Summary: The night before the final battle against Azura, Kenna and Diavolos promise their love to one another and secrets are revealed.
A/N: Happy Diavolos Day! This turned into a behemoth of a post, but I hope you enjoy it!
Kenna stood on the edges of the party and slowly surveyed the festivities. She had hoped having a feast would lift everyone’s spirits the night before the battle with Azura, and it seemed to be working. Well, at least it seemed to be working for everyone but her. Kenna wanted to join in the fun, but the thought of Azura kept holding her back. What if they lost? What if she failed her kingdom? What if everything she’d stood, everyone who had given their lives for this cause . . . what if it was all for nothing?
Kenna slipped out of the main hall and headed into the gardens. The sounds of the party were muted in the soft velvet of the night and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost over. One way or another, it was almost over. She sat on a bench and looked up at the sky. Would this be the last time she saw the stars? Had her mother known it was the last time she’d seen the stars before she died? Kenna supposed not. Her mother had hoped for peace and then Luther had taken it all away.
She let her mind drift to Diavolos. How could someone like him be the son of a man like Luther? Kenna hadn’t intended for it to happen, but she knew she’d fallen in love with him. She’d known right from the start, but saying it out loud to him had yet to feel like an option. There was too much at stake, too much to lose. In moments of doubt, Kenna had often wondered if Diavolos was who he said he was, who she knew him to be, or if she was only seeing what she wanted to. Was she ignoring his family loyalty? Was she stupid to think he’d ever really choose her over them? Kenna shook her head. She didn’t want to have these thoughts in her head before the biggest battle of her life. She didn’t want to worry about what might happen to Diavolos. Kenna knew she had to stay focused, and yet she couldn’t completely pull her heart away from her mind.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at the party?”
Kenna looked down from the stars at the sound of the familiar voice. “I just needed a break,” she said, gesturing for Diavolos to sit beside her on the bench. “What are you doing out here?”
He hesitated.
“If I’m honest, I’m looking for you,” Diavolos said. When Kenna didn’t say anything, he continued. “That, and I can’t handle Val challenging me to another tankard of Skullcracker. I don’t know where she puts it all.”
Kenna smiled briefly, the corners of her mouth falling as fast as they’d risen.
“Is everything okay?” Diavolos asked. He reached over and brushed his knuckles against the back of her hand and her fingers instinctively turned over to entwine with his. She looked at their hands, so comfortable and connected. Would this be the last time she’d hold his hand? Would his hands end up being her own undoing?
“Yes,” she lied. “I’m just thinking about tomorrow . . . it kind of feels like our last night on earth, you know?”
“Don’t say that.” His voice was darker and gruffer than she’d expected, causing her to turn to look at his face, shadowed by darkness in the courtyard.
“Diavolos . . .”
“No,” he said, cutting her off. “You can’t think like that. You have to go into tomorrow with a determination to survive. Think about everyone who is counting on you.”
Kenna narrowed her eyes. “Yes, Diavolos, I know. I’m not exactly planning on dying tomorrow. I’d rather this battle turned out in our favor.” She started to release his hand but he tightened his grip on her.
“I’m sorry, I know,” he said. “That came out wrong. What I meant was . . .” He swallowed. “I need you to survive. I know my focus should be on defeating Azura–and it is–but I care even more about keeping you safe tomorrow.”
Kenna felt her heart quicken.
“This fight against Azura is more important than just me,” Kenna said. “It’s about safeguarding our homes from a lightning witch who would destroy us, it’s about–”
“Kena, stop,” Diavolos interjected. “I know all this. You’re not listening to me.” He paused. “Kenna Rys, I’m in love with you. I have been since that night in the garden . . . this garden . . . before everything happened with this war, between our families . . . all of it.”
Kenna reached up her free hand and traced the line of his jaw with her fingertips, feeling the rough stubble on his cheek. What would be the harm in admitting it? Why not tell him how she felt at least once? If this really was her last night on earth, then she knew how she wanted to spend it.
“I love you, too,” she said quietly.
The moonlight caught a flash of his smile before he leaned closer to her, his lips just barely touching hers. Diavolos kissed her gently, his lips trailing from her mouth to her ear as he pulled her body closer to his. When he spoke again, his voice was low and his breath was warm on her neck.
“I will never love anyone the way I love you,” he whispered.
Kenna turned Diavolos’s face to hers and their mouths crashed together, warm and yearning in the cool darkness. She felt his hands tighten around her waist and she pressed herself against him, feeling the firmness of his muscles beneath his tunic.
“Kenna . . .” he whispered against her lips. Kenna shifted until she was straddling him on the stone bench, one knee on either side of his hips. She lowered down and ground her hips against his, feeling his growing hardness through their pants. He groaned, burying his face in her neck.
“I want you,” Diavolos said, his teeth scraping against her soft flesh. “Right here, right now.”
“Then take me,” she said, her voice heavy with her breath. But he shook his head no, surprising her. Kenna pulled back and looked at him questioningly as Diavolos cupped her face in his hands, brushing back the hair from his face.
“Not here, not like this,” he said. He grinned mischievously and leaned closer until his lips were almost touching hers. “I plan on taking my time with you.”
Kenna raised a bemused eyebrow at him but she climbed off of him and stood, straightening her clothes. Diavolos got to his feet and took her hand in his. Kenna noted for what felt like the thousandth time how contradictory his hands were to her. His palms were rough, calloused from years of wielding weapons, and yet in her hands his touch was gentle. Logically, Kenna understood this, but on another level, it seemed so counterintuitive. How could his hands be so dangerous and so cautious? How could he be a Nevrakis as well as her lover? Kenna blinked and shook her head as she allowed Diavolos to lead her into the castle and through the halls. For once, she didn’t want her head to interfere with her heart. For once, she wanted to trust that their love was more powerful than families or circumstance.
Diavolos glanced over at her as they walked and when his eyes met hers, he smiled. Kenna felt the familiar flip of her stomach when she looked at him and she wondered if that feeling would ever go away. She hoped to the gods it never would.
They paused outside Diavolos’s chambers as he reached for the door.
“I thought we were headed to my room,” Kenna said. Diavolos turned to her and kissed her deeply in reply, pushing her back up against the stone wall. She let herself go in his kiss, losing herself in the feeling of his body pressed against hers.
“Mine’s much closer,” he murmured. When he pulled back from the kiss, Kenna saw his eyes were dark with desire. Heat pooled in her abdomen as he pushed open the door and pulled her to him, slamming it behind them.
The fireplace in Diavolos’s room had been lit by one of the servants, casting a warm glow over the room. Diavolos took a step back from her and regarded her for a moment as the firelight flickered over them.
“Take it off,” he said, his voice low. Kenna felt a thrill run down her spine; she always loved the way he took charge. She slowly removed her tunic, pulling it up and over her head. Her long, loose hair fell down over her shoulder and she dropped the shirt to the floor. Kenna slowly ran her hands down her body, gently caressing her breasts and urging her nipples into hard peaks. She nearly missed it, but she heard Diavolos inhale sharply as he watched her. Kenna smiled to herself and let her hands drift down over her stomach until they reached the ties on her pants. She pulled the strings slowly, taking her time until finally she could slide her pants down over her hips. Her pants fell to the floor around her ankles and Kenna stepped out of them before kicking them away. Kenna stood naked before him and took a step closer to Diavolos. He reached for her, tracing the tips of his fingers up over her hips and across her bare skin. Kenna tugged at his tunic, pulling it off and tossing it away. He pulled her to him again and kissed her as Kenna slid her hand down over the front of his pants. She gently squeezed his erection through the fabric and he groaned slightly, pushing his hips towards her hand.
“Are you sure you want to take your time?” she teased.
Diavolos suddenly stepped forward, pressing her back against the wall of his chambers as he captured her hands in his, pinning them above her head.
“Yes,” he said with a grin. “I’m sure.”
Diavolos slowly traced his fingers down from her wrists, across her forearms and down to her shoulders. He kissed her deeply before his mouth edged away from hers, making his way down her body. He paused at each of her breasts in turn, swirling his tongue around each nipple, encouraged by each of her satisfied sighs. Diavolos’s lips made their way back up to her neck as his hand slid lower, urging her legs apart. Kenna complied and she sucked in a breath as he ran his fingers along her lips.
“Gods, Kenna,” Diavolos groaned as he felt the wetness between her legs. He gently inserted a finger between her folds, easily slipping inside her. He added a second finger as Kenna dropped her hands from the wall and clung to his shoulders. Diavolos moved his hand slowly, taking his time as he slid his fingers in and out of her. He pressed his thumb to her clit and Kenna moaned softly, her nails digging into his broad shoulders. She pushed her hips towards him, trying to make him go faster, but Diavolos held her hips to the wall with his free hand.
“Patience,” he whispered in her ear. Kenna whined softly in protest, but did as he wanted. Diavolos continued to pump his fingers in an out of her, a little faster now, as he knelt in front of her. He looked up and saw her watching him, her eyes heavy lidded. He stared at her with unbreaking eye contact as he removed his slick fingers and put them in his mouth, sucking the taste of her off of them. Gods, he loved the way she tasted.
Kenna watched as he lifted one of her legs and set it on his shoulder, kissing his way closer and closer up her thigh. Without warning, he plunged his tongue into her, making her cry out. Kenna knotted her fingers in his hair as he lapped at her, pinning her in place against the wall. It wouldn’t be long, she’d already been close, and soon Kenna felt the climax pound through her. With her hips pushed against the wall, her back rose off the stones and for a moment she thought that if Diavolos weren’t holding her in place, she would certainly have collapsed.
She was still trying to regain her breath Diavolos stood up in front of her, wiping off his chin. Kenna grabbed for him and pulled him close, tasting herself on his mouth as she yanked at the ties on his pants.
“What happened to taking our time?” Diavolos asked as he raised an eyebrow at her.
“That was your plan,” she said as she freed his cock from his pants and wrapped her leg around his waist. “I have a better one.” She helped to guide him in and her breath caught as he pushed inside. Kenna felt his hands underneath her as he picked her up and she wrapped her other leg around him. He thrust into her and Kenna was so sensitive that she could already feel another climax rising within her with each stroke.
“Diavolos . . .” she gasped.
“Come for me, Kenna,” he said gruffly as he kept pace, driving harder into her. That was all she needed and she came again, her voice loud in the small chambers as the sound filling all the spaces between them.
She had barely begun to recede from the apex when Diavlos suddenly pulled her away from the wall and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently before climbing on top of her. Diavolos paused for a moment, looking at the way her hair fanned out on the quilt beneath her like a halo.
“What?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”
Diavolos smiled and shook his head as he re-entered her, relishing the way she shut her eyes in pleasure as he did so. “No,” he said as he lowered himself down to kiss her. “You are just so goddamn beautiful, I can’t believe you’re mine.”
“I’ve always been yours,” she said, her breath catching with each push. Kenna wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper. She could feel his thrusts getting faster, less measured. He was close. So was she.
“Say that again,” he groaned, his face buried in her neck.
“I’m yours,” she said, gripping his hips and urging him deeper, harder. “I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m–”
Her words disappeared in wordless pleasure and she felt him spill inside her in his own release. They lay there for a moment, both breathing hard, before Diavolos picked up his head and kissed her tenderly. He rolled off of her and lay beside her on the bed, pulling her body close to his.
“I love you, Kenna,” he said.
“I love you, too, Diavolos.”
Kenna nestled against him as he traced lazy circles across her back. There beside him in the glow of the firelight, Kenna had never felt so safe.
________________________________________
Kenna awoke with a start. “What time is it?”
“You’ve only been asleep for about half an hour.”
Kenna looked over at him, expecting to see Diavolos looking at her, but instead he was staring at the ceiling. “Are you okay?”
He started to speak, but hesitated.
“I have to tell you something,” he said finally.
“Okay,” Kenna said cautiously as she rolled onto her side to look at him. “What is it?”
Diavolos was quiet for a long time before he finally spoke again. “My father is planning to kill you.”
Kenna laughed with relief. “Is that it? Because your father is always planning to kill me, that’s not exactly new.”
“No, Kenna, you don’t understand,” Diavolos said as he sat up on the bed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Regardless of the outcome with Azura, my father is going to kill you. And . . . and he expects me to help him.”
Kenna lay still for a moment as she considered his words before she sat up slowly.
“How long has he been planning this?” she asked. He said nothing. “Diavolos. How long has he been planning this?” Diavolos refused to meet her gaze and suddenly she understood. “I see. This was the plan all along.”
“No, Kenna–”
“So what was this then?” Kenna asked, her voice rising as she gestured between them. “One last fuck before you led me to slaughter?”
“Dammit, Kenna, it’s not like that!” Diavolos exclaimed, finally looking at her for the first time.
“Isn’t it though?” Kenna asked as she climbed off the bed and headed towards the wall. She could feel the hurt, angry tears pricking at her eyes. “You’re a Nevrakis, aren’t you? I bet he promised you Stormholt if you did it.”
“Kenna–” Diavolos started to protest but he stopped when he saw what she’d retrieved: his dagger. He stood up slowly and she walked over to him, holding out the handle to him.
“Here,” she said. “Take it. Do your father proud.”
“Stop it.”
“Here, I’ll help,” Kenna said, positioning the tip of the blade against her throat. Diavolos stared at her, naked before him with her hair wild and her eyes fierce and defiant. She had never before looked as much like the warrior queen as she did in that moment.
“I was never going to go through with it, but I had to tell you . . . I couldn’t keep this secret from you,” Diavolos said.
“I don’t believe you.” An angry, frustrated tear spilled from her eye but her voice was steady.
Diavolos reached up to take the blade from her but Kenna didn’t fully release the handle. Instead she pushed it slightly closer, just enough to draw a pinprick of blood. The drop of red on her throat both terrified and sickened him and Diavolos wrenched the blade back and away from her before throwing it across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Kenna, listen to me,” Diavolos said. “I meant what I said; I couldn’t leave this secret between us. I thought I could deal with my father myself, but you are so much stronger than I am. In the event that I don’t survive the battle with Azura and can’t defend you against my father, I needed you to know so you could be prepared.”
Kenna glared at him but after a moment her gaze softened. “You should’ve told me sooner.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Diavolos tentatively reached for her hands and was relieved when she didn’t pull away. He leaned in and gently kissed the drop of blood at her throat before he covered it with his thumb and pulled her close. She relaxed against him and he held her tightly.
“Kenna, I can’t live without you,” he said. “I meant what I said earlier. I need you to survive tomorrow and my only concern is keeping you safe–from whatever enemies you face. That’s why I told you about my father; you need to be prepared.”
“How can I trust you mean what you say?” Kenna asked. She hated that all the old doubts were still there. Had she really thought she could push them all away so easily?
“Because I’m yours.” Diavolos knelt on both knees before her and took her hands in his. “I swear to you that I’m yours, body and soul. I would sacrifice my family, my life, my whole world for even one more moment with you. I’m sorry I waited for so long to tell you the truth, but I thought I could take care of this myself. Then, tonight, I realized I couldn’t keep this from you. No matter what, I will be by your side.”
Kenna knelt down in front of him and took his face in her hands. “You can’t just turn away from your family like that.”
“I’m not,” he said. “You’re the one I choose. No matter what happens, I am with you. I’m yours.”
Kenna embraced him and lay her head against his chest. His heart beat against her ear, a steady metronome to confirm his words. I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours. Kenna felt Diavolos kiss the top of her head and she felt the last shred of doubt finally fade away. Diavolos belonged to her, really belonged to her, and she knew her heart played a similar rhythm in her own chest. I’m his, I’m his, I’m his, I’m his.
