Summary: Kenna reunites with Raydan after his return to Stormholt.
Author’s note: This was written for Round 30 of #ChoicesCreates: Reunited. It takes place during Book 3, Chapter 12 of The Crown & the Flame, and portions of the dialogue are taken from the chapter.
Kenna sat in Raydan’s room, waiting for the healer to finish examining him. She was terrified that she was going to lose him. She’d already lost her mother, Gabriel, and Leon; she couldn’t lose Raydan too.
She kept replaying the night’s earlier events in her mind. It was all so overwhelming. When she found Raydan in her bedroom, she had thought he was there to kill her, and she held a knife to his throat. His betrayal had hurt her so much. She wondered if she had ever really known him. Was he just pretending, telling her what she wanted to hear?
When he claimed that he was there to warn her that Azura’s assassins were on their way, she had asked him to give her a reason that she should ever trust him again. That’s when he had said the words that melted her heart. “Because I love you.” “I love you, Kenna, and you alone.” Then the assassins arrived. Although she was able to eliminate the assassins, Raydan was wounded, and he collapsed. What if he didn’t make it? The thought was unbearable.
The healer turned away from Raydan and faced Kenna. “He’s going to be fine. His injuries are not that serious. He collapsed because of exhaustion.”
Kenna breathed a sigh of relief. She remained in Raydan’s room, watching him as he slept. It felt so good to have him back at Stormholt. They still had so much to talk about, but that would have to wait. He needed his rest.
As Zenobia stood in the doorway, Kenna slammed the door shut. Raydan’s interrogation had gone well, and he had been welcomed back. Kenna would talk to Zenobia soon, but first she needed some time alone with Raydan.
Kenna climbed onto Raydan’s bed and straddled him. He helped her undress, then sat up and pulled her hair back. He whispered in her ear: “Now I show you what I thought about the whole time I was gone.” He pulled her close and began kissing her neck. They pressed their bodies together with a sense of urgency, and soon they were as one.
Afterward she lay in his arms. “I missed you so much. It was so hard on me when you were gone. It made me sick to think that you had betrayed me.”
Raydan reached over and stroked her cheek. “No matter how it looked, I was always loyal to you. I’ve loved you for so long. Now you know the reasons for my actions.”
Kenna lowered her eyes. “Well…yes and no.”
Raydan frowned. “You still don’t believe me? What can I do to convince you?”
“It’s not that. I believe you. I probably should have known all along. You’re a spymaster, after all. I should have realized that you were just doing your job.”
“If it’s not that, than what is it?” Raydan looked at her with concern.
Kenna took a deep breath. “I thought your feelings for me had changed. Things haven’t been the same since our night together in the command tent. When I woke up, you were gone. Ever since then, you’ve been distant. You didn’t flirt with me any more. It was as if nothing had ever happened between us.”
“Oh, Kenna. Nothing could be further from the truth.” He kissed her, then pulled back and continued. “I…I was scared. You’re a queen, and I’m about as low-born as you can get. I grew up on the street. If you only knew some of the things I’ve done…I knew I would never be good enough for you. We couldn’t have a future together.”
“I don’t care that you’re not of noble birth. My mother wasn’t either. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about our first night together. It was incredible.” She grinned. “I’ve never been so turned on in my entire life.”
He smirked, then moved closer and kissed her again. Kenna held him tightly.
Shortly afterward, Kenna got dressed. She still had to talk to Zenobia, and then give a speech to the Abanthus troops.
“One last kiss?” Raydan asked.
Kenna shook her head. “No.” She bent down and kissed him deeply. “Not one. And not the last.”