Heir to a Fallen Star

Chapter 18

"Keep her close behind me," he calls back over his shoulder, his moss-green eyes scanning the treeline ahead. "Watch your footing on the loose pine needles."

With a gentle nudge of your heels, Marigold steps forward, leaving the open, sun-drenched field behind. The moment the dense canopy of the ancient pine trees swallows you both, the temperature plummets, the air turning crisp and smelling sharply of damp earth and evergreen resin. The golden morning light breaks through the thick branches in jagged, pale beams, illuminating the narrow, rocky trail as you begin your steep climb into the unknown.

The hours bleed together in a blur of steady, exhausting climbing. The narrow trail weaves relentlessly upward through the dense pines, the ground giving way to jagged rocks and slick, frozen patches of mud. As the afternoon wanes, the vibrant blue sky begins to bruise into deep shades of violet and burnt orange. The sun sinks behind the towering jagged peaks, casting massive, freezing shadows over the mountain face, and the temperature plummets instantly, turning your breath into thick puffs of white mist.

Beneath you, Marigold’s steady rhythm begins to falter. Her steps grow heavier, her head low, and she lets out a long, shuddering sigh against the biting cold.

Your own muscles are aching, your fingers stiff inside your riding gloves. Realizing your brave mare is reaching her limit, you pull back slightly on the reins and call out into the crisp, quiet air.

"Kaelen! I think we should consider stopping for the night. Marigold is getting tired, and the cold is setting in fast."

Up ahead, the massive black stallion halts instantly. Kaelen turns in his saddle, his face partially obscured by the high collar of his dark traveling cloak, his moss-green eyes immediately scanning you and your mount. He takes in the slight tremble in the mare's legs and nods, his expression turning serious as he looks at the darkening ridge above.

"You're right," he calls back, his voice rough from the cold air. "The horses won't make the next ridge in this frost, and the light is dying too fast to risk the loose shale."

He guides his stallion a few yards further, rounding a massive jutting shoulder of granite, before looking back at you with a wave of relief on his face. "Luck is on our side, Red. There’s a deep rock shelf right here—it'll block the wind and keep us hidden from the trail. Let's get them unsaddled."

Working quickly against the encroaching frost, you and Kaelen tend to the animals first. You lift the heavy leather saddles from their sweaty backs, rubbing them down briskly before draping thick, woven wool blankets over their frames to protect them from the biting wind. After ensuring both Marigold and the stallion have a generous pile of feed and a bucket of water hauled from a nearby frozen runoff, you finally turn your attention to your own survival.

Kaelen expertly sparks a small, heavily shielded fire against the granite wall of the rock shelf, keeping the flames low to avoid casting too much light up the mountain.

As he begins unrolling the heavy canvas travel mats, you stand nearby, unbuttoning your heavy cloak. You look down at the ground, watching him lay out two distinct sleeping setups side-by-side.

"I see there are two bedrolls," you say, your voice perfectly nonchalant, though a familiar, wicked spark dances in your grey eyes as you look up to catch his reaction. "But I'm quite sure you insisted on sharing one."

Kaelen stops dead in his tracks, a thick wool blanket half-unfurled in his hands. He slowly raises his head, the flickering amber light of the campfire catching the sudden, intense grin that completely takes over his face. His moss-green eyes flare with a mixture of disbelief and immediate, predatory warmth.

"Oh, is that how you remember it, Red?" he murmurs, his gravelly voice dropping into that low, dangerous register that sends a pleasant shiver right down your spine.

He tosses the blanket aside and stands up to his full height, dusting his hands off on his trousers as he takes a deliberate step toward you. The freezing mountain air between you instantly evaporates.

"Because if I recall correctly," he says, stepping right into your space until his chest is nearly brushing yours, his breath a warm, ghosting cloud against your lips, "you told me it was only fair on the horses to ride separate. You didn't say a single word about being sensible once we made camp."

He reaches out, his large, warm hands sliding under your cloak to grip your waist, pulling you flush against him. The sheer heat radiating from his body is the perfect shield against the mountain chill. He leans down, his eyes locked onto yours with absolute, fierce devotion.

"I am a man of my word, Iris. And I believe I have a rain check to collect."

I look up at him, with full innocence, batting my eyelashes shivering from not only the cold but pure anticipation "body heat is also a survival tactic, we rode separately for the horses sake but you’re right, I said nothing about separate bed rolls"

Kaelen lets out a low, rough growl at the utter innocence in your eyes, though the breathless laugh that follows betrays just how completely undone he is by your teasing. His grip on your waist tightens, pulling you so close that the chill of the mountain air completely vanishes between you.

"Body heat, huh?" he murmurs, his moss-green eyes darkening as he looks down at your batting eyelashes. "Always the practical apothecary. You really have an excuse for everything, don't you, Red?"

He doesn't wait for an answer. Before the shivering can take hold of you again, Kaelen sweeps you up into his arms, lifting you effortlessly as he takes the two strides over to the combined nest of blankets. He settles you down onto the thick canvas mat and immediately slides in right beside you, pulling the heavy, fur-lined travel blankets up over both of your shoulders to lock in the warmth.

The moment his broad frame is pressed against your back, the sheer heat radiating from him envelops you like a furnace. His long legs tangle with yours beneath the heavy wool, and his strong arms wrap securely around your waist, pulling your back flush against his chest.

He leans down, burying his face in the crook of your neck, just beside your neat braid. His lips brush against your cold skin, leaving a trail of intense, tingling warmth.

"Is this sufficient for your survival tactics, Iris?" he whispers, his gravelly voice vibrating right against your spine. He squeezes you tighter, his fingers intertwining with yours over your stomach. "Because if you're still cold... I can think of a few ways to get our blood pumping."

Your eyes widen in the dim firelight, a sudden, fierce heat rushing all the way to your cheeks. For all your bold, nonchalant teasing over the molasses bread and the horses, his blunt, gravelly counter-attack completely strips away your defences.

You open your mouth to fire back a witty retort, but your mind goes entirely blank. No clever apothecary logic comes to save you. He finally has you completely, utterly stumped.

A tiny, sheepish squeak is the only sound that manages to escape your throat. You quickly look down, biting your lower lip as a furious blush burns across your face.

Behind you, Kaelen freezes for a fraction of a second, realizing the sudden silence means his bold words actually worked. Then, a chest-rumbling, triumphant laugh vibrates right against your back. He buries his face deeper into the crook of your neck, his shoulders shaking with pure delight as he relishes his rare victory.

"Oh, wow," he chuckles, his voice thick with absolute smugness as he squeezes your waist tightly. "Did I actually do it? Is the great Iris completely speechless?"

He shifts slightly, pressing a warm, lingering kiss to the sensitive skin just below your ear, sending a whole new wave of electricity through you.

"I'm going to treasure this moment forever," he teases softly, his thumb gently caressing your hip through the blankets. He pulls you even closer, tucking his chin over your shoulder so he can see your burning profile. "Don't hide, Red. You look beautiful when you're flustered."

You bury your face entirely into your hands, the thick wool of your gloves doing nothing to cool the raging fire in your cheeks. You wish the granite floor of the mountain would just open up and swallow you whole.

How are you supposed to tell him?

The truth is a heavy, sudden weight in your chest. For all your sharp wit and playful flirting, it’s all been a mask—a defence mechanism of bold words and confident smirks. The terrifying, vulnerable reality is that you don't have a single clue what you're doing. You’ve never been with another man. You’ve never experienced the consuming, intense heat of intimacy, and your lost memories leave you completely blank on how to navigate the overwhelming feelings racing through your veins.

Behind you, Kaelen’s triumphant laughter slowly tapers off. The absolute stillness of your posture and the slight tremble in your shoulders change the atmosphere in an instant. The smugness drains from him, replaced by a quiet, intuitive concern.

He shifts, his broad frame moving carefully so he doesn't startle you. He pulls his arms from your waist and gently catches your wrists, his large, calloused hands warm and steady as he coaxingly coaxes your fingers away from your face.

"Iris?" he murmurs, his gravelly voice dropping all the teasing edge, leaving only a soft, grounded earnestness. He uses his thumb to gently tilt your chin up so you're forced to look at him in the flickering amber light of the fire.

He takes in your wide, vulnerable grey eyes and the deep flush on your face, and understanding breaks over his features. There’s no judgment in his gaze—only an ocean of fierce, protective tenderness.

"Hey," he whispers softly, his thumb tracing your jawline with a reverence that makes your breath catch. "Talk to me, Red. What's going on in that brilliant head of yours?"

Your breath hitches, and you look down, unable to hold his gaze.

"I..." You swallow hard, your voice barely a whisper against the crackle of the fire. "I might be all words, Kaelen, but... I don't actually have a clue what I'm doing." You force yourself to look back up at him, your piercing grey eyes wide and completely stripped of their usual Armor. "I've never been with anyone before. I've never experienced this, and... I'm terrified I'm going to mess it up."

Kaelen’s expression softens so completely it feels like a physical shift in the air. The fierce, roguish warrior vanishes, leaving only the man who would tear the world apart just to keep you safe.

He lets out a low, breathy exhale, a small, incredibly tender smile touching his lips. He doesn't laugh. He doesn't tease. Instead, he reaches up, gently brushing a stray strand of hair away from your face, his large hand lingering to cup your cheek. Your piercing grey eyes reflect the amber glow of the fire, looking like storm clouds caught in a sunset.

"Iris," he murmurs, his voice dropping into a velvety, deeply reassuring register. "Look at me."

You meet his moss-green eyes, finding nothing but absolute devotion and an endless well of patience stretching across them.

"You think I care about that?" he asks softly, his thumb tracing your cheekbone. "There is no 'messing up' with me. We go at your pace, Red. Always. If all we ever do is lie here like this, with you safe in my arms against the cold... it will still be the best damn night of my life."

He leans down, pressing a slow, remarkably gentle kiss to your forehead, letting his lips linger there for a long moment while the tension slowly drains from your shoulders.

"You don't have to perform for me, and you don't have to pretend," he whispers against your skin, his strong arms wrapping securely around you once more, pulling your back flush against his chest. "Just breathe. I've got you."

A soft, genuine smile finally breaks through your nerves, a wave of profound appreciation and care washing over you. The heavy tension in your shoulders completely melts away under the steady, protective weight of his embrace.

"I love the teasing and banter, and you drive me absolutely crazy," you admit softly, a little hint of your usual spark returning to your piercing grey eyes as you look up at him. "I just... I need time."

Kaelen’s eyes soften even further, if that’s even possible. He lets out a low, content sound in the back of his throat, his chest expanding against your back as he takes a deep, relaxed breath.

"Time is the one thing I have an endless supply of for you, Red," he whispers, his lips brushing the crown of your head. He tightens his arms around your waist, pulling you securely into the furnace of his body heat, completely sealing out the biting mountain wind.

"Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere."

He adjusts the heavy, fur-lined blankets around your shoulders, tucking you in until you're completely safe from the frost. The crackle of the low campfire and the steady, rhythmic heartbeat against your back form a soothing lullaby.

"Now close those beautiful grey eyes and get some sleep," Kaelen murmurs, his voice a gravelly, comforting rumble in the dark. "I'll keep watch tonight. You just rest."

Your piercing grey eyes snap open, and you shift your head to look back at him with an utterly unimpressed, flat expression that completely shatters the tender, romantic atmosphere.

"Absolutely not," you say, your voice firm and leaving zero room for argument. "You're staying right here with me."

Kaelen blinks, completely caught off guard by the sudden shift from vulnerable apothecary to commanding general. He stares at you for a second, his mouth opening slightly before a helpless, amused grin cracks across his face.

"Iris, someone needs to keep an eye on the trail—"

"The horses will wake us if anything comes up the ridge, and you're freezing," you interrupt flatly, shifting under the blankets to wedge yourself even closer against his broad chest, effectively pinning him in place. "You just spent the last ten minutes lecture-saving me with 'body heat survival tactics,' Mr. Pointy. You don't get to freeze on a rock outside out of some ridiculous sense of chivalry. Stay. Put."

Kaelen lets out a low, defeated chuckle that vibrates deeply against your spine. He wraps his strong arms back around your waist, burying his face into the crook of your neck with a sigh of pure, content surrender.

"Yes, ma'am," he murmurs against your skin, his voice thick with a mix of exhaustion and absolute adoration. "I'm staying. Right here."