Island Shifters: Book 03 - An Oath of the Children (6 page)

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 Saber 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.”