Chapter 27

T he night ended with much fanfare, handfuls of grain tossed at the couple, and showers of petals rained on their heads as the Royal Couple retreated.

Not in the Queen’s sleeping chambers but across the expanse of fields towards the Katánian war encampment.

They flew through a night dripping with darkness, with Liana’s crimson and Kaxim’s sable wings unfurled in their full magnificence.

The Katánian camp stretched out before them, a sea of tents and men, ready for battle.

The air bristled with their power, and once again, Liana felt a deep sense of gratitude for their deterrent presence.

An honor guard of Sāb?r Hawks had formed a path leading to Kaxim’s tent. They hovered midair, their silhouettes lit by the myriad lanterns and open fires that lined the barracks’ avenue.

‘Bow to Her Highness, the Kwen? of Ilki and my wife,’ the Commander growled to his troops as he approached.

They snapped to attention as he raised his sāb?r ahead of them, raising their weapons and unfurling their aerofoils to create a mid-air arch that vibrated with visceral energy.

The couple glided under the arched creation.

Liana’s heart thudded as Kaxim’s pinions folded around her from behind, shielding her.

She dared to gaze at him soaring by her flank, his aura menacing and riveting.

She shivered as his muscles rippled and flexed in flight, even as his free hand grasped her tight to his side, the night air cool against their skin.

They landed before a self-contained, generous marquee erected on a spacious timber deck.

Liana’s heart thundered as Kaxim led her up a short flight of steps and held the valance open for Liana, his expression unreadable.

‘This is it,’ he said, his voice gruff as he followed her inside, letting the flap fall shut behind him.

A few days earlier, the elders suggested they move into a mansion in the hills surrounding KySyene.

It belonged to one of the Ilkan’s respected elders.

‘It’ll be the best location to begin your life together in a place of comfort and stability,’ K’Lita ventured after a war council meeting.

But Liana refused, her voice firm. ‘I have always been more at home in a tent,’ she’d said. ‘I will remain at the border of my country until the war with the invaders is over and make my residence within my husband’s k?lajan .’

Now she stepped through, eyes darting around her, trying to take it all in.

The stylish interior was simple, with a hint of restrained rustic.

A series of lanterns and gaslights lit the space with a gentle illumination, inviting one to cocoon away.

The light revealed a central living space with an expansive daybed. It overlooked a blocked-off bush area, denoting utter privacy with uninterrupted views of the camp and the hills beyond.

Still, Kaxim’s domain was spare and functional, with little in the way of soft furnishings or personal touches.

At the center of the expansive marquee was a principal dining and meeting section, with a fire pit designed for intimacy and seclusion.

A washroom lay to one side, tucked away by a tent flap.

Rearward, a second screen sectioned off the sleeping quarters.

‘I’ve always had a hammock,’ Kaxim growled. ‘But on hearing of our intended marriage, I availed myself of a divan from KySyene.’

Liana joined her hands in delight at the fabric-draped four-poster bed, complete with a king-sized pillow-topped ensemble and luxurious linen.

Liana shot him a smile, trying to ease the tension. ‘It’s amazing,’ she offered.

Kaxim grunted in response, not in the mood for pleasantries.

He moved to a basin close to the bed, splashing water onto his face and hands, the silence between them growing more awkward by the second.

Liana sighed in relief, feet aching from standing for so long.

Kaxim, however, was less enthusiastic.

He observed her with wariness as she moved around the tent towards her packed valise delivered earlier.

She sensed her presence was unsettling him.

‘Don’t touch my things,’ he growled.

He pointed to one end of the bivouac, ascribing her territory. ‘You can do whatever the fokk you want on this side, but leave my shit alone.’

Liana smiled at his resistance, undeterred by his gruff demeanor.

Liana searched for something, anything to say that might break the ice. ‘Which side do you usually—’

‘I’ll take that side,’ he rasped. His long, lean finger gestured to the left side of the bed. ‘It’s where I sleep.’

Liana blinked, taken aback by his abruptness. ‘Alright then,’ she said.

Flustered, she moved away. ‘I suppose I’ll take the other end.’

Opening her bags, she selected her nightclothes.

Suddenly, Liana’s cheeks warmed at the thought of Kaxim’s eyes on her, and she became self-conscious.

Kaxim appeared to sense her dissonance. ‘You’ll find a screen,’ he said, giving an abrupt wave at a simple folding partition in one corner. ‘If you need privacy to undress.’

‘ Sante ,’ she murmured, moving to the private area with a bundle of her nightclothes. As she began to change, her fingers fumbled with the ties and buttons, her heart racing for reasons she couldn’t quite name.

On the other side of the screen, she heard Kaxim moving about, his weapons clinking as he removed them.

The sound was comforting from a security perspective.

She’d never felt so safe in her freakin’ life.

Yet it also heightened her awareness of the unusual precariousness of their first night as husband and wife. Bound by soul and duty, fighting passion and their physical attraction.

However, they were, for the most part, strangers.

The resulting atmosphere was uncomfortable, awkward, and reticent.

Dressed in her nightgown, Liana stepped out from behind the panel. Kaxim had already stripped down to his trousers, his broad, muscular chest bare.

He shucked his bottoms with an inhale, standing tall in a loincloth.

He glanced at her, then sliced his silver eyes away, the briefest flicker of emotion crossing his face as a tic appeared on his jaw.

‘I sleep naked,’ he growled. ‘Have a problem with that?’

She slow-blinked, then shook her head. ‘ Nada .’

With a whip of his hands, he pulled the cloth away, sighing as if it had caused him some offense.

Liana dragged her eyes away from the ensuing view, although it’d be forever burnt in her memory from then on.

Her gaze lit on a tight ass, rounded, muscled, sinewed.

And at his front, a thick, long shaft with a bulbous, mushroomed head, stiff, pointed to his ripped stomach.

She wondered whether he was aroused or if he was perpetually erect and magnificently so because what the fokk ?

Regardless, her nipples pebbled, her pussy flooded.

She bit back a groan and sliced her eyes away from his sensuality and rippling manliness.

He appeared not to detect her discombobulation as she flushed red hot like a virgin.

Hotdamnfokkinhellandfeathers! How would she endure this torture?

Still, she had to, for the sake of her Kingdom.

‘Ready for sleep?’ he asked behind her, his baritone brusque as he moved to the divan, pulling back the covers on his side.

‘As I’ll ever be,’ Liana replied, forcing herself to walk toward the bed with as much confidence as possible, her thighs and clit slicking together in sensual purgatory.

She slid under the covers, the fabric cool against her skin, welcoming its relief.

Kaxim climbed in beside her, the bedding creaking from his weight.

The divan was expansive and roomy, yet the space between them appeared freakin’ tiny.

The scorching heat of his body radiating over her made it impossible to ignore his presence.

They lay silent, both staring at the canvas ceiling.

‘You don’t have to worry,’ Kaxim rasped.

His growl lowered even more. ‘I’m not going to - I won’t touch you. We can sleep, nothing more.’

Liana turned her head to look at him, surprised by his earnestness. ‘I wasn’t worried,’ she murmured, her heart racing. ‘But sante .’

Kaxim gave a short nod, but the tension didn’t ease.

He shifted onto his side, his back to her, intent on ending the conversation.

Liana sighed.

The bed was generous, and despite their efforts to keep to their own spaces, their proximity was overwhelming, almost suffocating.

Liana found herself hyper-aware of every slight movement Kaxim made, each shift and sigh.

She shivered from his heat, jolted at the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

Minutes passed, the silence broken only by the sounds of the camp outside—the occasional clink of armor, the murmur of voices, the distant crackle of a fire.

Like her, he was having trouble settling.

She wanted to say anything to ease the awkwardness, but she was unsure what to say. Instead, she got caught up in her thoughts, wondering if this was how it would always be—two strangers sharing a bed, bound by duty but nothing more.

As the night wore on, Liana drifted off, her body relaxing despite the tension in the air.

In the depths of their slumber, their soul bond stirred to life, threading through their dreams. It pulsed with warmth and light, drawing them closer even in sleep.

Liana dreamed of a battlefield where she and Kaxim fought side by side, their movements in sync, a deep sense of adoration, connection, and trust shared.

She sensed him with such clarity that she was certain he was having the same experience.

When they woke the following day, their shared strain was still floating in the motes of early sunlight, but it was different, softer somehow.

Neither spoke of their mutual dreams, but they experienced the shift, the subtle change in the air between them.

Kaxim dressed fast, avoiding Liana’s gaze as he prepared for the day.

But as he turned to leave the tent, he hesitated, glancing back at her for a moment.

‘Liana,’ he said, his voice gruff but not unkind. ‘I’ll see you at breakfast.’

Liana nodded, watching him go with a mixture of emotions swirling in her chest. While a cool distance remained, for the first time, she sensed it wasn’t insurmountable.

She just hoped that, in time, Kaxim would come to feel the same.