then he made me sit and tell him everything from every time it happened even though it was much the same every time he came near. I told him Kin said the prophecy was wrong and that it was changed now that he would not force himself on me, but wait for me to ask for him. He didn’t seem as shock faced as I was at that revelation.
“Yes, this is news to me. No, it is not a surprise. There is another prophecy that tells of the burn but has never come to light. At least not to everyone but you and Kin. If he figured this out on his own, I’m impressed with his cleverness. He has his father’s tenaciousness.”
“And
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