Private Tales I've Caught A Monster

[Val]

Damyr Winter Estate - Oban Countryside
Wren Kingsley

Oh. This was probably a terrible mistake. Val knew that. Knew that he was toeing the line of danger and stepping right onto the edge of foolish; but the heart wanted what it wanted.

It had taken him weeks to engineer things correctly to make this little meet-up happen. Not only had he needed to placate his father, but he'd needed to remove most of the staff and get rid of the wardens who usually maintained his fathers forests. He could not risk anyone seeing what to happen here, and he would most certainly never endanger the company he was going to keep.

So the vast Damyr Winter Manor, all of it's thirty two bedrooms and forty three bathrooms sat empty. Occupied only by one very trusted servant, one exceptionaly housemistress Val had known since birth, and of course one very trusted guard by the name of Dev. It was a meager, pale comparison to the staff usually present, but Val didn't care.

He wasn't here for luxury. He wasn't here to be pampered.

He was here for the woman riding up the gravel path of his families vacation estate.

Val watched as Wren slowly moved up the road, standing just behind the fountain. She was due to stay with him here for two weeks. She was due to be with him for more than a night for the first time since they had met. She was due to be here during the full moon. A problem that he had promised they would deal with. A storm that he was determined to weather together.

Even if it ended with a few scratch marks.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

The tall spires of the Damyr manor loomed over her as Wren rode up the gravel path, her thoughts a tangled mess. Not only had she found herself in some territorial trouble amongst other thieves, hunters had picked up her scent too, and now this—Val’s estate, empty and waiting, an invitation she couldn’t afford to refuse. She knew she had no better option, but the doubts gnawed at her.

"Gods, what am I doing? "she murmured to herself, the familiar pang of regret tightening in her chest. Her stallion’s hooves crunched on the gravel as she drew closer, the sound echoing the turmoil in her mind. She was used to running, to slipping away unnoticed, but this time felt different—dangerous in a way she couldn’t quite define.

"At least try to be pleasant for fuck’s sake, Wren," she chided herself under her breath, trying to muster a smile as Val came into view. But the moment her gaze settled on the grand estate, her resolve faltered.

She slipped from the saddle, her boots hitting the ground with a soft thud, and ran a hand swept back her hood and ran through her dark hair. The vastness of the manor, the emptiness within, it all seemed too much—too exposed.

“This is a really fucking stupid idea,” she muttered, frowning as she looked up at the estate, the weight of her decision pressing down on her.

 

[Val]

Val couldn't help the grin that slipped across his face. "You're telling me."

He knew this was a terrible idea as much as Wren did. He knew that they were courting half a dozen different women who screamed danger, but...fuck it if he didn't give a single shit about any of that.

The moment that he had seen her, the second that the gates had parted and he'd spotted her atop her horse Val knew that he had made the right choice. Their...situation was not an easy one to explain, but the rush he felt as Wren approached would have been worth a thousand years in the light to him.

He couldn't help it, there was something utterly electric about being in her presence.

Without another word he stepped forward. His movements bold as the gravel crunched beneath his feet.

"I'm harboring a fugitive." Val said as his hands came up to gently grasp her hips. Drawing her close and tempting the danger that was her wrath before she could ever offer an objection. "And under my bed I've hidden Lady Aurelia's jewels."

He admitted to her the prize he had taken just a day ago in the Blackwood. "If the Guards show up. I think even my father would say I'm royally fucked."

Val said as he drew her close, the need in his touch more than clear. "But it'll have been worth it."

Both too see her, and the outrage of Aurelia's face.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren’s initial scowl softened as Val’s grin became evident, a hint of amusement breaking through her own apprehension. His reaction was a reminder of just how far from ordinary this arrangement was, and she couldn’t help but be slightly disarmed by his daring demeanor.

As he stepped closer, the gravel crunching beneath his boots seemed to echo the pounding of her heart. Val’s hands found her hips, pulling her closer in a move that was both bold and brash. Wren stiffened for a moment, but the warmth of his touch, the thrill of his proximity, was as it always was. Undeniably intoxicating.

She raised an eyebrow at his declaration. “Harboring a fugitive, you say?” she said, her voice dripping with a mixture of sarcasm and intrigue. “And Lady Aurelia’s jewels? You really are pushing the boundaries of reckless behavior, Val.”

A laugh, both bitter and bemused, escaped her lips. “I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t mind trouble. ” She tilted her head, looking up at him with a mix of challenge and admiration. “And here I thought you were only good at looking handsome and being a complete dick head.”

His touch was a comfort and a temptation and an irritation combined, and the fierce desire in his eyes mirrored her own inner conflict. Wren leaned in slightly, her breath warm against his cheek as she spoke softly. “I’m glad you enjoy taking risks, Val. It means something to me, even if it’s a dangerous game we’re playing.” Her fingers brushed against his arm. “But let’s not pretend that all of this is just a game. It’s a gamble, and one that could end badly.”

Wren’s resolve was as firm as ever, even if it was tempered by the undeniable pull between them. They were both in deep, and there was caution in her eyes as she stared into his.

 

[Val]

He couldn't help the quirk of a smile that tugged at his lips even as she reminded him of the very real ax that hung over both their necks.

Wren was entirely, and completely correct. One word slipping out, one whisper reaching the wrong ear, and they were both dead. She was considered one of the enemies of the King, and he the son of his most loyal advisor. The host of his other crimes wouldn't have even mattered next to that, the scandal alone would see his father arrest Val right alongside Wren.

Add everything else on top; the jewels he did in fact have stashed away, he weapons buried beneath the garden, and the laundry list of wealthy nobles he had robbed in the last few months...execution would likely be the least of his problems.

Which is why it was so utterly troubling that mere miles away in Oban, a rat was beginning to whisper.

Not that Val or Wren had any idea.

"I love a good gamble." The nobleman said, unable to keep that confident smirk from his face for even a second. A hand reaching up to gently cup her chin so that she could not pull away. "I am, after all, extraordinarily lucky."

He said, claiming her lips in a deep and passionate kiss.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

Wren’s eyes flared with a mixture of apprehension and something more primal as Val’s smirk refused to fade. Despite the gravity of their situation, the confidence in his expression was as much infuriating as it was irresistible. She knew well the risks they faced—the threat of exposure, the inevitable fallout from their dangerous choices. Yet, here they were, toeing the edge of disaster with a reckless abandon that only made her heart race faster.

As Val’s hand cupped her chin, gently but firmly, Wren felt a shudder ripple across her back. The intensity of his gaze held her in place, and she couldn’t deny the magnetic pull that always drew her closer to him. For a moment, the world outside seemed to blur, leaving only the immediate, tangible reality of Val and his fucking intoxicating presence.

His kiss was sudden and deep, claiming her lips with a fervor that left her breathless. Wren’s resolve melted away under the pressure of his touch. Her hands found their way to his shoulders, gripping him tightly as if anchoring herself to this fleeting moment of passion. The kiss was all consuming, a heady mix of longing and defiance that set her senses alight.

She pressed closer, responding with equal intensity, pouring all her frustration, fear, and unspoken desires into the kiss. It was a way to forget the looming threats and the dangerous game they were playing—a brief escape into the reckless abandon that Val represented.

When the kiss finally broke, Wren leaned her forehead against his, her breath coming in uneven pants. She looked up at him, her eyes darkened with emotion. “You’re an idiot,” she murmured, her voice a soft blend of exasperation and affection as she studied his face.

"But, I have missed you, I suppose." her brow quirked.

 

[Val]

His thumb softly traced down her chin and over her skin. Fingers softly drawing her close until finally their kiss parted, and her murmur brought a chuckle from his lips. "An idiot and a fool."

Val said in agreement as she looked up at him.

"But a lucky one." The Nobling continued to insist, apparently undeterred by headsman's ax hanging above their head. He had lived his life in a cake, though not one most would have objected to. Breaking free of those bars had not been easy, and at first he'd done it in the only way he'd known how; by poking at the politics of his father.

As he'd grown older the success of his words became less and less. Thus, he began the game he played when he'd met Wren. Taking on the face of a loyal son, while robbing the rich of Oban and giving it to those in need. A dangerous thing, made all the more dangerous by everything that had happened since. "I'm glad you missed me."

Val continued softly.

"Means you aren't sick of me yet." He said as suddenly his arms wrapped around her, and without word of warning he swept her from her feet. Picking Wren up as though she weighed little more than a doll. Well prepared for the thrashing he was likely about to received, but already cackling madly as he ran down the gravel road towards his manor.

Entirely unaware that while a rat chittered, his father listened.

 

[Wren Kingsley]

The warmth in his gaze and the gentle touch of his thumb against her chin were at odds with the chaos of their situation, and despite herself, she found herself leaning into him, her willpower melting like ice under the intensity of his gaze. She couldn't help but marvel at how quickly things had shifted, even though it had been far too long since she’d last seen him. It was bewildering, infuriating, how easily she was drawn back into his orbit, and how he always made her forget all of the reasons she'd stayed away. Her fingers lingered on his chest, a tactile reminder of how real this was, how much she had missed him despite everything.

"Yet.." she emphasised the word, and had been about to say more when he lifted her from her feet.
Wren's initial scowl was fierce, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't completely suppress the flicker of reluctant amusement that sparked within her. The absurdity of the situation—the nobleman running with her as if she were a mere trinket—was so at odds with her usual world that it tugged at the edges of her irritation.

“Put me down, Val!” she snapped, though her voice lacked the full force of her earlier frustration. Her attempts to kick and wriggle free were half-hearted, and she couldn’t ignore the faint smirk threatening to break through her stern expression.

"Oh this is ridiculous!” she growled, though her eyes betrayed a glimmer of reluctant enjoyment. The way he laughed, so unrestrained and carefree, it was difficult to be annoyed by him. She gave up her fight with a huff.

“Just because I haven’t figured out how to get myself out of this predicament yet doesn’t mean I’m enjoying it,” she said, her voice steely. “You’re only getting away with this because I don't want to hurt you, yet."

As they reached the entrance to the manor, Wren’s scowl had faded into an exasperated, if not slightly fond, expression. “You are absolutely insufferable."