The Harbinger (A Fight for Light Novel Book 2) (17 page)

We slept in the tent as the sun was rising. Kellen lay on his back and I was lying with my head on his chest, in my favorite spot, in the crook of his arm. I had slept peacefully with him next to me all night. He was a perfect gentleman. We were all alone and it would have been very easy to take advantage of that. Neither of us spoke about it.

We had some pretty passionate moments at times but both of us knew that our relationship was not ready to go that far yet. I think he was trying to protect my innocence and I loved him even more for it. I had been raised on good old fashioned morals and he knew that. He was very patient. It meant a lot to me that he considered my thoughts and wishes above his own.

This trip together had been pivotal in our relationship. We had only said we loved each other the day before we left. So much had happened since we came here. The moment that stood out in my mind the most was his declaration of love to me at the waterfall. I had been so happy.

It made me happy now just thinking of it. I turned my face to place a kiss on his chest and looked up at him. He was staring down at me with a curious expression on his face.

“What was that for?” He asked me, intrigued.

“I was thinking of when you told me I had your heart by the waterfall.”

“Truly you do,” he replied warmly.

“I was also thinking about what a gentleman you are and how much I love that.”

He pulled me up so that my face was directly in front of him, his fingers lightly brushing the hair out of my eyes.

“Thank you, my darling. That means a lot to me. I respect your decisions.”

I ran my hand along his cheek and up through his hair, inching slowly across his chiseled jaw, past the masculine arch of his brow, sweeping up and then back down to the back of his neck. His eyes closed briefly and then they reopened. Desire creeped into them. A sigh of pleasure escaped his lips. The corners turned up, betraying the extent of his emotion.

I smiled in return, having thoughts that went along the same lines. He caught my expression and his arms tightened around me unconsciously. A small low laugh escaped from my chest. He raised his head, the hesitation lingered in his eyes for only a few seconds, then his lips met mine for a long minute. When he finally pulled back, I was breathless against him, my chest moving against his quickly.

“My thoughts aren’t very gentleman like right now,” he told me, breathing heavy.

“Kellen,” I responded, my heart racing in my chest, the fast beat matching his.

He pressed his lips to mine again, a tremor running through his muscular frame, and then sat up, pulling me with him. His voice was a little tight when he spoke.

“My self-control is not very strong right now in this tent with you. Come on. We need to get ready to leave.”

He kissed me again briefly, his eyes refusing to meet mine, and then brought us both up to our feet. He left to let me dress while he packed up the camp outside. All the while my thoughts kept returning to him again and again. I closed my eyes, feeling the heat of his kisses still upon my lips. With reluctance I pulled off my nightgown, determined to let the fires raging in my blood cool to a tolerable level.

I yanked on the riding pants and white blouse, pausing to tug the black riding boots onto my feet. These had been a gift from Kayleigh and his parents along with all of the other dresses she was keeping for me in the wardrobe in Kellen’s room back in Karmelo. I knew they would be waiting for me when I returned. When not if. I would be there again soon, I was certain of it. The thought made me smile. We would go back when we could. I was already anticipating another visit here.

I set to work folding blankets and rolling up the sleeping bags and was almost finished when Kellen walked in to check on me. I was bent over in front of him trying to get the zipper up on the last sleeping bag. It had been stubborn. I was tugging on it. I sighed and sat back just as he grabbed me around the waist. We tumbled over on the floor laughing in each other’s arms.

He suddenly stopped laughing as his hands clenched and unclenched around me. His sudden struggle broke through my own carefully constructed wall of control. It fled, in an instant, desire overriding logic.

“Rhiannon, I’m not handling this tent thing well. I just keep thinking about-”

My lips on his silenced him. We were facing each other on the ground. Our limbs entwined from tumbling down on the floor, our bodies flush, close enough to feel the pounding of our hearts, the heat of our embrace fusing like iron in flame. I ran my hands along his chest, through his shirt I could feel the strength and power of the muscles there, the raw physicality that made me weaken with just one touch. Yanking on the soft material, he pulled it over his head.

I moaned softly and his resistance shattered. In that instant I was hyper aware of every breath, every moan, every slightest touch. His lips became hard and demanding against mine. His hands seemed to be everywhere, along my waist and into my hair. He reached toward my hip and slid his hand slowly down to my thigh and yanked it up over him.

My back lowered to the tent. He arched as he pushed into me, the need of his body overriding his mind. His fingers gripped my thighs, intimately grasping my flesh, the heat penetrating the thin material of my pants. I felt the warm wet softness of his lips against my neck, exploring and teasing.

“Kellen!” I yelled passionately.

He pressed his lips back to mine forcefully while he clutched me to his chest and grabbed my other leg. Both of my knees clutched at his waist. His body drove into mine once, twice. Liquid fire plunged into my core. What was this feeling? A tightening in my stomach, a pressure in my groin? Whatever it was I never wanted it to stop…

Kellen sat us up, our limbs entwined, and broke the kiss. He stared at me with an intensity I had never seen before. He was breathing so hard with his teeth clenched that the muscle in his jaw twitched, while the muscles in his arms shook lightly with his effort to control himself. His eyes seemed half wild as he continued to stare at me. We said nothing, both of us trying to breathe, and neither of us wanting to let go.

It took him a very long time to compose himself. Long after his breathing slowed he continued to fight for control over his body. He didn’t move, even when he was able, and I stayed pressed against his chest and resting against his knees. His hands still held me as tightly as before. Never releasing.

I was fascinated by his struggle. My eyes stayed locked with his. I watched for what seemed like an eternity as his eyes slowly lost the wild, frenzied look. Finally, his hold began to loosen. He still didn’t let me go. Smugly I let my arms rest around his neck. Amusement creeped back into his eyes.

I smiled widely at him in response.

“Was it close this time?” I whispered.

He spoke with great effort, trying to keep his voice even. “You have no idea.”

I felt bad for his struggle but then I thought about his muscles again and lost my concentration.

“Rhiannon, stop looking at me like…you want me to devour you…I almost…we just about…” He couldn’t finish and ended with a small growl.

The growl was deep and…sexy. Just thinking the word made my thoughts wander again.

“Rhiannon, please.” His breathing was accelerating again along with mine. “I don’t want it to happen like this. I want it to be special. It needs to be right. You deserve that.”

“I’m having a hard time caring about that right now,” I admitted. My voice was so thick and deep and full of emotion I hardly recognized it.

“Damn,” he swore softly, “that’s the last thing I need to hear.”

Kellen jumped up fast, almost knocking me over backward. He scooped me up and marched right out of the tent. He practically ran to the horses and set me on one so fast I hardly realized what he was doing. He stepped back about ten feet from me and stood there breathing fast. His whole body looked tense and ready to snap like a rubber band.

I looked at him sheepishly. I was a tiny bit sorry for going overboard but not enough to say it. He struggled for a few minutes and regained his composure. He walked slowly back toward me, a small smile on his lips only a minute later. He looked thoughtful as he considered the situation in his head.

“Rhiannon, I think things are moving very fast for both of us. It’s not fair or right that I am having so difficult a time and making you do more than you are ready for. I’m going to cool it down a little.”

I nodded and tears welled up in my eyes. He was so good for me. He really did respect me.

“Please don’t get upset or your feelings hurt, ok? Because baby I love you and I want you more than anything in this world but I’m not going to steal it from you. I value you way too much for that. Do you understand?” His voice was so soft, so gently pleading, and full of emotion that the tears fell down over my cheeks.

“Thank you, I love you,” I told him sniffling.

He walked over and squeezed my hand. In his eyes I saw the truth that I had nearly forgotten in my interactions with Baylor. Kellen loved me, he protected me, both my honor and my physical body, and he truly wanted the best for me. It was worth thinking over. Worth considering, no matter how much my heart was swept up by the dark and handsome intensity of another man.

I would be careful.

I would be observant.

And I would trust in what I knew.

I watched as he finished packing away the tent and other supplies. When he was done we were both ready to leave and fully in control of ourselves. He winked, catching my eye, and I smiled at him with my best smile as his eyes caressed my face with their gentleness. I never tire of that look. Not the adoration, the love, or the patience that lingered in his gaze. I never would.

“Rhiannon, ready to go home and see Gran?”

“Oh, yes. Let’s go!”

I kicked my horse into a fast run and galloped off, Kellen behind me, laughing at my ploy. He was soon at my side and we raced along the grassy plains, the breeze whistling through the emerald green trees, toward the portal, toward Gran, toward home, and everything familiar.

“Ready?” Kellen asked.

I nodded my head eagerly. He took my hand and we jumped back through the portal toward home. Once through, he spun me around in a circle and kissed me as he twisted the ring and the gateway disappeared behind us.

I grabbed his hand, running through the forest toward home, anxious to reach it after so long. I was beyond excited to see Gran. As I ran, I began to notice the world all around me.

Everything seemed different, the sudden striking revelation catching me off guard. It was like all of the colors here were muted, and everything there was intensely bright. It was like comparing a full rich color photograph to one in dull sepia.

The contrast was huge. Radical.
Startling
. It must be the magic of that other place that made it seem that way to me. It even felt different here, slightly less fluid. Everything here felt choppy and rushed. There it had seemed slow and unchanging.

It was exactly the same, and yet completely different at the same time. I was left with a strange feeling of loss. The loss saddened me, and I quickly realized that leaving that other world behind was not going to be easy for me. My trips across would be fantastic and magical. Coming back was going to be nothing short of a letdown.

It’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy my world, but being exposed to such a paradise just couldn’t be compared. The bar was set so high in that amazing place that there was no comparison at all. My heart would forever long to return now that I had crossed over, and I wondered briefly if my Gran also felt that way, if our world constantly called to her to return home.

As we approached home, I thought about Kellen’s conversation with the guard. Should any news come about on either side, we would meet at the portal to discuss it. There was always to be someone on their side in the event of an emergency.

I hoped we wouldn’t have any need for contacting them, since that was sure to mean an attack. Minimal. The truth was that a battle
was
coming, and I could only hope it was far in the future.

My only desire was that peace would reign and any confrontation would be avoided. There were so many people I knew and loved on both sides now. War would spell disaster.

My world was completely ill equipped to deal with any kind of invasion or confrontation by the enemy. Nobody knew the truth or believed it. Utter chaos and destruction would reign down, causing the murder and enslavement of society.

I could be overreacting, and maybe I was over dramatic, but not by much. Maybe it was the enemy’s true vision. Maybe it
was
annihilation, on a global scale, of
both
worlds.

I was very foolish in my naivety. Kellen, of course, knew the truth with certainty; war
was
coming, sooner rather than later. We could do nothing to stop it, nothing to prevent it, powerless in our lack of knowledge.

We were blind, completely oblivious to the plan of the enemy. I was sure it was already set in motion. My dreams were growing more intense, more frightening. All we could do was wait, wait for something, good or bad. It was only a matter of time.

I pushed all of this aside as we approached the house. I burst through the front door looking for Gran, scanning the living room until I found her. When she saw me her eyes filled with tears as I tackled her with a big hug. She held me close against her, placing a kiss on my cheek, and squeezed me tight. I hugged her for several minutes, so happy that she was all right, and reluctant to let her go. I had missed her terribly. She had always been my anchor, and now I was back home.

“Oh Gran, I missed you so much! How are you?” I asked her excitedly.

“Good dear, happy now that you are safe and home. Hello Kellen.”

“Hi Gran, we missed you. It’s been a long few weeks,” he informed her as he dropped the duffle bag and two backpacks he was carrying.

“You must be tired and hungry. Come into the kitchen and get something to eat. I missed you and your constant chatter. It was quiet here without both of you making noise.”

She winked at me and I knew she was joking with us. I followed her into the kitchen, amazed at the wide spread of food she had prepared on the breakfast bar and the large crock pot full of lasagna on the counter. Gran
knew
we would be home today. I was surprised again at her accuracy and foresight. Nothing escaped Gran’ notice.

We ate together, mostly talking about the neighbors, church, and other topics of interest to Gran. She didn’t ask many questions about my visit to the Monterro Valley. I wondered if she was upset. Gran was a detail oriented person, like me, she liked to be informed. My analytical mind was a direct result of her DNA. I figured there must be some things she wanted to discuss with only me. Picking up on her signal I decided to make an effort to speak to her alone as soon as I was able.

That night, when Kellen left to do a safety check, I approached Gran in her room, certain she awaited me. I brought the jewelry music box with me. Approaching her door quietly, I knocked.

“Yes? Come on in dear.”

I opened the door, walking into the room.

“Hey Gran, I wanted to talk with you. Are you busy?” I asked hesitantly.

“No Hun, come talk to me,” she patted the bed invitingly.

I sat next to her, laying the box between us. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“This is mine Gran. My father made it for me after I was born. It’s really beautiful, don’t you think? Take a look inside,” I invited her, not pausing to give her a chance to refuse.

Gran slowly lifted the lid, smiling when the music started. She noticed my name etched inside the lid, her finger tracing the etched letters, and drifting to the jewelry below. I took out the charm bracelet and put it on, admiring the silver sparkle on my wrist. Then I found my mother’s opal ring and slipped it on my right index finger. She looked at it for a moment in silence before I noticed the tears hovering brightly in her eyes.

“I remember when your mother bought this ring. She was very fond of jewelry, especially opals and sapphires. Your Gramps used to enjoy giving her a hard time about it. He always ended up buying whatever she wanted. We loved to spoil her. You know, she was about your age when she got this ring, now that I think about it,” Gran told me softly.

“I didn’t know that. I love all of her jewelry. Some of these pieces belong to you too, don’t they?”

“Yes, I passed them to her. I love cameos. They are yours now. I always intended them for you eventually. It’s right that you have these and the jewelry box. Your father made it for you when he was across the portal, when you were a baby, before they died, didn’t he?”

“Yes, according to what I was told. It was supposed to be delivered in person.”

I was watching her face, concerned. Maybe this was too much for her.

“Yes, I am certain of that. I told you that your parents always intended to return home. How are Sully and Glenna?”

I looked at her in surprise. She would know, of course. She must have seen it in her dreams.

“Very good. They were so happy to see me. I got the impression…that they were a little upset that I never saw them or knew about them…” I trailed off. Should I bring this up?

“They were not happy with the decision your Gramps and I made to stay here on this side of the portal and hide you away. It took considerable effort to convince them that it was best. In the end, I stand by my choice, even if it was painful…for us all,” she admitted.

I had no idea what to say. How did I approach more about it without upsetting her further?

I let it go. Gran had enough to deal with.

“I met Grandpa Fergus and Grandma Jean too. Everyone was loving and friendly. It was kind of emotional but I’m glad I got to meet them,” I told her truthfully.

“Yes, the timing is right. I feel better knowing you have family on both sides now. If you needed somewhere to go, you would be protected. You would have family. It’s a great relief to me.” She put the jewelry down that she held. “I miss them all. Your Gramps and I were very close to both families long ago.”

“Yes, they miss you too. They were sad to hear about Gramps. I hated to be the one to tell them but it was necessary I guess. It was a pleasant visit otherwise. Glenna sent some jars of preserves and told me to give you a hug for her. I had a nice time Gran.”

I took her hand and held it, squeezing lightly.

“Glenna is a wonderful cook. Her preserves are legendary. Is she the one who gave you the bracelet? It’s the only piece that’s new.”

“Yes, my mother started it by adding the heart. It was her gift to me for my first birthday. Each year Glenna and Grandma Jean added a charm on my birthday. They finished it this year when I turned eighteen. It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I thought it may have something to do with your mother. She was so happy when she had you, so excited to have a little girl. I’m not surprised she started it for you.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, looking at the bracelet.

“Gran, are you all right?” I asked, concern for her making me anxious.

The catch in her voice was unmistakable. It made my heart heavy.

“Yes, Rhia sweetie. I have been emotional the last few days. I think it has to do with missing your Gramps but also with you. I know how intense the visit was for you. I felt it through our connection. I’ll be fine. I am only concerned for you dearest,” she told me, patting my hand as if I was the one who needed the comfort and not her. She brushed my cheek affectionately.

“I am fine, truly. I did struggle for a while but I feel good. I am dealing with the emotions and the reality of it all…and…it is working out,” my voice faltered, “I’ll be all right Gran. Don’t worry.”

She pulled me into a lingering hug, and I squeezed her tight, not letting go for longer than I should have. I left the room sometime later, relieved after our discussion. Gran always knew what to say to chase the gloomy clouds away. She was my sunshine. My ray of hope. Her positive attitude and unending love could get me through the toughest of circumstances. I loved her so very much. I don’t know what I would do without her.

Kellen was waiting for me in my room, lounging on the bed, flipping through a muscle car magazine. He looked up when I entered.

“Did you have a nice talk with your Gran?”

“Yes, she is worried about me,” I confessed as I sank onto the mattress. “I tried to put her mind at ease. I showed her the box my dad made me and the jewelry. It was a little emotional for us both. What did you do tonight?” I asked, changing the subject.

He grinned. “I took a long walk, thought about you and hoped to get a chance to use my sword. Nothing happened. It’s quiet out there tonight.”

I rolled my eyes. “Maybe you’ll get a chance to thump some bad guys soon enough.”

He laughed, bringing me close and pulling me onto the bed next to him. He kissed me, feather soft and light, resting his forehead against mine. “I’d rather stay here and hold you close.”

“Done,” I smiled, “sounds good to me.”

We stayed up late, talking and laughing well into the night. I finally fell asleep next to him, our fingers intertwined.