Dark Lord of Kismera: Knights of Kismera (52 page)

A CONTROLLED CHAOS ENSUED with Estelle taking charge. A quick introduction to Cerise was all she needed to have the chamber Drace had quartered in on first arriving assigned to his kinswoman.

Like a drill sergeant she had trunks and belongings going to the proper rooms, including the trunks containing horse equipment to the stable.

A new stable had been built while Drace was gone and stood empty. It was soon swarming with activity as Cearan and Drace had all the horses settled into their new home.

Ki walked down the wide aisle, looking into the stalls to see each new horse, Drace hovering at her side. She stopped to give Pride a loving rub. The big horse heaved a contented sigh against her arm, making her laugh.

She continued on until she came to Leo’s stall. The chestnut stallion came to the stall door, his eyes bright with curiosity.

“I bought this horse because he reminded me so much of you,” Drace said softly.

Ki gave him a half smile, her eyebrows raised with mirth. “A horse reminded you of me. I should be flattered I suppose.”

Drace returned a sheepish smile. “I don’t guess that quite came out the way I meant it. I saw him and had to have him. His name is Leon de Corazon. It is Spanish for ‘heart of the lion’ or ‘lionheart’. Both the name and the horse touched me. I call him Leo. You may call him whatever you wish because he is yours.”

“That is a very generous gift, my Lord. What is ‘Leo’?”

“For ‘Leo the lion’. He was a cartoon character. It’s also a star formation.”

“Leo suits him, I think.” She looked up at him. “You must be hungry. I believe Estelle has ordered elk steak for tonight’s meal. Let us go to the hall. I do not wish for you to faint from hunger.”

“Wait a moment, if you will. How are you, and the baby?” he asked, and hesitantly placed a big hand on her rounded belly.

Ki covered it with her own. “Your son is well. He is glad his father has returned.”

They had a moment of privacy in the stable. The horses had all been fed and were settled; the stable lads now at their own meals.

Drace pulled her close against him, gazing into her tawny eyes.
God, how I’ve missed her, missed this.
“And his mother?” he asked and dropped his head to kiss her, taking his time and doing a thorough job of it.

When he pulled back, she was breathless and clung to his arms as her knees went weak. “She is most glad as well. Later she will show you,” Ki said, promise in her eyes.

“I do not have a gift for you,” she said after one last look at Leo and they turned to walk from the stable.

“Oh yes you do. You are carrying the best gift I could ever receive. Never doubt of that, my love. If I have nothing else, I am still a happy man.”

When they entered the main hall, the people inside cheered at Drace’s appearance as lion roars mixed with acclamations. The gathering grew quiet after a while and all bowed in respect to the Lord and Lady. Once they were seated at the head table conversations gradually resumed.

Estelle hurried to the head table and gave a squeak of surprise when Drace stood again and gathered her up in a warm bear hug.

She stepped back, her eyes glistening with tears. “My Lord, we are so glad you have returned to us,” she said with a little hiccup of emotion. “She collected herself, like a small wren settling its feathers. “I have a bath waiting for you in you your chamber. I thought you might wish to get rid of the dust of travel.”

“Thank you, Estelle. I see you’re still the same wonderful, peach of a woman I remembered.”

Drace went up the long stairwell with Ki at his side, to their chamber, and once inside sat with a sigh to pull off his boots. He stood again and stripped, sinking into the tub, closing his eyes with pleasure.

“These are new,” Ki remarked of the fresh scars on his chest and the phoenix tattoo on the bicep of his sword arm.

Drace explained the reason behind the marks. “I would do it again to get back to you.” He opened his eyes, dark with emotion. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” she returned, handing him a rag and soap. “Shall I help you wash your hair, my Lord?”

“If you do, we’ll be late for the meal. We have time for that later, because I mean to take my time at it,” he said, promise in his voice.

Drace did let her pour water over his head after he had soaped his hair. He quickly finished his bath and stood, accepting a towel from Ki, who dropped her eyes for an admiring glance.

“The water is still warm if you want to use it,” he said and stepped out to dry off.

Ki suddenly seemed shy in front of him as she started to remove her clothes, pausing at the fastenings of her simple gown.

Drace stepped into a clean pair of breeches and tugged them up over his lean hips. “What’s the matter, hon?” he asked, seeing her uncertainty.

“I am changed. I do not wish you to see me this way,” she admitted, dropping her hands from her laces, tears coming to her eyes. “And I weep at nothing all the time.” She gave him a teary look. “At least I can eat now. I was vomiting at the very smell of food. Now I am always hungry, except for certain things.”

Drace laughed out loud and came over to place his hands on her upper arms, rubbing them gently. “You are beautiful, Ki. The changes you’re going through are normal and wondrous—you know that. I’m as new at this as you are but we will learn the rest together. Okay?”

Ki gave him a watery smile as he began to untie her laces for her. At last he was able to slip her dress from her shoulders and it pooled around her ankles. She made a sound of distress when he looked at her in her shift. She covered her breasts with her arms.

“No, baby, don’t. Please, don’t hide yourself from me.” Drace uncrossed her arms and pushed her shift down to join her dress. “I want to look at you, Ki. Don’t be ashamed,” he coaxed gently, and then lowered his eyes to look at her.

Drace’s eyes came back to hers, full of wonder. “Oh my God,” he breathed, sinking to his knees in front of her. “Oh my God.” He put his hands on Ki’s hips then ran them slowly up her sides. Carefully, he cupped her breasts, fuller now, the areolas darker.

His hands drifted back to encompass the roundness of her belly. He felt strangled by his emotions. “I’ve missed so much, Ki. I’m sorry you had to do this much on your own.” He leaned his head against her stomach. “Incredible,” he whispered. “You look incredible.”

Ki ran her fingers lovingly through his hair, no longer feeling self conscious of the changes in her body.

Drace rose then and let her step into the tub. He sat on a stool next to her while she bathed. “Can you feel the baby moving yet?”

“Yes, but it is hard to explain. Have you stood in a stream and felt the ripples of the current or the brush of a fish barely touch your skin?”

“Yeah,” Drace answered in amazement, watching her as she soaped herself.

“It is stronger now, the ripples.” Ki leaned her head against the high back of the tub. “You did not seem surprised at this,” Ki remarked, laying a hand on her belly. “How did you know?”

Drace told her about the erotic dream he’d had of her and her saying she and the baby needed him. “I just knew then. I knew it wasn’t just a dream.”

Ki gave him an odd look. “I had a dream also of the two of us. I had my woman’s pleasure. In your dream did you have your pleasure as well?”

Drace blushed hotly, standing to find a shirt. He cleared his throat. “Yes, I did. Something that hasn’t happened in a long, long, time.”

“Hmmm,” Ki said, thoughtfully and went about finishing her bath.

She dried off while he finished dressing. Once she was dressed, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, her breasts pressed against his back. “When I saw you today, I thought my heart had ceased to beat. When I left your world I was sure I would never see you again. That is why I did not tell you I thought I might be carrying our child. I could not leave you to mourn us both.

“I did not bring the herbs to stop a man’s seed. I did not even think of them. I did not believe I was capable of even conceiving.”

Drace knew her cycles were irregular but he asked anyway. “Do you have any idea when it may have happened?” He felt her smile against his back.

“There were many opportunities, were there not?” she added and Drace chuckled at the thought.

“I think it was the first night we were together in your world. I felt different almost right away. At first, I thought it was being away from Kismera. Nimbus thinks that is why I began to lose strength quickly as I carried a life within me that pulled at my Werren soul.”

Just then Ki felt Drace’s stomach rumble under her hands. She moved away from his back to take his hand. “I promised you food, my Lord. Let us get the many questions behind us.”

“Amen to that,” he murmured and let her lead him down the stairs.

Cearan saved Drace a multitude of questions by telling the story of the God Arahtok’s appearance to Drace before his arrival to dinner. Cearan also introduced Cerise as the kinswoman of the MacKinnon and when he seated her between himself and Lexin he made it very clear that she was under their protection as well as Drace’s. No harm would come to her from the people of the stronghold.

The Werre were generally a patient people, knowing with time the unspoken questions would be answered and if not, eventually forgotten.

Drace and Ki took their seats and the meal began.

Cerise leaned forward and looked past Cearan. “You’re late, D. You couldn’t wait to do that later?”

Cearan choked on his ale and wiped at his nose. Cerise responded by pounding on his back. Coughing, Cearan protested her treatment. “Call her off, brother.”

Lexin was laughing so hard; he had to turn away.

Drace leveled a glare at her. “Leave the poor man alone, Cerise. Can’t you see he’s delicate?”

Lexin covered his eyes with a hand, laughing until he was wheezing.

“For your information, I was meeting someone. Are you settled in okay?”

“Yes. Everyone has been very kind. Even your two watchdogs, or should I say watch cats, have been helpful. Of course,” she muttered to herself. “I may never get laid again with both of them hovering over me.”

This time it was Lexin who nearly drown in his ale.

Cerise turned to helpfully pound on him as well.

“By the gods woman, enough. I think you have broken one of my ribs,” he uttered hoarsely.

“Just think Ki, of all the practice we’ll be getting on raising children by the time ours gets here,” Drace remarked as he took a bite of his steak. “Christ, you’d think they’re twelve.”

Cerise and the two Werre men erupted with humor.

The meal passed quickly and soon everyone was heading off to their beds, bidding each other goodnight.

When Drace entered their room, he considered barring the door for a moment, not wanting any interruptions. He decided against it, sure that no one would bother them on his first night back, and went to add a log to the hearth. Winter was just around the corner and the room was cool.

Ki had undressed down to her shift and climbed into bed while Drace removed his boots. She yawned and then looked a bit embarrassed.

“Tired?” he asked, concerned, as he watched her settle.

“Always now it seems,” Ki admitted. “Come to bed, my love. I have been cold without you.”

Drace stripped down to his skin and lay down next to her on his side and looked at her, moving a stray strand of hair from her face with a finger. He ran his fingers lightly over her neck and down her shoulder. He followed with his lips, trailing light kissed over her skin.

Drace found the new ripeness to her figure extremely erotic. Something in the knowledge of his participation in the creation of the miracle made him feel very virile.

She still had some of the lean muscling of a warrior but there was a softness now that intrigued him. A part of him wished he could lay like this forever with her, just touching, despite the fact he was so hard he hurt.

He kept his promise of taking his time and being thorough, teasing and loving her, bringing her release twice before he lay between her thighs, cupping her bottom in his big hands. “I’ve missed this, Ki, loving you so, that I fear my heart will burst with it,” he whispered, and then moaned as he entered her, keeping his weight on his knees. He had barely begun to move in her before she was climaxing again around him.