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“I’m going to do lots of writing today” I said

“Nothing is going to distract me today” I said

.... Say hello to my two new fosters.....

Open to potential names! Both are girls haha

[skippie89]

And just when you thought you had the sofa to yourself... Along comes the pup

[skippie89]

Secreting Shadows #4

Aithlyn rested against her closed door as she pulled down her mask. She grinned to herself as she thought to how gossipy knights were when they thought no one else was listening. During the time she was in the castle she was able to find out that the knight from Vih’thras was going to participate in the joust, although it still frustrated her that she still hadn’t been able to find the knight in question. Maja had also noticed something was amiss, but she had to run out of the room as she had surprisingly picked up on Aithlyn’s presence.

She had watched as a set of triplets had deliberately been trying to make Lydia feel incompetent. This had annoyed her greatly as she actually liked the Knight Commander. From what Aithlyn could gather they were also going to the joust and she was going to enjoy making their day hell. Just before leaving the castle she had checked in with Cedric to make sure that Azaril was doing fine. Aithlyn smirked as she was told that it would seem her cousin was smitten with a certain demon.

Tiredly pushing herself off the door she stripped as she walked further into her bedroom, folding her clothes as she went along and hid them under the loose panel she had placed in the headboard of her bed before pulling a nightdress over her head and falling into bed.

She couldn’t have been asleep more than an hour before there was a knock at her door. Grumbling as she rubbed her eyes she walked towards the door. Lifting her hand up she took the blade she had hidden at the top of the door frame before opening the door slightly and squinting at the light.

“Lady Lyn! You’re not ready yet?”

Aithlyn momentarily blinked away her confusion and silently cursed herself as she remembered.

“Good morning Morenth. Sorry, I was up late reading. If you give me a few moments, I’ll be dressed and ready to go.”

“It’s alright Lady Lyn, Nate and Morwen are also late. Katra is waiting for them by the bridge and we’ll meet them there.”

Aithlyn chuckled, “you thought of everything, huh?”

“Of course! That’s what you taught me to do!”

An hour later Aithlyn was in a flower field with the four children. They had each offered to help her collect plants that she needed for alchemy potions. Each child had been given a different plant to collect and they had decided between themselves that it was going to be a contest to see who was going to collect the most.

Aithlyn laughed at their antics as they scurried off in different directions. Having nothing else to do she simply waited for them to come back. Laying back in the grass she decided that she’d go through all the information that she had gathered since arriving in Novus. Her brother had sent three from Vih’thras, she at least knew Azaril was the Ambassador, but had yet to get information on the Knight. Even Azaril hadn’t met them.

Nanethe had ensured that the Knight would participate in the joust. Scowling at the leaves blowing in the wind, she was unsure about why he had decided to announce to Novus their military might through just one person. It was something that Vih’thras had kept hidden for decades. Aithlyn couldn’t put a finger on it but she was certain that there was something to do with Eric’s dismissal that was crucial to do with that what going on. Without realising, the gentle breeze and calm atmosphere was slowly lulling her to sleep.

 Raiden scowled at the forest which the guild thought he needed to be left out to. The guild wasn’t alive, but it most certainly had a mind of its own. It would take longer to go back through the entrance in the hopes that it would lead him into town, so he simply started walking.

There was one more clearing that he had to walk through before he reached the town and he quickened his pace only to suddenly stop when he entered the clearing. There in the clearing, surrounded by wildflowers was Aithlyn. From the rise of her chest he could tell that she was asleep. Certainly not something he’d ever expect. Creeping closer her he squatted down close enough to touch he decided to use this time to observe her. Her chestnut hair was splayed out underneath her like a halo and both hands rested at the level between her head and shoulders. Aithlyn’s eyes fluttered behind her eyelids and he realised that she was dreaming. She was truly beautiful and as much as he enjoyed her personality, seeing her like this entranced him. His eyes were suddenly drawn to her rosy lips as they parted when they opened in a gasp. Without realising he was leaning down to touch them with his own. A noise snapped him out of his trance and he quickly withdrew and jumped into the nearest tree. He was unsure what the noise was, but he wanted to ensure that he was close enough to protect her if need be.

“Lady Lyn!”

Raiden watched as Aithlyn startled awake, raising into a sitting position and looking quickly around her. He watched as she relaxed as she watched as a young girl ran into the clearing towards her.

“Morenth!”

“I won! I beat everyone back here!”

Aithlyn chuckled, “I’m pretty sure the competition you all set out was for the most plant parts collected.”

Before Morenth could respond three other children burst into the clearing. Raiden watched with a smile on his face from the shadows as they all declared they won and began to count out what they had collected.

“I win” declared a boy with dark hair, “Ninety-five mugwort!”

Raiden couldn’t help but snigger as the boy looked completely confident in himself for a task as simple as collecting plants. His snigger was stopped mid-point as the girl called Morenth held a smile that was completely “Aithlyn.”

“I don’t think so Nate!”

Nate bristled, “Oh yea? You only got ninety taproot!”

At this point the girl in question and grinned more as she slowly put her hand into her pockets and emptied out what was at least another ten taproot. “Pretty sure that’s a hundred!”

Raiden quickly put both hands to his mouth as he tried to contain his laughter. He barely just managed to stay on the branch he was sitting on he was shaking so hard.

Aithlyn, however, didn’t have to hide her laughter and quickly fell back to the floor in giggles. Nate slowly turned red in the face as he pouted at the situation. Morenth simply had a shit eating grin on her face as she looked at everyone.

 Raiden watched as they walked off. For a shadow she got on surprisingly well with children. She even reminded him a bit of Adri.

“She’s got a good heart.”

“Fuc-!”

Raiden was so startled that he fell from the branch he had been sitting on. He groaned in pain as he slowly opened his eyes to get a face full of Roux.

“It’s not like you Rai to be snuck up on.”

“It’s been known to happen once or twice.”

“Yes, and you have the scars to prove it.”

Raiden scowled at them as he slowly sat up.

“I didn’t realise you were here.”

“I was the one who told her about this place, it was only natural for me to watch over her.”

For a reason that Raiden couldn’t pinpoint why his stomach twisted at the statement and he scowled in no particular direction.

“I expected you to be hold up for longer stuffing your face full of pastries.”

“Oh, I did.”

“You finished them already!?”

“You tasted them. Would you not do the same?”

“Well yeah…”

 It was the day of the joust and Aithlyn was waiting by the bridge feeling a sense of déjàvu only this time she knew who she was meeting. She was wearing a white blouse, the sleeves stopping at her elbows and long navy skirt that started just under her bust and barely touched the floor. The skirt itself was quite unique, as it had two long slits either side. It revealed a lot of leg, but it was easy to fight in while still looking elegant. Her hair was half up in a hair pin Roux had given her, the rest of her curls settled around her face or simply lay at the base of her spine.

She could see Raiden running towards her in the distance and she couldn’t help but chuckle. He certainly didn’t look “shadowy” as Roux would put it. He wore a red tunic shirt and dark pants, quite like the last time she saw him out of leathers. As much as she appreciated the view, it also reminded her of when he was stabbed, and the thought twisted her stomach. Raiden skidded to a stop in front of her and she watched as dust kicked up around his feet and he stretched out his hand giving his usual finger wiggle.

“Come on, we have a carriage to catch.”

“Best not to ask questions I take it?”

“You got it.”

“Just don’t turn into a pin cushion again today.”

“No promises.”

Placing her hand in his, Aithlyn let him pull her through the streets on the way to the carriage. Every time he looked back and smiled at her, a little dimple appeared on his cheek and Aithlyn realised that his smile was infectious.

When they finally reached the carriages available for the joust, they climbed into the last one to see that it was only them and an elderly gentleman using it. Once inside, Raiden sat in the far-right corner and pulled Aithlyn to sit beside him. Aithlyn looked at the other gentleman with an apologetic smile but he simply chuckled and shook his head.

“Hey! Do the thing!”

Aithlyn turned to look at him with confusion, “the thing?”

Raiden rolled his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder as he placed her hand on his hair, “the thing…”

She was momentarily surprised when he closed the distance but chuckled when she realised what he was asking for. She quirked her eyebrow although she did as he asked and started running her fingers through his hair. He was asleep in moments.

They continued in silence for a time before Aithlyn addressed the only other person awake in the carriage.

“I apologise if this is a little awkward.”

“There’s nothing to apologise for my dear,” he chuckled once again, “he seems to be quite a demanding lad.”

Aithlyn sniggered at the comment, “that would be putting it mildly.”

“Where are my manners? I never introduced myself, I’m Duke Finzwhey. Who do I have the pleasure of travelling with?”

Aithlyn wracked her brain trying to find a connection with the name. Duke Finzwhey cared for the southern most lands. They weren’t the largest, but they were the most profitable. He was a widower with two “children”, who were about her age. She smiled her introductions.

“I’m Aithlyn DeBurge. This here is Raiden, he’s my…” she placed a finger to her lips as she feigned contemplation but was saved from answering when the carriage hit a particularly large bump in the road.

“These roads are positively vile to travel on,” the Duke grumbled.

“They are indeed. I’m surprised your children aren’t travelling with you to this event. How are Kit and Sera?”

The Duke brightened at the mere topic of his children and so they conversed in a variety of topics during their journey. Aithlyn steered the conversation to garner information that she wanted with subtle ease.

 As they neared the end of their journey Aithlyn tugged at Raiden’s hair, that she hadn’t realised she had been occasionally running her fingers through. He groaned and rubbed his face into her neck as his arms encircled her waist.

“I could think of better ways to wake me up.”

“I could think of worse.”

Duke Fitzwhey laughed heartily as he stood and moved towards the carriage door before addressing Aithlyn with a bow.

“It was positively splendid my dear, you were a delightful conversationalist. My offer for dinner at the villa this weekend still stands, I expect to see you there!”

“With pleasure my dear Duke. I look forward to it.”

As soon as the Duke was out of the carriage Raiden tightened his arms around her and propped his chin on her shoulder.

“Did you just get invited for a date with a Duke while I was asleep?”

Aithlyn laughed as she messed with his hair, “I did my job. I got invited to a dinner with many influential people, I believe even Lucien has been invited.”

Raiden sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, giving Aithlyn time to stand up and move towards the door.

“What? No invite for me after I got you one for here?”

Aithlyn tilted her head back at him, “Of course you can come along, if you want to be my boy toy that is.”

With that she winked at him and stepped out of the carriage leaving Raiden to pick his mouth up from the floor as he scrambled after her.

Walking through the crowd to their seats, Aithlyn noted how much Raiden stuck out in the crowd. At 6 feet with stark white hair it was extremely difficult to miss him. Memories of him wounded flashed across her mind and she scowled at him.

“Couldn’t you find a mage to do something about that?” pointing up at his hair.

“Funny story that. It’s because of a mage that it’s like this. Wanna hear the story? It’s a good’un.”

The way he waggled his eyebrows at her elicited a chuckle and she let him have his way.

“Go on…”

At that Raiden broke into an animated story of how he was sent to steal an item at fourteen years old but hadn’t been told he was stealing from a mage.

“And then BAM! She just appeared! Literally out of nowhere!”

Try as she might, Aithlyn couldn’t help the smile from growing on her face as she watched his antics. If he wasn’t an assassin, he’d be a very compelling bard. She hadn’t heard him sing, but he was an amazing storyteller.

“And then the spell just barely touched my hair, and this was the result.”

“Yes, because I’m sure that she was simply aiming at your hair and not other body parts.”

Raiden shuddered as if someone had slipped ice down his back. At that point they reached their seats in the stands. Aithlyn had to hand it to him, Raiden had gotten good seats. She had a good view of the audience, entry and exits and the tents which the knights were getting ready in.

“Not bad pin cushion. Not bad at all.”

Raiden scoffed at her and rolled his eyes, but Aithlyn could make out his mouth twitch, the way it does when he wants to smile. Aithlyn started people watching and mentally noting where people of interest were sitting. She just noticed where the horrible triplets were sitting when Raiden’s twitching leg broke her concentration.

Not thinking she reached over, placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed. Raiden covered his noise of surprise with a giggle. Aithlyn’s eyes widened when she realised just how firm his muscles were.

“Oi! Easy.”

“Will you please just sit still? You’re not exactly blending in.”

“Yes I am. I’m subtly blending in.”

“Shaking the entire bench is not being subtle.”

Aithlyn went to remove her hand, but Raiden was too quick and soon she found her hand trapped between one of his own and thigh.

“Where are you going? I might just start shaking again.”

Aithlyn narrowed her eyes at him when he winked but didn’t remove her hand. Giving his leg another squeeze she turned to look at the knight entering the jousting area as she addressed him.

“Don’t start shaking.”

She didn’t notice as Raiden smirked when he looked at her. Instead of releasing her hand he started tracing designs over it with his thumb as he looked out to the field. Aithlyn had to stop a gasp from bubbling out of her throat when he started his ministrations. Sneaking a side glance at him, she realised that he was scowling at something in the distance, probably not even realising what he was doing.

She was about to ask what was wrong when the crowd started cheering as Livia came to the field and started giving instructions.

“Esteemed guests, I welcome you here today to take part in our event, a diversion of good faith between allies and comrades. We hope that you are in good health and that our coming together provides you with the assurance that our friendship is everlasting…”

Aithlyn zoned out when she noticed the knight from Vih’thras. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she recognised this person. As if knowing that she was looking at them, they turned in her direction and she gasped when she looked into their golden eyes. They quickly snapped back to attention as Livia finished her speech.

Aithlyn turned to speak to Raiden. Only to find his seat empty. Scouring the area for white hair she saw him standing before the Vih’thrasian knight, weapon in hand. Well fuck. Standing, she raced towards him.

 Maja had cut her off in her pursuit of Raiden and by the time Aithlyn had managed to get away from Maja, not that she didn’t enjoy her conversation, she had lost sight of him again. However, given that Maja was alone, she was certain she knew where the white-haired assassin was.

Turning around the tent to her right, she found Raiden talking adamantly to Lucien. The demon had noticed her presence and looked to her with a smile. Raiden, however, was still trying to tell him something. A scowl blossoming on his face when Lucien didn’t respond to him.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Lucien reached over and turned Raiden’s face towards her, “I am, but so is our friend.”

Raiden’s eyes widened and looked slightly guilty as he leaned against the tree.

“Join us, won’t you, my dear?”

Aithlyn’s eyes turned stormy and Raiden gulped as she turned her sights on Lucien.

“Don’t try your compulsions on me Lucien, they don’t work and they’re practically an insult.”

Lucien’s eyebrows shot up, not many were able to call them out when they were subtly using their powers. They knew that she was skilled, but she was beginning to intrigue them more than ever and they couldn’t keep their eyes off her as she stalked towards them.

“Apologies. That was not my intention.”

“Sure, it wasn’t,” turning her gaze on to a suddenly frozen Raiden, “a nice day out, huh? That’s what you said wasn’t it. Imagine my surprise to find you missing. Care to explain what is really going on?”

Lucien cut it, seeing that Raiden was suddenly finding it hard to form sentences, “You can blame-”

“Do not make excuses for him Lucien,” she barely spared the demon a glare as she turned back to Raiden, “You couldn’t have just said that you were going to meet Lucien? What are you not telling me, Raiden?”

He looked tired… strained, and Aithlyn fought everything inside her not to be angry as he looked at her like this.

Raiden, finally finding his tongue spoke up, “We need to go. We need to catch a carriage.”

“…As you wish.”

The lack of emotion in her voice worried him and as Raiden stretched out to place his hand on her arm, she stepped back out of his reach. The detached look on her face took all the air from his lungs and he felt anxiety creep up his spine.

Tipping her head at them, “Gentlemen,” she said in the way of farewell and walked away.

Emotions flicked across his eyes and it was only that they knew how to look for them that Lucien was able to see the inner struggle going on inside of Raiden.

“She doesn’t trust me.”

“I believe it is more that she is upset that it seems that you do not trust her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Raiden, you invited her to the joust and from the look of it disappeared with no indication that you were going to and are now not involving her with your plans.”

“But-”

“You mean only to protect her, I know. But she is a very capable woman and by treating her like this is like announcing that you don’t trust her to have the skills to have your back.”

“Shit.”

“Indeed. I suggest you find her and rectify the situation as soon as possible.”

 Aithlyn was fuming as she walked through the crowd. She thought they had built up some form of trust, but Raiden was keeping her shut out. She didn’t know why she was surprised given their occupations, but it didn’t stop her from feeling hurt. She could feel him closing the distance between them, but right now she didn’t want to talk to him.

Feeling a hand on her arm she turned around and hissed, “what?!”

“Let me explain.”

“So, explain.”

Raiden ran his hands through his hair before pulling her into an unoccupied tent. He was wary that Aithlyn didn’t fight him. The fact that she was able to call Lucien out on their compulsion speech made him realise that she was a lot more than she seemed.

“I’m not telling you to keep you in the dark, I’m trying to protect you. If you knew too much-”

“I’d be doing my job.”

“Aithlyn-”

“No Raiden. You need to cut the bull shit. I know Adri told you why I’m here, the same way you know that Adri trusts me. I have given you-” she pokes him in the chest, “no reason not to trust me. I kept you alive long enough to get you healed. Heck! You happily fall asleep to me playing with your hair!”

“Aithlyn this is not your usual cloak and dagger!”

Aithlyn laughed as she leaned back and raised her arms in aggravation. “And you think I would be sent it if it was?!”

Suddenly, she seemed to deflate right in front of it and Raiden found he couldn’t move.

“Dammit Rai, I thought I proved I was on your level with our little game of chase,” looking up at him, Raiden’s eyes widened as he took in the hurt and frustration in her eyes, “what more do I have to prove?”

Before he had a chance to respond a knight walked through the opening of the tent. They were in the middle of taking off their helmet and didn’t realise what they were walking in on. Raiden watched horrified as Aithlyn chuckled before walking over to help the knight remove the helmet.

“You were always terrible at getting these things off…”

The knight stiffened at the sound, allowing Aithlyn to remove the helmet. Their hair was shaved either side but sweat had slicked back the longer part left in the middle. When they were finally free, they stared at her with wide golden eyes.

“Lyn?!”

“Hi Set…”

[skippie89]

My brave little girl donated blood today to help another kitty! The vets were so surprised by how calm she was throughout the whole experience. Hehe but I knew she’d be great!! She’s the sweetest lil thing I was lucky enough to find! 

[skippie89]

If I fits, I sits

[skippie89]

Secreting Shadows #3

Aithlyn wasn’t shocked using blood magic to get into the guild, it was used quite often in Vih’thras. Raiden hadn’t appreciated her joke about using his blood since it was spilling out everywhere. As the blood loss was getting to him his flirting was coming on stronger, she had lost count on the amount of times she had to slap his hand away from her ass.

Layla had taken Raiden into another room to get him healed up. Aithlyn couldn’t help but chuckle as he clung on to her and whined that he didn’t want to leave her. His reaction was priceless and thinking back on it only made her grin wider.

“No… I don’t want to go! Aithlyn is staying here so I am too. Bring the healer here!”

Layla looked over to Aithlyn and rolled her eyes, used to his antics already, “Rai, Aithlyn is meeting the boss and you’ll only be in the way.”

“Don’t care!” he declared as he used what little strength he had left and wobbled over to Aithlyn to wrap his arms around her shoulders, “Staying right here!”

Aithlyn bit her lip to contain her laughter, “scary assassin my ass, he’s just a big baby” she thought to herself. She mouthed at Layla over Raiden’s shoulder, “I got this.” Layla just raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, interested in how she was going to play this out.

“Raiden…” she could feel the intake of breath at her flirtatious tone. Tilting her head slightly she was able to run the tip of her nose over his ear, he shivered in instant reaction, before stopping her lips beside it and coyly whispering, “If you’re a good boy and go with Layla to get healed up, I’ll do something real nice for you.”

The response was immediate, and he lifted himself off her and staggered over to Layla, not before Aithlyn was able to get a look at the deep blush on his face. Layla’s eyes had widened in surprise, clearly not used to Raiden doing what he was told.

“What did you say to him??”

Aithlyn winked, “That’s a secret.”

“Damn!” Layla laughed, “If you can get Raiden to do as he’s told we’ve gotta keep you around.”

“Oi! I’m right here you know!”

“Yes, yes. Now let’s get you all healed up.”

 So here she was, sitting in the weapons room waiting on the Guild Master. She had sat down on the only available bench, but impatience got the better of her. To distract herself she walked around the room and examined the different weapons. Aithlyn stopped at the beautiful set of sais, picking them up she decided to test them out. They had good balance, heavy enough that they’d assist in adding impact damage but light enough that they wouldn’t hinder her speed. They were certainly well cared for, for how clean and sharp they were.

Aithlyn took up her training stance and went through the practice motions of attack. Her mind emptied as her body went through the moves. She realised that someone had entered the room and was watching, but she didn’t stop and followed through with her routine. She had been kept waiting, and so shall they. She felt much better when she finished and returned them to their stand before the person behind her started clapping causing her to turn and eyes to widen.

“You’ve improved Lyn.”

“Adri!”

Screw protocol and appearances, Aithlyn ran at the dark-haired man and jumped into a hug. It had been years since she had last seen him, and he hadn’t changed much. His hair was longer, and he kept it tied back in its usual braid. There were a few new scars, but his body looked as well trained as before. She tried not to scowl at his choice of clothing, they weren’t exactly protective and given his position there would be assassination attempts. You’d think he’d take more care of himself. She knew just how skilled he was, but it didn’t hurt to be careful. Raiden’s injury flashed in front of her eyes and her stomach tightened.

Adri laughed and caught her, crushing her in his arms. For the first time in weeks he felt relief. If she was the one who had been sent, he wouldn’t need to worry anymore. He stood her back on her feet, but they didn’t break body contact.

“Nanethe didn’t tell me that you were the one who put in the request.”

“Well he also didn’t tell me you were the one taking it up. I shouldn’t be surprised though, it’s just like him.”

“True,” Aithlyn took him by the hand and pulled him to the bench. Sitting down beside each other but not relinquishing hold of his hand, “I should have expected it though, Raiden has a lot of your mannerisms.”

“Ha! That happens when you practically raise him.”

Aithlyn smiled and squeezed his hand, “So, Viper, why do you need my help? I’ve met or know of most of your snakes, and they’re not incapable.”

Adri snickered, “That’s a compliment coming from you,” Aithlyn nudged his shoulder with her own, he smiled but then his face turned serious.

“There’s something going on with my network. I know what time the Queen takes a shit to when the Knight Commander tucks herself into bed at night, but there’s a void.”

“A void? You think one of your snakes has betrayed you?”

“It’s still a possibility, that was what I first looked into. It’s like someone stuck a knife into my system. A system that hasn’t failed for going on thirty years.”

“So, you need a fresh pair of eyes.”

“Exactly. I want you working with Raiden on this, he’s one of the few that I truly trust and his skill and intuition rivals even you.”

Aithlyn sniggered, “You don’t need to try and charm me. You can count me in.”

“Thank you, Lyn.”

They sat in silence for a moment longer before Aithlyn decided to broach the subject that they were clearly avoiding.

“He misses you.”

Adri sighs, “I miss him too Lyn, but Nanethe is the King and it’s not like I can give him an heir.”

“Cut the bullshit Adri. We both know that the heir doesn’t need to be his blood, and if it does, he can name one of Valkyrie’s kids as the heir.”

“Valkyrie has kids?!” Adri was suddenly disturbed that his network’s blank spot was bigger than he thought.

“Not yet, she got married last year and I’m pretty sure she’s expecting going by how smug Calen has been looking recently.”

Aithlyn watched as his shoulders sagged in relief and she could see the loneliness and hope in his eyes.

“Let’s make a deal.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll help solve this problem, no charge, and you go visit him.”

“Lyn I’m the Master of the Assassins Guild, I can hardly take a holiday.”

“I’ll stay while you see him, or you can nominate someone to take over things for a while. I don’t care what you do, just go see him. He’s a pain in the ass when he’s moping around missing you.”

Adri laughed, “He bugs you for information, doesn’t he?”

Aithlyn sighed in defeat and put her head in her hands, “Every damn day…”

Adri laughed heartily as he patted her back in condolence. It felt good, he hasn’t been able to laugh or act like this in so long, but then again Aithlyn had always managed to relax people.

“Deal. But can you afford to be away for so long? You’re not exactly unimportant you know?”

“Sure, I can, Calen’s in charge whenever I’m away and he’s used to me disappearing every now and again.”

“You’re a pretty shit Spymaster,” Adri snickered.

“I’m a great Spymaster. I have a nice little system going, Calen deals with the paperwork, jobs and such and I get to be in the field, keeping my skills sharp and protecting the people I love.”

“I feel sorry for Calen.”

Aithlyn laughed, “Don’t. He gets to stay close to Valkyrie so it’s a good arrangement.”

Adri chuckled, “Right, well you better go catch up with Raiden before he does something.”

Aithlyn nudged his shoulder again before standing and walking towards the door that Raiden and Layla had gone through. Adri called out her name, so she stopped and turned her head to look back at him.

“A word of warning, he’s not fond of mages.”

Aithlyn raised her eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Lifting two fingers to her forehead she gave a mocked solute and walked through the door.

 When Aithlyn entered the room she looked around, from the cluttered treasure stuffed into almost every available space she could only assume that it was a vault of sorts. The treasures certainly were interesting, and she briefly wondered if their previous owners were murdered or if they were simply stolen. Her fingers itched as she noticed what looked to be an alchemy table, some of the ingredients were very hard to come by, but then a slight shift in the air around the painting of the ocean drew her attention. Staring at it a moment she noted that she could see the sea moving and a skeletal hand slowly reaching out.

“Haunted,” she thought to herself.

She could hear Raiden from around the corner and he sounded whinier than usual, followed by the sounds of a much quieter and less whiny second person, probably the mage. She walked towards the sounds. Raiden was lying back on a bed of sorts, as the mage stood beside him, his hand glowing blue with healing magic. She noted that at this point he looked exhausted, a combination of the attack and blood loss.

Realising that she was in the room Raiden sat up and swung his legs over the bed, doing everything he could to make her believe that he was fine. Aithlyn knew better though, which was confirmed when he winced as the mage continued healing his wound.

“Well, well, look who survived the viper pit.”

“That was never a worry. How are you feeling?”

“Better for having laid eyes on you. You have nice hands, would love to get stabbed around you again some time.”

Aithlyn scoffed and rolled her eyes, “And here’s me thinking you wanted to stop being a pin cushion…”

“Ha! Honestly though, I’m fine. You get used to it after the first few.”

“I thought you assassins were meant to avoid getting stabbed.”

“We’re meant to avoid death, keep up.”

Raiden winced before turning to start grumbling at the mage and trying to wave him away. From the frustration on the mage’s face he wanted to say something, and Aithlyn was impressed by his restraint when he didn’t. She definitely would have.

“Mi dispiace per lui. È solo un bambino grande.” The mage started at Aithlyn speaking to him, clearly not having expected it, but chuckled as she finished her sentence.

“È vero. Digli semplicemente di tenere la mano sulla ferita e lasciare che la magia funzioni.”

“Lo farò.”

With that, the mage took Raiden’s hand and placed it over the wound and giving him a fierce glare. He turned to Aithlyn and gave a small smile before bowing and walking out the door. Raiden, who had been watching the entire interaction narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he looked at her.

“I didn’t know you spoke mage.”

“You didn’t ask.”

“Mages are weird.”

“Well that mage healed you, you could stand to be a little nicer. He said to keep your hand over the wound as it heals.”

No sooner had she spoken, he moved his hand back a bit to look at the wound and grimaced at the sight before looking back at her. Aithlyn realised that she’d need to distract him a bit, so she pointed at the tattoo, “Why flowers?”

Raiden lifted his arm to angle it better for him to see, “I thought the normal design was rather boring,” he blushed slightly, “there used to be a field where they bloomed, but only a few days every year, and I used to pick them as a child and bring them back to Adri.”

“Interesting that you’d gravitate towards the death flower. A bit morbid.”

“What I do is a bit morbid, isn’t it?”

At that point Raiden yawned before glaring down at the magic still knitting his skin together, “too bad this thing is as annoying as fuck, gonna take a while to get to sleep.”

Aithlyn shook her head as she chuckled, “Lie back pin cushion.”

Raiden tilted his head in confusion, and Aithlyn had to admit he looked slightly adorable in that moment.

“I promised you something nice, didn’t I?”

Raiden’s eyes instantly darkened as his face flushed but he did as he was told. Aithlyn felt his eyes watching her intently as she walked closer to him. His brow furrowed when she went to kneel at the top of the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Something nice.” Aithlyn smirked at the glare she received, “I never said it was something sexual pin cushion, you imagined that all by yourself.”

“Cheater.”

“Yep! Now close your eyes.”

“Uh huh…” Raiden quirked his eyebrow but continued to watch her.

“This works better if you closer your eyes, it will help you sleep.”

“Hopefully not sleep permanently,” he joked.

Aithlyn scowled at him and flicked his forehead, “If that’s what I wanted I’d could easily have let you bleed to death earlier. Now shut up and close your eyes or I won’t bother and will just leave.”

Raiden was startled by the look of hurt the briefly flashed across her face and quickly did as he was told. For a moment nothing happened, and he briefly thought she did it to trick him and had walked away. He was about to open his eyes again when he felt her fingers running through his hair.

“Fuck that feels good.”

Aithlyn chuckled but shushed him, telling him to just relax. He was not going to argue with her if she kept doing that. It felt amazing. She applied just enough pressure for him to melt into a relaxed puddle. Raiden fell asleep to Aithlyn playing with his hair and gently humming.

 Aithlyn smiled as she watched Roux walk away from her home. They twirled around and winked at her as they conjured a yellow flower in the palm of their hand and showed the delighted children that were chasing after them, giggling at their antics.

“So, they like daffodils huh?” she thought to herself.

Turning back into the dwelling and closing the door behind her, Aithlyn looked at the scroll that Roux had delivered on behalf of Raiden. She didn’t know why, but she was a little annoyed that he wasn’t wary enough to go out and steal the jousting invitation but was too wary to deliver it himself.

“Whatever,” she muttered to herself.

The joust would happen in two days. That was plenty of time to gather information. First things first, she had promised Roux some baked goods and she was going to deliver. Moving to her kitchen she looked at the ingredients that she had. Holding her chin with her right hand she contemplated what she could bake. Light suddenly moving in the corner illuminated the lemons in the fruit basket and she grinned. Pulling out the rest of the ingredients that she would need, Aithlyn began measuring the amounts that she would need. It was a recipe that she had made countless times and no longer needed to look at a book for the methods, especially having tweaked certain areas to get a better taste.

Many people began to slow as they walked past her window, the smell wafting on to the street was nothing short of delicious. The baker nearby had come out to see what the commotion was and once smelling what was being baked glared in the direction of Aithlyn’s home. It wasn’t the first time that she had shown to be the better baker. Intending to give her a piece of his mind he stormed up to the door and pounded on the wood, only to be shocked as Aithlyn invited him inside. Over an hour and multiple baskets later, the baker left with a delighted grin holding two baskets of goods to sell and a new recipe to start perfecting.

 Raiden had decided to meet Roux in the Pauper’s Crown mid-morning. Not many shadows would be out and about and therefore he was afforded some protection, no matter how little that was. He felt amazingly refreshed for a man who had just been stabbed. Running his hand through his hair he stopped halfway and flushed, remembering just how good it felt when Aithlyn had done it the night before.

Slamming his hand back on the bar he grumbled as he lifted his ale to his lips and took a long dreg of the liquid. He appreciated the way it warmed his stomach, although he’d have to be careful not to drink too much. He needed to keep his wits about him to get back to the guild later. A familiar presence walked into the tavern and it was solidified with the hand clapping his back before Roux took a seat next to him.

“Did you give it to her?”

Roux raised an eyebrow as they gave Raiden the side eye, “of course I did. First thing this morning.”

This caused Raiden to groan and slump against the bar, “And exactly how early was that?”

“It wasn’t that early; she was already up and making coffee.” Roux hummed to themselves as they rested their head into their hand as they placed their elbow on the bar, “she looks really cute in a nightdress.”

Raiden tensed and internally cursed himself for not dropping the invitation to her himself. Raising the drink to his lips he took another long dreg. Shit. He was going to need a second drink soon. Roux continued like they hadn’t noticed the sudden shift in atmosphere.

“Did you know she also likes daffodils? But then again that would make sense with the pattern that was on the nightdress.”

Raiden’s eyes widened and he inhaled the remaining liquid causing him to go into a coughing fit. Roux startled and began to hit his back, trying to ease his discomfort. Before they could ask if Raiden was alright, Nemesis cut in.

“Oi! Elf! I’ve got a delivery for ya.”

Roux turned to her puzzled, “for me?”

“Ai, Lyn dropped this off earlier. Said she figured you’d be here at some point today.”

Leaning down she grabbed what was hidden underneath the bar and lifted a basket covered in tartan cloth and plonked it in front of Roux.

Raiden watched as Roux’s nose twitched at the slight smell emitting from the basket.

“Wait a second! Is that… drool?!” Raiden thought as he watched Roux quickly lift the material.

Hidden under the blanket was an abundance of baked goods. They were the shape of daffodils! The pastry was a golden yellow and the filling smelled like lemon curd. Roux licked their lips as they tentatively reached forward and pulled one from the basket. Raiden watched as they lifted the pastry to their mouth and took a bite. Roux’s eyes widened and let out THE most sexual sound Raiden had ever heard from them, and Raiden had known them since he was a child.

He suddenly grasped Roux’s wrist and pulled the pastry towards him to take a bite. His eyes closed in bliss as the taste assaulted him. The filling melted on his tongue, coating his mouth in lemon that was sweet enough that you craved for more and tart enough that the pastry complimented fantastically.

“Fuuuuuuuuck…”

Roux watched him with disbelieving eyes. Before Raiden could even comprehend what was happening Roux had grabbed the basket and cried out “Mine!” as they ran out the tavern.

(Translations:

“I’m sorry about him. He’s just a big baby.”

“That’s true. Just tell him to keep his hand on the wound and let the magic work.”

“I will.”

I don’t speak Italian, so I don’t know if they’re 100% correct)

[skippie89]

And this is why my writing get delayed.... He’s not my only cat! But he KNOWS when I’m sitting down to write on the computer...

[skippie89]

Cat distractions when writing EK fanfiction..... BUT HE’S JUST SO DAMN CUTE!! <3 He’s a bit of a teasing fuck... So he reminds me of Raiden <3

[skippie89]

"You're cute. Have I told you that yet? If not... You're cute." "That's the blood loss talking.

Raiden and Protagonist, Errant Kingdom

[skippie89]

Secreting Shadows #2

Music for this chapter is:

Learn Me Right

By Birdy and Mumford & Sons

Raiden was pissed. He had spent the night chasing after that chestnut haired… freak! That was the only word he could think to call her. How she eluded him he had no clue. Every time he thought he was close to catching her, she would dance out of his grasp. She was good. Too good to just be a normal shadow that the guild picked up.

“What’s gotten you into a mood, little snake?”

He didn’t even bother to get annoyed at Layla’s name for him and simply continued to stare at nothing.

“…Alright. What did the new kid do?”

That got his attention and his eyes shot up to meet hers, “What?”

“Aithlyn. What did she do for you to be scowling this much?”

At his explanation at what happened last night, Layla could barely stand she was laughing that much, which caused his scowl to deepen.

“About time someone was able to keep up with you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, come off it, Rai. The only reason you’re in a huff is because you actually have to put some effort into it. Something you haven’t done in a long time.”

Not wanting to admit it Raiden simply huffed in response.

“If you want to look for her, she’s in the stone quarter right about now.”

“How would you know?”

“Because unlike you, I used what she said yesterday and did my research. No way did she only arrive a few days ago.”

“She didn’t, she arrived a few weeks ago.”

Layla look briefly startled but the grin slowly blossoming on her face showed how delighted she was, “Fuck… She’s good.”

 An hour later Raiden found himself hidden in the shadows of the Stone Quarter watching Aithlyn as she went about her business. He had initially been startled to see the differences from yesterday.

Her curly hair was unbound and settled around her features, she was clothed in a dress, and she was openly smiling at everyone. No wonder they didn’t realise it was her, she was not acting like a typical shadow. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop the smirk from forming on his face.

She was outside playing with the children during her “break”. It seemed like she was acting as an apothecary of sorts. From what he had seen, she had food available freely for the younglings in the area. Memories started appearing from the dark recesses of his mind, but he rapidly shook them away.

Raiden watched as a child slowly approached where he was hiding. The boy was looking around in confusion but was holding a bottle of sorts in his hand. Raiden stepped out to show himself, seeing if he could help the kid and was shocked to see a delighted smile form on the boy’s face once he was noticed.

“There you are!”

Raiden quirked an eyebrow, “You were looking for me…?”

“Yep! Miss Aithlyn said that a man with white hair was standing here and that he’d need this,” indicating to the bottle.

“… And why would I need the bottle?”

“She said that you’d be very tired from playing chase all night and might need a pick me up.”

Raiden laughed and looked in the direction of where he had last seen her. She was tending to an elderly woman but as if she could feel his eyes on her, she looked up at him and gave him a cheeky wink.

Damn… She is good.

 Aithlyn focused on her work for the remainder of the afternoon. She had accidentally visited with Erik that morning when she had wandered into the area that he lived within in the wood. It had been a while since she sat on lush grass and simply talked. She had learned a little more about him and his situation, but once again, knew that now was not the time to pry too deeply. It also helped that Erik was very nice to look at. Shirtless… Sweaty… Shaking her head she pulled herself away from those thoughts.

Wandering out of the woods led her to bump into Roux at the bridge leading back into town. It was hard not to smile around them and now that she knew that they had a weakness for baked goods Aithlyn had a feeling that she’d be putting her alchemy skills to use later in the kitchen.

After Raiden left cackling to himself, Aithlyn was glad she had mixed up an energiser. Poor guy had been chasing after her all night, she was quite impressed by the amount of times he had come close to catching her. It was most likely a shock for him to see her like this, most shadows tended to stay back and observe, thus garnering information that way. Aithlyn however learned very quickly that by involving herself with the city folk that not only did she gain their trust, so if something happened, they’d never believe evil rumours about her, but she was able to gather a lot of information swiftly. And her five weeks here had definitely not been wasted.

The sun was setting so Aithlyn decided that it was time to get ready, after all she did promise Roux that she would look less shadowy for the festival. Pulling out a short green dress, Aithlyn examined it. The skirt stopped mid-thigh and the sleeves flowed loosely to the elbows. Nodding in approval she placed it on the bed before pulling out a brown corset. It was her favourite one as it had secret compartments that held throwing knives. She may have to look less shadowy, but she never promised to be defenceless. Next thing was finding her brown leggings and favourite boots which stopped just short of her knees. Once she bathed, dressed and fixed her hair Aithlyn went looking for her forest green cloak and skipped out the door intending to find Roux.

 Aithlyn was internally seething as she glared at Azaril. The bastard had the nerve to order her to refill his drink. Cedric had stepped in, knowing that if he didn’t Azaril would give away information that should not be made public... Or she’d punch him. Aithlyn loved her cousin, but his immaturity still frustrated her at times, especially now which led her to question for the hundredth time why he had also been sent here.

Azaril was smirking at her from across the food table, and Aithlyn had to fight to stop her lips from twitching. It was Maja’s voice commenting on the baked tarts that turned her attention.

“They’re nice but they just settle in your stomach and I just can’t figure out which ingredients to use to stop that from happening.”

Aithlyn knew she was talking about the lemon pastries and chipped in, “It’s actually not the ingredients, you need to whisk the batter, trying to add as much air as possible. It makes them light and fluffy.”

Maja turned away from the noble she was talking to and quirked an eyebrow at Aithlyn. She had met the woman briefly last night but hadn’t yet formed an opinion about her.

“You seem to know a lot about this.”

Aithlyn shrugged, “my brother has a real sweet tooth and I found baking to be a lot like alchemy, so it just kind of came naturally.”

Maja surged forward and grabbed both of her hands in her own, “Me too!”

Maja’s face was flushed lightly in delight of this discovery but once she realised, she quickly corrected her behaviour and dropped Aithlyn’s hands causing the woman to lightly chuckle.

“It would seem you’re quite skilled in a few things, Aithlyn. Not many would know enough about alchemy to compare it to baking.”

“It was one of the few things my mother taught me.”

Maja narrowed her eyes as she looked at Aithlyn, “You’re very open for a…”

“Apothecary?” Aithlyn suggested with a grin on her lips.

Maja simply nodded. Aithlyn certainly wasn’t like any shadow she had met before. But then again, she had spent more time in Aithlyn’s company than most.

“It’s easier talking openly about most things without revealing information. Makes people a lot less suspicious. You know I bake and know alchemy that I learned from my mother, but then again don’t most daughters learn this from their mothers?”

Maja’s lips twitched, wanting to form a smile. This woman was smart. “Indeed-” she was about to say more but was cut off by another noble.

“Until next time my Lady.” Aithlyn curtsied.

Maja noticed how well she held herself and narrowed her eyes further, “Hmmm.”

Looking around Aithlyn noticed a woman leaning against a wall close by. The look on her face spoke volumes of how much she did not want to be there. Listing back the names and faces in her head Aithlyn realised that this was Livia the Knight Commander. Deciding that she obviously needed a friendly face who wasn’t afraid of her scowling one, Aithlyn plucked a drink from a roaming server and walked over to the woman.

“You look like you need one of these.”

Livia just scowled further at her.

“It’s not poison I swear,” taking a sip of the liquid, “see?” and held it back out to her.

Livia gingerly took the goblet in question and grunted her thanks. Aithlyn decided just to lean back against the wall beside her and watch the woman. Livia was conscious of being watched but decided to take a mouthful of the drink she was given.

“And now we’ve indirectly kissed!”

Livia’s eyes widened in shock as she spat out the liquid and coughed before turning towards the woman giggling beside her. Fixing her with a glare as a blush rose on her cheeks, she fought to decide what to say.

“Oh, come on! It was funny! You looked bored here all by yourself.” Livia’s eye twitched, “you’ve got to admit it has gotten more fun since I handed you that drink.”

“I’ll admit to no such thing.”

“But you’re not denying it either,” Aithlyn smirked.

 “Lucien… Lucien!” Maja didn’t even bother looking at them as she tugged on their clothing.

“Maja, I can hear you and tugging at my clothes will not make a difference.”

“Look!”

Lucien looked over in the direction that Maja was pointing and was genuinely surprised to see the normally stoic Knight Commander smirking at a very familiar shadow.

“It would seem that a little shadow has managed to get more than a glare from a certain someone.”

“Lucien, she’s smiling!” he quirked an eyebrow at her, “ok she’s not smiling, but she’s not glaring and is actually talking!”

“Yes, I can see that my dear.”

“Lucien, you don’t understand. She doesn’t do that!”

Lucien looked over at Maja and merely chuckled at the bewilderment clearly showing on her face.

“It is not surprising that this shadow has a silver tongue. She has easily caught the attention of many people here.”

“But Livia?!”

Deepening their chuckle, “isn’t this what you wanted when you asked her to accompany you? For her to interact with others?”

Maja sighed and looked at the glamoured demon beside her, “yes, but I didn’t actually think it would happen…”

 Aithlyn barely got a chance to speak to Roux before they were distracted by someone behind her. Laughing lightly to herself she turned only for her face to hit against a pretty chiselled chest. Looking up she realised that she had bumped into Lucien.

“Sorry about that.”

“No harm done my dear.”

Maja was also in their company and tipped her drink in her direction, lips upturned in a gentle smile, “I see you got along with Livia.”

“She’s enjoyable company.”

This elicited a chuckle from Lucien, “you’d have to get past the armour first,” and was nudged by Maja with a scowl on her face. She was about to say something but Aithlyn beat her to it.

“I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I got off a gauntlet, or a shoulder pad at least,” she smirked.

This drew a bigger chuckle from the pair in front of her. Lucien was the faster of the two to compose themselves though.

“So, is our mutual friend here? Or did you abandon him again?”

“Raiden? I don’t know, I haven’t seen him since earlier today.”

“From the grin on your face, I’m guessing you won the game?”

Maja turned to look quizzically at them, “game?”

“It would seem that this little shadow wanted to play chase last night and roped a snake into also playing.”

Aithlyn grumbled, “I’m not that little…”

Maja regarded her with astonished eyes, “Did he catch you?”

Aithlyn’s snort as she shook her head was all the answer Maja needed and caused her to laugh heartily, “oh, you’re one to watch out for!”

Grinning and wriggling her eyebrows, Aithlyn responded, “If you can catch me.”

Lucien was about to speak but quirked an eyebrow when they saw a child tugging at Aithlyn’s sleeve.

“Morenth! Is everything ok?”

“Yes, Lady Lyn!” the child smiled up at her, “Papa asked me to find you, he said he needed your help with something.”

Taking the child’s hand in her own as Aithlyn smiled down at her, before turning back to look at Maja and Lucien, “I believe that’s my cue to leave. Enjoy the rest of your evening!” waving slightly before walking off with the child.

“You know Lucien, I think I might like her.”

The demon chuckled, “indeed, she does seem to elicit those kinds of feelings from people.”

“What kinds of feelings?”

Maja and Lucien turned in the direction of the new voice. Raiden was standing there in casual clothing. Lucien had to admit that the deep red open shirt looked good on him. It was rare to see him in public without his usual leather armour on.

“We were just speaking about how a new shadow is able to easily cause those around her to like them.”

“Yea, she seems to be a bit of a people person. Strange that.”

“Says the man who is rarely quiet,” Maja chuckled.

“I don’t know… I suppose I could be quiet… if gagged…” Raiden winked at her.

Maja rolled her eyes. Even in the short time she had spent in his company because of Lucien, she was used to his antics by now.

“Why are you here little snake?”

Maja couldn’t help the evil smirk that spread across her lips as she watched the assassin blush at Lucien’s question.

Coughing behind his hand to hide the blush, “Roux said Aithlyn was here.”

“You just missed her. It seems to be a new habit of yours.”

Raiden glared at Lucien, which only caused their smirk to grow.

Maja watched the staring match between the two from over the edge of her wine goblet before deciding to break the tension, “a child came and led her off towards where the townsfolk are playing music, saying something about needing her help.”

Raiden tilted his head at her to wink, a grin in place. “Thanks! Better go find her before she disappears again.”

Turning Raiden waded through the crowd to the area that music was being played at. It was in one of the open areas of the town as it allowed for people to dance if they wanted. He could hear the music before he saw the band playing, it wasn’t a song he had heard before, but the singer sounded great.

Imagine his surprise when he saw that it was Aithlyn singing. She stood on the makeshift stage next to those playing instruments with a look of delight on her face. Townsfolk were either clapping in time with the music or dancing in large circles. He felt as if he had walked into another town, the atmosphere was so different. He watched as people laughed and smiled, not to say that they didn’t do this on other days, but they seemed much more relaxed.

It was at that moment that Raiden looked back up at the stage and realised that Aithlyn was looking at him as she sang. She had a mischievous smile on her face as she winked at him, causing him to laugh and shake his head.

“We will be who we are, and they’ll heal our scars.”

His breath caught in his throat and his eyes snapped back to her. Aithlyn’s gaze still lingered on him before she slowly moved it back to the crowd. Raiden didn’t even realise he was blushing until he heard the man beside him chuckle giving him a knowing look.

At the end of the song the crown cheered as Aithlyn hopped down from the stage and sauntered over to where Raiden was waiting. His eyes appreciatively ran over the curves of her body and he smirked as he looked down at her cleavage. Her being much shorter than him made it easier to get glimpses.

“You’re rather subtle at blending in it seems.”

Aithlyn grinned up at him, “they’ll never see it coming.”

This elicited a chuckle, “Come on, Layla’s waiting.”

Aithlyn practically skipped over to the other woman hidden away in one of the side streets nearby. Raiden wasn’t surprised to see her stance relax as she spoke to the smaller woman, “you seem cheerful.”

Aithlyn’s features suddenly turned sombre and the quick switch startled Layla slightly, “sorry, I forgot you had to be completely serious… All the time… Like Raiden…”

“Hey!”

Layla sniggered at the exchange between the two of them.

“Anyway! We have to head to headquarters. Boss wants to meet our new recruit, here.”

Giving Raiden a quick once over, “You gonna change or what? Looking awfully casual there, Rai.”

Raiden presses his hands against the clothing covering his chest, “I don’t need armour, and I’m sure Aithlyn doesn’t either. Right?” He looks over and winks.

“Right… But I’m not the one with bounties on my head…”

Layla nods her head in agreement before stopping as if she remembered something, “Speaking of bounties, I’m taking the forest path. I’ve got a bounty to pick up along the way.”

Raiden sidles up against Aithlyn, “We’ll take the underground. It’s quicker.”

Aithlyn quirks an eyebrow as he makes the decision for her, “…I guess we’ll see you there…?”

 “Underground kingdom my ass…” Aithlyn thought to herself.

The smell of the sewer was causing Aithlyn’s nose to twitch. There were downsides to her heightened half elf senses, and this was definitely one of them. Raiden was walking ahead of her. He was still sulking from when she had teased him about not being able to catch her last night. Teasing him was fun and seeing his back in front of her gave her a great idea.

Raiden hadn’t even heard her run up behind him, so he startled when Aithlyn jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Unconsciously he hooked his hands under her knees and kept her tight to his body, while shooting a quizzical look at her over his shoulder. He could just make out the delight on her face.

“Don’t sulk-”

“Not sulking.”

Squeezing his waist with her thighs she continued as if he hadn’t interrupted her, “since I’m in such a generous mood today that even though you couldn’t catch me-” Raiden scoffed at her, “I’ll let you ask me one question.”

“One question?”

“Yes, and I’ll answer it honestly-”

Aithlyn didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Raiden had slipped his left hand across to grab her right leg and spin her so that her back was pressed against the wall as Raiden used his hips and eyes to pin her.

Gone was the man who enjoyed teasing and tormenting her. There was a seriousness on his face and a glint in his eye that made him look like the assassin he claimed to be. A shiver ran up her spine as he stared into her eyes, but not of fear, of anticipation.

“It can’t be a coincidence that at the same time there’s an assassination attempt on the royals, that three of your countrymen arrived in Novus. A knight, an ambassador and you.”

Raiden’s hands were still on her legs, holding her in place. Her hands were placed on his biceps to keep her steady. As he leaned closer, she could feel all his muscles coil and she sucked in her breath before biting her lip. His eyes briefly took in the movement and when he looked back up, his eyes were darker. Dangerous.

“Why are you here?”

“Well because you brought me this route and decided to pin me against a wall…”

The growl he gave in response caused her pulse to quicken. What on earth was wrong with her? She normally had a lot more control over herself, but her body was betraying her by responding so deliciously to him.

“I was asked to come here. A request was made and the one person I trust more than anything wanted me to be the one to answer it.”

Time went by, it could have been seconds, minutes, hours, with Raiden staring into her eyes. She could almost make out the cogs working in his brain, but his features gave away nothing.

“Alright, you pass.”

Aithlyn chuckled, “I pass?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

Raiden smirked, “you’re very welcome.”

Although his normal grin was back in place, he didn’t move. If anything, Aithlyn had to try not to gasp as his thumbs subconsciously started tracing designs on her thighs. Seconds ticked by and Aithlyn watched as his eyes darkened further as he looked at her.

Aithlyn decided to break the silence, “So… is this your idea of a date then?” She really hoped that she didn’t sound as breathless as she felt.

Brightness came back into his eyes as he registered what she just said, laughing he smirked, “Believe me, if we were on a date you’d know.”

“True, you are far from subtle,” her lips grew into a mischievous grin, “but then again you still have me pinned against the wall,” and as if to emphasise her point she deviously rolled her hips.

She’d never admit it, but she enjoyed hearing his gasp and watching his cheeks darken. He loosened his grip slightly and slowly slid her down so she could place her feet on the floor but didn’t back away.

“Maybe if you ask nicely.”

“Raiden…” she slid her hand up and across the available skin of his chest before gripping his chin and tilting his face down a little, “I never ask.”

The spark in her eyes caused another growl to want to erupt from his throat. Instead he took a step back and held out his hand for her to take it with a smirk growing larger on his face, “Good to know.”

Aithlyn placed her hand in his and let him pull her along in the darkness. He held her tight and close enough that it seemed like he was worried that she’d disappear into the darkness. She actually felt flattered and was glad of the shadows as it hid the blush on her face. Not wanting him to know that he got to her, she decided to joke with him.

“So, on our date you won’t try to woo me with smelling or sidestepping shit?”

Looking back at her with a grin, “for you? Anything.” He couldn’t hold back the laugh as he watched her eyes widen and caught a brief glimpse of her mouth parting in a simple “Oh”.

They continued on the path for a few minutes more. Raiden suddenly stopped when he noticed shadows moving ahead and the slight sound only confirmed his thoughts. There was someone hiding up ahead. He didn’t even respond when Aithlyn bumped into his back.

“Raiden…?”

Turning, he backed her into the wall of a small tunnel opening nearby. He felt her body tense and looking down he could see she was looking in the direction of where he had previously noticed the assailant. Raiden couldn’t keep the smirk from his face.

“Stay here. Stay hidden and stay safe.”

Aithlyn frowned up at him, frustration clear and opened her mouth to speak but Raiden simply placed a finger on her lips.

“How else am I to show off on our non-date?”

Aithlyn simply rolled her eyes at him, but her features softened, “be careful.”

Raiden nodded as he stepped back and removed the daggers from where he had them hidden in his tunic before stealthily moving. In startling quick movements, he had the man pinned against the wall by his throat and had twisted his arm to cause enough pain that the man dropped his weapon and it landed in the running sewage water with a plop.

“Don’t you know assassins are meant to be silent…”

“Snake…”

Raiden barely had time to register a second assailant as he moved away from the attack. Not fast enough though as the blade sliced into his side causing him to grunt in pain. Punching the first man in the ribs he turned to the second, just in time to duck a weak attempt at slicing his throat. Springing up he sunk his own weapon in an upward swing through the man’s ribs. Removing it just as quick he felt the spray of blood as it hit his face and hair. Raiden couldn’t stop the grin appearing on his face as he heard the man’s lungs bubble and drown in his own blood.

Movement to his right caught his attention and he turned to see Aithlyn approach, dagger in hand. He knew she was going to attack the other man who was slowly dragging himself away, but he still wanted to show off. Shaking his head, he grinned at her and while maintaining eye contact, he removed a blade from his boot and threw it behind him. The thud and gurgle were all the indications he needed to know that the blade had hit his mark. Standing, he wiped off some of the blood from his face with the back of his hand.

“Are you alright?”

Aithlyn quirked her eyebrow, “Am I alright? Raiden, you’re bleeding to death!”

Raiden scoffed, but he couldn’t hide the wince as he walked over to her. Aithlyn caught him when he stumbled, and he wanted nothing more than to cling on to her.

“Come on, let me have a look at you.”

“We haven’t even gone on a date and already you want to get my shirt off!”

Raiden enjoyed watching her lips twitch as she tried to contain her smile.

“Well I have to compare you to Eric. He was very nice to look at this morning after all.”

“Hey!”

Using the distraction Aithlyn lifted his tunic and gently prodded at the wound eliciting a hiss. Raiden roughly pulled it back down when he noticed her eyes tracing over the other scars that littered his body.

“I’ve got it.”

“Raiden I’ve seen your scars, you most certainly don’t “got it,” if anything you look like a pin cushion.”

He laughed but the movement provoked his wound, “Ow.”

“You know, for someone who looks like a pin cushion, you should learn how to sew.”

Raiden laughed before lifting his hand and tracing the scar that ran across his cheek to his jaw, “I can sew just fine thanks.”

“I’d agree with you if I believed you were the one to sew that up.”

“You’re right, I’d never let anyone mess up this handsome mug,” and he felt pretty smug that he elicited a laugh from her.

Aithlyn ripped a sleeve from her dress and opened the pouch that she had tied to her hip. Opening a small vial, she poured the liquid on to the material and looked up into his face as her hand went to the bottom of his tunic. His eyes held a bit of suspicion as she lifted his tunic again.

“This is going to sting.”

Raiden opened his mouth to retort but all that came out was an angry hiss. His blood quickly turned the material dark. She pressed harder to stem the blood flow but for Raiden the pain turned into pleasure and he couldn’t stifle the groan that came from his mouth.

Aithlyn took a quick intake of breath as she looked at him. He knew his cheeks were flushed, and he had to bite his lip as Aithlyn gave an experimental little push.

“I’m sorry… Did that… hurt…?”

The next push was a little harder and he couldn’t contain the groan. He watched as her eyes darkened and she bit her bottom lip. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to tug it free with his own teeth. Placing his hand over hers he pushed a little harder and lifted his eyes from her lips to a darkening green pair of irises.

“That’s good.”

His thumb was on her wrist and he could feel her pulse quicken. If felt good to be able to elicit this type of response from her. Her eyes lowered once again to his lips and he couldn’t stop the snort of delight.

Startled eyes moved back up to his, “what?”

“You’re cute. If I haven’t said it before… You’re cute.”

Aithlyn smirked playfully, “That’s the blood loss talking.”

Shaking his head furiously, he started to respond “N-”

“What on Novus asshole happened?” Layla stormed angrily.

And just like that the bubble Aithlyn and Raiden had created was popped.

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‪Chapter Two 🌿 I Of The Storm‬

‪There’s something new in Novus, something different, but that something isn’t you...‬

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what? what’s so funny?

damon | cal | ayame

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I was scribbling some stories... But.... XD

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Because we build the worlds we wouldn't mind living in. They contain scary things, problems, but also a sense of rightness that makes them alive and makes us want to live there.

Anne McCaffrey