Chapter 31 #2
A comfortable silence fell between them, their friendship entering a new depth.
Of course, Taryn wasn’t sure if friend could capture exactly what Airess was to him.
For the first time in a decade, he was starting to feel at peace and think about his future.
Besides all this prophecy talk that he still didn’t wholly believe, Taryn started to look inward and determine what his next move would be.
All his life his only goal was to survive–to make it to the next day.
When he joined the Guild, Taryn lost himself.
He became something unrecognizable, and it wasn’t until he met Airess that he started to see the light.
She was a glittering star amongst the darkness, a calm wave in a raging sea.
Looking down at her now, he started to have a different idea for his future.
They neared one of the Runean bars on the corner street near the docks. Taryn could already hear the music from here, lively with singing, chanting, and dancing.
He grinned. “Do you want to get a drink?”
“Shouldn’t we go back to the guesthouse?”
“Is that what you want?” Taryn asked. “I figured you’d want to explore Rune after all this time.”
Airess looked around at all the Fae, and a subtle smile grew on her face. He knew she was still adjusting–to a new culture, a new language, and the freedom to go anywhere she wanted after a life of captivity. He would be patient with her, content with whatever she decided.
“No, you’re right,” Airess said, looking up at him with a smirk. “Let’s go,” she ordered, speaking those last two words in the Runean tongue. The sound of his language rolling off her lips made his blood heat. He wasted no time, as he grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd.
They walked up to the wooden outdoor bar. Taryn requested two beers and handed Airess the glass mug. They drank, and Airess looked at the mass of sweaty, dancing bodies in shock.
The Fae danced sensually, grinding their bodies against one another, swaying to each beat of the music.
Some males danced upon males, and females danced upon females, or a mix of the two.
It was true that Rune had a completely different society than Luciena, his people showing more intimate public displays of affection and an openness toward sensuality.
“I’ve certainly never seen dancing of this kind before,” Airess said as she sipped her beer nervously.
Taryn tilted his head back and laughed at her surprise, her exposure to finally seeing a different culture than what she had been used to her whole life. Hell, even Taryn felt the change, being away from home all these years, and relished it.
Home.
He turned to her and smiled, unable to contain his joy. The vibration from the music traveled up his spine, and Taryn couldn’t remember the last time he was truly happy. Until now.
He bent down low and whispered in her ear. “I can show you, if you’d like.”
The look she gave him in response could have brought him to his knees, her eyelids growing heavy. His grip tightened on the mug as he awaited her response. She tilted her mug back and chugged the rest of its contents. When she was done, she gripped his tunic and brought him down closer to her.
“Show me,” she said in a sultry, low voice.
Whatever restraint Taryn had before was lost. He set his drink down and grabbed her hand swiftly, guiding her into the crowd as the beat thrummed through his body. They entered the crowd of bodies, the scent of beer and sweat mixing together.
“Like this,” Taryn said, placing her arms over his shoulders, the front of their bodies now flush together. He gripped the sides of her waist and swayed to the beat of the music, his blood heating at her scent of honey and magnolias.
She followed his lead and pressed her chest and hips against him. Taryn’s cheeks heated as the most beautiful female he had ever seen, ever known, danced with him. He held her like he would never let go.
She looked up at him, a subtle blush on her cheeks. Airess leaned up on her tippy toes and whispered, “Am I doing it right?”
“Yes,” he breathed. His grip on her waist tightened.
The song changed, the beat faster than before.
The crowd responded instantly, moving faster.
Taryn trailed his hand up her bare arms, until he grabbed her hands in his, taking a step back so he had room to spin her.
Airess twirled effortlessly, her hair catching the light.
Taryn grabbed her waist and dipped her low at the end of her spin, their breaths heaving as they stared at one another, their noses inches apart.
When he brought her back up, she spun around and pressed her back to his front. She took his hands and placed them on her hips. Airess mimicked the other dancers, grinding her backside into his front.
Taryn groaned. “You keep dancing like that and I won’t be able to control myself,” he whispered, voice husky, the alcohol blurring his cares and worries into oblivion.
“Maybe I want you to lose control.”
When the song was over, they separated, their bodies flushed, brows beaded with sweat. Taryn, for once, was speechless. Airess was not the innocent female he had thought her to be. He was just now seeing a boldness inside of her that she had finally set free.
Airess grabbed his hand and giggled. “Let’s get another drink.”
They left the sea of dancers and headed toward the bar. The line was long, and Taryn could tell she needed a moment to gather her bearings as she gripped the wall behind her and leaned back.
“Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Taryn joined the line that quickly moved forward after a few minutes. He gathered the drinks and went to go find Airess, but when he turned, a snarl escaped his lips.
There they were, two Fae males standing so close to Airess they had her practically cornered against the wall. A possessiveness Taryn couldn’t understand, or control coursed through him in waves at the scent of the male’s arousal.
“Come on,” One of the males said slyly, “We’ve never seen an Elven female before. Just one dance. I’ll make it worth your while.”
“No wish to dance,” Airess replied nervously in Runean, her lack of vocabulary causing the males to snicker.
“The bitch can hardly understand us. Just take her–”
Taryn pushed past the males, his shoulders clipping theirs as he wedged himself between them and Airess, forming a physical barrier. Taryn bared his teeth and snarled at them, asserting his dominance as they snarled back in response. They bowed up at his intrusion.
“The fuck–”
“She’s mine,” Taryn snarled, looking each of them in the eyes. “You would be wise not to lay a hand on her.”
One of the males laughed and stepped forward. “Last I checked this female is Elven, not Fae. She is not yours to claim, male. We have every right to her.”
Having heard enough, Taryn drew out his broadswords from their sheaths and pointed one at them. “Say something like that again, and I’ll have your head.”
The sound of metal unsheathing caught the attention of the crowd, the music slowly fading as everyone slowed and gaped at the scene. The two Fae held out their own swords, accepting the challenge. Behind Taryn, he could hear Airess’ heart pounding in her chest.
Bystanders scattered to the perimeter of the outdoor bar. The music had stopped, the space around them falling quiet.
“You would really duel over this female?” one Fae asked.
“Yes,” Taryn replied, and advanced.
Metal clashed against metal as Taryn easily avoided each of their strikes, their fighting style no match for Taryn’s decade long tenure at the Guild. Taryn sliced one Fae’s arm, causing the male to fall, screaming in agony. He intended to make them suffer.
The mouthier one, the one who disrespected Airess, lunged forward.
The male’s blade barely nicked Taryn’s cheek as he sidestepped out of the way.
Taryn grinned, the violence bringing out a side of him he was familiar with.
He toyed with the male, blocking each hit, but not ending the fight just yet.
The male screamed out in frustration as Taryn struck forward.
He nicked the male’s arms, abdomen and face.
Finally, Taryn grew bored and brought his blade down on the male’s wrist. He severed the male’s hand from his body, the common price to pay for a duel in the Runean culture.
The male’s scream pierced through the silence of the crowd.
Taryn knelt down to the handless Fae, blood sputtering out onto the stone at their feet. “Next time,” Taryn said in a condescending tone, “it would be wise to listen the first time a female says no.”
“Fuck you,” the Fae male sneered in defeat.
Taryn stood up emotionlessly, and wiped his blade clean before resheathing his broadswords.
Now that the duel was over, the music resumed, the people beginning their dances again.
Taryn strode back toward Airess, who was looking at him with wide eyes and a parted mouth.
His face had hardened into something lethal, fueled by a rage he couldn’t control.
At least she was finally seeing him for the menace he was.
“Taryn, my Gods! What–”
“Let’s get out of here,” Taryn interrupted.
He placed a hand on her lower back and guided her down the street.
He didn’t want to draw any more attention to her than he already had, and he knew other Fae would find Airess curious.
She stood out in every way, her litheness contrasting against the Fae’s broadness, her hair a light in the dark compared to the Runean people’s raven locks.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Airess confessed. “You didn’t have to cut off his hand. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Yes, I did. It was the price for challenging me. He knew that.”
“The price of a duel is to cut off the loser’s hand?” Airess asked in disbelief, eyes wide.
“Yes,” he chuckled. “You have a lot to learn about Rune. That is one of the many customs. If I hadn’t intervened…” Taryn trailed off, the words lodging in his throat. He wouldn’t–couldn’t–imagine what those males would have done to her had he not shown up at that exact moment.
“Come on, I want to show you something.”
“Where are we going?” Airess asked.
Taryn looked at her and smiled. “Home.”