Shadow

Idonia Torbet

It takes many days, but we arrive at my homestead only a few after Rikki. When we rode in, all training seized in the grounds. Maids ran to retrieve my father, mother, and thankfully, Rikki as well. He hadn't secured a boat to Bethlianna yet. Which meant there had been little damage done.

When she runs out of the homestead to see me, mother grabs me fiercely and keeps me tight against her. "I thought you were dead!"

"My apologies, I did not mean to worry you," I say before my father joins in on the hug.

Rikki comes out next, doing something unusual by jumping onto my mate and tackling him to the ground. I laugh at the situation. "Thank all the gods, every last one! I was so terrified to tell your parents you were dead. I had enough trouble with the Aeral," Rikki began before Rae forced them both to stand and civilize themselves. "Where is Danal?"

"Sadly," Rae chokes as he grabs his Viker's shoulder for support. "Danal didn't make it out."

"No..." Rikki shakes his head, his eyes falling from joy to sadness. "I mourned all three of you, and it is better to see you both. Did you do it?"

"We may both add one shadowbeast to our list of kills. I was badly hurt after the first fight and Idonia faught off a sneak attack from a second. Your daughter is very brave, Aeral."

"I could have told you that without you all leaving for the dark north," he says to my mate while holding mother at his side. The five brothers Torbet come out of the house. Olen being the fastest and running immediately to me, throwing his arms around my legs a burring his face in my skirts.

"Viker Rikki said... said..."

"I know," I brush back the black hair we share. "It isn't true."

"Never leave again," Olen begs me. I look over to Rae before kneeling down to my brother.

"I have to go to Bethlianna, it is where I belong. You keep training hard and become the best Viker you can be. Can you do that for me?" Olen gives me a small nod before hugging her again.Rae approach me and Olen, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Maybe one day you can come visit us there," Rae offers. His light blue eyes look up at me and brightened at the idea.

He releases me, turning to our parents, "Can I?"

"We wouldn't want to intrude, Olen," Mother directs him, opening her arms and summoning my younger brother to her.

"It wouldn't be an intrusion, I swear to it," Rae promises them. "You're family now, family is the most important thing."

"Over honor and glory," my father nods. "Stay for supper. Sadly we have no banquet prepared but I will ensure you have a ship tomorrow to take you home."

"Your home is much more enticing than an inn or the ground," Rae laughs, causing my father to laugh with him.

"Come, I'll have fresh baths prepared for the both of you," Father turns and leads us all back inside. Not much later, two baths were set up in my chamber's washroom. Rae sunk down into his, fully relaxed by the steaming water. I gaze upon him, folding my arms on the rim and watching as he drifts in and out of sleep.

A thought hits me, he actually killed a shadowbeast because I asked him to. He risked his life, his Viker's life, simply for me. Simply because he believed I knew what I was doing and doing what I knew was best.

I rise from my bath, his eyes flutter and one opens. He admires my body, gazing up and down before they both close. "What is wrong, my love?"

"Nothing," I exit my bath and make my way over to his. His hand reaches up for me while his eyes stay closed. I grab his strong hand with mine, placing it on my stomach. His hands move with my body as I climb into his bath. As my legs straddle his hips, his eyes open to look upon me. "Everything is right."

His eyebrows furrow, then soften before his thumbs start massaging my hips under the water. The touch is warmer then the water, hell it's warmer than the fire burning across the room. The gaze he is bestowing upon me is enough to make me relax fully into his arms.

After many seconds of silence, I lean down, brushing my lips gently against his. When I pull back, he follows and pushes his lips against mine, giving me more passion then the previous peck. His tongue burns against my bottom lip and I can't help but part my lips to have that fire in my mouth.

As our tongues and lips dance together, his hands move from my hips to caress my ass. My finger trail up his chest, lacing themselves around his neck and into his hair. The water sloshes around us as we move as one, back and forth, pushing and pulling one another.

A knock on the door breaks my lips from his. However, his lips only move down, greeting my neck. "Khanel, Khanelea, you should dress for dinner."

"We'll be out momentarily, Ragna," I call, recognizing the servant's voice. The next sound to escape my lips is a gasp as I feel the male essence of Rae press against my slit. "Rae."

"Shh, darling," he mumbles against my collarbone, gripping my ass.

"Rae, we have dinner with my parents," I remind him, gripping some of his hair and gently pulling his head away from my body.

His eyes look so conflicted, mixing between brown and shinning red, an almost amber color. "Get up then," he smirks at me. I gladly stand and remove myself from the tub. He follows me, grabbing me from behind and pressing his shaft into the crevice of my ass. "But when we return this evening I plan to finish what you started."

He leaves me there, wrapping his robe around him and going into the chambers to find clothes waiting for him. I put on my shift and stockings before Ragna comes back in to help dress me in a fine blue dress with leather detailing around the neckline and extending to the waist. She brushed and braided my the top of my hair into three fat pieces, then tying it to the rest of my black hair. She finished by attaching two bronze broaches of my family's crest to my shoulders which attaches a brown shawl over my shoulders.

Rae mostly watches as he dressed himself in a similarly colored tunic with brown leather vest over top that reached down to his knees. His pants were made of leather and tucked nicely into his boots. Once we were both ready, the maid left us alone while she checked on dinner.

"You look lovely, my Khanelea," Rae bows slightly before offering me his hand. When I take it, he pulls me close and wraps his arms around me. "Very lovely indeed."

"You appear rather dashing yourself, my Khanel," I reply, having to tilt my head back to see past his large frame.

Ragna knocked before entering again, "The Aeral and Aeralea have requested you both for dinner," she bows before moving out of the way for us to exit the room.