Private Tales The Newlywed Game

[Polina]

She’d grown up with milder temperatures on the Cortisi coast. She wasn’t used to this type of cold. But she was far too stubborn to give in. Even if it meant getting a touch of hypothermia. Teeth chattered in her mouth and her body shivered. She was in a strange, half sleep.

Her lips had turned a pale shade of blue.

And as strange hands encircled around her, her body reacted. Though weakly. She yelped. A fist flew, getting snagged on blankets. Then a second fist, unhindered. And it was dark, she could barely see who was holding her. Or what was going on.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Brie's second fist hit Kieran square in the side on his jaw. He let out a low rumbling chuckle as he held his wife tighter to him.

"It's okay, Brie, you're fine. I am not going to let your stubborn ass freeze to death." His voice was soft and gentle as he walked. Oberon kept step with him the entire walk back to the manor.

She was beautiful, even in her shivering state. He stopped a couple times to make sure the cold wind wasn't going to take her blanket away with it.

 

[Polina]

She groaned and luckily, she couldn't feel her fist. She tucked her arms quickly back inside the blanket. Her traitorous body snuggling in closer to him. Even as she realized who it was and she stiffened. Teeth still chattered in her mouth and she gave up on trying to control the shivering. Squinting, she could see the bright lights of the manor through the trees as they approached.

Half-lidded, sleepy eyes glared up at the Lord.

"I was f-f-f-fine," she chattered. Knowing the lie fell completely flat. She groaned again and shuddered. Even as they made it inside, she still felt chilled to the bone. Sleepy eyes looked down, noticing the dog.

"O-o-h, wh-wh-o i-s-s th-th-is?" Her hand flopped and dropped as her fingers reached out to let the dog smell them.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

"Of course you were, my dear Brie. You certainly weren't going to die of hypothermia. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to turn you before the time was right," he mused quietly. Even if she had heard him, she would think it was part of her freezing thoughts.

She spotted Oberon and dropped a hand down to the wolfhound. Oberon obliged her with a sniff and a lick which brought a true chuckle from depths of Kieran.

"That is Oberon. He is my dog. Our dog now, I suppose. Why did you do this, Brie? Trying to teach me a lesson?"

He knew the answer was yes but he wanted her to say it.

 

[Polina]

She sniffled, the smallest of smiles on her lips for Oberon. "H-h-ello Obi." Brie let her fingers give him a good scritch behind the ears before she was set down upon a chair by a crackling and roaring fire. Another sniffle and a small sneeze as she held her trembling hands out to the flames.

Thank the goddess.

Had he just said...turn her? She heard it but it didn't really register. Not when she was looking up at his smug, smiling face.

The kindness she'd shown for Oberon shifted to a glare at his master. She took a moment longer, getting her shuddering under control. "Why did you put a shooting order out on me? And maybe you need someone in your life to teach you a lesson," the last part was muttered with a hmph beneath her breath.

Oberon wagged his tail and then plopped his head down on her lap. Her fingers immediately went to scratch at his favorite spot.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Oberon was a traitor. Give the dog two hundred years of life and this is how he repays you. Kieran huffed as he sat on the chair that was shifted in to face hers slightly.

"Because I would rather shoot you than the werewolves attack and kill you," he said it so easily. It was the truth, after all. Would she believe him? Absolutely not. Werewolves and vampires didn't exist. Duh.

"Every rule I have here is to protect you. But I have been rude the last few days. What do you want to know about me?"

As if summoned, Seralynn walked in with a heavy fur and some hot tea. She stoked the fire and then nodded at Kieran as she left.

 

[Polina]

"What?" She blinked. Wondering if she was still left in the woods, now hallucinating from the cold. A warm pant on her arm proved she wasn't as she continued to scritch behind Oberon's ears.

Werewolves?

Was he just joking around? Fingers shifted to go for a cup of steaming tea. She cradled it in her hands, staring into the flames and looking away from Kieran's dark eyes. And that dark hair of his. She wanted to snap back that she didn't want to know anything about him. That she'd seen enough. But for once, she held her tongue. A part of her was also tempted just to give him the silent treatment.

"Why do you have so many locked doors here?"

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Kieran could see the internal struggle she was having and he loved it. She was trying to hard to not know him but she was curious. She needed to know everything and it would get her killed. Soon, at this rate.

"Mmmm," the vampire lord mused. "I don't know if you are ready to see everything in our home, my dear. You already hate me so I don't want to show you my hobbies. I don't think I could stand your judgment, Brie."

Kieran smirked wickedly. Oh, he would show her the rooms if she really wanted to see them but they would be the last thing she saw in this lifetime. She would die shortly after.

He wasn't ready for that new hate from her. Not yet.

 

[Polina]

Bi-colored eyes narrowed on the Lord. Her husband. There was something going on here. Too many questions left unanswered. Too many things that weren't adding up.

Ugh and that smirk of his! She wanted to rip it off his face. Which was ironic because she imagined many a damsel had fallen for it.

Her own lips pressed into a thin line. Thinner still as his smirk widened. She blew on the tea and took a sip. It was doing wonders to help her feel warm again. That and the fur, fire, blanket, and Oberon.

"How did someone like you end up with this sweetheart?" Oberon wagged his tail and licked her hand when she stopped petting him for a moment. "And why was Seralynn asking about my hobbies? Is it something you actually care to know?" Another sip of tea. She found herself relaxing into the high-backed chair. The shivering ceasing.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

"I raised from from a puppy and I love animals, thank you very much. They are innocent and love you unconditionally." He smiled fondly at Oberon before continuing, "unlike humans."

Kieran sat back and crossed his ankle on his knee. "Of course I care! This is your home now, Brie. I want you to be happy and enjoy your time here. I work a lot so there will be lots of downtime."

Lots of downtime for you to try to pick every lock in this house so I need to find something else for you to do. He had a plan. He would marry her, slowly woo her and make her like him - preferably love him, let her see the real him, let her decide if she wanted to remain human or join him forever as his Dark Lady.

 

[Polina]

She gnawed on her lower lip, teeth scraping lightly across skin. They'd regained their full color and were no longer a shade of pale blue. She weighted the Lord's words. Still trying to put her finger on things that seemed to be left unsaid.

How many secrets do you have Lord Kieran Harrovian?

She wondered. And now she was Misses Harrovian. She took another sip of tea, buying herself more time. "You say you work a lot but what is it that you do? Also, perhaps you should've married a proper lady because my hobbies include fencing, cards, and throwing daggers. It's not too late if you want to get one. I'm sure they can annul this marriage."

She told the truth about her hobbies, some of those hobbies her parents didn't even know because she hoped they would appal him.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Kieran was shocked. Truly shocked at her hobbies and it was not because he was appalled. It...weirdly turned him on. His wife that he had picked just for her beauty was everything he could want in a woman. Spunk, fight, beauty, brains, and violent hobbies. He wanted to kiss her right there but he did not want to get his eyes clawed out.

No, that could wait.

Instead he let a slow smile curve his lips. "Funny, I like all three of those things. I do not have time for a boring wife or a proper lady." He did not have time to be bored with someone for eternity. He wanted someone who would keep him on his toes and challenge him. He wanted someone to grow with and, somehow, Brie was it. He didn't even know how he gotten so lucky.

Yes, he did. Seralynn had picked her for him. That woman blew his mind a little more everyday. Someday she would take him up on his monthly offer to turn her. Someday.

"Why do you hate me so much? Your parents are the ones who needed the money..." Hmmm perhaps that was why. He was an asshole.

He did not forget about her question about what he did. He just decided that his question was more important.

 

[Polina]

"Why do I hate you so much?"

Her voice raised in pitch as she repeated his question with incredulity. He knew why. "You essentially paid my parents off." It was clear she was as angry at her parents as Lord Kieran. They would've sold her off to anyone just to get the money. And what kind of parents did that make them?

And now her brother was left in their suffering care. Who would look after him with her here? Who would have the patience to take him outside?

"You've been treating me like property since I came here." Brie gave him a pointed look. "And I don't appreciate any man who commands me to," she looked over her shoulder to make sure they were alone and her voice lowered, "wear some negligée or sleep naked."

And because she was Brie and couldn't keep her sass in she added.

"Do you understand now, my Lord?"

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Well...she was his property. That is how that worked. She was sold to him. As much as he was an asshole, he knew not to say that to the already pissed off woman.

"That was rather rude of me, but I can tell you that I wanted to fuck my wife last night and I refrained because even I have a line I will not cross." Literally...rape was that line. His only line. The one line he would never cross. Ever.

"I wanted to take off all of your clothes and kiss your soft skin. I wanted to feel you squirm under my touch..." Ever word was sultry as he continued to outline what he wanted to do to her in great detail.

Once he was done, he just looked into her eyes with the most serious face he could muster. He wanted her so bad.

"I guess I can kind of understand..."

 

[Polina]

He didn't give her a chance to feel relief at his words about not crossing that line.

One green and one blue eye felt like they got wider and wider as he went on and on. About every single way he wanted to touch her. Be with her. Any hint of hypothermia was erased as he spoke, her darker skin warming. She felt compelled to rest her hands gently over Oberon's ears.

The fire happily cracked and popped in the background.

And for a moment, the smell of hay filled her nose. A flash of blue eyes. One chipped tooth.

She swallowed, trying to find her voice.

Her mouth opened then closed.

Opened again.

"You can...kind of understand. Can you? Can you understand being...essentially sold to someone?" It was, of course, a dowry. A more than generous one. And even though his words made her blush and remind her of memories she wanted to forget she couldn't help but point out more of his offending behavior.

Fingers came up to push against one side of her temple. Massaging it gently. "Do you want me to hate you less?" Because if he truly did, he was going to have to try harder.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Her reaction was beautiful. She was so taken aback and he loved it so much. So so much.

Then...she asked about essentially being sold to someone and he looked away. Down. To the side. Away from her as he finally answered.

"Not sold, but I know what it is like to lose everything in your life against your will..."

Fuck, he had essentially done what his sire did to him to her...just she was still alive. Her ran a hand slowly over his face and then covered his mouth. He had come to terms with being a vampire and he had embraced it but it wasn't before his mother, his father, and his baby sister were murdered by his maker.

In a flash, Kieran was standing and throwing the chair he had been sitting in against the back wall. It hit the stone and splintered into a bunch of wooden shards.

"Fuck!" He yelled before he flung himself down into another chair. His hand was still over his face when he felt the wet nose of Oberon nudging him. He brought his hand down to pet his companion.

"Yes, but you never will. I am a gods damned monster, Brie!" Now Oberon was licking his arm and he just smiled at the dog.

 

[Polina]

She froze as he launched upward. Flinched as the chair exploded on the back wall. Her gripped tightened on the arms on the chair she’d nested in. Her eyes caught the span of emotions that crossed his face. Heard the changes in his tone.

Realization.

Sadness.

Remorse.

Anger. (So much).

And defeat.

Her mind raced at what she was seeing. To weigh his words and authenticity. A small part of her worried he was trying to manipulate her. And a large part of her wondered if he was a wizard.

To do what he’d done to that chair. To move that fast. Slowly, she forced her hands to relax. Carefully putting the tea down, she stood. Any sane person would probably run away. To go far in the opposite direction. Brie was sane but she was also brave and stubborn.

Soft-leather boots closed the short distance between them. Her hand lowered, her fingers brushing against his chin. Warm fingers gentle but firm lifted his chin until his gaze met her own. Her thumb brushed along his jaw. It was the first time she’d voluntarily touched him.

“You will never tell me what I will or won’t do.” She didn’t back down. Didn’t move away. There was no fear and no…hatred in her eyes. “I need time and a little space. I want to be able to visit my family. Can…can you give me that?”

It was an olive branch.

She could see something had changed in him. And if he was trying, she would too.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Kieran looked up at his wife with pained eyes. Her soft fingers on his chin, her thumb on his jaw...he wanted to pull her down onto his lap and just hold her. He didn't though. He just looked into her eyes and smiled a small, sad smile.

"Ever? Because I can think of a few times it might be fun to tell you what to do..." His hand reached up and took hers to place a gentle kiss on her palm.

"You have every day to yourself...can I have your evenings?" Kieran was asking...not taking. It was weird. He didn't like it. She could tell him no and he didn't like being told no. One of these days he would have to ask her to marry him properly. One day...

 

[Polina]

For once she didn't flinch away or snap her hand out of his grip. She held onto him. Gods his eyes. They looked so...haunted. She tried not to crumble under that sad smile of his and then he spoke.

She nearly rolled her eyes, his spell broken.

But she didn't.

And she had to wonder why he wanted nights. Besides his descriptions from earlier. The thought brought warmth to her skin again. Still. She'd be asleep during half the time. Was his work so demanding that he'd be gone every day?

She sighed and wove her fingers through his own, squeezing them lightly. "Give me tonight and I promise," Brie didn't make promises lightly, "to give you all my other nights. Can you give me this?"

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

"Yes," Kieran replied as he slowly stood up. He looked down at her now. Her beautiful eyes with their different colors looked back at him. The vampire bent down and kissed her softly on the lips.

It was their second kiss. Their first being the very public one at the wedding. A quick peck. This one wasn't forced and if she returned it, he would deepen it just enough.

When he did finally pull away, he kissed her on the forehead. "Oberon will stay with you tonight, if you'd like. I will sleep in a guest room."

 

[Polina]

She was surprised at his answer. She'd fully expected him to say no. And she was relieved he'd agreed. Brie was still in shock and processing his response as his lips touched her own. She didn't deepen it. Not yet.

She was only just getting to know him.

She released his hand and bent down to ruffle Oberon's fur, her hands stroking along the dog's body. Giving him all the pats he deserved. "I'd like that."

She knew it wasn't easy for him to grant her this.

"Thank you," she added and stood. "Until tomorrow night Lord Harrovian." A small smile. Not wanting to regret her decisions she quickly turned away from him, pointedly not looking at the pile of rubble along the far wall as she left the sitting room and wound her way up the stairs to...what would be their shared room again. After tonight.

Oberon gave one look to Kieran as if seeking permission, then trotted along after his mistress, tail wagging. Brie wanted to change, take a hot bath, and get into that bed. All that had happened since the wedding, hiding out in the woods and the effects of the cold, had caught up to her.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Several weeks passed since the night that Kieran realized he was a complete ass. They settled into an uneasy routine where he did give Brie more space. He hadn't been cruel to her but he wouldn't say he was nice either. He was neutral, he supposed.

It was evening and Brie should be joining him in the study soon. Their evenings usually consisted of wine, reading, and a little bit of talking. Really, she talked to Oberon and Seralynn more than him but at least she spent her evenings with him like he had asked. He would watch her sleep before he went off to work.

Everyday he found something new he liked about her. Her smile, the way her eyes crinkled when she played with Oberon, her frown...everything she did was beautiful.

 

[Polina]

By now, most of the staff had warmed up to her. And even though the stable master wasn’t pleasant, he’d given her his name. She supposed she’d earned that much. It was a start.

After that night away from Kieran, she’d been given the things she’d talked to Kieran about: a target range had been set up and she’d been gifted a set of daggers. A fencing partner came in upon request. And card games with staff became quite popular. She was beginning to settle in. And she found herself no longer dreading the time with her husband. What little time they had together.

Tonight, she entered the study with a frayed braid down her back. Curly, dark ringlets actively working to escape their bindings. High riding boots hugged her legs to just below her knee. This time a deep blue blouse that made her right eye pop more than the left. There was color to her darker skin tone to prove she’d just been out riding.

She’d missed dinner and Seralynn insisted on bringing something to the study for her later. She found her eyes drawn to Kieran’s as she entered even as Oberon trotted over to sniff and lick her hands, leaning his body against one of her legs to get a good pat in. And for a brief moment, as she looked at her husband, she couldn’t help remembering what his lips had felt like on her own.

“Hello, how was your day?” Straightening, she walked over and plopped in a chair across from his. One of her favorite spots. A high-backed plush chair next to one of the large windows. It faced the array of books that lined one of the shelves of the study. There was a small end table next to it that had a stack of books on it that she’d been reading.

 

[Kieran Harrovian]

Kieran looked up from the book he was reading when his bride walked into the study. He smiled at her and placed the bookmark before shutting the book and standing. He brought the book to the shelve and replaced it in the empty spot. The vampire Lord walked over to his wife and lifted one of her hands to his lips. He placed a gentle on her fingers before returning to his seat.

He had tried to be a gentleman lately. Tried. It was not always successful but him kissing her hand every night had become a normal thing. It was the only thing he kissed. He didn't even touch her unless she initiated it. This whole thing had not gone how he had thought it would.

"It was good. I," he had thought of so many excuses lately. More than he ever needed before. "Had a few meetings. All went well." These excuses were wearing thin. She was going to figure out his secret sooner or later. Probably sooner.

He couldn't wait for that day. The day she was completely his in mind, body, and soul. The day she was his for eternity.

"What did you do, my dear?"

 

[Polina]

There it was again. His hesitation. His vague responses. What was he hiding? And it had been so long since she’d seen a display of his strength. His speed. She was starting to question if it had actually happened how she remembered it happening.

But there was power coiled beneath those muscles of his. The fluid way he…moved. He still reminded her of a predator. Albeit one with better manners than when they’d first met.

She reached down, beginning to untie the laces of her riding boots. “Besides riding around the property I made some head way on clearing a space for a garden.” Eyes flickered up to him. “I hope that’s alright. I’d like to grow more food. Perhaps we could…give any extra to the nearby or a nearby village?”

She hadn’t left the manor since arriving. She didn’t know what was around. Or if anything was close. And she was naturally…curious. She braced herself. Wondering if this would make him upset. After all, there was still a damned shooting order. She had an idea of how to persuade him to let her leave but wanted to see how he reacted before she played her cards.