6. Kieran

6

KIERAN

The lightest kiss to the shell of my ear had my eyes fluttering open to my barely lit bedroom. The faintest amount of morning light broke through a separation in the curtains. I let out a happy hum of contentment as warmth exploded through my body upon waking to the sensation of Bastian's body so close to mine.

This was far different from how I had woken up last time, and I couldn't help but savor the moment. Bastian's solid and secure arm around my waist felt natural—like we had woken up like this every single morning for years.

When he shifted his weight, his head fell to rest on the same pillow as me. I used the slight distance between us to turn my body until I faced him. Rolling into his chest, his arm immediately tightened around me in a possessive hold, removing the remaining distance between us. For someone who hadn't known how to cuddle until recently, he was doing a hell of a job at it.

"Good morning," I whispered, finding that while he was clearly awake, his eyes remained closed. His fingers traced back and forth along my waist in an intentional, soothing pattern. The sensation had me shivering, almost hypersensitive to his touch, as a blush spread over my cheeks.

While I wasn't an innocent maiden by any means, there was just something about Bash that made me feel flustered when we were alone in these moments. Perhaps it was a combination of knowing he seemed to be entirely new at everything intimate coupled with the way my body innately responded to him. I found myself so drawn to him but uncertain of the path to take forward in the relationship, not knowing his comfort levels.

"It is morning, but I won't say it's a good one, because I have to get out of your bed," he mused, his voice raspier than normal. His deep-crimson eyes opened to hold my gaze. I couldn't help but notice how well-rested he appeared, a relaxed light to his gaze and a lack of tension in his frame.

"Did you sleep well? I don't think I had a single dream," I murmured, our voices intimate whispers in the cozy, warm space. There was a very large part of myself that assumed I would be tormented by nightmares following such a gruesome battle, but so far I had yet to experience that…Or if I had, I didn't remember them. Something I was thankful for.

"I always sleep the best when I have you in my arms, Darling," he admitted, his sweet words pulling a smile from me. Considering we had only slept in the same bed a couple times, I took that as an endearing compliment. "And naturally, I plan on taking full credit for your great night of sleep—everyone in the house should know just how well you slept because of my presence. In fact, we should make this a nightly occurrence because of how much it benefits you!"

The teasing, dramatic tone to his words had me offering him a knowing look, my fingers sliding up to brush along his jaw from where they had been trapped against his chest. "Now you're just trying to cause trouble."

"Or I'm trying to ensure that the others grow competitive over taking care of you." He flashed me a wicked smile. "It's a pretty ingenious plan if you ask me."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing, and his eyes sparked in response to the noise, shifting immediately into a bright, blood-red color. When his gaze darted down to my lips and heat saturated his expression, his hands tightened on my hips and my laughter faded immediately. The intensity and sudden change in his expression—now hungry in nature—had my toes curling with nervous excitement.

"Bash?" I whispered, my heart hammering so incessantly in my chest it felt like it might break free.

His gaze flickered up from my lips as he purred, "Yes, Darling?"

"What…what are you thinking about?"

His answer was immediate. "If your lips taste as good as your blood."

Oh.

Drawing my lip in with my teeth was a nervous habit, but I loved the way he sucked in a sharp breath in response. I released the delicate flesh with a small smile curling my lips at the edges.

I'd wanted to take this further. Maybe this was my chance to let him know that, while still letting him lead.

"You should see if they do," I whispered boldly, feeling heat rise to my cheeks as I spoke.

Immediately, Bastian's head dipped as his lips melded against mine in a hard, intense kiss that had my entire body turning to a puddle. My hands slid up and into his hair, causing both of us to deepen the kiss before he suddenly rolled us. The weight of his body pressed down on me and I whimpered, legs falling open to allow him to settle between them. The sensation of his hard length pressing between the apex of my thighs caused me to tremble.

A deep rumble left his chest as I locked my legs around him—but all too soon, he broke away from our kiss. Both of us were breathing unevenly and fast, and there was a wild look in his eyes as he stared at me in a way I was unsure of. Perhaps adoration? The intensity of it heightened the heat of the blush in my cheeks as I fought the urge to lean up to steal another kiss.

"Bash, that was?—"

"A hell of a first kiss," he admitted roughly, before leaning down to brush his lips against mine once more. "And for the record, your lips are as sweet as your blood, Darling. I'm utterly addicted to every part of you, it seems. I suppose I'll have to stay around forever, just to get my daily dose."

A whimsical sigh left him as a smile spread my lips into a full grin. He was so dramatic, and so mine .

After a long moment of comfortable silence, he rolled us back over to the side, and I allowed myself to soak in the deep affection I could feel expressed through his reverent touch. He may not have realized it himself yet, but when he cared for someone, it was so palpable that you could feel it with every part of your being. I swore my toes were tingling in delight right now. How was that even possible?

"If today wasn't important, I would suggest we stay in bed," he murmured, twirling a piece of my hair around his finger in thought. While I absolutely loved the idea of that, it did remind me of why today was so important…

"How are you feeling about meeting with Noah?"

His expression turned thoughtful, his gaze going distant momentarily as he tilted his head in consideration of my words. "I'm not sure. I mean his theory doesn't surprise me at all. Not that I understand what an Archimage is, but I do know that my magic has never existed within the realm of 'normal.' So the concept that I could have a dead affinity isn't very surprising to me. It would explain why Alfemir was so obsessed with figuring out what made me tick."

I nodded in understanding as he continued, "But it does make me wonder what else I've been able to do that I have yet to try. The prospect of having unlimited magic is appealing, but somehow, this theory makes me feel like I understand my magic even less than I did before."

"I feel similarly," I expressed, my concerns about training with Noah coming to the forefront of my mind. "I don't even know, or can't begin to fathom, what my training will include. I mean, how will he train either of us if he doesn't have experience with our affinities? At least you're already actively using magic, so that should help to an extent, but I'm at a complete loss on how he'll conduct my training."

"Noah wouldn't offer if he didn't have at least some information," Bastian assured me before sighing. "Well, at least I would hope that's the case."

"We need to go see him," I said as I closed my eyes, accepting that we were in fact going to have to get out of bed.

"Come on, Darling." Bastian brushed his lips against mine once more before rolling off the bed, causing a scowl to start to slip onto my lips. A chuckle filled the space as I watched him walk to the bedroom door.

When he turned back to look at me, his smile had my own appearing. "The faster you get up, the faster you can have coffee."

Well, now getting up felt at least a bit more appealing…As my door clicked shut with his departure, I rolled out of bed, standing up and stretching my arms above my head. Moving into the bathroom, I quickly tugged my hair into a high ponytail before washing my face and brushing my teeth. I applied the lightest amount of mascara to my light lashes and brushed on some chapstick before going to my wardrobe. I slipped on a pair of dark leggings and a cropped shirt over my sports bra. Once I laced up my sneakers, I called it good enough.

Before leaving the room to join the others downstairs, I walked toward the bedroom windows and pushed open the curtains, revealing the cloudy morning sky. While it wasn't raining yet, I couldn't help but want to light a candle and curl up in bed for the day, the weather creating a cozy and perfect atmosphere for relaxing. I couldn't remember the last time that was even an option.

One day I would. One day we all would have the option to do whatever we wanted, without a cloud of dread hampering us and the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

As I strode out the door, I ran into Gabe. He pulled to a hard stop and caught me by the waist as I stumbled back from hitting my face on his hard, muscular chest.

"Shit, hello to you too," I murmured under my breath.

"Sorry, Little Star, I didn't mean to almost knock you on your ass." He looked over my frame with concern, his brows furrowing as I narrowed my eyes playfully.

"Alright, come on now, I'm a bit stronger than that." I scowled, causing amusement to tug at his lips.

"Of course, I would never claim otherwise," he agreed a little too easily, tugging on my ponytail playfully in the process.

Offering him a small huff, I walked past him and down the steps, but his chuckle followed me down onto the main floor. Knocked me on my ass? Maybe I needed to show him some of the training that had been drilled into me—we would see who'd be on their ass then. The picture of me straddling him, with him flat on his back, had my legs rubbing a little too closely together with each step. I was still a little worked up from that kiss with Bastian and needed to find a way to expel this pent up sexual energy.

"I'll grab you coffee," Gabe mused in passing while going toward the kitchen, drawing Ronan's attention to the two of us. The Beast Tamer stood over the cooktop, folding an egg in a skillet with an assembly line on the counter next to him for whatever he was creating.

"Morning, Beauty," he greeted me as I neared the island. His large hands reached over to the far left to hand me a wrapped object. I took it happily, realizing it was a homemade breakfast sandwich.

"Thanks, Ronan." I offered him a small smile that he returned. The sound of laughter tugged my attention toward the sectional in the living room, and my brows shot up.

"Niz?" My voice was louder than I intended, imbued with surprise as I found his gaze already trained on me. Bastian, who had clearly just said something to make him laugh, sat in his normal spot eating his breakfast.

Moving across the room toward them, I couldn't help but greedily look over Niz in this form, especially now that he was on the mend and no longer in such rough shape. In the short time between first seeing him shifted and now, I had somehow forgotten just how large the man was and how much space he took up. Even in a shirt and sweatpants, he held himself like a warrior, his arm spread out along the back of the couch as his dark gaze ran over me with interest.

The look only served to stoke the flames within my core higher—something I definitely didn't need help with today.

"Kieran, you look beautiful." My eyes widened at the unexpected compliment from Niz. Bastian made a sound of agreement that had my cheeks flushing, feeling shy over their attention. Specifically Niz—everything between us was so new that his words invoked a softer, more vulnerable reaction in me than my normal confidence.

"Thank you," I offered before sitting on the arm of the chair perpendicular to the couch. "You're looking much better, though I'm surprised you're shifted back into human form. I know Ronan mentioned it was easier for you to heal in the other one."

"He's right about that, but at this point with how quickly I've recovered, it's okay to be in this form for a bit. I feel ten times better than before, I promise," he assured me, reaching out to squeeze my hand.

"Because of me," Bastian pointed out, causing Niz to chuckle in response as he released my hand.

"I already said thank you, you insufferable fool. I would even consider us friends now?—"

Bastian offered him an arched brow. "I hadn't realized I had accepted your friendship yet." Niz groaned at Bash being difficult, and I broke out into a laugh, unable to help myself.

My heart felt so whole, knowing all of them were safe and well enough to be here, joking around.

Before they could continue their back and forth, the pounding of footsteps on the stairs had all of us looking to the foot of the stairs, where Steele now stood. "Everyone ready to go?"

"Nearly," Ronan said, turning off the stovetop while finishing up the last sandwich.

"Yes!" I called out, drawing Steele's attention to the three of us.

"Niz, you staying here or do you plan to come to training?" Steele asked.

I almost let out a snort. Niz had almost died yesterday and Steele was already assuming Niz might be well enough to train. It was so on brand for the commander.

"I'm going to take the opportunity to rest a bit more," Niz answered, stretching an arm above his head. "But I may take you up on training in a few days."

"Sounds good," Steele nodded sharply, going toward the coffee machine.

I had to give him credit for not looking disappointed in Niz choosing to rest longer. The Steele who had kicked my ass in training when we first arrived would have judged him, without a doubt. Perhaps old dogs could learn new tricks. However, I was still a little suspicious of this massive change in Steele's behavior. Part of me still felt apprehensive, waiting for the harsh man to come back out.

Looking back at Niz, I tilted my head in thought. "Are you sure you're going to be okay here by yourself?" I knew it was ridiculous to fret over him like this, but my protective streak for Niz hadn't disappeared, even after finding out he wasn't just the adorable little wyvern I'd met back in Alfemir.

His eyes lit up with amusement as he called me on it. "Are you worried about me?"

It seemed there were now two people with a pension for the dramatic living under one roof. Just my luck.

I huffed, rolling my eyes. "Well, now I'm not?—"

Niz caught my hand once again as Bastian stood and made his way toward the kitchen, leaving the two of us to our banter. "What if I told you I wasn't going to be okay?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, my brow dipping in actual concern…only to realize that he was messing with me.

"I'm simply saying that if you don't give me my normal goodbye, I may have a lousy day. It may even impede my healing."

"You want me to kiss your nose?" I deadpanned, wondering if that was actually what he was getting at.

"No, I don't want you to. I need you to," he corrected, flashing a smile. "It's a medical necessity at this point, don't you see?"

I let out a snort of laughter as my head shook at his antics. What was I going to do with all of these men?

I was done overthinking things, though, so I let my gut and own desires urge me on. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his nose. Pulling back, my eyes widening at the intense way he watched me with a playful scowl on his face.

"Well, that wasn't nearly long enough," he grumbled.

"It was exactly like normal," I pointed out with a knowing smile.

"Fine. Fine. It will do. For now ."

I didn't miss the inflection he placed on the last two words.

"Come on, Princess, you can flirt with your harem later," Steele called out, his words pulling me to my feet. "Or if you'd rather I tell Noah that you're too busy with multiple men doing?—"

"Goodness gracious, I'm coming!" I yelled, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. Though I couldn't deny that a part of me wondered exactly what he thought I would do with multiple men.

He flashed me a cocky smirk as I approached. "Can't say I've ever had a woman be so polite when she announced she's coming. There's a first for everything."

I didn't hold back, driving my now curled fist into his side, just the way he'd trained me. A hiss came from him as he instinctively pulled a hand up to the spot as I strolled out.

Glancing back over my shoulder, I batted my eyes at him. "Have you ever been punched after she announces she's coming? There's a first for everything, after all."