Summary: The crew arrives in Ducitora, and Kenna and Diavolos spend the night together before she heads into Marossi.
Part 1 (PG-13) Part 2 (PG-13) Part 3 (NSFW) Part 4 (NSFW) Part 5 (PG-13)
They arrive in Ducitora late at night, and Kenna’s nerves come back full force as the shoreline appears, just barely visible in the moonlight. The water is calm as they drop the anchor, and if she squints, Kenna can just see the mouth of the river they’ll follow inland. She wishes she could march right into Marossi and get this whole thing over with, but she knows they have to wait until morning, and that they’ll have to take one of the smaller boats to get there.
She bids everyone goodnight and disappears into her cabin, lighting the lantern and fidgeting with a corner of one of the maps while she waits. Diavolos slips in a few minutes later with barely a sound, his arms wrapping around her, his lips brushing over her neck. Kenna sighs as she leans back against him, smiling and then whimpering quietly as he tugs her collar down and lightly bites her throat.
They’ve gotten so comfortable the past few weeks that they’ve almost gotten caught a handful of times. The first time, they both accidentally fell asleep, Kenna waking blearily the next morning to a knock at her cabin door, realizing with a moment of panic that Diavolos was still next to her. Luckily it was Annelyse at the door, who said nothing, and Diavolos made an excuse about not being able to sleep and wandering the deck to everyone who questioned where he’d been.
The second time, he snuck into her cabin after taking watch with Leon. Diavolos had been in a bad mood all day for some reason, and he had her naked and moaning underneath him when he suddenly clapped his hand over her mouth, and she realized someone was knocking on her door and calling her name. Diavolos had cursed, wedging himself into the dark corner of her room while Kenna feigned having a nightmare to Raydan.
They were more careful after that, even though she knew it was wearing on them both to be so overly cautious. There were times she naturally leaned into him, or went to say something that wouldn’t be said between two people who were only working together out of necessity, and she had to stop herself. He’d taken to touching her wrist and her back discreetly, smirking at her warning glances.
But tonight, everyone is exhausted and already in the sleeping quarters, and she’s been antsy and fidgety all afternoon and just wants Diavolos. He grins as she turns around in his arms, leaning up to kiss him. His face sobers when she sighs, cupping her face in his hands. “You okay?” he asks.
Kenna shrugs, fidgeting with the fasteners on his shirt. “Just…worried, I guess. Too nervous to sleep.”
He doesn’t say anything to appease her, just kisses her again, for which she’s grateful, because there’s really nothing he can say. Neither one of them expects a good outcome tomorrow, and pretty words won’t change how anxious she is. She’s appreciated his reassurances on her plans and her abilities, but tonight, she doesn’t want to think about Marossi or Azura.
“I know the feeling,” Diavolos says after a minute, gripping her hips and walking them to sit on the edge of her bed.
“What did you do?” Kenna asks, straddling his lap, not missing the possessive way his eyes darken and his arms wrap around her back as she loops hers around his neck.
“The usual. Drank. Sparred. Listened to the troops brag and lie about their abilities.”
Kenna laughs. “I have a feeling you didn’t have to lie about anything,” she tells him teasingly, running her fingers through the ends of his hair.
Diavolos smirks, that smug grin spreading across his face. “Of course not.”
He lifts her easily and lays her down, looming over her. “This will all be done soon,” he reminds her.
“For better or worse,” she mutters, sliding her arms around his neck as he kisses her, then whispers, “I don’t want to talk about tomorrow anymore.”
Diavolos responds by kissing her harder, his fingers deftly undoing the fasteners on her shirt and pants and pulling them off. She watches as he undresses, feeling heat pool in her belly when he’s naked. Gods, he’s a beautiful man, and hers…at least for now, she thinks somewhat somberly. Diavolos tugs her upright to sit on the edge of the bed, then kneels, his hands running over her thighs, up her sides, cupping her breasts, until she’s squirming impatiently under his touch.
She sees a faint smirk cross his face before he nudges her to lean back, his hands gripping her thighs. Kenna sucks in a breath, his name a quiet exhale as he runs his tongue teasingly over her center. He groans, lapping at her a few times and then mutters, “Gods, Kenna. Are you always this wet for me?”
It makes her flush, and she thinks if anyone else asked her that she’d probably avoid answering, but the look on his face when he glances up at her makes her feel anything but embarrassed. His expression is one of raw desire, a little possessive, a little smug, and she can’t do anything but moan, “Yes”.
He plunges his tongue into her, his stubble scratching the sensitive skin on her inner thighs, and Kenna nearly cries out before she remembers that anyone could hear them. Her hips rock against his movements, her eyes closing against the onslaught of his mouth and then his fingers as he touches her.
Diavolos knows her body so well, knows her, that when he presses his tongue in deeper she jolts against him, his hand covering her mouth as she moans his name and collapses back on the bed, breathing hard. She’s shaking when Diavolos pulls her back upright, squeezing her hips. Kenna reaches for him impatiently.
“I want you,” she manages to say, running her hand over his length and feeling herself flush again at the way he curses and jerks at her touch.
She lays back in the bed, Diavolos easing himself over her, kissing her hungrily.
“Hells, the things you do to me,” he growls.
“Show me,” she whispers, gasping when he slams into her.
His pace is hurried and pleasurably rough, one of his hands gripping the back of her neck while he props himself up with the other arm. Kenna matches his pace, burying her hands in his hair while her legs wrap around his back. She hazily wonders if she feels as good to him as he does to her, and then he sucks at her neck and she stops thinking, moaning his name as he starts moving faster.
“Come for me, Kenna,” Diavolos says gruffly in her ear, reaching between them to run his thumb over her clit.
She buries her face in his neck as she comes, muffling her cries as her muscles flutter around him. She registers for a second how hard she must be gripping his hair when he grunts against her, and relaxes her fingers slightly. Diavolos thrusts into her as she tightens her legs and arches up into him, until he spills inside her with a guttural groan.
He rolls to the side once his breathing slows, tugging her back against his chest. “Are you still nervous?” Diavolos asks after a minute, and she can hear the smirk in his voice.
Kenna shakes her head, laughing. “No, that’s not the word I would use.”
“What word would you use?” he asks, rolling her over to face him.
“Mmm,” she murmurs, pretending to think as she runs her fingertips over his stubble and leans in to kiss him.
It grows hungry and insistent almost immediately, Diavolos running his hand down her back and over her thighs as she presses up against him. When they part, Diavolos grins at her.
“Mmm? I don’t think that’s a word, Kenna.”
He kisses her again before she can think of a comeback, a deeper, slower kiss that leaves her nearly breathless. There are a million thoughts running through her head, none of which she thinks she can say right now, even though the way he’s looking at her makes her want to say everything.
Eventually they curl up together, his fingers running over her side, his lips brushing lazy kisses over her shoulder. She likes laying here with him, his strength reassuring her.
“I should get back to the sleeping quarters,” he murmurs just as she’s about to fall asleep.
“Mmm,” she mumbles sleepily, rolling into the warmth he leaves behind as he climbs out of bed and gets dressed.
“Good night, Kenna,” he says, brushing his lips quickly over hers before he leaves.
“Good night.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Diavolos comes to her cabin early, before she heads out on deck. They don’t say much, but he takes her fidgeting hands and kisses her sweetly once she’s dressed. “I’ll be right up,” he murmurs against her mouth before she walks out.
Once the boat is ready, Diavolos helps her inside, squeezing her fingers briefly.
“Keep your guard up. Azura’s subjects are that fanatically loyal to her for a reason. And trust your instincts, Kenna,” he says, his tone suddenly serious.
As the Panrion crew lowers them to the water, she glances up, taking a deep breath as Diavolos gives her a reassuring look.
When they make it to Marossi, Kenna has to admit it’s beautiful, though there is something distinctly off-putting about Azura almost immediately. Everyone they meet seems content and happy, and Kenna stubbornly refuses to admit she can’t offer the same to the Five Kingdoms right now, feeling a little triumphant at how irritated Azura gets.
She’s glad Diavolos told them about her lightning abilities, able to hide her surprise when Azura brings the wolf pup back to life, though it doesn’t make the sight any less impressive. Kenna vaguely wonders how Azura regains her strength after using it, but she’s distracted by Val and Annelyse and Whitlock clamoring to bring the wolf pup with. He is rather sweet-looking and affectionate, and when Whitlock mentions he might be able to make him talk and Val gets even more enthusiastic, Kenna can’t help but agree to bring the pup with them.
Before Azura heads off to rest, she invites them to the final rounds of a tournament commemorating her rule that evening. Kenna agrees, though a ball of worry forms in her stomach as soon as she does. As civil as Azura has been, Kenna knows there’s more to her than they’ve seen. She gets the feeling the tournament is a trap, but she doesn’t feel she can refuse without immediately instigating a full on war. Everyone reconvenes on the boat, weighing their options and determining that Leon will fight in the tournament. The worry gnaws at her more and more as they head back into the city, following Clover into a magnificent temple.
Kenna can’t shake her nervousness, and when Azura gleefully announces that the warriors will fight to the death, she has a sick, sinking feeling. Diavolos was right about trusting her instincts, she thinks miserably. But they can’t help her, or Leon, now.
~~~~~~~~~~
The ride back to the ship is long and nearly silent. Occasionally the wolf pup yips until someone pets him, until he curls up on Whitlock’s lap and falls asleep. No one speaks, though Val occasionally curses under her breath. Clover looks like she wants to say something a few times, but she remains quiet. Annelyse leans against Raydan’s shoulder, dozing off, until they finally make it back to the ship.
Kenna meets Diavolos’ eyes immediately, shaking her head once when he gives her a questioning look. She fills him in quickly as everyone else climbs off the boat, swallowing hard when she explains to him how Leon died. His brow furrows, a regretful look briefly crossing his face, before he glances around and then squeezes her hand. “I’m sorry, Kenna,” he murmurs.
“Me too.”
She’s equal parts angry and sorrowful at what Azura has done. As they settle around the deck, Kenna allows herself to sit next to Diavolos and take comfort in his nearness. She has many tough decisions to make come tomorrow, she knows, but for now, she’s going to let herself mourn and remember her Crown Guardian, and everyone else they’ve lost.