24. Kieran

24

KIERAN

It was a few hours later when we finally left the medical center—my heart feeling far lighter at the prospect of the speedy recovery the boy would undergo. Of course, he would be in the center for a few days at minimum, but with the type of medical attention he was receiving, and with his mother by his side, I had no doubt that he would be on the mend soon. It was also a relief to understand how any of this had happened to begin with.

Upon hearing the full story, the boy's mother immediately offered her suspicions.

Apparently, Bradley's—the young boy's name—older cousin had recently taken his first journey outside of the sheltered kingdom. The mother suspected Bradley had overheard his cousin talking about the tunnels to his mother and aunt and decided that he wanted to try his hand at them. Bradley was known for being adventurous, but clearly he had gotten himself into far deeper water than he ever expected.

I watched Conan and Nora's reactions throughout the story and could tell their concern and worry for the boy was authentic. I had a feeling they were going to add security to all tunnel entrances and be extra cautious in the upcoming period—especially if Alfemir turned into the battlezone we expected it to.

But for now, the castle was quiet as we made our way from the medical center toward our suites. The men around me were talking about the plans that needed to be made, but I found myself drifting, examining the castle as we passed through each winsing corridor. If we were in a different time and place, I would have gladly spent all day exploring.

At that exact moment, my stomach decided to rumble loudly—causing a flush to fill my cheeks as everyone pulled to a hard stop.

Ronan was immediately in front of me, tilting my chin up with one hand. "When was the last time you had a meal?"

"This morning," I pointed out, but then frowned—had I actually eaten anything?

"Just coffee," Bastian argued, cocking a brow in my direction. Traitor. "She didn't eat anything."

"Alright," I put my hands on my hips, offering a playful glare at the overbearing men. "Fine, I'm hungry, so let's go find something to eat. No need to make a big deal out of it."

Niz looked in the direction of the suites before offering, "We could have something brought up from the kitchen, but we could also go down to the dining hall if you prefer."

"I would love that," I agreed, liking the idea of seeing more of the castle and its inhabitants. Our truce with the wyverns might have been shaky at best, but beginning to interact with them could only be a good thing, right? "But only if everyone else is hungry."

"I am," Ronan agreed.

Gabe rolled his shoulders back before stretching his arms above his head. "If you don't mind, Little Star, I'm going to use this opportunity to start planning. I feel on edge being so close to Alfemir but not having a plan in place."

"And I'd like to join you. Amelia and Noah will want to hear from us soon," Steele agreed before fixing me with a look. "You need to go eat, though." I scowled at his demanding tone but didn't argue with him.

"If you tell me the direction, I'll take her," Ronan assured them with a tight-lipped grin. He turned his attention to the wyvern before asking, "Niz are you coming with? Bastian looks like he's about to fall asleep standing up?—"

Bash absolutely did, but he still scoffed at Ronan's words. Considering the amount of power he put out while saving and stabilizing Bradley, I could only imagine how tired he actually was.

"I'm going to stay with them. I'd like to invite a few of the generals to come talk with us, as long as the two of you don't mind."

"Not a problem," Steele assured Niz as Gabe nodded.

My brow furrowed in concern and I worried my lip. "If it's going to be a big meeting, I don't want to miss it."

"If I had to guess, the first hour or so will likely be filled with arguments on how to best handle things," Niz pointed out. "So join us when you're done eating. I promise you won't miss much."

Deciding it wasn't worth the argument because I was very much hungry, I took the hand Ronan offered and we parted ways with the others, after taking direction from Niz. I wouldn't lie, the minute we were alone, I felt my body relax completely as I smiled up at him—feeling like we could ignore the heaviest of our problems right now. It's the same feeling I got when I was able to have one-on-one time with any of the men.

"What's on your mind?" I asked curiously. As we turned down a silent corridor, Ronan came to a stop and looked down at me.

"You terrified me today." The raw pain in his voice had my eyes widening as his hands hovered over my waist, as if he was hesitant to touch me. I didn't like that at all.

"What?" I asked, sliding my hand up his chest and stepping closer. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you terrified me—" His large hand clasped my hip tightly as he continued, "That was exactly what I felt when I saw you moving toward that group of soldiers. Absolute, gut-crushing fear. Beauty, I was terrified I was about to lose you."

"Ronan, I had to stop them?—"

"I know," Ronan interrupted me, bringing a thumb to brush against my bottom lip. "I know, Beauty. You didn't do anything wrong, but it still scared me. It still caused my chest to fill with panic at the idea of not being able to reach you in time, to not be able to protect you."

My heart squeezed in my chest at the seriousness of his words as he continued, "I know you're more than capable of protecting yourself and others, but I want to protect you. I need to protect you."

"I like when you protect me," I admitted honestly, thinking back to when Ronan stood up to my father at that final placement exam. "I trust you to protect me, Ronan." Which was also true. I hadn't expected it, but when Bash's magic reacted poorly and attacked me in training, Ronan immediately stepped in to stop him.

It was so much more than that, though. Not only did I trust him to protect me, but I trusted him as a partner as well. I may have never had a serious relationship before, but I knew that I could trust Ronan. He was loyal—a bit intense, sure—but protective to a fault, and he always tried to do what was right for those around him, even at his own expense. There was so much about Ronan that I just… loved.

I loved Ronan.

A breath whooshed out of me, and my heart felt like it jumped up into my throat as joy and awe rushed over me. I loved Ronan . The knowledge radiated through me as a smile tugged at my lips, my gaze absorbing every ounce of affection I could see being directed back at me. I loved him —there was no doubt about it.

"Kieran?" Ronan asked softly, drawing my attention from where I had been drifting in thought as I stared up at him. I probably should have kept my thoughts to myself, but I couldn't—not when we would soon be facing such extreme circumstances. I didn't want to regret not telling Ronan exactly how I felt about him.

"I love you."

My soft words floated between us as surprise filtered through his gaze, his emerald eyes darting across my face, looking for truth there. Clearly, he saw something he liked because the intensity of the energy between us grew almost suffocating as he stepped closer to me, causing me to lean back against the corridor wall as he cupped my jaw with both hands.

"Again. Say it again." I could practically see something rolling under the surface of his skin, as if he was trying to control it—to reign it in. That was the last thing I wanted. I didn't want Ronan to hold anything back from me. Ever.

I didn't hesitate to say the words again. "I love you, Ronan."

His lips slammed against mine, molding to me as if he was trying to permanently fuse us together. His hands came up under me—picking me up so I was pinned against the wall—and my legs wrapped around him tightly. My hands slid into his hair, deepening the kiss, as a near animalistic sound broke from his chest. We were devouring one another, and as I moaned against his mouth, his grip turned almost bruising.

It wasn't until he broke the kiss and trailed the touch down my neck, causing me to shiver in delight, that I realized we were in the middle of the hallway.

"We have to find somewhere more private—" I gasped as he pulled me away from the wall. He held me securely against his front, and I could feel his hard cock pressing right against my center. I shivered, my toes curling in anticipation, as he flung open the closest door.

I was relieved to see it was an empty study room of some kind, with a desk and some shelves I could faintly see in the soft light breaking through the window. Not that it mattered, because almost immediately, Ronan had my full attention once again as he demanded another possessive kiss from me. The door shut with a loud slam and we were left completely alone— perfectly alone.

"Ronan, I need more," I whispered as he dropped onto his knees, laying me out on the floor in front of him. "Please."

"You never need to beg. I would give you anything," Ronan said seriously, holding himself over me, truth and authenticity bleeding through his open expression. "I love you, Kieran. Though I don't think those words even properly describe how strongly I feel about you. You are the start and finish of everything to me. I love you so damn much, Beauty."

The world seemed to suspend in space momentarily as unadulterated happiness exploded through my chest and a hot wave of lust crashed over me. Any hesitation was gone as I tugged him forward by the shirt so I could kiss him again, his taste one that I planned on memorizing.

"You have all of me," he emphasized once more before letting out a groan at my touch, my fingers finding their way under his shirt as he wedged a knee between my legs, caging me against the ground. "Always."

"I want all of you, now," I demanded. "And for this shirt to be off."

Ronan's dark laugh caused my toes to curl as he leaned back and tugged the garment off. I tried to do the same with my own, failing miserably in my caged position. With help from his rough, large hands pushing under my shirt, we were easily able to discard it. Our lips met once again in a flurry of desperate touch. My skin flushed at the feel of our bare skin pressed against one another, and my nipples hardened almost painfully, my bra feeling tight and uncomfortable.

As if knowing, he worked his way down my body, spreading my legs to accommodate himself, and tugged each cup of my bra to the side. I hissed as his lips closed around one of my nipples, causing desire to shoot straight through my body before I moaned his name. I could feel liquid heat between my thighs as he teased and toyed with the other breast. I found myself wrapping my legs tightly around his waist in an effort to find some type of relief at the feeling of his length pressing against me. Already, I knew that I needed him inside of me. That was the only way I would feel better.

When he suddenly moved away from my breasts, I mourned the loss of his touch until I realized he had tugged off each of my shoes and was sliding my pants and panties over my ass, leaving me bare to his eyes. He groaned at the sight of me laid before him, and it felt like he had been wanting to devour me for ages, a visceral need shining across his face. A desperate sound left my throat as I tried to reach for him.

His hand pressed against my chest as he dipped his head, his mouth meeting my wet, hot center.

"Ronan!" I cried out his name, arching off the ground as thoughts outside of raw, pleasurable need drifted away.

"Those sounds," Ronan groaned against my pussy before he suctioned his lips around my clit. I gasped, feeling the strong wave of pleasure growing in my abdomen that told me I was going to come soon. My hands intertwined in his hair as my legs trembled, my body overwhelmed by the primal craving for release.

When he suddenly broke away, a whimper left me, causing him to sear his mouth against mine. He caught the noise as the erotic taste of myself on his mouth caused my head to spin.

"Why did you stop?" I demanded breathlessly when he pulled away enough for me to speak.

"When you come tonight, Beauty, I want it to be around my cock."

Before I could utter a response, he slid two fingers inside of me, stretching me out as I whimpered at the sensation. I watched eagerly as he undid his own belt with his other hand and pushed down his pants to reveal his hard length. My pussy squeezed around his fingers in anticipation.

"You're so wet for me," He praised, staring down at my pussy before holding my gaze once more. "I'm never letting you go, Kieran. Ever."

"I don't want you to," I said breathlessly as he pushed my legs toward my chest, brushing his length against my slit. A moan of his name broke through my lips.

Ronan impaled me in one swift, hard punch of the hips.

"Holy shit," I breathed out, the sound strangled as I moaned around the feeling of him stretching me. "You're huge."

Ronan's broken groan sounded nearly feral, vibrating between us as he nipped my bottom lip. I whimpered at the sensation as my skin flushed, his hard length pulling out before he plunged back in. I moaned against his mouth as he began to pulse in and out of me.

This felt amazing.

As he slid in and out of me with his massive length, his kiss absolutely devouring, his hands gripped the soft flesh of my hips. I could feel my body stretching pliantly, accommodating for his size, and my center exploded with molten heat. The erotic sound of him entering me again and again caused me to feel an intoxicating sense of pleasure.

When his one hand moved so that his thumb could roll over my clit, I came. Hard.

I cried out, loudly enough that it echoed through the room, as he moved faster and harder. Not giving me a chance to recover, he began to absolutely decimate me with euphoria. I could feel a large, white-hot pleasure growing in my center, and I found my fingers digging into his back, needing him closer. Always close. My nails broke skin and the scent of blood tinted the air.

"Good girl," he growled as he pumped his hips mercilessly, "coming on my cock like that."

Fuck. His words had me trembling. The power this man had over my body was absolutely insane.

"I'm going to come again," I whispered against his lips. "Come with me. Please."

"Where do you want me to come?"

"Inside of me," I answered immediately as he groaned, almost as if my words caused him pain. It felt like he grew larger inside of me, and his pace became that much more demanding. My body was putty underneath him, and all I could do was open my legs further, loving the power he was exerting over me.

"Hold tight, Beauty," he groaned.

I should have known he would deliver as he began to pound in and out of me, filling me with his full length each and every time until I felt dizzy, needing another burst of blinding relief. A ripple of orgasmic pleasure ran through me as Ronan marked me inside and out.

"Come. Now." His demand had my body instantly obeying.

I broke around him as he bottomed out and buried his head in my neck. His roar of my name echoed around us and I shuddered at the feel of him filling me up. My heartbeat was loud in my ears and I could almost feel his too, as if the two were beating as one. I felt so connected to him that it almost drew tears to my eyes.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes shone with so much affection. "I love you, Beauty."

"I love you too," I whispered as he pressed his forehead against my own. The moment was absolute perfection.

Which is why it made absolutely too much sense when my stomach rumbled— loudly.

"Shit." Ronan sat back, pulling out of me and gently helping me off the floor. "I'm getting you food. Now."

I wouldn't argue with that.