Page 28 of The Time Of Queens (An Afterlife Story #2)

28

WHEN THE RAINDROPS FALL

R unning.

I knew there was little point in it, yet I did it anyway.

Little point when I heard the Demonic roar behind me… When I heard the cry of a startled horse… When I heard the pounding of my own heart ringing in my ears.

Which was why I wasn’t surprised when the earth shook beneath my feet when the dark, foreboding winged figure landed right in front of me.

Because there was no need to keep up pretences. Not now he knew. Not now he knew who I was to him and, all at once, emotion burst from within him. Every shred of social propriety and gentlemanly constraint cracked. It then evaporated like some illusion he wore, one that now left him bare to the core of who he truly was. And just like that first night on Afterlife’s rooftop, I was seeing the real him.

He landed on one knee like some dark avenging Angel had just dropped down from the Heavens. His near black wings, folded into his back as he rose to standing. As for me, I couldn’t help my heaving breaths as I took in the incredible sight. And it was in that moment that something snapped within me.

All the restraints I had encased my temptations and lust into exploded, now releasing it all. Which was why, this time, when I went running, it wasn’t away from him… but towards him.

I barely had time to register the shocked look on his face, morphing from one of anger and frustration to surprise. Because he must have questioned what would happen next and running towards him was, no doubt, not what he was expecting. And the second I was close enough, I threw myself at him.

His reactions were on point, and he caught me at just the right second so I could wrap my legs around his waist as I held onto his shoulders. My hands then found his hair, grabbing fistfuls of it so I could pull his head down to meet my own. Then just as his mouth opened, only a single name escaped before I kissed him.

“Keira.”

A name I consumed as I opened up to him in a way he had, no doubt, never experienced before. For this time, there was no white light blinding us both. No, there was just … raw, physical need. The type of burning lust that ignited an all-consuming fire within the core of us both. The taste of him, the feel, the scent and the sound of his growl, all of it was like being cocooned in the most delicious spell. It was my safety. It was my shelter.

It was my home.

He was my everything.

As I moaned in his mouth, I felt his response, and instantly he held me tighter to him, as if not a force in all the realms could take me from him. And in turn, I held him to me with the same feverous intensity, as all I wanted now was to feel every inch of his naked skin against my own.

It was as if something in me had cracked. Being so close to him all this time and being forbidden to be with him this way had been torture. To not be with the man I loved like this had indeed felt as if I was going against the Gods. But then, I had also wallowed in my own self-pity, allowing old fears to resurface. And Draven might have failed the test I set him, but he had also passed it shortly after. For he may have cast me out at first, but once he had realised his true feelings for me, he had forsaken the chance at finding his Chosen One for me.

For the love he felt for a mortal.

For his forbidden love.

Meaning he would have gone against the very Gods themselves to keep me, breaking the laws that he himself had enforced. I knew that now. And it filled my heart to the brim to know that finally my unspoken question had been answered, my unfounded fears were set to rest. Because it wasn’t a Chosen One he had fallen in love, after all.

It was me.

It was mortal me. For all my quirks and clumsiness. For all my faults and rash actions. For my joy found in the silliness and my snorts of laughter… for my faults.

He had fallen for the girl, not the prophesy.

Which was why I was going to hold on to this profound moment and keep it with me like a gift my own Draven didn’t know I had ever needed. Because I had kept this insecurity from him, knowing that he would have no way to prove it. Because the answers were only ever to be found in the past.

In this past.

“Gods,” Draven hissed, pulling back enough to do so, and he placed his forehead to mine as if also marvelling in this moment.

“Don’t run from me again,” he said after pulling back, making me blush before telling him,

“Technically, I just ran towards you.” Then I winked at him playfully, making him grin.

“I see then that this form doesn’t frighten you?”

I shook my head, telling him no.

“Then I can assume you have seen it many times before?” he asked, confirming that he knew I was from the future. Although showing me his coin had hinted at it already.

“I have.”

“Good, then there are no more walls between us, for now neither of us have anything left to hide,” he stated, making me sigh against him. Because as much as I should have taken this moment to tell him that I intended on getting home, I knew now was not the time. Although I gathered he already suspected as much. Especially, considering my whole reason for being here and deceiving him, was to give me the chance to steal from him. And, with it, the means of getting home.

Which meant the words remained left unsaid from both sides, like a cloud hanging over us. And speaking of clouds…

“Come, we must return, for it will soon rain,” he told me, gently lowering me to the ground and prompting me to unhook my ankles from where they had been resting above his perfect arse.

Without another word, he took my hand in his and led me back towards his horse, who looked impatient with his reins hooked to a tree.

Once we were close enough, Draven rid himself of his other form as he unwound the lengths of leather from the branch. His wings disappeared like black vapour evaporating into the air.

After this, he stepped up behind me, but before lifting me to his horse, I felt his face at my neck. Then without explanation, he breathed me deep before lifting me up onto his horse. After which he joined me like last time, settling in behind me and tugging me even closer.

“Are you cold?” he asked when he felt me shiver at his touch. I shook my head before admitting,

“You keep me warm with your touch.”

He rumbled a pleased sound, before I felt his lips at my ear so as he could tell me,

“Then I plan to warm you further, for I am eager to get you home.”

Without giving me a chance to respond, he commanded his horse with a dig of his heels, making it go charging off, the sudden movement causing me to grip on tight and yelp.

“Have no fear, for I would never let you fall,” he told me gently, holding me tighter as if to prove his point. And this time, I allowed myself the comfort of relaxing back into his hold, sighing with contentment, as I was finally free to be this way around him. As if a huge weight that had been bearing down on me had finally been lifted. One that I myself had placed there in hopes of getting out of this without hurting yet another version of my husband.

The arguments within my mind were a constant contradiction that was mentally exhausting. I wanted him to choose me for me, to love me not because of the Fates. Yet with that being said, I hadn’t wanted him to claim me, so it would make it easier for me to run from him when the time came. In all honesty, I didn’t think it was him that I had run from after he kissed me…

I had been running from myself.

Running from the hurt I knew I would once again be forced to inflict on him. But, as for now… well clearly, it was too late for that. Now I could have felt bad, berated myself and punished my heart by feeling guilty from seeking comfort in his arms when I knew what would come of it. Or I could admit to myself that I was only human, and we all had our faults. We all had our vices and our temptations.

And for me…

It was and always would be, Draven.

So, I soaked up his touch as it caressed my soul, knowing that the closer we got to the house, the sooner I would get to feel so much more. I knew this when the heavens opened and the rain started to crash down. His stable hand was already at the south part of the house, ready to take his horse so we didn’t have to even get to the stable yard. Draven no doubt mentally sent word to Vincent to have him order this. Because clearly my husband had plans for me and, those, he was eager to see through. Because his horse had barely even stopped when he was dismounting. This after first tapping my leg and prompting me to do the same in allowing him to help me down once more.

The rain was now coming down even heavier, making him grip my hand and pull me towards the house. However, seeing as we were closer to the impressive conservatory, he led me towards the sweeping stone steps instead. I couldn’t help but giggle as we ran up towards the entrance, the water soaking us to the bone. Then using both hands, he pulled the doors open, and the sight of his muscles stretching the fabric of his wet clothes quickly had me panting for a different reason.

But at the first crash of lightening, I yelped, running inside and laughing at my own reaction. A reaction that was soon stolen by the beauty of the paradise around us that had me gapping in awe.

The large structure had thirteen stonework arches in length. Each with plated glass windows held there without conventional window frames, making it look seamless. It was five arches deep, which made it an enormous room. The vast interior was bridged by a great curved glass roof. As for the floor, this was a light-coloured marble, with raised beds that were edged in even more stonework. It even had stone baskets full of flowers on the rear wall that had been expertly carved. Giant ornamental urns were dotted throughout the vast greenery, breaking up the array of exotic plants such as palm trees and exotic anthuriums. These were known for their vibrant leaves and blooms. Fragrant flowers filled the air with nature’s perfume along with offering pretty bursts of colour. I could see an impressive collection of orchids, too, with unique and striking flower shapes. A diverse mix of colours that evoked a sense of exotic luxury.

There was even an array of different cacti. Some standing tall like spiked guardians of the plants, with their large, sculptural shapes casting shadows. The big round, fat ones, sat much lower, with their intriguing textures and deadlier looking barbs.

The striking beauty gave me the urge to spin around with my arms spread wide, foolishly telling him something he already knew.

“Have you ever seen a more beautiful sight?” I said, taking it all in. My hair was loose from, first the ride, and then the run in here. Meaning it was now unrestrained and free to move with me. However, it was only when I stopped spinning that I saw Draven and the way he was looking at me. His heated purple gaze was now free to fully emerge, quickly turning his dark depths into something more intense and Demonic.

“No, I haven’t,” he replied, the growl of his words sending a shiver through me, and one that didn’t ease when he took long, determined strides towards me. His intent was clear… he looked like he wanted to eat me. But clearly, whatever he planned to do, he wanted privacy to do it.

I gasped when the vines and greenery started to grow quickly up the glass panels. Naturally, this was done to block us from view. Growth that only stopped when it was high enough to accomplish this.

But that wasn’t all he wanted to do to ensure we weren’t disturbed. Next was a rose bush that grew either side of the doors, spreading out until it took over the whole door, purposely entwining its thick, thorny branches around the handles, effectively locking us inside.

Or should I say… locking the rest of the world out.

All of this happened with every step he took towards me, making him look like some God of Earth’s elements as thunder rattled the glass, whilst lightening flashed out again, continuing its angry light show. Meanwhile, the rain fell, for the storm raged overhead, with its heavy droplets creating its own song tapping against the glass roof.

As for Draven, the second he reached me, he took my face in his hold and told me,

“Now I finally get to claim you, for this time, is mine.”

Then he kissed me, making me moan in pleasure as he swallowed up the sound. The kiss was so deep and so profound that I felt as if my soul was being consumed within it. The duel of our tongues clashing, tasting each other in that age old dance where two people naturally found their own rhythm. That perfect kiss when you didn’t even need to try, it simply happened as if you had been made for one another.

And as the storm continued its own angry dance of the elements, the world outside could have been ending and we wouldn’t have known it. We wouldn’t have cared, for in this single moment he was right…

It was our time.

Which was why, it was only when the kiss ended that I noticed the marble floor was now gone, replaced by lush, thick green grass. My eyes widened in surprise, but I didn’t have to question why for long. Not when he turned me around and started to rid me of my dress. His deft fingers made short work of it, as I soon felt the heavy weight of wet material slip from my shoulders.

I felt like a butterfly emerging from its dark cocoon, and my white corset and underskirt matched that of my pale, milky skin.

“Exquisite,” he muttered in a husky tone, as he started to run his fingertips gently along my bare shoulders. And with my dress now pooled at my ankles, he simply took me by the waist and lifted me from the black circle of fabric. This before placing me back down after first seeing it slide magically off to one side.

It was as if he were casting away the armour I had once worn, revealing the real me at its core. Then he turned me around to face him, his hand cupping my cheek, his thumb making a journey across my lips before pressing it inwards. I didn’t need any further direction than this, as I opened my mouth and sucked him in. His eyes flashed a deeper purple the second I did. And the heat in his eyes grew when I swirled my tongue around the pad of his thumb, hopefully giving him insight on where else I wanted my mouth to be.

Which was why I let him pull it from my lips before I reached up and rid him of his jacket. Years ago, I may not have been brave enough to be so bold when first meeting him. But for me, this was a song we had danced to many times before. And I was unable to stop myself from merging the two.

My husband and my first-time lover.

They were now one and the same.