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#throne of glass fanfiction
danikamariewrites · 2 days
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Can I request a rowan fic smut cockwarming hard dom with praise and lots after care in the end pls
Stay Still (SMUT)
Rowaelin x reader
A/n: so ik you said Rowan x reader and it is HOWEVER I feel like I can’t write one without the other lately but Aelin only makes an appearance at the end
Warnings: hard dom Rowan (kind mean), cock warming, degradation/praise kink, overstimulation, use of safe word, fluff at the end
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Walking past Rowan’s office the stern call of your name made you jump. You shyly walked up to his desk after being told to shut the door. Standing in front of Rowan you found it hard to look at those perfect green eyes.
Rowan tapped his pen against the desk, waiting for you to look at him. He let out a deep sigh before clearing his throat. “Do you know why I called you in here angel?” You glanced up at him, biting your lip you look back down at the carpet.
Gods damnit, you knew Aelin would tell on you! That is the last time you let her edge you without Rowan present. You let out a small defeated sigh through your nose. Through your lashes you swear you saw Rowan smirk a little, then snap his signature stern look back on.
“Yes sir.” You say softly. Rowan pushes his chair back from his desk. Looking up at him through your lashes Rowan waved you over to him. You quickly move to stand between his muscular legs, knowing that if you didn’t your punishment would be worse.
Your mate holds your hips in an almost bruising grip. He slowly looks up at you with a heated look. Those green eyes taken over by his list blown pupils. You could practically see his thoughts.
“I know you want to ask so I’m going to tell you, Aelin’s punishment will come later. Yours will be now.” You nod in understanding. “Good girl,” he purred. “Now, let’s get this off.” He begins to unlace your corset as you slide your arms from the sleeves of your dress.
An hour later you were holding back your whines from how sensitive your pussy was. You were squirming on Rowan at this point.
You started with your back to his chest once you were fully stripped. Rowan had pulled and teased your nipples until they were red. He rubbed at your clit being in you to the edge too many times to count.
After you had screamed, begging for release, Rowan had demanded silence. “Only good girls get to talk,” he had said.
Now, still fully seated on his cock, you were sitting chest to chest with Rowan. Trying not to move too much so your over sensitive body didn’t brush against the fabric of his clothes. You were willing to wait this out. Your reward in the end would be too good.
Rowan shifted under you, reaching for a blank piece of paper across his desk. You whimper at the shock that runs through your body. Your hips were killing you in this position. And your clit, which still felt raw from his fingers rubbing and edging you.
“Shh,” he says softly, bringing a hand to rub up and down your spine. You felt too tight in your skin all of a sudden. Like if you didn’t get away from Rowan you’d suffocate. Your eyes start to water. “Buzzard,” you choke out.
Rowan immediately stopped. Dropping his pen he gently holds you by your shoulders, pulling you away from him. His eyes were back to that beautiful pine green and full of concern. All traces of lust gone. “We’re going to get up, are you ok to do that?” You nod, tears still silently falling down your cheeks.
He slowly stands you up, bringing you over to the velvet couch. Pulling a spare robe out of the wardrobe in the corner. Once you’re covered he gathers your clothes and picks you up to bring you back to your chambers.
On the way back Rowan sent a message to Aelin down the bond, urging her to end her meeting early. Rowan brought you straight to the bathroom into a warm bath. You’ve calmed down now. Feeling returning to your body as Rowan used his hands to scoop water on your shoulders.
Rowan rubbed your shoulders, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. “How are you feeling?” He asks softly. “Better,” you hum.
“Let’s talk about it. What sent you over the edge, baby?” Rowan started wetting your hair, lathering the shampoo in his hands.
You let out a content sigh as Rowan’s hands rub your scalp. “It was too much edging and overstimulation. It was nice at first but feeling that much made me uncomfortable.” Rowan places a small kiss on your forehead. “I’m so sorry it was too much, baby.”
Rowan guides you to lean back, soaking the suds from your hair. “It’s ok, my love. I’m ok now.” You open your eyes, blinking up at him and giving him a small smile.
Once you’re all clean and relaxed Rowan changed you into comfy clothes, wrapping you up in his arms under the covers. As Rowan runs his fingers through your hair as your eyes get heavier until you’re lulled to sleep.
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leiawritesstories · 3 days
Text
A Door Opened
written for @throneofglassmicrofics using the prompt "Rain"
word count: 965
warnings: negative thoughts, some angst, hurt/comfort
enjoy!
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As if the universe truly hated her guts, the moment Elide stepped out of the office building, she was faced with a spring downpour. These passing showers were typical of Perranth, usually lasting anywhere from three to thirty minutes before they blew through. With a deep, exhausted sigh, she pulled her old umbrella out of her bag, opened it up, and prayed to Anneith that the busted old thing would last until she was home.
She was a block away from her apartment building when a gust of wind flipped the useless piece of junk inside out, thoroughly drenching her.
Elide ducked her head and trudged onwards to her building, thankful that the pouring rain obscured the tears dripping slowly down her cheeks, hiding her soul-deep exhaustion. She pushed open the doors and stepped into the mercifully warm lobby, taking a few minutes in the coatroom to wring out her blouse and skirt as best as she could and shake the excess rain off of her short boots. Her old ankle injury throbbed, screaming for her to kick off her shoes and elevate it, but she had five flights of stairs ahead of her before she could do that.
At the top of the last flight of stairs, Elide stopped, head drooping as she braced herself on the stairwell door, her whole body protesting with aches. There were days when she cursed her uncle for inflicting the injury, when she raged against Vernon--who was long since dead--for crippling her both literally and figuratively through his vile, poisonous words. The only reason she'd been hired at the marketing firm she worked at was because her few good friends had worked tirelessly to dismantle the lies Vernon had spread.
After a long moment, she pushed open the stairwell door and trudged, sodden, down the hallway to her door. She pulled her keys out of her bag and pushed the right one into the lock, wriggling it around and around. Her door was notoriously finicky, and it often took several tries before the key clicked.
Today, though, nothing worked.
Defeated after what felt like an eternity of trying to wrangle her key into the godsdamned lock, Elide slumped to the floor in front of her door, past caring who happened to see her sad, crumpled figure, and let the hot tears drip down her cheeks.
Days like these were the worst--they had a way of letting in the dark thoughts that she kept locked up at all times. When her mental guard was this weakened, it became so easy for all the years of her uncle's insinuations to slip in and wheedle sweet poison in her ears, in her heart.
Maybe he was right.
Across the hallway, a door opened, the soft swish of wood against carpet brushing faintly across Elide's hearing. Heavy footsteps crossed the hall, pausing directly in front of her, and a broad shadow descended across her as the inhumanly tall man from across the hall crouched down in front of her.
"Li?" Lorcan Salvaterre's deep rumble poked through the thick fog of her thoughts, its familiarity like a breath of sunlight amid a rainstorm. Ever since she'd moved into this building just over a year ago, she'd had a sort of casual friendship with the solitary, brooding man, a kind of mutual partnership where they would bring each other little things on bad days.
She couldn't find the strength to lift her head. "Go away."
"Nope." Carefully, Lorcan reached out and tucked the fallen hair away from her face. "Come to my place, Li."
"Don't need your pity," she muttered.
He glanced from her slumped position to her locked door. "It's not pity, it's just what friends do. C'mon. I'm not gonna let you stay out here all night."
"Make me."
"Fine." Effortlessly, Lorcan hoisted both her and her bag into his arms and carried her across the hallway, into his apartment. He set her down on the kitchen counter, knelt down, and tugged her boots off, being extra gentle with her bad ankle.
Elide hissed as she flexed her ankle. "It's fine, I just need ice." She waved off his concern. "Gods, Lor, I'm dripping all over your counter."
"Not a problem." He went over to his freezer and returned with an ice pack. "Here. Wanna dry off in the bathroom?"
"I...I don't have a change of clothes." Her voice wobbled.
"Li, you've left so many sweat sets at my place that I practically have your whole closet." Lorcan braced his arms on either side of her, lowering his head to eye level with her. "I'm not gonna pretend to know what's going on, but you've clearly had a shit day, and I want to make it better."
Drawn to his comfort, the side that he rarely showed, Elide leaned forwards, her wet head dropping against Lorcan's shoulder. "I just want to sleep."
His arms wound around her, enveloping her in warmth. "And I want you in dry clothes first, okay?"
"Okay." She relaxed into his hold as he carried her to the bathroom, where a short stack of fresh towels and a neatly folded sweat set of hers waited on the countertop.
She emerged shortly later, dry and in clean clothes with her hair in a braid, to the enticing smell of Lorcan cooking dinner. Too tired to eat, she just went to the sofa and bundled herself into a blanket, curling into the small cocoon of warmth. He finished up cooking and padded over to the sofa, lying down and tugging her into his arms, her body curled against his beneath the blankets.
He didn't say anything, but the barely-there kiss on her forehead and the familiar comfort of his hand on her back said everything.
I am here for you.
~~~
TAGS:
@live-the-fangirl-life
@superspiritfestival
@thegreyj
@wordsafterhours
@elentiyawhitethorn
@morganofthewildfire
@mariaofdoranelle
@rowanaelinn
@house-of-galathynius
@tomtenadia
@julemmaes
@swankii-art-teacher
@charlizeed
@booknerdproblems
@earthtolinds
@goddess-aelin
@sweet-but-stormy
@clea-nightingale
@autumnbabylon
@darling-im-the-queen-of-hell
@llyncooljones
@silentquartz
@aelinschild
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jeannineee · 10 months
Text
𝐒𝐉𝐌 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
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note: I no longer write for this fandom, but I’m keeping my works here so people can still enjoy them.
𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑
𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬
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𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐑 𝐌𝐞𝐧
Intertwined (Batboys x Reader)
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Rhysand
Cassian
Azriel
Lucien Vanserra:
Promise (smut)
Slow (fluff/smut)
Watch (smut, plussize!reader)
Breakfast (smut), domestic!Lucien)
Safewording w/ Lucien
Coward (angst)
Distraction (fluff)
Eris Vanserra
Morrigan:
NSFW Alphabet
Being in a relationship with Mor would include…
Nesta Archeron:
Good (smut)
Be Nice (smut, Nesta/Cassian/Reader)
Bratty (smut)
Nesta/Reader/Azriel smut drabble
Feyre Archeron:
One More (smut)
NSFW Alphabet
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𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲
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Ruhn Danaan
Hunt Athalar:
Perfect (smut)
Always Yours (smut)
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𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬
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Rowan Whitethorn:
Fragile (smut)
Lover (smut)
Being in a relationship with Rowan Whitethorn would include…
Guarantee (tension, smut-ish)
Just One More (smut)
Manon Blackbeak:
NSFW ALPHABET
Beg (smut)
Little Thing (smut, Manon/Dorian/Reader)
Remind Me (smut)
Dorian Havilliard:
Little Thing (smut, Manon/Dorian/Reader)
Dramatic (fluff, slight suggestiveness)
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shadowdaddies · 4 months
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My heads empty except for thoughts of Lorcan with a size kink, if you could please right somthing with this,🙏🙏🙏🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️
yep I think it's canon our 7 ft tall axe-slingin' Lorcan has size kink👀
So Lorcan Did
Lorcan x Reader smut
warnings: smut below the cut, this is just pwp, size kink, oral f!receiving, p in v sex, maybe breeding kink if you squint
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You fumbled for the doorknob, twisting it open as you stumbled backwards through the doorway into your room. Lorcan spun you around, your body pressed tightly between his and the door. You craned your neck - the extent to which you had to bend just to look him in the eyes almost painful - as his massive form towered over you. 
Large hands wrapped around the backs of your thighs, lifting you effortlessly as Lorcan pinned you against the wall. It was dizzying, being lifted so high, his hard body enveloping yours as he gripped your hair, tilting your head back to grant himself access to mark your neck. 
You gasped, small moans escaping you while you writhed against his firm grip as he held you in place. “Fuck, Lorcan, please touch me,” you begged, your dress suddenly like fire against your skin, begging to be extinguished. He pulled back, black eyes taking in your flushed state. 
With a dark chuckle, Lorcan tossed you onto the bed as though you were light as a pillow. The mattress was huge, as though you were swimming in a vast sea - until Lorcan stripped off his shirt and crawled over you. His massive form swallowed the space, suddenly making the bed feel so small as his body well more than covered yours. 
Propped up on your elbows, you watched as Lorcan toyed with the hem of your dress, looking up to see him watching you with a smirk. “Let’s take this off, love,” he murmured - you eagerly shifting to help him remove any layers separating the two of you. He took in the sight of your bare breasts, a slight groan escaping him as one hand moved to toy with your nipple, his palm covering your breast and more as he tweaked the sensitive nub.
Gasping, you arched into his touch as you babbled unintelligible requests for more. Switching hands, Lorcan toyed with your other nipple as he brought his mouth down to soothe the bud he’d been teasing. You moaned instinctively, hands moving down to thread in Lorcan’s long black hair. 
He pulled away, warm breath fanning over your wet chest as he smirked, tsk’ing as he shook his head. “Hands to yourself until I say otherwise, love,” he whispered, easily grabbing both of your hands in one of his as he pinned them above your head. “Keep those there,” he mumbled against your skin as he continued his path down your stomach.
Lorcan settled above the fabric of your panties, inhaling the strong scent of your arousal as his hand splayed just above the line of fabric that spanned your hips. Your legs clenched as you felt his hand cover your entire stomach, a lewd moan escaping your lips as you looked down, sight confirming what you felt. Lorcan was so much larger than any male you had been with - or even known, for that matter, and you were burning with anticipation.
Slowly dragging your silky panties down your legs, Lorcan paused to admire the wetness that had pooled on the fabric, dark eyes watching you as he licked away the juices. You mewled, toes curling at the sight as you shamelessly begged for Lorcan to move faster. “Oh love, this is as fast as I can go. You’ll need plenty of time to warm up and be stretched out before you can take me.” 
With that, Lorcan moved to lick your clit, sucking on the bud as he inserted one finger into you. “Fuck, Lorcan,” you moaned, his one finger making you feel so full already. You started to stress, unsure if you would be able to take him. As if he sensed your nerves, Lorcan pressed a kiss to each of your hips. “It’s okay, love. If you feel any pain, just tell me and we’ll stop.” 
You nodded, feeling assured as you encouraged him to continue. Lorcan worked you a little bit longer, curling that one finger against your walls in a way that drew obscene sounds from your dripping pussy. He licked your clit furiously, distracting you as he added another finger. The stretch was glorious, back bowing off the mattress as your mind reeled, already reaching your high. “Let it go, love,” Lorcan spoke against your clit, the vibrations setting you off into an explosive orgasm. 
You hadn’t even caught your breath when you felt Lorcan add a third finger, using the fresh wetness from your orgasm to pump into you more easily. The slight burn as he worked you added to your pleasure, tossing your head back and forth on the mattress as you clumsily pushed his head away from your swollen clit. Lorcan chuckled at your movements, pressing a kiss to the bud before removing his fingers, licking them clean as he untied his pants with his other hand. 
Your heart pounded as you dared to look at his hard cock, slapping against his stomach as he carefully watched your expression. “One word. If you’re uncomfortable, we stop,” he promised. You nodded, biting your lip as your legs hooked around his waist, drawing him closer to you. Sliding his cock up and down your folds, Lorcan collected as much lubrication as he could before sliding slowly into you. 
By the time he bottomed out, you were struggling to breathe - you had never felt so full. Your pussy clenched around him in reaction, and Lorcan hissed at the feeling. “Fuck, angel, if you keep doing that, I won’t last long.” Inwardly, you thought that might be for the best, as you weren’t sure how long you could take him. With a nod of encouragement from you, Lorcan began moving in and out at a gentle pace. He looked down at your body, a loud moan escaping his lips as he watched his thrusts. 
You managed to sit up just enough to see the outline of his cock as he entered you - how incredibly full of him you were. You let out a string of curses as Lorcan picked up his pace, his hand sprawled along the place on your stomach it had been earlier, this time forcing you to feel everything. “Gods, you’re so tight,” Lorcan whispered, watching your center tighten around him as his thrusts became more frenzied. 
Lorcan licked his thumb, bringing it down to your clit as he rubbed circles, the stimulation sending you over the edge just as you felt his cock twitch inside you, warm release coating your walls as you came together. Lorcan drew out of you slowly, catching his cum before it spilled onto the sheets and shoving it back inside your core. “Clench that tight pussy for me, love. Don’t let this spill.” 
You moaned a half-conscious agreement, still in a post-orgasmic haze as Lorcan settled next to you in bed. He pulled your body close to his, and you realized he had officially ruined all other males for you.
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verperina · 2 months
Text
It Was Just For One Night
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Pairing: Dorian Havilliard x f!reader 
Summary: What was only supposed to be a one-time thing turns into a two-time thing.
Warnings: 18+ smut
Word Count: 5,662
Authors Note: This is my first time writing in a while and my first time writing for Throne of Glass/SJM’s work. I’ve never published anything on here before, so please don’t be too harsh. I hate the dialogue and the smut, but oh well. Massive credit to @autumnshighlady for helping me with the smut and for being so kind.
You feel the faint touch of a phantom hand ghost along the skin of your bare back, leaving goosebumps. You suppress a shudder. You could feel a pair of eyes burning into the side of your face, making your heart beat faster. You raised the glass of red wine to your lips and swallowed a mouthful down, trying to appear calm with your father standing beside you, conversing with another lord. They were talking about something that you had no interest in or care enough to act like you were listening to them.
His eyes were on you. Watching you. Always watching you. You finally let your eyes meet the king’s gaze and they were filled with pure hunger and desire. His sapphire eyes slowly trailed the entire length of your body, taking in the dark navy satin dress that had been gifted to you this morning. You weren’t even aware who had gifted you the dress, but it was obvious now. From the way his lips twitched and the hunger in his eyes became more and more apparent.  
It had only been a month since you and Dorian had slept together. A drunken fueled haze that had been filled with pure carnal desire. It was a one-time thing. You knew it would never happen again, but it didn’t mean that you would if it did. He had been a very generous and a very passionate lover. Making sure that you had found release, multiple times, before finding his own. When he finished, he asked if you were okay, dressed himself and left your chambers and that was it. You weren’t expecting anything after. It would be foolish to think so. 
You were surprised that the king had chosen you of all people to bed. You had heard that when Dorian was still the prince he was a harlot, so surely it wouldn’t be hard for him to find someone more appealing since he’s the King of Adarlan.
After that night there were times when both of you would be in the same room and you would make yourself never look in his direction, or he would talk to your father about diplomatic matters and rather quickly, you would excuse yourself. You didn’t want anyone to find out. You could only imagine the scandal it would cause.
An older man was talking to Dorian, and the king nodded his head, pretending that he was listening. His crown gleaming in the light, rings decorating his long fingers, dressed exquistely, and seated on his throne full of pride. He was beautiful and he knew it too. 
You forced yourself to divert your gaze, focusing instead on the people dancing to the music and the decorations that adorned the room for the Yulemas ball. But you felt it again. That phantom touch. And this time, it wasn’t faint. It felt more apparent. More forceful. 
The touch stroked the length of your spine before landing on the curve of your backside, trailing downwards until it reached the back of your thigh, and gave a soft squeeze. You purse your lips as your hand clenches the stem of the wine glass, face warming, and you quickly glance at your father and the other lord, making sure they weren’t paying attention to what was happening, before looking back toward Dorian to see his eyes were still on you. He wasn’t even trying to hide the smug look on his face.
Arrogant prick. You couldn’t believe he was choosing to do this in a room full of people. Especially with your father right next to you. You shot a subtle look at Dorian, but it only seemed to amuse him. He cocked his head to the side, a mocking gesture, daring you to do something. The tension was starting to become too much. 
You swallowed.
“I’m going out to the garden for some air,” you said quietly to your father. He waved his hand in dismissal and continued his conversation with the man. You placed your glass down on the nearest table and began weaving your way through the crowds of people, careful to not get anyone’s wine on your dress. You could feel Dorian’s gaze burning through the back of your head, following your every movement. 
When you walked outside you inhaled the air, welcoming it into your lungs and letting the cold breeze cool your flushed body. Everything had felt too warm and crowded inside that room. Too overwhelming.
Snow fell from the sky, landing on the ground and kissing it a beautiful white. A few snowflakes landed in your hair. The wind was lightly blowing, making your skin prickle. You pulled a single rose from a bush, careful to not cut your fingers on any of the thorns. The rose was a deep, luscious shade of red with soft petals. You lifted the flower to your nose and inhaled its sweet and floral scent. There was a soft crunch in the snow behind you. Footsteps. You didn’t have to turn around to know who they belonged to. 
“That is a very beautiful dress,” Dorian said, his voice smooth. You turned your head to the side and met his gaze. Pure mirth in his stare. His raven black hair shining in the moonlight. “You look rather flustered.”
You kept your face blank, feeling a small hint of annoyance starting to bubble up inside of you. “Are you mad?”
Dorian quirked an eyebrow. “No, ‘Your Majesty’?” 
A roll your eyes. “Are you mad, Your Majesty?” 
He grinned. “Ask me tomorrow.”
"My father was right there,” you huffed. “He could have seen. Anyone could have seen.”
“Yes, but no one did.”
“I’m not an exhibsionist.”
“I apologize, my lady.” He gave a mocking bow.
“Is this a game to you?” You ask, turning to face him fully. 
His brows slightly furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You had your fun. We both did,” you explained. “It was a one-time thing, so why did you give me this dress and why did you do that in there?”
He was quiet for a moment, studying you, and then asked, “What if I want it to become a two-time thing?”
“Why? What’s in it for you?” You say cautiously. Surely he wasn’t serious.
“I get to enjoy your presence once more,” he answered. “I rather enjoyed myself the last time.”
You try to hide your surprise, but he caught it. You kept your eyes on him, furrowing your eyebrows, and wondered why he wanted to sleep together again, with you, when he could have anyone else. You weren’t completely turned-off to the idea. It would be a lie to say that you hadn’t thought about it.
In the dead of night, you would let your fingers slip inside your wet cunt and fantasize about his hands wrapping around your throat, his teeth tugging on your nipple, and his cock thrusting inside of you. The sound of his groans and your moans, both of your bodies slick with sweat. You felt a flutter low in your stomach. Your throat bobbed.
“We could enjoy each other’s company once more.” 
“What if someone finds out?” You cross your arms across your chest. “It would make things difficult for you, but mainly for me.”
“The guards wouldn’t say anything,” he reassured. 
You raised an eyebrow. “Surely the presence of your absence has been noted.”
“I announced that I was retiring for the night and told everyone to continue partying.”
“What if someone sees?”
“Everyone is too busy drinking and dancing,” he paused for a moment, looking you up and down, noticing that your body was stiff. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Do you not want to? If not, then it’s fine, I don’t mean to place pressure on you.”
You could tell that Dorian’s words were genuine. His face was soft and patient, waiting for you to respond. “I want to,” I admitted. His eyes became bright at your words. “I just don’t want to complicate things.” He waited for you to continue. “You’re the King of Adarlan; I don’t think people would be pleased to know that you’ve bedded me. I would probably be seen as a woman who tempted the king for money and power, as a whore.”
“It's no one's business what I do, or what you do. I am the king. My guards know to keep their mouths shut, especially the ones that are stationed outside my chambers. If anyone does find out, you can come to me and I’ll deal with it.” 
You thought about it for a moment, weighing your options, and glanced around the garden to see that it was still empty. You met his gaze once more and nodded. “Yes.”
“Are you sure?” He asked. His voice came out low, taking a step closer to you. 
“Yes.” You licked your lips, and his eyes trailed the movement. You took a step forward, glancing at his lips, tilting your head upwards and parting your lips slightly, giving him permission to kiss you. His hand came to cup your face, his thumb lightly stroking the side of your cheek while his other hand settled on your hip, giving it a hard squeeze.
Your bodies were pressed against each other, and it was then that you could feel the hardness of his cock through his trousers. You leaned your head forward, feeling his breathe as your lips were about to connect-
You jerked back as you let out a low hiss of pain as one of the thorns sliced into the tip of your index finger. A bead of blood pooled at the cut, making your skin sting. Dorian plucked the flower from your hand and brought your finger close to his face, his eyes inspecting the small cut and then he looked at you, a sly look on his face.
“You need to be more careful, dove.” He brought your finger to his lips, pressing light kisses onto the skin slowly, as if savoring the taste of the salt on your skin mixed with your blood. His tongue replaced his lips, his eyes never leaving yours. 
Your breath hitched and you could feel wetness start to pool in between your thighs. His teeth harshly nipped at the skin, making a small noise escape your throat. “Dorian,” you moaned quietly. “Please.” Your toes curled. He tossed the rose on the ground, releasing your finger, and brought your lips to his. 
His lips were cold but soft, and you ran my hands through his thick hair, your nails lightly scraping his scalp. You swallowed the groan that left his mouth. His hands are roughly squeezing your backside, pushing you closer to him. He tugged your bottom lip between his teeth as you pressed your thighs together to try and relieve some of the aching tension.
“Not here,” you breathed.
He nodded and grabbed your hand, walking both of you out of the garden and through a door that had no one near it, and led the two of you back inside the castle. You had to walk fast to keep up with the strides of his long legs. The halls that he led you through were thankfully empty, not even guards were positioned in the hallway, it looked like any rarely came through this way. He squeezed your hand and brushed his thumb across your knuckles. 
The hall to where his chambers came into view and the guards stationed outside didn’t so much as flinch as Dorian neared the door. They only gave a respectful bow to their king, averting their eyes, and pretended to not notice that his hand was interlaced with yours, or that his lips were swollen, and the tanned skin of his cheeks were flushed.
He pushed open the door and led you through his room, quickly closing the door. You stopped in the middle of the room and noticed it was rather untidy; books were open and lying on his desk and the table by the sofa, his bed was unmade, and a few of his clothes were on the floor. But it smelled like him. So much like Dorian.
Your back was facing Dorian, his footsteps sounding closer, the sound of his crown being placed gently on a table, and then he was right behind you. His front pressed against your back, the warmth of his body seeping into you. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear before grabbing your chin, making you meet his gaze, sapphire eyes were blazing. His forehead rested against yours. “I need to hear you say it.”
Your breathing was growing heavier.
“Yes. Please.”
His hand released your chin, moving your head back to its original position and his free hand came to rest on your hip. His hand then wrapped around your throat, squeezing softly, and tilted your head back. Dorian’s lips were brushing the shell of your ear before his teeth tugged on the lobe of your ear, biting gently.
The hand on your waist moved until it was settled right above your pelvis, pushing you back so you could feel his cock. You slightly shifted your hips, grinding your ass on his hardened length, and you were pleased when a low groan left him.
He left a trail of rough kisses down the column of your throat, teeth occasionally nipping and harshly sucking on the flesh, marking you as his. Quiet moans escaping your lips as you let your body lean more into him.
The thin strap of your dress fell down your shoulder, exposing your collarbone. Phantom hands came to cup your breasts through the flimsy material of your dress, squeezing before pinching your peaked nipples, hard. 
A hiss left you, arching your back away from his body, but his hand pushed you back against him and held you tightly, and grabbed your face again, placing his lips on yours. The tip of your tongue meeting his own. Heat bloomed in your core. He bit your bottom lip as he removed the dress from your body and let it fall to the floor. You turned around, arms snaking around his neck and pulling at the thick strand of his hair. 
Both of his hands grabbed yours as he pulled his lips away from yours, breathing heavily, and guiding you toward his large bed. His cheeks were a flushed red and his once neat hair was messy from you dragging your fingers through it.
You climbed onto the bed and sat up on your knees, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and kissed him again. His hand came to cup the side of your ass, his blunt fingernails lightly scratching before a harsh smack came down, the sound echoing throughout the room.
Your body jolted forward and you let out a loud, breathy moan. You felt yourself becoming more aroused. 
“You like how that feels?” Dorian asked. Another harsh smack came down, on the opposite side this time, when you didn’t answer. “I asked you a question.”
“Yes,” you groaned, head tipping back in pleasure.
“I’m going to take good care of you.” The words sounded like a promise.
You tugged off his jacket and let it drop to the floor. You took off his tunic next, revealing the pale line on his tan skin from where the collar had been, and strong, firm muscle. Your hand came to cup his cock through his black trousers. Dorian hissed, eyebrows slightly creasing together in pleasure. You press light kisses on the pale part of his neck, sucking harshly, leaving love bites of your own and running your tongue over the bruised flesh.
He grabbed you by the neck, putting his lips back on yours. His kiss was deliberately slow. Teasing. Savoring the taste of the red wine on your lips. His fingers are pulling at the hair at the nape of your neck. You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer, wanting to feel the hardness of his length against your stomach. Fingertips pressing into the curve of your neck as his tongue sweeps over your mouth. 
You moan into the kiss, feeling his phantom hands squeezing your ass, tracing the band of your underwear. His fingertips brush over your nipples. They’re cold with his ice magic. You shiver and his mouth curves in delight. The tip of Dorian’s nail grazes the hardened bud before he bends down and takes your nipple in his mouth. Your underwear is sticky with your arousal.
He keeps his eyes on you, watching how your head tips back, how your lips part as you begin moaning breathily. He rolls your other nipple between his thumb and index finger, leaving goosebumps on your skin from the coldness of his flesh. He sucks roughly, moaning around the bud as you pull at his hair, and then he tugs at your nipple with his teeth. His tongue laps over it before he begins sucking again. 
“Feels so good,” you mumble, trying to catch your breath. You can feel him grin in satisfaction.
Dorian releases the abused flesh and he starts repeating the same motions on the other nipple, but this time it’s harsher, more animalistic. His hand starts trailing down your stomach and then cups your clothed cunt. A chuckle leaves his lips at what he found. “You’re so wet.” 
He dips his hand in your underwear and runs a finger through your folds. You start to slowly move your hips, rubbing your clit on the heel of his palm to relieve the aching tension. “Stay still,” he warns, “or I’ll stop.” You groan in frustration, but comply, hesitantly. He circles the entrance to your hole, gathering the wetness that had pooled there, and then slips a finger inside of you.
Your back arches the same time as you let out a choked moan. You clench around him, fighting the urge to rub your clit against his palm. Painfully slow, in a teasing manner, he thrusts his finger in and out. He takes his time in stretching you out. Your voice is husky as you say, “Kiss me.” You open your eyes to see that he’s already looking at you. Pure desire in his gaze. 
“Kiss me,” you repeat again. He obliges. There’s nothing gentle or soft about the kiss. It’s messy and fast and rough. Your teeth are clashing against each other, desperate to taste each other. Your breaths are labored, trying to breathe in more air.
He enters a second finger and when you gasp, he shoves his tongue inside your mouth. You dig your nails into the meat of his shoulders before brushing your thumbs over his nipples.
“Since that night I’ve thought of doing this again,” Dorian admitted. “I fucked myself to the thought of you. Imagining it was you stroking my cock.”
His words made you clench around his fingers. You could picture it. His eyes closed, head leaning back against the pillows, and his hand gripping his cock, squeezing hard. His groans coming out hoarsely, loudly. There was a sense of triumph in knowing that you had made the King of Adarlan fantasize about you. It was satisfying. 
“So have I,” you also admitted. 
“Tell me,” he demanded.
You swallowed. “I shoved my fingers inside my cunt and wished that it was yours instead. I thought of your tongue on my cunt, of your hand around my throat and your cock inside me.” 
Dorian’s fingers thrust faster the same time phantom hands tug at your nipples, a warm feeling blooming low in your stomach. Your moans were coming out in short gasps. “Dorian.” Your fingernails leave marks on his broad shoulders and your head tips back. “I’m so close.” The pressure that had been building was becoming more intense. He whispers words of encouragement and praise. 
And with a curl of his fingers you cry out, arching your body into him as your orgasm hits you. Your breath comes out in stutters, your body jerking and your knees trembling. His phantom hands help keep you upright. He coaxes you through it. And when your moans cease, he very slowly removes his fingers from your cunt with a squelching sound. 
He brings them to his face, inspecting the wet sheen on them. Dorian smiles. “Look at how soaked you are.” Your arousal coats his entire hand, dripping down to his wrist. And while he keeps his eyes locked on yours, he puts his digits into his mouth and tastes your juices. Your breath hitches. His sapphire eyes darken considerably. 
The palm of his hand rests on your collarbone and he gently pushes you until your back is lying on the bed. He reaches forward and rips off the lacy material of your underwear. After tossing them across the room he takes a step back and greedily takes in the sight of you; a thin sheen of sweat is covering your body, your nipples are red and swollen from where he sucked and bit on them, and your cunt is dripping wet. 
“I need you,” your voice snaps Dorian out of his daze.
He starts to undo the button of trousers and pushes them down, removing his undershorts also. He steps out of them quickly and tosses them aside, and his cock slaps against his abdomen hard. You take in the sight; the fine patch of dark hair, the tip of his cock is red and leaking with his arousal.
You lick your lips, desperate to have his cock in your mouth. The previous time you fucked each other, you only briefly got to lick him, and you had forgotten what he’d tasted like.
He wraps a hand around his cock, giving it a firm stroke. He hisses. “You see what you do to me?”
Dorian walks forward, kneels on the bed and uses his phantom hands to restrain your wrists to the mattress. He lowers himself between your legs and an almost pained look crosses his features as he stares at your core, wet and gleaming for him.
It was a slow torture, him slowly kissing the inside of your thighs, nipping at skin and leaving love bites. His thumbs draw circles into your hips, and you keep squirming, wanting his tongue on your most sensitive part, but he seemed keen on the idea to tease you.
“Dorian,” you rasped. He would continue teasing until you begged for it. It’s what he wanted. You held his gaze and watched as he waited, a grin was on his face, but you could see his body trembling with restraint to keep himself from ravishing you. “Please.”
He cocks his head to the side, mockingly, and his grin is feline. “Because you asked nicely. . .”
Dorian took a long, languid lick up the center of your core. You let out a moan in relief and your eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the feeling of his tongue sliding up and down you, tasting you thoroughly. He peppers kisses along your cunt before he starts licking again. 
One of his hands comes up to pinch your nipple and you buck your hips against his face, but he throws an arm across your waist to keep you still. He wraps his lips directly around your clit and you cry out as he starts sucking the sensitive nub. You struggle against the phantom hands that bound your wrists. You want to run your fingers through his hair grind against his face.
Grabbing your thighs, Dorian drapes them over his shoulders to hold you closer and keeps his eyes pinned to your face. He wanted to watch you come on his tongue. He pumps his fingers in and out of you, curling ever so slightly. 
“Right there,” you gasp.
You watch as he presses his hips hard against the mattress and begins rutting against it, a soft groan leaving him and it vibrates through your core.
You try to free your hands from his magic, but it doesn’t budge. “Let me touch you.” You look at him with pleading eyes. “Please, let me touch you.” Finally, those phantom hands release their grip on you.
Your body writhes and your fingers rake through his black hair to push him closer, nails scratching along his scalp. Your cries of pleasure encourage him to keep going. His teeth scraping your clit is what makes you climax. His fingers quicken their pace, tongue moving faster, letting you ride out your high.
It leaves you trembling with needing more, but Dorian removes his tongue and fingers from you and leans back on his knees. His eyes linger on your abused cunt before he looks at you and you stare at him, too. Blue eyes full of adoration. His hair was in disarray, cheeks a pretty shade of pink, and his chin and lips were coated with your arousal but he didn’t seem to care.
He looked devastating.
You barely had time to catch your breath before he grabbed you by the hips and turned you around so you were on your knees, ass in the air, and the side of your face was pressed against the sheets. His hand left a hard smack across your ass cheek making a yelp escape your lips. Dorian’s hands once again grab your hips to bring you close to his face, and his fingers tease your entrance, and you arch your back, urging him to bring you another orgasm again.
He laughed teasingly. “So eager, dove.”
He sticks his tongue inside of your cunt and your entire body shudders. He moans, as if this is pleasuring him just as much as it is you. The taste of you was going to haunt him after this was over. The essence of you would haunt him. 
He presses his fingers inside your leaking hole and the pace is fast, desperate to draw a third orgasm from you. Dorian wanted you to come again, and again, and again. He needed you to come again. 
Another harsh slap to your ass has you moaning out his name. Your hands clutch the sheets tightly and you rock your hips against his face, and unlike last time, he doesn’t try to make you stay still. He lets you grind yourself on his face and makes his phantom hands rock your hips to move them faster. The tips of his fingers would leave bruises from how hard their grip was.
Lewd noises were coming out of his mouth and your face warmed from the sounds.
Your body trembles as he flicks his tongue against your clit repeatedly and you feel yourself come again. A loud cry echoing against the walls of his room. He hums against your cunt, letting the vibrations further stimulate you. It isn’t until your whimpering that he finally relents. You’re panting, strands of hair clinging to your forehead, and your knees give out beneath you.
“You’re doing so good for me,” Dorian praised. He presses a kiss against your spine. And then another. His hand rubbing your red backside from the slaps he gave. His ice magic soothing the tender skin.
“Dorian,” you mumble.
“Are you okay?” He asks, running a strong hand down the length of your spine gently. Your skin prickles.
You manage a weak nod.
“Use your words.”
“Yes,” you murmur. Your eyelids were heavy and the perspiration felt sticky on the nape of your neck.
He helps turn you around so you’re laying on your back. You drink in the sight of him and he does the same. Dorian’s lips were shining with your arousal and his cock looked painfully hard. You wanted to kiss him. You reached out a trembling hand, and he eyed it before taking hold of it and leaning over you, bracing his body weight on his elbows. His nose brushes yours softly.
“Kiss me,” you breathe. He brought his mouth to yours. You could taste yourself on his tongue. You were both frantic and desperate, and didn’t want to pull your mouths apart from each other. 
You cup his face, rubbing your thumb along the sharp cheekbone as your other hand played with the strands of his hair. His body was trembling and whatever self-control he had left was slipping away.
You reach a hand down, gripping his length and give it a lazy stroke. He makes a soft noise at the touch, slowly moving his hips as you start pressing kisses onto his collarbones. His forehead resting on top of yours, eyes closed and savoring the moment. You run your thumb over the slit, gathering moisture before giving a gentle squeeze that makes a low growl leave Dorian. That last bit of self-control was completely gone.
He takes his cock and lines the head of it up with your cunt and in one motion, he fully sheaths himself inside of you. A sigh of contentment leaves the pair of you. His pace starts off slow, languid. Your hips roll against his, trying to find a rhythm that matches. His hands roam over the sides of your body before landing on your plush hips. Fingertips digging into your flesh.
“Tell me how you feel.” He licked the side of your throat.
“Good,” you pant. “So good.” 
“You like me being inside you?” His tone was teasing, mocking, but you could hear how gravelly he sounded.
“Yes.” 
He presses kisses to your lips, your neck, your collarbones, the swell of your breasts. Tongue flicking over both nipples. Your legs lock around his trim waist, bringing him closer to you and you clench tightly around him, and his hips jerk, drawing two mirrored moans of pleasure from you both. Your head tips back in bliss and your entire body is buzzing from pleasure.
Dorian’s eyes were a shade of blue so dark they looked like the freezing cold waters of the sea. He moans out your name like a prayer and dips down to kiss you again, as if one isn’t enough. Your hands run up and down his chest, the tip of your nail scraping his nipple. His thrusts were becoming rougher, deeper, more punishing than before. Your breasts bouncing with every snap of his hips.
One of his phantom hands started rubbing your clit and a low pressure was beginning to bloom in your belly, making a breathy gasp leave you. The walls of your cunt start contracting. Hot, heavy, open-mouthed kisses leave a thin string of saliva connecting your lips. It was messy. Both of you were moaning into each other’s mouth. Both of you sounded so needy.
Dorian buried his face into the crook of your neck. A cry left your lips as his teeth bit down on your skin. His thrusts were brutal, each one bringing you closer to the edge, hips snapping into yours hard enough that the headboard was banging against the wall. He obviously didn’t care if someone heard. And neither did you. The fingers on your clit were moving faster and your body was shaking. “Please, please, please. . .”
That familiar coil settled in your lower abdomen snaps. Your back arching off the bed as you come, the walls of your cunt clenching around him rhythmically, and you bury your forehead into the crook of his neck. Nails leaving red marks on his shoulders and down his back, and toes curling from the overstimulation.
Dorian fucks you through it, and his groans are growing louder and his thrusts harsher; he was going to come. He breathes out a desperate, pleading noise, leaning down until his forehead is pressed against yours. He fucks into you harder. The sound of skin-on-skin reverberating through the room. You give him words of encouragement, pressing quick kisses to his lips.
He comes with a deep, guttural groan. His hips stuttering. And you feel his seed spill into you as he rides out his high, fingertips gripping your hips so tight bruises would probably appear. His thrusts start to slow down before eventually stopping, and he pauses for a moment, panting heavily, before collapsing on top of you, unable to hold himself up any longer.
You brush back the damp strands of hair that cling to his forehead. Both of your bodies are shaking and slick with sweat. His breath tickles your skin. 
There were no noises in the room anymore save for the sounds of both of you gasping for air, but it didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. Dorian’s fingers loosened their tight grip on your hips and rubbed the flesh tenderly. A sigh of contentment left you. A passionate and generous lover indeed.
You could feel him start to grow restless. You unlocked your legs from around his waist and he gently pulled out from you with an almost inaudible hiss, and rolled onto his back right beside you, trying to catch his breath. The air in the room grew cold, his magic cooling the both of you off.
Your limbs felt heavy and you could feel his seed spilling out from you. You closed your eyes for a moment, still feeling the tingling sensation all over your body. Deep down you knew that no one would ever fuck you as good as Dorian just had. You didn’t know if this would happen again or if people would find out that you had fucked their king.
A small part of you inside felt sad knowing that you would be staying at the castle for only one more month before leaving to go back to your city. But you knew it was just sex. You didn’t expect anything more. It would be foolish to.
You could feel Dorian’s eyes burning into the side of your head, his lips parting, “Perhaps we should do this again.” The words were spoken nonchalantly, but you picked up on the tinge of nervousness. “Make it a three-time thing.”
You lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug, making yourself appear calm, and felt a grin tugging at your lips. “Maybe.”
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rowaelinsdaughter · 2 months
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OUR DOLL
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a/n;; this is the dirtiest thing i've ever written, and you can see that i got a liiiiiitle carried by this... but come on!!! they are rowan and aelin. 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️ im on my knees for them.
WARNINGS;; smut without plot, degradation(?), orgasm denial, mommy and daddy dynamics, overstimulation, m!oral, aelin uses a strap on reader (this was so 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️)
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rowan whitethorn was tired. his day had been filled with meetings. meeting after meeting. he was tired of diplomacy, of talking and everything. the only thing he wanted was to be in bed with his mates.
he made his way to their room when he heard a noise. a slap. stopping on the door, he sharpens his hearing, trying to figure out what it was. another sound. this time a moan. your moan. you were moaning. 
he opened the door, carefully not to disturb. your moans were louder now that he was inside.
“you like it, doll?” aelin said. her voice full of lust. 
fuck. rowan thought. he made his way to the open door of the bedroom, and the sight before him… fuck fuck fuck.
aelin was seated on the bed, her back on the headboard as she watched you bounce on her dick. a strap. aelin was using a strap on you, and you were bouncing like you would do on his dick. your eyes were close. moans leaving your mouth as aelin’s hands roamed over your body. a slap on your butt and the other hand was massaging your tit. 
rowan touched his dick. he wanted to release it from his pants. 
his eyes found aelin’s. a smirk on her face as she stops you, a whimper leaving your lips. 
“you like the sight, rowan?” your eyes follow aelin’s and you found rowan on the door. his dick begging to be free from his pants, and his eyes full of lust. 
you feel aelin on your side, her lips brushing your ear. “why don’t you turn around and beg to rowan?” 
a little nod and with her help, you turn around, your back pressed on aelin’s chest. you look at rowan through you lashes and notice that his shirt was gone, as well as his pants and underwear. the sight before you makes your walls clench around her dick, buried deep inside you. rowan grabs your neck so you are looking at him. lust and fervent desire. you look at his dick, precum was dripping from it. his hand moves to your neck and squeezes it, you look at his eyes again.
“you like my dick, doll? you want to suck it?” 
aelin bites your shoulder. “answer doll”
“yes”
“yes, what?” rowan demands.
“yes daddy” you answer, a wicked smile on their faces.
with her fae speed, aelin maneuvers you, and now you are on your hands and knees. her hands grabs your hips and she leaves a little from your cunt, making you whimper at the loss. rowan catches your hair creating a ponytail and before he can tell you what to do, your mouth is open and your tongue is out. an invitation. 
a breathy curse leaves his lips and with a push oh his hips, his dick is inside your mouth. at the same time aelin shoves her dick against your throbbing cunt. your body shrives at the sensation and a cry falls from your lips. they both start with the same rhythm, your body is on fire and you think you can die just from having them. 
“gods… look at you doll. such a dirty girl, just for us” aelin says with a harsh thrust to your cunt. if she wasn’t grabbing you, you would have fallen to the bed. 
“that’s it aelin, she’s our dirty girl, just our- fuck”  rowan hand gripped your hair as he cum on your mouth and aelin stops her hips. “that’s it, take it all doll, just like that. good girl”
aelin takes your hands, and with a pull you’re on your knees again, unable to move your hands thanks to her. rowan’s mouth is inches from your’s, his hands massaging your tits and pinching your nipples. 
“what do you want, doll?”
“i wanna cum, please”
rowan bites your shoulder and his lips travel to your ear. “where are your manners, doll?”
you shallow. “i wanna cum, please, mommy, daddy let me cum please, i’ve been a good girl, please” a tear falls from your eye and you feel aelin lick it. “good girl… we should let him cum rowan?”
“mmm, i think she has been a good girl for us” aelin thrusts into your pussy as rowan’s hand rubs your clit. 
the pounding is incessant, and you know the whole castle can hear you moaning, but they don’t care, let them know they are the only ones who can make you cry from pleasure.
“i’m gonna cum, i’m gonna-” a cry and you’re coming on aelin’s dick as they both bite your neck on each side. your body feels dizzy, your breaths are difficult as you feel like you're in heaven. aelin removes the strap from you, a little groan falling from your lips. she goes to the bathroom to prepare everything.
“let’s go bath, doll”
“i don’t-” a pair of arms raise you from bed, and you hear aelin closing the water. once you all are bathed, they take you to bed, each of them on your sides. a kiss on your shoulder and lips is the last thing you remember. 
“we love you, doll”
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all rights reserved to ©rowaelinsdaughter. no tranlations allowed. no copy theme. don not copy my work.
tagging;; @shadowdaddies @thehighladywrites @hellwantfuckme
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throneofsmut · 5 months
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KINKTOBER MASTERLIST
day one: overstimulation with rhys
day two: breeding with fenrys moonbeam
day three: choking with rowan whitethorn
day four: bondage with lucien vanserra
day five: thigh riding with azriel
day six: sensation play with hunt athalar
day seven: degradation with eris vanserra
day eight: face sitting with cassian
day nine: face fucking with azriel
day ten: spanking with cassian
day eleven: shadow play with dorian havillard
day twelve: caught masturbating with eris vanserra
day thirteen: praise with fenrys moonbeam
day fourteen: shower sex with hunt athalar
day fifteen: outdoor sex with lucien vanserra
day sixteen: cockwarming with rhys
day seventeen: temperature play with rowan whitethorn
day eighteen: squirting with ruhn danaan
day nineteen: threesome / dp with bat boys ( poly )
day twenty: size difference with azriel
day twenty-one: tit fucking with cassian
day twenty-two: against a wall with rhys
day twenty-three: hate fuck with eris vanserra
day twenty- four: hunter / prey with azriel
day twenty-five: glory hole with cassian
day twenty-six: daddy kink with rhys
day twenty-seven: sleepy sex with lucien vanserra
day twenty-eight: knife play with azriel
day twenty-nine: corruption with cassian
day thirty: period sex with rhys
day thirty-one: wing play with azriel
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thehighladywrites · 3 months
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Throne of glass characters x reader, sending them lingerie pics
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summary: you send them pics of your new lingerie
warnings: suggestiveness, mdni
amara’s note: this is my first throne of glass related post, i’m gonna start making more I hope
for my wife: @rowaelinsdaughter 💗
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272 notes · View notes
clairebear08 · 6 months
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Patients (Lorcan x Reader)
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KINKTOBER DAY FIVE: BLINDFOLD
Note: i want this man to break my bed 🧎‍♀️
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You tossed and turned in your bed, absense of the male you loved making it hard for sleep to find you as worry crept in. He'd been gone for over a week, the trip becoming far longer than intended. Although you knew he was more than capable, with years in the cadre under his belt, you couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong, the thought enough to send any hope of sleep withering away until you were wide awake once more.
The two of you had been sneaking around for weeks, slipping away when no one was looking for a quick fuck until both of you realized your interactions had become much more than that. Lorcan had become possesive of you, and you of him, that simple fact making it worlds harder to conseal your realtionship from your now family.
There wasn't a simple answer as to why you'd opted to keep your love for one another behind closed doors, both of you not ready to tell anyone else. You'd been with the cadre for years, meshing into their new family after Rowan found Aelin, becoming a part of her court as a result. You might've had flings with the males years ago, even one with Lorcan previous to this one, but nothing matched the way you felt about him now, the slight tug in your chest every time you met his eyes. The pulling in your chest sister to the one you'd grown to love years ago before Lorcan had broken it off with you, worried about Maeve and your safety.
As you turned, you heard the soft click of your bedroom door sutting, the sound echoing through the room and sending your heart racing. It wasn't until a cooling sensation washed over you, his darkness gliding across the bedspread, that your body finally relaxed, registering that you were safe.
You tipped your head down, finding Lorcan standing at the foot of the bed, eyes trailing along your body as he took you in. His breathing seemed to become more labored, the sight of your kicked off covers and lacy pajama set sending a wave of arousal washing over him and filling the air with a musk that had your hips shifting, already desperate for friction.
You bit your lip as you watched him, waiting for him to move only to have his eyes meet yours, a small smile gracing his features as he slowly lowered himself to the bed, crawling across the matress, careful of your body, before halting, his head hanging above yours.
"Hello, dove."
His voice was like music to your ears, the low husk sending a chill up your spine, "Hello, my love."
His eyes darted to your lips once, twice, before his head ducked down, warm mouth gliding across yours. You opened your mouth to him instantly, allowing his tongue to sweep in, claiming you as his muscle tangled with yours. His taste was intoxicating, the way his body moved against yours becoming the only indicator that he felt the same.
Lorcan pulled back just long enough to let a few words escape him, pausing to nip at your neck before returning to your mouth, "I missed you so fucking much, y/n. You have no idea."
Your hands tangled in his hair, pulling his mouth harder against yours, his words melting your heart before you pulled back, meeting his darkened gaze as your breaths mingled between your bodies, "I missed you too, Lor." The two of you watched each other for a few beats before you became a tangle of teeth and tongue that left you soaked, a deep need surging up as your hips searched for his.
Sensing your need, Lorcan shifted his weight to allow for his mouth to move, slowly trailing down your body, leaving love bites in his wake before halting at the apex of your thighs.
His hands drifted along the fabric loosely concealing your body, not bothering to look at you as he spoke, possessiveness lacing his words, "Gods, I love these things. Never stop wearing them for me, dove."
You nodded despite knowing he couldn't see.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
His fingers gripped the material of your panties, the cool air brushing along your sensitive clit and sending a chill up your spine as your body hummed in anticipation. Loran took his time, watching you through his lashes as his tongue flicked out, slowly lapping up the evidence of your arousal as your mouth sat agape, hands tangling in the sheets as you resisted the urge to pull his head closer.
His head tilted to the side, tongue plunging into your core as his hand worked to hold your thighs open, fingers slowly trailing to your clit. He pressed the bud, watching the way your body squirmed beneath his touch. Your hands moved on their own accord, fingertips rushing to tangle in his hair as you began to grind your hips, desperate for the release he'd withheld from you on his trip.
A deep groan rumbled from his chest as he quickened his pace, fingers filling your cunt as he dragged your clit between his teeth, pulling and sucking in a manor that had your body shaking with need, your climax building until his name was rolling off your tongue, white-hot bliss washing over you as your thighs shook, attempting to close only for Lorcan to pry them open and continue his assult until you were tumbling over the edge again.
You bit down, the copery tang of blood flooding your mouth as you worked to quite yourself, not wanting to wake your family as your eyes rolled back.
He finally relented, pulling away only after he'd licked up the mess he'd made. Lorcan slowly dragged his body up yours, his mouth mashing into yours the second he was able to reach it, tongue pushing in immediately and forcing you to taste yourself on him.
Your fingers pulled out of his hair, dragging down his back and gripping his shirt, yanking the material up until Lorcan was helping it over his head. You pulled back, eyes dragging along his body as your own heated, your tongue becoming heavy as the thought of licking along the lines of his abs filled your mind.
He smirked from where he was posed above you, seemingly knowing where your thoughts had traveled to. You watched as his arm reached across your body, corded muscles flexing beneath his skin as the sound of your nightstand drawer opening filled the momentary silence.
When Lorcan finally pulled back, you couldn't stop the whine that escaped you as you beheld what he had grabbed.
A black silk blindfold rested between his fingertips, the smooth material shining under the moonlight as Lorcan's dark eyes met yours.
You'd used the silk only a few times prior, finding the pleasure it brought you unlike anything else.
"Do you want it, dove?"
His voice had dropped an octave, lust dripping from his words as you caught his double meaning. Not only was he asking for your permission to tie the blindfold around your eyes, but he was asking whether or not you wanted to be fucked hard enough to destroy the very bed you layed in.
The thought of his feral state had you begging.
“Yes. Lorcan, please."
"What?"
You groaned, knowing he loved the sound of you begging for him, for his cock, "Use the blindfold, now. I need it, Lorcan, please. I need you to fuck me."
His answering growl had your nipples pebbling as his arms shot out, wrapping the silk around your head until you saw nothing but black, your senses immediately heightening as you shivered in anticipation.
You felt the tendrils of his powers brush along your bare skin, winding down your body as Lorcan's hands did the same until they reached your throbbing core.
"So pretty for me, dove."
You moaned as his fingers pushed into your cunt as he spoke, thrusting twice before removing them, the sound of his sucking the only tell that he had dipped them into his mouth, tasting you again.
The sound of his shuffling was deafening as his pants fell to the floor. Your body was practically begging for his touch, needing him to push home the way you'd fantasized about over the past week.
You gasped as the tip of his cock brushed against your center, hips pushing forward and earning a groan in response that had Lorcan's darkness wrapping aroung your hips, locking them down.
"Patients, dove." He tsked, "As much as I love seeing you this desperate to cum on my cock, I want to draw this out for as long as possible."
You moaned loudly as he began to push in, backing out slightly before venturing deeper, repeating the action until his skin was flush with yours, seated fulling inside of you. Your walls stretched to accommodate his size, the burn a welcome feeling as your body worked to adjust as Lorcan's breaths became uneven, his body shuddering against yours as he worked to compose himself.
He began moving, his hips starting slowly as they began to pistion into you. You felt his hands fall on either side of your head as he continued to move, supporting himself as grunts escaped him. His darkness relented, giving you enough room to shift your hips against his, grinding into his thrusts and heightening both of your pleasure.
"Lorcan..."
His name left your lips as a soft moan, the sound telling him just how much you needed him. His weight shifted above you, arms disappearing from either side of your head as he fell back on his knees. His hands gripped your thighs, roughly yanking you closer as your arms dragged above your head, his movements sliding him deeper into you.
A gasp fell from your lips seconds before he began fucking you roughly, his hard thrusts sending the headboard slamming into the wall repeatedly. You had half a mind to tell him to stop, not wanting to alert anyone, but with his cock hitting that sweet spot deep within you, your words were nothing more then a muttered slur of sounds.
"Fuck, y/n!" He shifted his hands under your knees, somehow venturing deeper with the new angle, "I missed you so damn much. You and your tight little pussy made perfect for me."
Your answering moan only encouraged him more as he continued to slam into you until your back was arching from the bed. Your body tingled with pleasure as you gripped the sheets, unable to do anything but take it as your body became more sensitive, the blindfold covering your eyes only increasing your pleasure.
You couldn't stop the way his name tore from your body as you came, white spots dotting your vision through the darkness as tremors wracked your body seconds before you went limp, simply riding out your pleasure.
A crack sounded as Lorcan went with you, coming with a roar that shook the wall, his seed filling you as he collapsed onto you, body shuddering as his cock twitched inside you.
The sound of his heavy breathing filled your ears, your arms wrapping around him as you both lay still. His fingers tugged at the silk still around your eyes, pulling until your sight was restored. The look in his eyes had you pushing up, kissing his lips roughly as you tugged at his hair, leaving you both out of breath when you finally relented, pulling away.
Your eyes traveled around the room, noticing the new angle you were now laying at. Twisting your head, you peaked over the edge of the bed to find a shattered leg. Your eyes flashed back to Lorcan's as you realized what you'd done.
"You broke the bed."
His laugh was a low rumble as a small smile crept onto his face. "We broke the bed. And yes, it would appear so."
You were ready to tease him, prepared to joke and laugh about the whole thing when the sound of thundering footsteps sounded down the hall, quickly nearing your rooms.
Your eyes widened, finding that Lorcan's were doing the same seconds before he sprung into action, throwing the sheets over your body and his legs, obstructing your body from sight before the door opened.
"What's going on- oh."
Fenrys cut himself off as he took in the two of you, the smell of sex filling the air and the broken bedframe you both sat on. Aelin and Rowan were close behind him, Adieon and Gavriel coming into view not long after, all of them looking at the two of you star-struck before turning to each other.
Gavriel was the first to speak, clearly trying to hide his amusment, "Well then..."
Fenrys and Adieon began laughing as Rowan turned his head, attempting to hide his own smile as Aelin spoke, "You're paying for that."
You let out a breathy laugh before looking at Lorcan, who looked anything but amused, obviously not appreciating the interruption. You sighed as you fell back, nudging Lorcan to do the same. His arms wrapped around your waist as you turned to nuzzel into his chest, eyes closing as you breathed in his scent.
Lorcan only nodded, his darkness pooling in the doorway before your family, clearly trying to shove them out. Seeming to take the hint, Rowan shut the door, shaking his head as he did so. The sounds of receeding footsteps and laughter filtered down the hall.
His fingers were still running through your hair as you drifted off, voice a soft sound, "Love you, dove."
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writtenonreceipts · 3 months
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a/n: Bonus points if you can point out where one of my (many) mental breakdowns occurs.  She’s a bit of a disaster.  I literally don’t know where this came from…
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas @aelinschild!  Written as part of the @rowaelinscourt secret santa exchange. Thanks for putting up with me and my myriad of asks.  It’s been wonderful to get to know you these last few weeks! <3<3<3<3
Find the companion Elorcan piece here! Set just a few months before the main events of this story.
AO3 Link here
Warnings: nothing major, non-explicit/passing mentions of trauma/abuse, very brief mention of drugs ~25k words
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Until the Dust Settles
A golden sun set behind the Oakwald Mountains, casting long shadows across the long stretch of land that made up Whitethorn Ranch.  The acres were a makeup of subtle rills and hills where horses could run for ages and the flatter earth where a decent sized garden yielded a fair amount for the farmers market in the spring and summer. 
The land had been in Rowan Whitethorn’s family for over one hundred years—it was the only home he’d ever known.  He’d grown up racing horses through the vast fields or spending winter chasing down animals that had gotten loose in a storm.  He would admit that sometimes it was a hard life to live—the constant work, the fear for the animal’s safety.  But it certainly had its benefits.
The spring and summer that actually made the land worth having.  Not only because there in the farther outreaches of the countryside, things seemed untouched by society—which really was the only thing worth mentioning.  But it also allowed for the most tourism and when most people came to visit that ranch.
For nearly twenty years now, Whitethorn Ranch was mostly known for its outreach program for troubled teens.  When kids needed time away from home where it was for depression, anxiety, trauma, misbehavior—they came to the ranch.  
It had started ages ago when Rowan’s great-grandfather came to own the land and took on the runaways who were escaping bad situations.  His great-grandparents accepted anyone who came by the ranch as their own and the attitude extended through the generations.  By the time Rowan’s father gained the land, things had turned to be more professional.  
The ranch used a mix of therapy modems and simple outreach to help those who needed it.  They offered day visits for schools, riding lessons, even month-long visits and stays for extreme cases.  It was careful water to tread sometimes.  Recently, Rowan had been more conscious about making sure the kids who came felt safe and wanted.  He never accepted anyone who was forced to come, unless he could talk to the kid first.  Even then, he knew that help only helped when someone actually wanted it.
But now as Rowan stared over the golden horizon, he wondered how anyone could turn a sight like this down.
He tightened Goldryn’s reins and clicked his tongue, directing the horse back to the stables.  It had been a long day of checkouts and clean up.  This late in the fall, most people only came by for tours or field trips.  Business wouldn’t pick back up until May at least.
For now, the ranch would rely on its usual borders.  There were a few families that owned horses but didn’t have the land to keep them, so Rowan rented out stalls and charged for care.  It kept him busy enough in the slower months.  Him and Lorcan, his best friend from college, made things work though.  It had taken a great deal of convincing to get Lorcan to come out here, but the grumpy bastard enjoyed being outside and this job presented plenty of opportunity.
It certainly helped that Lorcan had recently started dating Elide Lochan, who was a staple to the small town.  And Rowan had to admit—they were good together.
As he rode down a worn path along the paddock fence, Rowan could see a shape waiting for him in the distance.  He grimaced.  There was only one person that would be so intent on talking to him.
He slowed Goldryn to a trot, knowing he couldn’t avoid the inevitable.
Leaning against a fence post with her arms crossed and golden blonde hair hanging in loose curls was Aelin Galathynius.  Brilliant, beautiful, and a pain in his ass.  She had come to the ranch almost six months ago after graduating from a top university specializing in trauma.  She was exactly what he needed for what he was trying to accomplish here and exactly the right person to drive him insane.
Rowan pulled Goldryn to a stop at the fence gate and stared down at Aelin.  Her cold blue eyes stared right back up.  She’d long since traded her fancy clothes and high heels out for jeans and t-shirts.  She even wore a baseball cap on occasion.  And yet the change of close did nothing to diminish her looks.
“I need to talk to you,” she said.  She didn’t flinch when Goldryn stamped her feet with a loud snort.  Another thing Aelin had improved upon, not being jumpy around the animals.  Though, she did eye the mare with a bit of distrust.
“It’s outside of my office hours,” he replied.  “Try again tomorrow.”
Aelin scowled at him.  It was the same excuse she used on him when he needed to talk to her, he didn’t see why she should be so upset to have it thrown back in her face.
“That’s what you said yesterday,” she said.
“I know what I said.”  He adjusted his hold on the reins and shrugged. “It’s been a busy few days.”
He jumped off of Goldryn’s back, landing in the earth with a soft thump.  He could just as easily have Aelin open the gate for him, but he was convinced she would have tried to scratch his eyes out if he’d asked.  Keeping one hand in the reins, Rowan unlatched the gate and swung it open towards him.  Goldryn snorted again, huffing as she backed up a few feet to make room.  
Aelin too had taken a step back but she didn’t go far.  She was several inches shorter than he was, even in the boots she wore, but still taller than the average woman.  She had a lean, athletic build Rowan had seen put to good use.  When some of the kids got restless on their extended stays she would workout with them, go for runs, turn hay bales, the whole nine-yards.  She wasn’t weak by any means.
“What do you need, princess?” he asked as he led Goldryn through the gate, locking the paddock again behind him.  He kept himself between Aelin and the horse, mostly because he knew she still wasn’t comfortable around the larger animals and even he wasn’t that cruel.
Still, Aelin almost stalked off right then.  Rowan could see it in her eyes, the tilt of her chin.  It wouldn’t have surprised him if she had.  Hell, he’d never met anyone as stubborn as Aelin Galathynius.  Not even one of his horses had as much attitude.
But he knew she needed something and even though it killed her, she uncrossed her arms and kept pace with him as he set off toward the stables.
“Don’t call me that,” Aelin said flatly.  She flicked her hair over one shoulder as she kept her steps purposeful, even when she stepped in a small hole and nearly went careening forward.
Rowan tried to reach out and steady her as he kept Goldryn reined in, but Aelin waved him off.  She straightened herself out and got on even footing before she continued to scowl at the ground.  She’d always been like that too—refusing help and insisting she could manage things on her own.  She was damned near worse than Farasha.
“Easy,” he said.  He was talking to the horse, who was yanking on the reins a bit too hard.  Aelin of course would never miss an opportunity to glare at him.
It was a shame they hated each other; Rowan decided.  Because try as he might, he couldn’t ignore the fact that she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.  Between her blue eyes, the golden waves of hair, the mischievous tilt of her lips—he’d be a fool not to acknowledge it.  But Aelin was also impossibly stubborn.  She fought him on everything.  She was opinionated.  She was selfish.  She was—
“I want you to open up another week for kids to come and stay over Christmas and New Years,” Aelin said.  She adjusted the yellow and black flannel she wore, eyes straight forward.
She was going to drive him to an early grave.
It was Rowan’s turn to stumble as he spun to look at her. “You what?”
Goldryn snorted, pulling on the reins again.  Oh she was mad at him.  They were a few minutes late to dinner now and she knew it.  Damn horse.
“An extra week for kids to come stay over the holidays,” Aelin repeated.  She didn’t flinch from the way he turned his own glare on her, only kept walking with that insufferable tilt to her chin.
“Why?” he asked.
Christmas—any of the holidays this time of year really—always made for a quieter time on the ranch.  People were more content to stay at home and put off their problems a little longer.  It wasn’t until after that people realized how much they hated their circumstances.  Even then, they didn’t seek out his ranch for anything more than daily horse rides.  Nothing to actually problem solve.
“It’s a hard time of year for kids,” Aelin said.  
They reached the stables and she helped slide the great door open.  Immediately, the heating system blasted them with a warm gush of air accompanied by the scent of hay, manure, and feed.  It was a scent Rowan had grown used to and, strange as it was, he took comfort in.
Rowan handed Goldryn off to one of the stable hands who took the mare to her stall.  Turning to Aelin, Rowan crossed his arms over his chest, taking her in.  She had a fiery determination about her and he knew he wouldn’t be able to brush her off easily.
“Open up an extra week so these kids can have a safe place to come,” Aelin insisted. “There’s a program with the city—”
“Please, Aelin, I know what that means,” he said, already walking away.  She could trail him and make her case if it was so important. “I won’t actually get paid for the extra costs.  The city pretends to take care of all the funding but doesn’t actually give me what I need.”
“I’ll take care of it all,” Aelin said, indeed following right after him as he moved to the feed barrels.  She even managed to dodge the droppings from the lone pig that wandered the stables. “I’ll keep up the communications with the program.  I know the director, she’s not a flake.”
Rowan had heard things like this before.  Sellene had tried to get him to take state funding before too, all that resulted in was mounds of paperwork and audits.
He opened the feed barrels and started scooping portions into waiting buckets that would go to the various horse stalls.  Aelin took one of the buckets as soon as it was filled, her manicured fingers wrapping around the handle.  
“The Cavarre Foundation wants to help kids,” Aelin continued.  She grabbed another bucket. “They’ve already got a list of kids they can send over.”
“Then they can wait til after the holidays,” Rowan said.
He hefted his own buckets and went to the first stall.  A yearling named Quinn was already waiting for his feed.  His owners were aiming for the colt to be a stallion and show for congress.  Quinn had a bit too much attitude to take to that sort of training, he’d be better as a rodeo horse or in the fields, but Rowan wasn’t being paid for that commentary.
“Watch it buddy,” Rowan warned the colt as he opened the stall and eased toward the trough in the corner.  Quinn nickered and pranced a bit, but ultimately didn’t give him any issues.
Aelin waited outside the stall, the tension in her body obvious.  She should just go and catch up with him later.  He would have suggested it too if she didn’t immediately start talking again.
“What if their home lives aren’t the best?  These kids have been selected from a few of the foster homes in the area and recommended by psychiatrists that this would be a beneficial healing opportunity.”  Aelin dodged around a worker moving hay, this time landing one foot in a pile of pig dung.  She didn’t flinch. “Isn’t that what this ranch is about?”
No it wasn’t.
Rowan opened the door of Hessina’s stall.  The mare was pregnant, due in late February, and had to be the sweetest horse he actually owned.  Rowan offered her a nose rub that she eagerly accepted.
“Are you even listening to me?” Aelin asked as Rowan closed the stall again.
“Hard not to when you won’t shut up,” he muttered.  He couldn’t tell if she’d heard him or not--her scowl remained perfectly etched on her face and she betrayed nothing as she walked with him to the next two stalls.
It didn’t take long to get most of the horses fed and ensure they had plenty of water.  The night wasn’t set to get too cold, so they wouldn’t bring out the blankets.  The heating system worked well enough to keep things warm but not freezing and these horses were all conditioned and bred for the chilly winter weather as it was.
By the time Rowan was ready to head back to the main house it had almost darkened completely outside.  Another long day done only for it to continue tomorrow and the day after.  He’d only been officially running the ranch for five years and he was ready to be done with it.
After making sure everything was set for the night, and checking in with the shift leader, Rowan decided he could leave everything as it was.  Lorcan would be in tomorrow to do a once over.  As the lead stable manager, he oversaw the functioning of the workers and the horses.  He even did a bit of training on the horses.  Not that Lorcan would ever admit to doing so.  
“You still here?” Rowan said to Aelin as he headed back to the cold night.  It was a twenty-minute walk, but the weather had been decent enough that he hadn’t wanted to bother with his car. 
“You never gave me an answer,” she said.
They walked across the long drive that led straight to the main house.  The road wasn’t paved, only gravel packed dirt that wound it’s way around the property.  When kids were staying in the cabins, Aelin had a room designated for her in the house, but she usually just went back into town where she rented an apartment.  As far as he knew, she was still planning on leaving when they reached her car.
“I already told you no,” he said.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make; opening the ranch up for a week.  Especially over the holidays.  He knew that Lorcan didn’t care about this time of year and there were a few ranch hands that wouldn’t mind the extra time to work.  But if the city program never paid him, he could never pay for the extra work.  And while he knew he could handle the work on his own if necessary…well, Rowan just didn’t see the point of approving this.
“It’s a lot to take on without much warning,” he added, before Aelin could rise up in a defensive retort. “Give me a day, alright?”
They finally reached the main house with its large wrap-around porch, the whitewashed wood, and three-story windows.  His cousin was probably inside already cooking up a meal that she’d filmed for her Instagram page.  It was the kind of house for a family, for someone with more to their name than Rowan did.  Sometimes he really hated coming home.
Aelin car, a small two-door Audi, waited from where she’d parked it that morning.  Rowan would be very interested to know how she planned on getting around once the snow started.
“I’ll take on any extra work you need,” she said, “cooking, cleaning, I’ll care for horses—”
“You hate the horses,” he said.
Her mouth twisted to the side. “I’ll do what I need to do.  Please, Rowan.  I think this would be a really good opportunity.”
Rowan didn’t know what surprised him more: the fact that she said please or used his first name.  He made the mistake of meeting her gaze, the gold undertones of the blue bright in the porch lights.  Shaking his head, Rowan muttered a curse.
“I’ll let you know in the morning,” he told her.
Aelin nodded once. “Thank-you.”
It was the most civil they’d been to each other in a long time.  Usually their exchanges ended in accusations, shouting, and name calling.  Aelin too seemed caught off guard by it.  She stepped back, digging for her keys in her pocket.  She nodded again before returning to her car.
Rowan remained outside as she made a quick U-turn in the large gravel drive.  She disappeared into the night quietly, the taillights soon lost as she curved down a bend in the road.
“Dammit,” he muttered.
Rowan already knew the answer he would have to give Aelin.  It was one he’d have to give his entire staff.  And he knew no one was going to like it.  Come new year he was going to sell the ranch to someone new.  And just like that the legacy his family had left him would be gone.
As she drove down the highway into town, Aelin found herself wringing the steering wheel of the car while imagining it was Rowan Whitethorn’s neck.  She knew, she knew, he was going to tell her no.  He would text her first thing in the morning and tell her that her request would be denied.  That the thing she actually cared about wouldn’t see the light of day.
He was a bastard.
She’d known it from the first day she’d met him so many months ago.  
It was her first full day in Oakwald, having left everything behind in Terrasen, and she was ready to start anew.  She’d expected things to be hard.  But she hadn’t expected Rowan Whitethorn to look at her with such contempt and tell her that she really had no business being there in the first place.  As if he hadn’t hired her just a week ago to fill a vacancy in his staff.
Not to mention the look he’d given her clothes, her car, everything about her was some big cosmic joke.  
Aelin sighed and turned off the highway to the bar where her one real friend worked.
Her little Audi was out of place among the trucks and SUVs.  She just needed to make it another two weeks without any bad weather and she’d have access to her new car.  Locking up, she hurried into the bar, already relishing the warmth awaiting.
In the span of one minute, the cold November air nearly sucked the life out of her.  The bar was a welcome reprieve as it was always kept at a decent heat.  Even with the scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the air, it had a comforting air about it.
Aelin went to the counter and slipped into a stool right next to Lorcan Salvaterre.
“Seriously?” he growled at her with a malicious side eye.
“It's the best of both worlds,” Aelin said with a cheeky smile. “You don’t like sharing your girlfriend, but she’s my best friend.  You still can talk to her and freely ignore me.”
Lorcan was not impressed by the explanation.  Back in the city, Aelin would have done everything in her power to avoid a man like him.  He was massive with long black hair and enough scars to indicate bad news.  His leather jacket strained with his broad shoulders and thick muscles.  And while Aelin would admit she had a thing for guys of a certain physique there was something dark about Lorcan that she couldn’t explain.  Which made it all the more surprising that he and Elide had started dating.
“Hey, Aelin!” Elide appeared from the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, carrying a tray of appetizers for another table.
“Hey!” Aelin called back.
Just a few months ago, Elide had told her about the confession she’d overheard where Lorcan admitted his feelings for her.  It had led to a heated kiss and a night that Elide said was the best of her life.  It was the only explanation Aelin needed or wanted.  She was glad her friend was happy, even if it was with Lorcan Salvaterre.
“Glad to see you’re still grumpy as ever,” Aelin told Lorcan.  She snagged a few pretzels in one of the many bowls set up along the bar.  She’d long gotten over her germ contamination worries.  
Lorcan grunted and sipped his beer.  Aelin rolled her eyes.
“You’re just like Whitethorn,” she said.
Another grunt.  Well, it was better than utter ignorance she supposed.
Elide appeared a minute later.  She leaned against the counter and raised a brow.
“Wow, you actually chose to sit next to Lorcan,” she said, “I’m proud of you.”
“I figured it would be better than making the old man upset that you would choose me over him to talk to,” Aelin explained.  “Besides, I think he’s warming up to me.”
Lorcan cut her a look that only had her grinning.
Elide snorted a laugh. “Yeah, besties the two of you.  What would you like to drink?”
“Just a coke,” Aelin said, “I should get home soon.”
“Coke and mozzarella sticks coming up,” Elide said with a wink.  She glanced at Lorcan. “Babe?”
Lorcan stared at his girlfriend for a long moment before registering what she said.  The corner of his mouth picked up in a smile and he shook his head.  
“Nah, I’m good.”
Elide only smiled fondly as she got Aelin her coke and went to put in an order for mozzarella sticks.
It was strange to Aelin just how enmeshed she’d gotten into this small town just in the past few months since arriving.  She never thought she’d find a place to belong more than in Terrasen, but there was something about Oakwald that she couldn’t deny enjoying.  It certainly helped that she and Elide had become such quick friends.  
But really, Aelin was glad to be out of Terrasen.  She needed a new start.  A new life.  Here, no one knew her history, her parents, anything beyond the fact that she was the new therapist on Whitethorn Ranch.  And she liked it that way.
Elide returned a minute later, her thick black hair piled in a new bun atop her head.  She often worked doubles all week long without much time for herself, let alone to date anyone.  But Aelin had learned a long time ago that Elide was as good as they came.  She worked hard, cared harder, and was one of the most genuine individuals she’d ever met.
“How was the ranch?” Elide asked.  She set another beer on the bar for Lorcan without his needing to ask for it.
“Good,” Aelin said, “it’s been slowing down.  But if Whitethorn wouldn’t be such an ass, it would pick up.  I pitched him my idea for the extra week over the holidays.  He’s just going to say no, though.” Beside her, Lorcan made a noise.  She shot him a glare. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said, “it doesn’t matter.”
He looked up when the bar door opened and a few of his friends came in.  He rapped his knuckles on the counter before standing to go join them.
Aelin looked back to Elide. “How can you like him?”
“Because I do,” Elide said simply.  She leaned across the counter with a sigh. “I’m sure Rowan will approve your idea.  It’s a good one and he knows it’s what his ranch is for.  Take him the numbers and notes you came up with.  He can’t say no to concrete evidence.”
Aelin nodded absently.  When she’d come to Oakwald it had been in part to get away from Terrasen.  But it had also been a beckoning call from her cousin and his wife.
Lysandra Cavarre-Ashryver had been a close friend of Aelin’s for years when they’d grown up together in Terrasen.  They’d lost contact when Lysandra’s foster family took her across the country.  Aelin too had lost contact with her cousin after a series of messy family drama.  It was only after Aelin’s…accident a few years ago that they’d slowly reconnected.
And to be honest ever since talking with Lysandra and Aedion again, Aelin had slowly started feeling like herself.  It had only taken six years.
“I just…I really think it’s a good plan, especially for those kids,” she said.  This entire thing was the only thing keeping her afloat right now.  A job that gave her purpose, a chance to reunite with her cousin…it was better than being left with the reality of potentially going back to Terrasen.
Aelin shuddered at the thought and sipped her coke.  The carbonation danced on her tongue as she swallowed.
“He’s going to say yes,” Elide said.  She gave Aelin another look of assurance before going back to the kitchen to check on orders.
Aelin didn’t know what to think.  Elide had to be on her side, that’s what friends did.  But Elide was also not the kind to cling to false hope.
“Yeah,” she said to herself.  She had to believe that this would go right.  Because the alternative…well she didn’t want to think about that.
“What do you mean no?” Aelin asked.
She stared across the desk at Rowan who looked utterly passive as he sat in his chair, fingers steepled before him.
They were in the office of the main house where most of the “on paper” business of the ranch was taken care of.  Aelin had spent a bit of time here over the last several months.  Mostly to force Rowan to listen to her on a subject.  And just like all the other times before it was proving to be hostile and unproductive.
The office was simple in decoration with only a few framed pictures of Rowan’s dad, granddad, and great-granddad, a few knick-knacks on the shelves, and medals and certificates of recognition that the ranch had received over the years for various horses that had made nationals and other such things.
 Aelin didn’t like the room very much.  The rest of the house had a homey feel, but she believed that was because Sellene lived on site while she went to school at the local community college and hosted an online cooking show with Instagram.  It was Sellene that added the feminine touch to the main concourses.  Rowan hardly seemed like the domestic type.  If things were his way the entire house would be empty save for a display of guns.
“I mean no,” Rowan said.  He didn’t even look apologetic as he delivered the news.  “It’s too much work for the ranch in this season.  Most of the workers are already leaving until things pick up in the spring.  And if you can’t guarantee payment then I’m not putting in the risk.”
She pulled out the binder she’d curated with Lysandra and dropped it on the desk with a thunk.
“I have the costs and benefits listed, what the program will offer in payment before and after, they have releases all lined up, the programs director is willing to come down and help with whatever is needed supervision wise for the kids.”  Aelin flipped the binder open to the different graphs and spreadsheets. “If you’d just look it over.”
She was trying desperately to keep her voice even, to keep from shaking and revealing too much, but Aelin could feel a familiar sense of panic rising within her.  This was happening.  He was going to turn her down and she would be left with the solid evidence that she couldn’t even do something as simple as start a therapeutic program on her own.
“Aelin,” Rowan said.  He leaned across the desk and placed a hand on the open binder.  He didn’t even bother to look at the pages of carefully crafted data.  Instead, his stupid green eyes bore into her with what Aelin could only describe as pity.
The bastard was pitying her?
She slid the binder away from him, protective of it and all the work she’d put into its contents.  
“Fine,” she said.  She shouldn’t have been surprised.  In the last seven months of knowing him, he had always been cold and heartless. The kind of person that Aelin should have known better than getting into business with.  He wasn’t any better than—
“I have three conditions,” Rowan said suddenly.
Aelin snapped her eyes back to his.  He couldn’t really mean—
“First, you’ll be expected to pick up extra slack from the workers who already have approved time off for the holiday,” Rowan said, “and you’ll have to convince Lorcan to work over time.”
Aelin blinked at him. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“No strings attached?”
“Well, I doubt you’re going to get Lorcan to help.” Rowan shrugged, leaning back in his chair. He paused as if considering what his next words would be. “He doesn’t like helping people very much.”
“I know he doesn’t like me,” Aelin said, her body still thrumming with excitement. “No need to sugar coat it.  What was your third condition?”
Rowan adjusted the cuff of his shirt. “The program director needs to have at least a quarter of the payment to me by tomorrow afternoon.”
“She can have it to you by today,” Aelin said automatically.  She knew that just like her, Lysandra had been waiting for an opportunity like this to come along and had made sure she had sufficient funding all lined up.  Plus, there was Aedion who would go to hell and back if it meant getting Lysandra something she wanted.
Rowan didn’t seem convinced that her words held much weight but he only nodded. “Alright.  Then from the twenty third to January second you’re in charge.”
“Deal.  Done.”  Aelin agreed automatically.  She would have given him the twenty in her wallet and her library card if it would make a difference.  Which it should.  Her library card was worth gold.
Despite his agreement, displeasure was plain to see on Rowan’s face.  He still didn’t like this plan.  Well he could just suck it up.  By the time Aelin was through and was able to execute all the ideas she had—he would see.  This was going to be a brilliant idea, one that could easily become a new tradition for the ranch.
He held out a hand toward her and Aelin stared.  Did he want to shake on this?
“The binder,” he said, one silver brow raised.
Aelin felt a bit of heat rise in her cheeks, but she forced it back.  This binder was her baby.  Quite literally the thing that had pulled her through her master’s program, and hopefully to a doctorate.
“You’re going to be mean to her,” she said.
“It’s a binder.”
“It’s my child.”
Rowan’s lips parted in surprise.  Well, it wasn’t the first time she’d caught him off guard.  It was his turn to stare at her, those green eyes boring into her with such intensity Aelin would have thought he could actually see into her soul.
“I need to know what you’re going to put my ranch through,” he said.
Aelin pursed her lips.  She knew she’d have to relent, but handing over the binder felt like handing over a piece of her and she didn’t think she was ready for that.  Rowan’s hand still wanted expectantly and she glanced down at it.  His palm was upturned and she could see the roughhewn calluses on his fingers and knuckles.  His skin was clean though, the nails neatly trimmed and no dirt tucked in the nail beds.  She’d never quite realized just how big Rowan actually was, in all these months.  And here he was holding out a hand to her and all she could do was stare.
Like a maniac.
She dropped the binder into his hand.  He barely twitched.
“I’ll just wait to hear from your…friend?” he asked.
“Lysandra Cavarre,” Aelin said.  Technically Lysandra Ashryver, but Aelin really didn’t want to go into the complications of last names and what they meant.  She’d made it this far without any association to her past, she could keep it up a while longer.
“Lysandra,” Rowan repeated, committing the name to memory.  He nodded and accepted the binder onto his desk. “I’ll leave you to it then.  You’ve got a lot of work to do if you think Lorcan’s going to agree to this easily.”
“Oh, he’s even more of a bastard than you,” Aelin replied quickly.  She smiled as sweetly as she would if she were talking with someone she liked. “But I’m best friends with his girlfriend.”
With that, Aelin rose from her seat, collecting her bag as she went.  When she reached the door, she turned back and smiled again.
“You won’t regret this.”
Just as she was pulling the door of his office shut behind her, she could have sworn she heard the soft murmur: Mala save me.
Aelin smirked to herself as she walked back through the house.  If she was adding just a little bit of extra misery to Rowans day, she didn’t suppose that would be an issue.  The grumpy buzzard deserved it.
She passed the kitchen where Sellene was sitting at the counter, a pile of books for school in front of her.  Pausing, Aelin rerouted to just say hi to the Whitethorn cousin.
Sellene, a few years older than Aelin’s twenty-five, had always been a staple of the ranch.  Even when she was doing her schooling, she’d taken time off to help raise her younger brother Endymion after their parents passed, she was almost always at the ranch.  Now that Endymion had gone to his own college of choice, Sellene was now able to pursue her own desires.
“Hey, Sel,” Aelin greeted.  She went to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle.
“Hey Aelin,” Sellene said. “Rowan giving you a hard time?”
“Has he always been so cranky?”  Aelin asked.  She sighed and leaned against the counter as she rested her elbows on the granite.  
Across from her, Sellene chuckled. “I guess you could say that.  Just be glad he likes you.”
“Please.” Aelin rolled her eyes. “He hates me.”
“If he hated you, do you think he’d keep you around?” Sellene raised a brow in question. “He’s an ass, but he knows you work hard.”
Aelin wasn’t so sure of that.  Really, she was convinced the only reason Rowan didn’t kick her off the ranch was because there were no other options for therapists to come out into the area.  It had only taken half a day for Rowan to call her in for an interview when she’d first applied.  The job offer came the next day.
“Whatever you say,” Aelin said. “You want to help me piss him off even more?”
Sellene sighed. “I would love to, unfortunately I am going to be headed out to visit Endymion during his break.  It’s harder for him to leave his job.”
Aelin shouldn’t have been surprised.  In the few months she’d been a part of the homestead she’d learned quickly that the Whitethorn cousins were a tight knit group.  Still, it would have been fun to pit Sellene against Rowan at least for a little bit.
“That’ll be fun,” she said.  “I’m sure he misses you.”
“Oh, I plan on embarrassing him to no end,” Sellene replied seriously. “He’s eighteen and thinks he’s the smartest person alive.  The boy’s gotta learn some humility.”
Aelin snorted a laugh.  Honestly, it was the same thing her own cousin would have said about her. 
Sellene shut down her computer sighed. “But I am going to miss this place.  It’s always the best being here during the holidays.  It’ll be weird not to see it all.”
It was a strange sentiment to share and Aelin didn’t quite know how to respond.  But she didn’t have time to ask about it.  It was already getting late in the day and she needed to call Elide to enlist her help.  And then tell Lysandra to send a deposit Rowan’s direction.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Aelin said, she’d have time to get more information from Sellene later.
“Yeah, good luck, Aelin,” Sellene said, smiling softly.
Aelin offered a wave before she hurried out of the house, phone in hand.  
It only rang once before Elide answered.
“Elide?” she asked. “I need your help.”
For some reason, Rowan had thought that Aelin wouldn’t succeed in meeting the three conditions he’d set out for her.  Because, really, how would she be able to convince Lorcan of all people to work over time?
He supposed this was his first lesson in not underestimating her because not half an hour after Aelin left his office the morning, he’d approved the project then he got a call from one Lysandra Cavarre asking for routing information that she could send money to.
By the end of the day, he’d gotten a text from Lorcan.
Your girlfriend’s a menace.
Rowan had stared at the message for entirely too long.
Not my girlfriend.
Lorcan’s brief response said more than anything else could: right.
The brief exchange caught Rowan off guard.  Not only for the fact that Lorcan didn’t insult Aelin, but the mere idea of calling her his girlfriend.  She was the bane of his existence.  In the entirety of her time on the ranch she’d demanded change, created chaos, and riled him up with all her little remarks.
Aelin Galathynius sought to drive him insane.  Even when he tried to return the favor, nothing he did seemed enough to deter her.  She only rose to the challenge.  He guessed he could respect her for that.
Three days after striking the deal with Aelin, Rowan woke early, as he usually did, and headed to the stables.  They still had two weeks of preparation before the holidays but there was still plenty to do.  
Rowan dressed quickly before heading to the kitchen where Sellene had left a smoothie and protein bar in the fridge for him.  When there were kids or other guests staying in the cabins, there was a bigger fanfare made for breakfast.  For now, this was usually what he got.  He’d much prefer making his own food, but he always appreciated the effort from Sellene.
He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl as well and headed out to his truck.  It was barely four-thirty in the morning but that was the life he’d set out for himself.  He’d barely made it down the deck stairs when he noticed the other car sitting in the drive next to his.
Aelin was leaning against the side of her tiny car, wearing a large flannel and jeans tucked into a pair of boots.  In her hands she held two thermoses.  
“What?” She called out to him. “Did you sleep in?”
Rowan crossed the yard toward her. “The sun isn’t even up.”
“Yeah, I hate it.” She took a long sip from one of the thermos’ before thrusting the other at him. “Here.  Black like your soul.”
Rowan stared at the thermos for a minute before he accepted it. “Thanks?”
The morning was dark, not even the horizon had started lighting, yet Rowan could still see the amusement playing in Aelin’s eyes as she watched him.  Her hair hung in a long braid over one shoulder, a few tendrils escaped around her temples.  She didn’t wear any makeup and still there was something so striking about the way she looked.
“It’s not poisoned,” she prompted.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, taking a sip of the coffee.  It was strong and bitter, just as he liked.
“You said I’d need to help pick up the slack,” she said, following him as he walked to his truck. “So here I am.”
If he were being honest, Rowan was surprised.  Aelin had never stuck him as the type to do manual labor.  Or really work for that matter.  Her wealth and status had been obvious the first time he’d met her.  Then there was the car, the designer clothes, the manicures.  When he’d hired her, all he’d received were glowing referrals.  Another surprise.  Even now he was still trying to reconcile his initial impressions of her to who she really was.
“Here you are,” Rowan agreed.  He gave her another once over, unable to help but notice the curve of her hips beneath the open flannel.  Dammit.
Shaking his head, he unlocked the truck.  He could practically hear his mother yelling at him for not opening Aelin’s door for her, but his hands were full.  Besides, Aelin didn’t seem to notice.  She hopped up into the front seat.  Her movements were graceful and easy as though she’d done so a hundred times before.
Rowan settled into his own seat and started the truck up.  There was a small layer of frost on the windshield waiting for them.  His least favorite part of the day was waiting for the heater to get into gear and finally warm up.
“Are you always up so early?” Aelin asked suddenly.  She was huddled in her seat, staving off the chill which was the only thing about the early hour that seemed to be bothering her.
“Yeah,” Rowan said. “Unless Lorcan’s going to be in early.  But I told him to take the later shift until he comes in for your event.”
Aelin hummed at that as she took a long sip of her own coffee. “Interesting.  You should get more sleep.  It’s good for you.”
“I’m in the wrong business for that, princess,” he muttered.
“Don’t call me that,” Aelin said.  She cut him a glare, her lip curling slightly.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because.”  Another sip of her coffee.
Rowan said nothing and tried clearing the windshield.  It cleared well enough.  He at least wouldn’t be out on the open road, so a few skiffs of remaining ice weren’t the end of the world.  Putting the truck in gear, he backed up a bit before turning.
“Are you always such a morning person?” he asked as they headed down the long drive.
“Hell no.” Aelin made a face. “If I had it my way I wouldn’t get out of bed until noon.  This is my second round of coffee.  Do you have any idea how much I am not looking forward to today?  It’s going to be miserable.  The worst.  I hate mornings.”
She spoke with such vehemence that Rowan wondered if there really was a way for morning to be such a real entity for someone to hate.  It was also amusing, especially the way her nose crinkled in disgust.
“It’s a beautiful morning,” he said, clearing his throat. “You can’t hate that.”
“It’s pitch black and I can see my breath,” she deadpanned.  Sighing she adjusted in her seat. “C’mon, buzzard, you wouldn’t rather be in bed still?  All warm and snuggled up?”
“No,” he said.
Aelin chuckled in that nonsense sort of way she had. “Hmm, right.  Even you have to admit a lazy morning in is fun.  With the right company.”
Rowan stared staunchly forward.  Though, he could still see that insufferable grin of Aelin’s out of the corner of his eye. 
“Ignoring me now?” she pressed.
The sight of the stables had never been more glorious.
“No, you’re just impossible.”
“Thank-you.”
Rowan parked the truck in its usual spot and tried hard not to smile.  He settled with an eye roll.
“Let’s go buzzard,” Aelin said.  She threw the door open and hopped out of the truck. “Show me the ropes.”
If there was one thing Rowan knew to be true—it was going to be a long day.  Though as he clambered out of the truck himself, the thought didn’t seem as heavy as it once may have been.
In the end, the day wasn’t bad.  In fact, things ran far smoother than Rowan had been expecting.  He’d thought that by having Aelin shadowing him things would go a lot slower and he’d have trouble getting everything done, but she was a ready student.
She handled feed buckets with ease, tied perfect knots on the first try, she even mucked stalls without complaint.  If Rowan didn’t know any better, he’d have said she’d spent time in a barn before.  A lot of time.  She seemed to know her way around the equipment, knew the terms, and sometimes reacted before he even needed to give instruction.
When he tried to ask her about it, she told him he was insane.  
It wasn’t the first time someone had lied to him, but he figured it wasn’t worth trying to needle the information out of her.
The routine continued for the rest of the week.  Aelin would be at the ranch first thing in the morning with coffee and they’d work all day together until dinner when they’d return to the main house.  
“You know you still have a room in the house, right?” Rowan asked one morning. “You don’t have to do this back and forth.”
“Oh,” Aelin looked out her window as they passed familiar pastures. “I guess…I figured you wouldn’t want me there?  Sellene’s gone and all, why not have the place to yourself?”
It was true, Rowan often enjoyed his time alone unless he went into town to have a drink with Lorcan, Fenrys, and Connall.  A recluse, Aelin had called him on occasion.
The strange thing about it was…Rowan didn’t think he would have minded Aelin being around more.  She drove him mad, more often than not, but even in the last few weeks (days really) there had been a subtle shift.  One that he didn’t know how to identify.
“Your friend is coming with the new group of kids, right?” Shifting the conversation seemed the safer option so he didn’t hesitate.
“She and her husband,” Aelin agreed, he didn’t miss the look she gave him. “They were planning on staying at the house, if that’s still alright?”
“Yeah, we’ve got plenty of space,” Rowan said.  The house was enormous with five separate rooms and four bathrooms.  His great-grandfather had always wanted a home to welcome as many guests as possible so new additions were added on continuously in the early years.  His own parents had hoped to keep the house full of children.  In the end, it was only Rowan who waged war upon the floorboards.
Aelin nodded absently, her fingers drumming on her thermos absently. “I’ll come up with them and stay the week before and during.”
“Alright,” Rowan said.  The drive to the stables that morning was the same as ever with only another light dusting of snow falling from the sky.  As late December encroached, it wouldn’t surprise him if they were due for a storm.
“They’ll be coming tomorrow, I think,” Aelin said, “Lys and Aedion.”
Rowan started. “Aedion Ashryver?”
In her seat, Aelin visibly flinched.  She covered it almost seamlessly as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and sat up a little straighter.
“He’s an ass,” Aelin told him. “Though, very good looking.”
Rowan could only stare.  The Ashryvers were practically celebrities in the world of horses and ranch work.  Evalin and her sister Andra made waves when they were young for their work in showing horses, not just in contemporary riding, but racing, and rodeo.  They’d set a standard for those that would come after as they changed the equestrian world for years to come.
He didn’t know much of what had happened to either woman after they’d aged out.  Only that they continued to run a ranch out in the countryside of Terrasen for breeding and training.  He knew there had been a scandal of some sort five or six years ago involving a rider and a trainer, but the story evaded him.
When they got to the stables, Lorcan’s own truck was already there and he’d turned on the floodlights to help beckon in the rising dawn.  They were still a week out from when the Christmas group of kids would come, so Lorcan shouldn’t have even been there.
Rowan glanced at Aelin who didn’t seem the least bit surprised at the sight.
“How did you get him to agree to this?” Rowan asked.
“I can be very convincing,” Aelin replied simply. “And Elide.”
Not sure he wanted to know the full details in that, Rowan let the rest of the conversation drop.
As always, Lorcan remained in his quiet way.  He went about his usual duties without comment, only nodding in acknowledgment as Rowan and Aelin entered the stables.
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping in?” Rowan asked.  He rested his keys on the rack beside the doors, not yet ready to take off his coat to the morning chill.
“Couldn’t,” Lorcan replied with a shrug.  He nodded to Aelin. “Regretting your choices yet?”
“Nope.”  Aelin smiled brightly.  She took a long sip of her coffee and went to the row of shelves reserved for personal items.  
Lorcan shot Rowan a look that he ignored.  They’d had plenty of conversations about Aelin and the week she had planned for the holiday.  Besides, if Lorcan couldn’t say no to Aelin (even if Elide wasn’t a factor) they were both idiots.
Knowing better than to try and tease Lorcan about how quickly he’d fallen for Elide, he crossed the stables to where his friend was working on preparing some equipment.
“What’ve you already taken care of?” He and Aelin had gotten a slightly late start for the day--a mix of him waking up late and the frost and Aelin needing to steal breakfast from him. 
“Not much,” Lorcan admitted, “everything’s pretty much good.  The vet’s coming around for check-ups this afternoon.”
“Do you know how the cabins are looking?”
Lorcan shrugged. “Probably about the same as when the last group left.”
That shouldn’t have surprised him. “We’ll go take a look then come back to help prep for the vet visit.”
“Sure,” Lorcan said.  He glanced to where Aelin was kneeling before the ranch pig, dubbed Ex because it had been Endymion’s turn to pick a name.  The finalists of names fell between Frank and Excali-wilbur and Endymion did not disappoint.  “Have you told her yet?”
Rowan scowled. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Sure,” Lorcan said, scraping off a bit of dirt from an old bridle set. “Keep telling yourself that.”
The words sat heavy with Rowan the rest of the day.  He knew that Lorcan just liked screwing with him on occasion.  But there was also a part of him that worried if there was truth to Lorcan’s ominous words.  He really didn’t see what it mattered though--whether he was going to sell the ranch or not was his own business.
He really didn’t see what the difference was if he continued to owned the ranch or not.  Sellene and Endymion hadn’t expressed any in taking the land over for themselves and they were the only living relatives Rowan knew about.  Theirs were the only opinions that mattered.
Still, by the time he and Aelin finished getting the cabins ready for the guests in the coming weeks, he couldn’t help but feel a niggling sense of guilt.  He kept tamping it down of course.
It wasn’t until mid-day that the vet came around that Rowan was finally able to turn his thoughts in different directions.  They had two pregnant mares in the stables that year which was the biggest concern Rowan had.  They’d both foaled before but there was still plenty of room for things to go wrong.  Besides them, there were six other horses to be looked over.  It was usually a two-day affair, especially when weather got a little dodgy, but the vet seemed confident they’d finish up by the end of the day.
While the vet was in with Farasha, Rowan realized he hadn’t seen Aelin for a bit.  He might have had his misgivings about her, but she’d proven herself to be responsible and attentive in all her recent duties.  Even if she didn’t like horses.
Rowan glanced around the main floor of the stables before heading to the back stalls where the two pregnant mare’s were settled.  It was the warmest part of the large barn with the largest stalls.  His boots scuffed in a bit of hay as he went and he almost missed the soft voice talking to the horses.
Diana and Hessina, thankfully got along alright.  Sometimes pregnant mares could get a little feisty with each other, but the two had been inseparable when they’d been born the same season almost six years ago now.  Rowan remembered the day.
He stopped just outside Hessina’s stall and what he saw made him question just about everything he thought he knew.
Standing in Hessina’s stall with a set of brushes and other items was Aelin.  She carefully ran a curry brush over Hessina’s coat in methodic movements.  All the while she continued to talk softly to the mare.
“Alright, mama,” Aelin said, “let’s get you cleaned up.  You deserve it don’t you?  Especially before baby gets here, huh?  Look at you so pretty standing here for me.”
For a minute, Rowan thought he’d wandered into an alternate reality.  In all the months of her being on the ranch, Aelin had never approached one of the horses so willingly.  She’d kept her distance from the barn and the animals beside the pig and the goats.  He’d never have expected her to spend time with any of the horses, let alone grooming them.  And doing so with obvious practice and ease.
“I thought you hated horses?” he found himself saying.
Aelin froze.  It was the first time he’d ever caught her off guard.
“I never said that,” she replied.  She traded out brushes and ran a shedding blade over Hessina next. 
“You’ve never spent more than a minute with any of the horses in all the time you’ve been here,” Rowan said.
He entered the stall and grabbed a brush to use on Hessina’s mane.  Somehow, no matter what he or any of the stable hands tried, the long hair always got tangled even if they were careful to brush it the day before.
“That doesn’t mean I hate them,” Aelin said.  Her voice was soft, lilting in that way she’d used when she was addressing Hessina specifically. “Not when they’re such pretty girls.”
Her long fingers ran over Hessina’s sides, pausing over the swell of the mare’s belly.  It seemed as though she knew exactly how to handle a horse.  Or at least where to massage a pregnant mare’s muscles effectively or how to run a flat brush over the coat to leave it gleaming.  Truth be told, he’d never seen Hessina looked as relaxed as she did now under Aelin’s ministrations.  No matter what Aelin said, she was a natural.
Rowan tugged at Hessina’s mane with as much care as he could.  But he noted the twitch of her ears.
“Sorry,” he murmured, knowing he’d pulled too hard.  He glanced back to Aelin. “Seriously, you’ve never spent this much time with the horses before.  You know how to care for them.  And you can make a decent knot.  I thought you were a city girl?”
Aelin shrugged, walking to Hessina’s other side. “I am a city girl.”
“No.” Rowan shook his head. “There’s more to you than that.”
They stood across from each other now, more or less.  And Aelin wouldn’t meet his gaze as she brushed out Hessina’s other side.  Her lips thinned and Rowan knew she was thinking deeply on something.  
“I used to read all the horse books I could,” she finally said, “made my mom buy them all for me.  I had a whole bookshelf devoted to them.  And then I grew up.”
Her hands paused, fingers grazing over a few stray bits of Hessina’s mane.  A stray thought took her mind far away from that place.  Far enough that she stopped brushing entirely.  Hessina took offense to that and nickered, dipping her head back towards Aelin.
Chuckling, Aelin reached out and scratched the mare’s nose before she continued brushing.
“What about you, Whitethorn,” she asked, blue eyes sparking with delight as she finally looked at him. “Were you always in a horse boy phase or did it come suddenly?”
He rolled his eyes. “I grew up on this ranch, it’s all I know.”
Aelin paused at his words.  She looked as though she wanted to something, but the words were lost on her.  Instead, she shook her head and nodded at his work.
“You’re making that worse, aren’t you?”
“No,” he said defensively.
No matter what he said though, Aelin came over to take a look at the work he was doing on the mane.
“A girl’s pride is in her hair,” she said, whether to him or Hessina, Rowan had no idea.  
He could only watch as Aelin took over detangling and brushing.  Her hands were soft as she tugged and brushed.  Occasionally she would murmur something and give the mare an affectionate pat on the neck.
What he didn’t notice was how close he and Aelin were standing, not at first.  But the second he realized it; it was all he could think about.  He could feel the warmth radiating off of her and he could still smell the lemon verbena of her shampoo in her hair.  Even with the bit of sweat and dirt that lingered on her skin.
There was something about watching the methodical way she worked that was mesmerizing.  Nothing seemed to frustrate her as she went even when something didn’t detangle immediately or if she had to make a bigger mess in order to get things right.  She would only hum under her breath and continue.
“Do you—” she began to speak and spun almost directly into him.  She made a small noise of surprise and stumbled just a bit before Rowan reached out to steady her.  “Hell.  Sorry.”
She blinked up at him with those bright blue eyes and he noticed a ring of gold around the pupils adding to that light that always seemed to illuminate her.
Gripping her arms, he waited until she regained her footing before slowly pulling away.
“You good?”
Aelin nodded; mouth parted slightly as though she were about to say something.
The illusion shattered when Lorcan called out from the main stable.
“Whitethorn, get out here!”
It was probably better that way—for Rowan to leave Aelin there.  She turned back to Hessina and kept talking with those soft words and gentle inflections.  Whatever spell had been over them was long gone.  Though that was for the better.  Rowan didn’t need to get close to Aelin.  Not now.
So, he tried to forget about the last ten minutes and went to help Lorcan with whatever it was he needed.
When she was eighteen, Aelin had her first serious crush.
It was different than all the other little sparks she’d ever gotten before.  It was different, new, and completely reckless.  Oh, she’d never acted on it, not exactly.  And maybe it was better that way.  Because in the coming year (and several years after) Aelin would come to realize that boys, men, would never treat her well.  Especially not the ones that had country written into their bones.
So when she came to Whitethorn ranch at the beginning of the summer, she’d told herself it was for the experience.  It was for the work she loved.  It was for the kids who needed help.
And then there was Rowan.
They’d clashed the entirety of their working relationship and Aelin really didn’t know how she’d lasted as long as she did.  And here she was now, on the brink December and the New Year right around the corner.  
She sighed and straightened the small room designated for her at the main house.  Rowan had let her off for the two days leading up to the main camp days when Lysandra and Aedion would be arriving.  
The room was the next biggest aside from the master suite that Rowan slept in.  With its own bathroom and the large window that overlooked the back western side of the ranch with the mountains in the distance—Aelin loved it.
It was already decorated with a few things of the Whitethorn family.  A few black and white photos from the early days, hand embroidery frames, and a few porcelain figures in the inlaid shelving.  It was simple and homey and for whatever reason, Aelin didn’t feel the need to change anything.  Except for the piles of books and a few pictures of her own family.
As she straightened things up, and prepared the bedroom across the hall for Lys and Aedion, she couldn’t help but think of the last few days with Rowan.
She didn’t know how it was possible, but they hadn’t killed each other.  There weren’t even any attempts.  Sure, their words held just as many barbs as before, but it felt different.  Or maybe she was just hoping there was something different.  
For as much as she complained about how small Oakwald was and how difficult working on the ranch and the therapy work here was--she wanted to make this home.  She wanted this to be a place she could put down roots.  Here, no one knew her past.  No one knew who her family was.  No one knew every little detail about who she was other than simple being Aelin.
Her phone started ringing at the same time a series of honks echoed from the front of the house.  Grinning, Aelin answered the phone already knowing who was on the other line.
“Are you here?” she demanded.
“Bitch, what do you think?” Lysandra said on the other line.  In the background Aelin could hear Aedion: stop honking the horn, Lys.  She knows.
“I’ll be down in a second,” Aelin chuckled.
She flew from her room and down the stairs of the house.  She barely bothered with the slippers waiting by the front door before she threw the front door open.
The SUV hadn’t even come to a full stop before the passenger door opened and Lysandra got out.  Her long dark hair hung loose and she wore a simple gray sweater and jeans.  She screamed when she saw Aelin and ran across the yard toward her.
Aelin met her halfway, pulling her friend into a hug.
“I’ve missed you so much!” Lysandra was saying as she continued to hug Aelin. “It’s been so boring without you.”
“I’m sorry I left you alone with Aedion,” Aelin teased.  She pulled back, grinning.
Aedion huffed as he came around the SUV.  His blond hair, so similar to Aelin’s, long enough to just barely fit into a low tie, his handsome features slightly distorted with a scowl.
“I love you too, Aelin,” he said, trying and failing to hold his disapproving look.
Aelin launched herself at her cousin.  It had been a while since they’d seen each other between work and distance.  But she was grateful he had chosen to come and help both her and Lys.
“You do love me,” she insisted, “I introduced you to your wife, after all.”
Aedion pulled back with a roll of his eyes. “Yes, I’m forever in your debt.”
“I know,” Aelin said seriously.  She then turned and linked arms with Lysandra. “C’mon, I’ve got a room ready for you.”
Her friend didn’t immediately follow through, instead turning in the cold morning air, taking in the sweeping blue skies and acres and acres of land surrounding them.
“Seriously, Aelin, where are we?  This feels like a step out of time.”
She’d thought the same thing when first arriving. “It’s better in summer and you're not freezing your butt off.”
Indeed, during the winter the sun could be out and bright and happy like it was now, but it was still cold enough to want to literally crawl into a fireplace and never come back out like some sort of dragon.  
Aedion offered to get the bags, letting Aelin and Lysandra head up to the house.
“So,” Lysandra said as they went to the kitchen. “Where’s Rowan?”
Aelin rolled her eyes. “He’s at the stables finishing things up.”
“But he’ll be here later?” Lysandra pressed; one brow raised.
“Yes.”
“And you’ve been sleeping under the same roof and nothing’s happened?” Lysandra scoffed and accepted a proffered glass of water.
“Please, Lys, he’s my boss.  And an ass.” Aelin turned to find snacks or something else to offer while her cheeks flushed at Lysandra’s words.
“Mm-hm,” Lysandra hummed with obvious doubt.  “I’ve looked him up, he’s hot.”
“Lysandra!” Aelin spun on her friend who let out a cackle. 
“You should see your face,” Lysandra laughed. “You know I’m right.”
“He’s made my life miserable,” Aelin said, “and, like I said, he’s an ass.”
“Right.”  Lysandra merely sipped her water and sighed. “You keep saying that.”
Much to Aelin’s appreciation, Aedion entered the house, bags in hand.  She left Lysandra in the kitchen and showed Aedion to the room she’d set up for the two of them.  It was the one room just a little more isolated than the others, but that just made it feel a little cozier.  Which she didn’t think they’d mind.
From there, the rest of the day was relatively nice.  Even with Lysandra’s continued teasing about Rowan.  Thankfully, she kept most of it up when Aedion wasn’t around.
Aelin gave them a tour of the house and immediate grounds before heading out to the cabins reserved for the kids that would be arriving in the next several days.
She and Lysandra were able to go over the various activities and group sessions and plan out where each would take place and how transport would work.  Thankfully, the main house was a good central point and should the weather stay nice, walking wouldn’t be an issue.
“There’s supposed to be a storm,” Aelin said at one point, “but they’ve been saying it would happen for two weeks now, and nothing.  I think it’ll just hit Denver and move on.”
That was the hope.  But Aelin wouldn’t let herself worry about a snow storm right now.  They had a contingency plan in place, but the weather had been cooperating thus far that she doubted it would be an issue.
Later that night as they were fixing dinner, Aedion broke out his excellent cooking skills with a chicken and vegetable skillet, Rowan finally returned home. 
“Welcome back, Buzzard!” Aelin called when she heard the door open and shut.  She also heard the way he paused while trying to decide if he could get out of being social. “We just made dinner, come join us.”
Lysandra shot her a look, but Aelin ignored it.  Instead, she got an extra plate ready as Rowan slowly trudged into the kitchen.
“This is Lysandra and Aedion,” Aelin said, “Lys founded the group that we’re hosting next week.  And her husband, Aedion, is the muscle.”
She didn’t know why she didn’t mention that Aedion was her cousin, but the admission just felt off.  Aelin had spent so long distancing herself from her mother’s name and the attention that it got that it just felt natural not to bring it up.  Besides, that wasn’t the point of this visit or the event they’d worked so hard on.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Rowan said, he didn’t smile, but Aelin supposed him joining them all for dinner was good enough.
“We’re just running through the week,” Aelin said.  She handed him his plate which he accepted. “Is there anything you wanted to talk about with the itinerary I gave you?”
Rowan didn’t answer immediately.  He settled in his seat next to her and took a bite of his food, thinking.  Or just avoiding talking.
“Nah,” he said after a minute. “Everything looks fine.  There’s going to be ten kids in total?”
“Maybe eight,” Lysandra spoke up, “it’s a little hard to get exact numbers right now.  Some kids are being shuffled so close to the holidays and their guardians are being…difficult.” She made a disgruntled sort of face. “But I know for sure eight of them are ready to go.  The other two we’re waiting on some consent forms.”
It wasn’t anything surprising to Aelin. But they would make the best of it and hopefully all the kids they’d planned for would come.
“There’s plenty of room no matter who chooses to come,” Rowan said, “so that’s not a problem.”
“You said you’re not going to be around on the Friday after Christmas though, right?” Aelin asked.  He hadn’t told her why or what he was doing, just that there was business on the ranch that needed taking care of.  She thought better than asking for more details especially when he was so guarded about the affair in general.
Rowan paused for a heartbeat in his ravenous eating and Aelin almost wouldn’t have noticed if not for the way his eyes skirted to hers and dipped away just as quickly.
“I’ve got a meeting planned most of the day,” he said, “but if anything goes wrong—”
“They’ll be fine.” Aedion spoke up with a wave of his hand. “If there’s anyone who knows how to embrace chaos to her advantage it’s Aelin.”
Aelin rolled her eyes, passing the water pitcher around the table. “I stole my dad’s truck once and it worked out fine.”
“I’m talking about the time you set off all those fireworks and nearly set the house on fire, but thanks for proving my point.”  Aedion grinned at her glare.
Rowan only shook his head from beside her. “What the hell kind of childhood did you have?”
“Normal, perfectly normal.” Aelin said.  Desperate to keep the conversation moving and away from any revelation of how she and Aedion were related, she kept talking.  “Besides, none of that will be happening this week.  I didn’t have time to find any fireworks.”
“Please,” Lysandra said, “you don’t even try not to cause problems.  Remember in college you stole that frats keg?”
“Because Archer Finn plagiarized my report on Edgar Allen--you know, he was an ass that’s all that matters.” Aelin had done a lot of questionable things in the name of justice.  But stealing that keg was damn near the top of the list considering the fact she nabbed it in the middle of the biggest party of the semester.  Truly remarkable. “So it was less of a problem and more karma calling his name.”
“So,” Rowan said, glancing over at her, “you really have been a menace all these years?”
She should have been affronted by his teasing but with the way he was actually smiling with amusement burning in his eyes and the levity of the night—Aelin found she couldn’t be mad.  Because here, for this small moment, Aelin wasn’t scared about what the future might hold.
Despite the teasing of her cousin and Lysandra, Aelin really did exist best in chaos.  She wasn’t at all intimidated when the week officially started for the outreach program.  She didn’t even have panicked stress dreams about it either.  Everything had been planned out in detail.  It was going to be a success.
And everything her friends had done to help make it possible just warmed Aelin all the more.  Between all that Lysandra and Aedion did on their end, to Elide volunteering her days when she wasn’t needed at the bar, and Lorcan willfully helping out (through whatever bribery Elide had offered), everything started off without a hitch.
The thing about therapy that Aelin loved the most was the breakthroughs.  The understanding that came with trauma and healing.  It was often a long hard journey, but it happened.  And when you worked with kids?  It made the work all the better.
The week wouldn’t be focused on the talk therapy of it all though.  Mostly they’d be going on hikes, cooking in the main house, learning about the horses and caring for them, and then a little of the therapy side.  This week was about feeling safe and finding joy in an otherwise hard spot of life and Aelin was determined to help offer that bit of peace.
After all the kids arrived, twelve total and ranging from twelve to seventeen years old, everything continued as expected.  The kids were paired off closer to their ages into the two different cabins and it all seemed to be working for the best.
Aelin found that two of the younger kids, Evangeline and Luca, were the more hesitant of being there.  Despite Luca’s outgoing nature, Aelin could tell there was a bit of worry in his attitude as he always seemed to look to her for approval in any of the activities they did.  Evangeline always sidled over to Lysandra.  It wasn’t a strange occurrence, just one they needed to be careful with.
Though, if Aelin knew Lysandra like she did, her friend had done work with Evangeline before and was fiercely protective of her now.  
“How many s’mores can these kids eat?” Rowan asked one night.
They were having an outdoor campfire with s’mores and other treats while Elide of all people told scary stories.
“Sugar is an essential food group, buzzard,” Aelin reminded him, “especially for teens.”
They stood just a bit away from the fire pit outside two of the cabins, just far enough away to not be distracting.  It was Thursday meaning the week would officially finish out on Monday and the ranch would be able to return to its usual winter hours and day to day functions.  Aelin was a little upset by the idea, but she was sure Rowan was as giddy as he could be over the prospect.
“I thought that was just you,” Rowan said.
Aelin kicked him with the toe of her boot.  If her hands hadn’t been stuffed into the pockets of her coat, she might have flipped him off.
“Ha, ha,” she said. 
“Seriously,” Rowan continued, “I’ve seen the stash you think you’re hiding in the kitchen.”
“Chocolate is good for the soul,” Aelin sniffed, “and I recommend the occasional indulgence as a therapist.”
Rowan shook his head, looking out over the fields behind them.  A ghost of a smile fell across his lips and even in the flickering shadows of the fire, Aelin thought it was the most beautiful sight.
“Occasional indulgence, sure,” he murmured. 
“We can’t all love kale as much as you do,” Aelin said.  She’d seen what he came home with from the store.  Kale and zucchini and any myriad of health foods.
He only smiled at her and Aelin felt it like a punch to the gut.  She had no idea what had happened in the last few weeks, but somewhere along the way the loathing had simmered away to…appreciation?  Admiration?  Whatever the feeling was, she didn’t know where it came from, but it was here all the same.
“Thank-you for agreeing to this Rowan,” she said, before she could lose her nerve. “For agreeing to let us host this week and letting these kids come here.  I know it’s not the most convenient thing.  But I know it means a lot to them.”
And me, she added silently.
His smile fell just a touch. “Aelin—”
Whatever else he was about to say was swallowed up by Lysandra announcing it was time to head off to bed.  The quiet contentment of the night disbanded as the kids all voiced their complaints and pleads for another story.  Apparently Elide’s tales about bloodthirsty witches were all the rage.
But it was well nearing eleven and they’d all been up late enough as it was and Aelin herself was exhausted.  They rounded everybody up and had them filter off to their cabins.  Elide and Lorcan would serve as chaperones that night, giving Lysandra and Aedion a break.
Hopefully it would put a stop to a small issue growing between Luca and one of the other boys, Aelin didn’t know all the details as Luca refused to talk further about it, but she was worried nonetheless.  And even if she wasn’t sure about the idea of Lorcan as a chaperone, Rowan assured her that he was surprisingly good with kids.  Aelin decided she would trust Rowan on that front, and let the issue slide.  For now.
Friday dawned dark and chilly.  The sky was full of gray clouds that stretched as far as the eye could see.  It made Aelin feel boxed in even if there was still just as much open air as before.  But those clouds hung low and didn’t budge.
She tried to not let it bother her, it was bound to happen eventually.  And in this area the weather was always changing.  By the afternoon there would be a break in the clouds and the sun would return.  Or else they’d just get a light skiff of snow.
The day was being treated as a small rest day, of sorts.  The kids had helped cook breakfast for everyone, played a few games outside, and they were now headed out to the stables to help build a shed for the goats.  
It was less of build and more of a supervision.  If the kids wanted to help they could, if not, Aelin had it on good authority the goats enjoyed chasing people as a game.  Plus, one of the stable hands that had volunteered to help out was a master sling-shot expert and could take the kids to the side of the barn to practice their skills (on non-living targets).  
They got to the stables just after lunch and clean-up.  This was going to fill most of the rest of the day and then lead into a few individual sessions with the kids.  No one had mentioned that it was Christmas or anything of the sort and none of the kids seemed to be having any major issues.  But Aelin wanted to have a chance to talk with them and see if this week had helped them at all.  From what she could tell it hadn’t done any irreparable damage, but kids could be excellent at masking their emotions if they really wanted to.
As the building commenced, Aelin took note of Rowan’s truck outside the stables in its usual spot.  Beside it was another car, a Tesla of all things.  She’d thought Rowan was supposed to be in a business meeting, not at the stables.
She made sure the kids were all occupied doing what they were supposed to, or at least just having fun, before she walked over to where Lorcan was exchanging water for one of the troughs.
“Is Rowan here today?” she asked without preamble.
Lorcan raised a brow and leaned against the fence, balancing the empty blue water barrel beside him.  “What?”
“Rowan,” she said, gesturing to his truck. “I didn’t think he would be on the property today.”
Looking away from her, Lorcan ran a hand over his jaw.  It was obvious he was trying to decide what to say exactly and that made trepidation rise in Aelin’s throat.
“He’s here, I can’t tell you more than that though.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” Lorcan said, pushing off of the fence, “that you can talk to Rowan about it.”
He walked away then, leaving Aelin to mull over the words that she already didn’t like.  She watched him trek back to the stables and a part of her expected to see Rowan walking out as though waiting for that exact moment.
It was foolish, she knew.  Whatever worry was gnawing at her gut was unfounded and she didn’t need to get caught up on this.
Aelin forced herself back to where the kids were helping out with nails and plywood, a few had wandered off to stack crates together which the goats started climbing on with ease.  She came to a stop beside Lysandra, stuffing her hands into her coat against another stiff breeze.  The air smelled cold, if that could even be a scent.  But she didn’t know how else to describe that stiff, clean sterility.
“What’s up?” Lysandra asked, leaning into her.
“Nothing,” Aelin replied, glancing one more time at the stables.  “Nothing, it’s fine.”
Lysandra didn’t look convinced.  She remained quiet though as she returned her attention out to the paddock of goats and kids.
Aelin did her best to try and pay attention to the kids and offer encouragement and commentary where needed, but her mind was elsewhere.  Which, she knew was stupid.  She shouldn’t be thinking about Rowan and what was going on with him and his “business meeting” if that’s what was really going on.  And she shouldn’t even care whether or not it was for business.  Right?
A part of her did care though.  A part of her wondered what his meeting was about and why he hadn’t gone into detail about it with her.  She knew they weren’t technically business partners, but she did a lot of work for him all the same.  And the things that she did were specific to the business and therapy modem that Whitethorn ranch was known for.  Shouldn’t she be at least a little involved?
Half an hour later, Aelin had almost completely distracted herself until she heard the sound of Rowan’s low voice.  She spun towards it, already knowing what she would say to him.  But the second she turned it wasn’t Rowan that caught her attention.  It was the well-dressed man walking beside him.
Aelin felt her entire body seize up as a cold numbness swept through her.  Static crackled in her ears and her mouth went dry.
Because there beside Rowan was the man who had ruined Aelin’s life.
With auburn hair hanging loose around his face and gray suit that never seemed to wrinkle or stain--Arobynn Hamel looked the same as the day Aelin last saw him.  She still hadn’t been released from the hospital after the accident, still unsure if she’d be able to walk again, and still unsure what her life would look like.  But she’d held on to hope.  She’d held on long enough for him to come and place blame directly on her shoulders before sauntering away as though he couldn’t have cared less about what happened to her.
She’d been nineteen then.  Nineteen and convinced that he was supposed to be the answer to all her problems.  That was the thing about glorifying people when you were a kid, you never understood just what a dangerous game that was.
She tried reaching out for Lysandra, but her friend had entered the goat paddock to help hold a few boards in place.  She was alone.  Alone and watching the second Arobynn saw her.  He immediately made a b-line towards her.
“Well, well,” Arobynn said as he approached.  Just as he’d always been, he had that cold arrogance about him.  It was the same sort of swagger than everyone in their circles had.  The kind of money and stature, that he was better than everyone else around him.  He had to be in his mid-thirties now.  Though, he didn’t look it.  He was just as handsome as ever. “Aelin.  What a pleasant surprise.”
Aelin had to swallow before she could answer.  Swallow and look past that perfectly charming smile he wore. “Hamel.  What are you doing here?”
Arobynn merely smiled, stretching his arms. “You don’t know?  Rowan and I are in the midst of a business deal.”
Behind Arobynn, Rowan appeared.  He looked just the same as he always did: brooding, stoic, and pissed to hell and back.  His green eyes flicked between Aelin and Arobynn, scowl deepening.
Aelin felt the pit in her stomach grow and she swore she was going to vomit.  She did her best to remain in control of her emotions as she looked at Rowan.
“What deal, Rowan?” she asked.  Though, she already knew the answer, didn't she?
“I’m buying the land,” Arobynn answered before Rowan could. “I’ve been expanding my business, didn’t you know?”
No, she didn’t.  Because Aelin had done everything in her power to avoid anything that had to do with Hamel in the last several years.  
As though sensing her distress, Arobynn flashed another sharp smile. “I look forward to working with you again, Aelin.  Just like old times, isn’t it?”
There was nothing she could say.  She couldn’t trust herself not to yell or scream or cry or any combination of the three.  That would be showing weakness.  And she was not weak.
“I’ll have my attorney look over your offer,” Rowan said quietly, drawing Hamel’s attention again. “We’ll be in contact.”
“Good,” Arobynn said, “I’d rather see this done sooner than later.  Whitethorn.”
Without any semblance of pleasantries, Arobynn left them and returned to his car.  That stupid silver Tesla that looked like a box and had no business being out on a farm.  For all Aelin cared it could go crash in a borough and get waylaid by hay and snow.  It wasn’t until the car silently pulled away and back down that Aelin felt her own voice return.
“You’re selling?” It was more of an accusation than anything.
Rowan straightened; arms still crossed over his chest. “Yes.”
“Why?” At least her voice wasn’t shaking.  At least she still sounded somewhat in control.
“Because I have to,” Rowan replied, but he looked away from her and Aelin knew that wasn’t the truth of it. “The why doesn’t even matter Aelin, you wouldn’t understand.”
A laugh escaped her.  Of course she wouldn’t.  Because she’d only been here a few short months, she wasn’t really a part of the life here or any of where the ranch had come from.  But she’d still put her blood, sweat, and tears into the ranch.  She’d wanted to see it succeed, that’s why Rowan had even hired her as a part time trauma specialist, wasn’t it?
“I know enough about this place,” she said, “it’s a staple of the community, of honest good work that no one else does, Rowan.  I know that much.  I understand that much.  That it’s helped more people get unstuck from life than just about any other program I’ve seen.”
He only shook his head, hand running through his hair.  The silver locks fell over his brow and for a moment, for one brief moment, Aelin thought she saw a part of him that she could reconcile with.  A softer allusion of the hard contours that Rowan often displayed.
“My reasons are my own,” he said firmly.  His eyes sparked with anger as he watched her. “And it doesn’t really matter beyond that. I can't keep doing this.  And--why do you even care?  It won’t even affect you that much.  Hamel’s going to keep it as a horse ranch mostly, and agrees with the work going on.  I don't think he'd change much.  He obviously likes you, so you can do whatever you want.”
Aelin couldn’t hide her flinch.  She tucked her arms around her middle more as an effort of protection and hiding than anything else. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Please, Aelin.  You don’t need me here,” Rowan said, “this place will do well enough without me.”
“So you’re giving up?” She could only stare at him.  This wasn’t the Rowan Whitethorn she’d come to know, the one that she fought with on a daily basis.  This was someone else entirely.
“It’s none of your business, Aelin.”
“I’m a part of this ranch, aren’t I?  I’ve been here for months, and for what?”
“I never asked you to stick around.”  Rowan let out an exasperated huff. 
“He’s not a good man, Rowan,” Aelin said.  Most of the fight had gone out of her, replaced with dread and pain. “You don’t want him buying this land, your home.”
“He’s rich, what does it matter?”  Rowan pressed. “He’ll be able to do more with this place than I ever could.”
Aelin could only shake her head.  Yes, Arobynn was rich.  Rich enough that he could whatever he wanted, consequences be damned.  She tilted her head up just in time to catch a snowflake on her cheek.  The small chill was electrifying on her hot skin.  Slowly, more flakes continued to fall, fat and thick it looked like the forecast had finally chosen to be right.
“I can’t do this,” she finally said, “I’m going to check on the kids.”
She didn’t wait for Rowan to try and call her back.  She didn’t realize until she was entering the goat paddock that she had wanted him to.
It wasn’t until later that night as the kids were eating that Aelin had a moment to talk with Lysandra.  The snow had picked up and continued to fall throughout the afternoon driving them all inside, which after a week full of activities and being outside continually--it was a welcome break.
They were inside one of the cabins, pizza and soda spread out for the kids to enjoy.  Almost everything about the day had gone well.  If you didn’t count the Hamel matter.  The distraction and reality of what her life was spiraling towards wasn’t the best way to head into individual sessions, but Aelin had learned long ago how to compartmentalize.
Now, she was able to feel a little more relaxed as she and Lysandra were able to sit back while the kids started a terrible round of UNO.
“He’s so lucky I didn’t see him,” Lysandra said around a mouthful of pizza. “I would have kicked him in the balls then dragged his ass around from the back of a tractor, you know I would’ve.”
“I know,” Aelin assured her.
She picked at her pizza, appetite long since gone.  All she could think about was the fact that she’d seen and spoken with Hamel.  And she’d survived it.  
It was strange, being faced with a reality you thought was finally put behind you.  But that was life, wasn’t it?  You just kept learning the same lesson over and over again.  She just wondered what she was supposed to learn this time around.
“Did he say anything to Rowan?” Lysandra asked. “Does Rowan know anything?”
“I hope not,” Aelin said.  That would just be icing on the cake.  
Her past was a mess as it was.  Rehashing it and telling her side of things after someone had already been exposed to the lies of the story—well it wouldn’t do any good.
Still, Aelin didn’t want to think that Rowan knew about what had transpired.  Or if he’d think any different about her over it.  Most people did when they learned the truth and even if she was mad at him, Aelin didn’t think she could bear Rowan looking at her any different.
The story began back when she was sixteen.  Sixteen and in the throes of series equestrian training.  And she wasn’t the type to show in the dressage.  Aelin was a competitive rider in barrel racing, jumping, and the grittier events.  Her former trainer had just moved and who was to fill the position than Arobynn Hamel.
His methods were brutal and his words were cruel.  But young as she was, Aelin could only see what he could make of her.  And her parents had been none the wiser either.
Even after the drugs and borderline abuse.
Aelin shook off the memories. “It doesn’t matter if Rowan knows or not, does it?  He isn’t going to stick around.  He made that clear.”
“Are you going to stay,” Lysandra asked.  Her voice was painfully soft and Aelin had a hard time meeting her friend’s eyes.
“No.  I can’t…I can’t be around Hamel again, Lys.”  Aelin set her uneaten pizza aside. “After everything…I thought I finally had a place, you know?  That this was a good fit for me.  Even if Rowan’s an ass and doesn’t like me.  I liked the work.”
“Maybe if you talked—”
“No.” Aelin shook her head, cutting Lysandra off before she could even begin. “Rowan won’t talk it out.  He’d just sell the place faster if it meant getting rid of me.”
Lysandra sighed. “I don’t think you’re giving him enough credit.”
Aelin narrowed her eyes. “Whose side are you on?”
Lysandra didn’t answer, instead waving as Elide walked through the door, leaving a blistering trail of snow outside behind her.
“I hope it’s alright to stop by,” Elide said with a smile.  She grabbed a piece of pizza and settled between Aelin and Lysandra. “Lorcan’s still finishing up at the stables.”
“Good,” Lysandra said, moving over so Elide had plenty of space. “We need to talk sense into Aelin.”
“I’m not a miracle worker, you know,” Elide replied.  She grinned all the same and nudged Aelin’s leg with her foot. “What kind of sense are we talking?”
Aelin groaned, shaking her head.  One of the counselors took a few of the kids to the other cabin to prepare for bed.  It was nearing that time where they would all turn in.  The growing storm outside made the night feel sleepy and dark.  Not that Aelin minded.  Sometimes a lazy night was just what she needed, especially when she could curl up with a book.
“Lysandra thinks I’m being too hard on Rowan for deciding to sell the ranch,” Aelin told Elide, careful about how loud she spoke.  She didn’t want to risk upsetting the remaining kids or the other counselors.
Elide’s eyes widened at the news.
“You can’t tell—” Aelin said quickly.  She shouldn’t have even told Lysandra about Rowan’s plans.  Even if Lorcan already knew about Rowan’s decision, it was just in bad form for Aelin to be gossiping out it.
“I won’t,” Elide assured her.  “I promise.”
What Aelin had done to deserve friends like Lysandra and Elide, she didn’t know.  As she tugged on the end of her braid she didn’t know where to begin.
“I know I don’t really have a hand in this ranch or can’t tell him what to do,” Aelin said, “but I’ve put so much work into it that…”
Aelin let her words trail off.  Did it really matter what she’d done?  He obviously didn’t care enough to listen to her.  She couldn’t care.  She shouldn’t.  Because in the end, she always came out alone.
She was going to tell her friends that she was fine and it didn’t matter when the shouting started from the other cabin.
--
Back at the main house, Rowan and Aedion were settling everything in for the night.  After baking four giant pizzas for the kids (delivery drivers refused to drive all the way out to the ranch and the weather had taken a bit of a chilly turn) they settled in to watch the latest football game.  
What he didn’t expect was for Aedion to strike up a conversation.  
“You know,” Aedion said as a commercial break started, “I’ve never seen a place like this ranch before, it’s pretty remarkable what you’ve done.”
Rowan really didn’t know if that was true.  All he’d done was come in after his grandparents and parents established everything for him.  The last few years it felt like he’d barely been treading water.  Until the last few months when Aelin had swept in with her binders and her plans and damned conspiratorial smile.
“I haven’t done much,” Rowan replied.  Mostly kept everything afloat as best he could. “It’s mostly been Aelin bringing things back to life.”
It really was an apt description of the woman.  She was vibrant in the way she approached everything she did.  Never did she let anything pass by that was half-hearted or untended.  Rather, she made sure it was taken care of properly.  It was probably what made the fall season so successful.  No…no probably about it, it was what made the season one of the best in several years.
“She does tend to do that, doesn't she?” Aedion laughed. “It’s annoying as hell, because then she thinks she’s always right.  Which, I mean, technically she is always right, but she can’t know that.  She’d be insufferable if we told her.”
Rowan shook his head in agreement.  Though, if he thought about it, Aelin had enough confidence that even if she were wrong about something she would make things work in the end.  She had the faith and the sheer force of will to see something accomplished that an obstacle was merely a stepping stone to what she wanted.
“So,” Rowan began, a thought occurring to him as he thought about his own understanding of Aelin. “How do you know Aelin?  I never got that story?”
That earned him an amused look from Aedion who sat up straighter.
“She’s an Ashryver, you know,” Aedion said slowly, “as in Rhoe and Evalin Ashryver Galathyinius.”
Rowan froze at the pronouncement and slowly, painful understanding washed over him. “What?”
In the chair across from him, Aedion shook his head, blond hair falling in his face.  
“Doesn’t surprise me that you didn’t know,” Aedion chuckled wryly. “She doesn’t use her mom’s name very much, considering...But yeah.  Ashryver-Galathynius.  We’re cousins, were raised together through just about anything.  I was there in all of Aelin’s training when she really got into the horse scene.  She was the national champion in racing and show three years in a row until the accident.”
Rowan could only stare blankly at Aedion.  He didn’t know how he’d missed the similarities, hell, their eyes were even the same.  Why wouldn’t Aelin say anything?  Especially when he had given her so much crap about being a city girl.  She could have shut him up without any effort.
Though, at Aedion’s mention of an accident, he remembered something vaguely happening in the world of showing and competition.  That side of the horse world was something he’d never stayed completely caught up in.  Especially not years ago when he’d been so busy with taking the ranch over.
“She was nineteen, it was going to be her fourth year in a row of winning that championship,” Aedion explained, “and she’d put herself through hell for it.  She kept herself in the best shape, hardly ate.  Was always training.  Her trainer—” a sour look flashed over Aedion’s face— “her trainer wouldn’t leave well enough alone and always pushed her further than anyone should go, not at that age.  It was never proven, but I’m pretty sure they slipped her drugs and the horse too because they were racing barrels which is Aelin’s best event and next thing you know the horse gets spooked and Aelin goes flying.”
Aedion paused, running a hand over his jaw as he stared into the fireplace. “It’s a miracle she wasn’t paralyzed.  Or worse.  Arobynn never even got a slap on the wrist for it.”
Rowan’s gut churned in a sickening way.  “Arobynn Hamel?”
The dark look in Aedion’s eyes was answer enough.
Rowan remembered all the times in the last several months of how he’d berated Aelin for her lack of knowledge on a ranch, how she shied away from the horses.  He’d accused her of so many things that he just hadn’t known about.
“She recovered eventually,” Aedion said, “but I don’t think she was ever the same.  She never got on a horse again after that.  But she volunteered a lot at various stables back in Terrasen or at those camps for kids with autism, y’know?  Kinda like what you do here.  And then she got her degree and has talked about applying for a doctorate.  Damn.  She was always going to become something.”
“I didn’t know, about her past, I mean,” Rowan murmured.  His fingers tightened on the drink in his hand, long forgotten in the conversation.
“It’s why she tends to drop her mom’s name,” Aedion said, he shot Rowan a wry smile. “She doesn’t want that to be all people associate with her.  Her parents love her, don’t get me wrong, but they always put so much pressure on her.  Rhoe and Evalin practically raised me too and I got the same treatment.  The Ashryvers aren’t known for weakness.”
If there was anything Rowan had learned in the past week, it was the truth of that sentence.  Aelin was so much more than the city girl he’d first thought her to be.  Everything she had done in her time on the ranch had been to help the kids and families that came through.  She had worked so hard to turn this place into a functioning therapy ranch and she’d done a damn good job at it.
And he’d gone on to sell the ranch.
Not that he really owed the explanation to anyone.  Sellene was guilt-tripping him enough as it was.  But he’d found the last few months to be more bearable.  Somehow.  Impossibly.  Even with Aelin being as difficult as she was sometimes.  But that was what he liked about her.  She challenged him.  She made plans and got things done.  She was fearless.
And he’d gone on to sell the ranch.
The one place she’d said made her feel like she was coming home.
“I need to--” Rowan began, already reaching for his phone so that he could call her.
He didn’t get far though when the front door opened with a loud thud.  Rowan was on his feet in an instant, for some reason thinking it would be Aelin.  Instead, it was Lysandra and Elide with a very distraught Evangeline.  The young girl had tears streaming down her cheeks and snow was still melting in her hair from the storm raging outside.
“What happened?” Rowan demanded, already sensing the trouble afoot.
Evangeline shrunk back into Lysandra, shaking slightly.  Rowan doubted it was from the chill.  He cursed himself for adding to the girl's distress.  If he remembered correctly, Evangeline was in between foster homes as the last place was unsuitable.  That scar on her cheek was fresh enough that Rowan could guess what unsuitable meant.
He softened his voice. “Is everyone alright?”
Evangeline squeaked, her hair falling in her face.  Behind her, Lysandra made a soothing sound as she gently brushed Evie’s hair back.  Her glare cut right into Rowan making it clear what she thought about him.
“It’s alright, sweetheart,” Lysandra said, “you’re not in trouble.  Just tell Rowan what happened.”
Evangeline sniffed loudly and nodded. “It was Luca.  He and Derek got in a fight when we were playing a game and Luca left and I told him not to but—” Evangeline forced a shuddering breath “—but he left anyway out in the snow.  So I went and got Aelin and Lysandra.”
“Aelin went out looking for him,” Lysandra finished quietly.  She gave Evangeline’s shoulder a tight squeeze.  “But it’s turning into a blizzard out there, I don’t know how far either of them will get.  We left one of the other counselors to keep an eye on the rest of the kids.”
All Rowan could register in that moment was Aelin is out in the blizzard.  It took his remembering that they were all looking to him for answers for him to snap to attention.  He turned to Elide.
“Lorcan?” He asked.
“Finishing up in the stables,” Elide said, “he’s probably still there.  And probably let her take a horse.”
Rowan doubted that.  Even if Lorcan wasn’t fond of Aelin, he wouldn’t let her go out in this weather.
“Try calling him,” Rowan said, “see what he knows.”
When Elide nodded and stepped away, he looked back at Evangeline who was still shaking against Lysandra.
“It’s alright, Evangeline,” he said, “you did the right thing by letting us know what happened.  Are you still cold?”
“N-no,” the girl stuttered softly.
Rowan held out a hand to her anyway. “Come have a seat by the fire, I’ve got hot chocolate in the kitchen too.”
Hesitantly, Evangeline accepted his offer.  He got her settled in the chair he’d vacated and found one of the many fleece blankets Aelin had left lying around.  After wrapping her up, Aedion had his phone out and played a Disney movie to distract the girl.
The adults huddled together in the kitchen while Rowan readied the promised hot chocolate.
“Lorcan said that Aelin took off on one of the mares,” Elide said quietly.  She still held her phone to her ear, the call with Lorcan active. “He wants to know if he should go after her.”
“I’ll come out to the stables now, have him wait for me,” Rowan replied.  He pulled a freshly heated mug from the microwave and dumped in a cocoa packet.  It wasn’t the best but it’s do in a pinch.  Besides, knowing that Aelin spent so much time up here there was bound to be whipped cream in the fridge and marshmallows in a cabinet.  “I’ll ride out with him.”
Lysandra took the mug from him. “Then go.  I’ll finish this.  I don’t know about riding horses.”
Rowan looked at Aedion who shrugged.
“I mean,” the other man said, “I know how to stay on.”
“Good enough,” Rowan said.  He turned to Elide next. 
“I’ll wait at the barn with blankets and flashing lights,” she said before he could get a word out. “Now let's go, the snow is only going to get worse.”
It was more than enough to kick the rest of them into action.
After finding all the spare coats, socks, and blankets they could, they piled into Rowan’s truck and made the quick trip across the drive to the stables.  All Rowan could focus on was the snow.
It no longer fell in thick innocuous fluff, rather it had turned to tiny flecks of ice that could cut skin.  The heavy wind didn’t help anything either.  The weather had quickly dissolved from mediocre to abysmal in the span of an hour.  The snow was no longer sticking to the ground, instead billowing in icy white clouds all around them.  Any semblance of being on an actual road was lost.
Rowan tried not to let it bother him.  He tried to remind himself that Luca wouldn’t get far in this weather.  Aelin was an experienced rider…even if she hadn’t been on a horse in nearly ten years.  His gut still churned in trepidation and a mild sense of panic set his heart to racing.  It was fine.
They reached the barn to find the side door open and Lorcan’s outline waiting with two horses already geared up and ready.  
Piling from the truck, Rowan threw on his coat and grabbed the thick goose down parka for when they found Luca.  He wrapped a scarf around his face as best he could to protect from the wind.
Aedion had the same idea.  He’d also found a hand to pull down over his hair and ears.
“No,” Lorcan said as soon as he saw Elide’s smaller form emerge from around the truck. “Absolutely not.  Go back to the main house.”
Had her arms not been full of blankets and spare coats, Rowan expected Elide would have flipped her boyfriend off.
“Make me.” She gave him a look that offered no room for argument and slipped into the stables.
Lorcan turned to Rowan, fury clearly written in his face.
“She’s going to stay back and keep the lights on for when we make our way back,” Rowan told him.  “She’ll be fine.”
In any other situation, Rowan was sure Lorcan would have argued further.  Instead, he passed off the reins to Goldryn.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he said.  He then turned to Aedion to offer the other horse.  Rowan had no doubt a third was already saddled and bridled just inside the doors.
Rowan made no promises as to what sort of decisions he would be making.  He merely got one foot in the stirrups and hauled himself up.  They’d wasted enough time and he wanted to get out there and find both Aelin and Luca.
“Rowan!” 
He turned to see Elide running towards him.  She waved an object in one hand, a flashlight.
“Phones will be useless,” she explained. “And I can’t find any walkie-talkies.  Morse code, yeah?”
Smart.  He accepted the light and clicked it on and off again. “Thanks.”
“Just find them.” Her dark eyes were pleading but nothing else about her smaller stature betrayed any of her worry.  When Rowan nodded in assurance, she turned back to the stables.  Rowan tucked the flashlight into the front of his coat before finally turning towards the direction he thought Luca would have gone from the cabins.
As the wind picked up and sent another cloud of snow to wash over them, Rowan tensed for a moment before urging Goldryn on.  They had some ground to cover before they made it to the cabins.  But it had been at least twenty minutes since Luca had run off.  Even with the terrible weather, a determined kid on the run could do a lot of damage.
“C’mon girl,” Rowan called, nudging Goldryn into a canter.
He knew this land better than anyone.  And he wouldn’t let anything happen to Luca or Aelin if he could help it.
Ice cut into Aelin’s skin as she and Farasha continued through the snow.  She hadn’t thought to grab a scarf or face covering, hadn’t thought to find a thicker coat.  The best she’d grabbed was a thin lap blanket.  All she’d heard was that Luca ran off into the storm after an argument with one of the other kids.  She would have thought about strangling Luca if she weren’t so worried about him.
“Luca!” she called out, wincing at the cold wind nearly choking her own voice.
She hadn’t even let her own panic take over at the thought of riding again.  She’d saddled up the large horse in record time and told Lorcan to ready two other horses for him and Rowan to come search with her.  It hadn’t even occurred to her that Rowan may not come, may not care as much as she did.  But even if she was pissed off at him, she couldn’t imagine that he would stand idly by when a kid was caught out here in the weather.
Her fingers were stiff as she gripped the reins, grateful at least for that bit of distraction.  It had been ages since she’d been on a horse and ridden.  After breaking her back in a nasty fall and dealing with the repercussions from Hamel, she had sworn she would never get on another horse.  She had sworn she would never return to this life.  But here she was because all she wanted to do was help the kids who needed it.
She shuddered and not just from the cold.
The terrain wasn’t terrible, even with the way the rolling snow covered the ground and how dark the night had gotten.  Even in the last seven months Aelin had grown used to the land.  She’d spent hours walking, running, and just enjoying the ranch.  Between walks with the kids she worked with or helping with moving the small herd of goats from pasture to pasture—Aelin felt like she knew the ranch as well as anyone.
Yet, as the wind continued to howl and the snow beat relentlessly against her side, Aelin had the sickening feeling she was getting lost.  She fumbled for her phone and pulled up the flashlight.  It hardly made a difference, in fact, the light was swallowed up almost as soon as it left the phone.
Aelin bit her lip to keep from cursing.  She didn’t want any more cold air in her mouth finding its way down into her lungs.
How long had she been out here?  An hour?  Two?  How long would Luca last with just his pajamas and simple coat?  
Beneath her, Farasha grunted.  It would only be a matter of time before the horse had had enough and would insist on turning back.
With numb fingers, Aelin patted the horse’s neck.  They would find Luca.  They had to.
The only logical direction Luca could go from the cabins was the main house.  But if he were too embarrassed or upset, he may just go in the opposite direction.  But all there would be was darkness.  Empty and heavy.  Or…or maybe…
Aelin thought back to the first day Luca had arrived and when she’d showed him the old homestead.  It was an old cabin that Rowan’s great-grandfather had first lived in upon buying the land.  She’d told Luca the same story Rowan had told her: with hardly any money his great-grandparents made that tiny cabin a home until they could till the land and make a living come spring.  They’d survived against all odds and used it as a sign of a new beginning.
Spurring Farasha on, Aelin took off for the cabin.  Luca had been enthralled by the story, asking question after question, he even asked to visit the cabin a second and third time.  
Okay, okay, okay. It was the only thing Aelin could think that wouldn’t send her into a different sort of plummeting thoughts.  
Even as the icy wind and sharp snow continued their assault, she told herself that everything was okay.
Aelin was beginning to lose hope, letting the soul wrenching feel of dread rise up within her.  It had been too long.  There was no sign of the cabin nor of Luca.  
This was her fault.  It was all her fault.
A flicker in the distance caught her attention.  A shadow mingling with the already thickly cloying shadows and manipulations of the storm.
“Luca!” Aelin yelled.  As Farasha continued diligently on, the small old cabin came into view and there, trekking towards it was a small hunkered shape. “Luca!”
The shape stopped and Aelin heard a voice in the wind.  Hope rose within her, beating against the dread and panic.
“Hold on!”  Sensing her urgency, Farasha pressed on, though Aelin could tell it was with reluctance.  
It took several agonizing minutes to move the few yards closer to the cabin but they made it.  And there, trying desperately to reach the old cabin was Luca.
Aelin let out a string of curses as she slid off of Farasha.  She gripped the lap blanket in one hand, keeping it close as she ran to Luca.  The boy couldn’t reach out to her, his arms wrapped tight around him.  His coat was too thin for this weather, his old boots unlaced.  Aelin swore his skin was blue, not just his lips.
“A-a-aelin?” he stuttered, the sound of her name was too soft from his mouth.
Aelin threw the blanket around him.  She pulled him against her and wrapped her arms around his middle as she tried to rub warmth into his limbs.
“What were you thinking?” she asked, unable to curb her own panic.  “Luca.  Luca.  Luca.”
The boy trembled against her.  He was trying to talk, to apologize, but Aelin kept him tugged against him so tight his words were muffled.
Ice stung Aelin’s eyes as she pulled away and knelt before him.
“Are you okay?” she asked, speaking over the sound of the wind.
He nodded even as his body still shook.  Hell.  
Aelin drew Luca back against her side. “It’s going to be fine.  I’ve got Farasha and we’re going to get back to the house.  Everything’s fine.”
She wasted no time in leading Luca to the horse.  She boosted him up into the saddle, helping him scoot as far up as he could.  Aelin braced herself as she scrambled up on the horse behind him.  The motion wasn’t as smooth as it could have been.  Combined with lack of practice, cold, and, admittedly, fear, Aelin didn’t let it bother her.
Once settled, she pulled Luca against her chest and reached for the reins.
“We’re alright,” she told him.  What else could she say?  “We’re going to go back to the house and get you warmed up.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Luca chattered. “I knew I shouldn’t have left.”
Aelin shushed him gently. “It’s okay.  Everything’s okay.”
Luca trembled against her chest but fell quiet as he tucked his face into the blanket, she’d given him.  The wind had picked up and snow swirled around them.  Aelin squinted, trying to keep ice from pricking her eyes.  It only made tears start to well and track down her cheeks.  In a matter of seconds, she could feel her skin freeze.  Aelin dared not blink for fear of her eyes freezing shut.  Instead, she tapped her heels against Farasha’s side.
Even with the added load of Luca, the horse surged forward.  Aelin had no idea if they were headed in the right direction.  All she could do was hope that the horse had a better sense of where they were than she.  But with how dark the night had fallen and the increased snowfall, Aelin couldn’t help the panic welling within her.  She had found Luca, sure, but that was only half the problem.  
Now they had to trek back through the storm to the stables.  Aelin guided Farasha as best she could, but the sheets of snow that swirled around them certainly didn’t help.
To ease her own worry, she wrapped an arm around Luca, keeping him close.  He was still conscious, which was good.  She tried asking him questions to make sure he stayed that way but after a few rounds of feeling like her throat was freezing and Luca’s continued shudders--she stopped.  
Come on, she thought to herself.  She was strong enough to do this.  Strong enough to get Luca back safely.  Even if no one else thought much of her--she could see this through.
And then what?  She’d be out of a job.  Likely forced to move back to the city and she didn’t want that.  She didn’t want to stay here either if what Rowan said was true.
If Arobynn Hamel took over the ranch Aelin knew she couldn’t stay.  Hamel was cruel to say the least.  Vindictive, arrogant, abusive.  He had pushed Aelin beyond her limits and was the reason her life had changed forever.
She wanted to hate Rowan for what he had planned.  But how could he have known?  She never talked about her past as it was.  It wasn’t even any of his business if she did leave.
Damn him.  Damn him for giving up on this place in the first place.  And damn him for making her think that she almost had a home here.
A shiver rolled through Aelin’s body.  How could she still feel the cold?  Everything was numb at this point.  She didn’t even know how she could remain upright in the saddle, let alone hold the reins.  But the cold had settled in so deep that it was simply an extension of who she was now.
They passed by a fence post that Aelin didn’t recognize.  Or did she?  Was it the one along the easter paddock?  That meant they were near the stables right?  
The top of the post only had a thin layer of snow on top, the barbed wire extending along to the next post already had icicles forming.
As if sensing her unease, Farasha moved a little faster.  But, really, there wasn’t much the horse could do.  Not in these conditions.
Aelin tilted her face up to the sky, as though that would do anything.  All she could see was the mass of snow and ice continuing to fall.  The gray sky overhead a mass of terror and pure power.  Never had she felt so insignificant until that moment.  She was a small speck in comparison to the universe overhead.  
She dropped her head again and stared forward, willing herself to see some chance of hope.
There was nothing.  Nothing but white.  Nothing but gray.  Nothing but--
A flash of light.
Aelin straightened in the saddle and stared at where she’d seen the flash.  She hadn’t imagined it.  She couldn’t have.
There it was again!
A quick flash followed by a longer one.  The flashes continued in somewhat the same manner, like morse code.  
Aelin’s fingers were too stiff to try for her phone.  She would have dropped it before managing to get it unlocked.  All she could do was guide Farasha towards the light.  Aelin had never learned morse code beyond SOS.  But she’d been out on this land plenty of times and she knew there weren’t any strange flashing lights around.  And these flashes seemed too deliberate in any case.
It was the only reassurance she could hold on to.  That and keeping Luca in one arm.
Another few minutes passed on until Aelin could hear a voice on the wind.  She didn’t register it at first, but it was familiar.  The shout came again; long and steady.
“Luca!  Aelin!”  Their names were drawn out into multiple syllables but it was someone shouting for them.
Not just someone.  Aelin would have recognized that voice anywhere.
The flashlight beam grew stronger the closer they got and Aelin could soon make out a shape sitting astride a horse.  
“Rowan,” she whispered, more to herself than anything.  Because who else could it be. “Rowan!”
It was only a minute later that had Goldryn loping toward them with Rowan.  He still had the flashlight in one hand, beaming brightly against the night.
“Aelin!” he yelled.  He drew in close, close enough to grab her shoulder.
The flashlight helped illuminate him enough that Aelin could see the taut lines of his face, his eyes wide in panic.  The scarf around his lower face had fallen away and snow was building up in the creases.  But it was him.  He was here, staring at her like she was the greatest damn thing he’d ever seen.
“We’re fine,” she said, loud over the storm. “But we need to get Luca warmed up.”
Rowan dropped his gaze to the boy who was still pressed against Aelin’s chest.
“Let's go,” he said, “it’s not that far.”
Aelin could only nod as he turned Goldryn and led the way to the stables.  Farasha, blessedly brilliant beast that she was, followed without any prompting.  
The tightness in Aelin’s chest loosened with each step made.  They had made it.  It really was going to be alright.
Quicker than Aelin realized, the stables came into view.  Bright light from the floodlights broke through the storm and she could see the doors were cracked open just a bit.  Two other horses were by the doors being tended to.  It took Aelin several moments to realize it was Lorcan and Aedion waiting there.  They soon disappeared into the barn, taking the two horses with them.  
When Rowan and Aelin reached the stable doors, both men had returned.  Lorcan wasted not time in coming to Aelin’s side.  He grabbed Luca from the saddle, hauling the boy into his arms and taking him inside.  Aelin could only stare after.  She had no idea if she could move, let alone blink.
It wasn’t until Rowan appeared in her line of sight that she did blink, miraculously without frozen eyes.  She had no idea when he’d gotten off his horse but here he was right beside her.  He reached out, one hand going to her side as he gently tugged her off of Farasha.
She fell into him.  It was an accident, really.  But her body was still numb and she might have been in shock, but she went tumbling off of the saddle in as inelegant a dismount as could be imagined.  Rowan’s arms stayed around her, keeping them both upright.
“I got you,” he murmured into her ear.  He kept a firm hold on her as she slowly regained her balance.
Somehow, he still had warmth to share.  As he kept her tight in his grasp, Aelin could practically feel her own body leeching it off of him.  She was desperate to feel anything other than the raging cold threatening to freeze her entire body.  
Lorcan appeared in another minute and helped with Farasha, Aedion took control of Goldryn.
Rowan led Aelin into the stables that were already infinitely warmer than the storm outside.  There seated on a few bales of hay was Elide, well at work with getting Luca wrapped in a fresh blanket and tugging a hat over his head.
“You’re half frozen,” Rowan said.  He kept walking Aelin away from the opened doors of the stables.  “What the hell were you thinking?”
Aelin could only stare at him.  
The familiar scowl was in place and his brow was furrowed as he worked to get her out of her wet coat.  A thin and useless coat, he pointed out.  He replaced it by draping a thicker one over her shoulders, holding it in place when she didn’t take it herself.
All she could do was stare at him.  He had come for her.  He had gone out into that storm and came to find her.  Luca too.  But with the way he was staring at her and brushing the messy strands of hair from her face--all Aelin could really process was that he was here for her.
“You’re fussing,” she managed to whisper.
“Of course I’m fussing,” he said, incredulity spreading across his face. “Aelin, you’re freezing.”
Of course she was.  She’d spent the better part of an hour (more?) searching through a blizzard on a horse looking for Luca.  Her entire body shook with cold and a mild panic of what she’d just accomplished.
Rowan tugged the coat tighter around her as he kept talking.  But Aelin couldn’t hear what he was going on about.  A shrill ringing started in her ears blocking almost everything else out.  And then the shivers wouldn’t stop.  Her entire body was shaking and it was all she could do to stay on her own two feet before she pitched forward straight into Rowan, vision going black.
When Aelin woke, she found herself surrounded by a thick warmth that engulfed her.  It was far welcome from the dreams of freezing snow and wind that she’d had all night.  Grateful for the thick blankets tucked all around her, Aelin snuggled in deeper, breathing in a familiar scent of pine.
Her eyes snapped open with sudden awareness.
She wasn’t in her own bed.  
Pain lanced through her head as she tried sitting up.  The sheer weight of the blankets piled on top of her was enough to keep her down though, for at least a minute longer.
What the hell had happened?  Her body ached as though she’d run a marathon and she was certain her toes were frozen solid and—
And there had been the blizzard.  And Luca.  And she’d gotten on a horse and rose out into a blizzard to find him.
That thought alone spurred her on.  She shoved the thick quilts aside, pausing only at the patchwork of the top blanket that was a blend of greens and silvers in a pattern she couldn’t quite make out, but it was handmade.  She could tell that much.
Aelin then realized that she was in Rowan’s room.  If not for the scent of pine and the obvious splashes of green throughout the decoration, then the picture on the bedside table.  It was of a boy no more than ten with a shock of silver hair standing on a dock that overlooked a lake.  In one hand he held up a fishing line with a giant fish dangling from the hook.  Beside him was an older man, his father, who had a proud grin on his face as he wrapped an arm around the boy.  And there was another picture of a woman with tan skin and brilliant green eyes smiling down at a bundled baby in her arms.
She was in Rowan’s room.
The thought shocked her enough that she remained seated on the edge of the bed right up until the door opened.  Mind still reeling, Aelin could only watch as Rowan himself slowly stepped into the room.
He stopped immediately upon seeing her awake and sitting up.  Dressed in his usual attire of jeans and flannel she almost would have guessed she hadn’t been asleep that long.  If it hadn’t been for his disheveled hair or the stubble on his chin and cheeks.
“You should be asleep,” Rowan said.  He held a cup of water in one hand and slowly walked it over to her, setting it on the bedside table she’d just been examining.
“I was,” Aelin replied, even with the short words her voice rasped with disuse and exhaustion. 
Rowan who now stood just before her, his knees brushing hers, reached out and brushed a few messy strands of hair from her face.  His fingers were warm against her skin and the calluses rough as they scraped gently along her cheek.  The expression in his eyes held something Aelin wasn’t sure how to read.  She’d thought she’d gotten decent enough at interpreting Rowan that it unsettled her just a bit.  
Instead of the depthless sea of green she was so accustomed to, he was now guarded and hesitant.  Compared to his usual assurance and confidence--Aelin was at a loss of what to say.
“Drink this,” Rowan said, filling the silence.  He pushed the glass of water into her hands along with a few pain pills and the granola bar. “And eat.  The pills will settle better with something in your stomach.”
Aelin set the items aside. “I’m fine.”
“Aelin.”
The warning in his voice had Aelin’s hackles rising.  She set her jaw and glared right back at him.
“I’m fine.” 
They stared at each other, neither budging.  And they could sit there all day for all Aelin was concerned.  She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep or of any of the other details of her passing out, but she did know she was still pissed Rowan and she would hold out for as long as--
“Please,” Rowan said, voice uncharacteristically soft, “just eat something.”
The breath stilled in Aelin’s lungs.  When had she ever heard him say please?  It was such a strange word coming from him that Aelin automatically reached for the granola bar and unwrapped it.  She took a few bites before swallowing the pain pills with some of the water.
“Happy?” she asked, placing the water back on the bedside table.
Rowan, as expected, remained silent.  When he turned aways from her, Aelin thought he was going to give her some peace and quiet, but he was only putting a little distance between them. Which was probably for the best considering Aelin was having a difficult time breathing normally when he was so close.  She would blame it on nearly getting hypothermia.  That was it.
“Do you have any idea how stupid it was for you to go out like you did?” he demanded.  He’d stepped back closer to the window, pale light filtering through the thin curtains to illuminate him enough that Aelin could better see the outlines of his face and the stiff way he held himself.
“I was trying to find Luca,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “What was I supposed to do?”
“Get help,” Rowan said, “it was a blizzard Aelin, what if something had happened?”
“Exactly.”  She rose to her feet, blinking back the fuzzy blackness along the edge of her vision.  She wasn’t going to let him berate her. “I couldn’t let something happen to Luca.  He was my responsibility.  It’s a miracle I found him at all.”
Aelin waited expectantly for him to say something else.  To continue to tell her how stupid she was, how upset he was.  That she’d made mistake after mistake.
But he didn’t.
Rowan stood before her, hands on his hips and lips pressed tight together.  Silent.
“I wasn’t going to leave him,” Aelin said, and she was shocked to find emotion beginning to clog her throat. “I couldn’t.”
And then Rowan did the absolute last thing she expected.  He hugged her.
One moment he was two feet away looking as mad as she’d ever seen him, the next he was pulling her into a bone crushing hug.  His arms wound around her, one hand buried in her hair to keep her close.  It took Aelin a few seconds to reorient herself but she carefully returned the hug.
Several different questions and emotions swam through Aelin’s head.  Most of which dealt with the variety that Rowan was actually displaying affection of one sort or another.  He wasn’t a stone wall of silence in that moment but someone who cared.  At least, that was how she chose to interpret this display.
“It’s alright,” she found herself murmuring. “Everything’s fine.”
She realized belatedly that the anger she’d felt rolling off of him was actually fear.  That he’d been scared for her.  She marveled at it really, that Rowan Whitethorn would be worried about her.  
Aelin gently eased back, just enough that she could look at him with a bit more clarity.  Her entire body was still brimming with exhaustion, she could feel her own tiredness thudding through her bones with every beat of her heart.  It was only a small, dull ache though in comparison with the unyielding depths of Rowan’s dark eyes.
She didn’t go far though.  The warmth radiating off of him was welcome, feeling almost as though she were back in bed and wrapped in the many blankets.  Being so close to him was strange, different.  She’d never allowed herself to get so close to him before that now, being held by him--she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so safe and secure.
“Sorry,” Rowan said, though he didn’t release her entirely as one hand trailed softly along her side.
Not knowing how to navigate any of this--Aelin avoided a direct response.
“How’s Luca?” she asked.
“Fine,” Rowan said, “he woke up twenty minutes ago and is perfectly fine.”
“Good,” she said, genuine relief flooding her. “That’s good.”
“We had him and Evangeline stay in the house, Evie stayed in your room,” Rowan went on to explain. “Because the weather was so bad, Lorcan and Elide stayed the night too.  They’re with the rest of the kids down at the cabins.”
“Rowan, I,” Aelin began, knowing that she did at least owe him a little of an apology.  In part for her recklessness (though they would both know she wasn’t really sorry) and for the way she acted after learning about Hamel. 
“Don’t,” he said, quick to cut her off.  His fingers dug into her sides grounding her right where they stood. “You don’t need to say anything.”
“I’m sorry,” she said anyways, he gave her an exasperated sort of look that made her smile. “Not about Luca, I stand by going after him, but Hamel.  There’s more to that than I’ve told anyone.”
Rowan cleared his throat, eyes flicking away for a brief moment before resettling on her. “Aedion might have told me a little about that.  And about…”
He trailed off when Aelin turned away.  She didn’t know why she did, why she wanted to ignore her past and lock it back up again where no one, not even she, could find it.  But she did.  Because she knew how it sounded, how it looked.  The spoiled rich girl from the good background with everything at her beck and call falls into a mess of drug use.  Even if she hadn’t known about it.
When the backs of her knees hit the bed, Aelin collapsed onto the mattress.  She was exhausted anyways and really just wanted to sink back into the blankets and fall asleep.  Maybe pretend none of this had ever happened.
“I ended the deal with Hamel,” Rowan said.  “Literally just got off the phone with him to tell him I wasn’t selling anymore.”
Aelin felt her jaw fall open as she stared up at him. “You what?”
If there was anything he could have said to shock her, that was it.
“I’m not selling,” Rowan repeated.  He looked as serious as he ever did, not a fleck of emotion on his face.  It was a strange beauty he held, Aelin thought at that moment.  The hard planes of his face, his sharp jawline, and the full curve of his lips—all of it combined together in such a way that nearly stole her breath away.
“Why not?” she whispered. “Not to him or not at all?”
He swallowed, throat bobbing.  Aelin thought it curious, why would he care about this so much to end the deal that, as he’d said, would bring in a great deal of money?  And why would he care enough to not want to talk about it further?
“No deal at all,” Rowan said, “my attorney’s processing a formal citation for it now.”
“Why?” she asked again.  Why did she care so much?  Was it her own love for this ranch that has somehow developed over these brief few months?  Was it no more than the desire to know that Hamel was getting screwed over? 
This time when he came towards her, Aelin didn’t move.  She only watched as he slowly drew closer until once again, his knees knocked against hers.  He hovered over her, his broad frame blocking out the light from the window.  But he wasn’t imposing, wasn’t a cruel thing engulfing her.  It was just Rowan.
“I couldn’t do that to you,” he said. The admission sent shivers running along her arms, racing down her spine. “Not after, everything.”
“Everything,” Aelin repeated, trying hard to ignore the way her heart was hammering in her chest and how her stomach dipped at the low timbre of his voice.  “It was the binder, wasn’t it?”
She couldn’t help the teasing words.  The binder that had outlined this week of kids coming to the ranch had included a brief plan of continued action to take on seeing more progress made for various revenue opportunities for the ranch.  Really, Aelin hadn’t expected Rowan would read much into it.
Rowan snorted a soft laugh, head tilting up as though he were looking to the heavens for help.
“Yeah, I guess that was it.” His words weren’t convincing.  Not even in the slightest.  Especially not when Aelin saw that small spark in his eyes, the way he was so close yet still so far.  And Aelin, despite everything that had happened, wanted him closer.  Rowan, she knew, was too chivalrous and wouldn’t do anything to push her over whatever line they were toeing.
She reached up, fingers grazing the hem of his shirt, the fabric soft against her skin.  
“I told you it was—” Aelin never had the chance to finish teasing him further when he swept in to kiss her.
It was a soft brush of his lips against hers, barely anything at all.  And still it made her breath catch, caused goosebumps to race over her skin.  She arched into him, eagerly seeking out of his touch.  She couldn’t remember the last time someone had made her feel so wild in her own skin.
Rowan cupped her cheek with one hand as he drew her closer. The deepening kiss nearly drowned her.  He paused only once, hovering before her in a silent question.  Aelin responded by fisting her fingers in his shirt and dragging him to her.  His lips turned insistent against hers, drawing a small sound from her throat.
In all her time at the ranch, Aelin had never known Rowan to be so gentle or careful.  But the way he treated her as though she were something to be cherished, something to be loved—it had her heart seizing in her throat.  
She wanted more, needed more, and given the way Rowan’s hands ran through her hair and down her sides she knew he did too.
Which, of course, was when a soft knock came at the bedroom door.
“Aelin?”  It was Lysandra come to check on her.
She and Rowan broke apart, putting just enough distance between them.  There was no guilt or regret in Rowan’s eyes, rather a promise just for her.
Aelin straightened, adjusting her mussed shirt.  “Come in.”  She reached for the half-eaten granola bar and started to finish it off, just so she could have something to do with her hands and maybe detract from what she and Rowan had been up to.
The look on Lysandra’s face said she wasn’t convinced.  She raised a brow, fixing her look solely on Rowan before turning to Aelin.
“I told him not to bother you,” she said.
“I was already awake,” Aelin said honestly.  
Lysandra hummed, her mouth curving into a smirk. “Sure.  Well, there’s a real breakfast downstairs.  And Luca wants to thank-you in person for finding him.”
“Thanks, Lys,” Aelin said.
Her friend waited a moment longer before turning to leave.  She left the door open behind her.
Aelin waited until Lysandra disappeared down the stairs before she rose to her feet.  She was tired and still a bit achy but she knew that if she and Rowan remained up here any longer it would only result in an embarrassing call out.  That or Aedion would be sent to collect them.  And for her cousin's health and Rowan’s own sanity, Aelin thought it best not to avoid the inevitable.
Automatically, she reached out for Rowan and took her hand in his.  She laced their fingers together and gave him a small squeeze.
“I never did thank-you,” she said, stepping closer to him, willing to snatch just one more moment.
Rowan arched a brow. “For what?”
“You came to find me,” she said, “even after everything.”
His face softened and Rowan brought their clasped hands up between them, brushing his lips across her knuckles.
“I’ll always come if you need me,” he promised.
Aelin smiled, unable to help it.  For the first time in ages, she felt a small bit of joy begin to kindle deep in her chest.  Where once it might have scared her, now it was a welcome feeling, one that she would keep close deep within her.
“C’mon, buzzard, before she sends Aedion up to get us.”  She tugged him to the door with her so they could join the fray awaiting downstairs for them.
And over the next few days, Aelin wouldn’t know what the future would bring.  She didn’t know if anything would happen between her and Rowan or if this was some strange moment shared together.  She didn’t even know what would happen with her career.
What she did know was that she wanted to fight for it, whatever may come.
Epilogue—Six Months Later
It was the howling of a dog that woke him at six in the morning, not his usual alarm.  At first, Rowan was keen to ignore it and instead try to fall back asleep.  But the dog howled again, mostly out of need for attention than anything else.  He rolled over in bed, one arm reaching out to the warm body beside him.
“Your child is calling,” he grumbled.
Aelin cursed from where she was tangled in the blankets. “You’re the one that bought her.”
Indeed, Rowan had purchased the dog that let out another howl outside.  He’d figured if he were going to keep the ranch, they should have a dog.  What he hadn’t planned on was the little demon to end up being almost exactly like Aelin.  He should have known.
Snorting a laugh, Rowan tugged her closer, ignoring the way Aelin’s blonde hair was splayed out messily, nearly engulfing him.  He wrapped a hand around her waist, keeping her close.  She was soft against him; curves and angles fitting perfectly with him.  No matter how many times they woke like this, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it.
Aelin rolled over in his arms so they were face to face and she could hook her leg over his hip.  Already she had one hand buried in his hair as she settled down again.  Rowan cracked an eye open to watch her.
Eyes closed and a look of contentment on her soft features, Aelin still remained the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.  The nightgown she wore was a poor excuse for covering.  The thin straps had fallen down her shoulders and left her chest almost perfectly exposed.  The hemline rode up far along her thighs.  And he was well aware she wasn’t wearing underwear beneath.  
He had no idea how they’d come to this point—no idea how he’d managed to not screw things up beyond measure.  Given the way they’d started—they by all means should still hate each other.  But here they were, tangled together in a mess of limbs.
He realized too late that she’d opened her eyes.
“Staring?” she asked.
“Always.”
Aelin grinned in that delightfully bright way she did.  It was enough to strike any man dumb.  Taking advantage of his distraction, Aelin swooped in for a quick kiss.
“I’ll take care of the dog if you make me pancakes,” she said, already climbing out of bed.
Rowan, however, had another idea.  He snatched a hand out, catching her wrist to pull her back down on the bed.  Aelin yelped in surprise, nearly falling on top of him.  She caught herself though, one hand braced on the mattress next to him.  Golden hair fell around them as a curtain, a tangled, messy curtain.
Leaning up, Rowan caught her mouth in another kiss.  This one far more than a simple peck.  Aelin sighed against him as one hand trailed along his bare chest, her fingers working in soft caresses at his side.
As he deepened the kiss, Rowan sat up and wrapped an arm around Aelin.  He pulled her fully into his lap, fully intending to have a proper morning together when the alarm clock finally went of and that damned dog started another round of howls from outside.  Groaning, Rowan tried keeping her close for just a moment longer.
“Sorry cowboy,” Aelin said breathlessly as she pulled back. “Our child is calling.  And you’re going to be late.”
She brushed her fingers through with a fond smile before getting out of bed.  This time Rowan let her go, though he wasn’t happy about it.  
Aelin threw on a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt before she ran downstairs, calling for Fleetfoot the entire way.
In the six months since the blizzard that brought them together, many things had changed.  Normally Rowan would have shied away from it all.  Change never meant anything good.  It meant things would be different, that there was a new reality set forth before him.  And, always one to stay the course, he’d never pursued much beyond what he already knew.
But he supposed the change Aelin wrought within him was just what he needed.  And not just in keeping the family ranch.  But she made him want to be different, to be better.
After he changed, Rowan headed downstairs.  Aelin was outside with Fleetfoot, the golden lab that was supposed to be a herd dog but much preferred human company than goats.  He watched them through the kitchen window as Aelin threw a ball for Fleetfoot to chase.  
The golden sun already illuminated the sky setting everything alight.  Spring came swiftly and full of new opportunities.  And for once, Rowan didn’t dread it.
Even though he was running behind, Lorcan would kick his ass for it, Rowan whipped up a batch of pancakes and already had a few on the griddle by the time Aelin and Fleetfoot scampered back inside.
Fleetfoot pranced around happily and dashed into the kitchen to make sure Rowan knew she was there.
“Yeah, yeah,” Rowan said as the dog rubbed against one of his legs. “Go ask your momma for treats.”
Aelin instead fixed Fleetfoot’s food dish with the allotted portion of kibble.  Though, Rowan knew the dog would get at least one treat before the hour was out.
While Fleetfoot attacked her breakfast, Aelin came and wrapped her arms around Rowan’s middle.  She pressed her forehead into his back and sighed as she rested against him.
“You didn’t have to make pancakes,” she told him quietly.
Rowan flipped the few that were on the griddle before turning to accept a full hug.  He brushed the escaping bits of hair that flew from her bun out of the way and shrugged.
“I wanted to.”  
“Hmm,” Aelin hummed and pressed up onto her toes to kiss him.  Chaste and sweet, the kiss still held a lingering promise of what exactly she wanted to do to him. “Well, thank-you.  But you should go.  Lorcan’s going to be pissy enough as it is.”
“Yes dear,” Rowan said.
He let Aelin take control over the pancakes and grabbed a protein bar from the fridge before heading out for the day.  He paused when he reached the door looking back at Aelin as she pulled the batch of pancakes from the heat.
“I love you,” he said.
She looked up, blue eyes dazzling with her smile. “Love you, buzzard.”
The door closed softly behind him as he hurried down the porch to his waiting truck.  Beside it was the SUV Lysandra and Aedion had left behind, taking Aelin Audi with them once the snow let up.  The chrome silver was spattered with mud and dust looking as though it perfectly belonged where it was.  The sight brought a small smile to him.
His truck rumbled down the road to the stables where they would already be preparing for the first spring camp of the season.  They were expecting fifteen kids in total with another week planned for the wait-listers that hadn’t gotten in the first time.  
The day after the blizzard, Rowan officially terminated any agreement with Hamel that had been talked about, just as he’d promised Aelin he would.  They’d faced some backlash, but it was remarkable just what a few loyal names could do to help make things right.  Though, Aelin’s own determination in not letting the man have any more control over her said enough.
Now she worked in town at the singular therapy office, providing help to those who wanted.  When she wasn’t there, she was at the ranch helping him and continuing to plan and host events for more kids and individuals seeking help and comfort for their traumas and other mental health concerns.  Just like she’d always wanted.
Rowan drove past the wide-open field of the ranch his family had called home for over a hundred years.  And when he glanced in the rearview mirror at the ranch house fading into view behind him, he hoped that it would remain that way for a few more generations after.
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
<3 reblogs appreciated.
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tomtenadia · 7 days
Text
My new fic
Hi all,
So, I am trying to gather all the possible courage and post the Prologue of my Hockey fic. I still don't have many chapters, but I am hoping that posting it for the public will give me the push I need to write more.
So, Rowan is a Pro Hockey player in the THL (Terrasen Hockey League) and Aelin in an ex pro figure skater now working as instructor. Rowan has suffered a serious head injury in a game and has been off for a few months and is now dealing with his healing. Aelin plays tough girl but she is still dealing with the accident that destroyed her career.
A very small part of Rowan's injury and recovery is inspired by "Unsteady" by Peyton Corinne (which I recommend to everyone if you love hockey romance) and also just a smidge of Icebreaker.
Also, Rowan is a single dad to a lovely 5 years old tornado called Maya (yes, I know always the same but I love it.)
The title.... Check my heart.... a play on the concept of cross check. Not the greatest but I am bad at titles.
Anyway, I will leave you to it.
CW: mention of injuries, panic attacks
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PROLOGUE
The ice rink was empty and quiet on a Saturday afternoon.
Rowan slowly walked the familiar path that took him from the changing rooms to the ice, the feeling of walking in skates still strange after two months off.
As he finally exited the tunnel, the coolness of the stadium hit his face as he sat down on the home team bench. His team’s bench. Hockey had been a huge part of his life. He had started playing as soon as he had learned to walk. His dad had been a great champion in the Wendlyn Hockey League, leading his team to many championships and countless other major victories. His dad, Alasdair Whitethorn, had been the hero for many kids. Under his guidance, Rowan had learned to skate, and to get better. He trained, he played, he breathed hockey. In high school people had started to call him his father’s heir. He signed up for uni and graduated in aeronautical engineering. Aircrafts being another passion of his. At uni he played in the team and made captain and in his final year the offers from pro teams started to rain.
His first year as a pro in Doranelle he showed the world his skills and lead the team to a cup victory. Rowan thought he was at the top of the world, until the THL, the Terrasen Hockey League, found him and got his first offer. After three years in Doranelle, Rowan was called by Perranth with an offer that was impossible to turn down. Rowan’s career exploded, brought him across different teams in Terrasen until he landed in Orynth as captain for the Hawks. Together they won a cup and other teams kept begging for trades but Rowan always refused saying that he had finally found his team.
His career had been on a trajectory for more success until the last season. 
Until the final game in the championship when they battled the Skull’s bay Pirates for the cup.
Until…
A deep breath and he stopped as the usual wave of nausea hit him and the fuzzy memory of that night threatened to surface and break him.
If he closed his eyes he could still hear the sound of his body colliding with violence against the boards. The pain. The terror and then the darkness.
Still on the bench, Rowan shook his head, trying to chase away the memory. His team had won, after Lorcan had led the Hawks to the triumph while seeking revenge for his captain.
Even with his team mates chasing minor penalties to avenge him. Even with Lorcan getting a five minutes major for roughing after he thumped Rolfe, they still had won.
Rowan had been in a hospital bed when they told him. He should have been elated, but all he had felt was emptiness.
He blamed it on the bad concussion. His team had explained him that Rolfe had checked him from the back, pushing violently against the boards. His head had taken a bad hit as he collapsed on the ice.
All Rowan remembered was the sound of Lorcan’s voice calling for a major penalty on Rolfe, the feeling of ice under him and the taste of blood.
Another shake of his head to clear his mind and finally Rowan stood, gripping the edge of the gate. That was progress. He had made it a bit farther than last time. This time, the gate was actually open and his right foot was on the ice. He took a deep breath and the left foot joined his companion on the ice. Gently, he pushed himself away from the boards and stood there. He stared at the Hawk logo painted under the ice and then took a tentative skate towards the middle. But when he paused and took a look at the empty stadium, memories betrayed him and the screams and the noise of a game hit him. His head started pounding and a moment later he found himself sitting at the centre of the rink, his chest tight and his breathing laboured. A panic attack.
“Are you okay?” A voice called behind him.
He heard the distinctive sound of blades scraping the ice but did not turn until he saw a woman kneeling in front of him. Even in his confused state he could not fail to notice that she was the most stunning creature he ever saw. Her hair was blonde and tied in a tight high bun and her eyes. The woman in front of him had deep blue eyes with a ring of gold in them.
Was he dead? Had he actually died on that hockey game and this was finally heaven? Was she an angel?
“Hey, you okay?”
She touched his shoulder and felt real. No. He was still alive.
“You fell?”
He nodded lightly.
“Come on big guy, get up, I need the ice.”
“Oh.”
“I have a class coming and I have the rink booked up.”
Rowan stared at the woman, she had black leggings and a jumper. Her body was definitely the one of an athlete but at the same time he could see elegance in the way she stood on the skates in front of him.
“Come on, off the ice.”
“Hey, I can use the rink too. How much space are you going to need?”
“The whole of it?”
He scoffed “I just need a small part.”
Aelin snorted “The ‘learn to skate’ class is tomorrow morning.”
Rowan stared at her aghast. Did she have no idea who he was?”
“I can skate.”
“You fell and look unsteady. I doubt it, big boy.”
“What, you never fell in your life?”
Something strange passed in her eyes and Rowan had a feeling it was hurt.
“You really have no idea who am I?”
The woman folded her arms at het chest “Should I?”
“Captain Whitethorn of the Hawks.”
She snorted loudly “a hockey barbarian, I should have suspected.” Her tone dripped disgust.
“I assume you don’t follow it.”
“What, watch a game where ten men skate on the ice like brutes and pound each others just for the sake of it?” She protested, not moving from her stance “the only thing I know is that you oafs destroy my ice and it takes the Zamboni a lifetime to repair the mess you make.”
He was about to reply when he heard voices and saw a group of kids entering the ice “Well, princess, your class is here,” he touched his head in salute and in a powerful move he skated to the opposite side of the rink, well far away from the woman.
*
It was later on when he finally left the venue with a sliver of hope. It had been his first day out on the ice since the accident and he had gone through some basics exercises that coach Gavriel had recommended. It had not been easy and being back on the ice had felt alien all of a sudden. A few times he had stopped to watch the strange woman teach young kids figure skating. He had watched her demonstrate some basic moves and he had been totally enthralled by her.
Now he was finally home and a smile appeared on his face when a little tornado crashed against his legs “dad, you are back.”
Rowan kneeled and kissed the girl who was his clone “I am, muffin, did you have a great time with grampa and nana?”
“Yes, we baked.” She grabbed his hand and dragged her father in the kitchen where on the table lay numerous trays of chocolate biscuits.
“Did you bake for an army?” He asked his mother.
“We are taking some of them for her friends at skating classes.”
Aside from hockey, Rowan had another big love in his life. His daughter Maya. His life. His everything. Maya had been born five years earlier from his first marriage. He had met Lyria still back in Wendlyn. Lyria was a rising star in the world of figure skating. He had fallen hard for her and a year after dating he had asked her to marry him. Not long after they got married he got drafted in the THL and Lyria refused to move due to her busy competition schedule. One of the biggest championship was happening in Wendlyn that year and Lyria wanted the win. 
Lyria’s dream got destroyed when she discovered she was pregnant. Rowan had gone back to Wendlyn to watch one of her competitions but Lyria never turned up. She gave birth to a baby girl a month before the world championship.
The day after she had been discharged she had served him the divorce papers and a letter in which she renounced to all her rights as mother. Lyria had left the house the following day. No goodbyes, no last words. Just a a note on the bed reading You ruined my dreams.
Two days later he was back in Terrasen with a newborn baby and a career as pro hockey player. He had tried to find some information on Lyria after he was back. She had moved to a land very far across the ocean and had tried to restart her career but eventually gave up and became a trainer.
“Were you on the ice?” Asked his father sitting at his side on the sofa.
Rowan closed his eyes and nodded.
“How did it feel?”
“Alien,” the answer barely a whisper “I hated being on the ice, dad.”
“It takes time.”
“The team will be back from summer training camp in two weeks and then we need start preparing for the season. We have the first friendly game at the beginning of September against Perranth. I don’t have much time.”
Alasdair placed a gentle hand on his son shoulder “I know, but recovery takes time. Especially after such trauma.”
“I am the captain and I am letting my team down.”
Alasdair was about to reply but Maya came running and screaming for her father’s attention. “Dad, nana says that dinner is ready. Wash your hands.”
The girl was about to run away but Rowan stood in a powerful motion and lifted his daughter upside down on his shoulder. Maya laughed freely and patted his back screaming to be let free.
Rowan deposited his daughter on her chair and inhaled the scent on his mother’s cooking.
Being a famous THL player came with perks. He had signed a very good contract with the Hawks that allowed him to live a very comfortable life. He had bought a beautiful house in the outskirts of Orynth near nature. While all of his team mates had modern luxury mansions in the centre, he had gone for a cottage that he had slowly expanded and fixed up. It was cozy and, most of all, Maya loved it. They had a lake at the back that in summer was used for swimming and in winter they would use to skate together. Most of his money went to make sure his daughter had a good life. When he came back from Wendlyn with an infant, his parents had flown to Terrasen to help him and Rowan would be forever grateful to his parents for the help they had given him especially when he was away for his games. 
His mother’s voice woke him from his thoughts “Are you taking Maya to the rink tomorrow morning? It’s her learn to skate class.”
“Yes. I need to go and train anyway.”
“Rowan, you should not push yourself too much.” 
He sighed. His mum was a sports doctor and she saw his situation from the point of view of a physician. His hand curled in a fist and took a deep breath, he knew his parents were just looking after him “Mum, I am just getting again familiar with the ice.”
“Nana, can you skate?”
Rowan mentally thanked his daughter for the interruption.
“Yes, my love. Your grampa taught me to skate a long time ago.”
Maya smiled happily.
“Once the lake is once again frozen we can go you and I so you can show me all you have learned.”
The girl’s grin spread and her green eyes brightened in happiness “my teacher said I am good.”
Eiddwen lifted the girl on her legs and stamped a kiss on her cheek “of course baby, you are a Whitethorn.”
The dinner eventually finished and after his parents left, he took his daughter upstairs and helped her get ready for bed. 
She climbed in bed and grabbed her soft toy “dad, can you tell me a story of when you won a cup?”
Rowan smiled and sat at her side. Maya had grown surrounded by hockey. Her grampa, although retired, was still an important personality in the hockey federation. He would take Maya to the games if possible and would explain what was happening. She loved listening to some of the stories of his victories from both her dad and her grampa. 
“You don’t want a story from the last book we bought?”
Maya shook her head “not tonight.”
Rowan sat properly with his back against the board of the bed and pulled Maya against him “It was the third period of the cup final and we were down by one and down one man….”
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danikamariewrites · 7 months
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Heyy back with another ask bestie🤭 ok so how about a cadre g**g b**g where they are in a war camp with reader and lorcan comes up in there bickering with her which gets the attention of the other cadre and row row comes in like “ik what would shut her up”😈 (they are yummier than the bat boys i stand by that😤)
Cadre (SMUT)
Lorcan x Rowan x Fenrys x Gavriel x f!reader
A/n: hey bestie! I also may favor the cadre over the bat boys at times lol. This concept has me feral so I hope you enjoy this. I left out Connall and Vaughan bc they were so left out of the books so I don’t know their character at all.
Warnings: fivesum, praise kink, degradation, name calling, and some light choking
You pushed back the canvas of the tent, Lorcan on your heels, fuming that you once again didn’t listen. “You’ve got a serious issue, you know that?” You turned, smirking at him. “Lorcan, if I listened to you we’d be dead right now.” Steam practically came out of his ears at your tone.
Before he could start screaming you both spotted Gavriel and Fenrys watching you from their seats at the war table. Fenrys was wearing a feral smirk, nothing brought him joy like watching you and Lorcan spar with your words. Gavriel kept a neutral face. As he assessed the situation and was working through how to intervene should it get physical.
Opening your mouth to say something that would send Lorcan over the edge, Rowan came up behind you. He pressed his sculpted chest into your back. Rowan held your chin in his strong hand, tilting your head back to look up at him.
His long white hair creating a curtain so it felt like it was just you and him having in the room. You flashed him a sweet smile, “Hi Rowan.” You and Rowan had been having a casual fling for some time now. Sex with no strings attached, but whenever he was around it was like you were instantly relaxed.
Rowan smirked back at you, “Hello sweetness. Are you giving Lorcan attitude again?” You feign innocence, “Me? Never.” Rowan lets a hum that let you know he saw right through your bullshit. He looks to Lorcan, keeping your head tilted against his chest, “I think I know how to make her behave. Just need some sense fucked into you huh sweetness.”
Your eyes go wide at Rowan’s boldness in front of the Cadre. He liked to keep things private between you, but you could sense something was different. You decided to play along, just to see what Rowan was scheming. You arched your back, grinding your ass into Rowan’s crotch, letting a small moan past your lips. “Yes sir.”
You could scent the arousal coming from the other Fae males in the tent. Mixing together it was overwhelming you. You didn’t know Rowan had an exhibition kink and if he was going to fuck you as the three of them watched you weren’t one to complain. You could feel your slick almost dripping down your thighs at the thought.
Rowan leans down placing wet, open mouth kisses all over your neck. “Now,” he said against your neck, “since Lorcan told us about the danger you put us all in, we’re all going to teach you a lesson. You gonna be a good girl for us?” Your heart was pounding in your ears. You had dreamed of each of these big strong males manhandling you, but all at once? You were going to pass out.
You hadn’t noticed Fenrys and Gavriel join your little circle until you felt Gavriel caress your cheek. Your attention snapped to him. “He asked you a question y/n.” Your mouth was suddenly dry. Your mind was empty as you wracked your brain for words that wouldn’t show up. Fenrys’ deep laugh had your eyes on him next. “Seems like the thought of having all of us has already caused her pretty little head to go dumb. That right baby?” You nod letting out a soft uh-huh.
“Good girl,” Lorcan purred. Rowan picks you up and brings you over to the large bed, the rest of the cadre follow. Putting you down, Rowan starts taking your leathers off, leaving you bare. He strips and slips behind you, wrapping you in his arms, leaving kisses on your jaw, neck, and shoulders. The others strip and watch you and Rowan with intense stares.
Rowan nips at your pointed ear. “The one treat you get tonight is picking who goes first, baby. Who’s it going to be?” You look at Lorcan, Gavriel, and Fenrys, meeting their hungry gazes with your own. You let out a hum as you think. “Lorcan,” you say in a seductive tone, a smirk playing on your lips.
Lorcan growls as he grabs you from Rowan. You wrap your arms around his neck, meeting his lips in a heated kiss. Your teeth and tongues clash as Lorcan fights for dominance as you push into him. You let him win as he pushes you down on the bed, pinning your shoulders.
He slowly moves down your body. Making sure to nip and kiss and lick every sensitive part of you. You shudder under his touch getting lost in the euphoric feeling of Lorcan dominating you. You caress his broad shoulders. Lorcan was quick to grab your wrists and pin them with one hand.
“Uh-uh baby. The only teary you got was picking me. You don’t get to touch.” He growls. Lorcan let’s a bit of his dark magic to wrap around your wrists, tying them to the bed. You whine as you try to move but the dark shadow like tendrils don’t give. Lorcan let’s out a dark laugh.
He moves to dig his fingers into your hips so hard your sure bruises are already forming. Lorcan drags his canines down one of your breasts, his tongue circling your hardened nipple. He looks at you through dark lashes wrapping his mouth around you and sucking hard. A high pitched moan leaves your mouth. You push your chest into his face. He lets go with a pop leaving a kiss to the top of your breast, a purple bruise forming near your nipple.
Lorcan keeps kissing and dragging his teeth down your torso while still keeping you in a death grip. He leaves teasing kisses on your clit and one tiny little lick. You buck your hips as best you can trying to move closer to his mouth. He tuts at your movements and runs a thick, long finger through your soaking folds.
“Fuck baby, so wet. That all for us?” You nod, looking at him through half lidded eyes. Lorcan lines himself up with your entrance, teasing you with the head of his thick, long cock. “You’re gunna be a good girl and take what I give you.” He grunts as he pushes into your tight cunt. You moan in unison at the feeling of him sinking inside you down to his base.
You felt like you couldn’t breathe he was so deep inside you. Lorcan gave you a second to adjust before he started thrusting into you at brutal pace. His thickness felt so good rubbing against your walls. You could do nothing but writhe beneath him. He was fucking you so good that you just went limp as you felt your orgasm approach.
Your moans got louder and louder as Lorcan pushed down on the bulge of him in your stomach. Your walls twitched around him. “Fuck-Lorcan feels so good.” “Yeah baby. You gunna come for me? Gunna come all over my cock?” You let out a pathetic whine in response. “Are you going to listen from now on? Be an obedient little slut?” You nod your head rapidly chanting yes and his name over and over.
With a few more thrusts your back is arching off the bed, your eyes screw shut as your vision goes fuzzy from the intensity of your orgasm. Your left breathless as he finishes inside you and immediately pulls out of you.
Giving you no time to recover Lorcan pulls you up by the shoulders, pulling his magic away from you. Fuck, you’re so out of it you barley feel his hand wrap around your throat. He pulls you to his chest and his lips meet your in another intense kiss. “If only I could have you all night. You’d never have a bratty attitude.”
Before you could respond Fenrys was pulling you from Lorcan’s grip. “Now Lorcan, be nice. Look at her,” Fenrys pulls you onto his lap, snaking his arms around you and rubbing soft circles into your skin with his calloused thumbs. He softly kisses your temple and you relax into him.
“She was so good for you. Don’t you think she deserves a reward?” Lorcan rolls his eyes as he adjusts his position at the foot of the bed. Fenrys gently lays you down and your eyes flutter shut. He smoothes your hair. Your eyes flutter open and wrap your arms around his neck, lazily playing with the strands of his long golden hair.
“You can hold on to me. You’re going to need to baby.” Fenrys kisses down your neck but quickly picks up the pace. Your energy comes back, spurred on by Fenrys’ eagerness to be tracing your curves for the first time. Fenrys wastes no time with you. You tug harder at those perfect curls as he slips into your already stretched out cunt.
Still sensitive from the fucking Lorcan gave you, you knew you wouldn’t last long with Fenrys. His thrusts were long and deep. Exploratory and full of curiosity. You held onto each other as his pace increased, your legs wrapping around his waist. Heels pushing into his back.
Without warning, your walls spasm around Fenrys and come. He keeps going, as he chases his own high. He looks down where you connect and he moans. Your release mixed with Lorcan’s is leaking from your hole. “Shit baby, look at you. Such a mess for us. You feel so good. I never wanna leave this pussy. So warm and full.” You bury your face into his neck and moan, his scent wrapping around you.
“Fuck, you can take another can’t you? You want my come don’t you baby?” “Yes Fenrys! Fuck, please, please, please!” Two more thrusts and his release paints your walls. You once again go limp as Fenrys collapses on top of you. Both of you panting. “So good.” He whispered into your chest.
Gavriel pulls Fenrys off you and rolls him to lay on his back next to Lorcan. Rowan is lifting you again. He turns you to look at him. You settle on your knees, steadying yourself by laying your hands on his chest. “Think you’ve learned your lesson sweets?” Gavriel kneels behind you, his chest pressing into your back.
By the grace of some god you still have the strength to look Rowan in the eyes and give him a smirk that says “not a chance”. He sighs. Looking to Gavriel, Rowan motions with his chin. Rowan move back to lay against the pillows at the headboard, spreading his legs and stroking his cock.
Gavriel moves you both back down the bed a bit then he pushes you to bend at the waist, elbows resting on the bed. Rowan fists your hair “Lets use that mouth for something other than talking back, hmm.” Rowan hummed. He pulls you down to swallow his cock. Making your head bob. Using your hands to cover what you couldn’t take in your mouth you set an acceptable pace for Rowan. “That’s it, just like that. See you can be a good girl. Just needed to give that mouth something to do.”
As you kept sucking Rowan off you felt Gavriel lightly running his fingers over your ass. He moves down to your pussy, sinking two fingers in. He curls and pumps them a few times before pulling out. Gavriel brings his fingers to his lips and licks them clean, moaning at the taste of you mixed with Lorcan and Fenrys.
“Such a filthy slut. But like Lorcan said, just for us to play with.” You could hear the smirk in his voice. As he leaned forward you felt his hard cock poke your thigh, your eyes rolling back at the thought of taking him and Rowan at the same time. Gavriel places soft kisses down your spine, so different from the way he was just talking about you.
He kisses down to your ass and finally lines himself up with you. He slowly sinks into you, letting you adjust to him inch by inch. Not like you need to after having Lorcan and Fenrys absolutely abuse you. But Gods above he feels good. But he’s taking too long.
When Gavriel finally starts to move you hum around Rowan causing him to his, his hands flying to grip your hair again. Gavriel fucks you it’s like no male has ever fucked you before. He’s taking the time to learn every inch of you inside and out. What parts of you are extra sensitive right now. You don’t know if you can go back to just having Rowan after Gavriel. The others were good, but holy shit. Gavriel was great.
You felt his fingers on your clit, rubbing it in small circles. As the pace of his thrusts picked up so did his fingers. You started to choke on Rowan’s cock and he was once again tightly grabbing your hair, controlling your movements.
You’d never admit this to any of them but this felt good. Not being in control. Being pleasured and used by them. You were in heaven right now. You felt your third orgasm on the night creeping up on you. That knot in your stomach tightening. Your eyes rolling. Your moans muffled and squeaky.
With a pinch to your clit and a few more perfectly angled thrusts from Gavriel you come undone one last time. His own orgasm following immediately after. You heard him swear above you as he pulled out of you. He kept your legs spread watching the mess between your legs drip down your thighs and onto the sheets.
Rowan pulled you off of him, finishing in his hand so you could catch your breath. As soon as he let go of your hair you collapsed on the bed, breathing deeply. You felt the four of them staring at you. It felt tense for some reason. You slowly flipped onto your back, stretching as best you could.
You let out a small hum, “Holy shit.” Fenrys let out a laugh. Rowan and Gavriel were pulling you up the bed, tucking you between them. Now that your punishment was over all they wanted to do was take care of you.
“You ok sweets?” An mmhhmm sounds from you followed by a yawn. You turn snuggling into Gavriel’s chest. He wraps an arm around you. Rowan gets up searching for a cloth or spare shirt to clean you up with. When he returns and spreads your legs you whine. Rowan quickly shushes you rubbing your thigh. “I’m just cleaning you up sweets.” He whispers.
You relax letting him wipe between your thighs. “There you go. All done.” He kisses your forehead and slips next to you again. Lorcan and Fenrys head off to their own beds after seeing you content in Rowan and Gavriel’s arms.
“Goodnight y/n,” Gavriel whispers. A cold wind rushes through the tent. Turning out all the lanterns and cooling your heated skin. You were glad it was Gavriel and Rowan holding you. You drifted off thinking what it would be like to be with them for eternity.
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leiawritesstories · 6 months
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Who Gave My Wife Liquor?
Rowaelin Month 2023, Day 20: Drunken Antics
y'all know i cannot resist this prompt 🤭🤭 so enjoy some fun drunken shenanigans involving the whole court of Terrasen plus Fenrys, Dorian, and some potentially bad decisions (but no angst i promise). fair warning: it's total crack, i honestly don't think it makes any sense, but it's (maybe) fun
also based off a prompt sent to @rowaelinprompts: "drunk and clingy Aelin" ;))
Word count: 1.5k
Warnings: swearing, alcohol, intoxication, silly goofy times
Enjoy!!!
@rowaelinscourt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aelin was absolutely beaming as she descended the stairs and headed into the well-lit great room of the castle's private wing, where a fire was blazing merrily in the hearth and laughter spilled from the wide-open doors. Her heart was full twice over at the sound of her friends' laughter--they had all been through so much in the last ten years, and the fact that they could still laugh was a miracle in and of itself.
"You're late!" Dorian called, catching her arm and leading her into the informal party. "And about three drinks behind, Your Majesty." Grinning, his sapphire eyes just beginning to glaze over, he grabbed the nearest flask and poured her a cup, tapping his drink to hers. "Cheers!"
"And you have shit tolerance, Your Majesty," she teased, downing the short glass of wine in one go. Dorian rolled his eyes, and she laughed. "Lighten up, Dor. Not all of us have your youthful ability to recover." Dorian, as a human, had less tolerance than the Fae and the shifter and Elide, who could drink Lorcan under the table, but he also recovered rapidly from his hangovers.
"Again with the you're an old man jokes?" Lorcan clicked his tongue, smirking. "Wasn't it you who kept telling me to get creative?"
"That would be your wife, actually." Aelin raised her refilled cup to the hulking, dark-haired male, whose face flushed bright scarlet at her innuendo.
"Galathynius," he grunted, tipping the contents of his glass down his throat.
"Don't be so put off, darling," Elide soothed her husband. "Aelin's just grumpy because you made me scream so loud last night we woke the whole castle up."
"And I'll do it again tonight," he winked.
Fenrys spewed wine all over himself. "Fucking gods!" he shrieked, pretending to be mortified. "You lot and your insatiable se--"
"You're just as bad, Fenny," Aelin smirked. "Or should I say, good boy?"
The normally roguish blonde blushed bright crimson and said nothing, choosing to grab the nearest ounce glass of liquor and tip it down his throat. "How?!" he demanded, both mortified and genuinely curious to discover how Aelin had heard that little pet name.
She beamed innocently and threw back a shot of her own. "That's for me to know and you--and your pretty boy--to find out."
"Pretty boy?" Lysandra wheezed, slinging her arm around Aelin's shoulders. "Holy rutting gods, Fen, I knew you weren't particular in bed, but I never would have guessed you'd want to be the one taking orders."
Dorian was conspicuously silent.
Observant as ever, Aelin turned towards the young king, a smile so friendly and approachable that it was truly terrifying slipping across her face. "Dor, darling."
"Oh fuck," he muttered.
"Have you been satisfied with Lord Moonbeam's visits to your kingdom?" The enquiry was perfectly polite, even diplomatic, but the smirk on Aelin's lips added a twist to the innocent words.
Dorian picked up the closest flask and drained it.
Fenrys snickered. "Don't be shy, Majesty. We won't--ah!" His teasing was abruptly cut off with a soft yelp. Dorian flicked the blonde Fae a look heated enough to boil water.
Aelin had a very good idea just what (phantom) hands had silenced Fenrys before he could make an incredibly ribald remark. "I see."
"For a queen so revered, Ae, you have no propriety," Aedion fake-sighed, reaching across his cousin to grab the glass bottle of whiskey that had definitely come from the back of the cellar.
"Says the one who cavorted his merry way through the mountains," she retorted, passing her glass to be filled. "Say, how is Kyllian doing these days?"
"He's fine," Aedion said, too quickly.
Lysandra grinned and curled herself close to Aedion's side, whispering something into his ear that made him choke on his mouthful of whiskey and splutter the aged liquor all over his shirt.
She cackled, tears of merriment spilling out of her bright green eyes. "There's no need to worry, Aed. We're all friends here, no?"
"How sweet," Elide crooned. She pinched her husband's cheek. "See, Lor? We're all friends."
"Lorcan doesn't have friends," Rowan said, completely deadpan. He'd been lounging in a comfortable armchair, admiring his wife and sipping on his glass of liquor like the civilized old male he was.
Lorcan snorted. "Fuck you."
"Let's keep the past in the past, shall we?" Rowan smirked over the rim of his glass.
For the second time that night, Lorcan's tan face flushed violently red, and the room exploded into laughter.
"I knew it!" Aelin cried triumphantly, pointing at Lorcan. "I knew you and my buzzard were lovers!"
"Best he's ever had," Lorcan mumbled, barely audible.
Elide gasped for breath through her peals of laughter, clutching at her chest and clinging to Lorcan's broad shoulder for support. "We need to get you drunk more often, love," she wheezed.
"The hell you do," he grumbled. "That sounds like a terrible idea."
"I have a GREAT idea!" Fenrys announced, rising unsteadily to his feet and brandishing his bottle of wine.
"You absolutely do not," absolutely everyone else chorused.
"First of all, that'sh' fuckin' rude!" He pretended to pout. "An' shecon'ly, it's a great idea!" He took a long drink from the bottle and pointed right at Lorcan. "Lorky, I dare you."
"You dare me to what, Moonie?" Lorcan shot the younger male an insolent smirk.
Fenrys beamed, which was both hilarious and terrifying. "Clothes off, an' pose as a sh-sht-stashue for three minutes."
"Fine." Lorcan drained the rest of his drink, stood up, shucked his clothes except for his undershorts, and strolled out into the hall. The others followed him, laughing and playfully ogling.
Elide wolf-whistled. "Don't be shy, Lor, pose like one of the ancient sculptures." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Most of us have seen you naked, you know."
Lorcan sighed, and Aelin swore she heard him mutter something about so much for keeping secrets under his breath. "I'm not drunk enough for that, Li."
"Pity," Aelin snickered. "You'd make such a well-endowed sculpture."
"Careful, Rowan," Lorcan drawled. "Your wife's objectifying other males again."
"Who gave my wife liquor?" Rowan called, laughing. "She only does that when she's drunk."
"You're mean," Aelin teased, frowning theatrically at her grumpy buzzard.
"Thought you liked me mean," he murmured, the words a wicked promise that set her blood alight. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and laid his hand against the curve of her ass, squeezing just enough to make her inhale.
"No!" Aedion yelped, throwing his hands over his face. "Shit, I'm standing right here!"
Lysandra doubled over with laughter, throwing a wink over at Aelin. "Look what you've done to your poor innocent little cousin," she giggled, unable to get all the words out without losing her grip on her merriment.
Aelin snorted. "Lys, if Aedy is innocent, then I'm a virgin priestess."
Lys wiped tears from her eyes. "All right, you--is Fenrys naked?"
Yes. Yes he was.
Completely undressed, Fenrys sprinted down the hall and back, grinning like a schoolboy when he reached the others again. "I didn't fall over!" he crowed, exuberant.
"Didn't stand up, either," Aelin muttered, half to herself.
Rowan coughed, a deep laugh billowing out of his chest. "Give him some slack, Fireheart," he laughed. "Moonie here is a little too drunk to perform as quickly as he usually does."
Fenrys shrieked in protest. "I perform longly!"
"Tha'sh'not a word, Fen," Dorian drawled, his words slurring together.
"Neither is anything the two of you are about to say to each other," Rowan whispered into Aelin's ear.
She around and pressed her face into his chest to stifle the fit of laughter that made her whole body shake. "You and your godsdamn impeccable timing," she gasped once she'd regained her breath.
Her husband winked. "I try."
Slowly, their dear friends began to disperse, first Fenrys and Dorian, the two leaning on each other for support but still staggering, then Elide and Lorcan, and finally Aedion and Lysandra. Aelin looked around the room at the empty glasses and bottles and flasks left on tables and couches. "Should we--"
"Later." Without blinking, Rowan swept her up into his arms. "Right now, you need to go to bed."
"Is that a promise, buzzard?" She looped her arms effortlessly around his neck, lowered her lashes, and smiled lazily up at him, sending a hazy image of slick skin and dancing flames into his mind.
He inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring. "Don't tease me, princess." His voice dropped to a thick rumble, the way it always did when she'd pushed just the right buttons. In a blur of Fae speed, he whisked them upstairs to their rooms, kicked the door shut, and laid her gently on the bed.
And she promptly fell asleep.
Chuckling softly, Rowan slipped Aelin's shoes off, changed into his nightclothes, splashed some water on his face, and slipped into bed, curling himself around her. She sighed and went boneless against him, her breaths deep and rhythmic. In moments, he was asleep as well, following his queen into dreams as he did every night.
~~~
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shyvioletcat · 3 months
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Happy Holidays @sassyhobbits. I know this is very late but it's finally here! Thank you for understanding the hectic circumstances I found myself in pre-Christmas. I am officially the last postee of the @rowaelinscourt secret santa and as an apology I added a bonus epilogue to this fic. I hope you love it! It was very fun to write.
Word Count: 9500
CW: Swearing and smut
~~~~~
Aelin didn’t know how it happened. After almost a year of dancing around each other she and Rowan had finally gone on a date. And that date was perfect. Perfect food, perfect conversation and Aelin even found the perfect dress to wear for the night. It was a tasteful red number, in her favourite shade, tight enough to show off her form but not tight enough that everyone got the full show. Aelin couldn’t fault the night, and she had replayed every moment over and over enough to be confident in that conclusion. So she didn’t understand why even after the sweetest and most perfect kiss goodnight Rowan had vanished. 
Completely and utterly ghosted her. 
After kissing her goodnight at the door she had neither sight nor sound of him. There was a string of messages from her that had gone unanswered and in the end she had to find out through mutual friends that he had in fact vanished—physically. No one knew where he went or why, one day he was there and the next he was gone. Aelin hadn’t even managed one day of post date flirting in their office before he was gone. 
She had to go to Lorcan of all people to get confirmation that Rowan was alive. The information was passed over in a brief and curt conversation that between the lines said very clearly mind your own business. In other circumstances Aelin would have never approached the surly bastard, and the fact she had was testament to her desperation. Aelin was left to wonder and wallow, both of which she kept out of the workplace. She was the picture of professionalism, aloof and pretending to be unaffected by her damaged heart. Because she liked Rowan, more than liked even, and she thought that he cared for her too. Everything that Aelin had assumed was obviously wrong. 
It was pointless to worry about and Aelin was determined to put it out of her mind. Tonight was the perfect opportunity at the annual Yulemas party. A night of drinking and frivolity was exactly what she needed. This year the company had rented out a private room in a swanky pub by the river. Being so Aelin was dressing for the part. She knew the place and had been there a few times. There was a giant fireplace that would warm the whole room, so really she only needed her coat for the brief trip from the car to inside. She was wearing a satin green dress, the whole thing pleated. The neckline and back both dipped into a deep V, with a thick band around her waist. The sleeve barely went past the top of her shoulder and the hemline reached mid calf. It was a classy number with just a little bit of daring. 
The responsible driver that she was, Aelin checked on the arrival of the Uber as she put the finishing touches on her ensemble. They were elegant gold drop earrings and a delicate matching chain around her neck. The gold dust she added to her eyelids highlighted the gold tones in her eyes and matched her jewellery too, and with one final look in the mirror decided she was done. Aelin watched the approach of her ride on her phone and when it was close enough she slipped on her red three quarter length coat and darted out into the cold. 
Blessedly, the ride to the pub wasn’t far and her driver was on the quieter side. Aelin didn’t feel like talking to a stranger. She still said thank you though as she left the car, and she had just dipped her hands into the pocket of her coat when she felt her phone buzz with a notification. Not willing to freeze her fingers off in the bitter Orynth winter, Aelin waited until she was in the doorway before she pulled her phone out to read the message. It was from Lysandra, her best friend turned cousin’s girlfriend through a turn of happy circumstances. She didn’t work with Aelin but she would have come as Aedion’s plus one because he did. 
Lys: You’ll never BELIEVE who’s here.
There was no other information besides those five words but Aelin knew, she knew who Lysandra was talking about. Her stomach twisted as she pushed through the door and she couldn’t tell if it was the warmth of the fire or her anxiety that warmed her cheeks. The sound of chatter and laughter drew her attention and she could see all her colleagues standing around, drinks in hand and mingling. Like a moth to a flame her gaze zeroed in on the one man she was not expecting to see.
Dressed in a crisp white dress shirt and grey pants, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and looking effortlessly handsome as he always did, was Rowan. He didn’t notice her and Aelin bit down on the need to hide before he did. She just needed to disappear into the crowd and effortlessly ignore him. 
Aelin slipped off her coat and draped it over her arm, walking over to the gathered party. She was just on the edges of it when Rowan noticed her.
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath. She quickly turned before she could read the expression on his face, she needed to come up with some kind of plan—and fast. Aelin glanced over her colleagues and spotted her saviour. A man who was down for anything, and despite being friends with the both of them Aelin knew he would do whatever she asked.
Plastering a smile on her face Aelin hurried the last few steps towards her target which would be interpreted as excitement. When she was close enough her hands rested on his forearm, steadying her as she rose up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. 
“Pretend to be my date,” Aelin said, wiping away the slight lipstick residue from his cheek.
Fenrys peered down at her with a perplexed look that quickly turned into enthusiasm. “Sure thing, I got you.”
Aelin sighed in relief. “You’ve saved my life.’
Fenrys gave her a perfectly flirtatious wink. “Always happy to help. Would you like a drink?” 
Aelin nearly groaned. “Desperately.”
Fenrys stepped away, putting a hand on her lower back as he circled her on the way to the bar. As soon as he was gone Lysandra sidled up next to her, dressed in a form fitting, knee length, one shoulder, green velvet number. She looped their arms together, bringing them closer so she could whisper. “What was that?”
“Hey, we’re matching,” Aelin diverted, nodding down at her own green dress she’d chosen for the evening. 
But Lysandra was not going to be so easily distracted. “That was nowhere even close to the answer to that question.”
Aelin knew she wouldn’t get away with not answering and tossed her loose hair over her shoulder, standing a little taller. “Fenrys is now my date.”
“Oh, I see,” Lysandra said, nodding sagely. “And that wouldn’t have anything to do with the sudden reappearance of a certain someone, would it?”
Her best friend was privy to everything that had gone on. Lysandra was the only one to have heard about Aelin’s feelings about being abandoned by the man she might very well be falling in love with. Aelin had gone back and forth and around in circles so many times trying to figure what had happened, then more importantly how she felt about it. Lysandra had listened and given advice, so knew how much Rowan’s appearance had rattled Aelin even as she took the contrary path. 
“Of course not.”
“Well, you do what you have to do. A little bit of jealousy never hurt anybody,” Lysandra said. 
“Precisely,” Aelin said as she sent a glowing smile Fenrys’ way as he approached with their drinks. As he got closer Aelin disentangled herself from her best friend and swapped her physical closeness to her date. She wrapped a hand around his waist and took her drink. Fenrys played the part perfectly, casually relaxing into her touch brushing his thumb at a respectful position on her hip.
“Do I get to know what all this is about, or?” Fenrys asked, shooting a curious look over the rim of his glass. 
“Maybe later,” Aelin said in hushed tones, not wanting to risk being overheard. “But for now, you are my date.”
“Boyfriend?” Fenrys was sounding a little too keen. 
“Mmm, almost,” Aelin hesitated. She glanced at Rowan who was looking over at her and doing a very poor job at hiding it. Her reaction was to lean into Fenrys a little more, a hand lifting to his face to brush one of his stray curls out of his face. “We’ll see how we go.”
Throughout the night they both played their parts perfectly. Fenrys was doting and attentive, he always had a hand on her, making sure they looked like they were here together. If any other colleagues had questions they kept quiet. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves enough to not worry about anyone else’s business. Aelin was on her way back from the bathroom and searching for her fake date when she got distracted by some kind of clatter coming from the kitchen and ended up walking into a body. In her towering heels she swayed a little but that body also had an arm, and it reached out to stop her from falling on her ass. 
“Sorry, Aelin.”
Oh no.
Dread filled her body as she recognised the voice, and considered running. She had expertly avoided him all night and then now because of one moment of distraction it had been ruined. She would have circumnavigated her way around him instead of walking into his stupidly solid body. 
“It’s fine,” she muttered.
Rowan must have realised that he was still holding onto her, and almost gingerly let her go. Aelin pointedly ignored every emotion that abrupt gesture made rise up. She didn’t know where to look, but she certainly didn’t want to look at him, so she chose up. 
Oh. Gods. No, no way was she committing to this and she needed to move before someone else noticed. Everyone was tipsy enough that they would insist. Whoever decided hanging mistletoe was a good idea needed a brutal form of punishment. And looking at Rowan now… she knew that look in his eyes. He was contemplating the godsdamned tradition. She would bet her Yulemas bonus that the next words out of his mouth would be asking for permission. Aelin needed to flee, with dignity, and she couldn’t quite work out how to do it. 
“There you are, Princess,” Fenrys’ smooth voice came from behind her as his arm snaked around her waist. Aelin literally sighed in relief. “And would you look at that.”
As Aelin turned into Fenrys’ embrace she followed his gaze upward to the tastefully tied sprig hung from the ceiling. 
“May I?” Fenrys asked under his breath. 
“Yes,” Aelin answered just as quietly. 
Cupping her cheek Fenrys lowered his mouth to hers. Slow enough that Aelin could change her mind, but not so slow it made it look weird. His lips were warm and steady, and she had to hand it to the guy, he was a good kisser. More than that he made sure it was quite the show for anyone—just maybe the person closest to them—who might be watching. Fenrys even went as far as giving her just the smallest of dips, a broad hand on her back to keep them steady. She had to hand it to him, he was putting on a show in the very best way. She was sure from the movement of his lips that it probably looked like he was devouring her face too. 
The kiss ended and Fenrys righted them, giving Aelin a sly wink along the way. She couldn’t help it, she turned to see Rowan’s reaction. She sensibly expected to find that he had fled the scene. To her petty delight he hadn’t, he was just glaring at them with an expression of confused shock. Then he shook his head, walking away and straight to the bar. 
Aelin turned to her partner in crime who was looking very smug. “Thanks for withholding the tongue.”
“I am nothing if not a gentleman,” he replied.
That made Aelin laugh and she hugged her friend in gratitude for upholding his reputation for being down for absolutely anything. 
“Come on.” Fenrys said, giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Let’s get you a drink.
It was two drinks later when the flow of the night was disrupted and brought to a very abrupt halt. Aelin was at the bar when there was an almost simultaneous reaction as everyone received the same message at the same time. Aelin read the alert and was mildly thankful she had a legitimate reason to cut the night short. 
SEVERE WEATHER WARNING: BLIZZARD CONDITIONS EXPECTED. SEEK SHELTER SOON IN PREPARATION.
There was a lull while everyone processed and then everything restarted as they planned their next moves. Not having her car here, Aelin was in a slight bind. She quickly brought up the Uber app but the drivers were all shutting down their cars so that they could stay off the roads and bunker down. Aelin’s masterful plan of getting a ride had backfired, and she didn’t exactly live near anyone else in attendance. Aedion, who was her best bet, had left about an hour ago. Her only option now was to beg for a lift. Fenrys, as her fake date, seemed the best place to start. She looked for him in the crowd and spotted him at the table they had been occupying while they ate the steady stream of nibblies that had been served throughout the night. 
“Can you drive me home?”
“Sure thing, babe,” Fenrys said. 
“You live in the complete opposite direction,” Rowan said without an invitation to the conversation. Aelin hadn’t even noticed that he was standing there. 
“Yes, thank you for pointing that out,” Aelin said, dismissing him. 
“Let me take you so Fenrys can get home before the weather gets too bad,” Rowan added. 
“Don’t hate me, Aelin,” Fenrys said quietly and grimacing. “But he has a point.”
“Some date you are,” Aelin threw back at him. 
Fenrys tried to give her a smile but the glare she was shooting at him must have been making that difficult. “Misty doesn’t like snow storms.”
“Low blow, you know Misty is my weak spot,” Aelin said, voice resigned. Misty was a white husky and a complete baby. She hated being left alone, and Aelin knew that in this weather her anxiety would rise. Despite her substantial size, that dog was as soft as a marshmallow, which with her winter coat he closely resembled. 
Fenrys stooped down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Aelin. If he tries anything just kick him in the balls and kick him out of the car. He’s cold-hearted enough that he’ll survive.”
And didn’t Aelin know it.
She tried not to let her disappointment and anxiety show as she smiled at Fenrys. “Thank you for a lovely evening.” 
Fenrys gave her a wink as he picked up his jacket from the back of the chair. “Any time.”
Entirely unimpressed by the situation Aelin turned around to address Rowan. “Fine. Let’s go.”
She grabbed her coat and stormed over to the front door. All he did was fall in step behind, catching the door for himself as they stepped into the cold. In her rush Aelin hadn’t bothered with putting her coat on and was now freezing. What made the situation worse was that in her frustration she managed to lose her coordination. She got one arm in but the other refused to work with her and she couldn’t find the other sleeve.
The coat suddenly got lighter and there was a soft murmuring of, “Here.”
Just wanting to get warm Aelin allowed the assistance to happen. She didn’t bother to look at Rowan or say thank you, she just braced herself for the deteriorating weather. The wind sent the snowflakes around in thick flurries, and from the bitter and harsh chill in the air Aelin knew they were in for a bad one. Rowan was only a few steps behind her, and she waited for him to lead the way to his car.
“This way,” was all he said before he walked down the street. 
The snow was sticking enough that Rowan’s shoes were leaving imprints in the snow. Aelin followed them step for step, not wanting to risk slipping. Honestly, she wanted this walk to last forever so that she wouldn’t have to be alone in a car with this man who found her so abhorrent he couldn’t even offer an explanation for his behaviour. Probably. That was obviously the most logical reason. 
A ridiculous reason was that he had been abducted by aliens and had only just been returned to earth. 
Aelin was so caught up in her own thoughts that her high heeled boot sinking into untouched snow was her indication that they’d reached Rowan’s car. He was there, the door held ajar ready to let her in. She hated the chivalry of it, hated that she liked the consideration. Why couldn’t he just be a bastard and make it easy to hate him? All Aelin could do was ignore everything besides the need to get home. The door opening was a means to an end. Sitting inside the freezing car waiting for it to drive on the snow covered road was just the next thing on the list. Sitting in silence is what would get her home. She just hoped Rowan was in on the plan. 
Rowan started the car, all his attention on the precarious conditions outside. It seemed they were on the same brainwave because he didn’t say a word and Aelin chose to distract herself on her phone. She shot off a message to Lysandra to explain the awful situation she has been left in thanks to her early departure and then she checked the weather. They were in for a serious storm tonight, and it was looking like it might shut the city down tomorrow as well. That at least meant tomorrow she could wallow in self pity alone. 
At times Aelin knew Rowan was glancing her way, she could see him in her peripheries but not once did she fall for the bait. If he didn’t have the balls to start a conversation she wasn’t going to give him any help on the matter. Aelin just started counting down the minutes until she would be safe and home.
Twenty minutes later and they’d done it. All the way out to Aelin’s tidy little house neither of them had said a single word. Rowan pulled into her driveway, his headlights the only thing illuminating the front facade of her house. Aelin must have forgotten about her porch light on her way out the door. From the look of it the snow was already a few inches thick. The flashlight on her phone would have to be her trusty companion. Because she wasn’t entirely devoid of manners she wasn’t going to leave without thanking Rowan for going out of his way. 
“Thanks,” she muttered quickly. 
Before she could even get her hand to the handle Rowan replied, “let me walk you to the door.”
Aelin was gaping as he got out and turned the torch on his phone. She got out of the car before he could come around and get her himself. Then she couldn’t help it, she slammed the door harder than she should have. Rowan didn’t say a word to her the entire trip and now he was trying to be the nice guy and walk her to her door? She’d had enough. Aelin wanted him gone but she also wanted some kind of explanation because this cold to lukewarm was beyond frustrating. 
Marching past Rowan with her own phone out, Aelin blindly grabbed her keys out of her handbag. It was small so that was easy, and she had them in hand as she stomped up the wooden steps of her front porch. The porch was screened in so it offered some reprieve from the weather. Rowan was considerate enough to angle his phone so that she could see what she was doing and in moments her front door was unlocked. 
“Goodnight,” Rowan said, his obligations discharged. 
That was when Aelin broke. She nudged the door open just so she could reach on and flick on the porch light. Rowan had already started his descent into the night but she wasn’t about to let him get away that fast. 
“Hey,” Aelin nearly shouted. “What is your deal?”
Rowan stopped just on the edge of the porch, then took another step forward to stop the snow from falling on him. “I didn’t want you to fall in the dark.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.” Aelin willed her emotions in the direction of anger. “What did I do that made you disappear for weeks and then you come back and there’s still nothing?”
Emotion flashed across Rowan’s face, and his mouth tightened. “It wasn’t you.”
Aelin scoffed. “That’s lovely to hear and I totally believe you.”
“I’m not lying.” 
“Why, Rowan?” Aelin asked, her voice coming out with a finality that told him if he didn’t answer her now he wouldn’t have another chance.
Rowan stepped forward a little more, fully under the protection of the porch roof now. “It was my ex.”
“Your ex?” Aelin’s voice was incredulous. “Ah-uh. That’s reassuring.”
“Please, just listen.” Rowan’s fisting tightened, showing the tension in his body. 
But Aelin could not suppress the bitter resignation that was overwhelming her. “No, say no more. I’m a smart girl. I can put two and two together.”
She was more than obviously on her way into the house, because she’d heard enough. Hearing the confirmation from Rowan’s mouth just might obliterate what was left of her heart. Seething anger was her best defence, she couldn’t let him have the upper hand. Freedom was within reach—Aelin’s hand was on the door—when there was a gentle touch on her shoulder. A voice inside her head told her to ignore it, to just step inside her house and give the door a well deserving slam right in Rowan’s face. For some godsdamned reason she chose not to listen to that angry but highly sensible voice. Aelin turned, taking in Rowan’s hesitant features in the grey light. 
“Can you just hear what I have to say?” Rowan all but pleaded. Aelin nodded, watching as the man in front of her sighed heavily, readying himself. “Turns out right before my ex and I broke up she got pregnant, and she didn’t tell me. I have a daughter, her name is Ivy and she’s nearly two. I left because I went to Doranelle to meet her and sort everything out. You didn’t hear from me because I didn’t know how to process any of this. All I knew was that I needed to get on a plane and meet this child I didn’t know anything about, which is what I did. And I’m sorry for whatever pain that caused you.”
Aelin was speechless, she could only stare at Rowan while emotion flooded him. She hadn’t expected this. When he’d said ex she had expected that they had come back into Rowan’s life, and that old flame had rekindled, not that. 
“Oh,” was all she managed to say.
“I’m sorry for what happened, Aelin,” Rowan said. “It wasn’t what I wanted for us, but I didn’t know how to navigate through it all.”
For a moment Aelin just contemplated the news. Rowan had a kid, a daughter—nearly two according to him. It was a lot to take in, and there was one thing she kept coming back to. It was most likely due to her simmering anger, but she and Rowan had been friends until they took the plunge into something more, so Aelin couldn’t help but ask herself why hadn’t he told her? She’d been devastated, and she couldn’t let that go.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Aelin said quietly. 
“I…” Rowan hesitated and looked out into the dark. “I don’t have an answer for you.”
“You need one, Rowan.” Her anger had free rein now that the shock had worn off. “You left me hurt and wondering what I could have done to drive you away. You could have said anything, just one little thing and I would have been fine. I get what you’re going through is hard but you didn’t need to shut me out.”
“You’re right,” Rowan said simply.
“Great, glad we cleared that up.” Aelin felt her emotions rising as she spoke, and she didn’t want to cry in front him. “You should go.”
“I will,” he said, but he didn’t go just yep. “I’m sorry, again.”
“Thanks for that, means a lot,” Aelin said, the sarcasm dripping from each word.
Rowan straightened, anger flashing across his features, but besides a slight narrowing of his eyes he offered her no other reaction. Aelin didn’t say goodbye as she went into her house, leaning on the door to shut it. She thought she could hear Rowan’s footsteps trudging through the snow, or maybe that was just her imagination willing him away. He’d offered her an explanation but that didn’t wipe away the weeks of simmering hurt. Yes, they had taken the next step in their relationship but more than that they were friends. And friends didn’t leave like that. 
Aelin shook her head and made for her bedroom, fiddling with the thermostat on the way. If a blizzard was imminent she wanted to prepare accordingly. She focused the heating towards her bedroom, there were no plans to spend any time elsewhere in the house. Maybe just the kitchen for a midnight snack to drown her sorrows.
She tugged off her coat and hung that up, and then her boots were next. Aelin was unclasping the chain at her neck when there was a knock on her door. At first Aelin thought she was hearing things so just froze where she was, listening and waiting to see if it happened again. It did, this time more insistent. 
The first thing she felt was confusion and then apprehension, because who would be knocking on her door at this time of night in this kind of weather? Aelin’s chest caved a little at the most obvious answer as to who it might be. Barefooted, she left her bedroom and walked down the hall to the front of the house. The porch light went back on and Aelin used the peephole to confirm her suspicions. 
“For fucks sake,” she muttered to herself and didn’t wait to all but throw the door open. “What is it?”
Rowan stood there, looking miserable and freezing. “My car won’t start.”
Aelin blinked once. “What?”
“Cold drain and it won’t start,” Rowan said, a jerking gesture of his hand towards the driveway.
Aelin peered around Rowan’s broad shoulders, noting how bad the weather had gotten. His excuse was plausible and there was no way he’d be able to find an alternative arrangement to get him home now. Aelin could not believe her luck. What else was this night going to throw at her?
“Come in then,” she said, stepping back to let Rowan through the door. 
He did as she instructed, with barely a glance in Aelin’s direction. Rowan quickly ran into a problem—he didn’t know where to go. So he ended up lingering in the entryway, kind of glancing around to get some idea of where he should be heading. Aelin shut the door on the blistering cold of the outside world and felt like she was setting a trap for herself. There was only one course of action here, despite her feelings she couldn’t leave Rowan to freeze in his car. Her couch would have to do. 
“This way,” Aelin said, leading him through the entryway and past her study to the living room. It was far colder in here because of the floor to ceiling windows that looked out on a stylish courtyard. Even with the curtains closed there was a definite chill in the air. It would only get colder too. “I’ll grab you some things.”
“Thanks,” was Rowan’s response. 
Aelin went off to her linen cupboard, gathering some sheets and her thickest blanket. While she quickly slipped a pillow into a fresh pillowcase she worked very hard to keep her thoughts rational. 
“Fine. This is fine,” she told herself. “I’ll just close my door and pretend he doesn’t exist. I’ll just pretend he’s off living his new life without me.”
Hugging the bedding to her chest Aelin went back to the living room. Rowan was by the window, peeking behind the curtains, checking out the weather. Aelin dropped everything in the middle of the three seater. Rowan let go of the curtain but he didn’t move from his spot by the window. This felt like a standoff and Aelin couldn’t work out what for. Did he want to say something? Apologise again? Or was he waiting for her to magnanimously forgive him for leaving her? If the latter was what he was after he was out of luck.
“If you need anything else the linen cupboard is just outside the bathroom,” Aelin said and left it at that.
“It’s nice to see you’ve moved on so quickly.” There was a definite tinge of bitterness to his voice. 
For a brief moment Aelin was confused, then she remembered her little game of pretend with Fenrys that seemingly was coming back to bite her in the ass. But she wasn’t about to yield defeat now. “Jealousy is never a good look.”
“I’m not jealous,” he said far too quickly. 
Aelin was relishing in the fact that she had got under his skin. “Enjoy the show, did you?”
“That’s all it was, wasn’t it? A farce to get a rise out of me?”
Rowan was always a little too perceptive for his own good. Aelin shrugged in response. “Sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Rowan asked. 
But Aelin wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation. “Goodnight, Rowan. Sweet dreams.”
The house was silent as Aelin made her way back to her bedroom leaving Rowan floundering with her sickly sweet goodnight and confusion around the whole Fenrys matter. The only sounds were the steadily worsening storm outside. Sleep was the ultimate goal and Aelin could only hope that Rowan wouldn’t haunt her dreams—his close proximity making that very likely. Back in the sanctuary of her bedroom she reached for her phone typing across the screen at breakneck pace and managing not even one typo. The message was intended for her best friend, but Aelin doubted she’d get a reply. Lysandra would probably be blissfully asleep by now. 
Aelin: Thanks to your early departure to do GODS know what ROWAN has ended up in my house. I blame you and your drunken horniness. 
Aelin threw the phone onto her plush blanket and yanked on the tie that held her sleeves up across her upper back. Apparently, she had pulled the wrong one, because all she accomplished was tangling it into a tight knot. Biting down on her frustration she counted to three before shifting her focus to her zipper. If she could get the dress loose around her waist it could just go over her head. Simple. 
But Aelin wasn’t as in charge of her appendages as she thought she was. That frustration was swirling with that anger and mixing into something that was feeling a lot like anxiety. That combination was fatal and the sharp pull she gave on her zipper only caused it to jam. The satin had slipped between Aelin’s fingers and no matter how hard she tried, the fabric wasn’t coming free.
“Come on,” she hissed, trying over and over again. It didn’t work. She was trapped and she vowed never to wear this dress again. 
Aelin moved over to her mirror so she could inspect the situation. Peering over her shoulder it was hard to tell the best way out. She was searching through the pleats when her disastrous night took yet another turn for the worse. The lights went out and Aelin cursed colourfully. What a time to get stuck in her dress.
There were three options for Aelin at this moment. One, she could rip herself out of the dress, but she liked it and had spent a decent amount of money on it. Option two she could sleep in it, even though that would mean being highly uncomfortable with it cinching at her waist and it would undoubtedly tangle around her legs. Number three was the worst but also the one with the highest chance of success. 
“Rowan,” Aelin called out into the dark, waiting for a response but not expecting one.
“Yes?” He answered surprisingly fast. 
“I need your help, can you come in here?”
There was no verbal answer but soon enough she heard his footfalls moving through the house. He was using the torch on his phone to lead the way and Aelin blinked as that white light came not the room. Rowan was still in his shirt and pants, but he had removed his shoes. For a moment she wondered what he’d planned to sleep in but promptly decided that it was none of her business. Instead She put her back to him so that he could see the problem, but still said, “I’m stuck.”
“Okay,” was Rowan’s very simple answer. 
Aelin heard him move closer and he set his phone down on the bed so that he could work. With a brief nudge of his fingers he shooed hers away from the jammed zipper so that he could work. She dropped her hands to her sides and waited. To help with whatever the problem was his fingers brushed the bare skin of her back. Aelin could have yelped from how freezing they were. It reminded her that her living room would be so cold without the heater to warm it up now that the power was out. Her bedroom would be the most comfortable room in the house. Lucky her. 
They both stood in silence, Aelin perfectly still while Rowan worked. His presence behind her was hard to ignore, she could feel the warmth of his body and it sent her rigid when he stepped that little bit closer to get a better angle. 
“It's stuck good,” Rowan muttered. “Just give me a second.”
“Alright,” Aelin said softly. 
There was a sharp tug around her waist and then the sound of the zipper giving way, and Aelin sighed in relief. 
“Hold on, I’ll get the top too,” Rowan added. 
The ties tickled her back so much that Aelin shivered and Rowan murmured his apologies. Soon enough that was undone too and she felt the sleeves threaten to fall off her shoulders. Aelin didn’t move, and neither did Rowan. There seemed to be an impasse developing, they were caught in a limbo. It was Rowan who sighed and stepped back, sighing as he did.
“I’m so sorry,” Rowan said, his voice sounding almost devasted. “I didn’t mean to hurt you like I did. It was selfish of me, but I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure how you would handle it. Suddenly I’ve got baggage and my life has completely changed, and there was the chance you would run. And I…” Rowan inhaled deeply. “I don’t want to risk this because I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Those words shocked the breath out of her. Aelin turned slowly, the white light of the phone torch lighting Rowan’s features. All the anger of earlier was gone, in front of her stood a man defeated. For all her claiming that they were friends, Aelin wasn’t being a great one herself.
“I just,” Rowan stalled again and ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to be a shitty father. I couldn't ignore Ivy’s existence and keep going how things were. I’m sorry you were the casualty in all of this.”
“Oh, Rowan,” Aelin sighed. Yes, he had left her, but the alternative might have broken him further. The Rowan he knew would never shirk out of a responsibility that would have such lasting effects. That wouldn’t be the man she had fallen in love with. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t apologise, this is me. I fucked things up,” he insisted. “You have nothing to be sorry for, I shouldn’t—“
Aelin did the only thing she could think of to shut him up and that was to put her mouth on his. Rowan immediately melted into the kiss, his broad hands going to her waist, then sweeping to the small of her back to press her closer. When their lips broke apart their foreheads met and for a few long moments they just stood there, taking each other and the sudden development in. 
“I want you, everything that you are, Rowan. If you had not gone you wouldn’t be the man I know,” Aelin told him. “The man that I’m falling in love with.”
His hands tightened on her waist. “Aelin,” Rowan whispered.
“This doesn’t change who you are,” Aelin said, stepping a little closer. “You’ve said you’ve messed up but I’m seeing now you were doing what you could. I’m sure you’ll make up for all the shit you put me through.”
“My life is completely changed now, though. I have a daughter.” There was a touch of anguish in his voice, as if he was still tearing himself up over everything. 
“And I have a thing for DILFs.”
The inappropriate words were out of her mouth before Aelin could even think and the mortification she felt quickly melted away as Rowan laughed. The sound burst out of him, likely due to the suddenness of the quip. She was even rewarded with a brief but infinitely sweet kiss. 
“Goodnight, Aelin. We can talk more in the morning.”
Aelin wasn’t having that and she caught Rowan by the shirt, hands fisting in the white crisp material that seemed to glow in the harsh light. “You’ll freeze out there. It’ll be warmer in here, if we stay together. You know what they say about the cold and body heat.”
The offer was there, and Aelin hoped to the gods Rowan would take it. She had just managed to get him back, she wasn’t about to let him go again so soon. 
“The couch is fine.” The words of a true gentleman. 
“Stay,” Aelin pleaded, foreheads together and she teased him with the slightest brush of her lips. 
“You’re sure?” Rowan asked, his grip on her waist getting tighter.
Aelin dropped her shoulders, let her dress drop to her elbows. It was something Rowan didn’t miss, his eyes darting down to the lace that was newly exposed. 
“Stay with me, Rowan.”
That was all the permission he needed and then he was kissing her again. Using the grip Aelin still had on his shirt she pulled him down with her as she fell back. Rowan was more than willing, catching himself as before he crushed her. 
“The whole time I was away I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he said in between kisses. “That one kiss is what kept me going.”
Aelin could sense yet another apology coming, but she had had enough of words, she needed action. “I said you could make it up to me, why don’t you start now?”
The sound of Rowan’s low laugh against Aelin’s neck had her skin breaking out in goosebumps, even more so when his fingers dragged over her shoulders, pulling her dress down. Aelin’s breath was heavy and she could feel herself straining against the confines of her exposed bra. The phone light was still on, highlighting every curve that Rowan’s dark eyes were currently roving over. When their gazes met Aelin’s arousal spiked, from that look she could tell Rowan was a man with ideas and she was ready to be part of every single one of them. 
“It would be my pleasure,” Rowan said.
And hers.
Braced over her, he lowered his lips to her breast, teasing the peak of it through the black lace of her bra. Aelin moaned, one hand finding its way into Rowan’s silver hair and the other running up his back. She could feel his muscles shifting as he switched to the other breast. Holy gods, was he determined to make it up to her. Just with his tongue and teeth she was already a needy, writhing mess. From the smile she caught tilting up the corners of his mouth it was clear Rowan was enjoying himself too. 
Then he was working his way down her body, taking the dress with him. When he and the dress got to her hips Aelin lifted them and within moments all that she was left in was her matching lingerie set. 
“Beautiful,” Rowan said.
Aelin preened under the compliment, raising a knee slightly and stretched her arms above her head. She knew she looked good, she could feel it in the way Rowan’s gaze tracked her movements—the way his hand slid down to a heavy presence at her hips. Rowan was kneeling at the foot of the bed now, he’d got there without her noticing. What she did notice was his finger moving her underwear to the side and his mouth pressing against her core. 
Aelin was dizzy with pleasure as Rowan worked her with his tongue. She utterly surrendered to him, letting him guide her towards that peak that was approaching embarrassingly fast. Rowan didn’t seem to mind though, and he could read her like a book. He sucked on her clit and then flicked it with his tongue, making Aelin moan.
“Come for me, love,” Rowan said lowly, his voice rumbling against her sensitive skin. “I know you’re right there.”
He went back to work with a rolling sweep of his tongue and Aelin broke. Her hips moved of their own accord, riding his face as wave after wave of her orgasm was drawn out by Rowan’s expertise. When Aelin’s body went limp Rowan withdrew, and somewhere in her hazy brain she registered him removing his clothes, then he paid her the same courtesy. Clever fingers undid her bra with one hand and then her underwear was gone as well. Aelin had recovered enough that she sat up on her elbows and was able to see all of him. Rowan was magnificent, and Aelin took the time to look her fill, eyes catching on the hand that slowly worked his erection. Sitting up a little further Aelin moved up the bed until she was leaning against the pillows. Like magnets being drawn to each other Rowan followed, nearly prowling until he was hovering over her.
Aelin reached down, stroking Rowan’s cock, sighing at the silken feel of him. He groaned, his head falling to her shoulder. Impatient Rowan kept one arm steady to stop himself from falling on her, his free hand wandered over the dips and curve of Aelin’s skin. She gasped when his fingers dipped between her legs, still sensitive from his previous ministrations. 
Rowan’s lips brushed over her cheek, then the corner of her mouth and then graced her with a proper kiss. “You’re so ready for me.”
All Aelin could do was nod, arching her hips, desperate for him to fill her. Sense kicked in and she reached over to her nightstand, yanking the drawer open and pulling out a string of condoms. 
“I don’t think we’ll need that many,” Rowan said.
Aelin’s snort was unattractive but she couldn’t help it. This was part of why she was falling in love with Rowan, they could be real and raw in every sense with no threat of repercussion. It now included bad jokes during sex, and Aelin didn’t mind in the very least. 
“Never say never,” she replied, ripping just a single packet off. She tore it open, glancing up at Rowan. “May I?”
This time Rowan nodded, his eyelids fluttering as Aelin’s fingers smoothed the condom down the length of him. There was a moment where they just looked at each other, waiting for the other to make the final move. In the end it was Aelin, wrapping her arms around her his neck and kissing him deeply. And then something snapped. 
When Rowan surged forward, his eagerness knocked his phone off the foot of the bed, plunging them into darkness. Their lips never broke apart, Aelin moaning as Rowan’s tongue swept into her mouth. She never wanted to leave this bed, not when he could make her feel this good. Rowan eventually broke the kiss, lips tickling over skin until he stopped where her neck and shoulder met. Aelin opened her eyes to near pitch blackness, all it did was heighten her other senses. Every touch felt more intense, heightened by not knowing where Rowan would be next. He kissed and sucked at her neck, distracting Aelin from his other goal. A broad hand covered her breast, fingers rolling and then pinching her nipple. The noises that escaped her lips were unrestrained and turned desperate when she felt his cock at her entrance.
Before he could push in, Aelin pressed on his shoulder, and Rowan took the hint—rolling of her so she could roll onto him. In the dregs of light coming from behind her curtains Aelin could just make out the outline of Rowan’s body, her hands smoothing over his stomach to his shoulders. His cock was hard and demanding beneath her, and she took the opportunity to tease him just a little by rolling her hips over him. Rowan’s sharp groan echoed in the quiet room and it was enough to break all of Aelin’s resolve. She reached between them, lining him up and then sinking down on him with a desperate slowness. 
“Fuck, Aelin. You feel so good.”
Aelin whimpered at the praise, hips moving of their own accord. For all Rowan said—he felt just as good. From then they moved together, Rowan thrusted up and Aelin ground down on him, each movement feeling delicious and decadent. Hands travelled where they would, teasing and soothing simultaneously. The coil within Aelin wound tighter and she chased that feeling. She felt Rowan’s hand on her stomach, pressing down and then sliding up her body, between the valley of her breasts. Naively Aelin thought he would stop there to taunt and tease, but he didn’t. His palm cupped her cheek, thumb brushing over the crest of it. 
“I love you,” Rowan breathed, hips flexing and driving her mad. 
“Gods, Rowan.” Aelin was close, and it might be this moment of softness that pushed her over the edge. “I love you too.”
That coil snapped and Aelin cried out as pleasure broke over every nerve. Rowan was right behind her, moaning her name as he spilled himself inside her. Limbless, Aelin fell onto Rowan’s chest, her rapid breathing falling into sync with his as her body rose and fell. They lay like that for a long while, basking in each other’s closeness. Aelin truly didn’t want to let him go, it seemed too soon. 
Still, she didn’t fight him as Rowan got up and retrieved his phone. He easily found the bathroom because it was the only other door besides the one he had initially walked through. Aelin made use of the time by untucking the blankets and scooting underneath them. Without Rowan’s body next to hers she was starting to feel the chill. The whole joke about body heat might actually have some truth in it. Rowan was back within moments, joining her in the plush bedding. He had barely settled when Aelin was shifting closer, pulling his arms around her. Rowan chuckled, bringing her in closer still as he settled into bed. 
“Thank you for giving me a chance, Aelin,” Rowan said.
Aelin tried to be serious but she couldn’t help it. “After that I don’t know how—”
Rowan silenced her with a kiss. “Godsdamned smartass.”
They both laughed and Aelin let it be. She rested her hand over Rowan’s heart and let that steady rhythm ground her. “You’re mine now, so.”
It was quiet for a long while, until Rowan spoke again. 
“This won’t be easy,” Rowan said, pressing a kiss to Aelin’s forehead. 
She snuggled in a little closer, melting into Rowan’s embrace, returning his kiss to his cheek. “We’ll work it out. Together.”
At those words Rowan held her tighter. “Together.”
ONE YEAR LATER…
Aelin was in a panic. She had a plan and then that plan had gloriously failed her. What was worse is that it wasn’t just one big thing, it was a collection of lots of little things that threatened to push her over the edge. Today was meant to be perfect, it had to be perfect. It was too important not to be. 
It had started with running out of flour, which Rowan was on his way out to get now. And then Aelin had stupidly not been wearing an apron and spilled sauce over the pants she had planned to wear the rest of the evening. But her biggest plunder had had to do with the semi raw turkey that she was currently staring at. Aelin’s kitchen was equipped with double ovens, which came in handy for Yulemas dinner. Or so she had thought. 
Aelin had the baked cheesecake in one oven and the turkey in the other. When the cheesecake was finished cooking it needed to be rested in the oven for a bit. So Aelin had switched off the dial and let it be. That was fine, good even. But then in her flustered state Aelin had seen that the other oven was still on, got the them mixed up and turned that one off too and was quickly distracted by the boiling potatoes overflowing. 
She had successfully turned both ovens off and now she was left without a main meal but a very delicious looking dessert. 
Rowan found her staring down the turkey as he dropped the shopping bag on the counter. “Everything all right there?”
“If there was a power outage it would just be the icing on the cake,” Aelin said, not taking her eyes off the turkey that she was sure was mocking her. 
She felt Rowan’s hand settle on her hips as he came up behind her, pressing a single kiss to her neck. “We do okay in a power outage.”
Aelin batted him away. “Not now. This is a disaster. I can’t serve raw turkey. Everyone will be here in like half an hour.”
The three people who were responsible for Aelin’s culinary demise. Rowan’s parents were bringing Ivy over from Doranelle for an early Yulemas celebration. Over the past year Rowan had worked his hardest to be part of his daughter’s life, and he had succeeded with flying colours. He was the best Dad he could be considering the circumstances. Co-parenting wasn’t easy, but Rowan had flown over as much as he could to build a connection with Ivy, and she had come to Orynth with her mother a few times to visit. So this wasn’t the first time Aelin was meeting Ivy, but it was the first time she would be formally meeting Iris and Evander Whitethorn. They had chatted over video calls, but that was it. And Yulemas was such a big event in a nearly three year old’s calendar. Aelin wanted to make a good impression but that goal was slowly slipping from her fingers. 
“Why not just put it back in the oven and see how we go?” Rowan suggested. “Maybe they’ll get caught in traffic.”
Aelin sighed. “It was supposed to be perfect.”
Rowan wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her temple. “And it will be. We might just have to eat dessert first.”
A miserable sounding laugh broke out of Aelin and she twisted in her boyfriend’s arms so that she could bury her face in his soft sweater. He was right. When had anything gone to plan with them? Regardless, things always turned out right in the end. 
“Maybe I should invite Fenrys over, he can pretend to be part of our throuple,” Aelin said cheekily, risking a one eyed glance up at Rowan. His features tightened, his mouth becoming a thin line. “You know just to spice things up to distract from my own failings.”
“Absolutely not,” Rowan said with a seriousness that made Aelin laugh. 
“Fine, I’ll just put the turkey back in and leave it at that.”
Twenty minutes later the turkey had barely progressed and the guests had arrived. Aelin had changed out of the dirtied pants into leggings and a knitted dress and that was step one in the right direction. Ivy had burst through the door and Rowan had swept her up as his parents followed behind. The little girl was over the moon to see her dad and Aelin had a hard time denying the funny things seeing Rowan with his daughter did to her ovaries.
“Aelin,” Iris all but exclaimed, arms extended for a hug. Aelin let it happen, caught up in the genuine joy that was filling the room. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”
“You as well,” Aelin said. 
“Aelin!” Ivy said and launched herself from Rowan’s arms.
Aelin caught her, kissing her chubby cheek. “How are you? Did you have a good flight?”
“Yep! I got to watch two movies,” Ivy explained. “I get two Yulemases this year, you know?”
“I do,” Aelin replied, setting the little girl down. “How lucky are you?”
Rowan’s family were only staying for a week, they would leave a few days before actual Yulemas so Ivy could spend that with her mother. Rowan had come a long way with his ex, Lyria, but Ivy spending a major holiday away from her mother was still out of the question. 
“Evan, how are you?” Aelin said as she kissed his cheek.
Evan smiled, holding up the bags he carried. “Pack mule, as always.”
“Oh hush, you,” Iris admonished.
“Presents!” Ivy said, eyes catching on the wrapped gifts under the tree. 
“Not until after dinner,” Iris said quickly.
Aelin’s gut sank. “Well about that…”
She divulged the whole story, and by the end her cheeks were red from embarrassment.
“Just dessert and no dinner?” Ivy deduced, her green eyes hopeful. 
“Well, no,” Rowan cut in. “It just looks like we’ll have dessert first. Dinner is still on the menu.”
Regardless of that clarification Ivy cheered, making all the adults laugh. Despite the imperfections the evening ended up being a success. They started with dessert, then presents and then dinner afterwards. Too distracted by toys and full of ice cream, Ivy barely touched her plate, but everyone else only had good things to say about the haphazardous meal. Rowan’s parents were lovely, and meeting them in person wasn’t the feat that Aelin expected it to be at all. It was late when they said goodbye, heading back to their nearby hotel for the evening. There was only one spare bedroom at Aelin’s house and it was furnished with a single bed, so comfort wise it made more sense for them to stay elsewhere. 
Aelin was tucked into bed when Rowan came out of the bathroom, dressed in the Yulemas pyjamas Ivy had gifted him. They were ridiculous, garish gingerbread men all over them, but Rowan wore them with pride. He slipped into bed beside her, not waiting to pull Aelin into his arms. 
“Was that as much of a disaster as you thought it would be?” He asked.
Aelin shook her head. “No. Still pissed about the turkey though.”
Rowan chuckled, his breath tickling her hair. “I think tonight was perfect.”
“Even if Ivy ate zero vegetables?” Aelin peered up at Rowan to wait for her answer. 
“Hey, it’s Yulemas. We’ll let it slide.”
Aelin was grinning when she settled into Rowan’s arms. They were silent for a long while and she even thought Rowan had gone to sleep until he spoke.
“Thank you,” he said into the quiet dark of the room, “for giving me a chance to prove myself and fix my mistakes. I couldn’t have done all that I’ve done over the past year without you.”
Aelin held onto Rowan tighter, thinking about everything that had brought them to this moment. They weren’t perfect, mistakes were made and there would be countless more in their future. But that didn’t matter, not as long as they had each other. They could face anything in the world as long as they were together. 
So Aelin was smiling as she said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
~~~~~
Thanks for reading! I haven't had the time to fiddle with taglist yet. It's on my list of things to do
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shadowdaddies · 3 months
Note
I'm going to self project here, but can I request Fenrys beating the living sh*t out of reader's abuser? I need this... as self-care ngl
I'm not sure why I spent so long building the backstory for Reader but it was fun and I kind of want to write a series based on it now? Anywho, Fenrys does a little more than beat up the abuser👀 I got carried away oops
Hope Reborn
Fenrys Moonbeam x Reader
Warnings: mentions of violence, slavery, just very canon-typical trauma beware
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During Adarlan’s conquest of Terrasen, you tried to escape to the Southern Continent with the man you had been in a relationship with, following his lead on a path he had charted for the both of you through the Perranth Mountains to head south.
It was outside the city of Perranth when Adarlan soldiers stopped you. Knowing that your attire immediately gave you away as Orynthian, you took your partner’s hand, ready to flee for your lives back into the forest. The pain of losing your home, your family, your culture, hadn’t broken you yet. But as the man you loved held out his hand for a couple coins, yanking you toward the soldiers’ waiting arms, you shattered. 
The one person you had left in this world, who you believed that you could trust, had sold you for a couple pieces of silver. He walked into the forest, never turning back. Never seeing the beatings, the unspeakable things the Adarlan soldiers did to you on the way to Endovier.
You became a slave in the salt mines, learning the language of Eyllwe from those imprisoned alongside you. One girl, a few years younger than you, was also from Terrasen. The two of you would talk and reminisce on the fields of pine trees and memories of Orynth. Her name was Celaena, and when she was taken from Endovier to the king’s castle, you weren’t sure that you could handle losing one more person in your life.
Months passed as you labored away in the salt mines, reflecting on the family and friends you’d lost, and the man who betrayed you. As you dared a look around the dirt yard, eyeing the guards as they taunted the other slaves with their whips, you became resolute in your plan for vengeance - against your former lover, against the guards, against the king.
So when you woke up that fateful morning to see the riots had begun, you grabbed your pick axe, cutting down any guard who dared to stand in your way as you ran for your freedom. You were one of the few who survived the riot, but at this point you were a shell of the human being you once were. You didn’t know light or love. You only knew survival. 
Learning your lesson from before, you stole drying clothing from a nearby village and began your journey southeast towards Rifthold. You found a life in the city as a barmaid in a tavern while you slept in an abandoned apartment, biding your time while you created a plan.
The perfect opportunity fell into your lap one rainy night, that you had no idea would change your life forever. You were leaving the tavern after a long shift, your cloak tugged over your head moreso to avoid any men approaching you than to keep your hair dry. 
A woman running down the street caught your eye, and you stopped to watch as she leapt into the arms of a man. Her own hood fell down, revealing reddish-blonde hair as the couple embraced for a long moment. You were about to turn away, eager to escape the rain when the woman turned, locking eyes with you.
A choked sob escaped you as you recognized her. Tanner, healthier, happy - but you would know those distinct golden-turquoise eyes anywhere. She must have recognized you too, for Celaena bolted towards you, pulling you in as you were hugged for the first time in years.
“How are you here?” she said through tears, glancing over her shoulder as three other people slowly approached behind her. 
You smiled, sniffling as you wiped happy tears from your eyes. “I got out during the uprising. How are you here?”
Celaena looked towards her friends, giving a slight nod to the two males in particular before turning back to you. “Will you come with me?”
That small piece of hope inside of you sparked at her offer, and you found yourself nodding, letting yourself be led into yet another unknown. You followed the group up to an apartment, where Celaena sat you down and explained who she really was.
Your world tilted on its axis as you were filled with more hope than you had since the conquest of Terrasen, immediately swearing allegiance to Aelin, your queen. You traveled with her group to Skull’s Bay, finding your purpose in preparing Terrasen for war against Erawan, and to reestablish your home.
It was in Skull’s Bay that you met Fenrys, the most beautiful male you had ever seen. You formed an instant connection, drawn to his jovial nature. He was incessantly kind and positive despite everything that he had been through, the perfect balance and glimmer of light that you had been searching for your entire life. 
And yet, all good things seem to be ripped from you. Fenrys and Aelin were taken from you, leaving a hole in your heart that could never be filled, never be rebuilt. If not for Rowan’s determination, his drive to find his wife, you might have been broken completely. But your new family gave you the strength you needed to find Aelin and Fenrys. 
As a human, you didn’t know if you were capable of having a bond, but what you felt for Fenrys - how you swore you could feel his pain, how he missed you while he was with Maeve - was as close to a bond as you could imagine. It wasn’t a spark of hope that flared in your chest when you reunited with Fenrys when he escaped Maeve, it was an eternal flame. You knew that you would marry this male one day.
When that day came, and you stood beside your husband as part of Queen Aelin’s Court in front of all of Terrasen, the last person you expected to see what the man you once loved. The man who sold you into slavery, standing to the side with the rest of the courtiers.
Rage filled you, at him, at Adarlan, at yourself, at the world for allowing a man so vile to not only survive, but seemingly thrive. You hadn’t realized how much your grip on Fenrys’s hand had tightened until your husband winced - but instead of pulling away, he lifted your hand to his lips. 
Pressing a gentle kiss to the back of your hand, Fenrys’s onyx eyes found yours, drawing you from those dark thoughts. “What is it, my love?” he asked, voice so soft you could melt into it.
You swallowed thickly, forbidding yourself from giving that spineless excuse for a man another look. Taking a deep breath, you pulled Fenrys in for a hug as you murmured your confession into his shirt. “You know my first love? Who sold me to Endovier? He’s here. In the blue jacket.”
Fenrys stiffened under your touch, fae instincts taking over as a low growl formed in his throat. You swore you felt the temperature in the room rise as your husband honed in on the man like a predator. 
“What do you want me to do?” he whispered, voice lethally quiet as he held you close.
Looking up, you couldn’t help the genuine smile that brightened your features as you savored the feeling of this male, who you knew would do anything for you. This male who gave you the love you never dreamed was possible. 
“I don’t want you to do anything. I have everything I need, and more,” you whispered back, standing up on your toes to pull him in for a kiss. 
Fenrys gave you a wolfish grin, seemingly satisfied with your answer before he dared to look back into the crowd. His gaze flicked to where Rowan stood on the dais, the two in silent communication, before Rowan declared court dismissed. 
“I have some matters to take care of with Rowan, and I will be back shortly. Alright, my love?” Fenrys questioned, a kiss to your temple before you nodded, heading back to the sitting room where Aelin and Lysandra shortly joined you.
Time passed as you relaxed, enjoying chocolates and discussing books with your friends when Rowan stumbled through the door, Fenrys behind him. The two males had blood staining their shirts, busted knuckles quickly healing as they noticed your concerned expression. 
Clearing his throat, Fenrys brushed his blonde hair from his face as he strode towards you in an attempt at acting nonchalant. 
“Fen, love, what did you do?” you drawled, arching an assessing brow as you sipped your tea. 
“Nothing. Rowan and I had some matters to attend to, as I said,” he shrugged, reaching for a chocolate from the table in front of you. Understanding dawned, and you gasped.
Reaching for his bloodied hand, you pulled it towards you as you examined the wounds. “Fenrys Moonbeam! You did not hit that man, did you? I don’t need to worry about him anymore, love.”
Rowan snorted from where he lounged on the arm of Aelin’s chair. “He didn’t just hit him,” Rowan paused, green eyes focusing on you with sincerity. “And trust me, you will not have to worry about him ever again.”
Alarmed, you glanced to Lysandra in disbelief, your friend shaking her head as she lifted a chocolate to her mouth. “I wouldn’t ask them to elaborate if I were you,” she muttered, popping the dessert with a satisfied moan.
Rubbing your temples, you stood, wrapping Fenrys’s arms around you as you buried your head against his warm, toned chest. 
“Are you mad?” he whispered.
With a deep sigh, you looked up, brushing back his blonde curls behind his ear as you admired his glittering black eyes, all anxiety leaving your body. “Officially speaking, I don’t condone your actions. But I love you, and whatever I did in some past life to deserve someone like you...” You trailed off, drawing the back of your hand down his cheek. “Thank you for giving me hope, Fenrys Moonbeam.”
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jeannineee · 9 months
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Hello, can I please request Manon x Dorian x reader with #2,9,20 and I, H??
Your writing is the best 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Little Thing
Manon x Dorian x Reader
a/n: I need to be sandwiched between manon and Dorian 😞. Requests are open still!! I have works coming for Azriel and Ruhn. This was so hot wow.
nsfw under the cut (18+ please)
I: Threesome/Foursome
H: Edging
2: “Making such a mess, baby.”
9: “Think you can take both of us?”
20: “Stay still or I won’t let you come.”
~~~~~~~~~
You weren’t entirely sure how you managed to find yourself in a relationship with Manon Blackbeak and Dorian Havilliard.
But gods be damned if you weren’t going to take full advantage of the situation.
The feeling of Dorian’s plump lips trailing your neck brought you out of your thoughts.
“Think you can take both of us?” Dorian asked, as though you weren’t already naked on their bed, splayed out like a work of art for them to admire.
You nodded eagerly.
Manon’s sultry laugh sounded from behind you, where you leaned back against her chest. Her hands ran along your sides, her fingers moving to circle your clit. “Already so wet for us,” she cooed, pinching your nipples with her free hand.
They both smiled at your gasps of pleasure. Dorian spread your legs further, giving Manon better access.
“Such a needy little thing,” Dorian said, easily sliding two fingers into your soaking entrance.
You cried out as the two of them worked at your cunt, Dorian’s free hand holding your hip tightly to keep you from squirming.
“Stay still or I won’t let you come,” Manon hissed in your ear, slowing her movements.
“Be nice,” Dorian said to her. “She’s doing so well for us.”
As Manon toyed with your clit, Dorian’s fingers curled against your spongy walls, causing your cunt to clench around him. “Gonna come for us?” he asked teasingly, fingers working faster now.
“Yes, gods, yes, fuck!” you sputtered as they brought you through your orgasm, Dorian murmuring words of praise as you squeezed his fingers.
As your body stilled, Manon moved from behind you, to your side. “I think she wants your cock,” she said to Dorian, before pressing her lips to his in a hungry kiss.
Dorian pulled away from Manon after a few moments, spreading your legs further. He rubbed the tip of his cock through your slit as Manon positioned herself above your face, her cunt glistening with arousal.
Manon turned to watch as Dorian slid into you, your eyes rolling back into your head as your cunt stretched to accommodate his size.
Manon met your eyes again, her voice slightly mocking. “Making such a mess of his cock, baby. He hasn’t even fucked you yet.”
Manon sat fully on your face, then, and you put your tongue to work immediately, swiping through her folds as she ground against you.
A stifled cry came from you as Dorian set a quick pace, his cock hitting against that spot that had you seeing stars.
The only sounds in the room were your shared moans, and skin against skin as the three of you chased your pleasure.
Manon tugged at your hair as you sucked harshly on her clit. “There you go, just like that. Fuck, I’m gonna come!” she cried out as she reached her peak, riding your face until she was shuddering above you.
Dorian gripped your thighs tightly as he pounded into you, his own release imminent as he brought a hand to rub your clit.
Manon moved to your side again, her fingers twisting at your nipples, lips sucking your neck. “Can you come on his cock for me?” she whispered in your ear, in a voice that sounded like pure sin.
You came undone as soon as the words left her lips, your cunt clamping down on Dorian’s cock as his own orgasm ripped through him. He continued thrusting until you were whimpering beneath him, his release seeping out of you.
You were in such a haze that you barely noticed as Dorian pulled out, walking to the bathroom to get a cloth.
Manon pulled you against her as Dorian cleaned the two of you, her lips placing soft kisses along your cheek.
By the time Dorian climbed into bed on the opposite side of you, you had already fallen asleep.
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