Private Tales Half Burned in Flames

[Eira]

Eira did not dare move her face from his, relishing in this moment. It was intimate, reminding her of the first time she had been this close to his lips before kissing him and making her affections known. But this moment was more that that. He had been so against this from the start, but to hear him speak so freely, to give voice of how much he wanted her despite what kept her from leaving the life she had fought tooth and nail for.

"If it all falls apart, I will come back to you. Here. Make a home here with you..." As long she never lost him, Eira could bear the loss of her earned title of becoming the next leader to her house. "I cannot think of how my life will be if I do not have you and your loyalty..."

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, so hard it was a moment away from breaking skin. The Malennis Heir released it with a shaky sigh.

"Perhaps a Moon Dragon could tear apart my usurper." She grinned, and once the giggles left her lips, Eira could not stop. How hard it was to resist that taste of happiness, of laughter, when he had been the one to bring much more out from her in the past day already. "Gods, that sounds so awful after what I made you witness yesterday..." But the darkness of such humour did not die on her face.

 

[Cullen]

Cullen chuckled softly, his lips quirking into a wry smile. “I… suppose I’ll try not to get my hopes up,” he murmured, though his tone betrayed the quiet ache he tried to hide. His laugh, faint and low, mingled with hers—a sound he knew he’d cling to, no matter where their paths led.

As her laughter softened, his smile faltered slightly, the humour giving way to something deeper. She’d cracked him open in ways he hadn’t thought possible. For so long, he had kept his walls high, his heart guarded, his trust reserved for a precious few. But Eira—stubborn, sharp, and dazzling—had stepped into his life and shattered all those defenses. She’d wrapped herself around his heart, leaving it hers to hold, to protect, or to break.

He let out a quiet breath, his expression softening as he looked at her. “You’ve got a knack for keeping me on my toes, you know that?” His words were light, teasing, though they couldn’t mask the depth beneath them. “One moment, you’re ready to lead your house, safeguard your dragons, and the next… you’re talking about unleashing one on an usurper.”

His lips curved again, warm and unguarded. “I can’t decide if I should worry or admire how dangerous you are.” He lifted a hand, his fingers brushing gently along her cheek, his thumb pausing near the corner of her lips as if to soothe the worry she often carried there. His touch lingered, as did the pause before he spoke again.

“I didn’t realise how lonely I’d been,” he admitted, his voice quiet but steady, “not until you walked into my life. You’ve brought something with you that I didn’t even know I was missing. Something I’m not sure I could give up now.”

The intensity of his gaze matched the words he hadn’t said aloud—words that lingered in the weight of his touch and the unwavering way he looked at her.

 

[Eira]

"And I never realised I was lonely surrounded by my world, until I saw you at the Merchant's Corner. You tried to leave, but... I was glad I did not give up on you."

She had asked for an alliance, had offered him protection.

Eira looked into his eyes, sought the affection and uncovered emotion swimming there for her to witness. It drew her in, as if there could be any less distance between them as Eira lifted herself onto her toes to stand nearer to him. "I have never wanted anyone as much as I need you in my life, Cullen."

A walk forgotten, the promise of rain darkening the skies, but Eira was sure in what her heart wanted. Out here, it was safe to be so open about it, a chance for her chest to open up and allow her lungs to breath fairer than she had in the home surrounded by malice and greed. Here, she had a man that was her compliment, her shelter, a home she could feel warmth in.

"I promise you, I will find a way to be here with you. I want nothing more than to leave Thanasis, to be rid of all that a Malennis means in this world..."

And Eira had lived her life as someone that always made good on promises, on coming through with her word.

She mistook the bitter taste on her tongue to be a product of not drinking a herbal tea, had ignored it as she pulled Cullen towards her as she backed away to lean against the mossy facade of a rock. Eira tasted the breath at his lips as she guided his head to her own, and forgot the taste of her promise as her lips met his.

 

[Cullen]

Cullen’s breath hitched at her words, the gravity of her confession striking him with a force he hadn’t anticipated. He saw it in her eyes—the unwavering sincerity, the determination woven into her every syllable. It was enough to stir something raw and untamed. For a man who had spent so much of his life guarded, the vulnerability she offered was a gift he hadn’t known how much he needed.

When she pulled him toward her, backing into the mossy stone, his hands found her waist as if by instinct, steadying her and grounding himself. Everything else faded into the periphery. There was only Eira, her touch, her warmth, the fiery conviction in her voice that he’d come to admire so much.

“You have no idea what it means to hear you say that,” he murmured against her lips, his voice barely more than a breath. His forehead rested gently against hers for a moment, his thumb brushing along her waist.
His lips hovered near hers, the heat between them an unspoken promise. “I've never been much of a believer in a future” He let out a shaky laugh, soft but full of feeling. "Never thought much about it.. You.. Make me think about it." he frowned.

The distance between them evaporated as he kissed her, a mix of tenderness and hunger in the way his lips claimed hers. He let himself get lost in the moment, in her, the taste of her promises and the weight of the world falling away. One hand curled around the back of her neck, anchoring her to him, while the other remained firm on her waist, as if letting her go might shatter the fragile perfection of this moment.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes searched hers, the storm brewing overhead mirrored in their intensity. He growled quietly. "How am I supposed to let you off of this mountain when I'm already failing so miserably to keep my hands off of you?"

 

[Eira]

"Well..." Eira's hands lifted to his shoulders, squeezing there softly as she gaze dropped down to his chest. Even with the little distance, she could feel him still against her. "Maybe you should take your chances now." Her hands, slowly drifting down his chest and pulled at the fabric of his shirt. Her eyes, lit with something smoldering in the embers of passion, lifted to his own expressive eyes.

"There is no one here to stop you, and I am in no position to want to stop you..."

Her hands clutched at his shirt, using that hold to pull him closer again in a light tug. There was a burn for him, something destructive or... or a flame asking for air to grow. So quickly and fortunately they have found each other, had learned of the loneliness each had suffered, and trusted one another.

She had trusted him ever since she saw he had followed her to that field, had ensured she was not alone.

"We can pretend for a while, you and I... that his mountain is all we have. There is no Thanasis, no duty, no war within my house... I am here... I am yours..." Eira used the stability of rock and moss behind her to jump up and wrap her legs around his hips, had used the momentum to catch him in another kiss. She liked kissing him, liked how soft they were and how they moved against her own motions. How he tasted on her tongue as she took more and more from him to fuel her fire.

Her lips went to his cheek. "Do not." Grazed her teeth against the shell of his ear. "Let..." Her kisses trailed down the side of his neck, paying careful attention to that spot she had discovered was a soft spot. "Me go..."

 

[Cullen]

Cullen’s pulse quickened at the intensity in her gaze, the heat of her touch sending a jolt of desire through him. The way she spoke, the way she pulled him closer —it ignited something fierce inside him. The world beyond them, with all its complications and demands, felt distant, like an echo on the wind.

When her legs wrapped around his hips and her lips claimed his once more, he responded instinctively, his arms tightening around her, pressing her closer to him. The feel of her, the way she moved against him, was like a siren’s call, drawing him in deeper. Her kiss was fire and sweetness, and it made him forget everything—except her. He lost himself in the taste of her, the way her body fit against his, the heat that surged between them.

Her words came like a whisper against his skin, as her kisses trailed from his lips to his neck, each one a spark to a growing fire inside him. He groaned softly at the feel of her teeth grazing his ear and then the gentle exploration of his neck. That spot, where he was most vulnerable—she knew it well. It was as if she had found the secret to unravel him. His breath hitched, the intensity of his emotions overwhelming.

“I've got you,” he whispered, his voice low, thick with the rawness of his desire.

He let her lead the way, the gentle pull of her hands on his shirt, her legs tight around him, all serving to draw him further into this dangerous, beautiful thing they had built together.

As he pulled her even closer, his hands gripped her thighs, his body pinning her to the cliff face.He nipped at her lower lip, his chest tight with longing.

The scene between them blurred into an intense, intimate silence. The sky above them, dark and foreboding, became an afterthought as they became lost in each other, the world outside completely forgotten.

The rocks, their only shelter, formed a natural boundary, enclosing them in this stolen moment. Eira’s hands traced his muscles, the fabric of their clothing a fleeting barrier soon discarded. Cullen’s lips found the curve of her neck again, where the pulse of her heartbeat quickened under his touch, while her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging him closer.

They moved in a rhythm, driven by something primal, something that bound them more tightly than any words or promises ever could. The moment was theirs—quiet, powerful, raw. There was no judgment here, no expectation, just the heat of their bodies pressed together and the silent communication of what they needed from one another.

And when finally, everything came to a slow, heated stop, they clung to each other, breathless, their hearts beating in unison. The rain finally began to fall, soft at first, as if the sky itself was offering them its blessing, and for a moment, all was still.

 

[Eira]

Rain droplets splashed at her forehead, leaving smaller drops to cling to her dark lashes as she gazed at Cullen. There was an overwhelm, a swelling of emotion and attachment that she had never felt before. Her father had fallen in love twice in his life, and Eira never knew how he could manage such a thing.

Because she knew she felt it only for one in this moment.

"What were they like... your family?" She whispered this, her expression soft and looking up at him as if he was the most wondrous thing in the world. "Will you tell me?"

It did not feel too fast, not to Eira. She saw this as their chance to no longer feel lonely, to build a relationship and friendship that was to be cherished forever. That was what she had hoped for, to have the same love all her life. She wanted Cullen, oh so much, and the heir to a noble house knew she would fight tooth and nail to make things right so that she could have him without fault.

Her eyes began to trace such Marks.

A hand lifted to cup his cheek, fingers lightly tracing them. "How poetic that they Marked you like this so that others recognised you and were free to ridicule you... but Cullen... You could turn this against them in the most devastating way possible. They Marked you so eyes are always on you... but you could so easily command their attention..." They were part of him now, and the way they framed his face, added an edge to his softness, Eira pulled herself forward.

Her lips pressed to his temple before doing so on the other side. "There is nothing more powerful than being on stage. You broke me out of my unending scene." She believed he could achieve anything he set his mind to.

One last kiss, softly brushing his lips before Eira pulled away to warm them with her breath.