Kayden Lionheart

Kayden growled and yawned when Arelyn emerged from the tent, then pointed towards the few bushes with his paw. She carefully stepped around him, like he was going to attack her or something.

He rolled onto his back and stretched, lazily reaching after a fly. When it flew away, Kayden turned and jumped after it. Before he would do anything else, he forced himself to stop and lay back onto the ground. Spending the night as a cheetah strengthened the animal’s instincts and he wanted to do three things: chase something preferably edible, lie around, and fuck. Sadly none of those were an option.

He watched Arelyn move quickly to the bush and disappear behind it. At least she looked rested, even if she was in dire need of more appropriate clothes for this weather.

He was following the fly with his eyes, lying on his side when Arelyn approached, "Thank you for last night. Since your men are still asleep. Can I wash in the water?"

Kayden tilted his head and slowly ran his eyes on Aerlyn’s body before looking into her eyes and finally nodding.

He waited until she was at the pond to shift back into human form, hoping that the time Arelyn was away would be enough for him to get his desire under control.

The fact that Arelyn stood naked didn't help Kayden calm his hormones. Not even a bit. He didn't even try to hide that he was staring, his only hope was that she couldn’t see the lust in his eyes from so far away. But what else was he supposed to do? She was a beautiful woman, with beautiful breasts. He could almost see how she’d been able to hold multiple men. Almost.

He was equally disappointed and relieved that she dressed quickly and moved back to the tent. Which meant he only had seconds to act like a somewhat decent human being instead of an animal. It sucked, because the image of her naked body burned into his mind. Even if she wasn’t a stranger, and they were lovers, they didn’t have time to give in to temptation. After her reaction the other day, Kayden wanted to make sure that when they had sex, because that was inevitable, it was because she wanted him and not because he was driven by ancient instincts.

"Thank you for letting me wash up. I appreciate it."

Kayden frowned, her words providing some distraction. "You aren't a prisoner. You can wash yourself without my permission." He looked into her eyes. "You're a free woman, Arelyn. You aren't my subject, nor my lover."

Arelyn nodded, "I know but from what you said yesterday..."

"I didn’t say you were a slave, Arelyn. I said that in my country women aren't equal and that I'll have sex with you." He tilted his head. "Which one of these meant you needed my permission to take a piss or wash yourself?"

Arelyn shook her head, "I wasn't asking for permission, I was asking for direction and protection. I assumed from what you said yesterday about sticking with Kieran if I wanted to strip that I had to be careful around your men. Not to give them an opportunity to take advantage of me. If that's not the case then I won't concern myself with it. I'm trying to consider where I am."

As she talked he followed that annoying fly with his eyes. A part of him wanted to catch it, but he ignored the need.

"My men fear me. They won't touch you. But that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t comment or whistle. You're not my chatelaine but you're under my protection." He shrugged. "I thought you wouldn’t enjoy that. And you don't have to worry. I trust these men." He looked at the fly again. "Most of the time."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The annoying little thing flew around his tent. Kayden growled and forced himself to look back at Lyn. "There is some leftover from last night. I can heat it for you.

"Thank you, I can do it if you'd prefer? Just tell me where you keep your flint. I'll build a fire."

“No need.” Kayden went to get food for her and returned with a bowl of stew and a slice of bread. He sat down, heated it with his power and handed it to Arelyn. “And there are some fruits and dried meat left too. But don't touch the," he glanced at Thunder and lowered his voice, "the apple. I need that."

She grinned. "I wouldn't dream of taking it from her."

And that was the perfect opening to ask her about her magic. No one could command Thunder the way she had done it.

"What kind of magic did you use on my horse?" He lit a cigarette, forgetting to turn away, showing her the flames on his fingers. "I trained her myself. She doesn't take orders from anyone. So, what kind of magic do you have?"

"It's a form of telepathy. I was born with the gift but mine is rare. It only works on animals and I have to touch them. I can't hear humans even through touch. With animals it's different, I give them a picture of what I want and they understand the request. Sometimes they will even show me something as well. It's hard to decipher sometimes. Horses are the more intelligent animals, she knew you wanted her to follow you. I just asked her to kneel so I could mount easier." Arelyn lowered her voice and said, "She showed me an apple but I didn't know why."

He took a puff of his cigarette, taking it all in. She could’ve hurt her. If something happened to Thunder because of his neglectful behavior he couldn’t forgive himself. "Oh, and just so you know, if you hurt her, I'll hurt you."

She looked him in the eyes. "I give you my word I have never and would never hurt an animal."

"Good." Kayden focused his attention back to her. How did someone in thick winter clothes look so perfect and desirable? He cleared his throat. "I don't want to replace that horse. She's a great one."

The knowing look on her face was suspicious, but thankfully she only said, "Thank you for the food."

Kayden’s gaze scanned the area as his men woke and had breakfast, enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning. For five seconds.

"You asked about my magic. Did you wish to know about the enchanted items I have?"

What was wrong with eating in silence? He used his cigarette to hide a sigh, taking a puff and exhaling the smoke slowly.

"I only asked about your magic because of Thunder. You don't have to tell me anything." He looked at the fly again and shot out a tiny fireball, grinning as the bug turned to ash. He realized what he’d done and cleared his throat. "If you want to share, then do it. You're a chatty one anyway."

Lyn shook her head. "I won't bore you with details, they are only defensive." She paused, but it was obvious the silence wouldn’t last. "I'd like you to ride Thunder with me. I promise I won't bother you with questions or commentary."

Kayden finished his cigarette. "You aren't afraid I'll do something inappropriate?" He smirked, only teasing her. "I was planning on riding with you. I shouldn’t shift right now." He cracked his neck. "It's a little intense."

"Kieran explained it to me." Lyn looked at him seriously. "I'm not afraid of you, especially after last night." She looked down at her hands, "If there was ever an easier time to take advantage it would have been then. You didn't even sleep in your own tent." She looked him in the eye, all in now. "I trust your word."

Kayden laughed. "I like when my partner is conscious. I'd never force someone to fuck me. I'm not saying I'm not persistent. I would be dead without it." He returned her gaze. “I meant what I said, Arelyn. I don't know when it will happen, but it will.”

With that, he stood, grabbing the apple and walked to Thunder. She became alive and impatient the moment she sniffed out the treat. It didn’t matter how much they needed to get going, he took these minutes to spoil her.

“You did good yesterday.” He caressed her mane as he whispered, “I’m proud of you. Tonight you can sleep in a stable.”

Thunder sniffed his pants, looking for more apples, and looked slightly disappointed when she couldn’t find more. Kayden smiled, petted her once more and headed back to pack up.

Once everything was put away, and the flasks were filled, he mounted Thunder and helped Arelyn up again.

"Just don't make her do things," Kayden said. "I like control."

"I don't mind a man in control, I just prefer to be seen as an equal and not a plaything."

Kayden smirked, but didn’t comment, just headed out into the desert. He was already winning this game.